(Copied and posted from MSWORD)

(Note: the photos have nothing to do with this diary entry, okay?)

Dear Diary,

What monumental event happened today?

The CANTEEN. I was there at about 12:30pm. The queue was unbelievably long until it went into second rows around the counters. We had to wait for 20 minutes before we could go in through the doors and when we were inside, BANG yet another queue of more than 20 people for rice alone!

(The DUST man at our initial fave burger place)

The sandwiches were finished for the meal period. Desserts were some miscellaneous outside purchased lumps of cake. I had a simple lunch and walked out. Because we had SCR1,000 left and I took Ahmad and Sebastian for a nice dinner at Kaz Kreol instead - grilled fish with rice and chutneys, mixed appetizer of chicken wings, calamari and spring rolls, pizza and noodles. Yummy, right?

(The unique rock cropping in front of Fairyland)

I sent $$$ to Cory for his motorcycle as well

Workwise, Mr Gitz is now in Mauritius. Let's wait and see what happens when he comes back - are we opening? Are we not? What dates?

(Beach to the left of Fairyland)

Nite

(Copied and Pasted from MSWORD)

Dear Diary,

Wow! Last night's entry was 10:31pm and tonight is 11:31pm. One hour difference - exact! What a coincidence of sorts, eh?

What is the highlight of today? The DUST Man's birthday! I messaged the Dust Man last night at 8:30pm while at Opera just to psyche him up. And today, I got a call from Valerie to go to their party in the morning but I couldn't make it. Why? Because today at 7:00am I had to go to town to bank to get small change!


(That's Shanta's head peeking at the bottom of the photo - these are all Pirates Arms)

Darn it!

Remember yesterday's incident? Well, today was no different. I went to MCB with Jacq-Jacq. We got there early and as the bank wasn't open, we decided to have a cup at DoubleClick. As fate would have it, we ran into a white lady with 2 black kids. She started talking to us about the Resort & all that shit. And we found out she knew Kareen my Night Auditor. Kareen later confirmed that the lads were both adopted. So hey, coincidence? I want to adopt kids too although I need mine to look either geeky or adorable! HAHAHAHAH!

Aside from that, it rained ... and rained ... and rained!

(See? Another Pirates Arms - oldest restaurant)

Work was a complete nightmare! It was yet another day spent on payroll only. Tomorrow I have to really get cracking and worked on other matters that are piling up. But tonight, we had an awesome blast at Le Meridien celebrating the Dust Man's birthday. The food was not great, don't get me wrong. What was cool was that there was traditional performance and they got a few of the folks from our group up and dancing and running around and kicking their heels!

I am so sleepy now that I will definitely continue tomorrow with the highlights

Night

(And the road outside Pirates Arms)

(Copied and Pasted from MSWORD Diary)

Dear Diary,

Today is a day of in-betweens. It's like when I was in high school during exam period. There I would be cramming for days on end, worrying like a worry wart about the worse until I would have these splitting headaches in the afternoon right in the middle of a test paper. Then would come a break of a day or two in between one test and the next or just after all the exams were over and done with

And I would be listless, my routine snapped. I was indecisive on the next charging course of action I would take

Does that make any sense to you?


(Fairyland for a beautiful buffet luncheon)

Today we finished the bulk of the payroll nightmare! Today is the first day after the 2 Mauritian auditors left for the holiday season! Today is the first day where the training of the past 10 or so days ended!

So all I did was clear emails and waiting for the phone call from my mate, the Rolls (Corvina Accountant) to go to town and collect the $$$ for payroll distribution. Anything exciting happened? Well ... yes and no

The craziest thing happened right in the bank. I was there with Meds (payroll officer), Aggie (Security Manager) and her no 2, Simie. The teller was a hoot. We were waiting for her with the cheque and full denomination breakdown. She counted, used the adding machine and somehow kept on not tallying. Then she blamed the machine and changed to another machine and still couldn't balance. Forty minutes we had to wait for her to finish everything!

(The lights @ Our somewhat fave restaurant, Opera)

I almost wanted to offer her a helping hand but the poor girl already looked so stressed and embarassed that for once I kept my mouth shut! HAHAHAHA!

To our surprise, who we thought was a machine technician turned out to be her superior/ bank officer of sorts. The dressing sense, the facial hair, the stature! I kid you not. The chap was in something that looked like what a car techie would wear!

And also while I was in the bank, I received a call from another bank officer in the same building looking for a job! Can you BEAT that? Hehehe! I told her to come out into the banking hall next to the Christmas tree. Boy was she surprised! HAH!

(View of the beautiful Seychelles)

Anyway, when we got back to the hotel, to our utter shock and disgust, there was insufficient smaller denomination! Now that pissed us off no end because now we have to go back to the bank tomorrow!

Aside from that episode, nothing else of importance happened

My evening ended thus - I went to Banyan Tree after reading the ad in the paper about the sale and did my Nov 2009 monthly shopping there again like last round when I bought a cap for USD20. This time I spent about USD40 and could buy so many things. Hehehehe!

Then it was dinner at Opera before coming home to the here and now typing this entry

See? Nothing major :)

Good night!

First Real Day ... and the truth continues

Dear Diary,

I woke up this morning and ARGH the gout is there. As there is no definite schedule on what to do today or who to meet, I hobbled to the lobby and met Agnes, Security MISTRESS (hah). We had breakfast together and then she went off as she had her agenda all spelt out. Me? I hobbled around, back to room and out again


Thought to check out what's going on in the Finance department only to find out that most are not in yet. Apparently they have a "unique" schedule. This is going to be a recurrence throughout the rest of my stay. Ah well each country has it s own culture and each company its own as well

So the rest of the day was spent in quiet frustration talking to people here and there and that's about it. Lunch was around one of the poolsides and I ran into a bunch of other head office people. Seemed like a great number of them exists for such a small group - oddly reminded me of my just ex-employer, Meritus. So if they are not careful ...

What happened in the evening? Nothing.

Nice to sit out on the balcony and watch the sunset and sipped on drinks and doing nothing

Wish my foot is not aching so I can actually go out and DO SOMETHING - luckyAgnes!

[COPIED N PASTED FRM MSWORD]

Dear Diary,

I am typing this in Belle Mare Plage, our flagship hotel in Mauritius. It's such a beautiful room, unique in its design. I was definitely wowed when I stepped down from the car. If there is one thing I want my parents to enjoy, it is this - the wow factor of really nice hotels instead of just those where we go to sleep and head out the whole day. I want them to experience true luxury just once!



Anyway the day started optimistically until I reached office. Koshi sent me an email that said he was not joining - another Senarath! Apparently, after sooooo many months of silence, BT recalled him for RAK! And he supposedly got a whopping salary increase from them! So we are back to panic button

Other than that, nothing much happened except I went to the airport, waited and flew off to beautiful Mauritius

All along the journey, there was not a single cutie anywhere in sight - adult, that is

When we touched down in Mauritius, the ride was bad. The car we had was dirty and run-down. The driver was less than pleasant. Aside from the initial greeting like a word and that was it the whole way until we arrived at the hotel. He must be in a real bad mood. So that pretty much spoilt the journey. Oh yes! I was travelling with our Security Manager, the lady.

Thank goodness we were greeted with such a great WHAM view of the hotel and the people when we arrived. Now that was more or less great all the way through

Then came the "somewhat" cutie JCJ the guy who first interviewed me for this position and whom I had such a lovely chat with. He is definitely good-looking. If he is a PLU and wanted one with me ... well I don't know if I am able to resist him. That body, the smile, the hair, the voice and I already know the personality. He is quite frankly adorable.

After the pleasantries were done, we were given the rest of the evening and day off. Dinner was in the buffet restaurant. Not a single dish was nice. And the macchiato that I ordered was ridiculously bad. It comes in a tall thin glass with 2 straws. I mean, this is a hot drink, mind you! Freaky!

And of all the bad luck, my gout is giving me a nightmare of all days! It hit me just now!

Going to rest, good nite!

(Copied & Pasted from MSWORD)

Dear Diary,

What a long and stressful day today was! I spent the first 4 hours happily enough doing the format of the budget followed by a really nice lunch at the canteen. So much for my diet again! I really have no discipline. Year in and year out, I bitched and supposedly diet but nothing works and I just get fatter and FATTER! I have a serious case of a weakness for food - almost all foods! I really need to just clamp down hard and be disciplined ... sigh ...

(View from the road of the resort and beyond - Seychelles is awesome!)

Anyway, the moment I reached the office, the swamp of work was unbelievable with phone calls, people dropping by and the annoyance of Ms Celine (not Dion!). Yes, I thought she was this pleasant elderly, large lady during the interview process and the slightly dumpy look I put it to cultural differences. But last Sunday before she started work should have been a warning already when I had to call her and let her know to start work on Wednesday. Why? Because she called me three times on the same day just to confirm with the last call coming at night!

(The preserved swamp)

True enough, that was how she really worked! She seemed to be oh-so-slow in her work and uncoordinated. On top of that, she is annoying always waltzing into my office even when the door is closed without knocking. If this continues ..........

(Ongoing building of the bridge to resort)

Then my new assistant who joined is really taking his full 1 hr and even an additional 30 min lunch break! I guess this is the bad habit of spending 20 years in China ... and now becoming like them! Worse case, he went home each day pretty much on time and doesn't come out after that except for meal breaks. That is so odd!

But hey, everyone is new yet. So let's see what happens in the days ahead. I will be energetic and try to see if I can get the whole team moving in the right direction - hopefully

[COPIED N PASTED FRM MSWORD]

Dear Diary,

Today is Sunday and what started as a beautiful day ended up in a pissing off type of day. Why? We had the psycho session today. That's what I called it. Psycho. Unfortunately the husband wanted to "do" me. It was generally fine until we got to a few personal issues which I felt he was way out of line

First up, he commented that I was young for my age. And he immediately attributed this to the fact that I am Asian. He is Indian but of Mauritian nationality. Is he not "Asian"? I told him if he really knew Asians, we have distinct racial descents. Indians, Malays and Chinese are vastly different. So how can he claim I am Asian? What does that even mean?

After a few minutes, he asked about my values. I requested him to clarify and he again said that because I am Asian he knows we are tight about family. I explained to him that in my case, I come from a family of travellers and migrants and so we are tight but not in that manner

Then he got slightly cheesed off when he tried to press me to say that there is a dichotomy in the way I said I try to be positive but I do have a short temper. I told him that it all depends on the scenario. If someone says they are perfect or whatever, it is just saying the right thing, not the truth. Everyone has their anger issues ... and the things that torqued them off, right?

I tested him towards the end by telling him I won't be there for his full blown team building session. He took the bait and immediately tried to muscle in on me to show his strength. When I couldn't be cowed, he asked who I have spoken to. Then he said he would discuss with Jean-Marc and like a really spoilt child, he used his clout to get his way. Of course I could have also threatened him back but I decided not to because now the ball is in my court and I can use it when there are delays etc subsequently to say that they placed their priorities wrong during this critical pre-opening phase!

But I did tell JMM off when he tried to force me to attend. I told him that if someone is not a team player right off the bat, 2 days of this session, will not change them unless they are like an empty bottle rattling until the first wave filled them up. If any of us are such a bottle, we shouldn't have been hired in the first place because pre-opening is not the place for such a person and it reflected badly on the person who hired. On top of that, we are all experienced expatriates. So we know what it is like to buckle down and keep work to work and not take anything personally!

So for me if I were to attend, the next 2 days will be a paid vacation

[COPIED & PASTED FROM MSWORD]

Dear Diary,

Well I just got back from a night on the town wherein I talked so much that I think I must have bored Michele from the software company, Sicorax! Hehehe! We went out around 7:00pm along with the Meds, Paymaster driving via La Misere to Beau Vallon. Dinner was at Coco D'Or but it was a disappointment on the hot dishes (buffet). Everything was salted ... salted shark, salted pork, salted fish, etc. And no lovely local salads and chutneys! Sigh!


After that we took a stroll to Coral Strand down the road and to the right and went via the beach before walking back through the hotel. It was lovely, not too cold with a nice breeze. Then we took a slow drive all the way back via Victoria and Anse Royale. To my surprise, Meds left the car at Les Canelle!

Okay. Now that the boring part is over and done with, let's get to the juicy bits! It's about the Brit Georgie girl. She came over to my office to borrow the car this morning. She said she was going to the airport. I asked if she was picking up someone and you should have seen her face. She was so uptight. She said she had some stuff (?). I thought she was referring to physical things. Anyway when she came back she gave me a receipt for fuel to claim! I asked what it was for and she said she put in some fuel. I said she would need to write the reasons on the form in order for it to be approved and reimbursed

Then I asked the Dust man, Mr Shelter for Depressed Chicks and he said she went to the airport to meet her ex who she supposedly dumped the last week and was supposed to have dumped a couple of weeks ago already! See? He is the shelter! Hahahahaha!

Apparently the ex was on his way to Mauritius for his home leave or some such. Well if they have broken up and he was going home to his WIFE, why the heck did she went to the trouble of being at the airport for him? Obviously it wasn't over yet at least emotionally and obviously she has feelings for him because the ball, in this instance, is in her court!

What a mess right? And she had the nerve to try and claim back the fuel for something that is personal in nature. Always have to be alert!

Ah well! Here's to life in Seychelles!

(Copied & Pasted from MSWORD)

(Guests chilling out on the beach of Intendance - that end is beautiful, a little rocky and thus more fishes swimming around and better for snorkelling)

Another busy day ... not really ... but the car problem again ... how nice to lend people and get it back when it is near NIL ... UGH ... and then at night I have to drive through the mountain to the other side just to refuel ... this is not just a waste of time (30 minutes 1 way) but fuel as well

ANNOYED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best not to type anymore for the moment, yes?

(Copied and Pasted from MSWORD)

Dear Diary,

I am actually typing this on 28th October 2009 11:45pm Malaysian time

On 25th, what really annoyed me was that it was my working day (no surprises there, right?). All my so-called colleagues-cum-friends knew it was my working day. But that did not prevent them from borrowing my car for their rest day. Imagine that on Saturday, I have loaned it out from morning until night to the party team, Chef Bruno and Geerish. Now, on Sunday, before I even start this day, Sebnem (Turkish "B") came early and took the car. After that, it was my mates, Dustin and Louise. And finally, the car went to Sebnem (again) and Valerie.


(Took this from Eden Holiday Villas where we stayed before moving on site)

I had to chase them to get the car back and said that I wanted to use it that night. Then I texted them to see if they wanted to have dinner and predictably they have all had a tiring day and just wanted a quiet evening in their accomodation

How nice, right? Friday is my offday and they wanted my car for work. Sunday is my offday and they wanted my car for leisure. When I asked them for something, it is a negative but when they wanted something ... I give them a few more days to see if their attitude improves. Sure hope so as otherwise I will feel that my "easy going" attitude has made them take advantage of me

I know, I bitch a lot of car but that's what happens in a place like Seychelles. You need your own wheels as otherwise ... BOREDOM!

Ugh!!!

(Copied & Pasted from MSWORD)

(Intendance Beach - Banyan Tree)

Busy busy and in a bad bitchy mood! Well, not all the way through but you know, not much of a mood to write this entry. So here's the highlights for the day:

1. Car - the usual problem of trying to go to town but then not enough car around and everyone fighting and bitching about the car. I need to be more firm like David then I won't have any problems, yes? SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. Anchor Cafe - I thought to pick up my mood by getting a few mates to dine there but ... even this was a disappointment. Guess not all their foods are nice. I just have to stick to my PORK. The curry is surprisingly weak especially the chicken curry. And the pie as well is irregular

Rainbows ... and Lazy Buggers

I am typing this on 26th Oct and it is an up-to-date item ... I will still go backwards and fill up the gap at a later point in time ...

This photo is taken during a light drizzle ... while we were still at our old temporary office at STA (Seychelles Training Academy) ... nice rainbow effect yes? Apparently rainbows are common here ... I have seen them more in the past 2 mths than possibly years at home ... maybe it is because we spent so much time cooped up inside buildings and hardly go out eh? Sad if true ... simple things ... but it sure lifts the spirit ...

So what is it so important that I have to type today? Well this is a bitching session!

This could of course be coincident or not ... but the first time both the regional general manager and general manager are away simultaneously, half the team have disappeared ... they went to lunch around noon ... some earlier than others ... some then went home ... for whatever reasons .. .then around 1:00pm plus ... the EAM came to borrow my car key and asked if I wanted to go to town as they have run out of supplies ... it is almost 7:00pm and they have yet to return ... 5 hrs? They may as well take the day off!

This is such a load of crock ... most of the things they could have gotten when they went out on Sunday as some shops are open ... it's just that they couldn't be bothered to do so because they want to sleep in or go to the beach etc ....

So who disappeared?

The EAM, the FOM, the Recreation Manager and the Spa Manager!

What a nice load of people, no?

[From MS Word - retyped here on 19.12.2011 - 10:04pm]

Dear Diary,

Here I am, starting yet again in another journal. How do I know this is going to be different from all the other times that I have started on a similar journal but then stopped after a few days?

Truth is, I don't know

But well, let's just say I am determined. There is so much I want to share that 24 hours of straight typing is just not going to be enough. So guess what? I am not going to attempt it. Instead I will just move forward

As I have to go beddy bye soon since it is a working day here, I will keep this initial entry to the basics

Where am I? Seychelles. I was here in 2006 and 2007 and now here I am yet again albeit with a different company: the Constance Group of Resorts

Where am I precisely? I am typing this on the sofa in my living room of a 3 bedroom double storey semi detached house. Yes, I have finally arrived. HAH!

What is my resolution? Aside from this diary, I want to stay really focused in the next few months ahead. I want to watch what I eat to lower my cholesterol and uric acid. I want to lose some weight and this is going to be through a series of regular intensive exercise. Aside from this, I want to pray. And I definitely want to start my Bible reading cycle. I want to start writing regularly again. And lastly, I want to practise my sketching!

That's what I want

That's what I am aiming for

And I will say good night to you and good morning to you as well at this point! Hehehe!

Hilton BBQ Lunch ... or how to get a sun burnt with a cocktail at noon

[Actual date is 15.10.09 but publishing for event of 27 Sep 2009 - no internet, busy busy busy - what to do, eh?]

After last weekend's really eventful weekend, everyone at Eden Holiday Villas (it is only a Holiday Villa if you like the fact that every shower will find your bathroom flooded, everywhere leaks whenever it rains, etc etc etc) decided to have a sleep in. So there I was up early and went to office for the free internet

After that, in a good mood, I decided to join the troops and we said we will go to Hilton Seychelles for lunch. Originally everyone thought it was brunch starting at 11:00am. So we rushed over there and reached around 12:30pm but to our shock and horror, it was 2:00pm instead. With nothing better to do, and the resort being really small with almost no public area to speak off, we decided to go to the little outdoor area in front of the restaurant

View is fantastic! Then again, almost everywhere in Seychelles has a killer view

However, sitting at the lower platform, underneath the shade of overhanging trees could not compensate for the blazing heat. We had only 1 drink each and my arms felt like they were positively being roasted. I knew in the next week, that would be sunburnt calling

So what else happened?

Lunch was a killer! Teeny tiny buffet in terms starters and desserts and taste-wise, for me, the Asian tastebud, it was a disappointment but the meats? That was another thing entirely

There was seafood and red meat. Being worried about the uric acid ... since I am looking at potential gout attack again ... I am writing too much now aren't I? HAHAHAHAHA

I had the white sausage (Yummy), skewer of octopus (one of the nicest ever!) and the gigantic pork rib - this is a killer yummelicious piece of meat. Too bad I was with sissy eaters. Otherwise I WOULD HAVE GORGED ON SECONDS AND THIRDS

And the fun continues

In this photo, it is part of the hiking trail from the first incident ... plenty of huge crosses/ crucifixes in this country now? Hehehehe!

Anyway we met in the afternoon and was to go for lunch but chef changed his mind and wanted to go for clean up of his wounds ... we met the rest of the gang who said they are going to North Beach for a swim ...

In the evening when we meet again for dinner ... chef asked if we heard from the other gang ... Marco called them ... and after much drama ... they came back and told us their tale ....

They were having a swim and relaxing time ... recreation manager Dustin went off to some rocky areas on his own ... he left behind his phone etc ... but to his surprise the tide came in and cut him off ... so without any way of contacting anyone he tried to hike up etc to get out as the current was strong and the place was rocky ... unfortunately he cut his feet ... and cannot continue ... so he decided to head back to the big rocks ... and wait for rescue ... he waved to a few passing by fishing boats but none heard him ... not surprised if they used outboard motors, right?

Next the gang at the beach ... they at first thought Dustin was going off for a while only cos he didn't take anything ... then they waited n waited n waited ... and still he didn't come back ... so they started to search and call out for him but no reply ... then as it got dark they were worried and called for the General Manager, Jean Marc ... he came and called Security, Agnes for help ... apparently the police was having an event in the city and couldn't do much ... so she somehow managed to find a small little boat and went out ... and found Dustin!

Dustin saw ... but the boat could not come in as it was then dark ... and rocky ... so he jumped into the water and back-swam until they could reach and pulled him in ...

Good thing he is a touch bloke!

So how was that for 1 Sunday? Eventful no?

Disastrous or Adventurous or Eventful?

[This is actually being typed on 3 October 2009 - reason is because for the past 2 plus weeks I have been relocated from Relax to Eden Holiday - where there is no internet in the room and the nearest point is our office - a regular downer!]

The photo this time is actually the first thing that hits you smack as you turned a narrow dangerous bend to the Eden! What a welcoming sight. There is a 1 word inscription at the base MISSION

Anyway why I am selecting an earlier date? Because that was one heck of a weekend. I got up at my usal time, enjoying the weather and muching down breakfast. Then Marco Frank and Chef Bruno (nicest Exec Chef I ever met in any overseas work location - not that I am slagging off the rest of those I met - hi guys and gals - yes you were my friends too .... Shamsul, Amit, etc). Anyway Chef left first for the hike. As we took the right path towards Port Glaud, everything was nice. Then we headed back. I chose the sea/ beach path. Marco wanted to do the slopes.

A few minutes later I heard him crashing through the top and I saw him in flashes as we both took different paths from North Beach to South Beach. A while down the line, I heard him call out. I shouted a reply but as I heard nothing, I thought he might be injured. So I scampered up this huge boulder and BANG slipped on the moss/lichen. Ripped both leg muscles I thought. It was sheer agony and I had to sit down and just waited and called out. But Marco didn't reply. So I hoped he was all right

I continued my track until I passed by some China and Indian workers. The China blokes were in the sea with pieces of wire poking and prodding for some shell fish and ruining the corals. I tried to talk to them but they apparently didn't understand Mandarin or pretended not to! Then I saw 3 Indians walking out of the jungle with machete. Dude - I panicked for a bit. Visions of THE BEACH there ... and some horror movie spoof. However, when I saw the final chap carrying coconuts ... wooooof!

I went through some hilly areas after that ... and stopped at a huge rocky area where there seemed to be no way forward ... at that time I saw Marco's SMS and missed call. I called back but there is no answer. So I messaged that I would make my way back to North Beach instead

Waited and waited and waited ... and to my horror Chef was coming shirtless and have cuts and bruises in several places ... apparently Chef had an even bigger event ... as he went hiking through the hills ... 2 blokes hailed him ... he tried to ignore them ... they followed him ... so he ran for it until he couldn't run anymore and called for Marco behind the safety of a rock ...

At that moment, Marco took up the tale. He was wondering what happened to both me and Chef. Since he got Chef's breathless call, he decided to go back to our construction site for security and assistance and dashed off. By the time he found chef, chef had pretty much recovered his breath and came out after the 2 blokes were no longer around!

So that was when Chef made his way to the beach and Marco went off to drop the security vehicle etc

What an eventful day for Sunday no?

But if you think that was it, boy, have I got more to share with you in the next post because something happened to our recreation bloke later in the afternoon that actually topped this incident!

Odd characters

Finally I can show you the right photo ... from this it makes the place I am staying look so good right? Hehehehehe ... it is ... I am not sure what the rating is ... more like a guest house ... small pool ... the great thing is that it is not posh but comfortable and great staff ... most of them are so friendly whether they are local or mauritius or even a few of the Indian chaps like the security guard and the kitchen blokes

Directly opposite the hotel Le Relax is a nice beach called Anse Royale ... oddest thing is that in 2007 we used to come here for swim like once or twice a week and always saw this hotel ... and now here I am ... I have yet to put one little toe in the seas yet in 2 weeks ... sigh ...

Today the weather was horrid - rainy then sunshiny hot then rainy ... and on and on and on ... I was having trouble sleeping ... up and about by 5:00am ... then it was off to the site to check out the construction etc ... and got sun burnt!

What I really want to share today is some oddities during the interviews I conducted today:

1. Chap comes for store position - when I asked him a question, he just says that he already wrote it in one of 3 documents he submitted! Can you beat that? He refused to explain. When I fobbed him off to F&B, he asked if that means he didn't get the job

2. Lady receives our rejection letter. She called up demanding justification! ARGH! Where do they find these people? Who is looking for a job here, right?

There are plenty more to go than this as examples actually ... hehehehhe ... you have to be there and it will be so funny. I don't mean to be nasty but I soooooooooooo want to type the full thing here ... but I am trying to censor and be tactful!

There are days ...

when you feel like slapping some people ... you know the feeling? I have one bad situation every single day since I joined this company this month ... talk about a bad experience ... no proper welcome ... no proper accomodation ... shoddy treatment ... no proper office ... no proper chair or table or printer or even lighting ... I know we are in pre-opening stage of the damn hotel but to have the basics so screwed up??? I have done similar jobs like these several times and we never have this type of shitty problems

And on top of it all, what I absolutely find annoying is the sheer waste of time ... I am asked to do something ... I finished ... then I am told not to do it and actually supposed to do something else

Now you know why I feel like slapping someone!

I have been so tempted to respond to those recruitment agents asking if I would like a job or not. I am seriously considering this. If things do not improve, I will proceed with active job search. No point hanging around a cock-up operations, right?

The photo for today is a shot taken from the pool at the sea across from our hotel early morning before 7am. Lovely country this!

W ... T ... F ...

[This is posted on 21.10.09]

Before we start with the usual ranting & raving like a lunatic until everyone says I have a nasty disposition ... let me share with you a nice calm photo ... this was taken from the Seychelles Training Academy during sunset in Sep 2009 ... awesome no?

Ok ... we were told over the weekend that our booking was until 15th and we (Me & David B) need to advice Relax Inn if we need to extend ... we chased the office ... they said they will confirm on 14th ... on 14th they said to extend ... but guess what? No one told the Inn! So they didn't do it ... so me and David B had a nasty ... we came back ... and spent the night driving around looking at potential places to stay ...

Then Relax said they can keep me in different rooms but David B had to move out ... we called our nice GM, JMM ... he said that cannot be right and he will check with Jemma ... did we know what happened? Was the problem resolved? Nope

So the next morning, David packed his bags, checked out and went to office ... we subsequently found out that now it is okay for David to stay but after moving my rooms ... I will be out of a room in a few days ... so it was my turn to panic and search for rooms ... wow! What a nice team! Less than 20 people and the people doing this couldn't even handle this. Shows what a nice, sincere and caring team I am working with ... best be on my guard!

End of first formal week in Seychelles

Well ... you may be wondering why I am posting this photo ... the reason is I don't have anything new yet to share ... it has been a busy week interviewing people locally in Seychelles plus online emails and skype etc from morning until night ... first time in my life I need to re-charge my phone day time ... battery ran low!!!

So rather than give you other people's photo, I went through the stuff I randomly took at the Singapore airport on the way to Seychelles ... see? Related, right? I had about 6 hrs and was very fortunate that my elder cousin, Linda and her mom, Annie ... took time out to visit me ... we had a lovely lunch at this Korean restaurant ... so many restaurants at the airport are doing set lunches for SGD10 only ... good value for money as the portions are huge ... the food is tasty ... sign of a weak economy

As for the photo, I was in the bookshop trying to find something for my reading on the plane ... there was this man constantly hogging the maps section ... he had a tag so must be working somewhere in the airport ... probably planning his vacation ...

3 more days to my other half's birthday ... sigh ... wish we are together ... SIGH!

Okay ... I better stop here, eh? Hehehehehehe

Too Busy for ...

My second post within a week ... hehehe ... yesterday I celebrated my 37th birthday ... this is the third year in a row in which I celebrated in different countries ... 2007 was Bahrain ... 2008 was Malaysia and now Seychelles ... still thanks to the 4 hour timing difference ... I woke up several times early in the morning ... when my phone vibrated with messages ... to ALL who msg me, I thanked you once again for your wishes ... when I am new to this country with friends yet to be made ... it was very nice

Unfortunately thanks to work, I had no time to go out or even buy a slice of cake ... so tonight I decided to head down to Anchor Cafe on the way home ... my Resident Manager was having a bit of a "day" himself ... and I decided to ask if he wanted to hang out too ... since the last 2 times he asked I had to decline ...

Anchor's prices had certainly shot through the roof ... I guessed they revised accordingly after the devaluation ... a simple meal of pork chop, apple pie minus ice cream and a coca cola stiffed me for about EURO24!!!!!!!

Ugh ... but it was a nice place, the people are as friendly as ever and the food was lovely ... and now I am so bloated while typing this out ...

The photo once again is consistent now ... it is taken from the room I am staying at Le Relax ...

Nite all

I am Baaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!

My last post was in Jan ... I had a peek ... and ironically it was a post about procrastination versus discipline ... and I proved my lack of discipline by not posting? Hehehehehe!!!!

To all the people who emailed or msg me about the long period of silence between blogs, I HUMBLY THANKED ALL OF YOU AND APOLOGISED

From now on, I am back and here I am posting again ... I am still undecided on whether to post backward and forward to fill it all up ... and if I do, only you regulars will know that I have filled up the gaps ... it won't have the same sense of urgency but what the heck? Completionist ... mentality, that's me ... thanks to a lifetime of collecting comics ...

Anyway, the photo I am putting on this post is taken from my tiny room in Seychelles ... yes I am back in Seychelles after a 2 year absence ... I have signed up with Constance Ephelia Resort ... and temporarily holed up in Le Relais Hotel on Mahe Island, Seychelles ... it's a view of the tiny pool next to the tiny restaurant

Today is Sunday. I had great plans. I wanted to go out and checked out what's been happening in Victoria since I haven't been here for so long ... I woke up ... I peeked through the windows ... and darn it all to blazes ... it's drizzling, raining, strong winds blowing ....

So what did I do?

I over-ate ... stuffed my face and bloated my stomach to the max ... I had my first taste of bacon n eggs ... been years since I last had bacon ... then around 1pm ... I decided to go to Victoria ... and went to the Pirate's Arms restaurant ... ambience unchanged ... thank goodness ... less than speedy service but when you get the waitress' attention ... it is still warmth and friendly ... thank goodness yet again ... pork chops ... yummy!!!!!!

Well almost dinner time ... so I am going for the max again ... heheheheh ... will post something on all my other review links too ... and back here again soon ...

All the best to all who read this

Taking a Break Round 1

Yes ... after all the hard way ... and griping ... and feeling like slapping everyone ... I finally had a trip to Singapore ... hehehe ... I get to spend a few days chilling out, meeting with old friends and ex-colleagues ... and of course giving "face time" to current colleagues ... but the good thing is ... chill out time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye bye Langkawi ... here I come Singapore

Discipline versus Procrastination

A new year is just a date on the calendar ... yet for many of us ... we see it as an opportunity to start things afresh ... but why do we need this wonderful date? Any day is as good as another, right?

Me, being a long time member of the procrastination club ... well, I have spent about 15 years in the wilderness ... giving excuses for all my shortcomings and underachievements ... and with each year, I set new targets and ... with the end of each year, I failed them

Root cause?

Discipline - I lack this

Anyway the best way to overcome this is to just do it ... so here I am deciding to do it ... and as you can see on this particular posting ... an ugly looking bloke with eyes too near each other ... that's a super-villain sketch I did this afternoon ... my first sketch for 2009 ... here's to many more ... this is a rough sketch in the sense that I have the lines but no shadowing, inking, etc ...

Aside from this, I have also started tuition ... yup I almost backed off a week ago when crunch time came ... excuses flooded my mind ... but I just gritted my teeth ... and counted the days ... so when the time came ... or rather when the day came ... I went home early, read some comics and waited for Yahaya to bring his kid ...

I had a passing glimpse of the lad only once late at night while I was new to the hotel ... he was a blur running along his mom and sis to go home ... maybe around midnight ... so I had no idea who he is, was or how he looks like ... It was a good thing Yahaya, our F&B Assistant Manager brought him right up to my door ...

The kid is to be 14 this year ... in Form 2 ... and his name is Adli ... seems like a lovely chap ... speaks very well ... a wee bit shy ... but given time, I believe we can overcome this ... he is intelligent though ... and I have a good feeling about his ability to do well in his studies ... he just needs to learn one critical skill ... no problem is too big, just break it down to its components, fixed them one by one and there you have it - all solved

We are doing Mathematics together ...

So there you have it ... 2 new activities in this one week ... here's to the rest of the year ...

I am now going to get ready for my exercise ... no walk no dinner ... oh yeah ... that's another one ... so three new activities for this week ... hope I have discipline to keep it up

How I Miss These ...

This is a pic of the cover to Robin #61 - one of my all time fave comic covers ... with interior artwork by Staz Johnson ... who went on to other stuff ... but his (and the departed Mike Wieringo) is my absolute fave artist on Robin to-date ...

Anyway today is Jan 1 and for the first time in my working career ... it is not a PH ... so my coming in to work ... is business as usual ... sigh ... the best part is ... since I am now based in a beach resort ... we are expected to be on duty until after the countdown last night as well ... nice isn't it?

That's life

This past Dec 08 is a revelation of sorts for me ... I have been out of the country for soooo long ... I had forgotten the number of varied public holidays Malaysians celebrate ... it is really fun ... if you are living in a country where they are predominantly of one religion ... then that's where all the main PH are ... in Malaysia, here is an example of what Dec 08 was like ... we started with the Muslim festive season of Raya Haji ... followed by the Christian festive season of Christmas ... then we had another Muslim holiday on 29th Dec ... in certain parts of Malaysia Jan 1 is a holiday ... then in Jan 09 itself ... again in certain parts of Malaysia is the Hindu festival of Thaipusam ... and later on it is the cultural festive season of Chinese New Year ... 6 types of PH in 2 months ... and all the wonderfully diverse goodies to eat ... great reason to over-eat and be over-weight isn't it?

Happy Holidays all ... hope 2009 is way better than all the internet nay-sayers are propagating