Being a hotelier, cat has tried out many hotels, motels and resorts. As the years passed by, most of the hotel rooms looks the same (with only the color of the bedsheets, bedspread, curtains or wallpapers to differentiate them). Once or twice, if you are lucky, you will get to see something different that will make an impression on your mind.
Being hoteliers ourselves, most people would expect us to be kind of heart and tolerance towards our fellow colleagues in other hotels (as we are working in the same line and been standing in their shoes too). But the opposite would be more truthful. Every hotel had their share of what we call 'fussy' or 'HWC' (Handle With Care) guests but we are certainly our own worst nightmare!
When you see that there are hoteliers (especially those that has the operation background) expected to check in on that day, the reception staff would give a groan. Extra care is given to the choice of room & view. Cat, ashamed to admit it, is no exception to this. It must have been the way we were taught or 'brainwashed' during the earlier student and training days. (Sorry, prof.. :) A case of Dr Jeckyl turning into Mr Hyde once you stand at the opposite side of the counter. Only the level of fussiness would be either low or high depending on the individual.
Cat would be more on the mild side. Cat can overlook any maintenance problem (toilet flushing, light bulb fused, the ice cube compartment in the minibar was not defrost) but cat would however place a high level of expectation on the service (be it restaurant or rooms). That is the base of all hotel management studies. There are things you can control and things that you can't. Not greeting a guest or ignoring a guest who's standing in front of the counter is a big 'NO'. Slowness in action added with no apology is "Unpardonable'. You know, the invoice is saying that the room payment is inclusive of 'service charge', and that means guests are paying for the service.
If the attitude is still bad after a second hint from cat, you can be sure that there will be a complaint made to the manager. All staffs are expected to be given a full training before they are allowed to stand at the reception. If not, a higher authority must be at the staff's side before he/she can be given the 'approved' sign.
However, if the service is good, we would certainly not be stingy with complements and we would put a small note in our head to remind ourselves to offer the staff a job when we have a vacancy. See, we are not all that bad either. :)
Some of us will test the bed first when they checked in. Others would check the size of the room or the air conditioner. Cat's fetish would be the bathroom : the Bathtub actually. The sign of a tub and a complete bathroom amenities would be the thing to put a smile on cat's face. After a hard day of training or a whole day in the coach, a long soak in the bathtub would be bliss. Being a small cat, all bathtub sizes are acceptable. :p Ooo..and that certainly makes cat utter her thanks to God for not listening to her wishful thoughts of hoping to be taller and bigger. Soaking in the tub, smiling and feeling grateful.
Signing off,
Sleepy but Smiling Cat
Cat is tired.
Mom : Sorry Cat. Could you come home now?
Cat : What's up, mom? Are you ill?
Mom : No..but I have good news!
Cat : I'm in the midst of doing the budget. Can you tell me first what is the news?
Mom : Well, I got this SMS from Celcom, saying that I have won RM 30,000! Imagine that.
Cat : What did this sms said?
Mom : 'Congratulations! Your phone number has been selected as one of Celcom's Lucky Prize customer of the month. Please go to the nearest CIMB Bank and input your account number with the below special 4 digit password to obtain the RM 30,000 prize'!
Cat : What number is on the sms? Is it an office number or a handphone number?
Mom : It's a handphone number. And I've called there cat. Someone picked it up and said that I need to follow the instruction in half an hour's time or the prize will be given to someone else! I can't wait, cat!
Cat : Hmm...Is there something else, mom, that you have not tell cat?
Mom : Well, actually, he ask me to it in 15 minutes. But I managed to plead and get him to give me 30 minutes as we don't have any ATM machines nearby in this area.
Cat : Mom, let me have the telephone number please.
Mom : Well, you can't call him cat. He said that only call from my handphone number will be accepted. And I am to call him when I am at the ATM machine.
Cat is biting her lips and closing her eyes.
Cat : Mom, it's a scam. One of those get rich fraud thing. No one would give you RM 30,000 just like that and then ask you to go to the ATM machine. Once you gave him your Bank account details, blink..all your savings will disappear.
Mom : But..what if it's a genuine thing cat? RM 30,000 is a lot, you know.
Cat : Mom, if Celcom is really going to give you something, it will be done in a professional way. Calls, letters, press. Cheque and not bank in thing like this. They won't ask for your account number. Don't move ok. Cat will try to get back as soon as possible. Just don't move.
Ooo..cat just can't believe that mom would fall for that trick..and she reads the newspaper everyday. Guess, sometimes people would say, all this happens to everyone else except me. But when it is about yourself, you tend to lose the focus and forget what happened to others.
Rushing back as cat just can't trust that mom will sit still when she gets an idea in her head. Hope that she'll listen to cat.
Signing off,
Cat
'Your eyes will always see through me, And bring me to my knees...'
Boss is driving cat up the walls. Redo reports, more meetings and doing stuffs that even his secretary can do. Why? Just because cat does not agree on certain issue. Total loyalty? Depends.. cat would need to be convinced before cat can do that.
What evil thoughts lurking behind those spectacles? Punishment, of course, coated with an icing of sugary words. Cat looked back at boss and slowly answered without changing the expression. "Ok, I'll stand at the counter the whole day". Afterwards, cat is as usual: serious, smiling, talking with the others. Eyes were watching cat..you won't catch cat grumbling or being angry because of that. It's not a case of being hypocrite but a need to show boss that cat will not break under any pressure. Cats can be stubborn creatures at times.
Then, a message came from a dear friend. Laughing, cat was telling about today's event. Two words.. and only 2 words.. "Poor Cat.." and all the hidden emotions came to the surface. This is why Cat is turning away and keeping quiet because in close friends lies cat's weakness. When you are hurt, it's better to be among those who doesn't know you well enough. Then, you can keep your hold on your emotions. Tears are not certainly not meant for the public.
Let cat keeps her distance until she's got it all out from her system. Don't be too nice to cat, it will only make her weak. If you still want to do it, then don't do it from far away. Do it when you are beside cat.. :) then cat can have your shoulders to cry on.
Signing off,
Cat
“God, please grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change... and the courage to change the things that I can. Thus, grant me also the wisdom to know the difference between the two..."
When cat looks at the world around cat, cat usually did not notice things until the lesson becomes very clear. Cat has not ride on the bus for 3 months already as cat has been going to work on car pool with friends.
Cat likes to walk around when cat has lots of things to think about. A matter of clearing the mind. Today, cat waited at the bus stop to take a bus to town. It takes 30 minuted to go to town and cat usually sits at the window, daydreaming (smile) or reading or sleeping. Lost in her own world.
As cat went on the bus, the conductor said, 'Hello there. Long time we never see you. We thought that you have moved to another area.' The driver nodded and said, 'And I told him that surely a smart young woman like you would have probably got promoted and moved to KL.' Cat was surprised that they remember cat. We had a small chat and cat went to sit at cat's usual seat by the window.
Then an old lady climbed on the bus. 'Oh, fancy seeing you here again. How are you, child? Everything ok?' Again, cat was surprised. 'Do you know Cat?', the very words that came out from cat's mouth. She nodded and told cat that cat was the 6.45am girl at the right window. Ahh..Cat smiled and talked to her for a while. Then a couple climbed on and.. the same thing happened again. They said that they were glad to see cat.
The wife said that for 3 years, no matter what the weather, they will always see cat at the same window early in the morning going to work. The girl in black was what they called cat. (smile). The person who never talked to anyone but always have a smile on her face as she climbed up the bus with her big bag. Oo..soon everyone was joining in and telling cat about how they speculated about cat's profession ..(salesgirl, student..ouch..teacher..) and why cat has vanished. One of them thought that cat had had an accident and another thought that cat was sick.
The 30 minutes journey became a short one. It made cat realized that cat has been one of the markers in the landscape of their lives. We were strangers..but with familiar faces. They have given cat a sense of belonging and place.
Think of it. While going to work, without realizing it, cat has been a part of their familiar view. All of us had shared an easy, familiar chat although we never got around to exchanging names. This is what it means..when you have been gone for a while, or when you were feeling disoriented, out of place, the sight of a familiar stranger would let you know..you are at the right place.
Signing off,
Cat
Neil Gaiman has got it right with his quote on Love :
Love makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart.
You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one person, no different from any other person, wanders into your life… when you are not paying attention, and you give them a piece of you. Your life isn’t your own anymore.
Love gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase can turn into a glass splinter working its way into your heart.
It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind.
It’s a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.
**************************************
This was posted on a Friend's FB Status:
Why does a person purposely wants to hurt another person's feelings? Sometimes, when you think about it, it doesn't make sense at all..
Hmm..since when does anything that has to do with feelings make sense? Especially if the above Status update is the result of something between a man and a woman. Everyone knows that a man and a woman's mind works differently. One side is saying A but the other side is hearing it as B. Some things do get lost in translation.
Let's look at it this way. Words especially if written or typed is dangerous (unless you have 'smileys' to put at the end of the sentences so that others can say..'Oh. that's a joke. No need to take it seriously). If the person who wrote something or the person who reads the sentence is in a foul mood at that time, feelings would turn to anger or hurt.
And basically, when people feels hurt, the reflective action is to strike back. Hmm..how about rewinding back the tape to a few hours earlier..have you said or done something to hurt that person's feelings in the first place? Or have you 'NOT' said or done something that was expected? There may be a reason for the hurtful words. Feelings becomes extra sensitive when love is involved.
It might be easier if you could talk face to face..look into the other person's eyes, see the body language : The lips can say anything, but in the long run action speaks louder than words. A hug can replace the so hard to pronounced word 'Sorry'. Everyone needs to feel appreciated and worthy..
It takes two people to make a relationship works. It takes only one to destroy it. Cat also would be much happier if she does not think a lot. Simple minds work better in relationships even though it might lack imagination. There's always two sides of everything. If you feel hurt, turn the other way, walk off. Sometimes, it's better this way. Giving some space..
Learn to forgive. And if something hurts you so much, again forgive and let go. Let it out of the mind and concentrate on other things. If you can't see the action, well, you need to decide something. You, and only yourself knows how the story goes..
Hmm..
Signing off,
Cat
A guy was having a great time with his partner, suddenly a touchy topic comes up. All of a sudden the girl's mood changed. He asked her what is wrong, and she says 'Nothing'. You know that when a girl says 'Nothing' , it usually means that the thing is a 'Something'.
What did the guy do then? He put his arm around the girl and say: 'Come on. I know that something is bothering you'. But the girl remain stone silence. Next thing you know, she took her pillow and walk out from the room. He just watched her go as he is a bit irritated now. He thinks that she is behaving in a childish manner and doesn't like it.
A research shows that 29% of husbands and 21% of wives reported no conflicts at all during the first year of their marriage. But 16 years later 46% of the couples had divorced. It seems that wives use a lot of the silent in the first year but then began to mellow in later years. It maybe because when women are married longer, staying together and the relationship becomes more important to them.
However, the men remains constant. They did not seem to be improving nor getting worse. Maybe men feel they do not know what works with women. So when the women are silent, the men just let them be.
Maybe sometimes, we just need to be direct with each other. Sit down and tell your man why and what made you feel hurt. Most arguments are silly. The more you can let go of small issues, the better. Need to work things out so that no one would feel that they have to become silent.
Do not be afraid to upset your partner. You know that you cannot be close to someone with whom you are afraid to discuss feelings.
There's something in the air.. sniff it.. why..it is full of the sweet smell of roses and shhh.. listen, there's the sound of fluttering wings..oh my.. there goes a naked kid playing with love shaped arrows. Shouldn't someone take those arrows from him before he hurts the public?
Ah yes..love is in the air. As the florists are all flashing their too bright smiles, thinking of all those orders at triple the price for roses..let's talk about this day dedicated to love.
Valentine's day..a day of celebrating love. Be it with your partner, lover, parents, children, pets, cat..it's a day where you are allowed to openly or secretly tell a person of your feelings to them. How about singles? Well, you can tell yourself how much you love yourself. :) No self pity allowed..go and splurge on a little black dress and paint the town red. There's lots of other singles out there. Valentine's is only one day, after all. Be thankful that you are not involved in a relationship with a married person..it will surely make you cry, not to have your loved one with you on this pink colored day..
A few wonderful love movies to rent:
* Avatar : love is more than the surface..and it's certainly universal
* Any Disney's movies : A guaranteed happy ending
* Casablanca (1942):no matter how much you love someone, you have to let them go.
* Dr Zhivago : a man's life of agony: he must choose between fidelity for the woman he married or passion he feels for the woman who inspires him.
* Gone With the Wind : the difficult love between a manipulative Scarlet O'Hara and the man that she won't admit that she loves
* The Notebook : true love can have a bond that is stronger than any force on earth
* West Side Story : 2 lovers are torn apart by bitter rivalry (a heartbreaking end)
* Slumdog Millionaire: love is worth fighting for, and nothing worth having is easy to obtain
Is love really worth all the tears and sadness? Love actually..is worth it. Yes. At least, once in your lifetime, you'll get to feel the intoxicating fumes of being loved, cherished, adored and desired. To feel the heart beating at 80km per minute (laughing).It's certainly worth it even if it ends in tears.
Ouch.. watch out where you shoot those arrows, you little naked imp! Oo..that certainly hurts..and why is cat starting to see pink spots..oooo...purr..
Signing off,
Cat
