Humbled.

Over the span of this Lunar New Year period (an entire month actually), the office team (myself included) got dispatched to our restaurant outlets to help out with the ground operations and it has been quite an experience. From interacting with guests, receptionists, kitchen staffs and chefs, it was a pretty unforgettable, in a good way.

Of course, I made blunders during my time there; like accidentally bringing the guests to the storeroom because I didn’t know the floor plan well enough LOL but everyone was very nice and friendly and they helped me along the way, which made my experience there so much better. Sure, I wasn’t used to standing for such long hours (last time I did that was when I was working in banquet during secondary school days) but at the end of the day, it was pretty worth it.

Did I mention I’m utterly humbled by our staff there? Specifically their kindness and authenticity. Maybe its the simplicity of it all, but a simple steamboat dinner with them was so…heartwarming? The only time I felt the same way was when I’m with bub’s family having meals. I’m envious. I really am. Everything was so easy and fun. I loved every single minute of it. Side note: I have never bought lottery so many times in my life until this new year. During our break, we went to buy lottery (cause peer pressure) and you may be quite surprised that literally the WHOLE village was there buying lottery as well (yes, Chefs included). Apparently, the inside joke was that their 13th month bonus was not enough so they are trying to get some extra income LOL

After a long day’s work, we gathered to eat, drink, gamble (cause CNY duh) and I really enjoyed my time there. Sure, we all get scolded by our boss for our mistakes (or maybe his mood swings) from time to time but with them, it felt less… lonely? Like we are all in this together. There was this one day when our staff got scolded by our boss and two days later when he came to visit, he treated them to Burger & Lobster’s lobster rolls. Like a peace offering of sorts. Ah! Is that a human touch I see? I suppose he may seem quite pragmatic most of the time but he does gives credit where credit is due.

The people really makes all the difference.

They taught me so many things without even realizing it. The takeaway? Always be grounded and stay humble. Really, everyone has different story to tell and many a times, the magnitude of my problems are way too insignificant compared to theirs and yet here they are. It’s quite damming really, when I realized how privileged I am compared to so many of them.

And that, is my Lunar New Year 2021 at a glance. What’s next? Let’s anticipate good things.

D