Tuesday, June 27, 2006
So... essential graphics today was a breeze...
We learnt how to use Quark express... don't ask why its called quark cuz i seriously have no idea and so does the rest of the class i guess... it, in no way gives me any vibe that the word 'quark' appears in the befuddled mind of mine...
On the other hand... marketing was a drag...it was probably the longest lecture ever... content heavy i guess... but pretty easy to understand compared to the other topics...
Got cpluses for both the individual marketing journals and the journalism term test... that is just going to sink me deeper into depression... *SIGH* but it was alright i guess cuz i really have to admit i didn't put much effort into either...
so that was my day... going to find something else to talk about... oh right... running the cafe... i am such a workaholic...
so i'm not a beanie... but i am at cafe often enough to complain about the vagaries of running it... especially alone...*SIGH* again...
Right, so first, you got to know what you are selling... cappucino, mochaccino, latte, flat white etc... subtle differences between those types of coffee you know... oh and steaming the milk for the coffee and stuff... it was really hilarious when i first started learning cos the milk exploded... i didn't KNOW milk could explode... Geez... then there's the iced drinks and the frappes... luckily the recipes are there cuz i could very well be giving you a chocolate drink with coffee in it for all you know... but that won't happen now... don't worry... That's for the drinks...
Then you have the sandwiches and pastries and cakes and caesar salad... Sandwiches are the irritating ones... if you don't prepare enough, you have to make one from scratch and its so undesirable when you have a service in and are working alone... I can handle a service in easily on a good day... but catch me on a 'weird' day, i can get really pissed...
Point to note... please do not panic when you get busy at cafe... I learnt that when i was first put into cafe alone, having never even helping out there before... i wasn't even familiar with the stuff there... At the cafe, you are either extremely busy or are extremely busy slacking off... during the former you don't even have time to wash the dirty dishes (yes, you wash your own dishes although there's a dishwasher)... during the latter, you can get pretty neurotic talking to yourself (if you are alone)...
Then you have to deal with fussy customers, rude customers, impatient customers, slow customers, customers that ask too many questions... for us at the store... we kind of categorise the customers according to the countries they come from... as far as possible... prepare for a huge digression to the main store...
indian customers (hindu or buddhists from india i think): they are always asking for veggie burgers... I try to satisfy them with fries and the apple pies, or a burger sans meat... for those who aren't vegetarians, they don't take beef and go for the finger food, then chicken burgers (in order of preference)... irritating thing is they want to pay in US dollars, which i tell them repeatedly before they order that change will be given back in SINGAPORE DOLLARS, to which they go 'yes yes'... then when they pay, they go 'no no no... i want change in US dollar...' Geez... So i tell them to please go and change it at the money changer's which is downstairs... then i cuss silently...
then you have the 'ang moh' customers: they tend to go for the milkshakes (which sadly we don't serve) and big macs, cheese and doublecheese burgers then the chicken burgers (again in order of preference)... they tend to be more easygoing but there are the odd ones who are really mean...to which i cuss silently again...
japanese/ korean customers: the language barrier is really funny... i can't really speak nihon-go all that well...so the customers are left to struggle with their meagre grasp of the english language... really nice and patient people and go for the beef products... its a delicacy... a fact that i learned when i went to japan in primary 5 for an exchange programme...
chinese from hong kong/mainland china: they think i can't speak mandarin and struggle again to tell me what they want... some are pretty horrible at it though... so i switch to speaking mandarin if they seem nice, and also in the case of a service in... to speed things up...
indonesian customers: they take away apple pies... they love it but they don't have it in indonesia... so they buy about 10 each time... sometimes more.... they also go for nuggets and wings...
ok, so back to cafe... to those who think that being at cafe is very free and all... you are so wrong... while the manager does only comes down once in a while to check the cash, you are pretty much on your own, stocking up on all the stuff, cleaning, washing... unlike at the main store where everything is teamwork... what i like though... is the challenge of it... i try not to call for help even when there is a rush... i want to train myself to be independent... haha... i admit...I love my job...
We learnt how to use Quark express... don't ask why its called quark cuz i seriously have no idea and so does the rest of the class i guess... it, in no way gives me any vibe that the word 'quark' appears in the befuddled mind of mine...
On the other hand... marketing was a drag...it was probably the longest lecture ever... content heavy i guess... but pretty easy to understand compared to the other topics...
Got cpluses for both the individual marketing journals and the journalism term test... that is just going to sink me deeper into depression... *SIGH* but it was alright i guess cuz i really have to admit i didn't put much effort into either...
so that was my day... going to find something else to talk about... oh right... running the cafe... i am such a workaholic...
so i'm not a beanie... but i am at cafe often enough to complain about the vagaries of running it... especially alone...*SIGH* again...
Right, so first, you got to know what you are selling... cappucino, mochaccino, latte, flat white etc... subtle differences between those types of coffee you know... oh and steaming the milk for the coffee and stuff... it was really hilarious when i first started learning cos the milk exploded... i didn't KNOW milk could explode... Geez... then there's the iced drinks and the frappes... luckily the recipes are there cuz i could very well be giving you a chocolate drink with coffee in it for all you know... but that won't happen now... don't worry... That's for the drinks...
Then you have the sandwiches and pastries and cakes and caesar salad... Sandwiches are the irritating ones... if you don't prepare enough, you have to make one from scratch and its so undesirable when you have a service in and are working alone... I can handle a service in easily on a good day... but catch me on a 'weird' day, i can get really pissed...
Point to note... please do not panic when you get busy at cafe... I learnt that when i was first put into cafe alone, having never even helping out there before... i wasn't even familiar with the stuff there... At the cafe, you are either extremely busy or are extremely busy slacking off... during the former you don't even have time to wash the dirty dishes (yes, you wash your own dishes although there's a dishwasher)... during the latter, you can get pretty neurotic talking to yourself (if you are alone)...
Then you have to deal with fussy customers, rude customers, impatient customers, slow customers, customers that ask too many questions... for us at the store... we kind of categorise the customers according to the countries they come from... as far as possible... prepare for a huge digression to the main store...
indian customers (hindu or buddhists from india i think): they are always asking for veggie burgers... I try to satisfy them with fries and the apple pies, or a burger sans meat... for those who aren't vegetarians, they don't take beef and go for the finger food, then chicken burgers (in order of preference)... irritating thing is they want to pay in US dollars, which i tell them repeatedly before they order that change will be given back in SINGAPORE DOLLARS, to which they go 'yes yes'... then when they pay, they go 'no no no... i want change in US dollar...' Geez... So i tell them to please go and change it at the money changer's which is downstairs... then i cuss silently...
then you have the 'ang moh' customers: they tend to go for the milkshakes (which sadly we don't serve) and big macs, cheese and doublecheese burgers then the chicken burgers (again in order of preference)... they tend to be more easygoing but there are the odd ones who are really mean...to which i cuss silently again...
japanese/ korean customers: the language barrier is really funny... i can't really speak nihon-go all that well...so the customers are left to struggle with their meagre grasp of the english language... really nice and patient people and go for the beef products... its a delicacy... a fact that i learned when i went to japan in primary 5 for an exchange programme...
chinese from hong kong/mainland china: they think i can't speak mandarin and struggle again to tell me what they want... some are pretty horrible at it though... so i switch to speaking mandarin if they seem nice, and also in the case of a service in... to speed things up...
indonesian customers: they take away apple pies... they love it but they don't have it in indonesia... so they buy about 10 each time... sometimes more.... they also go for nuggets and wings...
ok, so back to cafe... to those who think that being at cafe is very free and all... you are so wrong... while the manager does only comes down once in a while to check the cash, you are pretty much on your own, stocking up on all the stuff, cleaning, washing... unlike at the main store where everything is teamwork... what i like though... is the challenge of it... i try not to call for help even when there is a rush... i want to train myself to be independent... haha... i admit...I love my job...
what we could have been, 6/27/2006 11:18:00 PM.
