Vesak Festival of Sri Lanka

One of the things that I like most of working here in Dubai is the chance of working with different nationalities aound the world. In our hotel alone, our staff consists of 24 different nationalities aside from the guests which vary from time to time, coming mostly from Mmiddle East, Asia, Europe, and America.

Last night, I was delighted by the group of Sri Lankans making thier lantern in celebration of their festival, please see below brief description. Although I saw the structure some days back, last night was the time it was fully complete. Their cooperation show other people in the accommodation how sincerity and how teamwork wins. There were more than 10 who helped each other.

To all my Sri Lankans colleague headed by Mr. Sarath (Time Keeper) and Mr. Baba (Banquet Asst. Manager), Congratulations for a job well done. Im hoping that the spirit you showed your group to others will inspire them to do the same.

Vesak is the main Buddhist religious festival in Sri Lanka. During this time, people celebrate the triple anniversary of Lord Buddha - his birth, his attaining of Enlightenment and his passing away into Nirvana.

Club Car

Dahil walang guests sa lobby naisipan kong umikot na lang sa resort area gamit ang club car. Ito ang ginagawa ko kapag gusto kong magpalipas ng oras o di kaya’y mag-isip ng kung ano-ano.

Nang akoy pabalik na sa lobby ay nakita ko ang isang Nanay akay-akay ang kanyang dalawang anak. Niyaya ko silang sumakay pero nahiya yata, pinapatulog daw nya ang kanyang bunso na noo’y nakaupo sa trolly. Pero ang panganay nyang anak na lalaki ay di nahiyang nagpaalam sa Nanay at umupo sa aking tabi. Pagkatapos naming umikot ay biglang nasabi ng bata na sa tingin ko ay nasa 8 years old pa, “Thank You!”

Lubos akong nasiyahan sa sinabi ng bata. Randam ko ang taos puso nyang pasasalamat na mahirap mo nang mahanap sa mga may edad na. Di man kami lubosang nag-kaintindihan dahil sya ay Russian, alam kong napasaya ko sya at ganun din naman sya sa akin.

Ang mga ganitong bagay, bagamat simple ang syang tunay na nagpapaligaya sa akin. Sinulat ko to ngayon, dahil gusto kong ipaalala na maraming dapat ipasalamat at dapat ikatuwa. Di ko man gaanong nagugustuhan ang takbo ng aking buhay ngayon dahil siguro napuno ako ng inggit sa iba, nasa akin pa rin kong pano ako liligaya. Dapat makuntento at huwag masyadong bumilib sa sarili...

And the Winner is...

Akalain mo ba namang napansin din ako (after long time), EMPLOYEE of the MONTH: January 2010. Thank you (teary eyes)!

I been working in the company for almost 5 years and yet this is the only time they see my effort. I received citations and was nominated for the same aside from the wonderful and inspiring comments from guests, but this time: its official, a certification and a cash prize. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the General Meeting and pose to cameras while receiving my award (char!) because it was a fucking busy day at the lobby. I was just shocked when our Head of Department and colleagues congratulated me after the meeting.

Nevertheless, I am so happy. I was not expecting and don’t even know that I am nominated. Anyway, I am hoping that this award will drive me to do more, to be at my best at all times.

Salamat sa mga nagtiwala. Honestly, I waited for this. I might be too much humble or less assertive person especially on my contribution to the team, but this is what I believe in: “Wag magbuhat ng sariling bangko”.

Next post, celebration. The parrttaaayyyyyy!!!

Inbox of Delights

After reading Mugen’s latest blog entry entitled body clock, I decided to post this article (advertisement) I read from IQ Magazine: Issue 0031 for 4-10 February 2009 which I read 2 weeks ago.

Inbox of Delights

Late Nights Emails Equate to Double Espresso Before Bed

Dubai , UAE, 27 January 2009 – Sleep experts have cracked the mathematical formula for a good night’s sleep in a bid to halt the sleepless epidemic – and there’s bad news for email (blog) addicts.

According to Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts’ research, checking emails before you go to bed has the equivalent effect on the body of drinking a double espresso.

Fuelled by the spiraling use of PDA’s, mobiles, laptops and Blackberries, business travelers are potentially robbing themselves of a good night’s sleep by failing to switch off gadgets early enough before going to bed.

Light from a mobile phone or laptop is intense enough to halt production of sleep-enhancing melatonin and experts are warning workers to switch off at least an hour before lights out.

To help guests enjoy a refreshing night’s sleep, Crowne Plaza has teamed up with top sleep expert Dr. Chris Idzikowski, of the Edinburgh Sleep Center, who traveled existing research to identify the top five factors for a good night’s sleep – and the five things that most likely to keep us awake at night.

Sleep Solutions
- Quiet (Q)
- Complete darkness (CD)
- Cool temperature (CT)
- Comfy and clean bed (CCB)
- Daytime exercise (DE)

Sleep Nightmares
- Electronic device usage 1 hour before bed (EDU1)
- Late-night eating (LNE)
- TV
- Caffeine (C)
- Alcohol (A)

And this is what the formula for the perfect night’s sleeps look like:

Q+CD+CT+CCB+DE-EDU1-LNE-TV-C-A = Zzzz

To all bloggers who can’t sleep because of thinking too much for their next entry and waiting for comments from their readers,

GOOD LUCK!

Shout for Joy!

I almost shout for joy and jump for excitement when I knew that my most hated colleague was terminated. And, it is not only me who was very happy about what happened but the majority of our team members too.

This colleague is very selfish, greedy, arrogant and rude almost all the time we’ve been working together. I am not talking to him for months now and keep on praying that we will be working on different shift because he really ruins my day every time I see him. We tried to report his inhuman character to our supervisors but it seems that his luck is still at his hands until last Saturday.

I feel so comfortable working during his 45 days vacation from the whole month of September until mid of October this year. I get more relaxed when he works on different shift when he came after vacation. But last week, he requested from our Supervisor to be on my shift that makes me feel so bad because it was granted. I went to church and prayed for him that we will be having an acceptable working condition when he comes to duty.

Last Monday, was his first duty with me from his vacation. As usual, he made us suffer of his unworthiness. The following day he was requested not to come for work and last Saturday, the judgment day, he was terminated together with 3 others for making a monkey business.

I almost shout for joy and jump for excitement when I knew it. But part of my heart is asking me, is he really deserve the punishment? He has family that depends on him too like me.

It is really true that you will see the value of a person / thing when it is gone. Hope that this incident will teach me a lesson and be prepared of the challenges to come.

Good luck!

New Uniform

Excited of the new uniform, I decided to bring my camera to have some snap shots on our first day. When I came to the hotel I found out that I am not only one who brought camera but three of my colleagues as well, hehehehe!. Our first uniform was beige polo shirt and brown pants with gold and blue accent (Arabian theme) at the center of the shirt. The second one was all black with gold accent on the center (vertical) of the shirt.

Me, Jonathan, Bobby, Bregis and Arthur

Though I like the first uniform, the new one gave me a refreshing feeling after working on this hotel for almost 4 years now (Ready to work like a beginner). It gives me a sense of fulfilment and responsibilities to show more of my capabilities not only for our guests but to my colleagues as well. This is also the time to assess myself on what I did to the company and what does the company did for me over the years.

This picture was taken 6 months ago and we are wearing our old uniform. Geoffrey our Supervisor who is Kenya, Me, Mustafa - Egyptian and Arthur from Pampanga, Philippines.