Friday, March 31, 2006

Super Rookie

(I'm not talking about that drama, or even Eric :P But you'll see what I mean.)

It's weekend!
I am SO excited about weekend. Since I'm working from 9 to 5 (sometimes even 6 or 7) everyday, weekend is my redemption XD

As I told in my previous entry, I am now working in Novotel Bogor, starting last 13th March. So it's my 2nd week now. As a new employee - even more, this is my first time having a permanent job (I usually was a freelancer :P) - and I'm still a fresh newbie in a hotel business and management, so... I have loads of things to learn. And I'm tellin' ya, it's not easy. In fact, it was so damn hard.

On my first week working there, I felt like shit :p
Every single day, I got messy thing when I came to my office. I forgot my hairpin, or broke my shoes, or soaking wet when it rained,... Even on my 7th day, I got scolded by my supervisor for some mistakes that I didn't do (at least I didn't directly do it). One of the things that I hated most, is to look stupid in front of others. And during my first week, I felt like a total idiot 'coz I had to learn everything, I couldn't do anything right...
Bah.
On lunch time, I usually ate alone since I have no friends at all. So I SMSed my friends - usually Wo - and told him that I couldn't stand working there and I needed a new job.
But, as a mean friend as he usually is, he said that I should hang on for a while. It was my 7th day, for goodness sake. Oh well, he got a point.

And on the next day, suddenly - just like an answer to my prayer, my general manager sent for me to his office. And, as crazy as he is, he promoted me to be his new secreatry in the new hotel next month!
O____o I know. I was startled, yet so excited I thought I could jump out and scream XDD It's not everyday a new employee gets a promotion on her 8th day working :P And not just about the promotion, what made me more excited was the place where I shall handle my new position. I will follow my boss to a newly built hotel, The Novotel Bandung.
Oh yeah, Bandung, baby!! ^__^

Everybody knows that I adore that city. In fact, you can see my previous posts, that I left my heart in Bandung :P Well, starting next month, I'll be back to that place. I'm getting my life back (hopefuly) ^^

I suddenly felt like that Kang Ho in Super Rookie, who gets lucky on his carrier. Well, I am lucky ^^
It's amazing - yet scary at the same time - how God makes my wishes, one by one, little by little, come true. He does answer my prayers.
Right now, I pray that everything will be allright - until next in Bandung.

Have a nice weekend, folks!

{posted by Chibi on 8:24 PM} +

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Leaving Jakarta - I left my heart... [part 2]

This would be my last day in Jakarta, for I will start working at Novotel Bogor tomorrow.
I will leave this city this afternoon.

I had said goodbyes to my friends here, and also to Mr. Bae's family yesterday. They had been my very good friend and nicest students since I met them^^ We had our lunch together at City Seoul restaurant yesterday, continued with taking a tour to Mangga Dua. It was a very great weekend ^^

As I walked home from their apartment, I stopped at the crossing bridge through Sudirman street, on my way to Setiabudi busway station. I watched the busy streets of Jakarta, when suddenly a rush of emotion flew in and it made me feel hard to leave this city. I love Jakarta, and I love my life so far here. But I know I just have to move on and do what I should do.
Yes, I have some fears, as a human being I sometimes have this "what if"s questions in my head. What if I can't do well, what if I don't like being in Bogor, what if I fail doing my job there, what if..., what if...
But I just have to face it, for that is what life should be.
I hold on to my believe that God would protect me and as I believe in myself, I think I could encounter anything.
Sounds so positive, huh? Hahahahaha.
Well, but it still doesn't erase the fact that I still love Jakarta - and my teaching job - very much.
See, I left my heart in Jakarta.

I'll see you in Bogor ^^

{posted by Chibi on 1:22 PM} +

The Bandung Story - I Left My Heart... [part 1]

... in every places I've had been into. Hahaha.

Last week, as I told previously I've planned it, I went to Bandung for the sake of having fun ^^
I went there with Mon and Amechan. We had our trip on Saturday, But I stayed in Mon's house the night before because we were planning to go early in the morning.
So... here's a recap.
Last Saturday we left Jakarta at 7 in the morning, travel by car to Bandung. We arrived at 9ish in Siliwangi Golf, and waited until 10 for Wowo to show up and take us to our hotel :P We stayed in Nyland Hotel in Cipaganti (we here means the girls, not including that boy :P). After dropping our bags - Mon and I brought pretty loaded bag, while Amechan only got her small slingbag with her!! - we then off to lunch since we were too starving to roam around XD So we went to Platinum in C-Walk and then took a little tour there. The next agenda was heading to Kota Kembang - for that was my main agenda - to get loads of movie DVDs. Oh yeah baby, I got my Eric's 6 Diary! Kekeke^^ And that day was a very sunny and hot day ( I mean HOTT~!) it felt like melting :P So we then took a break at McDonald's in King's.

It was afternoon and the weather seemed to getting better. So then we went off roaming around again. This time we searched for distros, as Mon wanted to find some bags and cool t-shirts. Yeah, what is a trip to Bandung without visiting distros? :P So we explored the streets of Dago and Sultan Agung - where bunch of distros at - and I insisted that we had to stop by at Omuniuum. It had been my favourite place and still has, where I could find cool t-shirts and especially the breath- taking books! See, in Omuniuum is a one-stop place where you can get a distro (or two?), a small cafe, and a bookshop - second-hand and new books. How can I not love the place ^^
Ame was practically screaming when she saw the old comics she had always been fond to, and she blamed me for introducing the new book haven to her XD As for Mon, this was not her first visit to Omu, but she found some interesting books that even I wanted to have :P Remind me to borrow that "Mary M." book someday, dear :D
As for myself, I finally (finally! Oh dear Lord) got the book that I've been wanting to have, it is "The Life of Queen Elizabeth I" by Alison Weir. And surprisingly, I then found another book that literally took my breath away, because I never thought I'd find it anywhere. It is "The Queen's Confession : Story of Marie Antoinette - The Last Queen of France" by Victoria Holt. Man, I would kill for this book! (Mon and Ame said I was addicted to queens XD)
For information, I am a huge fan of Queen Marie Antoinette, the wife of King Louis XVI of France. So when I found this autobiography-like novel book that was published in 1968, I felt like having my treasure XD
Actually there was another interesting book I found there (what can I say, Omu is literally a book heaven :P), but I was not planning to spend all of my money in that place XD And it was still 6 pm, which was 9 hours since I got myself in Bandung! So I didn't buy that book, "Blood And Gold - The Vampire Chronicles" by Anne Rice (you know how much I love vampires and Anne Rice is one of my favourite writers) at that day, but I already told the shopkeeper to keep the book for me, as I would ask Wowo to pick it up this weekend and hopefully send it to me as soon as possible. Yeay!

For dinner, I already made plan to go to Jalan Aceh, where we could find the famous kwetiaw which has been my favourite food :P We walked there - yes, walked, since Dago street at weekend is a super crowdy place - and we had our delicious dinner by 7.30ish. After that, we still tracing the Merdeka street and stopped by the factory outlet and to Hypermart also. By 10 pm, we felt like losing our knees XD We were extremely exhausted, but it was a very wonderful day. By the time we got in our hotel room, nobody seemed to be able to move XDD I took a shower first while Amechan was half dead already :P Then we - including Wowo - were chilling out (okay, half asleep) with some shots of cold Bailey's. It was Mon who brought a bottle of Bailey's *hurray to Mon!* And it tasted great when it mixed with a little milk (or in my case, I just gulped it with ice XD ). What a great way to end such a marvelous day, wasn't it ^^
Wowo left the hotel at 00.30ish, and promised to be back at 8 in the morning. Uhm-hm. Do you think he'd made it after such a tremendous tour de city? XDD

Well, we did wake up early on Sunday, at 7 we set the alarms on. And not to forget calling Wowo - because we all know he was one hella dead figure when he sleeps :P So when we the girls were ready at 8, we went down to get our breakfast and Wo showed up at around 9.30. LOL.
The main agenda that day was to get gepuk for Mon's dad, and also still finding bags. So we decided to get the gepuk first, since Wowo will leave us for family party at his uncle's place, means he might not be able to go shopping with us. And since Amechan had her plan to go to her favourite hairdresser, so we split up - Ame went to Anata Setiabudi, while me, Wo and Mon went to PasKal to get the gepuk. I then got a portion of lumpia basah too ^^ And we chilled out at Istana Plaza for awhile, before headed back to our hotel again, since the check out time is at 12.
We checked out from the hotel, and the next destination was the factory outlet in Riau street. We splited up again, this time Ame and Mon went to Riau - the Heritage, while me and Wo would drop our bags first in Siliwangi Golf before then he took me to Heritage and left us the girls shopping around there.
So we girls scanning the outlets - Heritage, then The Summit - then to Kedai Timbel Banda for lunch. By the time we finished our meal, it was almost 2 pm already. While Mon and Ame would leave Bandung at 3 by travel car. So we hastily went to jalan Merdeka to find some ATM - 'coz we were running out of cash XDD - and then off we went to Siliwangi Golf.

After Mon and Ame left to Jakarta, I was practically lonely :P I decided to stay one day longer than the others, just because I still have another day off and I wanted to spend it optimally with Wo ^^ But since that boy was having an unexpected family matter, so I just had to be patient until he comes back to me.
I decided to go to Gramedia, so at least I wouldn't be bored until Wo coming. I hung around that bookstore until almost 5 pm, when I couldn't feel my legs and my eyes started to get blurry. That was when I SMSed Wo and told him to come and rescue me XD Ten minutes later, he came and took me to Pasteur, a place where I would stay the night. As soon as I reached Pasteur, I took a shower and both me and Wo slept off until dinner time XD
I was glad Wo decided to stay with me that night. I don't know when I would come to Bandung again, or having time to spend with him again, so having a quality time like that was precious to me. Until the next day - Monday, when I should leave Bandung, he stayed with me and took me meeting my old friends. Too bad I only got little time to be with them, so I really hope I could go back to Bandung again, and having another fun weekend.

Now I already in Jakarta, still missing those golden days in Bandung. I guess it is true, that I left my heart in Bandung ^^
But starting next Monday, I will leave Jakarta and starting my new life in Bogor. And this condition is what I fear, where I wouldn't know what kind of life would be there. Would it be better of worse than Jakarta... Because I kind of getting accustomed living in this big city, with the works and all the crowds.
But, oh well, I know I must go. But still, I left my heart in Jakarta.

See ya later :)

{posted by Chibi on 11:59 AM} +

Song:'80s-'90s songs; Matt Hires; some rocks
Obsession: Publishing my book
Reading: Horrible Histories
Movie: Clueless
Addiction: Books & Mp3
Project: Reviews and Translations