Chalk This Up to Embarrassing Moment #1

Well I certainly didn’t think that I would find myself sitting in the emergency room on a Friday night alone, but there I was. It’s rather embarrassing why I was there in the first place. I would love to say it was something cool but it’s far from it. I basically well..ermm..ummm..got my ring stuck on my finger. I had put the ring on in the morning just fine and worn it all day with no problems. But upon returning home from a day of shopping, I tried to take it off but it simply wouldn’t budge. I tried butter and oil, icing it and elevating it but nothing was working and it was starting to turn a deep shade of purple. After 4 hours passing and it looking worse than before, it was time to head to the ER. Thankfully the wait wasn’t too long, and the nurse was able to cut it off (my ring that is) and now as a reminder I am left with one very bruised middle finger. God, how do I get myself into these situations!? The following day Quinn and I wandered around the Soho and Chinatown district. I did not get the memo that Soho quite so dirty. It is considered the gay district and there was XXX signs and posters and VERY graphic photos every way you turned. Me and Quinn definitely had a few laughs walking around there.
Work this week has been hectic, Wimbledon has begun and in turn the hotel is fully booked all this week. We have a couple of tennis players staying with us and I even served one yesterday in the restaurant. I forget his name, I am not a big tennis fan what can I say? But apparently he is very good (well obviously he is playing in Wimbledon after all) and some young up an coming Spanish player. Have been working overtime almost every shift but honestly I like it being busy, it certainly does make the shift pass by a little faster not to mention I swear I have shed a few pounds from all the running around I do day in and day out!

"What did you do this weekend?"..."Just jetted off to Portugal"

This week at work has sure been busy! With school now out it seems that everyone is starting to take their summer holidays. I have been working many a days of overtime and do not stop running around in a shift. If this is a taste of what is to come for summer I am not going to have much time for anything else! I do really enjoy work being busy though, it makes the shift pass by much quicker and is certainly giving me lots of practice. I feel as though as each shift goes by I am gaining more and more confidence and starting to perfect aspects of my newly acquired skill set. And since work has been so hectic, Quinn and I’s weekend getaway couldn’t have happened at a better time. With the work week ending us two girls were able to jet off to Lisbon Portugal for our weekend to soak up some sunshine! We flew out after our shift and were there in hot Portugal within a couple hours. We had booked a hostel in advance that ended up being perfect. It was right in the heart of the city and we could walk around to everything. It was clean and bright and we were able to meet a bunch of cool people from all over. Most of the other travelers there were Australian mixed in with a couple Americans, but sadly no other fellow Canadians! During our first full day there Quinn and I took a bus tour of the city which gave us a great overview of our surroundings, the architecture was stunning and the people were so friendly. That evening the hostel was having a pub crawl that allowed us to see the Portuguese nightlife and dance until the wee hours of the morning. After sleeping in the following morning Quinn and I awoke determined to still go out and explore on our last day in Portugal. We decided to catch a train to a smaller town outside of Lisbon known for its breathtaking beaches. All I have to say is WOW, white sand, the bright blue ocean and hot hot sunshine. Could it get much better than that? We both had a relaxing day lying on the beach before hopping back into a cab to take us straight back to the airport. Upon landing in London, we were greeted by pouring rain and a cold wind  Oh home sweet home..

Street Hockey in Trafalger Square

HAPPY CANADA DAY! What a patriotic week it was! Apparently London loves Canadians, because it was a BIG celebration here. Trafalgar square was transformed into a sea of red and white. Complete with everything Canadian..street hockey matches, poutine, Canadian beer, Tim Hortons and Canadian artists performing. I felt as if I was back home. There was random out breaks of the national anthem being sung and lots of hugs form other Canadians wishing us a happy Canada day. This day was also the night that my parents were back in London for one final night before flying back home. So I left the celebrations early and met up with them at the hotel (My hotel!) to hang out and say goodbye. The hotel was great, and made my parents VIP guests and went above and beyond to make their stay wonderful. I was very impressed. And my family definitely appreciated the effort the hotel made which made everyone happy. I ended up staying and talking to my family until nearly 1 in the morning and then I said my final goodbyes. Mom was crying (of course!) and I told her I would see her in 10 more weeks and that it will fly by. It was the perfect end to a perfect day, for sure one of the best Canada days I have ever had. Who knew that it would have been half way across the world?
With my parents now gone Quinn and I head off to go explore the Camden market today. I think I have fallen in love with this place! It is a maze of alleyways and tunnels packed full of vendors selling everything from antiques to the latest fashion craze. You can find anything you possible could ever need there. And it is not just the shopping that’s great, it’s the people watching. I could happily sit on a bench anywhere in Camden and observe the diverse crowd of people that hang out in this part of town. Lots of tattoos, lots of piercings and some of the strangest outfits I have ever seen. Definitely will be back to this part of London for some retail therapy sooner rather than later

The Family has Invaded!

My parents, brother and grandparents have officially landed in London! I walked down from my flat and met them at the South Kensington Tube station and let me tell you it was so great to see them. I may have shed a tear or two! Thankfully since I have moved here I have been fortunate enough not to be hit with any type of home sickness but this last month and a half have been tough. Between starting my job and living on my own and all the up’s and downs in between, it was wonderful to have my family here in London showing their support. They were all pretty tired having just flown in so we just took it easy and I gave them a walking tour around my neighbourhood, showed them my flat and then went for an early dinner. Over the last few days we have seen lots of sights (I tried to save the most expensive tourist attractions to do when my parents were here lol) like the London Eye for example. We spent the first couple days they were here in London doing all the things they wanted to see. We spent one of the days in the Picadilly Circus area, walked though Trafalgar square and then went and watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Pretty cool I must say, Grandma was in awe and just couldn’t believe she ever got to see the palace in real life. Then the family, Quinn and I made a day trip up to a small city named Bath, which is about and hour and a half train ride outside of London. This city is most famous for hosting the originally Roman Baths that were used by the Romans hundreds of years ago. This was a must see on Grandpas list. The town itself is picturesque, and upon stepping off the train it feels like you have stepped back in time. We took a bus tour of the city, tour the baths and then Quinn and I went and toured around the Fashion Museum. At the museum we both tried on corsets like they had to wear back in the 1800’s. You should have seen the two of us trying to get into them! It was so great being able to have a few days off work to be able to show them around this city that I love so much. WE certainly all had lots of laughs and saw tons. My family is now heading off to Scotland for a week to be able to dive into some of my ancestry and my grandparents are both hoping they will be able to locate some gravesites of their grandparents and aunts and uncles. Although I said goodbye to my family for now, they will be stopping back into London for one more night before flying out of Heathrow airport the following morning.

The Big Move

We had the big move this week into our new flat in South Kensington. Although the flat is smaller it does give Quinn and I are own separate rooms and is literally only a 5min walk to work! When we first viewed this flat it was disgusting. The previous tenants were not very clean and I was stepping over garbage to actually be able to see the place. But I am happy to report that upon moving in the place was spotless and smelled of bleach and everything clean!
I also had a chance to go and check out the British Museum this week as well on one of my days off. It certainly is breathtaking and in a cool part of town. The Egyptian exhibit is something to see in itself..It was really amazing being able to see the things that I learned about in school right in front of my eyes. I saw things like the Rosetta Stone as well as Queen Cleopatra’s actual mummy. Definitely will be back to explore this place some more.
At work, I have been able to help out for a couple events we have been having in the evening. Cocktail parties as well as a couple very extravagant children’s birthday parties (complete with hired entertainers, 4 course meals, lots of champagne for the parents and many many presents) Working these events is a nice change from just serving in the bar/restaurant, so I have asked my manager to feel free to schedule me for anymore upcoming ones. I know that our hotel hosted last year’s British Music Awards after party, and they had celebrity guests ranging from Boy George to Katy Perry. It would be so awesome to work an evening event like that; I honestly think I may have a bit of trouble staying focused on serving instead of being absolutely star stuck. And knowing me, I would probably end up tripping and spilling champagne all over somebody!

Cinematic Adventure

Quinn and I just embarked on our first cinematic adventure in London last night! Boy, the movie theaters here are something else compared to back home. They really do have a brilliant concept when it comes to the whole movie experience. Firstly, you reserve your seats ahead of time so you can show up precisely when the show is about to begin. Unlike back home where you have to be at the theater hours before hand saving seats with jackets and handbags sprawled across a row of seats waiting for the rest of your friends to arrive. Also for a couple pounds more you can be sitting in the V.I.P section of the movie theater (totally worth it) which not only has the best view in the house but oversized leather RECLINING chairs complete with side tables and plenty of leg space. Not looking forward to going back to Silvercity upon my return. I have been far to spoiled now.
This week Quinn and I and a couple girls from work went out for a night of dancing in London in a area called Picadilly Circus in the West End. When walking up the stairs from the tube station and entering Picadilly, you are blinded by the many billboards and neon signs flashing and the thousands of people still wandering around at midnight. I hear people say Picadilly Circus is like a slightly smaller version of Time Square. Walking through this area (which is known for its many nightclubs) you constantly have these club promoters walking up to you and asking you to come inside their nightclub. It gets a bit annoying after awhile, each one trying to “out do” the other by offering an even better deal than the next, “I will make you a VIP and you pay no cover”…”Well I can make you VIP, pay no cover and throw in a free drink!” It goes on and on.. Certainly is different from Victoria where I will be back to standing in line.

Goals

I have finally figured out my goals and able to discuss them with my manager, he seems very on board to help me along with them and has arranged some seminars and events to help me with my action steps.

GOAL: INCREASE CONFIDENCE IN SERVING ABILITIES AND OVERALL BECOME MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE ORDER OF SERVICE.

ACTION STEPS: 1.) Practice upselling on a regular basis in order to better understand and develop my own strategy in what works best when it comes to selling the product to the guest.
2.) Volunteer for as many special functions and events as possible in order to work and observe how the order of service works when hosting things such as a canapés and champagne service.
3.) Ensure I am constantly asking my supervisor for new challenges. For example, taking on more tables at once or serving the lobby on my own.
4.) Assist with training new staff that may start this summer

GOAL: ENHANCE FOOD AND DRINK KNOWLEDGE

ACTION STEPS:
1.) Take home ALL menus home to study including (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bar and lobby menus). Take note of what flavours, textures and ingredients chefs have chosen to pair together. Take time to study pictures of every plate and observe how each are plated.
2.) Shadow one of the bartenders for an entire shift to enhance drink knowledge and common English cocktails ordered (because they sure are different here!) This will allow me to be more comfortable to mix drinks in the afternoon while I`m serving before the bartenders start their shifts in the evening.
3.) Attend a wine seminar by my manager to learn more about the different varietals the restaurant serves and their unique characteristics.
GOAL: HAVE AN INDEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ALL DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE HOTEL ARE CONNECTED AND WORK TOGETHER.

ACTION STEPS:
1.)Arrange to cross train and shadow shifts in housekeeping, guest relations and a management roll within the restaurant.
2.) Attend the daily 11am management meeting between all departments to learn what important topics are discussed and what key pieces of information each department needs to know
3.) Have a meeting with my manager and discuss a typical day in their shoes. Take important note of how often they interact with other departments in the hotel and learn how vital it is to have an open line of communication between them.
GOAL: MAKE TIME FOR EXERCISE AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET WHILE ON A BUDGET.
ACTION STEPS:
1.) Plan all meals for the week in advance, so when grocery shopping we are only buying items we are definitely going to use and not waste.
2.) Instead of taking the bus to work, leave time to walk the 30min there.
3.) When possible arrange to run in Hyde Park with Quinn, running buddies always make things easier!