'working'

LeNdInG a HaNd????? gUesS u CaN sAy Sooo....

Grocery shop
i grew up in a kampung, name Sri Menanti, in Negri Sembilan...i stayed with my grandparents until i was 6 years old, only then i shifted to Shah Alam and stay with my parents....both my grandparents stay in the same kampung, and both of them run a shop..except dat 1 runs the coffee shop, while the other 1 runs the grocery shop...but the 1 who runs the coffee shop, already retired when i was 2 or 3 years old....so, i can run here and there...to both my grandparents shop, freely...although i sleep and eat at my paternal's grandparents'....after my grandpa(coffee shop) passed away, my grandma stayed alone there for about 1 or 2 years, b4 she left to stay with my younger uncle....so, i only went back to the kampung during school's break and during the festival holidays....

it bcome my bros and mine routine to help in the grocery shop whenever we go back for holidays...but we only help to add on the goods, like the soft drinks, cigarette, susu manis, soy sauce, mihun, roti Azan...pack the ice, 1 kg of sugar, 1 kg of flour, 1 kg of garam kasar......these things....and i only collect money from those who is only buying newpaper or magazines...coz i dunno other goods' prices...it's fun to do these things as we have already spend a semester on our books, exams, computers, revisions...u know wat i mean...so, we kindda love it...although not dat we spent all of our time there helping....u know, kids tends to walk here and there..n i go to look for my old friend...1 thing dat i like to do the most is packing the ice...the ice come in a big bag...so we have to pack it into smaller packets...and ice is the most favourite thing dat people want to buy, especially during the festive seasons, like Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Qurban....as u know dat the weather is hot, plus is holidays...many who works in city go back at these time....of course, with their family....the most crowded time during a day? first section, 9.30-11am, as my uncle just come back from buying all those grocery...vegetables, fishes, chickens, newspapers....some of them who is early will wait for my uncle....and when my uncle still havent finish load the grocery, the customers are already started to select those things they needed.....the second section is at evening, 5-6.30pm, as they wanna prepare for dinner.....they tend to buy things last minute...so, whenever they come in for something, say, sawi, or cili api, and u reply them 'dah habis..', their reply will always be 'aiyoooo!'...dat's the funny thing i found out...why couldnt they buy it in their first trip here? it's not that there are a fresher veggiein the evening...those are the same thing as in the morning....i dun get it wat these people are thinking...geee...

although i'm not a full-time worker here, i know dat it's a tough job..and, u need at least 3 people to handle a grocery shop...my uncle's 1 is a small size....why must a least 3 people? coz if 1 need to send goods to customers, still have 2 person to help each other....then, u have to wake up early, well, not so early, though, to go out to buy those grocery...and after business hour, u have to clean the shop, like sweeping, add in those grocery dat have been sell off, do the inventory stuff, like checking whether all the goods are enough or not...these thing....so, say u close the shop at 7.30pm, after doing these things, it may end up at 11.30pm....a tired job!!! and whenever we go back, there is no enough time for us to chat to each other....coz the purpose of going back is to get closer to each other, to chat along....but the sad thing is, itz always not enough time to chat!!!

Catering
1 of my uncle is a caterer, who stays in KL...he worked with La Tropica b4, a catering's job, but afterwards, do it on solo...i guess i can called it a family matter as his wife and children are helping him....my dad+mum helped him b4....dat is when he was doing a function and needs some help...to prepare the food...last saturday, the 19th of may, he has a function to do...a birthday party for 1 of his biggest customer, well a malay....this customer, i tell u, is, very rich, of course! and i havent meet this customer b4, nor went to his house to do a function b4....but i heard from my dad about this customer...he is 1 of the biggest clients of my uncle.....my uncle, who is 50++, can survive for so long in his catering years, must thanks to his and his mum's 'contributions', dat is asking for catering for all events dat they need...like Hari Raya, birthday part...etc...and i havent go through a cater job b4....and when he called to ask my dad to help him at the function, i went along...well, actually, is to help my dad, as he cannot regonise the road, especially at night...called 'buta jalan', i guess??

after a 45 minutes drive, at last, we were at the house...at about 4pm...at Tasik Titiwangsa, yup near the Eye Of Malaysia there...but dun ask me how to go dat place, as i'm no 100% sure...b4 i entered the house...Oh My God!!!! there is a Mercedes CLK and a ferrari!!! and i'm not sure other luxury cars belong to this same person or not...geee....how rich are they?? and the house...guess is double size of my house....a bungalow, no doubt....and a guard, with his own guard house, including a set of tv, and his own toilet....oh my goodness, guess they are very rich, eh?......and the car porch? indeed, very big...guess enough for 10 cars...but they build it up, like a sideway of restaurant, mayb bcoz they know they will do many functions, coz they put along the fans and lighting....and of course, there is a garden there...along the house....un4tunately, i couldnt 'slip' into the house....but i guess inside of the house must be very 'luxury' also...

my uncle and his family except his son were already there, preparing all those dishes...my dad actually came here to help him on the ABC corner....so, i helped my dad on the ABC side...many people started to pour in at about 6.30pm....this birthday party is for his son...so, many brought along their children...and he had asked for a clown, and those children stuff for activities...there are variety of people who attended it....malay, chinese, indian, indonesian, foreigner etc....i dunno how to describe it....some of the malay friends are not so traditionally malay....really dunno how to describe...

so, the whole night there, i help my dad did the ABC....and it's not very difficult to do it, coz i had only to 'kisar' the ice and put other things like red bean, corn, cincau etc ...the hardest thing for me is dat i'm not sure whether the ice can still be 'kisar' or not....coz if the ice are too small, it cannot b 'kisar' and it will get broken very easily....and i got the opporunity to eat the famous 'roast lamb' made by my uncle.....it was really delicious, with the mint sauce...among the dishes dat my uncle prepared were fried prawn-very big prawn, mashed potato-delicious, asam laksa, curry mee, char kueh teow by an aunt who was summoned up by my uncle, satay (order from outside)....mmm....dat much i knew...couldnt remember.....of coz got drinks..mirinda, root beer, sprite, mineral water only....and some dessert-fruits, cakes, kuih....

the function finished at about 11.30pm, as the host didnt invite many people.....those waiters, who served and cleaned the tables, were those who worked for my uncle....they are all part-timers, means they will work upon there are a function....they said it was a lucky day for me as there were less people asked for ABC dat day...normally, there are a long queue for ABC , well, i guess it's bcoz it was a rainny day....so, we started to clean up our place....the left-over's food can be bring back, as my uncle will definetly throw away...so, the waiters packed wat they want, while my dad pack for the leftover's ABC...i walked over to the 'food corner' and packed the leftover's satay....as we had finished cleaning our place, we helped my uncle...shifting all those cooking stuff to the outside of the house, b4 loading into my uncle's van....

this job, i guess, i also tough, although itz tough for a day or 2...means 1 or 2 days b4 the actual function, and a day after the function...why do i say so? coz they had to prepare those things b4 the function, like the veggies....and have to wash all the culinary things+plates and drinking glassess....but the thing is, not everyday there will be a function to do....so, kindda have a break between 1 and another function....but the pay is reasonable....coz they work so hard, they deserve the pay.....but hey, nothing in this world comes easily.....although it may seems to be very hard and tough, we have to face it....that's what life is all about!! :)