Day 23

Today was our last day. I’m sad because a lot of our friends are off duty today. At the same time, I’m super happy and excited! But when we arrived, super dead nung store. For some sort of reason, today was one of the slowest days ever. Aside from that, there weren’t a lot of crew members present, especially those we were closest to. We didn’t have much to do at all. We hung out at the dining area to make and cut forms. Ate Jona gave us a lot of papers to cut. This is to illustrate just exactly how little store activity there was. Half of the crew was sleeping at the dining area too… that’s how empty the store was!

We had our last crew meal with Ate Ethel and Ate Jona today. They told us a lot about their selves especially about there exciting love lives!

So today was basically a day for us to really get to know the people we worked with for a month. I got to bond with Kuya Reinard (who had the biggest crush on Ads), Kuya Jeff, Khiel, Ate Janet and the trainee Maritess. It was pretty awesome.

We truly experienced a lot here in Yosh in such a short span of time. We met 10 different managers, 9 new trainees (who started wearing white lang, and now have their own uniform), 1 who got fired, 2 audits, 1 of which was only done quarterly by the Japanese. Aside from this, we witnessed a manager’s training meeting (MTM), the arrival of new equipment (iced tea dispensers), new product packaging for the SBeef! They even changed the managers uniforms from blue to the orange/tan color. We got to see the new belt bags for dining and many more!

In return, Ads and I treated everyone to 4 boxes of Yellow Cab Pizza. Pizza party at the dining area with the managers! :)

In fairness, I witnessed a lot in Yoshinoya and learned a lot of new things. Not just about the food service industry but about how life works in the real world. Going to OJT became part of my system for a month. I don’t exactly know what to feel right now—happy, relieved, sad, grateful?

Going back to what I wrote for my first entry, I didn’t really understand or appreciate why I had to do OJT. But now, it makes a lot of sense especially when I connect it with the things I learn from the lecture, to managing our own functions to my future life of service to humanity (as a doctor or whatever).

Finally, GETS KO NA.

My OJT experience wasn’t just about completing 150 required hours of service or seeing the application my lecture notes—it was learning all I can about life’s greatest lessons outside the four corners of ALON 203-A.

OJT became a time for me to build relationships with people I barely knew, about discovering more about myself and my work ethics and hang-ups. It was also about pushing myself to the limit and challenging myself to rise above what is usually expected/unexpected. It was also a time for me to get a glimpse of the real big world out there—where nothing and no one waits for you.

OJT helped me become more aware of people other than myself, helped me learn about hierarchies and that you never start from the top. YOU make your way up there. It’s about realizing my place in this world—that maybe in my comfort zone, I’m important. I AM someone. But outside of that zone, I have yet to be someone. I have yet to matter.

My last log-out:

I’m officially done!!! :)

Day 22

Mondays are always slow days. As I’ve learned, the day started with us fixing deliveries for Accenture and other call center companies who order by bulk. After a while, we finish and take control of the counter. Taking orders, punching orders, assembling, handling payment, etc. It really seemed like we worked there. I like doing that and feeling independent. It makes me feel like I’m actually good at something. I guess all girls have had, at some point their childhood, wanted to own their own cash register with the matching DING!

I occasionally serve the out pending foods because it’s easy to remember and spot customers. I’m not allowed to wear glasses (and I can’t wear contacts) so I’m generally blind when I’m at Yosh. Because of this, I have little experience at Yosh.

To end our day, Ads and I ordered to go lunch para baon for school, she ordered while I took the order. It was fun! Parang naglalaro lang kami. Supportive naman ang Yosh crew sa kabaliwan namin.

That’s pretty much what we did til we had to go.

Day 21

The normal Sunday routine comprises of manning the counters while the store was still quiet. Slow hours are usually before lunch so Ads and I, having mastered the counter protocol, are left to receive customer orders by our selves. You’d be so proud, you’d think we are actually working in Yosh.

When we got kind of bored, we went to the kitchen to practice dishing out products properly. I’m done doing rice so I’ve been practicing beef to such utter failure! I’m quite ambidextrous so I try doing it using both hands, just to see which hand will do it better. However, my hands get tired easily because the special beef serving device is actually HEAVY.

When the regular lunch goers arrive, we end up doing lime, Valencia, and mixing all flavors of iced tea. And how can I forget—spoons and forks! This is the best time to catch up on chismis of any kind.

We are able to eat lunch only when the store activity slows down and adjusts to the hustle and bustle of the lunch time crowd. This week, lunch was served earlier and it was sinigang. YUMMY! You know what I realized, the cooks really know how to cook, masarap at malasa talaga! However, the meat was just probably 1x2 inches of meat lang—smaller than a matchbox. HAHA FAIL!

After lunch,  we end up sorting coins and doing spoons and forks. Backing up chili powder was also on our list of things to do. I ended up sneezing a lot. All in all, this Sunday was really chill.

Day 20

Saturday was spent in my favorite part of the restaurant—the kitchen. As I’ve probably mentioned so many times before, I really enjoy staying inside the kitchen because all the people there are so makulit. Kuya Danny leads the crew with his kakulitan. In the kitchen, I am able to be myself and talk to everyone, joke around and move around. There’s less restriction because the customers don’t really see every move you make. Of course, we have to consider food safety and other precautions.

Today Ads was on rice duty while I tried my best to learn dishing out beef properly. Since I’ve mastered dishing out rice, my goal before OJT ends is to properly dish out beef. EPIC FAIL talaga! As in, I take so much time trying to get the exact amount of beef and beef soup. I can’t figure out how to do it properly. The cooks make it look so easy. There’s really an art and technique to it that I just can’t seem to get! Sometimes, chamba… I do it right. But most of the time, FAIL!

Oh well, practice makes perfect right? That was probably the highlight of my day. Other activities for me included backing up the supply of lime, Valencia, apples, iced tea, radish, spoons and forks… the usual. My routine in Yosh has been established na talaga. I can’t believe how comfortable I am now with the things I’m doing. I guess it’s only fitting because I’m ending soon.. I should have at least learned something.

Day 19

Arrived at Yosh right after class. I went to back up duty right away. Valencia oranges, limes and apples. I was taught that in one cheek or one side (translate: isang pisngi) of the fruit, i was supposed to make 11 slices. This was the standard. However, whenever I’m cutting these fruits someone’s hand always comes out of nowhere to get a piece. While cutting oranges, my rejects (unpretty slices) were eaten by Ma’am Aggine. On the other hand, the apple ends (because you don’t really serve it along with the rest), was eaten by Ate Nan. I don’t know whether that’s pilferage or not.

But today I realized, Filipinos really value food and love to eat. Unlike in foreign countries, leftovers are immediately thrown in the trash while leftovers just mean more food for the crew! Today we were offered LO katsudon meat and tempura. The managers say we (Ads and I) shouldn’t be starved. Haha. I truly appreciate the gesture.

I actually like eating leftovers. When the food is dry or lacks flavor, we buy beef soup for Php5.00. I don’t understand how some companies can throw away so much extra food when so many people aren’t eating right. More food means more satisfied employees which to me, translates to higher productivity. Food is essential after all. That being said, never work on an empty stomach!

Day 18

Today I met a particularly difficult customer and on the rare occasion that I went to dining, no less.

Apparently, she didn’t like the salad greens given to her and she asked me to change it. Apparently, this was her third time to ask the salad to be changed. Now I know how frustrated a waiter or a server feels when they meet demanding customers. From now on, I promise to be nice to people from the food service industry. They have certainly earned my respect.

On any other day, I would have looked at her with daggers but I had to control myself. I had to remind myself that I am currently employed and any untoward behavior to customers is a reflection of the establishment itself. It’s kind of sad how people tend to step on other people’s feelings. The woman was so rude! And she didn’t even seem so well off (not that people who are well off have the right to be Donyas) but the air she just exuded was soo… sooo…. ARGH. In tagalog, she was really mayabang you know. And I wasn’t going to let myself be treated that way just because I was in uniform. I asked someone else to serve the salad instead because I really, really felt like I would just snap at her.

Working here in Yosh, especially at the counter, exposes me to so many kinds of people. There are certainly nice people and then there are extremely demanding IKAW NA TALAGA kind of people. In a way, Yosh has taught me how to deal with different types of people. This skill or knowledge is something that I’m sure I will always be able to use especially since I am venturing into a profession that requires service to others. I cannot discriminate against anyone. My services must be available to everyone.

Day 17

Today was shred as much cabbage as you can day. There are days, such as today, when we are hidden from everyone else in the kitchen.  There are days such as these when I am able to talk to the people I work with. Today, something ate Jona told me struck me. She kept asking me if we were happy here. Of course we’d politely reply, yes we are especially since they weren’t giving us a hard time. Our jobs were reasonable and manageable. Anyway she told me, as long as we were happy with what we were doing, it won’t seem like work. We just have to enjoy the ride, and the ride will be over before we know it.

Okay, she sounded like some guru or wise old woman. But, there was a truth to what she said.

Love what you do, and everything else will follow.

I’ve learned to be proud of what I do and to accept that it’s a part of my life.

Day 16

Okay kung may workaholic man sa mundo, kami na siguro ni Ads yun. From 1-10pm, nasa Yosh lang kami. Pero despite that, okay lang samin. Working here has been embedded in our system… to the point that people don’t have to tell us what to do anymore. It comes naturally to us. We start of with backing up everything we can back up—from Valencia to radish to all the iced tea flavors. And when there’s not much to do, we hang out in the kitchen to learn what we can. The kitchen crew is always bibo and fun so we always manage to get quite a few laughs in there.

I guess today made me realize how much of a workaholic I am. I just can’t be idle because I will remain restless. As in maghahanap talaga ako ng gagawin—kahit 2 hours pa ako magbalat at maghiwa ng kamote, okay lang basta may ginagawa. Time flies so much faster when you’re being productive, not to mention when you’re having so much fun. Hindi ko kayang tumayo lang sa counter the whole day just to smile and greet dahil ang ikli-ikli ng attention span ko. ADD much? Haha

Day 15

Today was a bad day. :( Given the fact that I was extra emotional today, I almost cried. Don’t get me wrong. Mondays are usually slow and chill days. But today, I guess people were just really craving for Yosh food.

I got bathed in soy sauce. Because my voice was too soft, Ate Joan didn’t hear me say passing so she ran into me and well, the soy sauce was on my blouse before I could react. Nasabihan tuloy ako na SHY. I know right.

I know things aren’t always perfect and I know mistakes are always bound to happen. I had to remind myself over and over and over again that it was okay and it’s not like it happened on purpose. Sometimes, things like these really happen. I had to take a very deep breathe and resume what I was doing, put a smile on my face and go back to work.

The world doesn’t stop when soy sauce is accidentally poured on you. It doesn’t at all. I know it’s just soy sauce… but imagine if a bigger disaster happened. Same thing… At times like these, it’s important to keep your head held up high and keep yourself focused on the goal. Besides, there’s always a rainbow after the rain right? Or in this case, a change of clothing for spilt soy sauce.