The Hive's Journey

Rise from the Dead!

2011-09-25T09:32:00.003+08:00

Gosh!!!

3yrs...and this blog is still around although I don't think anyone is still reading this. I was thinking about this blog yesterday and decided to check if I can still find it and even so, if I can still remember the password. Haha

A lot has happened over the 3yrs...it has been quite a roller coaster ride. We recently expanded. The new unit is at Kallang.

I wonder when my next entry would be....hmmm.....

An entry after 10 months

2008-06-22T22:48:00.002+08:00

Hello!

After so long I am finally back. Honestly...for a while i kinda forget this blog is still around. It was until people asked me about this blog that i thought i should put in some entries before no one actually comes to read.

Everything is well and good at The Hive. This month is a busy month. A lot of gatherings to occupy all the Saturdays. Two more gatherings to go.

I will try to put in as many entries as possible. Right now I am busy with my part time degree program. I think busy is an understatement. Haha

I will be back soon. =)

Blogging still popular?

2007-09-19T11:42:00.000+08:00

Yup...i wonder if it is still so popular like it was 6 months ago. Apart from Xiaxue and Steven Lim's clash, I have not heard anyone talking about blogs.

Hive is doing good. That's about all I can say. Everyday is the same. Nothing special. Nothing exciting. We do have gossips about guests for sure but I believe gossips should not be posted online.

Pictures of the 90%

2007-05-09T09:56:00.000+08:00

Yep...i think we can be considered 90% done with the new place. Take a look =)

2007-05-09T09:47:00.000+08:00

The new us

2007-04-13T00:52:00.000+08:00

The pictures that you saw are not the finished product. Once the place is really done up about 90% i will post them up.

When everything is up, which wil most likely be mid may, i will organise a gathering. Chances are the gathering will be in June...my favourite month. Hehe...it will be done like a housewarming tradition but we call it hostelwarming. Need to bring gifts. Hehe...

I will do a gathering for my primary school friends, my secondary school friends, Echo 48/02, 52/03 and 56/04 each and every platoon and the instructors. It is going to be a hectic few months leading to the hostelwarming. After all that, it will be a good break when i go for my trip to Australia at the end of June.

A few entries in a 2 days...not bad huh...i have maximised my quota for this month. Haha..you won't hear from me for a while

Before

2007-04-13T00:39:00.000+08:00

4000th guests

2007-04-12T12:11:00.000+08:00

I saw I had 88 posts since the 1st entry. Not bad....hahah....Fat Fat!

Sorry man...no pictures of people (except of our 4000th guests) cos me not the kind of person that goes around taking pictures of others. =)

They got a Sky Dining Voucher worth $88. I think it is a nice experience to dine 70m above the ground. Should give it a try

We are expanding

2007-04-01T22:05:00.000+08:00

Ok...it is kinda late to inform you all but better late than never. =)

We are expanding. We have taken over the motorbike shop next door and we will be moving our reception over to the new place. It is a bigger and nicer place. A bigger lounge...more internet terminals, more dining space and a pool table! It is becoming something like my dream hostel. I do not exactly have in mind what my dream hostel is but I am very happy with Hive 4 (yes..that's what we are calling it).

Some people have told me that they like the cozy atmosphere we have currently at the reception area and they are going to miss it. Hive 4 has a totally different concept. It is going to be more vibrant and colourful. Not aircon though..hehe...the space is too big and the electrical consumption might be too taxing on our finances. Maybe if we really make big bucks we might consider?

I will upload some pictures of the place...soon. We will organise a "hostel warming" session sometime in June when things settle down. I have to get the system running properly cos I am going for a 2 weeks holiday in Australia.

Once we have officially start operating from Hive 4 I will write an entry here. Till then, wish us luck and prosperity for 2007! (thick skin i know...haha)

The Hive's 2nd Anniversary - 1 Feb 2007

2007-02-02T00:50:00.000+08:00

Whoever has been supporting The Hive's blog for the past 2 yrs...thank you very much. You have followed us for 2 yrs. It's commendable considering how little I have posted here. Hehe....

We have reached the 2 year mark and we are looking forward to many more 2 yrs. I was telling all the shareholders how much we have learned and experience during this 2 yrs. It has been an eventful journey.

I wonder how long this bogging craze will last. One day this blog will slowly cease to exist cos no one is going to read anymore. There will be something new to occupy people then. Until then I have a task to ensure this blog is updated as much as possible. (Notice I did not commit myself by saying I will have a post regularly?) =p

Keeping me going

2007-01-16T23:13:00.000+08:00

Hello! I have received a post asking me why there hasn't been any entries lately. I have no excuses except to say that I was busy, lazy and completely forgot about this blog.

But because of the support, however little, it keeps me going. Right now we are planning for an expansion. We are planning to take over the lease of the motorshop beside us. It is a huge risk we are taking because the rental is not cheap.
We pondered for quite a while before we decided that we are going ahead. It is a risk we are taking but a calculated risk though.

Apart from being busy with the expansion, I am also busy with my school work. I am attending a part-time diploma course in Hospitality & Tourism Management at APMI. We have assignments to do and the deadline is next week. I have to rush. The assignment topic is The Hive and the hostel industry in S'pore. You can say it is easy but because I am in this business I have to make sure the assignment is of a high standard. A lot of pressure you know?

I have been promoted from Housekeeper to Manager!! Haha...I have a choice whether to stay over at The Hive. The business has progressed so I must progress also.

To whoever is reading this: I am free for dinner appointments anytime except Tues and Thurs for this month cos I have classes on those days.

So...I hope the expansion is a success so we can really establish ourselves as a key player in this industry. Wish us luck!

Shit loads of things to do...

2006-11-14T09:14:00.000+08:00

Yes...shit loads...and I have no helper then...now you really wonder how I managed to survive

Need I say more?

2006-11-13T23:44:00.000+08:00

See? To be ironed. Sometimes i think i shot myself in the foot. If i had not insist the the sheets be ironed, i won't be suffering now

2006-11-13T23:41:00.000+08:00

The pile of washing waiting to be washed

2006-11-13T23:39:00.000+08:00

(Bottom left is the people checking out) (Right column is the people checking in and it's only for private rooms. Check-in for dorms cant be seen)

2006-11-13T23:36:00.000+08:00

Look at the number of bags waiting to check-in and check-out

2006-11-13T23:22:00.000+08:00

You never realise if you never really think about it

2006-11-13T22:54:00.000+08:00

These days the turnover rate of our helpers is astonishing.

We started with getting help from partners to employing student to getting friends of shareholders to help out. Here are the list of people who have worked here since we started employing in March.

Cheng Yao (Partner)
Eugene (Partner)
Chuan Yang (Partner)
Jasper (Partner)
Adrian Ho (Partner)
Tian Chye (Partner)
Hong Kiat (Partner)
Richie (Partner)
Ah Xiong (Partner's friend)
Wei Kang (Partner's friend)
Jacinda (Poly student)
Martin (Poly student)
Ryan (Partner's friend)
Wei Kiat (Part-time student at MDIS)
Alvin (Current helper. Partner's friend)

Look at the list. Can you imagine how many times I have to explain the chores to be done and how it is to be done? I think I should be able to become a cleaning cum housekeeping cum hostel managing consultant very soon. This is going to be included in my resume. Haha

What's rare is precious

2006-11-03T12:54:00.000+08:00

Hey hey! I wonder if anyone still reads this cos the last time I had an entry was in Jul. I nearly forgot the login ID and password.

Had decided to add an entry to broadcast to everyone on how I have been suffering. Hahaha...keep a look out.

Achieving our goals

2006-07-09T21:45:00.000+08:00

We have been listed in Lonely Planet!!! FINALLY!

2006-07-05T17:08:00.000+08:00

Hong Kiat and my evidence of hard work. We took turns to shave off the base of the door. Took us quite a while and quite a bit of our energy.

2006-07-05T17:05:00.000+08:00

VVIP 1st class hospital ward

2006-07-05T16:36:00.000+08:00

Our new double room. It's going to look better

2006-07-05T16:35:00.000+08:00

The map of the world?

2006-07-05T16:33:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: Room does not come with guy

2006-07-05T16:31:00.000+08:00

Nothing special. Faulty window. What do you think this room will look like?

2006-07-05T16:30:00.000+08:00

5 different colours...one more blue colour coming up

2006-07-05T16:29:00.000+08:00

Our single room before the makeover. Never thought a kitchen can be made into a room right? Think again

2006-05-19T12:18:00.000+08:00

The kitchen

2006-05-19T12:17:00.000+08:00

Deluxe...done

2006-05-19T12:16:00.000+08:00

Can u guess what was used as the background?

2006-05-19T12:15:00.001+08:00

4-bed dorm...all done up...nice?

2006-05-19T12:15:00.000+08:00

Messy messy

2006-05-19T12:14:00.000+08:00

4-bed dorm before beds are in

2006-05-19T12:13:00.000+08:00

Japanese room before partitions were up.

2006-05-19T12:08:00.000+08:00

The deluxe room with some colours. Er...with one colour for now

2006-05-19T12:07:00.000+08:00

Pictures of the Japanese room. Cool huh?

Hive ll ready for biz

2006-04-03T22:38:00.000+08:00

Hive ll would be ready to serve it's customers by next week. Although it would not be in the best condition to receive customers, i am sure with the discount that we are giving no one will mnd staying there.
I am very sure they will love our Japanese concept rooms. Simply beautiful!

I have been overloaded with work recently because of the new place. This month alone I have made 4 errors in terms of rooms availability. I keep forgetting to delete the availability and then there are double bookings. There is one where i made sure i had deleted but there was still someone who made a booking.

It just happens. Private rooms are sooooooo popular. Whenever i forget to update, there would be a booking. It is almost certain that a doubel booking will occur.

One man running 2 places. It's shit. Trust me. Remember I said starting a business ain't easy? Now try starting another one and running the first one at the same time. Sometimes i feel my tolerance / stress level is quite low. I get pretty disturbed by the amount of work I have to do but after a while I would be fine again.

We are taught as leader to delegate work...but i have failed...or is it that there is no one to assign work to??

Pictures of Hive ll

2006-03-12T17:19:00.000+08:00

We are growing

2006-03-01T01:12:00.000+08:00

Just realised that the last time i posted here it was 4 months ago.

So sorry people...I shall not spend time explaining but i will tell you what's happening around here at The Hive these days.

We are going to expand soon. We are taking over the 2nd floor unit next to us. Last Feb on the 1st, we marked our first year of operations. I have learnt a few things along the way and we have made changes to our operating procedure. I must say we are more able to handle difficult situations.

Like i did for Hive l, i will have updates for Hive ll. Stay tuned for what's going to happen.

Right now it is 0115hrs. Waiting for 3 guests to check in at 0200hrs. At 0415hrs, i need to give a morning call to a couple. They are checking out at 0445hrs.

At 0530hrs, 6 x Spanish guys are checking out.

0630hrs, another couple checking out

0700hrs - morning call for my Parkistani guest.
- 2 guys checking in

0900hrs - 2 girls checking in

1300hrs - another guy checking in.

DIE!!!!! Not only will i have insufficient sleep, i have loads of laundry to do. Just look at the number of people checking out - 18!

Here we go again...same old shit again..

2005-11-30T21:22:00.000+08:00

Finally i got myself to write an entry. Tried doing it a few times the last month but after typing a few sentences, i could not go on. It is just not me to write (or type in this case). Even i feel that what i write is so boring...what more others?

Anyway, as it gets nearer to X'mas it gets busier. It was near full house 2 days ago if not for my oversight. Today i checked it 8 groups. Never in 9 months of operations have i checked in so many. 10 people in all. And with the bad weather the past few days the situation would have been dire if we had not purchased new sheets and blankets.

So practically i have been running up and down non-stop the whole day. I tried taking a nap in the afternoon but it did not work out. Phone calls after phone calls. 9 out of 10 times i try to rest the blardy phone will ring. Grrrr!

Further more it is the end of the month and i have to tally up the accounts. AGM meeting points, new business plan for the cafe area...it never ends.....Can't help it...

Bad judgement

2005-10-19T16:45:00.000+08:00

Remembered in May i wrote about this 50+ yr old man who came in the wee hours? His name is Jack West. He was featured in Sunday's Newpaper. If you can get your hand on it, you can read about what an ass**** he is.

If i were to talk about him during his stay here it would be a really long entry. I will get to what my intention of this entry is.

When i first wanted to chase him away due to the things he has done and his dishonesty, his attorney called me. She was trying to help his family get visas into the US. She was trying to persuade me into letting him stay and said that if i don't, he might go back to USA and then write bad things about Singapore. This, she said, will affect the diplomatic ties between USA and Singapore.

What crap right? I could not out-talk her so Jack stayed on.

Now the Newpaper reported that he has not only been ungrateful, he used vulgarities on the people / organisation that helped him and his family.

After reading it, i wanted to call the attorney to tell her how she had misjudged Jack. But i remember throwing it away some time ago as i thought i would not need it anymore. I pity Jack's family. This kind of person should be kicked real hard in the ass

What do you do when your customer has no money to pay for his stay? Part 2

2005-10-17T13:30:00.000+08:00

Right, yesterday that guy decided to leave for Malaysia to rest his VISA in Singapore.

So i made a decision. I told him that we have given up hope that we can get back the money and will write it off like a bad debt.

He will only be back in Singapore on 20 Oct and if by then he does get the money and wants to pay us, definitely we are taking it. If by the time he returns and does not have the money, i told him that we will not be taking him in anymore.

We have done all we can to help (we even bought him a McDonald's meal before he left) and from now on he is by himself. Whether he meant to deceive us or not it doesn't matter now.

Lesson learnt...blacks...starting to lose faith in them....bit by bit

What do you do when your customer has no money to pay for his stay?

2005-10-12T17:30:00.000+08:00

Yes...what will you do?

He's got no money
He's looking for a job
He's looking for a room
He's a degree holder
He's waiting for his family to send some money....waiting
Bottom line - he owes us $300 (and counting)

What will you do?

Trying hard for an entry

2005-10-05T16:40:00.000+08:00

I don't know if i have mentioned but personally i do not like writing (typing for this case) journals. Simple, i have limited vocab and it is going to be really boring if i do not try hard enough to make the entry at least 'pleasing' to read.
But i try my best to have an entry everytime i have some inspiration. I have a few supporters for this blog and backed by a popualr demand by one of them i have decided to add an entry.

Well, i thought since i am still waiting for our guests to sleep, i might as well do something rather than sit there an waste away.

A little update about The Hive:

1) The dream kitchen may not materialise. It does not add value to bring the kitchen down to the Darkroom area and we need the area to hang our laundry in case of bad weather. But it is alright. They are comfortable with the little kitchenette upstairs. The only hassle for us is that we will need to regularly go up and check on the cleanliness of the place. To tell the truth, some guests' civic mindedness = zero. I do grumble but it is my job to clean up after them. Customer service.. so...ya...suck thumb...like we in the Army would say.

2) We have been doing rather well for the past months so our morale is higher. We were told about the dip in arrivals in Oct and Nov so we are hoping the dip would not be too drastic.

3) The cafe is yet to open to public as we do not have the license. It is a pain in the a##. They want a floor plan drawn to scale with all the measurements and highlight the operation area but they do not want us to send my email or fax for fear that when they print it out, it would not be to scale. I had to mail to them two different copies of the plan cos i seriously do not know what they want.

4) We are into little discussions about expanding our operations. Nothing concrete yet but it is our vision to have a branch in Singapore. Will keep you updated on the latest decisions

I have a dream...a dream where all my friends can all work together in one big company. Each of us have our own strengths so it would be the most fulfilling thing to tap on all the strengths of everyone and then accomplishing big things. It is not impossible but will take time and a lot of luck and fate.

I have to tell you about the most exciting thing that happened yesterday. I didnt know what magazines Dennis brought in the other day until i decided to pull one out yesterday. It was a mag about food. It is called EAT! Loads of recipes and good food locations. The information inside is certainly usefull. I compiled all the recipes that were meant to be detached and then tried a dessert. Tasted fine...not too bad for the first time. I had always loved to cook. But i didnt want to go for classes or courses like Shatec...i guess i do not like to be tied down with a schedule. I like to learn it at my own time...when i please. May not turn out well the first try but sure to perfect it after a few times. And one funny thing...i will not do things like salad or anything to do with veg cos i simply DON"T LIKE THEM! A chef needs to try his creations and if you cook something you do not like, you can't try. Simple explaination but very valid huh? =)

Right...pretty long...better not bore you further....shall save the boredom for the next entry.

Ciao!

Fully recharged and full drained

2005-09-19T19:25:00.000+08:00

Weekends are my rest days. Even if i have to come back on some Saturdays or stay over late on Fridays, i do not mind. I know i will get a good sleep for at least a night. I did, last night.

I was feeling good and fresh. Everything went on as usual until 3.30am. Very seldom sleep past that time and i wont be sleeping until 5am. Reason? Some of the Filipinos are leaving at 4.45am and i cant sleep. I am afraid i wont be able to wake up to see them off.

So even though i was recharged, pretty much of it have been drained away. I have to wait for the coming weekend before i can restore my energy. Looking forward...Hehe

I just received an email from one of our guests. They were the first few couples to stay with us. They are heading back to England in 4 days and they are emailing their friends they have met during their travels.
The Hive was mentioned in one small paragraph. It was enough. More than enough. I was already happy that she remembered us. In fact, the email was suffcient to tell us that she has not forgotten us.

There also was another English couple who do send us emails telling us how they are doing in the countries they were in. So nice of them

Glad that they have treated us as friends and i will try to constantly be in touch with them. Cheers people!

The Dream Hostel

2005-09-08T08:00:00.000+08:00

My dream hostel is slowly taking shape.

There was a time when i don't even know what a backpackers' hostel was, how it looked like and what it does.

Then slowly i got to know of Inn-Crowd and Betel Box. I had an idea how a hostel is. I knew what i wanted on our hostel.

A communal area where there is a lot of interaction and fun.
A kitchen to cook meals, proper meals.
An Internet area, book shelf and loads of brochures

It is slowly taking shape.

Once done, i think.....we are ready for.... A BRANCH! Then i will have dreamS come true

Good start to the month

2005-09-07T03:00:00.000+08:00

Been wanting to post an entry but i was busy the last two days. We were full. Yes, 26 pax. I had to reject a German girl who came all the way from the airport and then found out that we had no beds for her.

Sometimes i wonder why they would want to take the risk? They could call the hostels from the airport to avoid any possible disappointments. There are very helpful people at the Visitors' Centre. If anyone of you happen to see any tourist looking lost anywhere in Singapore, please, help them. *Whisper* And if you can, recommend The Hive. Heeheehee....

Well, I am taking a break now. It has been a while since i last worked from 7am - 12pm (and counting). Oops...did i give myself away?

Started with waking up at 5.15am to send the group of Filipinos out. After that, went back to sleep until 7am when i had to give a guest a morning call. And then starts the chores.

Removing the old sheets and sending them into the machine, shifting people from one room to the other, vacuuming the room, ironing sheets, folding blankets, washing toilet and cleaning kitchen.

Sounds like alot of work? No...sounds like TONS of work. C'mon! Give it to me! More more more!

The maintenance guys for the washing machine is here. Gotta go... stay with me for more news on the happenings in THE HIVE

Fire fighting

2005-09-01T14:50:00.000+08:00

The aircon just broke down. I think it over-heated thus the compressor gave up

Fire fighting once again! With no way i can rectify the problem, the only solution was to move all 4 guests from Orchid Room into the cosy Hibiscus.

Some love it, one preferred the normal bunk bed in Orchid. I think it's because she had to climb up to bed whereas in Orchid, she's sleeping on the lower deck.

All 4 of them have not seen Hibiscus Room before and were really amazed by the structure and atmosphere.

Hopefully the glitch didnt pull down our ratings...heehee

End of month report

2005-08-30T14:15:00.000+08:00

RE: END OF MONTH REPORT

This month has been a hectic one. The housekeeper has brought in good news for everyone.

Comments from the guests has been really encouraging. Some said our hostel has got character. We were even rated higher than some European and Australian hostels.

This credit goes to Teo Hong Kiat for the hostel and Louis Kwok for the lounge area. The hostel was said to make one feel at home. The colour used are soothing and gave a clean feel.

The cafe / lounge makes one feel active. Although a little cluttered but it is lively. It is a good mix where the sleeping area is comfy and the activity area is lively.

The housekeeper is asking for a pay rise, better benefits and a beautiful companion. A refusal may spark a strike. Directors are adviced to look into this urgent matter.

A proposed solution by an industry expert is to give the housekeeper a paid trip to Melbourne to visit Wille or Newcastle to visit their designer, Hong Kiat. It will solve all problems if food and transport is catered for as well by the company. Board need not bother about accommodations.

The next best solution, according to the same expert, is to agree to a week's paid leave for him to recharge. The board is to decide soon as the outcome of a delay would be unimaginable.

Apart from the small issues with the housekeeper, the overall situation is under control.

End of Report

Extension of SMU

2005-08-16T16:41:00.000+08:00

There's a mini SMU going on here. Now with us there are 6 SMU students. Poland, Denmark, Turkey, Finland and Mexico.

Never in my dreams would i have thought that i could be meeting people from all over the world...not until the emergence of The Hive.

So i have been busy with helping them source for a proper accommodation and clearing up the necessary laundry.

As you would have read, the past weeks were really a test of our planning and "fire-fighting" skills. The army has really trained me well. Being a TCO (Training Co-ord Officer) and being the housekeeper are quite the same. Last minute screw ups. Frantic running around solving these screws. Happened in camp. Happened at The Hive.
Although, ya, we get stressed out but we managed well. Lessons learnt from these situations and it all adds up to the experience level.

For one, I realised that Koreans are very very very nice if you are nice to them. You give them 100% and in return you get 300%. Exprienced that first hand. You can take that from me.

Well, anyway, for those who are reading, Cafe @ The Hive has opened. It is not opened to the public as yet but to friends of The Hive so relish the exclusivity when you can. Comparing it to places like Mr Bean, Starbucks and Coffebean, the rates are cheaper. And we have cable TV to top it up.

So i hope to see the cafe doing as well as the hostel. Need ya support people!

It's overflowing here!

2005-08-04T16:30:00.000+08:00

No kidding man. We are packed with guests on this very day, 3 Aug 2005

11 + 6 + 2 + 2 + 3 = 24

Ok...we only have four room so where the heck are the 3 guests sleeping?

In our Internet area.

We have two groups who booked the 2 dorms and 2 couples taking the two private rooms. A Danish couple walked in this afternoon when i was away and they said wanted to stay with us. Although they were told that we are full today and will only be able to give them a proper room tomorrow, they suggested to take the lounge for the night. They said they like it here and they do not mind spending a night there as long as they can get a bed the next day.

Then later in the evening a lady turned up. Told her about our situation but she looked drained and she also didnt mind sleeping in the Internet area.

Sure i was happy they like the hostel but i want them to have a proper room. But there was no way i could give them a room tonight. The best i could do was to bring down the mattresses for them, which i eventually did.

Spent 6 hours re-arranging the furniture in the lounge with Dennis. This is so to accommodate the opening of the cafe. Shagged us out completely and the dust is causing me to have a really bad nose now.

Not having enough sleep for the past few day is bad enough. And i had to prepare for 10 people on 1 Aug and after that rush for another group of 10 the next day. Tomorrow is going to be a killer. After the group leaves, i need to wash the linen and iron them.

Yeah you would say that this is good news. That business sounds good. Hopefully things takes a turn for the better now and then i would have an excuse to hire a helper. Heehee...time for me to take the back seat.

Updates coming up later....for now (0130hrs, 4 Aug) ...going to Mustafa to buy bread for tomorrow.

A day like never before

2005-07-29T17:40:00.000+08:00

28 Jul, 0200hrs

Last guest had gone up to rest. Decided to sleep in the lounge today. Dennis with me. Fighting side by side

0420hrs

Awoken by the shutting of glass door. Guest just came back from Zouk. I didnt realise he hadn't come back earlier. He asked if private room is available. I was sober enough to tell him the room is booked for the next 2 days. Slammed back to sleep

0440hrs

Phone rings. Damn it. Someone asking for rates. Again, amazed myself by answering her questions being half awake. Back to sleep after that

0700hrs

Morning call for guest. Woke her up and where else....back to sleep (i know i know...0700hrs is work time but you would understand wont you?)

0810hrs

James and Laura came down to check out. Had to act as though i am wide awake but i know my eyes and hair would have given me away. Never mind...James, Laura and i go wayyyyy back. Haha....but i couldnt muster enough energy to send them to the door. Said bye and smiled. What's after that?

0840hrs

A guest came down and told me we ran out of bread. Damn! Minus 50 points for f***up service. Didnt realise the others finished up the bread. Made my way to buy roti prata for them as compensation. I could hardly open my eyes properly and only rinsed my mouth but still headed for the prata shop. Bought for them to eat, clean up the kitchen a little and still feeling drowsy.

Thought to myself..."10mins. Just 10mins more of sleep and i will start work." Was i disciplined enough?

0910hrs

The guests i bought prata for came down with their bags. They are going out but would be coming back later in the day. Flight is at 7pm. That was it. I told myself i cant sleep anymore else no work is gonna be done today since i am going to URA to apply for change of use of shop to cafe after lunch.

0930hrs

Washed up and started the day of cleaning. Plates, cups, bowls, utensils, washed and put in place. Clean up the kitchen. The usual stuff.

1030hrs

Contractors came for installation of DTTV antenna (that's Digital Terrestrial TV for you).

1040hrs

Start of ironing. Thought it would take me at most 2hrs to finish.

1130hrs

Felt that we would be needed new sets of sheets cos our bookings are on the high side for August. 2nd and 3rd Aug are fully booked. Unpacked the remaining sheets.

1250hrs

Still ironing. At the same time putting dirty laundry to wash and dry. Neo said he would be late. Well, that's gonna give me more time to finish the ironing

1330hrs

Still ironing

1430hrs

Done. 4hrs hours of that. My! This is going down my record books for the longest time taken to iron. So drained. So lack of sleep. So shag.

Had to rush to head down to URA. Luckily Dennis was ther to save the day. My chauffeur. Haha...he wanted me to name him emplyee of the month for his contribution to The Hive for the past weeks.

Time now - 29 Jul, 0235hrs

F***. The same routine again? No way! I am going to sleep.

Plenty more to bitch but no. Sleep. Nite.

---We are still alive---

2005-07-19T01:15:00.000+08:00

Hello people! I was afraid i would forget the login and password for this account when i signed in but nah...i remembered.

I realised my last entry was on 4 June. That's like a month of inactivity here! My gosh... So sorry man...Ever since i was down and out of action for a week i didnt have the mood to write here. In my initial entry i mentioned that i am not the kind that likes to write so the sickness was a good excuse to lay low for a while.Hehe..but i am back!!

We are in the process of making a major revamp to our website and when it is up, there would be a link in the website to this blog. I would then be forced to update it daily. Shit! (Haha)

Also, there is going to be a new operational concept for The Hive. Keep coming back here 'cos i would be telling you more as we progress.

July has been really quiet here at The Hive. Don't know what went wrong but we have stepped up our marketing efforts so we are expecting to see the results soon.

Getting quite a few group bookings so i gonna be real busy when these groups arrive. Any kind souls out there willing to help me out? Haha...just kidding..NOT!

Echo lives in me

2005-06-05T05:00:00.000+08:00

*telephone rings*

"Good afternoon, Ech..o Wi.......ehem...The Hive!"

What the..??! Haha...Yes... The words 'Echo Wing' nearly came out of my mouth. It was so natural. But i was lucky that my throat got stuck so the whole situation wasn't too awkward.

This was the opening statement i used to start with every time I pick up a call when i was in Echo Wing. And i have left the service for nearly a year so for the words to surface yet again after so long resulted in some thoughts running through my head. The Echo in me is still alive...very much.

Is it a good thing or not? Hmmm...

End of month outlook

2005-05-30T15:00:00.000+08:00

I had just reviewed our takings for the month of May. It is definitely better than the previous months. Many thanks to those who have referred others to us. We really appreciate it.

For the whole month, I was seriously fighting the Zzz monster every single night. Every night will see me sleeping no earlier than 2am in the morning. Imagine i had to wake up at 7am! So what i did was wake up at 7am, clean the kitchen a little and head for the couch at the lounge. I had to be "operationally" ready. What i mean?

I need to mend the phone since the reception's operating hours starts at 7am. I also have to act as though i was awake whenever someone walks down. So now i am pretty sensitive to any sound made from people walking down the stairs. I will then get up and act normal. But i think my hair gives me away. Haha...pls dun blame me...i am really shag. Why? Private message me and i will tell you. It's a long story....

Up coming gathering:

48/02 Platoon 2
52 / 03 ORD party
56 / 0 4 gathering

If anyone of you out there want to celebrate your birthday and cant find a suitable place for that, consider The Hive as an alternative. It can accommodate a small family function with a pax of 30. Call Spencer for more details

Chillout area @ The Hive

2005-05-13T14:42:00.000+08:00

Been busy the whole day cleaning up the gallery space to make it into a chillout area. It took me pratically the whole day. It then set me thinking that to really clean the hostel is really tiring.

Sweeping, mopping, wiping, washing, vacuuming, drying, dusting...phew...it is alot. If Thilak was reading this, he would say "You say story touches my heart"...and yes...it tickles his b***s too. So i shall not go on telling my sad story.

The chillout area is almost ready. It's just short of some cushions, glass for the table top and a lan cable for the computers. Right now, the housekeeper's computer is my laptop. Big sacrifice huh? Hehe...nah...it is pretty under-used so i thought i could use it for the hostel and then free up 2 desktops for the guests. The demand for them is rather high u see...Living on your satisfaction remember?

So, when it is ready it is gonna be a place to relax, read, surf the net, listening to the radio and...chillout. Frens of The Hive and frens of frens of The Hive, drop by and check it out. We serve finger food, drinks and snacks. Strictly closed to the public!

*whisper*...my survival depends on this...=p

Dreaming...Dreamy....

2005-05-06T00:40:00.000+08:00

Remember the old man in his fifties i was telling you all about in the previous entry? He said he'll be back (definitely not the way Arnie sound in Terminator. His was slurred and weak) and usually I would not be bothered by such statements. So time came for me to go to bed. It was around 1+ in the morning.

The door bell rang. The door bell rang agian. For a while, i thought i was dreaming (I really thought i was dreaming! cos only the irritating tenant's daughter would ring the bell so late in the night but she came back already). I did not know how many times the bell rang before i opened my eyes (still insisting i was dreaming). When your eyes are opened and you hear the bell, it has to be for real!

I jumped out of my bed (and this must be a record speed cos i don't think i'd ever gotten out so fast. Not even during turnouts in the Army) and rush to the window. There i saw an old man, that old man reaching out to his handphone. I guess the next thing he was going to do is to try to call me on my mobile. He saw me at the window.

Still half awake, i went down to receive him. Did the processing and everything and decided to go back to sleep. He wanted a morning call @ 7am. When i went back to bed, i could not sleep although i was really tired. I was worried about the old man. He had to use a magnifying glass to read and looks like his legs would give way anytime so i think that would make anyone worried. Decided to check on him. Asked if he was ok, he said yes. Then he tried inserting a key for the locker. I saw that he was not using the correct key. He was using some other key he had on him. So i had to tell him that the locker key is the one with the yellow tag. Ok...everything should be ok now. I went back to bed. But not long after, i got up and went to see if he is still up. The lights were off. Great. He has settled down and i can get my sleep.

What a night....

Security glitch

2005-05-05T09:56:00.000+08:00

No worries people....we didnt waste the 900 bucks on the security access system

What happened was that we had 2 unnoticed visitors in the span of less than 15mins.

1st unnoticed chap - A man in his 40ties and bearded to the max! Sounds foreign and i asked where he is staying now (cos he is not carrying anything and said he will be back later) and he said he just arrived. Must be foreign right?

2nd fella - In his 50ties, local, well groomed and polite. Asked me about the place and my name. Told him my surname was Han and he asked if i was Hainanese. I expected it i tell you! Every elderly person who knows my surname will ask the same question so it was nothing new. What was new is that he started listing all the Hainanese surnames and mentioned a few ex-ministers in the 60ties who had a Hainanese surname. Then he went on telling me about these ministers, about how they received bribes and then were either jailed or sent out of the country. Went on and on....and then he when he had nothing more to add, he decided he should take his leave.

Now...where was the security srew up? Why nobody noticed thier entry? It was like this....

A contractor was here to mend the leakages so i left the door open as they would need to walk in and out. And i was facing my computer at my counter thus didnt bother about the people walking in and out. That was when the foreign man walked in.
Once a while i would check the door and see if there was anyone and then the foreigner gave me a shock. Damn! He was really quiet moving around. God knows where he went before i noticed him.
So lesson learned, i closed the glass door at the side. But....it didnt occur to me that Louis left from the front door and did not lock it after him. So...yes...that's where the other man came from

From where i am at the counter, i could only see half the door and it was pretty dark in the gallery. Again, i was facing my computer and then when i looked up, i see the man standing between the lounge and gallery. F**k! If it had been later in the night, he would have scared the shit out of me. The rest you would have known.

The morale of this story: You tell me

1st Massive Gathering

2005-05-02T13:06:00.000+08:00

Well, the much awaited gathering was held yesterday. About 60 people turned up and the place was really packed at around 8plus. Everyone was busy catching up and updating one another about their happenings and about their future plans.

I didn't ask if the food was sufficient but the drinks were quickly exhausted carton after carton. The only regret last night was the air-conditioning. It disappointed us when it matters the most. You could feel the heat and people are pespiring. Some had to sit outside the walkway which is alot cooler even though the weather these days were on the high side.

Still, I am very happy to see all of them. Some of them i have not seen for a year. I am very sure everyone enjoyed the conversations. I could not talk to everyone yesterday but would love to do some catching up with these people. If you are one of these people and is reading this, you may want to drop by The Hive and we can chat.

Of course, anyone can drop by anytime. I have had some offers to use The Hive for birthdays and definitely, the place is available if notice is given in advance.

And, ORD party!!!! Will try to organise it in platoon level so that it's not so packed...will update in due time.

Right now...it's quiet...really quiet...l.o.n.e.l.y.....=)

2005-05-01T22:26:00.000+08:00

Clockwise from left - Alex, Wenquan, Leon and Ivan

2005-05-01T22:25:00.000+08:00

Beautiful ain't it?

2005-05-01T22:23:00.000+08:00

Calvin, Clement, Sulaiman

2005-05-01T22:22:00.000+08:00

Catching up with their ex-PC

2005-05-01T22:19:00.000+08:00

Wenquan, Chuan Kai, Xiaowen and Dewen

2005-05-01T22:15:00.000+08:00

Chuan Kai (i think the length of his hair is the longest he's ever had) and Me

About our Friends...

2005-04-29T14:03:00.000+08:00

Today Emma left us for Australia and Gan for her friend's place in Hougang. Emma's from U.K. and Gan is a Malaysian but she is based in Japan. She does anime. I learnt something new abut anime production. A 30min anime can take up to a year to produce. Man! If i didn't remember wrongly, in 1 sec there are 24 frames...which means you have 24 pieces of drawings for a 1 sec exposure in the screen. Anime fans out there better appreciate every sec of the show you watch.

Lee and Eliz is leaving tomorrow. They are heading to Malacca on the 11am bus. They have been such nice people. I feel that i have known them for ages. They will come talk to me when they see that i am painting at the backyard alone. Lee is such a comical fella and Eliz is a very sweet and kind hearted girl. She loves animals and obviously loves Lee. Heehee...

Oh well, it's gonna be quiet again when they are gone. Ryan would be the only one left i can talk to now. He's nice too. Very easy going.

Since i have made friends with our wonderful guests, I would not have accommodation problems if i were to travel. Haha....that's the perks of having this place huh? Lee and Eliz offered to house me in their homes and Gan wrote down her address in Japan and told me to look her up if i were to drop by.

So....in Melbourne I have Wille, Newcastle I have Hongkiat, England I have Lee, Wales I have Eliz and Japan I have Gan. Wonderful!

To all my / The Hive's friends, thank you all so much!

(After all the nice words i have used, hopefully you guys would throw in some freebies when i do pop by huh? heehee) =p

Great week!

2005-04-27T16:24:00.000+08:00

At the time of this entry, The Hive has got 5 guests. Fantastic people i must say.

Wait....not only do we have fantastic guests but also irritating mosquitoes flying around and draining my blood. I have been out at the backyard doing my painting and thus the doors had to be opened so i would be able to hear the door bell or telephone.
By sitting at the backyard, you would need tremendous patience and endurance. The flying around of the mosquitoes tests your patience and the itch challenges your ability to endure and not scratch.
And because the door is opened, the idiots would fly into the lounge area. For a while we had peace when we managed to kill all of them in the lounge recently and now it is starting to take over it's lost territory. Would there be a day when all the mosquitoes in the world be extinct? I would rejoice and i bet many would be with me. These pests do not contribute to the eco-system. At least cockroaches nibbles on rubbish.

I wanted to talk about the guests but i'l leave it for another entry. Mosquitoes just killed my mood.

Out~

[An apologetic entry]

2005-04-15T15:58:00.000+08:00

Did anyone miss me? Haha...

The Hive is now occupied by 7 people.

3 really fun loving people, Anna, Kevin and Audrey
Trevor and Elana - warm, friendly and easy
Boon - My guest from Malaysia. He's here for the 2nd time in 2 weeks
And the award winning long stayer (23 days!) - My friend's friend's boyfriend

I wish to apologise to some of them

To Anna, Kevin and Audrey: Sorry i didn't fufill my promise to show you the way to New Park Hotel. I had to attend to some urgent matters and could not get back in time. I felt really bad and was praying that you guys would be able to find your way there. I supposed you did find your way? i am really really SORRY! Does it mean that with your smiles i can safely say that you guys are not pissed? Hopefully not ya?

To Trevor and Elana: I hope you are comfortable in the cubicles. I was expecting you to demand a private room as it was what you had booked but you were very nice and were ok with the "capsule". I thank you for your understanding and God bless the both of you.

It is these kind of people that made me want to give the best service i can squeeze out of myself. The kind of satisfaction you get when you see smiles from happy guests is indescribable and pricless.

I hope The Hive Backpackers' can be of service to all of you again...someday. We wish you well in your travels and all the best in your life's endeavours.

Greatest achievement of the day!

2005-04-09T18:48:00.000+08:00

This is the 1st time after 4months i did myself proud. After not running for about 4 months, 200m is a great achievement eh? And it's not a JOG mind you... i RAN!

I had receive a call from Japanese lady (i gathered that through her accent) earlier in the evening who asked for the direction to The Hive. Manage to tell her to head for Boon Keng even though we had some communication barrier. I thought she would reach in maybe an hour but no one turned up. Guess she lost her way and ended up in another hostel.

A call then came at around 10. It was a lady....and sounded like the Japanese lady. Whether she is the Japanese lady or not it doesn't matter. She said she is at the 7-11 near Boon Keng MRT Station and asked how to get to the hostel. I tried to explain but gave up.....and yes....due to the communication barrier.

So i told her to wait for me. I would pick her up at the 7-11. Since Lin sui was near the area (he was on a mission to buy dinner at MacDonald's) i asked if he could meet up with her and bring her back. He was ok but he can only do that after he completes the mission. After much consideration, i cant afford to let her wait for too long. The sacred task is mine to accomplish!

I ran...and i emphasise RAN 200m to the 7-11. The traffic lights were in my favour and i ran non-stop. There she was...waiting outside the convenience store like i told her to. The rest is history...or rather...it's nothing interesting.

This might be the last run for the next few months? hehe....c'mon...i'm busy at The Hive.. give me a break!

The Reason

2005-04-03T15:45:00.000+08:00

The 9th time I have attended the Commissioning Parade after my very own. Likely that this would be my last for the next 10mths.

I went back to Wingline and the feeling of being at home is still there. I went to the staircase outside the duty room where i would usually stand and stare blankly. Either that or i would be talking to my cadets or colleagues. Did the same pose i would usually do and Nizam took a picture of that. Memories locked forever.

Sat at the benches along the corridor. That was also where i would go when i was so stressed up with my work. I would sit there alone and someone will eventually end up sitting beside me. Be it my cadets or my colleagues or my boss. In the mornings after the runs with my boss, we would hang around the benches and chat. That place seems like a place where it creates an environment where there's no barrier, age or rank.
I went into the office i used to work in. It seems so big suddenly. The place where we were scolded, the place where me, Wille and Jas would sit there and bitch about everything, the place where i spent hours without sleep settling admin issues for our Taiwan trip, the place where my colleagues would come in and ask me out for meals, complain to me, rush me for certain things....that very place.

Sorry I had to keep talking about some other place when this blog is supposed to be dedicated to The Hive.

The Hive was set up because we wanted to retain the feelings i mentioned earlier. We were like a family. The Hive was meant to be another place we can call our own. Spend times like what we used to do. Hopefully it will be a place for 48/02, 52/03 and 56/04 to come together and do some catching up amongst their own batch.
That will be wonderful....wouldn't it?

A greedy housekeeper doing his "shopping"

2005-03-31T17:12:00.000+08:00

Your diligent housekeeper had been wanting to top-up the brochures but did not have the time to do so and since he had mobility today, he decided to make a trip down to the Singapore Visitors' Centre (SVC) to collect the brochures.

Wooh! SVC has got a new facelift. Nice~ He went in there and saw so many staff. Imagine 6 people greeting you "Hello, welcome!" and tt's ony like half of the working strength there. I think the service in Singapore is the best only in SVC. They are paid to serve and smile.
One of the staff approved him and asked how she could help. He told her that he's just here to collect some brochures. "Ok. Sure" was the reply from the staff.

Oh yes, forgot to tell you that the housekeeper, being an experienced brochure collector, brought along a big bag. A bag bigger than any of the ones he brought on previous occasions. He knows he's going to need it.

Zoo, take. Night Safari, take. Bird park, take. Sentosa, take.....take...take...basically whatever he thinks the backpackers' would need he took. And he knows he would need alot of them firstly is because these are the most popular choices of the guests and secondly it will last him some time before he needs to replenish them.

Just as he was getting the hang of it (and i tell you, he was certainly thrilled as more brochures went into the bag), there was this lady who approached him. Looking into the bag and swallowing her saliva, she asked where he is from. She was surprised why he was referred to her branch to collect the brochures. He told her that their website stated that there is no delivery for corporate clients so they have to help themselves the thie HQ or any visitors' centre. Well, the ever understanding housekeeper acknowledged that SVC (Orchard) also gets their supplies from the HQ and that their branch is the busiest among the rest of the SVCs so he said he will get from their HQ.
By then, his bag is already half full, or half empty. Hahaha. The staff then asked what are the other brochures that he would need and she will advise if he can take them as some are running low in supply. He pointed out a few and she was ok. Yes! There he go again...on his spree.
He point to the maps on display and requested to get some but the staff recommend another one instead. The not so beautifully designed and should be quite an outdated one. Why? Because it was not displayed and was kept in the cupboard. The staff then passed him like, 100 copies? And without saying anything, her colleague passed her a slip of request form for the housekeeper. A form to request for brochures. They must have been bitching behind his back before she even approached him. Damn~
Even knowing that they have been gossiping behind his back, the housekeeper still smiled and talked very politely to the staff. High level of endurance huh? +_(*^##!&&amp;amp;amp;^%&^

How can he stay any longer? All eyes must be on him now. A quick "thank you" and he grabbed his bag and headed for the door. Woah! F**king heavy. No! Must act as though it's nothing. The way back to the car was not very long but when he reached, boy was he sweating. It's heavy mind you!

The whole SCV must be talking about him after he left. He is sure. He can't be wrong. He is especially sensitive to such things. Haha..The Hive is famous now...or should i say..infamous. Haha

2005-03-29T19:54:00.000+08:00

2 x PCs, 1 x OC and 1 x Hulk

2005-03-29T19:52:00.000+08:00

Platoon 2's terrors!

2005-03-29T19:51:00.000+08:00

LTA Tan and wife-to-be on 3rd April

2005-03-29T19:49:00.000+08:00

Boss giving a short speech

Fun, Laughter, Joy, Smiles, Memories, Friendship

2005-03-28T16:36:00.000+08:00

All that and many more.

The Hive had a party last night and it was a success. Although some came and left soon after, the people that stayed had a good time. U bet!

I slept at 4am and struggled to wake up at 7am. Ok ok...i confess. I woke up at 9am in the end. But i did set the alarm at 7am. I swear!
No pay cut for me, would there???

Had a hard time getting to sleep though. Had a really bad headache...even Panadol Actifast didn't help a bit. It cant be the alcohol. The amount i had is nothing compared to the any of the days which we dedicated oursleves to getting really high. So it cant be the alcohol.

What i think it's the hair gel that i am using. I have realised that whenever i have that on for the whole day, my poor head will suffer. William, if you are reading this and is experiencing similar symptoms, please let me know. The bloody company who is trying to kill us is gonna get it big time.

Oops~ Back to the party. I guess we have paid tribute to the man, our boss, our friend. He has spent 3yrs moulding the lives of officer-cadets, officers and specialists during his tour in OCS. Even before he started "spoiling the market of Wing Commanders", he was "spoiling the market" in his previous units. I think he should write a book. I cant think of a title for the book but i guess the book should write about how a good officer should behave, what they should do and what they shouldn't....basically what he has taught us all and more.

Ok ok...the party.....erm....i think the feelings can't be describe in words, especially if i am the one doing the writing. Haha...with such limited vocabulary, poor grammar and monotonus way of writing, you have found the wrong person to maintain this blog. Someone pull in the man!!

(Looking left and right. And left again) Oh well.....looks like the boring blog is here to stay...for now.

--@--First Breakfast-of-the-Day--@--

2005-03-24T16:13:00.000+08:00

Ok...the title says it all. Yep, today's breakfast-of-the-day is roti prata (Indian pancake with a Malay name).

No, i didn't make it. Bought it instead. We (Chris and me) agreed on roti prata for breakfast so i had to buy it back. Boy was i having a tough time just trying to get out of bed. Slept rather late yesterday because Chris and Jane were at the lounge and we started talking a bit. They bought 3 photographs from Louis. Yeah...they are the first to make a purchase from Louis. Somehow i felt that I can't sleep before them so decided to keep them company until they left for bed.

Again, we went to SPCA to look for a dog. Every Mon, Wed and Fri they have new "intake" so we decided to drop by to see if there's any one we liked. Saw two small pups (but i do not know the breed. It's cross breed but they did not state exactly) and they were cute. Both were females. And then came the bad news.

The staff mentioned that they are not willing to let shophouse owners adopt their dogs. They have had bad experiences with shophouse owners in the past. What he said was that the owners would buy them and keep them as guard dogs. They will chain the poor chap or cage them up.

Register them under HDB you would say? We thought of that but because the little fella has the blood of some breed that is not allowed in HDBs, no matter how small it is, it will not be approved.

F**k! Next solution is pet shops. Went to a few and saw two that i am interested in buying. One's a beagal-schnauzer breed and the other a cocker spaniel. $500 & $700 respectively. My initial budget was $500 so the beagal was a good buy but the cocker spanial is worth the money cos it's only a few months old and $700 is a snatch, according to Thilak. Oh yes....he is my driver for today...Heehee

Fri i shall bring Boss down to take a look and see which he prefers.

New tuner to rock my days

2005-03-21T21:29:00.000+08:00

Last weekend The Hive acquired a new FM tuner. Now i have Venetta, FD, Rod and Glenn to keep me company.

Chris and Jane arrived last night. They had a hard time locating us. Felt so bad when i saw them so worn out when they finally came. Hopefully this does not happen too often.

As usual, i would ask them about their plans for the next day. They hardly had anything planned annd asked me for advice. They are staying in Singapore for 5 days so i guess they would need my help to plan their activities. so, i did my FIRST itinerary planning for them. They managed to go to some of the places and URA was one of them.

Today seems pretty slow. Although i had lots of things to do, i cant seem to start doing anything. I think my greatest achievement was to submit my artwork for the namecard.

Feeling low today...why? Beats me

Just another day

2005-03-15T23:24:00.000+08:00

Yes....today is just another busy day. Not that there were customers but it's the daily chores and unfinished tasks that's keeping me so busy.

The brochure stand at the entrance is ready. This time i find it really ugly. I liked the previous one i made. Somehow this new stand doesn't look nice. F**k up! But since i've spent so much time on it, i can't bear to not use it. Let's just see what people will say, IF they would say something abt it.

Let's just share the task list and gather some sympathy yah?

1. Approach martial arts school to discuss on possible affiliation
2. Distribute flyers at the Singapore-Malaysia Bus Terminal @ Lavender St
3. Complete website details for Chris to upload
4. Upload pictures taken with our guests and send it together with website details to Chris
5. Update accounts
6. Pay bills
7. Clean toilets, kitchen and lounge. Sweep and mop floor. Clean rooms.
8. Wash bed sheets, pillow cases, blankets. Iron them.
9. Touch-up postcard designs
10. Print brochures
11. Do up brochure stands (done!)
12. Collect bochures from Visitors' Centre
13. Buy new FM player
14. Buy washing powder, ziplocks, broom, dustpan, etc....(done!went to Mustafa to day)
15. Adjust banner
16. False entry (u must be wondering what this is...secret...ask me if you wanna know. But I doubt i am going to do it cos it's against my principles. But then again...in business you know....hai...in a dilema...)
17. Go forum to market our hostel
18. Buy drawer unit. Buy cash box
19. Design price list for drinks, chips, etc
20. Print price list for washing machine usage
21. Tag all beds
22. Tag all keys (all printing work cant be done cos' ran out of ink. Waiting for my saviour, Louis to return to shop.)
23. Design and print namecards
24. Re-print stickers for recycling bin
25. Clean air-con filter
26. Buy fire-extinguishers
27. Place ad on Classified Ads (done!)
28. Design check-in, check-out box and procedure (was an arow by Adryan. Haha..)
29. Sell off lockers
30. Finish up curtain holders for capsule
31. Check if airport and train station has places for us to put our brochures
32. Purchase database from STA for marketing purposes
33. Paint window (somehow i keep forgetting about that window. It's the only window now unpainted)
34. Paint stairs (talking about this boils my blood)
35. Make more brochure holders (not enough as there are sooooooo many brochures. I want to be another Visitors' Centre apart from InnCrowd. Haha...my idol...)

Think that should be about it. I am just waiting to arrow the tasks to the next unlucky one....haha...or am i the only unlucky one?

Our friends have left....

2005-03-15T16:57:00.000+08:00

Mark, Douglas, James, Stine, Anne-Lise, Lee and Elena have all left. Lee and Elena left this afternoon.

Now the place is quiet and a complete opposite from the nights when these guys were around. I have experienced the fun of the hostel. That is to make new friends and make them happy as well. To see smiles on faces of others is priceless.

Well, Stine and Anne, the gals with the cute personalities, left a really funny entry in the guestbook. See the picture.

It's back to the usual chores now...cleaning and cleaning. Tomorrow the owner of Asha Guesthouse (Bangkok) is coming to discuss some affiliation details.

Ok...i am still left with the brochure stand to complete for downstairs. *yawn*.....Goodnight

2005-03-15T00:59:00.000+08:00

Entry by the cute Norwegian gals

Busy day @ The Hive

2005-03-12T16:20:00.000+08:00

I wrote an entry last night. It was a rather long entry. Then guess what? There was some error when i tried to publish and *poof* there goes my 15mins of typing. F*c*!

Nevertheless, i shall summarise it now and then continue with today's happenings.

CPT Willie came with his dog yesterday night and i am telling you, it is so darn adorable. Cant describe how i love it. It was very nice of him to drop by and visit me. So touched...Heehee...(Ok, that's about all after i summarise. No, really. I did write alot yesterday night but I can't recall what i wrote. Guess i am too tired.)

After seeing the lovable dog, i was really excited and looking forward to going SPCA after we missed it on Thurs as it was closed. But we couldn't find a suitable dog. Many were big and noisy, making them unappropriate to be brought back. Gotta thank Thilak for fetching me there. He's being driving me around for two days. Felt so bad but i felt the love too!

This morning, the 3 Englishmen arrived. They had booked the beds earlier. Really warm and friendly people. Mark, Douglas and James is what they call themselves. And in the evening, Elena and Lee came. They called two days ago and did a booking through the phone. They arrived earlier then i expected. Easy-going couple but they couldn't stand the heat. Can't blame them....i couldn't either. Just helping them lay the bedsheets made me pespire.

So now, on 12 March 0010hrs, we have 7 people at The Hive. Well done! I am so happy. Seeing the place so lively makes me consoled. This is a good start. So glad....

Oh yes, Mark if you are reading this, thanks for offering to inform Lonely Planet about us. We really appreciate it. If there is ever a chance that you might return to Singapore, do drop by at The Hive. The home-made beers would be on me. No obligations to stay over but just to say hi.

The Hive has made new friends and this has to be archived.

Ok...my mind is blank now. I need to go.....

The Hive's Journey

2005-03-12T13:31:00.000+08:00

The Hive's Journey

Ahahaha..today's my turn to housekeep and wow i can blog at our very own blogspot! now i can be the co-author (with dear ol' spencer of course) of The Hive's Journey.

"The Hive's Journey" by Spencer Han, co-written by Adrian Ho and many others still to come..

Well my day's was pretty good..some happenings ard here which is good and well..i stil rem when i stepped in last night, boy was i in for a surprise! the ever-unsuspecting me only saw Boss n Spence standing happily at our counter, grinning from ear to ear..then as i stepped in...lo n behold, there were not 1 not 2 not...but 1,2,3,4,5,6.7 backpackers sitting gaily at the lounge! a good mix of guys n gals too if i may add (well its a lil drama but u get the idea dun u?) pretty cool..pretty cool.. n they were drinkin spence's home-brewed beer too! aniwaez the idea is we are in business..haha observation 1: all the backpackers are europeans..hmm...why no others? dunno..yet..food for thought..

ah...n on the next bright sunny morn i was in for another surprise..not much of one if u actuallin consider that for the past 2 to 3 days we've been having more customers comin to our humble abode..yes, u guessed it: i got MY first customer!!!! *success* he was this malaysian dude who came in n asked if there were rooms. i was like how excited. turns out the guy's on transit and was only goin to stay for a day..thats a cash inflow of $16 bucks..ka-chiiing! well not a lot but a deal's a deal n i got my first..start small aim big..there'l be more to come dun u worry bout that adrian..heh true enough..as i read the mail later on i found that there was a couple enquiring bout availability of rooms for 5 nights..there you have it. as i predicted. All of us do need breaks like that dun we? to raise a lil morale n keep us going..small breaks they may be, but the psychological uplift in spirits shouldnt be underestimated eh? cos it does give us an energy boost to try harder, in the hope for more of the good stuff..haha ok ur prob like wateva....if it makes u happy adrian..*sticks out tongue (be happy its not the finger)*

btw spens..we do need a proper money box dun we? yes we do. ah n that new-n-improvised check-in-check-out system too..cheers

Rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'~~~!!!!

2005-03-10T10:19:00.000+08:00

Yawn~~~

No, I didn't just woke up. Got my a** off the bed 7.00am.

No, this entry is not for today if you are wondering. It's for yesterday night...duh~ Haha...anyway...just bumped my head on the guestbook shelf. It wasn't really painful but I had knocked the screw loose. You can imagine how hard the knock was huh? Now i have to knock it back in place. (the screw i mean)

Now...about yesterday night.

Received a call from a Singapore man asking for directions to the hostel. I found it wired but still gave him our address. He called twice trying to figure our how to get here. Xavier was with me so we discussed abt the possibility of a local man asking to stay for the night. We suspect that he could be some journalists on a research. We decided to wait for his arrival and see how we can deal with him...APPROPRIATELY.

Waited for abt 5mins and 'ding dong' the bell rang.
Nope, it wasn't a Singaporean and it sure wasn't a guy. It was two foreign ladies at our doorstep with huge backpacks. Customers!!! Yes!!!

They asked if we had rooms...well of course!!!! We do not have many rooms but we sure have plenty of EMPTY beds. Haha...They took the $16 beds in the end.

Settled the admin stuff while they were giggling away reading our "Things to know about The Hive". Courtesy of Me and my Chief Editor, Wille. They are very nice girls...ahem.

Ealier in the day, a couple came in to ask for beds. They are staying at Hotel 81 and found it expensive. They might stay tonight and hopefully they do. And this morning i received a booking for 3 people coming tomorrow.

Well, i am gonna be busy but will still update this page regularly.

Spencer...out~

2005-03-09T18:18:00.000+08:00

This is it~!

Sense of accomplishment~

2005-03-09T17:50:00.000+08:00

Finally i managed to get the brochure shelf done for the upstairs and i have got inspiration on how to make one for the downstairs!! yesh!

Been working on the brochure shelf for the past week but i cant seem to get any ispiration. Did some hammering and sawing but it looks awful.

Then an inspiration came yesterday when i saw my newspaper rack(i did that myself too) so this morning i assembled two shelves and there we go! Something to put the brochures. Now it looks more like a hostel with brochures available.

Then what made my day even better was that two foreigners dropped by and asked for an accomodation. Showed them around and they say they could be coming tomorrow. They are staying at Hotel 81 currently and it is too expensive for them. Before they left, they took a brochure with the Singapore map. Yes!!!!!! It was well worth the effort to make the shelve.

We are in busines!!!

Well....ok...we were in business some time last month.....but we are now better prepared for any one! Try us if you dare!

2005-03-09T10:18:00.000+08:00

Ain't is marvellous what a camera can do?

2005-03-09T10:17:00.000+08:00

The beautiful kitchen where my meals are settled

2005-03-09T10:14:00.000+08:00

Resort @ The Hive

Ouch! Argh! AHH!!!

2005-02-28T19:43:00.000+08:00

Only 2 months at The Hive and I have suffered numerous injuries. All the major injuries were sustained over the past 3 weeks. Help!!!!

Injury Number 1:

The stools Louis made sure can kill if properly utilised. Had accidentally knocked my shin at the side and my skin got scrapped off! Ooooouuuuucccch! The wound is as big as a 5 cent coin.

Injury Number 2:

Was trying to make a cashbox for the cafe and had only a damaged screwdriver to work with. The darn screwdriver can't screw in the screw properly and I had a really hard time trying to force the screws in. One wrong move, the screwdriver slipped and went right at the web between my thumb and index finger on my left hand. The blood flowed like tap water and there was a hole in the web. Ouch! Ouch! OUUUUUUUUUCH!

Injury Number 3:

Scalded when trying to put fish into the frying pan. The fish slipped from my fingers and the oil literally cooked my flesh. YEEEOOUCH!

Injury Number 4:

Painting the staircase this morning. Was reaching the last 4 steps and then I had to stand up to take a break. Bang!! My back hit the corner of the electrical box and yes....AHHHHHH!!! Argh! ....bloody again..... I suspect I hurt my kidneys.

Is something, somewhere playing tricks on me? Help!!!!!!!!!! Now i dread sorting out the renovations....afraid i might just die due to excessive loss of blood or need to do skin grafting soon.....= (

No business...

2005-02-21T00:35:00.000+08:00

After Sajjad and Rahman, The Hive has been quiet. The phone sits quietly by the corner...hardly being touched. To be exact...it's hardly touched by me. It seems that Louis would always be the one to answer any calls to check on our availability. Am I so jinxed? hmmmmm.....

The place gets so dusty so easily...with the wind blowing the dust from the road, cleaning the place is really a chore. There are still alot of things undone...today I just finished painting the wood of the capsule. Many operational yet to be settled...Things that needs to be bought but not yet gotten...

When...when...when...when?

It's been a while....

2005-02-05T15:40:00.000+08:00

It's been a while i last had an entry here for The Hive. For many who didnt know, The Hive Backpackers' Hostel has finally opened its door to the world.

From a place where nothing seems to go well (internet connection is not functioning as it should be, leakages, noisy aircon [still noisy], dirty side walls, unsightly toilets, dusty doors and lousy TV reception), to the place it is now.....i must say we have done well. May not be exactly fast in rectifying the problems, but at least we are decently functional now as a hostel.

To date, The Hive has two customers, Sajjad Hussein and Abi Rahman. They have been my companion for the past week. So grateful...if not for them, i would have gone insane with no one to talk to.

There are still some stuff undone. Work can't seem to finish everyday. There's accounts to settle, operation matters to complied, the area cleaning to be done...really drained...really tired...but it's not time for me to give up yet. I must make the business grow. The Hive has to be recognised.

I started thinking about the day i stepped into OCS Echo Wing as the TCO. Like now, i was inexperienced. I was afriad to make mistakes. I was scared. What if....what if....what if....so many doubts, so little answers. But i know...like before, i will learn the ropes and soon i will say "if this happens, do this....if that happens, do this.....

Wille and Hong Kiat would be leaving for Australia on Mon. Gonna miss them real bad. We had become even closer ever since we left the service. I wonder if life's gonna be dull without them around

William was admitted into the hospital for dengue fever. I suspect it's the darn mosquitoes here that caused the dreadful illness. Hopefully those bites that i have accumulated over the weeks are harmless or else The Hive would need to activate Neo to oversee its operations. That would probably shag Neo out cos he was so drained after the drilling and mopping the floor. Haha...

It's 2340hrs now....some accounts to settle still....hmmmm

Happy New Year!

2005-01-01T22:22:00.000+08:00

Today's a great day. Why? Almost everyone turned up to help paint the hostel. We had so much fun and laughter. The girls were great too. Kept asking for more work...hehe. William, Steve...you guys are so lucky to have them. They are such nice people.

I gave our friendly neighbour a nickname today - Doraemon. She has "lobang" for practically everything...even girls. Haha..she told me about the signage shop's daughter. Gotta check them out man! She lent us a ladder and some poles for painting. Her intention was good but her ladder was in bad condition. Poor William could not balance himself and ended up on the floor. Hurt his ankle in the end. Doraemon is a very nice lady...but a little long winded that's all...=p

We are almost done with the painting. How i wish everyday there are so many people around helping out...for a while, the corridor was packed and moving around was a challenge. I had some problems giving out tasks cos there wasn't enough brushes and trays to go around. After some "fire-fighting", i managed to sort things out.

The opening ceremony would be on 15 Jan...Can't wait to see the finished result of the hostel....

Full throttle ahead!!

2004-12-22T14:17:00.000+08:00

It has been 10 days since my last entry. Approval has been given and we are going full force into the renovations and purchases.

We are very excited about the outcome of our "pigeon hole". The partners have mixed feelings about the "pigeon hole" but we are going ahead with it. Let's hope the outcome is good and that it would be the talk of the town soon.

Gentlemen.....let's start cracking!

The day is December 11th, Saturday

2004-12-12T11:50:00.000+08:00

Woke up at 10 am, hoping to find the much awaited letter from URA on the table. But was disappointed. Our dear Mr Postman does his rounds only later in the day.

The day sure passed real slowly. After much struggle, I finally managed to survive until 1pm. With much excitement, I went downstairs to the letter box. Damn! It was empty. I thought my luck would be better at 3pm so I went back. Saturday's TV program sucks. I wonder if it's a ploy to get our asses off the couch and into the shopping malls.

Read the papers and soon it was 3pm. Again...it was empty. Does Mr Postman work on weekends? I was hoping they do. 5pm was my next timeline. By 4pm, the house was empty. All had their program to keep them occupied. How I was wishing I had something to look forward to for this dreaded weekend.

Yes! Time's up and down i went for the 3rd time. Great! There's some letter's in there. A quick search for that letter from URA but it isn't there. Sigh....

7pm was the last time i headed down for the day. Was having any high hopes and true enough, there was nothing. Let's hope tomorrow is a better day....