Yu wan stetch?

Everyone needs to understand the benefits of a full stetch after a big workout.  It helps your posture, it helps lengthen your muscles and above all it helps your back, boy does it help your back; especially when your hip is pulled from its joint and then put back in place, ahhhhh.

So next time you work out, don't forget to stetch.

Japanese Culture

I am in route home after an amazing wedding this weekend.  Masayuki weds Jodie and with it come the Japanese clan down to Byron Bay.  Here we have a 70ish proud Japanese man who doesn't speak English and having had a stroke a few years ago, walking with a cane and needing help to approach the front, give a perfect speech in English that starts with:

Today is a proud day!

He then proceeds to give the entire speech in English with his wife giving him cues behind him.  If you haven't studied or been to Japan you won't get this but the Japanese culture is like nothing else on this earth.

There is nothing that would have stopped that man from giving that speech and nothing short of death would have stopped him from making it to the front of the room.  They are proud and a wonderfully respectful nation.

 

All you need is love, da da dada dah...

Out to dinner tonight at the restaurant Zense at Central World, that tells us upon arrival, Reservation?  No, none tonight.  Sorry we are completely booked.  Really?  You never are and we live here to know.  Yes, no seats available tonight... well hang on just a minute.  OK, come with me.

As it turns out, the restaurant is completely empty all night except for us and a single girl with a Pepsi cup and a margarita in front of her.  This is a martini Ritzy-Tittsy type of place, they don't serve Pepsi cups here.  The girl looks like she is holding down this table for 10, maybe the first to arrive of the group. 

Not so much.

After sitting there a while, she proceeds to put her head down on the table for a good long nap with no one noticing from the staff.  

She then proceeds to start wailing loud and solemn, like the boyfriend she was waiting for just jilted her on V-day weekend.

Hours later she is passed out sleeping on the table and the staff wrap her in a blanket, how nice.  She is still wailing by the way, albeit quieter now.

After one of the worst dinners I have ever had from a service perspective, we leave and walk by the girl who after three hours is still passed out but now with one eye open.   She is obviously acting to see if anyone besides the staff will pay attention so that she can find the love of her life. It is Valentine's Eve by the way.  As we walk by her to leave the restaurant we say, give it up, your not going to pull tonight, she looks up at us and gives us a wink.  

Come on!  Give me a break here.  How desperate are you?

Extra Sundays

This was a long weekend in Thailand. The holiday was on Monday so that was a an extra Sunday in my book. What was the holiday? Makha Bucha Day of course.

It commemorates two separate events that occurred on the same date 45 years apart, during the Buddha's lifetime 2,500 years ago. The first event was the coming together of 1,250 monks from all locations and directions, to meet and be ordained by the Buddha. This event occurred seven months after the Buddha began his teaching. The second event, which occurred 45 years later, was the Buddha delivering his teachings shortly before his death. Both of these events occurred on the day of the full moon of the third lunar month, a month known in the Buddhist Pali language as 'Makha'.

Regardless and this is not meant to be inappropriate but it's still an extra Sunday.

Sales Training 101

My life right now is all about finding anyone who will come and spend money.  Oh, and why are people spending money next door and not here?

So with that, the pressure is on to find the next big tuna, or any tuna or any school of minnows swimming by.  A friend shared this with me and I have been referring to it a great deal in the past few weeks, even shared it with the corporate higher ups. I know its a very old video but one that is getting me through this little crisis. Sales Training 101. 

This just in from Tokyo

It's been a while since posting, mainly cuz I think the early part of the year is all about dealing with post holiday follow up and catch up and you don't have time to scratch your arse. Well just when you think you have nothing to report, your buddy in Tokyo sends over something to make your morning.

"The put water cap opened by downing it the turn in the reception desk at checout and candid advice was said.  It apologized then and there.  I hear that the guest did not have the appearance of anger.  There was a thing the amount of the number of water centimeter where the cap opened certainly has decreased when going to the room for the confirmation.  It is noted there is not the future this.  It Anauss it as the morning briefing."

Usually I can decipher what the emails are about but here on this day, today, not a freakin' clue.  The only thing I get from this is the guest was not angry or so they heard.

And this guy was on my team.  Course he did slam a shot of soy sauce thinking it was an espresso and had to have his stomach pumped at 4am when he was Manager on Duty, not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Monday Morning Quarterback

By definition, it is a person who calls the perfect game on Monday when all the big games took place on the Saturday and Sunday prior.  One who points out the obvious and always wants people to think they knew how it "should have gone" a few days following the outcome.  In the US we call that Monday morning quarterback.  It might also be known throughout the world as "hind sight is 20/20".

This of course takes place in the business world as well.  And today is Monday so out come the quarterbacks.  For once I would like them to suit up prior to the game, be in the game, get beat up and thrown about like everyone else in the game and not just show up after the fans have all gone home and the lights in the stadium have been turned off.

New Political Party in Thailand

I am sure you are all tuned to your televisions and are searching out our political situation in Thailand, why wouldn't you be? Well you have probably not heard that there is a third political party, yes a third party of all things. Of course you know we have the Yellow shirts and of course the Red shirts.  They are the ones that shut down the airport and have caused trauma and disrepair to this great country with no regard for the people.  Now, there is the No shirts.  

The No Shirt party comes to us in protest of the protestors - to show how absolutely sick the country is of this red vs yellow shirt crap.  The people of Thailand are suffering through lack of business to the hospitality industry and by the corporate decisions to move manufacturing off to Malaysia and Singapore.  So in support of the No Shirt political party, I say YAY and you have my vote.  Enough of this color stuff.

Only in Bangers

While the sentiment is nice and of course the service is unexpected at a Holiday Inn, you have to laugh a little at the name of the staff member. Only in Bangkok.

Say it fast and with a south Philly accent.

Elephant Body Surfing

Just returned from a long weekend down in Phuket.  

While the sun was not out until the last two days, I did get to witness some great body surfing.