RENT Rant

Just saw RENT the movie.

"it was poignant with a narrative that spoke to today's youth"

I remember queueing up to get RENT tickets back in Melbourne. I mean it is a musical about people not being able to pay rent so they had cheap front row tickets for people who can't afford to otherwise watch a musical. Thrice I queued. Thrice in the cold. Four hours wait with other RENT heads, exchanging milk-bottle gummies for nachos and reserving a place in the line whilst the Mimi-wannabe went to the toilet. I got those tickets. I was so close I could see the spittle from Mark and Roger.

I wouldn't call myself a RENT head but having seen it three times in Melbourne and twice in Singapore I'd say that I'm a big fan. Though I wouldn't go so far as to dress up as the characters. ~chuckles~ There's another production of RENT circulating with Karen Mok as Mimi. I wanna see it. I've got to see it.

In the movie, it was all there, Maureen and Joanne's powerful duet. Angel and Collins' "I'll cover you". I felt that some of the best stuff was picked out so as to appeal to non RENT fanatics. Which was a shame because I'd love to have seen it all.

It was great all the same.

It was RENT

and now I can watch it over and over again.

And now I can remember the words more clearly...

There's only us, there's only this

Forget Regret, or life is yours to miss

No other course, no other way

No day but today!

- Jonathan Larson

Change is good...?

Whenever it takes his fancy, that is to say, when the hotel isn't busy and there are no functions, my esteemed excutive chef feels the need to change the menu for new more exciting things. It should come as no surprise to me anymore but I still get flustered by the changes.

There was once when he wanted a change in the coffee house pastry buffet menu. One fine day he just decided that he was bored with all the old items. We were given two days to complete this task. A gargantuan one considering that we have almost 40 different items on the menu. We of course had to work day and night to finish up the items which was further delayed by the fact that we did not have many of the raw ingredients. Being as it may we managed to get everything done, bowing and scraping, stealing and pilfering to get enough cartons of cream and enough number of egg yolks. It was a miraculous transformation. The buffet was beautiful again. ~happy smiles and self-congratulatory pats on the back~ We all breathed a sigh of relief.

After three months, the scene was repeated. This time our ever knowing exec chef decided that the customers were too bored with all the (3month old) items. So it was revamped again. What struck me most is that we were required to do it all at the drop of a hat. Moussess done individually in plastic piping molds with layers of vanilla creme brulee in dark chocolate mousse then glazed with caramel galze and topped off with a single almond macaroon . Then there were the mango trifles which had to be done in miniature glassess complete with sponge sandwiched with raspberry jam and topped with a paperthin layer of lemongrass bavarois (I kid you not).

It's no wonder the pastry staff are always on their toes, it's no wonder that even when the hotel isn't making enough business to pay out overtime wages so the staff are encouraged to go home on time that the pastry staff work from morning til night whipping, tempering, creaming, baking, unmoulding, cutting and glazing the darned desserts.

It's no wonder the cost is so high every few months because we have to order new things, new order lists, new garnishings, new everything.

And don't let me get started on the home made ice cream we have there!

It's a good thing that I love my job, otheriwse I'd be so terrorised by it all that I'd be put off baking another cream puff in my whole life.

Currently, we're looking to change the lobby lounge's menu. Twenty new items by the sounds of it.

~phew~sighs~

Time frame: ....And the chef saw all the desserts that needed to be created and said,
" Let it all be done by tommorow night"

Rev up the machines, crack those eggs, whip that cream into shape, roll up those sleves.

Let the game begin!

red tape makes me see red...

New year, time for new rules at work.

1) Everytime you step out of the hotel premises, you need to have a signed letter from your superior.

So, I've got to track down my ever absent Exec Chef to ask him for a signature everytime I need to step of the hotel for a smoke break because they moved the smoking zone outside before because it was disrespecting the non smokers for us to smoke inside the premises of the hotel.


2) Three days prior notice for big cake orders.

Yeah like that's going to change anything. At the hotel where I work it is imperative that we strive to be market leaders and go beyond excellence for the revered guest. This by all means making a 10kg fondant covered cake for the Queen if and when she pleases within half an hour replete with sugar flowers and gold ribbons.


3) Reminder: No handphones to be used while at work

I agree to the rule but then again there is this other rule that you are not allowed to have personal calls whilst on duty at work. I totally understand that rule as well but here's the catch: If you're working in the pastry kitchen or the cold kitchen and need to service ALL the F&B outlets (count em 10: in-house dining, french fine dining, japanese superdining, in-roon dining, poolside, lobby lounge, chinese fine dining, exclusive club floor dining, delicatessen and also the take-away cafe) then 8 hours isn't sufficient to finish up all the required responsibilities of the day let alone running new productions for the coming days ahead. So we work for up to 12 hours a day and sometimes 16 hours. And we're NOT allowed phone calls OR even have our own phones to make calls?

I believe that rules are good for structuring and regulating staff but over excessive red tape is ruinious for people who don't have the constitution for it.

There's always a way for to bend the rules if you're resourceful enough. If you can blitz curdled vanilla sauce in a blender and still make it smooth and velvety and no one notices it then you can bet that I'm going to find a way around the so called "rules".

Just don't tell my chef about the vanilla sauce bit.

Bless my soul!

Oh Blessed St. Mary of Drag Queens,

Bless your never humble servants

with grace, jewels and support hosts,

Gay-men

Brian (Connie & Carla)

Looks like someone's looking out for us fabulously marginalised people.
Check this out and keep the bible sprouting enthusiasts at bay!

http://www.gaychurch.org/Gay_and_Christian_YES/gay_and_christian_yes.htm

***coming soon to a theatre near you!***

Morning Sickness : The Musical

~chuckles~

here's another one of those kinda songs

WARNING : Contents may offend those with less of a sense of humour.

Cue track : What's Goin On? (By the 4 Non-Blondes)

29 days of this month and still
My sanitary pad is still not filled with blood
From my mensturation..

I realised briefly about six weeks back
it was about that time I got into the sack with a guy
And he had no condom..

and so I cried that time when I begin to think
"The pregnancy test came out blue not pink!"
and I got a feeling, I needed to puke yeah

And so I wake in the morning
with a vomit reflex, clutched the toilet bowl
down goes my head, I'm screamin
Mornin Sickness!!

And I go uggghhh uuughh ugh ugh-ugh (vomitting sounds)
uggghhh uuughh ugh
I say ughhhhh... morning sickness!

And I tried
to stop my puke, yeah I cried
into the toilet bowl
for a solution

In a daze
oh my mind's in a maze
for days and days and days
i thought of abortion...

and so I cried that time when I begin to think
"The pregnancy test came out blue not pink!"
and I got a feeling, I needed to puke yeah

And so I wake in the morning
with a vomit reflex, clutched the toilet bowl
down goes my head, I'm screamin
Mornin Sickness!!

And I go uggghhh uuughh ugh ugh-ugh (vomitting sounds)
uggghhh uuughh ugh
I say ughhhhh... morning sickness!

New Year Fizz

New years last year was spent trying to get to the city in time, ducking the crowd, standing feet to heel sardine-like in an already overcrowded train...gotta get there, gotta have fun, gotta get drunk, gotta get kissed!

This year it was with a few good friends. Watching camp dvds (Connie & Carla and Trick), taking grand marnier shots from Korean shot glassless and having a prosperity burger meal. It was less than sparkly, less than noisy but it was good.

It felt good

We laughed and joked about old times, we reminisced about college and form six days. We dreamed out loud about the year that is to come. At the cusp of the new year, at the stroke of midnight, we drank to our health and happiness and hugged good intentions into our friends. As the fireworks lit up the sky among the "waaaahhs" and "I like that one!" and unfinished Auld Lang Synes, I began to feel it.

This year is going to be one of big changes for me. Drastic changes. I can almost taste it. I get excited when I think of it. I don't want to lose this feeling. Grab life by the balls!

Enter you! Voila it's Showtime

You brought the house down with a dance and a dum diddy

Enter you! In less then no time

This ugly drama has become pretty!

TwothousandandSIX here I come...

And may this year be your plum blossom year, little darlings!

Have a dream-filled new years!