The Bigger Picture

Dear Pipsqueaks,

The following story proves exactly why hiring the right people is crucial in the rise or fall of any business/company...

We had found out earlier this morning - 31 Dec - that our voucher for Peking Duck at Hee Lai Ton Restaurant in Pudu expires today. Unfortunately and fortunately, we've been very busy these couple of weeks - obviously. It's end of the year, so of course hecticness is expected. However, it was ultimately our fault for missing the expiry date. That's why, when I tried to call the restaurant for a last minute booking or extension, I was quite certain the answer would be a no. Though honestly, there was 66.7% of giving me a positive experience out of this. How, you ask?

She could have said one of the following:

1. Hi Miss, I understand your situation, but as I cannot make the decision, please let me check with my superior and I will call you back with an answer. (Whether the answer was a yes or a no, I'm already a satisfied customer that the service was there to help me regardless of the result).
2. Hi Miss, I'm sorry to inform you that the voucher has already expired and we have been informed by our management of such calls. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept the voucher, but hopefully you will still come and try our Peking Duck some time. (Even though the answer was a no, I'm okay with it. Why? Because she was polite and inviting. I'd leave the situation at that and would still look forward to checking out the restaurant in the future).
3. No, expired already. Cannot use. Okay, bye.

[Athens], Be Nice! - Day 3

Dear Pipsqueaks,

A fitting summary of today: Never been hungry. To say, I literally ate from wake till now. That's definitely a record of some sort for me as I don't normally eat so much. Then again, how can one turn down local food when traveling? You can't. So, you eat till you drop. That's what I did anyway.

The morning began with a call to the front desk to order breakfast - Greek Island style - while I brushed up and got dressed. The reason I was slightly rushed was because the meeting point for this Athens Food Tour meets at Panepistimio, the next station from Syntagma Square at 9:15am, and I wasn't too sure how far it really was. It didn't help that the breakfast didn't arrive until just past 8:30am, so I practically gulped down the whole thing. Can't say I was impressed with the breakfast, but I think after the food tour, I understand why.

(A fake Greek breakfast. No wonder I couldn't figure out what I was eating! Next time, I should just stick with the continental breakfast...)

[Athens], Be Nice! - Day 2

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Finally back in my heatless room, it sure felt like a very rewarding day. Despite the weather, I had managed to do so much on my own. Yes, even I surprise myself at times. Suppose I had signed up for the Athens Walking Tour this morning, but as it had been cancelled due to lack of participants, I decided to personalize that walking tour for myself. In a way, that was good and bad. Bad in that I would really have learned more with a tour guide explaining what in the world I'm looking at. Especially, they usually know a little more than what you could read - cool facts, that sort of thing. But, on the other hand, good in that I can choose what I want to see and how much time I want to spend at a place. That was basically how I navigated through my day 2 here in Athens...

The day didn't start off so well though. With the cafe being closed on Sundays, they didn't serve breakfast. So, I decided to head to Syntagma Square and see what I could eat around there before the 'Changing of the Guards' at 11am on my self-drafted schedule of things to see. Problem - it was only 9am when I left the hotel, which means it won't be for another hour and a half before. So what was I suppose to do? It didn't help that nothing seemed to be open except this coffee shop called Mikel right across the post office, which reminded me to grab a few stamps for my must-send post cards. Yes, I do have the habit of sending myself and a few of my loved ones post cards from all the places I travel to. It's a way to tell them that I miss them on my trips.