Tension @ Work

The past weekend was a horrible one @ work. Something has came over the 2 bosses, and no one really knows what it really is. Gen and Nisan are still talking, but it's always in Japanese, so I wouldn't understand a word. Plus, they are always appearing like they are OK. However, everyone knows the two bosses hold very different views and opinions. I wonder if they are actually fighting over one at the moment.

Poor Ryo and I got shouted at by Nisan during lunch last Friday. I was actually serving a customer and Nisan howled out my name and asked me to go into the kitchen, where he snapped and completely lost it at Ryo and I. Honestly, I couldn't really recall now what he was so frenzied about since I was completely taken aback. Plus Nisan's English is really bad... It was something along the lines of "Don't do cleaning during lunch... Customers more important... Today 'very bad'... If too many people work lunch I CUT people..." etc etc... We always do some cleaning during lunch period when it is not busy. Furthermore, there are two of us working lunch together now. Now, Nisan has enforced a new rule that we should do NOTHING except service, even if it means we are going to stand around doing nothing. Afterwards, poor Ryo, being Japanese, had to listen to Nisan ramble on in Japanese on how he feels and thinks, whilst I did the service. Ryo told me all of what Nisan has told him afterwards during our break over ice-cream. Long long story, but it was a horrid horrid day... 

Everyone was silent after that during dinner shift because apparently the story has already been spread. Peter has warned everyone to be silent since Nisan was in a foul mood. Ryo and I had told all our service staff the happenings of the day and everyone was cautious. Nisan refused to talk to anyone, not even me (he usually loves talking and joking with me), and I was terrified. Tried to avoid him as much as I can so as not to step on his tail.

Why does it have to be so contradicting? Nisan always praised me (or anyone else) when he sees me doing cleaning. It is out of my job scope, yet I always do it for the bosses. I figured that since I am getting this much amount of pay, I shouldn't be standing around doing nothing. Gen-san always wants us to do cleaning too... And we've never neglected our customers when we do our cleaning. Now, Nisan wants us to stop cleaning out of the blue, and also stop doing things like folding napkins, but put our entire focus on customers instead. And to think that 2 months ago he didn't think customer service is as important as food quality! Honestly, what is it that they really really want?! What are we supposed to do??

Luckily for us, Friday night wasn't busy, and there were enough staff. Since Ryo and I did lunch, we finished at 8.30pm. We were thinking of getting dinner somewhere nearby, and Benise wanted to join us, so she also finished with us. Together we went to the newly opened Yaki Niku on Glenferrie Road and had Korean BBQ. Ryo and I drank 2 pots of sake each, and felt quite tipsy afterwards. But the meal was great... Especially after a rough day.

 

Saturday was the same story but there were no scoldings even though tension was high. However, it was Gen-san's turn to blow his top on Sunday- but at the kitchen people. Jeremy was the unlucky fella this time, and I witnessed Gen smashing the bowl of sliced eggplant in front of him and hollered that the eggplant was burnt, and that Jeremy has to do the checking (which he obviously overlooked). Honestly I was mystified. I've worked this long at Sozai, and I've seen Gen-san angry before, but I haven't seen him lose his cool and smashing things at people. It was then followed by Jeremy receiving a half-hour lecture outside the restaurant. I felt terrible... This weekend hasn't been good at all! I don't know what has possessed the 2 bosses, but I could feel the danger hiding somewhere, waiting to attack anyone of us.

This year's Christmas party was held with a different feeling altogether. Firstly, Nisan did not attend. According to Nisan himself, he said he has caught a slight cold and would rather stay home. But according to Gen-san, he said (whilst he was reprimanding Jeremy) that Nisan doesn't want to attend because he didn't like the kitchen people. Whichever version is true, it doesn't matter, it has overall been ruined (somewhat). Secondly, with all these that has happened over the weekend has been emotionally draining. However, we managed to have fun. Benise, Jing, Jeremy, Zhan and I were clever enough to sit at the smaller table (without Gen-san). In the end, the 5 of us were so much louder and having so much more fun than the other table of..... 15?? Enjoyed the food though... Nothing beats spicy maki, sashimi, fresh oysters, wagyu beef and tiger prawns!!! Oh.... nearly forgot to mention the unlimited flow of alcohol as well!! <3

Great, expensive, yummylicious food~

With crazy colleagues/friends.

I've been working non-stop from Wednesday, and will not have any day-offs til this Friday. I can't wait.... Luckily I have plans for Christmas, if not, it will be so miserable to be working over the festive season.... But I am seriously dead beat now... 

No more Korean classes for now too... Last Tuesday was our last class for level 8, and we weren't informed of a level 9. Our teacher told us that there will be conversational classes going on in January, and she will email us with the information. I will still join those classes if I can...

I hope there will be no more tensions in our workplace.... and more importantly, no more tensions at the border of North and South Korea. I hope everything will be fine when I get there in February...