And so it starts

Well, the blog a day for the month of may is underway...bang there is the starters gun.

recently, i have gone forward two steps and maybe back 5. but i think now i am moving forward a bit more carefully. I am trying to find balance in my life, to balance areas or fitness, intellectual areas, emotional areas and my spiritual life (with the spiritual life being the main one and also letting that take over the others as well) i find that God is giving me more of a power to discern what i read and see and relate it to the truth i have read in the bible. i think more often study of the bible has been to key...pursuing the peace of God.

I still think that i might work in the observatory hotel, but i think i have to stay there, to see whether i want to work there or just enjoy it as a hotel :P (thats the front in the pic)

So...here we go

Do you ever keep looking at your profile just so that it adds to the counter making it look like more people look at it on the web....i don't....much

Blog a day for the month of may

Can't blog....saving up for month... :p

Orient-Express Hotels...Fastly becoming my favourite company I think

A new update, just for Andrew :p and others of course.

Well yes Andrew, it has been a while since i have updated. It has been rather busy trying to work out work timings and also uni timings and the two together.
It recent times, since the last blog, i have been busy growing, well God has been busily growing me! In more than just work or uni or church but all aspects of my life. I have settled a bit since my junior years, with alot of the credit going to (always God) but his gift of the beautiful Jess. He continues to teach me alot about life, his love for me and what love is and all that sort of thing through her. So that helps me feel more steady in this wierd world, more calm and confident, more relaxed and not as worried, sometimes anyway, sometimes it does get overwhelming still but i feel i'm on my way.

The change is probably threefold....or maybe more

1. i feel myself growing in how in how i study
i feel that i am getting into habits of actually doing great work, like summarising the big picture with the little parts instead of approaching the whole thing and going through it one at a time...i mean instaed of reading a chapter and just summarising it all which is a huge job, setting myself to summarise the chapter objectives using the txt so that my summarising is guided and not just unscripted so to speak. so i find this is getting better, i'm learning (in all these areas) to focus on one thing at a time and not put as much pressure to read everyword of the readings (as much as i want to) so that i have the general gist for the lecture and making smaller bight sized chunks. i feel god is helping me with this all. (ps from the spell check that blogger has nicely put in, i have learnt that i can't spell summarising) (still, i had to change that one there too!)
2. i feel myself growing in the way that i approach life
i feel, again, that i am moving to try and grasp one thing at a time (as much as i can) i have always been one to see something, like all the desirable things to learn from the bible and from uni lectures and gone...i want it all......NOW! so i try and take it in but i can't and get frustrated and leave it and then get another burst later down the line, do a bit then stop in frustration. when i focus on the one thing at a time i have enough time to it feels better, but i think that is probably also cause god is giving me the peace to be able to focus on it. i wonder sometimes why he didn't do this earlier but it has worked out well! (well duh, he was planning it!)
3. i feel myself growing in how i approach church and such areas
i am trying also to become less lazy, and take some advise from nike and "just do it" i do tend to think a lot about things before i do them (thanks jess for helping me think about it :) ) so i am trying as hard as i can to just do things, don't think that things will take up so much time and not wanting to start, just getting on with it a bit and go, now i'm going to do this. i am trying to in my spare time, instead of just fliking on the tv and laying there and it bringing out the couch potato in me, to read my book 'What's so amazing about grace' (which has been great at instigating alot of these changes) and just read a chapter, trying to cut myself off when i say that i want to watch tele and jsut to start reading.....i usually feel better when i do! but i haven't been doing that alot lately so i need to get back into it! and i feel like saying that this year cause i'm doing business and management subjects i keep looking at service and how businesses are run and what makes them good/bad and the marketing points etc. last year it was sitting on the bus watching people's non verbal and verbal communication!!!


Oh and i have a new favourite company....like when i found hayman and putting pics on my computer of it....not at that stage yet but i have found that company Orient-Express Hotels Trains and Cruises which i just find really cool. as much as i was having some trouble with motivation at westin, i feel that God was helping me now realise that i couldn't have gone straight into my prefered company after coming back from Hayman, i needed to learn about city hotels and get to know the company instead of trying to do it all realy quickly when i got back. anyway, i think it is really cool and i have heaps of time to explore it and see if it is viable. the two hotels in australia are The Observatory Hotel in Sydney and Lillianfells guest house in the blue mountains. check them out :p

http://www.orient-express.com/web/luxury/luxury_travel.jsp

I think that is all for the moment...no, i take that back, that is all i can remember for the moment and there is surely much, much more.

Porter....

Portering at the Westin is awesome : )

David Tennent

How do i put in videos!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxB1gB6K-2A

I like doctor who!

Whops, missed that one

When looking at the standard photo of The Westin, i failed to see that the building in the background is the rooms...i knew that is went up but i never read the sign on the building!

Oh well

Gone

As you might remember i posted a while back about my stripy socks which i liked:

http://guitar-mw.blogspot.com/2007/06/crazy-socks-i-should-really-stop.html

...just thought i would bring you up to date that i infact misplaced them when doing laundry at Hayman, i was sad about that....cause someone had switched my things from the washingmachine to the dryer and i think they may have been missplaced then....so it was the first thing i lost at hayman...and don't worry i think the last! but i did like those socks!

OZ Jet Boating!!!

I'm it, I was tagged, now I need to answer some questions

1. Were you named after anyone?
Not that i know, but my middle name is the same as my dad's middle name....my brother's first and middle names are named after two of my dad's friends!

2. When was the last time you cried?
Fully....at Hayman, couple of nights before Jess left i think

3. Do you like your handwriting?
Sometimes

4. What is your favourite lunch meat?
I like so many foods...but recently it has become beef paties (ie. burgers...not sure why...) i should change that though..not every day...:p

5. Do you have kids?
No

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you?
Yes! :p

7. Do you use sarcasm alot?
Yes, when i'm joking about...

8. Do you still have your tonsils?
Yes

9. Would you bungee jump?
No

10. What is your favourite cereal?
um...well coco popps or frosties or cris pix (or however you spell them) probably...but for everyday...something like just right or nutri-gran and i like sustain as well.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
yes...always i think!

12. Do you think you are strong?
well....i used to go to the gym...so i was then...probably not as much now..but i'm a porter so that has to count for something...all those heavy bags!!!

13. What is your favourite icecream?
Vanilla or cookies and cream...then everything else!

14. What is the first thing you notice about people?
Um....their face!!!! bu i guess in a first meeting, their personality

15. Red or pink?
probably red :p

16. What is the thing that you like least about yourself?
I take the good with the bad.....it all evens out i think

17. Who do you miss the most?
at this moment...Jess!

19. What colour pants and shoes are you wearing?
Arctic grey shorts :p and barefoot

20. Have you ever re-gifted?
Don't think so

21. What are you listening to right now?
The low hum of the air conditioner....its so hot in sydney!!!!

22. If you were a crayon what colour would you be?
Blue

23. Favourite smells?
I think chlorene....like in the fountain of a hotel...that constitutes a hotel smell for me...appart from that...i don't know!

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Well, i tried the commonwealth bank to give them my tax file number but they wern't there! but the last person would be....my dad calling from work...then jess :p

25. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Of course i do!

26. Favourite sports to watch?
i prefer to play sports i think...not big on watching them!

27. Hair colour?
Brown

28. Eye colour?
Blue

29. Do you wear contacts?
No

30. Favourite food?
I like most food

31. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings! not one for scary movies...don't see the point of scaring yourself crazy!

32. Last movie you watched?
National Treasure 2...a great movie!!!! go and see it!! as good as the first, go and see that one too!!!!!

33. What colour shirt are you wearing?
dark blue country road

34. Summer or winter?
Both! i love going to the beach in summer, but i also love the cold weather and skiing of winter.....all seasons are great

35. Hugs or kisses?
Both

36. Favourite dessert?
All these food questions...i like most food...and desert :p although not really keen on terrimasu...but sure i will in time :p

39. What book are you reading now?
Well i am reading: 'So you want to be like christ' by charles swindoll, 'Enjoying were you are on the way to were you are going' by joyce meyer...i'm looking at simplifying my life at the moment...reading the bits in those books about it....and reading the bible and the prayer book in prep for leading sunday church......

40. What is on your mousepad?
um...laptop......no mouse pad

41. What did you watch on tv last night?
a comedy central stand up comedian...it was funny!

42. Favourite sound?
I love music...but can't think of a specific sound!

43. Rolling stones or Beatles?
Beatles, never really herd much stones...and the stuff i have...not as good as the beatles

44. What is the furthest you have been from home?
i think that would be america...or france...you tell me which is further

45. Do you have a special talent?
I''m sure i could pull something out :p

46. Where were you born?
Some hospital near fairfield that doesn't exist anymore..... Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Sydney from the Sky

the cherry on top

Well, if you read that last post then it has all changed!

I walked into the Park Hyatt one day, and walked away dissapointed! i was hoping to find class, service that was great, people that we asking us if they could help us...

but

what i got...and granted it might not be the same for every person was.... the loby was smaller and not as grand and impressive as i had thought, the staff didn't seem as friendly and professinal as i had hoped, we were sitting in the loby for a while and no one really smilled at us when we made eye contact or asked us if we needed help...the front office was busy moving boxes of files or something....as nice as it was and as nice as i find the park hyatt branding providing A picture of class....

so i walked away a bit dissapointed because i was willing to make the extra commute of a bit further if it was going to be worth it..

so ...oh well.

BUT>>>>>>>>>>>

i went for a walk to the Westin Hotel...thought...this is a nice hotel...nicely furnished...nicely laid out, lots of room in the lobby, lots of shops and restaurants underneath and when i talked to the people and staff there....they were nice, there was lots of them, and friendly and interested in me...i mean the second time i went with my resume, the doormand introduced himself, had a chat, helped me with handing my resume, said that he hoped to see me around...so i put my resume in ...

THE VERY NEXT DAY!!!
the westin called me and asked me to come in for an interview and it was made for a couple of days later...

i went in to the interview...when i arrived i meet someone from my hotel school and we chatted for a sec...then a porter took me around and was nice, then the guy on the drive as we walked past yelled out, hey are you the new porter interview...i said yes...he smiled and said good luck... then i went in and had the interview

Today...(after 4 days)
i got a call from HR offering me a job ...i took it on the spot...and they said they will be in contact about my starting date

So i am very happy, after a big day of drving around....and i have a whole new set of clothes for uni which i had some help with from someone special and we got some great clothes and great deals from DFO and a new job and things are going well...i really hope that doesn't turn them downwards...cause everytime i say, gee i have a great life...i worry that that will be the last thing i say before something bad happens..

but i know God loves me and he is providing for me and he has done the best job imaginable...and i can't write that enough!!!! He has provided me with a great life, health, a beautiful amazing girlfriend-and thats a whole other set of amazing positives- a new job, the experience from hayman, a church to worship in, growth from last year (and throughout my life), great friends, a great career and life path, and the list would go on if i had the time....but i'd rather just enjoy it instead of writing it down!!!

So thank you God!!!!!

God Bless

Park Hyatt...High Class Descisions

Well, back from church on a sunday, like i used to do before i left....tired! morning service, morning tea, music practise early, service, supper, home....it can take it out of me....

Sermon was from joshua 10...two things i grabbed....this passage shows another side of God, and like a person when we marry them (example used in the sermon) we take their good points and also their bad points and love them and we can work out that they exist together....and....like joshua was trained by moses...i need to find a moses for myself...so that i, like joshua can learn from them and continue with God's work...

on another note...work...

i have luckily had a lovely long holiday because i am between jobs. so i have had a lovely holiday indeed and now i am back into that rather stressfull time (whether it is stressful or not...just the anticipation and work) of trying to find a new job, the interviews, the resume, the waiting while they descide to tell you your in...i had forgot that bit of when i was going for Hayman.

I am rather sure i want to go for the "Park Hyatt" in Sydney in the rocks...it is a bit further than say the hilton or even the shangri-la (two other options) but it is that old style service and care and as someone put it for me, it is the type of place that people want to experience and the service not just a place to spend the night off the street. Thanks! that is exactly what i want.... a place that is about the service, a concierge who stands behind the desk or walks around, helping people....old school traditional thorough severice that people appreciate...not just overnighters that are inbetween planes...(of course it probably gets those too)

But compared to the shangri-la which comprises mostly in asia...hyatt and its associates (anything with the name hyatt in it..) comprise of hotels all over the world, and lots of them...this process always brings me back to the time before hayman, how i got the idea in church one sunday and then i had pictures all over my computer trying to work out what it looked like, looking up videos on u-tube etc...i was really excited....

now i have stayed in a hyatt (not a park hyatt). i have stayed in the one in caberra...i think i ended up staying in the menzie's suite which was lovely!!!! and from memory it was nice people...just hope they don't wear the little hats at Park Hyatt!!

so i will head to Park hyatt to check it out and then probably send off my resume and play the "Waiting Game" again.

-----------------------
Pictures....looking at the internet..google with pictures of park hyatt....there are so many beautiful locations, and so many beautiful hotels...of course with this hotel, unlike hayman, i am thinking about the hotels also with reference to transfering and traveling the globe and staying at them....maybe even canada in 2010 for the winter olympics :p :p

Top: Park Hyatt Sydney
Middle: Park Hyatt Kathmandu (who wouldn't want to stay there
Bottom: Park Hyatt Philadelphia (bears resemblance to the Waldorf Astoria :p

Well that is all for the moment...

In Christ

On the topics of favourites

This is one of my favourite hymns....


Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey
and companions on the road;
we are hear to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.