Rekindling my passion

Ahh.. that feeling of rapture and delight! Such a great feeling indeed. I'm finally reacquainted again with the first love of mine -- the hotel front desk. I know, I know, it's quite silly of me to say this, but yeah, I'm totally nuts over the reception! Do you ever have this sentiment of ecstacy towards someone or something but you can't really point out what it is? It's that je ne sais quoi! That thing you just can't grasp! -- that's what I felt when I was back in Dubai, training at the front desk of an Arabian resort.

I haven't mentioned this yet, but yes, I have lived in Dubai for almost half a year for my internship. I was working for the Jumeirah Group wherein I was deployed at Madinat Jumeirah (The Arabian Resort of Dubai) and I was based at the Front Desk/Reception as a Guest Services Executive. I had a blast! The people I worked with were some crazy, outgoing and very VERY spontaneous individuals! -- when I say spontaneous, expect the worst haha. That was approximately a year ago and I was never given a chance to be placed at the front desk again ever since I came back to Manila -- not until NOW!

So yeah, I've been on a hiatus lately from the blog world because I had to focus on my "career". I had a series of interviews for a couple of companies this week and I was pretty much preoccupied with that. I was interviewed for a Passenger Service Agent position at PAGS and I passed all the interviews but the salary is terrible -- oh yes! you won't be able to survive! Trust. Me. -- and I'm supposed to commence my training tomorrow; luckily though, I didn't sign the contract therefore there's nothing binding me with PAGS. A while ago, I had my final interview with the Operations Manager and the General Manager of a boutique hotel in Makati and I also got the results on the same day -- I PASSED! -- and I'm completely on a high right now.

My orientation will begin on the 14'th (Friday) and i'm sooo excited for it. Also, I believe that this shall be a very good credential for me on my CV when I meet up with airline recruiters because this position allows me to directly deal with guests and handle their complaints, queries and what not. Again, it's an investment! I don't see myself with the company for long though; I just plan to stay with them for a year or so -- just until my braces come off -- and then i'll go and try my luck with the airline industry again.

My dream has always been to fly over the rainbow so high but I guess it's all right to side track a bit. hahaha

Just an update on my end, I hope you're doing great on your end as well!

Until then.

Your new Front Office Agent,
DJ

Flight Attendant dream status: On hold.

You got that right, I'm officially putting my FA dream on hold due to some issues I have to deal with.

Yes my dear readers -- if I have any. haha -- I went to the dentist a while ago to have my braces attached. Braces as we all know is a major NO-NO in the FA industry -- well, for most airlines -- due to some safety issues not only during training but also in the actual aircraft itself.

So yeah, you guys might think i'm bonkers to have them on especially right now wherein there are OD's for some multi-national airlines but i'm actually seeing this as an investment; in due time, my slightly crooked teeth will be aligned and the problem with my jaw -- which I only found out today -- will be resolved.

Honestly, I've always believed I had a great smile -- all modesty aside -- and that my teeth were OK. Since I started browsing through different FA forums and blogs, i've noticed that most aspirants tend to put their dreams on hold as well for the sake of having their teeth fixed. Also, i've read that most of them experienced rejection from different airlines due to how their teeth look like. In my case, I only started to notice the misalignment of my teeth after reading those stories.

Fellow FA wannabes, i'm not insisting that your teeth has to be perfect in order for you to actually make it in the airline company of your choice but it sure is a factor. Take note of EK, they value the smiles of their employees and i'm pretty certain that it's part of their criteria -- along with your personality and how you present yourself of course -- in selecting their cabin crew. If you personally feel like you need to have your teeth fixed, by all means, go ahead and do it; we have all the time in the world and this is definitely going to be a lifelong investment.

It's best to keep in mind though that our smile can only lead us to some extent, the verdict will still depend on how you exude yourself to the recruiters and how you manage to make them suckers for your charm.

I swear, I look like a geek! haha all that's missing is a pair of nerdy glasses and i'm good to go. These canker sores are such a drag as well! I just had my braces attached today, 24 hours hasn't even gone by yet and my gums are already begging for me to save them. Oh well, like I said earlier.. it's an investment and no matter how overused this next line is, it really DOES make sense: No pain, No gain.

So.. what's in store for me now, you ask? I still have noooo idea whatsoever. Let's see where my path leads me and then i'll just play it by ear.

Don't worry though, I won't be on a hiatus and I promise to still keep on updating this blog of mine.

See you guys at the skies in 2011!

With metal in my mouth,
DJ