The Pla's little World~

Today....

Its today!!!

my GODDDD....!!!

haaaa.....

Cant Wait anymore!!!!!

Stat jaa...Im coming!!

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...19 Yrs of suffering...

...19 yrs of learning...

...19 yrs of happiness...

...19 yrs of piles of books...

...19 yrs of lectures...

...19 yrs of projects...

...19 yrs of paying tuition fees...

...19 yrs of uniform...

...19 yrs of grades...

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The End

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22:00 (Dark Moon)

One evening six months ago; the phone was ringing for a while now in the same old bedroom before it was picked up.

"Hello, Is this Pla's number?"

 "Yes, it is."

"Im calling from Cuppa HR. I would like to inform you that you are selected to be the general manager of Cuppa 23rd management team...Congratulations!!"

"What!?!"

That was my initial response when I first knew that I was about to be a general manager (GM) of Cuppa 23rd management team. It was because I had never expected that I would have a potential to get such honor as I applied it in the third position. To be honest, I wanted to be Assistant General Manager (AGM). Moreover, I often heard rumors that the GMs are mostly male due to the perceptions of the department's job, which deal greatly with asset maintenance and investment. All of these combined, I was both surprised and anxious thought I could not deny that there was a tiny bit feeling in my heart that was dancing with happiness and pride.

"What on earth (da hell) am I doing here?"

As the training period continued, I kept on asking the same question more and more often that I thought it started to become unhealthy. It was probably because it was a new change for me and of course people do not tend to like change too much. I told myself though that the minute I decided to do it, there was no turning back. Whether I liked it or not, I was about to suffer for the next 3 months. I started to see people that were to be in my team more and more each day. I could see the surprised and yet curious looks in their eyes. They were as if screaming, "Its a girl this time...our GM...I wonder how good she can be". It was not upset me however. Instead, I tried to learn each individual's name and characters, so I could prepare the way deal with each of them individually. Thanks to my past experience in MUIC Diving Club, I realized that dealing with people is not easy. It involves high customization and complex combination of both art and science especially when I would be in the top position like this.

I called up the first meeting right after the previous team finished its weekly meeting (again surprised looks in the previous team's eyes as I was very active and enthusiastic). It was the first time that the 23rd management team had ever sat together. I made it clear for every member that open communication is essential for our team success. I asked them to be straightforward when it comes to work issues. I also put emphasis on the fact that it is inevitable for conflicts to occur when 24 people from different backgrounds work together. Yet, I believed that we all could get through it if we were all open-minded and respected each other. Meetings after meetings, our team finally got our own theme and goal. Everyone seemed to be understanding, cooperative and energetic to work. Up until this point, there had been a lot of information and communication flow among team members and I to make sure that every department's goal was coordinated with the team's one.

Before I knew, the first day of operation began on the 24th April, 2006. It was the longest day I have ever spent in Cuppa (6:30-20:00). Everything seemed to be extremely overwhelmed. Everyone in the team tried to do their best to serve pool of customers, while facing a lot of problems waiting to be solved. Fortunately, we could get through the first week of operation as smooth and effective as our capabilities allowed us. At the end of the first week, I felt as though it had been more then a year already. It certainly assured the suffering that i must bear for another 2 months and 3 weeks exactly.

It was not so.

 Either I started to get used to the pain or I just tried not to think about it, I dont know. As fast as time can fly, the second week, the third and the forth week passed already. Everything started to be in place; the system was effective and the team's performance was very satisfactory. In the team's meeting, my team mates, contributed a lot of ideas and suggestions. We started to gain trust from each other and were willing to work as one. In any mistake occurred, we always tried to find solutions together (and never once tried to blame each other). The team was then becoming a real productive 'team'. We were a kind of team that was not easy to find elsewhere. Although we were not the most intelligent people, our dedication, cooperation, respect to each other and willingness to listen to one another melted us all to become one strong rope that it was not easy to pull apart. Not only had we accomplished our goals, but we also achieved something else that was more important than anything else; Friendship.

I, myself, also learned so much from being the general manager at Cup-Pa. From a person who did not like to get into other people’s business and had my own way to deal with things, I started to ask more questions to make sure my team mates were fine. Although, I always got this heavy feeling before picking up my mobile phone to call, I had talked a lot more, give numerous suggestions throughout the management period. Although, I always disliked commenting other’s performance, working as the general manager required me to motivate people. Although many times, I had a doubt whether I could do it well myself, I gave many persuasive speeches to ensure that everybody was going to the same direction as planned as I learned that it was very important to keep people motivated for them to work at their full potential. Once in while, though, I had a feeling that I now became a nosy person that needs to know everything that was going on in both Cup-Pa and the management team. I also learned that communication is very extremely essential and it is the only way that conflicts can be minimized. In any decision that was about to be made, I always made sure that I informed all the team members regarding options’ advantages and disadvantages. Thus, they realized the consequences of each alternative.

 'Wherever the future may lie, what I had learned during the internship period and Cup-Pa 23^rd management team will never fade away from my memory.’

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This was my personal experience that i wrote in the cuppa's report...so it might be a bit formal...but what i want u to know is that it was really the way i feel...from the start to the end...So I wrote this page dedecating to my beloved team..

The story was even more emotional on the day of the presentation...everyon was really excited at that time...including me...everyone helped each other to arrange the room and stuff...when its time of presentation..I gave a surprising opening intro that i didn't tell anyone before...here it goes:

"Good Evening all respected lecturers, team members and friends. Welcome to the presentation of Cuppa 23rd management team. When u think about the managment team...have u ever thought of it as something else??...Have u ever compared it to Cuppa's products?...For me, there wouldn't be anything more suitable than blended drinks...why? In order to make one blended drink, several ingredients are required and each of them has its own uniquenss that contributes to delicious drinks. Let's take one example, Strawberry Smoothie..in order to make one strawberry smoothie..we need to have strawberry, yogurt, ice and milk. Each of the ingredient is very important to make one perfect strawberry smoothie. Each ingredient represents each department. No one department is more important than the other because without one.. it can affect the performance of the whole team. Throughout 6 months that we have been working together, I’m proud to say that our cuppa 23^rd management team has finished blending a complete and beautiful strawberry smoothie. Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to show my gratitude for them."  

Team Mate: thanks for all the fights that we had done together..all the suffering and roughness together all these times…sorry for all the yells and late night and early morning calls

MKT: cheerful decorations that u brighten up our second home...

hours and hours of conductings surveys delicious menus for customers esp. us..(chocolate cake with whip cream!)

PC: Whenever we’re out of something dawn till dusk…we had been there…u might not know that we really appreciate ur effort and time..but we really do…thank u again

IS:May think cuppa can exist without it but to us. We don’t think so, u guys are very important..

 w/ o you guys we wouldn’t have all beautiful prints ads and website and most importantly the presentation. (its simple and yet arrogant!)

HR:Esp. this department..i would like to say sorry…for screaming and nagging Thanks for ur hardworks, thought for such a systematic workflow…without that we wouldn’t be able to achieve ur goal

FI:I always believe in u that u guys r great in controlling and saving our budget.

With all the great jobs that u had done throughout these time, I trust you wholeheartedly more than100%. And thanks for putting all the figures away from me!

Advisor:…asst. prof..Sarayut….for being the glass for us..you allowed us to grow up and let us learn from our mistakes...all these times u had been watching over us and hoping that we would succeed

Before the Q&A session i told all of my team mates that...

"everyone did an excellent job today...and we're half way thru..I know everyone can do it...screw the grade...just do our best here...If i can help I'll help u..but if the questions are too specific to ur departments i wont be able to help na."

What I impressed the most from this was that everyone was helping each other...we all tried to find answers as a team..if u was in the room, u'd see that we were in circle and tried to brainstrom the best answer everytime we were asked..it really showed that we are one team..

At the end, when we know that its done...somehow we all cried...almost everyone of us..one of the aj said that he had never seen any team that love each other and really was a 'team' like us..one of my team, Cherry, came to me and said

"ni pla, I gossiped about u with my FI team dui la during the presentation.."

"Gossip a rai wa"

"I was saying u r like แสง"

"ทำไมวะ"

"ก็เวลาใครถูกถาม แกก็จะเดินไปอยู่ข้างหลังแล้วช่วย เหมือนแสงส่องนำทางไงแก"

One of my friends told me that she heard a lot of people from my team said before the presentation that they're not afraid of the Q&A...'cuz i'll be there and they believe that I can help them if there's anything wrong...

When they called me they always start with 'our' GM..

u know...it might be a little thing ...but it means the world to me!..its the most valuable thing that a leader can get from their subordinates...i ve thought that i would get this honor...I can't even express in words how i appriciate it..I have never thought that I would be trusted soo much like this...all the respect that I gained from them...I would like to say that our team can't be this good without all of u...I wont get such invaluable experience if its not 23rd mgt team...Thank U...ขอบคุณจิงๆ

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THis entry is a bit long 'cuz i want to express everything to make sure that I'll never forget it...and 10 yrs from now I can still come back and read...and be proud of us..

my parents once said that there will be more and more things that u need to do the old u get..

didn't believe it

3 years ago...he said to me that he didn't have time to talk to me on the phone...

didn't believe him

now?? with my whole heart and soul!! there're soo many things that i need to do before summer ended..

1. presentation for CUPPA: our team has been working for CUPPA 4 quarters altogether...that's more than a year!!!!! not only operation part that i did for 3 months..the management part as well...and now...presentation!!! i have to do report...and that's not enough i as a general manager have to make sure that everything needed is put...and reports from every department goes together into one piece...including correcting grammar as well!

2. summer class: never once in my life that i ever want to take summer class..its been a feeling for me that summer...it is the time to stay away from college as far as possible..i end up taking this stupid class just 'cuz i can graduate in the first Quarter..I leave a possibility of gaining 30000 baht ($750) a month (its considered a lot here baring in mind that i haven't got a degree yet. I leave an opportunity of being in the place i feel like home..the ocean..Koh Tao.. anyway..the idea of taking summer class isn't so bad considering that i can get out of college within 3 months..but then the thing is that its such a intensive course since the class needs to be finished within 28 days when normally it takes 3 months...so its quite tiring..good thing about it is that the exam is openbook...so there's no need to memorize it..(thank god for that..or else...hell..can't imagine how torturing my summer will be. So basically i have quiz one week and exam the next..it goes on like this until i finish

3. Housework: Gosh..this is the most...ugrh...what can i say about this...words might not be enough how much i dislike doing it..Thanks my brother that he already does most of the jobs...still tho...he asked me to do stuff..for him...i can't really say no, can i, when he usually does 10 and he asks me to do like 1 or 2 ok now...it might not seem a lot to u when u read it...but believe me...it is a lot....or not?