Where it all began

Musings from Dennis #44 : Sentosa! Sometimes to move forward you need to look back to where it all began. Was back at my first job's office a few days ago to collect a prize and met an old friend! Recollecting the ad I first responded to in 1987 giving me that break in Event Management (from my electrical engineering background) and finessing my skills at this Singapore tourist attraction since.. and all the adventures I experienced from that time onward. I remembered working every weekend in my first year to garner the experience and what a time it was. Looking forward to new adventures in 2023 and beyond. Here's wishing each of you a fabulous 2023 no matter the circumstances!

It's a wrap, or is it?

Musings from Dennis #43: One of the most interesting experiences working at Takashimaya Singapore for me was that irrespective of position in the company, everyone was rostered to be on duty at the Christmas wrapping stations throughout the year-end sales season. I found myself in a team wrapping all kinds of purchases including a huge 4-foot plush bear, which was a challenge indeed! Because the store had no minimum purchase conditions for the Christmas wrappings, I once found myself alone at one smaller counter, and having to wrap 20 small Kit Kat packs! One customer even came up to me to wrap for her individually her supermarket purchases of uncooked beancurd and fish cakes (yong dao fu for locals) already enfolded in styrofoam trays and Glad cling wraps. It was a ridiculous request but nevertheless ‘don’t challenge the customer just do the wrap’, our training goes. I said to her when I finished the sixth and last wrap “I don’t think these can last until Christmas and perhaps may not be placed under the tree.. you may have to open them up sooner!” I wasn’t sure if she noted what I said LOL!

Stress from work!

Musings from Dennis #42: My Sentosa colleague and I worked very hard to ensure that the Filipino Festival was going to be a grand success having partnered the Filipino Executive Group of Singapore and Philippine Airlines for more than 6 months in preparation for the big day. Alas the day before the event however, I ran a high fever that would put me out of action but I just could not miss this day. I went to the GP clinic near my place and asked the doctor to give me a jab to bring down the fever. As he did so, I commented that this illness was most likely because of the high stress I was experiencing. Came his response, “would it not be better to be stressed due to having a job, rather than being stressed for not having a job?”. What an incredible way to reframe a negative thought! Would be nice for us all to reflect on what we have and to be thankful for it.

Humans are like insects!

Musings from Dennis #41: Whether it’s the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in NYC, or the fabulous Hong Kong skyline at night, or the Muslim or Hindu festive street lightups in Singapore, one cannot deny the fascination we all have with lights, especially now with the holiday season all around the world! Standing for a good 30 minutes one day when I was at Takashimaya, I observed that shoppers instinctively (yet unconsciously) walked towards the brightest part of the store and at that time, the Hello Kitty and Mickey counters were most brightly and delightfully lit and sparkling with spotlights. Even when I go shopping with my wife I noticed to my dismay how she always start to wander towards the lit showcases of the jewellery stores! It is such a natural thing yet many times when we set up permanent brand areas or pop up shops we forget about the lighting elements that would make a difference to becoming really attractive to the shopper – and helping to drive further retail sales with this simple yet effective technique.

Can't Take It With You

Musings from Dennis #40: Denzel Washington said “At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back. You can’t take it with you” So I never fully understood it when some junior retail buyers came to me and shared that their superiors do not want to teach them skills to help them improve in their work, and in themselves. The thought was that once ‘my boss teaches me her skills, she thinks she will then be out of a job as I will take over her’. How much insecurity does one see in that observation?  I know that I can never bring my talents and skills with me when I am gone, so how great it would be to leave a legacy for the next generation. Because when you do, in a way you still ‘get to be around and live on”

A Vision of Belinda

Musings from Dennis #39: I turned on the radio a few days ago and on came Belinda Carlisle with “Vision of You”. Absolutely mesmerised by it and brought me back to my Sentosa days when she performed a Singapore one-night only show at the Musical Fountain in the early 90’s. A very hot and current act then and she really got the 5,000 strong audience singing out loud to all the songs she belted out. Only post-show when we met her and she went to hug her husband tightly then I found out she ran a high fever all through the performances! She even did an encore with that high temperature! But we did not know that then and she wouldn’t let it spoil what she came to do to bring delight to her fans. Such professionalism and commitment to the task! My respect for her went up a thousand times from that day to now. Would it not be nice if all of us at work displayed the same kind of attitude. Of course when you are sick please go see a doctor and take medical leave but I am referring more to an attitude that say “what needs to be done, gets done”. Truly she is a Go-Go girl!

A queue to remember

Musings from Dennis #38:  We run very successful PAW Patrol meet and greet mall shows and meet & greet sessions for our fans and retail partners with participating malls all around Asia, especially in Singapore. With the event currently on now in Singapore, we see parents lining up diligently with their young children in tow (and I must add a very racially diverse audience!) or coming in early to be sure their kids get the best seats (even if only on the floor). I met a couple from Mumbai who recently started working here and came in one whole hour early and sat with their children in the front of the stage. Anything for them, the wife said and the hubby nodded in agreement. I recall twenty odd years ago queueing for 40 minutes with my twin boys for an Ultraman photo session and my cousin ‘did his time’ for 90 minutes just so his daughter could enjoy a Disney Princess makeover. Sometimes I get requests from past colleagues who asked me if I could help them cut queues and bypass the ‘hard stuff’ but that isn’t fair to the many other parents who put in the hours. It may be arduous or laborious but we as parents will look back fondly at the kinds of sacrifices made for our family. This is how we express “I Love Q-you”!

Oahu 'adventure'

Musings from Dennis #37: The volcanic eruptions on Hawaii’s Big Island (in November 2022) brought back memories to the time when I attended our Disney Consumer Products offsite in the late 90’s. I wasn’t well prepared and I remember the first days spent very sick and stuck in my hotel room, all wrapped up in my fever and blankets and missing out on the action. Thankfully that was shortlived and it was certainly an experience going around the island in our team activities. These days I am very well equipped for any kind of medical emergency whenever I travel with my own medipouch. I recalled we had a camp commandant that made sure everything was smoothly run so this is a special shout out to (Trip Barrett)

I haven't met you yet.. or have I?

Musings from Dennis #36: When I spent 18 months living alternate weeks basing and working in Kuala Lumpur the routine was the same. On each of those Sundays when I am due to fly back to KL from Singapore, I would take my family out for dinner, then have them send me to the airport. The frequency of my trips begat the need for me to fly budget but the issue is that these flights tend to be delayed. And if you are on the same flight at the same time of departure on the same day, you get to see familiar faces. So I queued up in a row about 6 deep to check in and then we were told our flight was going to be delayed. The guy directly in front turned around to me and said “Hey you wanna go grab a beer with me?”. Oh, wow, sure I said. So we had a good time chatting at one of the bars at the departure hall. Turned out he was a dentist, Malaysian but with his Singaporean (medical) doctor wife and kids living in Singapore. He would fly every week from KL to spend the weekend with them, and helping to coach his kids on their school work and then fly back to his practice (such dedication I thought!). Exchanged name cards and we eventually boarded the plane and I never got to see him again. Isn’t it interesting the kind of people you can meet in most odd circumstances even while you are on the job?