A state of hyperactivity of glucose overdose

For the past four months, I have subjected myself to intensive labor from part-time working, handling my thesis research and completing my final year subjects.Without much time or rest for myself, I worked endlessly but instead of feeling burned out, I felt connected to the world. Albeit the exhaustion from all the work and late nights I have to pull, I had never felt so motivated to work, learning, developing my skills and pushing my limits as I go (potential workaholic). The people around me have all been so supportive of all the things I have done and understood whenever I needed to take time off to sleep things off.

Alright, so the place that I have been working in and still am is Sugar Rush at Pusat Bandar Damansara. When I initially started, I had fears. Fears that I will not be good enough for all the things that I have yet to handle (serving, prepping food, cleaning and minding the till), fears of meeting new people and eventually finding out that they dislike me and fears of disappointing people as well as myself in terms of my performance. Yes, this is my first job and I think that these fears are entirely normal. Never having worked a day in my life before, working seems like a distant and foreign world that I had never stepped foot in and fears are of course a part of the whole process. As I waltzed into the cafe for my first day, with a strong sense of trepidation, I bravely put on the apron (also a metaphor for the role that I am taking on) and started. Eventually, I realized that the work was simple but filled with spaces for improvement and learning, spaces where I become extremely critical of myself. I would go home almost everyday for the first week, feeling both emotionally and physically exhausted from both the work and studies. I would literally fall over a bed and fall asleep in a second.

Even so, I have learned so much throughout the four months. I have learned to react in a more composed manner when things go wrong and to multitask and customer relations, of course there's customer relations (the beauty of working in a cafe is the opportunity to meet a variety of people - and I do mean a large variety). And of course, I learned to cook a little bit too.

I have learnt so much from this place that I eventually fell in love with it, especially with the people in it too. We went through thick and thin together, handling all sorts of customers, events and even disasters at times. We have shared so many hours with one another, sharing our lives, food and drinks that they became a bunch of people that I will always treasure. Thank you Gajen for being an anchor where I can always find solace in and all the rest of the team for the amazing times that we have spent working together. One other person I have to thank too is none other than Mandy, who constantly offers to feed me (the kind I love). You are an awesome cook and I hope that you will never stop seeking for perfection in your food. If you do have any problems in the future, whether personal or academic, feel free to look for me.

Thank you all, especially Yana and Yuh Wen. T.T

Sugar Rush. You have my love and respect forever.

Mini note to future Michelle (yes, I know you will eventually come back to read this post again):

I do not know where you will be in the future, whether pursuing a life as a clinical psychologist or as an employee in a conglomerate or heck! even starting your own business, I hope you will know that you were once this naive girl in this black Ikea chair, talking to herself, that no matter where you go, to always remember to never look down upon those in menial jobs (they work just as hard as any of us), to always remember to provide opportunities to others and never forget where it all began, me/our very first job.

Michelle

p/s: before I end this thing, I have to do a little promotion. HEH. Sugar rush has by far the best cakes ever. The sinful coffee oreo peanut butter cake and the brownies, oh my god, the brownies.