dreams. reality. making do. dreams.

i used to run a sex hotel.

yes. moi.

along with a good friend who shared the same ideals (which did NOT, incidentally, include a sex hotel).

in our wildest dreams, we had envisioned something like what hotel FOX had, but our [lack of] budget forbade this actuality. and there was a steep bank loan to pay off as well. we had imagined an oasis for chilled-out exchange between backpackers from around the globe. perspiration-drenched walkers could rest their weary feet, get their packs off their backs, peel their sticky clothes off their bodies and take a hot (or cold) shower. the security would mean their belongings were safe with us. and then they could walk around little India, or check out Toa Payoh. or book their next flight online. or plan for the next leg of their tour of Asia. and meet other similarly weary but enthusiastic travellers to talk of sights, encounters, discoveries of nature! shops! smells! bargains!

given that we were both students of Design, with nary an iota of Business background running in our veins, idealism was very much the way to go. we were young. and carefree. and naive... a great many aspects connected to youth and independence appealed to us. we wanted to provide everything and anything! we wanted to have themed rooms! piped-in music in the corridors! a wading pool to sit in to cool down! a self-service kitchen! a chill-out lounge for smokes and beer! pretty painted walls everywhere! cool i-dare-you-to-eat-a-durian nights, or trips to newton circus for beer and seafood!

we wanted to hang out with all our guests. we wanted to introduce them to Singapore and what it meant to us. the night markets, the hawker centres, the gardens, the neighbourhoods. balancing those dreams with accounts, daily earnings, workers' wages, ordering of various supplies, hiring hardworking and dependable help, promotion of our new hangout, upkeep of the place and other managerial tasks wore us out. thoroughly.

we interviewed people twice (even three times!) our age. we agonised over whether or not they would turn up the next day, or if we would be left in the lurch and have to call in someone from the rejected pile. we manned the front desk and dealt with some irate customers sometimes. we cleaned rooms and toilets and considered a 20-minute average a target to strive towards. we received advice from mentors, that did not make sense at that point in time. perhaps we would now dispense similar advice to younglings in our position then. we endured, and are now proud supporters of the "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger" theory.

and it came to pass (i find a strange satisfaction in using this phrase) that, though our efforts were beginning to bear fruit, there were many other DOMs (dirty old men) around, intent on thwarting our hard work. i have neglected to mention that the establishment we had taken over was one where the noteworthy words "cheap accomodation for travellers" intermingled with "$40 for 2 hours sex hotel". where the distinction had been previously blurred, we set out to re-educate our user group: weeding out the undesired and encouraging the potential targets. it was not always easy, but there have been, admittedly, many humourous incidents involving some misinformed australians, sea-faring marine/coastal engineers, clueless germans, tech-savvy sri lankans, friendly irish, transgendered thais, chatty englishwomen, and sweet middle-aged women who were generally nice and bought us food.
forgive me. stereotypical though it seems, this was what stuck in my head

some friendships have been nurtured, as is the nature of hospitality-related jobs. reality has become a shade less dim. ideals, now, if ideals were reached with such ease, that would render us mediocre people all the time. so, it is a decidedly good thing for ideals to be hard-to-reach, so they remain aspects we strive continually for. i have learnt much. and shall continue doing so.

long live dreams.