INTRO

I am lucky enough to be able to do what i love and get paid at the same time.  Cubical no my thing, altho i have to deal with that once a while.  It doesn't bother me at all.

It's the Hampton!! 13

After i came back from Thailand vacation,  travel news pop up like a bubble in a bath. 

"Puiz,  i need you to pack, and stay in hampton for 3 months"  VP of E2 aka my boss said. "J..H.. (the big boss) wanted to open up a pop-up blt steak in southampton and he trusted you to run that place"  all i said was " OK!"  (like always , she never say no)  

There she goes all the opening process, driving back and forth manhattan-hampton like walking to grocery store for 2 whole weeks with the help of her co-worker so called "Captain".  I started to packed and moved into the prop and hustley run that place the best i could.  Captain and my boss managed to gathered all the staff from everywhere i can imagine from around the world, summer borrowed from our national BLT prop.  You name it, sous chef, cooks, dishwashers, captain, runners. etc you name it, very few of them are local. ( in this case i mean hampton)

To tell you the truth, that was my first time running my own kitchen.  I never have to run any, i normally run the person who run the kitchen.  I felt good. I realized it is not as hard as it look.  It wasn't easy, i don't have full team, i have no butcher, my purveyors don't deliver everyday, cut off time as early as 3pm, tiny kitchen with limited equipment, small walk-in.  I need to be very organized to make food for 300 ppl fit in that tiny walkin, don't mention about weekend ordering, i have to order for 3 days. 

I managed to have one receiver/prep kid.  He is smart and a good kid,  but he wasn't the best.  I can't complain, coz if it want because of him, il have to come in at 9 am everyday after i just drop off my last batch of the kids at 4am or sometime can be late as 5am.  Every weekend Captain will take the Jitney out and spend time with me,  as soon as the kitchen is clean or shut down, we pull out cutting boards, pull out all the meat we have and start butchering them as much as possible, till our eyes turn red then we stop, clean up then go to sleep.  This happen every weekend and i actually enjoy every single weekend.  

We will always close on monday and tuesday.  That's when i go back to the city, i never take the train, i always drive in the city and park the car rental that we rented for 3 months at the parking lot near my apartment.  After few weeks, i start to bond with the kids, offering them to take them around city, take them out to my fave spot in the city, show them how NY'er.  At the end, we really bond.  I let them all stay in my apt, sometime it could be up to 6 ppl in my tiny NYC studio.  Which i don't mind.  I think I'm in love with them all. 

First few weeks in hampton, we still a tourist, we try to explore long island as much as possible.  Me and da kids we took a trip all the way to the montauk end, Yet we see  light house, end of montauk,  the stunning sunset view, groomsman dock for food.  That was just the beginning of the adventure.  The best is more to come.

It's Tamasito Bday, he took the train out with his mom on sunday afternoon and plan to spend few days in hampton.  Sunday dinner with his mom, I'm sure it was great, i cook them dinner which i believe they loved it.  Next day, we up very early, drive to sag habor to my fav breakfast place. Ester's little kitchen.  Love at first sight,  i love Estia's food and i go back there every week since when it's summer.  We took ferry to Shelter Island, drove around the island, zip cocktail, drove around gain, then take the ferry back to sag habor.  Not ended yet. Drive all the way to Montauk end check the light house, show the Long Island view, to Montauk ferry dock and had great dinner at Grosman's Restaurant .  No cocktail i think.  Its getting dark and driving from montauk to southampton is about an hour,  as soon as we get back, we shower and went right straight to bed.  Next day we all got up early, its time for them go go back to the city,  I took them to hampton bays for lunch, nice place by the water, sunny easy relax big lunch. then drop them off at the train station. Off they go back to astoria. 

And when we have no plan to go to the city, we managed to find something else to do, we go to block island, our big boss JH was kind enough to take care for the room for us.  There were total 9 of us for our first block island trip until get off the block island ferry, i dint realized that i was the only girl on that trip,  apparently we only book for one room.  At one of the oldest hotel on the island, Spring Natural.  Well, i get to sleep on the bed, with Nick, who actually was the one who have the idea of talking all of us to block island.  And he was the AGM for us, so it was me and Nick on the bed, and the rest, on the sofa bed, on the couch, on the floor, in-front of the bathroom, infront of the door all scattered.  It was one night only.  Trip was amazing, the beautiful bluff,  light house, block island mud, climb up the rock, first time moped, night at the bar, a lot of pizza, yummy breakfast. Oh, i forgot to mention the crash accident that happen.  I dint get to see it but it happen right infront of me, i was on the last moped. 2 of moped crashed infront of me and i dint think it was that serious until i se one of the boy's leg,  it dint look so good but you know what, you just have to suck it in and since it off with the atlantic water.  And one of the best thing that was introduced to me in my life,  "MOOOONSHINNEEEE"  It was strawberry flavor and it was so delish! i wish i can put the strawberry in my strawberry ice cream and eat it all day.  The 2 days one night trip was perfect.  I wouldn't want it any other way, and I'm very positive that everyone on that trip thinks the same. 

I am not saying that, living in hampton for almost 4 months have no negative, i decided not to say anything about it coz i don't think i wanted to remember and even share.  I rather keep it as a secret. 

;) 

One day, one of the full time diabetic runner suggest, "hey guys!! we all should go sky diving!!, its going to be so much fun, all of us should go, the more we go the cheaper, i will talk to the owner and give us some discount1"  that kicked me in the face!! i have been wanting to do that forever, me and my sister been trying to take our dad to NJ to jump but we never made it coz my dad think it was too dangerous. Thinking in my head, should i do, or should i not do? think think think.. at that time, i was too busy to think, as everyone put their name on a white piece of paper by the coffee station,  this cuban guy kept putting my name on and i kept cross it out.  I told everyone, i will come with you guys, not going to jump i will make sure you guys have a ride there and come back to 68 Sandy Hollow.  Somehow, everyone were under impression that I'm going to jump for sure, i have no idea what make them think that  i am going to jump.  The day has come,  all of us were in the city, and try to leave the city early so we can drive to the sky diving place in long island.  We got there on time, when the sun will set.  We waited so long, we play soccer, nap, take pictures, etc.  There were 14 of us if I'm not wrong, total of 4 cars, all arrived different time, some of them were an hour late, but no big deal, we hang around and wait anyway.  When its time to jump,  we all have to spit into 3 groups. Im in the second group, with J..., his GF B... and her friend C....   We suit up, go thru training and security procedures etc.  Took few pick before loading up the tiny plain, off we go!!!.  The view was amazing, the sky was so clear, that i can see the edge of the sky and that makes me feel so good.  Well, no time to amaze anymore, its time to jump,  it happen really quit, the instructor told me to move over after 3 seconds, I'm in the air, facing the plain,  then i realized, the plane is getting smaller and smaller not so long then i see the earth far far away and it's getting closer. I just jumped off 13000 feet  AGL!!!!!!! "REALLY?!?!"  First thing come to my thought, my sister going to be so jealous, and my mom and dad going to yell at me so bad. !! it was a free fall for over 10 seconds i believe till the instructor pull the chute,  "ouch"  that hurts, then slowly rotating left and then right in circle, its fun and i start screaming all the way down till i touch the ground.  Well for me, butt down!!! I don't care how, I'm so happy that i did it and won't regret. I ran to my flight mates and give him hugs hugs and then others start come running and give me hugs !! Cuban managed to see me from Mars and tape me landing. That's amazing instinct of his.  We end the night at the restaurant in westhampton i believe he had dinner, drink some beer, took some shots and drive back home.  2 late joiner came later.

I mentioned before that, i don't have butcher, that means, me , my sous and captain butchered everything ourselves and we did pretty good job in saving the protein scrap of all kind,   hanger, strip loin, filet, salmon, tuna, chicken, etc.  Now the problem is, what are we going to do with it?  Since in the beginning of the summer, our big boss JH bought us a grill, mine as well use it and we dint use it once Me and the BOH kids were so prepare for that day, everything go marinated,  fish get butcher, oysters were ordered, sauces my style were made, beer were bought,  it was a gas grilled, we have plenty of food, we got food that we can eat lunch and dinner and still we not going to run out of food.  I make a list of what equipment we need for the grilling day, tongs, sheet trays, towels, cutting board, ice ect.  I did it like I've done this for million times.  But not.  We invited everyone that we could, GM of hotel, friends, friends of a friends, etc.  They all can show up. No stingy bbq happing in my watch, you just need to make you they make it on time before the grill is off.  Not just grilling we do, we do drinking, volley balling,  soccering, batmintioning, running, sleeping, napping, singing, chucking anything you can imagine.  Too much fun.  Plus when we in need of sugar,  the house sitter master drove out and got us the ice cream truck!!  Night time arrived, we all quite down, turn off the light, looking at the shining stars.  The day was so tiresome but complete.

Its end of August, summer almost comes to an end, its' time for all of us to go back to where we came from.  We managed to organized another clock island trip.  Except this time, there are more girls that last time,  most of the boy dint make kit due to the fishing trip they committed a while back.  Im glad this time some of my dishwasher managed to come with.  Thank you my boss uncle JH again for sponsoring this trip, not just the room this time, but also the 80usd/ppx this time.  The ferry ride was nice and mellow, i was till kind of sad that many of the boys dint make it, but it's ok i have the other kids, plus, balmomo made it out with us this time, we all have fun anyway,  As soon as the ferry dock, we all took a cap to the hotel, wait not ! me and my other few kids dint, we stop at the local liquor store for some of my fave in the whole wild world "moonshine"  i bought 2 jars.  i fill up my pellegrino bottle with strawberry shine carry it all day with me.  As soon as we get settled,  i got 2 kids staying with me, one boy one girl,  me and the girl got our own bed, the boy stay on the couch. lol. sorry.  Then we all walk downstairs to get food,  everyone sit not the same table, by that time i was already drunk with the other girl so we have no idea what we ate or what we ordered. but we crushed them all. after lunch, all of us i think about 12 of us, decided that maybe we all should take a little nap, i said, hell yea !! passed out in my room on my bed with the boy and the girl.  So tired,  then suddenly, "ring...ring.." thinking to myself, who would call me right now! I'm in bed and i need sleep.  it was Petrie, he called and check which room am i staying and do i get nice room.  I told him room number, and ask about their fishing trip, and make sure they all give me a call before leaving the house,  Few mins later "knock.. knock"  there there were,!! all the boys! chartered flight from montauk to block island!!  Well I'm so happy the boys arrived , we did the same thing we did last time, moped, bar  etc. great time, go to bed and next day good breakfast.  Forgot to mention something,  i was riding with boy and the girl riding with someone,  then one of the other boy lost the bicycle key. we end up have to go look for the key but we can't, at the end, the key was still hanging at the chain of the bicycle,  and i was trying to play CSI looking for the key finding the location where he drop the key looking at the picture was last taken, well, due to the amount of stupidity one has, lead me to be one of them, not being careful enough to check the key before take off.  And we all were in a rush, coz we dint want to miss the ferry back to montauk.  I go ahead and lead the search left everyone behind.  Got a phone call from the boy then i got back found the key and we get back to hotel to drop everythig off, drop off moped and get a cab to the ferry.  We managed to get an ice cream before we took off.  Too bad we dint get to meet Randy this time.  Too bad.

It is time for cleaning up packing then say goodbye. No one want any of them but it need to start.  I start ordering very low amount, packing containers and all the dry goods that we won't be able to keep.  Balmomo took care of the house, coz he is the house sitter master. Deep down we al knew that we have to do this again next year, to make it convenient i packed everything the best i could, make sure it is as clean as possible so in case next year when i have to come back and unwrap them it is not that bad.  We rented the Uhaul truck to drive stuff back to city prop,  all kids get scattered to assigned restaurants.  I come back and stay in my apt.  Everyone split up.  back to reality, back to their own bed, own sheet, to their family and friends.  It was one thrilled ride we were on for the whole summer.  I can't stop thinking about it till now.  There are good things happened and there are bad things happened swell.  The drive to the ICU, the drive to the urgent care.  Quick run to CVS for med.  And long drive to fish market every sunday when we know that we won't have enough fish.  The bugs bites,  missing $20 from the purse, vanilla chicken, spicy curry, or stir fry day. Berry picking across the streets.  run to the store. Birthday Cakes for al the kids on their birthday. All combined together created great memories.  I missed them all once a while.  I don't look forward for another southampton opening but i would do it no doubt if i get to do with any of them. 

Always miss,

#bosslady