Forgetting things is a norm??

I know my maid always forgets things, so I tried to help her by guiding her to make a list. Because she is so disorganised, I told her to write down what she intends to cook for each meal, plan and write down the ingredients ahead so that when she goes marketing, she is well prepared.

Yet even with such planning, EVERY alternate marketing days, she will come back after 3 hours and then tell me "oh I forgot xxx" So she will need to go out another 2 hours to rectify her mistakes. When it happens the first few times, I was ok and brush it off as accidents. However it keep happening every week and I'm getting annoyed. How do u forget things??? U pay and take the things n go. Once in a while I get it, but every other day? 

What annoys me too was how she NEVER tells us what she fail to buy, either coz not enough cash or whatever other reason. We don't have an issue with her missing out buying stuff due to lack of cash but we have told her before to inform us so that when we are out we can buy it on our way bank. However she just persistently keep quiet and I have no idea why. She will only tell us she didn't buy this and that on the night before and so she has an excuse to go out on a non scheduled marketing day. Then she will rush through the rest of the day cling cling clank clank while I'm trying to put baby to sleep n disrupt my day. 

Another thing is that she will change what to cook on her whim n fancy rather than what was planned ahead. So I would be expecting one dish but end up eating salmon again twice in a week. So instead of using the money I gave her to buy beef, she decided she wants to buy salmon instead. She just cook watever is easy for her and that again grates on my nerves. When u try to ask her why, she will always avoid the question and fob off with "u want me to cook something else?" I get frustrated coz she will not look at you n will never answer the question with a direct answer. 

I wish there is a database with maids profile and REAL feedback or testimonies against their work resumes. Of course this will never happen coz administratively impossible. Though I find it grossly unfair that employers have to bank on luck to hire an unknown maid, hoping she can do the job since there is no references on the past. Some employers will just lie since the maid is still with them in their last month. U do not know if the maid u hired has issues with former employer  or work attitude and yet this person will be working or u repeating her errors and staying in your place facing each other day in day out where employers do not have legal options to pay for live out options. 

There are many good maids n there are nasty ones. I am still undecided where ours stand. To be fair she is not all that bad compared to some others that steals, borrow from agencies etc but she has her moments. 

Changing maids seem like "easy" way out but it will be another 3-6 months learning from scratch and I don't have so much time n energy to waste on retraining a maid. By that time, I would not need a maid since my baby will be older. I would rather just hang in there and pray for miracle she will stop being so forgetful. Now she just does her things, I do mine and we stay out of each other's way. Good thing my flat is big enough where I can still have my personal space. 

I wish my previous help of 6 years didn't have to go back to Philippine. She was really good and having her was a joy and we can chit chat while she works and I never have to worry about a thing. Good help are sooo hard to come by. 

Irritating maid again

Everyday with my maid is frustrating. 

I told her to set up bank account with HSBC so that I can pay her salary. She waited two weeks but her ATM card didn't come. So she asked to go bank again. 

I told her to go on Tuesday morn first thing they open 9am n to buy some fruits n pack back food, don't have to rush back to cook. 

She came back 12.30am. And go about doing her stuff. I asked her, where's the mango since I didn't see it on the living room fruit plate. She gave me her fucking stupid blur look again. She ramage through the fridge and went "oh I forgot to take"

WTF. 

I couldn't even understand why she could be so shit useless. Cannot rem things all the time. She gave me that stupid moron then how face. I had to tell her "then go back n get it" so she wasted another 2 hours. Useless. 

She came back and I asked her how can she have forgotten? She said she's rushing a lot to do. I asked her but u are not even cooking lunch. Wats the rush? Now u forgot n waste another 2 hours. Is that better? She kept quiet. 

Everyday I must micro manage her. She won't give u details n she really borders on stupid. When we were changing machine and water was on the floor, the guy asked which cloth to use n she just say that that. I asked her which one, she just say that. I got irritated n have to ask her"can u just describe which one? We don't know wat is that? The red the White or the blue? " she still mumble heaven knows wat I just got so fed up that I grab tissue box instead. So stupid cannot even describe colours. 

Her brain honestly is shitter than a baby. She's a work horse. She just work without thinking but super disorganised n inefficient. 

I cannot endure stupid people n I really cannot stand her. Everyday she just annoys me with something. Today she annoys me again but I'm too tired to write more.

My mum thinks she's cunning n liar. No she is just plain stupid n forgetful and cannot accept people critiising her. 

I give her few more months. I really think of she pissed me off again I will just terminate her. Her cooking is mediocre and she refuses to follow cook book instruction n do her own thing whichever is quick n easy.

Maid birthday.

H4th sept. It's my helper birthday and since I rem she said she don't like cakes coz its sweet (during my mum birthday we offered her a slice of cake) , so I decided to just get a cupcake that isn't as sweet and she can just sweep the cream topping away.  Don't know if she liked the Sift cupcake since she didn't say anything but oh well, at least she won't feel like she's all away from home and no one cared. We gave her Hk$200 red packet just for her to get something she likes for herself. 

Good helpers are so hard to find n mine is annoying me

I don't know why some people like having a maid. If u asked me, I don't. I find them a total hassle and half the time they ruin my mood. Of course not all helpers are bad, but most are nothing but a bunch of headaches. 

We engaged a helper after we had a baby and her job only involves 2 things. Clean the house and manage the meals, which involved buying groceries and cooking. Everything that surrounds baby from washing milk bottles, laundry, caring for the bub will solely belong under my charge and she does not get involved. So it's already such a busy routine caring for the little one yet I still have to manage my maid in addition to my hubby is ridiculous. 

We were upset with her last sat. We spoke to her on Friday telling her what we have planned for sat meals. We told her we have bought beef and mushrooms and she can do enoki mushrooms rolls. I specifically asked her wat we have in freezer n she said fish. So I told her ok cook fish for dinner. My hub asked her to buy Japanese cabbage, broccoli on sat morn marketing so that we can use it on Sunday. We continued to add that on sat morn, please buy groceries for mon and tues as well. Then she can go marketing again on wed morn. So presumably she wrote down wat we instructed her.

Come sat night after an exhausting day and sleep deprived due to friday head accident of baby and monitoring him through the night, I was looking forward to a good dinner. Breastfeeding always makes me hungry.

I went to get my dinner and shockingly, the maid only cook a plate of green vegetables and another bowl of brinjal with minced meat. I was really annoyed because this is NOT the first time we told her I need good portions of meat in every meal. She just blatantly ignore or her useless head keep forgetting which we think is the latter. 

I asked her (note asked not shout) why didn't she cook the fish? She gave that stupid blur expression and asked "oh not enough?" Then she went to freezer and wang to take out prawns n cook her prawn egg (again). I stopped her and said "stop. Too late to cook anything now it's 8pm and we will be wasting food coz there's no way I can finish 3 big dishes".

I was really annoyed during dinner and both my Hub n I couldn't understand why she would often not do things as told? This isn't the first time she just swap wat she is suppose to cook to what she feel like cooking. It's very annoying. I'm more annoyed because I already go shopping to get the beef and other groceries for her and yet she cannot cook one simple fish dish as told. 

My hub asked if he needs to cook chicken for me I said don't bother. He asked wat are we doing for Sunday lunch and dinner and we thought about the chicken we bought on Friday. 

My hub went to the kitchen and checked and I heard him asking my maid where are the vege he told her to buy. Then a min later I heard my hubby asked her "why didn't you tell us these things? When we ask you to buy something you buy it. You don't have enough money, you come back and let us know and tell us. We can always give you extra money. You don't just keep quiet and don't tell us that you didn't buy a single thing I specifically ask you to buy. How would we know that you didn't get it? We don't check on you. We leave it to you to run the household right? So you need to let us know. You don't keep quiet."

The maid replied with her "no big deal" reply "I can go buy in the morn."

My hub "but that's not the point. The point is if I didn't check now, I didn't even know I don't have the food I need to cook. You will be off tomorrow and wat happens when I need to cook and I don't have anything because you didn't buy them and I thought you did?"

The maid replied "I didn't think you need it"

That really pissed me off and I told her off  sternly. "You do not think for us. You do not decide what we want to cook or do with the food we ask you to buy. Our plans are always changing and so we like to have those food prepared in advance. Just like I still don't understand why didn't you cook the fish we told you to do  so on Friday. Friday was not even a very busy day for you" ( because friday baby n I nap for 2 hours and honestly my house isn't that messy since the only rooms we used these days are the bedrooms and we were in it) 

I was already annoyed with her on Friday when she didn't even bother to do the laundry when we went out and when I asked her, she said she forgot. Forgetting to do laundry after 3 months on the job? Is that acceptable? She is soo freaking disorganised. She do not know how to manage her time to be efficient. She just know how to work like a brainless horse but things don't click for her. Just like the other day I told her to change master room bedsheets and clean the room first because my hub is coming home and I know he needs his nap. If she don't change it, it will be nighttime again. So she changed the bedsheets and then I didn't see her clean the room.

I went to kitchen to see her sorting out laundry. I had to tell her "don't do the laundry now. Go clean the room first coz you can always do the laundry after you finish the room." In my head I was thinking why do you not understand which task should be prioritise first?

So while she clean the room, I started the laundry washing just to save her time. Yet the next day when she has all the time in the world, she didn't do any washing. Does this make sense to you? I asked her and that when she said she forgot to check the laundry basket. 

Anycase back to sat. So you could see her face was black and moody shit again after we expressed our unhappiness with her lack of communication n disorganisation. She sullenly looked away as usual. These maid always think they are so wronged or victims but they don't reflect on their repeated mistakes. They think it's ok to slip up, and pretend nothing Happened. 

So rest of the night she has that black face and she went back to her room at 10pm as usual. Which is good coz I don't have to see her black face which really annoys me. I am paying you and u give me the feeling that we can never point out your mistakes and I meat repeated mistakes? 

So Sunday she went on her off which makes me happy. She came back when I was putting baby to sleep so I didn't see her the whole sun. Good. 

Today Monday, she saw me in the morn but still give me the black face n didn't bother to greet me. I couldn't be bothered to greet her either. I don't need to be politely greet u if you want to persist in your childish tantrums. Honestly I really feel like giving her the boot but my hub enjoy the fact that someone wash up after him, now that I'm busy with baby he thinks we need extra help though he said he will not retain her if she chooses to quit. 

So comes Monday n I'm pissed off in my own home because of a disorganised forgetful maid with a black face. Great. 

Thank god I don't need her to look after my child which I will never entrust her to do ever. I simply don't trust her competency and her memory. It's too risky. Who knows what she will forget. If she can't even do 2 meals properly (I have to cook my own breakfast to spare me more headache from her), who can entrust a child with her? Then again it was never my plan to involve a maid in my cha raising. She will always be a spectator and not involved. 

I know it sounds crazy but I look forward to the day I can sack her or she wants to quit. I doubt she will quit since her job resume is already peppered with bad record in singapore n HK, both with terminated contracts. In singapore she claimed her ex boss wanted to punch her so she left. In HK she said she was bullied by the other maid in same household and the boss side the other maid and do she quit after 3 months. Initially one wold sympathise with her but now after 3 months with us, I think there is more than meet the eye. She prob was never up to scratch and pisses people off and just that other employers had less patience and endurance than us. However I told my hub that when my boy gets older and easier to take him out after he starts on solids, I honestly don't care if she leaves. I don't need her really. 

We shall see.