Thursday, December 14, 2006
Dinner invitation
I've sent out e-mails to people, but in case I've missed someone... You know you are more than welcome, and that I'm perpetually OUT OF IT, so it's my fault! Or as Tenzing would have it, "confused".
Everyone is welcome - just please RSVP!
fon @ 7:39 AM link to post * *
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
time factor
Now when the assignments start being due in for this summer semester... right when I especially requested to get off work early last night so I could get a good rest and work today... Right when I have to get things done in a crunch so that I can move on Sunday... now I have to be sick.
*cough cough*
:(
I miss Daeshy... a lot. Can you come feed me soup today?
... I guess that's a bit difficult when you are taking your mother and sister to Geelong... *sigh*
Just another 5 days! I guess the girls from the spag have really kept me busy for the past couple of weeks... trips to St Kilda, shopping, driving lessons... special thanks to Elvira and Cristelle! ... plus, house-hunting, driving... and now this philosophy thingy I'm trying to write (and I'm now procrastinating on my blog) have all kept me busy.
fon @ 8:23 AM link to post * *
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Day 3
In one hour Miss Elvira will be arriving to instruct me on the nuances of driving a car. For a third day in a row.
Manual.
I think I've pulled my left bottom (hamstring??) muscle stepping down on the clutch and sprained my right ankle (might not be the fault of driving).
See, she went and told Bec "Fon's going to be a better driver than YOU." So now it's not just about teaching me to drive. oh my god *slaps forehead*
On another note, though, she IS a very good instuctor. Very attentive to detail and very patient (which surprises me - the patient part...)
The first thing she did was kinda funny.
E: [opens bonnet] I'm just gonna talk and you just gonna listen, ok? This is the engine. [point to white container] This is where I put the water. The rest, I have no idea. [closes bonnet]
[fon scratches head]
Well, like I said, attentive to detail.
I went to watch Borat with Cristelle and Elvira yesterday. Lol... brings back memories of Kazakhstan (kinda). "My name-a Borat - my hobby a disco dancing and watching the girls urinating"
...
Time to take a shower. Driving is drawing near...[dah-dah-dah- duuuummmmmm]
(doing some furniture shopping today - yay!)
fon @ 5:31 AM link to post * *
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The 'L'
Hehe... I got 97% on the test :)
fon @ 9:07 PM link to post * *
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
I have a HOME!!!
Finally, after three weeks of searching, all the stress has come to a timely end! I will be staying on Barkly Street in St Kilda starting from December 17th! Just in time for my birthday! :) :) :)
I was so shocked when the real-estate agent called me that I probably sounded disappointed... but we got it... YEAH!!!! Good work, Mr Wong!
Here are some pictures of the place (still furnished with previous tenant's stuff)
Besides running around like a "mad cow" as Yogi likes to put it, I also remembered to chill and have some fun from Friday onwards... Chloe had her birthday on Saturday night... Sunday I caught up with Sachin, who was in town for NLC national exec before heading to work, and both Monday and today I've spent at St Kilda beach, getting to know my new home-area with the crew from the Spag! Tenzing came along too... was good to see him after a long time! :)
fon @ 5:24 PM link to post * *
Sunday, December 03, 2006
All I want for my birthday...
... is to be able to screw open a bottle of wine in my own HOME, with my closest friends, and my Daeshy!
Kelvin and I looked at 9 places, and the lobby of one place (we decided to leave because the location was excellent (right on Alfred Square on the beach) and the proposed the rent was too low for that kind of property - ergo - must be a real hole - and even if it wasn't a hole, about 40 people were crowded in the lobby waiting to see the place, so not a chance we'd get it!). We're applying to 7 places out of those, so here's hoping we get one.
It's amazing how much less you pay per person when you are willing to share... and how good quality you actually get! The one-bedrooms I was looking at were just such holes that it would have just depressed me to go home. Pay a little less, sharing with just one person, and you get a VERY nice, spacious place with a balcony, dining room, lounge-room, etc., in a great location!
Had a shitty night at work last night, and on Friday night... everyone is just so on edge and customers think that because it's Christmas we'll bend any rules just for them! Where a section with 10 tables is normally full-capacity for me, suddenly 5 tables is a challenge! *sigh* But I still made about 30 bucks on tips, which isn't shabby, considering I sometimes make less with 10 tables and a high turnover rate!
My respect for one of my managers, and for this other guy at work just went up a lot yesterday. To cut a long story short: I thought a large group was too drunk to be served more alcohol. I got the ok from the manager to serve them the last round, then informed the customers that there would be no more drinks. After presenting them with the bill, they crumpled it up and said they would not pay until they got more drinks! That seems like the kind of behaviour that warrants a definite no-more-drinks decision. However, the manager decided to serve them another round. Which obviously put me in a very awkward situation.
Two things happened. This other guy who I have thusfar disliked immensely actually got in a fight with the manager, saying that I made the right choice and that the manager was violating the restaurant's liquor licence as well as failing to provide duty of care for staff.
Later on, the manager, who I haven't really liked working for, came up and apologised to me. And told me that he likes working with me, and likes having me on his shifts... Huh??! This is the same guy who gave me a great reference for my previous job application, told me all these great points about me, then finished off by saying "But ofcourse I was lieing all the way!"
Strange, but true.
*** *** ***
Oh, and before I forget: Frank! I'm sorry about Friday! You came to talk to me at *such* a bad time! The aforementioned manager has recently decided that I should be able to memorise the orders off tables of four without writing them down, and banned me from using a notepad. So I was struggling to remember the following:*** *** ***
1 porterhouse steak, medium, pepper sauce, with some chips instead of salad
1 porterhouse steak, well done, mushroom sauce, with both chips and salad
1 porterhouse steak, medium well, with no sauce, and vegetables
1 mezzalune casa linga, with penne instead of jumbo ravioli
2 garlic breads and a bruschetta as an entre
1 raspberry lemonade
1 lemonade
1 cascade light
1 jug of water
and that was just one table. I was trying to remember two tables of two as well.
So... my apologies for appearing rude! I really didn't mean to - just stupid middle management deciding weird rules because they seem to have nothing better to do.
Chloe's birthday bash went without much incidence. I was given tips on body language and being taught self-defense half the night by another manager at work (one I hardly ever work with). It was kind of strange again. Maybe a bit inappropriate?
I went off alone and was walking along Elizabeth street, trying to get a cab at 3:10 on a Saturday night (practically impossible), kicking myself over the fact that I didn't just ask one of my colleagues who was offering to drop me back... I passed this one guy who was trying to hail a cab and wasn't being picked up by anyone. He said he was going to Epping. I walked just a few metres further and managed right away to hail a cab (wow!) and get him to agree to take me to Sydney road. Feeling sorry for the guy I saw earlier, though, I asked the cab-driver if he'd like to continue to Epping afterwards...
Happy ending: There were actually three guys, who's been waiting for a whole hour (not just the one - somehow I didn't see the rest), and they were so glad to finally have a ride home that they said they would happily cover the cost of my journey as well!
I may be nuts, but most of the time it pays off! Or as some call it, naive, overly trusting, too nice to random strangers. I don't care!
I'm just hoping that being nuts isn't a negative factor when trying to find a house to rent!
fon @ 9:02 AM link to post * *