Am leaving my job. It's too bad cos the cafe is classy and posh, the chef is kind, the job gives me the hours I need to survive but the manager/owner is one rotten piece of crap. He's so demeaning, rude, cocky and nasty that we (my colleagues and I) talk about him like one big joke.
It has been fine all along so far for me when my work was confined to the kitchen but today, I had to work with him upstairs serving customers and all. Not surprisingly, I saw how he treated every one of his staff, including me of course, like we're his slaves. Actually, worse than slaves. More like animals, expecting us to sit, stand, do this and do that upon command.
During peak hours in the afternoon, the service became so disorganized and messy because of him and he blamed us for causing the confusion and even mocked us in front of the customers. He's so insane that it's funny. He told a waitress to "behave herself" out loud which made the customers felt really uncomfortable and told me to "F#$% off" when all I did was trying to get a cappuccino delivered to a customer who had been waiting for almost half an hour for his coffee. Most certainly it was HIS mistake (as always) cos he took the orders and handled the till. And of course, he made us look like the idiots and said to a beeline of customers that by tomorrow, he was gonna replace all of us.
Anyways, he's getting his wishes cos the longest waitress there is leaving in a week's time and at the end of today, I gave him my notice to leave and gave him a piece of my mind. He got angry and told me that maybe after tomorrow, I can go. He couldn't kick me out on the spot cos the chef is having his day off tomorrow and the only person besides the chef who knows how to prepare the food on the menu is me.
What a loser.
We had an adorable company last night. This little hottie came by our flat with her mum and we met them for the first time. They live in a nearby block, so we're actually neighbors. She's so pretty, cute, smart, friendly and super cool. She talks really well with a heavy british accent some more. Desrai's her name and she's only six yrs old. I thought it was spelled as Desree at first cos it's pronounced that way. Chris and I smothered her with loads of attention the moment she came into our room but she loved it. She's mixed with an ang mo mum who's really pretty and who for your info is younger than both of us! and I think it's very obvious from her hair and skin tone who her dad is.
She sings, dances, plays dress up barbie online, loves to take photo & video with her handphone and was a child model before. So we got her to pose about and she gladly did it for us. What a doll eh?
I'm really getting very very frustrated with Windows vista. My wireless connection suddenly got cut off again while I was halfway writing in vox last night and I couldn't reconnect. Today, it's suddenly back to normal. Oh ya, the broadband connection here is amazingly good. Chris and I watch most of our movies online now cos they're extremely quick to load.
Anyways...continuing from the previous post, while touring around by myself yesterday, I saw this little cute card in PaperChase. They sell really lovely and arty stuff there like stationeries, notebooks, organizers, folders and cards. I miss Dee Dee so so much that I nearly broke down in the store when I saw this picture.
I finally got my real off day today. So went around on my own since Chris' off day and mine don't coincide. We changed our mind about London being cheap. We've been complaining a lot these days about how expensive stuff like hangers, stationeries, umbrellas, toilet paper and other basic necessities cos we get them so much cheaper back home.
We really have to plan our journey well cos transportation cost can be killing. Also, I realize now why Central London is not as congested as KL despite it being such a metropolitan. This is why.......
Just now, I took the right bus from Oxford Street but in the WRONG direction. This is what happens when you think you're already familiar with everything. Since I already hopped on the bus and swiped my card, no point hopping off. So I stayed on the bus and stopped in Trafalgar Square, one of the famous tourist spots. At least I can say I've been there now. Indeed the place was crawling with a lot and a lot of people.
I know you don't see my face in there. I swear I took those photos. I was by myself so it'll look really silly to take my own photo. Also, if I did, all you gonna see is my big fat face blocking the rest of the view.
Things to smile about in the past week:
1. Met up with Celina in Manchester last Mon and stayed with her for a night.
2. Visited Manchester Museum and met Lindow Man (a naturally preserved partial body of a man from the Iron age according to wiki) and Stan, the t-rex. The guard said out of respect, I was not expected to snap any photos of it, or rather him. If you wanna know how he looks like,just imagine a chunk of human-looking raisin or more easily, just google for the image.
3. I found out that the snotty italian girl who kept bossing ppl around actually got sacked when I got back from Manchester!
4. I finally tried the famous Krispy Kreme donuts and it's so darn good. It's got to be the best donuts I've eaten so far. Expensive but worth it. They literally melt in your mouth. Cost me 8.95 pounds for an assorted dozen.
5. Chris and I attended a cell group meeting comprising mainly of young (mostly Asian) working adults. We both agreed they're a nice bunch and might consider becoming regulars.
6. I can now make full English breakfast, vegetarian breakfast, pasta sicilliana , a few types of omelette, 8 different types of sandwiches, 4 types of salads and 4 types of quiches without fumbling with the menu for the ingredients.
Complaints in the past week:
1. I spent two whole days in Manchester, 11 hours of coach ride and a whole lot of money for a job interview only to find out much later that it was a door-to-door marketing job. All that crap about 'fast-track career opportunity, building brand awareness and expanding client's customer base" could have been summarized to just 'door to door sales'. That explains why all the stuff about Manchester.
2. My back and neck pain seems to become more and more permanent due to lack of rest.
3. My wireless connection suddenly failed for a few days. Performed some troubleshooting online and found out it is a universal problem among the new windows vista users. Got some help from Microsoft over the internet using Chris' computer cos her windows XP works just fine and got it fixed on my own cos can't afford to send it to the computer shop.
4. My two weeks of work is up but I still haven't received my salary! I knew this would happen knowing how horrible the manager is. I have new colleagues almost everyday and they never come back. He calls them usually on weekends when it's busiest on the pretense of interview and unpaid training with no intention to hire them after that.
5. Still no alternative job offers...... =(
I do not wish for anything other than a full body traditional Thai massage now. I'm so so stretched and I started having back and neck pain now. Since I started the job, I've done an average of 9 hours everyday and haven't got a single day off. And I actually snapped at my manager today. Thanks to what he did, I had work streaming down my way the entire day that the only time I sat down was when I was in the bus. At the same time, it's mentally tiring to try to decipher what he says cos his English is rather limited. He refers to the dishwasher as the washing machine.
Making things more unpleasant is there's a really bitchy girl (Italian, i think) working there. She's so stuck up and stupid to think that the manager will actually one day appoint her as the new manageress becos I know he says that to almost everyone. She doesn't have to be cos she already acts like one. She tries so hard to make herself stand out and make everyone else look bad.
My few conversations with her.
G: Do you know how to fold the cutleries?
Me: Yah (I've done like a hundred of them the day before)
G:Okay..then show me how.
G: You made too much chicken.
Me: Oh really...(I made it exactly the way the chef has taught me)
G: Next time, ...blah blah blah)
Me: (Ignore).............
As immediate therapy, I headed for Zara right after work and bought myself a gorgeous black belted coat for a shocking 29 pounds. It was to die for, for me at least cos I had my eye on it for a long time. Actually, it was just last week. hehe.The original price was about 100, then down to 49 last week (which was still way too expensive for me at that time) and now 29 cos their spring/summer collection is out. So most winter wear are now on serious discounts. I was deliriously happy cos it was just the it was the only black one left with just the perfect size plus it's got a detachable hood. It was a total steal.
Innit stunning??!!!!?!?!?!??!
Oh yes, I'm finally employed. Started work yesterday in a cafe in town which serves mostly organic italian and mediterranean food. I chose to work in the kitchen so that I could learn a few dishes and maybe do some food tasting. Hehe. I kinda regretted a bit cos it's really tiring as there's a lot of cleaning and washing up to do. But in two days, I felt like I was ready to open my own cafe already. Even though my job is really nothing to shout about like having to wash the dishes, mop, prepare the ingredients and take baked stuff out of the oven, I realize how much you can learn in the kitchen. For a moment, I was inspired to be the next Jamie Oliver. I really was.
Observing how the chef could multitask was amazing. He could cook up a few orders, prepare the dish of the day and bake croissants all at the same time! It's like he's got eyes at the back and the side of his head cos while doing all that, he could also spot if I was doing something wrong. It's abnormal man. Also, at times, I suddenly see chicken soup appearing from nowhere. Freaky chef. Probably from Hogwarts school of cookery.
Anyways, things are not always as good as it seems and it was a good thing we have a housemate who did caution us about what to expect from certain employers. I mildly confronted the manager this morning cos he didn't want to pay for my second day of training. To me, that was taking advantage cos what if he laid me off after today and I won't get a single penny! A few hours of unpaid training is understandable but a few days...NO FREAKING WAY! So I said I'll think about working today and I walked out of the shop and when I did, I couldn't believe that it was actually me. I dunno what London has done to me but it certainly made me a lot more gutsy and feisty in a good way.
But there's an embarrassing part to this. I walked out into the street, thought about the money I could make and walked back into the shop about 10 minutes later. I thought the manager would be pissed but he just smiled as if he knew that I'd come back. Then he led me downstairs into the office and asked me what I wanted. I put on a brave front and actually negotiated and reasoned with him until finally, he said 'ok,you start today and I'll put you where you want'. So that means I should be in the payroll today. The place is run by Moroccans by the way so they act a bit mafia-like and don't really do things according to the law. But the place serves absolutely wonderful food which is my only incentive to stay on temporarily until a better offer comes along.
I start at 10 tomorrow but will be trained in the cafe upstairs for tomorrow. Hope to learn how to make coffee and probably be inspired to open my own starbucks.
It Wednesday, exactly one week since we got here. Chris is progressing well. She got called to try out in an Italian restaurant last night and today, she's trying out at a Japanese takeaway. I've applied all over the place but still no calls. I almost forgot how my ring tone sounds like already.
I'll be going out in a while to distribute my CVs again. Any shops you go and no matter what the work is, they either ask for your CV or tell you to submit your CV online. So having a CV is absolutely a MUST. Hope we get some part time job nearby cos transportation is costly and can take a chunk out of your income. Once on the bus, my oyster card ran out of credit and I had to pay 2 pounds (appx RM14) for the ride. It's fixed at 2 pounds no matter where you stop. We've been walking a lot to save money and also because sometimes we hop off too early or too late as we're still not familiar with the place. The bus drivers and generally the locals have given us a very good impression though. When we look lost or sometimes never seem to get off the bus, they'd ask where we were going. Being the minority is good cos we get noticed easily and quite often too. Hehe...=)
Here're some pics I've taken of our place after some tidying and sorting of stuff. It's a small 2-bedroom flat with a living room and one bathroom/toilet for sharing. Furnishings are better and also newer as compared to the previous places we've seen. Plus there's cable tv, cooking utensils, a heater in EVERY room (inc. the bathroom), washing machine and twin beds for individual comfort!
Wow.
Our first Sunday here and we actually made it to Hillsong LONDON! Everything rocked! The music, the lights, the band, the people. It so rocked that I couldn't focus to worship. It's exactly like what you see on their DVDs but they sound even more awesome live. They've got three services. We went for the last one at 5pm and it was full house in the Dominion Theatre where it is held weekly. There was at least 2000 people singing and jumping in unison. I think I didin't really worship throughout the 1 and a half hour service cos it was just too mind blowing which shouldn't be the case I know. I was more like an audience in a concert, clicking away on my olympus and shooting videos and somewhat a bit worried that I was overdoing it and someone from the back row was gonna tell me off. I'll make sure I keep my camera at home next week if we go again. So here you go...more pics to show off..
We've still got quite a bit of cleaning to do in the new place. So it's not quite ready for photos yet. Will put it up soon. Also am trying to get used to being called a bastardous cheeky bugger and bloody christians by our landlord. I wonder if all english people are like that or issit just him. He told us to get used to it cos that's how they talk. When we first got here, we couldn't tell if he was joking or serious everytime he blatantly spits out something offensive. Most of the time now, we just ignore him or just say something rude back. Seems like courtesy to be equally rude.
The other thing different over here is that everything in the house is shared. You can take whatever you like from the fridge, make hot or cold drinks for each other or sometimes cook a meal for everyone. You can't be stingy or calculative if you are.
Today, we went to the weekend market in Portobello which was just 10
mins walk away. Crowded with thousands of people cos I think it's a
famous tourist spot but lots of stuffs to see and eat and very cheap. I
think we only managed to cover half of the whole stretch. Since we haven't earn any sterlings yet, we just browsed at most of the things. But we did buy home some blueberries and raspberries. Not the ones that come in a jar but the fresh ones and we got to eat them for the very first time totally unpreserved!
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