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Foggy Morning in Harlow


For some reason, Friday morning was very foggy. The fog was still very visible when I started work at 12pm. I was surprise when I looked outside of the windows and visible wasn't very good for a sunny 9.15am.

From the corrider.






From my room.

Luckily, the fog was persistent enough so that I'm able to take this pictures after I bath.

Aniway, something happened this afternoon. A group of 14 celebrated a 13th year's old birthday at our restaurant. When they left, they left gradually, when everyone cleared the table, me, Chee Yong and Pei Yee went over and clear the tables of glasses, bowls, plates and other rubbish as usual.

After a while, one of them - a young lady - came over and ask if we saw a black box and some envelopes. We checked around but there's no such thing. Therefore, we continued with our cleaning. As I was just clearing the glasses and wares, I wasn't around that table anymore and only Chee Yong and Pei Yee was there. Out of curiousity, I went over and kaypoh.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Did you see a black box and some envelope?" Chee Yong replied.

"She says it contained money in the envelope." Continued Chee Yong.

"No leh." I answered.

That young lady looked anxiously but her items are still unrecoverable. After some querying, the young lady's grandfather then went over to Jack and had some conversation. Jack then came over to the station with the old man and dunno do wat. After a while, I went back to the station and the old man ask me if there's another bag being dumped already.

"No." I answered.

The young lady then said she wanted to see the CCTV recording and said she intends to lodge a police report.

"Well, go ahead lor" I thought.

I then referred them to Jack and after a while, I saw Jack calling somebody. Our lady boss then appeared and talked to them. As we were busy clearing the tables, I didn't really bothered about what was going on as our break is nearing.

I wonders what happened.

Cheers

Andy MH Ooi

My complaints

I was complained this afternoon for something I did not do. Worst of all, the act that I was alleged are so absurd that there's no way I will carried out during the job.

A pair of elderly indian couple actually complained me of digging my nose in the station and then serves them before washing my hands!!

This complaint is so absurd that I jumped at Jack who had received the complaint.

I've received 2 complaints so far and they are as follows:

1. I was being rude to the customer.
It was a very busy that night and the group of 5 or 7 of them requested me to take their orders for drinks. I checked their ticket and found that they're arranged to buy their own drinks at the bar and so I told them so. They told me they want to change to another table so that they can order their drinks and I told we do not work that way. And I walked off. Afterwards, I saw 2 ladies from the table talking to Pris.

2. Digging my nose in the station and not washing my hands.
This is the most absurd and funniest complaint I had so far. How would someone actually done that openly. Even I finds it disgusting and would leave the restaurant immediately. The nearest act I can recall is brushing my nose cause it was itchy, that's all.

Working in UK can be very demanding as customer can and will complain you for every lil' things you do. All they seeks is that lil' discounts off their meals thus will finds fault with anything they can. Yet, we're working our arse off for that lil' amount of coppers everyweek.

Cheers
Andy MH OOi

A scary dream came true...

It was funny to think that how a dream can can come true and woke your biggest fears and worries when it really happens.

Last nite after a good chat with mummy over the msn, I took two pills for my flu and went to sleep. Somehow, the pills wasn't that effective as it used to be the previous nite and I couldn't sleep so I ended up fiddling with the downloads which I'd let run overnite. After a while, I checked the clock and was surprised to realised the time is already 3.00am and quickly went to sleep forcing myself to sleep no matter what. Gotta work tomorrow, you see.

At some point of time, I was in a point of mid-conciousness and I dreamt of a teacher asking me for advice for her two pupils who had lost their passport. They're from abroad and needs to go back to their country after a cultural exchange activity between England and their home country. Thus, losing their passport will means they risk being misidentified as illegal immigrants which will be captured and imprisoned for a period of time before being sent back. The teacher was worried sick and do not how to do. I was nonchalant to their plight at first as I do not what is the best solution for them. After a while, I advice her to report the case to the police and then report to the their embassy or High Commision and see if there's anything the embassy can do about it. I'm sure they'll be able to reissue a passport or some temporary pass for them to leave the country and enters their home country.

After a while, i woke up. This dream lingers for quite a while in my head and I wonders what will I do if I happens to fall into this plight.

"Will there be anyone to help me?"

"What will happen if I failed to produce my passport if I was asked to on the streets?"

"Will the authority believes me and assist me in recovering my passport or even helps me to get a new one?"

Then, something springs up in my mind.

"Where is my passport?"

I remember bringing it out for dinner last nite as I'm unsure where I'm going next so I thought I'll bring it with me just in case. I remembered slotting it in my back pocket of my jeans before putting on my jacket. Somehow, my memory recalls that when I get home, my back pocket was empty. I starts to panicked. I then quickly checked my bag, my jeans and then my room... Shit!!! None. My passport was nowhere to be found!

So, I calmed myself and then recalled where I went and what I did last nite. Eventually, I took the decision to go back to the restaurant I went for dinner last night and try my luck if they kept my passport for me, if I really dropped it there.

After a minute of changing, I checked with my housemate where's the local police station if there's any event I need to go there to make a report. However, she does not know. Come to think of it, I wonder what that lil' brain of her's contain. haha

Aniwae, even without the idea of the whereabout of the local police station, I still rushes over to the restaurant immediately with the hope that I do not need to make a trip to the police station if they happens to keep my passport for me.

Alas, as the restaurant gets nearer and nearer, I noticed the door has an A4 notice.

They were not open for business today!!!

The notice reads "Due to a fault, we'll be closed until 1700pm ". So, I peeked thru the windows and fortunately, there's someone in the restaurant. I keep knocking the window and they keep telling they are shut.

"I'm not here to eat!!" I thought angrily.

Making silly gesture to plead them to the door, however, a waitress then saw me and went to their counter and got something and hurry to the door. When she opens the door, she handed me my passport (at this point of time, I heaved a huge sigh of relief immediately) and ask me if everything was intact. I flipped through my passport and makes sure two copies of paper attached to the passport are present and then replied to her everything was well and thank her profusedly.

She replied "It was nothing, and we tend to keep such important things and return to customers. it was nothing"

Then, i left the restaurant was a sense of gratefulness in my heart and luckily, I left a 10% tip last nite after the dinner. The tip really works well though. I then shopped around the town centre before goes back to the hostel...

Come to think of it, if I did not advice the teacher what to do in the dream, will I ever see my passport again??

Think about it.

Cheers
Andy M.H. Ooi

P.s. I still loves you, Jessie...