61. Rant

I had a great start to my day, then it all went downhill from there.

We first went to get a quick snack at a bubble tea cafe, then walked to the beach. At the beach, we had a lot of fun, but it was the dinner at Sushi Town that was a total flop.

We arrived at Sushi Town and finally got a seat after god knows how long, then when we were finally seated and had decided on our food, we had to call the waitress over. Normally, or at least it's common sense in the service industry, that you have to check back with your customers often to see if they need anything. Anyways, after our food began arriving, one of my friend's food need a soup stock and they had ran out. So, they told her that it will be around a fifteen minute wait and asked if she was alright with that. She replied that it was fine and continued to wait. After twenty minutes, her food still didn't come, and by then, the rest of our food came and we all started eating, except her. When we all finished our food and started paying, her food still has not come. By now, it has been forty minutes. Obviously, she was outraged. So, another friend and her went up to ask the waitress what was happening as we all started paying. And of course, she made up lame excuses saying that she did say it was "around fifteen minutes", but obviously that's not acceptable and there is a big difference between fifteen minutes and forty minutes. However, she retorted using the excuse that it was what the kitchen told her. And, again, unacceptable, because the service and the kitchen are suppose to communicate to give their customers the optimal experience if they want them to be regulars. By now, the friend helping out said that he wanted to speak with the manager. But, the girl at the cashier said rudely and coldly, that her manager wasn't here. So, he asked for the person in charge. And, of course, she said it was her. So, the debate continued. While this was happening, my friend flipped all our cups over, which were all filled with water that were at least half way full, and left the place and waited outside. The waitress that went to clean up our table discovered this and was mad. But, if you think about it, I think my friend had every right to do what she did. She waited over forty minutes, and this was just at the table, for her food after a long day out, barely eating anything. A friend defended her saying that if he had to wait for his food for over forty minutes, he would be pretty damn pissed as well and would have done that. I mean, wouldn't you?

Now, I ask you this, would you want this kind of service to happen to you? Your mother? Your father? Your children? No, I do not think so. This kind of service can't even be called service because it is just a disgrace to the other restaurants that work so hard to please their customers and treating them as if it is their first time eating there. Businesses have to know that they have to work hard to earn their keep, and obviously, treating their customers well and providing even the basic service is not in their handbook. Either way, they lost quite a lot of customers today as I am spreading the word.

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8 / 52

I was too busy last week so I made it up today! The topic was "Your Name", so my name is hidden in the patterns.

60. Job Wrap Up and Haul

The past three weeks I've been working with students from China and yesterday was the last day. I was given a lot of presents and I feel thankful for each of them. It's the thought that counts. Here are two of the presents I received.

This is from the Western equivalent of a superintendent that came with the Chinese students. It is a Chinese lucky knot that is believe to bring about good health, prosperity, and luck. I will definitely hang this up at my Hermit Hole once the University starts again!

These two fish are made from porcelain, which where the students came from are known for. These two fish are just too adorable not to put up! I will definitely bring this pair to my Hermit Hole as well! The background is actually corn stalks growing right outside my window. I love corn and it brings a smile to my face every morning when I pull the blinds up.

I also did a little shopping today as we took the kids to a shopping mall for some last minute souvenir shopping. I tried returning a pair of sandals I bought online from Aldo because it really hurt when I tried walking in them, but because I had already worn them outside and they were visibly dirty, I couldn't return or exchange them. Oh well, I'll just have to unwillingly break them in wearing socks or something.

I also bought a simple blank tank top to replace one of my old ones that is showing holes. I really like loose tank tops because they can conceal the belly fat (very important!) and you can wear them casually or dress them up with a simple blazer!

I also bought an umbrella from The Bay to resist the Raincouver crazy weather that's going to be coming back soon. It's a gorgeous red colour because I'm more of a pedestrian than a passenger or driver.

59. Spanish Banks Outing

Today, we went to the beach and I think it was the perfect weather and time to go! I don't want to repeat my pictures as most of them will be on my Tumblr, so check them out there! Other than that, I did some sketching while I was at the beach.

58. Krause Berry Farm Outing

Today was the activity that I looked forward to the most this week! We went to Krause Berry Farm and although we didn't get to pick raspberries, I was able to get delicious raspberries through other means! We went on the mini tractor-train tour and that was pretty fun (especially when we head back to the gift shop because the tractor pulled us really fast). I didn't take a picture of the blueberries I picked because I gave them to a friend. My parents both love blueberries so a few days earlier, my dad bought home a bunch (and personally, I don't really like blueberries). He bought home too much, so my mom had to dry them out and store them as dried blueberries for future use.

In the drying process! Good thing the weather has been so cooperative!

Anyways, back to Krause Berry Farm, not Milly's Berry Farm!

These are the pictures I took after I had my two raspberry ice creams (with chocolate dipped cones) and berry tea. Each ice cream was given two scoops of ice cream and the chocolate and no chocolate dipped cones were the same price. It was only $2.89 (tax included)! Compared to the other places we've gone, it was the cheapest ice cream that was worth much more than its price! I love local people! Against the conventional thinking that it's the locals that make their prices skyrocket through their roof, it's actually the complete opposite! They try to bring you the best, while keeping the prices reasonable and fair!

These pictures were taken inside the pretty flower garden!

Isn't this little glass house just adorable? I love the "Home Sweet Home"!

Adorable bears made of grass/moss! I wanted to take one home with me!

More stand-up flowers! Once you notice them, you can't stop seeing them everywhere!

Another pretty house to welcome people into the garden! I love the colour theme the farm chose for their houses!

The gate of the garden.

Inside the garden. I wonder if those arches are used? Rose arches along the way would look amazing!

Just look at the sign on the house for "Flower"! The "W" is in the shape of a tulip! So creative and cute!

Exiting the garden, you can find yourself having a little refreshment at the Winery! Unfortunately, no drinking on the job, but maybe next time when I come here in my own time!

This is the gift shop and the people outside are eating these delicious looking berry waffles with whipped cream! Unfortunately, the cream is not freshly made, but it looked yummy nonetheless! It was a bit too expensive for me, so I held back.

Here is where the concession lies. They serve ice cream and other bakery goods and drinks! This is where I got my berry tea from. Although I was looking forward to having their yummy Berry Trifle, it ran out so I chose the tea instead.

This is inside the gift shop with its amazing array of creative decorations!



Look at the shelves with the cute strawberry vine decoration! I love how it's paired against white furniture!



Rolling pins hanging from the beam and cute signs for their products!

There were cute signs everywhere! Like this one, it says "Eat Your Veggies" at the local veggie stands.

Look at the size of these berry pies! They were around $15! If I drove here myself, I would definitely pick one up! They look so mouthwatering!

Some products they sell! They are all arranged with a theme, so for this section, it's the strawberry themed corner!

Two years ago, they had a giant strawberry Lego instead of this blueberry one. I prefer the strawberry one because it had more colours than this just blue blueberry one. Nevertheless, still pretty impressive!

I like how they have a lot of lighting! Some shops usually ignore lighting, but I think it is one of the most important structure in a store! If you skimp out on the lighting, then not all of your products will be seen. I really don't like shops with dim lighting either! It makes it seem very shady and it's like it's just telling you that their products are horribly made so they turned down the lighting so you won't figure that out (like Hollister and A&F).

Some of their strawberry themed merchandise. You can see a strawberry shaped neck pillow at the back. I actually bought one two years ago, but lost it when I moved. I wanted to buy one again, but decided against it because it was too small and I don't travel as much as I like.

The most adorable signs!

The gift shop is also connected to the Winery through this outdoor pathway. Pretty convenient if you ask me!

On the way to the Winery, displayed on the side of the pathway.

These were the seats at the counter! Aren't they amazing? I wanted to try sitting on one, but I was worried they'll think I was ordering something, so I didn't.

The last few pictures taken at the playground outside. I think the entrance to the playground is very befitting and clever!

Overall, I had a great time at Krause Berry Farm! The employees were very nice and smiles all around! I love customer service that treats each of their customers as if they were the first customers of the day!