Hedonistics Anonymous
Monday, April 28, 2008
BIg Apple Donuts & Coffee, you suckLast Saturday night, my family and I went to Big Apple Donuts & Coffee at The Spring to, well, try the donuts.
My sister was dispatched to stand in line which was soooo long, it resembled a double "S". Anyhoo, after waiting more than 15 mins to place her order (4 cups of tea + 4 free donuts), the bill came up to RM51.
My sister paid, then immediately sensed that the bill was on the high side, and so she asked for the receipt. The cashier told her, "Sorry, we have to keep all our customers' receipts."
My sister then asked the cashier to repeat the order. "4 cups of tea, and you get four free donuts with that, and a box of one dozen donuts," said the cashier.
"But I did not order one dozen donuts!"
"Yes you did, I saw you carrying a box just now."
Getting angrier by the second, my sister insisted that she wasn't carrying any box and even showed her bare hands to the cashier.
"Please refund me RM22. I did not order one dozen donuts."
The cashier kept insisting she saw my sister take a box of donuts and steadfastly refused to refund RM22. When she saw that my sister was really telling the truth, the stupid cashier tried to worm her way out from the situation by asking my sister to pick out one dozen donuts.
Sis exploded. "IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE ONE DOZEN DONUTS, I HAVE TO GET BACK IN LINE AND QUEUE UP FOR ANOTHER 20 MINS! I DON'T WANT YOUR DONUTS, JUST GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!"
In the end the cashier grudgingly gave her back RM22.
What a bitch.
The cashier was lucky that it wasn't me she was dealing with. My sister is relatively non-confrontational unless badly provoked. I wold have raised holy hell and demanded to see the supervisor. See if I don't come away with a box of free donuts. Haha.
Big Apple donuts are nothing to shout about anyway. Honestly, they taste similar to whatever Taka or Fujisan bakery is offering, except they've got fancy schmancy toppings. And they're SO SMALL. What a rip-off.
Mr Mike Chan, I don't think your donuts are less sweet lorh. Who are you trying to kid?
On the serious side, this is precisely why good customer service is so important. It takes just one disgruntled customer to take her dissatisfaction to the Net and presto! One black smear on your shiny little apple.
I've worked in the customer service industry before. When I first started out, some of the staff had a little disagreement with a customer. That was in Miri, and it was only with ONE customer - an old Malay guy. One week later, we received a call from HQ in KL saying that a customer complained about rude service in the Miri outlet and we were interrogated from top to bottom on what actually happened and how we should have dealt with the matter AND WHY WE SHOULD NEVER EVER EVER get into a disagreement with a customer because it takes just one tiny bad incident to tarnish the good name of the company.
It was a pretty humbling experience.
My sister was dispatched to stand in line which was soooo long, it resembled a double "S". Anyhoo, after waiting more than 15 mins to place her order (4 cups of tea + 4 free donuts), the bill came up to RM51.
My sister paid, then immediately sensed that the bill was on the high side, and so she asked for the receipt. The cashier told her, "Sorry, we have to keep all our customers' receipts."
My sister then asked the cashier to repeat the order. "4 cups of tea, and you get four free donuts with that, and a box of one dozen donuts," said the cashier.
"But I did not order one dozen donuts!"
"Yes you did, I saw you carrying a box just now."
Getting angrier by the second, my sister insisted that she wasn't carrying any box and even showed her bare hands to the cashier.
"Please refund me RM22. I did not order one dozen donuts."
The cashier kept insisting she saw my sister take a box of donuts and steadfastly refused to refund RM22. When she saw that my sister was really telling the truth, the stupid cashier tried to worm her way out from the situation by asking my sister to pick out one dozen donuts.
Sis exploded. "IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE ONE DOZEN DONUTS, I HAVE TO GET BACK IN LINE AND QUEUE UP FOR ANOTHER 20 MINS! I DON'T WANT YOUR DONUTS, JUST GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!"
In the end the cashier grudgingly gave her back RM22.
What a bitch.
The cashier was lucky that it wasn't me she was dealing with. My sister is relatively non-confrontational unless badly provoked. I wold have raised holy hell and demanded to see the supervisor. See if I don't come away with a box of free donuts. Haha.
Big Apple donuts are nothing to shout about anyway. Honestly, they taste similar to whatever Taka or Fujisan bakery is offering, except they've got fancy schmancy toppings. And they're SO SMALL. What a rip-off.
Mr Mike Chan, I don't think your donuts are less sweet lorh. Who are you trying to kid?
On the serious side, this is precisely why good customer service is so important. It takes just one disgruntled customer to take her dissatisfaction to the Net and presto! One black smear on your shiny little apple.
I've worked in the customer service industry before. When I first started out, some of the staff had a little disagreement with a customer. That was in Miri, and it was only with ONE customer - an old Malay guy. One week later, we received a call from HQ in KL saying that a customer complained about rude service in the Miri outlet and we were interrogated from top to bottom on what actually happened and how we should have dealt with the matter AND WHY WE SHOULD NEVER EVER EVER get into a disagreement with a customer because it takes just one tiny bad incident to tarnish the good name of the company.
It was a pretty humbling experience.
Labels: bad customer service, big apple donuts, rude
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Sago worms
My colleague N knows my love for sago worms and fried up a small batch for me. My father and I went through half the container before I remembered to take a photo of the worms.
Sago worms... lemak berkrim disukai ramai. Yums!
This would probably enrage animal conservationists, but I do enjoy eating exotic meat. So far the weirdest meats I've eaten are porcupine, bats, mouse deer and monitor lizard. Bat meat was probably the freakiest. The chef accidentally fried one of the bat's head together with the meat. It looked like a small gargoyle head equipped with a mouthful of fangs. The meat itself was nothing to shout about. There were more bones than meat, and my father's friend kept encouraging us to eat the stretch on skin on the wings. Not very pleasant.
Monitor lizard was goooooooooooood. Boiled in soup with kei chi (wolfberries), the meat was extremely smooth and tender. But I seldom hear of people eating monitor lizard anymore. I don't think monitors are endangered. The last time I went down to Satang Island, there was a huge monitor lizard on the loose that was eating protected turtle eggs.
Huge monitor lizard = lots of soft, tender meat. Hmm...
I think monitor lizards are one of the things people don't admit to eating. Like cats and dogs. People eat them as well, but nobody wants to admit that they do. I've never eaten cats, but I had dog meat a long, long time ago. I think I was eight or nine back then. The meat was cooked with soy sauce and ginger, much like how one would prepare venison.
Perhaps I should stop here. I'm only reinforcing the theory that Chinese people will eat anything.
Actually I think they do.
Sago worms... lemak berkrim disukai ramai. Yums!
This would probably enrage animal conservationists, but I do enjoy eating exotic meat. So far the weirdest meats I've eaten are porcupine, bats, mouse deer and monitor lizard. Bat meat was probably the freakiest. The chef accidentally fried one of the bat's head together with the meat. It looked like a small gargoyle head equipped with a mouthful of fangs. The meat itself was nothing to shout about. There were more bones than meat, and my father's friend kept encouraging us to eat the stretch on skin on the wings. Not very pleasant.
Monitor lizard was goooooooooooood. Boiled in soup with kei chi (wolfberries), the meat was extremely smooth and tender. But I seldom hear of people eating monitor lizard anymore. I don't think monitors are endangered. The last time I went down to Satang Island, there was a huge monitor lizard on the loose that was eating protected turtle eggs.
Huge monitor lizard = lots of soft, tender meat. Hmm...
I think monitor lizards are one of the things people don't admit to eating. Like cats and dogs. People eat them as well, but nobody wants to admit that they do. I've never eaten cats, but I had dog meat a long, long time ago. I think I was eight or nine back then. The meat was cooked with soy sauce and ginger, much like how one would prepare venison.
Perhaps I should stop here. I'm only reinforcing the theory that Chinese people will eat anything.
Actually I think they do.
Bobby says hello.I think he's got a little bit of Spitz in him.
No, he's not for eating.
Labels: bobby, exotic food, sago worms
Monday, April 21, 2008
I need somebody to volunteer to be my human punching bagListening to Layla's Kaylif's Shakespeare in Love (yes, very retro I know) while wiki-ing up Gus Van Sant... God, I love his movies so much.
Did you know that he directed My Own Private Idaho, starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix?
I never forgave River Phoenix for dying just when I was beginning to love him. He's absolutely gorgeous. And all his siblings have beautiful names.
Rain.
Summer.
Liberty.
I mean, there's no way I'm going to name myself or my future kids Rain because it'll look really weird (like those ah lian Hongkie girls calling themselves Coco, Bobo, or Jojo), but Rain Phoenix is a really cool name.
And don't you simply hate it when somebody bursts your bubble?
I have never second-guessed myself so much in my whole life. I wish I could up and leave like I always did before, but now I can't. I dare not. I think I'm trapped in some weird fucked up comfort zone. What IS a comfort zone anyway? I don't find it the least bit comfortable. Those psychobabblists should rename it quicksand zone or rat glue zone. Once you've gotten yourself trapped, it's a total bitch to get yourself out again.
Oh and my birthday is in, what, 10 more days and all I can think of right now is that thanks to the poor ventilation at Pizza Hut, my clothes currently stink of food and every time I turn slightly, I catch a whiff of something slightly oily and it makes me wanna puke.
I think I'm slightly depressed at the moment.
Ovulation sucks.
I need a cigarette.
Did you know that he directed My Own Private Idaho, starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix?
I never forgave River Phoenix for dying just when I was beginning to love him. He's absolutely gorgeous. And all his siblings have beautiful names.
Rain.
Summer.
Liberty.
I mean, there's no way I'm going to name myself or my future kids Rain because it'll look really weird (like those ah lian Hongkie girls calling themselves Coco, Bobo, or Jojo), but Rain Phoenix is a really cool name.
And don't you simply hate it when somebody bursts your bubble?
I have never second-guessed myself so much in my whole life. I wish I could up and leave like I always did before, but now I can't. I dare not. I think I'm trapped in some weird fucked up comfort zone. What IS a comfort zone anyway? I don't find it the least bit comfortable. Those psychobabblists should rename it quicksand zone or rat glue zone. Once you've gotten yourself trapped, it's a total bitch to get yourself out again.
Oh and my birthday is in, what, 10 more days and all I can think of right now is that thanks to the poor ventilation at Pizza Hut, my clothes currently stink of food and every time I turn slightly, I catch a whiff of something slightly oily and it makes me wanna puke.
I think I'm slightly depressed at the moment.
Ovulation sucks.
I need a cigarette.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Things to do before I die1. Visit Casablanca in Morocco.
2. Learn how to play the saxophone.
3. Watch Liverpool play at Anfield.
4. Watch Argentina play in a World Cup match.
5. Go for at least one cosmetic surgery.
6. Attend a real jazz concert.
7. Dine at Masa. At US$300 per head (excluding drinks, tax or tips) it is one of New York's most expensive and exclusive Japanese restaurants.
8. Be a guest on either Hell's Kitchen or the F-Word. Eat me, Mr Ramsay.
9. Own a pet shop.
10. Porsche 911 Turbo or 997 (own, drive, whatever).
11. Be happy.
2. Learn how to play the saxophone.
3. Watch Liverpool play at Anfield.
4. Watch Argentina play in a World Cup match.
5. Go for at least one cosmetic surgery.
6. Attend a real jazz concert.
7. Dine at Masa. At US$300 per head (excluding drinks, tax or tips) it is one of New York's most expensive and exclusive Japanese restaurants.
8. Be a guest on either Hell's Kitchen or the F-Word. Eat me, Mr Ramsay.
9. Own a pet shop.
10. Porsche 911 Turbo or 997 (own, drive, whatever).
11. Be happy.
Labels: aspirations, dreams, to do list, wishes
Friday, April 11, 2008
Book wish listArthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You
Author: Holly Black
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch
Author: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
(Get it cheap here)
The Dark Tower series:
Author: Stephen King
The Gunslinger (Get it cheap here)
The Drawing of Three (Get it cheap here)
The Waste Lands (Get it cheap here)
Wizard and Glass (Get it cheap here)
Wolves of the Calla (Get it cheap here)
Song of Susannah (Get it cheap here)
The Dark Tower (Get it cheap here)
I've got all three Philip Pullman books (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass) and my precious Neil Gaiman collection stands at 7 - Anansi Boys and Smoke and Mirrors were the latest additions.
Books make me so so so so sooooooooooooo happy.
Books make me so so so so sooooooooooooo happy.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The little furry diva
Labels: bella, diva, drama queen, hamster
Monday, April 07, 2008
I hate MondaysOne of the sweetest thing a guy ever did for me was to write me a poem.
Sure, anyone can write a poem... even of the roses are red, violets are blue variety, but it takes a HUGE amount of guts to compose a loooooooong romantic poem in English when you know very well your English sucks.
It's so fucking sweet when a guy does something for you even when he knows damn well he's not good at it or doesn't like it.
And excuse me for not blogging for so long. My neopet demands my full attention.
Sure, anyone can write a poem... even of the roses are red, violets are blue variety, but it takes a HUGE amount of guts to compose a loooooooong romantic poem in English when you know very well your English sucks.
It's so fucking sweet when a guy does something for you even when he knows damn well he's not good at it or doesn't like it.
And excuse me for not blogging for so long. My neopet demands my full attention.
My current lecturer has a very weird attitude about smoking. It's like she's half obsessed, half paranoid about it. She enjoys asking students whether they smoke, even the most mousy, nerdy ones who you know would rather die than pick up a cigarette. At the same time, she would vehemently claim that she doesn't smoke, but she's EXTREMELY FINE with people who do, because alot of her good friends are smokers.
And then she told the whole class that once when she was working with a big multinational company, she purposely got her colleague to take a picture of her holding a cigarette during some company event so that her bosses would think she's a high achiever.
I have no bloody idea how she managed to come up with the formula that smokers = focus, determined, high achievers.
At first I found it mildly amusing, but after awhile, I found it rather creepy. Like, right in the middle of class she started asking me what brand of cigarettes I smoked and how many sticks do I smoke in a day and why did I start smoking. Then the next second, she would say something like, "Yes, smoking is very relaxing. I mean, I HEARD that smoking is very relaxing and it can help you forget your problems so maybe it can be good for you that way. I don't know lah, obviously I don't smoke but alot of my friends do and I'm fine with it. *Turns to next student* So, do you smoke?"
So creepy!
And then she told the whole class that once when she was working with a big multinational company, she purposely got her colleague to take a picture of her holding a cigarette during some company event so that her bosses would think she's a high achiever.
I have no bloody idea how she managed to come up with the formula that smokers = focus, determined, high achievers.
At first I found it mildly amusing, but after awhile, I found it rather creepy. Like, right in the middle of class she started asking me what brand of cigarettes I smoked and how many sticks do I smoke in a day and why did I start smoking. Then the next second, she would say something like, "Yes, smoking is very relaxing. I mean, I HEARD that smoking is very relaxing and it can help you forget your problems so maybe it can be good for you that way. I don't know lah, obviously I don't smoke but alot of my friends do and I'm fine with it. *Turns to next student* So, do you smoke?"
So creepy!
