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mrs_blahwah
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Name: Ada
Gender: Female
Interests: Jesus, the way He affects people and what people thinkg of Him; M.A.C. (buy me some!); make-up in general (but I can only afford so much); Starbucks; playing guitar; singing; eating (yum yum!).
Expertise: Um... making lattes? I'm only 26, I can't be an expert at anything yet!!
Occupation: Student; barrrrrista!
Industry: God's Kingdom
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
9/22/2006
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| Since I only try out swanky restaurants (i.e. entrees costing avg. $20 - yes, I'm poor) on discount or coupon, I was very very excited to hear that Empire Lounge was having a promo night with everything save for alcohol discounted at 50%. Incredible!
It was a nightmare.
Seriously, I felt like I was dreaming throughout the whole evening. If it weren't for 4 other people there with me, I'd brush it off as a figment of my overactive imagination and never think of it again. But it was, unfortunately, very real.
The night starts off a bit wonky with me getting a bit stuck on the subway and getting off at the wrong station. Barely standing on 3.5" heels, I have to walk to the other end of Cumberland and make it there by 7 p.m (reservation was for 6:30 pm.. yikes!). Thank goodness Benny is on the same train as me so I don't look like a wobbling fool alone!
When we get there, Melissa, Anthony and my mother-in-law, Barbara, have already ordered appetizers. A red flag should have gone off in my head when the waitress comes back to re-write the 2 items they ordered. Two items!! It's only the first flub... but sadly, the first of many.
We get our appetizers in fairly decent time. They bring us another plate of bread, and after about 15 mins we've finished the bread and apps. They clear our table, then we wait about 10 mins for our order to be taken. Not bad.
We have our waters refilled.
We wait.
And wait.
And talk!
And have our waters refilled.
And wait.
It's almost 8 pm when we realize there's a crowd near the front of the room -
I should pause here to say we were given a table downstairs in the corner because we had 5 ppl. Originally it was 4 but we had an extra reservation for 2 so we called in earlier that day to ask if we could put the tables together. There was no problem. When Melissa & co. got there, the hostesses were discussing where to seat us and said something like "Well, we could put them downstairs, it should be okay." And so, we ended up downstairs. Not a bad place, and several other guests were brought down there as well
So as I was saying, there's a crowd gathering near the front of the room and I'm thinking they may over overbooked because the guests were talking with the waiters about where they could sit. Either that or they showed up early and were being demanding, which isn't too far fetched. We ignore them and keep an eye out for our food.
It's 8:10. We waited 40 mins for our food.
!!!!!
And the first waiter asks us who got the medium rare steak. None of us ordered medium rare. We all asked for rare steaks. He asks us to check that dish to see what it is and we find that it's rare. All should be good. So we get our 3 surf-n-turf's and 1 rack of lamb and start to dig in. Mind you, I'm all about rare steak. The way my mom cooks it the meat looks well-done on the outside but oh-so-juicy red on the inside. Red, not pink.
I cut open my steak. It's... well-done. *#@%&*()#@!!!!!!!!
But that's fine, I'll let it pass since I waited 40 mins for this one. I'm not about to wait another 40 mins.
On the (more) downside, the steak isn't even tasty. It's not marinated, the peppercorn-cognac cream sauce doesn't lend much flavour... it wasn't even lightly brushed with butter! Le Biftek has barely dressed steaks which tasted better than this. Unbelievable.
But food is food, so I keep eating. The waitress comes back to fill up our waters (she never checked up on us while we waited for food, by the way) at which point I tell her about my steak. I tell her as graciously as I could, and tell her that I'm going to keep it anyway but just wanted them to know that it's completely opposite to what I ordered.
Her response? "Oh... okay." And she walks off.
At least she looked a bit concerned. =T
So we keep eating. We notice the room getting more full and noisy... and warm! I mean, I know I'm wearing a sweater but I wasn't flushed during the first hour. And my Candy Apple Martini was barely sipped so it couldn't have been that.
Anthony had noticed before that the pre-debate show was on the tv. All of a sudden, we hear it blaring through the speakers. And we're sitting right under one of them.
More people are coming in. They're standing in between tables and on the stairs (there are 2 levels). We're pretty annoyed and I infer that they're putting the show on to appease the new customers. I mean, everyone else must be getting their meal slow and so the next group (due at 8:30 pm) must have started showing up.
But really, at our expense? We're already seated, have ordered, are eating... and you're going to disturb *our* dining experience to please people who don't even have tables yet? It's not even an entertaining show!
We're getting quite annoyed, Anthony most of all. I note how it feels more like Shoeless Joe's or Weg's than a fine dining place. Regardless of the price, we should expect the same atmosphere and pleasant time as those paying full price. This whole promotion is to get us to come back, right?
Then we realize it. I don't remember who figured it out, either Melissa or Anthony, but the group of people coming in aren't part of the next wave of diners. They've come as a partisan group to watch the presidential debate. So whether we like it or not, we're going to get an earful of American politics.
Le sigh.
I'm the last to finish my meal - most likely because I have more to chew through. A waiter comes by to take my dish when I mention to him about my steak.
"I'm really sorry about your steak ma'am... we're getting rammed here."
"I know, which is why I took the steak anyway, I know you're having enough trouble. I just wanted to let you know so you could tell the chef so it won't happen again-"
"It probably will!" *rueful smile*
"Hehe, well, I just wanted to let you know." Pleasant smile. =)
At this point, he asks what he can do to make things better. He can't give a further discount because it's already at 50% but to be honest, seeing now how every crevice of the room has someone standing in it and we basically want to get out of there, I don't know what to ask for. He suggests dessert and I ask the others if there's something they want to try, then he says he can get a free dessert for everyone.
I felt really bad for the guy, who I'm pretty sure is the manager. He looked like the only one trying to get things done. Every other waiter/waitress looked like they wanted to jet or just couldn't care less. But he offered free dessert, and there was creme brulee... and toasted marshmallow ice cream! So we order 2 of each of those, plus a chocolate mousse cake.
While we wait, the debate having just started, we see our corner booth slowly being cut off by the Democrat supporters. They were standing right in front of our table and if we wanted to get out, we'd have to push through 2 or 3 of them. Anthony wanted to give the one guy a piece of his mind, but it wasn't worth making a scene over. =T
The desserts come in about 10 mins which feel like 20 because of the droning debate - which would have been interesting if we were watching at home - and everything tastes great. The creme brulee is a cold version with fruit, which is nice but I think they added too much sugar for the brulee, at least for mine. We ask this waiter (another guy) for the bill and he barely acknowledges as he leaves.
We finish our dessert. No bill.
While we wait (notice a theme here?), we see 2 guys come out to serve food. They're dressed in cooks' outfits.
They got kitchen staff to serve the food!!!! And poor them, they were clueless. Overwhelmed as well, I'm sure. Couldn't figure out at all who the dishes went to. Oh, and we could see them because the people who were standing right in front of us eventually moved.
A lady asks us if those dishes are ours. The same lady who asked the previous group at her table if they were finished so they could take the table. I thought that only hapened in HK! Democrats can be just as rude, I guess. Obama represents yet a small minority of civilized Americans. We tell the lady those aren't ours. She smiles and responds with, "Are you all leaving soon?" The nerve!! Like it's our fault we're still here!!! I give her a smirky smile with a hint of glare.
Finally the dessert waiter comes by to clear our dessert dishes. We ask him again for the bill and again, a slight nod. Then the waitress who first served us came with it and we were just a hair away from leaving the place. Until we realize all the wait staff have left for the other room or elsewhere and we had no one to give our payment to. >.<
Benny goes up to the bar to deal with it. A minute later we're gathering our coats to leave. He mentions he wants to talk to the manager on the way out. That's if we make it out! We had to weave through people on the stairs and seated in every spot they could. Would they budge for us lowly diners? BAH!
Please note I'm on my 3.5" heels. And my feet are horribly squished at the front. With almost all my weight pushing them there. *whimper*
We finally make it upstairs and just then see the manager. Benny says, "We just wanted to talk to you about tonight-"
"Honestly, there's nothing to talk about. I don't want to talk about it. We had one event booked by an agency and another by a real live person and double-booked ourselves. We did the best we could and the food was good and we tried to compensate a bit with desserts. If you want to come again, here's my card and I'll take care of you."
Well, there wasn't much to say after that. I really did feel bad for him. It's not like he didn't do what he could or he brushed us off. I'm sure every one of the other groups which left before us talked to him too. He's is, unfortunately, incredibly aware of the situation. So we say our thanks and goodbyes and start to leave.
On the way out I see him address the table right behind where we were standing and overhear, "Are you the manager? Because we've been waiting over half an hour for our food..."
At the very least, I know my night wasn't the worst! At the most, I won't be going back. Maybe in a couple years if we've got more disposable income, but there are other swanky restaurants to try.
If you're curious, we left no tip. In the meantime, we'll be checking out the restaurants we know and love with the coupons we have. Pizza Rustica, here we come!
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| Okay, horrible title, but I hope it got your attention. I feel compelled to write about this topic because it's an issue Christians continue to misunderstand and abuse. I was sitting in a Sunday School class earlier this week and the question posed was, "What is not right to God?" Several things came up but the last one struck me most, not so much the content as the delivery. The woman said, "I looked at the paper and saw the heading for Pride Week, and *shudder* I know that is wrong!" From a Christian standpoint, there is nothing and everything wrong with her statement (although even that standpoint is being debated, but let's go with the majority here). Yes, homosexuality is not right to God. But please people, let's remember to hate the sin and love the sinner. The repugnance with which she shared her point repulsed me because she was talking like she wanted to throw the newspaper she saw as far away from her as possible. If she is like that to a newspaper article, how would she be to an actual person, someone who would need compassion and acceptance? If she has that attitude towards people who do wrong, how can she witness to them, nevermind preach to them the gospel? I'm not saying she's a bad person any more than I'm saying LGBT's are bad people. There's just so much misunderstanding and unnecessary stigmatizing we need to break down and clear. If we Christians don't want to look like bigots (heheh, I always hear that word as "bye-gots") then, well, we better stop acting like ones! Stop using the word "gay" to describe something you don't like. It's incredibly derogatory. Imagine how offensive it would be if someone tried to insult another by saying, "That's so autistic!" I can imagine a lot of angry glares towards the name-caller. As Christians, we definitely should not be promoting such negativity. (**disclaimer** I am in no way comparing LGBT's to autistic people but merely trying to draw attention to something else which people would find offensive) Try to treat LGBT's (or anyone you think might be) as regular people because they are! They struggle with things just as much as we do, it only happens to be something different. God didn't intend for any of us to be gay, short-tempered, moody, work-aholics, alcoholics, drug addicts, shopping adicts, manipulative, lustful, prideful - and the list goes on - but each of us are susceptible to something and it's much harder to deal with the thorn in our side if people alienate us, nevermind hate us. There was a National Post article written by someone pro-gay and at the end some perspective by a reverend was written in. Replying to the scientific possibility of altering an embryo to keep from being gay, he whole-heartedly said yes. I personal would be against this but of course, where do you draw the line? I reason for saying no is that by changing someone like that deprives us of being challenged on how to love. It's easy for us to love someone who is in our minds perfect. Let's remember that we are far from perfect and yet God decided to keep loving us despite our rejection of him, so much that he sent his son Jesus to pay the price we could never pay simply because of our imperfection. I think changing an embryo's likeliness to be gay is as bad as changing its gender simply because of one's preference or one's perception that one gender is easier to live out or be loved. Some would ask whether the line should be drawn to include children with Down Syndrome or Autism or any other abnormality. To that I can only answer for myself as I have learned from my mother. There was a chance my youngest brother could have been born with abnormalities because my mother was pregnant with him late in life so she was given the option to abort - the most technologically accessible option at that time. She pondered it for a couple of days and told the doctor that she was going to keep the baby, no matter what difficulties it may face, because either way it deserved to be loved and God has blessed her with this child so she'll see it through. She had the baby - Dudon - and, as I say it, he came out with nothing worse than a big head. It could have been different but I know my mom would have loved him just as much. This isn't a stance on pro-choice or not, just a simple illustration as to why I would choose to keep the baby which is the same reason why I would not alter my baby: he or she deserves to be loved just as he or she is. I'm not going to discuss particular difficulties or obstacles which are definitely special cases but just putting my perspective out there for others to think about. So at the end of this, what am I trying to say? That we should show compassion as Jesus did but not forget or neglect the difficulties and differences others face just as Jesus did. That we should preach God's will and intent along with mercy. Where or how you draw the line is between you and God but at the very least, love others, show compassion and encourage others to do the same. How else will the kingdom of God be seen in our time? And this Pride Week, get some perspective and try to understand where LGBT's are coming from instead of criticizing from one corner. Ironically, you may find they are more compassionate than some Christians you come across. | | |
| These are thoughts I've jotted down over the last few weeks and February 1 is a good time to pause and reflect on them. 1. It's great to spend New Year's Eve without the weight of responsibility so you can be a bit stupid if you like. Even better when there are people around doing stupider things. =D 2. Shopping in the States using American money without having to calculate back how much I spent in Canadian dollars is GREAT! Buying 5 MAC items for the price of less than 3 at retail price is even better. Take in the sweetness. 3. Intersession courses are brutal for everyone involved (i.e. profs and students) but for one reason or another, we will all persevere - unless we're called to go to Minnesota. (Ha, just kidding Kevin!) 4. God is funny with his reality checks: After much wishing on my part, Benny finally agrees to us looking into a trip to Europe for early 2009. Then I start to feel funny... like dizzy and nauseous... and lightheaded... and fatigued... and realize that if became pregnant over the next half year, it would be bittersweet b/c we wouldn't get to go to Europe (not enough money on one salary to go before 2009). How horrible is that, to lament being pregnant because I wouldn't get to see Le Louvre or Stonehenge? C'mon, it's a BABY!! That'd be awesome, right? Then again... visiting Europe with kids in tow isn't my idea of a wonderful trip. *sigh* That sounds so small of me. 5. Normalcy is a beautiful thing, especially when your body couldn't control its own temperature for almost 2 weeks. Sweating but not feeling warm, feeling a deep cold but not chills, rubbing arms and legs and back but no shivering... it's more exhausting and frustrating than you'd think. Couple this with the dizziness and nausea from #4 and you've got a very annoyed Ada. Heat packs and a humidifier helped but were not my salvation. 6. Never take talents for granted. I can't sing anymore, at least not in a way I'm not embarassed about. Lack of practice really gets to you. I can't express how much this sucks. To sing a dearly loved song and then hear your voice crack like a pubescent boy's or not being able to hold a note for more than 1/2 a bar is so discouraging. I'll try to keep practicing, at least 15 mins a day. Not having a piano really hinders this, but at least my guitar skills might improve. 7. Hamsters are resilient animals. Both of my hamsters got one back paw caught in the wheel but I was present for one of them, which I freed from the wheel. The hamster which didn't get help, Milk, chewed off her own paw to free herself. She cannot stand up balanced now! =( The other hamster, Chocoloate, has swelling in her paw but it went down after 2 weeks. Then something else happened to it and it started turning very dark and cold. It eventually went black and, the nxt morning, half the paw was gone! By the evening it was all gone. So both Milk and Chocolate have a back paw missing. 8. Speaking at another church is refreshing for perspective. Speaking in general is easier to handle when your host seems more nervous than you are. =P Not that my host was nervous about me speaking! - but about how the service would go, where the set-up crew was, etc. 9. There is hope for the next generation! In my sermon we looked over some commandments Jesus mentions in a particular passage and I asked the group (Gr. 7-9) which ones were missing without looking it up. I didn't expect much of a response, a scattered one at best, but one girl cautiously, quietly yet confidently named them off without a hitch! It's great to know there are still some people reading their Bible, picture version or otherwise. And that they care to use it! 10. Always let the people you esteem know how you feel about them. I'm not talking about spilling your guts out, but just making sure you - sincerely - say hi and ask them how they're doing so they know you care about them. I found out this weekend that a dear customer of our Starbucks store passed away over the holidays. I didn't know her well but over the last year we've been chatting more when I'm making her drink or when I come in for a drink myself and find her there. It was so shocking to learn she's gone and that I'll never be serving her doppio espresso with ice water on the side ever again. 11. Friendships aren't - or shouldn't - be based on what you do together but who you are together. Expressions made between each other are confirmations of the friendship, not the substance of it. That sounds contradictory to #9, but that's something for you to do and this one is something you allow for other people. If a friend is down and can't express their love for you, it's not the end of the friendship! That person needs to be built up, not abandoned. Lack of action when you can do something is something to be criticized, but if the friend fails to act or express because s/he is struggling, why hold that against him/her? Then the friend can't truly be him/herself around you, and what good is that for anybody? 12. Being neurotic isn't easy, but I have to give myself credit when my gut is telling me something because I'm usually right. | | |
| It's been a few weeks since I've properly seen my family, so I decide to meet with them for lunch even though I have a horribly late paper to finish. Little did I know that lunch wouldn't start till 2 p.m. instead of 1 p.m. (or even 1:30!), and that I wouldn't get home till near 4 p.m. The Decision: Should I go to dinner with the in-laws for Grandma's birthday tonight? CONS 1. Most likely will take 2 hours, one of which could be dedicated to writing my paper instead. 2. *sigh* Being around many people might drain me and I'd be too tired to do my paper, or at least would need some debriefing time before I start writing (that part of me sucks!). PROS 1. Will I actually spend that other hour working? I still have to cook, clean up, might get distracted with something else - I usually like to finish whatever I'm watching while I'm eating. 2. I don't have to cook. I don't have to clean. I don't have to smell like garlic or fried eggs. 3. I get to see my in-laws, whom I haven't seen properly in awhile either, nor Benny's paternal grandmother whose birthday it is. 4. We might get li-see. =D Weighing out these pros and cons, I decided to go. Figured if dinner starts at 7:15 p.m. latest (we're all supposed to be there for 7 p.m.), we might be able to get back for 8:30, maybe 9 p.m. since we have to drive Benny's maternal grandparents, and they'd want to stay for the whole thing. The booking was made for 7:30 p.m. The restaurant was packed at 7:15 p.m. No one looked like they were going to move from their table at 7:30 p.m. There were at least 3 big tables' worth of people waiting to be seated, maybe even 4. GAH!! It would be rude to go back home now! And how would Benny and his grandparents get back home? So I stayed. We got a table near 8 p.m. We got food near 8:30 p.m. We ate a lot. We talked a lot. We left at 9:50 p.m. We got home at 10:20 p.m. Good thing is, I'm not that drained. =D *sigh* Maybe I'm not meant to pass this course. My body can't handle less than 6 hrs of sleep/night, and trying that for one night throws me off quite a bit. I hate that about my body! A different context for "The heart/mind is willing but the flesh is weak." Hopefully this paper will be done for Tuesday. I'm already expected my next paper to be pretty darn late. *shaking fist at self* | | |
| It's amazing how kindness from someone can make your heart sing. It's also sad how it makes you realize how much you needed it. I've been getting along okay this term, burnt out but at least with a positive attitude - much better than the depression of last year - and laughing more! Small talk with someone I'm getting to know and an extension of kindness reduced me to blubbering bits, and it's taken me even a day to recover enough to get some work done. All my hurts, disappointments and near-misses rose to the surface simply because someone recognized I was carrying them. But it gives me hope, that despite I don't see this type of kindness offered in the church, it does happen, and can happen to me! Hopefully I can someday bless someone else in a like manner. | | |
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