Shinjae Sung
04/07/10 (2nd draft)
You'd think knowing the waitress at your favourite bar would be helpful- but it isn't. Knowing the waitress is the worst thing possible for both the waitress and customer. Even now I am often reminded of an embarrassing encounter. It was a few months ago when I started my first waitressing job at a bar my friend, Chay used to call "A smoke filled cherry pie" with all the red faced drunks and cigarettes. At this bar the waitresses brought orders to tables but never took orders. Table orders were taken by whoever was manning the counter that night. So depending on how good the counter manager was that day, the waitresses at times had to juggle furiously with switched orders. If it hadn't been for a switched order I might not have bumped into a customer who was a student taking the same lecture as I was. The first problem was that I knew him from school, a place we all put on a nice mask to hide the fact we are individuals with wacky pastimes. Then there was the fact I had made the mistake of bringing him something he hadn't even ordered, hence the reason I bumped into him in the first place. We eventually said hello and I was on my way again delivering various water-pipes. But he seemed more bothered than I was because he kept watching me move to and fro from the kitchen and out again to wait tables. This wasn't all. Each time his girlfriend tried to be affectionate, he'd turn and try to lean away casually. What was worse was I could see this, his girlfriend could see this, he could see this and it turned into a nice big quarrel. The couple left soon after because a barely smoked cigarette was lying bent on the table. I'm guessing he didn't want a classmate to think he was less of a gentleman because he seemed so nice in class. It wasn't just him; I always prefer keeping my personal life separate from college so people will look at me like an average student. Another possible reason is that nobody likes having someone you know from other places like church or college, serve you food when they're usually studying or praying right along beside you. The worst waiter or waitress you can ever have is someone you know. I'd take a butterfingered waiter over someone I know any day.
Wasn't It Your Birthday Last Month?
Shinjae Sung
04/07/10 (2nd draft)
Pretend to forget the date of someone's birthday and it'll buy you the chance for the best surprise party. The most important rule in creating the perfect surprise party that nobody would ever expect is saying you forgot about it and making all preparations in secret. The first few steps are similar to what any birthday party would be like. First, choose how many people will be invited and stick to close friends because a surprise party can be overwhelming for your birthday-person when finally revealed. The number of people must be established ahead of time so that location can be decided. The more people, the larger the venue will be. Also, when choosing location, as it is going to be a surprise party, the places the person most often visits such as home, school or work is the best way to go. If there is a route the person takes daily such as the park or a certain street, it might be fun to get a small party ready there after getting permission from locals. Even in situations where there is a party venue that you are set on using, you can find out if this person has anyone around them with a birthday in the same month and pretend it is that person's party. This way you can easily take the real birthday-person to any location by saying it is someone else's party. Then comes contacting everyone to make sure the secret is kept and everyone must act oblivious of the birthday and the party. Keep in mind that there are always those who aren't so good at acting, so these people will need to be kept away from the birthday-person as the party date gets closer. Afterwards, on the day of the party, one person must keep in touch with or be with the birthday-person for most of the day so the plan won't suddenly change course. It is surprising how many times people just decide to do something on their own for their birthday, believing everyone has forgotten. I once had a surprise birthday ready only for the birthday girl to go get drunk on her own and come home five hours after the party was meant to start. By then, everyone had gone home and all that was left were soggy crisps and a few measly drops of wine. Finally, at home, work or whichever place you choose for the party, get everyone in perfect hiding places so nobody gets caught until the lights come on. Instead of just turning the lights on and saying, "SURPRISE!" it might be more original to be in a dimly lit room (like the workplace after hours). The birthday-person doesn't have to put the light on right away and can walk about suspicious of nothing for a few moments (in the workplace you could even have some people pretending to work late) before everyone springs up and gives that person a happy fright! Throwing a party isn't an easy task but with surprise parties, as long as you put enough effort into making the birthday-person oblivious of the party's existence beforehand, you're bound to succeed in making it a birthday to remember.
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