Gothic Fusion Belly Dancer

10 Things You NEVER Do In A Restaurant

2008-12-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

Since I had a bad day at work today, and I am a bit angry, i decided to blog about it instead of punshing a wall in. From a person who has worked inr restaurants for a long time, I made a list of the things that a person should never EVER do in a restaurant.

when you walk into a restaurant, be nice to the hostess, because she most of the time does not care about you, and does not want to put up with you being picky on where or with who you want to sit with. Just go where they tell you to sit, and don't question it.
try as much as you can to not make custome orders for yourself, because then, there is a good chance that it will not turn out how you want it, and then there goes the waiter's tip just because you had to change up the order.
always be patient. If the food is taking longer than expercted, do not complain, always keep in mind that it is not really our intention to keep your food waiting, we just want to give you the food so we don't have to worry about you anymore.
don't be rude to the employee, such as cut them off, or insult them, or give them a hard face, because they are going to want to do bad things to your food. remember that this is our job, and we know how to do it much better than you do, so let us do our job, and do not think that you can do it better
always keep in mind the fact that you are in a public place, and so what you have to do in private, actually in private. We don't want to see you sucking face with your significant other while we try to hand you the plate, and do not scratch, pick, or touch yourself in places in your body where we do not want to see it. people please, remember there is always a bathroom nearby
if you are in a large group, and you have already paid your check and everything is ready to go, don't just sit there and take up space. the table that you are sitting in can be used by another potential customer that is ready to pay, instead of a person that has already paid and is not allowing the server to get another table. when you are done, get off your butt and leave, we really don't want you there anymore.
never assume anything. that's the huge mistake many people make, thinking that the people there are paid to be a customer's slave, that's not rue. If you want another refill of water, do not assume that we see it and we will automatically do it, no way. please, call it to our attention and we'll do it for you. do not assume that we will wait on you hand in foot, because honestly, we won't
do not ever enter a restaurant less than 15 minutes before it closes. trust me, you will not be welcomed and you will not get good service. we are really tired, we want to go home, and we have to start everything over again the next day. you are more wanted to be kicked out if you are picky and expect us to want you there. we're human too, and we have other things to do, like get a good night's sleep, so we want to get home as soon as we can, and the last thing we want is a customer coming in when we are about to close.
if you have children and you take them out to a restaurant, always make sure that they know how to behave themselves, or if not, that you can control them. seriously, there is nothing more annoying than having a screaming baby making a mess. please, if you had a child to raise, teach them to not act like that in a restaurant. not only does it make the employee uncomfortable, it also makes the cusomter's around you very uneasy.
I can't emphisis this enough, NEVER EVER leave the server less than 15% of the tip. try to be considerate, and remember that we really need the money and we try to give you the best service we can just so we can get a portion of the bill. understand that it is very frusterating to only get a $2 tip on a bill that comes up to be $150. we believe that we deserve a minimum of 15% of the buill because we are actually working very hard, and just like everyone else, we really need that money.

So next time you go to a restaurant, and you follow my tips, realise that it will turn out a better dinning experience for you and definately for us.

Karen

G Rated?

2008-12-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, i was surffing youtube and google just to kill time, and i saw this website that told you all the "unchild-like" things that are shown in children programs, and that caught my eye. i was amazing to see how many subliminal messages that companies like Disney, Nickolodian, and Cartoon Network show. I'm sure that children see it as innocent, but when they get older, will or how much will it effect them in the long run?

I read that in a Disney animated movie, "The Rescuers," it showed a bare, naked woman on 2 slids of film. It was just shocking to say the least. How can we not notice things liek that when we are little? Did it effect us? How much did it effect us? Another shocker was in the film "Who Framed Rodger Rabbit," the very sexy and almost "porn-like" character, Jessica Rabbit, had a Basic Instinct moment in the movie when she gets off a taxi and very unlady-like spreads her legs.

Not only are children films showing adult contents, they are also giving out subliminal messages. Such as in Aladdin, which just so happens to be one of my favorite Disney Classics, Aladden originally saids at one point, "good teenagers, take off your clothes" instead of "good kitty, take off and go." I was left in awe, because i never heard it or even thought that it would say that. Ironically enough, Aladden had a worse saying that sparked controversy, not only to children and parents, but also to Arab-Americans. In the opening song "Arabian Nights," how the song was originally written was "where they would chop off your ear, if they don't like your face, it's barberic, but hey, it's home, " but because of the controvercy and the threat of the movie never making it to theaters, Disney re-wrote the song to say "where the heat is blassing, and in your face, it's barberic, but hey, it's home."

The question that was just left in my head was if Disney leaves messages so X- rated on purpose, or if it just happens intentionally? i believe that whatever makes money, will, and sometimes controvercy will improve a movie instead of break it down. it helped previous movies like "Clockwork Orange," but Disney is no Clockwork Orange.

Who knows what else we enjoyed as children have subliminal messages that we can only be aware when it's too late. Maybe people won't want to let their children see movies such as Aladden or The Rescuers, but that would jsut be stealing a child's imagination.

Only the future knows what Micky Mouse will pull out of his porn, adult, controvercial hat for the next generation.

Karen

Heartbreak

2008-11-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

Doesn't it suck when you see your ex with another person? I mean, you fool yourself to say that you're over your ex, but when you see them with their new significant other, it just kills you inside. I just experienced that. I mean, I was fortunate enough to not see them face to face or kissing or anything, but it still was not easy to see. I was lucky enough just to see it in a picture.

I mean, this was not just another ex boyfriend or anything, this was my ex fiance, it was someone very very special to me, and I saw him with his new girl. Keep in mind that he left me to go to this girl when we were going to get married, actually right in the middle of our wedding plans, he left me. So needless to say that I am not 100% over him and what he did to me.

A few people have told me that it may be for the better that me and him did not get married, but I was ready to get married, and I was ready to spend the rest of my life with this person and he just leaves me, of course it hurts seeing him with someone else.

Maybe I'm overreacting, I mean, 10 people can not be wrong. I don't think I will ever be 100% over him, he was my first and only fiance at this point. Hopefully one day, I'll stop suffering.

Karen

The Value of Love

2008-11-09T21:20:00.001-08:00

Since we're talking about love and romance now, I remembered about an auction that I was once in when I became 18. It was a man auction. How women would bid on going on a date with a man of their choosing.

At first, I thought it was really cool and funny that women had the freedom to pay a dollar value of how much they feel they would want to pay to date a man. The bidding would go up until $850 and more depending on how much the women wanted to date the guy. I figured that the men were excited that women would pay so much money to go on a date with them.

It made me think of two things. First, it made me think of how much women are willing to pay for men to pay attention to them, and go on a date with them. I figured that it was really really nice to go on a date with a person that may not be a right guy or nice guy, but there is the intention of having a nice time, and enjoying yourself with another person. It's almost funny that people would pay a dollar amount to feel special with an attractive person.

The other thing that crossed my mind was the old saying that "Love Don't Cost A Thing"; it made me wonder if it was actually true or not. I mean, yeah I did like seeing men allow themselves to be bedded on, but it made me wonder if they were comfortable with that. I mean, as a woman, I wouldn't be comfortable having men pay for me to go on a date with them.

Who knows if it really works or not, a male auction, but I guess it's one of those things that you have to try it once to see if you like it or not. I plan to actually win a bid one day, and see if it's worth it or not, getting attention by my money rather than by my looks.

Karen

Halloween

2008-11-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

This year was the first year that I went to Coconut Grove for Halloween. It was so much fun and I had a blast. The only thing that had my worried was the weather. I was wearing an outfit that was provocative, so I didn't want to be too cold. Another thing that got me worried was that I was wearing high heeled boots, and I knew that there was going to be a lot of walking to do, so I didn't want to walk too much, but little did I know, that I didn't have much of a chance to sit down as much as I wanted too.

There was music, and very entertaining customs. The costume that I kept on seeing throughout the night was a bumble bee outfit for the ladies and th Joker outfit for the guys. I took pictures of people that just had the most outrageous customs, like a guy that was wearing a Borat custom, and a couple that was dressed as Adam and Eve.

All in all, it was a good night, and I plan to relive it again next year, just with a different costume.

Karen

Not Even Dreaming

2008-10-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

Today in class, iwe brought up a topic that I would like to expland my opinion on, and it was the topic of many American families during Dinner. I heard responses on how people act in a restaurant and how people behave at home, and how people behave on special occations with a bigger family.

When I was younger, both of my parents were very strick about how me and my sister should behave in a dinner table. Every night we would sit down at the table, and just chat about our day. This brings up my interest in the class discution we had today. A few people mentioned that they would watch TV while eatting dinner, and it would feel like a chore if there wasn't anything to do, or watch.

Now, even for me, it's rare that I do sit down in the dinner table with anybody else, and when I do sit down on the table, it is almost never a fresh cooked meal. Usually, I will just pop something into the microwave and call it dinner. I must confess that I do miss the old days when there was company at the dinner table everynight and people did convers with me about anything.

When it comes to sitting down and eatting at a restaurant, I would do that once a week when my family had a better income, but now, I try to keep that small tradition alive, even if it's with me and my mother one, or just me and my dad. I would behave at a restaurant when I was with my family, we would never sit around the TV, and we would still chat wit each other, along with enjoyingt he meal. When it comes to screaming babys nearby, we would never complain or mention anything to anyone around us, but nowadays, I see that to be different.

I work in a restaurant now, and I do see many people complain and fuss and bitch and moan over the smallest things. I now see that the family has broken down and when it comes to children, it has a major impact on them. I no longer see much nurturing and discepline when it comes to children. Most people just let them run around as the do nothing, which just reminds me that I would never act that way if I was around my parents at that age.

Times have changed, and I know and accept that, but I think the traditional breaking down of the family is just too much. I would love to see more families together acting like a nice community based on love and confidence, but that just doesn't seem to fly around here anymore, it's more like endagered species.

Karen

Tradition

2008-10-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

I believe that the obvious answer to this age old question is that tradition is what people do over and over again, throughout the ages. In a way, that's very true, I think that tradition is just something a person grows up with, as being natural. What may be natural to me may not be natural to other people, like I'm used to hanging out with guys and going out with my group of guys friends on the weekend, other people just stay home and eat a nice dinner on the weekend.

I don't have much to say about tradition. I just think that it's something that people are always going to have and do throughout their lives. Whether it's with one self, family, or a group of people, traditions is something that everyone has and will continue until a person dies.

Karen

Good Deal or Rip Off?

2008-10-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

I need a few people's opinion about something. I make a living out of doing henna tattoos, sometimes for money, and sometimes as a favor. I don't live off it, but since it's something I like to do, I really don't mind buying the henna ink, and practicing how to draw.

Now, the henna ink itself, is really difficult to find. I only know one store that sells it, and it doesn't always have them on stock, so when I do go to the store (which is really far from where I live and I don't have a car), I'm always at chance that there will be or there won't be ink. Also, the ink itself, is really cheap, not in the good kind of cheap, and not really the best quality, but I manage since I can't find ink anywhere else.

I don't really like buying anything online, because I know that whatever I buy is going to cost me an arm or a leg for the shipping and handling, on top of the actual item itself, but I took a chance. I found a website that sells ink and other henna miscellaneous materials that can help out my practice.

On that website, I bought an 10 oz. bottle of pre-made henna ink (which is a lot), and a stencil book with 20 pages which has 80 pictures of stencils I can make with no problem. Both items came to a total of $84, plus the $12 of s&h, so in total it cost me $96.

I have never paid that much money for any ink before, but then again, I only buy a 2.5 oz. of ink at a store, and as far as stencils go, I usually just print pictures off the internet and make stencils out of them. Then again, I continue to buy ink when I can find it, and that's almost $20 every time I buy ink.

Did I get ripped off or did I get a good deal? Should I buy it again or should this be my last time buying ink online?

More Than Just An Accident

2008-09-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Everybody hates to admit that the old say "you never know what you got until it's gone" is very much true. I guess I learned that the hard way recently. ZEverybody has that close friend that may not speak or see from each other too often, but you really like having them around because you're friends with the person, and you never imagine that anything bad will happen.

Unfortunately that occured to me a fewdays ago. When I got news about my friend, I was devistated, and very much in shock. How can somethign like this happen to someone to close to me? I have always heard of things like these happening to other people, and I did feel sorry for them, but I could never imagine that it would happen to somone that I knew personally and so close to.

It difficult to see someone in a state of being extremly vulnerable and afraid that you really can't do much to help them. I would have never imagined seeing my friend the way he was, so helpless, so vulnerable, that I just had to break down. I guess now I value my friend that much more, because I almost lost him, and I should value more things around me, because sooner or later, everything leaves.

It's not really a positive thing to think about, but the only positive I can see from coming out of all this isthat in every difficult situation, the obsticle maybe high, but the gratitude and the strength that a person gains from it in the end is astronomical. When all this ordeal is over, I know that my friend will be a better person and so will I.

Karen

The Exact Definition

2008-09-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

If you look up the word "Identity" on the internet or a dictionary, what will people actually find? Identity could be used in such a vague and general term, that it would take more then 5 pages to write about. I believe that someone's identity is based on who the person thinks they are.

I confess that sometimes I find myself thinking that I may be a bad person because of certain mistakes that I do, but I would not consider myself a bad person. Does anybody really consider themselves a bad person?

Identity may have a lot to do with what drives our life, whether it would be love, or lust, or religion, or possibly theories that people live by. If a person's belief is what drives their life and is present in their everyday life, then that can be a big portion of what they believe their identity is.

In my opinion, what makes up a person's identity is a combination of morals, beliefs, opinions, and instincts. I strongly believe that those elements do carry us from the moment we're born, until the day we die. They are what we will live with, and is what really sets us apart from other people, because no two people have the same beliefs, morals, instinct, and opinions.

Anything that sets a person apart from the world and what makes you an individual, then I think that's what a person's identity really is. At my age, I believe that I do have a very well idea of who I am, and what will be the choices I may make in my life to come, even if they are mistakes. I can't tell you the exact definition of a person's identity, but I can't say that the only person who does know the answer to the question is the person who is asking.

Karen

Playing God?

2008-09-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

I don't see myself as a religious person, in fact, I try to avoid religious conversations with people that are not Jewish because I know that somewhere along the conversation, someone is going to get offended, but what happened yesterday has got me scratching my head.

This 17 mile long tube machine known as the "Large Hadron Collider", is supposed to make up the protons that it took to make the Big Bang from happening, so in other words, instead of the Big Bang, it's supposed to make a man-made Small Bang.

I'm not too knowledgeable in science, but I know that the big Bang wasn't man made, and it did have it's consequences. What makes me nervous is that scientist are not certain about the consequences that this "Small Bang" is going to bring.

I'm all for human success, and that humans do have a role to do with the creation of the world that we live in now, but I think that there are certain elements in science that should not be touched upon by human.

Something else that has got me wonder is why it cost $6 million? Most people don't know exactly what it does, and how it can benefit humans. In my opinion, it's all for research, but it's knowledge that may not be put into good use, so in a way, I think it's a waste of too much money.

For situations like these, I'll leave that up to "miracles" or whatever super natural being that's responsible for the first Big Bang.

Karen

I Would Have Never Known

2008-09-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

When I was 16 years old, I didn't have much friends that had a job at my age, and I didn't think that working was nothing more then a reason to get out of my house while getting paid.

My older sister who still lived with me back then had been pushing me to getting a job, and then one day she took me to the mall and up and down streets to gather applications and try to get interviews for jobs.

Because of the facts that I was very young, inexperienced, and was still in high school, many employers didn't give me a chance, but then II got a call back from a small restaurant.

I've heard of that place before and have ate there previously, but I never would have thought that I'd be working there. So to my excitement, I was hired and began my training.

At first I didn't know what to expect. I thought that most people were just naturally nice to each other, but I got a rude awakening. I was yelled at, given bad looks, insulted, and had something thrown at me by customers who I had to put up with.

As time went by, I left that job and worked in two more restaurants, both successful experiences, and dealing with customers one on one. My work experience with the public had opened my eyes to the kind of people that are out there in the world. I would have never imagined people be so impatient, rude, and just down right mean to each other and to strangers that are not trying to find a problem.

I find myself now, once again working in a restaurant and continuing to deal with customers, but not all customers are rude, some are actually nice and will say "goodnight" back to you when they leave. If I can take away anything from my experiences in the customer service industry is to never take for granted the kindness of strangers, because it's the trivial jestures, compliments, and the "thank you"'s that will always give me a sense of acomplishment and pride in my work environment.

Karen

New Hobbie

2008-09-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got my first tattoo with my brother on his birthday before he left to Europe again, I've noticed that I became more and more attractive to the art of tattooing. Now I openly admit that I am addicted to tattoos and body art.

My downfall was the fact that I was a poor artisy. I couldn't draw too well, and I didn't have enough money or time for someone to teach me or for me to learn by myself. All of that changed when I saw a friend of mine had a brown sort of ink on her hands. I was immediately interested and attracted tot he new form of ink that was temporary but every much exotic. I did my research on the form of ink, and my new hobby was born.

Henna tattooing for was a sort of middle point between no tattoos at all and getting another tattoo done on me. Since I didn't not have too much money to have someone do henna tattoos on me every week or when I wanted one, I had to earn how to do it on my own. The problem came back to the surface about my lack of drawing skill, but I got information on how to do a tattoo stencil, so I wouldn't have a difficult time tracing.

Little by little, my interest soon became an obsession. I have always been attracted into the middle eastern fashion and culture. I have learn the dance of gothic fusion and mastered their fasion and make up, now I had learned how to design and do heir body art.

I may one day go to the middle east and see how it's really like over there, but as for now, because there is a war going on and I don't want to rink life or limb, I think I'll stay here mean while.

Karen