Blog entries to minimise a bit due to lack of cool stuff happening! Work gets slightly better!

I'm now starting to settle into a bit of routine in my new place, so blog posts will now move onto a weekly rotor as I will have less stuff to talk about. Work this week was a lot better, I managed to get all of my tasks done this Monday, and leave at vaguely the right time for the first time. But as the week carried on it got harder to get everything done that I am supposed to do, as the restaurant gets busier. Luckily Conner, one of the chefs who kind of runs the day shift is becoming quiet a good mate, so he often helps me out, or lets me of duties if there just isn't time to do them. The tough bit is the rotor for what I'm supposed to get done assumes you start at 9 and finish at 5:30, were as my shift starts at 10 and is meant to finish at 5, but I normally finish at 6ish. The rotor also seems to assume you will work half hour over time. Any way the biggest problem with it I have is it assumes you can make up to 30 lobster sandwiches in 20 minutes. It took Tiego longer than that, and he is The Machine, I will probably never get up to that standard. Still, I'm coping, and this place expects a lot out of you. On Friday one of the youngest chefs was having a chat with the head chef Adam about how he didn't really have time do all of the choirs expected of him, and they basically just said "man up". Despite running round like a mad man, not having time for lunch, and struggling to do all of my stuff, I do actually enjoy the job. There ain't many grey areas; the plates are clean, or there not, the crispy mash is made, or it isn't. Its hard to make massive mistakes. The only area with things can get a bit dodgy is making the appetizers on the line, which is hard work when restaurant is the lunch rush, and you often forget things. The classic being to put poppy seeds on the chili chicken. Still, I think I might have it easier than the servers. Rosie has 'training' to do for when she starts work at Joeys, she has to learn all the dishes, what the main ingredients are, who there suitable for (vegans, Nut allergists, etc) and be able to 'sell' the product. Because out here serving is actually a career in the US and Canada, you can earn a LOT from the tips. Some of the servers live in the most expensive area of downtown, as its close to work, and there un-taxed tips can pay for there flash apartments. The only other job based news is that we had some conjoined twins in the restaurant for a meal. The kitchen is glass fronted so that people eating there dinners can see what were doing, but can't hear it, allowing for some seriously dark macho humour
In other news I'm settling into my new apartment, my room is great, and the other people who I live with are all really nice. Living in China town is really cool as well, its the second largest China town in the world, and its crazy. You go to the bank or shops and every thing is written in Chinese, every one speaks Chinese..... well most people are Chinese, when you see another westerner you kinda make eye contact in a kinda 'you live here too ehh?' kinda way. Its the crazy stuff you see as well. Like a supermarket with live fish in tanks you can buy for your supper. This week I bought litchi jelly as my random pick of the week. I found jelly fish chunks, but bottled buying them, on the ground I don't know how to cook them, and it would probably taste foul. On Monday a few of us from the flats went down to East Hastings beach (who new the dodgiest area of town had a beach?). It was pretty darn good, a harbour seal pitched up and swam about 5 meters away from us (harbour seals live in the harbour and eat scraps thrown over the side of fishing boats). Also one of the Japanese guys who came along had bought some swimming shorts especially for the visit. These trunks were the tightest and brightest shorts I've ever seen, they really left nothing to the imagination. He also features in this weeks quote of the week. The only other exciting thing to happen was this Friday, when me and JP went for a meal at Templetons, then met up with Rosie and Maddie for some drinking on the beach, except it was cold. So we went back to the girls new pad, and watched TV and drunk. Then me JP and Maddie got a bit bored and hit a couple of bars. I eventually rolled in about 5ish. Seems I get back an hour later every weekend. When I got back to the block of flats, I saw to dodgy looking people outside, which made me a bit nervous considering the district I'm living in. So I confidently walked up to the door, and tried to get in as quickly as possible, then one of them started talking to me, which made me a little nervous and I tried to get in quickly. When I eventually looked up, I realised it was the Essex lass who lives 4 rooms down from me, and not the dodgy prostitute/pimp combo I thought it was at first. She thought it was hilarious how nervous I looked. Good times! Today I went to the cinema and watched the Hangover, its a cracking film and I highly recommend it. Its basically like "Dude! Wheres my car" but set in Vegas and funnier.

That's about it! Quote time, and there are a few to choose from. I'll also back date last weeks since I forgot to put one in!

So lasts weeks first.

"Have you met Conner yet? He's mental, he'll probably ask you if your mums hot or something."
"To be fair, if some one asks you if your mums hot and you say yes, you've got it coming"

A discussion with one of my bosses at work. Good times! And yea, conner is a bit.... well kinda... mental some times.

And this week:-

"My rotor is crazy, it assumes I work one and a half hours longer than I do, and that I can shit Lobster sandwiches"

I'm so funny.

"She's not homeless! She's hot!"

One slightly confused Japanese house mate on seeing a homeless girl washing herself in the sea at East Hastings beach.