"Cross" by ARK

Again, this post is not about religious beliefs, or faith. I just wanna share what happened to me. :)

So as Dev may have mentioned, we are currently working at a fastfood chain. And we're doing a pretty good job so far. In fact, I am having my eyes glued to the prize: Money!

Money's a good motivation, at least for Dev and I. Imagine, all that hard work and labor, converted to usable cash. So anyway, (greedily angelic side is showing again) yesterday wasn't as good as the other days.

See, we are so-called "trainees," and we've been learning a lot of things about how the company works. We work at the dining station, so we are basically who the customers deal with. We're the people who could not afford to lose temper. We must remain patient at all times.

And that is not normally a problem for me. I am amazed how Dev can handle all the mean customers, but I have never mishandled a situation requiring patience...or so I would like to believe.

But yesterday seemed like a real test for me.

My work day started early, because I recently lost my cap (a vital part of my uniform. I can not face the customers with an incomplete uniform.) and I had to spend time borrowing a cap from the kitchen staff (and that is not as easy as it sounds.)

Rejected by a couple of people who held on dearly to their own caps, I got anxious over it. My borrowing scheme has become a disruptive commotion from within the store, and I did not really want that kind of attention.

Eventually, this guy lent me his, and I was finally able to clock in. I began my eight-hour duty, bearing in mind that the end of the day I'll be returning the cap to its owner, and I'll be having to borrow somebody's cap again the next day.

I ignored that bothering thought for a while, because I had to get to work. It was a Sunday, and as expected the people kept rushing in, giving us no time for a breather.

It wasn't so surprising that I'd eventually splash some ketchup over my polo, without even noticing. So I had to spend the rest of the day with a very dirty uniform, topped off with a cap that wasn't even mine.

To make matters worse, my throat installed some barbed wires to torture me every time I swallowed.
To make matters worse, the customers were unusually grumpy yesterday.
To make matters worse, my eyes were trying to close themselves on its own.

The "matters" were definitely the "worst" yesterday. I was just so sick and not in the mood. But keeping it professional, I smiled and served the people as if nothing is wrong with my day. The only side effect of all the bad things that have been happening, is that my skills were a bit rusty yesterday.

It was a pain checking out the clock, only to find that you've got five more hours of that same thing. I swear, if I wasn't sick, I would have been fine. My cap has been missing for days, and it didn't worry me this much.

I guess it all just stacked up.

I just told myself that it's one of those boundaries I had to cross. It was one of those moments that will be used to measure all the other hardships that are coming next. If I survived it, then I would have no problem overcoming all the minor struggles.

Sitting alone in the crew room, during a 30-minute break I didn't appreciate very much, I ate my meal.

Afterwards, I pondered over the next hour and the hour after that...I will have to stay in this store for still quite a while.

Finishing my food, I took in a deep breath and did the sign of the cross, thanking Him for my meal. I stood up, and came across this kitchen guy, on my way out. He seemed to have been taken aback by what I did last: the sign of the cross.

He talked to me, and asked where I borrowed my cap from. After I told him, he said that he had an extra cap at home, and that he would bring it the next day for me to use temporarily (that is until the next stock of uniforms arrive.)

I couldn't stop thanking him, to be honest.

It was like a huge boulder was carried away by this guy. And that managed to keep me smiling for several hours, until my shift eventually ended.

I'm not saying the sign of the cross fixed my problems. Neither am I saying that it's the reason the kitchen guy decided to lend his cap to me. I'm just saying that I think it's His way of saying, "Don't worry. I'm here with you."

That was enough for me to survive the boundary I was talking to you about.

Things You Didn't Know: "CARNIVALS"

1. What we call “Cotton Candy” was originally called “Fairy Floss” and was invented in 1897 by candy makers William Morris and John C. Wharton of Nashville, Tennessee.

2. Games you play at a fair or carnival also go by the slang name, “joints”.

3. Midnight Madness is when the fair stays open past midnight and into the early morning hours.

4. The traveling carnival began in America in the late 1800’s as a result of improved transportation and technology.

5. The carousel is also known as the "Key to the midway."

Sources: http://lemysterieuxcarnival.blogspot.com
http://www.mybluecrayon.com/html/finalgoodtoknow.html

"Six" by DEV and ARK

(GLEE UPDATE!)

ARK: I would just like to share my joy over the fact that--












DEV: GLEE IS GETTING A FIFTH SEASON!!!













ARK: Okay, I was gonna say that. But yes, it's true fellow Gleeks! The hit TV musical has finally been extended for a fifth season.

DEV: AND GET THIS. THEY'RE GETTING A SIXTH SEASON TOO!













ARK: WHY are you shouting???











DEV: No, I wasn't. Was just excited and all.

ARK: Well, it is rather thrilling. The Gleeks have all gotten a bit nervous while waiting for a Season 5 confirmation.












DEV: Yeah! That was scary! Glee Season 4's about to end with a bang, and if the next season wasn't confirmed sooner, all of us Gleeks would have died. But hey, everything's fine now. I've stopped hyperventilating.













ARK: And speaking of the finale, here are a few spoilers for the Glee episode, "All or Nothing."

DEV: SPOILER ALERT!

è The members of New Directions travel to Regionals. But the competition gets tough when they go head-to-head with the Hoosierdaddies and lead singer Frida Romero (guest star Jessica Sanchez). Meanwhile, Rachel finds out if she gets the callback for “Funny Girl” on Broadway.

è Regionals is finally here! The New Directions will face The Hoosierdaddies and the Nun-Touchables and they’ll use one of Marley’s original songs. We will finally know who the mysterious “Katie” is, Santana will come to Ohio to help Brittany to get back on her feet, Rachel will have her final audition for “Funny Girl,” a couple is ready to go to the altar, and a character will say goodbye.

è This episode will have many "shocking" scenes and huge cliffhangers.

è This is the Regionals episode.

è There is no graduation in this episode.

è Two extremely smart professors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will be introduced in this episode.

è Jessica Sanchez as Frida Romero is introduced in this episode as the lead singer of the glee club, The Hoosierdaddies.

(wait, what?)

è Santana will come to Ohio to help Brittany to get back on her feet.

è They have a scene on Fondue for Two and Santana will turn off the camera.

è According to sources, in Glee's season finale, Blaine decides he wants to propose to on-off boyfriend, Kurt.

è Ryder will finally find out who Katie is.

(it should've been this girl.)

Source: glee.wikia.com

ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEXT SEASON???

"Under the Table!" by DEV

Yeah...no. We're not gonna be talking about illegal "under the table" stuff here today.

Instead, here is DEV'S LIST OF REALLY WEIRD THINGS YOU (DON'T) SEE UNDER THE TABLES OF FAST FOOD CHAINS:


I know this 'cause I started working today, and one of the few new things I did was scrub the underside of each table. Had to clean every single one of 'em, so I found some pretty odd stuff going on. Trust me, it's not cool to stick THESE THINGS under the table...

1. Weird, Coffee Stains.

-> First of all, this has got to be my favorite under-the-fastfood-table find. Basically because it resembles coffee stains, and you know how much I LOVE coffee. But don't take my word for it. It may not be coffee at all. It's just brownish stuff that's very easy to clean off.

Removability: Easy as drinking coffee.

(imagine how THIS forms UNDER the table.)

2. Price Tags.

-> It's not about the money, so forget about the price tag. Some customers have "forgotten" about the price tag, by leaving them underneath the dining table. How do they even do that? I mean, when you buy something, one of the most annoying things you can possibly do with the product is rip the price tag off perfectly. It NEVER RIPS OFF PERFECTLY. But some people have mastered this art, practice it while enjoying their meals, and stick it underneath tables for the crew to find.

Removability: Meh. It's bearable once you get the hang of PEELING OFF PRICE TAGS. Which I already told you...is impossible. Go and just give up.

(good luck!)

3. Hair.

-> What makes hair stick to the undersides of dining tables? Anti-gravity shampoo? Adhesive tape used as a conditioner? When I found the first strand of hair in my entire career of service crew-driving, I was like: "how the hell is this even possible?" It's just there. Imagine a customer, enjoying her meal, and suddenly some of her hair falls off. Now imagine where that dead strand will go. Where? Yes, it's supposed to fall to the floor where it now belongs. But no, this extraordinary strand will go the distance, and even defy the laws of physics, by FALLING UPWARDS and staying underneath the table.

Removability: Easy, with a slight chance of "how is this even happening?"

(we're supposed to lose a couple of strands everyday. No need to freak out.)

4. Fresh Gum.

-> Yes. FRESH gum. You know, the kind that remains warm and soft enough for the next service crew to "recycle" (eww). You flip over a table, scrub off several grease, until you see this weird-shaped gum. You've been expecting this. I mean, where else are you supposed to throw tasteless gum away? YOU DON'T. You stick it underneath a table and hope somebody's got the guts to remove that squishy thing that's been in your mouth for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Removability: Annoying. It's still STICKY, people!

(but may still be edible.)

5. Rock-Solid Gum Ancestors.

-> These are the fossils of gum that have been stuck there for too long. Good luck scraping these off. These are the gum that have begun thinking of itself as part of the table. They are one with the table. They've been there longer than you ever existed, and the teenager who stuck it there might have already grown himself a white-colored beard. Speaking of colors, they come in all colors too! That's my favorite part, personally. Today only, I've seen orange, yellow, and light blue gum.

(more colors available soon.)

Removability: IMPOSSIBLE. Might as well try burning the table. But even then, the damn gum might still survive.

(but no, I did not find humans under the table.)

SO THERE. Those are the things I found underneath the tables, which will also be there in EVERY SINGLE TABLE YOU'LL EVER EAT IN. But hey, they're not so scary. Neither are they THAT disgusting. But it really reflects the customers visiting the place.

Good thing there are awesome people like us, to remove the impossible.

Now enjoy your meal.

"Werk!" by DEV

Hello everyall!

How's your week so far? Ours is a bit busy 'cause Ark had this WILD idea that we should submit "resumes" to some "companies", 'cause it was the adult thing to do. I didn't understand a WORD of what he was tryin' to say, but he basically told me to get off my computer and WORK!


Can you believe that guy? Being socially responsible and shit.

(gonna bee busy like a bee. I like that word. Beeeeeeee.)

Anywho, we handed these little pieces of paper called "resumes" to a random bunch of people known as "managers," in hopes that someone will get attracted enough to the pictures we attached to it and decide that they need as in their little business.












Long story short, we landed jobs as "service crews". Which means we're the crew providing service, I think.

SEE LONG STORY HERE!

So there. We passed the ENTIRE hiring process (it was a really long process). And we'll be starting tomorrow. Yey.

(look! another bee-related picture.)

No really. I'm excited.

You know, service can be fun right? Ark is all thrilled. He's ALREADY SLEEPING, 'cause he says he'll need the energy for tomorrow. Which is totally lame, 'cause it's like 5:55 in the afternoon.

It's not even dinner time.

I'm excited to werk!

"Tears of Stone" by ARK

I got really sad yesterday. I took the time to ponder about a lot of things and almost got depressed.

For the first time in a long time, I wanted to let my tears fall...just to check and see if I still had that ability. I haven't cried in a while, you know.

I felt the tears rushing to both of my eyes, preparing to leak out. But with a simple stroke of thought, I managed to force them back again. I didn't cry, even if I could...even if I wanted to.

I can't remember how I got so good at controlling my emotions. To even bring me to that level of sadness requires a tremendous inner effort. To actually cry is another thing.

Please do not get me wrong. I did feel bad yesterday. Still, the thought if me crying over something excited me. Sadness was an emotion I haven't encountered in a while...and reuniting with that side of me brought me comfort.

But I stopped it from happening. I held back my tears...again. And I know every time I do it, I get a little bit harder. Not necessarily stronger, just harder. Someday I'll encounter something so tragic, only to realize I can only cry with stones. By then I would have lost my tears...I would've lost my heart.

NOW LET US COMPLETELY IGNORE ALL THESE THAT I HAVE WRITTEN ABOVE.

 Those were the thoughts I had yesterday. Those were some of the thoughts that pushed me into crying. But I didn't. Because right then and there, I realized WHY I wasn't crying. I realized why my tears won't fall...why I won't allow myself to do it.

Because I'm a different person now.

I'm not the crybaby angel I used to be. I've been through a lot, and those have just made me stronger. Every time I force back my tears I relive the days when I was going through something even tougher, and how I managed to pull trough.

I thought that if my past self could handle it, so can I. The stronger, more confident Ark has every power to stop his tears, because he has cried through every twist and turn of his heavenly adventure.

This was the stroke of thought that forced back my tears. I still have a lot to experience. The future will provide me REAL reasons to cry. And I have to survive those.

No need to pressure myself. My tears won't turn to stone. I could use a good cry every once in a while...but I will still search for a better reason to. :)

"Cool Down!" by FIN

CAN YOU FEEL THE HEAT?

Well, if you're in this country YOU SHOULD!!!

What I'm trying to say here is... IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE HERE WITHOUT FEELING THE HEAT!!!



Yeah, humans. It's getting hot in here. And nobody really likes seeing an entire population of sweaty water bags.

So I, Fin the Shark, have come to rub it into your noggins. SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO THE OZONE LAYER??? THIS is what we get for punching a hole into a wall that's supposed to be preventing us all from getting stir-fried.

YEAH YOU OUGHTTA FEEL SORRY! But it's too late now. We're all toast. (If we were made of bread, that would be literal.)

So what CAN we do? Yes, aside from frying eggs on the sidewalk or peeling off a layer of our skin.

I present to you...

FIN's TOP 10 WAYS OF BEATING THE HEAT (which you totally brought upon yourselves):

1. Stay inside! If you got no better place to go, stay in front of your electric fan. Or if you're lucky enough to own an air conditioner, don't turn it off either. I heard that's bad for nature, but who wants to see burnt humans polluting Mother Nature? If you want, you can even find excuses to stay in air-conditioned places, like malls, or government offices... Get crafty!

2. Bring in the Ice Bowl! If you do NOT own an air conditioner, there are other things you can try. Grab a bowl, get a couple of ice cubes from the refrigerator and drop all of them in the bowl. Then put it in front of your electric fan, close your eyes, and pretend that you DO own an air conditioner. The Ice Bowl trick works like a charm. Or better yet, stay inside that refrigerator of yours.

3. Shakes are welcome! Yeah, go grab a smoothie or a shake or something. You humans have invented all sorts of artificial fruits anyway, so why not use them to cool you off? Fact: drinking a fruit shake while in front of the electric fan is AWESOME. Especially for this heat wave.

(doesn't looking at this already cool you?)

4. Coffee is ALSO welcome! Yep, my scientific friends from the deep blue sea found out that drinking a warm beverage can actually help you cool your body. I tried it, but since I'm a cold-blooded creature, I can't tell for sure. Who knows, maybe it truly works on humans. Anyway, this is all because of one bodily process familiar to everyone as SWEATING. So it's basically common sense. If you drink something warm, you sweat. Start sweating and soon you'll cool down.

5. Drink water! Duh, you know this sh*t.

6. Take a shower! If you don't ALWAYS do this, well now is the time to start showering. It's advisable to shower up to twice a day. I dunno why. I mean, we sharks can stay in water the ENTIRE DAY. And we're perfectly fine. You're specie is weird, dear reader.

7. Do a rain dance! Or at least pray for some rain. In this country, (and because of GLOBAL WARMING) it rains every now and then. And I really wanna pour out some tears of joy when I see the sky darkening for a bit, just to shower you with its love. The sun definitely does not like us very much right now, so let's just enjoy the rain whenever it comes, okay?

8. Strip! Yes, strip. Get rid of all those pieces of cloth you purposely attach to your bodies. You don't need warmth right now, so might as well toss them out. Or at least wear lighter clothes. You know, the ones sensitive to every, single, air current.

9. Go deep! Like, find a canal and jump in there. A swimming pool works too. And scuba diving too...but that's too expensive. Canal it is, then.

(what is this canal called? yes, the one with the dolphin.)

10. Cuddle with a penguin! I dunno. I don't suggest cuddling with me, 'cause I'm sorta scaly. Penguins on the other hand are soft, and naturally cool. Cuddling with them would bring you all the coolness you need to survive for several more heat waves.

(WHO WOULD NOT WANNA CUDDLE THESE CREATURES???)

(except Batman.)

SO there. I did not wanna do it, 'cause you humans have really done it this time. But hey, we must coexist. Follow those steps and you'll live long enough to get yourself into more nature-related trouble.

P.S. Blogging about the weather seems to have an odd cooling effect as well.