Lesson Three - Customer Service, Pool and University Results

I am practically walking on air tonight as I type this because I have passed all of my subjects this semester! I cannot believe it. It was a close shave with two of them. One of them I failed an assignment rather dismally. However I made up for it with guts, determination and a much better result for the second assignment.

Lesson learned here: It is not the end of the world unless you allow it.

I was not going to let myself fall into yet another downward spiral of failure. I am so happy that I turned it around. I am proud that I made it. Two subjects I just passed, and that is all I care about. As for the other two, I got distinctions, so I am happy with that. This year's results have been pretty good. This also means that I will be at uni only for another six months, the second half of the year, I think I will travel. In this case, to Japan! I have wanted to go there now for nearly ten years and now, opportunity has appeared. I am going to take it.

Work again today, was quite repetitive. I was a bit terse with some customers today, I guess I was pretty impatient. The anxiety of waiting for uni results, the hot weather and the stupid questions or idiotic reactions of some customers can really get to you. I know it did for me today. And some of the kids these days are quite rude and spoiled. I know I am showing my age now when I say that. But guess what? It's true! It's damn true!
Kids don't say please. They don't say thank you. What bugs me is when they interrupt me whilst I am serving someone else. It also annoys me when they ask for things and do not specify what they want. An example today was a kid who wanted a pack of cards. We have at least 50 different types of cards, simply saying 'That one' and pointing from four feet away is not specific.
Another kid was absolutely shocking. His mother was going to buy him a Nintendo DS and two games, TWO! She put them on lay-by for Christmas and the kid was bawling his eyes out because he was not getting them right now. How spoiled can you get. This kid was probably nine or ten years old. I actually commented to him as I served his mother, 'Why are you so upset? Your Mum is buying you a DS and TWO games! I wish my Mum did that for me!' The mother smiled at me, but the kid continued to sulk. What a brat.
I know I am not a parent, but I have been a teacher before. Kids are not as childish as we think they are, they can be very mature and responsible. Don't baby them, especially when they're that age. That mother coddled that boy and he just acts like a little brat. Ridiculous really.

I also played Pool tonight with my buddy, Nam. Was actually a pretty tight game. I won the first and banked a few good shots in. However in the second game I screwed up and potted the 8 Ball early, handing Nam the win. The third game saw me lose, even though I was in the lead for most of the game. The fourth game, Nam screwed up and potted the 8 Ball inadvertently. During the fourth game, Nam went to the Jukebox and chose the song 'Cherry Pie' by Warrant. That song would be my undoing in the final game of the night. It was pretty tight going in the early part, but as soon as that song hit. Nam was like a man possessed and nailed his shots with accuracy and banking skills better than my own! It was unbelievable. It didn't just affect him, it affected me. I was stuffing up my shots.

Lesson: Watch out for Nam when he plays the Cherry Pie Song. You will be destroyed.

After that we were gonna play some arcade games, but they took out all the good ones that we usually play. So instead we just went home. It was a good night. I still miss my best mate, Tino, who has gone to live in Cairns. Cairns is right at the tip of Queensland, whereas where I live, Melbourne is right at the bottom of Victoria. So he's pretty far away. We used to play pool, the three of us. The three amigos. Oh well, he messaged me and said he was doing well. I'm glad.
Well that's all that has happened today. I gotta say, it's been a pretty sweet and sour day. But in the end, I am still happy with the results.

Take care of yourselves.

James