PastaMasta

Life is cruel, as we all know. Money is so hard to come by, and this is especially true for Joe. You see, Joe was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact, his family was so poor he had to live in a cardboard box when he was 5. He has a younger brother and sister and his mom works day and night just to support them. His father? Well, he left them when Joe was born. This is Joe's life.

Once Joe completed high school, he started working to help support his family. So one day, he walked past an Italian restaurant. "HELP WANTED," it says on the window. Without much thought about it, he quickly entered the restaurant and asked for the manager. They needed a dishwasher. "Not a bad way to start," Joe thought to himself. The pay was reasonable too. So the manager took him into the kitchen.

"At PastaMasta (the name of the restaurant), we have a very special way to wash the dishes. It's sort of like magic," the manager told Joe.

"How do I do it?"

The manager took out a bowl, decorated with jewels and crystals of an assortment of colours. It really looked like a magical bowl, but the jewels and crystals were only made of plastic. He then filled it with tap water, right to the brim.

"First, stare at the water in the bowl. Do not look at anything else. Stare hard for at least a minute."

Joe did exactly as the manager said.

"After that, take the water and sprinkle it on the dirty dishes. Try it."

Joe obeyed the command, and presto, the filthy dishes became white as snow. Joe was amazed and shocked.

"What's the secret behind it?!" asked Joe, astounded and yet, puzzled.

"It's simple. When you stared at the water for a full minute, it turned into CONCENTRATED dish washing liquid."

- Ian Lai