Surprise them!

Latest : Please read the latest surprise which has my head all wrapped-up here!
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I have an answer for stress - watch here and relax!! In watching the video I found the element of surprise was the best part of its entertainment. There is something magical about giving more than what the audience expected! This is true in entertainment, and also true in any form of relationship.I would like to illustrate with a few mundane examples.

• Extra ordinary service at the Green City restaurent! : I go to the Green City Restaurent very often for lunch. In week, I normally go there three to four times. One reason is its proximity to my office, another is its delicious foods. Try its Roti Canai with beef fry, and you will agree with me on taste. But what I like best is the customer service I receive there. For a few weeks, I was fooled to think that the head waiter Salam was giving me special service with his personalised attention. He pre-empted what I wanted based on my previous visits, and that gesture really won me over. I later noticed he does that with every customer. He made an ordinary customer feels so special by making his ordinary job extra-ordinary - he gives more than what his customer expects. This testimonial comes free and as my recognition to the restaurent for giving me satisfying lunch everytime! I googled for green city restaurent - no record appeared! Not anymore....after this entry, if someone were to search for south Indian restaurent in Karama area, they will get Green City restaurent on the page. It would be nice to get a free lunch one of these days ! hehehe
• I answered to an advertisement placed by Mr. CYC in Malaysian-uae yahoogroups and purchased his computer table and chair. He surprised me by giving the table lamp as well - FOC! That element of surprise left a lasting good feeling. Thanks CYC.
• I was lazing around one afternoon, reading old newspaper when my dear wife asked me to drive her to the mini-market in the neighbourhood. I wanted to say no.....but the way she smiled while asking me for that favour made me got up and reached for the car key. It was 41 degree simmering hot, so I decided to wait for her in the car while she hopped in to get a few items from the mini-market. Ten minutes later, she returned to the car - settled in her seat and gave me a cup of my favourite franchised ice-cream. "Your Reward" she said. Her surprise token of appreciation energised me for the rest of the day!
• I asked my secretary to print a huge pdf file of e-book. She handed to me the print-out binded and with colored dividers between chapters. Now, that was a WOW!! Of course I did not let that go without praising her generously.

In all of the above examples, it would have been perfectly normal and ok if Salam just delivers my food to my table and leaves me alone or for my wife to hop out and hop into the car with nothing! I would not have complained. It would have been totally accetable for CYC to give me only the table and chair which I paid for, and for my secretary to punch holes and handed to me the print out in a folder without binding or the dividers!
But I remember those incidents because all of them have surprised me with the extra-ordinary! The beauty of a surprise is - it does not have to be grand! But it has to be sincere and given or done from the heart.

Have you surprised someone lately??