Wael

Wael

I was at Coffee, Cake & Kink while at Uni, in 2004-05.

Apparently I was very good at cleaning the toilet but got everything wet around me when doing the dishes... I also slowly got Alana and Sonia to play Jazz at Coffee, Cake & Kink and played around the window displays. Excellent memories for that year!

Ten years on, I am still in touch - see the 2014 update below ;)



Questions we asked:

Coffee

Dark with a hint of sugar (but I do have to confess I love tea).

Cake

Oooooohhhhhhh caaaaaake. I loved them all yet now I remember that lavender cake the most.

Kinks: Interests, Quirks or Peculiarities

I like film, comics and pretty shiny bright things (and kept trying to convince Emily to wear colours, like orange or something).

What attracted you to Coffee, Cake & Kink? (Why CCK?)

It was near my university, had excellent coffee and cake and I could sit quietly without tourists being around. And there was a hot girl wearing a collar the first time I stopped by. And people were so much fun to talk to. So I had to work there.

Questions we asked when leaving:

3 years on, how do you remember your time at Coffee, Cake & Kink?

Many more years on! Wet, and entertaining... most of the friends I still have in the UK I made at CCK either from working together or them being patrons.

Is there anything that still makes you laugh / cringe?

I still remember (and hate) having to clean the toilet at night, it took soooooooooo long and I had to do it right.

Why did you leave CCK?

I didn't leave CCK, I left London! School finished so I had to move back home.

What did you do / where did you go after CCK?

I worked both in Art and Media. I got commissioned to make a piece for the 2006 friday late at the V&A and won campaign of the year at Media & Marketing Awards for one of my projects (it was the first time a campaign from the middle east won!).

How did it compare with CCK?

A lot more vanilla and I don't have to lock up at night.

What skills or experience that you gained with us turned out to be most beneficial post-CCK?

Being open to everyone's very different ways of seeing life and accepting them - I grew as a person.

Where are you / what do you do now?

I am still in the Middle East, mainly Dubai. I left the full time job so I can concentrate more on art, but I still manage to consult on a few media projects to keep me fed and well-dressed ;)

What do you put on your CV when presenting your time at Coffee, Cake & Kink to prospective new employers?

As I was a student then, I don't put anything CCK on my CV. But anyway kink wouldn't effect any jobs I look for (art, media, advertising).

Have you ever found yourself needing to explain it in more details? If so, how did you go about it? What was the result?

I tell many of my co-workers about my time at CCK, and they just listen and ask questions later... Those do get personal as I have always tried to help the orthodox become less so ;)

Overall, have you found "Kink" on your CV to be more advantageous (quirky, attention-grabbing etc.) or disadvantageous (prejudice)?

No "kink" in the CV but plenty in my art!

Have you stayed in touch with anyone from your CCK years?

I see Emily mainly when back in town and Chloe sometimes (but doubt any of you know her, she only stayed on for a month or so).

Anything else that you would like to say?

My time in London wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't found CCK... all the naughty things I've been getting up to due to what I leant there! Oh, and I've become a coffee snob due to all the brewing I did at CCK.