Lobo's Lessons

Picture: My caffe latte served with my wife's Raspberry and White Choc muffin It began with a shy look. A college student with barely two coins to rub together, walks past a Coffee Bean cafe and wonders how his some of his friends can afford to drink a coffee that costs as much as two whole meals. He looks up at the price list, steals a glimpse of a straw touching a pair of luscious lips, and sees the dark, cool liquid move up the straw... and sees the person's eyes close with pleasure. And he quickly looks down. "One day" he whispers to  himself, "one day I will drink you". It has been many years now since the college student made the promise. He is now a... well, he's still a student. Except he is now studying towards his PhD in New Zealand. He has drunk countless cups of coffee. Some coffees cheap and cheerful (and usually always upsetting to the stomach), some coffees more refined than others, and some coffees verging on ...

Aku haus... Tekakku yang kering ini menginginkan rasanya yang menenangkan jiwa itu... Perasaannya apabila ku menggenggam botol kacanya yang sejuk dan berwap-wap dan mengangkatnya keluar peti ais kecilku, perasaannya seperti seorang kanak-kanak Taman Keramat memegang aiskrim Malaysia 10sen pada hari yang panas membara... Riang... Nikmat... Penantian yang menyiksakan, tetapi penantian yang lazat... Dengan pergerakan yang perlahan seperti 'slow-motion' dalam sinetron Indonesia kegemaran surirumah-surirumah di Malaysia, muncung botol Ginger Beer kegemaranku mampir bibirku yang terketar-ketar sedikit, sehinggalah aku dapat rasa cecair yang sejuk membasahi tekakku... Nikmat... Sedap tidak terperi... Aku menghulurkan kepada biniku, dan dia juga meneguk kenikmatan... Aku menadah tangan meminta kembali Ginger Beer kesayanganku yang berjenama Bundaberg buatan New Zealand. Saat itu tidak tiba-tiba... Aku tertanya-tanya... Mata terkebil-kebil... "Ni saya punya y...

It used to be that I couldn't drink coffee... I've always loved coffee, but somewhere starting along my mid-20s I developed a condition that would cause me to bloat whenever I indulged in this glorious beverage. As a result, it would be a case of 'eat now, pay later', where all the enjoyment of the present would be counterweighed by the unpleasant consequences of the near future. A painful acid-reflux reaction often does that to people. So the question that I would have to ask myself would be - "How badly do I need that cup of coffee?" But strangely enough, over the past few weeks, I found that coffee didn't have this averse effect on me anymore...temporary relief or permanent healing? I don't know... Perhaps it's the mangosteen juice that I've been drinking... Anyhow, from the frying pan into the fire... Now I can't get enough of that dark delicious aroma... Tantalising my taste buds all through the working day, enticing me into its hot an...

It was with no little pleasure that I stepped once more into the granduer of JB's former number 1 spot for retail therapy - City Square.  If I recall correctly I hadn't been there for more than an year and a half... Not because I was boycotting (the catchword of the day) anything there. There simply wasn't anything uniquely there that I couldn't find anywhere else. If I wanted to shop for basic daily goods and hang out at a mall that provided most of the things I need, I could go to IOI Mall which is a mere 5 minutes drive from my house. If I wanted to catch a movie, I could go for the full monty in Jusco Tebrau, where the screens are huge, the sound systems crazy, and  the parking free with the ownership of a Jusco card (instead of the RM10++ which is usually charged for the timed parking in City Square). Basically there was no real need for me to brave the traffic and being stuck in the notorious traffic. But, just for old time's sake, I figured why not... Because...

Ahh... Isn't that one of the loveliest things you've ever set your sights on?...A truly irresistible combination of heavenly gastronomic delight... Piping hot succulent Baked Fish Pasta.. Light and crispy Garlic toast... Thick and creamy mushroom soup... Tantalising to the eyes, and totally enslaving to the weak of mind (I mean that in the kindest way to such people as myself, when it comes to delicious food), the food taunts me... I am powerless to deny its power... The pasta calls out to me...I obey... I slowly dip my fork and spoon into the heavenly mix, and as I twist the pasta round and round my fork, it releases a mouthwatering scent... The promise of infinite pleasure... I bite... I chew... I pause... Ahhh.... Heaven... If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then I have pledged my undying love to you... Only to you... Vivo's....