Answering The Call Of My Stomach

In the 10 days that i spent in Brissy in July, not only was I a happier person, my stomach was too - though my weight wasn't. I went back to all the yummy places i used to eat at! It's funny when i tell people that Brisbane is home to some of the yummiest food i've ever had, i realise that almost 95% of the food aren't even Australian!

Without further ado, this is how i, in Karen's words, "celebrated life".

You haven't had awesome Korean food until you've dined at Mad Tong San - home to the best kimchi chi geh and kimchi soon du boo i've ever had. So good that my Korean friends declare the food as "better than Korean food in Korea!". So good that i had it three times during my vacay.

I've never been a fan of crepes but when you have crepes stuffed with lots of cream cheese, raisins and accompanied with ice cream and sour strawberry sauce, who can resist? Say hello to The Ultimate (top of the picture) from Pancake Manor, a beautiful restaurant that was previously a church.

Ohmigosh, don't even get me started on the dim sum. It's nothing like what we have in Malaysia (in a good way!) and more closely resembles Hong Kong's dim sum, although i do reckon we have awesomer siew mai. They have my all-time fave fried squid tentacles! Yum to the Mee.

If you're in Aussie and looking for a fab Caesar Salad, you'll want to head into the Coffee Club. Although Caesar Salad is one of the easiest salads to make and is available almost everywhere in KL, they are never complete. Some places don't serve the salad with hard-boiled egg. Some don't come with bacon bits. And most don't have anchovies. Coffee Club has 'em all! And i heart Aussie's sushi rolls too, available at most food courts. Just two rolls and you've got lunch covered cos they're not the tiny ones we get in KL.

Of course, i can't go back to IH and not relive my uni days with some good ol' IH food (that blob of orangey stuff on the plate in the left photo - it's not as bad as it looks) and my all-time fave alcoholic soda Vodka Cruiser (flavour: ice). Why isn't it available in Malaysia? Why?!?

And i decided to save these images for last because it's hands down, the best seafood i've ever eaten. During one of the last few days of my trip, Ning Yi and I decided to hunt down Charis seafood market in Gold Coast that Joanne told us about. We feasted on prawns, a crab, a Moreton Bay bug (it's not a bug lah, just the name - picture second row left), oysters and fish & chips. The crab was THE BEST one i've had. Except for the oysters and fish & chips, everything was just boiled and placed on ice so you get the original taste of the seafood.

Then, we had some stomach space left and decided to get more prawns. But me being me, got so tempted by alien-looking seafood that i got a spanner-head crab and some marrons. By the end of the super-long lunch, Ning Yi and I vowed to never eat seafood again for the rest of the year. We were ohsofull but ohsohappy.

I Believe In The Powers Above

Today, i received a forwarded email from Daddy. In the Power Point file were quotes taken from a campaign ran by one of Singapore's church. One of them said:

For a moment there, a tear nearly rolled out of my eyes. Yeah, i know that quote may not have came directly from God. In fact, it could have come from the mind of any Tom, Dick or Jane. However, i do believe that He loves us all and it's nice to be reminded that when no one else gives a shit about me, at least i know He does.

L For Lea

L = Likes hot men
E = Easily annoyed
A = Animal-lover

What is in a name? Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, a lot.

Did you know that Lea means "a girl who makes the guys go crazy with her charm and sex appeal. She flirts extremely with them but never ends up hooking up unless she is in a relationship"? I have no idea where they got that from but yeah, i'd take that.

And thank God my parents didn't go with Leah instead because this name means "a girl who ends up in bed with every guy". Who knew that one little 'h' could make so much difference? It could turn one from a sex bomb to a whore.

Then there are also these:

"A lesbian who attacks straight women in hopes of turning them gay." - The person who wrote this definition obviously hasn't met me.

"A Singaporean loser. Likes to seek for attention." - Boy am i glad i ain't a Singaporean!

"Lea is a talker and a do-er. A problem-solver and a dreamer. Captivating and quirky. Late for everything but worth waiting for. Dedicated but never completely satisfied with the end result." - A dreamer? Heck yes. Quirky? Well, i may dress a little weird sometimes. Late for everything? Kepala otak engkau.

Cuci-Cuci Services M Dalam Kurungan Sdn Bhd

Okay, if i had known that the plot for Cuci the Musical 2 is the same as the first one, i probably wouldn't have spent RM123 on the ticket. RM123 is a lot to pay for something you've watched before. RM123 is worth a pair of shoes! It is worth at least 20 days of lunch. But then again, RM123 for over four hours worth of Hans Isaac? I guess the deal's pretty sweet after all!

Apart from a few improvements in props and the musical sequences, this version saw Jaclyn Victor in the role that was originally played by the amazing Adibah Noor (who set the bar darn high). As good a voice as Victor has, i think she still doesn't quite have 'it' to pull the character off. I mean, a skinny girl with a crazy craving for pisang goreng vs. a large girl with a crazy craving for pisang goreng? How can anyone not think that the latter is more believable?

However, i have to give props when it is due. The show is still funny regardless of the number of times you watch it because the ad libs are ridiculous! From Afdlin Shauki's jelly belly shake (so cute, i'm gonna die!) and a Tamil-speaking Awie, to Nabil's uncontrollable laughter and Hans' failed attempt at not laughing, the four men sure know how to bring the house down. If you didn't watch it, it's your loss!

Now, if only i can get the people of Tall Order Productions to answer my email and send me a copy of the soundtrack, all would be better. Well, not really. All would be better if i could take over Vanida Imran's character when she's on the gondola, doing a duet with Hans. So romantic!

Saying Goodbye

"If you stop asking why you were killed instead of someone else, stop investigating the vacuum left by your loss, stop wondering what everyone left on Earth is feeling... you can be free. Simply put, you have to give up on Earth."
- Franny, a deceased character, of The Lovely Bones on finding eternal joy in heaven -

While reading my book-of-the-moment during a usual morning trip to work, these few lines struck a chord with me. What's it like to let go of everything? What awaits me after death?

My religion has thought me that upon dying, i will be placed in limbo and then, one of three things will happen. I will either go to heaven, rot in hell, or be stuck in limbo. I'd like to think that heaven is where my eternal home will be. And my idea of heaven is a place up in the skies where we walk on fluffy clouds and are surrounded by the most beautiful shades of blue. It is a place where you never feel pain. A place where everything is possible. A place where you can meet and talk to God anytime. And most importantly, a place where I will be reunited with all my deceased loved ones - animals, Catholics and non-Catholics included.

But the majority of my curiosity lies not in the next life because i believe God will take care of that. What i wonder about is the act of dying.

I think that certain people know when they are going to die. My late aunt, who when she was in the hospital, preferred not to receive visitors. Heck, she didn't even tell her closest friend that she was down with cancer. But a few days before her death, she told another aunt that she would love to have us visit. Maybe she knew her time was up and wanted to see us one last time?

It's scary to think that one day all this will be over. How does one find the courage to close one's eyes and exhale the final breath? While i have no problem giving up the material goods, the same cannot be said about bidding goodbye to remaining loved ones. How can one find the heart to leave one's family to cry and mourn over one's loss? How is it possible to not worry for them? How can one let go?

I guess i'll get my answer when i too have to exhale that final breath. And i pray that if i am to die a horrible death, my parents will not be around to feel that pain.