Right after watching the Academy Awards last Monday, I decided to download a copy of the movie The Reader from the internet. I was curious that time what made Kate Winslet win so many Best Actress awards with that particular movie. Luckily, there are a lot of torrent files waiting for me here.

I was so glad I was able to complete the download just overnight. But I only had the time to watch it after dinner. I must say that I was amazed by the movie from the very start. I don’t know but I have this thing about sad movies. They may not make me cry but they will surely make my eyes a bit teary. The Reader is no exception. With sex scenes added to the sad theme one can expect a superb movie. Kidding. Haha. Kate exposed her breasts again. They were not as firm as they used to be. LOL. Of course, this comment is based on what I saw in Titanic.

On a serious note, I was really moved by the scene where Michael went to the prison to see Hanna. I felt how hopeful Hanna was and how disappointed she became after their conversation. And man, tears were on my eyes.

If you happen to see me in a Starbucks outlet here in Kuala Lumpur, chances are you will find a tall Cafe Mocha and a Mayo Sausage Bun on my table. I don’t know what’s with this combination that made me stick to it for almost a year now. Out of boredom, I’ll try to find out why:

The Mayo Sausage Bun

The Sausage – The sausage they use is definitely not pork sausage. This is simple. This is due to the fact that Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country and that pork is very uncommon in restaurants and food shops that cater to the general public. But unlike the chicken or beef sausages you usually see in the supermarket, this particular sausage tastes as good as pork sausage. It’s so tender and yummy. Total contrast of the yucky ones I have tried from the grocery.

The Mayo – A little squeeze of mayonnaise on top of this pastry makes it a heavenly delight. There’s this onion-like taste to it that makes it even yummier. I’m not a fan of onion but they perfectly fit each other.

The Bun – Nothing beats a bun which is crispy in the outside, soft in the inside and has a golden brown color. It seems to me that these characteristics add excitement whenever I take a bite of this oishi thing. Maybe because it tricks my senses sending different signals like the bun being soft and crispy at the same time. And by the way, the crispy thing is only possible if you ask the crew to heat it in the oven before serving.

The Cafe Mocha

The Stirrer cum Straw – If you’re a Starbucks addict in Manila, I bet you’ve heard of some funny stories that talk about some people who tried to sip coffee using a stirrer, thinking it was a straw. Thankfully, this hilarious thing won’t happen here in KL or in Singapore because the stirrer here is also a straw. It’s just so convenient to stir the coffee and take a sip using the same smart tool.

The Cream on Top – Since obesity is not one of the problems that bugs me, adding whip cream on my drink is perfectly fine. I don’t normally stir my coffee at first so as to avoid the cream from mixing with the actual drink. I simply like getting a bit of the cream using the stirrer and licking it from there.

The Actual Drink – To be honest, I like the Cafe Mocha in Seattle’s Best more but the one in Starbucks is good enough. But since this post is about my favorite Starbucks combination, there’s no point in discussing the underlying reasons.

So, hope you enjoyed this oh-so-clever analysis.

Umalis ako sa opisina kahapon bandang 6PM. Naghintay ng bus at maluwalhating nakarating sa gilid ng aming condo pagkaraan ng 15 minuto. Dapat mas mabilis pa kung hindi nagyosi ang adik ng driver na yan. Hindi muna ako dumeretso sa bahay. Pumunta muna ako sa Carrefour para bumili ng mga sangkap na gagamitin ko sa pagluluto ng adobo. Ayun, naisipan kong subukan ang recipe ni brother Jong. Kaya bumili ako ng spareribs (na dati-rati ay liempo ang binibili ko), kikkoman (daw at matsing) soy sauce, at suka. napabili din ako ng fruit cake. Naengganyo ako kasi mukhang masarap. Nakalagay pa ay Traditional Fruit Cake. Pero nung natikman ko, napa-syet ako. Dahil sa gutom, nginuya ko pa rin at nilunok.

Balik tayo sa kwento. Nung nagbabayad na ako, may lalaking naka-longsleeves na nakatayo malapit sa counter. Pangiti-ngiti sa kin. Parang ewan. Tapos iniwasan ko na ng tingin. Pagkatapos kong magbayad, nilapitan ako. Akala ko ay credit card ngunit mali ako. Empleyado pala sya ng Carrefour at nagka-conduct sya ng survey na may kinalaman sa shopping behavior ng mga customer nila sa panahon ngayon na may krisis pampinansiyal. Dahil hindi naman ako gutom at hindi din masakit ang ulo ko, pinagbigyan ko ang kanyang hiling. Ang sabi pa niya ay may gift daw pagkatapos masagutan ang surrvey. Good deal na yan sabi ko sa aking sarili.

Mga limang pahina ang survey na yun. Pero hindi naman ako ang nagsulat kaya ok lang. Tatanungin nya ako tapos sasagot ako. Sya ang nagsusulat ng sagot ko sa survey form. May tanong sya tungkol sa age bracket. Ang bracket ko ay 25 to 34 years old na. Parang hindi ko matanggap. Bakit hindi 25 years old and below? Bakit 24 years old and below? Dahil sa inis ko, sabi ko ay 24 years old and below. LOL. Tapos, tuloy ang tanungan. Sabi nya, ano daw ang mas ok sa akin sa panahon ng recession? Ang bumili ng mga mahal na bagay pero konti lang o maraming bagay na mura. Sabi ko, wala naman akong babaguhin sa behavior ko pagdating sa pamamalengke. Nagtanong din sya ng sweldo ko, ng trabaho ko, ng handphone number ko, at ng status ko. Sabi ko, check na lang nya sa friendster. Sabi nya, ok. Di nya alam e na-delete ko na ang friendster account ko. Haha.

Ang pinakamalupit nun, nung Nationality na ang sasagutan, sabi nya sa kin. “So, you’re Eurasian, right?” Napangiti ako. Parang, Wow! Ang pogi ko. LOL. First time ‘yang mangyari. Kasi alam ko namang mukha akong Malay. Hahaha.

Of traveling the world with you.

Of seeing, experiencing and exploring new things with you.

Of having long trips and long nights with you.

Of building sand castles, watching waves and sunsets with you.

Of enjoying cups and cups of coffee with you.

Of reading a book with you.

Of climbing a mountain with you.

Of swimming in the sea with you.

Of achieving my goals in life with you.

Of living the rest of my life with you.

And I know I’ll wake up one day realizing those dreams.

Buhay man ay komplikado, maaari mo pa ring ibuhos ang iyong pansin sa magagandang bagay na nangyari, nangyayari at ninanais mong mangyari sa hinaharap. Sadyang mas magiging mahirap lamang ang mga bagay-bagay kung ipagpipilitan mong solusyunan ang mga problemang tanging panahon lang ang makakapagbigay ng karampatang lunas.

Ngunit hindi ibig sabihin nito ay wala ka nang gagawin upang ayusin ang buhay mo. May parte kang kailangang gampanan at may buhay kang kailangang ipagpatuloy. Sabi nga ng iba, hindi titigil ang mundo para lang sa ‘yo.