Dear boy

"Come to The Gardens ..nowwww"
"Oi, I not familiar with MV and Gardens la, dunno how to go "
"Where you, I'll come and get you, wait for me."

"Ahh... you're so CNY-ish red! Come, I'll show you who you look like!" *points at God of Prosperity* You took it in good stride and laughed.

"I'm famished, what's to eat?"
"You decide la, fancy asking someone who seldom comes here."
"We go Gardens. Italian, Japanese or Hongkie?"
You rolled out the words like you lived here your whole life.
"Whichever is nice and within our budget." That was my only concern.

"OK. We go Jap!"
And you led me to that Jappie shop you were talking about.
Sushi Zanmai, the shop read.




"Order whatever you want to eat ah. Today, just look at the pictures! No looking at the figures!" You wagged your stubby finger at me.

We took our own sweet time deciding what we want, in between, sharing stories. No annoying service crew bugging us to take our orders at all. Everything was done at our own pace. So leisurely, I began to like the sushi bar already.

Ikura

In between pecking the glistening and juicy ikura, you reminisced about the Nihon-ji girl that introduced you to the dish. We talked about Papa Bear's proposal to Mama Bear and joked on his expense that he must be too anxious to consummate the relationship that led to that decision. We both saw eye-to-eye that the proposal was not a bad thing, and indeed serves as a good news to the Bear family.

Toro (Tuna belly) RM 40 for 5 slices

I asked you whether toro was nice.. You casually said that you haven't taken it in your entire life before. I almost fainted. Fortunately, it didn't disappoint. Each mouthful was was a melting fresh sensation, with a texture so hard to describe that I thought it was creamy. We lamented on our fates that we're the ones most probably going to get dumped instead of victoriously dumping people, because both of us don't have the heart to be cruel.

Soft Shell Crab Maki (RM 12 ++)

My obsession with colourful things did pay off as the SSC maki was as delish as it looks. I could still feel the freshly fried SSC in between bites and relished in the generous drizzle of light mayonnaise. We laughed about the kitten that broke your heart and trampled all over your head. Good riddance, I thought. Stupid pussy, you don't know what you let slipped through your fingers. Dear boy, it's an oasis outside and you know it. : ) Say hello to the promising new world where Ashleys roam and enchant you no end. *wink wink*

Aso (RM 23 ++)

Aso was an assorted platter with various nigiri, one gunkan and one type of maki. In this plate, we had sake, ika, ebi, kani flesh, unagi slice, inari, tamago, ebikko, kanitama maki and a few that i wasn't able to identify. We both thought the maki was hideous because the kanikama was jutting out oddly. You whined that we should have hung out more often, and I pacified you saying it was good enough that we enjoyed the moment. We both understand that we are friends who still care deeply about each other no matter how long and how far we're apart.

Yuzu Sorbet (RM 6)

We ended the meal on a sweet note as I opted for a citrusy yuzu sorbet and you, a refreshing watermelon one. I enjoyed my yuzu, while you thought yours was a bit too icy and didn't enjoy as much. You slyly slid to the counter before I could beat you to it. Naughty boy, I vehemently pinched your side. You yelped and gave me that naughty look again. Thank you very much, dear boy.

To aid digestion, we sidled in and out of shops for my shopping purpose. You gawked and guffawed at me trying out the garments. Ahmai, you said in a hushed tone. Whatever is that gobbledygook, I enquired. You refused to let me in till the last moment and said it was Hainanese for grandma. I shook it aside as usual and we continued making fun at the taste of your former pussy. Preggy clothes, you wrinkled your nose in disdain as you pointed out her choice of clothings to me.

From The Gardens to Midvalley, we ambled and bantered, talked and fought. You asked for another round of ice cream. I went along with it, because it reminded me of the old times where your sweet tooth had already made its presence felt in the Keebler and Famous Amos cookies, alcohol-filled chocolates you feted us with, and the constant supply of dark chocolates in my fridge that you stocked up knowing my emo-prone personality. You even made me promise to do a full emo show if i ever visit you in the Land Down Under. Nuts.

Till the very end, you dreaded the parting moment for us both. You refused to let me go and dragged me into Topshop where we met that cute friend of yours. She giggled and shot us naughty looks non-stop and you wearily asked me, "Do you still think she's cute when she's this annoying?" She must have thought we were lovebirds. I nodded with a straight face and nonchalantly answered, "I think she's very cute." In a hush hush voice behind our backs I whispered: "I was only being polite!" And you roared.

With a brotherly hug, we spoke our farewells in that busy mall. Dear boy, when you come back from Adelaide in 6 years time.. you better come look for me. Unless you want a dick head from my acute hammering skills. That applies too when you're home for breaks and vacations. Will miss you loads. Am already. I love you, little brother.