Confessions of a Coffaholic

I remember sipping coffee from saucer during breakfasts since I was 6 or 7. Not the strong one...just a touch of blackness but rich in sugar and heavenly scent. I never prepared my own coffee until I was 14. When I was in Form 2, I discovered a way to stay awake was to drink coffee at least 3 hours before normal bedtime. I got this tip from a magazine my mom brought home one day. I wasn't planned to stayup late for revisions but to listen to Radio 4 and other short waves channels available in that time. That was my hobby and the best way to learn english in my younger years.

Well back to making my own cuppa...I've been innovative enough to create my own coffee..."GilaCafe". What I did was believed to be in-ethical now that I'm all grown up (i wish). I added 2 spoonfull of nescafe and poured in a quarter full of hot water. Stirred gently and then finally added a quarter of cold water...no sugar! Then drank (or more like swallowed) it as fast as possible to lessen the bitterness. It was like swallowing an awful liquid medicine mom forced me to eat. The result was wonderful. I kept having it night over night right until I finished my secondary school.

Then I went to college. My friends introduced me to iced blended cappuccino in San Fransisco or Starbuck (can't remember which one). Although I born and raised in KL...I never heard of San Fransisco, Starbuck or Coffee Beans until I was 18. Before that I only knew about Hang Tuah Coffee, Nescafe and IndoCafe. The only thing that kept me away from those places was my pocket money. Now I gladly thank my mom for giving me just enough money for my bus fares, lunches, movie tickets and magazines. If not I'd spoilt myself with what I called "beans for high class". Since I can't affort coffee from these American franchises I sticked with my home-made coffee where I enjoyed having it once a day in late evening or when I hanged out with friends at mamak's.

Then I furthered my study in UK. A coffee paradise to me. I was a regular at the campus Ritazza cafe. Everyday I'd make sure I had at least 1pound to buy hot cappuccino or mocha in the evening before I walked home. I had 2 shots of expresso once a while when my assignments were due the next day. Dang the expresso almost tasted like my very own version of GilaCafe but stronger offcourse. Best thing about this cafe and almost every cafes around were the stamped cards. I got 1 stamp for every regular cup I bought or 2 stamps for large cup. When I had all 6 stamps in 1 card, I just showed it to cashier and walllaaa...a cuppa FOC! It was there in UK I also became a regular at Starbuck. 2 pounds for a frappuccino seems cheaper than RM12 in Malaysia. I tried my best not to convert to RM currency everytime I bought something...except when it were products from Malaysia such as Kicap Kipas Udang (soy sauce), Maggi Chilli Sauce, Manggis (mangosteen), or Rambutan. There were varieties of cheep blended coffee mix in supermarket. I bought some just in case I wanted different taste and aroma. My housemate prefered the flavoured decaf coffee...hazelnut, cinnamon all all other spices and nuts that my smelling sense won't approved. But hey! its a free world.

Before I returned to Malaysia, I shipped some of my favourite coffee powders and blended beans just to make sure I had enough stock so I wont miss UK for few months after I got back. After almost 3 years, I'm proud to say that I still have the expired expresso in my kitchen cabinet.

I had to admit the thing I did with my GilaCafe not only ruined my sleeping habbit in a long run. I became a caffiend and still battling with myself to keep a moderate consumptions. I felt the consequences of my actions every time I went to coffee shops or when I craved for a cup of Joe everytime I smell coffee or when I looked at my computer clock everytime I heard the sound of a cock-a-doodle-doo from a rooster at dawn.

Thank god I still believe I'n not a coffee warlord and hopefully will never be one. Now I enjoy coffee...not live for the coffee or let coffee live my life. Im long settled from detoxinate my body of all the caffeine but I feel great!!! I don't need coffee everyday...infact I only had coffee when I was dining out or hang out in some coffee shops or kopitiam. But I still can't help having a cup everytime the smell of coffee penetrated my "Olfactory receptor neurons" hehehe ...