Langkawi and The Case of the Missing Waitress

AM

Least: At nearly 11:00am, I foolishly turned on the TV and was not surprised to see that today's riveting installment of 'How To Make' was a repeat. I had already learned about the tatami mat making process from 'reed to room' the previous day. Like other filler shows, it had all the hallmarks of an uninteresting 30mins - bad lighting, harsh sound, long gaps in commentry and appalling music. Needless to say, I don't really appreciate the mats 'neath my feet any more than I did pre-instruction.

Most: Close to 9:30am, I woke with the faint memory of booking flights to Malaysia for the winter holidays. Near, or just after midnight, browsing flights, when on the spur of the moment Rosie and I decided to click on 'book now'. As my bleariness subsided, I began to envision a perfect, mindless tropical holiday - drinking cocktails under swaying palms. Having something to look forward to makes even the least interesting of days worth groaning through.

PM

Least: At nearly 2:15pm, Rosie and I ascended to the 8th floor of a skinny building in Shinsaibashi to El Pancho for a late lunch. We were delighted to find that the happyhour was long and made the cocktails half-price. We weren't delighted though, with the decidedly non-Japanese style service. The lone waitress didn't appear run off her feet and seemed to hide around a corner. Despite a sumimasen or two she was blissfully unaware of of need for another drink - perhaps selling half-price drinks isn't too profitable.

Most: At about 1:20pm, I parked my bike at a surprisingly convenient and free garage under LABI in Namba and strolled into the cavernous electrical wonderland. I walked past, every imaginable appliance, bridal set, camera, phone and massage device. On the fourth floor, lived the games,toys and thousands of Gundam models. It was incredible to imagine that people, children and nerds, would have vast collections of these figurines adorning their rooms. There were also enormous number of train sets and items to help recreate the world in miniature. As I left LABI Gundam-less, I noticed about ten Japanese men snoring into their chests on the massage chairs.

The Early Lunch and Late Dinner

AM


Least: At about 10:20am, I found myself still bleary and in the Life supermarket bike parking area. For some reason, maybe micro-geographical, it is the hottest place in Osaka. As soon as I rolled around the corner into the sea of shopping bicycles, it was as if I'd stepped into a hot, boring oven. Downstairs in the supermarket, the competition for aisle-space was hot too - with the hoonish old ducks stopping at nothing to get their wares. There seemed to a run on horrifically filled crustless sandwiches.

Most:  At 11:40am, I began cooking okonomiyaki for an early lunch. Thankfully, the packet of flours, seaweeds, and prawn-bubbles made the job pretty easy - I just had to add chopped cabbage, eggs and flour. For the flavour layer, I added mushrooms for Rosie and leanish pork on mine (above). The real trick to to be able to flip them over without destroying thier structural integrity. Okonomiyaki is always in danger of being bland, so it is crucial to had plenty of worcester sauce on standby if another squirt is required. Bonito flakes are a must - mayonnaise is optional. Being a work-day it was a little disappointing not to be chugging down a beer with our meal - maybe tomorrow.

PM

Least: Approaching 11:00pm, I sat at Nakamozu atation and watched an Out Of Service train arrive, empty and depart. In the excruciating time between that disappointment and my train, no less than three trains passed me by. It felt like Melbourne, but with the trains clearly labelled, my rage was kept to a minimum. The most uninteresting of trials become far less enraging when their outcome is entirely predictable.

Most: Just after 8:45pm, I walk out of my pink workplace and down a flight of stairs to a vast barn of an izakaya. Despite the occasional whiff of oil and smoke, I had never contemplated that such a complex had existed less than a metre beneath my feet. The feeding trough catered for all tastes, ranging from repellent pizzas and bakes, to silky sashimi and three kinds of grilled offal. I settled for the grilled vital organs and semi-dried squid. The beer was great too. My new awareness though, will make working upstairs drag on that little while longer.