For the Hundredth Time.....

Woohoo! We've entered the month of February. Yesterday, for a start, was pleasantly mild with none of the usual malevolent, bone-freezing winds that is the norm at this time of the year. Indeed, a great way to welcome February which will also celebrate my daughter's first birthday at the tail-end of it. God bless her!

On a very personal level, this blog entry is a cause for mini-celebration, of some sort. Following a timorous start in November 2005, I've now reached number 100 in my blog posting! Yay! *Here's the cue to break into a Snoopy-like dance*

When I first dipped my toes into the uncharted waters of blogging, I didn't know what to expect or whom to emulate. I just wanted to record my thoughts, rants and raves for posterity. A place to retreat to, to unload those baggages (emotional or otherwise) I've been lugging around, to rail against injustice and cruelty (from the trivials to the substantials), or to splice the disparate parts of my lives into a cohesive yet memorable whole. In short, a pseudo-diary that will be re-read in latter times to see and reflect on how far I've grown as a person.

It was only when I arrived in Delft that I uncovered a whole new world of blogging - blogging with links to other people's sites which arise from making friends with people from the blogging community, through comments left, interests shared or causes championed. With a lot of free time, I also began dabbling with the cosmetic changes to my site by way of tinkering with 'customised tools' and fun applications seen on other bloggers' pages. I can assure you this was done through a series of online experiments by my non-tech-savvy hands.

And so for the hundredth post, many ideas came to my frenetic mind, all at once. Should I write a philosophical piece, indulge in a wise-cracking anecdote, delineate my socio-political stance, paste some more photos of our cheeky Sadia, or recount some poignant turn-of-event? I flitted through the options available and decided on this:

Starbucks.*grin*

Yes, those who know me well can relate to my hankering for coffee. My unfailing allegiance with coffee. At times, on a disturbing level.

I only got into the habits of drinking coffee religiously during my college stint. Like many students before me, it aids by kickstarting yet another day of classes and keeping those crusty eyes fully awake at boring lectures.

Towards my junior year, I fell in love with Starbucks after stumbling upon it in Chicago - downing it either in the Windy City itself with Malaysian friends or in an Illinois suburb where I usually met with my would-be husband.

Upon graduation and leaving the States for good, I flew to the UK to attend my twin sister's commencement ceremony in Cardiff. No Starbucks was in sight at the time. However, I was fully sated with the commendable coffee fares served at quaint and quirky cafes.

So circa 1999-2000, when Berjaya Group Berhad eventually brought the franchise onto Malaysian shores, I thanked Allah profusely and leapt for joy! At long last, a delectable coffee beverage to unwind to at the end of a yuppie-full day. Yippee!

When Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) ordered Caramel Machiatto at her favourite Starbucks store in You've Got Mail, I rejoiced at the similarity in our exquisite taste! Aside from CM, my other loves include Hazelnut Latte, Plain Latte and Mocha. Surprisingly, I'd prefer the hot beverages over the cold or 'frapp' ones, even in the sweltering climate of Malaysia.

I momentarily parted company with my coffee addiction - Starbucks included - during my pregnancy. Hormonally-laden with progesterone, I couldn't stand the smell or taste of coffee, to the point of almost hurling! I had wondered out loud if this would mark a permanent change to my cafe-bound, lolling lifestyle in KL. Fortunately and remarkably, it was passing phase. Further, my concerns over coffee consumption vis-a-vis full-time nursing were allayed by Sadia's pediatrician who 'basically' informed me that adhering to 2-4 cups (or was it mug?!) a day should fairly be safe. He even added that the chances of caffeine entering the milk production via the bloodstream are reasonably minute.

The one-year sojourn in Delft, the Netherlands, beginning in the third quarter of last year, didn't however prepare me for the cold-turkey withdrawal from Starbucks. I failed to do my homework and took for granted that Starbucks, the Seattle-based giganticus coffee-chain-us would infiltrate most places on earth by now. Luckily, I snapped up the opportunity to slake my Starbucks thirst when we went back briefly to Malaysia during Raya last year. We even had packed two beverages up to the eleventh hour - at the Starbucks in the KLIA's Satellite building!

And then, the most rueful moment in the history of a self-proclaimed Starbucks addict, took place two weeks ago. I was browsing the Net, armed with the sudden interest in finding out the nearest country to the Netherlands that carries the Starbucks franchise. Actually, I was having a strong craving for Starbucks that particular night....go figure.

Imagine my sheer horror when I discovered that France has Starbucks amongst its constituents! Considering how protectionist France is, no small amount of retail stores was available in the country. In fact, there are 27 branches in total, with 25 in Paris proper itself!!!

Oh woe is me! I bemoaned my enormous loss of being so close to my elixir of youth yet unable to relish the goods on offering! I mentally kicked myself after I pored over the list of stores, one of which was in near proximity to the place that we stayed in Rueil-Malmaison! Devastatingly ill-timed!

Fear not my (caffeinated) beating heart for I (we) intend to tread upon your soil in the not-to-distance future and believe me, a daily (if not hourly) frequent might be on the agenda. But of course, the usual proviso does apply - Sadia. Like an onion, her personality traits have slowly peeled off, revealing some adorable and some antsy sides of her character. That evolution will go on for a year or so, I'm afraid, which in turn has a full bearing on any plans we might have laid out for the day. When push comes to shove, Starbucks to-go is always the definitive solution to man's (woman's) greatest distress! :-)

comic credits go to Cartoonbank.com