"THE" Station 21

Okay this is nothing like Platform 9 and 3quarters in Harry Potter.

This is in fact has got nothing to do with train.

Have any of you felt the oooomph of eating Burger Ramly (or what me and my sisters call burger kampong/burger murah)?

The adrenaline rush we get out of the burger Ramly is higher ten folds from our occasional 17 ringgit (without tax) burger from Chillis.

Station 21, is the BURGER RAMLY of San Francisco Steakhouse, Jakes, Victoria Station and other steak joints we could find!

At Station 21 Bangsar was where me and my abah use to hang out at times, sometimes with the family, and most often we would take my sister there when she's back for her summer holidays when she was studying.

The succulent steaks. chicken and lamb chops are to die for till today.

My father had his days of scouring hotels, Le Coq D'or, Coliseum Cafe and some other places that serves western goodies from even all over the world. Then till he stumbled upon something which is actually in his own "backyard" at the Jolly Green Giant building. Yup, where all the stalls are. Everything was under one roof so bringing friends there was never a problem from food choices to budget. It fits just about ANYONE!

I even brought some of my boyfriends there.

Then after I got married, my husband pulak had acquired taste for the food there!

My abah would come almost every week. The abang2 there would know his favourite Black Pepper Steak would be the item to be ordered. So all that my abah had to say was "bagi yang biasa yea.." And those abang really got on their feet to serve their regular "pakcik" as one of the fastest to be served.

Since my abah is in heaven now (Al fatihah), my and my husband would frequent this place and some other places which holds strong memories of me and my abah. I would never know who his favourite child but I am sure he treats all of us the same. Concentrating at least on one biggest part in each of our lives. But on my part as far as I can remember, since my sisters were pretty small at that time, until they have grown and gone to school, I was that daughter that my father took on food-trips, mostly when he meet his friends or business partners (this uncle, that uncle and their weird kids that some I find myself talking to them and some tak layan pun takpe), I was the "guest star" busybody who just sit there reading the menu (more like studying) what's served in North Indian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai restaurants. He taught me to be adventurous with food and seeing things positively and not scorn at weird stuff other people or other cultures call food.

As the result of that, I grew up to eat just about anything, tasted things that I am not sure even my mom had. If anyone were to put me to eat the weirdest, grossest concoction on Fear Factor, I could actually gulp/gobble them (yes of course with USD50,000 or whatever monetary amount offered in the show as my goal!).

At one time, I took up kickboxing, I lost 12 kgs in almost 2 months and kept on losing even a year after that. I looked like a skeleton because someone told me so!! I lost boobs, butts and money due to buying new clothes of size 6 and 8. It may not sound as sad as that in the modelling world but I hated how I looked. I may have the figure, size, everyone wanted, but since I was a weird child, I hated it! I was thin and broke because bras, mind you, dont come cheap. My undies killed my wallet and budget. Even stretch marks that appeared after losing weight made me broke too having to buy ridiculous creams to see them miraculously disappear. Like, hello?

So, the statement of "kau ni dah macam tengkorak" actually worked. I thanked the idiot who called me that. I needed my boobs back! I dont want them to hang like puckered apples anymore.

And so, I am back being my 50-something kg self again. And loving it while I stay this way. I dont wanna go back to my tengkorak clothes again. I should know my body by now. I dont want to lose the "squeezable" parts. They are assets, man!!

So here I am somewhere between the tengkorak and wobbly-fat body. Looks like I can neither be one of them. Moderateness is the key. The need to move, walk briskly, run, climb, swim, fold and flex, dance are all necessities when we need to.

Alhamdulillah, most of all, is the ability to move and how I choose to go about it.