Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Sobriety fooking sucks!





Wow. Have made it thru me birthday without a single drop of alcohol. Fook, that was weird. Before some of you reading this start concluding that me is some sort of raging kudikaran, let me please give you a bit of background.

Yes, I do like to have a tipple (beer or whiskey . . . or both!). Me drinking habit was already quite considerable but was exacerbated when I started me own pub/restaurant in Feb 1999. And boy, the birthday parties were the stuff of legend. Well, I am told anyways as me is usually passed out in some corner by 10pm with all the poison shoved down me fooking throat by "well wishers"!

As some of you will know I sold (the much missed) Broadwalk bout a year ago due to health reasons (plus the stress of running a F n B outlet was enormous). So this is the first year in a fooking long time where I did not celebrate me b'day with loads of friends at the pub . . . no loud live rock band . . . no fooking merry making . . . no waking up at 7am on the floor of me own pub thinking what the fook happened & why am I half naked . . . sigh, I fooking miss those days.

This year, it was off to temple fer prayers in the am, work & came home fer dinner with wifey, lites out by 930pm. Talk bout complete reversal of lifestyle. Doc's strict orders are - No more boozing, tobacco & generally eating loads of unhealthy (but delicious) foods fer me (anyone remember Broadwalk's signature dishes - Lamb Shank Curry? Double Lamb Burger with Everything on it? Claypot Lamb Stew? . . . Yes, I am quite fond of lamb, how did you fooking guess?).
And its not just me own b'day parties I miss. All the regular patrons would celebrate their milestones at Broadwalk & it was always a fooking blast. Although running the place was stressful as fook & took its toll on me health, I cherish the many, many fond memories I have of the place (eg LFC's treble finale v Deportivo Alaves). And more importantly, it also allowed me to meet plenty of interesting people & make some genuine friends (you guys know who you are!). It was nice being a publican of "a place where everyone really knew yer name".

Sorry, just reminiscing & getting a bit sentimental. But those of you who were at Broadwalk's swansong party would have seen how much the place (& you guys) meant to me. I was in fooking tears & the next thing I know was waking up at 10am on the fooking floor of me own pub (I am consistent, you'll have to give me that)! But that was fer the last time & here I am now leading a 9-to-fooking-5 existence with the party lifestyle all but a distant memory . . . sigh.
Was fooking awesome while it lasted, eh? To all those who made Broadwalk such a wonderful hangout, TQ from the bottom of me overworked liver! I duly invite you guys to post yer fave memory of Broadwalk here.

And, oh yeah, sobriety fooking sucks!

PS: Pix is of some regulars & meself posing with Liverpool legend Phil Neal at Broadwalk shortly before I sold the place. Another great memory & one fer the album!

PSS: Yes ladies, bloke in yellow jersey is a CLEO Bachelor of the Year candidate (2002) & his name is Becky aka Mark "Eye Of The Tiger" Lee.

45 comments:

nick m said...

hey, i know it's tough. but it's tougher having liver cirrhosis or kidney failure. so hang in there buddy. there will be other birthdays, ones with alcohol...copious amounts of it, with mutton, pork and all the other stuff you, we, all of us like. i'll personally see to it. just take care of yourself for now. when that day comes, you can drink the bar dry. ok, maybe not. but you get the idea.
once again, many happy returns.

Miss Gill said...

oh dear. liver.

one of the reasons why detoxing should be a twice-weekly ritual.

hope u get better soon!

but you owned a BAR?!?!
that's sooo cooooool~! if u still had it i'd SO GO THERE EVERY FU*KING HAPPY HOUR!
i love making friends with club/bar owners. your thousand ringgit bill disappears every time!

its true but i'm just pullin yr leg. lol~

anfield devotee said...

nick m: thanx fer the support dude. No fave memmories of the pub?
Remember when we had a movie marathon one sat nite when I first started the place - fooking 5 movies including Godfather trilogy back to back! Fooking awesome nite or what?!?

constant drama said...

Reading your post now makes me wanna hit pubs and actually drink then actually watching my friends getting drunk and laughing at them.

Btw, that is one tiny pic.

anfield devotee said...

constant_d: sorry, am a bit IT challenged & was unable to figure out how to enlarge the pix. Besides, it also benefits us by making us look quite slim . . . he he.

Getting fooking wasted is one of the greatest guilty pleasures one can do with yer hard earned money. For reference: Oscar Wilde & Dylan Thomas!

nick m said...
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nick m said...

how can i forget that. i'm still recovering from that night. LOL!!!
there are many other memories. some are little hazier than others, for obvious reasons.

Jon-C said...

Mate,

I still do miss that place. Can only imagine what the MyRAWK boys and Broadwalk could have achieve together!!!! Anyway, hope ya doing well and taking good care of yaself. Looking forward to having tea and "yum char" with you one of these days - i am dead serious, no alcohol laced "tea". Hehehehe!

mark said...

I do miss Broadwalk mate. Happy Birthday! Look on the positive side, many of us would want to adopt a healthier lifestyle but don't know how. You at least have that though it came with some arm twisting.

Thanks for the promo btw.

Bernard said...

Having Ewan's 1st Birthday party at the pub, UEFA Cup win v Alaves & CL 2005. Memories of these events stick out immediately! & you don't have to worry about Doris burning down your shop no more....

Happy Belated Birthday! Follow Docs advise & we'll celebrate quite a few more together, albeit with orange juice and a carrot stick.

Bernard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ISA said...

u'r god damn fooking right...miss broadwalk bro...the only place where the wifey would give me money to go & get out of the house..without even blinking an eye!! truly a place where everybody knows your name..

and honestly, my dear friend, the best food in town for me...and i miss (i bet u guys do too...) being loud, vulgar, obscene, lewd, crude & just simply obnoxious from the top of the bar...the BUTOHs, BABIs, BAPOK PORTUGIS, MONKEYS...it was brilliant..

well, all good things come to an end..but DOESNT MEAN we cant start it all over again..many happy returns bro..

go through the healthy shit diligently so we can start drinking again slut..

Unknown said...

Broadwalk will forever hold a special place in my heart, along with the many people i've known there who've become me good mates. It was truly the 'Cheers' of my life!

Especially miss the days of loud live music courtesy of Bonfire, uproarious laughter and good times with Kit, Joey, Gary and Amrit. Still remember our headbangin sessions to Black Sab's tribute album and Joey's impromptu tribute night to Alice In Chains's Layne Staley!!

Happy Birthday again AD.

muststopthis said...

Bala,
If its one night I remember, its David Bovie and the stuff.....
at 4.00 in the morning!

anfield devotee said...

muststopthis: he he, glad it opened yer eyes matey! And it is BoWie la . . .

mark @ Becky: Feel free to publish yer contact number/email/facebook here!
And yes, ladies, he & his Cindy Crawford-style mole is still single (as far as I know)!!!

Isa: Ha ha, yup remember u telling us yer wifey giving u the green lite to hang out at Broadwalk whenever! Passport with indefinite visa, bet you abused it by telling her u were coming to Broadwalk when u were going to some sleazy karaoke!

Bernard: Yer wife bloody arsonist la!

JonC: Fook da tea la! Hopefully I can overcome me health issues & hit the booze again soon!

Nick: Purple Haze?

premo: not to worry, will do the heavy metal session at me house one of these days soon!

mandeep: No need fer self-censorship here (eg: FU*KING).

Jonno said...

Ah Broadwalk, which I discovered by chance. Once I stepped in there, that was is, game nights were never the same, me wife even insisted to do my birthday there last year, albeit a quiet one.
It was a place with lots of memories, it was the place where I had my first stout, and I had 7 for the good measure. (luckily no waking up semi naked next to the owner, or I might look at Bala in a slightly different light)
It was a place we shared many laughter, tears as well as great times all around. FA Cup Final where Stevie G thumped that 40 yarder in from some stupid angle on the volley stands out in mind, where the place truly erupted. 2005 CL, was supposed to be there but for some stupid home party.
Broadwalk was also the inspiration behind MyRAWK, having tasted the atmosphere and the people, we are trying to replicate the same kind of atmosphere at a place just opposite Broadwalk. Great times there...
Don't worry Bala, look after yourself, and we'll surely drag you to the next away trip of ours. Look after yerself and happy belated birthday.


Jonno

Anonymous said...

Uh oh!

Happy belated Birthday man!!!

No booze is really hard for you huh?!

Seems like taking a big chunk of your life from you!!!

Anyway, keep it going man! Stay away from it!!! You still want to see Steven Gerrard lift the English Premier League at Anfield don't you? What about the new Anfield?!

Keep it up man! I am sure there's much more reasons for you to stay off it than on it!!!

anfield devotee said...

constant_d: Ok, with the help of JonC, have managed to enlarge pix. TQ JonC.

Jonno: It was the people who made Broadwalk special. Fer that I thank all u fookers fer making it a great hang out fer us Reds. Thanx must also go out to the more "sporting" man utd/spurs/arsenal fans who also felt comfortable drinking there & adding a dose of friendly rivalry -Towkay Victor, Andrew, Steven Por, Eduardo, Vinesh, Pramugh, Anand, Prashant etc.

@dam: I know, brudder, & TQ fer your greetings. But it is tough to watch me beloved Reds without a cold beer as company . . .

mark said...

My first memory of Broadwalk was walking in and noticing the Liverpool memorabilia all around. We were seated on what I remember was rattan chairs with cushioned seats. I noticed Bala at the bar as I was walking to the washroom and saw that he was reading 442. I then asked if he was a Liverpool fan and the rest as they say, is history.

anfield devotee said...

mark: yeah, dude. I remember it well. You were the freindly chappie unlike Mr Lan Si Lan Yong, yes, Previn, we are talking bout you!!! he he just joking brudder.

If only a few My Rawk guys get to gether & open yer own pub. Wouldn't that just be fooking fab!

weiyin69 said...

eh, happy belated birthday 51st birthday! heh heh heh. booze-free huh? can't imagine you being sober on your big day!

well, i generally avoided broadwalk when there were football matches. too crowded for my liking but yeah, that place was cool. it's got its own charm. too bad it's not there anymore. anyway, there are other great places you can still chill out. your home, for instance ...

anfield devotee said...

Wei Yin: TQ fer the b'day greetings & why am I not surprised you are asking me to chill at home?

BTW, did you read the latest posting on Joy Division? It was thanx to u that I even knew bout the movie. Hope you like the videos!

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

bala,

hey, happy belated birthday, man!

seriously, do you plan to stay sober for good and quit smoking all together? i dont drink but while i'm not in the best of health, it always crosses my mind to quit smoking but would end up picking it up again once i'm up and about.

u know what, sometimes i envy u kops. liverpool legends seems to make their way to our shore alot. the likes of rush, barnes, mcmahon, neal you name it. when the entire arsenal was here back in 98, i was still bed-ridden. talk about bad timing!

*hey, which one is you?

anfield devotee said...

kerp: I'm the short bloke with the Liver bird tattoo on Phil Neal's left. TQ fer'b'day greetings & yes, I hope to quit smoking fer good but the alcohol bit is proving a bit difficult.

No comment on the Joy Division post?

senorita.. said...

lotsss of history huh... i missed it le... by the time i know any of u guys that place is no longer Broadwalk..

and i'm late.. happy belated birthday!!! (from Karen & Teh)

and there's a 1st time for everything... so staying sober for ya bday is okay le... hehehehe (i was sober too,but,ohh.. we're different kind of ppl lol)

Feline said...

I miss that place like all hell. Keep meaning to go see if the Lamb Stew is still as it was but it's just not the same anymore. It was my favourite place to hang out.

anfield devotee said...

senorita: tq & yes, why did u remain sober when u turned 20 recently? Why why why?

nesa: will email you the recipe one day & then you can make lamb stew fer all of us!

nanda666 said...

Happy belated sober Bday dude!! We really missed you at the wedding!! Well....Broadwalk......too many memories....great ones....crazy ones...bad ones....man....the ups and downs......that place was the center of everything we did at one time!!! :)
Thanks to you, great friendships were formed..until today.
it was the best pub ever...and coming from a sailor...that's a hellova compliment, right??
When n where is the reunion party?? Hehehehe!!!

SLACKER said...

sigh... i miss Broadwalk.... way too many memories... i celebrated my 21st bday in your very first year of operation...

i miss all em football nites... watching elsewhere doesnt feel the same....

perhaps the best of all football nites was that magical Istanbul nite.... where we partied till sunrise... i remember my boss asking me... 'did you have beers for b'fast'..

the band nites were awesome too.... from azman warren to sharins... i will miss em all.. btw - sharins' band plays @ bojangles on saturdays....

sigh....

and i'm still miss the damn mutton paratel and eating fries with sambal belacan...

damn it... i miss the fucking place..

i'm with nanda - when's the reunion party? we can get non-alcoholic beers for bala... lol

WOO HOO... ENGLAND FUCKED UP AGAIN.. YIPPIE!!!

Bernard said...

AD : and the reason for Doris being an arsonist wassssss???? Great memories, good food, good friends...sorry bout the toilet though. That's truly 1 place that's been abused. And I'm not talking bout the sorry state its in. In the first place, its in a sorry state cos of all the puking goin on!! That was my first of memory of meeting Jim Melayu. And remember when Botak Biren passed out in the loo??? Man, its not just the pub but the loo also got memories...

Bernard said...
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anfield devotee said...

Bernard: Yeah man, must dig out that pix of Biren slumped on the loo fast asleep & post it here!!!

nanda: Yes, forgot to mention bout yer passing out escapades every time you get to shore! Like the time we hosed you down in the loo & then you fell face down on Eddie Ng's crotch! Ha ha Fooking Classic!

slacker & the rest: Reunion party is definitely on! Just wait till I get better & at least have a drink or two la!

BTW - The new owners fooked up the place & are desperate to sell. Anyone interested? Would be great if the place was back in the hands of one of you guys. My Rawk? A consortium of Nanda, Biren, Premo & Amrit?

mark said...

Oi uncle Bernard. I was just reminded of how your excessive cigar puffing tested Broadwalk's piss poor ventilation to the max. Dah lah tempat kecik.

I'm with you on the reunion Nanda. Tempat? Waktu? Let's get this sorted out before the new year lah. Bala's place is out of the question given it's closer to Seremban than PJ.

kevo said...

happy belated birthday man. never been there at broadwalk more than a handful's count really but enjoyed the lfc ambience and the food especially everytime i wuz there. yeah the lamb stew wuz memorable along with the lamb burgers... and i aint a lambs fan! the service wuz impeccable. i noticed one thing the other pubs fookin didn't have (its a dying art in every business) and thats the personal touch. you had time for everyone man and yeah for me thats tough to do day in day out. makes it all the more special and most importantly welcoming. and i think i speak also on behalf of me former half as she enjoyed herself everytime and thanks to you bro, was taken care of very well. sadly we were goin thru some bad shit at that time and ( no excuses here though ) but i couldn't be there as much as i would have liked. its all good lah anyways and you have my salute to a great place and kudoses to the great man behind it. cheers!

anfield devotee said...

Kevo: Tq dude & yer most welcome. Serving Kopites is always a pleasure . . .

mark: ha ha, ok, agreed me place is a touch too far. perhaps we can do it at premo & amrit's condo poolside? Make it a BYO.

Better yet, perhaps Nanda & gang could buy over the bar & we can have a REUNION/REOPENING!!!

Bernard said...

Mark : Ei...nobody complain before wat. So I puff-la...and if anyone complain, I puff even harder!!! & BTW Bala does not live near Seremban, he lives IN Seremban!

A consortium of regulars to re-open B'walk? No way its gonna work. All the shareholders will be drinking whatever profits dry....it'll all end in tears I tell ya!

Jon-C said...

Running a bar ain't MyRAWK's forte. Drinking a bar dry like unker bernard said is an altogether different proposition and a story for another day! ;0)Kekekeke

ISA said...

OI BRADER BALA!! kalau gua cakap gua pegi Broadwalk, gua pegi Broadwalk lah..

Sleazy karaoke joints only on weeknites lah...

As for memories, it must be the Michael OVVEN FA Cup Final.. Remember rubbishing that poor lone Gooner sitting with his liverpool mates at the front corner...pity that chap, especially after his song & dance when the Gooners went one up...hahahhaa..

As for Istanbul..well, my thoughts at half time in the stadium were with you buggers at broadwalk...

when's the reunion lah?

Unknown said...

Reunion? On! At my/amrits/biren's place? Ok la - the pool and BBQ pit is decent but the slack part is that lights out after 11pm. Unless anyone else gotta better location/recommendation??

But of course the best is to re-open the ol'place la! That'll be HAVOC!!

mozisgod said...

bala chhiiieEEFFFFFFFFFF:)))))
.....*97*($)(@&#(*)##)(*)074272&….kkklk……
Hold on I need to kene 1 batang.
Ok , back.

1st night….at the… broadwalk:
fingered in a call to an old mate.a good old mate...
Missed the dude’s intelligent *coughcough* & breakdarah wit..Thought I’d give him a call see..trade talk on any new sounds that he’s checked out of late..
(mind you if not for the dude I would not have discovered….the many angles a SY track can take you..or.the reid brothers crankin’ it uppppp)..
Ugh.(WHY the hell do I always do this..melalut-ing).To cut a farkin-kentotbacin-winded story short.
The conversation ended with an invitation to this place called broadwalk....“eh pundek…you coming or not now? just shut the fark up and come la”And I went…*sigh*..ok la ok la..whats the name of the place…boardwalk ah…
“its bROADwalk..BROADWALK..b-r-o-a-dwalk…you &$%$^&##* “..
Enter..
Whoa…What is this place…..i look a around. Sniff..sniff…omigod…the first thing that caught me eye…the walls dude…lined ….heck…memories of my younger bro’s room lingered back..Shite..i’m on enemy turf….jeng jeng jengggg..…fe fi fo fum….i smell..red..*censored*. Friend dude introduces to owner dude…slightly balding up in the front.. with some locks at the back…he was wearing this….faded T…hang on..oh yeahh..it was a Kreator tee-shirt..thattts it…fuhhhyoohhh thrash sokmo..been a long time…since I saw the name emblazoned anywhere..except on torn jeans.. and schoolbags..ownerdude flashed a grimacing..warm welcome…phew..i escaped the intro part…owner dude’s name caught my attention.. the name…so damn familiar..so I asked..are you…THE so & so? nodded his head..and humbly said….long time ago la fren…some friendly chaotic footie banter goin on…and it was all liverpudlian..kept telling myself….dun open your mouth farkerr….owner dude..goes..hey fren..yu follow football ah?..met him with a blank stare…like english football..as in E-P-L?..i smile politely..got la..litter-bit….then comes THE question…oh really..which team you support la?...erk…I decided to the silliest of things…I said ‘guess?’…owner dude..straightaway…goes...MAN UTD AH?...grimacing…no no…lucky..if not might have to throw you out man..followed by a smile…just kidding ah…back to grimace…gunners ah? that jolted me…what da fark…inside my head I was going..’DO I LOOK LIKE A FREAKIN GOONER TO YOU DUDE?’…..but control..control…I said even worse…he came close…”everton ka?”…no no…I finally told him..ownerdude..guffawed a heft laugh…and said..”spurs fans are always welcome here..”..another hefty guffaw…I muttered under my breath…’Yah la…we never win anything what…”…he asked..what’s that?…I said nothing chief…another beer..And from then on..it was good times all the way. I knew I was in good company. Although I was not a frequent…erhm..resident..the few times I did go there….were magik…save for that one time…where the good old mate stood me up…nah..he was pretty busy…but even the the broadwalk dudes kept me busy with banter..and even made numerous calls to my mate to haul his arse down…

Heck..where else can you find a pub…with doors shut…and the slam dancing & moshing going on up to 3 am & beyond..to..everything & anything
From sex pistols and j.rotten sneering….’Is this is da IRAAAA?’
To…DATUK MARLEY screaming his carribheart out..
Bhangra mixes..
Iron mayideng’s…”can I play withhhhhhh MADNESSSSSSS???????”
AND STILL POGO IN UNISON.

Bala chief,
Hepi super-duper-extra-mega-electricladen-as-a-derby-day-at-anniesfield be-Late-EDD birthday? …better later than never late dude…sori ah beb..lambat-pantat..gua punye internet kena sunat..by the sundal powers of the IT department…(and.mind you i only log on after 7pm...afer a coupla..erhm..kopi o-kaus)
Pry open this breasted chest.and you’ll find a thumpin heart bleached with glee. (okay I will vomit on your behalf.). funnily enough….i always hum this tune everytime the reds lose their pants of..…you know that Pet shop boys..(original willie nelson)..you’re always on my mind?…I kinda change it to you WILL ALWAYS walk alone…but in your case..you’ll never walk alone. Cheers mate.And here’s to premo too. Dude thanks for haulin’ my arse there.
see ya fellas.wont be seeing ya for some time..thus the r-e-a-l-ly long blog. that's an understatement.

anfield devotee said...

moz: Tq dude & I can allow you a little leeway with yer anti-Red sentiments given that u lot are still fooking talking bout Bill Nicholson & the bloody double . . .

mark said...

Speaking of the FA Cup game against Arsenal, it was so packed, I had to sit on a bloody beer keg! So much for VIP treatment lah Bala. It was the most packed night I've ever experienced there.

anfield devotee said...

mark: But that just added to the memory rite? A sore arse coupled with sheer euphoria, a truly unique experience eh!

Vicna Vinesh said...

Happy very belated Birthday BRO! A lot of good memories i must say...as a Gunner i never understood why i speant so much time at 'Anfield'. I loved the fact that whenever there was even a slight traffic jam at Phileo, i had had an excuse to go down and have a beer first. I also enjoyed the many civil discussions we had about EPL, cars (alfa romeo!), chicks and everything else! And i miss you calling me at 4pm to come down for a game of darts...which inevitable had me having too much beers and dinner before heading home! That bloody artery clogging Broadwalk Burger (was it also known as the El-Hadji Diof Burger?) was simply awesome man!

anfield devotee said...

la salle pj: Woi, Vinesh, welcome to Fer Fook's Sake la brudder! U should drop by more often.

And like I said above, tq to all opposing fans like yerself fer making Broadwalk a great hangout fer ALL footie fans!