Beer O Clock

It is now beer o clock. Or, shortly. Somehow beer doesn’t taste the same when you are drinking alone. Especially when it is not even a warm day and you have chilled white wine in the fridge instead. In fact nothing taste as good as when you are drinking with some good friends. I still cant get over the irony – if this was KL, in about half an hour I would have lined up a few people to pop open a few cold ones. The neck ties would come off, the sleeves would be rolled up and maybe the feet would even be up on a coffee table in a lounge in office. The only problem would have been pricey beers, but we would have been used to paying through our noses for beers. Unless it’s in the club or office supplied drinks, drinking anywhere else would be expensive. Fast forward twelve months – in beer guzzling antipodean territory, where beer costs about a quarter to a third of KL prices (without conversion of currencies). What do I do? I stop drinking beer. I have the occasional glass of wine at home. In fact last Sunday was the first time I popped open a few cold ones with some relatives and friends and enjoyed some chatter.

I don’t know what to make of this – on the one hand I feel good for no longer stumbling home late at night after a few drinks. On the other hand, I miss the company. Alex, Eric, Edward, Raj, Eddie, Tucks, Joe, MS, Dex, Patrick, Kelly, … who did I miss out… all those drinking buddies still in KL and still paying through their noses for their drinks but happy. May be alcohol induced happiness which is therefore escapism but heck, the company was usually good and the atmosphere was often fun.

The bright side? My liver is taking a much longer breather and the missus is much happier these days. No more late nights. No more boozy late nights. No more beer o clocks.