The Secret to Success

Aristotle once said that excellence is a habit. He must have watched my friends.

It was pouring cats and dogs in KL last night, which made the choice of where to have a quick dinner an easy one due to the lack of viable (and dry) options. So Amir and I landed at Lobsterman in SS2.

The restaurant serves possibly the cheapest lobsters in KL. For RM98, we had the set course for two, which consisted of baked mussels (mussels soaked in mash potatoes and melted cheese), garlic bread and minestrone soup, a 500g lobster cooked the 'Lobsterman way' (5 different options, we took the crispy garlic option), baked seafood and spaghetti with either a tomato-based or cheese-based sauce, a fruit cocktail and coffee for dessert. For an additional RM20, those greedy eaters can opt for an additional 200g of lobster.

The delightful thing about dinner wasn't just the deal we got. The food itself was delicious. It was quite obvious that the chef took some pride in the dishes as there were no shortcuts to its taste. The seafood was fresh and all the dishes came piping hot to the table, with impeccable customer service, I might add.

The ambience was conducive to quiet conversations. It was so good that Amir commented on how perfect the setting would be for that special someone. Of course, his original comment wasn't as diplomatic as I had put it. =P

More on my dinner companion.

Amir and I used to work together a couple of years back. He was the personification of 'kalut' but his charms would be in his relentless pursuit for self-improvement. There were times when we had our philosophical differences, but friends being friends, we each understood that we all had our own paths to choose.

Amir went on to set up his own company. While it's still small, it's a development outfit consisting of 7 staff which was recently awarded MSC status. Funny enough, the company started more as a hobby. To quote Amir, it has now become an expensive hobby - something that requires considerable time, commitment and sacrifices to keep alive.

Over dinner, these two old friends talked about everything. Distance sometimes make things clearer and it was clear to me how much my dear friend has grown in the last couple of months since I last saw him. Would I say that he is successful? One could say that we'll have to wait and see, but I say that he is. He's got a hobby that provides for his sustenance. He's got something he can be passionate about. He allows enough room for doubt to seek the advice of others, yet has enough self-confidence to stand up for what he believes is true. And all in all, throughout the last couple of years of running his business, he's managed to become a more humble and wise person.

Amir would choke when he reads it, mainly because he's convinced that I have nothing good to say about him (mainly due to his incessant 'Amirisms'). The thing about me is that when I'm proud of my friends, I tell them.

Side Note:

The Lobsterman is located at No. 53, Jalan SS2/30, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Call 03 - 7877 6772 for more information.

Posted by Najah Nasseri at 2003年12月03日 10:46 | TrackBack