The Boiling Crab

Rented a car while I was doing a layover in Los Angeles a few weeks back. After driving around and frequented shopping malls at Ontario Mills (http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1258) and Desert Hills (http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=6), it was time to eat.

Went to a seafood restaurant named The Boiling Crab at Euclid Street in Garden Groove near LA. (http://www.theboilingcrab.com/)

First of all, the restaurant is not big. It was crowded when we arrived. We were told the waiting time about half an hour. So we took our queue number and went to a Vietnamese Café a few doors away. A unique characteristic of this Vietnamese Café is the presence of scantily clad Vietnamese waitresses around. Although there are a lot of LCD TV screens on the four walls, the eye candies are no doubt you-know-who. And one more interesting thing, no alcohol is served. Maybe they don’t have the license to do so. What goes around that looks like jugs of beer is actually Chinese tea.

First impression inside The Boiling Crab restaurant is that of a fishing village. There are fishing nets hanging on the walls and ceiling. Framed pictures of fishermen showing off their catch, fishing rods and boat anchor are part of the interior décor.

We ordered the signature Crawfish with Rajun Cajun (original) seasoning, Dungeoness Crab with Garlic Butter seasoning, King Crab legs with The whole Sha-Bang and Fried Catfish with Cajun Fries.

All our orders came in plastic bags. We were given plastic apron to wear. Tables were lined with oil absorbent papers for easy wrapping and getting rid of the shells.

The signature crawfish is not my favourite. The Cajun source was too hot. The crawfish was too small to warrant the peeling effort. The flesh did not absorb the source. It was a little bland.

Our favorite was the King Crab Legs. It was fresh and easy to handle. The Catfish came second. Nicely fried, warm and smooth on the tougue.

After eating a few dishes, all the sources tasted the same. Perhaps it was the chilly.

Try it if you have not been there.

It's the Spirit!

Human lives have four aspects: Mental, Physical, Emotional and Spiritual.

A well-rounded individual will seek to develop all four aspects of his/her live. Any aspect that is lacking will soon affect the other aspects and resulting in imbalance and unhappiness.

As I was watching the Olympic athletes dishing out their best in their respective competing fields in Beijing, I could not help but to take my hats off to them. To be able to be their countries’ flag bearers and compete in the international arena, they have put in countless years of practice and hardwork, not mentioning the obstacles and setbacks encountered along the way.

To be able to compete under pressure, the athletes need to be in their top-notch condition in all four aspects of their lives. Although the easiest to be seen is the physical aspect of the athletes – in fact, their performance is measured solely based on that – the other three aspects of lives play equally if not more significant roles in shaping their results.

China's national hero Liu Xiang was mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared to take on the 110m hurdles event, but he failed in his physical aspect in that he suffered cramp at the beginning of the race. And so, his fellow Chinese supporters’ emotions and spirits were subsequently dented too.

During the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, as the athletes from around the world march into their respective rows, the TV commentator made a somewhat cruel but true statement: 90 per cent of the athletes there are going to go home without any medals, they might as well savor the glorious moments now.

If only three out of the ten contestants are going to get the top three medals, why are the rest of the athletes bother to take part? Yes, it’s the human spirit at play. Just like 95 per cent of the business start-ups fail within the first five years, why do people still trying? They don’t call it Entrepreneur Spirit for no reason.