Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

What was this muppet doing?

All in for $400 odd dollars and he’s sitting on Jack high, either he’s a couple eggs short of a dozen or he’s got money to loose, so I figured the latter and took his chips with my trip Aces!

He re-stocked his chip count and sure enough within a couple of hands I had cleaned him out again!

I was waiting for my good friend Cover to get down from Noosa and was blind drunk, racking in the dollars and needed old mate to hurry the fuck up!

“Get here ASAP man, I’m up nearly 2 grand on the tables, I’ll fucken loose it soon, how far off are ya?”

This Brisbane trip was proving fruitful! He got there after I had made enough cash for 3 weeks work in about 3 hours, the pies annialated the lions down at the Gabba. The game was far from a spectacle, yet I have always enjoyed lipping off to any Lions supporters at any opportunity since the ’02 and ’03 grand finals.

Four days in Noosa was a well needed break after buring myself into the ground, as usual, at my previous gigs.

I had and have come to realise that being a chef with a decent amount of skill only leds me down an unhealthy path. Finding competent support was the last thing I thought would be a problem when I stepped up from Sous to Head chef, but it is what it is. Getting the engines firing was all I was after!

Cover had ended up in the Sunshine coast after making the break from the convict state a few fotty seasons ago and this Noosa place was an absolute gem!

The town is packed with all the likes from back packers, mid class holiday makers and the high ends royalties of society!

The town is at the very top tip of the Sunshine Coast, nestled amongst everglades, national parks, 5 star hotels and more camping and 4×4 tracks than most people could explore in a week, or probably a year.

Hastings St is the main port of call in Noosa. Scattered with world class designer label shops, cafes and restaurants. The street is directly adjacent to the main beach!

Backpackers galore and all the usual suspects that grace most tourist destinations, this place is gold!

Offerings on the main beach include surfing lessons and an excellent array of swimming adventures with the local dolphin population or a few hump back whales at the right time of year!

I had a crack at the surfing lessons which was good fun, yet my fitness levels let the team down. I hadn’t had a crack at this kinda thing since I was a grommet down at scamander back in the day. The lungs felt like they had kettle bells stuck in them. I caught a few waves but didnt survive the duration of the lesson!

Big cover and I got amongst plenty of Tucker and he took me down to his favourite little place named Cafe 63.

Seemed a bit out of the way, yet big Cover assured me it’s worth effort.

I ripped into their Aussie burger while old cheesy had a Bacon Benedict!

My burger had all the foundations of a solid, fat peace of meat in bread with the usual trimmings, plus a crispy hash brown shoved in for good measure, or the deal sealer as I came to call it. Covers Benedict was simple and prime. Eggs were spot on, bacon was on point and they were presented on English muffins, I knew then the chef was a traditionalist. Plus they had this traditional dead orse on all the tables, what more could a burnt out pub grubber like me ask for!

On my last day we took off on a beach drive to test out the new Pajero. The Tewantin ferry stung us five bucks and the great sandy highway was a great little highway on the beach with speed limits. You could tell this place pumped over the holiday periods!

From fine dining restaurants, bistros, burger bars and everything in between, this place has the lot. If your after a good break from the world of reality, no matter what your walk of life is, it’s well worth a squiz.

Noosa is truly a great place to cleanse the mind and the soul, from my experience anyway.

My poker experience down in Brisbane town was just the little confidence boost I needed to cap off my little adventures on both occasions.

I had shared a few bungers with some homeless dude whilst sharking the tables and slipped the poor buggar a $100 chip on the way out the front door.

Giving something back to a dude on the ropes made the experience all the more worth while! The sheer excilleration on this cats face when I slide it over to him was immense. Food for a week, a warm bed for a few nights or whatever was on the menu, I didn’t really care, giving something to someone who was in the shit made my journey all the more fulfilling.

I had literally cleaned up on the tables, turned $150 into over $2500, the time was prime to give something back to someone who really needed it.

For all the things money can buy, giving something to someone that can help them lift their chin up in hard times is one of the truly rewarding things one can do in life.

Confidence was my acquired venom and I got my fill both times!