Early Morning Rambling

Jollibee's Chickenjoy and Spaghetti Meal is the best!

 After having a spaghetti and fried chicken to celebrate my youngest son's 4th birthday---I was tanked!  Oh, did I say that spaghetti and fried chicken are two of my favorite food combo?  Well, it is so I guess the end result is quite obvious!  I rationalized the binge by lifting weights for 30 minutes; unfortunately, it seemed to have negated my evening date with the crapper and made me sleep on a full stomach.  Actually, I slept late last night (11pm) and since I already have last night's left overs ready for breakfast with enough to spare for the kids' lunch, I had the leeway to wake up a little late (4am).  Unfortunately, my bowels begged to disagree and woke me up at 2am.  Still early right?  Wrong!  Since I'm also having an asthma episode, waking up triggered a coughing bonanza that has now kept me awake since!  Oh well...who said life was perfect?

Anyway, at least time did not go to waste with another blog entry (while forcing myself to enjoy a mug-full of classic English breakfast tea to soothe the sore throat that I now have and  cleansing my system of last night's  hedonistic food binge).

Good morning y'all!

No to Firecrackers!

I was jumpy as a kid and I'm more jumpy now that I'm regressing into childhood.  Which was why I have not been fond of firecrackers and the noise of New Year.  Yeah, yeah, the noise is supposed to ward off bad luck---tell that to those who got maimed handling these mini explosives!

In 1992, then Department of Health Secretary Juan Flavier did a very effective campaign by showcasing firecracker related injuries on TV.  The message was clear, "If you don't want to end up like this---don't do firecrackers."  That did the job and statistics would show that a significant decrease in firecracker related incidents.  However, after Flavier's term as DOH Secretary ended in 1995 this campaign also came to its end and the "courageous" Pinoys started going back to their firecracker trip.

In 2002, I got diagnosed with asthma and my anti-firecracker sentiment got even more pronounced.  Every year as if like clockwork I'd be down with asthma the first week of January.  This prompted me to buy a heavy duty gas mask to protect me from the smoke-filled merry making.  Of course, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and my four boys inherited my lung disease---QUADRUPLE DARN!!

Firecrackers still persist today and I can only pray that those who decide to play with this menace survive the festivities with all appendages intact.  Me, I'm doing my own kind of noise.  I'm putting my speakers on maximum volume and playing my favorite rock and roll classics!  On New Year's Eve I'm joining the firecracker noise with my recording of firecracker sound effects which I just downloaded.  It's safe, smoke-free, and can be put in a loop!

Too Much Fun Can Hurt!

Early Saturday morning I woke up having a hard time swallowing! It felt like something got stuck in my throat that I couldn't seem to swallow! And the effort of swallowing was painful as if something was tearing in my throat! So I got my flashlight and checked out what's going on inside and to my shock---my tonsils and the surrounding cavity was swollen! No wonder it felt like something was stuck in my throat---I was actually trying to swallong my tonsils! Fearing that the swelling will not let up and eventually get myself choked by my own body part, I asked my brother, Nino, to take me to the FEU hospital in Fairview. I tell you, it was really hard to explain yourself with a swollen tonsils! When did this situation occur? Do you have a cold? Cough? Fever? When the physician finally saw what's wrong I think she said "YIKES!" althought in her most professional doctor's demeanor! What she next asked me really bothered me---"Kinalikot nyo po ba 'yan?" It was a good thing I was having a hard time talking otherwise I could have rattled some choice expletives! Anyway, she prescribed me antibiotics (which cost like gold and which I had an allergic reaction to), painkillers, lozenges and then sent me home.

When I related this to my wife she said that I was actually snoring so hard that night she felt the room shaking. That got me thinking---did I accidentally suck up an insect or something? A cockroack maybe! Then I remembered the good time I had the previous night during an office Christmas party! I totally enjoyed myself with the program that I couldn't stop laughing! I was already feeling the coming of an asthma attack when we were on our way home which fortunately did not materialize. I guess that's probably it. I wouldn't want to dwell too much on what that doctor asked me last! Good thing she was kinda pretty!