Ulcer Attack: back to back

Have you experienced a sudden shift of mood because your stomach hurts so bad that you want to vomit all the acid you've got in inside your belly?

Sure you do. That is if you have ulcer or if you are hyper acidic.

It pained so much that I can hardly walk all afternoon. Thanks to my friend's girlfriend. She's an instant girl scout. She has got a dozen of medicines that include two chewable tablets of antacid.

Actually, that's just the shortcut of what really happened. So, it was somewhat like this. In my chemistry class this afternoon.

Gay 1: Ryan, you look so haggard.

Me: I frowned and gave him a finger.

Teacher: What happen to you?

Me: My stomach hurts. Ulcer, Sir!

Teacher: That's fine. Just eat on time. (He smiled and walked away. Checking if our experiment is going fine.)

Me: Thanks, Sir! (You are small I want to kick you.)

F's GF (Friend's GF) : Ryan, what's wrong?

Me: My stomach hurts. Soon to die.

F's GF: I've got kremil-s and another one.

Me: Sure. Get me. Faster.

F's GF: Need water.

Me: I'll just think this is chewable.

Lesson of the day. I need to bring antacid chewable tablets all the time!

How to Sell Chickenjoy

“Selling PH is like selling Chicken Joy,” says new Tourism Secretary Ramon Reyes Jimenez in a press conference at the Malacañang Palace earlier last month. I have no doubt in his confidence to make the country top the tourism industry in the world. After all, no one beats his credentials as a czar in advertising.

I like his idea of comparing Jollibee’s Chicken Joy to our country itself. That would mean world-class. That would mean he is conceited that the Philippines is ‘crispylicious’ and ‘juicylicous.’ However, when he said, “The Philippines is the most beautiful country in the world,” I wonder if he is even close to the truth, and if all he can do is just plain sales talk and advertising.

You see, there is much more about Jollibee than the Chicken Joy itself. And again, no matter how beautiful our country is, if the environment and facilities is the irony of Jollibee’s, then the booming of our country’s tourism cannot begin soon enough.

Customers go to Jollibee not only because of their delicious Chicken Joy but because of their accommodation, strategic location to the masses, clean comfort rooms, neat surroundings, and attentive and well-trained staff. This is what I’m talking about. The Philippines lacks these things.

The Philippines is a very beautiful country, that’s not a question anymore. But I am also very sure that tourists won’t be coming back after they found out that a paradise like ours has nasty-smelling comfort rooms, terrible services in some restaurants, aging airports, and bumpy roads.

Now, is selling the Philippines like selling Chicken Joy? I don’t think so. That would mean selling the Philippines like the fried chicken found in our public sidewalks where there are no spoons, forks, and plates, not to mention the high risk of Hepatitis to the customers because of its extreme exposure to dust and smoke. 

For our tourism industry to succeed, we need to reshape the physical appearance of our country. We need to invest more on infrastructures. We need to create more concrete and wide roads, maintain the cleanliness of our tourist spots, remodel and renovate all of our international airports, fix the rates of the hotels and restaurants, and lastly, supply enough manpower that are well-trained and service-oriented.

In other words, advertising is not enough. The beautiful beaches and breath-taking sceneries are not enough. For the Philippines to be truly world-class, we need to be world-class in all aspects.

The Feeling of Being a Student

I love the feeling of being responsible with my studies. Oh! I love it. I can finally say that I'm a student.

You know, having sleepless nights because you need to study for your exams the next morning. The constant reading of science books related to Geology because you want to have a strong foundation of your course.

The feeling when you have paid-off the money you are receiving from your mother by just focusing on your studies. See? You get your allowance and you spend it the way you want it to and the only thing you need to do is to study. That's just so SIMPLE.

Just a realization. Well, from now on, I will be a goody goody student.

This is one true love

She is sweet. She is caring. She understands me the most. She loves me unconditionally. She is my one TRUE LOVE.

"Hello, how are you?" she asked me, as soon as I stood up from bed this morning. I was awaken by her phone call, actually. It seems like calling me early morning once every other day has become a routine for the two of us.

"I just woke up. How about you?" I replied.

"Just finished my breakfast. Milk and bread. You better eat now," she said. There was something so special about her voice. It was warm, and passionate. It was a voice full of love. Hers was the sweetest voice I have ever heard.

"I'm hungry. I'll eat at Jolibee. They have breakfast meals there."

"That's not good for your health. What they've got is junk."

"It's egg and hotdog. It's not salt and ajinomoto."

"I think it's expensive, too."

"Maybe. Egg and Hotdog for P60 is too much."

"You can eat bodbod and chocolate drink instead. In the tiyangge."

"I'm tired. Can't drive there. Jolibee is just a couple of walks away. So, how's your health?"

"I bought you a motorcycle so you can eat properly, didn't I? should I just take it back?"

I paused for a while, "Who said I won't eat at the tiyangge? I can manage."

"That's good. I'm in good health though sometimes I think there's something wrong with my heart, " she said. I could hear her laughing.

"You said you can't come home?" I asked.

"That's pretty sure."

"It's been three years."

"I know."

"I miss you, mom."

"I miss you, too, son."

"Bye. I'll eat now."

"Bye. I love you."

"Yeah. Love you, too."

It's me all the time..

I wonder why it's always me all the time. Everytime I am into group presentations, I am always the leader. Apart from being the initiator of every activity, this is the part I hate the most -- making all the presentations alone. Instead of the whole group doing it, It's me all the time.

On each of my classes, in my major and minor subjects, I always make sure that I sit on the back portion of the classroom. It's where the dumb-heads usually can be found as what they say. And everytime a teacher raises a question, I opt to shut my mouth even if I know the answer. I love to just sit back and read e-books in my phone. I also love to sleep while the teacher is having her discussion.

I just get average scores in my exams. But I wonder why they always expect something from me. They'll say that I'm an editor so I know better. WTF!

I am a lousy student. That's why I hate it when they don't do their part. I hate it when I can't exercise my rights on being lousy. I hate it when I make group presentations all by myself. Just like now, it's a quarter before two o'clock in the morning, and here I am, awake.

For God's sake! I have a fever.  And I still need to attend a 12-hour nonstop class tomorrow. That means if I can finish what I'm doing at 3 AM this morning, I still have a short-time to sleep.

The Struggle To Write and On Being Lousy

I have been watching a blank MS word sheet on this computer monitor for about 30 minutes already.

This is my second article this afternoon, next to my column. It's a feature article for our weekly paper and since I am late for about two weeks already, I need to make two, or maybe three articles today. But I can't do that because I've got a class and an exam at one o'clock. Actually, having a class and a bunch of exams are not the main reason at all why I can't produce articles. The thing is, I am struggling.

I am now on a struggle of writing something. Writing for a campus paper is different in writing web-articles where all you need to do is syndicate or re-write articles that are already present in the internet. This one requires, well, effort and new ideas. And as of this moment, I don't have those 'effort and ideas.'

I am now a struggling writer, and worse, a lousy editor.

Santa Claus...

Kung may kakatok man sa bahay niyo ngayong pasko. Huwag kang umasang si Santa Claus yun. Baka pulubi lang na hihingi ng regalo. kaya't humanda ka na. Mangulekta kana nang maraming barya.

It's just you...

You just don't get it, do you? I'm inlove with you.

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah.

Getting old...older...oldest...

Sooner or later I will be OLD. (Erase the word later. Retain the word sooner because it is more factual.) Sooner, I will say goodbye to my teenage years, and will face another set of two digit numbers that usually come as a big issue around my circle of 'teenage friends.'

I don't really think much about it but the real thing is? it ails me the most that I'm getting older. Oxymoron. I don't want to age, but I want to grow older. I want to mature but I don't want to have wrinkles. I want to have kids and be a father but I don't want to be a grandfather and have a dozen grandchildren.

I know that I am not the only one who usually have this kind of 'teenage dillema' because some of my friends who turned twenty some time this year were also over reacting about their turning-twenty brithday party. Hey! It's a good thing that they were still having birthday parties unlike others (street children) who usually spend their birthdays alone, adding that they have nothing delicious to eat. I don't think turning twenty is a big deal. I don't think it's something to complain about.

I don't think I deserve this tag: Ryan, 20. It's too much for me since I still look so young. (zZzZzZzZzZzz. This is the very popular Visayan Syndrome called "Feeleriasis") Apart from being young, I also look, uhmmm....well, I don't look twentyish so perhaps if someone would ask me if how old I am, I would just say, "Me? Well, Im still eeeeiiiigghhteeen."