IS it a spider? Is it a unicorn? No, it’s Pegasus!
Welcome to the world of latte art. Kung sa Bisaya pa, ka-arte ba ani ni latte oi.
Coffee nowadays is more like latte with some coffee. And it’s the latte that makes that art possible. So, there I was with my vanilla latte, wondering what art the barista created this time, thus, the guessing game. Spider? Unicorn? It was the barista who told me it’s Pegasus.
Pegasus The Ultimate Men’s Club in Quezon City? Not! It’s Pegasus, the winged horse.
Savoring lattes while on a low-carb diet has to be worth the syrup otherwise the coughing, which could last for more than a month, will be such a waste of medicines, vitamins, and nasal sprays.
I’ve been coughing since December, no thanks to all the high-carb goodies I indulged in during the holidays which lasted till February 2 for me. That’s how addictive carbs could be. Whew.
The advice from low-carb doctors is to indulge in bone broth instead. So, my OMAD—one meal a day—may now be bulalo, pork nilaga, chicken tinola, and tinolang isda. When I asked what meds to take, they said, No need. Oh. But I’m still taking meds. Hush.
The low-carb diet has progressed to my fear of oxalates and salicylates.
Oxa what? Sali what? Please Google for more info. Because my minute brain doesn’t have the intelligence to describe those two to you. I passed all of my Science subjects through… Wait, I don’t remember anymore how I made it through the rain a.k.a. Science. That’s why I chose a non-science course—Accounting—only to realize that analysis, which is what accounting is all about, can also be a challenge to my minute brain.
Accounting is an art, by the way. That must be the reason why the Bureau of Internal Revenue is always suspicious of the financial statements it receives. But the taxpayer can always react with an emphatic Look who’s talking!
The pleasant surprise, though, is that a career in government is now the most secure in Pinas because of that one agency: Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Which is more generous with pensions if compared with the Social Security System (SSS).
When my generation began looking for work, working for the government was the last resort. We preferred multinationals. Only to learn later that the salary was not worth the stress and pressure.
But if you love your work, you’ll treat the stress and pressure as part of the learning process.
The generation that’s retired or about to retire loves drinking coffee while talking about the GSIS, SSS, retirement pay, and the Senior Citizen ID. Listening to that can be, uh, stressful. How much is your retirement pay? Have you been to the GSIS/SSS? How much is your pension? When will you get your S.C. ID?
And woe to those who are receiving only a few thousands of pesos. They will be told, Oh, too bad, hopefully it’s enough for maintenance meds. Yes, it’s like a contest: And the winner is, the senior with the highest retirement pay, and the highest pension from the GSIS/SSS! Because he/she can now afford to pay for anything and everything in cash.
