Alcoholiday

Drowning one's sorrows with alcohol may be the easiest way to forget about a problem. Drugs may only no doubt further ruin it. A night of revelry over bottles of the famous San Miguel Beer in right quantities will make the serotonin levels in the brain to increase. Therefore, it erases the sadness that engulfed you the whole day. The melancholia fades, and somehow everything but your friends suddenly disappear.

Some have proven to prolong their endless drinking sessions with oysters (talaba) as pulutan for its taurine content. Seafoods are the best pulutan bar none. Whatever that term means. Anyone can agree that Gerry's Grill (which is located all over the metro) is a better place to be during nights away from home, usually with friends or officemates. They have the best tasting tahong in town, and its size bigger, on a generous serving. Plus of course the grilled squid and their ever tasty sisig.

An officemate of mine says the perfect way to enjoy drinking is with the company of only two friends. More than that is the cause of lenghty intellectual spats and those debates that cause more confusion than healthy talk. The best time of the day he says, is the time when the sun is just about to set in the horizon.

These are the top three places to enjoy the sunset while having beer (or any other alcohol you prefer): 1) Tagaytay (any of the makeshift huts that dot the ridge); 2) View Chalet, Antipolo;
3) The Manila Boat Club. The best is Manila Boat Club when the sun turns orange. I think it's because of the smog.

Alternative places are Tali Beach, Batangas; any resort on the famous White Beach in Boracay; and The Cowrie Cove at Shangri-La, Mactan. Always remember the alcohol lovers' ancient unwritten rule: "beer over whiskey, very risky; whiskey over beer, have no fear." Here are the ten most talked about topics during drinking sessions: 1) Basketball; 2) Boxing; 3) Politics; 4) Religion; 5) Music; 6) More basketball and boxing; 7) Money (or wealth in general); 8) Women; 9) The past (recollections of the past like drinking, for example); and lastly, 10) Movies.

Anyway, while it's sports we are talking about I wonder why the UAAP and the NCAA teams never become one league altogether. They have the same talent and same athleticism anyway. I am sure many people want to have all these teams battling it out together. I just can imagine (which is nice to think of) Ateneo vs Letran; or La Salle going against San Beda. Let's all face it, sige mas baduy talaga mga nasa NCAA, pero para magka-alaman na kung sino mas magaling, 'di ba?

I remember my American classmate who loved drinking dark beer. Or is it called black beer? Anyway, we bought only two brands: Guiness and Cerveza Negra. We would buy from the nearby mall near the school then bring 'em to where he was staying (ten boarding houses in one year!) then. We would read poems of James Joyce while having some jimmys, and capped the night with hard liquor. Then he would boil the balot he bought by the dozen from the market while we listened to Hendrix and Cocker on his small cassette player. It is called food trip by the way.

Okay now, alcohol is a good temporary relief from one's problems. Some may even be lucky to solve his, especially if someone loans him cash and the problem was money. But with others, the next day should not be surprising if he wakes up with his problems intact.