Friday, May 22, 2009

Tsokolate

It's 6:07 in the morning in South Australia, with the mercury down at 6'C. The poultry sheds were empty because all the chickens had gone to the dressing plant a day earlier at dawn; so even if it's still dark and foggy outside he's nothing to worry about. It's a three-day late autumn holiday for the chook-minder!

Inside the farm house, he was sitting in front of his computer to check his email’s inbox, to reply to the offline messages and to read the new comments on his blog.


The wood-burning fireplace just beside him had been working overnight so he was enjoying the comfort while, at the same time, warming up his tummy with hot chocolate.

He took a sip of the hot beverage, and the tempting aroma of the roasted cocoa beans seemed to have stimulated his sleepy brain cells faster than the choco-drink itself because suddenly, his thoughts began to wander around the mysteries behind the ‘chocolate’!

He became envious of the chocolate’s virtue of compatibility. While he, the poor chook-minder, had been struggling for almost three decades to find the right place and the right person for him in this world, the chocolate had been enjoying its harmony with almost everything since its discovery!

'Chocolate goes well with milk, with vanilla, with sugar, with flour, with cereals, with cream, with nuts, with fruits, with liquor, even with coffee and almost everything,' he thought! 'It’s an all-around flavouring— cake and pastries, dips, ice creams, spread... It can be consumed as a drink; it can be eaten as a food. It tastes good when it’s hot, while it is equally great when it’s cold! Chocolate can even transform itself into solid, liquid or gas depending on its environment or its exposure to various challenges of temperature without losing its lovely properties and safety of consumption.'

'Chocolate has three types and blends!' the chook-minder remembered. 'There’s dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. Chocolate comes in different colours, flavours, forms and textures; and these wonderful attributes have brought immeasurable excitement to its taste,' he believed! 'It has never been hated; they’re even restricted for health reasons because every second a lot of people around the globe are craving for chocolates.'


IT'S HALF-PAST EIGHT in the morning now, and after posting an entry about chocolates on his blog, the chook-minder realized that he hadn’t consumed his hot chocolate, yet. His drink had been gradually getting warm inside the mug so he decided to take it, all the way down, before it turns into a cool drink.

It’s 11.4’C outside, and amidst the misty atmosphere, a dull sunray had already started penetrating the window glass and gleamed through the vertical Venetian blinds behind him. The heat radiating from the flaming coals in the fireplace had started to bother him so he was thinking to extinguish it. He left his keyboard and moved towards the burning hollow at the corner of his room... hoping that before the day ends, he could find that sense of ‘compatibility’ he’s been longing for...

...forgetting the fact that dozens of red roses are very much compatible with boxes of Chocolates, too!





There's a substance known as theobromine which is found in chocolates. While theobromine was once used in the treatment of several heart diseases (hypertension, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris, etc) and as a vasodilator, diuretic and heart stimulant in modern medicine, in veterinary medicine this alkaloid is toxic to horses, dogs, cats, and parrots (a close relative of chicken).

So, avoid giving chocolates to your pets!


33 comments:

Kosa said...

everybody deserves a Break... lalo na ang kagaya mong hardworking parekoy!

with regards to chocolate, andami palang pwedeng kahalo ang chokolate.. parang si Doc Aga, kayang makibagay sa lahat ng Bagay..lols

happy Holidays!

Kosa said...

wow.. ako pala ang una... taena... at hindi na pala moderated ang comments dito.. ayus na ayus!
antagal kong nawala!

eMPi said...

gusto ko ang milk chocolate....

The Pope said...

Wow sarap naman, 3 days off ka Doc RJ with a mug of hot chocolate, it bring me to back the memory of my Nanay who always "cook" hot chocolate during Christmas, na laging bahagi ng handa sa lamesa tuwing Noche Buena.

A blessed weekend to you my friend.

Trainer Y said...

chocolate also goes well with cold mornings and coziness...

Ysh ♥ said...

Enjoy your weekend! :)

I dont like drinking chocolate that much. :-/ Mas gusto ko kumain ng chocolate. HEEHEE.

NJ Abad said...

Life wouldn't be complete without chocolates!

Nakakainggit ka... 3 days off mo doc. Kaya pala lagi kang online huh... hehehe!

Thanks for the trivia. Hindi na pala dapat makiagaw ang pets ko sa aking chocolates. Ngaun ko lang din nalamang magpinsan pala ang parrot at chicken... hehehe!

A-Z-3-L said...

salamat sa trivia... now i know.. di ko dapat pakainin ng chocolates ang mga pitbull ko... hehehehe...

asan na ang PEBA entry mo? i am hoping you will join. be a part.

Mr. Thoughtskoto said...

heehehe, chocolates.

pansin ko ang laki ng monitor ng chookminder dyan ah? kitang kita sa photo, ang galing naman.

"While he, the poor chook-minder, has been struggling for almost three decades to find the right place and the right person for him in this world..."

there will come a time when someone will come, just keep yourself worthy and be ready for her so when she arrives you are prepared.

RJ said...

KOSA
Ikaw ang nauna, bro. U Hahahah! Hindi na nga ito moderated.

Ako?! Kayang makibagay sa LAHAT ng bagay? Binaliktad mo 'ata ah. o",)



MARCOPAOLO
Kahit ako, Mark... Pero mas healthy daw yata ang dark chocolate?



THE POPE
Sarap nga po nga pahinga. Mababawi na rin sa wakas ang mahigit isang linggong pagpupuyat ko.

Sigurado ako, masarap 'yong tsokolate ng nanay niyo.

Thanks!



YANAH
Tama! Nakalimutan ko rin yan. Mapapansin mo sa dulo may idinagdag ako.

RJ said...

DESERT AQUAFORCE
Salamat po, tinulungan niyo akong gumawa ng conclusion nitong entry ko, hindi ko na alam kasi sumakit ang ulo ko habang sinusulat ko ito. May nakalimutan nga po ako, ayan idinagdag ko na sa dulo ng post ko.

Pagkatapos ng 3 days, chick placement na naman po, naku, 500,000 na mga sisiw 'yon. Mapapabayaan ko na naman 'tong blog ko.

Hahaha! Natawa naman ako sa comment nyo tungkol sa parrot. Wala kasi akong mai-relate tungkol sa manok kaya inEMPHASIZE kong ganu'n. Haha! o",)



AZEL
Naku, hindi nga dapat pakainin ng chocolate ang pitbull mo. Regalo pa yata 'yong chocolates sa 'yo ta's ipapakain mo lang sa aso?! U

Wala akong PEBA entry, Azel. Hindi gumagana ang utak ko tungkol sa theme, ang hirap ng theme na 'yon! Huh!



MR. THOUGHTSKOTO
Bakit parang natawa ka sa chocolates, Mr. Thoughtskoto?! Hahah! U

Talagang dapat boy scout: Laging Handa. Salamat sa reminder. (,"o

RJ said...

ISSSHHH
Naku, sorry nawala sa paningin ko ang comment mo, huh!

Ayaw mo ng choco-drink, gusto mong inumin, kape? Ano namang chocolae ang paborito mo, milk, dark o white chocolate? With fruit and nuts, pinipig o plain lang?

Dear Hiraya said...

chocolates!!

alam mo ba kuya RJ, kapag badtrip ako, gaya ng madalas kong sabihin sa Twitter at Plurk kapag wala ako sa huwisyo, kinakailangang makakain ako ng sweets - ng McFlurry o ng chocolates. Kaya madalas ako magpa deliver sa McDo. Hahaha trivial ano po? yung blog post niyo rin po kasi.

Sabi niyo, pwedeng magtransform ang chocolates to solid, liquid and gas. Gas! Hindi ko naisip yun wahahaha! tapos may trivia pa po kayo tungkol sa theobromine ek ek. i will not got into details dahil baka manosebleed lang ako wahahaha!

ingats ka jan kuya! darating din ang ka-match mo. wag mo pong masayadong madaliin..

http://fjordz-hiraya.blogspot.com

ced said...

more good reason to eat tsokolates?
teka brb po. magrocery lang ako. hhehe!

AJ said...

si doc talaga pinaalala sakin ang tsokolate, naku bawal po sa may migraine na katulad ko, ..pero masarap ang bawal dba, hehe. masarap ang tsokolate.

RJ said...

FJORDAN ALLEGO
Sundae? Ayaw mo?

Hahaha! Gas. IKAW ang unang nakapansin. Alam mo sa mga entries ko, naglalagay talaga ako ng mga salitang kaintri-intriga (kung 'yon ang tawag du'n) para malalaman ko kung... (uhmn, sa YM ko nalang sasabihin.) Pero 'yon amoy ng chocolates lalo na kapag mainit, kinu-consider kong 'gas' 'yon. Hahaha! Ganu'n ang interpretation ko. Sa bagay wala naman tayo sa Chemistry class, nasa Literature naman tayo. Pagbigyan mo na ako.

Meron pa dyan mga kaduda-dudang salita, hanapin mo. U

Aba, inADVICEsan ako ni Fjordz. Thanks, bro!



CED
Hahaha! Bibili ka ng maraming chocolates, Doc Ced?



JOSH OF ARABIA
Masarap ba talaga ang LAHAT ng bawal? Ang tsokolate, sigurado ako masarap talaga.

Kumusta ang Dubai?

KRIS JASPER said...

Im called chocoholic at work.... sigh...

Anw, autumn jan? when ang winter?

RJ said...

KRIS JASPER
Akala ko Facebookolic ka lang, chocoholic pala? Teka, combination ba 'yon ng chocolate at alcohol?! Huh! ={

YES, late autumn na rito. June, July and August ang winter. hahah! Down Under nga, eh kaya baliktad dyan sa inyo sa northern hemisphere.

0 said...

A very good reflection! Two thumbs up for this entry. Bravo!

Sardonyx said...

I feel "emptiness" in your heart kulang na lang talaga ang "kasama," "katuwang," "kabiyak" at "kayakap" mo sa gabi para pagsaluhan ang chocolate mo hehehe. Ang "mabuting asawa" raw ay pinapanalangin sa Diyos, kaya umpisahan mo na para forever relationship na kagad ang uwi nito hehehe. Three-day weekend din sa US pero kasali pa rin kami sa holiday kaya bakasyon din sa loob ng base :-) Have a nice 3 day weekend Doc!

Anonymous said...

PANALO ANG SOSKOLEYT MU KUYA. PWEDE MO NA TALBUGAN SI KUYA KIM AT ERNIE BARON. HEHEHE.

RedLan said...

Ngayon hindi ka na busy. Sarap ng buhay mo ngayon. pasip sip ka na lang ng hot choco at checking emails. Ganda ng design ng sofa. ah. Have a blessed Sunday!

lucas said...

well done, my friend. eto na yata ang pinakadescriptive na post i've read from you :)

ang sarap ng hot chocolate lalo kapag malamig..hehe! Glad medyo nakakapagchillax ka na...

---
nako huwag mo na hingiin ang background ko. hehe! you'll just get bored. my blog is open for decoding so. makes blogging so much fun! :)

RJ said...

ROBNUGID14
Rob, kumusta? Salamat naman dahil mukhang sang-ayon ka sa mga pinagsasabi ko rito. U



SARDONYX
Hahaha! Kayo po talaga. U

Okay, ipagdasal natin.



JOSHMARIE
Ganu'n ba? Okay sige nga, ikaw ang producer, sabihan mo kaya ang GMA7 na bigyan tayo ng show. o",) Tatapatan natin ang Matanglawin.

Huhmn, ano kaya ang pamagat ng show natin, Matangmanok?



REDLAN
Hahaha! Oo nga Red, pa-sip sip nalang... hanggang bukas nalang 'to kasi sa Martes may mga sisiw na kami.



LUCAS
Salamat. Kapag sinabi mo, Ron na 'well-done' parang gusto kong maniwala. Kasi kapag On the Coffin Rock ang usapan saludo talaga ako.

Hahaha! Pinapalamig ko nga muna ang hot chocolate, kasi kapag iinumin kaagad, nakakapaso talaga.

bertN said...

Half million chicks each time! Isn't that a lot to handle even if everything is high tech? What percent of this eventually wind up at the dressing plant?

RJ said...

BERTN
Huhmn... Nagbabasa po kayo ng reply ko sa mga comments.

5 people, including the manger, handle this 500,000-capacity poultry farm. Yes, it is so difficult to manage, kaya lahat po kami, pati ang manager naka-hands-on. Kaya nga po kung mapapansin niyo rito sa blog ko, palagi akong nagri-reklamo. o",) Mahirap po talaga. Pero sa ganitong set-up ng facilities kasi, talagang ganu'ng manpower lang po ang kailangan.

Percent? Sabihin na nating 95% average. Kung maswerte po, mga 97%. Kakaunti po ang mortality ng Australian livestock farms kung iku-compare sa Pilipinas [(of course)].

Pepe said...

Thanks for the visit RJ, trial come back pa lang to.... Kumusta naman dyan sa S.A....? Kailangan ko lang kasi i-post yung entry para tulungan ang author ng book.... Sa thailand pa lang yata available, pero pwede rin bumili online.... Pambata ang book, parang yung mga libro natin nun sa elementarya na may moral values sa huli.... =)

Admin said...

Naks naman!

Natuwa ako dun./...

Well, bawal ako ngayon sa cgocolates... at matatamis... Sumasakit kasi ang ngipin ko....

Next week, magpapabunot ako.

chico said...

chocolates..chocolates, yan na yata ang bumubuhay sa akin dito sa dubai, bars of cadburry milk chocolates everyday.

chocolates power my search for life's meaning here in dubai. nax!

ganun ang lamig naman yata jan sa down under. kelangan mo nga ng maraming pampainit..na download mo na ba yung video ni Katrina? pwede..

kelangan tiisin ang lamig para sa pamilya. yan ang OFW. yan tayo.

pogingpayatot said...

galing naman. now i want chocolate, too. and onga pala, baligtad ba klima jan kumpara dito sa pinas?

=supergulaman= said...

isa lang masasabi ko..."penge namam ng tsokoleyt!"...haysss...namiss ko na naman ang grasya dahil sa tsokoleyt...haaysss...^_^

Anonymous said...

Waah...huli na ako.

Dark chocolate, RJ. That's my favorite.

Kailangan ko din cguro ng hot choco para gumana ang natutulog kong utak.

Thanks for this VIP (very informative post).

RJ said...

PEPE
May pa-'trial come back' ka pa ha. U Bumalik ka na kasi, Pepe.

Sa S.A., makulimlim at maulan. Maginaw na rin. Nakarating na rin daw rito ang swine flu.

Ah, sa Thailand pala. Congrats, ang galing mo. U



LIOHNHEART: RICHARD THE ADVENTURER
Naku, hanggang ngayon may problema ka pa rin sa toothache. Sige ipa-consulta at pagawan mo na 'yan ng paraan, Chard, sa dentista mo.



CHICO
Huh! Dito sa Autstralia, marami at mura rin ang Cadbury's... Buti nalang may Haigh's dito, masarap din at Proudly Australian made owned since 1905. Masarap din para sa akin ang Toblerone.

Talaga ha, ganu'n ang ginagawa ng chocolate sa buhay mo. U

Naku, 'yang videoNG sinasabi mo, nu'ng napanood ko sa TFC at sinabing lumabas na raw, DinOWNLOAD ko na kaagad. (,"o

Tiis... Talagang ganu'n 'ata ang buhay.



POGINGPAYATOT
YES, baliktad ang seasons dito kumpara sa Northern Hemisphere, Pogi. Kung summer sa itaas ng June, July at August, winter naman dito sa Down Under. U



SUPERGULAMAN
o",) Kahit sa mga comments mo, si Grasya ang lumalabas, Yet. Kailan ba mangyayari ang pagpapakasal at pag-aasawa? Maganda ang article mong 'yon. Bagay sa 'yo.



ISLADENEBZ
Walang problema kahit po huli ang comment niyo.

Medyo mapait ang dark chocolate... Parang gusto ko pa rin ng milk chocolate with nuts or nougat.

Hahahaha! Talagang gusto niyong gisingin ang natutulog niyong utak ha. Siguro po kape ang iniinom niyo, ano? Bawal po kasi sa akin ang kape dahil sa vertigo ko.

You're welcome (as usual, itinanong ko lang din po ulit 'yan kay Pareng Google ).