Stomachs of Steel

Malaysians must have some of the strongest stomachs around. Goodness, it’s only been two and a half months and I’ve already had three bouts with food poisoning. The most recent one was yesterday.

I went to the doctor and he said that it was either appendicitis or food poisoning. Interestingly enough, the pain was where my appendix is (used to be actually). I had my appendix removed after a severe attack in 2002. It was during the World Cup final match featuring Brazil vs. Germany. I remember the day clearly.

So he ruled out appendicitis and gave me medication for the food poisoning. I was grappling with a cold last week and was prepared to go to work yesterday. Then this silly thing happened that prolonged my absence at work. My supervisor actually called me this evening to tell me what to expect when I return to work tomorrow, and it aint pretty.

Most of us are familiar with the phrase “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. Well, the opposite is also very true. Have a stomachache and it can literally bring a man to his knees.

It’s so sad now that I have to be even more selective of the food I take. I live in Penang man. For heaven’s sake, it’s the food capital of Malaysia! This predicament reminds me of the malay saying that goes something like “ayam mati di atas beras”. Probably doesn’t mean the same thing.

So tomorrow it’ll be back to work for me…*drags feet.