Chocoholic

I love chocolates. I crave for them all the time. I love them all - from Godivas, Van Houtens, and Cadburys, to Reese's, KitKats, and even Flat Tops, Gandours and Knick Knacks. It doesn't matter if they're the cheapest ones, as long as they taste good.

Since I was younger I was always likes sweets. Although what's weird is that I don't like candies or other sweets that are not chocolate-flavored that much. It seems like my addiction zeroes in to chocolates only in whatever form - chocolate bars, ice cream, candies, milk. Heck, even my toothpaste right now is chocolate-flavored. (Thanks to Unilever executive Ernest Dale Acar for some freebies!)

When I was little, I used to go with my mom to Cang's all the time. She shopped for some stuff while I just tail her wherever she went. The important part was when we went out. We would always stop by the chocolate counter near the exit, and I would usually get a Nestlè Crunch for being obedient. That was sort of a routine already. If it wasn't blue-covered Crunch, then it would either be the red or white one (I forgot the names of these other Nestlè chocolate bars.

I also recall in elementary school when I had a pocket in my school bag that was exclusive for chocolates only. I stock my sweets, usually individual Flat Tops or Curly Tops, there and during class, I'd take some from time to time. I remember also the "buying outside" days wherein the usual snack was the choco powdered milk consumed using a straw.

Our high school canteen had Flat Tops and Curly Tops so it was no problem. However, new types of chocolates were also introduced. First, there was Stick-O. It was a barquillos-like stick with chocolate filling and stripes. Then there was Choki-choki. It was a small tube-like plastic wherein you had to bite one tip to make an opening and then suck the chocolate from the inside - much like the concept of "ice-candies." There were two ways to consume it. You could take in the chocolate while it was still firm or you could first twist it between your hands for several minutes to let it melt and then eat it.

Among my other favorites are: Cadbury Whole Nut, Cadbury Time Out, Nestlè Kitkat, and Hershey's Reese's peanut-butter cups. I also love Twix and Hershey's Barnone, although I couldn't find these anymore.

As to drinks, I also have a lot of favorites. I love the Chocolait drink (now called Chuckie's) and the counterparts from other brands. In fact, there was once wherein everytime we had a drinking (shottings) session at Escaño, I'd make sure I brought a chocodrink along with the beer and other alcoholic drinks we bought, not to mention a KitKat or Hello chocolate bar.

At home, I drink Milo and sometimes even my neice's Sustagen Kids chocodrink. I also like adding chocolate flavoring to my milk, like Brown Cow, or simply adding Koko Crunch. I also stop by Caltex often just to drink Milo Shake or Mocha Java.

When I study in Dunkin' Donuts, I have with me Hot Chocolate and all types of choco-flavored doughnuts. I prefer also Cookies & Cream-flavored polvoron from Goldilocks. I love a good chocolate cake. Sans Rival's Concorde and any Black Forest or Cookie Monster cake.

My favorite ice cream flavor is Double Dutch. As a kid, it was Chocolate Marble. I also like Cookies & Cream and Mocha Fudge. I also enjoy chocolate ice cream bars like Twin Popsies and even the local ones like Supreme.

I love chocolate cookies. I remember the chocolate-covered Cream-Os which I used to eat a lot. Then there's Chips Delight, a chocolate-chip cookie covered with chocolate strips, Oreos, and Chips Ahoy!. Last week alone, for 4 days straight, I consumed a box of Chips Ahoy! every night. I spent more than 400 bucks on sweets - kinda costly considering I should have used that 100 daily on gas. I then had to settle for the less expensive ones.

I guess you could call me a chocolate addict. It has come to a point wherein I really crave for sweets. One night, at around 2 am, I suddenly had a craving for chocolates so I had to go to Sted's St. Paul's to buy some. During the middle of class, I go out once in a while to buy chocolates at Sted's Silliman. I should probably blame Sted's.

Should I be worried? I bet my blood sugar's at a high level. Considering that my family has a history of diabetics, I guess I should be. I used to tell myself that I'm still young, but then again, I'm getting older and yet my love for chocolates has not mellowed down a bit.

In the end though, I always put it this way: It's better to be a Chocoholic than an Alcoholic.

And guess what I'm eating right now while writing this?