Packing a Punch

Man years ago, when in England, I went for a friend's birthday party. My housemates and I walked there and by the time I got there, I was pretty thirsty. So I grabbed a drink. It was the first time I tried this drink named Punch. It was very nice. So after I'd gulped it down, I asked for a second glass.

What I didn't know was that there was alcohol in the mixed drink.

Worse, in between the two drinks, another so-called friend had slipped in with more additives - the tasteless spirit called vodka.

Put that together with an empty stomach, you can imagine what happened next.

I vaguely remember walking home, trying to walk on the pavement and missing. Thank God for good friends.

But it didn't end there.

The next day I was rostered to go to work on the afternoon shift. I must have looked a right mess because when I got there, the ward sister (I was a student then) took one look at me and sent me to the Accident and Emergency Department to get treatment. She was convinced that I had measles!

There, once the truth was known, I was given anti-histamine and THREE DAYS leave by the doctors and nurses who made their sentiments known about this naive Asian girl!

Folks, I found I was allergic to the stuff. A good reason to be teetotal!