Hello, Internet. Rican here, and today I want to talk about sickness. As you might have noticed, my voice sounds a bit different because I'm not feeling well. I felt terrible this morning. Thanks to a friend of mine who works in the medical field, I had some guidance when I started feeling off. You know, it's like when you're playing certain intense games and you get a sense that something bad is about to happen, like getting a headshot or being the first to get hit. It’s sort of a natural intuition. Before things got worse, I decided to take some preemptive action. I asked my friend what I should do because I was coughing, sneezing, and feeling awful.

My friend, who is a rather large fellow—let's just call him "Fat Dude"—told me, "Oh, it's just a minor sickness. You can get better by making some simple dietary adjustments. Eat clean food, drink more water, and avoid using the air conditioner or having fans blow on your head. I think you'll feel better in a few days."

I thought, "Okay, got it," and agreed with his advice.

The next day, I went to Costco and bought a bag of buffalo spicy chicken wings, mango-flavored ice cream, and a cup of soda. I devoured the whole bag of wings, even though I was coughing while eating. They were so scrumptious, I sucked my fingers clean because the sauce was delicious. Then, I took a huge bite of the mango ice cream—ouch, brain freeze! I drank half a cup of soda like a thirsty horse that hadn’t had water in two weeks. That sweet juice felt like nectar from heaven. After dinner, I went home and washed myself with cold water. Oh, what a heavenly experience! I played loud music and danced in the shower. Of course, I didn’t use a hair dryer—those are for, well, people less masculine. Instead, I let the air conditioner and fans blow my hair dry. That’s the manly way, the hardcore way, you know?

And today, I feel awful, like I’m dying. Why? My friend said it was just a minor sickness, so why do I feel so bad?

“God damn it, Rican. When I said eat clean food, the first thing that came to your mind was spicy chicken wings?” Fat Dude sounded angry.

“Hey, I did exactly what you told me to do,” I protested.

“No, you did the exact opposite of everything I said. Literally everything! You stupid...” Fat Dude unleashed a barrage of curse words at me.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. So, what should I do now?” I shrugged and gave him a nonchalant look.

“You need to go to the hospital, now,” Fat Dude suggested.

“That’s the best advice you can give? Useless,” I scoffed.

“If you weren't sick...” Fat Dude looked like he was about to explode, so I ran off.

I went to the hospital and spent about 7 US dollars. Healthcare in Taiwan is incredibly good. At the hospital, I met a lively grandma who looked almost 100 years old. I greeted her, “Hey, Grandma, how are you? Feeling better?” She replied, “No, I’m just here to waste the government’s money.”

“Don’t say that, Grandma, you’re great.” I couldn’t help but laugh; she was so humorous and dark.

“Whatever,” she smiled and walked away slowly.

The doctor called my name; I was the next patient. I walked into the diagnostic room and saw a man in a classic white coat, just like any doctor.

“Okay, what’s wrong with you, sir?” He spoke quickly and directly. I liked his style.

“I’m coughing, sneezing, and sometimes I feel cold,” I said, trying to match his pace.

“Sure, sure. Let me spray some medicine in your nose.” He took a long, thin tool, inserted it into my nose, and sprayed something. I felt much better immediately, though the process wasn’t pleasant.

“Thanks, doctor,” I said appreciatively.

“Now, let's check your lungs.” He placed the stethoscope on my chest near my left nipple. “Cough,” he instructed. I coughed. He moved the stethoscope to my right nipple and said, “Now cough again.” I coughed.

“Sounds like your lungs are fine. Go get some medicine and be on your way,” the doctor smiled and spoke politely.

I hit the limitation of the Episode description.

Hello, Internet. This is Rican speaking. Today, I want to talk about breakfast, a great meal to start your beautiful day. Maybe with a cup of coffee or apple juice, whatever you like. Personally, I prefer coffee—black coffee or espresso. I don’t know, it depends on what the breakfast shop has.

In Taiwan, we have a variety of choices. Sometimes I like to have soy milk with meat buns. That is a classic Asian breakfast. We love soy milk; it’s made from soybeans, tastes a bit sweet but not too much, just the perfect flavor for me. It’s a good breakfast option. Some people might eat the buns with Coca-Cola, which I think is not really cool—it’s disgusting. No offense, but I probably couldn’t be friends with people who eat buns with Coca-Cola. Nah, just kidding. I don’t care that much. You can eat whatever you want. As long as you’re not a jerk, I’d love to be friends with anyone.

But honestly, I’m not a big fan of traditional Asian breakfast. I like tuna sandwiches, burgers, and bacon with grilled cheese for breakfast. I love a plate with different scrumptious elements. It’s a graceful and delicious spread. Oh, this conversation is making me hungry. I might go have some breakfast after I finish recording.

I always love trying new restaurants in Taiwan. If there are any around my place, I like to walk in and try their flavors. And I think no matter where you live in Taiwan, there will always be at least one breakfast shop nearby. It's like they’re secretly spying on you. It’s like, “Oh, Sir, you want to live there? In the middle of a forest with nothing around except trees and animals? You know what, I’m gonna build a breakfast shop next to your accommodation.” And bam, the next day, there’s a breakfast shop right next to you. They keep their word.

That might sound crazy, but it’s how I feel. No matter where I live in Taiwan, I can always find a breakfast shop on the corner or in the middle of the street. Maybe just a few minutes’ walk away. My house is surrounded by three breakfast shops. Every time I pass by any breakfast shop, their expression seems to say, “I know you live here. I will follow you to the ends of the earth, just to make sure you get enough nutrition in your daily breakfast.” What thoughtful staff. I appreciate their passion and enthusiasm for food. And the food aroma smells so good. They fry eggs with bacon and then put it in grilled bread. The fragrance always catches my attention and makes me want to spend all my money.

In conclusion, a good meal can give you a great start to the day. Doing something nice or eating something nice in the morning can give you a great affirmation and build a sense of confidence. I'm going to finish here. I’m Rican, and I’ll see you next time, Internet.

Hello, Internet. This is Rican speaking. Today, I want to talk about drama. It plays a huge role in our lives, and we can always learn something from these stories.

I have had the same problem as Ted Mosby, a character from How I Met Your Mother. The whole story is about how Ted finds his true love. He meets many women and tries to spark a connection with them. Despite experiencing the worst heartbreaks, he never gave up and kept moving forward. That’s the inspiration—just do it without too much overthinking. You might get hurt, but you'll learn something from those experiences, and that’s the burn. The feeling is so intense, it's as if you ate the spiciest hot pot and the next day you're sitting on the toilet thinking, “That was a terrible idea. Why didn't I just order the mid-level spicy? Ahhhhh, here it comes, damnnnnnn, I wish I had never been born.” That kind of burn.

On the other hand, you learn lessons and grow from these experiences. When you fail, you stand up and try again. Each time you stand up, you improve, absorbing your mistakes as nourishment. Your resilience grows stronger, allowing you to handle even the hell-level of spicy hot pot. Maybe next time, you’ll be able to swallow a fireball. It might make you seem inhuman, but I would still be proud of you.

I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to have a crush, fail, and feel depressed. You try harder, and harder, and harder. We don’t need answers; we just need to fix, improve, and accept ourselves. One day, we will see the most beautiful sunrise we’ve ever seen. But honestly, if I have to wake up early for a sunrise, I'd rather spend that time on breakfast—like a tuna sandwich—that would motivate me more if there was a breakfast shop near the sunrise spot. I mean, they have to sell seafood, right? If you want to watch the sunrise, you might go to the beach. My apologies, I almost forgot what we were talking about.

Oh, right, drama. I’ve learned a ton of love values and beliefs from How I Met Your Mother. Barney Stinson teaches so many things to Ted and me. It feels like we are learning together. The first and most important thing is to love yourself. Before you can love someone else, you need to know how to love yourself. When you’re deciding on dinner with someone, you should always bring your opinion instead of saying, “up to you.” You should always bring your partner to eat the spiciest hot pot to show them the importance of decision-making if they say “I don’t know, whatever” about dinner. Now, this might be a bit personal, but I love doing it as a pressure lesson. My friends always have good opinions about meals because my incredible options are harmless to me but always challenging for my friends.

In conclusion, we all learn lessons from real-life experiences and find happiness in certain dramas. Some dramas have changed my life because their stories touch my heart and inspire me, even though they are mostly fictional. The feeling of “I want to have this life as well” gives me tons of motivation to keep moving forward. I hope it does the same for you.

I’m Rican, and I’ll see you next time, Internet.