Comments Posted By Brian
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For curiosity, I looked at Jello prices in the US. Seems like it is about $1.50 per package, so ~50% more in the PI. Prices are going up everywhere unfortunately.
Re: Back in the US
I realize you have said “no” previously, but maybe you need a trip back to the US to reconnect. :P. A trip to get out of the rut.» Posted By Brian On 22/April/2026 @ 11:08 pm
I meant to say “unconditional love” in my comment rather than “unrequited love” but I think you got the gist of what I was trying to say.
» Posted By Brian On 21/April/2026 @ 11:17 pm
Glad to hear things may be getting better. I don’t want to overstep my bounds in giving advice, but I hope you are being realistic about understanding what each side wants/expects out of a relationship given the circumstances of age difference, cultural differences, economic differences, education, life experiences, etc.
If you are looking for unrequited love, that may be a tough ask in your current situation, given the things I mention above. If you can come to peace with what others may be looking for in a relationship (maybe security/comfort rather than love), then you will be okay.
Hope things work out.
» Posted By Brian On 20/April/2026 @ 11:43 pm
Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but not quite sure what you mean about being “too old to start over in another country.”
What deep ties do you have in the PI that would preclude that? You don’t have family there, you don’t have a business or property there. Yeah, you have friends there, but they don’t appear to be “go to the ends of the earth with them” type of friends. More of a superficial “if I see you in the bar, I will say hi to you” friends.
You have a familiarity with Baretto and that is about it. I get it, change is tough. I hate change, but it often is not as bad as imagined. What does starting over mean to you? A new place to rent? New trails to hike? New bars to hang out at? Different supermarket to shop at? None of those seem insurmountable, even if they are in a different country.
Anyway, I hope it doesn’t come to that, but moving seems to be less of a big deal than you think.
I have mentioned before, but you need to get out of the SE Asia bubble for a bit. Do a road trip across the US. Take a tour in Europe. Go on a cruise. Etc.
» Posted By Brian On 20/April/2026 @ 11:32 pm
@Steve beat me to it.
And the last I read, the Strait is closed yet again. LOLre: pubs
Not even sure it is a young mans game. For the most part, and in a place like Baretto, it probably isn’t even a money making game, especially when balanced against the drama and hassles that are inevitable in running a bar in a foreign country.» Posted By Brian On 18/April/2026 @ 10:51 pm
Re: Trump meme
Well, he also tweeted in 2019 (and I quote), “The United States has spent EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded. Millions of people have died on the other side. GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE…..”
So, I am not sure I can believe his tweet about you. LOL
re: bars and lack of customers
On some level, I get the allure of owing a bar and the dreams of making it a success, but I am also smart enough to know the reality is quite a bit different.» Posted By Brian On 17/April/2026 @ 11:08 pm
Hopefully things, whether physical, mental, or relationship, are just a mere bump in the road of life.
Re: 2018 post
Self awareness is not easy to come to grips with. LOL. Always think of the stereotypical expat who complains that everyone around him is an asshole. Hmmm, maybe it is not the everyone around him who is the problem.» Posted By Brian On 16/April/2026 @ 11:09 pm
Remind me again, when does rainy season kick off in your neck of the woods? Is is June-ish?
Re:Sept 2018 post
The more things change, the more they stay the same. LOL. Life is always a series of compromises. Rare that the person you start dating is the same person later on. The joke is that the guy does not want the girl to change and the girl wants the guy to change but often, the opposite happens. But, it does sound like you are currently in a good place relationship wise. As the Rolling Stones sang,“You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need”» Posted By Brian On 14/April/2026 @ 11:19 pm
LOL
Keep fighting the good fight!!
(I don’t think I can embed a GIF but the below is the Korean person with a clenched fist saying “fighting!”)
» Posted By Brian On 13/April/2026 @ 11:17 pm
@Kevin. You are doing yeoman’s work here, but as I always ask people in my group when starting a project, “With this task, what is your measure of success after X amount of time? If after X period, you have not achieved success, why not? Is it worth pursuing? Is there another way to go about it?, etc.”
If the answer is that success (as you define it) is not achievable, better to cut losses and move on.
I am trying to get better in identifying and not worrying about sunk cost. Still pretty bad at it however, particularly when it comes to books. I’ll start one, dislike it but continue reading because I have already spent X amount of time on the book. I would be better off in just closing the book and starting another one.
Anyway, just my 2 pesos worth of worthless feedback. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 13/April/2026 @ 12:09 am
Making steps in the right direction
Read an article recently that had a couple of interesting things re: GLP-1 medication
1. Something like 12% of people in the US are now taking some form of GLP-1 medication
2. Patent for Ozempic just expired in India, and already, generic drug manufacturers are lining up to produce it. It is expected prices will drop significantly, with one manufacturer promoting a USD$15/ month cost.» Posted By Brian On 09/April/2026 @ 2:16 am
Chiang Rai, way up north, is a small big city. May tick a lot of your boxes, but the potential downside for you is that it is nowhere close to a beach. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 10/April/2026 @ 2:02 am
I think the reason that BKK is hotter on average is 1) the temp does not drop much at night (maybe a 15 F difference between daytime and nighttime) and 2) there is very little variation in temperature regardless of the month. It is 90 something in Jan, 90 something (or maybe 100 something in April), 90+ in July, 90+ in Nov. I looked and saw that Phoenix has avg. highs in the mid 70’s Nov – Feb
Almost all of my time in spent in BKK, so I guess that is my favorite. I like Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, though only go there for vacation.
» Posted By Brian On 09/April/2026 @ 2:05 am
Generally, April is the hottest time of the year in Thailand. April is when the sun is directly overhead.
Fun fact; when you take a 24/7/365 average temperature, Bangkok is the hottest city in the world.
» Posted By Brian On 07/April/2026 @ 10:51 pm
I assume that Swan, like most of Filipinos, is Catholic? Is she religious, or like me, Catholic in name only?
» Posted By Brian On 05/April/2026 @ 1:22 am
John, I am guessing you reposted that statement from President Trump somewhat tongue in cheek. Pretty dumb statement overall by him IMO.
Let’s say there are 5 producers of San Miguel Zero, each producing 20% of the total. One producer goes off line, and that is the one your bar buys from. You complain, and somebody tells you, “just buy from one of the other four producers.” But the other four producers already have contracts to sell to others, etc………… Not like “poof”, snap your fingers and magically, another beer factory has been built and is on line.
And the other part of his statement. Let’s say you get into a fight with a guy at Treasure Island (and he produces 20% of the San Miguel Zero in Baretto). Then you get mad when none of your friends jump in on your side. They’re like, WTF? Would have been nice to give us a heads up to prepare. LOL
Anyway, just trying to see if I can get your head to explode. 😛
(and yes, I do think something had to be done with Iran but as usually is the case with President Trump, he rarely has any coherence in his thought process or long term planning.)
» Posted By Brian On 01/April/2026 @ 9:19 pm
I dont disagree, but what are Trumps peace terms?
Killing the old leaders? done, though it is more of the same right now
Putting in a government friendly to the US? How has that worked in Libya, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.
Annihilating the country? Nah,long term negative consequencesSaw a meme that made me LOL. “Trump brags that oil never worth this much under Biden.”
We had to do something, but again, there doesnt seem to be any plan. Kind of like the dog chasing after and then catching the bus. Now what?
» Posted By Brian On 31/March/2026 @ 2:45 am
Re: Aeta village
These indigenous villages seem pretty isolated, even though they seem to be quite close to population centers. Do the residents intermingle with non-Aeta people? I would suspect that there probably some discrimination against them, even if it is done unknowingly. Trying not to sound too woke (LOL)Re: gas prices
If things don’t come to an end soon in the middle east, there will be a significant jump in prices of everything. For example, sending a truck full of imported goods from Manila to Baretto will cost more and the stores will have to increase prices.I mentioned before that something had to be done in Iran, but the thing that concerns me is that I have yet to hear any coherent information from the current US administration as to what is the end game. The goalposts seem to be constantly shifting or are non-existent at the moment.
» Posted By Brian On 30/March/2026 @ 4:26 am
Re: do overs
I vaguely remember reading a sci fi story (or maybe a short story), and the premise was that there are an infinite number of universes out there and each time a person come to a fork in the road, a new universe is created. For example, there is the universe where your first marriage fell apart and all these years later, you are in the PI. There is another where you and your first wife stayed together and in that universe years later, you are living in XXX, etc.I also find it interesting to think about, regardless of how improbable it is. If you are bored and looking for something to watch, there are a couple of parallel universe asian dramas out there that follow this type of storyline. A K-drama called “Familiar Wife”, a Taiwanese drama called “Life Plan A or B” and in addition, a US movie called “Sliding Doors”.
Re: GLP-1’s
Don’t know anybody using it and I don’t use it, but I thought/read that using GLP-1’s is a lifelong commitment. If you stop, there its a good chance that the weight will creep back up.Re: Song
I try to figure out what song you may pick. My (wrong) pick for today was Garth Brooks “The Dance”.» Posted By Brian On 26/March/2026 @ 2:28 am
What was your infraction that resulted in you ending up on the ice? LOL
» Posted By Brian On 25/March/2026 @ 2:13 am
Re: video
I think that the Filipiina Pea is being a bit disingenuous. I think that the main motivator that drives a first world/third world relationship is economic. So, the third world party in the relationship (99% of the time, the female) will try to be what the partner wants in order to get what she wants from the relationship. If that means being attentive, being a great sexual partner, so be it. I’m not 100% convinced it is an innate trait of Filipinas. As I have said before, I believe that all relationships are transactional on some level, so I have nothing against one that is based on economics.If being attentive, etc. was all that it took, then generic (you) would see more male expats dating older Filipino women.
re: sunset pics
Great pics!! You are living the dream. LOLre: empty bar
LOL. Somebody new will come into town and think, “Barretto is a great little town. The only thing lacking is another girlie bar!”» Posted By Brian On 23/March/2026 @ 7:29 am
Re: Ozempic
Seems like a lot of people have had good luck with it. Though there is some studies that recommend caution with mixing alcohol and Ozempic. #eekRe: two week millionaire
Was that a typo in how much the guy spent at the bar????? If my math is right, he spent over $8K!!!! If that is the case, then he is just not a two week millionaire, but most likely a whole year millionaire!!Re: Travel as you get older
Truth in the video. It can be mitigated a bit by money. Young and staying in a hostel? No problem. Older – get me a nice hotel. Young and traveling by overnight bus? No problem. Older – get me a private car or flight. Young and willing to take a flight with 25 stopovers and a crappy seat to save $100 bucks? No problem. Older – get me a non-stop in a better airline and better seat. etc.» Posted By Brian On 20/March/2026 @ 11:36 pm
>In the April 2018 LTG archives, I’m getting all philosophical about destiny versus free will. I’m definitely in the camp that we create our destiny through the exercise of free will. I smirked a bit as I read my speculations on applying all the wisdom I had gained from past mistakes to my upcoming life the Philippines. Let’s just say there were many more mistakes to come.
LOL. You probably should have done your deep dive through the archives when you first arrived in the PI.
» Posted By Brian On 19/March/2026 @ 11:59 pm
Happened to come across an article about a “digital nomad” in his 30’s who is living on Vietnam (I think) on something like $1000/month. Talking about how great he lives, but then mentions he is living in a hostel.
Umm, hard no on that. Sharing a room with 5 or so other people and having a communal bath down the hall at this stage in my life (or even when I was in my 30’s) would be just stupid. He then talks about how he has his bunk bed set up to give him privacy, etc. #headslap
» Posted By Brian On 19/March/2026 @ 11:48 pm
Re: Byeonsan National Park
Yeah, that does look like a nice area. I spent about 7 months in Seosan/Daesan area, and never made it there! LOL If I ever make it back to Korea, definitely have to keep place in mind for a visit.Re: Video
The guy sounds completely clueless. The idea of arriving and moving around a bit to check out different places makes sense, but the lack of knowledge about exchange rates is just crazy. I can see doing it for the first week or so, but after that……….. The one valid point he makes is that you CAN live on US$2000/month, but you wont be living high on the hog. Yes, that is more than the average Filipino makes by far, but really, who wants to move to the PI and live like a local? If (generic) you was just scraping by in the US, why would you want to come to the PI and just scrape by also?The guy didnt really go broke, as I assume he still had/has his pension. He could have adjusted and lived on the $2000/month if he really wanted. But, if the pension is not COLA’d (like yours is, correct?), he could be hurting in a few years if he has no backstop in savings.
Lastly, I am not sure I would call retiring at 65 early retirement. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 17/March/2026 @ 11:34 pm
Appears that you cannot access that PI forum without an account.
» Posted By Brian On 17/March/2026 @ 2:30 am
Nah, not TDS. They both suck. Just like you like to wind up the lefties, I find it funny that when Trump posts something like he did in 2024, those with inverse TDS (Trump Deification Syndrome) are all like, “he is spot on!! No more foreign intervention. The Democrats always get us into these messes, etc.”.
Fast forward to 2026, and after Venezuela, Iran, (and he’s talking about Cuba), those same people are all on board with what he is doing. Gas prices down? Ummm, no. Unemployment down? Ummm, no. Not getting the US involved in foreign conflicts? Ummm, no.
He is a cult of personality. No matter what he says, even if it is completely opposite from previous statements, his acolytes think it is coming from God’s mouth. LOL
But in all seriousness, I do agree with us intervening in Iran. Some really bad actors there, and they have been a thorn in the world’s side for the past 40 years. But……………….. I have not heard a coherent plan coming out of the White House. When all is said and done, what are we trying to accomplish? My fear is that we end up with another quagmire like Iraq, Afghanistan, (or Vietnam).
» Posted By Brian On 12/March/2026 @ 11:13 pm
Re: Kamala Harris meme – so true.
But, so as to give both sides equal play, below is a tweet from President Trump from 2024 that isn’t aging well:
“STOCK MARKET IS CRASHING, JOB NUMBERS ARE TERRIBLE, WE ARE HEADING FOR WORLD WAR III, AND WE HAVE TWO OF THE MOST INCOMPETENT “LEADERS” IN HISTORY. THIS IS NOT GOOD!!!!”(Okay, the stock market is not crashing (yet). LOL)
Enjoy your getaway and glad the back is doing better.
» Posted By Brian On 11/March/2026 @ 10:45 pm
re: Sari sari stores
Not uniquely Filipino. See a similar type of store in Thailand, especially in the rural areas. Was in southern Thailand, had a scooter and there was a “sari sari” store just down the road. They would sell gas by the 1/2 liter, 1 liter, etc. They used old water bottles of various sizes and filled them with gas. Worked in a pinch.But like you, I am not sure how they make money. In Thailand at least, generally someone will go to Tesco, Lotus or similar and buy a bunch of stuff and then come back and resell in the sari sari store for a few baht (or peso) markup. Certainly not going be become rich, but if your labor costs are pretty much nil, and no cost for the store rental, I guess you can eke out some sort of living doing it.
Hope the recovery from the Hash fall is quick!
» Posted By Brian On 10/March/2026 @ 11:59 pm
Just another brick in the wall
«« Back To Stats PageRE: Litter
Does all the trash bother Swan, or having grown up in that culture, doesnt really think twice about it. Just wonder why littering is so ingrained in the PI culture, apparently more so than other countries.I’m not a neat freak, but damn!
Things can change, but it will take a concerted effort by all parties to do so. I believe I mentioned previously about traffic habits in Taiwan, and how ever the past 20 years or so, have gone from close to chaos to 180 degrees opposite. Combination of carrot and stick approach and it has worked.
» Posted By Brian On 09/March/2026 @ 10:54 pm