Comments Posted By Brian

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Under my umbrella

Re: Scott and his house
Does he live in his dream house or did he move to another place?

re: bars
I know you dont stay out late, but I wonder if business is better later at night in the bars. That would seem to be the norm in most of the world, but demographics are different in your neck of the woods.

re: Star Trek joke
Yeah, first world money in a third world country means you can “miss out” on a lot of things that are experienced by locals. Third world money in a third world country = a bit of a tougher experience.

» Posted By Brian On 06/June/2026 @ 11:16 pm

Nothing can be different

Re: Video on safest countries
Japan, for me, ranks far and away the safest country I have visited. Blew me away that people keep their seat/table in a coffeeshop by leaving their phone or computer in that spot. They can come back 30 minutes later and be 100% sure it will still be there.

» Posted By Brian On 04/June/2026 @ 2:58 am

Re: Alaska Club girls
Could the supposed slight be nothing more than they didn’t hear you? It has happened to me more than once that I will talk to someone and be completely ignored. Then I find out that they have ear buds in and never heard me or were so engrossed in the phone that they never heard me. (Of course, it could be that they were legitimately ignoring me also, but I like to think otherwise!! LOL)

And I myself have actually done it also. Someone will call out to me and for whatever reason, I didn’t hear them nor acknowledge them even if I was apparently looking right at them. Was probably “in the zone” and just blocking out external stuff. Sometimes the actual reason is pretty benign.

Re: your throwback post
What are your general thoughts on unions and has it changed over the years? IMO, they definitely had a place, but I think a lot of them have failed to adapt. Of course, easy for me to say as someone who has never had a union job. I suppose if I were in a position where the company was trying to screw me over, and the union was my backup, I would be in favor of them 100%.

» Posted By Brian On 04/June/2026 @ 2:50 am

The roads I took

Re: the road less traveled
I am not a poet nor read much poetry, but I do like that poem by Frost.

There are always “what-ifs”. In some situations, the alternative would have been better and in many cases, things would have been worse.

Re: traffic in Asia
Spent a lot of time in both Thailand and Taiwan, and I dont think that things are that bad for pedestrians in either country. Especially Taiwan. 30 years ago, maybe. Today, things have improved leaps and bounds. Granted, most of my time in Thailand is in BKK, but I dont find it that bad for pedestrians, unless you try and maneuver at unmarked crossings, etc. In both Taiwan and Thailand, the biggest problem for pedestrians is that navigating the sidewalks is a pain in the ass. Sidewalk heights vary from one building to another, people/businesses set up camp on the sidewalks, sidewalk repairs are mostly non-existent, etc. Other than that, no problems. LOL

» Posted By Brian On 01/June/2026 @ 11:30 pm

Walking to WalterMart

Re; Patrick
Never mind. LOL. I clicked on the blog link, and commented before I read the rest of todays entry.

» Posted By Brian On 30/May/2026 @ 9:51 am

re: 2019 posts
Sad to read about a 44 year old who drunk himself to death. Also somewhat surprising that he had a girlfriend, considering that Greg didn’t even have an enormous……….wallet. No money for funeral expenses. Ouch!!

I read somewhere that it was pretty common in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s in western society to have a final photograph with a dead person. In that case, they would dress up the dead person, prop open their eyes, and it would look like they were alive. I am sure you can do an internet search to see some of these images. Pretty creepy, but a lot of death rituals, regardless of culture, can be quit strange. I remember hearing from my grandmother that she remembers when most wakes were held in the family home. I suppose the family would clear a space in the living room, put the coffin in there and have people come for the viewing. But I am with you on the concept. I may not like it or think it is weird, but there are probably things I do that other cultures dont like or think are weird.

So, whatever happened to Patrick?

re: Drunk types
Seems like the Hemingway and Mary Poppins have a lot in common. I believe that I, like you, fall into the Hemingway camp. I can’t remember ever being an angry drunk. (Maybe there is a pun in there about not remembering because I was drunk.)

Re: Hoagy Carmichael
Well, I learned something new from your blog. I had heard of Hoagy Carmichael and had always assumed/thought that he was black. Not sure why. #shrug

» Posted By Brian On 30/May/2026 @ 9:14 am

On the streets of Barretto

>On the subject of grammar, your comment on Lisbon says, “I did not mind it cheap.” Couldn’t FIND the right word? 🙂

Touché. LOL

» Posted By Brian On 30/May/2026 @ 8:52 am

Re: retirement cities chart
Putting on my grammar hat; you said, “I came across this chart of the least expensive cities to spend your retirement years.”

Bit misleading. LOL The chart is not about the “least expensive” cities, but rather cities which are relatively cheap. I was surprised to see Lisbon on the list. I spent a bit less than a week there a couple of months ago, and I did not mind it cheap, but rather on par with other Western European cities. Granted, I probably was not in the “cheap” side of town, but it would be interesting to see what a person would get for a monthly rent of $700.

Re: your last trip to Korea
it is tough “going home”. Sorry that your last trip back to Korea was such a downer. With the passage of time, you may be able to approach a return trip with the eyes of a newbie.

» Posted By Brian On 28/May/2026 @ 11:07 pm

Heading out

Consistency is good, but when a fun volunteer type things starts to become an obligation, it is not so fun anymore.

Yeah, you will feel bad if you ditch the Sunday candy walk, but just randomly do it going forward. Don’t let charity become an expectation.

» Posted By Brian On 26/May/2026 @ 3:46 am

Toasted

Re: funeral banner for Marcela
I had the same thought as you. LOL. I am sure that when the family is getting this type of banner made, they try to give the print shop the best picture they can find of the deceased. If that is the best picture that they can come up with, then I would hate to see her in her normal state. #eek

re: bargirls and weight
Heard the same thing in Thailand. Attractive girls can do better freelancing on-line. Also, there are more “legitimate” jobs that pay equivalent to what can be earned in a bar, so that opens up another option.

Re: lifestyle creep
Yup, so true. So true what he mentions about lifestyle creep getting to the point where a person’s entire monthly income is spent maintaining their normal lifestyle. Leaves nothing for any emergencies, and when one occurs, they are screwed.

» Posted By Brian On 26/May/2026 @ 3:37 am

Party night

>Brian, so what I hear you saying is that women are the same all over the world. You might be right about that, but then, I guess the case could be made that so are us menfolk. The reality is that everyone should hold out for what they want and not settle for less than that.

For the most part, yes, I do think that women (and men) are basically the same around the world. Of course, there are some cultural differences, but I think the notion that women from SE Asian have the cultural norms to be the perfect wife is a bit overblown.

For every story about a wife like that, there’s another story about someone who gets screwed over by a Filipina. Just like there are a lot of women in the west who make great wives, and then there are some who will screw you over.

It would be interesting to see divorce statistics between couples where one is foreign born (specifically from SE Asia.). I would suspect (with absolutely no data to back this up!! LOL) that breakups/divorces occur with at least the same frequency as marriages between two US native born individuals.

» Posted By Brian On 26/May/2026 @ 3:18 am

>Anyway, I don’t think the age-gap thing is a problem. I know some Western women hate that men come here to find a young girlfriend, calling it shallow. I’m like, yeah, right, and you wouldn’t look at someone like me unless I was rich AND handsome.

I disagree a bit. I think the same thing happens in the west, regardless of how handsome (or not) the guy is. It is just that the definition of rich in the west is a bit different than the definition of rich in a developing country. Look at Anna Nicole Smith/J Howard Marshall. Look at Trump/Melania. etc etc

To land a hot western lady when there is a significant age gap probably requires a 8 figure (excluding numbers after the decimal point) net worth. In a developing country, a guy could do the same with a 6 figure (or maybe 5 figure) net worth.

As I’ve said before, as long as both sides are cognizant of what the relationship is all about, I have no problems with it as all relationships are transactional at some level. Yeah, the lady likes the stability an older guy has, but if that stability came with no savings and very little monthly income, I doubt she would be as interested in his stability. LOL

» Posted By Brian On 23/May/2026 @ 12:05 am

Re:Comment on age gap
Although I have not been to the PI, I have a lot of time spent in other SE Asian countries, and I think that the age gap is generally about the same in other countries as the PI. I dont think that the Philippines is an anomaly. Of course, you see close age gaps, but that generally occurs when the guy is young. 20 something dating a 20 something, etc. I have never seen a 60’s+ male foreigner starting a relationship with a 60’s+ local lady.

» Posted By Brian On 21/May/2026 @ 11:13 pm

I guess the Filipino 18th birthday party is similar to the hispanic 15th (quinceañera) birthday party.

Re: AI/ChatGPT
It is crazy what it can do with photos. I can (kind of) understand how the text part works, but am blown away by what it can do with photos. Hard to trust any photo or video any more as they can be so easily manipulated. There are still some tell tale giveaways, the as the technology gets better and better, it will be harder and harder to detect fakes.

Re: resumé
Well, seems like the door to your relatives is not completely closed. LOL Although I am sounding like a broken record, maybe you guys should take a trip back to the US.

» Posted By Brian On 21/May/2026 @ 1:50 am

Island hopping

I know you are settled in Baretto, and any review will probably come with that bias (either negative or positive). But interested in hearing your first hand perspective.

» Posted By Brian On 18/May/2026 @ 8:59 am

Hot Chocolate

Maybe the Baretto government should speak to the Bohol government about what they are doing right in regards to keeping the island clean.

Obviously, it can be done!

» Posted By Brian On 16/May/2026 @ 11:17 pm

Greetings from Bohol

re: Okyanus Bar
Other than those bar chairs looking to be at least 6 inches too low, it looked like a nice place. LOL

Re: kids and grandkids.
Take a chance. Set up a trip to the US. Let them know you guys are coming and I would guess that you guys will be welcomed with open arms.

» Posted By Brian On 13/May/2026 @ 10:49 pm

Solitary confinement

Being nosy, what happened with the next door neighbors? #eek

re: Mt Pinatubo
Is there a hiking trail around the circumference of the crater? Did something similar around a dormant volcano in the Azores. Lots of fun, though it appears to be on a much smaller scale than Pinatubo.

» Posted By Brian On 10/May/2026 @ 11:38 pm

Is anyone there?

I am not an everyday commenter, but do follow the blog on pretty much a daily basis.

So, how is that war in Iran going? LOL. Fortunately, it has been localized and there is no spillover to the rest of the world economy. #sarcasm

» Posted By Brian On 09/May/2026 @ 11:42 pm

Hoodwinked

Dont get me wrong. The subject matter is interesting, but the presentation left something to be desired. No fault of yours. LOL

» Posted By Brian On 05/May/2026 @ 11:55 pm

Looks like a nice place you are heading to. Enjoy!

Re: Video about China
Nothing too surprising there.
(as an aside, I hate videos where they use either badly created AI clips or videos that do not really tie in to the subject matter. Especially when it is a “non fiction” current events type of video.)

» Posted By Brian On 04/May/2026 @ 11:14 pm

The day it was

I do. Sent you an email.

Nothing quite as exciting as yours however. LOL

» Posted By Brian On 04/May/2026 @ 10:06 am

Re: Blog and font size.

It appears that you are using WordPress for your blog. If it is the same as mine, then the fix should also be the same. LOL When you are in edit mode for your blog, on the left side, there should be a “vertical” menu; Posts, Media, Pages, etc.

Go down to Appearance –> Customize and that should bring up another menu.

Go to Global –> Typography and there should be a section with setting up fonts for Body, Headers, etc.

» Posted By Brian On 01/May/2026 @ 10:58 pm

Nothing to Mope about

Thinking of what your initial plan was – keep a base in the US and spend time overseas for part of the year.

We will see how that works out. LOL

“Man plans, God laughs”

» Posted By Brian On 01/May/2026 @ 10:38 pm

Yeah I do. The traditional 3 legged stool.

Part 1 is save save save. LOL

Part 2 is the lucky fact that I work for one of the few remaining non governmental companies that offer a pension plan. They no longer do for new employees but I have been grandfathered in. No COLA, but at least it is something.

Part 3 is Social Security. Not really counting on it, so it will be a nice bonus if it is still solvent when I want to collect.

Yup, we are lucky for sure.

» Posted By Brian On 30/April/2026 @ 10:55 pm

RE: Reekay video
IMO, Working remotely overseas is not as easy as he makes it sound, especially if you are a full time employee and not a contractor. I have gone through it. The tax implications (for the company) can be pretty significant if an employee establishes a base in a place like the Philippines, and the company has not had a presence there previously.

Doing short term work in the US to save money to live in the PI for a few months and then repeat. I am pretty financially conservative and boy, that is not something I would ever think about doing. Seems like you are always one step away from disaster. Something unexpected happens (medical emergency, accident, no job to go back to, etc.) and you are up the proverbial creek without a paddle. YOu’ve seen and I’ve seen it where an expat has some type of calamity and then they are looking for money to help them out. One of the project managers in my company used to say, “your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part”. LOL

» Posted By Brian On 29/April/2026 @ 11:39 pm

Hah Hash

Keep hydrated, regardless of what the liquid it. LOL

I was going to make a snide comment about you being the same age as Swan’s mother but probably better not to go there. LOL

I am not sure if people are stupid, but their time (and mine) are worth something, and if I have the money, why not?

» Posted By Brian On 28/April/2026 @ 11:54 pm

Bantay Bayan to Barrio Barretto

Re: Reekay video

I only watch his videos when you post them, but IIRC it seems that he has very little original video content. Most of his stuff is him talking over either AI pictures or stock pictures. That is what may have gotten him flagged. Never posted something to YouTube so have no idea how it works, but it is frustrating that the customer service sucks. As Reekay notes, it is pretty much impossible to talk with a real human. Hopefully, he does rely on the money he gets from YouTube.

The video below is (I think) the first YouTube video to hit 1MM views. Some Korean kid doing Canon in D on his guitar. I remember it took a long time to find out who this person was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xjJXT0C0X4&list=RD2xjJXT0C0X4&start_radio=1

» Posted By Brian On 24/April/2026 @ 11:40 pm

Wed Nes Day

Re: 1930’s driving
If you liked that one, you may like the below. A camera mounted on the front of a cable car in 1905 San Francisco. The video is enhanced, colorized and stabilized and some sound effects added. If you want to see the original, it is the second link below.

Enhanced version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHkc83XA2dY

original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mkX8ecvtqU

» Posted By Brian On 24/April/2026 @ 1:29 am

Act naturally

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