Comments Posted By Brian
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LOL. @Kevin beat me to the comment about Mama’s glasses. The tape fix seems to be growing ever larger.
Any idea of her age? Probably younger than I think.
» Posted By Brian On 26/March/2025 @ 10:40 pm
Interesting video. I am a pretty simple guy, but a hard nope on the apartment she is living in.
Like most people, my living tastes and styles have expanded as my disposable income has increased. What would have been acceptable 25 years ago wouldn’t work today. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 25/March/2025 @ 11:38 pm
During my travels, if I got a case of the “walk fasts”, I would go on a plain rice-only diet for a day or two and rehydration with some sort of sports drink.
Most medicines (Imodium, etc.) only treat the symptoms and not the underlying problems, so never did want to take those.
Anyway, the above worked for me pretty much 100% of the time.
» Posted By Brian On 24/March/2025 @ 10:19 am
re: SOB dance contest
Having it every week really reduces the novelty and customer interest. They should move to a once/quarter or maybe once/month.
Familiarity breeds contempt in this case.
» Posted By Brian On 23/March/2025 @ 1:03 am
>I would love to hear the story about that “most unfriendly bar.”
We were staying in the town of Dingle (on the west coast) and went into this local bar. Old guy behind the bar playing chess with an equally old guy.
He had a really strong accent, and spoke partially in Irish, but I made out something about not serving us (and for sure, the bar was not closed). We thought he was joking so just kind of stood there, but he went back to his chess game and ignored us. So, after about 30 seconds, we got the hint and left.
Dont think he liked tourists. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 22/March/2025 @ 11:55 pm
>I guess there is no escaping my Irish heritage.
You should take Swan to Ireland. Spent three weeks there a couple a summer ago. Probably one of my favorite places to have ever visited. Dublin was just okay and worth a visit for a day or two, but absolutely loved the west coast (Dingle peninsula, Galway, etc)
(Visited the most unfriendly bar I have ever been to, but that did not detract from the overall visit. LOL)
» Posted By Brian On 21/March/2025 @ 11:39 pm
>That’s because I have basically quit the bar scene. In my former life I rarely went out drinking, and I just don’t need to acquire any more bad habits at this late stage of my life.
I had to laugh looking at the above quote from your LTG archives. I guess hanging out in bars maybe is not as ingrained in your DNA as you thought. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 20/March/2025 @ 11:31 pm
Re: People leaving the PI. I agree with you. I doubt it is a “mass exodus”. LOL
Exchange rate vs. $ has not changed all that much, and prices are rising everywhere. Most of those who leave came to a place like the PI with little to nothing in terms of savings or potential future earnings. There is really no backstop for a foreigner like that in a SE Asian country.
I think that the biggest reason people leave, and the the blogger does mention it, is medical. For chronic conditions or a major medical issue, I would much rather be in the US or other 1st world country. I am sure that there are trauma units in the PI that will provide western equivalent care, but they will come with western equivalent prices and usually require payment first and then want you to fight it out with your insurance company for reimbursement.
I may have mentioned this story before, but a colleague of mine was in a taxi accident in Thailand. I was called to go help him. He had been taken to a local state run hospital. I found him on a cot in a semi dirty corridor and hadn’t been seem after X amount of time. Got him moved to a private hospital. At that new hospital, I needed to provide my credit card, and later a bank guarantee that he (or the company) was good for any charges.
Fairly frequently, I see notice of a fund raiser for a foreigner that had some sort of medical emergency and needs funds to cover the treatment.
» Posted By Brian On 19/March/2025 @ 1:13 am
Bummer about the eye. Is this something you feel comfortable doing in the PI, or would you trek further afield (e.g. the US) to get this done.
Pretty sure that cataract surgery is a simple operation nowadays, but on the other hand, you only have two eyes, so you certainly dont want someone to f*** it up.
Good luck.
» Posted By Brian On 17/March/2025 @ 1:38 am
>The only exceptions to national park names in my subdivision that I’ve noticed are Alta Vista Drive, Roosevelt Street, and Capitol Avenue.
There is a Theodore Roosevelt National Park in South Dakota. So, maybe Capitol Ave. is the only exception.
» Posted By Brian On 14/March/2025 @ 11:00 pm
Is the Hideaway a late night type of place that starts rocking after your bedtime? Every time you mention it, you seem to be the only customer, yet they keep adding staff. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 10/March/2025 @ 10:56 pm
You mention going up to that house in a 4×4, which made me think; do you use your golf cart at all? How is it holding up?
» Posted By Brian On 09/March/2025 @ 7:40 am
Re: Routines
I bought my folks (who are both retired) a clock that instead of having time, has the days of the week. The clock face is divided into 7 quadrants and the (one) hand of the clock takes 24 hours to pass through that particular day. Bought it because my folks complained that they never knew what day it was as they all ran into each other. The point of the above is that obviously Mama keeps track of the days and knows when to expect you, which kind of surprised me. LOL» Posted By Brian On 06/March/2025 @ 12:13 am
Looks like pretty good long weekend trip. A change of scenery is always nice to recharge things.
In general, relationships are tough. As has been said, “In relationships, guys think their girl will never change… but girls think they’ll be able to change their guy. The funny part is, the guy never changes, and the girl changes way more than anyone ever expected!”
As long as Swan is happy and knows what the max level of your relationship will be, I guess all is good. I am assuming she is aware of your current marital status? If not, she deserves to know.
» Posted By Brian On 05/March/2025 @ 12:23 am
>DS, Trump is a better option than Harris, and the majority of Americans agree with me on that.
Putting on my @Kevin hat: Trump got a “plurality” of the vote, but did not get a “majority”. He received less than 50% of the votes cast. So, technically, the majority of voters did not agree. The majority voted for someone other than Trump. Same as in 2016 and 2020. LOL.
But, the election is over and I think that the good or bad any president does cannot realistically be assessed for at least 50 years. Gives time to look at things dispassionately rather than emotionally. E.g. tariffs – maybe short term good, long term terrible (or vice versa).
I think that Truman is a good example of that. During and immediately after his presidency, he was looked upon pretty unfavorably. With the passage of time, his terms are looked upon more favorably.
» Posted By Brian On 27/February/2025 @ 8:58 am
Looks like a good, albeit, tough trail. Unfortunate that your friend had some difficulty. But, if not used to steep trails + heat + humidity = not feeling good.
Curious how new hashers come into the group. You mention the latest one pretty much had no clue about what was going on. I would have assumed she would have known somebody who would have given her tips, etc. The Hash group doesnt seem like a group that someone would randomly join. #shrug
» Posted By Brian On 26/February/2025 @ 12:05 am
Re: Lahar – are they doing anything with it like mixing it to make cement or just trying to clear the area and reclaim the land?
Re: traffic. Never been to Manila but I thought Jakarta would be on the top of the list. Up until just a few years ago, Jakarta was the largest city in the world without a subway system. They finally got one line running, but still a mess.
While I was in Indonesia, Jakarta used to require vehicles entering the city during rush hour to have at least 3 (or maybe 4) people in the car or they would ticket you. Just before that zone, there would be a bunch of street urchins that cars would pick up, pay them a XX rupees to have them ride in the car to the city center so the car would meet the occupancy requirements. LOL
Bangkok sucks but they have actually done a very good job in expanding the subway system.
Realistically however, traffic sucks in any of those cities on the list.
Re: talent show video. Audio wasn’t too good, but I give the girls who sang credit for trying that. The others didn’t really show much talent; languorously moving around on stage to music. Guess it is no different than work for them. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 23/February/2025 @ 1:19 am
I’m with Swan in that I like my hikes pretty challenging. Looks like it was a nice walk through some of your less traveled areas.
Interesting (at least for me LOL) to see what foods make up your daily intake. Good on you for keeping your daily calorie count low, even with the beer intake.
» Posted By Brian On 22/February/2025 @ 2:53 am
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Re: Travel – as @Aaron asks, I also thought you were thinking of a trip back to Korea. I think you mentioned you were going to Vietnam, correct?
I would think that the PI has direct flights to all over Asia and Australia. Its a big world out there with lots to see. Just need to overcome the intertia. 🙂
» Posted By Brian On 20/February/2025 @ 1:22 am
>Yep, that’s the problem with tats–they don’t age well!
Never been a fan of tattoos, especially on females. A tattoo that seemed like a good idea when you are 20 possibly doesn’t seem as good an idea when you are 60.
A doctor friend told me: “I’ve seen a lot of naked people and have seen a lot of tattoos. Ive seen a lot of good tattoos and a lot of old tattoos. But I have to see a good old tattoo!”
» Posted By Brian On 18/February/2025 @ 10:06 am
That highway walk does look like it sucks. Traffic doesn’t seem like it is moving too fast, but I guess it would be fast enough if one of those cars hits you.
» Posted By Brian On 15/February/2025 @ 12:36 am
Re: Your house in the states.
Dont mean to pry but I thought you wrote about the saga of selling your house in the US. I assume this is a different one, or maybe I misread your earlier post regarding this.Re: All dressed up…
Probably just the lighting/reflection, as I assume that in your business portrait behind you, you are not wearing a red suit and have red tinged hair. LOLRe: Embassy
I have been trying to photograph every embassy and consulate in Bangkok. Chance to wander around various neighborhoods, etc. Haven’t been yelled at yet, but always try to be discrete, especially when photographing embassies of places such as China, Iran, etc.» Posted By Brian On 13/February/2025 @ 4:05 am
Re: Burning season. You mentioned burning season in a post a couple of days ago. Does it have much effect on the air quality? Bangkok has been getting slammed over the past 1-2 months. AQI regularly hits the high 200’s+. Burning season and alot of the problem comes from neighboring countries. In that respect, I assume the PI would not get hit quite as hard as it is an island.
» Posted By Brian On 12/February/2025 @ 1:08 am
Re: trail apps. I have been happy with All Trails to track my walks. I think it is pretty accurate on both distance and elevation.
I also use Far Out for specific trails and the two match up well.
» Posted By Brian On 11/February/2025 @ 12:46 am
John/Kevin, have you tried the live octopus in Korea? Tried it once from a vendor on the beach in Busan. Copious amounts of alcohol prior to eating the octopus no doubt helped with the courage to try it. LOL. Read afterwards that there are a few people a year who die from doing that. :eek
» Posted By Brian On 11/February/2025 @ 12:33 am
Just thinking aloud. Does your bank limit the amount of money you can take out in one day at an ATM? I “think” in the US, ATM withdrawal’s are limited to $300/day regardless of how many ATM’s you go to – basically to limit losses in case of card theft or being forced to withdraw money.
» Posted By Brian On 10/February/2025 @ 2:45 am
Was the climb as bad as going up easter mountain?
>I feel safer from crime in the Philippines than I would in the USA.
Interesting comment. I guess it depends on where (generic) you live in the states. My hometown is in a rural part of the Midwest, and I have no problem leaving the doors unlocked when I leave, etc. Never have felt any concerns.
Comparing to Barretto, do you think you would feel less safe in a equivalent sized town in the US?
Just my guess, but I think that overt crime (assault, etc.) probably occurs less to foreigners than locals. So, I think that you have an advantage in that regard.
» Posted By Brian On 10/February/2025 @ 2:27 am
Is Bauang popular with expats to retire to, or it is just more of a vacation spot? Looking at a map, looks like San Fernando City is a bit bigger and may have more to offer?
» Posted By Brian On 09/February/2025 @ 5:13 am
Re: Video – nice walk. Reminds me of walking along the canals in BKK. Looks like there are steps cut into the wall in case you fall in? I assume that is how you would get out, but if you have a broken leg or two, not so easy. LOL
You always seem to get in a lot of steps, regardless of whether or not you do an “official” walk or not. I guess just the walks to/from town add up. Kudos to you.
I know this has been mentioned in past, but I would think that Fitbit would be a bit more accurate in the calorie count. Everything I have read says that a person burns about 100 cal/mile when walking, while your app shows about 350 cal/mile. Just weird that it would be that far off. It would be interesting to see how they are calculating calories.
» Posted By Brian On 08/February/2025 @ 12:04 am
«« Back To Stats PageRe: Hash
Was it a special occasion that resulted in the large turnout?Re: Apartment in Korea
Yeah, as a foreigner, renting a western style apartment in Seoul is crazy expensive. When my company was looking to base myself (and family) in Seoul, they gave me a maximum price/month I would be allowed to expense for lodging. I was blown away by the amount and after doing research, I found that the price would get a nice, but nothing spectacular, accommodation.» Posted By Brian On 05/February/2025 @ 12:18 am