Comments Posted By Brian
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I actually laughed out loud at the situation with the authorities and the fact that it was “solved” by moving everyone inside. LOL
Seems like an overall good hash, from beginning to end. Kudos!!
» Posted By Brian On 17/November/2021 @ 8:03 am
Interesting that there is a German Hash group in your little burg also. I kind of figured yours was the only game in town.
Do you mix with them at all, or are the two groups pretty separate?
» Posted By Brian On 16/November/2021 @ 12:05 pm
Great hike. Thanks for sharing!
» Posted By Brian On 12/November/2021 @ 9:22 am
I am enjoying the bar reviews.
It would be interesting to see if the rankings changed if you did a review of the bars later at night?
You are seeing the early evening crowd I assume? Wondering if any of the bars take on a different vibe the later it gets. May move some up and some down I guess.
» Posted By Brian On 12/November/2021 @ 9:18 am
Re: healthcare – Thailand is good, IF you get into a private hospital. The quality of care you get in those rivals western countries, but of course you pay for it.
A guy of mine was in an accident in Thailand while riding in a taxi – window broke, glass got in his eyes. The “ambulance” took him a public hospital. When I got there couple hours later, he was sitting in a hallway, not having been seen by anyone yet, though it was pretty obvious he needed immediate attention. Got him moved to a private hospital and they took care of him. He lost an eye and in all honesty, he probably would have lost it even if he were taken directly to a private hospital, but I hate to think how much worse it could have been if he had to sit around at the public place for much longer.
Re: your friends surgery: Dont mean to pry, but what is/was wrong with her?
Re: Billy, from the pic, looks more like a guy, so I guess it is “working” for him/her. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 11/November/2021 @ 8:49 am
I thought you kind of had the Tommy Lee Jones look going on.
» Posted By Brian On 02/November/2021 @ 9:10 am
Thanks Kevin. Makes sense and the numbers you quote seem to be in line with reality.
I have heard rowing is a great calorie burner (and whole body workout). I have an indoor rower that I use pretty frequently. I will have to closer monitor the calories burned indicator to see what that says.
» Posted By Brian On 02/November/2021 @ 8:58 am
I wonder how fitness trackers calculate calories. I run (no pun intended) into the same issue.
When I look on the internet, most sites seem to agree that a person will burn around 110 cal/km.
I dont nomally use a fitness app, but when I do, it seems to give a reading more in line with what you show above – i.e. ~ 160-170 cal/km, which is about a 50% increase.
I dont really track calories so not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but dont understand the discrepancy.
» Posted By Brian On 01/November/2021 @ 12:34 pm
Bars of Barretto: Whiskey Girl (Updated September 6, 2022)
Yeah, even from the pictures, the bar does not give off a very good vibe. LOL Im with Kevin, I will avoid it when I am in town. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 29/October/2021 @ 10:24 am
Any of the original harriers still around 28 years later?
» Posted By Brian On 29/October/2021 @ 10:21 am
I am liking the bar crawl reviews and also your rankings of them.
Thanks!!
» Posted By Brian On 22/October/2021 @ 10:03 am
John, you have a good heart.
And yeah, a bars of Baretto would be a nice series.
I think I came across your blog before I met you and that it how I found the Dolce Vida (or maybe the other way around LOL). Met you there by chance and over a beer or three, you mentioned that you had a blog. As I mentioned before, I was/am not a dart player, so our paths did not cross too often, but when you weren’t playing and I was warming a seat at the bar, enjoyed solving the worlds problems with you. Time flies!!!
» Posted By Brian On 16/October/2021 @ 10:20 am
Still dancing as fast as I can
Though a remote possibility, maybe your tiredness issues could be long haul COVID? I know you mentioned you think you may have had COVID a few months ago. Does the timing match?
Daughter of a friend of mine who is in her early 30’s has had long haul COVID for almost a year now. Among other things, general fatigue and lethargy is one of the things she is fighting.
» Posted By Brian On 11/October/2021 @ 1:24 am
Yeah, I am not sure why anyone would buy property in a foreign country. Like you, I have heard plenty of stories – especially in Thailand, where foreigners are not allowed to own property, so put it in their wife’s/significant others name, and the rest is history!
(Edit to add: foreigners can get a 99 year lease on condos (basically the same as owning, but there are some restrictions), but even that option is not available for free standing houses)
» Posted By Brian On 09/October/2021 @ 6:13 am
There are some very cool trails that you are able to walk. Kudos to making one that seems to have checked all the boxes of your hash group – which I am sure is not an easy thing to do!! LOL
» Posted By Brian On 06/October/2021 @ 9:22 am
One thing that I have noticed in Asia is that all street dogs all pretty much look the same. Yeah, there may be some differences in coloration, etc., but I think some level of interbreeding has resulted in a pretty homogeneous look among street dogs. That’s why I was a bit surprised that the mama dog in your picture does not have that “look”. Anyway, just a random thought. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 01/October/2021 @ 8:31 am
Is it always better to give than receive?
Interesting post John. I had a chance to talk about something similar with a friend of mine. She is involved with an NGO and they do a lot of “micro loans” to females in India. Micro loans are of similar amounts to what you give – ranging from $10 – a couple hundred USD. Rarely, rarely do they go above $1000.
One of the success stories she told me about was a young lady who cleaned clothes. She got a loan so she could purchase a washing machine. Increased business enough that she has been able to hire additional girls from the village to help. A “Kitchenette” type story.
From what I can gleam from your blog here, you do seem pretty altruistic in your giving. Kudos to you!
» Posted By Brian On 30/September/2021 @ 11:07 am
Never heard the poem before either. Maybe it has some deep hidden meaning I am missing. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 28/September/2021 @ 7:07 am
That is awesome that the kitchenette is off to a good start. Hope it continues.
» Posted By Brian On 25/September/2021 @ 1:50 am
Wow! What a sad pic of the dog! Makes me cringe just looking at it. And I second your thoughts on why someone would have/treat an animal like that? 🙁
Glad to hear (see?) that the eyesight is getting better. The brain is an amazing thing. They did a study once where they made a group of people wear glasses that flipped the world upside down. For the first few days, it was obviously pretty much impossible to get around. However, after a relatively short period, the brain compensated and flipped things back to normal, even while they were wearing the glasses.
» Posted By Brian On 18/September/2021 @ 11:17 pm
I think you are right that the brain is “rewiring” to account for your new “vision”. I would think with time, the distance vision will get better. Didn’t you mention that you tested 20/20 after your surgery?
» Posted By Brian On 16/September/2021 @ 4:17 am
John, I think the “my body, my choice” is somewhat disingenuous.
For example:
You want your kids to go to public schools? They need a vaccine (mumps, measles, diphtheria, etc etc).
Dont want them to get a vaccine. Cant go to public schools.
What is the death rate for mumps and measles? Why have required vaccines for those?Avid nudist? Have to wear clothes to go into public spaces.
Dont want to do it (my body, my choice)? Fine. Expect there to be restrictions on where you can go.Again, the government is not ordering anyone to get the vaccine. However, just like the above examples, if you want to participate in certain parts of society, you will have to “follow the rules”. If that “rule” means that a vaccine is required to enter/participate, so be it. If a person does not want to get a vaccine, then they must understand there will be restrictions placed on them.
Anyway, I think we both understand where each of us is coming from on this issue. And I dont want to beat the proverbial horse to death. LOL
Rock on!!
» Posted By Brian On 16/September/2021 @ 4:13 am
John, I think that surgery, regardless of how minor it seems, does take something out of person. I dont think it is too unusual that you are feeling a bit lethargic after the cataract surgery. I am sure you will be back to your usual energetic hash walking self soon!
Re: Vaccines – I guess we will agree to disagree. As part of living in a civilized society, we all have to give up certain rights and beliefs if you want to enjoy the overall societal benefits.
E.g I think stop lights are stupid. I think I should just be able to ignore them and drive on. Well, I am putting myself and others at risk by doing that. So, I have to stop at each red light and “follow the rules”
I think that people had a (fairly) legitimate opposition when the Pfizer vaccine was under emergency authorization, but that is no longer the case. It is fully authorized for the vast vast majority of adults. It appears that the Moderna vaccine will be getting full authorization soon also. The same people who are concerned about the vaccine are the same ones who celebrate and stand in line when McDonalds brings back the McRib sandwich!! (God only knows what is in that!!!) LOL
I am guessing that when you went to Korea, there were possibly certain shots, drug tests, etc that were a condition of employment? Of course, a person could refuse, but there would be consequences.
When your kids entered school and at various ages, certain vaccines were requited – measles, mumps, polio, diphtheria, etc. That is a vaccine mandate.
Even George Washington had a “vaccine” mandate for his troops during the Revolutionary War. It was not a true vaccine, but rather the precursor to the smallpox vaccine, and while very rudimentary, he required his troops to take it because of the alternative
Again, people are not being forced to take it. But if they decide not to, there will be certain consequences. My company added a insurance surcharge for smokers. I dont smoke, but if I did, I could either suck it up and stop smoking or pay the consequence.
If they have a vaccine requirement, i can suck it up and get a vaccine or find employment elsewhere. I do have a choice. I dont like it when I hear people say they are being forced to take the vaccine. You do have a choice. Now granted, the alternative is pretty steep (loss of job, denied entry into restaurants, etc.), BUT there is a choice.
Anyway, I know this is quite a passionate issue on both sides of the table. I think you do a good job of not going overboard on one side, and I hope I have doing the same. Peace out!!!
» Posted By Brian On 15/September/2021 @ 2:16 am
John, glad the surgery went well.
» Posted By Brian On 13/September/2021 @ 12:37 pm
Sobering.
However, for good or bad, time marches on. For a much older generation, Pearl Harbor was a “never forget” moment. For an earlier generation, maybe it was sinking of the Lusitania. And so forth.
It is definitely for me a moment and a time that I will never forget. It seemed to unify the country in a way that has not been replicated since. “Tribal” politics were very much forgotten for period of time.
» Posted By Brian On 12/September/2021 @ 7:59 am
John, I second the well wishes on successful cataract surgery. Though it is a (relatively) simple procedure and has been done for 1000’s of years. Didn’t Aristotle (or one of the other early Greek philosopher/doctors actually do cataract surgery??? I am sure the first few days when you can see clearly will be quite a revelation – almost like night and day!!! 😛
Also curious about Kevin’s other question. What is the benefit to remaining married? Is there something like a pension benefit that would disappear if you were single as opposed to married? (Sorry – dont mean to be nosy. Tell me to F off if I am prying LOL).
» Posted By Brian On 11/September/2021 @ 8:10 am
Wow – what a bummer about the security deposit. I am guessing that as a foreigner, the odds are not in your favor in any dispute? I am sure that there are some rights that tenants have in cases like this, but again, trying to navigate the Filipino social justice system would be quite the journey.
Hope you have video taped your new digs, so that if something like this comes up in the future, you have proof.
BTW, is the new place working out well for you (other than the AC condensation drip)?
» Posted By Brian On 07/September/2021 @ 2:05 am
Rolling along the rocky road of life
I remember someone telling me,
If it flies, if it floats, or if you mate with it – rent it!!! LOL
» Posted By Brian On 07/September/2021 @ 2:01 am
I can see why you generally avoid walking along the national highway. Not a whole lot of room to dodge the various modes of transport that they come hurtling your way.
» Posted By Brian On 05/September/2021 @ 11:09 am
«« Back To Stats PageInteresting to see if the improved vision results in better (or worse) dart throwing!! LOL
» Posted By Brian On 02/September/2021 @ 3:01 am