Comments Posted By Brian
Displaying 811 To 840 Of 1,084 Comments
Wow – that pic of you standing next to the tree gives a good perspective on how big it is.
» Posted By Brian On 09/January/2022 @ 11:54 am
Gotta love the cliffhanger!!!
» Posted By Brian On 07/January/2022 @ 11:01 am
Re: being remembered. I think it is also a function of the ratio of Filipinos to Westerners. There is a much larger pool of Filipinos for you to remember vs. the number of Westerners.
When I was living in a small town in Indonesia, it was the same thing. It was a lot easier for them to remember ONE of me rather than me remembering MANY of them.
When does your current lease end? Any of the houses you looked at previously that were for sale still for sale? If that is the case, maybe the owner(s) would be more agreeable to rent?
» Posted By Brian On 03/January/2022 @ 8:44 am
Happy 2022 John. I am sure it will be filled with two steps forward and one step back. All part of this crazy thing we call life!!
(I was thinking the same thing about Martin’s GF. She is a cutie!)
» Posted By Brian On 02/January/2022 @ 5:34 am
Bars of Barretto: The Green Room (Updated September 8, 2022)
Appreciate the tour. And yes, you probably need to update the list as the mood strikes.
Any qualitative ranking is based on the reviewers preferences and whims. Best movie ever? Greatest basketball team ever? etc. Purely subjective. Even things that are quantitative (e.g. fastest 100m in history) have some subjectivity to them. If Jesse Owens from the 1930’s had the tracks, equipment, training and nutrition that Usain Bolt had in the 2000’s, would his time have been faster? etc.
Fun to debate however.
Thanks for the journey!
» Posted By Brian On 31/December/2021 @ 10:12 am
Merry Christmas! Good things happen to good people and you are one of the good ones!
» Posted By Brian On 26/December/2021 @ 7:44 am
ATM’s and elevator etiquette in Asia both leave something to be desired. Not sure why people who are waiting to enter an elevator cannot figure out to step to the side to allow exiting people to actually exit!!!! Aaargh!! Instead, I always end up in this crazy dance trying to get out of the elevators.
Re: getting cash. I can understand that the local bars/vendors/tradesmen work in a cash economy, but do the larger dept. stores groceries, etc. prefer cash instead of credit cards? Or is it just too much of hassle to get a credit card for yourself?
» Posted By Brian On 25/December/2021 @ 8:04 am
As always, a good review. Enjoying the series.
» Posted By Brian On 25/December/2021 @ 7:57 am
Sorry that it turned out the way it did. Unfortunate, but better that you found out early in the relationship.
The more I think about what Kevin commented a few days ago about ages difference, the more I think he has a very valid point.
Trying to get into a relationship with a 20 something is probably an exercise in futility. If you were back in the States and all things being equal, who do you think you could have a meaningful relationship with; a 20 something or someone a bit more mature? If you answer is the more mature woman, why would you think the PI would be any different?
If you really want to focus on the younger set to the exclusion of all others, then you are probably just destined to have the Girl Friend Experience (GFE) type of relationship. And i think you have mentioned that in the past – FWB but also at least the appearance that the get togethers are more than just about sex and money.
Put someone on “retainer/monthly stipend”, get the GFE when she is with you and dont get angry/frustrated with what she does with the rest of the time. I am sure that if you looked further afield (e.g. Manila or something like that), you could probably find someone looking for a sugar daddy and willing to be your girlfriend as long as the monthly payment is made. Probably won’t be cheap. But, like many things in life, you get what you pay for.
Again, sorry this did not work out, but you seem to be perfectly demonstrating the layman’s definition of insanity – repeating the same action and expecting a different result.
Dont mean to sound harsh, but….
» Posted By Brian On 21/December/2021 @ 9:34 am
I think that Pearl is just a bit naive and thinks that she has put Dick in the “friend zone”. She may not be very good at reading the cues from Dick and feels that Dick is just a friend and it is mutual. In her mind, she has let him (subtly) know that he is just a friend, and naively assumes that he understands.
Just my 1 peso worth.
» Posted By Brian On 20/December/2021 @ 3:28 am
Hope things go well with Pearl.
Good on ya’ for remembering the bar staff during Christmas.
» Posted By Brian On 19/December/2021 @ 4:51 am
Bars of Barretto: Cheap Charlies
Those stairs look like the ones going up/down at Dolce Vida. I remember one night going into the ground level door leading to Dolce Vida and finding a bunch of people gathered around some guy at the bottom who have fallen down the stairs in a drunken stupor. He eventually got to his feet, blood dripping from various cuts and staggered out into the night. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 19/December/2021 @ 4:44 am
Are those kids in the group pick part of the Hash (eg children of hashers), or were they just in the area when you took your pic?
Re: You and Pearl. Have you “disassociated” yourself from your various FWB? Mentioned this before, and I realize that this happened after a long night drinking, but ending the night by putting 100 peso notes in bargirl blouses, while a helluva lot of fun, is not a good look from the perspective of a potential partner seeing/hearing about this. Being that it is a small town, anything you do will probably make its way back to Pearl’s ears. If the shoe was on the other foot……..
» Posted By Brian On 17/December/2021 @ 9:31 am
Reminds me of the old adage:
A guy enters a relationship thinking he has found the perfect girl and does not want her to change at all
A gal enters a relationship thinking she has found a pretty good guy, and with a few changes, he will be perfect.
What happens is that as the relationship progresses, the gal is the one who changes while the guy cant or won’t change.
Both end up being disappointed.
(A cynical take, I admit. Just thought it was kind of funny)
» Posted By Brian On 14/December/2021 @ 9:29 am
Looks like that was a most excellent walk! Great views!!
» Posted By Brian On 11/December/2021 @ 8:30 am
Playing devils advocate:
Imagine this was the scenario
John spends the night in a long conversation with Girl X (not Pearl). Just sitting at a table talking.
Pearl spends the night in a bar full of guys, buys them drinks, and at the end of the night, puts 100 pesos in each of their pants
Would you have any problem with the above scenario? Is there a double standard being applied?
» Posted By Brian On 10/December/2021 @ 9:42 am
Also wanted to add that since you are have been in Barretto a few years and are fairly well known in town, I am guessing that Pearl made some enquiries about you.
Do you know John?
What is he like?
Has he dated other ladies in town?
What is his reputation?Well, he is a really nice guy. Helps widows and orphans. I have never seen him out late. But, he is in the bars alot. He has XXX over for a “massage” frequently. Before then, I would see him with QQQ, YYY and ZZZ. AAA used to come over for some reason, not sure why. wink wink
If the shoe was on the other foot and the above was the description of Pearl, what would you think of her as relationship material?
» Posted By Brian On 06/December/2021 @ 3:20 am
I am going to look at it from her side. What is her “role models” in a foreigner/PI girl relationship? In many cases, it is probably a foreigner who comes to town, woos and dines a young lady, professes their love, and most/many times leaves them high and dry. Either by going back to their home country, vowing to return (but never doing so), or getting them pregnant (yeah, I know, it takes two to tango, but…) and then never having anything to do with them or their child again.
So (and I am making some suppositions here), from her perspective, she probably expects the same to happen to her. You have to understand that in entering the relationship, her wants and needs are quite a bit different from yours. Love is probably not the first thing; maybe her first priority is security, maybe it is comfort, etc. Not saying that she can’t or won’t fall in love, but the relationship dynamic is just very different from what you expect.
Seeing a text from a bar girl, no matter how innocent the message was, just reinforces her thoughts of what a foreigner really wants out of a relationship with a PI girl.
I am not sure it is a jealously thing but more of an insecurity issue. Though I suppose it can be said that they are one and the same.
You are looking at the relationship dynamic from a western viewpoint and think that some of the things she does are just strange/make no sense/irrantional, etc.
She it doing the same from her perspective and based on her “role models” and experiences/stories from what she has seen.
Foreigner/local girl relationships CAN work, but of the ones that do, the local girls usually have experience in western culture (school/worked overseas/work for a western company, etc), OR both sides have to “reset” their ideas of what makes a relationship and be able to flex a bit. Not easy.
Talk to her – “Pearl, we are from different cultures and have different perspectives on relationships. Let me explain why I felt this way about yesterday. Etc etc Why were you upset?” And so forth.
In any relationship, it takes work, and this one can work itself out. But you HAVE TO stop looking at it from strictly a Western perspective. Easy to say and hard to do. John, I know you have a lot of multicultural experience. I do also, but I also find myself falling into the abyss of expecting relationship to play out as i think it should in the west. Cant do that.
Anyway, the best perspective/insight that I have read on a foreigner/local girl relationship is a fiction book called “Private Dancer” by Steven Leather. Story of a relationship between a Thai bar girl and a British expat. Worth a read. Used to be a free download. Check it out if you get a chance. Quite a depressing book so dont read if you are trying to cheer yourself up. LOL
» Posted By Brian On 06/December/2021 @ 2:24 am
Sometimes the best days are those rooted in simplicity. Cant ask for much else. Good on ya’.
Re: your comment on beer reminded me of the old joke. “I decided to give up women, drinking, and sex. It was the worst 15 minutes of my life.”
» Posted By Brian On 05/December/2021 @ 2:46 am
Has the PI banned international visitors? I would have thought someone who owns a business would have something other than a tourist visa that may have given him some flexibility in returning.
(As an aside, depending on who Jerry was flying for, years in cockpit, etc., those guys can do pretty well. I remember reading an article about a United pilot – 30+ years, captain, flying their ultra long hauls, etc. He had the Chicago – Hong Kong route, so was able to get his hours in with only about 3 round trips a month. And he was making about $225K/year and eligible for a pension.)
Random thought on Sheryl – i wonder how her life has turned out over the past 14 years.
» Posted By Brian On 05/December/2021 @ 2:39 am
As usual, Kevin speak sooth.
» Posted By Brian On 29/November/2021 @ 12:53 am
+1 on what Kevin said!!
» Posted By Brian On 28/November/2021 @ 4:18 am
A lot of symbolism, memories and pictures all in one post.
From the Beatles, Korea, A Bridge Too Far, darts, gender confusion, great scenery (nature and otherwise), this post had it all!!!
Thanks for sharing!!
» Posted By Brian On 26/November/2021 @ 2:06 am
John, I enjoy the blog, rants and all!
Happy Thanksgiving!
» Posted By Brian On 26/November/2021 @ 1:56 am
Unfortunately, the whole COVID thing has gotten so politicized on both sides.
The misinformation is pretty rampant and neither side has the moral high ground on this one.
For example:
From the left:
“I heard from a friend of a friend or a friend who read somewhere that COVID deaths are greater than any other single cause. If we all dont get vaccinated, the human race will be wiped out.”From the right
“COVID is just a conspiracy from the left to take away our rights”etc etc
I say the above tongue in cheek and with a quite a bit of hyperbole, but with all of the noise by by both sides, getting real information is so difficult. And that in turns feeds the misinformation machine.
So, my current philosophy is to stop following any COVID related news. For me at least, not worth it to get excited about news that I am not sure is anywhere close to being correct.
» Posted By Brian On 25/November/2021 @ 2:04 pm
Good luck John. She is a cutie and seems to have a personality to match.
» Posted By Brian On 23/November/2021 @ 11:55 am
Do the ladies have a “quota” of lady drinks that they must sell? I know that for example, in Thailand, most of the “girlie bars” have a minimum quota for the girls to meet on a monthly basis. They obviously get some per cent of each lady drink bought for them, but failure to reach the quota may mean a docking of pay.
(This is pre-pandemic. COVID has knocked alot of business models on their ass.)
» Posted By Brian On 23/November/2021 @ 11:52 am
Dipping our Tibag in the creek
Cool looking hike.
Nice to find new places even after all of the walking you have done.
» Posted By Brian On 21/November/2021 @ 10:33 am
Bars of Barretto: Rock Lobster
Yeah, Rock Lobster seems like it has a nice ambiance. This seems to have the nicest inside of pretty much any of the bars you have reviewed.
But living where you are living, agree with the choice to be outside.
» Posted By Brian On 20/November/2021 @ 10:14 am
«« Back To Stats PageI 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