Comments Posted By John McCrarey
Displaying 4,801 To 4,830 Of 6,501 Comments
Damned if I know. But mark your calendar anyway.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 06/January/2020 @ 2:54 pm
Yeah, the internal inconsistency and hypocrisy still astound. Change Trump to Obama and the left is celebrating this take out. I’ve never understood that about the left. I mean, if someone uses the wrong pronoun or some other PC faux pas, they are shunned or worse. Yet, in Iran, all the things they unjustifiably accuse the right of doing are taking place on a daily basis. Hanging homosexuals? Stoning women who get raped? Lashing a woman for the way she dresses? Yep, all that and more without a peep from the left. When the Mullahs took over Iran it was the left they purged first. You would think they’d want to join in the fight to rid the world of these bastards. But no, because Trump is worse. Ignorance abounds.
Dan, they are indeed Sunny bitches…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 06/January/2020 @ 7:49 am
“And I ran, I ran so far away…”
Well, as we say in darts “Good hit!”
» Posted By John McCrarey On 05/January/2020 @ 8:24 am
Yeah, this is a great “winter” destination! Doesn’t rain this time of year and it is *almost* cool. Well, less hot and pleasant in the shade at least.
For whatever reason, this area seems to be a real destination for Swedes. Lots of Aussies and Poms too. The demographic is somewhat younger as well, the tourists don’t tend to be retired or of an age to be. The girls seem to appreciate a break from us fucking old men that live here. 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 04/January/2020 @ 8:27 am
Kev, yes I’ve linked it before I’m sure. You did two posts that spring (the other an Easter meditation) that really hooked me as a reader of Hairy Chasms. Re-reading them now I realize you were going through some hard times but your words of wisdom still resonate over all these years.
Dan, regarding the village people. We were there on New Year’s Day, which is a pretty big holiday here–family get-togethers, big meals, and lots of Red Horse and Emprador, the alcoholic beverages of choice for the locals. But I doubt most of these folks have “regular” employment. They may find intermittent work as laborers or go up on the mountain and cut down bamboo to sell kind of thing. It’s got to be a hard life and I don’t know how they make it day in and day out. But I really do respect the perseverance of the Filipino people.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 04/January/2020 @ 8:42 am
Oh yeah, no comment on the link? I remember that post from almost 15 years ago. Hope it is not a painful memory for you.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 03/January/2020 @ 8:48 am
No, I couldn’t live out there in the boonies. Just too damn isolated. I define boonies as being beyond walking distance to a bar!
Kev, you’ll perhaps recall my pre-diagnosis lung issues in Korea. That night we were walking back from dinner in HBC and I had to sit down halfway because I couldn’t catch my breath? I went to a Korean doctor who prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis. After three months I’m still having breathing problems so I get an appointment with a doc on the Army base. Turns out it was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). So, I’ve been using meds and inhalers ever since and they’ve served me well. No breathing attacks like before.
So, the difference now is I might have a bout of bronchitis which is exacerbating my COPD. Or maybe the COPD has progressed to the next stage. Either way, the treatment would be the same. These days I’m using my nebulizer three or four times a day instead of once a week, and it helps.
My domestic helper (who is a certified caregiver, one of the reasons I hired her) has been on my ass to go to the doctor about the cough. I guess I woke her up the other night. But the perverse thing is the cough, as painful as it is, is my body’s way of excreting all that shit building up in my lungs. So I don’t want to do any cough suppressants. I’ll give it till Monday and see what happens.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 03/January/2020 @ 8:46 am
Yeah, don’t want to call them Nazis. That’s exclusively for American conservatives now. 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 02/January/2020 @ 5:09 pm
Yeah, those bastards!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 02/January/2020 @ 8:25 am
Thanks for the tips! I hadn’t thought about baking the coconut to dry it out. The main purpose of the coconut is as a natural sweetener (same with the marshmallows) so that may be worth a try. Although truthfully, this batch was just fine.
Same with the sour cream. After being refrigerated it thickened up just fine. No need to go through that extra work methinks. And I don’t trust myself with xanthan gum, I’ll be too tempted to end the world as we know it!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 31/December/2019 @ 8:23 am
Kev, yeah I do understand your views on language acquisition in the place you choose to live. English is the “official” language here, and while not perfect, I’m trying to get better at it. Where I’m at in Central Luzon, the natives also speak Tagalog. Or more precisely, Taglish. It’s bizarre to be watching a Pinoy drama on TV and sometimes the dialog contains a few words in English. I have to check myself because I’m thinking “damn, I’m starting to understand Tagalog!” Anyway, I am picking up some words and phrases, but nowhere near the conversation level.
Yeah, I need to figure out what’s happening inside my lungs. My sinuses are clogged with snot and I’m coughing up some nasty looking shit. I checked online to see if I might have a mild case of pneumonia, but I don’t have a fever or anything like that. Luckily, I’m not having issues with lack of oxygen so far, just constant coughing which keeps me up half the night.
Hold on to your hat, but I’ve also decided to give up vaping. At least for now. I ran out of the juice I brought from the USA so I’ve been using some that I bought here. I’m not sure if I trust the ingredients. I’m going to give my lungs a break and see how they respond
» Posted By John McCrarey On 30/December/2019 @ 8:30 am
Soooooo, tell me how you REALLY feel, Dan. 🙂
Yeah, his grammar makes mine look good, but I think you bottom line nailed it–he’s a troll.
Like you, I doubt he’s as well-traveled as he claims, but even if true, his choices make him lose credibility, not impress.
And the bottom line is always if you think it sucks here then leave. Don’t go around questioning the motives of others who have made better life decisions. And if the time ever comes when I’m not happy, I’ll move on without making a big deal over those who choose to stay.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 29/December/2019 @ 7:14 pm
“If it ain’t white, it ain’t right”
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights, Nicole. I guess I’d need to see examples of what constitutes “oppression” and “systemic discrimination” here in the 21st century because I’m just not seeing it.
I spent most of my thirty-five-year career working in Human Resources management, and part of that job was ensuring that decisions were made based on merit, not skin color. So, when I hear things like “all white people are this way or that way,” I consider it racist. Always have and always will.
I firmly believe in equality of opportunity; this whole move for “equity” of outcomes is a giant step backward for the human race. We need a merit-based society. Would you support a law that the NBA must have two Caucasians in the starting lineup? I mean, it’s only fair, right?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/June/2023 @ 5:28 am
Percy, actually I’m doing just the opposite. I’m calling out the racists who judge people solely based on the color of their skin.
Please explain to me how that promotes racism?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/September/2021 @ 7:18 am
Hey, if it’s racist it’s racist no matter what your skin color, right? 🙂 But yeah, you get the point. And honestly, if I see someone acting bizarrely or aggressively, I’m going to avoid them no matter what color they are. One thing I’ve noticed is there seem to be lots of mentally ill folks walking the streets of Barretto. Best to give them a wide berth…
Oh, and in an odd twist of fate after all those hours out walking my skin has turned as brown as the natives here. So, I’m a person of color now!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 30/December/2019 @ 8:36 am
Re: the visa. I qualify for a retirement visa. Even made a trip down to Manila to start the application process. It turned out to be such a bureaucratic fiasco I wound up saying “fuck this”. The tourist visa can be renewed every 60 days for up to three years without ever leaving the country. Of course, I leave a couple of times a year anyway so that restarts the clock. The only real downsides are that I can’t open a local bank account or get a driver’s license on a tourist visa. I’ll likely do the retirement visa at some point, I’ll just hire a “fixer” to deal with all the bullshit.
Well, if I keep applying the hot compress treatment for the stye I’m liable to burn those eyelids off at some point. I’ll take a sweaty walk and see if that helps.
BPI is my go-to ATM in Barretto and was the second ATM I tried yesterday. I think it was just that machine was out of cash. BPI on base is where I finally had success.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 28/December/2019 @ 8:05 am
Thanks, Dan. Yeah, I agree. By Western standards tossing shit at people in need is bullshit. I didn’t get the impression that anyone minded us throwing candy to the kids, but that probably wouldn’t fly in other parts of the world.
The bars with dancers here have buckets of ping pong balls you purchase to throw on stage for the girls. They get a few pesos for each one they grab. I did that once as a newbie tourist and swore never again, I did not like the dynamics at all. I must say though that the girls always seem appreciative when someone tosses the balls at them.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 28/December/2019 @ 8:19 am
Terry, thanks for the comment and for sharing your insights. I think that’s where I come down too, kids are being kids but adults are deserving of dignity and respect, regardless of their financial situation.
Kev, I guess I’ve been using a gas grill so long now that I didn’t even consider the options indirect heat can provide. I can attest though that the results were outstanding!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 27/December/2019 @ 8:04 am
Thanks for the holiday cheer, gents!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/December/2019 @ 8:09 am
Hey, that’s the Subic Hash way. Our names are not always appreciated when we visit other Hash groups that purport to be “family Hashes”. Oh well.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/December/2019 @ 5:08 pm
Buddy is the gay one, Lucky is a toe biter. I’m thinking that’s what he wants.
Merry Christmas, Soju!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/December/2019 @ 12:57 pm
HaHa, Dan. And now you can’t unsee me in my shorts!
Kev, I feel like the Karate Kid! Some of the Hasher’s use their “bolo” (which is what they call a machete here) when laying trail. They say that thatch grass is tougher than it looks. Just sort of bends with the force of the blow and bounces back. Probably gonna have to hit it low, but then how will I get any force behind the blow? I definitely need to get out and practice, practice, practice!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/December/2019 @ 8:12 am
Yeah, I remember that bar. May have even dropped in for a beer once. I was usually in the darts bars back then. Love the movie and still play the music on my Spotify playlist…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/December/2019 @ 4:30 pm
Yeah, and the shirt has bad grammar to boot.
The word for pig Tagalog is “baboy”. For the longest time, I thought the gals here were calling my handsome. Oh well.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/December/2019 @ 7:44 am
Wow, those gift envelopes were the only ones available. I fleetingly wondered what the meaning of the character was. Yeah, the concept of bok fits nicely with the monetary gift to a hard-working Filipina. Thanks for the education!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/December/2019 @ 8:07 am
Damn it! I should have known better. And now I do. Thanks!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/December/2019 @ 8:14 am
Kev, I’m glad you found the essay interesting. I don’t know why, but while I was reading it I thought of you. I was just going to email the link but then I decided “hell, I can get a post out of this.”
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/December/2019 @ 7:15 am
HaHa! So true, Dan! There may be places in the world where you can get away with disrespecting the Virgin Mother. The Philippines ain’t one of them. Apparently.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/December/2019 @ 8:19 am
That’s his Hash name. It suits him. He’s German and likes to climb mountains. Go figure.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/December/2019 @ 8:07 am
«« Back To Stats PageNo, the farmers here are, well, dirt poor and hard working. I didn’t want to do the rice paddy to begin with. In our defense, the field didn’t appear to be planted and we were walking on the berm. Oh well, the alternative path people took did intersect with the trail again, so no harm.
The eye is showing improvement, but still a long way to go.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/December/2019 @ 8:11 am