One aspect of living a life filled with everyday routines is the unexpected disruption that occurs when those routines are stymied. Tuesday is my grocery shopping day. I’ve been shopping at the Royal supermarket on SBMA since moving here almost eight years ago. Yesterday, this sign was posted on the door at Royal:

I assumed it would be repainting or something similar. Nope. Once inside, I started encountering signs like this one throughout the store:

So, those old habits of knowing which aisle to find an item in were worthless. I used to have a routine pattern of aisles I’d walk to fulfill my shopping needs. No more. I’ll have to relearn and readjust my shopping methods. I’m not sure what motivated these changes, but I noted that many of the non-food items (appliances, toys, etc.) had been eliminated, and the grocery items expanded. They have also widened some of the aisles, so there’s that. Anyway, I’ll adjust, but it was a shock not to be able to find my way around the store. Yeah, if that’s the worst thing to happen to me, I’m doing alright.

I got my third high-dose injection of Ozempic, and things are trending in the right direction. I lost three pounds last week, which puts me down eleven pounds overall since I began the treatment. No severe side effects other than occasional bouts of acid reflux. My appetite remains noticeably suppressed. So, I’ve still got a long way to go, but so far, so good.

Then it was on with my Tuesday routines. That currently includes participating in the dart tournament at Alley Hideout. My inability to regain any passion for the game has been disconcerting. I was on the fence about attending the tourney yesterday, but I still had four beers already paid for on my beer card. So, I went to Alley Hideout, drank my beers, but didn’t play. I’ll have to make a decision soon about whether darts will remain a part of my life.

With the beer card exhausted, we said our goodnights to the crew and players, then moseyed across the highway to Mango’s for dinner.

After dinner, we paid a visit to Gold Bar.

We moved on to Queen Victoria for our nightcap.

And as 8 pm approached, I successfully maintained my routine of going home.

Still exploring the January 2019 LTG archives, I reminisced in this post about all the Filipinas I had loved before. Well, maybe love isn’t the right word. And there were several more to come before I finally found a worthy partner in Swan.

Today’s YouTube video talks about eight “strange laws” in the Philippines that most expats don’t know about. I don’t know, none of them surprised me. I don’t smoke, drive, carry a pocketknife, nor do I have any desire to marry or own property here. Guess I’m safe.

Yeah, time out for humor:

Okay, now I heard the song about a minute ago. And you are fixin’ to as well (assuming you care enough to hit the play button). I honestly didn’t understand the darker meaning of the lyrics until I read about the song here. It’s nice to learn something new at my age.

The big news from yesterday is that I’ve booked my May “get outta town” trip. Swan and I will be sharing a five-day adventure in Bohol. It’s our first visit to this island, and we’ve been looking forward to seeing it. We’ll be staying on Alona Beach in Panglao, and we’ll do our touring from there. Heh, I just learned from glancing at that link that Alona Beach is named after a Filipina actress who ran naked on the beach for a movie role in 1973. Sounds like my kinda place!

I also discovered that stupidity comes with a price. $109.40 to be precise. Travel as an elderly person comes with challenges, and booking airline tickets online is one of them. I completed the process, paid for the flights, and received my booking confirmation via email. And that’s when I realized that what was supposed to be a May 12 departure with a May 16 return flight had somehow become a May 16 departure and a May 17 return. WTF? I still don’t know how I managed to screw that up, but, like everything else, there was a charge for changing the ticket. Oh well, lesson learned. Or not, as my increasingly frazzled brain doesn’t retain much information these days.

Other than that, it was pretty much a typical day in the life.

On the morning dog walk, I noticed the war of words (on paper) between neighbors has escalated.

And then there was the Sunday Sweets Stroll. Wanna come along?

When it was time to head into town, I was gobsmacked by the traffic. Apparently, Labor Day weekend is when Filipinos swarm the beaches in Zambales province. I’d never seen things this jammed up on the National Highway.

A couple of hours later, as we made our way to Jumpin’ Jacks, things were still jampacked.

I was wearing a Hash shirt, and another customer introduced himself as a Hasher from Kentucky. I told him about today’s Hash, and he wants to join in the fun. We’ll see if he shows.

Anyway, despite my costly mistake, I’d rate the day as not bad.

And now we’ve reached January 2019 in the journey through the LTG archives. In this post, I recount having one of those “love at first sight” moments. As you might expect, it proved to be a one-way street. But I am happy to report that the woman in question found the man she wanted and is now a happy mother. I wound up doing alright, too.

Today’s YouTube video discusses China’s motivations for its provocations against the Philippines. I like that the fallout from the Iran conflict is directly impacting China. FAFO.

Let’s lighten the load:

By golly, I’ve gone and done it again. And now it’s time to get ready for today’s Hash. There’s a climb involved, and it is another hot day, but I’ll give it a shot. You’ll know if I live tomorrow.

On and on it goes, but that’s fine by me. I’m reasonably healthy, still able to get out and about, and I have a lady who loves me at my side. Seems like I hit the jackpot! As boring and trivial as they might be, I am glad to engage in my daily routines and then share them with whoever cares to read about them here at LTG. That’s just the way I roll. Let’s get to it then.

At beer o’clock, I fancied a visit to Cheap Charlies, but alas, looking up from the street, it appeared all the good seats were taken. Well, this is Barretto, and there are plenty of options, so we made Sloppy Joe’s our Plan B.

After drinking our fill and enjoying a chicken quesadilla snack at Sloppy Joe’s, we popped into Alaska Club for another round. Neither of us was digging the vibe there, so we decided to stroll down the highway and finish our evening out at Queen Victoria. That was pleasant, as usual.

The bedtime strawberry-banana smoothie I enjoyed at home was also sweet. Yep, life is good.

It’s the last day of the year 2018 in the LTG archives, and I post about the year that was and the lessons learned.

Today’s YouTube video is the inspiring story of a Filipina overcoming her handicap to achieve her dreams. She lives in Valencia, a city I hope to visit in June. Perhaps I’ll get a chance to stop by her store to say hello.

Humor time:

And that’s just about enough for today, don’t you think?

Today’s song is an old one I found it the archives. I’d forgotten all about it.

When the warship's left Manila sailing proudly o'er the sea
All the sailors hearts were filled with fond regret
Looking backward to this island where they spent such happy hours
Making love to every pretty girl they've met

Well, up stopped a little sailor with his pride eyes all aglow
Saying take a look at my girl's photograph
Then the sailors gathered round him just to look upon her face
And he said,? I love my Filipino baby?

She's my Filipino baby she's my treasure and my pet
Her teeth are bright and pearly and her hair is black as jet
Oh, her lips are sweet as honey and her heart is true I know
She's my darling little Filipino baby oh Jimmy

In a little rustic cottage in the port of Filipines
Dwells a lonely little maiden all alone
She is thinking of her true love though he's far across the sea
And her heart beats true for him and him alone

Then one day he whispered,? Darling I've come back from Caroline
I've come back to claim the only girl I love?
And that night there was a wedding while the ships crew gathered round
And he wed his little Filipino baby

She's my Filipino baby she's my treasure and my pet
Her teeth are bright and pearly and her hair is black as jet
Oh, her lips are sweet as honey and her heart is true I know
She's my darling little Filipino baby

Yep, slip slidin’ away, but still in the game. I just need to remember to enjoy myself. So far, so good. Take yesterday, for example. Kicked things off with the Friday group hike. Only two other attendees, Swan and Steve, were willing to brave the hellish heat, but we took a mostly flat route and got our steps in.

We overcame Satan’s heat demons and finished our hike back where we had started:

Back to the house post-hike, and my pension deposit had hit the bank—time to take care of the monthly obligations. My only “bill” is my credit card, which I pay in full every month. Then I have the charity projects where I wire money to the recipients for their needs, including school tuition, medical assistance, and feeding a family. When you are surrounded by poverty and people in need, it feels good to at least make life better for some. Selfishly, it adds some value to my existence and makes my being here a little more meaningful.

And of course, I dispensed some lady drink charity last night as well. A little more generous than usual at Wet Spot with two rounds of LDs for four gals. Swan doesn’t like having so many at our table, but with Green Room closed and our regulars from there working at Wet Spot, it can’t be helped. Anyway, they all went home with some commissions and a small tip in their pocket.

A friend of Swan’s posted some 2019 photos of her with some guy at a videoke joint. She thought it would be fun to recreate them last night. Here’s how they turned out:

I honestly don’t remember that long-ago evening or meeting Swan there.

Facebook helps me remember other things, like my final visit to the Commissary at Camp Humphreys eight years ago.

Ah, the good ol’ days. Sometimes you don’t miss them until they are gone.

It’s nearing Christmas 2018 in the LTG archives, and I’m learning about the art of gift-giving and the ways good intentions can go wrong. It’s an interesting perspective to look back on some of the relationship issues I was experiencing during my first year in the Philippines. I can see now that often the problem was with me. Me getting upset about a bargirl I liked getting lady drinks from a customer is just plain stupid. It’s her job, you dunce. I’d never be bothered by something like that now.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s go fishing with the Filipina Pea and her dad and see how he likes using an American-style fishing pole for the first time.

Humor me:

And that’s the way yesterday went.

I can’t remember the last time I was drunk. But I guess I wouldn’t. Seriously, though, with my relatively short daily drinking schedule (leave the house at 4ish and come home around 8) and only imbibing beer, I’m not prone to drunkenness. Which is good, because I like to maintain some semblance of control. Since Zero beer (3% alcohol) is off the market, I’m drinking the slightly stronger San Mig Light (5% alcohol), but I’ve slowed my intake pace to make up for it. Anyway, all is well with me in that regard.

Here’s how I rolled through another Thirstday:

The trip home went without incident. I grabbed a nap and did a blog post, then we were once more out the door. Since we had missed our Baloy Wednesday routine, we hit the sand yesterday to restore order and balance to our existence.

Owner Steve is back from Aussie-land, and it was nice to catch up with him again. Then the show began:

It seems the Ozempic really kicks in at dinnertime. I don’t have much of an appetite, and it is easily satiated. Once again, we shared a chicken quesadilla, and it was plenty satisfying.

And we made some new acquaintances:

And then it was off to home and a batch of strawberry-banana smoothies before hitting the hay. Damn, it’s a good life!

From the December 2018 LTG archives is a post where I expound on the lady drink culture and my other efforts to be generous without being taken advantage of. It took me a few more years to finally ignore the pleas and turn off the ATM. A weird thing about the linked post is that the font is larger than usual. I don’t know how that happened, but I like it. I wonder if I can figure out how to replicate it. Stay tuned.

Today’s YouTube video features a vlogger sharing his ten reasons why people shouldn’t retire in the Philippines. Well, I’ve experienced all ten since moving here almost eight years ago, but I still don’t regret the move. It all comes down to what you can tolerate and accept. Hell, I’m sure there would be ten similar things about any country you choose to reside in, including your homeland. Of course, my “take a deep breath, relax, and accept the Filipino way” mantra has served me well over the years.

Best of all, I still have my sense of humor. Such as it is:

Why not just leave it at that for today.

It’s been pretty quiet around here lately, so I’ll try not to disturb the peace. It’s not like I have a way to drum up something interesting anyway. So, let’s get on with the routines then.

We did the Decay Dance candy handouts on Sunday since Swan was otherwise occupied on Saturday. Hey, candy is always dandy on any day of the week!

For our Sunday evening out on the town, I surprised Swan with a rare visit to the rooftop of the Central Park Reef hotel.

But we came for the views and got what we came for, so I’m not going to bitch and moan about the prices. Much.

Then we followed our more normal Sunday routines, with a visit to Red Bar and, later, a nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks. For the first time ever, Swan agreed to play pool with one of the waitresses, and she did surprisingly well for a beginner. Good job, girl!

And that was how we scrambled through another Sunday.

Twelve years ago, I was holding court with Kevin Kim in Itaewon:

Continuing through the November 2018 LTG archives, I was taken back to another one of those otherwise forgotten moments in time. A waitress friend at Treasure Island got fired for keeping a tip in contravention of the policy that tips are shared. I prefer to tip the person serving me, but rules are rules. Then TI upped the ante by refusing to supply the waitress a “certificate of employment” showing that she had worked there. This meant the job she was seeking on a cruise ship wouldn’t happen because she couldn’t prove the requisite experience. It is also a violation of the Philippines labor law. So, I intervened on her behalf, which made things worse until I threatened to hire a lawyer for her. Yeah, lots of drama, but in the end it worked out. She got the certificate, got the cruise ship job, met an Aussie bloke there, got married, and is happily living in the land down under. It also led me to change my American-style tipping habits. For some reason, my “friend” Jerry didn’t like me anymore, but that happens a lot these days.

Today’s YouTube video talks about ten things parents did in the 70s that would be considered child abuse today. My childhood was primarily in the 60s, and my folks did all of these, well, except for the having me buy beer. I spent many hours riding in the back of a 1958 Jeep pickup truck, staying home alone while mom and dad worked, and doing wild shit on the streets of town, with the only caveat being to get home before darkness fell. Yep, the good ol’ days.

And now for the funny business:

Alrighty, then. I’ve got a Hash to attend to. And tomorrow, we’ll be doing our monthly get-out-of-town journey; this time to the ocean at San Narciso. So at least I’ll have something different to write about here for a change.

It’s not a perfect world, and neither is my life. I feel the pain that comes with rejection, but that man in the mirror, whatever his flaws, is who I am. Love me or leave me, I’m going to keep on keeping on.

Sometimes life intrudes on your routines, but that’s okay. Changing things up occasionally is part of reality, and the routines will be there waiting when circumstances permit. We postponed our Decay Dance candy walk yesterday, as Swan was entertaining her gal pals at The Rite Spot On the Roof and needed the morning hours to prepare food for the event. So, I was on my own for the Saturday hike, and I opted to just do the boring Barretto street circumnavigation. Since there wasn’t much of interest to see along the way, I opted to take a milestone (every 1.6K) photo during the journey. Here’s how that worked out:

I didn’t invade the female space during the gathering on the roof. Swan sent me a couple of pictures of the fun they were having up there.

I did pop up to the Rite Spot at beer o’clock to let Swan know I was heading into town. The gals said they’d meet me at Sloppy Joe’s in an hour or so. Off I went, and an hour or so later, Swan messaged to say the girls wanted to stay on the roof and watch the sun go down. No hay problema, I ordered another beer and some chicken wings to tide me over until they arrived.

We had one more drink at Sloppy’s, then the gals wanted to finish off the evening at It Doesn’t Matter. Welp, it’s only a block away, so why not? We were the only customers on a Saturday night, and the owner, Luna, was happy to have us. It’s a rare event when Swan overindulges, but apparently those shots of soju on the roof kicked in. I’d had my fill as well, so we said goodnight to the ladies and grabbed a trike for home.

Upon reflection, I guess it was a pretty routine day after all.

Oh, this gave me a good chuckle. Remember the note one of my neighbors had posted on another neighbor’s mailbox?

Anyway, I saw that note again on my way into town.

Facebook memories is always there to remind me of the life I had and lost:

It’s still November 2018 in the LTG archives, and I’m six months into my Philippines life. I share the story about my drunken humor and the offense it created with one of my favorite bargirls at the time. Once I sobered up, I realized what an asshole I’d been, and I made things right the next day. Until I re-read this post, I had no recollection of that event. Sadly, I don’t recall Kim, the gal in question, either. I’m hoping there will be a future post with her picture to jog my memory. We shall see.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the ongoing and worsening tourist crisis in the PI. It is certainly being felt here in Barretto. Several bars are now closed because the expat community isn’t large enough to support them all. I saw that the Arizona Resort’s pub is now for rent at a mere 2,000 dollars a month. That’s insane, no way you could sell that many beverages to cover rent, wages, and utilities. The Arizona floating bar is also for sale. I expect more downsizing to come.

On a lighter note:

Another day, another post. Let’s see how long we can keep this going.

Well, I hate loud, crappy music in the bars, but in those situations I can vote with my feet and leave. It doesn’t take much to trigger my grumpiness these days. That said, there is more good than bad in my life, and for that I am thankful.

I may not be fit as a fiddle, but I was fit enough to enjoy my Friday. We kicked things off with our Friday group hike. There were just three of us in attendance, so we decided we’d let Scott drive us to the Old Cabalan barangay in Olongapo City for a hike we hadn’t done in a long time. Alas, the traffic on the highway was insane, so we changed course and hiked on SBMA instead.

And it being one of those days that end in a “y,” I headed into Barretto when beer o’clock chimed. I had intended to kick off my evening at It Doesn’t Matter, but they were suffering a power outage, so I continued up the road to Red Bar. Cliff and Ashley were there to provide the warm welcome, and the place was rockin’ (Cliff always has a nice playlist). One of the customers bought a round of drinks and even included me. He requested a song I hadn’t heard for a long time, Que Sera Sera, and everyone at the backslappers’ table joined him in singing along. Hey, good times!

I was feeling a tad hungry (having skipped lunch), so I paid my tab and headed down the highway.

Those birria tacos are small, just two or three bites each, and I brought one of them home with me. I still had room for more beer, so I made Alaska Club my next stop. Owner Jerry was out of town, but his crew had things under control during my visit.

I went to Nipsey’s for my nightcap, and two beers later, I was on my way home to an empty house. Swan had left early in the morning for a trip to Manila to visit some friends.

Anyway, I was long asleep when Swan arrived back home around midnight. And that was how my fitless Friday came to an end.

From the November 2018 LTG archives, my last visit home is nearing an end, and I was once again reflecting on all that I had had and lost in a post aptly titled, “A broken man laments.” On a more positive note, here is a post full of pictures from that amazing stay in the mountains of North Carolina. But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s check in with the Filipina Pea as she interviews other Filipinas about what they are hoping to find in a foreigner relationship. Good luck, ladies. I’m already taken.

Let’s take another shot at some humor:

I hope you are not fit to be tied at this point, so let me stop now. I’ll try again tomorrow.

That wheel in the sky keeps on turning, and I’m still here to write about it. I’ll call that a win.

For the Thursday morning walk, Swan and I decided to change things up and pay a visit to the bayside village of Bantay Bayan. The Jeepneys were all packed, so we grabbed a trike. When we arrived at our destination, I gave the driver 120 pesos. I tend to overpay, so I thought he’d be grateful (Swan told me 100 was plenty). He wasn’t. Swan and the trike driver chatted, and I gave another 20 pesos, shrugged, and walked away. It was only about 3 kilometers, so technically, 60 pesos was enough. Weird.

Then we walked the highway back to Barretto.

I don’t like walking on those narrow highway shoulders. People drive like assholes here and invade that tiny space as they round the corners.

We finished our trek at Sit-n-Bull where I got a roast beef dip sandwich for takeout. It was good, but I didn’t finish it. Swan enjoyed my leftover portion.

In the afternoon, Swan went to visit some friends whilst I went to visit Cheap Charlies. She met me there later.

One of the things I like about Cheap Charlies is the availability of good food from the eatery downstairs. Except for the first time that I can remember, when the dinner hour arrived, I didn’t feel hungry, so I skipped eating. I guess that higher dose of Ozempic is kicking in.

And then we enjoyed the sun’s goodnight show:

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. During our visit a large group of young ladies came waltzing through the door. I asked our waitress what’s up with that, and she said they are new dancers hired from the province of Mindinao. Wow, the stage was packed for the first time in a long time. Not that I give a shit about that, but the new owner is putting forth some effort to make Wet Spot stand out amongst the bars of Barretto. Good luck with that!

Back to the November 2018 LTG archives. I rented a “cabin” in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and shared some great times with my family. I’m happy for the memories of the way things were.

Today’s YouTube video was a bit of a surprise. It’s from Reekay, one of my favorite vloggers who has been at it for thirteen years. His content is always straightforward and offers good perspectives on the expat life in the Philippines. And despite is non-controversial popularity, YouTube has decided to demonetize his platform. Why? Nobody seems to know. Anyway, Reekay isn’t going down without a fight.

And now it is that time again:

And there you have it. Thanks for dropping by.

As I was thinking about a title for today’s post, a thought occurred to me. If you married someone named Nes, would your anniversary be Wed Nes Day? Yeah, that’s how my mind works these days. But, at least it is still working, such as it is.

I always appreciate comments here; your feedback means a lot to me. I was gratified to learn that Terry stops by LTG every morning and enjoys the photos I post. After nearly eight years, there’s not much new for me to see around here, but knowing my reader(s) like to partake in the views provides ample motivation to look for things that might be of interest. And here’s a shitload of stuff from yesterday I found worthy of a picture:

(I lifted some photos from the hike from Scott’s FB page. Credit where it is due, his are marked with an (SP) in the caption.)

So, that was the morning portion of the day. At beer o’clock, I headed back out. Wednesday is the Baloy Beach routine. Swan had an errand to attend to, so she joined me a bit later on the floating bar.

The music was crap when I arrived, but I held my tongue because the other passengers outnumbered me and didn’t seem bothered. When they left, I politely asked the cashier if I could hear something I liked, and she immediately switched the playlist to classic rock. Thanks for that!

Back ashore, we popped into Treasure Island. Neither of us was hungry (I can thank Ozempic for that, not sure what Swan’s excuse might be). We did share a chicken quesadilla, but had two slices leftover that we gave to the bartender. I may not be eating healthy, but I’m eating less!

When we were ready to head home, we couldn’t find a trike, so we walked most of the way back to the highway before catching a ride. Hey, extra steps never hurt anybody, right?

From Facebook memories:

I’ll be going to Cheap Charlies this evening for old times’ sake.

And now it is November 2018 in the LTG archives. I’m still enjoying family time back home in Columbia, South Carolina, like this Halloween celebration. Those days are gone, but not forgotten, even if I have been.

Today’s YouTube video turned out to be surprisingly interesting to me. What was driving like in the USA back in the 1930s? Well, thanks to some old photographs and AI enhancements, we can now see for ourselves.

My humor never gets old, right? Right?

And that’s all for this time. Thanks for reading! Y’all are my last connection to the outside world.

I know I’ve posted this song before, and I just came across it again in the archives. It’s even older than me, but it tickles my fancy anyway.

There’s never much of interest to write about in my routine life, but Tuesdays are the emptiest day of my week. I mean, where’s the excitement in grocery shopping, right? On a positive note, at least this post will be a short one. Promise!

So, the aforementioned shopping at the YBC and Royal supermarkets went without incident. But I was in for a big surprise when I got back home. Before heading out at beer o’clock, I prepare my bedtime snack so I don’t have to mess with doing so under the influence of alcohol. And my preferred dessert to overcome my ice cream addiction is a nice bowl of sugar-free pudding. Like most imported foods these days, it ain’t cheap — $2.20 per box at Royal. Yesterday, I purchased four. So, I reached into the cabinet and grabbed a box. Opened the box, only to discover the brown paper bag inside was unopened, but empty. I have no idea how that could happen, but I assume there was a fuck-up in the manufacturing process. So, I reached back into the cabinet for another box, and WTF, it was empty too.

At least the other two boxes had their content, so I got my pudding fix. I’ll take the empties back to Royal next week and see if they want to make things right.

I also paid a visit to Dr. Jo’s office for my weekly Ozempic injection. I’ve now begun my second month, and so the dosage has gone from low to moderate. The cost has gone up as well — 6,800 pesos for the next four injections. It will be interesting to see what side effects I may experience with the higher dose and whether my weight loss accelerates. I only dropped 1.1 pounds last week, but I guess that’s progress. After one month on Ozempic, my total loss was 7.3 pounds. The biggest difference I’ve noticed (besides going without ice cream and candy) is not craving between-meal snacks, and I’m frequently leaving leftovers on my dinner plate. We’ll see what happens this month with twice the amount of the drug in my system.

My other Tuesday routine is playing in the Alley Hideout dart tournament. Since I can’t be fucked with practicing during the week, my performance is not getting any better. Last night, my partner shot every bit as badly as I did, and we were two games and out without winning a single leg.

Still, being in the dart bar once a week is something different, so unless I get tired of being ashamed of myself, I’ll show up and let the arrows fly. Such as they are.

We did a brief nightcap at Gold Bar after darts, then called it a night. I had a bowl of sugar-free pudding waiting for me in the fridge.

Via Facebook memories, an interesting coincidence from four years ago:

Wrapping up October 2018 in the LTG archives. I’m back in the USA after a 30-hour trip. At least I flew business class. Being back “home” was like traveling back in time. But some of the memories from the most recent iteration of my life in South Carolina were overwhelming. I’m not saying that life in the USA is bad, but I came to realize it was not the life for me, despite all the fun I had with my kids and grandkids. I haven’t been back since that trip.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s take a pictorial journey back to the glory days of the 1970s. What a life we lived!

Humor time:

Yeah, I’d better give it a rest. Time to get on with living my day so I can write about tomorrow!

Things have taken a turn for the better, so there’s that. And really, I’ve gained some insights that will provide comfort going forward. Promises are made to be broken, and words don’t always mean what they say. But I don’t want someone with me because of a promise. True love sometimes requires sacrifice, and if someone is not happy with me, I’d let them go, no matter the pain it brings. As I contemplated a life without her, I knew I’d be okay as long as she was happy. And after our talk this morning, she assures me that she will be happy staying by my side. So, onward we go to the next hurdle.

As for yesterday, there was the Sunday Sweets Stroll.

My Sunday evening plans were unsettled, but I decided to kick things off at Harley’s on Baloy.

It was time to move on, so I made SnackBar my next stop.

I was thinking I’d make Queen Victoria my next stop, but it was only after I’d crossed the highway that I remembered Queen Vic is closed on Sunday. Oh well, I dodged traffic again and paid a rare visit to the Outback Billabong Bar.

I figured as long as I was on a roll with seldom-visited bars, I might as well see what was going on at Lux.

I still had thirty minutes to kill before it was time to head home, so I crossed the highway once more and popped into Gold Bar for the final beer.

Having drunk my fill, I grabbed a trike and headed home. Those smoothies weren’t going to make themselves. And so ended another day in paradise.

Continuing with the October 2018 LTG archives, I reflect on the routines I’d established after being retired in the Philippines for five months. I called the post “Comfortably Numb,” and by golly, I’m still following the same regimen: walkaholic by day, alcoholic at night.

Today’s YouTube video discusses some of the realities of retired life in the PI. I spend a lot more than the average bear, I guess, but I like livin’ large.

Humor me:

And now it’s time to get ready for another Hash Monday. Yes, us cripples have already identified our shortcut trail. That’s just the way we roll.

And here I am, still trying to figure out what happens next and where I go from there. I guess time is on my side, so for now, I’m sticking with Option #1: riding it out. Things may not be ideal at the moment, but given my history, there’s no need to rush and make things worse. I have begun considering other options if circumstances warrant. I’m sorry, but I’m not able to be more specific than that for the time being.

My melancholy day included a Decay Dance.

A solo Saturday evening in Barretto.

And then I grabbed a trike and took my sorry ass home. I’m pathetic, I know. Hey, it’s who I am, you’d think I’d be used to it by now.

On to the October 2018 LTG archives. I was spending a lot of time at Treasure Island back in my early days in the Philippines. I’d become quite friendly with the staff, and when Jessa turned 30, I took them all out for a movie and birthday dinner. And yes, I got my chance with Jessa about a year later, but of course, I fucked it up. Jessa and I are still friends on Facebook, and she seems to be doing well, having found a new love and life in Subic. Kat found work on a cruise ship, met an Aussie bloke, got married, and now lives in the land down under. RuRu is an OFW working in Qatar.

Today’s YouTube video resonates. Most expats didn’t run away; they chased a dream. Of course, some dreams don’t come true, but at least we tried and made the best of it. My favorite quote from a John Greenleaf Whittier poem sums it up: “God pity us both, and pity us all, who vainly the dreams of youth recall. For of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: it might have been.” Damn, how did I remember that line?

Time out for humor:

And life goes on. I’m going to make the best of it.

On and on it goes. We’ll see what happens when I get there, wherever that may be. In the meantime, you gotta fill them hours. This is how my Friday went down:

We climbed up to the ridge that runs through Barretto. It starts with some steps, and as I neared the top of the first section, I got attacked by a dog in a way I never saw coming. The dog was at the top, and I was maybe five steps below him when he leaped out and hit me square in the chest. He bounced off and then continued down to the street. No bites, thankfully. It’s also good that I maintained my balance; had I fallen backward, I would have been in a world of hurt.

I started my three-hour beer drinking window at It Doesn’t Matter. The place is nothing like it used to be when Cliff and Ashley were in charge. I know there were some customers inside for the pool tournament, but I was alone in the outdoor section.

It was a rather disappointing vibe, but I sipped down three beers between 4:30 and 6 pm, then headed over to Sloppy Joe’s. Sloppy’s was busy, but I got my street-view, countertop seat, settled in, and ordered a pulled pork sandwich for dinner. I mostly just ate the meat.

I did my nightcap at Wet Spot, and it was hoppin’ too. Of course, I took care of my regulars with lady drinks, whilst dispersing cookies and lollipops to the rest of the crew. It was the first time all evening that I had someone to talk to. And then my time allotment for drinking expired, so I paid my tab and headed home.

Was it all as depressing as it sounds? Yeah, maybe.

On to October 2018 in the LTG archives. In this post, I talk about my life after four months in the Philippines. The purpose of my diving into the archives is to identify posts that might be included when I write The Story of My Life. Who knows, maybe someone will be interested.

As much as I bitch and moan, I recognize that I’m living a blessed life. In today’s YouTube video, The Filipina Pea shares the story of what life is like for one poverty-stricken father.

Smile while you can:

Sorry for the lack of excitement around here. Then again, it is best to avoid the painful kind.

Today’s post title is the answer to the question: What do you say when you ain’t got nothin’ to say? I’ll keep it as painless as possible. Anyway, I’m still not sure what the fuck is going on with my life, but I’m preparing for any contingency. Sorry to keep y’all in suspense, but I need more time to figure this out.

In the meantime, there’s yesterday to tell you about, such as it was.

And that’s the only photo I took during my 6K Naugsol loop hike. I guess I just wasn’t in the mood.

I was on my own in town yesterday, and started things off at the familiar Cheap Charlies. I took my usual seat facing the highway, and lo and behold, Hot Zone owner Jay came outdoors with his pet.

So, I ordered a snack for myself and some food for the girls from Foodies downstairs. Maintained my one-beer-per-30-minute pace and chilled. After seeing Jay and his snake, I realized it had been a year or more since my last visit to Hot Zone. One of the reasons for my absence is the relatively late opening of 7 pm. Nothing was stopping me last night, though. Since I still had fifteen minutes before Hot Zone opened, I went to the bar next door, Bob’s, for a beer.

Yikes! The doorgirl recognized me from when she worked at Blue Butterfly and invited me inside. I was the only customer in a relatively small bar. There were four unattractive gals on stage and a drunk or crazy waitress who accosted me as soon as I sat down. That ain’t my style, and I felt very uncomfortable in her grabby presence. I downed my beer and got the hell out of there in record time.

Hot Zone was quiet with only one other customer when I arrived. But oh, what a difference you see in a well-run bar. The dancers were all in uniform, slender and attractive. The waitstaff was numerous and attentive, but didn’t hover around your table like hungry mosquitoes. The mamasan I remembered from previous visits was still there, and she came to my table for a nice chat. I was dismayed to learn that Hot Zone no longer offers single-lady drinks; you have to buy a bottled drink for 300 pesos. Sorry, I have my limits (200 pesos). I did share some cookies and lollipops with the staff, which seemed to be appreciated. Owner Jay, the former Grandmaster of the Subic Hash, came out to greet me and bought me a beer. It was nice catching up with him again. Girly bars are really not my thing, but I can attest that Hot Zone is by far the best I’ve seen in Barretto.

And then my time was up, so I grabbed a trike for home.

From the September 2018 LTG archives, I entertain my first visitor since the move to the PI, my nephew Justin. In this post, I share the experience of his first night on the town in Barretto.

Checking in with Reekay for today’s YouTube video. He discusses the pros and cons of relationships post-retirement. As usual, he makes some valid points. To my thinking, it all comes down to the individual and his tolerance for drama. I’m not sure there is any such thing as a peaceful relationship, but then, what do I know? I’m the stereotypical bad example.

My humor is a little off as well.

And that’s all I’ve got for today.