With apologies to Mr. Lothbrok, before we close the book on 2018 I thought I’d take a few minutes to reflect on what this year meant to me.

It turned out to be a loveless year, which is somewhat of a surprise I suppose. Of course, I spent a goodly portion of the last twelve months getting over past loves. So to that extent I’ll chalk this one up in the “success” column. And actually I did find someone who loves me:

I did start this year with high hopes that I might find “the one”, but instead only found disappointment.

Sadly, Gem was not the only “friend” who let me down this year. It seems I am either heavily indebted to bad Karma or I am an extremely poor judge of character. Or both. Anyway, if that is the worst I can say about 2018 I did alright I reckon.

On the plus side of the scale, I successfully made the move here and I think I’ve done a reasonably good job at settling in and acclimating myself to my new life amongst the Filipino people. I may run in a small circle but I do feel like I’m now part of a community and I can say it feels more and more like home all the time. I think I’m going to make it here!

There’s still much to be done of course. One of my goals in living here was to find ways to make a difference. To some extent I’ve achieved that, at least for a few people. I mean, I have provided a good job for my domestic helper (and her friend I suppose). My driver gets work he wouldn’t otherwise have, and the caretaker downstairs has a roof over his head and a small weekly allowance. I’ve helped a few other folks out when the need arose (and perhaps when it didn’t, I know I’ve been scammed at least once). There’s still more to be done and I hope to get started doing some regular charity work in the coming year.

This is also the first anniversary of my joining the Hash. That’s one of the healthier aspects of my life here, except when it has me in stitches. Here’s to hoping for another year with no broken bones at least!

So in summation, my life is better than it was and not as good as it is going to be. Bring it on 2019!

The nephew wanted to get out of town and see something new. I had considered taking him to a neighboring island (Bohol) but given the holidays and all just couldn’t fit it in. Instead we took a day trip to nearby Pundaquit (Poon-Dock-It). I had been there once before for a Hash event, but that time we did the mountain trail, not the beach.

Anyway, it was a nice change of pace I reckon.

And that’s how my night went.

“You take a risk giving your heart to anybody. But every time your heart gets stomped on, you pick it up, brush it off, and start looking for somebody else to give it to. You know the risk and you accept it, gladly, because the payoff is worth it. And any love that qualifies itself, any ‘I love her but I don’t trust her’ love, isn’t really love. If you’re not risking everything you have, it’s not love. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances.”
–Steve Rosse

No real significance to that, other than I like it. It’s from a writer I met online and I rather fancy his work. I had posted that quote on FB two years ago and it popped up in the “memories” feature this morning. To be clear, no I have not fallen in love, by Mr. Rosse’s definition or any other for that matter.

Speaking of Facebook, my nephew posted this about our adventure yesterday:

Note to self: When Uncle John asks if you want to go on a walk, what he really means is a three hour, ten mile hike up and down a mountain in 90 degree weather. Exhausted but enjoyed some great views of the city.

Here’s some pics:

One of the guys on the hike was an Englishman. I swear to God I can hardly understand a word he says. So this made me laugh when I saw it this morning:

And that’s about it from here.

My first Christmas in the Philippines has been a quiet one. So far at least.

Lazed around the rest of the morning, then headed out to Mango’s for my the Christmas dinner buffet. I reserved for six, but didn’t have that many unoccupied friends.

As per usual, Mango’s did an excellent job on the meal. I thought the shrimp appetizer was a nice touch.

Came home and had a nice nap. Now I guess there’s nothing left to be done but venture out and see what’s happening in the Barrio on Christmas night.

Merry Christmas to you all!

A pretty exciting day with the Hash. As I mentioned yesterday, this run was all about the children. We walked the streets passing out Christmas joy in the form of candy. The kids seemed to enjoy it!

It was a short trail (4 kms) all on pavement so I was able to convince Marissa to join in on the fun. She’ll tag along when I walk Buddy and sometimes will consent to walking back to her place (both take about 30 minutes) but otherwise she’s not much into hiking. Says the sun turns her brown. We actually had overcast skies yesterday and some drizzle so that wasn’t an issue. Justin also joined in, although he was technically not a virgin because he did the initiation ritual when he was here in September.

I spent a lot of time on the ice, one of the perils of bringing newbies into the circle. I got punished for their rookie mistakes. A made a couple of my own as well. I also got the Hashit (more on that later). Anyway, it’s all in good fun. I’ve got the photos to prove it!

With the candy all gone, we headed “on-home” to Midnight Rambler for the after Hash activities. We dined on curry chicken and rice…

After our meal, it was time to convene the Hash circle. I was looking forward to seeing Marissa’s initiation and her reaction to some of the bawdy songs and shit talk that makes the Hash the Hash.

The first order of business is to go around the circle and have everyone introduce themselves. When it got to Justin, who does not have a Hash name yet, the Grand Master (HIV) asked Justin who brought him and he responded “John”.

And then it came time for Marissa’s initiation, along with two other females. When HIV was interviewing her, he asked her who her sponsor was…

Anyway, part of the initiation is you have to guzzle a full bottle of beer without the bottle ever leaving your lips. As we say at the Hash, “it’s like a blowjob…what doesn’t go in you goes on you!” Marissa managed about half a bottle so I got to pour the remainder over her head. She was a good sport about it though.

Now for whatever reason HIV really took a liking to Marissa. He made several comments about her shirt emblazoned with the word “salty” on the front. And then is a rather unprecedented move, he decided to name her then and there (you normally have to complete five Hashes prior to being named.

But the fun wasn’t over yet. HIV had been awarded the “Hashit” last week, so this week he got to choose who would receive the Hashit “honor”. And he chose me. I’m not exactly sure why, if he said I don’t remember. Probably a culmination of all the stupid stuff I had done that night.

Anyway, it was quite a night!

I finally made it out to the third of three floating bars here in my quaint little village of Barretto; the Kokomo’s floater. Smallest but in some ways better than the ones at Arizona and Blue Rock. For one thing, zero drink pressure (although the girls are as thirsty as ever, they do wait to be asked!). I think the smaller size creates a more friendly vibe as well.

My only real complaint I guess was the comfort room situation. One toilet for everyone on board and no pooping allowed. Well, I don’t care about pooping in a public toilet anyway, but sometimes the wait time for peeing was extraordinarily long. I almost peed my pants once while I was waiting. And of course the culprit was one of the waitresses whom I suspect was busy with something other than urination. Oh well, I survived.

For the second time of the day I was recognized by a bargirl which is always a little disconcerting. The massage girl on the floater asked me if I remembered her, I shrugged and shook my head. She said she used to give me a back rub at Rum Jungle. Oh ok. Nice to see you again. Earlier during the day while walking with Justin an hour from the house and in an unfamiliar and somewhat dicey looking area, I observed a cute young gal with a sweet ass. As I was admiring her beauty, she turned around and gave me a smile. I of course smiled back. Then she said “hello, John”. I was gobsmacked because I had no idea who she was or how she knew my name. So I just said “um…” and stood there looking confused. She said “I work at Cheap Charlies”. Ah okay. Well, I know I’ve never bought her a drink (I have a set of regulars for that). I’m definitely going to look for her next time I’m there though. Wish I had had the good sense to ask her name. Oh well, I’ll find her. And I know where she lives. Damn, wouldn’t this make a great love story?

Later today will be the “candy run” Hash. We will walk the streets of Baretto and hand out candy to the street urchins sweet children we encounter. Justin and Marissa will be making their virgin appearance with the Hash. That should be fun, especially witnessing their initiation ritual during the after-Hash circle.

I’m in the process of baking a carrot cake today for the holiday. Christmas dinner tomorrow will be at Mango’s.

Best wishes to you all for a special holiday season and a very merry Christmas!

The holiday season is in full swing here. It’s hard to not get infected with some of that “spirit”, not that that makes any difference I suppose. I just continue to do my thing and try not to look back. Except when I come here to update my faithful readers. So here you go:

I returned to the bar on Thursday night and as I mentioned in an earlier post Marissa was otherwise occupied doing her drinking with customers gig. Well, my raffle prize was described as “groceries” which I certainly don’t need. So I gave them to Ester, a bargirl with kids at home who I know struggles to make ends meet. She was of course overjoyed. And I then left the bar without saying anything to Marissa who was still busy with her customer.

I didn’t hear from Marissa the next morning as usual, so that afternoon I sent her a “what’s up?” message. What was up was that she was very angry which came as a total surprise to me. It seems I had “insulted” her by giving my raffle prize to Ester instead of her. I asked how does my gifting my gift away insult you? It seems that the other girls, including Ester, were laughing at Marissa because her “boyfriend” had given the gift to someone other than her. I know that makes no sense at all, but I wasn’t there so I can’t say what really happened. What I couldn’t understand was why it was my fault that Marissa felt insulted by her co-workers. Marissa acknowledged that Ester could use the groceries more than her and she didn’t have a problem with my giving them away, but she was angry at having been insulted. I reiterated that it was not my intent for her to feel insulted to no avail. I just cannot fathom the Filipina logic of holding me responsible for the actions of her co-workers.

Anyway, we had plans to go to the SOB dance contest at Alaska Club with Justin and Cherry. I asked if she still wanted to attend and she replied that her and Cherry would meet us there. It was a little strained at first, but we both decided to just chill and enjoy the show.

At the conclusion of the SOB we moved over to Lollipop bar for the “Aftermath” party. More beers were drunk and then Marissa got pissy again and I’d had enough. I lit into her and we took it outside where I screamed some more. Poor Cherry was trying to act as intermediary to little effect. Marissa and I both eventually calmed down and she finally accepted that I was not the one who insulted her, although my well-intentioned actions were inadvertently the cause of her being insulted. We all then moved into the Man Cave bar for more beers.

Anyway, as an epilogue to the gift drama I did send Ester a message telling her how upset Marissa was. She was aghast and told me she would return the gift. I told her no, it was hers to keep and no one had a problem with that. It was mocking Marissa about it that had caused the issue. She vehemently denied having insulted or mocked Marissa. Again, I was not there so I can’t say. It did seem out of character though because Ester is always very sweet. So I guess that subsequently her and Marissa chatted and worked things out. Everything seemed back to normal in Alley Cats bar last night at least.

So, about last night–it was the Alley Cats Christmas party/dart tournament.

Played like shit in the tourney and my partner played worse, so we didn’t make it to the money round. Ah well, there was plenty of cold beer to occupy my time with.

When the tourney was completed, there was a gift exchange. I was pretty impressed by how generous the bar was with the staff. Marissa got 500 pesos even as a part time employee.

I also enjoyed playing Santa Claus.

It was a good night and a good time. And lest you think that all I do is drink copious amounts of beer…

It is starting to feel like I am finally home.

Justin and I gave the Blue Rock floating bar a go yesterday afternoon. It’s anchored off Baloy Beach and is similar to the Arizona floater but without all the bargirl drink pressure. I like that!

There’s one more floating bar yet to visit, Kokomo’s, also on Baloy Beach. Maybe tomorrow.

After the floating bar, Justin went off to play Trivia at Alley Cats bar and I headed over to Cheap Charlies for some brews. A nice gal named Andi kept me company. First time we’ve chatted but my regular gal Maya did not appear to be working. Andi was a fine substitute. 34 years old and three kids, the youngest being only 1. Deal breaker for me.

Honestly speaking, being a bargirl is a deal breaker for me. I’m not talking about the prostitutes, Cheap Charlies like Alley Cats does not feature “take out”. The girls work for drinks only. But when I dropped into Alley Cats after trivia I sort of had my eyes opened to the fact that I don’t want a girlfriend who makes a living being friendly to random guys. Yeah, I know that’s hypocritical because I too partake in companionship for the price of a drink. But it just feels different somehow to observe it.

Last night I popped into Alley Cats to finish my night. I brought along some take out food for the girls. Marissa was with a customer when I arrived so I sat as far away as possible and tried to ignore her. When her customer left, she came over to join me and partake in the food. And then another customer came in and she was up and gone. I paid my tab and left.

Okay, I have professed here that Marissa is just a friend. So why would that bother me? I know it is her job, but somehow it just made me feel like I’m worth less than the price of a drink to her. A good reminder of why I shouldn’t allow myself to get emotionally involved with a drink whore.

Anyway, I’m not going to let it get me down. It’s the fucking holiday season after all. Yesterday I got videoed into the Christmas luncheon gathering of my former team.

I walk my Buddy every morning and for some reason I decided to take a picture of all the street signs in my neighborhood. I don’t know why, but I think that most of them being named after American national parks is kind of interesting. Anyway, here they are:

Now, wasn’t that fun?

And the sign says, “Long-haired freaky people need not apply.”
So I tucked all my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why.
He said “You look like a fine, upstanding young man – I think you’ll do.”
So I took off my hat and said, “Imagine that! Huh… me, working for you!” Woah-oh-oh.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere there’s signs.
Blocking out the scenery. Breaking my mind.
Do this! Don’t do that! Can’t you read the signs?

And the sign says, “Anybody caught trespassing will be shot on sight”
So I jumped on fence and I yelled at the house,
“Hey! What gives you the right… To put up a fence to keep me out,
“Or to keep Mother Nature in?
“If God was here, He’d tell it to your face. ‘Man, you’re some kind of sinner.'”

Signs, Signs, Everywhere there’s signs.
Blocking out the scenery. Breaking my mind.
Do this! Don’t do that! Can’t you read the signs?

“Oh, say now mister, can’t you read?
“You got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat.
“You can’t even watch, no, you can’t eat. You ain’t supposed to be here!”
And the sign says, “You gotta have a membership card to get inside.” Hooh!

And the sign says “Everybody’s welcome to come in and kneel down and pray.”
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all,
I didn’t have a penny to pay.
So I got me a pen and paper and I made up my own little sign.
I said, “Thank you Lord for thinking about me. I’m alive and doing fine.”

Not that having nothing to say ever stopped me from not saying it.

A pleasant hike with the Wednesday Walkers yesterday. Until I walked smack dab into a low hanging roof eave. Saw stars but no serious damage other than a bruise on my forehead.

As seems to be a regular occurrence on these walks, there were the usual hiccups along the trail. Yesterday after getting about 3/4 of the way up the mountain we lost the trail. Repeated efforts to find our way to the top, including blazing our own trail, resulted in dead ends or terrain too steep to climb. So backtracking and going in circles were the order of the day. It gets a little frustrating, but that I guess is just part of the Wednesday adventure.

In other news, I continue to instruct Justin in the ways of life here.

He seems to be a quick learner!

I actually really enjoyed yesterday’s trail.  About the right length for this time of year (gets dark early).  I’d say 3/4 of the hike was through neighborhoods and the rest through scenic countryside.  Two hills but no mountains.  And a banka boat ride across the river at the end.  As I told the Hare at the Hash circle, it was the perfect trail for old men.

As per usual, let’s let the pictures do the talking:

After the Hash, went to Angeles to pick up my nephew Justin from the airport.  The trip went without incident which is always a good thing.  Justin will be here for two weeks so I’ll enjoy showing him around some.

Stay tuned!

…or chicken fried?  Either way, it was damn good.

Anyway, I neglected to include yesterday’s breakfast in my “24 hours” post.  It’s rare to even see this offered on a menu, at least in my experience.  And damn, look at the size of those portions.  As good as it was I could barely eat half of it.

People rag on the food in the Philippines, especially in comparison to what’s available in Thailand.  Well, that may be true for local dishes but I’m having no problem getting my belly full on Western comfort foods that I enjoy.

Speaking of which, I finally got back under 200 pounds.  Those ten pounds I gained during my visit in the USA took more than a month to shed.  I’m still not as disciplined diet-wise as I ought to be, but I do monitor my weight/blood pressure/resting heart rate everyday.  I want to stay healthy so I can continue to live large (without getting large).

Life’s good.

…since my last post.  Here’s what went down:

I continued my efforts to channel Magellan, exploring new and better paths for my daily walking excursions.

Then in the afternoon it was off to play in the dart tourney.  What made that interesting was that I drew Alan as my partner.  Alan doesn’t like vaping and I don’t like him.  I wrote about our falling out here.  Since that day back in October we haven’t spoken.  When we learned we were going to be dart partners he muttered “well, that’s awkward.”  I told him no big deal, let’s just play and have fun.  And that’s what we did, finishing in second place.  I did try to be polite and not vape around him while we played.

After darts I suggested to Cherry and Marissa that we go out to Arizona for dinner.  They were down with that, and when we arrived I asked the waitress if our food could be delivered to the floating bar.  And it was.

Now, I’m not on the floating bar all that much, but it was pretty strange last night.  On the other side of the bar a group of young men were in celebration mode, and one of the “waitresses” was helping them celebrate with some sexy dance moves.  I recognized the waitress as the wife of one of the Hashers.  And then the lights went out and the sexy dancing turned to, well, it appeared to be some form of sex.  The oral variety anyway.  It was dark and I didn’t have a clear view, but I did see panties coming down.

Of course I’m at a table with five other ladies and I didn’t really appreciate being forced to sit in the dark.  My complaints were ignored though.  Those guys were spending big money on drinks.  We left shortly thereafter and in the lobby of the Arizona was the Hash guy.  I greeted him and he told me he was waiting for his wife to finish work so they could head out to Angeles City.  Good luck with that I thought to myself.

So, I brought Marissa home with me and Tere (my helper) did her rude disappearing act.  Well, I was drunk and I’d had enough of that behavior.  So I gave her a demonstration of my big voice.  She hollered back about her “phobia” (which only seems to apply to women I bring home).  Anyway, it was pretty ugly.  I went to bed thinking I was going to have to fire Tere.

This morning we had a long talk though and she seemed sincere that she is trying to do better and wants to overcome her “phobia”.  I told her I don’t care if you don’t want to hang out when I have company, but I do expect you to be polite to my guests.  Otherwise Tere does a good job and I’d prefer to keep her.  We’ll see.

18,000 steps so far today and I still have the Hash to do.  Tonight I’ll be heading to Clark Airport in Angeles City to pick up my nephew Justin who’s visiting for the holidays.

And that brings y’all up to date on my so-called life.

Just another Saturday night in the Barrio.  It did start out with an amusing twist though.

Cheap Charlies is a bar I frequent on a semi-regular basis, as much because it opens earlier than most places as anything else.  I arrived a bit after 5:00 and found me a seat overlooking the highway.  I was immediately besieged by three thirsty bargirls.  Now my regular drinking companion (Maya) either wasn’t there or was otherwise occupied.  And I very rarely will purchase a lady drink for more than one girl at a time.  But before I could dismiss these vultures soiled doves GROs (guest relations officers) something unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced in a bar occurred.  The gal on my left touched my cheek, said “oh, it’s a blackhead” and asked if she could “get it out for me”.  I shrugged and said sure and she squeezed out a big one.  Then the girl on my right started exploring my face until she found a blackhead of her own to pop.  And the third girl started giving me a back rub.

They all continued on until my face was blackhead free and I was sufficiently relaxed that my resistance to purchasing multiple lady drinks was overcome.  Hey, they had earned a reward, right?  Actually, I rather enjoy having pimples popped and that hasn’t happened since my last wife dumped me.  A little strange to have such an intimate act performed in the bar, but what the hell, it was still pleasant.  Since these girls were all new (to me) my repertoire of jokes were all new as well so I shared them to polite laughter.  And that earned them a second round of drinks.  Yeah, maybe I got played like a newbie but my 1000 peso (about $20) tab seemed like a good deal to me anyway.  The girls were certainly pleased.

Now, I do try to be generous with the people I encounter.  After I left Cheap Charlies I moved over to my regular hangout, Alley Cats.  I ordered some take out food for delivery so the bargirls there could snack on chicken wings and fish and chips.  That set me back 1400 pesos and my bar tab, including several lady drinks, was another 900.  So my Saturday night cost me a total of $65 or so, a little more than normal, but not exactly a budget buster either.  

There is however a fine line between generosity and being played for a fool.  I’m sure I’ve crossed that line on more than one occasion.  But you live and learn.  Hopefully.  Still, when you tend to be a free spender (or at least viewed as one) you create the perception that you are “rich”.  As such you become something of a target whenever someone has a problem.

 I do maintain a budget for charity and I will help out someone in need on occasion.  The sick kid who requires medicine, the electric bill that must be paid before service is cut, overdue taxes, etc.  The tales of woe abound and obviously you can’t help everyone. I’m still trying to figure out when and where to draw the line.

Just this week I’ve had two requests for “loans”.  Now, make no mistake, a loan here means gift.  I “lent” a substantial amount of money to a “friend” in Manila, and despite repeated promises I have not had one penny of that repaid.  She’s still telling me “next week” so maybe one of these days I’ll be pleasantly surprised.  Anyway, it’s Christmas time right now which makes saying “no” to people I’m at least acquainted with all the more difficult.  And really the amounts being requested ($80. and $200.), while not exactly chump change, is not going to break the bank either.  That’s the challenge I guess.  Money I’ll blow on beer and lady drinks without a thought or care could potentially solve a worrisome problem for the women requesting these “loans”.

I don’t want to be a Scrooge nor do I want to be viewed as sucker.  I haven’t as yet decided how I’ll deal with these latest requests, but I’m leaning towards “sorry, but no”.  Or I could go totally evil and ask the hottie who needs $200 to “earn it” (you know, by working under me).  Ah, but that’s not who I am either.

Stay tuned!

*Yep, turns out I used the “Show me the money” title four years ago.  

Things rarely go as planned I suppose.  I certainly envisioned a life different than than the one I’m living.  But there’s nothing wrong with this one either.  It is what it is.  

Got up and went through my morning routines and rituals, including a two hour walk.

Got home, showered up, then had my driver Donny carry me out to Harbor Point mall on the old Navy base to do some shopping.  But the first order of business upon arrival was getting some lunch on.

Then it was time to hit the bricks, well tiles as it were, and get some things done.  That’s not always an easy trick here in the Philippines.

First up was the drug store for a refill of my Albuterol inhaler.  Started at one of the big chains, Watson’s.  No dice, they suggested I try Mercury Drugs at the other end of the mall.  They also didn’t carry it and the pharmacist suggested I consult a doctor for alternatives available in the PI.  And so I will.  Not critically short yet, but I’ve been experiencing more frequent coughing spells lately and I don’t want to find myself out in the wilds unable to breathe someday.

I also need a replacement for my watch band.  None were for sale in Harbor Point (they do come included with a new watch, which of course I don’t need).  Oh well.

Then I went looking for a new screen protector for my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phone.  “Sorry sir, none available for that model”.  Well, it just so happens that I have one with me, can you install it for me?  “Sorry sir, not allowed.”  Okay then.

I next went off to find a new printer/scanner as the one I brought with me has ceased to function properly.  And miracle of miracles I found a store that sells them and also had one I liked it stock!  So I made the purchase and felt that at least my journey was not a complete bust.

I had brought Marissa along with me and she astutely noted that Harbor Point mall sucks.  She said we should have gone to SM Olongapo mall instead.  Well yeah, and it is practically next door.  Texted my driver and we were off to SM.

First stop was a phone accessory shop but after a frantic search they also could not find an S7 Edge screen saver in stock.  I pulled mine out and asked if they’d install that for me.  “Sure, no problem sir.”  150 pesos later I was a happy camper with a phone that looks brand new.  Woot!

Then we found a shop that sold watch bands.  But only leather ones.  Which the gal said she could “cut” to fit my my watch.

And finally I insisted on buying Marissa a Christmas present.  She was shy about accepting but I know she needs a new television.  So I found a nice little smart TV that will be a good fit for her crappy apartment.  Marissa thought $250 was too much but it seemed like a good deal to me so I made the purchase.  It even came with a free digital antenna, whatever that is.

And then it was back to Barretto.  I reckon I will finish the day with some darts and beers.   Who says there’s no excitement in my life?

Had a good time exploring some new terrain yesterday.   12 kilometers and 3.5 hours with the “Walkers” will do that I suppose.  Mostly flat lands but we made up for it with distance.  

I went back out to the same area this morning for some more exploration.  I won’t usually do that on my own, but at some point you just have to go for it.  Still, walking through some of the poverty-stricken shanty towns made me feel a little nervous.  I removed my debit card from the wallet and stashed it away in a different pocket just in case.  I’d be screwed without that as it is my primary source of cash here these days.  Anyway, it all went fine and I’m sure my paranoia was unjustified.  In fact, I’ve got a new 1.5 hour walk that I can now incorporate into my weekly routine.

Actually, that was his second beer.  Since we came back into Barretto through my subdivision, I invited the group to my house for a cold one.

I started my morning with the requisite walk with my Buddy, then headed out to Baloy Beach for some breakfast at the Blue Rock resort.  I enjoyed my favorite food from France:

Then I made my way back out to Purok for another look around.  This may be the Philippines, but it is December.  So I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to see–

The above is another good example of the creative use of trash here.  I’ve actually been quite impressed by the ingenuity of the locals, poor though they may be, in finding ways to express their Christmas spirit.

And the people are indeed full of the holiday good cheer.  Several times on my walk people would holler out from passing vehicles “Merry Christmas, Joe!” (Joe is the common term the locals use for us Yanks).   It sounds sincere and nice even to a non-believer like me.

What is not so nice is what the locals do with the garbage that is not converted to Christmas decorations.  I’ve mentioned the littering and dumping in the rivers.  And what is not thrown away inappropriately is burned, contrary to local ordinances prohibiting such fires.  The result is this:

Well, I’m a guest in this country so I try to just take a deep breath *cough cough*, relax, and accept the Filipino way.  Like it or not.

What else?  Well, courtesy of the Facebook memories feature comes this family photo from the late 1990s:

And I’ve been multi-tasking!  While writing this post I also baked up a batch of these:

Peace out!

Greetings Earthlings.  Today I celebrate my 7 month anniversary of living in the Philippines.  So far, so good.  

As you have come to dread expect,  I have photos from the weekly Hash to share.  But stick around, this week’s report has a little twist at the end.

Okay, are you still here?  Good, here’s the lowdown on what went down after the Hash.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to sponsor “Celia” at this week’s Hash.  And that’s what I did.  She’s a lot quicker on the trail (especially the uphills) but she hung back and stayed at least within visual distance most of the way.  And when we got back to Treasure Island I bought her some food.  And then things got a little strange.

Now, Jessa wasn’t working but she was still there, sitting at the bar with a girlfriend.  I of course was polite enough to go and say my hellos.  And of course she brought up the whole “holding hands with Marissa” bullshit.  But I wasn’t entertaining her faux being hurt routine.  I came back with something along the lines of “it could have been you” and then rejoined my Hash group, sitting with Celia.  Jessa sent me a message about being a “stranger” that I just blew off.

Okay, so I had won a free room at Treasure Island at the SOB last week and knowing I’d be doing the “on-home” there last night I had reserved a room “just in case”.  Keeping my options open.  Being prepared like a good Boy Scout should.  I mean, if I didn’t use it no big deal, it would have expired by the weekend anyway.  So, now I had to make a decision about what I was going to do.

After a few beers I went back over to Jessa and said, “you know I have a room here tonight.  Interested in sticking around?”  I was half serious, but mostly wanted to gauge her reaction.  Which was “why don’t you call Marissa?”  Okay then, you can’t say I didn’t try.  So, it was back to Celia.

I told her I have a room here and she responded I can’t stay all night, I have school in the morning.  I told her I was interested in that “naked massage” she had offered last time I’d seen her in the bar.  She was good with that, so off we went.

Here’s the lowdown on Celia.  22 years old.  One kid (who doesn’t live with her).  Going to trade school and learning to be a welder (I was impressed!).  Obviously she is not girlfriend material, but I was of course happy to help her earn some extra money.

I showered up and laid on the bed.  She took a shower and joined me wearing a towel.  She gave me a fair to middlin’ massage, a little erotic touching, and then I unwrapped her from the towel.  Well.  I am certainly old enough to not remember the last time I saw a naked 22 year old body.  It was nice.  We did a little cuddling and snuggling and then I told her it was time to go.

Sorry to disappoint, but that’s where the story ends.  As hot and sexy as Celia might be, she’s a dancer in a prostitution bar.  And I don’t go there.  Especially without a condom.  Which like a bad Boy Scout I hadn’t brought.

And today Celia is 2000 pesos richer ($40, about double what I would pay a stranger) and I have a nice memory.  I don’t expect I’ll be repeating the experience anytime soon.  At least with Celia.