East of here

I keep hearing it’s a happy place

Yesterday began sweet and ended sour. I joined Swan for her weekly candy walk and took a different route that worked out well. It’s still too damn hot to enjoy walking the streets, but the kids were out in force and we were well-stocked with goodies.

Let’s get going! We emptied that big bag of sweets three times on yesterday’s walk.
First customer of the day
The backstreets of Purok 13
Word spread fast, and it wasn’t long before every kid in the neighborhood arrived for their ration of chocolate
Next up was Barangay Matain
The boys in the ‘hood
And the girls too
Mama wanted treats for her kid at home
Bay side
A skilled craftsman at work
More evidence that signs don’t work
Across the highway to a new neighborhood
Our only climb of the day, thankfully
Made it to the top!
No chocolate for you two or your kids!
Crossing Bridge #3 to service our regulars in San Isidro
Taking care of business
We were out of gas and nearly out of candy when we hit the 8K mark, so we grabbed a trike for home.

When it came time to make plans for our Saturday evening, Swan wanted to go to Treasure Island on Baloy to hear the live band. And that’s what we did.

Engine is the band’s name, and they are quite well-known and popular in our little town.

I’ll grant that they have talented musicians and singers, but as always seems to be the case, the sound mixing wasn’t done right, which made everything seem distorted and unpleasant to my ears. Maybe it’s just me, other audience members seemed to be enjoying the performance.

At least I had a cute date

Treasure Island doesn’t stock San Miguel Zero, which forced me to drink SM Light, which has additional calories and alcohol content. But that didn’t slow me down. Over the course of the evening, several friends came by and joined us. So, the beverages were being enjoyed along with the camaraderie.

Steve and his gal Viola
Chris and Shie were there as well (Chris went for a swim in the pool)

And then I forgot how to say when and imbibed to excess. No, I wasn’t falling down drunk, but I was drunk enough not to remember much else about the night. That’s not my style and I strive to avoid it. So, hopefully, lesson learned. I had the rare hangover this morning, so I napped instead of taking my hike. That’s not good either. Anyway, what’s done is done, and hopefully, it won’t be done again.

I’ve never seen this live and in person, but one of the rituals engaged in during Holy Week is crucifixion reenactments. Yes, devout believers are actually nailed to the cross, albeit through the palm and not the wrist, but still.

Philippine Christian devotees take part in the re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday in San Fernando, Pampanga province on March 29, 2024. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP)

Okay, Quora Q&A time:

Q: Why would a girl tell a guy that he looks hot?

A: She is probably worried that he has a fever and might need to get checked for COVID.

Yep, I have all the answers!

Smiles for today:

That’s one of the jokes from my repertoire. I’m always surprised when I see a joke I’ve told often in comic form. I see this was copyrighted in 2014, so maybe I stole it first–I don’t recall when I heard it.
The relationship was obviously unfulfilling…

This has been a dead Easter for me. I’m still unsure about having some hair of the dog that bit me, but I will probably have a couple with dinner. We’ll see how I feel later.

About as Good as it gets

And I made the best of it. Starting with a long hot group hike.

Up the Govic highway…
…then up the steps.
Better at the beginning of the hike than at the end, but still a butt-kicker.
My first cookie delivery about halfway up
Friendly lolas
Jim was the only one in the group who wanted to climb Blackrock. So, he went by himself.
The rest of us took the roundabout way to meet him at the bottom.
Wait a minute…is something moving up there?
Sure enough, it looks like Jim is thinking about taking the quick way down.
Self-flagellation and reenacting the crucifixion are Good Friday traditions in these parts.
And on we marched…
The second part of Monday’s Hash (after Easter Mountain) will be hiking the Black Rock ridge. I’ll be doing that portion.
The cows had the good sense to stay in the shade on such a hot day, and we human folk pressed on.
If you build it we will come.
And here we are on what used to be just a footpath.
The fishpond life
Then, we crossed the highway and headed for the beach.
Lots of folks out enjoying family time on one of the biggest holidays of the year here.
I’m not sure what a volleyball game would look like on this court.
Bobbing heads in the water
These friendly folks were enjoying lunch on the beach. They cheered when I gave them some cookies for dessert.
Bayside dwellings
More holiday revelers
Through the narrow streets of this bayside village
And onto the community basketball court
A miniature pool table
The kids were swarming like I’d never seen. I didn’t have enough cookies for everyone, so everyone got none. Sorry ’bout that!
Heading back to Barretto on the highway
An 8K jaunt in the heat left us all tuckered out.

And that’s how I spent my morning. When evening rolled around, Swan and I decided to visit the Arizona floating bar. Yeah, that’s our Sunday thing, but this Sunday, the girls are going to have a party, and everyone gets wet, even the customers. Nope. Not my thing. So, I baked a batch of brownies off we went.

On the beach
And on the floater. The girls loved the brownies, which made me feel good.
The only thing better than a cold beer is a FREE cold beer. The manager sent this one over to me as a thank-you for the brownies.
Party time!
A bay view
The sun getting ready to do its thing
Fetching ice cream from a vendor on the beach.
Going…
…going…
…gone.

And shortly thereafter, so were we. We were headed to John’s place for dinner.

The beach at dusk was still crowded
And on the highway we encountered a Good Friday parade
The view from our seats at John’s.

John wasn’t there, but we were surprised to see my waitress friend Em Jhae back. She said she had time off for the holidays and John messaged asking her if she could help out for the weekend, and she agreed.

Of course, we invited her to join us for dinner. She said her new call center job is going well, but the hardest part is staying awake at 3:00 a.m. (she works a 9-5 nighttime shift because the calls come from the USA).
I dined on the delicious chicken enchiladas

Swan got a message from a friend that she was at It Doesn’t Matter for a pool tournament, so we visited there for our nightcap. And John was there playing. It was great to see him on his feet and enjoying playing pool again. How Good was my Friday? I stayed out until the ungodly hour of nine p.m.! Hey, sometimes you just have to let go and party hard!

Facebook memories included this old joke from 2012:

A Scotsman, an Englishman, and an Irishman are playing darts at Dolce Vita in Itaewon (you guys know who you are, so I won’t mention any names…).

“Y’know” said the Scotsman, “I still prefer the pubs back home. In Glasgow, there’s a wonderful little bar called McTavish’s. The landlord there goes out of his way for the locals, so much that when you buy 4 drinks he’ll buy the 5th drink for you.”

“Well,” said the Englishman, “at my local, the Red Lion, the barman there will buy your 3rd drink after you buy the first 2.”

“Ahhhhh, that’s nothing, laddies,” said the Irishman.

“Back home in me own Dublin, there’s Ryan’s Bar. Now, the moment you set foot in the place they’ll buy you a drink, then another, all the drinks you like. Then, when, when you’ve had enough drinks, they’ll take you upstairs and see that you get laid. All on the house.”

The Englishman and Scotsman immediately scorn the Irishman’s claims. But he swears every word is true.

“Well,” said the Englishman, “did this actually happen to you?”

“Not to me meself, personally, no,” said the Irishman… “but it did happen to me sister.”

Still as funny as it ever was.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: How is it that amnesiacs don’t forget as much as most people think they do?

A: I don’t remember…

We are on a roll here, so let’s get to the rest of the humor.

That’s more sad than funny…
But this one cracked me up.
Bad timing?
I find most of these crap jokes on my phone…
Had enough? Me too!

Back with the Saturday report tomorrow.

Holy Hades

It’s been hot as hell all week, and now it’s Good Friday. Thursday wasn’t bad either, if a tad on the bland side.

My morning view
Two little lovebirds sittin’ on a wire, as seen on the morning dog walk.

When it came time to walk me, I had it in mind to do a long highway walk out to Olongapo and back. But it is Holy Week, and that’s a really big deal in these parts. I noticed the hotel parking lots were full, and traffic on the highway was even worse than usual.

1.6K into my walk, and I knew the highway was not the place to be.
3.2K found me on Abra Street
4.8K and I was in the alley leading to Gomez Extension
At 6.4K, I passed through a trashy village just outside Alta Vista.
Then home sweet home (the one in the middle) at a little over 7K.
Yep, just another Barretto street walk. In this heat, though, everything is tougher. It’s that time of year when I’m looking forward to rainy season.

Swan is still doing her meat distributor business. She takes orders, the wholesaler delivers the goods (from Angeles, I think), and then she goes around town making deliveries. That usually happens on Fridays, but not the Good ones. So, while Swan was taking care of business, I hit the bars. I had a half-off coupon for Green Room, so I went to work. It was almost like old times, drinking beers and watching some pool games, buying lady drinks for my waitress and massage girl, and just chillin’.

When it was time to move on, I went next door to Alaska and used my free beer voucher. Jerry was still in the hospital, but reportedly, the surgery went well, and he is due to be released today. Then Swan messaged that she was finished with her deliveries, so we decided to meet up at Wet Spot. Beer and wine, some chat with Daddy Dave, and take out from Sit-n-Bull to finish our day.

Yep, nothing to write home about, but I blogged it anyway.

My pal Scott messaged me early this morning that his girl had climbed Easter Mountain with her hiking club. At 2:00 a.m.! I cannot imagine doing that climb in the dark, but they did. Others went up just before dawn to see the Good Friday sunrise. God bless them.

The view from Easter Mountain at O’dark-thirty

I found this story about a man marrying ONE of the conjoined twins, and the implications boggled my brain some. Twitchy handled it in typical humorous fashion, but wow, good luck to them. I can’t imagine the wedding night.

As I understand it, he married the left half.

And here is an excellent description of the paradox of being old.

I’m cool with that.

I’ve been seeing some posts on Facebook touting Biden’s accomplishments, and in the spirit of fairness, I’ve been sharing them.

Nobody doesn’t better than you, Joe!

And there’s this:

Hurry November!

Enough with politics, let’s do the Quora Q&A:

Q: Why do a lot of Koreans go to the Philippines?

A: I took my Korean girlfriend with me on one of my visits to the Philippines. We landed at Clark airport in Angeles City. While waiting in the immigration line, my girl looked around and said, “There must be 100 people in line, but only three of us are women. Why?” I thought for a moment about all the girly bars in the area and then answered truthfully: “The men are here for the golf.”

True story.

Ready for some humor?

I’d recommend you walk five miles a day to get away quicker.
I can’t see why
I can sense the electricity in the room

So, a Good Friday group hike this morning, and now I’ll try to make it a Good Friday night on the town. I’ll let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Neil Young is back on Spotify (he ended his boycott when nobody cared), so I did one of the greatest hits playlists and heard some tunes I enjoyed in the past, like this one.

Easter Bitch

As seen on today’s dog walk, Easter Mountain is still standing after yesterday’s assault.

Why did we climb the mountain before Easter Monday? Because it was there! Actually, I think the thinking for some of us was we’d do the Easter Mountain climb on Wednesday, and then for Monday’s Hash, we’ll do the the second half of the trail over the Black Rock Ridge. As yesterday proved, there is no way most of us could do both in one go.

It was a hot and hard up and a long steep down. The good news is I made it without any breathing issues. Which is not to say it didn’t kick my ass. We’ll see how I feel about making that climb again next year. On a brighter note, Swan came along and really seemed to enjoy herself. She was sore and tired when we were done, but she told me this morning she wants to do it again someday. She did say we should start earlier in the morning when it is not so hot.

The actual climb up top and then back down was less than 3K, but my Fitbit told the story of my cardio workout:

We were on the mountain for three hours, including numerous rest stops. Look at those Zone Minutes, though. My heart had a five-hour workout.

I’ve got a shitload of photos from the adventure to share, so let’s get to it:

The yellow line is the route most of us took yesterday, and the orange line is the route the Hares intended. They couldn’t find the down they wanted at first, so while they looked we took the alternative.
Our merry group of mountain climbers gathered at the start. Swan and Inday were losing their Easter Mountain virginity.
Let’s get started
An almost gentle steady up in the beginning.
It didn’t get easier though
“I think I can, I think I can…”
Gaining some altitude
Keep pushing up
Our destination awaits
One blessing was that there had been a recent burn up here, so we didn’t have to struggle through tall thatch grass. The downside was being blackened by ash on our legs and clothes.
And now the fun really begins…hard and steep.
Inday and Swan push on while Scott takes a needed break.
A view from here
And another
It got a little rocky in places
But every step was a step closer to the top
Heaven on earth
Helen on the rocks at the peak.
Inday taking it all in.
Scott survived the trip to the top, too.
She’s on the top of the world, looking down on creation
I believe I can fly
Picture this
A well-earned break at the summit
The million dollar view from the top of Easter Mountain.
I like this one too.
Rockin’ it!
And now to get back down
Steeper than it looks
Gettin’ down!
Slippery in places
Gravity can be a bitch too.
One foot in front of the other
Not much shade on the mountain, but we found this abandoned lean-to about halfway down and took a much-needed break.
Fat man on the go!
I can see my house from here
Look at that girl go!
Thanks for joining us, Swan.

Too tuckered out to hit the bars after our hike, but with a shower and a nap, I headed up to The Rite Spot.

And the clouds were gathering
There’s that rooster farm I mentioned across the river.
And then the skies opened up with our first real rainfall in months.
The Rite Spot On The Roof isn’t so right in the rain. I thought the cover would be enough, but with the wind blowing the rain sideways, not so much.
So we retreated downstairs and enjoyed the storm from our patio instead.
My favorite tree enjoying a refreshing drink of water
And then a muted sunset as the storm raged on
Lots of lightning and thunder, too.

Anyway, I guess you could say we got rode hard and put up wet. Still, I’m happy for the experience.

That explains why it’s been so hot. (Zambales is the province where I live)

Facebook memories carried me back to springtime in Seoul seven years ago:

If I recall correctly, those flowers are gaenalee.

What does Quora Q&A have for us today?

Q: Why do some clubs in Korea not allow foreigners inside?

A: Well, I lived in Korea for 12 years before retiring and moving to the Philippines. I do recall the clubs with the “Koreans only” signs out front. I didn’t really care because I didn’t want to go where I was not wanted.

I can only speculate on the reasons why foreigners weren’t welcome. But after moving to the PI, I was amused to learn that the Filipina bargirls have a universal nickname for Korean men: “triple three”. Of course, I had to ask what that meant. They laughed and said “three inches, three minutes, three thousand pesos”.

Not trying to start a cockfight here, just repeating what I heard and thought it was funny.

How about these?

Hmm, I’ve had four wives…
Maybe that’s why…

Anyway, life is good. I’m glad to be feeling healthy again. Haven’t even needed my nebulizer lately. Weighed myself after that ass-kicking climb and I lost almost a pound. Water weight after all that sweating, no doubt, but still. Back to the bars tonight!

A moment in time

And many moments make up a day. Here are some of the moments that made up my Tuesday.

My day began with another full-moonset
A Tuesday tradition is to bake a batch of muffins to share with my driver and helpers. This is the first time in a long time that I accidentally broke an egg in the process. Was it an omen? Turns out, it wasn’t.

Off to Royal for the weekly grocery shopping.

As usual, there were crazy prices on some items. You’d have to be nuts to pay this much.
This actually made me laugh. 50% off, you say? I’m not a math wizard, but I could see right away something wasn’t right. It was still a good deal, so I made the purchase. When the cashier rang them up, I got the $2.35 price.
Another week, another overflowing cart.
The price you pay for livin’ large
Home from shopping, and this is the lunch Swan prepared for me.
Tuesday is the day I visit the Kokomo floating bar. I baked a batch of muffins to share with the crew there.
On the way to Baloy, we stopped in at my regular salon so I could get a haircut. I was surprised that Swan knew the owner and my barber.
And yes, my barber is a girl with something extra.
On the floater, and the gals all seemed to enjoy their muffins.
The bay and the ridge
Loaded and ready for action that I hope won’t be needed.
Kids jumping off the roof of this abandoned dive boat (Johan’s went out of business).
There was no birthday party this week, and the music was back to my kind of playlist with an appropriate volume. Hurray!
On your mark…
…get set..
…go!
See you next week!

Our next stop was DaKudos for some dinner. I ordered a chef salad and Swan asked for chicken parmesan. Apparently, the cook overlooked our order. After waiting over thirty minutes, our waitress went to check and discovered the fuck up. It was getting late (for me), so we had our orders prepared to go.

It’s always nice to see my old friend (and ex) Jessa again.
The trike ride home from Baloy to Alta Vista. I always pay 100 pesos, which makes me very popular with the drivers.

The chef salad was excellent, and I ended my Tuesday with a nice night’s sleep.

I’m wiped out today from climbing Easter Mountain with the Wednesday Walkers. I have tons of pictures from that adventure to post tomorrow. Tonight, I’ll be hanging out at The Rite Spot.

Not the best weather for mountain climbing

Some sad news this morning. Daddy Jerry from Alaska Club (featured in yesterday’s post) was painting the walls of his building at the top of a twenty-foot ladder, and it collapsed, sending him crashing to the floor. He was taken by ambulance to our newly reopened hospital in Barretto and underwent surgery to repair his broken humerus bone. He was lucky it wasn’t worse. Jerry was the first bar owner I met on my first visit to the Philippines in 2007. Back then, his bar was in Angeles City. Get well soon, Jerry!

Too soon?

This gave me a bit of a headache, but I’m sure Kevin Kim will appreciate it:

• An Oxford comma walks into a bar where it spends the evening watching the television, getting drunk, and smoking cigars.

• A dangling participle walks into a bar. Enjoying a cocktail and chatting with the bartender, the evening passes pleasantly.

• A bar was walked into by the passive voice.

• An oxymoron walked into a bar, and the silence was deafening.

• Two quotation marks walk into a “bar.”

• A malapropism walks into a bar, looking for all intents and purposes like a wolf in cheap clothing, muttering epitaphs and casting dispersions on his magnificent other, who takes him for granite.

• Hyperbole totally rips into this insane bar and absolutely destroys everything.

• A question mark walks into a bar?

• A non sequitur walks into a bar. In a strong wind, even turkeys can fly.

• Papyrus and Comic Sans walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Get out — we don’t serve your type.”

• A mixed metaphor walks into a bar, seeing the handwriting on the wall but hoping to nip it in the bud.

• A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.

• Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They converse. They depart.

• A synonym strolls into a tavern.

• At the end of the day, a cliché walks into a bar — fresh as a daisy, cute as a button, and sharp as a tack.

• A run-on sentence walks into a bar it starts flirting. With a cute little sentence fragment.

• Falling slowly, softly falling, the chiasmus collapses to the bar floor.

• A figure of speech literally walks into a bar and ends up getting figuratively hammered.

• An allusion walks into a bar, despite the fact that alcohol is its Achilles heel.

• The subjunctive would have walked into a bar, had it only known.

A misplaced modifier walks into a bar owned by a man with a glass eye named Ralph.

• The past, present, and future walked into a bar. It was tense.

• A dyslexic walks into a bra.

• A verb walks into a bar, sees a beautiful noun, and suggests they conjugate. The noun declines.

• A simile walks into a bar, as parched as a desert.

• A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to forget.

• A hyphenated word and a non-hyphenated word walk into a bar and the bartender nearly chokes on the irony.

You are welcome!

Something for my redneck friends:

Y’all come back now, hear

Time for some politics:

Well, Fester wasn’t stupid, as I recall.

Facebook memories took me back to the streets of Seoul eight years ago:

She was beautiful, but had a heart of stone.

Alright, to the Quora Q&A we go:

Q: When will I ever find whatever I’ve been looking for so long?

A: It’s always the last place you look.

Yes, thousands of comedians are out of work, and I’m trying to be funny.

Let’s try some more humor before I go:

We tell tourists not to bring sand to the beach.
There is a rooster farm across the river from me, and I hear them screeching every morning. Oddly enough, unlike dog barking, I’m used to it now; it is just background noise that doesn’t bother me much.

It’s time to head for the roof and watch the sun go down. Back tomorrow with more.

Pooling my resources

I attended the SOB Pool Party instead of Hashing yesterday. It was something different, but nothing I will make a habit of doing (they are only held every few months anyway). The big problem for me, besides not getting my steps in, was drinking so early in the day. The entry fee is 995 pesos, and the event runs from noon until four. The price of admission includes five drinks and a buffet lunch. Swan is a slow drinker, so I used a couple of her tickets. And then, some random stranger came up, said he was leaving and handed me four unused drink coupons. I definitely had my beer-drinking capacity tested, but in the end, I ensured that no coupon went to waste.

Swan and I were comfortably seated at a shady table in the back with Brett, Wet Spot manager and party host. A couple of the events took place on the beach (limbo and a sack race), but I couldn’t be bothered to leave my comfort zone to watch. I could see the poolside games well enough, but I guess I was just not that into the competition. I did enjoy seeing the gals having a good time outside of the bar environment.

A photographer pal of mine was there, but he’s not posted anything yet, so my random shots from the day will have to suffice:

My date for the party
A view from my table
There were three U.S. Navy supply ships in the bay; now there is one. I’ll share some tidbits I learned about their mission later in this post.
I’ll be visiting the Kokomo floating bar later this afternoon.
Some of my fellow guests. I understand there were over fifty in attendance.
The Wet Spot girls were seated behind us.
Let the games begin!
Jerry from Alaska Club with his big bag of balls in the pool.
Excuse me, Miss. You are blocking my view.
Jerry sets his balls free…
…and the gals go wild! As I understand it, the team that collected the most balls wins, but they are not allowed to use their hands.
There was also a hula hoop event
I gave up on trying to photograph the events because my view kept getting blocked. Sorry!
Irene, my regular waitress at Wet Spot, provided her usual outstanding service.
American sized.
Love that necklace!

When the event ended at four, we walked up the beach and had our “nightcap” at McCoy’s. At five o’clock, I was spent, so we headed home. According to my Fitbit, I was sound asleep at 6:17 p.m. Naturally, I woke up at midnight, having gotten my usual night’s sleep. I fiddled on the internet for a bit, then forced myself back to bed for some additional fitful sleep.

A nice change of pace but also a good reminder of why I choose not to be a daytime drinker.

So, this was posted on my Facebook feed today:

Things are heating up in what China calls the South China Sea. It reminds me of that whole “East Ocean” versus the “Sea of Japan” controversy in Korea. A big difference is that in Korea, it is a war of words; here, the Chinese coast guard is attacking Filipino vessels with water cannons. The islands should not be in dispute—the World Court has already found them to be within the Philippines’ domain.

So, my longstanding concern is that war with China may be inevitable–here, in Taiwan, or both. I’ve been asking around what the purpose of those Navy supply ships is since I never see them docked for offloading. I’m told they are fully loaded and ready for deployment wherever and whenever the need arises. So, they move around between ports here in East Asia, standing by for any contingencies. I haven’t seen more than three in one place, but apparently, there are several more ships at least.

And this US Navy warship pulled into Subic Bay today for refueling.

Maybe I’m just paranoid, but it sure feels like something is brewing.

Let’s delve into the Quora Q&A quagmire, shall we?

Q: Should we take a walk in other’s shoes before we judge them?

A: I personally always try on shoes before I buy them to make sure I have a good and comfortable fit. If I judge them uncomfortable, I won’t walk in them.

I’ve had especially bad luck ordering shoes online. They always seem to get the size wrong.

Any one feeling like something a little dirty?

That’s why they have love motels, stupid. (And yes, that inappropriate comma in the second panel even bugged notoriously punctuation ignorant me.)
You are what you eat, pussy!

That’s it for today, see you next time!

Circle game

And round and round we go. Another Sunday fun day in the life. Here are the highlights:

I accompanied Swan on our weekly candy walk. This time, we brought twice as much candy, and I plotted a much longer course. Alas, we dispensed all we could carry in a mere six kilometers (last week, it was five). Still, we brightened the day of a lot of poor youngins, and that’s what it is all about.

Let’s get started!
The Wednesday Walkers plan to tackle that mountain this week.
On a quest to deliver sweet goodness.
The first of many deliveries.
A primrose path?
Come on down and get some!
I saw several guys walking with their roosters; I assume heading for a cockfight. No shit, without thinking, I asked this guy if I could take a picture of his cock. Thankfully, he understood what I meant.
One of the nicer places in this neighborhood.
Here kiddies kiddies
Trade you a chocolate for a smile…deal?
The local folks play a pool-like game using wooden poker chips on a tabletop.
“Hooray! The candy lady is here!”
This guy was nursing his wounded cock…must have lost the fight.
Sunday morning hustle bustle
Home again with empty bags and a full heart
The path we walked this week.

Swan spent the afternoon with some friends in Naugsol, and I took care of the Sunday feeding at Hideaway. As usual, we met up again on the Arizona floating bar.

The Sunday afternoon scene on Barretto Beach.
My destination dead ahead. That big sailboat on the right was something new. Appeared to be half a dozen guys just sitting on deck watching the scene. Didn’t even see a beer in hand. I’ll take the floater, please!
Waiting on my baby
And keeping an eye on the sun
Ah, here she comes now!
I dispensed some sweetness in the form of Choco Pies and lady drinks.
Here we go again
Thanks for the show!
And as an added bonus, after the sun went down, this full moon appeared above the Kalaklan Ridge.
See you next time!

We had our nightcap at Mugshots and then popped into Sit-n-Bull for some takeout. I was in bed before nine and woke up early to see this guy peeking in my window.

Yep, that’s the same one I saw above Kalaklan Ridge the evening before. He sure does get around.
Am I really doing a sunset and a moonset in the same post?
Why, yes. Yes, I am!

I won’t be attending today’s Hash. Instead, I’m going to the pool party at Treasure Island. It’s an SOB-like event, except the girls are in bikinis and competing in poolside games. These are done every couple of months and always on Mondays, so I haven’t been to one in a very long time. So, you’ll get to see something different here tomorrow!

Here’s today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: What’s it like working at a convenience store? What are some tasks you do? What was your most memorable moment while working?

A: I worked in a convenience store back in the 1970s. Graveyard shift (11 p.m. – 7 a.m.). My most memorable experience was the night three guys came in and robbed me at knifepoint. When they took me to the back storage room, I figured I was going to die. Instead, they left me there and said if I came out, they would kill me. They ransacked the store for cigarettes, beer, and the cash in the register, then left.

The next day, corporate headquarters called me to come in for a polygraph to verify I wasn’t involved in the robbery. I told them they could stick their $2.00 per hour job up their ass and quit. Things turned out okay for me after that.

I was not in on it, but I had left too much cash in the register instead of doing the required safe drop, which raised suspicions.

Who’s up for a little humor before I go?

I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks?
Time for one more?
Maybe both.
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Low and slow

Ha! Low and slow is a good description of old age, grilling meats, and my day. Here’s how it went down:

I did the long dog walk (3.5 versus the normal 1.5) to change things up a tad and get some extra steps in. The boys’ tongues were flopping when we finished. Then, I embarked on my Standard Saturday Solo Stroll through the streets of Barretto. I lengthened that up some, too, by walking all the way home instead of stopping at Sit-n-Bull for takeout.

Right at 7K, but mostly flat.

The power was still out when I got back home and my laptop battery was about gone. No fans to cool things off either, which made taking a nap difficult. I got up to find out what Swan was doing and saw this:

She was reading a book! And not just any book, but poems from one of my favorites, James Kavanaugh.
She actually had pulled down both volumes that I own to peruse.

I don’t recall any girlfriend, wife, or lover of mine actually reading a book of poems. I sometimes subjected them to my recitations, but no one ever showed much interest in this old passion of mine. Needless to say, I was impressed. Then I noticed she had folded the page corner of her favorites. This was one of them:

A gal with a big heart for sure and a brain to go with it.

Power was restored, I blogged and showered, then asked if Swan would join me for dinner. She’d been hinting around that she wanted to eat at Pugon Corner Smoke Yard, so that’s where I took her.

I’ve only been to Pugon Corner a couple of times, mainly because it is so far off the beaten track. It’s about a kilometer off the highway where I usually hang out, and with so many other dining options more conveniently located, I usually just can’t be bothered.
We took a trike to get there. I’ve been reading some great online reviews lately, and I was craving me some baby back ribs.
Swan studying the menu options.

I was disappointed to get the “sorry, sir. out of stock” reply to my request for the baby back ribs. We decided to get an order of pork ribs and some pulled pork and share.

Swan ordered a mango shake, and it was the biggest I’ve seen. I stuck with beer, but Zero was not available, so I had a San Mig Light.
The pork ribs
The pulled pork

Both came with sides of coleslaw and fries. Swan gave me her slaw, and she got my high-carb fries. I thought the portions were a tad small, but they tasted good. It was after six on a Saturday night, and we were the only customers. That can’t be good. Then again, an acoustic duo was setting up for live music as we left, so maybe they get a later crowd. I’ll be back one day and try for the baby backs again.

We had our nightcap at Alaska Club, then made it an early evening and headed home. I served some sugar-free butterscotch pudding for dessert, and we were off to bed. I’d rate it a good day.

Speaking of old farts, does anyone recognize this guy? I’ll give you a hint at the end of this post.
I’ve certainly gained A LOT of experience over the years.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: Why do Western people want to retire in the Philippines?

A: I imagine everyone has their own reasons. It is a beautiful country with warm and friendly people. What’s not to like? The cost of living is cheaper for some things, while it is more expensive for others(like imported goods). Overall, though, I do live better here on my pension than I could back home.

Here’s a little anecdote that might shed some more light on the question. I was living in South Korea prior to retiring. I brought my Korean girlfriend with me once for a visit. She had a great time, but she broke up with me on the last night of our stay. I asked her why and she said we don’t have a future together because I wanted to retire and move to the Philippines. “Who wants to live in a poor country?” she asked me. I responded that you can live in your rich country and pretend this world doesn’t exist, or you can move to a place like the Philippines and make a difference. I choose the latter.

I have been living here for three years now. I have a full-time helper and several other folks I employ on a part-time as-needed basis. I may not be changing the world, but my presence has made a difference in their lives, at least.

One of my more popular answers, with over 100,000 views and 514 upvotes.

Things I found funny:

This creative idea made me laugh.
Being a language dunce, I’ve no idea what is being said either. I recognize the Korean, but it does not translate in my brain.
Get a ship on the other side and make it a sandwich!
Man, I hate when that happens!
That one is worth a pot of gold!

Had enough? Me too. Back tomorrow with the Palm Sunday report. Oh, and welcome to Holy Week. It’s a big deal here in primarily Catholic Philippines.

Bruce is five years older than I am.

Around and about

He’s back! Well, the power is, I mean. So, here’s the rest of the story about my yesterday.

The Friday group hike commenced from the Alta Vista Clubhouse and finished at The Rite Spot On The Roof. Yep, we came full circle and in the middle of that trek stood Easter Mountain (the real name is Mount Booitlao). The Hash will be mounting that mountain on April 1st. At least the fools will be. It was an enjoyable 7+K journey and ended with some liquid refreshments and snacks. Here’s how it looked:

Seven participated in the adventure.
Heading towards Easter
Through the fields we go…
…dispensing cookies on the way
We will be going over soon; today, we went around.
Yay, though we enter the valley…
…we will fear no evil.
Another cookie stop
Into a forest of banana trees
And then into a jungle. This was the most unpleasant part of the hike for me.
I brought a sock full of cockleburs out with me.
Leaving the wilds behind…
…and into the wild open spaces.
Easter Mountain’s ass side used to be a landfill…
A brief excursion on the Govic highway…
Then the day’s big climb commenced.
It wasn’t far to the top, though
Heading back down
Here comes the fat guy
More cookies dispensed. I actually ran out of cookies and my back-up lollipops on this trip.
We ran into a former Hasher (circa 2011) in this village.
Completing the circle and heading for Alta Vista
Ed and Jim are the Hares for the Easter Monday hike up Easter mountain.
In the creek without a paddle. It was full of trash, not water.
Up into Alta Vista
And the final climb up to my street
Will the circle be unbroken?
Arriving at The Rite Spot
Washing down chicken nuggets and chips with ice cold beer. Great finish to a morning’s work.
That’s the way we walked it.

I wrote about my appointment with Dr. Jo in the previous post. She says I’m on the right path and to continue eating healthy. I’ll see her again in two weeks. After the doctor’s visit, Swan and I headed to Wet Spot to attend the 1000th SOB event.

I had reserved seats which was a good thing…
…because every seat in the place was filled. I’ve never seen Wet Spot so packed!
Perhaps not so coincidentally, there are currently three Navy supply ships anchored in the bay. Never seen that many here before.

Last night’s SOB crowd was not the usual expat old man faces.The Navy MSC ships are crewed with civilians, and many of the attendees were youngish-looking guys, I suspect merchant seamen. I was glad to have them, although some were acting like drunken tourists—loud voices, throwing money on stage during a performance, and buying lots of lady drinks. There’s nothing wrong with having a good time, and I’m sure the gals loved the attention.

Because of our early arrival, Swan and I were a little drunker than normal when we returned home. But the sun rose on another day in paradise, and here we are living it. Life is good.

Facebook memories carried me back to Korea today.

Fourteen years ago, my nephew Justin was a new arrival in Korea. So, I took him to see Nanta to expose him to the culture. It must have worked; he is still living his life there.
Six years ago, I took my team on a team-building trip to Buan on the West Coast. It was a great time and a prelude to my leaving a couple of months later.
And then they tried to leave without me! (joking, of course)

Life goes on until it doesn’t. I’m glad I’m still around to remember the old days.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: Would a person who applied to work for the federal government lose their job if they had smoked marijuana in the past, and once again recently?

A: Depends on the job and the level of security clearance required. Some jobs also require a drug test screening, so depending on how recently you ingested, that could be an issue. To be clear though, even when certain states began legalizing marijuana, the Federal government still prohibits employees from doing so.

I guess that was kind of a dopey answer.

And speaking of dopey, how about these treats?

Rod Serling is still dispensing wit and wisdom from the grave in memes. I guess that’s almost the same as eternal life—at least in the Twilight Zone.
Sorry, it’s the breast I’ve got today.

Power is out

The morning moonset

Another unexpected brownout today. I saw the power company trucks working on lines in the neighborhood, so I guess I’m at their mercy until the job is completed. My battery is at 32% and fading fast, so I’ll be back when the power is.

Here is a quick update on my visit to Dr. Jo. She is happy with my progress and wants me to keep on keepin’ on. The liquid retention issue appears to be in retreat, and she wants me back in two weeks to monitor the situation. She now suspects my earlier lung issues were also associated with the fluid buildup, which makes sense now that I think of it. Anyway, I’m feeling better and stronger. I’ll continue on with my weight loss efforts which will also have a positive impact on my overall health.

To appease my sweet tooth

Royal hasn’t had sugar-free pudding in stock for months, so I ordered these from Lazada (the Philippines Amazon). Eight boxes cost me thirty bucks, but what are you going to do? When I shared this info with Dr. Jo, she said she had just bought sugar-free pudding at Royal. Turns out, Royal moved the pudding to the candy section for some reason. The Jell-O gelatins are still on the shelf with the baked goods, and that’s where the pudding used to be, too. It makes no sense why they’d move it, but I’ll search again on Tuesday.

Alright, I have lots of photos to share from yesterday, including the Friday group hike.See you when the lights come back on!

Go forth and Govic

A beautiful morning yesterday.
A nice view from the patio

I’ve got to make this a quickie post. Follow-up appointment coming up with Dr. Jo this afternoon. I can at least report that I lost 4.7 pounds since Sunday. My lower legs look less swollen as well. We’ll see what she thinks of my progress.

For my “long” walk yesterday, I decided to hike the Govic Highway (Subic bypass) from one end to the other. I’ve done it in bits and pieces over the years, but never the length of it all at once.

It’s none of your business what my business in Subic might be, but I’ll take the bypass to get there anyway.
And so it begins
I saw this hillside burning from my house a few weeks ago and wondered about the squatter shack halfway up. It appears it didn’t burn.
The Govic is easier to walk than the National Highway, but there are places without a real shoulder. Had to dodge a tractor-trailer on one curve, but otherwise no troubles.
You can see this big yellow house from my place in Alta Vista
That’s it on the right, as seen from my roof on zoom
That’s Alta Vista on the hill
No rocks were rolling yesterday, thankfully
A kaleidoscope of color
I was honored to see a sari-sari store named after me.
A highway view at about the halfway point
And the view of Easter mountain from here
You don’t see a lot of graffiti…
But sadly, litter like this is strewn all up and down the highway. After all these years, I still don’t understand the mentality that would do this.
A river bed in dire need of rainy season
Nearing the end of the highway
I’ll be taking a left
The end of the road. It turns out that the Govic bypass is 7.5 kilometers long.
On the National Highway now
It’s burning season. I don’t understand the whys, or how these things don’t rage out of control and take out some houses. But it never seems to happen.
Waltermart and the Jeepney stand there convinced my tired old legs to bring my hike to an end.
A little under 10K from start to finish.

In the evening, I took Swan to dinner at John’s place.

The view from our perch.
I was craving the beef bulgogi
Swan enjoyed her Philly cheesesteak. I was glad to see it was served on a roll this time.

After dinner, I decided we should change things up and visit a bar I used to frequent regularly but hadn’t been to for several months–Whiskey Girl. My, how things have changed. One of my favorites, Kim, was still there but obviously a few months pregnant. My other favorite seemed to be ignoring me, but I called her over since I had a coupon for a free beer with every lady drink. It was hard to get reacquainted because the music was loudly blaring, and it was some crap disco-rap shit. I used to really enjoy the quality mix of songs here, but it has gone in a whole other direction. I finished my beer and told Jenn I won’t be back.

We crossed the highway to make Queen Victoria our nightcap venue. And damn, they were playing the same bullshit music, albeit at a more reasonable volume. I’ve been a semi-regular here for years and know the bartender, so I called him over to ask what was up with the music selection. He said that’s what the dancers want to hear. And I responded, but what about the customers? He just shrugged. He did put a different song on, but a few minutes later, I saw a dancer change it back. Oh well. I might come back for some live music someday, but this is no longer a venue I care to go to to chill out over a beer.

Yep, that grumpy old man last night was me. Play what you want as loud as you want. I’ve got fifty other bars to choose from. The thing is, the clientele in this town is primarily old fuckers like me, and we don’t want to hear that young peoples crap. So, if you don’t want my business, keep playing that shit. Rant over.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: What would you do if you were retired and discover that the Social Security trust fund will be insolvent in 2035?

A: Well, I don’t draw Social Security, but I do have a Federal pension. If for some reason Uncle Sam defaults on the promise of providing my monthly stipend, I’d be pretty much screwed. I don’t see that happening though. My bigger concern is that inflation will make my pension worth much less in terms of buying power. Also, since I live overseas, a weak dollar will impact exchange rates compounding the problem. I have money in savings accounts but that won’t last long if the above scenarios come to pass.

Yep, I’m at the mercy of my Uncle Sam. Let’s hope the American people rise up and prevent the bloodbath that four more years of Biden will surely bring to the economy.

On a lighter note:

That’s French to me.
I still have not recovered my sense of smell since the nostril surgery. So I can fart with impunity!

All right, off to see Dr. Jo, and from there, I will attend the 1000th SOB dance competition.

Walking and woeing

The day began with the Wednesday Walkers group hike. Later came saying goodbye to an old friend. And finished the day with sucking down some beers at Wet Spot.

We began the hike on the far side of Subic town, in an area we hadn’t visited in several years. Fences constructed since our last adventure in these parts stymied us several times. Still, we made the best of it, taking circular routes and retreating as necessary. It was a good day to be out and about with my fellow travelers.

A longish Jeepney ride to start things off.
Our merry band of hikers (minus Brian and Scott)
Rice in the road
Let’s do this!
Leaving the pavement behind
The end of a pig. I got a little nervous when the guy with the machete started eyeing my belly…
Into the woods
Let the climbing begin!
One moderately difficult hill and a few inclines during this hike. Hot day though.
The view from up top
Then down the other side
Through a small village.
I thought this was a pretty combination
A pause to regroup
Then onward we march
Steppin’ up
They cows kept a watchful eye as we passed.
At the tower of power
Hello up there
Taking in the ground-level view
Into the wild blue yonder
Heading back down
Humanity
A tree I liked.
One rickety bridge crossing…
…leads to another
And we all made it across!
A newly constructed house I rather liked for its simplicity. I could see myself enjoying a cold beer on the front porch. And then later dying of boredom.
A final bridge crossing
Then back to dodging trikes on the road
Pausing for a cookie delivery
Almost done
Arriving at Waltermart for the Jeep ride back to Barretto
When it was all said and done, it was just short of 7 K. You can see the circles and dead ends at the top. It was still a fun hike, though.
A good hill gets the heart rate pumping and earns me some Zone minutes.

After some R&R at home, it was time to head into town for some evening fun.

The beer o’clock view from Alta Vista

I had a couple of beers with Chris and his gal at Sloppy Joe’s, then moved over to It Doesn’t Matter to say goodbye to Bhel. Swan joined me there.

Bhel is moving to Angeles City to work at a resort there. She seemed excited about the opportunity. I wish her all the best in her new endeavor.
Bhel’s crew of well-wishers

Swan and I visited Wet Spot for our nightcap, and naturally, she hooked up with her pal, Aine, there.

First comes the sound…
…and then the smell.
It’s all good!

Another day is in the books. Or at least here at LTG!

Today’s Quora Q&A is a bit special. My most popular answer with 2.7 MILLION views, 2,951 upvotes, 551 comments, and 202 shares. That’s probably about as close to famous as I’m going to get!

Q: Am I lucky living in the Philippines?

A: There is no place else I’d rather be at this time in my life. No, it is far from perfect, but what place is perfect? I’m an American, but there is no way I’d want to be living there with all that craziness going on. Do I get frustrated sometimes with things that happen here? Of course I do. But then I take a walk in the mountains or on the beach, and I remember what’s important in life.

This just happened today—I watched a documentary on Bangladesh and realized that even the poor people in the Philippines live a much better life than many people do elsewhere in the world.

Yes, I feel lucky to be here.

As true now as it was then, but not particularly profound. For some reason, the Quora folk liked it more than anything else I’ve had to say by a long shot.

Now for the funny business:

Yes, I can see how my love of going to bed early could be misinterpreted.
I hear that A LOT from the bargirls…
1965 is a LONG TIME GONE, but I still enjoy this video. I imagine most of them are dead, but Nancy Sinatra is still walking at 84 years old.

The fine print

My breakfast platter. Or should I say, Fruit Loops?

My weekly excursion to the supermarket was enhanced by my efforts to read the content labels on the foods I purchased. It got to be quite the strain.

I purchased some San Miguel Zero beer for use at The Rite Spot. I checked that label too:

That’s easy enough: 60 calories and 3% alcohol. As the old joke goes, drinking Zero is like making love in a canoe–they are both fucking close to water.
The fine print. If it looks blurry, that’s how I see it, too. Each bottle contains 2.5 grams of carbohydrates.

Anyway, I didn’t purchase any of my normal temptations like ice cream. So far, so good.

Birds in a tree on the other side of the river from my place.

My other Tuesday routine is the walk to Baloy Beach to visit the Kokomo floating bar. As I walked along Baloy Beach Road I came upon this disconcerting sign:

Thankfully, I didn’t observe (or step in) any raw sewage. Hopefully, it didn’t wind up in the bay.
Waiting for my ride to the floater.

Yesterday’s experience was not a good one. The music was blaring when I arrived, which I despise. I asked the bartender if she would turn it down, and she did. I was the only male customer, but a group of women at one of the tables were partying loudly, and their shouts and screams were pretty annoying. One of them got up and raised the music volume higher than its previous level. None of the bar staff said a word, so I just waited for Swan to finish her wine (she is a notoriously slow drinker–I drink three for her one), and we departed before sundown.

Goodbye, Kokomo. I may or may not give you another chance to treat the customer right.

Since it was still early, we walked up the beach to McCoy’s. There was definitely a much friendlier vibe there. No music was playing (we were the only customers), and I asked if I could connect my Bluetooth to the speaker, and they agreed. So, I had no complaints about the playlist!

Baloy Beach as viewed from my perch at McCoy’s

I noticed that the Wild Orchid Barefoot Beach Bar had reopened next door following extensive remodeling. They had no customers, but a live acoustic band began playing anyway. I turned off my Bluetooth and listened to them from McCoy’s. Damn, they sounded great. And they were playing some of my old favorites from the sixties. Swan went next door to have a closer look.

I couldn’t see the stage from McCoy’s, but they were talented performers.

When Swan returned, I asked her what she thought of the Barefoot Bar. She said beers were 150 pesos (the most expensive I’ve seen in town), and a glass of wine was a whopping 360 pesos. No wonder they don’t have any customers. It’s a shame because otherwise, it appears to be a nice venue.

I had a McCoy’s taco for dinner.
My dinner time view
King of the roost at McCoy’s last night!

I was feeling no pain when we got back home and I went to sleep early—and woke up to another beautiful day in paradise. Keep ’em coming!

The Quora Q&A for the day:

Q: Does it get lonely after you retire?

A: I’m not sure “lonely” is the word I’d use, but I definitely missed the daily interactions with my co-workers. It turns out it was the people I worked with that mattered more than the actual work I did. Go figure.

Your daily dose of humor:

I always thought it was weird that she didn’t share the door with Jack.
I hope he’s bullshitting!
It’s not the meat, it’s the motion!

Oh well. That’s all I’ve got for now.

No can do

Well, I did what I could and the rest I didn’t. I walked to the start of yesterday’s Hash on Rizal Extension by taking the My Bitch trail. From my house to the trailhead was right at an hour’s walk. The last portion of Guenter’s trail followed My Bitch in the opposite direction, so I did do SOME of his trail at least. It was hot yesterday, and the two small climbs I undertook to get to the start left me feeling tuckered out. I knew then the hard-ass climb up to Kalalkan Ridge was not in the cards for me.

Starting at Court 4 on Rizal and going straight to the top of Kalaklan. The long trail went down the other side to Olongapo and then back up again. The short trail bypassed that section and went back down to My Bitch.

My alternative was doing a one-hour street walk leading back to the On-Home at Red Bar.

I got my steps in.

Those 249 Zone Minutes came as a surprise. That’s over four hours, and I didn’t walk that long. So, I just did a quick search, and this is how Fitbit counts it:

Work out smarter. With Active Zone Minutes, the harder you work, the more credit you get. 1 minute in the fat burn zone earns 1 Active Zone Minute, and 1 minute in the cardio or peak zone earns 2 Active Zone Minutes. You put in the work, and we’ll do the math!

Alright, that explains why my heart was pounding so hard getting to the start. It’s also a pretty good indicator that I made the right call when I didn’t climb the mountain. I got back to the On-Home around three o’clock. My regular group doing the “short” trail didn’t make it back until 4:30. Apparently, both the up and the down were brutal motherfuckers. Glad I missed it!

The end of my first climb was steeper than this photo depicts. Got the heart a-pounding!
Powder pointing the way. I did the opposite direction.
My Rizal Extension destination for the trail start and the ridgeline I declined to climb.
The view from here
Hello again, Easter Mountain
Not going my way this time.
That’s something you rarely see on the pavement.
I also ran into my mountain mama friend, MJ. She and her daughter weren’t feeling well and were en route to the pharmacy. I dispensed some cookies and lollipops.

The On-Home at Red Bar was pleasant enough, although I declined to partake of the food offerings (they looked pretty carby). After the Hash, I joined the group at IDM for a couple of more brews. I grabbed a trike for home and was deep into Alta Vista before realizing I had left my backpack at IDM. I had the driver turn around and take me back to retrieve it and, of course, doubled my usual fare. I wasn’t drunk, so I guess it is another indication that Biden disease is slowly taking root.

Speaking of which:

Scary shit
And ol’ Joe would likely be sniffing her hair.

But enough politics. Here’s a blast from the past via Facebook memories:

Back when I was 21 years old in 1976. I was doing the softball team stats on my calculator. There were no computers or internet in those days. I bought the pink refrigerator second-hand. I wouldn’t mind going back in time and being that guy again for a while.

Get your Quora Q&A while you can, I’m running out of answers (I rarely participate these days).

Q: What kind of changes have you made to your wardrobe now that you are retired?

A: Gave away all my shirts and ties (kept one suit for special occasions). Now I wear shorts every day. Blue jeans when I dress up to go to immigration.

The suit and jeans no longer fit. But I’m working on getting back down to size.

Now for the funny business:

Her cup runneth over.
I haven’t had a dessert for three days now.

And that’s all I’ve got for today.

I like this version better than the original.

On and on I go

Another Sunday has come and gone. I guess I am of Scottish blood because I didn’t give a thought to wearing green or otherwise celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. Still, I took comfort in my familiar routines and appreciated the joy of living the life I have chosen. It may not be perfect, but it satisfices.

Swan and I began our morning with the weekly candy walk. I had planned an 8K route, but the candy (and there was a lot of it) was gone after only 5K. We are doubling up on our candy purchase for next week.

Genesis. (In the beginning…)
The first of many stops.
The more the merrier.
A natural beauty.
Two of our regulars. They always hear us coming.
Lots more kids out and about than usual, that’s why our supply depleted so quickly.
What about me?!
Swan is so popular!

Later in the day, I took care of the feeding at Hideaway. Five dinners this week.

I didn’t feel like baking brownies, so I brought Choco Pies for dessert. And some seaweed to snack on.
As usual, I had the food delivered from Jewel Cafe. Joy had the chicken breast.

With my Hideaway mission completed, I headed for the beach.

Lots of folks enjoying some sea and sand on a Sunday afternoon.
We had some rain early in the afternoon, enough that I carried an umbrella for the first time in months, but the skies cleared up by five.
A view from the Arizona floating bar.
And another
Here comes my baby
Welcome aboard, Swan!

We were the only customers. There were eight girls and the two raft drivers. After an hour or so of watching them sit with nothing to do, I had the cashier make some change and give me ten 50-peso notes. Then I announced, “Is anyone here bored?” Everyone raised their hand, and I gave them some pesos to cheer them up. Hey, it’s cheaper than buying everyone a lady drink.

And then the sun did its thing.
Thanks for another day!
A lonely fisherman on the bay at sundown.

After departing the floater, I took Swan to Jewel Cafe for dinner. I am a regular Sunday customer for takeout, but I rarely have a sit-down meal there.

I enjoyed my healthy chef salad. And Swan would brook no discussion of bringing something home for dessert. It is good to have someone to drown out that voice in my head.

Life is good. I’m going to try to hold onto mine for as long as possible.

Alright, let’s do the Quora Q&A for the day:

Q: Is Joe Biden the most feared world leader?

A: He scares the hell out of me. Nothing good can come from his level of incompetence.

I answered that two years ago. It has only gotten worse since that time.

Speaking of jokes, how about these?

Hey, I resemble that remark!
What are the odds?
I’ve got a hole in my pocket. I don’t feel crazy, but I do feel nuts.

Okay, another Hash Monday is upon me. Guenter (Vienna Sausage) is the Hare, so I know I’ll be doing a modified version of his trail. I’ll let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Before it’s too late

I guess a downside to routines is engaging in unhealthy ones. Or maybe it is the genes I wear. My mother was diabetic and eventually died from congestive heart failure. Dr. Jo advises that the path I’m currently walking will likely lead to full-blown diabetes and kidney damage. Not the news I was hoping for.

Doctor’s orders

Perhaps it is not too late to change the road I’m on. I must limit my sodium intake to less than 2 grams daily. That means diet discipline I haven’t been able to muster recently, but oddly enough, I now feel a strong motivation to do so. Kidney failure and the resulting dialysis would be a nightmare that would be difficult for me to endure. The memories of my mom doing insulin injections are also nothing I want to replicate. Dr. Jo has doubled my metformin dose and wants to see me again on Friday to check my progress. My primary outward symptom is the swelling in my lower legs from fluid retention. This also puts a strain on my kidneys.

So, I’m overdue on taking positive steps to maintain my health. Hopefully, it is not too late.

Went out for a bit last evening with Swan. Started at Green Room and played a game of pool for the first time in a long while and was as crappy as I always was.

I won’t be quitting my day job, that’s for sure.

We finished up at Wet Spot, where Swan chatted with her friend Aine and I enjoyed Daddy Dave’s company. We grabbed some takeout at Sit-n-Bull (I had a healthy Salisbury steak). I went to bed early as usual, but now I sleep with my legs elevated on a pillow, which is supposed to help reduce the swelling.

And so begins the first day of the rest of my life.

Quora Q&A:

Q: What was it like on your last working day before you retired? Were you happy or sad to be leaving? Are you enjoying retirement or would you like to go back to work?

A: My last day at work was all about goodbyes, so that part was sad. I knew it was unlikely that I’d see most of these people I had worked with and cared about for years ever again. When my last workday ended, I left the office and went straight to the airport, where I got a plane to begin my new life in the Philippines. That was the exciting part of my last day as a working man. I am enjoying my retirement. I still miss the people but not so much the work.

Looking back, I regret that I didn’t live in the moment more during my last years in Korea. Too much looking back in sorrow and dreaming of a better future to appreciate the life I was living at the time.

I could use a laugh or two, how about you?

Maybe he was Middle Earth’s Jesus.
Book ’em, Dano
Return to sender, address unknown.
Get it while you can!

Sorry for the downer of a post today. It will get better. Or I’ll die trying.

Palmer died of a heart attack at age 54.

Hup, two, three, four…

The Friday group hike and the SOB filled the hours of my day. More of the same old same old, but then, a good same is never bad. That seems to be the story of my golden years.

We started the hike in Subic Hills and made our way to Castillejos. A couple of wrong turns and wading across a river were the interesting events, but we hadn’t been out that way in over a year, and it was a nice change of scenery. I didn’t mind that we didn’t do much hill climbing either.

Hell, Mary, thanks for keeping us safe!
My hiking companions Gary, Scott, and Erik
A tree I liked
Hup, two, three…
…four
Must be lonely out here
Down the hill…
…and into the rice paddy. Luckily it was dry.
It’s burning season
A happy cookie recipient
I’m glad the carabao was feeling lazy.
What’s a hike without a rickety bridge crossing?
Onward, Gary
Farmland
Lots of eggplant being grown out here.
Cow in the water
And so am I
It’s all part of the adventure.
I had just eaten turkey yesterday, and then this guy showed up.
We rode back to Barretto in an airconditioned bus. Not a bad way to finish a hot hike.
Not our intended route, but we made it work. A tad over 6K when we finished.

I hadn’t been to the SOB for awhile, and last night was the 22nd Anniversary for the event.

The girls were hotter back then.

So, I drank too many beers and enjoyed the show. I came away with a pocketful of discount tickets, which I reckon will motivate me to go out and spend money in the bars for the next week or so. And that’s how I ended another Friday.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: Retirees, when you first retired did you have any trouble adjusting to the new version of your days?

A: I really didn’t. At the conclusion of my final day at work, I hopped on a plane and flew to the Philippines to begin my life of leisure. In the beginning, I was kept busy with making the transition—finding a house to rent, exploring the area, and discovering my soon-to-be favorite bars and restaurants.

Now, three years on, I’ve totally adapted to my new environment. The oddest thing is that I actually start my day EARLIER than I did when I was working the old office hours. Now, I’m almost always in bed by 9:00 p.m. and up every morning at 4:30. It’s all good, though. I’m enjoying my days and my routines.

It’s been almost six years now, and I’m still carrying on. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, even when everything is pretty much always the same, day in and day out, it’s better than a life of routines would be for me back in the USA. No regrets!

Okay, a couple of these are actually funny I think:

I’ve got to hand it to you, Jack.
He didn’t measure up.
Humanity can be hard sometimes.

Anyway, back to Dr. Jo for a follow-up this afternoon. Not sure what’s going to happen after that. I’ll let you know tomorrow.

If the shoe fits, wear it.

No matter how hard I push the envelope…

…it remains stationary. It doesn’t stop me from trying, though.

I did one of my long (for me) solo walks yesterday, taking the highway to SBMA and then strolling around parts of the old Navy base I rarely see. It was nice for a change of pace and I managed eleven kilometers, almost double what I normally do. I broke my rule about not losing my cool when I decided to take a taxi back to Barretto. I always ask how much (the cabs are not metered), and the driver didn’t want to give me a straight answer. The last ride was 300 pesos, but this driver gave me the “up to you” routine. I wasn’t in the mood for playing games, and I gruffly told him to tell me how much. He said, “500 pesos,” and I told him to stop the car. Then he said 400 pesos, and I yelled again, stop! I exited the cab, walked across the highway, and caught a Jeepney back to Barretto for 20 pesos. Got out at Sit-n-Bull and had a great lunch.

The evening hours felt a little like old times. Swan had plans early, so we agreed to meet up later for dinner. I filled the hours with a mini-bar hop, spending time in Green Room and Roadhouse and spreading some lady drink cheer. Later, Swan joined me at John’s place for a nice dinner. It was my waitress friend Em Jhae’s last night there, so we bought her dinner, too. She almost cried when I gave her a nice tip as a going-away present. Then, after our meal, we met some of Swan’s friends at Voodoo for a couple more drinks. It’s been a while since I’ve done the night on the town routine. Good times!

Here are some photos from the day:

My journey began at the corner of Bryce Street and Roosevelt.
One thousand steps later, I was at the front gate of Alta Vista.
2000 steps found me at the Central Park Reef Hotel in “downtown” Barretto
3000 steps, on the highway headed out of town
4000 steps, a hillside home overlooking the highway.
5000 steps, still trudging down the highway
6000 steps, a turn for the better?
7000 steps, the natural beauty of Subic Bay
8000 steps, I see dead people
9000 steps, as close as I got to that lighthouse I vowed to hike to.
10,000 steps, a ship on the bay at SBMA
11,000 steps, the Philippine flag flapping in the wind.
12,000 steps, the old Spanish Navy base gate from the 1800s.
13,000 steps, a pee break at Harbor Point Mall.
14,000 steps, where I do my grocery shopping
15,000 steps, the end of the road. Especially for those people entombed on the hillside.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
The route I walked.
The stats for the day, including my dog walk and bar hop.
My lunch plate at Sit-n-Bull. Yep, that’s a Thanksgiving feast!
Dinner time view at John’s place
Swan had the chicken sandwich.
Em Jhae enjoyed the birria tacos
I ordered the Philly cheesesteak and was surprised to see it served on a bun instead of a roll. Still tasted good, though.
Goodbye and good luck, Em Jhae!
Finishing the night at Voodoo bar

Facebook memories reminded me of the last family gathering with Mom and Dad back in 2009.

Mom and Dad both passed away in 2010.

I follow politics but no longer engage in much debate. Still, sometimes I come across something too good not share.

That said, old Joe has given the country a good ass-fucking.

Moving along, here’s today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: Is Angeles City in the Philippines a good place to live? Is it as bad as people say?

A: I personally wouldn’t want to live there. It is a city that has all the modern conveniences—shopping, an international airport, nightlife—and not much else, in my opinion. Angeles was one of the first places I visited in the Philippines, but I’d find myself bored and depressed after a few days. Not much to do during the day, and the girly bars get old before long.

I chose to live a couple of hours away in Olongapo. Here I have beaches to walk and mountains to climb. I can find most of what I need here, and Angeles is just down the road should I need anything that it offers.

That doesn’t mean that Angeles is bad, it is just not for me.

I am OK going to Angeles for a day or two, especially for an event like the Hash. But I prefer places like San Antonio/Pundaquit when I need a quick get away. In fact, I’m about ready now.

Alright, you knew these were coming:

Yeah, that’s an old one.
Luckily, anal ain’t my thing.
He must be one of those Alpha males…
Cheers!

Time to get ready for tonight’s SOB dance competition. Haven’t been to one for several weeks, so it should feel fresh again. I’ll let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Steppin’ on up

Wednesdays come and Wednesdays go, but you can always enjoy them while they are here.

A challenging hike up to Kalaklan Ridge with the Wednesday Walkers group. We changed things up this time with a Jeepney ride out to Olongapo City and then climbing to the top from there. Lots of stairsteps added to the misery, but I took comfort in the fact that my fat ass had the lung capacity to get it done. I wouldn’t have made it halfway a month ago.

I had a doctor’s appointment at 2:00. Nothing significant to report from my visit with Dr. Jo. She took a blood sample to check on some kidney function issues. The fluid retention in my lower legs and ankles is the concern du jour, but before I start taking meds for that, we need to reduce or eliminate other types of medications I’m taking for other issues, like blood pressure. So, we’ll see what the blood work results suggest as the appropriate course of action.

It was still too early after the appointment for the bars and once I was back home, I had no real desire to go back out again. It was the perfect evening for some time at The Rite Spot. Todd and his lovely wife Sheila joined in the fun and Erik dropped by as well. A nice ending to a good day.

Swan and Inday joined the hike.
And so it begins
Onward and upward
Gaining some elevation
Are we there yet?
Scott’s vantage point
A surprise encounter. It turns out Inday has family way up here.
Look at the fat guy go!
Hillside living
The higher we got the quality of the steps declined.
And then there were none. The upward trajectory continued, however.
On the up and up
Swan bringing up the rear
Almost to the top now
The last steps are the hardest
It was a nice resting spot. Yep, there was a house at the top of our climb. It’s hard to imagine actually living up here and having those stairs as part of your daily commute.
A nice view from there, though.
Some cookies to the hilltop dwellers.
Hiking the ridgeline is so much more enjoyable than getting to the ridgeline.
Another cookie stop
Flower power
Time to head down the other side
A woodsy journey
I like a nice gentle down
Down there lies Barretto
A hillside shanty community
And back on the pavement again
Just shy of 7K end to end.

A hard but enjoyable morning on the ridge.

Later, I was once again climbing steps–this time up to the roof.

The view as I awaited the arrival of my guests
A meatball snack for my guests
Lucky keeping watch. This shot also captures the journey one undertakes to reach the rooftop.
Welcome to The Rite Spot, Todd and Sheila!
That’s a BIG plate of freshly made sushi my guests contributed to the gathering. I’m not a big sushi eater, but it was damn good. I also got some chopstick practice in…
Sheila and I jokingly argue about who’s house has the best views. Top this!
It was a nice way to end the day.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: What is the best way to learn about a distant area you think you want to retire to before investing a lot of money to move there?

A: Well, the obvious thing, I guess, is to visit as often as possible before making a commitment to move. I came to the Philippines two or three times a year for several years, exploring different parts of the country before deciding where to call home in retirement.

If someone doesn’t have that luxury, don’t make any permanent commitments until you’ve been in the country enough to know it is a good fit. Don’t ship your furniture or car, don’t buy or long-term lease a house. Make sure it is where you want to stay before investing a lot of money.

Maybe I’m having a bad day, but I couldn’t find anything funny to share. There will have to do for now:

Ouch, wait until that ass is 68.
It’s not the meat it’s the motion

Today’s song bears no relevance to the post. I heard it for the first time in many, many years while having lunch at Sit-n-Bull, and it just brought the memories flooding back.

I used to take my mom’s ’69 Plymouth Fury to the drag strip. She could never figure out why the motor mounts were always broken.

Extravaganza

That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I did engage in a shopping spree yesterday morning. The usual full shopping cart at Royal ($300+), and then Swan and I walked to the mall to do some shoe shopping. Also, for some strange reason, my shorts have been shrinking, so I wanted to get a pair or two that fit more comfortably.

My takeaways

I wound up bringing home three new pairs of shoes. That’s a real challenge because a size 11 is hard to find in these parts. I did score a pair of the coveted Merrell hiking shoes but paid a premium price of over 6000 pesos ($120.). I needed to replace my everyday Sketchers, too, but alas, my size was not in stock. So, I’m trying a new (to me) brand called “Basekamp”. I got two pairs at the more reasonable price of 1700 pesos each. We’ll see how that works out. My shorts size is also in the high range of fit here, but I finally found a couple of pairs I could button around my waist. I always get a little nervous about running out of clothes before the weekly laundry wash is completed. The new duds will provide some leeway in that regard. I also found three new shirts I liked with an ample cut sufficient to accommodate my large belly. So, it was a successful outing.

My Tuesday tradition also includes a journey out to Baloy Beach to enjoy some time on the Kokomo floating bar. Here’s how that looked:

The brownies I baked for the girls
Leaving home (I’m the house in the middle)
Revisiting a portion of Monday’s Hash trail
Departing Alta Vista
Crossing the National Highway (always the most dangerous part of my day).
On Baloy Long Beach Road
Passing through Treasure Island Resort
On Baloy Beach
Arriving at my destination
The way I went (not quite 2K)
Not very busy when I arrived. A couple of the gals filled the time dancing for TikTok.
While some of the crew munched on brownies
Here comes Swan to join me.
I’m wearing one of my new shirts
Hasher Wesley and his gal were also in attendance.
Gotta keep an eye on that sun
The three gals I bought a lady drink for.
Time is passing
Until we meet again
See you next week!

Next stop was DaKudos for a bite to eat.

My old friend Roan from IDM was tending bar.
I enjoyed a chef salad (I can’t remember what Swan had), and then we headed home.

Not bad for a Tuesday, eh?

Commenter Kevin asked about my life as a father; here’s a post I wrote a few years ago about raising my kids. I got a surprise when re-reading it this morning to see that a couple of spam hyperlinks had been added to my commentary. I’m not sure how that is done unless someone hacked my admin login. I deleted them, but it’s still scary to think that someone could modify a post I’ve written.

Ready for today’s Quora Q&A?

Q: What are some of the relevant professional bodies to join as an HR officer or professional?

A: I was a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) for most of my career. They also offer certification exams to earn the designation of Senior Professional in Human Resources Management (SPHR) and the Professional in Human Resources Management (PHR).

I was an SPHR, not that it matters now.

Some humor before I go:

I’m no socialist, either.
It seems like he got punctuated. That must have hurt!
I’ve spun some of their records

Like this one: