We dispensed all the candy on yesterday’s walk in less than 5K. There were lots of kids out and about looking forward to our arrival. Sometimes, I think about doing the candy walk in different areas for a change of scenery, but that would mean a lot of disappointed children in San Isidro. So, it is what it is, at least for now.

Later, I fed the five Hideaway girls. There were a couple of other customers this time, but Joy says it’s been quiet for quite some time. I asked her why that was, and she said it was because there were not many girls working now to attract customers. I asked why you don’t hire more girls. She responded that they can’t afford to until there are more customers. I believe there is a business term for that kind of doom loop, but I can’t think of it now.

After Hideaway, I crossed the highway for my rendezvous with Swan at John’s place.

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. It was Aine’s birthday, but she was a no-show. Apparently, she was recovering from a generous customer the night before. And so ended another sweet Sunday.

I had a rough night last night, waking around midnight not feeling quite right. Slapped on the oximeter and my blood oxygen registered 85–that’s a record low for me. Puffed my inhaler and fired up the nebulizer, and got back into the low 90s. I used my oxygen tank and returned to the “normal” range before going back to bed. Rechecked the oximeter when I woke this morning, and I registered low normal at 95. I have no idea what’s going on this time, but I think it may be my lungs don’t function well when I’m in a prone position sleeping. Hopefully, this, too, shall pass–before I do!

I’ve got a Hash coming up this afternoon, so we’ll see how the lungs hold up in the hills.

With an election on the horizon, I’m expecting more of this nonsense from all the social media giants working hand-in-hand with the powers that be. Well, except this time Twitter (X) isn’t completely in the government’s pocket. We’ll see.

Thanks for the memories, though.

Two years ago, I had a surprise birthday party for Aine at Wet Spot. It was a nice time, but the surprise was on me. She told me she had met a guy and was moving to Singapore with him. I wished her well, but she was back a year later. And so goes the life of a bargirl.

Today’s YouTube is from Reekay, and he addresses the issue of noise pollution in the Philippines. In my view, he understates it somewhat. After litter, the lack of respect for peace and quiet is probably my biggest peeve. It manifests itself in many ways, music (and worse, videoke) being played at full volume. Motorbikes without mufflers. Barking dogs. And, of course, roosters crow at all hours, but especially in the early morning. I joke that living in Alta Vista subdivision is not at all like living in the Philippines, but I can still hear the Philippines from my house. There is a rooster farm just across the river from me, and I can hear them, but I’ve acclimated enough now that it is just background noise. I occasionally hear the locals in Santo Tomas doing karaoke (yes, that’s how loud they play it) as well. Anyway, it is what it is; you either adapt or live miserably. Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way and all that.

Humor me:

More to come tomorrow.

Yesterday wasn’t exactly more of the same; it was more of the same on a different timetable.

Only Ed and I showed up for the Friday group hike. We did a loop around the Naugsol valley and logged a little over 6K when we finished.

Things went a bit off-schedule because I had a Hash Mismanagement meeting to attend at 2 p.m. These meetings are held a couple of times a year to discuss and vote on issues impacting Hash operations. Yesterday’s agenda included voting on retaining two of our Hash venues and deciding on the location and logistics for the Hash anniversary run in October. The meeting was held at the VFW, and Dave, the Grandmaster, threw 500 pesos in the pot to treat the beer drinkers to some cold beverages. I don’t usually drink so early in the afternoon, but I made an exception yesterday.

We had some issues with being overcharged during our last visit to the One-Three Resort. The owner extended an olive branch and agreed to change the method for accounting for beer consumption, so we voted to give the venue another chance. McCoy’s unilaterally and without notice raised the price of beers during our previous visit, and we voted to end that relationship. The 41st Anniversary run of the SBH3 will be celebrated at the Subiza Beach Resort on Baloy. I was happy with that outcome as it is one of my favorite Hash venues. We also voted on the design of the Hash shirts for the anniversary. A productive and satisfactory meeting that lasted a little over an hour.

Swan messaged me that her friend Jo (the Grandmaster’s girlfriend) wanted her to come to It Doesn’t Matter. So, I agreed to join them there after the meeting. Dave (the Grandmaster), Jim, and Gunther also came to IDM when business was concluded at the VFW. So, us menfolk gathered at our table and the gals got together in their corner, and the drinking commenced. Or should I say resumed? Anyway, we had a good time doing the guy talk thing on a variety of subjects, and we went on and on into the night. I finally called it quits a little after 8 p.m., which, given my early start, made for an exceptional level of consumption. I won’t say I was fried, but I was pretty toasted.

I was pretty shocked when I was presented with a tab for 3100 pesos. I was my usual generous self when it came to lady drinks, buying two each for the two waitresses serving our table. Of course, I was buying Swan’s drinks, but she’s a comparable lightweight wine sipper. I also bought some finger foods to snack on. But doing the math in my sober head today, I’m thinking someone made a mistake. Well, I did by not being more vigilant, but things just don’t add up. Anyway, lesson learned. I hope.

I’m going to spend my Saturday evening in the relative safety and comfort of The Rite Spot. I deserve a break today.

Speaking of memories, here’s what I did seven years ago::

And five years ago, during my last trip to Korea, my nephew Justin held court with Kevin Kim. Justin is a smart young man, but he’s been totally indoctrinated in liberal dogma to the extent he can no longer articulate an original political thought.

Today’s YouTube is from one of my favorites, The Filipina Pea. She’s visiting Bohol, a place at the top of my bucket list to see. Hopefully, I’ll be taking Swan there later this month.

And now, your daily dose of humor:

Another day in the life without much to complain about. It’s hard to be a grumpy old man around here. The usual fun and games, with a little twist at the end. It went something like this:

I suggested spending the evening at The Rite Spot, but Swan said she had told the owner of the new disco in town that we would attend a special event there last night.

The problem is that the disco doesn’t open until 8 p.m., and the partying doesn’t begin until after nine—too late for this old timer. But Swan convinced me to make an appearance, and then we’d leave before it got late. I pushed back beer o’clock by an hour, then began the evening with dinner at Mangos.

We still had time to kill after dinner and I had a Whiskey Girl coupon to use, so we made that our next stop. Swan and a couple of the waitresses got into a deep conversation in Tagalog, but apparently it was about some of the antics that take place behind a red curtain in the bar. Still, it was nice to see Swan enjoying the company of the girls. And yes, some lady drinks were purchased.

Then we moved on to Snackbar to await the disco’s opening. After a couple more beers and a couple more lady drinks, it was finally time to move upstairs.

Anyway, we left before nine. We came to show support for the owners, and the owners didn’t seem to care that much. It’s no big deal; I’m sure it got busy later. Just not my scene.

So, I shared these political images on my Facebook page:

Facebook memories reminded me of the life I was living in 2013.

I’m featuring two (short) videos from vlogger Reekay today. They are different from what he usually posts because they are songs. I have no idea who wrote or performed them, but they have a message and are enjoyable.

And today’s attempt at being funny:

That’s all for today.

No, my pronouns won’t change, and I’m not sure what I’m transitioning to, but my epiphany last night was that I don’t enjoy the bars nearly as much as I used to. Maybe it is just a passing phase. Swan stayed home last night but encouraged me to go out and enjoy some “me” time. I started out at Green Room to use my “buy one, get one” coupon. One thing I noticed during my visit was I didn’t see even one “I would if I could” candidate amongst the multitude of women in the bar. That’s not like me, although I’d rarely partake, even when I was single. It got boring after an hour or so, so I crossed the highway to visit Cheap Charlies. My two regulars there have left for other, hopefully, greener pastures. I drank alone for the first beer, and then a gal I hadn’t seen for quite some time came and sat down beside me. I asked her where had she been, and she said she was home in the province for the past nine months. Being the math wizard that I am, I asked if she’d had a baby there, and she said yes. She told me the father was a Filipino who had flown before the child was born. The kid stayed in the province with her mother while she came back to work. I bought her a welcome-back lady drink and reflected on how the cycle of poverty continues to perpetuate.

The best part of my visit to Cheap Charlies was watching the sun setting behind the clouds.

Shortly after the sun was done, so was I. Heading home at seven is early, even for me. I guess I truly am not the man I used to be.

Ah, the memories. Eight years ago, I visited my barber in Seoul.

Four years ago, I found an exception to my usual disdain for face masks:

And, of course, eighty years ago, the brave soldiers landed on the beaches of France. My, how times have changed.

Today’s YouTube video reminded me of an incident I had almost forgotten about–the man who took revenge on the small town that had wronged him. With a bulldozer.

Anyone in the mood for some offensive humor? Here you go:

And we’ll leave it at that for today.

And not altogether wrong. Just one of those days that was a little bit off. Hey, you need the not-so-good to fully appreciate the good ones, right? And if yesterday is as bad as it gets, I am indeed a blessed man. Here’s the story of my Bluesday.

Headed out for the weekly grocery shopping excursion at Royal. My first stop is always the ATM at the nearby Harbor Point Mall, where I stock up on cash for the coming week. Except this time, the ATM was offline, requiring a detour to the ATMs on the other side of SBMA (I use the BPI bank machines because they allow 20,000 peso withdrawals). I extracted the needed cash, and we reversed course back to the Royal supermarket, where the shopping took place without further incident. No big deal, but still not quite right.

So, now that the floating bars are no more, Swan and I need a new Tuesday evening routine. If we can’t be on the water, we at least want to be able to view the bay from our seats. We weren’t that thrilled with the Kokomo’s experience last week, so I thought we’d try something new. On the far end of Barretto, there is a floating island resort. I’ve never been, but there is a sign out front saying the restaurant is open to non-guest customers. I was thinking it might be similar to the Kon Tiki experience, only closer. Only one way to find out, right?

We had the typical afternoon rain shower (I’m not complaining about the rainy season–yet), but the rain stopped just before we left home. We did carry umbrellas just to be safe. It’s a little over 2K from my house to the venue, and I was tempted to grab a trike using the weather as an excuse, but I persevered and got in the steps. We arrived and walked through the front gate. A guard stopped us and asked where we were going. Swan did the talking in Tagalog. So, despite the signage inviting guests, the restaurant wasn’t open. It seems that if the resort has no customers, they don’t open the restaurant at all. And on a rainy Tuesday, the floating island had no guests. Swan asked the guard if we could walk through to the beach, but he wouldn’t allow it. So, guess what? You can keep your fucked up resort, we won’t be back. It was a disappointment, though.

So, I didn’t really have a Plan B, but as we walked back to “downtown” Barretto, it occurred to me that I hadn’t dined at the Arizona Resort for quite some time. Back in my tourist days, I often stayed there, and early in my expat life, I dined there frequently. I’m not sure what happened, but after a change of owners and the COVID scamdemic, the place seemed to go downhill. Oh well, we wanted to eat on the beach, and Arizona fit that criteria, so in we went.

Our waitress dropped off the menus, Swan ordered red wine, and I asked for a San Mig Zero.

Swan ordered a steak sandwich, and I went with a chef salad.

After our meal, we continued up the highway and popped into It Doesn’t Matter. There was nothing to complain about here, but we moved on after one drink. We chose Wet Spot for our nightcap. It was early, and the place was not very busy. Swan’s friend Aine wasn’t at work, but I kept our regular waitress Irene from going thirsty. I used my “buy one, get one” SOB coupon and drank my money’s worth. The Sit-n-Bull waitress came by, so we ordered some pecan pie to bring home with us.

When we got home, Swan was feeling a bit tipsy, so we went to bed early. Later, after some exercise, I had a breathing attack. My oximeter said my blood oxygen was at 89, so I opened my air tank for the first time in quite a while and breathed its contents until I was back to a comfortable 96 oxygen level. A suitable ending to a day that was not quite right.

There’s an election coming up, and Facebook is back to playing it’s censorship game.

I reposted it in a group of non-political hiking pictures, but the Facebook censors found it again and sent a message threatening to restrict people’s access to my future posts. Heil Zuckerberg, mien Fuhrer!

Speaking of Facebook, here are some memories from this day in history:

What a world.

Oh, that Aeta video I posted yesterday wasn’t the one I intended. This one is much more interesting and now (I hope) the closed captioning is working so you can understand what is being said by the natives.

And now for some not quite right humor:

Keep ’em coming! Two Barretto expats died last week and that serves as a timely reminder to live each day to the fullest. It may not be an exciting life I’m living, but it satisfices and beats the hell out the alternative. We’ll see how that works out for me, hopefully in the long run.

The Sunday sweetness began with our weekly candy walk. We added a couple of kilometers this week and put smiles on some new faces.

We were blessed with good weather on our walk. A couple hours after we finished, it looked like this outside:

The rain stopped before it was time to leave for the Hideaway feeding. I carried an umbrella for the first time this year, just to be on the safe side. I didn’t need it, though.

With the Hideaway feeding completed, it was time to feed Swan. John’s place is almost directly across the highway from Hideaway, and Swan was waiting for me when I arrived. Red wine for her and Zero for me while we awaited our dinner to be served.

As usual, the food at John’s was good. We had our nightcap at Green Room and ran into a couple of our neighbors, so that made a nice ending to the evening. Oh, and Sit-n-Bull had pecan pie in stock, so we brought home our dessert. A sweet ending to the day!

I’m one of the Hares for today’s Hash, so I was out marking the trail at 0800 today. Hot again, and I’m whupped right now. I’m sure I’ll recover in time to enjoy some cold beers at the Hash Circle. I’ll give the rundown on how it all goes tomorrow.

Today’s YouTube features some tough talk from President Marcos of the Philippines. I guess you could sing it to the tune of “This Land Is Our Land.” Actually, the Woody Guthrie song I’m thinking of is “This Land Is Your Land,” which wouldn’t be good to sing to China. Never mind!

And here’s the daily dose of humor:

Okay, I really need a nap. Back tomorrow.

And no man is an island. So, what better place to spend a Saturday evening than Treasure Island?

The day began with my Standard Saturday Solo Street Stroll—pretty boring, actually. I’m happy to report that I overcame the near-constant urge to shortcut during the walk, so there’s that.

I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Jo, and she seemed satisfied that I was progressing in the right direction. So, we will continue with the same drug regimen for another couple of weeks anyway.

I asked Swan if she wanted to spend the evening at The Rite Spot On The Roof or go to Treasure Island to hear the band. You already know which one she chose. The nice thing is that the band starts around four. Most venues don’t have live music until after my bedtime. Bar bands don’t usually impress me for a variety of reasons, but mainly because the music tends to be loud and distorted. That wasn’t the case with Engine, a popular local group. I quite enjoyed their performance. We also had a nice meal during our visit.

After a pleasant evening at Treasure Island we stopped at Snackbar for our nightcap.

And that’s how our Saturday went down. This evening, I’ll do the feeding at Hideaway. With the Arizona floating bar gone for the season, our new Sunday tradition will be dinner at John’s place. Looking forward to that!

Seems like only yesterday that people said I looked like Magnum P.I. Well, that was thirty-five years ago.

Today’s YouTube video gives you a tour of Treasure Island if you’d like to see more. I love the beachfront setting and the food. It’s a great pool, but I’ve never used it. I stayed there a couple of times as a tourist but never liked the rooms. There are better lodging options nearby, but I’d still come back to sit at the bar and take in the view.

To the humor, then:

Until we meet again.

Only Erik and I turned out for the Friday group hike. We walked out to the end of Baloy Long Beach Road, then took the boat across the river to Matain and continued our walk there. Circled back around through Calapacuan and then on to Barretto. A little over 8K. I brought home a Big Mac for lunch, likely canceling any benefits derived from the hike. I guess that’s just the way I roll.

Swan was back at the barangay in San Isidro for the follow-up meeting with the vicious dogs’ owner. He was a no-show. Another summons will be issued for a meeting next week. When I walked by this morning, they were out in attack mode. I carry a stick with me, and I will go postal on them if they get within range.

We attended the SOB last night at La Oficina. It was the same old, same old routines but it was a decent venue for watching the show. I reckon I’m going to become a once-a-monther.

I saw this on Facebook, and it brought back some memories of my days as a youth.

Today’s video talks about money transfer issues. The big one I hear about is missing the “proof of life” letter from the Social Security folks and losing your pension. Luckily, that’s not a requirement for my retirement, which is deposited on the first of the month into my credit union account in the USA. I pay my helpers through wire transfers from my account to their Filipino bank. I make my charity allowances via Western Union. I do weekly ATM withdrawals for my pocket money. Hopefully, I won’t encounter the problems these folks have had to deal with with.

And on to the jokes:

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for today.