And then you get to the final chapter and start worrying about how many pages are left to be turned.
Live ’em while you got ’em, that’s the best and only option. Here’s how that worked out for me yesterday.
Our housekeeper, Jane, is Swan’s niece and resides in our basement apartment with her hubby and three kids. It’s equipped with everything they need to live comfortably except a television. Our mission yesterday morning was to rectify that situation. There’s an appliance store on the far side of town, and I told Swan we could make that our walk destination. She was a little surprised when I took her the back way via the My Bitch trail and Rizal Extension, arriving at Robinson’s a little over 6K later. Here’s some of what we saw along the way:
Swan looks so excited about taking the long way there, doesn’t she?That tall thatch grass has now been burned, which makes the walking easier. After all my time living here, I still can’t figure out the motivation for coming up here to burn. I also wonder how in the hell the fires don’t rage out of control, but they also seem to burn themselves out in due course.Everyone’s favorite mountain.Those houses down there are on Rizal Extension. Up above is the Kalaklan Ridge.A view of Subic town and the bay from here.And a mountain view.Show me the way, Sweetie Pie.Once we were back on pavement, Swan was thirsty, so we stopped at a sari-sari store. You buy the Coke, and then it is poured into a plastic bag for take-out.A wanted poster outside the local DILG unit.Be on the lookout, especially if you are a Korean.
And then we arrived safely at the Robinson’s appliance store, where I purchased a 50″ Smart TV for a little under $400. Our downstairs residents were ecstatic.
Welcome home!
Later in the afternoon, Swan and I made our way to the Kokomo’s floating bar.
That would be the one.A US Navy MSC ship anchored in the bay. Civilians crew them, so I’m sure the bargirls will enjoy the company of young men for a change(military members are confined to SBMA when in port).
Our visit to the floating bar proved to be a disappointment. No wine for Swan, so she had water. They wanted 120 pesos for a gin shot, plus another 100 for the can of soda water. I had one, and then we decided to move on.
The raft coming to take us back ashore.
But we weren’t giving up on our beach time. There’s a small resort named Tropical Garden, further up Baloy, owned by a Hasher (Goat Fucker). We decided to check out the vibe.
The view from my barstool.The view of my fat ass on a barstool. As you can see, several other foreigners were enjoying some time at Tropical Garden.
So, Tropical Garden wanted 180 pesos for a gin shot. Add in a can of soda water, and it’s nearly three times more expensive than a beer. Nope, no can do. I’ll have to find another way to reduce calories and carbs. I still haven’t been able to find out what’s going on with the unavailability of San Miguel Zero beer.
Sunset on the beach at Tropical Garden.Swan on the beach as we made our way to Treasure Island for dinner.Our favorite place to eat on Baloy Beach.Chicken quesadillas for Swan.And an excellent grilled pork chop for me.
I’d given up on gin and soda by this point, but I enjoyed a couple of cold San Miguel Lights, then we called it an early night and headed on home. Notwithstanding the Kokomo’s disappointment, we enjoyed our beach time.
It’s December 2017 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recount the once-in-a-lifetime experience of walking over 50,000 steps. It’s chock full of pictures of the area surrounding Camp Humphreys and the city of Pyeongtaek. Thanks to Kevin Kim for the challenge and inspiration to make the journey of a lifetime.
For today’s YouTube video, we’ll take a journey back in time and see what traveling on a stagecoach was really like. Spoiler alert: it was not a comfortable experience.
Now we will travel on to where the humor is:
Something doesn’t add up here…No, that’s not me. Yet.How’d that work out for the men on the Titantic?
Another day, another post about yesterday. And now to get on with today.
The moon goes down, and the sun comes up. And so began another day in the life.
As I’ve alluded to in my recent posts, I’ve kinda sorta been feeling out of sorts lately. I’m sure some of this derives from being in an emotionally weird place, but there are physical aspects as well. Light-headedness, lethargy, weird aches and pains are some of the symptoms I’ve been enduring. I need to schedule another consult with Dr. Jo to see if any of this is liver-related. God knows, my liver gets plenty of exercise, but it ain’t as young as it once was. I saw an ad on Facebook that described what happens when your liver begins to fail, and it was a little too familiar for comfort. And since it was an advertisement, they suggested an herbal remedy called Lymphoria. Well, it was “only” 1800 pesos ($35), so I decided to order a bottle. I figure it can’t hurt, right?
Wednesday went as Wednesdays usually do, starting with the Wednesday Walkers group hike.
Only three this week, Swan, me, and George.We invaded the Naugsol Valley.Yeah, that again.That girl of mine.And a tree I liked.
A 6K trek on a hot day was plenty.
Swan took a “me day,” so I was on my own for the evening adventure in Barretto. I plopped my sorry behind down on a stool at Cheap Charlies and put my new drinking strategy to work. On the plus side, my gin shot with a can of soda water lasted around thirty minutes, about twice as long as a bottle of beer. On the negative side, after two gins, I was feeling a tad more buzzed than I wanted to be, so I switched to beer for the remainder of the evening. I’m not giving up yet, but I’ve got to learn to pace myself better.
Otherwise, my visit to Cheap Charlies was pleasant enough. My hike buddy Todd popped in for a while, so I had someone to chat with, which is nice. I fed the girls in lieu of lady drinks, and they were very appreciative. I was even given the rare beer on the house as a thank you.
A Barretto view from out front……and the bay view from the back.
I wasn’t quite ready to call it a night, so I popped into Alaska for a final round of drinks. Still made it home before 8 pm, where Swan was awaiting my return and the smoothie I promised to make for her. And that was all there was to Wednesday.
From Facebook memories:
Nine years ago, I was climbing these steps to Seoul Tower at the top of Namsan. I wonder if I could still make it up that way nowadays.
In the November 2017 LTG archives, I share my Thanksgiving blessings. I’m not sure why it is that it seems that it is always in looking back that I realize how good my life was, despite my feeling that it sucked. Hopefully, I’m not going look back on the present in a similar fashion.
Today’s YouTube video features people even dumber than me. Yep, you read that right. The most dangerous thing I do is crossing the National Highway, but I’d never try to take a selfie while doing so.
The correct answer is obviously “all of the above.”
I’m going to make the effort to change things up around here. We’ll see how that works out for me. Me being me, I’m not taking the hard road, but I intend to tweak my lifestyle by eating smarter. No, I don’t plan to count calories or anything like that at this point. I’ll just try to show a little more discipline and self-control when it comes to what I put in my mouth. As a first step in that direction, while grocery shopping yesterday, I successfully avoided purchasing the usual half-gallon of ice cream. Instead, I made a sugar-free pudding before heading out to the bars, and my drunken dessert was waiting for me when I returned.
Speaking of drinking, I’m making some modifications in that regard as well.
I’m adding gin and soda water to my repertoire once more.
So, one shot of gin is around 97 calories. That’s not much less than the 100 in a bottle of San Miguel Light. But I get the shot in a tall glass and order a can of soda water (no calories) on the side. That turns one drink into three, reducing the calories consumed and lessening the alcohol volume. But I’m not giving up on beer entirely. My current plan is to alternate between the drinks. Hopefully, that will moderate the impact of the gin intake whilst also reducing my overall consumption of calories. In my previous switches to gin, I suffered some repercussions that included getting drunker than I wanted to be (like falling down getting out of the trike drunk). Wish me luck as I move forward with my new plan!
Oh, and if you are wondering about my motivation, for some reason, I stepped on my bathroom scale yesterday. 259.7 pounds. Yikes!
I walked home from the Royal supermarket after yesterday’s shopping excursion.
A bay view from the highway.And across the road, the dead zone.
As nice as the views along the highway are, there isn’t much shoulder space, and people drive here like pedestrians have no business being out walking. The scooters are especially bad, treating that small roadside space as a motorbike lane. It tends to take the joy out of the hike for me.
Accidents do happen. I guess this person just said, “fuck it,” and left the wreck behind.That’s my life.It’s exactly five kilometers from Royal to Sit-n-Bull if anyone should ask.
I did my drinking at Sloppy Joe’s and Wet Spot yesterday. Green Room is closed for renovations now. As I understand it, the new owner is adding restrooms (yay! no more going next door to pee) and a dance stage (boo! we don’t need another dancing bar). We’ll see how that works out. In the meantime, all the Green Room staff are working out of Wet Spot. That meant buying twice my usual number of lady drinks. Anyway, I was still standing when I got home, so my moderation plan is working so far.
From the November 2017 LTG archives comes a post about my working life. With less than six months to go before re-retirement, I felt appreciation for the meaning work brought to my life and some trepidation about what my life might look like without it.
Today’s YouTube video offers five signs that your life may be ending soon. Other than my expanding abdomen, none of them is yet in evidence for me. Well, the memory is fading, but not to the extreme extent the AI voice talks about. I still can’t shake this feeling of impending doom for some reason, but I’m going to keep on doing what I do for as long as I am able.
Bad puns and bad humor are always here to be enjoyed:
It is good to liquidate what ails you.That’s a downer. I got stuck on an escalator once for an hour when the power went out.Well, so did Obama…
And now on with my snack-less and sweet-less life. Thank God for alcohol!
I’m here to report that I survived another Hash Monday. This one wasn’t all that difficult thanks to the Hare’s efforts at accommodation for the old, fat, and frail. Anal Receptive actually laid two trails, a 10K with three hills, and a mostly flat 4K trail. I’m sure y’all know which route I chose. I did add 1.6K to the effort by walking to the start from my house. Here’s some of what I saw along the way:
The view as I departed Alta Vista.We gathered at the APO Resort for the start of the trail.And away we go!The Hare was kind enough to construct a ladder to make getting down from this wall easy on us cripples.It’s a rare event to be able to walk across this rice field when it is dry.An almost pleasant stroll.Some pavement time on the streets of San Isidro.Heading back up into Alta Vista.A high view from Alta Vista. But I repeat myself.Leaving Alta Vista.I was pleasantly surprised that the Hare found a back way around that newly constructed fence that blocks my shortcut to Barretto. I’ll be using this route regularly in the future.Heading On-Home.It’s been several months since we last had a Hash gathering at Johansson’s.The way I rolled.Gash waiting for the Circle to commence.Gash at the Circle.The Subic Bay Hash House Harriers doing what Hashers do.It’s nice on ice!
Some after-Hash time at It Doesn’t Matter, then I called it a day. Keep ’em coming!
From the November 2017 LTG archives, I’m offering up the unprecedented three-for: each post has a similar theme as I make my way out of the recent heartbreak I’d experienced. The Dating Game is about my online and real-time efforts. Who’s Your Daddy covers a night out on the town with my buddy Duke. And Keep the Customers Satisfied is about my exploits as an asshole. A gal named Joy is the common denominator in all three posts. I’d forgotten all about her until re-reading these posts. Let me say I’m sorry again, Joy.
And in another odd coincidence, today’s YouTube video is about the seven signs you are a stupid person. I’m smart enough to recognize that at least five of them apply to me.
At least I’m good for a laugh:
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Enjoy those virgin goats!I never knew…Be careful what you wush for.
I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it. –Groucho Marx
Easier said than done, but worth the effort, I suppose. Yeah, I’m having one of those days, but this too shall pass. In the meantime, I can take comfort in knowing that things can, and have been, worse than they are. It’s easy to forget your blessings when you take them for granted, but you don’t have to look far to see that the struggles of others are infinitely worse.
When I decided to move to the Philippines, one of my goals was to try make things better for people by my being here. Yeah, you can’t help everyone, but you can make a difference for some. To some degree, I’ve achieved that goal, even if you don’t count providing lady drink commissions. One of my current projects is helping an acquaintance who is currently fighting uterine cancer. I help out with rent, food, and medical expenses, but damn, the struggles of getting proper treatment in a public (versus private) healthcare system here are phenomenal. Here’s her latest message to me:
Hello John, update for today; I couldn’t undergo chemotherapy this Monday, and I was also confined for another day because I had a blood clot in my catheter. They conducted some tests, and I was discharged from the hospital after the tests. I will return to the hospital this Friday for my CT scan urogram. I hope it gets done so we can know what the urology department will do regarding whether I will need surgery or not. I’m back on antibiotics again because chemotherapy didn’t go ahead due to my cough and cold. It’s really frustrating because I seem to catch coughs and colds quickly now.
Always fighting, John. I don’t want to die yet; I don’t want to stress myself over what’s happening with my treatment. I constantly pray that I can get through all of this.
What happened to me earlier was intense. Before my CT urogram, I fainted; suddenly, I couldn’t breathe, my legs started to tremble, and I had a headache. I thought it was the end for me, and I ended up praying unexpectedly, saying, “Lord, please don’t take me yet.” My blood pressure and sugar levels weren’t low; I just couldn’t handle the prolonged fasting because I needed to fast for the CT scan. They’ve postponed my schedule today, and now I’m rescheduled for the CT scan on March 5. Aside from the severe headache I’m experiencing, the equipment for my CT scan isn’t complete, so I have to go back on March 5. The effects of the chemotherapy they are giving me are hard; they are not just attacking the cancer but also weakening my good cells and immune system. I need to find a clinic that prescribes fenbendazole and ivermectin because they have been effective for colorectal cancer patients. I need to try it; I don’t want to die, Lord. Please help me; don’t abandon me.
Endless gratitude, John, for all the help you have given me, and thank you for not abandoning me in this fight. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude, as the Lord sent you to help me financially. Thank you, Lord, for everything, and please do not forsake me in my battle against this illness.
What a nightmare to go through. I believe she is in her 30s. At my age, I wouldn’t have the strength or the will to fight this battle. When my time comes, I hope I go easy into that gentle good night.
Here are my blessings from yesterday:
Sunday Sweets Stroll:
We both randomly picked the same shirt to wear, almost like a Korean couple.About as close as we got to Easter Mountain.One of our regular sweets recipients offered Swan the opportunity to pick some mangos off the tree.One of those alley-wide neighborhoods.Between the walls.My least favorite part of our path.Welp, those stairs ain’t gonna climb themselves.On up!Made it!A girl and a tree (the girl is the short one).All in a day’s work.Heading home.
Later in the day we made our way out to the Arizona floating bar:
A big crowd on Barretto Beach.We were the only customers on the floating bar for the duration of our visit.The view from our table.The clouds obscured our sunset view.
When our time on the floater was done, we popped into Red Bar for some libations before moving on to Jumpin’ Jacks to check out their menu.
Nice music and ambiance. But the food (a burger for Swan, nachos for me) was mediocre.
I did play a game of pool with one of the waitresses while waiting for our food order, and I won! Maybe that darts practice is paying off.
And that’s all there is to the Sunday story.
As expected, the Iran memes are exploding across the internet. I found this one worthy of sharing:
We’ll see who gets the better results.
From Facebook memories, John’s place opened in its new location four years ago:
It lasted longer than John did, but now the building has a “for rent” sign up. We miss our Sunday dinners there.
On to November 2017 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I was reminded once again how stupid I am when it comes to matters of the heart. Jesus, what was I thinking?
Today’s YouTube video provides 10 reasons not to retire in the Philippines. Damn, NOW you tell me. But seriously, going on eight years now, and I don’t regret coming here. Most of these can be overcome by invoking the mantra I learned long ago as a tourist: Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way. That said, the noise does still bother me, and if I drove here, I would be insane from road rage by now. Still, I’d rather be here than back home in the USA.
Humor me:
The chips are down.This one made me grown.That’s what Buddy did.
And now to prepare for another Hash Monday.
The Hare prepared two options. Hmm, which one will I take?
I woke up to the first morning in March and the news about the big takeout in Iran. I’m not a big fan of regime change wars, but Iran has been a worldwide threat for decades, and sadly, the USA has enabled its terrorism. With the leadership now dismantled, it’s on the Iranian citizens to stop being victims and stand up for their freedom. The clips I saw of the people in the streets in Iran celebrating Khamenei’s death were telling. Just like the outraged American leftists protesting this bold move that may lead to a more peaceful Middle East, they have shown where they stand in opposition to freedom, peace, and human rights. We shall see what happens next.
An oldie but goodie:
Meanwhile, life goes on in my little piece of paradise, such as it is.
Decay Dance:
Swan is the Godmother of that little girl. When she was a newborn, her mother, whom we’d met while walking, asked Swan to be the Godmother ($$$). We haven’t seen the mother for a long time now, but Grandma comes out to say hello, and we dispense cookies and candy.Three of our regular recipients–always polite and thankful.Come a runnin’!Sorry you ride on Earth was so short.
In the afternoon, I practiced darts and threw halfway decent, but I wasn’t feeling the Saturday tourney at Alley Cats. Instead, we made our way out to Cheap Charlies.
The usual view, with a different twist. I saw on Facebook that BarCelona (on the roof of that yellow building) is available to rent for 40,000 per month. Welp, it’s tempting (I’d rename it The Rite Spot On The Roof), but that’s a young man’s gambit and I ain’t young no more.I had beef stew delivered from Foodies downstairs.
We decided to try somewhere we seldom visit next. Our first option was Cyclone Bar, but before we even got to the door, we could hear the crap music blaring. That was a good reminder of why we stopped going there. So we ventured further up the highway and popped into Nipsey’s Bar. We were the only customers, but the girls on stage stood up and went through the dance motions as we sat down. The music was shit, but I am more tolerant when young gals are movin’ to the beat of songs they know. And then the thought occurred to me that the music genre shouldn’t matter to a dancer. I called the waitress over and asked if I could request a song, and my request was granted. I had them play the Glenn Miller classic, “In the Mood.” That song is even older than I am. I couldn’t resist dragging Swan up from her seat and doing a little swing dancing with her. The gals on stage seemed to enjoy watching, too. After my requested song was done, the playlist reverted to some classics from the ’50s and ’60s, and I was really enjoying the vibe. And then a couple of the gals on the dance stage tried their hand at swing dancing and did a nice job of it. Naturally, they earned a tip!
We did our nightcap at Queen Victoria, and they actually had some customers. I guess they are doing something right. I even got comped a beer for the first time there. A nice way to end our Saturday night.
And now, from the October 2017 LTG archives, is the post entitled “FUCK ME!” Yeah, one day into my new “love” affair, I got fucked good and hard. At least I didn’t have to wait seven years to get screwed, as I did in my previous relationship. And for those who might be interested in the epilogue, after years of no contact, on a whim, I sent Loraine an email a few weeks ago to see how she was doing. I was a little surprised she bothered to respond, but she told me she is doing well. She and Kev are still together, but he’s living in the UK and can’t yet afford to retire in the Philippines. Also, Loraine’s annulment still hasn’t been granted, so the marriage Kev promised hasn’t happened. She chose the path she considered best for her, and I wish her a happy life. Things turned out okay for me in the end.
Today’s YouTube video is the story of another man’s unhappy ending in the Philippines. As is the case in most of these sad tales, stupid choices lead to bad outcomes. Obviously, avoiding the quagmire of the Philippine “justice” system should be everyone’s primary goal, but sometimes shit happens.
And now for the happy ending:
Well, I’ll try to remember that.I guess that’s why Barbie never had babies.Sneeze on the burger and pee on his fries, that’ll teach the racist bastard.
