An action-packed Tuesday. Well, more action-packed than usual. And I’m stretching the definition of action somewhat. Anyway, here’s how it went down:

I started things out with the grocery shopping excursion at Royal. That went as usual, although I did spend a little less this week. After the groceries were loaded into the car, I sent my driver and helper home. Swan and I walked to the mall to do some shopping. First stop: the Samsung store.

I guess I’m rough on phones. I’ve had an A53 and an A54 previously. I’ve been a back-pocket kind of guy and that eventually leads to damage. I’ve vowed to carry this one in the front pocket. I took it on today’s hike, and now I’m getting a moisture warning when I plug in the charger. Not a good start! I’ve got it in front of the fan now, and hopefully, it dries out soon.

Next stop, the SM Department Store. I’m a walking man, and those miles take a toll on my footwear.

After dark, I’m a sketchy kind of guy, but I like comfortable footwear for my walks to the bars.

Another $150 on the credit card, but I wasn’t done quite yet. I was off to the computer store next.

We also got Swan’s sister a cheap phone so she could do all the things teenagers do on their phones nowadays.

Once home, I dashed off yesterday’s blog post, and then it was time to hoof it back to town for a visit with Dr. Jo. This time, Swan was the primary patient–she’s been dealing with an itchy rash on her face and chest for a couple of weeks now. Dr. Jo gave her an injection of something and advised her to use a hypoallergenic soap for the time being. Hopefully, that’s all it takes. As for me, I just updated the doc on my current state of being, which is mostly the same but with some added muscle aches and pains, especially in the morning. Now, I’m taking Glucosamine along with my other meds. She also gave me the info I need to take to the lab for some updated blood work.

It was too early to stay in town, so we took a trike home and had a quick nap before heading out to the Kokomo floating bar. I had arranged to meet my hiking buddy Gary there at 4:30 and he was waiting when we arrived. Gary lives on Baloy, but this was his first time on the floater.

Another foreigner was on the raft ride out to the bar, and we exchanged greetings. He said he used to live in the area but has been residing on Bohol Island for the past few years. He was visiting family with his wife and staying at Treasure Island. When we arrived at the floater, I joined Gary on one side of the bar, and he sat on the far side, away from us. A few minutes later, he walked over and told Gary that he knew him. After some brief chat, Gary remembered him as well, and we invited him to join us.

It turns out that Gary used to own a couple of bars in Angeles City, and Chris was one of his regular customers. I really enjoyed hearing some their wild stories from back in the day, including one about Gary being incarcerated in a Filipino jail for several months. That’s my nightmare scenario, and his description of the hell-like condition put a shiver down my spine.

These days, Chris owns a resort at Alona Beach in Bohol. I perked up at that news because Bohol has long been on my bucket list of places to visit. And now I have a place to stay and a friendly host to show me around when I go. I’m thinking I’ll pull the trigger next month. Swan was excited about that, too.

One of the bar stories Chris and Gary told involved a customer who was known for drinking copious amounts of a beverage called Sambuca. Now, I’m almost exclusively a beer drinker, but when Gary (or was it Chris?) ordered up a round of shots, I was too polite to decline.

Last night was definitely the best time I’ve had on the floating bar. It may be the last for a while because it is scheduled to be moved into storage until the storm season is over.

We drank a shitload of beers before and after the shots, and I was feeling no pain when we left the floating bar. I was feeling a bit hungry, so we stopped into DaKudos for a bite to eat. I recall having a roast chicken salad and not much else. I know I made it home safe and sound because Swan sent me this picture from last night:

I’m staying home tonight, although I do expect I’ll visit The Rite Spot for a beer or two.

How about a nice political meme?

How about some memories?

And now for the Quora Q&A:

Q: Would you rather live in the Philippines or in Thailand? Why?

A: I chose the Philippines as my retirement home. It’s a beautiful country, and the natives are friendly. What sets it apart from other neighboring Asian nations is that English is widely spoken here. Going on two years now and no regrets.

I visited Thailand, and it is beautiful. What put me off was that it felt like a police state. They don’t make it easy on foreigners, in my opinion.

My Plan B if I ever feel the need to leave the PI would be Vietnam or Cambodia. I don’t even want to visit Thailand, let alone live there.

I wrote that four years ago and have subsequently softened my view of Thailand. I even visited Pattaya last year and enjoyed my stay. One of my issues in the past was vaping being illegal (that was before I kicked that habit once and for all). Also, during my initial visit, the King died, and the police came out in force and shut everything down. It was pretty freaky. Of course, having lived through the scamdemic, I now know that most countries can put on the police state hat whenever they want.

Time for some humor (as I define it anyway):

I couldn’t decide which of these two songs to use for the closing today, so I’m giving you both. Enjoy!