Getting what I wished for

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Here’s the story of the unexpected occurrences on Tuesday. Don’t get your expectations up; it is just a twisted version of the usual.

I was just commenting about pineapples on the Big Homind’s blog the other day. Here’s what they had on offer at Royal yesterday. It’s a major cash crop here in the PI.

As a change of pace, I decided to walk home after grocery shopping. Once the goods were loaded, I paid my driver, said goodbye to Swan, and got ready to depart. And then I saw this:

Well, it was only flat on the bottom, but it still made driving impossible.
So, Danny got busy jacking things up and putting on the ritz, er, spare.

Once I saw things were under control, I began my journey home.

Where it started
The bay they call Subic
The writing wasn’t on the wall, but the artwork was.
I sometimes fantasize about living in the quiet village of Bantay Bayan.
A big cock I saw along the way.
Why I don’t trust sidewalks in the Philippines, especially after dark.
The fall might not kill you, but it would definitely ruin your day.
Another bay view
This candidate for Senator in the upcoming elections should campaign as the voice of the people. Or voce.
And then just as I was coming into Barretto, the skies opened wide and dumped rain by the buckets.

As I’ve complained about the heat the past few weeks, I thought about the upcoming rainy season. Better to be wet with rain than wet with sweat, I told myself. Yesterday, I was thinking, maybe not so much.

Once I was soaked, it didn’t matter much anymore, but the wet ground made walking a bit more challenging.
A lovely new waterfall
And then, like magic, the skies began to clear once I was back in Alta Vista. I guess Mother Nature’s revenge was complete, having given me what I asked for.
Home is where the heart is.
Wet and wild
Door-to-door from Royal is 6.18 kilometers. Now you know.

But the fun wasn’t done. It being Tuesday and all meant a visit to Baloy Beach was in our future.

Toes in the sand time
The filthy sand. The receding tide left a regurgitated deposit of litter on the beach. It should come as no surprise that the Philippines is one of the leading producers of garbage in the oceans.
The bay water was also much wavier than usual. The floating bar was rockin’ yesterday.

Swan and I both noticed that the music playlist yesterday was outstanding. A good mix of rock and roll classics really created a fun vibe.

One of the raft drivers decided to do a little fishing with a hook on a string.
And he caught one!
Back on the beach and headed for dinner.
At Treasure Island, as usual.

But a final unusual twist to the day was that a friend of Swan’s stopped by to see her.

Long-time readers may think she looks familiar. That’s my ex-girlfriend Marissa’s twin sister. Identical twins as it turns out. I’d never met her before last night.

Marissa has totally ghosted me, so I have no idea what’s happening with her these days. Her sister seemed nice, though.

I had tacos for dinner.
When you picked them up, the shells broke apart, so I had to eat my taco with a fork. It tasted okay, but I didn’t like eating it that way.

I had a chat with Bert, the owner of Treasure Island. He told me he had just purchased Sloppy Joe’s from the widow of the recently deceased owner, Joakim. I wondered what would happen to that bar, but this is good news. Bert said it will be closed for three weeks while undergoing a complete remodeling. Treasure Island is a much better place since he took over, so here’s hoping he can repeat that success with Sloppy Joe’s. Oh, I asked Bert if he was adding a kitchen, and he said a small one for simple foods. And one of those items will be a Sloppy Joe. Good one!

Not a bad day if I do say so myself. And since I’m writing the blog, I can say what I want!

Back to November 2007 in the archives journey. This post deals with my working life and the changes that were elevating my stress levels. Spoiler alert: I got through it.

Seven years ago, I enjoyed a farewell dinner with my friends Daniel and Justine.
This “photo” is obviously fake. But we do have Marines deployed here for an exercise.

Given that the photo above was the cover for today’s YouTube video, I’m taking its content with a grain of salt. Still, we are seeing closer military ties with the Philippines and taking steps that may deter Chinese aggression. Or preparing for the inevitable war. One of those.

And look who’s trying to be funny:

Maybe so, but it still fills a void.
Is that Notre Dame in the background?
Wanna bet?

Beer o’clock is coming early today, as I will be attending the gathering to support medical fundraising for Martin (18-Kilo Ass) at It Doesn’t Matter starting at 2 p.m. Last I heard, Martin was still hospitalized in the Mindoro province. Hopefully, we can help get him back home soon.

This is one of those songs I enjoyed hearing again on the floating bar yesterday:

Talk about immortality! Chuck Berry was rockin’ a floating bar with a song from 1958. Even the young Filipinas were bobbing their heads to the beat.

5 thoughts on “Getting what I wished for”

  1. Surprised that you didnt ask about Marissa. Seems like it would have been a natural thing to talk about with her sister. :shrug

    Is the rainy season coming at it usual time? Generally, Thailand is beginning of June, but there has been a lot recently so coming a bit earlier than normal.

  2. Brian, it was honestly a bit eerie seeing her sitting there, not being Marissa. I did say something along the lines of, “You look like Marissa, are you the same as her?” She said, No and gave this example: “When I drink too much, I fall asleep. When Marissa has too much, she gets crazy.” Oh, yeah. I remember those crazy times.

    The rainy season usually begins in late May, but we’ve had a storm three days in a row now, so maybe things are kicking off early this year.

  3. So, Danny got busy jacking things up and putting on the ritz, er, spare.

    Nice Asian parking job! Like our BMW drivers back in the States.

    The writing wasn’t on the wall, but the artwork was.

    That’s awesome. Reminds me of similar art that we have in Korea.

    Why I don’t trust sidewalks in the Philippines, especially after dark.

    We’ve got deathtraps like that here, too. I’ve seen them during my cross-country walks.

    And then just as I was coming into Barretto, the skies opened wide and dumped rain by the buckets.

    You say it’s the “upcoming” rainy season. When does it normally start?

  4. Sorry—I started writing the comment last night and never published it. I see your answer to Brian re: the start of the rainy season.

  5. Well, in Danny’s defense, he had already pulled out of the parking space when I noticed his flat tire. So, he backed in again, leaving room for the tire changing operation.

    Regarding the bad sidewalks, I think we don’t have that much back home because the lawyers would get rich suing the city.

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