I first met Brian over a decade ago when I was living in Seoul, Korea. As I recall, I was hanging out at Dolce Vita bar in Itaewon when Brian approached and mentioned he was a reader of my blog. Brian was in town on a business trip, but we got together over beers a few times before he departed the country. He continues to be a reader and frequent commenter here at LTG. When he told me he was in Thailand and had a couple of free days I welcomed his first-ever visit to the Philippines. It was nice to see him again after all these years.

I invited Brian to join in the fun of the grocery shopping excursion, but his schedule didn’t permit him to come along. So, we agreed to meet up for lunch when I was done. Nothing exciting to report about the morning supermarket activity.

I stopped by doctor Jo’s for me weekly injections on the way home. Her office wasn’t open yet, so I had a cup of coffee while I waited at Angel’s Bakery downstairs.

Dr. Jo wasn’t in town, but her nurse was fully prepared to stick me with the needle. As she was doing it, I told her the story of my uncle, who had recently passed away. He’d needed a blood transfusion, but no one knew his blood type. My aunt said his dying words were inspirational: “Be positive! Be positive!”

Yeah, as lame as that joke may be, it had the nurse laughing out loud—and distracted me from the prick in my stomach. The good news is that I lost just over two pounds last week.

Brian is staying at the Outback Resort and I met him there. Then we walked to Harley’s on Baloy Road for lunch.

After our meal, we strolled to the end of Baloy Beach and back. We were both surprised to see that the beach was much cleaner than it had looked in the pictures I’d posted recently. At the conclusion of our walk, we agreed to meet again at beer o’clock and visit some of Barretto’s bars.

When we got together again, our first stop was a money exchange. I hadn’t used one in years, and yesterday’s experience made me glad I don’t. It took a long-ass time: the clerk examined the hundred-dollar bill, photographed Brian’s passport, filled out some forms, and who knows what else.

He finally counted out the money twice—Brian received 63 pesos to the dollar—and handed it over. Brian counted it again and found an error of 1,000 pesos in his favor. Like the honest gentleman he is, he handed the overpayment back to the clerk, perhaps earning himself some good karma.

I decided to make Cheap Charlies our first stop of the evening. Alas, I’d forgotten that the RSL gathers there after its first meeting of the month. The place was packed, and they were doing karaoke. We stayed for one beer anyway so Brian could enjoy the highway views I like there.

Putting on my tour-guide thinking cap, I decided Brian might enjoy the views from the rooftop of the Central Park Reef Hotel. I know I always do, but for some reason, I rarely visit the place.

And as fate would have it, we arrived just in time to enjoy the sunset.

I decided to continue the seldom-visited theme by introducing Brian to the Hops and Brews Beer Garden. They’ll be hosting the Hash for the first time next week. We enjoyed a nice dinner—I had a banh mi—and cold beers. Brian had a craft brew on draft, while I stuck with my Extra Light in a bottle.

Next up was Hot Zone, another bar I seldom visit these days. They had five dancers on stage, but neither of us was feeling the vibe, so it was one beer and out.

Our last stop of the night was Cyclone Bar, a place I’ve been visiting regularly lately. Friendly service, nice music, and a pleasant atmosphere.

It was good practice for the tournament at Alaska Club tonight, and Brian has agreed to participate with me. A couple of more beers and, hold on to your hats, it was after 9 p.m., so we called it a night. It was a good one!

Facebook memories provides more photos from my visit to Cambodia four years ago:

It’s on to May 2023 in the LTG archives. In this post, I share the story of my “Twosday” and reflect on the life I’d left behind in Korea five years earlier. Two quotes from earlier posts on my blog caught my eye:

I never really had a plan for life, I just reacted to it. Whenever I reached a crossroad, I chose a direction and followed the road without a clue as to where it might take me. I guess it is natural to wonder about the paths that would have led to a different life, but you only get to live the life you chose …

Hmm, unless you get a “do-over” life.

I have been fortunate and blessed…but the roads I have taken have led to some great adventures and life-altering experiences. A fool’s luck perhaps, but even so, I could never have imagined what my life would turn out to be; it has been a very nice ride. So it is time to look forward again…it will be an adventure with an uncertain outcome for sure…”

No question about it, I’ve been a lucky bastard. I’m glad I made it this far. Let the adventure continue!

Let’s let today’s YouTube video carry us back to those glorious days of youth in the 1970s.

Don’t blame me, I just can’t help myself:

That’s all I’ve got for now. Having a great day so far. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

On to 1977 in our musical journey. I saw a lot of concerts as a young man in Southern California, but the best show I saw was the Electric Light Orchestra.