I owe my fellow Hares a debt of gratitude for what proved to be a popular trail. Even the hard-liners expressed appreciation. It was another hot day, so I don’t think anyone missed the long and hard uphills yesterday. The most common comment was it was something different–most of the trail hasn’t been Hashed recently. The Hasher I respect the most, Leech My Nuggets, was the first to finish after running almost all of the way, simply said, “good trail!” when he arrived at the On-Home. That’s quite the compliment coming from someone who is notorious as a Hare for his insanely difficult trails. I was also pleased that everyone found their way without much difficulty. A well-marked trail is always my priority. A good day for the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers!

Here are some photos showing the way we rolled (most of these are courtesy of Pubic Head):

Here are the stats I achieved on Sunday when we marked the trail.

This news article says the record-breaking heat wave is supposed to last until the middle of May. One commenter on the Hash Facebook page criticized us for risking heat strokes. Well, we Hash each week rain or shine, even when the shine is painful.

An interesting stroll (for me anyway) down memory lane today:

What a life! But hopefully, there are a lot more memories to come.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: What can you say about the Philippines?

A: The Philippines is a land of contradictions and illogic. That’s actually part of the charm. Things are done differently here, and you can accept that and be happy or rage about it and be frustrated. It won’t change either way.

Here’s an example from last night. They’ve recently built an extra lane on the National Highway going through town. People are still parking in what used to be the shoulder of the road, negating whatever benefit the extra lane provided in easing traffic congestion. So, the local barangay officials took action by setting up “no parking” signs up and down the highway:

Of course, they placed them in the middle of the lane, so people still can’t use the roadway as intended. I actually laughed out loud when I saw this.

And that’s the way it is here sometimes. I am happy to be having the time of my life in the Philippines. It was an adjustment, but I’m getting there. My ex-girlfriend gave me a piece of valuable advice whenever I’d grow frustrated. She told me: “Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way.” It’s become my mantra and it works pretty well most of the time.

One of my more popular Quora answers with almost four thousand views.

Alright, I forget sometimes what funny memes I’ve used, but I’m fairly certain I’ve never posted these before:

And that’s all I’ve got for today. Thanks for stopping by!