If you spell the words “absolutely nothing” backwards, you get “Gnihton yletulosba”,
which ironically means absolutely nothing.

Well, there is more to today’s post than gnihton, but maybe not much. Let’s get started!

The big part of my day was joining in the fund-raising gathering at It Doesn’t Matter to help Martin with the medical expenses after his serious motorcycle accident in Mindoro. He has since been transferred to the hospital at Clark in Angeles City, one of the better facilities around. Hopefully, he will recover from the numerous surgeries he is undergoing and be released soon. He is facing a LONG road to recovery.

So, the event appeared to be a success, with many of Martin’s friends, fellow bikers, and Hashers in attendance. The bar sold tickets at 500 pesos for five beers, and half of that went to Martin. I wound up buying three ticket packs, and also dropped some money in his collection box. Every little bit helps.

The Eagles sang about taking it to the limit, and I might have taken a step or two beyond that yesterday. The 2 p.m. start time for the event was certainly a factor. And those fifteen beer tickets weren’t going to go to waste if I could help it. It was a good reminder that my normal three-hour drinking window is a wise choice in order to avoid the overindulgence that occurred at the gathering on Martin’s behalf.

Anyway, good times for a good cause. We left around 6:30, and on the way home, I grabbed a roast beef dip sandwich at Sit-n-Bull. And a slice of pecan pie. I retroactively declared it a dietary cheat day. Swan and I were both in bed before eight and awakened in the wee hours of morning after a full night’s sleep. That’s the price you pay for an early start. Lesson learned? Maybe, maybe not.

Back in November 2007, I wrote about my snail’s pace progress on my journey to learn the Korean language. Trying and failing are lessons, too. It was funny remembering the ability to read Korean words without any understanding of what they meant. Duh ee na stee, indeed!

Seven years ago, I was honored by the 8th Army at my farewell luncheon at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek.

Today’s YouTube video shares the sad story of an American who has been in jail for three years now, based solely on the allegations of abuse by his Filipina ex. Scary to think how easily that could happen to any of us here. Then again, she offered to withdraw the charges for four million pesos, and he refused because that would appear to be an admission of guilt. Hmm, I’d pay to stay out of a Filipino jail because I know I’d die inside of one.

And now for today’s dose of “humor”:

And that’s yletulosba all I’ve got to say for today.

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.

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:

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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:

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.

By that, I mean just changing things up a tad. I hope that flies. But first, we stretched our legs with the Saturday Sweets Stroll.

I did a short (less than 5 minutes) video of one section of the stroll so you, too, could sample the sweetness we dispensed:

The title to this post might be somewhat misleading, but we didn’t do our usual venues, and that felt a bit like soaring to new heights. Different in the same way is perhaps a more accurate framing. Whatever you want to call it, we made our way to Baloy Beach to start our Saturday adventure.

I’ve been waiting to find a true beach bar to enjoy whilst I partake in my evening beverages. I’m still waiting.

Oh, and they didn’t have wine. The floating bars will be shutting down for the season soon, so I was scouting some possible alternatives. We won’t be back to the Drunken Sailor.

Keeping with our keeping it fresh modus operandi, we walked up the road to Harley’s for some grub.

When I asked Swan where we should go next, I was surprised when she suggested Whiskey Girl. I reminded her that they didn’t have wine the last time we visited, but she said we should go and see my waitress friend there anyway. So, we grabbed a trike outside Harley’s and headed for Whiskey Girl. We were the only customers there when we arrived. And they still didn’t have any wine. Swan went to the bar and taught the bartender how to make her a Mai Tai cocktail. Talk about going with the flow.

Kim got a lady drink, we had cookies and lollipops to share with the rest of the girls, and it was a pleasant enough visit. I suppose it will again be months before we return, but that’s what happens in a small town with fifty bars.

We then crossed the highway and did our nightcap at Queen Victoria. The joint was surprisingly hoppin’ when we arrived.

We had an enjoyable visit (with wine for Swan) and then headed home to give our “wings” a well-earned rest. You might say our Saturday flew by.

I saw this today and found it worthy of sharing:

From the LTG archives is a post from November 2007 that included the obituary I wrote for my boss, Walt Washington, after he succumbed to cancer. He’s the guy who took a chance and hired me to work for the Army in Korea. I wound up filling his position as Deputy Director, and a year later, was promoted to the 8th Army Director, Human Resources Management. Fate has a strange way of taking you places you never thought you’d go.

From Facebook memories, I became a smarter man twelve years ago.

Today’s YouTube video is also a long-ago memory. I came across a post on Facebook that the mall in my old hometown of Westminster, California, is being torn down. Wow, I remember when it was built. Malls are shutting down all over America these days, but here in the Philippines, they are still very popular places for the locals to go and hang out. Probably for the aircon and Wi-Fi, but still…

Let’s see if I can do better today:

And here we are, back to my Sunday normalcy. Coming up, the Hideaway feeding, then some beers on the Arizona floating bar, followed by dinner at John’s place. It never gets old.

Of course, we can’t get to Friday night until we’ve exhausted the daylight, so let’s start with how that went down. As you might have guessed, the morning was spent hiking.

We were hoping for a shady walk, and had a 50% success in finding one.

And when it was time to hit the town for some Friday evening excitement, this is how we rolled.

Staying with the theme of places we don’t go to much, we climbed the stairs up to BarCelona for our next stop.

Part of my motivation for the visit was to see my old friend Jenn who is working there again. Except she wasn’t last evening. And I guess the bar ran short of wine because Swan wasn’t happy when she was served a half-full (or was it half-empty?) glass. She was going to send it back and order something else, but I convinced her to keep what she had because we wouldn’t be staying long anyway.

And to give BarCelona its due, shortly before we left, the waitress advised that they had now restocked the wine. Good for them, but we were off to dinner. Next time!

So, we planned to visit Jewel Cafe for our meal, but when we arrived, they had a large group (more than twenty) at one table waiting to be served. I knew that was going to swamp the small kitchen staff, so we decided to eat elsewhere.

I was surprised when Swan suggested Mugshots. Another venue we almost never visit, but they do have a kitchen, wine, and beer, so why not?

We ordered the chicken wings and chicken tenders. Swan said the wings were the best she’d had, and she also liked how juicy the tenders were.

We moved on to a more familiar place for our nightcap: Wet Spot.

Our time out was up before the Aftermath started, so we triked back home and called it a night. Our day was more of the usual same-same, but with different seasonings.

In other news, there was a big accident on the expressway at Tarlac, with at least ten fatalities. I’ve passed through that toll booth where the wreck occurred (a bus with a sleeping driver plowed into a line of cars at full speed) many times. One more thing to think about the next time I pass this way.

And I came across this controversy involving Bill Belichick and his much younger wife. Made me smile because that age gap is the norm where I live. I know of one old fucker here who dated an eighteen-year-old, if you can imagine that!

So, as my journey through the LTG archives continues, I was shocked to discover that I didn’t post anything at all in September and October of 2007. What the hell happened? It turns out that I was every bit as clueless back then as I am today. And that ignorance led to my blog going offline for several weeks. I wrote about what happened in this post from November 2007. And no, I had no recollection of any of this before reading that post again today.

Facebook memories from this day in history:

Maybe I really have died, and the Philippines is my heaven (or hell).

Today’s YouTube video is an update on that vlogger Vitaly. He is so fucked.

Your daily dose of “humor”:

That’s all I’ve got for now.

Back in the groovy routines of an ordered life once more. So, there was no need to shout “May Day!” yesterday, although it being a holiday here (Labor Day) made for some heavier-than-normal traffic to deal with when crossing the highway. I survived it, though, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to share my account of the day with some accompanying photographs for your viewing pleasure.

We began the morning with a long Jeepney ride to Castillejos for a walkabout on some seldom-visited roads. It had been long enough since my last visit that I forgot where I was going and wound up missing my favorite portion of the hike. Oh well, that’s just the way it goes sometimes with my increasingly addled brain. Everything old is new again!

For our Thursday evening out, we did the other side of town for a change of scenery.

Swan’s solitary glass of wine and my three beers later, we headed up the beach to Mango’s for some dinner.

Then, for our nightcap, we visited a bar that is becoming one of our favorites, Cloud 69. It’s a smaller dancing girl bar, but they play good music, and it has a cozy and comfortable ambiance.

I talked about the ambiance of Cloud 69. When we had the bar to ourselves, they played music that an old guy like me enjoys. When the new group came in, they played songs for them, including some Japanese rap, something I never knew existed. No complaints from me, it was entertaining watching the action.

And so, another nice day in the life came to an end.

Today’s journey through the LTG archives brought back a reminder of the transient friendships that were a unique aspect of my life in Korea. Many of the people I met in the Itaewon bars and dart league were soldiers. And soldiers only stayed in Korea for a one-year tour (sometimes two) before moving on to their next assignment. Such was the case with Mario, and in a post from August 2007, I recount the traditional farewell dart tournament held in his honor. This post is the first I’ve seen where the photographs haven’t disappeared. They are not above the captions like they should be, but they are there in reverse order at the end of the post. One of the photos is of Se Hwa, my first Korean love. It was good to recall the timeframe of our courtship. So, this post has earned The Story of My Life tag.

But I do have some Facebook memories from this day in the life:

Today’s YouTube video is another from Smart Girl Philippines. There is something about her that makes me smile whenever she talks. Most of what she says makes sense as well.

Let’s try these on for size:

At least I remembered to update the blog, so there’s that. Let’s see if I remember to come back tomorrow.

Greetings fellow travelers in the blogosphere. Here is a quick report on the things I experienced during yesterday’s journey.

My driver arrived on time for the rescheduled grocery shopping excursion. He profusely apologized for the Tuesday mix-up. He told me he had sent another driver to cover for him, but the other driver never showed, claiming he could not find my house. Oh well, at least he tried. I missed the outing with the Wednesday Walkers, but my shelves are now restocked with the weekly food supply.

So, the day’s big event was visiting the Ulticare Hospital for some tests. I started with a chest x-ray, had some blood drawn, and peed in a cup. And then I had an ultrasound reading of my abdomen and those vital organs that lie within. The findings: liver, gallbladder, biliary tree (had to look that one up), pancreas, spleen, right kidney, prostate, and urinary bladder are all normal. Hooray! But what about that left kidney? Well, there is “a 2.3-centimeter simple cyst in the cortical mid-segment of the left kidney.”

I shared the results with Dr. Jo, and she and hubby Chris agreed that, given the small size of the cyst and lack of symptoms, no surgical intervention is warranted at this time. The pain I was feeling last week has disappeared for the most part, and Dr. Jo speculates that the cause of the pain is not kidney-related. So, that’s the kind of news I was hoping for.

In between the hospital tests and my late afternoon appointment with Dr. Jo, we had a late lunch at John’s place. Well, it was technically a break fast, as I hadn’t eaten for over eight hours. After the meal, we stopped at Sloppy Joe’s to pay our respects to the recently deceased owner, Joakim. I hadn’t heard of a scheduled gathering, but the place was packed with friends and customers raising toasts to his memory.

I’ve heard that Joakim was 56 years old when he died, and he had been suffering from prostate cancer. I understand he also has a Filipina wife and a recently born child. I’m unclear if he was the sole proprietor of Sloppy Joe’s or what the future holds for the bar.

After Sloppy Joe’s, I visited Dr. Jo, and then it was time to continue my liver exercise program, starting at the Green Room. I played a couple of games of pool with waitress Chu and didn’t totally embarrass myself. I had a “buy one, get one” coupon for the Alaska Club, so that’s where we did our nightcap. I did my usual 50 peso tip for each of the dancers, and of course, we took care of our waitress friends as well.

And that’s how my day went.

As I was going threw the LTG archives for August 2007, I came across this post about misusing the word through (like I did intentionally in this sentence). I smiled when I saw that I gave a shout-out to my favorite grammar Nazi, Kevin Kim. Luckily, I caught the error before he did, but over the subsequent years, I’ve given him ample opportunities for (justified) criticisms of similar errors.

Today’s YouTube video is a short from Reekay that explains why most Filipinas you meet don’t have a boyfriend. They should just be honest and say, “Not anymore!”

And then there was this:

Don’t worry, there’s plenty more where that came from. See you here tomorrow!

I like the music video better than the song, but the song ain’t bad either.

Some days things don’t go according to plan—nothing to do about that but make the best of it. Let’s get started:

I ordered a new Fitbit from Lazada, and it was delivered on Monday when I was at the Hash. I always have purchases sent on a COD basis to reduce the risk of being scammed. Since I wasn’t going to be home, I left the 8000 pesos with my helper, and she paid for the delivery. I got up Tuesday morning to unwrap and set up my Fitbit, and knew immediately something was wrong. The box was too large and too heavy to contain a fitness tracker.

I’m thinking this has to be a scam rather than a mistake. So, I had Swan help me file the return claim, and the seller has five days to respond. As of now, I haven’t heard anything.

Tuesday is shopping day, and my driver picks us up around 8 a.m. I had confirmed with him on Monday that we were a go. Then I got a message a few minutes before he was due to arrive that he had an “emergency” and was in Manila. I guessed that he had gotten a more lucrative offer for transport there and blew off my measly shopping excursion. It wouldn’t have pissed me off if he had given me advance notice so I could make other arrangements. I can wait a day or two to buy groceries, but yesterday, I was scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound, and I was going to stop by the hospital on the way to the supermarket. Since I’d been fasting all morning, I wasn’t in the best of moods anyway.

So, Swan, my helper, and I hoofed it down to the highway and caught a trike. As we approached the hospital here in Barretto, the trike driver was in the wrong lane, and when I called out, my helper told me the ultrasound appointment was in Olongapo. Bullshit! I told the trike to pull over, and I got out. I admit I lost my temper and yelled a bit about going to Olongapo for a test I could do here in town. My helper said there was no appointment available locally until Wednesday. So what? I ain’t riding a trike all the way to Olongapo City. Again, it wouldn’t be a big deal if my driver had shown up, but I wasn’t in the mood to make a pointless journey. Bottom line, I’ll be doing the ultrasound this afternoon here in town.

I had told Scott I’d see him at the hospital, thinking I was going to be there anyway. So, we made a stop there for a quick visit. He seems to be doing well. Next up on my revised agenda was ending my fast. I got some steps in by walking the 2K to Sit-n-Bull. Since the day had already gone to shit, I threw out my diet plan and surrendered to my craving for high-calorie breakfast.

With my hunger pangs satiated, Swan and I caught a Jeepney to Olongapo (yeah, yeah, the hypocrisy is astounding) and visited the shopping mall. There were some things I’d been needing, so why not?

We took a taxi home, confirming the 300 peso fare in advance. When we arrived at the house, I asked the driver what he preferred: 250 and a 100 peso tip, or 300 with a 50 peso tip. His English was good enough that he got the joke and laughed.

After that, things were pretty much back on track for the remainder of the day. It being Tuesday, we engaged in our usual Baloy Beach adventure.

I neglected to photograph our meals (sweet and sour pork for me, grilled pork chop for Swan), but they were good, as usual. After our meal, we were homeward bound. And so ended my out-of-kilter Tuesday.

I guess seeing Fox News triggered me:

There’s a theme to these. It’s all about what you choose to believe. Don’t take my word for it.

So, now it is August 2007 in the LTG archives. I’m still posting sporadically, but that makes the catch-up posts more interesting than they otherwise might be. A drunken weekend, including my first ever trip to Songtan, is featured in today’s entry for The Story of My Life. Damn, staying out until 0500 drinking soju with trannies…who is that guy and whatever happened to him? As much as I enjoy imbibing my Zeros, I’m out of the old me’s league these days.

Some more memories from the good ol’ days:

Twelve years ago, I posted this amazing Hyundai commercial. One of the best ads ever!

We haven’t checked in with the Filipina Pea in a while. In today’s YouTube video, she explores why men are reluctant to approach women these days. Honestly, I haven’t noticed that, but then again, I spend most of my out-of-the-house time in bars, and that’s where the gals are PAID to approach you. YMMV.

Sending smiles your way:

And now it’s time to get ready to have my innards looked at via ultrasound. The pain I’d been experiencing has diminished significantly, but I have a gut feeling it is best to verify that all is well inside.

I briefly visited Scott in the ICU ward at Ulticare Hospital yesterday. Visiting hours are from 4 to 6 p.m., and only one person is allowed in at a time. Scott’s girlfriend and another pal were there waiting, so I didn’t do more than a quick check-in. The good news is that he looked a lot better than I expected. The stroke-like symptoms he had experienced in the early morning hours (paralysis on one side, inability to speak) had disappeared for the most part, and it doesn’t appear there was any lasting damage. I messaged him this morning, and he will undergo an ultrasound today and hopefully be released. Scary how quickly everything can change, and a reminder that at our age, time is the most precious gift of all.

The Sunday Candy Walk went as it usually does. Here’s a video clip of Section Six of our weekly route:

So, I advanced the Hideaway feeding by an hour so I could be at the hospital when visiting hours commenced. I had to leave before the food arrived, but Joy sent a photo thank you.

Sunday traffic is insane on the highway. Zambales province, with its multitude of beaches, brings the big city folks out for the weekend.

When I arrived, there were two white guys on board, and one of them was buying rounds of tequila shots for the girls. I saw when he paid that he’d spent 5000 pesos during his visit. Good for him and good for the girls! And good for me since I wasn’t the one paying.

We decided we’d share our meals:

As usual, it all tasted good. Swan wanted to go to Cloud 69 for our nightcap, but we discovered upon arrival that the bar is closed on Sundays. So, we retreated to our other old favorite, Green Room, and had the usual good time hanging out.

How about one of those memes?

It’s July 2007 in my journey through the LTG archives. The post I found worthy of inclusion in The Story of My Life was one of those “catch-up” entries, but what was interesting to me was that I talked about the Philippines for the first time. I’d still never been, but I’d been researching and was pleasantly surprised to discover how well I could live there on a government pension. See, it wasn’t the women that brought me here! I’d even tentatively picked January 2, 2011, as the date I’d check out of the rat race. Things change, of course, but I did retire (temporarily) on that day, but moved to South Carolina with the Korean woman destined to become my wife. The Philippines would have to wait another seven years to capture my soul.

On this day in my Facebook history:

Today’s YouTube video reveals the seven things you should never say to a Filipina you are dating. Don’t say you weren’t warned!

It’s better to smile than to grimace:

And now to prepare for another Hash Monday. Will miss seeing Scott on trail today, but hopefully he’ll be back at it soon.

Haven’t heard this one in a LONG time. Things have only gotten worse for the Johnny’s since those happy days in the 80s.

Woke up to some bad news this morning. My good friend and hiking buddy Scott is in the hospital after experiencing stroke-like symptoms. His girlfriend messaged that he is paralyzed on one side and was unable to speak. I’ve subsequently heard that he has regained his voice. I’m going to try to visit him this afternoon in the ICU ward to see if there is anything he needs.

And now for the comparatively mundane report on my yesterday. Starting with the Saturday Sweets Stroll.

I asked Swan what she’d like to do for her Saturday evening out, and she wanted to hear the live music at Treasure Island on Baloy Beach. And so that’s what we did.

I’ve mentioned before that Engine is one of the more popular bar bands around. They didn’t disappoint last night. They opened with songs from Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones. These are all ’60s powerhouses that you seldom hear in the bars anymore. Hey, us old timers can still rock to the beat of our generation!

I made a video of Engine doing Cocaine (the song, not the powder):

And when Engine takes a break, another band takes the stage. Star Network features three female singers, and perhaps it is not surprising that they play a lot of ABBA tunes.

We ordered a plate of wings to munch on while we listened to the music.

I did another short (two-minute) video of the sun, the beach, and the Treasure Island venue.

And Swan took my three videos above, and spliced them into this work of art:

The sun went down, but we weren’t quite done. I had a “buy one, get one” SOB coupon burning a hole in my pocket, so we grabbed a trike and headed to Wet Spot for our nightcap. Ran into the neighbors during our visit, so got a free ride home when the fun was done.

Speaking of keeping things in balance:

Today’s dose of stuff I found elsewhere on the web, and slapped up on Facebook to be entertained by heads exploding:

Okay, that’s just about enough (too much?) of that for now.

I’m not sure what the standards are for this rating, but for whatever reason, Barretto came out on top:

Back in the day, I would occasionally post links to LTG on my Facebook page. I stopped doing that mainly because I prefer the illusion of anonymity, since almost everyone in my little town knows everyone else. But eleven years ago, I linked to a post called “Sloppy Seconds” (get your mind out of the gutter, it wasn’t about that!). Everything was different for me in those days, but it was a happy time and worthy of inclusion in The Story of My Life.

Speaking of the past, back in 2007, I took my Korean girlfriend, Se Hwa, with me to the USA. We landed in San Francisco, then drove to Las Vegas. She fulfilled her dream of doing a tandem skydive (not for me, though). The next day, we visited the north rim of the Grand Canyon and walked on this glass-bottomed outcrop over the canyon:

Today’s YouTube video poses the question: Are Filipinas wild or conservative behind closed doors? Based on my experience, the answer is, “it depends.”

And let’s take time for a smile or two:

And there you have it. I’m going to move up the Hideaway feeding, then head to the hospital and see what is happening with Scott. Afterward, I’ll meet Swan on the Arizona floating bar prior to our dinner at John’s place. Busy, busy!

Here we go again with another day in the life. How much longer can I go on like this? Only one way to find out, so keep ’em coming! And thanks for joining me.

We headed for the hills on the Friday group hike, mostly in search of some shade.

The world kept spinning around, and next thing I knew, it was time to fill those Friday evening hours. We hadn’t done an SOB in a while, so that was the plan. This week was at Queen Victoria, a venue we’d had an issue with previously. All local drinks are “free” at the SOB between six and eight p.m. (after paying the 750-peso entry fee). Last time, Queen Vic wouldn’t serve wine as a local drink, even after I said I’d pay the difference in price. I talked to the manager beforehand last night, and he agreed to serve the wine with me paying 50 pesos per glass (the regular price is 180 pesos). So, win-win.

On SOB nights, I arrive early to secure good seats, and Swan joins me shortly before the show starts. I got a little hungry while waiting, so I had the waitress bring me the menu for Shamboli’s Pizza, which is conveniently located across the street.

The SOB contest went pretty much as they all do. I was a judge again, and the team I judged to be the best was the champion this week.

I’ve always had my fill when the SOB ends, so we grabbed a trike for home. I still had room for a brownie à la mode.

So, why did I mention litter in the title of today’s post? It’s not like I’m obsessed with litter or anything, but I do tend to notice it. And yes, the streets of Alta Vista also contain discarded trash. On my way to the SOB, I saw these empty soft drink cartons on the curb.

Now, what’s interesting is you don’t see Barq’s or Dr. Pepper around much because they are not brewed locally like Coke and Pepsi products. I’ve seen the imported boxes like those pictured above for sale at Royal, but they are quite expensive. So, this likely isn’t construction worker litter. I would hope one of the well-to-do Alta Vista residents isn’t trashing the streets. Perhaps one of the stray dogs that roam our ‘hood pulled them out of a garbage can. Oh, well.

Now, indulge me while I yank some chains:

Okay, enough of that.

I’m up to June 2007 in the LTG archive deep dive. What’s interesting to me is that I didn’t post much back then when I had nothing of interest to say. I see your heads nodding at the thought of ‘those were the good ol’ days’. Anyway, I had a total of three posts in June that year. This post is the only one with a semblance of meaning. I was going through something, but I don’t say what. I suspect this is the time period when I discovered my marriage to wife #3 was coming to an end. She had promised to join me in Korea, and reneged on that vow. And no, I wasn’t willing to return to the USA, so I’m equally responsible for that failure.

Today’s YouTube video is a blast from the past, taking you back to what life was like in the Philippines in 1959.

And then there was this:

And there you have it. I’ll let you know what happens next tomorrow.

White Line Fever, a sickness born down deep inside my soul
White Line Fever, the years keep flying by like a high line pole
The wrinkles in my forehead show the miles I’ve put behind me
They continue to remind me how fast I’m growing old
Guess I’ll die with this fever in my soul

I was inspired to push myself more than usual yesterday and see just how far I could go. Part of the motivation came from Kevin Kim’s plan to attempt a 60-kilometer hike. Yeah, you read that right. That’s WAY out of my league (my thus far unreachable dream is the 29K trek to San Narciso), but I wanted to see if I could make it half-way there. I did a highway loop starting at my house and finishing at Sit-n-Bull for lunch. I was also hoping to walk my blues away, listening to music through my earbuds, and kept my phone mostly in my pocket, so not many photos to share.

So, I consider that my goal was achieved, but I was whupped at the end. My feet were aching, but other than feeling exhausted, I was okay. But no, I don’t see how I could have managed another 15K if I wanted to make it all the way to San Narciso. Maybe after a lunch break, I might make another 5K, rest again, then continue on in bits and pieces. I have my doubts, though. IF I ever actually attempt that hike, I’ll start it in San Narciso, and I can bail if need be by catching a Jeepney in San Marcelino or Castillejos. We’ll see what the future brings.

Oh, in case you were wondering, Kevin had to bail on his hike at around 30K. He doubled my distance but considered it a failure. Meanwhile, I’m in awe of his accomplishment.

I had a visit with Dr. Jo to discuss some ongoing physical issues. The back pain has diminished somewhat (although it is still stiff and sore when I first wake up), but now I have a stabbing pain on the left side of my lower abdomen. My concern is that it seems more internal than muscular. It doesn’t hurt if I touch that area, but certain movements, like lying on my left side, trigger the pain. Anyway, we are going to do an ultrasound scan of that area and see if there is anything that looks amiss. Fortunately, I have no pain or ill effects when I’m out walking.

After finishing with Dr. Jo, I got a haircut and then went for some cold beers at Cheap Charlies.

We ordered some snacks (chicken wings, fingers, and lumpia) from Foodies restaurant downstairs, and shared them with the girls. I’d rather do that than overpay for a lady drink.

More of the same during our Green Room visit, chat (and lady drinks) with Chu and Sally, then enjoying watching some talented pool players in action.

When we got back home, I baked a batch of brownies, then smothered one in vanilla ice cream. I figured I’d earned it after my long-ass walk!

In other news, I came across this article talking about how the old Subic Navy base has become a hot Asian retirement destination. Hmm, I don’t know about that. I checked it out before moving here and chose not to live there for several reasons, but the primary one was that it was just too much like the vanilla USA lifestyle. Barretto is more my kind of town.

From the LTG archives is this post from May 2007 talking about those wacky Canadians I encountered in Seoul. Hey, I was ahead of my time! I had close friendships with several Canucks during my stay in Korea, but there were some crazies as noted in my post.

For today’s YouTube, I couldn’t resist posting another video from Smart Girl Philippines. Something about her just makes me smile. “Tell her you are part Korean” made me laugh out loud.

And some more funny business:

Anyway, life goes on. Things are better today than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow. Hopefully.

Yesterday’s version of life in paradise went down like this:

On the way to the YBC supermarket, we passed the scene of the Easter fire in downtown Olongapo. I was surprised that it was much more than the Sam’s Pizza restaurant that burned down.

At least it didn’t reach an LA level of destruction. The rest of the morning was uneventful: groceries purchased, a neighborhood walk. After a nap and a blog post, it was time for our Tuesday beach excursion.

We finished our drinks and headed ashore. Next stop, Treasure Island for some grub.

Home again before eight, but that’s just the way I roll these days.

Today, I came across another post that reminds me that LTG has never had much substance. In April 2007, I posted about my lost eyeglasses. Well, there was also some darts news and dinner prep for a gathering I was hosting. The more things change, the more they remain the same. But at least I no longer wear glasses.

Nine years ago, I was loving one of my walks in the parks of Seoul.

I’m posting today’s YouTube video with some reluctance. I found it on Facebook, but after viewing, it seems to be hyperbole if not not outright bullshit. I can say that I have not witnessed an influx of people visiting or moving here. I love the Philippines, but it is not the pristine perfection depicted in the vid. So, watch if you want, but take the commentary with a grain of salt.

It seemed funny at the time:

I’m sure you’ve had just about enough of my nonsense for one day, so I’ll stop here.

Today’s music video is even older than I am. Still a great listen and watch, though.

Since I’ve long since rejected my Protestant Christian upbringing (Four Square/Assembly of God variety), I probably don’t have a prayer for a heavenly afterlife. So, I’d best make the most of what remains of this life I’m living, such as it is.

The sun rose in almost Biblical fashion on Easter Sunday. And so did Swan, leaving the house at 5 a.m. to journey to Botolan for religious ceremonies to celebrate the Easter holiday. Swan is Catholic, although she only attends church services on the special days.

So, I was left to my own devices during most of the daylight hours. And I took full advantage of the opportunity by making a 9K walk and then spending time on the internet. Just like almost every other day in my life. No complaints, keep ’em coming!

When Swan made it back from Botolan, she headed to the family compound to share some holiday moments with the relatives. We agreed to meet up later at the Arizona floating bar. I was happy to see it was open when I arrived.

Swan arrived about an hour after I did.

Next up, dinner at John’s place.

We stopped by Red Bar for some patio ambiance after dinner.

We did our nightcap at The Green Room and had our usual good time chatting with Chu and Sally while watching some talented pool players go at it. Then it was home for dessert and bedtime. The only downer of my Easter was a resurgence of lower back pain, which made it difficult to sleep. I’m thinking about looking for a chiropractor, even though I don’t really believe in the science of that profession. I will consult with Dr. Jo and Chris for their thoughts.

My latest salvo:

From the LTG archives is this post from March 2007, in which the most interesting part is my first experience getting a pedicure. I became a regular customer after that, and it is where I eventually met Jee Yeun, the woman destined to become my wife #4, and ultimately irrevocably broke my heart. Ignorance is bliss.

Here are some more memories from this day on Facebook:

The US Marines have landed in the Philippines in today’s YouTube video! Two thousand of them, apparently. Oddly enough, before I saw this vid, I read on a PI forum about an incident in Angeles City involving some Marines. It didn’t get any other publicity that I’ve seen, which is a good thing, since I’m sure the prostitution bars in AC are off-limits to military personnel. Regardless, things are heating up with China. Let’s hope we can deter aggression.

The daily smiles:

And we’re done. Hash Monday is upon us. Another hot one. I’ve seen today’s trail map, and it’s a hard one. I want to climb Easter Mountain once again before I die, but I don’t want to die doing it. Another day, perhaps.

Oh, during dinner at John’s last night, the background music was all old songs by the Beatles. I can’t remember the last time I heard this one:

Well, I didn’t get crucified or anything, but I lived through the worst hiking experience I’ve ever encountered. Things started out nice enough. With only five of us up for the Friday group trek, we piled into Scott’s car and drove out to Mangan-Vaca for a hike we’ve done several times in the past. Our plan was to walk out for 4K, then reverse course and come back to where we started. It’s a mostly flat course through pleasant countryside that was appropriate to the hot weather. But things didn’t go according to plan.

The first thing that went wrong for me happens once a year at most: the need to take a shit on trail. Luckily, I had some wet wipes in my backpack. With that load dumped, I caught up with the group and continued on with a newfound spring in my step. So, we journeyed onward to our turnaround point without further incident. And then we had the bright idea to take a different route back to avoid the same old, same old vibe for at least a portion of the way. That went mostly okay, although there were a couple of hiccups when we briefly lost the trail. Our fuck-up came when we reached the junction we were seeking, and inexplicably, turned left instead of right. I had a bad feeling that we were headed in the wrong direction, but I deferred to our senior hikers who assured me we were on the right path. Except we weren’t.

We hiked on until our chosen trail came to an apparent end. In hindsight, the wise option would have been to retreat, but where’s the fun in that? The option we chose was to follow the creek bed, thinking it would eventually cross the road we wanted. After all, we had waded through a creek in three different spots on our outward journey. I hate creek bed hikes because they are rocky and difficult to walk on. This one was also full of thorny roots and sticky vines. We all lost a little blood to those ubiquitous bastards. We struggled on, and then the creek began an upward rise. This should have been a warning that we were indeed going in the wrong direction, but being stubborn fuckers we plodded on. Until we could go no further. We came to an almost cliff-like uphill, the strongest in our group scrambled partway up, but when I tried to follow, I was unable to get the footing needed to make the climb. That’s when I knew we were truly screwed and retreat was our only option. So, the nightmare we had just endured reaching this point was to be repeated, thorns and all.

We had some other issues to deal with as well. One of our members was exhausted and needed to make frequent rest stops. It was also blisteringly hot. I carry two bottles of water, but I rarely drink more than half of one. When we accepted defeat and began our retreat, I was down to less than half a bottle of water, so I began rationing. It’s been a long time since my mouth was so dry it almost hurt to swallow. I’d take a sip of water and hold it as long as I could in an attempt to rehydrate, but the thirst would not be satiated. I was totally out of water for the final kilometer of the hike and definitely feeling it.

But in the end, we all made it back alive. Our planned two-hour, eight-kilometer walk took us five hours and almost twelve kilometers to complete. Our “flat” trail had an altitude gain of 201 meters. Yep, we got our stubborn asses kicked, but it could have been much worse. If someone had fallen or otherwise got injured, we’d have been screwed big time trying to drag them out from parts unknown. Let’s hope we learned a lesson.

Anyway, by the time we made it back to Barretto, I was too bushed to hit the bars, so we hung out at The Rite Spot On The Roof and watched the sun go down.

Still strolling through the LTG archives. In March 2007, I graduated to the second level in my quest to learn the Korean language. Alas, I failed, although I still have a small vocabulary to confuse the Filipina bargirls with. Another episode in The Story of My Life.

Some Facebook memories from this day in my history:

Today’s YouTube video is one I made thirteen years ago in honor of my dart league team, Ride It In. Those were the days!

And now for these:

And that’s all I’ve got to share today. But I have it on good authority that the Son will rise tomorrow.