Does anyone else remember Hawaii Five-0?

I’m now booked at the Wave Song Resort in Pundaquit for Tuesday and Wednesday next week. I also bought two seats on a flight that departs for Da Nang on January 8 and returns on January 23. Still on my to-do list is booking my hotel rooms in Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, and Ba Na Hills.

In the meantime, I am just living life one day at a time. Trust me, it is not as boring as it sounds when I write about it. Or if it is, I just don’t care anymore. I’m glad for what I have. I needed some new things to wear, so I scheduled my driver to take me to the SM Central Mall in Olongapo.

What’s in the bag?

After shopping, I was hungry. I’ve had a craving for some good Korean food, and the best place for that I’ve found is on SBMA. Since I was already paying for a driver, I had him take us there.

We were greeted with a hearty “annyeonghaseyo” as we entered, then shown to our table. I already knew we would have samgyeopsal for the main course. You have to order and pay for your side dishes separately, which is not how they do it in the real Seoul, but whatever.

As I perused the menu, I decided I may as well make it a feast since I don’t get to visit Seoul that often these days.

Dining at Seoul was the highlight of my day. But there were still those evening hours to fill. We walked into town and stopped at the salon so I could get a haircut. After that was done, I decided we should do the seldom-visited bars thing we had missed out on doing on Wednesday.

One drink and out at Dempsey’s. Nothing wrong with it, just not a good fit for us.

It was only 6 p.m., and none of the dancers or waitresses had arrived yet. We chose to sit outside, and the bartender graciously served us there.

The wine at Mugshots was old and didn’t taste good, so we left before Swan finished her glass. We then paid a visit to Alaska for a bit. I had a chat with owner Jerry, and he confirmed that BarCelona upstairs was once again open. We’ll see how long that lasts.

We did our nightcap next door at Wet Spot, ordered some take-out tacos from Sit-n-Bull (damn, Korean and Mexican on the same day!), then headed on home.

My weekly weigh-in has me at 242.9, down from 244.2 last week.

From the LTG archives in December 2010, the occasion of my retirement ceremony prompted a post called “The end of the road,” about the jobs I’d done in service to my Uncle Sam. It turns out it wasn’t the end I thought it was going to be, but that’s another story.

From Facebook memories:

Today’s YouTube video is the story of how a vlogger moved to the Philippines, met a gal, married her, built her a house, and then all of a sudden, everything changed. Imagine that.

You can laugh or shake your head in disgust. Up to you.

And that’s that for this post. I’m heading off to the SOB at Green Room tonight. Not sure how much longer these competitions will continue, so I figured I’d give it a go before they’re gone.

Not that I had much of a plan to begin with. Still, sometimes things work out in unexpected ways. And now I have made some exciting plans, and I’m looking forward to pursuing them. I’ll fill you in on that later in this post. Seeing as how I’m a sequential blogger, let’s start with the morning group hike.

And now for good stuff. Swan was attending to some family business at the compound in Subic and said she would meet up with me later, wherever I was in Barretto. When I headed out from home, I was thinking about Mugshots as this week’s seldom-visited bar. But as fate would have it, right when I was passing Sloppy Joe’s, it started raining. Naturally, I went inside to take shelter from the storm. I messaged Swan and told her where I was, then ordered a beer. As I was enjoying my beverage, my next-door neighbors, Jeff and Davina, drove by and saw me sitting there. They parked and came by to invite us to join them at Hops and Brews for dinner. I told them I was waiting for Swan to arrive, and they went next door to Green Room for a drink. When Swan came, we joined them there.

During our chat over drinks, Jeff told me they were planning to go to Manila next week. I said that I was taking Swan to Pundaquit for a couple of days of beach time. He asked where we were staying, and I told him about the Wave Song Resort on the waterfront where we stay. He thought it sounded good and decided they would come along, and we could ride with them.. So that saves me the hassle and expense of arranging transport. That was an unexpected win.

Just before six p.m., we hoofed it up the street to Hops and Brews to rendezvous with another couple who are friends with Jeff and Davina for dinner.

Jeff’s friends will be traveling to Da Nang soon, so naturally the conversation turned to our shared experiences in that wonderful city (Jeff and Davina had gone just a couple of weeks before our trip). We both agreed that one week hadn’t been enough, and the next thing I knew, we were discussing the details of planning a two-week stay this coming January. In addition to Da Nang, we will be booking lodging for a couple of days in the city of Hue, a three-hour train ride from Da Nang. We also plan to stay in Hoi An a night or two, and also in the resort area we visited in the Ba Na hills. I’m really looking forward to going back and spending some quality time while exploring new areas.

Swan had her craving for the wood-fired brick oven pizza that Hops and Brews is locally famous for satisfied.

Table talk over dinner turned to bars we enjoy, and I mentioned that in my opinion, Queen Victoria is now the best girly bar in Barretto. Jeff wanted to judge for himself, so we agreed to stop by when we finished eating.

Riding in the neighbor’s car is by far the best way back home after a nice night on the town. Sometimes you don’t need a plan to have fun. And now I have two trips planned and more to come.

Speaking of plans, I’m in the early days of December 2010 of the LTG archives, and declared in a post that I have decided to move back to the USA in January. Not without some sadness, as this post of photos from my life in Korea illustrates.

Via Facebook memories, here’s something I don’t miss from Korea:

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay discusses four types of expat lifestyles. I’ve bounced around between a couple of them, but these days I’m living like a married man. Well, I am a married man, just not to the woman I’m living with. Life is complicated.

And you know what comes next:

That’s where things stand as of now. I got up to pee at two in the morning and saw this out the window:

And this is how the sky was looking at six:

It’s good to enjoy the simple things life throws your way.

That’s the way you got it! Tuesdays around here are nothing to write home about, but that won’t keep me from blogging about it anyway. I will, however, try to keep it short and sweet.

Speaking of sweet, it was the usual shopping day.

I mentioned the brownie-baking accident in yesterday’s post. I was able to recover in sufficient time to bring my specialty to the birthday party for Amelia at Alley Hideout. Thanks for your help, Betty Crocker!

And loud! Yeah, people having a good time tend to be that way, but there was only so much noisy revelry that I could take before I needed to escape. We found some peace and quiet across the highway at the Outback poolside bar.

Then, as darkness fell, we darted back across the highway for a nightcap at Queen Victoria. Once again, the bar was packed with girls and no other customers but us. Maybe they open too early, but I’m not complaining. I’m not their target audience anyway, but from my observations during the last two visits, QV is now the best girly bar in town.

A not-so-interesting bump in the road as I continue my journey through the LTG archives–I explored the whole month of October and most of November 2010 and found nothing worthy of sharing here or tagging for The Story of My Life. It was almost all about politics, like anything I had to say would make a difference (same as now). Anyway, my Aunt Pat’s World Famous Fruit Salad has been a Thanksgiving tradition for me since my earliest memories as a child. And here’s the recipe. You are welcome.

Facebook memories took me back to the good old days on Hooker Hill in Itaewon:

Today’s YouTube video is short and sweet, just the way I like them. It talks about cities in Southeast Asia to avoid and offers an in-country alternative for each of them. I have been to all three of the cited localities, and don’t necessarily agree they should be avoided, but do concur that there are better options available. Seeing that traffic again in Saigon was not a good memory, but I did enjoy my visit there. Da Nang was a much better experience. To each his own.

And perhaps you’ll find these worthy of a smile:

And so it goes, and so it went. And now it is time to get on with it once again. See you next time.

Two straight days of sunshine, what’s a fella to do? Same old shit I always do, of course. And I’m gonna keep doing it (and blogging it) for as long as I can. You’ve been warned!

Kicked things off with the Saturday Sweets Stroll. My neighbors, Martin and Joss, joined in the fun.

At the end of our jaunt, we decided to pop into a relatively new restaurant we’ve been meaning to try.

Yugto was a pleasant and informal dining experience and we will visit again one day soon.

We didn’t have anything in particular planned for our Saturday evening, so we plopped our asses down at Sloppy Joe’s to think it over. Swan mentioned Hops and Brews for a wood-fired pizza, but I wasn’t feeling it. I suggested Sit-n-Bull as an alternative, and Swan acquiesced. Just as we were finishing our drinks and preparing to head out, owner Bert sent over a beer and a glass of wine on the house. Damn, the way Swan sips at her wine (I drink three beers to her one glass), I knew we wouldn’t be leaving Sloppy’s anytime soon. I went over to Bert to thank him for his generosity, then complained that because of the free drinks, I’d have to order food from his place. He didn’t seem to mind. Funny how that works.

Sloppy Joe’s had a good crowd, and Bert confirmed they have been very busy, even when it rains and the street outside floods. So, the expats have found their place to hang out, drink, eat, and watch sporting events on several large screen televisions.

We did our nightcap next door at Green Room and had our usual good time. I sponsored a couple of the girls to play a best-of-three pool match, and was impressed with their ability. It came down to the eight ball in the deciding third match with 100 pesos for the winner, and 50 pesos to the loser. We also dispensed cookies and lollipops, and I was comped TWO more beers.

You know, I’m going to miss this life when it is gone. It may not be much, but it’s the best one for me as an old man. I can wait another fifteen years or so before I start the do-over life.

Here’s something about the history of the Philippines I found interesting:

Here’s the story:

In 1901, there was a proposition in the U.S. to change the name of the Philippine Islands to “McKinley Islands,” in honor of President William McKinley who was assassinated that year.

According to the September 30, 1901 issue of the New York Tribune, the proposition was intended to be presented “before the next Congress” and there was no doubt that it would be accepted.

The Americanization of the Philippines would not only change its name but also those of different provinces and islands within the country:

“This part of the scheme embraces the idea of bestowing upon the different islands and provinces the names of the men most prominently identified with the acquisition and management of the islands.

For instance, the members of the American Commission which negotiated the Paris Treaty would thus be honored, as well as the names of Admiral Dewey, General Lawton, Governor Taft, General Otis, Secretary Root, and others.”

The report also pointed out that “this proposed change would link his (McKinley) name with the government of the country for all time and also would be a constant and conspicuous reminder to future generations throughout the world that it was in his administration that the republic expanded its beneficent influence to the Orient and there established in enduring form its institutions and systems.”

President McKinley is remembered in Philippine history as the one who issued the “BENEVOLENT ASSIMILATION PROCLAMATION” in 1899.

The said proclamation emphasized the “altruistic” mission of the U.S. in acquiring the Philippines and that the U.S. have “come, not as invaders or conquerors, but as friends, to protect the natives in their homes, in their employment, and in their personal and religious rights.”

Obviously, the proposition didn’t push through. And that leaves us wondering what would have happened had the Congress approved the name change.

This August 2010 post from the LTG archives talks about the transition from my working life to an unknown future. I write some more about the uncertainties leading me to postpone my retirement date by three months, so I could figure out what to do next. Of course, I know what I wound up doing and where that led me, but perhaps future posts will help me remember why.

From Facebook memories:

Today’s YouTube video discusses how much bargirls make and how their compensation works, at least in Angeles City. In my opinion, a woman is free to sell her body for whatever it is worth to her, but I’ll be damned if the bars should dictate what she does in her off-duty hours.

And now the funny stuff:

Now it’s time to get ready to roll on out to the Hideaway feeding, dinner at John’s place, and a stop at Red Bar. Yep, it’s Sunday and that’s how I roll!

I don’t know why, but sometimes I can’t shake the feeling like I’m on my last lap. Of course, the goal is to make that lap as long as possible. I’m hoping for fifteen years or so, we’ll see what happens, but at least I’ll die trying. In the meantime, I’m going to keep doing what I do and embrace the joys of my mundane lifestyle.

We had a mostly rain-free morning, so the Friday group opted to head for the hills. It was nice to get off the pavement for a change.

We decided to skip the SOB again; it just hasn’t been worth the time lately. Instead, we rewarded our hard-working feet with a foot spa.

With our feet now refreshed and nails clipped, we went to feed our hungry bellies at Jewel Cafe.

After dinner, we dashed across the highway to Jumpin’ Jacks. Once again, the music was great and the staff friendly. And it seems to be paying off, because the place was hoppin’ with quite a few customers, notwithstanding the early hour.

I did two of these in my unique fashion: a shot of gin with soda water served in a tall glass with an additional can of soda water on the side. That reduces the potency of the gin and makes the drink last longer. Regardless, after the second one, I was feeling the effects in a way that was concerning. Regular readers may recall that in my previous attempts to reduce my beer intake, I had some falling-down incidents. Despite my fondness for drinking, I do not like being inebriated. So, I switched back to Zero beer after the second gin drink.

If you are keeping score, I had four beers (down from the usual 8-10) and two gins. The beers have sixty calories per bottle, and the gin shot has around ninety-five. I think prudence dictates that I stick with beer and look for other ways to reduce my calorie intake. The gin and soda method I use is also twice as expensive as a bottle of beer.

We’d both had enough of the fun when we departed Jumpin’ Jacks, and so we passed on the nightcap bar and headed home early. And so ended another day in the life.

I came across this horrific rendering in my internet travels:

I’ve reached August 2010 in my LTG archive journey and enjoyed remembering the bullfrog I grew up with.

This Facebook memory from six years ago made me smile.

Reminds me of that old saw, “when I was 16, I thought my father was stupid. When I was 21, I couldn’t believe how much he’d learned in five years.”

And now we’ll welcome back the Filipina Pea for today’s YouTube video. I really respect and appreciate vloggers who don’t resort to the fakery of AI, and they are getting harder and harder to find. In today’s edition, Pea responds to questions submitted by her viewers in her usual brutally honest way. There’s dumb, but some of these guys in long-distance relationships are the dumbest around.

And maybe you’ll like these:

Onward with the journey.

Yes, indeed. I lived through yesterday and woke up today to start a new one. And also, welcome to August. If things go as planned, I’ll be visiting the 70s on the 27th. I’m pretty sure I will like the 70s I’ve already lived through than the new adventure on the horizon, but I’m up for it anyway.

The weather was still iffy in the morning hours, so we opted to just walk from home to the end of Baloy Beach and back.

When we got home, Swan surprised me with a lunch she prepared:

When beer o’clock rolled around, Swan wanted to continue our seldom-visited bar quest. And that’s what we did.

I was hungry, and Outback has a fish and chips stand next door, so we placed an order and had it delivered at the bar.

Next up for us was a visit to Hangout Bar. It’s a sports bar with large screen TVs showing, you guessed it, sporting events. There were several guys in the bar when we arrived, watching footie, or what I call soccer, me being American and all. Good for them and good for the bar. It’s the first time I’ve seen other customers here. But the volume was turned up on the game in progress, and it didn’t take long before the noise was grating on my nerves.

Next stop, Queen Victoria. Wow, things have really changed in this bar since my last visit. For one thing, the stage was full of dancers, and they were actually dancing! The manager came over to greet me, and he told me they have nineteen dancers and thirteen GROs now. I laughed and said, Yeah, and two customers. He told me they get busy later in the evening. I complimented him on finding so many attractive gals to put on display. Most of the other “dancing” bars have three or four girls who stand around, and half of them are usually “American-sized.” Anyway, if watching girls up on the stage is your thing, Queen Vic is the place to be in Barretto now. Also, the big back room features live bands that start at 9 p.m. (sadly, that’s my bedtime these days).

We had an enjoyable visit at Queen Victoria. Dancing bars are not really my thing, and it is located on the opposite side of town from where we usually hang out, but they’ve earned a spot in our regular rotation.

I woke up this morning and turned the page on the calendar. A new month, and also the one I was born in. In an effort to enjoy future Augusts, I’m reinstituting my diet plan starting today. I got on the scale for the first time in months, right after my morning pee, and logged in at 248 pounds. After today’s hike and a shit, I reweighed and registered 244 pounds. How’s that for progress?

Wish me luck on my renewed weight-loss journey.

A two-fer from the July 2010 LTG archives. In this post from July 22, I am in the Philippines feeling sick and tired. And on July 28, I posted this:

Dreams die.

New dreams emerge.

It’s the freakin’ circle of life.

So, I have decided to postpone retirement until 2 January 2011. 

Time to work on Plan “B”.

Those two events were related. Let’s see if my continuing journey through the archives provides an answer.

Coming up with a YouTube video to post today was more frustrating than usual. The first one, about some historical events that made Manila what it is today, had some of the worst AI narration I’ve ever heard. Seriously, mispronouncing dollar? A few minutes of that and I couldn’t take any more. I next checked in with one of my favorite vloggers, Reekay, but his rant about dating in America left me feeling like, so what, who cares? Then I took a look at a video that headlined how devoid of tourists Angeles City is these days. Turns out, there was no dialogue whatsoever, just the camera shots of walking down Red Street (the AC bar district) during the day. Duh. There is no reason for tourists to be there before the bars open. I did notice how many of the business signs were written in Korean, confirming what I’ve heard about Koreans taking over in AC. So, that led me to the video I’m posting today: Why are Koreans moving to the Philippines? Spoiler alert: for the same reasons the rest of us did.

Maybe these will make you smile:

Don’t read too much into that, I’ll still be visiting the bars. I may just try the gin and soda water thing again.

We shall see what the future brings. Stop by tomorrow for an update.

The day began with a Wednesday Waltermart walk and ended with a what the fuck moment. Let me tell you all about it.

When I asked Swan where she wanted to spend our evening hours, she surprised me by saying anywhere but the Maze bars (Sloppy Joe’s, Alaska, Green Room, and Wet Spot). So, that provided the incentive to re-initiate the Wednesday tradition of patronizing seldom-visited bars.

We started out at my old darts bar home, Alley Hideout. Lots of memories here, and still some familiar faces. A warm greeting from the owner inspired me to ring the bell (a drink for everyone working), and we settled in for a pleasant hour-long visit. Swan commented on how much she enjoys the friendly vibe here and said we should make it a weekly event. I concurred.

Then we scooted safely across the highway for some dinner and beach views at Mango’s.

We enjoyed our usual grilled pork chops, then headed out for our next venue, Cloud 69. The last time we visited was several weeks ago, and we didn’t stay long because our favorite waitress wasn’t working and the music sucked. Sheryl was back last night, and so was the classic rock we enjoy.

On one of the forums I frequent, PI@Night, someone had posted a photo from the days when Subic town had a bar scene similar to Barretto.

One of the dancers I knew from her days at Cheap Charlies joined us at our table, too. Turns out she went to the same high school as Swan. We handed out cookies and lollipops for the crew, and purchased two lady drinks each for our tablemates. As usual, I specified single lady drinks (180 pesos) served in a glass as opposed to a bottled drink for 300 pesos each. The guy at the table across from us was buying bottles of Red Horse beer for 400 pesos a pop.

So, the girls told us about a customer in the bar the night before who was in full two-week millionaire mode, buying multiple lady drinks for everyone working. I was astounded when they said his tab at the 3 a.m. closing was 60,000 pesos. Wowza! That’s over one thousand US dollars. And he wasn’t done yet. When the bar closed, he invited some of the girls to join him at Sloppy Joe’s, a bar that is open twenty-four hours.

And here’s where that WTF moment arrived. Sheryl revealed that Cloud 69 management found out about the girls who joined the customer at Sloppy Joe’s and deducted 500 pesos from their salary for doing a sneakout. For those who are unaware of the bar system, if a girl wants to leave with a customer, the customer (or the girl in some bars) has to pay a “barfine” or EWR (early work release) fee. But in this case, the girls had completed their shift, and they were on their own time. For me, attempting to control what a girl can do during her off-duty hours crosses a line into the human trafficking realm.

Anyway, hearing about this pissed me off, and I was ready to leave anyway, so I asked for my tab. I foolishly trust the bars most of the time, but because of what I had just been told, I asked Swan to review our bill carefully. And sure enough, the four single lady drinks I had ordered were charged as doubles. I sent waitress Sheryl back to the cashier to straighten things out, and she came back a few minutes later with the corrected amount owed. I paid and left, not thinking for a minute that this had been a mistake rather than a scam. Needless to say, I won’t be returning to Cloud 69 and their evil ways in the future.

We grabbed a trike for home and brought our crazy day to an end.

I have moved on to July 2010 in the LTG archives. I wrote about my planned retirement, which was less than sixty days away, and with an upcoming house-hunting trip to the PI scheduled, I was beginning to question whether my dream would become a nightmare, and I was also starting to realize how much I was going to miss Korea.

I also came across some other memories:

I hadn’t thought of gramps in like forever, so I just Googled him and was surprised to see him mentioned in a blog called Okie Legacy. The relevant portion reads:

“Hal Clinkenbeard and family are visiting at the parental home during his vacation. He is in the Railway mail Service on a run between memphis and McAlester. In a chat with Hal, his memory harked back to the time when we were dispensing gas and oil for Dunn Wilkinson and he plied me with questions regarding the whereabouts of Olin and Phylllis chase and Merle Lewellen. He also brought me the good news that his father was well enough Monday to be brought down town a little while Monday.

Weird shit. The other thing I noticed was that Hal looks a lot like my brother Greg.

I’m so isolated from family these days that I feel like an orphan. Ah, well. It’s the life I chose to live.

Today’s YouTube video is an old 1960s promo from Pan Am Airlines to get folks to travel to the Philippines. It’s an enjoyable watch in a throwback kind of way.

Let’s see if I can avoid repeating myself with today’s humorous picks:

And that’s all I’ve got. Thanks for your indulgence.

I’m sure my reader(s) response would be, “aren’t they all?” but even by my low standards, this one stands out. Don’t worry, I won’t torture you with a long, drawn-out post about that nothingness. Here’s a quick lowdown:

Got the shopping done without incident at both YBC and Royal.

It was raining when we got back home, so I didn’t bother with the weekly neighborhood stroll.

Swan asked me if I would cook for her, something I rarely do these days since she took over the kitchen duties. I asked what she wanted, and she told me that she missed my beef stew. So, I got the crockpot down from the shelf and went to work. A few hours later, this came out:

Then it was off for a visit with Dr. Jo. I’ve been experiencing some excruciating pain in my lower back, especially when standing after spending time in a chair or getting up out of bed. I’ve never been stabbed, but I imagine that’s what it must feel like. Anyway, after suffering for three days, I felt a consultation was in order. By yesterday, the pain had diminished somewhat in intensity, but I was still troubled when bending over or trying to lift my right leg. Dr. Jo gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory pill and said if the problem persisted, I should get an ultrasound to check for kidney stones. It is less painful today, so hopefully whatever triggered this is healing.

After the appointment, it was nearing beer o’clock, so I asked Swan if she wanted to venture out to Baloy Beach. ‘What is there to do there?’ she asked. True, there is no floating bar, and even the Tiki bar at Kokomo’s is closed down. I suggested stopping by Fox’s (aka DaKudo’s) for some drinks, then dinner at Treasure Island. Swan then reminded me she just had beef stew and wouldn’t be hungry, and so we made our way to Sloppy Joe’s instead.

The Sloppy Joe’s owner, Bert, greeted us when we arrived. Bert also owns Treasure Island on Baloy, and I mentioned we hadn’t been out that way for a few weeks because of the weather. Bert said almost no one has been going to Baloy, and that other than a couple of hotel guests, the bar and restaurant at TI have been empty. I told him I was sorry to hear that, and he just shrugged, saying that the rainy season would end and things would get back to normal. In the meantime, business at Sloppy Joe’s has been booming since he took over, so it all balances out.

We did our nightcap at Green Room next door and had our usual good time there. Then it was time to grab a trike and head for home. And so un día de nada came to an end.

I came across some updated maps of Barretto and Baloy on Facebook, so I’ll share them here for anyone who wants to see where these places I talk about (and drink in) are located.

Still June of 2010 in the LTG archives, and here’s the Father’s Day tribute I posted. I didn’t know my dad was not destined to live to see another.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger who is notorious for his anti-Philippines rants. I find him rather irritating, especially his narration style. I mean, he’s not wrong that service is often slow to nonexistent, but as I learned long ago, he needs to take a deep breath, relax, and accept the Filipino way. Or get the hell out if he doesn’t like it.

On to the funny business:

There seemed to be a bit of a dirty theme in today’s funnies. Welp, when you ain’t got nothin’, you ain’t got nothin’ at all.

Here we go again with the Sunday routines. Well, it had been a month since the last Candy Walk, so it almost felt out of the ordinary.

The rest of Sunday went pretty much like it always does.

As usual, we made Red Bar our first after-dinner stop.

We finished with a nightcap at Green Room, then made our way home. Trust me, the day wasn’t nearly as boring as this post. Promise!

On to June of 2010 in the LTG archives with this bad ass post.

Subic Bay is once again featured in a YouTube video. You know your star is on the rise when even the French like you.

Let’s get this over with:

Had enough? Me too. It’s Hash Monday, and the Hare, Leech My Nuggets, was kind enough to send me maps of the long and “lame” trails he’s prepared. That lame trail was what I had in mind for my shortcut, so win-win! I’ll share how it goes tomorrow.

As I’m wont to say, there’s freedom in wet shoes; so put ’em on and hit the road. We did our first Saturday Sweet Stroll yesterday despite intermittent rainfall. Less than half the number of kids we usually service, but it was still nice to be out and about. Here’s some of what we saw along the way:

The best part of the day was yet to come. We joined the neighbors on both sides, plus another couple, for a night on the town.

After our meal, we all headed over to Jumpin’ Jacks bar to enjoy some live music.

We arrived an hour or so before the band was scheduled to perform, so we filled the time with some karaoke.

And then the “band” showed up. Turns out, it was the same duo who performed at the Hash birthday party a couple of weeks ago.

Swan joined them on stage to sing a song:

I went a little wild with the lady drinks.

Hold on to your hats, here’s what time it was when I got back home:

Good times!

Back to May 2010 in the LTG archives, where I shared a post about my trip to South Carolina after my work meetings in DC were done. It was the last time I got to spend time with my mom while she was still somewhat healthy. When I came home again in January 2011 she was in hospice care and died a couple of weeks later.

Twelve years ago, I was packed up and ready to roll to Nashville, Tennessee for a dart tournament:

It feels like a lifetime ago, and remembering that life still makes me sad about having lost it. Which is not to say I’m not enjoying the life I have. I’m going to try and hang on to this one as long as I can.

Today’s YouTube talks about how Tagalog became the primary Filipino language (along with English). I ultimately chose the Philippines over Cambodia because English is widely spoken here—no regrets in that regard.

And now on to the funny business.

And so it goes. Still raining off and on, but in a more normal volume now that the culprit storm has moved on. Regardless, I’m not going to let the weather keep me from my appointed rounds. I’ve got a Hideaway feeding and Sunday dinner at John’s place to attend to next.

So what if I can’t spell apocolypse. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.

The crazy weather abated some yesterday, and we took advantage with a pleasant street stroll out in Castillejos. We only do this walk once or twice a year, so it was good to take in the sights again.

And that was how we spent our mostly rain-free morning.

I wasn’t sure where to go to fill the evening hours, but as we were walking towards town, I decided to visit Thumbstar. I almost never go there, but they do a “buy one, get one” deal on Friday for your first drink and food order. And they make one of the better shawarmas around. And then my old WHS classmate and neighbor, Mike, drove by and offered us a lift. Where are you going, I asked. Thumbstar. Hey, great minds think alike!

After my beers and shawarma (I gave Swan the free one), Mike offered us the chance to ride with him to Red Bar. Why not? We usually visit Red Bar as part of our Sunday routine, but always sit outside on the patio. This time was the first time I’d experienced the indoor version.

Mike headed home at seven, but we weren’t ready to call it a night just yet. With the group dispersing, we moved to our preferred seating area on the patio. Our regular waitress followed us outside and earned a couple of lady drinks for taking good care of us.

We had talked about doing Wet Spot for our nightcap, but as we passed Jumpin’ Jacks, it was raining again, and Swan said let’s go here instead. No hay problema.

This is becoming one of our favorite venues, and we are already treated like valued regulars. Plus, the music selections and volume are always to my liking.

And then we were homeward bound via tricycle, and our Friday night came to an end.

Today’s memory from the LTG archives is a May 2010 post discussing what I presumed would be my last trip to DC as a government employee (my plan was to retire in September, but plans change). I enjoyed my first-ever visit to the Pentagon, but I lamented the waste of time that meetings with bureaucrats had been over the years. Heh, I was DOGE before DOGE was a thing.

Some Facebook posts from this day in history:

This YouTube video shares ten signs you’ve been in the Philippines too long. Well, I’m familiar with all of the things the vlogger discusses, but after going on eight years, I’ve not succumbed to any of them. Like eating rice or subscribing to the concept of “Filipino time.” Anyway, the narration is fine, but the images used have nothing to do with the Philippines. That was a little off-putting.

Have a smile before I go:

And there you have it. Pouring down rain again as I write this, but that’s part of the package when you sign up for life in paradise.

It seems like rainy days are the new normal around here, and so there is nothing to be done other than dealing with it. For me, that means doing the same old shit I always do, albeit a tad less comfortably. So, I’m still going to engage in a morning walk, even if it’s a boring, flat one.

At the 5K mark, I was soaked and hungry. I was also just around the corner from Sit-n-Bull, so I popped in and ordered a Malibu chicken burger for takeout.

Went home, dried off, ate, napped, did my blogging chore, then showered up and got ready for whatever the evening held in store. We had planned to attend a cookout gathering at a fellow Hasher’s house, but alas, he announced his neighborhood was flooded and the event was canceled. So, we popped open our umbrellas and made our way to Harley’s on Baloy for dinner.

After our meal, we took a trike into “downtown” Barretto and paid a visit to It Doesn’t Matter. When we’d had enough of that, we walked a block up the highway and did our nightcap at Alaska. It was also mostly devoid of patrons, but surprisingly, most of the staff were missing as well—only two dancers (usually eight) and two waitresses (usually four). The waitress who served us explained that the bad weather and flooding had kept most of her coworkers at home (she lives upstairs in the accommodation provided by the bar, so she wasn’t inconvenienced by coming to work). We bought her a couple of drinks, and she and Swan chatted in Tagalog, leaving me to some quiet time with my friend Zero.

And then it was time for home. Not much of a day, but better than nothing.

All I can say to Mother Nature is, bring it on, bitch!

I’ve moved on to May 2010 in my journey through the LTG archives. This post was chock full of pictures from my trek to Doseonsa Temple in Seoul (I spelled it wrong back then). It was a great experience back then, but reliving the memory now has an element of sadness. I miss my life in Korea.

Today’s YouTube video is a chilling depiction of what war with China may look like in this part of the world. I hope it doesn’t happen in my lifetime because otherwise, I expect it would result in the end of my life.

There’s always a reason to smile.

I just looked outside and was surprised to see this:

We shall see what tomorrow brings.

When the local authorities tell me to jump, like the good non-citizen that I am, I say, “How high?” Yesterday, that meant an eight-and-a-half-kilometer walk in the rain. And in a first for me, I got to experience the “joy” of wading through the flooded streets of the St. James neighborhood in Calapacuan. Take a look and see for yourself:

Just goes to prove I’d rather walk (and wade) in the rain than sit on my ass day after day. I wouldn’t call it fun, but it was better than nothing.

We made the trek into town later in the day and enjoyed the ambiance at Sloppy Joe’s. I had planned to climb the stairs to BarCelona but discovered it is now closed. The sign said “temporary,” but my sources tell me otherwise. There’s just not enough customers to go around these days. We did our nightcap at Green Room and spread some love in the form of cookies, lollipops, and lady drinks. We ordered take-out from Sit-n-Bull and headed home at the end of another rainy night.

From the LTG archives, memories of visiting a Buddhist Temple on Oahu in April 2010.

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay reveals the hard truth about love, friendship, and betrayal. It all comes down to knowing who your friends are, I suppose.

The humor is a dry and mild as ever:

That’s all I’ve got to share for now. Still pouring down rain as I write this.

More to come tomorrow. Rain and a post.

Here’s a belated song in honor of the passing of Ozzie Osborne.

Yesterday, I’m like, oh shit, Orange! Man, bad.

And today, I’m seeing RED!

There’s some wind, too.

But life goes on, whatever the weather. Here’s how I spent my Tuesday:

Shopping day as usual, but since our weekend candy walks had been cancelled due to rain, we didn’t need to restock the goodies at the YBC supermarket. That meant we arrived on SBMA before Royal’s nine a.m. opening time. I decided to kill time and splurge on breakfast for my crew (driver, helper, Swan).

Royal has a display of their most popular items from the USA.

Back home after shopping, I said, “fuck the weather,” and took a neighborhood stroll.

Later on in the afternoon, Swan asked if we were going to go out. I said, What day is it? She gave me a funny look and said, Tuesday. I said, “Yep, that ends in a ‘Y’, so we will head out soon.” At the appointed hour, we walked under the cover of umbrellas to Mango’s for dinner.

Since we were already on the side of town we rarely frequent, we decided to check out a venue we hadn’t visited recently–Hangout Bar.

We sat in front of a window with a view of the highway below

I guess we weren’t the only ones going stir crazy at home during the relentlessly wet weather. Our friend Michael messaged that he was coming into town, so we gave him directions to Hangout. Before he arrived, my neighbor Jeff called asking where we were hanging out, and I told him, yes. Then I clarified that it was Hangout Bar, and the party was on.

After a beer with the gang, we moved downstairs to check out Lux, a bar I never normally even think about.

A couple of more beers later, we headed across the highway in Jeff’s car to check out Nipsey’s Bar. No one was busy on this rainy night, so they seemed to appreciate our dropping in. Especially when Jeff started throwing his balls around. Well, not his balls, the basket of balls on our table. For 300 pesos a toss, the girls chase after the scattered ping pong balls and receive a commission for each one they retrieve. I’ve never been a fan of this particular bar game, as I prefer spending my money on lady drinks, but to each their own. There was a surprise in store for me when I paid a visit to the CR to take a leak. Jeff’s wife captured the moment on video:

That was a first for me. I made sure no one grabbed the wrong balls!

It was almost 9 p.m., which is a relatively late night for this old man, and we all said our goodnights and headed home. It’s always nice to catch a ride with the next-door neighbor.

The rain continued through the night, waking me occasionally as it pounded against the roof and windows. But I woke up safe and sane enough to tackle another day.

The April 2010 trek through the LTG archives led to a picture-laden post about my climb to the top of Diamond Head on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Good times! And I’m thankful to the blog for reminding me of these otherwise forgotten special moments in my life.

A trifecta of YouTube videos today, all related to the growing ties, both commercial and military, between the United States and the Philippines.

First, Philippines President Marcos visits the USA to meet with President Trump.

As a result of those meetings, the trade deal I mentioned earlier in this post has been completed.

And it looks like the US and the Philippines will be strengthening cooperation between their respective militaries. Part of this may include a revitalization of Subic Bay for use by both navies. I have a nice view of the shipyard mentioned in the video below. When I see the bombs exploding, I’ll know that the seemingly imminent war with China has begun. Hopefully, the current efforts of both nations will deter this from happening.

Hmm, it won’t let me embed the video for some reason. Still worth the watch, so give it a click.

On with the humor:

I think I’m adapting to this recent climate change. I’ll post tomorrow about the 8+K walk we did under and in the water. And I’m going to face the storm and embrace a bottle or two of Zero beer this evening. Take that, Mother Nature!

And it ain’t done yet!

After another day full of heavy rains, the repercussions are being felt.

Meanwhile, life goes on, and by golly, I got in a 6K walk at yesterday’s Hash. Granted, it wasn’t the Hash trail laid by the Hares (or Harriettes in this case). Given the downpour conditions, I wasn’t about to climb a muddy and steep trail up into the hills. And based on the feedback I heard from those who did, I made the right choice. Instead, I crafted a street walk from the start to the On-Home. Cums Alone (Swan) and BF’s Wet Spot (Beth) accompanied me. Here’s how my trail looked:

The rain didn’t let up after we arrived, but Smokes and Bottles had us covered.

As usual, we convened for the after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter.

And another wet day came to a close. And when I awoke this morning, it was still raining.

Another happy memory in the LTG archives from my Seoul life in April 2010. This time, a bike ride on the Han River. Those were the days!

Who’s up for some Smart Girl Philippines speaking out on the seven unspoken rules for dating a Filipina? Well, here you go then:

Now let me rain down some smiles upon you:

Let’s see what happens next.

Even by my low standards, these seemingly endless rainy days are wearying in their sameness. I want my old boring days back, where I could at least kill some time with a hike. Well, I’m going to Hash today, rain or shine. And the forecast is for more wet weather.

In the meantime, here’s what happened yesterday: nothing. At least, nothing until I headed out for the feeding at Hideaway Bar. It’d been so long since I’d been for a walk that I decided to document the journey to Hideaway as if it were something special.

Exciting shit, eh? But wait, there’s more!

Then it was time to cross the highway and join Swan for dinner at John’s place.

Ain’t love grand?

First stop after dinner was Red Bar.

We did our nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks. Once again, the music was the highlight, although this time it was country-western. My curiosity as to why was answered when a guy wearing a cowboy hat came out of the CR (comfort room/restroom). It turns out he’s visiting from Texas and plans to move to San Narciso with his Filipina in the near future.

When Swan finished her wine, we grabbed a trike for home, and so ended a rainy Sunday.

It’s my dearly departed mother’s birthday, and Facebook greeted me with some photos of her I posted over the years to mark the occasion:

Back in April 2010, I wrote a post about a night out in Itaewon with the wife, her daughter, and my nephew Justin. Life is full of unhappy endings, but the memories along the way are sometimes nice to embrace.

Today’s YouTube video shares the stories of some foreigners learning the meaning of FAFO.

Let’s finish with a smile:

And that’s all I’ve got. We’ll see how the wet Hash goes.

Yep, it is still raining relentlessly, and I’m stuck at home, missing out on the joy of hiking. At least the water service has been restored. A hot shower is near the top of my “to-do” list.

After being confined indoors all day, I was ready for the great escape when beer o’clock rolled around. My pal Michael messaged that he was still without power at his place on the far side of Subic town, and asked to join us. We agreed to meet up at Sloppy Joe’s. Michael doesn’t do the Barretto scene, having only visited bars tied to Hash events and the ones I showed him on Wednesday after San Narciso. He also said the only restaurant he eats at here is John’s place. I mentioned Sit-n-Bull, but he tried it once and didn’t like it.

After a couple of beers, I was ready for a change of scenery, but given the wet weather, options were limited. Another factor I had to consider was Swan’s hunger. Then I thought of a place I seldom visit that’s right up the street–Hops and Brews Beer Garden. Michael had never heard of it and asked if they served draft beers. I responded that’s pretty much all they have, and he was excited to give it a try. So, we grabbed the umbrellas and headed out.

Hops and Brews is one of the nicer places in town, especially if you like craft beers on tap. Of course, they don’t carry a faux beer like Zero, which may be part of the reason I don’t visit often. Michael was surprised to discover a place for beer connoisseurs like him with a great ambiance and good food. He said he’ll definitely be bringing his wife here when she returns from England next month.

That’s a meat lover’s pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven. I’d heard people rave about the H&B pizza, but I’d never tried one. It was good. Michael said it was the best pizza he’s had in a long time. I’ll have to consider elevating Hops and Brews on my list of go-to venues.

After we finished the pizza, Michael headed home, and Swan and I did our nightcap at Green Room.

As 8 p.m. approached, we headed home. Still no water, but when I got up to pee at midnight, the toilet flushed. Hooray!

And now I’ve crossed the border into April 2010 on my journey through the LTG archives. In this post, I share insights and photos of the unique Holy Days celebrations in the Philippines.

For today’s YouTube video, who’s up for a visit to North Korea? This is as close as I ever want to get.

Smile time:

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for a rainy day. It’s Sunday, so I’ll venture out to Hideaway for the feeding, then I’ll join Swan at John’s place. I predict there are some birria tacos in her future.