Back to my regular routines after a hangover-induced day off, and it was good to be on the road again. For my morning walk, I decided to do the trek out to Waltermart. And since it was a special occasion, or felt like one anyway, I did the photo every 1000 steps thing. Here they are:

A good hike overall, except for that heavy breathing portion. Oh, and one of the straps on my backpack broke near the end of the trek, so I carried it on one shoulder the rest of the way.

Saturday evening, I took Swan to Treasure Island Resort on Baloy so she could enjoy some live music and beach views. It was a good time.

It was another good time with my sweetie. Swan enjoys live music and Engine is one of the better bar bands around this area. For shits and giggles I made a playlist of the songs they performed during their first set yesterday:

• Tequila Sunrise (Eagles)
• A Horse With No Name (America)
• I Don’t Want To Talk About It (Rod Stewart)
• Cat’s In The Cradle (Harry Chapin)
• Have You Ever Seen The Rain (CCR)
• Bad Moon Rising (CCR)
• Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)
• Under Pressure (Queen)
• Paint It Black (Rolling Stones)
• Honky Tonk Woman (Rolling Stones)
• Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones)
• Satisfaction (Rolling Stones)
• Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love (Van Halen)
• You Really Got Me (Kinks)
• Jump (Van Halen)
• Here I Go Again (Whitesnake)
• Beds Are Burning (Midnight Oil)
• Free Bird (Lynard Skynard

They played Free Bird at Swan’s request (and 100 pesos in the tip jar). They play a nice mix of classic songs that an old fart like me can enjoy. It is also nice to be able to see live music performed early in the evening (they start around 4:30). Live music offerings in Barretto begin at 9 p.m. or later in most other venues.

We did have one little bothersome event occur. I had a discount coupon from the SOB for a 10% discount on food and beverages for up to four guests. When the waitress brought our tab, we were not given the total discount to which we were entitled. The bill said I had ten beers, and Swan had two wines. Swan didn’t think I had that many beers, but I didn’t keep count, so I can’t argue with that. What left me shaking my head was that we were only discounted the ten percent for two of the beers and the two wines. According to our waitress, the “four guests” limitation meant that only four drinks would be discounted. Well, that’s a bullshit interpretation, but I’m not going to get too upset over a couple of hundred pesos. I did reduce the amount I intended to tip.

We headed home at seven after another nice date night. And so ended another Saturday in my life. I could do with lots more like it!

You know, back in the day, I could party with the best of them, and classic music from that era went hand-in-hand with that. And yeah, I remember some of my favorites who partied too much and died too soon. I didn’t realize until I came across this today that 27 was an unlucky number.

A political meme or three okay with you?

Speaking of memories that made me laugh, I posted this on Facebook nine years ago:

I can’t recall if I posted this YouTube video here previously, but for those of you curious about the Barretto bar scene, this is a pretty comprehensive exploration:

And now for your daily dose of humor:

Alright, it is Sunday and that means a feeding at Hideaway and a dinner date with Swan at John’s place are in my immediate future. I shall return tomorrow if I survive another night.

Yesterday was full of a lot of nothing. Sometimes you just need to take a break, I suppose. Especially after a night of celebrating the birth of a nation by downing numerous beers. These two shots pretty much sum up my Friday achievements:

And that, dear readers, was the extent of my activity yesterday. And the weird thing is, I enjoyed being lazy so much that I’ve resolved to give up walking altogether and fill some of those hours by drinking earlier in the day. Relax, I’m kidding. I was back at it this morning with a 7K walk to Waltermart. I’ll share that adventure in tomorrow’s post.

I’m not sure what’s in store for tonight, although I’ll see if Swan wants to listen to the band at Treasure Island.

Fourteen years ago, I was enjoying my first and only trip to Bali.

When it comes to Filipino culture as expressed through street foods, I’m notoriously a non-partaker. For those who have an interest in such things, today’s YouTube video will whet your appetite.

I found these worthy of a smile:

Swan just confirmed we’ll be marching out to Treasure Island soon. Tell you about it tomorrow.

Yesterday’s rooftop gathering in honor of the declaration of our independence from King George III on July 4, 1776, was a huge success. It was by far the largest party I’ve ever hosted, with upwards of fifty participants over the course of the evening. There was lots of food and plenty of cold beverages, most of them containing alcohol. And naturally, this being the Philippines, karaoke amongst the female attendees broke out early in the event. I did sing “The Battle of New Orleans” to honor my British next-door neighbor. We didn’t have a parade, but that didn’t stop us from getting rained on. I’d been watching the weather forecast, which called for a 20% possibility of “light showers.” We could see the clouds building up throughout the evening hours and saw some rain on the horizon. Around 8 p.m., it was our turn. And it was a heavy, wind-blown downpour. We scurried around, turning off the electronics and ferrying some of the perishable foods downstairs. There wasn’t room under the roof for everyone, and even those fortunates couldn’t escape the wet wind. The women folk retreated downstairs, and some guests called it a night. Luckily, the rain didn’t last long, and the hardy attendees continued to party. I had my first beer at 3:30 and my final just before ten when the last of the guests departed. Here are some photos documenting the good times:

What’s on it? Well, here you go:

So, it appeared everyone had a good time and enjoyed the celebration. Thanks for coming!

Plenty of leftovers I’ve been enjoying today.

It was a long day, prepping and partying. I’m feeling it today and haven’t done jack shit other than snacking, napping, and writing this post. I do plan to attend the SOB this evening, though.

Facebook memories took me back six years when my runaway Buddy was rescued:

Four years ago, this scamdemic idiocy was in full swing:

On YouTube today, Reekay compares grocery prices between the Philippines and the USA. Some things are cheaper, and some are a lot more expensive. Some imports are so expensive (like cheese) that I won’t buy them out of principle.

Are these funny?

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

As true now as it ever was. No more Kings attempting to imprison political opponents. Oh wait. There are signs that people are beginning to wake up to the threat of the bureaucratic state (aka BS). Hopefully, it’s not too late. Some of the recent Supreme Court decisions should limit the reach of the BS, but people need to stand up and fight for their freedom, just like our founders did.

Anyhoo, it’s been a busy morning preparing for this afternoon’s shindig at The Rite Spot. Chili is the crockpot, cornbread muffins, and brownies are baked. I’ll need to head upstairs soon to get the rooftop set up for an as yet undetermined number of guests. I’ll cover how everything goes down in tomorrow’s post.

I once again woke up with breathing issues. A scary 85 blood oxygen level reading on the oximeter. I used the nebulizer and my oxygen tank to bring it back to the normal range and went back to bed. A couple of hours later, I again awoke, not feeling quite right. I got an 89 reading this time, so I repeated the process. I had a hard time falling asleep again, but my Fitbit says that happened at 2 a.m., and I slept through until six. It looks like it is time to schedule a consultation with the doctor.

Last night, we did our “me time” thing. Swan went out with a couple of friends to Baloy Beach, and I visited BarCelona. I had a few beers there, and then I finished things off for the night at Wet Spot. I had a Sit-n-Bull discount coupon, so I came home with some food for my girl and the help.

I did some people-watching as well.

Swan was pleased with her surprise lasagna from Sit-n-Bull, which included a pecan pie for dessert. I had a pulled pork sandwich and brought pizza for the rest to share. Swan asked if I had enjoyed my “me time,” and I told her yes. It makes me appreciate the time we spend together all the more. And that’s the truth.

We did share the morning candy walk and visited some different neighborhoods than our regular Sunday version.

And that was how Independence Day Eve went down.

Reekay speaks about finding a peaceful retired life in today’s YouTube video. He lives in Bohol, which is at the top of my list of places to visit. But I’m satisfied with my decision to settle in Barretto. There is no way I could handle the big city life of Manila or Cebu. A girl I was courting BEFORE I moved here wanted me to come to Samal Island and live. Nope, it’s too small for me. That’s the point, I think. Everyone is different and needs to find the right fit for them.

And for your smiling enjoyment:

Alright, that’s all for now. There’s work to be done. See you here tomorrow!

Another Sunday, another candy walk. We started out a little late, and some of our regulars said they thought we weren’t coming. It’s a bit pressuring to think of the disappointment a change of plans would bring to those kids we’ve addicted to chocolate. In the meantime, we’ll just enjoy the mutual satisfaction of trading candy for smiles.

My afternoon agenda included the Hideaway feeding. There are still only three girls working there now. During my visit, I was the only customer. Joy said they closed at six on Saturday because they hadn’t had a customer all day. That doesn’t bode well for the future. Honestly, I have a purpose for being there; otherwise, there would be no reason to visit Hideaway. It’s kind of depressing, truth be told. The owner is due back in a couple of weeks; maybe he can turn things around.

After the feeding, I dashed across the highway for my dinner date with Swan at John’s place.

We did a brief nightcap at Green Room, then headed for home. That’s how we roll these days.

I’ll be rolling along on a Hash trail this afternoon. The dog walk this morning left me breathless again, so I’m hoping the Hare won’t be overly aggressive. I’m fully prepared to shortcut as my needs dictate. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Facebook reminds that eleven years ago, I was at the Grand Ol’ Opry in Itaewon. The bar tradition was to salute the flag with a song (Star Spangled Banner?) at midnight. Yeah, hard to believe I stayed up that late in those days.

Speaking of Facebook, yesterday they slapped a “fact-check” cover on a meme I shared featuring clueless Joe.

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay talks about a cultural phenomenon in Filipinas known as “Tampo.” Essentially, you piss off your girl somehow, and she gives you the silent treatment, sometimes for days. I’ve witnessed it in the past, and I have very little tolerance for that kind of drama. I’d much rather have a classic yelling and screaming at each session to get everything out and on the table. I just asked Swan whether she ever goes into Tampo mode, and she said she sometimes does. She mentioned that incident last week where she thought I ignored her as an example. Luckily, that only lasted hours, not days.

The daily dose of humor:

The Friday hikers tackled the Kalaklan Ridge this week. Given my physical limitations of late, I had doubts, but what the hell, do it or die trying, right? I didn’t die, but I suffered throughout the climb, taking it ever so slowly and breathing hard until the objective was achieved. I did feel good about that because I’m not ready to give up my walkaholism just yet. Our path up was one we hadn’t used in a long time, so it was nice to see the views from there again. Here, have a look and see what I mean:

After some rest and recovery at home, it was time to head out for the SOB dance competition. This week, the venue was Voodoo, which is probably the smallest dancing bar in town. I left home early so I could arrive when the doors opened and secure decent seating for me and Swan. And sure enough, the place was packed by the time the show started. I obviously had to share our table with some late-arriving guests, but they turned out to be friendly tourists (a Brit and an Aussie who lives in Thailand), and we all got along just fine.

After the show, Swan and I were ready for the sweet confines of home, so off we went. And tonight, my plan is to stay home and enjoy the ambiance of The Rite Spot On The Roof. Although the distant rumbling of thunder I hear as I write this may have some impact on that. We shall see.

Facebook memories took me back to a Hash four years ago in the midst of the scamdemic. During the lockdown, the brave Hashers would meet on the mountain and start from there. We’d conduct the On-Home at a private residence, like Derelict’s house on Rizal Extension. Even got raided by the cops once when some Nazi-like neighbors reported us.

This made me think of my introvert friend, Kevin Kim:

Today’s YouTube video comes from Craig in Asia. I’m a new subscriber, and I liked this short six-minute take on his experience after six months in the PI. I thought his assessments were pretty much spot on (living in Manila is more expensive budget-wise, though). I also feel safer here than I would in most parts of the USA. His point about not offending people unnecessarily is also good advice. Causing a Filipino to lose face carries the potential for violence. Anyway, it’s worth a watch.

To the humor then:

A regular commenter, Thompson, frequently mentions his affection for a band called Uriah Heep. Of course, I’d heard of them but was never a big fan. In fact, I was wracking my brain trying to remember any of their hits, and then found this one from my high school days that I do kinda like:

My solo walk yesterday was nothing new, so there was not much to see that I hadn’t seen before. On a whim, I decided to focus on trees and snap a photo of the ones I liked. Hey, whatever gets you through the hike, right?

But the best part of the day was yet to come. I kept my promise to take Swan to Pugon Corner (I’d been spelling it wrong) for dinner. But we walked to the Outback Resort for a drink before we ate.

A glass of wine and a couple of beers later, we grabbed a trike for Pugon Corner.

I couldn’t decide between pulled pork and grilled chicken wings, so I got both.

I’d rate the food average. Cheaper than the best place for grilled meats (Texas Joe’s on SBMA) but smaller portions. Swan’s craving was satisfied, so mission accomplished.

After dinner, we did our nightcap at Wet Spot.

And so ended another day in paradise.

According to this, there was a time when the Philippines was more advanced than some of its neighbors in Asia:

Fourteen years ago, it was another of those all-too-familiar going-away parties in Itaewon. Soldiers generally only stayed for two or three years before shipping out. On this day, we said our goodbyes to Dan (the guy on the far right).

Six years ago, my Buddy moved in with me:

In today’s YouTube video offering, Reekay delves into that age-old question, “Why do expats stay in toxic relationships?” Why does anyone?

I’ve got some special Ricky Gervais wisdom for you today:

Alright, now for the punny stuff:

It looks like we are going to be doing an SOB tonight. Assuming all goes well, I’ll be back with more drivel tomorrow.

Yesterday’s group hiking adventure saw us return to Castillejos, this time to Nagsangong Falls. We make this trek once a year, and something usually goes wrong. We continued that tradition on this year’s adventure. There are upper and lower falls, but we failed to find the path to the upper portion. That’s not to say we didn’t make a climb, but the path we took wound up being a dead end. So, we settled for viewing the lower falls and then heading back. It was a 6K journey through some scenic countryside, and despite the misdirection, we had an enjoyable hike.

Wednesday is becoming my “me” day. This was exacerbated by a misunderstanding I had with Swan. So, beer o’clock came earlier than usual for me as I reflected on the situation with the help of some cold San Mig Zeros. I started at Sloppy Joe’s, went upstairs to BarCelona, then finished my evening out at the Green Room. As the beer overcame my stubbornness, I sent Swan a message, and we worked back and forth through our differences. Basically, we both felt that we had been ignored by the other. Shit happens, and you find your way back. I brought home a pizza from Sit-n-Bull as a peace offering, and all was well once again.

Sometimes, Facebook memories come with a sting. Like this one from thirteen years ago.

In today’s YouTube video, George takes us on a morning stroll through Barretto. I’m rarely out that early, and the town definitely has a different vibe about it during those hours.

And now for some humor:

What else am I going to do on a Tuesday? Well, there’s always the beach, but we’ll get to that later.

So, that’s what shopping looks like around here. Pretty exciting, huh? In the afternoon I took Swan to the beach. We started at McCoy’s:

After our meal, we headed home. The night didn’t end well, but that’s a story for another day.

I can’t resist inserting a small taste of politics here:

I joined Facebook in 2009 and today’s memories are from my posts on this day fifteen years ago:

Ah, the good ol’ days…gone but not forgotten.

Man, that Hawk Tuah girl is burning up the internet, isn’t she?

Today’s YouTube video comes from my favorite, the Filipina Pea. In this episode she’s hanging out with her girlfriend and swapping tales. Enjoy the eye candy:

And now for some humor:

Anyway, my head is in a weird place right now, but hopefully I’ll figure out what to do next. Stay tuned.

That’s why I have Sunday routines, starting with Swan’s candy walk. We discussed hitting a different area this week but decided that disappointing our regulars was too much to bear. So, we hit the usual streets but added a new loop to freshen things up a bit.

As far as routines go, this is one of my favorites. The other Sunday tradition is the feeding at Hideaway Bar. They were down to three girls yesterday. How long can this go on?

While the floating bars are docked for the season, my other Sunday routine is dinner with Swan. She had mentioned going to Pujon Corner, but we ultimately decided to stick with John’s place for our Sunday meal. We’ll do Pujon later this week.

After our meal, we visited Alaska Club for our nightcap. We were surprised to see several of the Kokomo floating bar girls are now employed there. And in another coincidence, John Kim was there playing pool. I asked him if our leftovers smelled familiar, and he laughed. I wasn’t going to buy everyone a drink, but I did tip the dancers 50 pesos each. They seemed to appreciate it.

And that was how Sunday went down. Another good one.

We leave our windows open as I prefer cooling by fans. Sometimes that results in an unexpected visitor.

That was my excitement so far today. But the Hash is on the horizon. I’ll let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Today’s YouTube video is from the Filipina Pea exploring the issue of whether Asian women are easy. I thought she did a good job overall on a tricky subject. Making distinctions between Asian cultures, like Japan and Korea, was also important. I was pretty much invisible in Korea after turning 60, but here in the Philippines, I’m often reminded that “age is just a number.” Watch it if you please.

To the humor, then.

Thanks for stopping by.

I awoke to the sound of raindrops pounding on the roof. But shortly after sunrise, the clouds broke up and cleared the way for a sweet group hike. This week, we made our annual pilgrimage to Club Morocco for a walk on its mostly vacant streets. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that the subdivision developer, Sta Lucia Homes, is the same company that created Alta Vista. I don’t know which came first or what the backstory might be, but Club Morocco is three times the size of Alta Vista but remains 75% empty. That said, the Clubhouse is infinitely nicer than ours, and some of the lots offer amazing views. It’s just eerie walking down street after street with no houses. Lots of photos from our trek to share, so let’s get started:

We decided to stop at the 13 Resort in Calapandayan for a proper lunch.

I had already decided to spend my Friday evening at home, and the huge thunderstorm that arrived later in the afternoon confirmed the wisdom of that choice. Of course, the rooftop is no place to be during a windblown rainstorm. And then the power went out for a couple of hours. Once the rain stopped, I headed up to the Rite Spot to escape the darkened house with no fans.

That’s my kind of day these days.

Looking back to other days in other years, Facebook sent me these reminders:

Today’s YouTube video is from Reekay and he shares his budget for living expenses. Mine is more than triple what he spends, although I’m paying and feeding a staff of helpers and a lover.

Humor me this:

Time to get ready for a Saturday evening with my girl. She got real excited about going to Treasure Island to see the live band. Her wish is my command.

Things didn’t start off so well yesterday. I had some breathing issues during the dog walk, which is always disconcerting. I fought off the urge to be lazy and headed out for my morning walk as scheduled, but I really wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t realize just how sour my mood was until a beggar approached me with his hand out. Usually, I just wave them off and continue on my way, but this time I exploded, shouting, “Get the fuck away from me!” and kept on walking. A couple of minutes later, I was shaking my head in disgust at my behavior and felt bad for being the ugly American directing his wrath at someone in need. I briefly considered turning around and extending an apology, but I was already a good way down the road. So, I continued on with my walk, but I had lost what little passion I had for the endeavor and quit before the 5K threshold.

So, that’s the bad. The good was my date night with Swan. We walked down to the highway around four in the afternoon and caught a Jeepney for the 3K ride to the Samba Resort in Lower Kalaklan.

I asked the waitress about the Kahuna Burger, the most expensive item on the menu. Also, I’d never seen a twelve-dollar hamburger before. She started reciting the list of ingredients, but when she got to “spam,” I stopped her. I might eat spam if I were starving, but I see no reason to pay a premium for the experience. So, I opted for the ten-dollar cheeseburger.

Our bill came to 1980 pesos, including my beers and Swan’s glass of wine. No complaints; we had excellent service in a nice beach bar environment. We’ll continue to be semi-regulars here (a couple times a month) until the owner gets around to opening the promised Barretto venue.

One of the downsides of Kon Tiki is getting home. It was just a little after six, and we knew the Jeepneys would be full of commuters coming home from jobs in Olongapo. I was hoping for a trike, but as we stepped out onto the highway, a rarely-seen empty taxi was passing by in our direction. He honked, I waved affirmation, he pulled over, and we climbed in for a very comfortable ride back to our little town. I also noticed a trike stand, so future visits should not have to rely on blind luck for the return trip.

Our date wasn’t quite over yet. We had the taxi drop us at Wet Spot, and we ordered a round of drinks. Aine and our regular waitress weren’t there, so there was no hit on the wallet for lady drinks. Owner Daddy Dave came by, and we had a nice chat. When he left for a dinner date, we also prepared to pay our tab. Then the waitress came by with a fresh bottle of beer and a glass of wine, compliments of Dave. Thanks for that! One of the benefits of The Maze group of bars is they are all connected. Green Room is next door and also owned by Dave, so we carried our drinks there to finish out our night. We wound up having an enjoyable time amongst familiar faces. And so ended our date.

I don’t watch television news, but I’d say most of it qualifies for the bad category.

Enough with politics for now. Let’s stroll down memory lane for a minute.

Today’s YouTube video is from The Filipina Pea. She talks about the favorite tactics of Filipina scammers. I’ve been scammed a few times over the years, including before I even moved here. I suppose it’s tuition in the school of experience. So, heed her words to the wise. I’ve got a good one now, thank goodness.

To the humor then:

Anyway, I was planning on spending my Friday night at the Rite Spot. Nature had other plans. It has been pouring down rain all afternoon, with some thunder and lightning thrown in as well. Power has been out for an hour now, so I’d best get this posted before the laptop battery quits. I plan to be back tomorrow, so come check it out!