Nothing ventured, nothing gained to blog about. I posted about my trip to Pundaquit yesterday and I stayed home last night. So, there’s not much left say. Staying home proved to be a good call because we had some of the heaviest rain of the week during the evening and overnight hours. And yes, it is still raining today. The Friday hikers did an umbrella street walk this morning, but I’ll save that adventure so I have something to post about tomorrow.

We’ve been invited to a “Fajita Party” at the next-door neighbor’s place later this afternoon. I’ve got a batch of brownies in the oven, and Swan will be making some nachos as our contribution to the gathering. I’ll share how the party goes tomorrow as well.

So, what does that leave to write about today? Swan loves to cook, and she surprised me this morning by asking if I wanted a Monte Cristo sandwich for my after-hike lunch. I asked, “You know how to make a Monte Cristo?” She responded, “I know you like them, and I just watched a YouTube video, so I’ll try it.” Ah, ain’t that sweet?

Here’s the video she watched.

Speaking of videos, I’m part of a COPD information group, and today, I received a link to a video about walking and breathing. It’s pretty simple, really, and I may be doing it naturally, but I’ll give it a try and see if it helps.

Still in video mode, a commenter recently sent me this YouTube of a Filipina giving Tagalog lessons. In my stay-at-home boredom last night, I learned five new words (the first five in the lesson). Swan was quite impressed. Of course, I don’t remember them today, but I’ll go back and review again. Maybe something will stick in my addled brain.

No funeral banners today, but this one caught my eye:

From Facebook memories comes this reminder from eight years okay. It was the last day of our Philippines vacation and we were enjoying our final dinner at the Arizona Resort here in Barretto.

Today’s YouTube video is from someone I don’t subscribe to, and after watching this one, I’m afraid I have to disagree with much of what he has to say. He seems bitter and cynical, and his advice to NEVER do certain things seems a bit overboard. Not all Filipinas are scammers. And if you meet a good one and treat her the way this guy suggests, you will lose her. The trick is knowing the difference. I certainly had my share of fuck ups along the way, but that’s just the tuition to the school of experience. Anyway, it’s worth a watch if for no other reason than as a warning not to become as disillusioned as this gent is.

Okay, let’s cleanse the palate with some humor:

Okay, I’ll stop now. Hopefully back with more substance tomorrow.

I have arrived safely back home after my twenty-four hour whirlwind adventure to Barangay Pundaquit, City of San Antonio, Zambales Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.

We arrived at our destination at noon time. I sent Swan to the beach hotel we didn’t have a reservation for to check availability and price. I had her go to avoid the “skin tax” that occurs when a foreigner is quoted a higher price than a local. She returned to report that the resort was undergoing renovation, and no kitchen or bar was available. They did offer Swan a reduced rate of 3000 pesos for the night (down from 3600). Swan also checked the newer and nicer place next door, and they wanted 5500 pesos for the night. It wasn’t THAT much nicer, so we went with the original plan. We did use the restaurant facilities at the other place for lunch.

The restaurant across the street was devoid of guests, and the upstairs section I had been wanting to try since seeing it on my last trip was closed. The bar was the only area not exposed to the wind-blown rain, so that’s where we sat. Being outnumbered by the staff had an eerie feel about it, but the service was good. The wine prices on the menu were shocking–the cheapest being 500 pesos, so Swan had a beer instead. When I got a closer look at the wine on the shelf, it included Carlo Rossi, the brand we buy at Royal for 350 pesos a bottle. Then the lightbulb in my head turned on, and we asked the waitress if the wine prices were per glass or bottle. It turns out that they only sell wine by bottle. So, getting a whole bottle for 500 pesos was practically a bargain, and we bought one.

After our meal, we walked up the street for a look around. I saw a place I had stopped in once a few years back while on a hike and decided to try it again.

Kevin gave us a tour of the facilities. He also has a variety of rooms available, from Nipa huts to aircon rooms. He’s owned the Surf & Sand for eleven years but said they’ve never recovered from the COVID lockdowns. I was a little surprised because Barretto is booming with mostly Filipino tourists, at least on weekends. He said that’s not the case in Pundaquit, and the foreigners who used to come pre-scamdemic have not returned. That’s a shame. He said the place needs several thousand dollars in renovations, but he doesn’t expect he’d be able to recover that investment. He’s considering just walking away from it all and returning to the USA. Damn.

I began drinking much earlier in the day than I normally do. I was drinking San Miguel Light (5% alcohol) rather than my usual Zero (3%). And I didn’t get my daily afternoon nap. So yeah, I fell asleep at the bar. I also ordered take-out food from the Car Wash restaurant up the road but have no recollection of doing so (the unopened containers were in the room this morning). Swan says I was unsteady on my feet but made it back to the hotel without incident.

Swan asked me this morning what time it was when I went to bed. I checked my Fitbit stats and was surprised to see this:

At some point during the night, the power went out. We had no electricity until nine in the morning. I didn’t even bother unpacking my laptop.

Back at our hotel, the staff kindly heated a pot of water on their gas stove so we could enjoy some morning coffee on our front porch.

After our coffee break, we loaded up a bag with cookies and lollipops and headed out to explore the backstreets of Pundaquit.

I’m back home this afternoon, and the deluge continues. In fact, a new storm is approaching, so there is no relief in sight. They have even canceled tomorrow’s SOB as many employees are home dealing with flooding issues.

So, that’s the story of my adventure. All in all, it was a good one.

We need to stop those crazy Trump voters from stealing the election. Here’s a plan that could work:

Today’s YouTube video is a short expose about the sextortion scams and the impact on its victims. I’ve heard tales of this over the years, but it always seemed to me to be limited to a few whacked individuals. Apparently, it’s an organized racket luring in victims these days.

And now for some humor:

Welp, wind and rain are telling me that tonight is a good night to stay safe and dry at home. And that’s just what I’m going to do. Later, gators!

Here in the Philippines, they call it the “ber” months, and it is the traditional start of the Christmas holiday season. Yep, decorations will be going up, and Christmas songs will be blasting in the shopping centers. For the next four months. I have found a way to cope at least:

Ah, the first ad of the season from right here in Barreteto!

Anyway, everything is going pretty much as it always does around here. Yesterday, there was a bit of a modification to my Standard Modified Saturday Solo Duo Street Stroll. Swan came along, and we walked a slightly different route than I usually do.

Once again, Swan wanted to go see The Engine Band at Treasure Island on Baloy. They serve cold Zero there, so who am I to complain?

We listened to the band’s first two sets and then headed home at 7 p.m. I fired up the TV and finally got around to watching the second half of Filipina Dream Girls on YouTube. It is a nice trip back in time to the early 1990s in Manila, with some English guys looking to hook up with bar girls. My hearing is not great, and some of those Brit accents were tough to decipher at times, but it is still a good watch.

And so ended another Saturday in my simple life.

Once again, Facebook memories carried me back in time to my former life.

It’s pretty scary when I see otherwise intelligent people regurgitating the lies they’ve been sold about Trump as justification for supporting ignorant Kamala. I guess they are not as smart as I gave them credit for being.

Let’s take a three-minute stroll back in time with today’s YouTube video. I couldn’t help but think how everyone you see is dead now, but I guess that’s part of the time travel phenomenon.

And some humor before I go.

Welp, the lighting is flashing, and the thunder is booming outside my window right now. But I’ve got a feeding to attend to at Hideaway, so hopefully, this, too, shall pass. I’m going to pop into John’s and ask if they have red wine in stock. If not, I’ll take Swan to Mangos for dinner. She’s been craving those grilled pork chops. I’ll be back tomorrow with more of this goodness.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, my Standard Saturday Solo Street Stroll was shorter than usual. I got to the end of my street, said, “fuck this,” then turned around and went back home. I just wasn’t feeling it for some reason.

So, I spent a lazy day at home doing jackshit other than blogging and napping. I was feeling energized when beer o’clock rolled around, and Swan and I headed into town. The first stop was Sloppy Joe’s. Swan was served a rancid glass of undrinkable wine. To his credit, the manager comped her a gin and soda instead. After a couple of drinks, it was time for dinner, and I had something special in mind–a rare visit to Hops and Brews. The last time we ate at Barretto’s only smokehouse, Pugon Corner, we were severely disappointed and vowed never to return. That same day, I saw a Facebook post from Hops and Brews saying they would start their own smoke yard. I figured it was time to give it a try.

We were going to do our nightcap at Green Room, but the place was packed, so we went next door to the nearly empty Wet Spot. Owner Dave came by our table, and we had our usual pleasant chat. One of the things we discussed was some recent complaints about Barretto on one of the internet forums, comparing our little town unfavorably to Angeles City. Well, that’s apples and oranges, and I’ll take our beaches and mountains over that shithole city any day. Sure, there are more bars in AC, so there are more options for the guys who have to pay for sex. The complaints about pricing were especially ignorant. We have bars charging as little as 60 pesos if you want cheap beer. Good luck finding that in AC. I’m no expert because I don’t barfine girls, but in Barretto, the transaction is between the guy and the girl, with the girl compensating the bar for leaving work early. So, sharpen those negotiating skills if you want cheaper sex. Damn, I’m glad I don’t have to live a nickel-and-dime existence in my retirement. And I’m also delighted I don’t have to pay for sex!

Went home with some pecan pie from Sit-n-Bull and had a sweet ending to the night.

Facebook reminds me how Lucky looked when I brought him home six years ago.

I see ignorant people:

In today’s YouTube video, Rose Hall explains things to be on the lookout for if you want to avoid a toxic relationship with a Filipina. NOW you tell me! Anyway, it worked out okay for me in the end, but my big red flag was the drama queens. I have almost zero tolerance for that bullshit. Swan has gone into silent mode a couple of times (we’ve been together for over a year now), but we always manage to talk things through and come out stronger on the other side.

Ready for some lame humor?

Sunday is the day of routines. Candy Walk is in the books. Next up, the Hideaway feeding, then dinner with Swan at John’s place. Life is good.

It turns out good intentions are not a source of energy. I led the Friday hiking group on a journey that included a couple of moderately easy climbs but was mostly flat. And it was fun as long as it lasted, but somewhere around the 6K mark, my body started screaming, “That’s enough!” So, wanting to avoid arguing with myself, I sent the others on without me. I detoured over Bridge #3 and grabbed a trike to carry me home. Yeah, I call it pooped out, but the reality is I pussied out—shame on me.

And yesterday afternoon was Filipino family day here at The Rite Spot. I guess it went okay, I was the only white guy and my Tagalog is practically non-existent, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. I was a bit surprised when my pending birthday was celebrated along with Swan’s sister. The crew had worked in the kitchen all morning making various Filipino delights, although I did not partake. I guess I just wasn’t in the mood for pancit with a side of chicken feet.

I bailed early because that’s the way I roll. Swan said the party went on until midnight. I guess that qualifies as voting with your feet. We’ll be doing a more foreigner-centric party upstairs this coming Tuesday.

Facebook reminds me of my former life thirteen years ago when I formed a darts association in Columbia, South Carolina.

The darts association lives on, but the name has been changed to Soda City.

Evil is always on the prowl.

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay follows up on the so-called “enhanced” review of tourist visa renewals. As I mentioned, when I recently renewed, nothing had changed (other than my wearing slacks and collared shirt) during my visit. That’s not to say that it won’t, but it seems there has been no significant increase in visa extension denials.

And now for the comics:

Now, where was I? Oh, it’s Saturday night! I haven’t made any plans as yet, but I expect I’ll be feeding Swan somewhere and worshipping at the beer alter. See you here tomorrow!

Another Thursday has been quenched. Things kicked off with a solo walk of just over 6K. Nothing significant to report other than some leg pain I had to endure for most of the hike. It was bad enough that I wanted to sit down for a spell, but every time I got to a shady bench, it was otherwise occupied. So, I trudged on, and eventually, the pain receded, or maybe I just got used to it. I’m just going to have to accept that, along with the wisdom that comes with old age, aches and pains are par for the course.

When I got back home, Swan asked me if I wanted a meat pie for lunch. Sure, why not.

Swan said I needed a haircut and she wanted one too, so we headed into town for the barber.

After we were done at the salon, I had a surprise in store for Swan. Loaded her into a Jeepney and took her to her favorite beach bar.

For our nightcap, we decided to visit Whiskey Girl, a place we hadn’t been to for several months. Nothing much had changed, except my regular waitress, Kim, had traded in her belly for a daughter. She wondered when I might be due, but I bought her a drink and changed the subject.

While we were at Whiskey Girl, a storm came through, and we could hear the rain pounding on the roof, even over the music. That was a bit of a surprise because we hadn’t seen any rain for a couple of weeks, and the skies hadn’t appeared threatening. But we definitely needed the cleansing that comes with rain. You may have noticed in many of the photos above that the sky looks almost smoky. It turns out it’s not smog, but something called “vog”–the gasses and dust spewed from the Taal volcano on the southern end of Luzon island.

Isn’t life grand?

I came across an excellent example of just how important punctuation truly is.

Facebook memories took me back to a luncheon with my team on this day back in 2017:

Couldn’t resist sharing this political meme:

Today’s YouTube video shares the story of an American retiree who finds himself in a Filipino prison. My number one objective has always been to avoid doing anything that might result in my being jailed. I doubt I’d survive more than a month or two under those conditions. So, being smart and avoiding anything illegal (like drugs, even marijuana) goes a long way. Sadly, if you piss off the wrong person (like your ex-wife), you can be set up for a fall. Sort of like they did to that Trump fella in the USA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLcQSNKcRYM

(For some reason, I can’t embed the video. Sorry about that. Just click the link above to see it.)

And now for some humor:

So, Swan invited her family to the house this evening. I guess we will all hang out at The Rite Spot and do things Filipino-style. This is a big milestone in the relationship spectrum. I’ve met some individual members of Swan’s family, but having the whole crew over to the house is kind of a welcoming ritual where Swan shows that we are the real deal. My introverted nature is a little bit in the dreading mode, but I imagine a beer or three will help alleviate that. Wish me luck!

The Wednesday Walkers took a little stroll on SBMA (the old Navy base), trekking out past the golf course, up into the Binictican housing area, and then through the El Kabayo horse stables before completing our 9K loop. It was almost all blacktop, but as the first timer to this area, Michael, put it, it is like being in another country—clean roads without much traffic and a quiet and safe vibe. No Jeepneys or trikes allowed!

Later in the evening, Swan and I enjoyed our visit to It Doesn’t Matter. The girls seemed pleased with the brownies I baked them. We did our nightcap at Wet Spot and I remembered to use my Sit-n-Bull discount coupon for some food to bring home. Aine continues to ignore, and that’s fine with us.

Today’s YouTube video from Reekay delves into the “friends with benefits” relationship issue. I gave that a try for a while, but the transactional nature (at least the way I was doing it) over time turned out to be unsatisfying.

And now for the funny stuff:

That’s it for today’s post. More to come tomorrow.

It’s not like I have much to do, but by golly, I did it anyway. As usual, my Tuesday begins with a grocery shopping excursion to the Royal Duty Free supermarket. Nothing exciting to report about that event, but here are a couple of highlights:

I had my driver drop me off at Dr. Jo’s clinic on the way home so I could do a consult. The pulmonary doctor had increased my dosage of metformin, and I wasn’t comfortable with that. I’ve also had some folks mention that I’m again retaining fluid in my ankles. As I expected, Dr. Jo didn’t think doubling my metformin intake was a good idea, and she also tweaked some of the other drugs I’ve been taking for years now. She wants me to get some additional blood work, including a PSA test, to check my prostate. Hubby Dr. Chris sent me a couple of links regarding chelation therapy. He said that he and Dr. Jo are using this method to cleanse their arteries. I did some limited research and noted that it is not FDA-approved for this purpose, but after what the FDA approved for COVID, I have little faith in their judgment. Some of the drugs I’m taking now are related to test results in a Korean hospital ten years ago that showed a 20% blockage in one of my arteries. I’m still on the fence about chelation, but I’ll consider it a future option.

Speaking of heart issues, my friend and frequent commenter Kevin Kim is home from the hospital after his narrow escape from death. In case you missed it, here is his account of what happened. Keep fighting! You’ll be back on the path to restored health and walking across the Korean peninsula again soon. You can do this!

When I asked Swan what we should do for our evening out, she responded that she needed to visit our waitress from Alaska Club, Vanessa, and give her the notes and paperwork she retained from her studies as a caregiver student. So, we visited Sloppy Joe’s next door and waited for Alaska to open. We didn’t have to wait long because Vanessa stopped by our table on her way to work.

I had a “buy one, get one” SOB coupon to use, so we made Green Room our next stop. Swan’s generosity surprised me once again when, unbeknownst to me, she sent one of the waitresses out to buy some meat-on-a-stick to share with the other girls. I did buy a couple of lady drinks, at least. Later, my neighbor Jeff and his lady Davina joined us at our table, and we shared some drinks and chat. Another mutual friend, Matt, just returned from visiting the USA, and I suggested we throw a welcome home party at The Rite Spot. Jeff advised that he and the family would be in Angeles all weekend, so we are going to party on Tuesday. Coincidentally, that is my 69th birthday. So, I guess we’ll have a rockin’ good time.

No politics or memories to share today. You are welcome!

Today’s YouTube video is from my favorite, The Filipina Pea. She discusses how Filipinos view foreigners. The stereotype of being the rich white guy is just part of it. I laughed at being called “Joe,” which happens quite a lot. I perpetuate it by answering kids who ask, “What’s your name?” with Joe. Living in a town full of expats is a lot different than living a rural province life where you might be the only foreigner in town. I’ve noticed when we hike in areas that foreigners don’t frequent, being stared at is a pretty common occurrence. Anyway, the Pea is always worth your time. Give it a watch.

You wanna know what’s funny?

A different kind of hike with the Wednesday Walkers this morning that I’ll tell you about tomorrow. I asked Swan about tonight’s mission, and she suggested I bake some brownies to share with the gals at IDM. Great minds think alike! No wonder I love that girl.

That’s all for now. Thanks for coming!

The rare early morning post here at LTG. And shorter than usual, too. I’m one of the Hares for today’s Hash and we are meeting to mark the trail at 0930. I don’t expect there will be time for blogging afterward. So, here we go.

Another Sunday, another Candy Walk through the streets of San Isidro. Swan says we sweetened the day of 211 kids this week. Don’t ask me how she keeps count.

He’s not in the picture, but a grumpy old man told Swan not to hand out candy here anymore because the kids throw the wrappers on the ground. While I admire his anti-littering zeal, it seems unfair to punish all for the actions of the few. Swan says she wants to skip this street next week.

Later in the day, I did my feeding at Hideaway. For a change, there were actually a few customers in the bar, which certainly enhanced the vibe. We’ll see if that continues.

Then, I crossed the highway for my dinner date with Swan at John’s place. Our old waitress, Em Jhae, was back from Pampanga for the weekend and working a shift for some extra coin. It is always nice to see her again. We took our usual seats in the third-floor open-air bar and got down to business.

I was too late for the lunch special, but was willing to pay full price to see what this Pacific pomfret John had been raving about was like.

We did our nightcap at Alaska Club. Coincidentally, John was there playing in the pool tournament. I did my usual thing of rewarding the dancers with a fifty peso note each for actually dancing while on stage. And I also bought a lady drink for our waitress, of course. Then Swan recognized one of the dancers as someone she knew from way back in 2010, so I called her down to join us (and bought the requisite lady drink for her). So, Swan had a nice time catching up with her old pal. When I was ready to go, I paid the tab and waited for my change. When the waitress returned, she had another beer in hand, courtesy of owner Jerry. While I enjoyed my freebie, I was shocked to see Swan order two more lady drinks for our company. Good for her! I paid, of course, explaining to the girls that Swan and I have a 50-50 relationship–she buys, I pay.

And that was our Sunday.

Eight years ago, I took my new girlfriend on an Itaewon bar crawl. I have a picture from each bar in my Facebook memories for today. This one was taken at the 7th and last stop, Debut Bar.

I promise, after the elections I’ll stop posting this political shit.

Today’s YouTube video discusses the fact that foreigners are not allowed to own property in the Philippines. There are workarounds (like putting the property in your Filipina’s name), but those can be perilous if the relationship goes south. One friend of mine put his house in his ex’s name, but has a twenty-five-year lease. He’ll be dead before that’s up, and he won’t care.

Humor time:

Anyway, our trail today will include a climb up Kalaklan Ridge. I’ll let you know how that works out for us tomorrow.

It hasn’t rained for three days now, and my weather app says the temperature has been higher than normal. Add in the bout of laziness I’ve been experiencing lately, and it is not a healthy combination. Nevertheless, I managed to get up off my ass and do a modified Saturday Solo Street Stroll. Instead of the streets of Barretto, I walked the neighborhood. And to further motivate myself, I decided to document all the house construction currently taking place. Exciting shit, eh?

And when the best time of day rolled around, Swan and I hoofed it out to Baloy Beach for an evening of fun, food, and music at the Treasure Island Resort.

It’s been said that a joy shared is a joy doubled. We enjoyed our Saturday on the beach together.

Yesterday will be a memory some day, just like these are now:

I hope you’ll indulge my sharing some political viewpoints that reflect my perspectives:

This is parody. Or is it the near future?

A man calls Pizza hut to order a pizza…

CALLER: Is this Pizza Hut?

GOOGLE: No sir, it’s Google Pizza.

CALLER: I must have dialed a wrong number, sorry.

GOOGLE: No sir, Google bought Pizza Hut last month.

CALLER: OK. I would like to order a pizza.

GOOGLE: Do you want your usual, sir?

CALLER: My usual? You know me?

GOOGLE: According to our caller ID data sheet, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza with three cheeses, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and meatballs on a thick crust.

CALLER: Super! That’s what I’ll have.

GOOGLE: May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and olives on a whole wheat gluten-free thin crust?

CALLER: What? I don’t want a vegetarian pizza!

GOOGLE: Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

CALLER: How the hell do you know that?

GOOGLE: Well, we cross-referenced your home phone number with your medical records. We have the result of your blood tests for the last 7 years.

CALLER: Okay, but I do not want your rotten vegetarian pizza! I already take medication for my cholesterol.

GOOGLE: Excuse me sir, but you have not taken your medication regularly. According to our database, you purchased only a box of 30 cholesterol tablets once at Lloyds Pharmacy, 4 months ago.

CALLER: I bought more from another Pharmacy.

GOOGLE: That doesn’t show on your credit card statement.

CALLER: I paid in cash.

GOOGLE: But you did not withdraw enough cash according to your bank statement.

CALLER: I have other sources of cash.

GOOGLE: That doesn’t show on your latest tax returns unless you bought them using an undeclared income source, which is against the law!

CALLER: WHAT THE HELL!

GOOGLE: I’m sorry sir, we use such information only with the sole intention of helping you.

CALLER: Enough already! I’m sick to death of Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and all the others. I’m going to an island without the internet, TV, where there is no phone service and no one to watch me or spy on me.

GOOGLE: I understand sir, but you need to renew your passport first. It expired 6 weeks ago…

Let’s hope for the best.

Today’s YouTube video is something different: A British movie from 1991 called Filipina Dream Girls. It’s said to be a dramatization of a romance tour to the Philippines. I’ve never heard of such a thing as a “romance tour,” but I guess before the internet, you had to meet the girls here somehow. It’s a comedy of sorts, and British humor sometimes doesn’t translate, but seeing a 1990s version of the PI was nice. And damn, Filipinas were even hotter than they are now back then. Or at least the ones in this movie are. If you have an hour or so to kill, it’s worth a watch.

And now for the funny stuff:

Now it is time to prepare for my Sunday evening rituals. I’ll feed the girls at Hideaway, then dine with my sweetie at John’s place. Should be fun.