An enjoyable Thursday stroll with the neighbors doing the Philseco Road loop around Subic town. And then a relaxing evening on Baloy Beach showing our visitor Jay around. A surprise encounter with Martin and Joss at Treasure Island Resort led to a shared dining experience. We dropped Jay at Harley’s on our way home, and he took it from there. It seems his night had a happy ending. It doesn’t get much better than that around here!

After some R&R at home, it was time to hit the beach.

So, as I mentioned, Jay went to Harley’s after dinner. And when the floating bar closed, one of the gals he had met there joined him. He said they had a nice night together. Well done, young man!

I’ve made it to January 2006 in my journey through the LTG archives. In a post called “Peekaboo Paradox,” I make the claim that I miss the Sunday edition of the Washington Post. Damn, I’ve come a long way, baby! Now, one thing I’ve noticed is almost none of the shit I linked to all those years ago still works. However, to my surprise, the article I linked to is still available and still worth reading. Enjoy!

Today’s YouTube video is a good reminder to not lose your cool as a foreigner in the Philippines. I adopted this mantra long ago: “Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way.” It helps!

The funny business:

Jay’s last night in town, so I’m going to introduce him to that SOB I know. What a life, eh?

Yesterday’s adventure with the Wednesday Walkers took us to higher ground, and it was worth the climb. We wanted to share the views from the Kalaklan Ridge with first-time visitor Jay and my neighbors, Martin and Joss. They were not disappointed. Here is some of what we saw along the way.

I made a shortish seven-minute video from where we stood in the photo above to the viewpoint. Some awesome scenery along the way, and as a bonus, you can hear me sing the theme song to Mr. Ed.

And so concluded the morning fun. When beer o’clock arrived, we headed to Alaska Club to spend the 500-peso SOB voucher I brought home last week. While there, I heard from the wife of Emmanuel, the peanut vendor (she was on his Facebook account), saying that he was in the hospital again and needed my help to purchase medicine.

The wife came from the hospital in Olongapo to Alaska Club to pick up the 3000 pesos he needed. Some nights, I’ll spend that much in the bars, so it’s all relative. I didn’t really keep track, but we bought a pizza, a couple of lady drinks, and some tips (50 pesos each) for the dancers at Alaska. Then we moved on to Green Room for our nightcap, and more lady drinks and tips flowed. It’s a blessing to share the relative bounty of my pension, bringing comfort and joy to those around me. Or so I keep telling myself.

Once back to the comfort and safety of home, I overindulged in dessert. Swan asked if I wanted a scoop of ice cream or her fruit salad. I responded, “Both,” and stuck to my guns.

Today’s visit to the LTG archives took me to a post from December 2005, entitled “Regarding Canada.” It made me smile because my visiting friend, Jay, is a Canadian. The first half of the post is a meaningless rant about Canada’s failure to support the ongoing GWOT (global war on terror). It’s the second half where I recount the circumstances of my being denied permission to enter Canada back in 1974 that makes the post worthy of inclusion in The Story of My Life. I’ve still never been to Canada.

On this day in history, I made these Facebook posts:

The Filipina Pea is still visiting Florida in the good ol’ USA, and in today’s YouTube video, she shares her first visit to a Costco outlet. We do have a similar store here (S&R) in nearby Pampagna, but I guess they don’t have an outlet where she lives in Dumaguete.

The daily dose of humor:

Alright, my duty here is now completed. I promised Jay a tour of Baloy Beach later today, which will include my overdue visit to the Kokomo’s floating bar and Swan’s feet in the sand time. More to come tomorrow, unless the Gods have other plans for me.

The Hares laid a short but challenging trail this week, and I fell for it. We began and ended at the 13 Resort in Calapandayan. The trail started with a mild uphill on pavement followed by a steep and treacherous downward path covered in slippery leaves and ankle-grabbing vines. I had a couple of close calls along the way but never hit the ground. Then there was another up, but it wasn’t too bad. Coming down the other side, our trail was covered in a sheet of trampled grass. It wasn’t as slick as ice, but it was close enough. My feet decided to go airborne, and I wound up on my ass. The only blood I spilled was from a scraped elbow, so I’ve got nothing to complain about.

A bit of over-indulgence yesterday, but that’s what the Hash is all about.

From the LTG archives is this post from my first Thanksgiving in Korea, where I reflect on all that I had to be thankful for. Everything changes.

Eleven years ago, I was reflecting in the mountains of Seoul.

When you are living rich in a poor country, it is sometimes easy to overlook what life is like when you are living poor. I enjoyed this vlogger’s storytelling so much I’ve now subscribed to her channel.

Humor me:

I’ll be continuing my tour guide duties this evening by accompanying Jay to Alley Cats for the Tuesday dart tournament. I won’t be playing, however. Not sure what we will do after that, but I have an SOB coupon I need to use at Alaska Club. We’ll see.

The Wednesday Walkers ventured out to the far side of Olongapo City with the plan of revisiting Martin Falls, a journey we last took a couple of years ago. Things change, and memories fade. Which is the best excuse I can come up with for our failure to find our way to our intended destination. Our two wrong turns both resulted in an unnecessary hill climb and then a retreat. After the second wayward attempt, we did discover the path we should have taken, but by then, we were whupped and just said, “fuck it.” The trail will be there next time we come out this way, and the proper course is not etched in our brains. Famous last words.

Wednesday evening involved a visit to It Doesn’t Matter, a snack at Sit-n-Bull, and a nightcap at Green Room.

How I roll, like it or not:

I never got that email from Musk, but I answered it anyway:

Today’s stroll through the LTG archives recalled the time I had to teach a Korean woman the meaning of sodomy. For the record, I didn’t show her, I told her. Still, it was amusing enough to warrant inclusion in The Story of My Life.

Back in 2008, I fell in love with a Korean woman for the first time.

Five years ago, this insanity had just begun:

Today’s YouTube video is from the Filipina Pea, who is currently visiting the USA and discovering the joys of a Florida flea market. That gal gets around!

And you knew this was coming:

Oh well, that’s just about enough for today. Did my blood work this morning and will pick up the results this afternoon prior to my appointment with Dr. Jo. Then I’ll pay an overdue visit to The Rite Spot On The Roof. I will let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Welcome to the club!

The day started off on the wrong foot with an email from my credit union back home saying the power of attorney I’d submitted to enable my daughter to sell my house “has been declined because it doesn’t comply with state requirements.” That was news to the attorney in South Carolina who prepared it. And it means that day trip to Manila and the two hundred bucks I spent to secure the POA at the embassy was for naught. I’ve messaged the credit union for more specifics on the problem, but they have yet to respond.

In other news, the former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has been arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court and is on his way to Rotterdam to stand trial. I avoid engaging in political issues here in the PI since I’m a guest in this country. Still, if my Facebook feed is any indication, Filipinos are incensed that the current president has allowed this to happen. Duterte is accused of having thousands of drug dealers and users murdered during his term in office, without the benefit of due process or a trial. I thought it was wrong then, but I’m on a tourist visa and must keep my opinions to myself.

The rest of my Wednesday looked like this:

The Wednesday Walkers ventured out to Cawag and did a hike in and around Club Morocco. We hadn’t been out this way for a year or so, and that’s long enough to make it seem almost new to me.

We began our Wednesday evening with the traditional “seldom visited bar” search. This week, we found ourselves at Oasis.

It’s been a year or more since our last visit. We stopped coming when they didn’t have red wine available for Swan’s enjoyment. Then, the upstairs bar closed down, and a virtual golf studio opened in its place. That didn’t last more than a few months, which didn’t surprise me. Now, the upstairs Oasis is back, but with a new vibe–it’s the lowest priced beer bar in Barretto at 50 pesos a bottle (Beer 2 Beer brand is only 35!). That’s even less expensive than Cheap Charlies right up the street. I think they should have renamed the place “Cheaper Than Charlies.” And they have red wine in stock!

There was a good crowd of folks there during our visit, so, so far, so good. I understand they also have a food menu, although we didn’t check that out yesterday. I’m sure we’ll be back in the future.

We stopped into Green Room next. I played Chu in a game of pool, and once again, I lost. I did play marginally better, though. Then we did our nightcap next door at Wet Spot. Before we departed, we ordered some takeout from Sit-n-Bull. In a moment of weakness, I ordered the Maui chicken burger (with ham and a slice of pineapple on top) and a side of baked beans. It seems like I’m having an epidemic of weak moments lately.

Today’s entry from the LTG archives is entitled My Favorite Soldier. My daughter, Hillary (she was part of the package that came with wife #3) served two tours in Afghanistan. This post was about a gift she sent me from there.

I posted this YouTube video on Facebook seven years ago:

Four years ago, I was dining at my favorite restaurant in Angeles City:

In today’s YouTube video, George does his afternoon Barretto bar crawl. Of interest was that Dempsey’s, an old bar I’ve seen in Olongapo City but never visited, is moving to Barretto. He also mentions Oasis and their beer specials.

Humor time:

Okay, enough of this nonsense for today. It’s my last night in Barretto until next week, and I’m kicking it off with a chelation session from Dr. Jo. After that, who knows? Well, you will if you tune in tomorrow.

Just a couple showed up for the Friday group hike.

I asked Swan where she’d like to go, and she responded, “Kalaklan.” Sometimes I wonder if she’s trying to kill me! Well, I didn’t want to disappoint her, so we caught a Jeepney out of town to the easiest way up the ridge I know of. Spoiler alert: I survived! But since you’re reading this post, I guess you know that already.

Here’s a two-minute video Swan made when we reached the ridgeline road.

The SOB was being held at Whiskey Girl bar, and I elected not to attend. The last time I was there, they had no wine available for Swan. It’s not my favorite venue anyway, so we spent our Friday evening going to other seldom-visited bars.

Then we went to Jewel Cafe for dinner. We had both been craving the filet mignon steaks they serve there. We were a little disappointed to discover that the price had gone up from 499 pesos to 599. If my math is correct, that’s a 20% increase.

We hadn’t been to Mugshots bar since it reopened after being remodeled. The pool table is gone now, replaced with a stage for dancing girls. It was just what Barretto needed—another go-go bar. Not! They still had the signage up for their pool tourneys, which was a sad reminder of what was and now will not be. I’m not even a pool player, but I’d heard people talk about Mugshots being a great venue for playing. I didn’t much care for the new vibe, and I doubt I’ll be returning any time soon.

We did our nightcap at Alaska Club. As soon as I walked in, I knew something was a little off. Oh yeah, most of the dancers were at Whiskey Girl for the SOB competition. Duh. No big deal; only one dancer to tip, so I saved some coin. We pulled the plug on our evening out a little earlier than usual and headed for home.

I made smoothies for our bedtime treat but then made the mistake of going back for seconds.

Nearly twenty years ago, I first became a fan of the Big Hominid blog by Kevin Kim. I was so impressed with his Arbor Day post from 2005 that I quoted it in its entirety here at LTG. It was and is some impressive writing and remains one of my favorites.

Twelve years ago, I was celebrating with my old friend Duke Gates at the newly opened Hooters in Seoul. Duke is one of those friends who has vanished from social media and doesn’t respond to emails. I hope he is doing okay.

Time for another Q&A session with The Filipina Pea. I have almost zero tolerance for drama in a relationship; more often than not, drama derives from jealousy. Back in my dating days, I didn’t come back for seconds when a jealous nature was revealed. I’m delighted that Swan is secure enough in her self-esteem and our relationship that she doesn’t feel threatened by other females we encounter.

Let’s see if I can put a smile on your face:

Another day of blogging is in the books. Now to get on with the rest of my life. I’ll be back.

Now what am I gonna talk about?

Got home and did some blogging, and then it was back to Barretto to join in the Hash aftermath fun.

And that was that.

Some things I am remembering today.

In April 2017, I wrote a readers’ submission for the Stickman Bangkok website, telling the story of my broken heart and how I had developed A Brand New Plan. Needless to say, things didn’t go according to that plan. I hope love is worth the potential pain.

Then, in August 2020, I wrote a post here at LTG called, Keep The Change, which proved to be a milestone on the road that led me to where I am today. Let’s hope I never forget those lessons!

I’ll be visiting Angeles City the weekend after next, so today’s YouTube video presented information on areas I might best avoid during my stay. Well, I’m not big on the Walking Street (now called Red Street) go-go bar scene, and there are plenty of bars and restaurants closer to my hotel (The Boomerang) anyway.

Things that appeal to my low standards of humor:

Time to get on with today. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

I call it what passes for adventure around here. Another day filled with the ordinary, but with some small tweaks to the routines that serve to pass the hours.

We kicked off our Saturday with the usual stroll, which has now devolved into a variant of the Candy Walk, just in different neighborhoods. But that’s okay; I get my steps in, and Swan loves dispensing her sweetness to the children we encounter. Here’s a taste:

I made a five-minute video of the uphill portion of our hike.

This time, I held the phone vertically to facilitate my ability to climb the steps. I still need to work on improving the angle I capture. Part of the problem is that I’m always looking down when I walk.

So, what goes up must come down. And I did a video of that, too.

That was excruciating. I’ll try to do better in the future.

I still wasn’t feeling like doing the same old Saturday night in Barretto thing, so we did it on Baloy instead. And we changed things up there by visiting two new venues.

It is located at the Baywatch Resort on the second floor. It was empty when we arrived, and no one else came in during our brief visit. This has the potential to be a nice place to hang out, but the owner will have to work harder to find a way to attract customers. I understand they joined the dart league but wound up dropping out because they didn’t have enough players to field a team. They played good music, even some country songs I like, but otherwise, the vibe was non-existent.

While we were there, I caught this guy checking out Swan, so I confronted him:

Swan was ready for her toes in the sand time.

So, the beach bar Laharnyz, which used to be a popular expat hangout, is no more. It is now called Cherryz, but it was not open when we stopped to check it out. The story I heard is that the expat owner of Laharnyz and his girl split up, the girl took over the bar, and now no one goes there anymore.

As we walked the beach, we saw a new place had opened, and some of those former Laharnyz customers were drinking there. We decided to drop in and check it out.

The owner came to our table and introduced himself. He calls the venue “Kim’s Place,” and it is pretty much a one-man operation. In an odd twist, he’s a Filipino, and his name is John Kim. If I understood him correctly, he said his father was Dutch. Anyway, a nice guy and we will definitely be back to enjoy the beach vibe and sample some of the food snacks he serves.

As we chatted, I asked if he might be interested in hosting a Hash On-Home. He was familiar with the Hash from other venues he’s worked at and was willing to have us come for a beach Hash in the future. I’ll discuss that possibility with the Hash powers that be tomorrow.

While we were at Kim’s Place, I got a message from Michael and Taz asking where we’d be later. Our next stop was Treasure Island, so they met up with us there.

Saturday is live music night at TI, so we had a rockin’ good time. The place was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it.

Taz has her own YouTube channel and is a much better videographer than I’ll ever be. She showed me the video short she made of the goat rescue on our Friday hike.

Damn, music and captions, too! I may have to hire her to tutor me!

Michael and Taz live in the Club Morocco subdivision out near Cawag, a pretty good drive from Barretto. I’d looked there during one of my house-hunting trips prior to the move. Loved it, but just too isolated, especially for a non-driver. They dropped us off at our house on their way home. And so ended another day in the life.

When I imagine my “do-over” life, I think I’d elect to start again in high school and take it from there. Today, I was reminded of those long-ago times in an old Facebook post sharing memories of my high school journalism exploits.

My dream was to become a journalist, but as a poor boy, I couldn’t afford the required college degree. In my do-over life, I’m going to enlist in the Army and get my education paid for.

So, what do you think about this?

TRIGGER WARNING!

I should learn to be nicer; I honestly don’t care what people who disagree with me think. I take comfort in knowing I am right and they are wrong.

Alright, enough of the political nonsense. Let’s move on to something that we can all enjoy. Like Jambo’s video from the swimsuit competition at the Beach Bash:

And now for the smiles:

It’s been nice changing things up a tad, but today I’m back to the Sunday routines. Nothing wrong with that: a Candy Walk, the Hideaway feeding, sunset on the Arizona floating bar, dinner at John’s place, and a nightcap at Green Room. Life is good.

It’s odd the things in life you remember. I took a typing class in high school, and the sentence in today’s post title contains every letter in the English alphabet. We used it to practice our keyboarding skills (it wasn’t called that back then, though).

I won’t say that things were completely off-key, but yesterday was not as rhythmic as most of my Tuesdays. There was a rainbow at the end of the day, so you take the bad with the good and count your blessings.

Shopping as usual was the first order of business, but on the way to YBC supermarket, we stopped by the computer repair shop. The parts to repair my computer keyboard have STILL not arrived. I sarcastically asked if they were being shipped from Mars, and the repair guy responded, “China.” I’m starting to wonder if I’m being scammed (I’ve already paid 2000 pesos for the parts), but I’ll give it another week before demanding a refund.

No surprises or issues at YBC or Royal, so the cupboards are stocked for another week.

With the grocery shopping completed, I asked my driver to take me to the nearby Harbor Point Mall. I just couldn’t bear another week trying to blog without the letters z, x, c, and v. I never realized how frequently those letters appear in words I routinely use. So, I headed upstairs to an electronics shop in search of a portable keyboard.

I still want my laptop fixed. This new keyboard is a temporary solution and is far from ideal. The layout is different; the keys are smaller and not lighted, making it hard to use in the dark mornings while Swan sleeps. Still, it is Very niCe Having Zero holes left in the words I use.

Exciting shit, eh? But wait, there’s more! When beer o’clock rolled around, it was time for Swan to enjoy some toes in the sand on Baloy Beach.

And shortly after boarding the floater, we saw this on the horizon:

And then we got hit by a rain squall like I’ve never experienced when visiting a floating bar.

Into each life, some rain must fall!

The storm passed soon enough, but the clouds dashed our plans to watch the sunset.

Home a little earlier than usual, but that’s okay. Some internet time, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then off to bed for this old-timer.

Sometimes, a walk down memory lane can be a walk in the park. Like that time almost twenty years ago when I discovered Yeouido for the first time.

Hmm, I think I know what tonight’s “seldom visited bar” will be.

Here’s more of what makes heads explode on Facebook:

Alright, onward to today’s YouTube video. I don’t view this vlogger often, but the gal he interviews is articulate and full of good advice. It was an enjoyable watch. And by the way, I’m not the “John” that gets mentioned.

To the humor, we shall go:

Life is good, and I’m not bored or feeling the need to change the way things are. Perhaps that’s a vestige of old age, but I’ve come a long way to reach this stage of my life, and I want to enjoy it. One aspect I want to incorporate more of is travel. Swan is big time into that, and we will do a get-out-of-town once-a-month routine to ensure a periodic change of scenery. And something new to blog about!

I survived another wet and wild Sunday. But at least this time, the venue and entertainment were different. I’ll get to that, but first things first, and the first thing was the Candy Walk.

Let’s try another video from a street along the way.

Sorry for the abrupt ending. I thought I had just paused the video, but when I tried to restart it, it had shut down.

Swan told me she was making payments on a lot in San Isidro, so I asked to see it.

I intend to help Swan build a small, simple house on her lot. I have thirty years on her, and when I go, at least I’ll know she has a place to stay.

And now for the different part of my Sunday. Every year, the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars holds its big fundraising event, the Beach Bash. It’s a weekend extravaganza culminating in the Miss Beach Bash beauty pageant on Sunday evening. This year, we were on the beach at the Outback Resort.

I made a video of each gal’s introductory walkabout. Feel free to speed through the twelve minutes at triple speed.

The event offered beer cards–450 pesos for six beers. I bought two cards, which might explain some of the commentaries in the video above.

Here are a few shots from the swimwear competition:

So, the pageant kept me out until the ungodly hour of 9:30 p.m. When we got back home, the vanilla ice cream in the freezer wouldn’t stop calling my name. Turns out, the only way to shut it up was to eat it. And so I did.

Today’s episode in The Story of My Life is from my “friends with benefits” chapter. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but looking back is almost painful. Until I happened upon this post from 2020, I’d forgotten all about this Mary (there was another that came after her). I have no idea what happened to this one; she just disappeared when I stopped funding her. Who is using who in this type of situation remains an unanswered question. Mary was a starfish in bed, and I learned later that a lot of what she had told me (i.e., I was her first foreigner) was bola bola (bullshit).

I haven’t posted the political memes here that I share on Facebook in a while, but these achieved the goal of triggering my lefty friends:

Alright, enough of that nonsense. Today on YouTube, we go back in time to a Manila I might have actually enjoyed.

The joke is on me:

And there you have the story of my Sunday. Today is Hash Monday, so a new hiking adventure awaits! And hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll be getting my laptop repaired. See you then!

The day before today begins with “yes,” and I can affirm it was a good one, no doubts about it.

The first thing on yesterday’s agenda was the Wednesday Walkers group hike. We had something special planned: the rare journey to Tibag to start our hike. I asked my driver to take us there, but the turnout exceeded his vehicle’s capacity. Unbeknownst to me, Swan recruited a random van driver parked at the 7-Eleven to take us, and he agreed to do so for the same 1000 pesos I was prepared to pay my driver. So, that was a relief.

Here’s a six-minute video clip from this portion of the hike:

After the hike, we went back home for some rest and refreshment. Then, it was back into town to take care of some business. First up was finding a way to get that power of attorney shipped back to South Carolina. The LBC Express agent told me they could get it there in five to seven days. Good enough. They lightened my wallet 3000 pesos worth, I filled out the required info, and they placed the POA in an envelope for shipping. As this was going on, some workers were removing furniture from the back room and loading it on a truck. Seeing that was a little disconcerting, so I asked what was happening. The agent said they were closing the Barretto location and moving the business to Subic. Damn, okay. I hope they send my shipment first.

My next order of business was visiting my dentist, Dr. Barrera. My crown fell off while I was flossing a couple of weeks ago, and I needed it reattached. Dr. Barrera got it done, and I left his office feeling like a king again. (Does the title of this post make sense now?)

I was advised to not eat for an hour, but I clarified that liquids were okay to consume, and it just so happened to be beer o’clock. So, it being Wednesday, we headed up the highway in search of the venue for this week’s “seldom visited bar.” I had in mind Mugshots, but they are currently closed for renovation. We got invited inside for a looksee, and a dance stage is under construction. Just what we need, another go-go bar. We continued down the road and as we passed Annex Bar, saw my neighbor and high school mate, Mike, enjoying a beer, so we went in and joined him.

I hadn’t been to Annex for several months because they did not have wine available for Swan on my previous visit. They did yesterday, and so we were able to sit and enjoy some camaraderie with our tablemates. I’m happy to be able to add Annex back to my list of pleasant open-air venues to visit.

We debated between Sit-n-Bull for dinner or another round of drinks at Cheap Charlies and ultimately decided on the latter. The place was busy, and after we ordered, the bartender came back and said they were out of wine, but she had sent someone to fetch a bottle from the store across the street. Well done! That’s how you keep your customers satisfied.

Downstairs from Cheap Charlies is a restaurant named Foodies. They deliver upstairs, so I asked for a menu. Swan ordered a chicken burger, and I went with the beef stew. Feeling generous, I ordered some chicken fingers for the staff.

After we had finished our meals and were preparing to leave, I saw something on the horizon out of the corner of my eye.

We had our nightcap at Wet Spot. I had a nice chat with manager Brett and discovered that he also grew up in Southern California and that we had experienced similar youthful adventures as teenagers in Ensenada, Mexico. I can’t remember the last time I even thought about those wild days, but it was nice to reminisce. I couldn’t recall the name of the bar that was popular there, and neither could Brett, but he thought it began with an “H.” And then it hit me: Hussong’s Cantina! And I’ll be damned; they even have a Wikipedia page. It turns out that the bar was founded in 1892, and it is where the margarita was invented.

Man, oh man, I sure hope my dream of a heaven where I spend an eternity reliving my life comes true. If so, I’ll definitely be going back to Hussong’s.

Home early and safe as usual, but I did screw things up:

No Facebook memories worthy of sharing today, but I came across this blog post from March 2005 that made me smile:

I am in an embarassing slump. I find nothing of interest in my world to report and nothing of interest in the world in general, or at least nothing that inspires me to write.

I know this too shall pass.

My how things have changed! Now, I post every day regardless of whether or not it is interesting. So, is something always better than nothing?

Here’s some random shit I found on the internet today:

Stickman Bangkok shared a post he wrote in 2011 about a bargirl he met in Pattaya.

Today’s YouTube video discusses ways to adapt to and become more in tune with Filipino culture. I’m probably 50% on board so far.

Ready for some humor?

Today, I’ve been doing the Tuesday I missed because of my Manila detour. I’ll fill you in on that tomorrow.

It isn’t even nice to visit, which is why I’ve managed to avoid Manila for the last two years or more. The traffic, the grime and grit, and a big city vibe that I don’t find pleasant are more than enough to keep me away. Sure, there are nice places like Makati, but even there, you can’t escape the gridlock and crowds. But Manila is home to the US Embassy, and I had business to attend to there, so off I went.

My appointment for notary service was at 1:30. I arrived a little after eleven, had my phone and Fitbit confiscated at security, and took a seat in an outdoor waiting area. I got to chatting with another expat also there for notarization who lives out near Boracay. He was a friendly guy and agreed to be one of the witnesses required for my notarized signature. He kept trying to veer the conversation towards politics, but I didn’t take the bait. He was one of the anti-DOGE crowd and clearly indoctrinated in the lefty worldview. Still, talking helped pass the time until 1 p.m., when we were invited to enter the building and continue waiting there. Still, when my turn came, things went relatively smoothly. A notary service was fifty bucks a shot, and I had two POAs notarized, just to be on the safe side in case the one I mail back to the States gets lost. My driver charged 6500 pesos for the round trip drive, but given that he spent a full day in my service, that seems like a fair price. I got what I came for and made it home safe and sound, so that’s a win. Now, I just need to get the Power of Attorney back to my daughter. The service I tried this morning doesn’t do international shipments. I’ll try another this afternoon, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll go into Olongapo and try to find a FedEx.

So, we left home around 8 a.m. and got back at 6:30. I just stayed home last night and had zero Zeros.

Facebook memories from this date in history:

Today’s YouTube video might be AI-narrated, but the images are nice, and the descriptions seem accurate. Despite my frequent criticisms, there is much to love and enjoy here in the PI. It is just easier for me to live in a place like Barretto.

Hmm, it won’t let me embed for some reason. Watch it here if you so desire.

As a bonus, here is a video about the good and bad of Manila. It may be AI-generated, too; I’m not sure, but the content seems consistent with reality.

Humor time:

Anyway, that’s how I spent my Tuesday this week. Of course, the things I usually do on Tuesday weren’t done, so I’ll have to fill in those gaps as best I can as the week goes on.

I made some ill-advised prediction that Monday’s Hash trail could not compare with what I experienced in La Union on Saturday, despite Leech My Nugget’s reputation as one of the toughest Hares in Subic. Well, Leech’s trail wasn’t as long and high as the La Union adventure, but it was an ass-kicker regardless. And to make matters worse, a small group of us made an ill-fated attempt to shortcut that proved more difficult than if we had just suffered through the remainder of the Hare’s trail. For me, the worst part were the ground-level vines that were constantly trying to trip me up. I stumbled several times, but never fell. Hey, shit happens, and you just have to deal. You can always whine about it later on your blog.

I’m tired after my journey to Manila today (I will report on that adventure tomorrow), so I’ll let the Hash photos do most of the talking:

I made a two-minute video to celebrate successfully completing the trail.

My cadre didn’t finish until two and a half hours after we started. So, the Circle commenced before I had finished my first beer!

My stats upon completion of the trail:

After the Hash, we triked out to It Doesn’t Matter for some more comradery. And I was fine after ten Zero’s for the day.

Here’s another installment from The Story of My Life recounting how I spent a day off work in the early days of my Korea adventure.

From Facebook memories comes the reminder that this wasn’t the first time I was a victim of Leech My Nuggets trail setting:

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I’ve never watched previously, but he tells the story of a foreigner being arrested for being in the company of an unrelated minor. It doesn’t matter if she is your girlfriend’s child or not; without blood or adopted relationship, you are technically in violation of the law, and you can be jailed for what is deemed a non-bailable offense. Some readers may recall that when I first moved into this house with Swan, I told her that her teenage sister could not remain living here. She briefly stayed in one of the basement maid’s rooms, with the understanding that she was not allowed upstairs unless Swan was present. The sister has now departed the basement as well, which is for the best. My number one priority is NEVER to see the inside of a Filipino jail.

Stuff that might be considered funny:

And there you have, the almost unheard of two posts in one day here at LTG. You are welcome! Or maybe I should say I’m sorry. One of those.

As promised, here is the story of Saturday’s Hash in La Union. BLUF, it is the most arduous Hash trail I recall participating in. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience because I have no intention of ever going up that way again. The issue for us old fuckers (there were several who finished long after I did) was a massive climb, one that made the Kalaklan Ridge I also bitch about seem like a foothill by comparison. How high did I go? Well, there seems to be a lack of clarity in that regard. Someone on the La Union Hash Facebook page said 475 meters. My fellow Subic Hasher, Pubic Head (who didn’t participate), sent me a Google Earth map saying it was only 350 meters. My tracker shows I climbed over 500 meters. The part of Kalaklan we climb is 220 meters. Whatever the altitude, it kicked my ass.

Well, either way, my heart rate climbed a mountain, too.

I’ve got a ton of photos, many of them stolen from the La Union Hash Facebook page, so I’ll tell the rest of the story with visual aids:

Swan did a three-minute video along the way that I’ll share here because this is one of the portions of the trail it features.

Onward we go!

I posted this minute long view from the top yesterday, but if you missed it, here you go again:

We did a ridgeline walk with the usual ups and downs that come with that, and then finally reached the split for the medium trail.

Pubic Head sent me a photo from 2008 when he Hashed in this area with the La Union folks.

Cold beers awaited our return. The Jeepneys loaded up the folks that had arrived ahead of us, but we stuck around for the remaining stragglers who finished thirty minutes or so after we did. La Union Hash uses “sweepers” who make sure everyone makes it back before the final Jeepney departs. We took the last Jeep back for the 45-minute ride to the On-Home venue, Tropical Garden Resort in Bauang.

But wait, the fun wasn’t over yet. We still had a Hash Circle to attend to.

La Union doesn’t do the sitting on ice thing. Instead, they have a “bucket brigade” that douses those charged with an alleged violation in a cascade of water. I can report firsthand that ice is nicer than water. Swan and I got called into the circle for the “crime” of being too cuddly together.

After the circle, we enjoyed a food buffet that came with the price of admission, then had a trike called to transport us back to our hotel. I brought a bag of cookies for the Go Resort bar staff to apologize for my drunken behavior the night before. I was feeling no pain after the Hash on Saturday but didn’t do anything stupid like the night before.

Interestingly, Facebook memories reminded me that on this day seven years ago, I climbed another mountain.

We haven’t checked in with Reekay for a while, and his latest YouTube video delves into some dating issues one might encounter with a Filipina. Honestly, this seems like common sense advice, and it’s universal in all relationships, not just in the Philippines.

Some smiles before I go:

Okay, it is Monday afternoon and that means I have yet another Hash to attend. Even though Leech my Nuggets is a Hare known for his challenging trails, I don’t expect he can top Saturday’s La Union adventure. Only one way to find out!

I’ll be leaving Bauang for Barretto soon. Here’s a quick post before I go.

I’ll write about yesterday’s Hash run tomorrow. Here’s a one-minute teaser:

Here’s some views from the GO Resort:

And for lunch yesterday, I ordered off the Filipino food list:

And my room comes with a complimentary breakfast.

First time trying a Filipino breakfast dish and I’m happy to report that I liked it.

I will continue the food adventure periodically, but so far, so good.

Speaking of food:

Ten years ago, I was enjoying the snowy view from my stool at Shenanigans, my favorite bar in Itaewon.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the robbery and murder of an expat at an ATM. Yes, situational awareness is always important, but thankfully, this kind of event is pretty rare here. I feel safer from crime in the Philippines than I would in the USA. The background in the video, where the vlogger is driving to the gym, is also a good reminder that the roads here are perhaps the most dangerous aspect of living in the PI.

Humor me this:

I’m outta here for now, but next time I’ll share the photos from the Hash that tried, but didn’t kill me.

Sorry, but I had my pork pulled. Here’s how that worked out for me:

It being Sunday and all, we did our usual Candy Walk. Here’s a five-minute video of a portion of our route:

Commenter Kevin offered some great suggestions on how to improve the quality of my videos. So, this is a before version, and hopefully, things will get better going forward.

A couple of other photos from the Candy Walk:

Next up on my Sunday agenda was feeding the girls at Hideaway.

With my feeding duty accomplished, it was time for a change of scenery. Off to the beach! Here’s a five-minute video detailing that journey:

Swan arrived a few minutes after me and we enjoyed our time together rockin’ on the water.

Having gotten what we came for on the floater, it was time to head to John’s place for dinner.

We made The Green Room our nightcap destination. Some controversy arose when the waitress didn’t want to let me use an SOB coupon in the manner I intended.

So, I bought the requisite lady drink and asked for a red wine and a Zero beer for my two customer drinks. The waitress claimed I was not permitted to give Swan the wine–I had to consume both drinks. I asked her where it said that on the coupon, and she argued that only one customer could use it. I pointed out that the coupon does not state any such limitation, and I could do whatever I wanted with my two drinks. She called the manager over; he looked at the coupon, shrugged, and said my interpretation was fine. No big deal, of course, but I still don’t understand the waitress’s logic.

Home again at the appointed hour, but with no new “Squid Game” episodes to watch, I ate my sugar-free pudding in front of the laptop, then did that thing where I lay on the bed and close my eyes for a few hours.

And now, for a confession. I cheated. And it was Swan’s fault. During the lunch hour, Swan went into town and took her young nieces to eat at McDonald’s. When she returned, she handed me one of these:

Well, damn, if I’m going to eat an apple pie, by golly, I’m going to enjoy it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Groundhog Day is also the day my baby brother was born.

I make an effort to avoid duplicating post titles, which is sometimes tricky after over twenty years of blogging. When I did a title search for this post, I came across an entry from April 30, 2020, entitled “Groundhog Day.” This was during the early days of the COVID lockdown madness, and the post brings back memories of those hellish times. The other shocking thing is that Scott and I managed a 12K walk like it was nothing. Damn, where does the time go?

Facebook took me back seven years to my mountain-climbing days in Korea:

In today’s YouTube video, Filipina Pea talks about the ways in which you are liable to die here in the Philippines. Naturally, she starts off with cobra bites, which are most prominent in Northern Luzon, which also happens to be where I live. Fuck the year of the snake! Anyway, my huffing, puffing, and coughing out to scare them off before I get close. And I’m usually at the back of the pack anyway. Most of the other things she mentions don’t sound as dangerous as crossing the National Highway. When my time comes, I hope to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather did–unlike the screaming passengers in his car.

Ready for a smile?

Alright, I’m sure you’ve had enough of this by now. It’s Hash Monday, but I have elected not to do the trail laid by the Hare, Vienna Sausage. I don’t usually like his trails anyway, and this one starts a few clicks out of town, so fuck that. I’ve got my own trail plotted, and Swan and a couple of other folks are slated to join me. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Maybe I’m overdue listening to this song, so here goes:

Days come and go with their ups and downs, and you see what you saw, then the day is over and never seen again. It reminds me of the blind construction worker who picked up a hammer and saw. Here’s a look at what I’m talking about:

As always, the first time I left the house was to walk the dogs. For some reason, this caught my eye:

Now, I imagine most people would react with a form of curiosity as to why it was there. I turned to Swan and asked, “Would you rather dig a hole or climb up on a roof?” She preferred the hole, and I told her I’d take the latter. Yep, that’s just the way I see things.

Later, in the dog walk we passed the latest (completed) house in our subdivision.

Back home, and Swan prepared my breakfast:

Then it was time to head out for the Friday group hike.

Once I was back home, I stayed there. At beer o’clock, I went upstairs and visited The Rite Spot On The Roof.

Daylight was gone, but we weren’t done. Downstairs, dinner awaited.

With my belly full, I moved to the couch, fired up Netflix, and began watching my first episode of “Squid Game.” I knew it was a Korean drama but didn’t know what to expect beyond that. I was pleasantly surprised that it was dubbed in English, so I didn’t have to strain my eyes reading subtitles. The end of Episode One was surprising, and it will be interesting to see where things go from here. Yeah, I wasn’t in the mood to binge-watch last night, but I will try and see at least one episode every day.

Staying home has its benefits. I didn’t spend any money, drank only four beers, and had one of my best days overall in terms of calories.

I also had my weekly weigh-in:

• Yesterday: 234.8
• Last week: 235.5
• November 1: 267.1
• Total loss: 32.3 pounds

Slow but steady progress.

One commenter suggested I periodically share what I’ve learned in Tagalog. I don’t have much to say about that. *ahem* But, there is this:

Shorter version: FAFO.

Is it still a memory if you don’t remember it?

In today’s YouTube video, the vlogger argues that the Philippines isn’t as poor as it appears to be. Of course, the people with money are a small percentage of the population, but there is money to be had if you know the right people. My observation is that while most Filipinos I’ve encountered are hard-working, there is a lack of opportunity to find jobs that pay well in this economy. That’s why OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) are the nation’s biggest export. I read somewhere that Filipino nurses have the highest percentage in US hospitals.

Humor me this:

It’s a back-to-the-grind Saturday. Swan promised our friend Beth we’d stop by Wet Spot later (it’s a girl thing; I wouldn’t understand). They don’t open until six, so we’ll start somewhere else and take it from there.

Los Angeles is my city of birth, and I’ve been saddened to see the recent devastation. That it was self-inflicted by ignorant politicians not taking the basic steps needed to prevent wildfires (or keep water in fire hydrants) doesn’t make it less painful to see. They keep electing these idiots, so I guess you could say the voters fucked themselves. I left in 1978 because I didn’t want to raise my kids there, and it has gotten infinitely worse since then. Watching the news brought to mind this Neil Young song from fifty years ago:

In a matter of time,
There'll be a friend of mine
Gonna come to the coast,
You're gonna see him
Up close for a minute or two
While the ground cracks under you.

By the look in your eyes
You'd think that it was a surprise
But you seem to forget
Something somebody said
About the bubbles in the sea
And an ocean full of trees.

And you now, L.A.
Uptight,
city in the smog,
city in the smog.
Don't you wish that
you could be here too?
Don't you wish that
you could be here too?
Don't you wish that
you could be here too?

Well, it's hard to believe
So you get up to leave
And you laugh at the door
That you heard it all before
Oh it's so good to know
That it's all just a show for you.

But when the suppers are planned
And the freeways are crammed
And the mountains erupt
And the valley is sucked
Into cracks in the earth
Will I finally be heard by you.

L.A.
Uptight,
city in the smog,
city in the smog.
Don't you wish that
you could be here too?
Don't you wish that
you could be here too?
Don't you wish that
you could be here too?

Yesterday was the big feeding event for the Aeta village in Alibang. One hundred and fifty families left with more than they came with. Perhaps gifting food doesn’t change any lives for the better in the long term, but it helps fill some stomachs and makes life easier, if only for a day or two. Our help was sincerely appreciated by those on the receiving end of the gifts made possible by participating Hash members and others who contributed to this outreach effort’s success. The happy faces of the recipients made my share of the investment worth every peso. There is truth to the saying that it is more blessed to give than receive. I guess even the Bible accepts that my kind of selfish generosity is still worthy. Now I can proceed with living rich in a poor country almost guilt-free!

The barangay rep sent us this short video capturing some of the highlights of the event. I can’t embed it here, but hopefully you can watch it at the link above if you so desire.

UPDATE: A shout out to Kevin Kim for the tutorial on how to make my own YouTube link:

The hike portion of the morning was also enjoyable. We did a riverside trail as far as we could take it toward the Tibag community, then crossed the river and walked the road the rest of the way there. The roundtrip back to Alibang was almost 8K total. Here are some highlights:

There was supposed to be a nipa hut available for our after-hike use, but somehow, that didn’t happen. Instead, we were directed to the riverside under “the bridge to nowhere” for our picnic. The boys enjoyed grilled sausages and beer; the gals had Filipino-style spaghetti with wine and soju. It was rugged and had a camping-out vibe, but we made the best of it.

When the picnic was over, and it was time to depart, my fellow hikers declared that we would conclude the day’s celebration with a final stop at It Doesn’t Matter. Who am I to argue with the majority? Even Swan was on their side. So, we sent my driver and helper, Teri, back to my house to drop off the ice chests, and the rest of us rode with the barangay vehicle to our destination in Barretto. People kept buying rounds of beer, and on top of the ones I had enjoyed at the picnic, I was close to being over my limit. I finally told Swan we needed to go, and she concurred. We took an overdue nap upon arrival, and I awoke a little after 6 pm and got to work on yesterday’s belated blog post. Being home was a nice way to end the day.

It’s been a bad week for goal attainment. IDM invited us to their staff party on Baloy Beach this afternoon, so God only knows what’s in store for me there.

A couple of memories to share today:

And here is a timely reminder:

Today’s YouTube video is a clip I first posted on Facebook twelve years ago. It still seems funny to me.

To the humor we must go:

Alright, time to get ready for the party. As usual, I’ll bring some brownies as my contribution. And we’ll have something for the girls to suck on, too. Maybe things will be back to normal around here tomorrow. Time will tell.

And all my problems were far away as well. With nothing to complain about, let me just tell you about my day.

We decided to do a walk to check out Alibang, the Aeta village where we will do the charity feeding this coming Friday. Our neighbor Vina asked to join us, so we made it a threesome.

We are all looking forward to Friday’s adventure in Alibang.

I attended the birthday gathering at Ricky and Heidi’s place here in Alta Vista. I’ve been to their house before; it is the best one I’ve seen in our neighborhood. The party was on their rooftop, and I loved being up there. Swan drove her cart with me in the backseat, but when we hit the last hill to Ricky’s, the gravity proved too much for our underpowered vehicle. I got out, and miraculously, the cart scooted on up to the top without a problem. Funny how that works. I drove home after the party, and going downhill wasn’t an issue, except when I applied the brakes, the back wheels would lock in a skid. That was a bit disconcerting. I don’t think the cart is safe to drive outside of the neighborhood.

There was a smorgasbord of offerings for the guests. I tried to be prudent and avoid the obvious high-calorie/carb selections, but some of it was just too good to resist. And then I blew it when I got back home and had two servings of pudding instead of the usual one.

Facebook reminds me that twelve years ago, I was having a grand time in Osaka, Japan.

I came across a post from a little over six years ago while coming up with today’s title. In that one, I talked about a hike to SBMA and even wrote some song lyrics to the tune of Yesterday. What was most interesting to me was the part where I mentioned inviting Marissa to join me for dinner at home, which was my first time taking her out of the bar. A girl I had been crushing on saw us walking down the street and apparently wasn’t pleased about it—one of my first tastes of small-town drama here in Barretto.

Yesterday, I took a walk so far away.
All the way to the SBMA.
Oh, I walked so far yesterday.

Suddenly, I was on the beach along the sea.
I have no idea what came over me.
Oh, yesterday I walked along the sea.

Why did I have to go?
I don’t know, at home I couldn’t stay.
I still need to lose those pounds
So I took a long walk yesterday.

Yesterday, I took a hike out to Subic Bay.
Dodging buses, trikes and jeeps along the way.
Oh, but I survived it yesterday.

(with apologies to Lennon/McCartney)

Hey, I didn’t say I had any talent as a songwriter…

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I did not regularly view, and I won’t be in the future because he died earlier in the week. So, here’s to his memory. Ironically, his subject was “What’s Killing Foreigners in the Philippines.” Rest in Peace, Mark.

Well, shit. Apparently his channel doesn’t allow uploading. Here’s the embed.

And here’s a tribute to Mark from another vlogger.

I guess some humor is in order to lighten things up.

It’s Sunday, and that means a Hideaway feeding is next on my agenda. After that, I’ll join Swan to welcome back the Arizona floating bar. When I told her we were going there later, she got so excited. She said she’d be there at 4:30. I told her I wouldn’t arrive until 5:00, and she shrugged and said, I’ll save you a seat. We’ll do our dinner at John’s place once we are done with our time on the water. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

And what a time it was. Sunday rolled around once more and was full of the usual Sunday things. The Candy Walk resumed after a one-week hiatus, and the children all seemed happy to see us again. I’m one of the Hares along with Pubic Head for next Monday’s Hash Candy Run, and we are going to incorporate the San Isidro neighborhoods into our trail. That oughta be fun watching the kids get greeted by Santa Claus. We sweetened up 250 of them yesterday.

Next on my Sunday agenda was the Hideaway feeding.

Three gin and sodas later, I successfully crossed the highway and climbed the stairs to the third floor of John’s place.

Then we took a stroll down the highway for our nightcap at the Green Room. We enjoy chillin’ out with our favorites, Chu and Sally, and watching the other girls play pool. Two of them last night were the absolute worst players I’ve ever seen. It was so comically bad that I was actually laughing out loud seeing their consistently missed shots. When they finally finished what might have been the longest game of 8-ball in history, I gave them each fifty pesos and thanked them for the show.

I made it home safe and sound after eight drinks of gin over the course of the evening. For my nighttime treat, I mixed up a bowl of vanilla pudding, and it was so good I had a second helping. Clearly, my better judgment was impaired.

Today’s addition to The Story of My Life is a Christmas tribute to my stepdaughter Hillary, who was serving in Afghanistan with the US Army twenty years ago.

Here is a meme with some harsh truth about the lying liars who call themselves “experts”:

Today’s YouTube is a light-hearted take on weirdos who always want to hike. Lucky for me, Swan has come to enjoy our walks almost as much as I do.

The funny stuff:

Okay, another Hash Monday is in my immediate future. Today’s trail is out in Subic-town, but we have a sane Hare (Pubic Head), so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store. I’ll post the full report tomorrow.