If this email is to be believed, it appears my website has been cleansed of the malware infection.

Your SMART scanner has been hard at work! During a recent scan, it found some malware and automatically removed it from your website. We are happy to report that your site is now clean and malware-free.

Let me know if you see any signs to the contrary.

On to yesterday, then. There was the Friday group hike to attend to.

Shortly after we started, I decided to take a pee at a gas station we passed. I wound up on my knees on the sidewalk.

There were some workers clearing weeds and a woman who appeared to be in charge. We approached her and asked if we might have a look around. She consented to our trespassing.

Back home and hungry, Swan made me lunch.

When it was time to head into town, we started with dinner at Jewel Cafe.

We crossed the highway for a drink or two at Red Bar, then did our nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks. And that’s how we filled the hours on our Friday.

On to July 2015 in the LTG archives. It has been interesting (to me) to read about things I would have otherwise totally forgotten. Like this chance encounter with a crazy guy in my Itaewon hangout, Shenanigans. Sometimes the meaningless moments are part of the milestones on this journey we call life.

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with Smart Girl Philippines. Well, here she is talking about why the Christmas season is the best time of the year for sex.

And you may enjoy these:

And with that, I’ll sign off for today.

This song takes me back to those long-haired hippy-freak days, the first time I lived through the 70s.

Here we go again. But before I get started about yesterday, I have some comments about comments. Amongst my handful of loyal readers, some actually share their thoughts in the comments section. Unsurprisingly, those comments often have more substance than the original post (admittedly, that’s a low bar). So, if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to read the exchange between me and commenter Brian in the post “Getting on with it.” Honestly, interactions like those are my favorite part of blogging.

When it was time for the Wednesday Walkers to convene, we decided to keep it mostly on the street. So, we grabbed a Jeepney and rode it out to Waltermart on the far side of Subic town, then walked the backroads home.

Yeah, I’m at the back of the pack in most of these photos. I’m slow on a good day, but yesterday I had pain in my left ankle for some reason, and it hobbled my progress. I woke up in pain during the night as well and required some Tylenol to get back to sleep. I took a day off from walking this morning.

That ankle didn’t stop me from heading back out at beer o’clock either.

We visited Green Room next, and enjoyed our nightcap at Wet Spot. Then we rolled on home. No complaints about my Wednesday. Keep ’em coming!

Moving on to May 2015 in the LTG archives, and in this rambling post, I talk about giving up cigarettes and being grumpy. Those two things may be related, but I haven’t smoked for ten years now, and I’m grumpier than ever. Go figure.

Today’s YouTube video is something a little different for me, talking about death and the spiritual being within our human body. I don’t buy it, but since it is only five minutes long, you may want to decide for yourself.

Let’s lighten our load with these:

Okay then, we are done for today. Swan is having a gathering of lady friends up at The Rite Spot on the Roof this afternoon. I made some chili, cornbread muffins, and brownies for the event. I’ve got plenty of beer on ice for me and any menfolk who may come along. Nothing wrong with sticking close to home for a change.

Here I am riding out the storm at a cheap ass (900 peso per night) love motel with crap internet, so we shall see if this post makes it up or not. Anyway, here’s how my surviving Super Typhoon Uwan has gone so far.

Right after I left the house to feed the gals at Hideaway, the power went out in Alta Vista. And it has been out ever since. I was surprised because we went dark before the storm had hit with any real force. And knowing that, it didn’t bode well for it being restored anytime soon. I proved to be right about that. Anyway, the feeding at Hideaway went fine, then I met Swan at John’s place for dinner

Hmm, the internet isn’t working for uploading photos, even on my mobile hotspot. Must be storm-related. So, that takes a lot of the fun out of blogging. Oh well, Swan surprised me by ordering a pasta dish. I, in turn, surprised her by ordering birria tacos so she could satisfy her weekly addiction.

After dinner, we stuck to our Sunday routines with a stop at Red Bar.

We normally make Jumpin’ Jacks our venue for the Sunday nightcap, but they were closed because of the storm, so we moved on to Cheap Charlies. We had to sit at the bar because the wind was slamming the plastic curtains against the counter space. There was definitely an end-of-the-world vibe going on. So, knowing there was still no power at the house, we agreed that getting a room in Barretto was our best option for the night. I figured the lights might not stay on in Barretto either, so a hotel with a generator was the main requirement. The nicer places were a wet walk up the highway, while the Anbon Hotel was just across the highway near the It Doesn’t Matter Bar. I confirmed they had a working generator and booked my cheap room. I’m not saying it’s the worst room I’ve ever stayed in, but it is in the top ten of the bad ones.

Rules and electricity. We took a trike back to the house, grabbed some fresh clothes and toiletries, and triked back to our room. Seeing as how the It Doesn’t Matter Bar was steps away, we settled in for a drink before bedtime. And sure enough, the power went out in Barretto. I heard the generator kick on at Anbon, so I was happy with my choice. I was also surprised that IDM has a generator as well. The Barretto outage lasted only about 30 minutes.

Wow! The old man stayed out late last night! One good thing about going to bed later than usual was that it meant less time dealing with the discomfort of a shit bed and crappy pillows. We heard the wind and rain through the night, but there doesn’t appear to be any flooding or other visible damage here in Barretto.

Woke up hungry, so we ventured out in the rain in search of breakfast. The wind rendered our umbrellas worthless. Jewel Cafe is only a block away, but alas, they were closed, likely due to the storm. So, we moved down the highway to the Arizona Resort to eat.

And I ate like a hungry American:

I used to visit Arizona to eat frequently, but it’s on the wrong side of town with lots of other good options in between, so I just don’t make it here much nowadays. It was good to be back, though.

Walked back to the Anbon in the rain and checked on the status of power restoration at the house. It’s still a no-go. Check-out time here is noon, so it was decision time: do I stay or do I go? Welp, I’m down for spending 900 pesos to keep my laptop going and phone charged. If the power gets restored before bedtime tonight, we’ll just mosey on home. If not, it will be an easy crawl to the Anbon after the Hash.

Speaking of the Hash, I have no idea what’s in store for today. I can’t imagine it will be anything more than a street walk, and it might be even less than that (a bar crawl). Either way, I’ll be there!

Back to March 2015 in the LTG archives, and the big news in this post is that my Uncle Sam rehired me! I had retired as a GS-15 Human Resources Director and returned as a GS-13 Labor Relations Specialist — the same job I had when I first came to Korea.

Coincidentally, on this date in my history on Facebook:

For today’s YouTube video, we’ll stick with the typhoon theme. Lots of places got hit a lot harder than we did. (I didn’t watch this, so can’t vouch for its accuracy.)

And now for these:

Damn, this post was one of the hardest to write, logistically speaking—slow internet, no mouse, and some keyboard issues. Oh well, I did the best I could with what I had to work with. Still raining outside with a brisk breeze, but things aren’t as bad as I expected. We’ll see what happens next.

Busy day ahead. Riding with the neighbors, Martin and Joss, for the two-hour drive to the Tumangan River in Botolon. We are departing in two hours, so here’s the lowdown on what yesterday was all about. I’m going to start with how it ended and work my way back to the start. Why? Because I can!

Sorry, I forgot to get a shot of the most important thing: the fondue cheese sauce we dipped those tasty bites in. I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed a fondue meal, but this one was the best ever. Hanging with the neighbors is always a good time, and we’ll have another full day of it today.

As mentioned in my previous post, we had the twice-yearly 7-Eleven Hash run yesterday. The concept of the event is that the group takes a predetermined walk, visiting convenience stores along the way. The other part of the deal is that participants buy and drink a beer at each stop. As much as I enjoy beer drinking, that is something I decline to do. As regular readers know, I’m a walkaholic by day and an alcoholic at night. I prefer not to mix those two passions. Others in our group filled that gap, and the walk concluded successfully.

Here are some photos I took along the way:

Oops! I just now realized that I forgot to get a photo of stop #8 on our quest. Sorry about that. For the record, it was a 7-Eleven convenience store.

The rest of the group arrived to join us, and then the ritual of connecting the empty beer cans consumed on our trek commenced.

Anyway, I’m glad the 7-Eleven runs only take place twice a year. Still, it was something different and I enjoyed myself. We did our after-Hash at IDM, and then it was time to head home and get ready for the dinner date next door I talked about at the beginning of this post.

Yikes! Look at the time! I’d better get my ass ready for today’s adventure.

But before I go, I’ll share this post from the February 2015 LTG archives about my glory days as a darter in Itaewon.

And today’s YouTube video is one of mine as well.

Some quick humor:

Time for me to go. At least tomorrow I’ll have something different to write about. This is my first time going to Botolon.

The big news from my Saturday was that for the first time in my Hash career, I did TWO separate Hash trails on the same day. And I actually enjoyed them for the most part. Here are the options I faced that led me to my decision:

What to do? I opted to join the group departing at ten a.m. The short trail started with and followed the long trail for the first 3K. At the junction with the medium trail, the short trail ended, and the long and medium trails continued together to the On-Home. It took me a little over one hour to finish the short trail, but I had no regrets about my choice. Trying to do over 9K on a hot day would have been pushing it. The downside (other than waiting 30 minutes for the slowpokes to complete the short trail) was getting back to Bauang before 1 p.m., and the Hash gathering didn’t begin until 3. And then I had the bright idea of doing the 2:30 short trail, a 4K walk to the On-Home venue. La Union Hash called it their “VIP trail,” which is their nice way of saying what we call the “wimp trail” in Subic. Regardless, doing both short trails gave me a sweet 7K-plus experience that was the right fit for me.

Swan and I returned to our room at the Go Resort and rested for an hour before heading back to the Tropical Garden, where the VIP short trail began.

One of them got drawn, and I selected a pair of hiking shoes.

We also got a swag bag that included this nifty towel-like thing.

The Circle ended at six, but the beer stayed open until seven. Of course, Zero was not available, and being mindful of my drinking history in La Union, I exercised discretion and left shortly after the Circle concluded. The Hash provided Jeepney transport back into Buang-proper, and given our early departure, we had the Jeepney all to ourselves.

I had a couple of more beers at the hotel and also a delicious banana split. Swan stayed up late playing cards with the girls, but I was snug in my bed before 9 p.m. So, no misbehavior on my final night in La Union.

From the November 2014 LTG archives, I wrote about the circumstances of my first marriage thirty-nine years earlier. What triggered those reflections was receiving a letter from the Catholic Diocese advising that the ex-wife was seeking an annulment. I had no objections to her getting right with God after marrying a heretic like me.

I also found today’s YouTube video in the LTG archives. It’s a short comedy piece entitled “What Kind of Asian Are You?” I enjoyed seeing it again after all these years; perhaps you will too.

Hey, we are on a roll with the comedy, so let’s do these:

And enough of this shit. I made it back safe and sound to Barretto, and I’ll be hanging with the neighbors tonight. I’ve got my Zero bottles chillin’ in the fridge to welcome me home at the appointed hour.

Yes, I know “grouphike” isn’t one word, but I used it that way so it would fit better with those other nine-letter words: adventure and nightmare. That’s the most accurate description for this week’s trek of the Wednesday (hey, nine letters!) Walkers. I had suggested to the group that we head out to Subic Hills and take the back way from there to Castillejos. It’s a hike I’d done three or four times, but it had been a year or so since the last occasion. Things change, and we found ourselves in a sticky situation early on, but fought our way through. And then our trail was blocked, so we blazed a new one, only to discover our way ahead was impeded by a fence. The fence was too weak to climb over, so we crawled under. In doing so, I took some flesh off of my knee, but on we trudged, wading the river and finding our way back to the highway. There, we got a Jeepney home to Barretto. Exciting shit, eh? Here are some pictures to help with the visualization:

Until this happened:

We eventually fought our way through, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

The rest of the day went fine: Drinks at Red Bar, dinner at Sit-n-Bull, and a nightcap at Wet Spot. Then home again. That’s just how this old-timer rolls.

It is now October 2014 in the LTG archives. And damn, even eleven years ago, the emptiness of my life was something to blog about. It didn’t help that the woman I loved wasn’t with me. Little did I know that she wouldn’t be joining me in the USA ever again.

Today’s YouTube video is also from the October 2014 LTG archives. But this video is a news clip about my son’s decision to donate a kidney. I raised a good one. He’d probably say no thanks to you. And so it goes.

I could use a little humor right about now:

Alright, time for a quick nap before I head to the hospital for my appointment with the pulmonary doctor. Here’s hoping I have good news to share tomorrow.

I mentioned yesterday that there has been a whole lotta shakin’ going on lately here in the Philippines. Another earthquake yesterday, and this time it was close enough that I felt it.

Otherwise, it was just another day in the life.

We moved our Sunday routines to Saturday this week.

With my Hideaway duty done, I got on with the rest of my evening.

Honestly, I’m wondering how much longer John’s will be around. Last night, there wasn’t even a waitress to serve us. The kitchen staff brought our drinks and took our order, then headed back to the kitchen to prepare our food.

After eating, we made our weekly visit to Red Bar.

Then it was on to Jumpin’ Jacks for our nightcap.

And then we called it a night and triked on home. It may not seem like much, but this is enough for now, and I appreciate what I have. I know I’ll miss these days when they are gone.

Onward in the June 2014 LTG archives, and it was nice to remember a delicacy from my Korea days: the tasty egg-a-burger. I do believe I’ll have Swan try her hand at making one of these for me.

Nine years ago, I was experiencing my first visit to Pattaya. Here’s some of what I saw there:

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines shares the meaning of some dating terms here in the PI. I’d heard of some of them, with LBFM being one of the first I encountered.

Laugh if you want:

Now it is time to get moving on with the rest of my Sunday, including attending an RSL (Returned Services League, the Australian equivalent of the VFW) charity event. There’s a big money raffle taking place, so I’ll let you know tomorrow if I strike it rich.

And yesterday was better than nothing, so there you go. Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened by the murder of Charlie Kirk. It’s been sickening reading the shit some of my lefty Facebook friends have posted disparaging Kirk and all but saying he had it coming.

Well, that’s where we are, it seems…if you aren’t a good little sheep, you deserve to die.

Death also found another Barretto expat yesterday.

I have also heard that Dave Fisher, owner of Wet Spot and Green Room, is in the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital in Manila. The man is an icon in Barretto, and he is in his 80s, fighting cancer and other ailments. The outlook is grim, but if anyone can find his way back from this situation, it’s Dave. Keep fighting!

Meanwhile, what I call life keeps rolling along. It may not seem like much, but I do often pause and gaze at the beauty that surrounds me. I’m thankful that I still have the ability to get out and enjoy my hikes and my evenings on the town. I don’t think I’m doing badly for an old guy, and I’ll be content to continue living this life for as long as I can.

Swan joined me for a Thursday morning stroll. I offered her two options: the walk to Waltermat or the Philseco loop. She chose Philseco because “it’s shorter.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her both hikes are right at 7K. We do Philiseco about once a month, and to change it up a little this time, we walked it in reverse. I was surprised at what a difference that made, including finding all the twists and turns that come naturally when we walk in the other direction.

Nothing worthy of a photograph during our evening out. Started at Sloppy Joe’s and finished at Green Room. Same old, same old, but I’m glad to be around to enjoy it.

Here’s the latest on my lack of water situation:

I try hard not to let the past impact the present. It’s hard sometimes. Like this post from the April 2013 LTG archives documenting my Las Vegas wedding ceremony with Jee Yeun. I said then it was the fourth and last time. Turns out I was right, just not in the way I expected.

Today’s YouTube video also comes from the LTG archives. I posted this twelve years ago, but seeing it again today felt like the first time. That’s scary, but the video is still funny. So, where would we be if man obeyed God? Watch and find out!

The joke’s on me:

So, onward with the day. The SOB has been canceled once again, which is really no surprise. I do hope they do one final goodbye show in the future.

Even for a worthless Tuesday. Not that I’m complaining, it will just make the good days seem better. I’ll keep this post as short and painless as possible, fair enough?

The hardest part of my grocery shopping yesterday was getting there.

Anyway, we made it to the YBC supermarket thirty minutes later than usual, but no big deal. I couldn’t help but notice the background music in the store was Christmas carols. Oh yeah, it’s the BER months here in the Philippines.

Finished the shopping, got home, and didn’t feel like doing my usual neighborhood stroll, so I didn’t. Later in the afternoon, it being Tuesday and all, we headed to Baloy Beach so Swan could get her toes in the sand fix.

As usual, we strolled down to the far end of the beach and stopped in at Kokomo’s for some liquid refreshments at the Tiki Bar. Except they were closed. We went to the front lobby to find out what was going on, and the hotel was closed as well, without a soul in sight. Very strange. I messaged the owner to ask if everything was okay, but I haven’t yet received a response. Businesses on Baloy seem to be dying on the vine.

We decided to go ahead and have dinner at Treasure Island, and they were pretty busy for a Tuesday evening. The other guests were ordering banana splits and milkshakes, so the poor bartender barely had time to refresh my beverages.

It was too early (even for me!) to go home, so we grabbed a trike and headed to the Alaska Club. A guy at the next table remembered me from a previous meeting a couple of years ago. He told me he knows me from the blog. That’s always nice when it happens. Otherwise, the vibe at Alaska was off as well, with only two dancers, and my regular waitresses ignored me, so when I finished my beer, we left and went next door to Wet Spot (Swan brought the remainder of her wine with her). It was more pleasant there, so at least we ended our evening on a better note than it started.

Yeah, if that’s as bad as it gets, I’m a lucky bastard, I know.

It is still September 2012 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recounted the tale of how I almost lost my son in Prescott, Arizona. Man, some memories are downright scary.

Speaking of memories, one of my early retirement projects was reading all the back issues of Life Magazine (who remembers that?). I think I made it to the early 1970s before growing weary of the journey. However, on the blog, I did link to an issue about the start of the Korean War and another about life in Korea in the 1950s.

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines provides some excellent dating advice. Not that I need it now.

Let’s end this on a high note:

Wow, I can still speak some of that language I learned when I moved to Arkansas.

And it wasn’t much. But better than nothing. And as a special reward for my reader(s), today’s post will be brief. You are welcome!

When beer o’clock arrived, there still wasn’t much worthy of note taking place. We started out at Sloppy Joe’s and took our usual street-side seats. The big screen TVs were blaring Australian Footy, which I find distracting, but there was a big group inside watching, so that’s what a sports bar strives for. There’s a beer distribution shop across the street, and they stack their cases of empty bottles on the sidewalk. This homeless dude was looking through the bottles for any that still had some beer left inside, and then he’d drink it. One of the more gross things I’ve witnessed recently. Swan said she was craving some chicken wings, so we shared an order. They were quite tasty. After we finished eating, we went next door to Green Room for our nightcap.

Waitress Chu said he was a first-time visitor. When we arrived, he was playing by himself, and instead of the usual eight-ball game, he was playing nine-ball. I’d heard of it, but never actually seen it before. Damn, this guy was shooting at a pro level that was quite impressive. He eventually started playing against some of the bargirls, and they were out of their league. I found the massacre somehow entertaining. But all good things must come to an end, and when eight o’clock chimed, we headed for home.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It really wasn’t as bad as it seemed, at least by my low standards.

In the LTG archives from August 2012 is a post about my Uncle Bud (my father’s brother), who served as ball turret gunner on a B-17 bomber during World War II. That proved to be my final visit with Bud, who passed away a few years later, well into his nineties. Yep, more of those long-lasting McCrarey genes.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I don’t particularly care for, Philly in the Phillpines, but I was enticed to watch because he’s posting from Siargao island’s city of General Luna, a place I’ve never been but will be visiting in November. I’ll be staying at a beach resort, so I won’t have to worry about parking.

And we will end this post with a smile:

Okay, I’m in the midst of my Sunday routines. So, I don’t expect much new or exciting, but the venues will be different, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to be out and about.

Surprise, I survived my final Hash in the sixties. Bring on the big seven-oh, biatch! Yesterday’s trail didn’t even necessitate shortcutting, although I did shave off a half a click or so by picking up the trail in Alta Vista instead of the starting point at the Bella Monte Hotel. We had one moderately difficult climb that included going up via a creek bed with running water, but once we got to the top, it was relatively smooth sailing on the familiar My Bitch trail. Well, except for the heavy rain that hit us about halfway through the journey. Oh well, I was wet with sweat by then anyway.

One of my least favorite Hash rituals, but at least it only happens once a year. I had the foresight, based on experience, to bring a change of clothes.

The after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter followed, then home for some sleep in preparation for my final day of being 69.

It’s now May 2012 in the LTG archive journey, and in this post, I joined a union of bloggers calling out terrorist Bret Kimmberlin for his attempts to silence his critics. That was the only time I’ve heard of bloggers doing an organized response like this. Hopefully, it helped. Just checked Wikipedia and the asshole is still alive and one year older than me.

Today’s YouTube video from Smart Girl Philippines is full of tips I don’t need and can’t use. All I’ve got to do is ask. Still, she’s always fun to watch.

Let’s try these on for size:

Time to get on with my last day of being 69. Nothing exciting so far, shopping day and more prep for the big party tomorrow. I know there is some beer in my near future, just not sure where yet. I’ll be back tomorrow with some seventy-year-old perspectives.

Some sad details about the passing of the Jumpin’ Jacks bartender, Vangie. She died in the restroom at work. After being away from the bar for thirty minutes or so, someone went to check on her and found a lifeless body. It was apparently a heart attack that killed her. I’d only met her a couple of months ago, but she was sweet and fun to be around. I’m going ti miss seeing her smiling face.

In news from the land of the living, where I blessedly still reside, I made it through another Hash yesterday. It was a half-assed effort that still managed to kick my ass.

The usual after-Hash Tomfoolery at IDM, then off to home to rest up for another day.

It’s a new year (2012) in the LTG archives, and on January 1, I actually wrote a meaningful post reflecting on the year behind that saw me lose both of my parents and the life to come (I applied for Jee Yeun’s fiancée visa). When I mailed the immigration papers at the post office, I looked up at the office upstairs, which I had occupied from 1986 through 1993, and this thought occurred to me:

And then a question came to mind.  If by some magic you could be shown your future life, would you want to view it?

And today I wondered what would the me of back then have thought upon seeing the me of today mailing a letter of such importance and yet its contents were beyond my wildest imaginings just a few short years ago.   I hope I would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

Despite all the hopes and dreams and best laid plans, we are after all destined to live in the moment.  I never envisioned this life that I’ve lived turning out as it did.  The detours and heartbreaks and disappointments all inevitably led me back to this place, but changed me almost completely from who that man looking down from the window way back then.  And I don’t just mean those extra pounds around my belly.  All those experiences that I never planned for, dreamed about, or even knew that I desired have not necessarily made me better, and I certainly hope not worse.  But this is who I have become, and I am glad for it.

I’m not going to answer my own question directly because I don’t know if someone had shown me the road ahead back then that I would have had the courage to follow it.

Of course, the life I was building in 2012 came crashing down around me a few short years later, leading me to this one in the Philippines. Would I have wanted to know what lay ahead? Probably not. I could have missed the pain, but I would have missed the dance.

I also came across this old photo I had forgotten even existed:

Yesterday, I shared a YouTube video from a newly discovered vlogger, Home Base PH, recounting five things you won’t like about the Philippines. Today’s version is him recounting five things you will like. Once again, I mostly agree with him, although I can’t really say I’ve given the local cuisine a fair chance.

Maybe these will make you smile:

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment, all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you, I held everything
For a moment, wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yes, my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yesterday was full of decadence, or so I’ve been led to believe. Don’t get your hopes up, it’s not as tantalizing as I make it sound. Anyway, during our Candy Walk yesterday, there was a bit of an incident at one of our most popular neighborhoods. There is a small church there, and the Sunday school is in session as we pass. While we service the non-attending children, the kids in church are released to partake in the free sweetness we dispense. This has been going on like that for the two years we’ve been doing the candy thing. So, yesterday, after Swan had finished handing out the candy bags, a woman (presumably the Sunday school teacher) approached and started speaking to Swan. This went on for like five minutes or so, and Swan had a funny look on her face when the conversation was over. The teacher had told Swan that she was concerned about the children’s dental health, and she suggested that we hand out something healthier, like biscuits. Hmm, or the teacher could just tell the kids not to accept candy gifts. I seriously doubt that our once-a-week offering is going to rot teeth, but we aren’t forcing anyone to eat the sweets we give away. Just say no, and we’ll move on. I admit I found the teacher’s intervention more than a little irksome. Next Sunday, I’ll suggest to Swan that we walk on by that area, although I feel bad for the kids who are always looking forward to our arrival. We’ll see.

Nobody complained about the feeding at Hideaway. I guess some customers might blame me for fattening up the girls, but no one has said anything. Yet.

At the appointed hour (5 p.m.), I moved on to John’s place for dinner.

After our meal, we headed up the highway to Red Bar.

I had initially planned to go to Nipsey’s for our nightcap, but I offered Candy Bar as an alternative. Then, as we passed Jumpin’ Jacks, Swan said, “Let’s go here instead.” I guess that makes it official, our new favorite place to chill.

So, I told the girls, best out of three, winner gets 100 pesos, loser gets 50. They happily agreed to my terms, and it was game on! One of them had superior pool skills (the one shooting in the photo above), but the other had enough luck on her side to take it to a third and final game, where talent won out after a hard-fought battle. Swan surprised me by pulling another 100 peso note from her purse and said, make it 150 and 100 for the girls.

And so another day ended without bitterness.

Today’s episode from the LTG archives is a pictorial from the celebration of my 55th birthday at Pub Dolce Vita in Itaewon. Coincidentally, I’ll be turning 70 later this month, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Today’s YouTube video is about how Filipino food shocked the “experts” at an international cooking competition. I apologize for the crappy AI narration, but I’m sharing anyway because I know at least one of my readers is a foodie and may learning more about the local food offerings. For the record, I’ve had Kare-Kare before and enjoyed it. (Now I’m wondering if the whole thing is bullshit.)

Humor me, please:

And now it is time to ready myself for another Hash Monday. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

Greetings from Da Nang, Vietnam. Here’s the down and dirty of day one of my trip as told through photographs.

And then AirAsia charged me an additional 2,400 pesos to check my bag.

We arrived at the airport five hours prior to our scheduled departure time. Hey, better early than late. The Manila airport isn’t known for its comfort levels, so we went looking for an “elite” lounge to spend the time.

We *almost* managed to get our money’s worth when our outbound flight was delayed for two hours. They never told us why.

Me being me, we went downstairs to check out the hotel bar.

I asked the bartender what beers were available, and said I drink San Miguel back home. He grinned and said, ‘I’ve got some San Mig, but you’re in Hong Kong now.’ Why not try something different?

Which is not to say things were not expensive. I pay around 100 pesos for a beer in Barretto. That’s less than two bucks. That local beer was 635 pesos each, or about twelve dollars. Even the San Miguel Light was almost five times more expensive than the PI. Well, I was spending money that no one else wanted, so why not go a little wild? I’ll be returning to HK on Saturday to spend the rest of it.

And that was pretty much it for day one of my week out of town.

Seeing as I’m in holiday mode, I’ll spare you the usual content I post here until I return home. I’ll update you on the journey to Vietnam tomorrow.

Each day is a step closer to normalization, so we are getting there. I’m not ready or willing to give up.

I’m finishing up with the preparations for my upcoming trip to Da Nang, Vietnam. That required a visit to the Immigration Bureau in Olongapo to submit my application for an Emigration Clearance Certificate, which permits me to leave the country. In the absence of any outstanding wants, warrants, or other violations being found, I should be able to pick it up tomorrow.

Next on the agenda was grocery shopping at the YBC and Royal supermarkets. This caught my eye at YBC:

After shopping, we dropped Swan off at the government office in Olongapo that handles the Philippine social security program. I increased Swan’s allowance so she could resume paying into the system and be eligible for benefits when she reaches her golden years. She had to wait almost six hours for her number to be called. My head would have exploded long before that.

Since Swan still wasn’t home at beer o’clock, I headed out on my own. First stop was my old haunt, Snackbar.

Whatever magic this place once held for me is long gone. And so was I when I finished my beer.

I decided to take a stroll down Baloy Beach and see what was happening.

Kokomo’s Tiki Bar was still closed, and so was Kim’s Place. So, I circled back to Foxhole (formerly DaKudos) and took a seat at the empty bar. Monette, my old friend from Mango’s, was serving, and it was nice to see her again. She confirmed that Baloy continues to suffer from a lack of tourists, and business is slow everywhere.

I heard from Swan that she was on her way home after completing her ordeal in Olongapo (she messaged via phone since I have not as yet been unblocked on Facebook). We agreed to meet for dinner at Treasure Island.

While waiting for the food to arrive, a storm blew through.

Dinner is served:

It was only seven, which is early even by my low standards, but I was ready to call it a night and head home. Swan heard that Season 3 of Squid Game was now out, so we settled onto the couch and watched Episode 1 of the final six-episode season. Swan’s a bigger fan than I am, but it’s an okay show. My issues are with plot holes that make no sense. Last night, the detective was still trying to find the island by hiring a drone operator. Somehow, I think an island with all the infrastructure required for the games wouldn’t be that difficult to find off an isolated coast in Korea.

Oh, and I got a Father’s Day card from my daughter via a friend’s FPO account. The postmark indicates it was mailed on June 10 in South Carolina. Must have gone via the pony express.

It’s nice to be remembered by one of my kids anyway.

Long ago, in a land far away, I climbed a mountain. Then I had lunch at the top before riding a cable car back down the other side. In February 2010, I wrote a post full of pictures documenting that historic day. You can read all about it in The Story of My Life.

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines tells us how foreigners fuck up their relationships in her usual cheerful and witty style. I have no idea what she is talking about.

Just because I find it funny doesn’t mean you won’t:

A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named ‘Amal.’ The other goes to a family in Spain, they name him Juan. Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his mum. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds, ”But they are twins. If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amal.”

Spoken like a true dad.

And that’s the way it was. Oh, I was writing this post, I got a Facebook friend request and a message on Messenger from Swan. I’ve officially been unblocked! Now we can communicate via social media like true lovers do!

It’s a slow ride so far, but I’m getting there. I’ve mentioned before that my memory is increasingly feeble. I find myself writing down things I don’t want to forget, at least when I remember to do so. My attention span is also growing more and more limited. That makes it hard to sit through a movie or a long video. And then last night, I was in the midst of a dream, and the song “Smooth” was playing in the background for some reason. It eventually overtook the narrative of the dream (of course, I don’t remember what I was dreaming about now), and it eventually caused me to wake up. And the damn song was STILL playing in my head! Try as I might, I couldn’t clear my brain or get back to sleep. I finally had to get up and put on my earbuds and play from one of my Spotify song lists. It kept me awake for a while, but it shut up Santana and Rob Thomas, and I was able to achieve slumber without distraction once more. At this rate, I’ll be a happy man soon, assuming ignorance truly is bliss.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, a blog post about yesterday. Let’s get to it!

Next up was the Friday group hike.

The meeting I alluded to in yesterday’s post was to finalize plans for the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers’ 32nd Anniversary event. We took care of business and finished at 3 p.m. Well, that’s too close to beer o’clock to go back home, so I went to It Doesn’t Matter instead. Ran into some familiar faces, had some beer, and ate some chicken wings. Swan joined me there.

Some of the group wanted to pay a visit to Red Bar, so we joined in.

I hadn’t been to Red Bar on a Friday, so I was not aware of the daily special.

I don’t recall what the shot was, but thankfully, it was not too powerful. It’s for the best that I stick with San Mig Zero.

When the group was ready to move on, I suggested we pay Jumpin’ Jacks a visit. I told them about the nice time we’d had there on their re-opening weekend, and everyone was up for checking it out.

And the happy vibe and good music were still front and center. Also, as promised, they had stocked some Zero beer. Swan got her wine for 200 pesos, and that’s within my price tolerance. No complaints, and there were a couple of other folks there playing pool, so hopefully this iteration will be successful.

I’m joking, of course. I never play that suckers game of tossing the balls. The girls scramble around and get ten pesos for each ball they retrieve, but the bar gets about half of the 300 pesos. Instead, I bought all five of the girls working a lady drink. Yes, it cost me a lot more, but they earn a better commission and maintain their dignity.

Starting at three in the afternoon was a challenge, but I made it to eight, so that was an accomplishment of sorts. It was a very nice change of pace hanging with a group, and we had a fun night on the town. More fun than the SOB has been lately.

I’ve made it to December 2009 in my journey through the LTG archives. I’m going to offer a twofer today…On December 7 (talk about infamy), I was elected as President of the Seoul International Dart League. And on December 8, I was quoted in the Stars and Stripes about tour lengths for civilians in Korea. The link to the Stars and Stripes article in the post no longer works, but I found the story here.

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea is concerning. She discusses some recent legal changes that will have a negative impact on her and other vloggers in the Philippines. Sadly, the government focuses on shit like this instead of working to improve the lives of the Filipino people.

I didn’t forget the humor!

I’ve got a long way to go to catch up with Biden, so I’ll be back with more tomorrow. Unless I forget.

That’s the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority or the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, also known as the old Navy Base.

Anyway, Swan and I couldn’t decide where we might go for our Thursday hike, but we proceeded down to the highway anyway. I figured we’d grab a Jeepney, but I wasn’t sure which direction to go. When the moment of truth came, we headed towards Olongapo. We initially thought we’d get off near the Kalakalan gate at SBMA and then hike the beach back to Barretto. On the way there, I was trying to discern if the tide was high (which makes a beach walk more of a wade) when Swan declared, Why not just walk on SBMA? Yeah, why not? Hadn’t done that for a while.

So, off the Jeepney, through the gate as pictured above, and onto SBMA.

Now, SBMA is unique in that laws are enforced, and things like littering aren’t tolerated. Sadly, the bay is full of crap from everywhere else, and when the tide recedes it leaves behind the trash it carries.

I didn’t see any straws, at least. I told Swan that almost nothing came in a plastic bottle when I was a child. Soft drinks were in glass bottles, and you were charged a deposit when you bought one (three cents each). Litter didn’t last long, because kids like me would go scavenging for bottles and cash them in for pocket money. Ah, an old man’s tales from the good ol’ days.

So, that’s how we spent our morning, but there was more sand and water to come as we made our way to Baloy Beach.

I’m not sure what is happening on Baloy, but it had a ghost town vibe yesterday. We started things off with a beach walk to Kim’s Place. It was closed, but Kim was drinking at a table outside with some friends. He said he’d be ready to reopen on Monday for the Hash On-Home. Kim said there was no point in opening in uncertain weather.

Next, we went to Kokomo’s, which was closed as well. This was especially surprising because just a few days ago, I saw a post from Kokomo’s on Facebook saying that although the floating bar was gone now, the Tiki bar on the beach was open to serve you. Except it wasn’t. We checked with the receptionist at the front desk, and she said it closed because there were no customers. And now, when customers come, they aren’t open. That’s a self-defeating circle.

In our quest for something to drink, we continued on to Foxhole (aka DaKudo’s). Yay! They were open, although we were the only ones there except for the bartender/waitress, Nhel. She’s an old friend from Mango’s, so it was nice to say hello again.

When it was time to eat, we headed next door to Treasure Island. Not many customers, but it was fully staffed and felt like an oasis from the surrounding isolation.

As usual, we enjoyed our Treasure Island dining experience. When it was time to decide on a nightcap venue, we’d both had had enough of the desolate Baloy vibe. So, we grabbed a trike and headed into Barretto, getting out at Whiskey Girl.

We don’t come here often, and the last couple of times they didn’t have wine. I verified that red wine was in stock before we were seated. Our regular waitress, Kim, was there to serve us and enjoyed the bounty of my lady drink generosity. Kim lives on our Sunday Candy Walk route, so her kids are also always happy to see us.

I guess it is not just Baloy; there are not many tourists around this time of year, and for whatever reason, the expats haven’t been out in force either. Well, I’m doing my best to keep the bars in business, but there is only so much one man can do.

During our outing last evening, I kept getting messages from one of the bargirls I know. When she told me she needed help with the rent, I put her in ignore mode. I don’t get the mentality of why someone I’m barely acquainted with thinks I should give her money. In this case, I know her sister has a foreigner boyfriend, so why not ask her? My charity budget is maxed out helping folks with important stuff like medical expenses and tuition. I hate to seem Scrooge-like, but random bargirls just aren’t my priority these days. Yeah, there was a time when I might have done one of those “transactional” arrangements, but those days are gone now.

I’ve progressed to September 2009 in the LTG archives, and I enjoyed reading this post about my best Labor Day ever again.

Some Facebook memories from this day in history:

Today’s YouTube video is a travel documentary revealing some “unseen facts” about the Philippines. I found it interesting, perhaps you will, too.

And now for the funny business:

A Frenchman, an Italian, and a Texan were discussing lovemaking.

“Last night I made love to my wife three times,” boasted the Frenchman. “She was in sheer ecstasy this morning.”

“Ah, last night I made love to my wife six times,” the Italian responded, “And this morning she made me a wonderful omelet and told me she could never love another man.”

When the Texan remained silent, the Frenchman smugly asked, “And how many times did you make love to your wife last night?”

“Once,” he replied.

“Only once?” the Italian arrogantly snorted.

“What did she say to you this morning?” asked the Italian.

“Don’t stop,” said the Texan.

I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.

That’s all I’ve got to offer for today.

After a one-week hiatus, the Wednesday Walkers reconvened for an outing yesterday. Granted, it was flat and mostly paved, but it was good to get together once more on a 7K journey.

It rained again in the afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from heading out under umbrellas at beer o’clock. We confined ourselves to The Maze, visiting Sloppy Joe’s, Alaska, and Green Room. The usual good time was had, and then another day came to an end.

I’ve moved on to August 2009 in the journey through the LTG archives. I discovered that nearly all my posts were about politics (the Obamacare shit was hitting the fan) or darts. And you thought the content these days sucked! But the post about the farewell party for my pal Dave New was worthy of inclusion in The Story of My Life. Seeing the old Itaewon crew again in the photos made me once more realize how fleeting friendships truly are, at least they have been in my life. C’est la vie.

Coincidentally, I posted this three years ago on Facebook:

Welp, life’s a beach, so embrace it!

If you have a couple of minutes, this YouTube video from Smart Girl Philippines is worth your time. I thought it was funny how she says it’s always the woman’s fault. I will say her points about the “crab mentality” in Filipino culture are valid. I try to stay away from drama, but there is a fair amount of it currently taking place amongst the Hash womenfolk.

Time for a little humor (very little, some might say):

And now we are done for today.

For some reason, I posted a link to this song on Facebook ten years ago. I reckon it’s time to give it another listen:

Started the day like a rich man spending big at the grocery store. Came home and took a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood. And the good news is I’ve got my appetite back, and the expulsion chamber is working again.

A typical boring Thursday, and then, at about three p.m., this happens:

I don’t recall the last time I’ve seen it come down so hard. And the lightning was right outside my window. Big bolts and immediate thunder booms were driving the dogs crazy. And it lasted long enough to flood the streets in town. It was five-thirty before it lightened up enough for us to brave an umbrella walk to Barretto.

Some light rain was still falling after we finished our meal and headed out. We agreed a visit to Cloud 69 was in order. Man, we were in for a surprise as it was nothing like our previous visits. It had apparently flooded much worse than Mango’s, and the staff was still mopping up the floors when we arrived. Our regular waitress wasn’t there, and we were served by the bakla (transgender female). Let’s just say I prefer my regular server. Anyway, Swan got a good laugh when she overheard the bakla say to one of his/her coworkers that “My balls keep falling out of my underwear.” (S)he was wearing a miniskirt, and I didn’t look to see for myself.

We were the only customers as usual, but this time the music sucked (rap) and we asked that they play some classic rock instead. To the bar’s credit, they did so. None of the dancers bothered to get up on stage, and all of the staff just sat around playing on their phones. Then another customer came in, sat down, and ordered a beer. The bakla brought it to him, and then it was all as if he wasn’t there again. In a girly bar, the point is to pretend you are glad the customer is there and hope your faux kindness will be rewarded with a lady drink. These girls couldn’t be bothered to put their phones down. The guy took about three sips of his beer, got up, paid, and then walked out with a disgusted look on his face. Can’t say that I blame him. We left shortly thereafter.

I gave Swan two nightcap options, Wet Spot or Nipsey’s, which are about equally distant but in different directions. She opted for Nipsey’s and off we went. Another surprise here, a pleasant one this time. A friendly welcome, and as soon as we were seated (again, the only customers), two dancers hopped on stage and began “performing.” The music was just how I like it, and included the videos on a big screen TV. Jam, the person I knew on our last visit, wasn’t working, but one of the dancers greeted me by name. We called them both down to join us for a lady drink. It turns out that the one who knew my name used to work on the Kokomo’s floating bar, and last night was her first at Nipsey’s. Welcome aboard. Swan had a nice chat with the gals in Tagalog, and I just chilled, enjoying my beers and the vibe. The mood warranted buying a second round of lady drinks, and that’s just what I did.

When it was time to depart, I asked for my tab, and the waitress brought a bill for 1980 pesos. That seemed high to me, but I was buzzed enough not to care. Swan asked the girls how much the lady drinks cost (the standard 180 pesos each). I apparently had five beers, and Swan had one wine. Swan used the calculator on her phone and totaled our bill, which came to 1560 pesos. We called the waitress back over and told her our bill (which I had already paid) was wrong. The waitress consulted the cashier and then brought us the refund for the difference. So, was it an attempted scam or an honest mistake? I have no way of knowing, but it is a good reminder always to double-check what you are being charged.

Oh, and our waitress was wearing this t-shirt:

Anyway, it was a more interesting than usual night on the town and we enjoyed ourselves. That’s what it’s all about.

Today’s entry from the July 2009 LTG archives is the after-action report from my Bali adventure. Looking back now, I’m surprised I never returned for a follow-up visit. It’s an amazing place. I also found myself wondering why I didn’t seriously consider it as a potential retirement destination. I think I rejected it primarily because I was uncomfortable with Indonesia’s Muslim domination and rules. The other thing that struck me from those old Bali posts was how people who are important to you ultimately disappear from your life. Tom and Yuli were two of my best friends when we lived in Korea, and we stayed in touch via Facebook for years after they went back to the USA. At some point, Tom decided he didn’t like my political viewpoints and unfriended me. I guess there is no better way to show how little my friendship mattered. The other thing that made me sad, of course, was remembering how happy I was sharing my life with Jee Yeun. I’ll never get over losing her.

Twelve years ago, I was living another life and enjoying time in my backyard with the grandkids.

Let’s lighten things up with a Mikey Bustos YouTube video today. In this parody song, he tells the story of the Filipino rejection of Spanish culture, starting with the slaying of Magellan. Good stuff!

And now for some more:

Good medicine!

Life goes on, so I’d better get to it.

I may have posted this song before, but I like it. Of all the big-name bands I saw live growing up in Southern Cal, ELO put on the best show.

Now I hope to see it all more clearly. I’m not experiencing any post-surgery discomfort, but my left eye vision, while better than it was, is still blurry. I suspect I just need to give it more time, but I have a follow-up appointment this afternoon with my ophthalmologist, so I’ll see what he says.

Picking up from where I left off yesterday, it was after 1 p.m. when we escaped the hospital, and I was ready for some grub. Texas Joe’s was only a kilometer away, and it’s been a while since I’ve had authentic American-style barbeque. On the other hand, there were lots of other places even closer.

We opted instead to visit The Lighthouse. I’d been there a few times and recalled the food was good, if a bit pricey.

The waiter kept trying to talk us into moving inside for the aircon. I prefer open air myself, and I suspect he just didn’t want to be bothered with going in and out to serve us. Too bad for you, we ain’t movin’!

When it came time to pay the bill, I was in for a shock. The food was reasonably priced (380 for my sandwich, 600 for the kare-kare), but I was charged 180 pesos per bottle for my San Mig Zero beer. That’s double the price of most places I visit in Barretto. I know when I buy a case from the local distributor, I pay around 50 pesos a bottle. So, I felt like I’d been ripped off. At least The Lighthouse will now be easy to avoid in the future.

We caught a taxi back to Barretto, and I got busy with blogging. My eye was a little itchy and felt like I had a bug in it, but that eased up some as time went on.

I decided that home is where I needed to stay last evening, so I set myself up for some quality time at The Rite Spot On The Roof.

Swan made a batch of spaghetti for dinner, I fooled around on the laptop some, then decided to hit the hay at 8:30 so my eye could get some rest. Yeah, that’s my story!

Thursday’s report card: 9,308 steps, 7.15 kilometers walked, 2,830 calories burned.

From the LTG archives, a May 2009 post about picking up my new hire, Dennis McPeters, at the airport in Incheon. I had worked with Dennis back in my Postal Service days, and he was top-notch. We were also friends. When Dennis retired, he moved to Cambodia. I visited him there a couple of times. And sadly, he’s another person in my life who has seemingly disappeared. Dennis abhorred social media, so our contact was exclusively through email. And about a year ago, he stopped responding. Dennis was/is several years older than me and I fear he may have passed away. I’ve done some Google searches for his name (I know he has family in Florida), but I didn’t see any news or obituaries. Then again, if I died tomorrow, how would any of my old friends and acquaintances find out?

From my Facebook memories on this day in history:

Today’s YouTube video is an update on that crazy vlogger Vitaly, currently residing in a Philippine jail. Apparently, he claims to have found religion and wants to be forgiven and released from jail while awaiting trial. Somehow, I don’t think that is going to happen.

Let’s take a moment for Zen:

Always Try To Be Modest, And Be Proud Of It!

To the humor we must go!

There’s an old priest who got sick of all the people in his parish who kept confessing to adultery. One Sunday, in the pulpit, he said, “If I hear one more person confess to adultery, I’ll quit!”

Well, everyone liked him, so they came up with a code word. Someone who had committed adultery would say they had “fallen.”

This seemed to satisfy the old priest and things went well, until the priest died at a ripe old age. About a week after the new priest arrived, he visited the mayor of the town and seemed very concerned.

The priest said, “You have to do something about the sidewalks in town. When people come into the confessional, they keep talking about having fallen.”

The mayor started to laugh, realizing that no one had told the new priest about the code word.

Before the mayor could explain, the priest shook an accusing finger at the mayor and said, “I don’t know what you’re laughing about, your wife fell three times this week.”

Have a good trip, see you next fall!

And there you have it. Time for me to fly, well, Jeepney, to my doctor’s visit on SBMA at the Baypointe Hospital. Adios, amigos! Hope to see you again.