No paddle, but I did have my walking stick. For all the good it did me.
This is kind of a continuation of my previous post documenting yesterday’s Hash. Not mentioned in that post was that because of dusk setting in me and the guy (a newbie) I was on trail with had to shortcut the final section of the walk. I hate doing that so I resolved that I would go back out this morning I finish the part I missed.
Big mistake. Worse trail ever! It literally went up a creek bed, including some steep inclines that must be magnificent waterfalls in rainy season. Some of those climbs took every thing I had physically and I was in constant fear that I’d slip and injure myself. And of course, I was alone on trail. I survived and the worst that happened was getting my shoes wet, in some places the water was nearly up to my knees.
Anyway, I would never voluntarily hike this particular trail again, with or without the Hash. The Hare must be some kind of masochist. It was that fucked up. The few pictures I took (I was focused on survival) don’t do the so-called trail justice, but here they are:
This doesn’t really capture how steep the incline was. In places it was hands and knees to get up. Ridiculous! Not sure what purpose this serves but it was rather ingenious… A mountain goat would have loved it I suppose.Not sure how many times I said “bullshit” out loud. Not as many as I said “fuck you, Leech My Nuggets” (the Hare who laid this monstrosity of a trail).An example of what I had to wade through. There was no getting around it. I tried!
Anyway, I got through it but never again!
Time for me to eat that pot roast I’ve been crockpot cooking all day!
Not my best effort I’m afraid. Didn’t have any carrots for one thing. Ah well, just one of those days…
Well, I wasn’t in the Rocky Mountains but yesterday’s Hash found me atop a rocky mountain. And it was nice!
We started pretty far out in Calapadayan, over on the other side of that mountain way over there…And the second mountain climb of the day was something different for me at least, walking up a rock face… Not overly difficult, just a couple of places where I had to use my arms as well as my legs to get up.Killer views, although not worth dying for…A Calapadayan rocky mountain high……although it wasn’t raining fire in the sky, which is a good thing.Now those houses way over on the other side of that valley is Alta Vista subdivision where I reside. And that is where the trail took us on the way to the “on-home”… …at Da Kudo’s Resort on Baloy Beach.Thirsty Hashers recuperating from the day’s march through the mountains and valleys…Filipina Hash Ass on Ice!
It was another good day on trail!
In other news I paid the rent. One year in advance per the terms of my three year lease. I guess that makes me committed. Or crazy. Or both. Anyway, as a concession to the difficulty of amassing large sums of currency from the USA, the landlord accepted my personal check in dollars. At the current exchange rate that amounted to $10,319.00. That’s a chunk of change! Not to worry, what I do is deposit the amount of my rent each month in my savings account. When it comes due again next year, the money will be ready and waiting.
So I mentioned recently meeting Heidi, a bartender at Cheap Charlies. There was just something about her that instantly attracted me. She’s cute enough I suppose, but it wasn’t just her physical appearance that caught my eye. I really can’t explain it, but perhaps the chemistry that triggers a “love at first sight” reaction is inexplicable anyway.
I do know that at least for me it is a very rare event. I can count the occurrences in my lifetime on one hand. And I learned a long time ago that when those feelings arise you owe it to yourself (and the object of your desire) to at a minimum let the person know of your interest. There are worse things than rejection and I would count a missed opportunity for something rare and special among them.
But it is also true that even rarer than the type of attraction I immediately felt for Heidi is for those feelings to be mutual and reciprocated. That kind of power and intensity is usually only found in a Nicholas Sparks love story (and yeah, I really liked The Notebook, sue me!). So, there was no question I was going to find a way to convey my interest to Heidi, but how would she respond? Only one way to find out.
Given the nature of her work it was simple enough to buy her some drinks and chat her up. And honestly, the more I got to know about her the stronger my feelings became. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and a mature and responsible outlook on life. We have some common interests, including darts and walking. Heidi also has a nice sense of humor, she laughs at my jokes (well, okay the girls all laugh at my jokes because I’m buying them drinks) and she also tells her own. I like that!
I asked her if she had a passport and she said yes, although the only country she’s visited is Vietnam. I teasingly said we needed to take a romantic holiday in Bali and she told me she really wanted to visit Spain. I asked why and she told me her dream was to hike the Camino de Santiago. I had honestly never heard of that but when she explained I was once again very impressed. Could she truly be the one I’ve been waiting for?
So I dove in the best way I know how, which may not be the best way. I told her I’d really like to take her out when she gets a day off and she seemed down with that. Then I gave her my phone number. She didn’t offer her’s in return, but she did clean up my writing enough so she could read my number correctly. And that’s where I left it, the ball squarely in her court.
I dropped into Cheap Charlies last night for a beer or three and Heidi wasn’t there. Her friend Andi told me she had the day off. Okay, well then. I understand she might have been busy on her only day off, but it would have been nice to at least get a text message from her. Reading my disappointment, Andi suggested I enhance my pursuit game. And I told her no, I won’t do that. Heidi knows how I feel and what I want. If she doesn’t feel or want the same thing there’s no point in pursuit. I still have my pride and really as arrogant as it may sound, why should I have to chase after a Filipina bargirl? I could give her a life she can only dream about (including that trip to Spain). If that’s not what she wants, so be it.
Anyway, I’m good either way. I saw and felt something rare and I acted on it. Apparently it was just not meant to be. Such is life.
I saw her today at the reception In her glass was a bleeding man She was practiced at the art of deception Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands You can’t always get what you want You can’t always get what you want You can’t always get what you want But if you try sometimes you just might find You just might find You get what you need
I once more tried to find my way over the mountain to Rizal street, this time leaving from my subdivision and armed with all the good advice I received in the comments to my previous post. Alas, my confidence proved unwarranted.
Interestingly, at the point I picked up the path leaving Alta Vista I noted a Hash trail marking for tomorrow’s Hash:
So, I did part of Run #1330 today, although I was going in the opposite direction of tomorrow’s trail…
I followed that trail for awhile as it was leading in the proper direction. I hoped that it might actually be going to Rizal street, but when it took a right fork my sense of direction (and landmarks) told me to take the path to the left.
And I found myself on another marked Hash trail, this was from run #1321–nine weeks ago! I didn’t remember hiking it, so I either missed this part or was out of town.It started out easy enough and was going in the right direction. I’m thinking this MUST be it…All my landmarks told me so at least…And then things took a turn for the worse. The trail descended into a creek bed but once I had committed there was no retreating.
I have no fucking idea what was up with that laundry. I mean, I could see where it had been washed in the creek but there was no shanty shack or anything else resembling a residence anywhere in sight. Not even a hammock.
Well anyway, the Hash markings were nine weeks old and not easy to follow, especially in the creek bed. At some point I lost that trail and then I lost the path altogether. That was decidedly uncomfortable. I was blazing a new uncharted path in terrain completely unfamiliar to me. I didn’t like that feeling at all. Eventually I conceded defeat and retreated to the creek again to try and regain the path, or any path for that matter. I did find something finally and followed it until I was down from the mountain. And into the valley that bumps up against my subdivision.
Ah, at least I knew where I was, but damn, I had once again made a big circle to get nowhere. And I give up. It just feels too unsafe to be wandering around the wilderness alone and clueless. I had hoped to find an easy path to Rizal street but I’m not sure now that it exists. I mean, there is definitely a path that leads there, but not one that I feel safe hiking by my lonesome.
Well, on the bright side you my readers will not have to endure another post like this one!
UPDATE: Yikes! This is the fifth time I’ve used the “Curses, foiled again” title.
August 2010 about watching The Wire and going to E-mart.
November 2011, a one-liner linking to a story about the Happy Meal ban in San Francisco.
February 2014 in which I posted this cartoon (my nickname used to be “the Walrus”).
And finally, March 2014 where I go on a rant about my dealings with the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security and their race to the bottom for the most incompetent government agency award. Of course, the joke was on me. Jee Yeun finally got her status completed and then threw it all away. Me included.
I’ve been trying to find a back way out of my subdivision and over the mountain to Barretto, specifically to wear Rizal road dead ends. I know such a pathway exists because I hashed it once but try as I might I haven’t been able to find that trail.
It’s a pretty big deal for me to even attempt walking these backwoods paths on my own anyway. Overcoming my fear of getting hurt or lost has taken some time. There was a moment yesterday when I’m out in the middle of the wilderness and I encounter a man walking towards me–carrying a machete! Despite my feelings of vulnerability we exchanged a hearty greeting and went on our separate ways. So sometimes you just have to feel the fear and do it anyway I suppose.
My plan was to approach the mission of discovery from a different perspective–I determined to start my walk from the end of Rizal street. That was a good 45 minute hike the long way around from my house. Once I got off the road I figured my innate sense of direction would lead me to the proper trail back to Alta Vista subdivision. Turns out my sense of direction is similar to that of another famous explorer…Christopher Columbus. Except I didn’t see any Indians.
Long story short, after wandering around on the mountain for awhile the trail I discerned to be the correct one led me back down. And I found myself on Rizal street! Damn it!
That’s me starting out on Rizal street…The chosen pathway.At this point I felt like I was going right. That valley backs up to my subdivision so as long as it was to my right I should have been golden…. And then the bay came into view and I began to doubt myself…
And the trail started getting a little dicey as well……it eventually led me into this neighborhood whereupon I exited back to the point near where I had begun. One big ass circle as it were. Oh well. I’ll try again one of these days.
Speaking of being stymied, Facebook twisted the knife in my heart by sharing this memory from 2 years ago:
My trip to Puerto Galera with Loraine. Ah well. She found the love she was looking for and I’m happy for her.
Talk about going in circles.
UPDATE: Damn, turns out I’ve used “Stymied” as a post title once before–July 2016. It was about a medical issue I was experiencing. Is there no depth to the lack of depthness I’m willing to expose my readers to? Apparently not!
I got a message from a reader asking if I was okay. I said yes, why do you ask? She replied that I hadn’t posted since January 1 so she just wanted check up on me. Well, thanks. I appreciate that.
Fact is I kinda sorta had a goal to post something here every day. You know, in true diary fashion. But damn, the days all run together into a sameness that makes it difficult sometimes to come up with anything interesting to say. Yeah, I know. That’s never stopped me before. And honestly, I’m not bored nor am I complaining about my lot in my life. I truly am enjoying my time here for the most part.
Anyway, this blog is what it is. I don’t delve into politics much these days and while I maintain a healthy interest in the world around me I just don’t have much to contribute to the conversation. Just call me a passive observer. So I reckon I’ll just continue to write about my life here for whatever that’s worth. And I’ll give you photos too. Lots of photos! Like these:
Nephew Justin wrapped up his two week holiday visit yesterday. So we took a 2 hour banka boat tour around the bay. Hired the Wow Subic for 2000 pesos ($40.)Heading out to see……Baloy Beach……a couple of beach resorts…...a ship anchored in the bay. There’s also a paraglider off the stern if you can see it…Approaching the famous Hanjin shipyard. The water was getting quite rough on this side of the bay. The Gilligan’s Island theme song began playing in my head…More ships…This was quite a mysterious island. Several houses all looking pretty decent and absolutely no sign of human life. I’m guessing it is some kind of abandoned resort. Gave me the thought of opening it open as a party venue. Maybe call it Paradise Island or something. Nah, I don’t think so…The White Rock Resort with a shanty town right next door. Kind of a good illustration of the “have/have not” existence of Filipinos…Still, there are much worse things than a simple life on the water.It has been said that a man’s home is his castle. And it is also said that no man is an island. I have no idea why this was built or what purpose it may have served. Abandoned now.And in keeping with our nautical theme, Justin and I spent the remaining hours of the evening on the Arizona floating bar.
Once the sun went down things got pretty wild at the bar. Wild in the sense that a gal at the next table took all her clothes off and was dancing naked. Unfortunately she was fat and ugly which made it easy to avert my eyes. Ah well, Justin had another memory to carry home with him.
Not sure which is worse, my writing or my photography. But I’ll endeavor to give you healthy doses of both in the future. Stick around!
UPDATE: The first time I used the “On the Water” title for a blog post was nearly seven years ago, January 6, 2012. It was on the occasion of visiting my high school buddies Rod and Pat Headlee on their sailboat when they were passing through the Carolina’s.
With apologies to Mr. Lothbrok, before we close the book on 2018 I thought I’d take a few minutes to reflect on what this year meant to me.
It turned out to be a loveless year, which is somewhat of a surprise I suppose. Of course, I spent a goodly portion of the last twelve months getting over past loves. So to that extent I’ll chalk this one up in the “success” column. And actually I did find someone who loves me:
My best Buddy! I admire the fact that he sleeps any damn way he pleases, doggone it! And he always gives me a big hug when I stumble back home at night.
I did start this year with high hopes that I might find “the one”, but instead only found disappointment.
I welcomed in the 2018 new year here in the Philippines with Gem. And although I soon realized that a love relationship was not in the cards, I thought I had at least made a new friend. Turns out I was wrong about that too. A rather expensive lesson indeed!
Sadly, Gem was not the only “friend” who let me down this year. It seems I am either heavily indebted to bad Karma or I am an extremely poor judge of character. Or both. Anyway, if that is the worst I can say about 2018 I did alright I reckon.
On the plus side of the scale, I successfully made the move here and I think I’ve done a reasonably good job at settling in and acclimating myself to my new life amongst the Filipino people. I may run in a small circle but I do feel like I’m now part of a community and I can say it feels more and more like home all the time. I think I’m going to make it here!
There’s still much to be done of course. One of my goals in living here was to find ways to make a difference. To some extent I’ve achieved that, at least for a few people. I mean, I have provided a good job for my domestic helper (and her friend I suppose). My driver gets work he wouldn’t otherwise have, and the caretaker downstairs has a roof over his head and a small weekly allowance. I’ve helped a few other folks out when the need arose (and perhaps when it didn’t, I know I’ve been scammed at least once). There’s still more to be done and I hope to get started doing some regular charity work in the coming year.
This is also the first anniversary of my joining the Hash. That’s one of the healthier aspects of my life here, except when it has me in stitches. Here’s to hoping for another year with no broken bones at least!
That’s me last New Year’s Eve at my initiation into the Hash.
So in summation, my life is better than it was and not as good as it is going to be. Bring it on 2019!
The nephew wanted to get out of town and see something new. I had considered taking him to a neighboring island (Bohol) but given the holidays and all just couldn’t fit it in. Instead we took a day trip to nearby Pundaquit (Poon-Dock-It). I had been there once before for a Hash event, but that time we did the mountain trail, not the beach.
Thank you for the proper welcome…Pundaquit is known for it’s beaches and the “four islands”.The beaches are wide……and certainly cleaner than here in Subic. Not pristine by any means, but nice.We had planned on hiring a banka boat for a tour of those islands but the weather was not favorable.In fact, we didn’t see any boats actually on the water……so we just did us some beach walking and people watching instead.What else you gonna do at the beach?You get what you pay for and walking about was free.I couldn’t find any souvenirs…Who says slippers don’t grow on trees?We had a decent lunch at an American owned pub/restaurant. The owner personally came over to greet us and chat a bit which I thought was a nice touch. Oh, that’s the nephew and my driver…
Company for dinner so I fired up the grill…I did the short ribs in the crockpot for several hours, and then used Kevin Kim’s suggested method for getting a nice “bark” with some oven time. These were the best batch I’ve managed so far in the PI…very tender with a good coating. I had two largish Aussie ribeyes to work with and four guests. I cut these into slices and let folks serve themselves. That worked out fine. Still tougher than I like, but flavorful…On the menu: Steak, shortribs, baked potato, corn-on-the-cob, mixed veggies, and garlic bread.Everyone seemed pleased. Well, I cooked up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies that pretty much sucked. Maybe didn’t bake them long enough, but they were very crumbly. I mean, I like them moist but these reverted back to dough when you tried to pick one up. Oh well…After dinner we ventured out to the Blue Rock floating bar for a couple of hours of drinking beer enjoying the views. This one is looking back at the Blue Rock resort from the bar.
“You take a risk giving your heart to anybody. But every time your heart gets stomped on, you pick it up, brush it off, and start looking for somebody else to give it to. You know the risk and you accept it, gladly, because the payoff is worth it. And any love that qualifies itself, any ‘I love her but I don’t trust her’ love, isn’t really love. If you’re not risking everything you have, it’s not love. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances.” –Steve Rosse
No real significance to that, other than I like it. It’s from a writer I met online and I rather fancy his work. I had posted that quote on FB two years ago and it popped up in the “memories” feature this morning. To be clear, no I have not fallen in love, by Mr. Rosse’s definition or any other for that matter.
Speaking of Facebook, my nephew posted this about our adventure yesterday:
Note to self: When Uncle John asks if you want to go on a walk, what he really means is a three hour, ten mile hike up and down a mountain in 90 degree weather. Exhausted but enjoyed some great views of the city.
Here’s some pics:
That’s me leading the way down the beach on the walking to Olongapo portion of the journey. We were with the Wednesday Walkers group, but only five of us on this holiday week…A beached whale of-a-boat.Up some endless stairs through a squatters village and then through the hillside graveyard and finally the top of the mountain.A carabao roadblock. Olongapo city from above……and then my beloved Barrio Barretto.I reckon I was the oldest hiker on the trip and that Justin was the youngest. It kicked his ass, but he hung in there. I don’t think he’ll want to go along next time though…
One of the guys on the hike was an Englishman. I swear to God I can hardly understand a word he says. So this made me laugh when I saw it this morning:
My first Christmas in the Philippines has been a quiet one. So far at least.
Buddy got some lovin’ and then a his daily walk…
Lazed around the rest of the morning, then headed out to Mango’s for my the Christmas dinner buffet. I reserved for six, but didn’t have that many unoccupied friends.
So, in addition to Justin and Marissa I brought my helper Tere, her friend Gina, and Tere’s visiting daughter-in-law with grandson. Ah well, the more the merrier and all that.
As per usual, Mango’s did an excellent job on the meal. I thought the shrimp appetizer was a nice touch.
and tasty!ham, turkey and roast with some tasty sides. I didn’t have room for seconds. I forgot to take a picture of the pumpkin pie (with whipped cream) and apple pie a la mode desserts. I especially liked the pumpkin pie. Instead, here’s a pic of the carrot cake I baked.
Came home and had a nice nap. Now I guess there’s nothing left to be done but venture out and see what’s happening in the Barrio on Christmas night.
A pretty exciting day with the Hash. As I mentioned yesterday, this run was all about the children. We walked the streets passing out Christmas joy in the form of candy. The kids seemed to enjoy it!
The bag……the contents……the delivery method.
It was a short trail (4 kms) all on pavement so I was able to convince Marissa to join in on the fun. She’ll tag along when I walk Buddy and sometimes will consent to walking back to her place (both take about 30 minutes) but otherwise she’s not much into hiking. Says the sun turns her brown. We actually had overcast skies yesterday and some drizzle so that wasn’t an issue. Justin also joined in, although he was technically not a virgin because he did the initiation ritual when he was here in September.
I spent a lot of time on the ice, one of the perils of bringing newbies into the circle. I got punished for their rookie mistakes. A made a couple of my own as well. I also got the Hashit (more on that later). Anyway, it’s all in good fun. I’ve got the photos to prove it!
Easy peazy…Introducing Marissa and Justin to Pubic Head, the SBH3 secretary/treasurer…
Let’s hit the road… Sexy Santa #1…Sexy Santa #2…Three sexy Santas!Alright, let’s get to work!“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane…”I’ve never felt so popular!The trail passed by Marissa’s place so I updated my stalker photo op…Working Walking hard for the kiddies…“Would you like some candy little girl?”The Subic Bay Hash House Harriers Candy Run participants.
With the candy all gone, we headed “on-home” to Midnight Rambler for the after Hash activities. We dined on curry chicken and rice…
…and enjoyed the bay views…
After our meal, it was time to convene the Hash circle. I was looking forward to seeing Marissa’s initiation and her reaction to some of the bawdy songs and shit talk that makes the Hash the Hash.
The first order of business is to go around the circle and have everyone introduce themselves. When it got to Justin, who does not have a Hash name yet, the Grand Master (HIV) asked Justin who brought him and he responded “John”.
That’s a major violation…we only use our Hash names in the circle. Since I was the sponsor I had to endure the punishment…
And then it came time for Marissa’s initiation, along with two other females. When HIV was interviewing her, he asked her who her sponsor was…
…and she blurted out “John”. I was back on the ice. Marissa did feel badly about it though. Later we were doing a head count for next week’s attendance. I knew Tinkerbell wouldn’t be there so I announced: “Betty won’t be here”. Rookie mistake but the ice was waiting….
Anyway, part of the initiation is you have to guzzle a full bottle of beer without the bottle ever leaving your lips. As we say at the Hash, “it’s like a blowjob…what doesn’t go in you goes on you!” Marissa managed about half a bottle so I got to pour the remainder over her head. She was a good sport about it though.
Now for whatever reason HIV really took a liking to Marissa. He made several comments about her shirt emblazoned with the word “salty” on the front. And then is a rather unprecedented move, he decided to name her then and there (you normally have to complete five Hashes prior to being named.
So Marissa had to sit on the Ice during the naming ritual. HIV suggested a name and it was approved by acclimation of those present. So, henceforth at the Hash Marissa will be known as “Salty Cum”. Welcome to the Hash!
But the fun wasn’t over yet. HIV had been awarded the “Hashit” last week, so this week he got to choose who would receive the Hashit “honor”. And he chose me. I’m not exactly sure why, if he said I don’t remember. Probably a culmination of all the stupid stuff I had done that night.
So, when you get the Hashit a toilet plunger is filled with beer and you have to drink it “down, down, down” while the Hashit song is sung….And what doesn’t go in you, goes on you of course… “I got the hashit, the Subic hashit, for being stupid on trail today. I have to hold it until I pass it, won’t someone take my hashit away…”
As seen from the Kokomo’s floating bar off Baloy Beach
I finally made it out to the third of three floating bars here in my quaint little village of Barretto; the Kokomo’s floater. Smallest but in some ways better than the ones at Arizona and Blue Rock. For one thing, zero drink pressure (although the girls are as thirsty as ever, they do wait to be asked!). I think the smaller size creates a more friendly vibe as well.
Pretty good crowd for an early Sunday evening. The beer was cold, but they didn’t have my flavor (San Mig Zero) so I went with the Light.Prices were fair for this kind of establishment I suppose.
My only real complaint I guess was the comfort room situation. One toilet for everyone on board and no pooping allowed. Well, I don’t care about pooping in a public toilet anyway, but sometimes the wait time for peeing was extraordinarily long. I almost peed my pants once while I was waiting. And of course the culprit was one of the waitresses whom I suspect was busy with something other than urination. Oh well, I survived.
For the second time of the day I was recognized by a bargirl which is always a little disconcerting. The massage girl on the floater asked me if I remembered her, I shrugged and shook my head. She said she used to give me a back rub at Rum Jungle. Oh ok. Nice to see you again. Earlier during the day while walking with Justin an hour from the house and in an unfamiliar and somewhat dicey looking area, I observed a cute young gal with a sweet ass. As I was admiring her beauty, she turned around and gave me a smile. I of course smiled back. Then she said “hello, John”. I was gobsmacked because I had no idea who she was or how she knew my name. So I just said “um…” and stood there looking confused. She said “I work at Cheap Charlies”. Ah okay. Well, I know I’ve never bought her a drink (I have a set of regulars for that). I’m definitely going to look for her next time I’m there though. Wish I had had the good sense to ask her name. Oh well, I’ll find her. And I know where she lives. Damn, wouldn’t this make a great love story?
Later today will be the “candy run” Hash. We will walk the streets of Baretto and hand out candy to the street urchins sweet children we encounter. Justin and Marissa will be making their virgin appearance with the Hash. That should be fun, especially witnessing their initiation ritual during the after-Hash circle.
This was from Saturday’s Christmas party at Alley Cats. I rather like it for some reason.
I’m in the process of baking a carrot cake today for the holiday. Christmas dinner tomorrow will be at Mango’s.
Best wishes to you all for a special holiday season and a very merry Christmas!
The holiday season is in full swing here. It’s hard to not get infected with some of that “spirit”, not that that makes any difference I suppose. I just continue to do my thing and try not to look back. Except when I come here to update my faithful readers. So here you go:
This was my raffle prize from the special dart tourney on Wednesday. I played like shit so I lost and left the bar prior to the drawing.
I returned to the bar on Thursday night and as I mentioned in an earlier post Marissa was otherwise occupied doing her drinking with customers gig. Well, my raffle prize was described as “groceries” which I certainly don’t need. So I gave them to Ester, a bargirl with kids at home who I know struggles to make ends meet. She was of course overjoyed. And I then left the bar without saying anything to Marissa who was still busy with her customer.
I didn’t hear from Marissa the next morning as usual, so that afternoon I sent her a “what’s up?” message. What was up was that she was very angry which came as a total surprise to me. It seems I had “insulted” her by giving my raffle prize to Ester instead of her. I asked how does my gifting my gift away insult you? It seems that the other girls, including Ester, were laughing at Marissa because her “boyfriend” had given the gift to someone other than her. I know that makes no sense at all, but I wasn’t there so I can’t say what really happened. What I couldn’t understand was why it was my fault that Marissa felt insulted by her co-workers. Marissa acknowledged that Ester could use the groceries more than her and she didn’t have a problem with my giving them away, but she was angry at having been insulted. I reiterated that it was not my intent for her to feel insulted to no avail. I just cannot fathom the Filipina logic of holding me responsible for the actions of her co-workers.
Anyway, we had plans to go to the SOB dance contest at Alaska Club with Justin and Cherry. I asked if she still wanted to attend and she replied that her and Cherry would meet us there. It was a little strained at first, but we both decided to just chill and enjoy the show.
The Hot Zone girls did a very nice dance routine to the tune of “Jingle Bell Rock”. They earned my first place vote for their effort but the other judges overruled me and Hot Zone had to settle for second.
At the conclusion of the SOB we moved over to Lollipop bar for the “Aftermath” party. More beers were drunk and then Marissa got pissy again and I’d had enough. I lit into her and we took it outside where I screamed some more. Poor Cherry was trying to act as intermediary to little effect. Marissa and I both eventually calmed down and she finally accepted that I was not the one who insulted her, although my well-intentioned actions were inadvertently the cause of her being insulted. We all then moved into the Man Cave bar for more beers.
Justin and Cherry got along just fine at least…
Anyway, as an epilogue to the gift drama I did send Ester a message telling her how upset Marissa was. She was aghast and told me she would return the gift. I told her no, it was hers to keep and no one had a problem with that. It was mocking Marissa about it that had caused the issue. She vehemently denied having insulted or mocked Marissa. Again, I was not there so I can’t say. It did seem out of character though because Ester is always very sweet. So I guess that subsequently her and Marissa chatted and worked things out. Everything seemed back to normal in Alley Cats bar last night at least.
So, about last night–it was the Alley Cats Christmas party/dart tournament.
I came dressed appropriately for the occasion–Santa hat and my “Where are my Ho Ho Ho’s at?” shirt.I also baked a cake as my contribution to the buffet table.
Played like shit in the tourney and my partner played worse, so we didn’t make it to the money round. Ah well, there was plenty of cold beer to occupy my time with.
When the tourney was completed, there was a gift exchange. I was pretty impressed by how generous the bar was with the staff. Marissa got 500 pesos even as a part time employee.
Your humble correspondent was gifted a couple of shirts and a hat. Sweet!The buffet was quite tasty as well. I was happy to see my cake was popular. I was going to make a carrot cake which somehow seems more Christmasy, but Marissa said to go with the chocolate. Good call!
I also enjoyed playing Santa Claus.
I bought these fancy envelopes and filled each one with 1000 pesos (around $20).The girls all seemed appreciative and I had the satisfaction of knowing I had given them something they could use…
It was a good night and a good time. And lest you think that all I do is drink copious amounts of beer…
…I am still enjoying my daily walks. Keeping things in balance.
Justin and I gave the Blue Rock floating bar a go yesterday afternoon. It’s anchored off Baloy Beach and is similar to the Arizona floater but without all the bargirl drink pressure. I like that!
The view of Justin
The view of the bay
There’s one more floating bar yet to visit, Kokomo’s, also on Baloy Beach. Maybe tomorrow.
After the floating bar, Justin went off to play Trivia at Alley Cats bar and I headed over to Cheap Charlies for some brews. A nice gal named Andi kept me company. First time we’ve chatted but my regular gal Maya did not appear to be working. Andi was a fine substitute. 34 years old and three kids, the youngest being only 1. Deal breaker for me.
Honestly speaking, being a bargirl is a deal breaker for me. I’m not talking about the prostitutes, Cheap Charlies like Alley Cats does not feature “take out”. The girls work for drinks only. But when I dropped into Alley Cats after trivia I sort of had my eyes opened to the fact that I don’t want a girlfriend who makes a living being friendly to random guys. Yeah, I know that’s hypocritical because I too partake in companionship for the price of a drink. But it just feels different somehow to observe it.
Last night I popped into Alley Cats to finish my night. I brought along some take out food for the girls. Marissa was with a customer when I arrived so I sat as far away as possible and tried to ignore her. When her customer left, she came over to join me and partake in the food. And then another customer came in and she was up and gone. I paid my tab and left.
Okay, I have professed here that Marissa is just a friend. So why would that bother me? I know it is her job, but somehow it just made me feel like I’m worth less than the price of a drink to her. A good reminder of why I shouldn’t allow myself to get emotionally involved with a drink whore.
Anyway, I’m not going to let it get me down. It’s the fucking holiday season after all. Yesterday I got videoed into the Christmas luncheon gathering of my former team.
I sometimes miss being the “boss man”.
And I definitely miss my work family!
I walk my Buddy every morning and for some reason I decided to take a picture of all the street signs in my neighborhood. I don’t know why, but I think that most of them being named after American national parks is kind of interesting. Anyway, here they are:
I live in Casa Rosenda on Alta Vista Avenue in the Alta Vista Subdivision. Hard to read, but that is Grand Canyon street.Crater Lake
Now, wasn’t that fun?
And the sign says, “Long-haired freaky people need not apply.” So I tucked all my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why. He said “You look like a fine, upstanding young man – I think you’ll do.” So I took off my hat and said, “Imagine that! Huh… me, working for you!” Woah-oh-oh.
Signs, Signs, Everywhere there’s signs. Blocking out the scenery. Breaking my mind. Do this! Don’t do that! Can’t you read the signs?
And the sign says, “Anybody caught trespassing will be shot on sight” So I jumped on fence and I yelled at the house, “Hey! What gives you the right… To put up a fence to keep me out, “Or to keep Mother Nature in? “If God was here, He’d tell it to your face. ‘Man, you’re some kind of sinner.'”
Signs, Signs, Everywhere there’s signs. Blocking out the scenery. Breaking my mind. Do this! Don’t do that! Can’t you read the signs?
“Oh, say now mister, can’t you read? “You got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat. “You can’t even watch, no, you can’t eat. You ain’t supposed to be here!” And the sign says, “You gotta have a membership card to get inside.” Hooh!
And the sign says “Everybody’s welcome to come in and kneel down and pray.” But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all, I didn’t have a penny to pay. So I got me a pen and paper and I made up my own little sign. I said, “Thank you Lord for thinking about me. I’m alive and doing fine.”
Not that having nothing to say ever stopped me from not saying it.
A pleasant hike with the Wednesday Walkers yesterday. Until I walked smack dab into a low hanging roof eave. Saw stars but no serious damage other than a bruise on my forehead.
As seems to be a regular occurrence on these walks, there were the usual hiccups along the trail. Yesterday after getting about 3/4 of the way up the mountain we lost the trail. Repeated efforts to find our way to the top, including blazing our own trail, resulted in dead ends or terrain too steep to climb. So backtracking and going in circles were the order of the day. It gets a little frustrating, but that I guess is just part of the Wednesday adventure.
It’s good to be out and about regardless. You can’t really tell from this photo, but that is a hell of a steep drop off, right from the edge of a broken sidewalk. I swear, I don’t know how kids in that neighborhood live to be 5 years old. I guess the parents just have to have faith in the Lord…At least they built this shrine out in the middle of godforsaken nowhere. The damn thing probably cost more to construct than all the nearby houses combined. One of those frequent “where do we go from here” moments on trail…
In other news, I continue to instruct Justin in the ways of life here.
…from beer drinking… …to taking long morning walks…
Justin’s flight from Seoul landed more or less on time at 0100 yesterday morning. We were back home in Barretto and in bed by 0300. I was able to rouse Justin from his slumber for a morning walk/breakfast at 0900. And so the first day of Justin’s visit began (he’d been here for a brief 3-day visa run in September).
Did the normal Tuesday grocery shopping in the afternoon but spent twice the normal seeing as how next Tuesday is Christmas. Got home, rested up and then showered and it was time to hit the bars show Justin around town.
This was not your standard bar hop mind you, I was on a mission. Actually, I was playing Santa and delivering a small token of my appreciation to four of my favorite bargirls drinking companions.
We started off at Cheap Charlies. I told Maya that seeing as how she’s Muslim it would not be appropriate for me to give her a Christmas gift. You can see her reaction! I did however present her with an envelope containing 500 pesos with my best wishes for the New Year. That cheered her right up.
Then it was on to Wet Spot where I presented a cash gift to one of my favorites, Anna. She’s actually the ex of one of my friends here and is now the girlfriend of some guy from Sweden. By girlfriend I mean he sends support every month and sees Anna a couple of times a year. That’s a pretty common arrangement around theses parts from my observation.
Also popped into Alaska Club for a beer and gift to a sweet girl named Kim. I wrote about us having a falling out/misunderstanding here. All is forgiven now and she was happy with her reward I think.
I think they spelled “whores” wrong.
No, we didn’t actually visit Crazy Horse, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make that whore joke. Sorry.
We ended the night at my home bar, Alley Cats. Justin and the new girl, Gerlyn, seemed to hit it off. Well, that’s her job but I did sense a little chemistry. Justin invited her to the Hash come Monday so I guess we shall see.
Ain’t they sweet?
Alright, speaking of Alley Cats I need to head out for the dart tourney now. More to come!
I actually really enjoyed yesterday’s trail. About the right length for this time of year (gets dark early). I’d say 3/4 of the hike was through neighborhoods and the rest through scenic countryside. Two hills but no mountains. And a banka boat ride across the river at the end. As I told the Hare at the Hash circle, it was the perfect trail for old men.
As per usual, let’s let the pictures do the talking:
I did the walking trail of course…Which meant being crammed into the back of the Hashmobile… Everyone is always happy to off load. It is NOT a comfortable ride!And we are on-on!Don’t look back, something may be gaining on you!A house along the way.Children at play.One of the “ups”…Easy walking!It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! that nasty Hare is such a teaser! Lots of kids out and about. School’s out for Christmas break.This carabao didn’t give a shit about a bunch of Hashers strolling past… I’m not quite ready to be put out to pasture just yet……after all, I was ahead of all those other guys!A typical street scene……leading us up the old dirt road.a final up……and what goes up must come down.Street vendors abound.In the banka boat.View from the banka boat. Finally “on-home” at Johan’s Dive Resort, Baloy Beach, Barangay Barretto, Olongapo City, Zambales Province, Luzon Island, Republic of the Philippines.Two birthdays to celebrate at the Hash circle. The lady folk got together with the ingredients to make a cake… And proceeded to do so in true Hash fashion.
After the Hash, went to Angeles to pick up my nephew Justin from the airport. The trip went without incident which is always a good thing. Justin will be here for two weeks so I’ll enjoy showing him around some.
The Sit-n-Bull menu called in “country fried”. My mama when she cooked it up called it chicken fried steak. I guess because she used the same coating she’d put on her fried chicken…
Anyway, I neglected to include yesterday’s breakfast in my “24 hours” post. It’s rare to even see this offered on a menu, at least in my experience. And damn, look at the size of those portions. As good as it was I could barely eat half of it.
People rag on the food in the Philippines, especially in comparison to what’s available in Thailand. Well, that may be true for local dishes but I’m having no problem getting my belly full on Western comfort foods that I enjoy.
Speaking of which, I finally got back under 200 pounds. Those ten pounds I gained during my visit in the USA took more than a month to shed. I’m still not as disciplined diet-wise as I ought to be, but I do monitor my weight/blood pressure/resting heart rate everyday. I want to stay healthy so I can continue to live large (without getting large).
I continued my efforts to channel Magellan, exploring new and better paths for my daily walking excursions.
Like this one exiting my subdivision. Again, I’m all about avoiding the mountains (for now at least) just to play it safe.But even the flatlands can be fraught with peril. Along side the path here was a deep and unforgiving trench. One false step and you’d be in a world of hurting.I tried to get a shot showing just how deep that fucker is…I estimate at least 15 feet. Unfortunately, my camera lacks depth perception. Apparently.But after that it was pretty much clear sailing. Oh I hit a couple of dead ends. But otherwise avoided Magellan’s sad fate in the Philippines.
Then in the afternoon it was off to play in the dart tourney. What made that interesting was that I drew Alan as my partner. Alan doesn’t like vaping and I don’t like him. I wrote about our falling out here. Since that day back in October we haven’t spoken. When we learned we were going to be dart partners he muttered “well, that’s awkward.” I told him no big deal, let’s just play and have fun. And that’s what we did, finishing in second place. I did try to be polite and not vape around him while we played.
After darts I suggested to Cherry and Marissa that we go out to Arizona for dinner. They were down with that, and when we arrived I asked the waitress if our food could be delivered to the floating bar. And it was.
Cherry seems to be having fun……and I enjoyed the views.After we had eaten some other friends arrived and joined us…
Now, I’m not on the floating bar all that much, but it was pretty strange last night. On the other side of the bar a group of young men were in celebration mode, and one of the “waitresses” was helping them celebrate with some sexy dance moves. I recognized the waitress as the wife of one of the Hashers. And then the lights went out and the sexy dancing turned to, well, it appeared to be some form of sex. The oral variety anyway. It was dark and I didn’t have a clear view, but I did see panties coming down.
Of course I’m at a table with five other ladies and I didn’t really appreciate being forced to sit in the dark. My complaints were ignored though. Those guys were spending big money on drinks. We left shortly thereafter and in the lobby of the Arizona was the Hash guy. I greeted him and he told me he was waiting for his wife to finish work so they could head out to Angeles City. Good luck with that I thought to myself.
So, I brought Marissa home with me and Tere (my helper) did her rude disappearing act. Well, I was drunk and I’d had enough of that behavior. So I gave her a demonstration of my big voice. She hollered back about her “phobia” (which only seems to apply to women I bring home). Anyway, it was pretty ugly. I went to bed thinking I was going to have to fire Tere.
This morning we had a long talk though and she seemed sincere that she is trying to do better and wants to overcome her “phobia”. I told her I don’t care if you don’t want to hang out when I have company, but I do expect you to be polite to my guests. Otherwise Tere does a good job and I’d prefer to keep her. We’ll see.
18,000 steps so far today and I still have the Hash to do. Tonight I’ll be heading to Clark Airport in Angeles City to pick up my nephew Justin who’s visiting for the holidays.
And that brings y’all up to date on my so-called life.
