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

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

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

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

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

I see ignorant people:

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

Ready for some lame humor?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evil is always on the prowl.

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

And now for the comics:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isn’t life grand?

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

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

Couldn’t resist sharing this political meme:

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

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

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

And now for some humor:

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

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

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

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

And now for the funny stuff:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You wanna know what’s funny?

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

That’s all for now. Thanks for coming!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that was our Sunday.

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

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

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

Humor time:

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is parody. Or is it the near future?

A man calls Pizza hut to order a pizza…

CALLER: Is this Pizza Hut?

GOOGLE: No sir, it’s Google Pizza.

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

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

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

GOOGLE: Do you want your usual, sir?

CALLER: My usual? You know me?

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

CALLER: Super! That’s what I’ll have.

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

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

GOOGLE: Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

CALLER: How the hell do you know that?

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

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

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

CALLER: I bought more from another Pharmacy.

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

CALLER: I paid in cash.

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

CALLER: I have other sources of cash.

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

CALLER: WHAT THE HELL!

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

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

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

Let’s hope for the best.

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

And now for the funny stuff:

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

Only four were in attendance for the Friday group hike, and since Michael had his car, I suggested we take a stroll in the seldom-visited Tibag area. I’m not sure why, but something about Tibag appeals to me. It’s way too isolated to seriously consider living there (I’m no Tibagger), but the vibe is nice. I screwed up and didn’t take any photos in the village, so you’ll have to make do with some scenes from the surrounding countryside.

My next adventure was attending this week’s SOB dance competition. The Green Room doesn’t have a stage, so it’s a tad hard to get a good vantage point. I arrived a few minutes after the 4 p.m. opening and got the best seats available. Swan and Erik shared the table with me. The only problem with an early arrival is having to pay for beers (and lady drinks) until the show starts at 6 p.m. Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.

It was a very close contest, with Green Room beating La Oficina by one point. That’s how I scored it, recognizing that the home team has a slight advantage. Swan liked La Oficina best. Once the videos get posted, I’ll share them here and let y’all decide who’s right.

Drinking steady from four to eight stretches my capacity to the limit. So, it was in the trike at the end of the show and hitting the sack shortly thereafter. As Fridays go, I’d rate this a good one.

Some past memories to share today:

Twelve years ago, we spread my father’s ashes. He had donated his body to the medical university, and when they were done with him, they sent him home to us in a cardboard box.

Back to the present, and the insanity that is the current state of our nation.

Today’s YouTube video is from the Filipina Pea. She explores the issue of whether Filipinas are brainwashed in their beliefs and toxic actions. Some interesting interviews exploring this issue.

Some humor would be good right about now, doncha you think?

So, that brings you up to date here in my little part of the world. I’m going to take Swan to Treasure Island Resort this evening for some beach views and live music. I intend to be back here tomorrow to tell you all about it!

Yesterday may not have been perfect, but it was good enough for me. We began the day with a walk to the Subic marketplace, where Swan needed to replenish her candy supply for the upcoming Sunday Candy walk. Strolling on the National Highway is no fun, so to the extent we could, we detoured onto back streets to avoid the traffic. It added some distance, but we got to the market in just under eight kilometers.

I wasn’t feeling real motivated, and there were several times when I was tempted just to say “fuck this” and take a Jeepney instead. But when I saw this on the wall early in the hike, I answered affirmatively:

Back home after a 200 peso trike ride, and Swan made me chicken fajitas for lunch.

When beer o’clock arrived, I decided an evening at The Rite Spot was in order.

I watched a couple of YouTube videos on the big screen, including one about Japan’s capture of Manila in December 1941. Let’s hope history in the form of China doesn’t repeat itself. I had a good night’s sleep, and I woke to another fine day in paradise. Keep ’em coming!

Facebook reminded me that eight years ago I met a Korean lass named Eun Oke. We had some good times and some bad times, but in the end I grew tired of her drama. It was fun while it lasted. Mostly.

Reekay holds court in today’s YouTube video, sharing the stories of three foolish men who got fucked by Filipinas, and not in the good way. What was it Forrest Gump said? Stupid is as stupid does. I’ve had my share of fuckups and been scammed a couple of times, but not at this level.

And now for some humor:

Gonna do the SOB tonight. Had a nice time on today’s hike in Tibag. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

I was back out yesterday with the Wednesday Walkers group, and we trekked up to Balon Falls, then onward through an Aeta native people’s village, and then back down again to where we started. It had been a couple of years since I’d been out that way, and everything had a fresh feel about it. Here, have a look for yourself:

I also enjoyed my Wednesday evening in town with Swan. We kicked things off on the rooftop at BarCelona.

When we were ready for a change of scenery, we headed downstairs to The Green Room. Waitress Chu is always happy to drink with us, and I found watching some excellent pool players quite entertaining. We did our nightcap next door at Wet Spot, and we were surprised when my neighbors, Jeff and Davina, came in for a drink. Later, owner Daddy Dave and I had a lengthy and pleasant chat about the good ol’ days in the bar business. A very enjoyable night on the town, indeed.

Ah, one of the blessings of a long life is all the memories.

Speaking of jokes, how about that Indian woman running for President?

Today’s YouTube video comes from Rose Hall. She weighs in on the older-younger romances so prevalent here in the Philippines. Swan is only twenty-eight years younger than me, so I wouldn’t know. The video is not very long, and the scenery is especially nice in this one. Have a look for yourself.

Let’s see if I can find some humor:

That’s all for now, folks. Back tomorrow to tell you about today.

Another Hash Monday is in the books, and I’m here to write about it. The Hare, Leech My Nuggets, notorious for his hard trails, offered us oldsters what he called a “cripple’s” version yesterday. I took it, and it was close enough to perfect for me. The version I did featured one steep but relatively short climb and then a couple of smaller ups and downs before a junction with the familiar My Bitch trail leading back to Alta Vista and the On-Home at Leech’s house. The long version featured an ass-kicking climb to Kalaklan Ridge, then back down to join the portion I did. I chose wisely.

The nice thing about the On-Home in Alta Vista is that it is easy for me to get home from there. Not even tempted to go into town for some after-Hash imbibing.

Before going to bed last night, I randomly selected the first episode of a Netflix series called “1899.” It was entertaining enough, I suppose, but just now reading the Wikipedia link, I see that it was canceled after two seasons and that the storyline did not reach a satisfying conclusion. Nope, I’m not going to waste any more time on this one.

I still have not heard anything from or about Kevin Kim. Something is going on, and I hope it is not as bad as my imagination is leading me to believe. Kevin lives alone but has friends and co-workers who should be around to provide whatever assistance he may require. I just don’t have any way to contact anyone in Korea that might be able to provide an update.

It’s election season, so I’m doing a little more political posting than normal. Y’all know where I stand:

Today’s stroll down memory lane was eight years ago, and it was more than a stroll, it was a climb:

Today’s YouTube video is from Reekay, who offers advice on telling your Filipina no. One of the nice things about Swan is that she almost never asks for anything, and if she does, it is usually for a charity project she is involved in. As Reekay suggests, Swan gets a monthly allowance to do with as she pleases, and she lives well within that budget.

Today’s lame attempt at humor:

Speaking of which, we’ll be heading into town soon for some beer and wine. I’m thinking a nice outdoor venue, either Sloppy Joe’s or It Doesn’t Matter. Hell, maybe both. More tomorrow!

I’m worried about my friend and fellow blogger, Kevin Kim. He hasn’t updated his blog, approved comments, or responded to my emails. Kevin has been dealing with some heart-related health issues, and his sudden disappearance doesn’t bode well. I hope whatever is going on resolves itself in a positive way. Hang in there, Kevin!

Several days ago, we encountered a crying kitten on the next street over from us. Swan and I are both dog lovers, but we felt sorry for this apparently abandoned feline. We left her some water and food and hoped for the best. We were surprised to find that the kitten had moved and taken up residence under the neighbor’s car. Swan has been feeding her there, and it appears a mutual adoption might be taking place.

Dogs and cats are not generally a good mix, so the plan is to place the shelter outside our fence and provide food and water as needed. So, we shall see what happens. Our concern is that if the neighbor starts the car while the kitten is sleeping under the hood, it could make for a deadly mess.

We also engaged in our regular Sunday candy walk, despite the threatening skies.

It being Sunday and all, I had the traditional feeding of the girls at Hideaway to attend to. Still only four of them, which I suppose is plenty when that is double the number of customers. Still, having two fellow drinkers in the bar was twice as many as last week. Owner Griff was there, too, so it was nice to see him again.

Next up was dinner at Pugon Corner to celebrate the birthday of Swan’s sister, Cathy.

So, I arrived at Pugon prior to my guests. The waitress brought a menu and advised that none of the smoked beef selections were available. I can kinda sorta understand that; with business slow and beef expensive, why bother? I was there for the pork anyway. I ordered a Zero beer and was not surprised they didn’t have that; lots of places don’t. So, I ordered up my alternative, San Miguel Light. Despite it being on the menu, it was out of stock. I pushed back a little on the waitress, saying it doesn’t make sense not to keep a popular beer like that in the fridge. She apologized and offered to send someone to the store to buy some. Sure, why not? Bring me five. When Swan and Cathy arrived, they were told no red wine was available. Oh well. Cathy had a Red Horse, and I shared my Light with Swan.

Once again, I was disappointed that a restaurant specializing in smoked and grilled meats didn’t have the baby back ribs available. So, we settled for the pulled pork, grilled pork belly, and chicken wings. The food was okay, but nothing special.

I won’t be back to Pugon Corner. Coincidentally, Hops and Brews just announced they now have a smokehouse. Much better venue and conveniently located.

We did our nightcap at Green Room and enjoyed ourselves, then triked on home bringing an end to our Sunday.

Some memories to look back on:

In the political realm, memes like this are going to get nastier and nastier as we head into November:

Anyway, let’s move on to today’s YouTube video. Our hostess warns of hidden risks for expats and visitors to the Philippines. It’s mostly just common sense, but the scenery is easy on the eyes.

And now for a taste of humor:

It is Hash Monday and Leech My Nuggets is the Hare. No worries, we’ve already got our shortcut planned. The On-Home is at Leech’s place here in Alta Vista, so I won’t have any trouble getting home. I’ll be back tomorrow (I hope).

Signage has warned for weeks that the only access bridge to most of San Isidro would undergo much-needed repairs. I wondered how they were going to pull that off without totally isolating several thousand residents. Now, don’t get me started–why a decrepit one-lane bridge was the only vehicular river crossing was inexplicable and idiotic to begin with. One of those “only in the Philippines” moments. I assumed they would close the bridge for a few hours each day and lay a new sheet metal covering to replace the rotted and rusted-out road surface. So, when I saw the scene above with the old bridge destroyed and a new pedestrian crossing erected, I was like, what the hell? But then the next day, that white crane was on the OTHER side of the river, and I’m thinking, how in the hell did they get that over there? So, my walk yesterday was in search of an answer.

We spent our Saturday evening hours mostly at It Doesn’t Matter. I was surprised when one of our new Hashers, Michael, dropped in. We had a nice chat, and he is one of the most interesting people I’ve met here. Traveled and lived all over the world, and still going strong at 73. We went to Green Room for our nightcap and ordered some takeout to bring home for dinner. I watched the final episode of Cuck On Earth, and it was my favorite. I rate the series well worth the time.

That was Saturday, and Saturday’s gone.

Facebook memories reminded me that two years ago, I finally got the jab. It’s not like I had any choice. My three years as a tourist were up, and I had to leave the country. I wasn’t allowed back in unvaccinated.

I saw this on the internet this morning so it must be real.

In today’s YouTube video, The Filipina Pea weighs in on the controversy surrounding the tourist visa extension requirements. As I said previously, I’m visiting Immigration for an extension on Tuesday, and this may very well impact me. I’m wearing slacks and a shirt without my ball cap to ensure I’m viewed as a respectful visitor. I hope they let me stay.

Let’s try some humor:

In the near future, I’ve got a Hideaway feeding to attend to. It’s the birthday of Swan’s sister, so we are going to treat her to dinner. Swan wants to go to Pugon Corner for our meal, and so we shall. I’ll share how that goes tomorrow.

The long-awaited follow-up meeting with the pulmonary specialist, Dr. DeLeon, finally took place yesterday morning. Granted, she was forty-five minutes late, but that’s just the way “Filipino time” works. Surprisingly, despite my notorious lack of patience, I accepted the reality of how things are done here and didn’t get upset. That’s quite a milestone for me.

So, we started out with the chest x-ray:

Dr. DeLeon then reviewed the blood test results. She said everything was in the normal range except the glucose/fasting blood sugar level.

So, all in all, I’m happy with the results. Dr. DeLeon suggested I increase my dose of metformin to twice daily. I’m not entirely comfortable with that, but I will do so pending a meeting with Dr. Jo for a second opinion.

After finishing the consult, I took Swan and my helper (technically caregiver) Teri to lunch. I planned to eat at Jewel Cafe but forgot they are closed on Wednesday. So, we walked another block to Myleen’s. I had missed the Wednesday Walkers group hike due to my appointment and was surprised to see this when I entered Myleen’s:

When the evening hours rolled around, we caught a break in the rain and hurried out to Bar Celona to do some socializing.

When we were ready to change the scenery, we headed downstairs to The Green Room, a venue that is increasingly becoming our favorite place to hang out. Swan and our regular waitress, Chu, are becoming good buddies and enjoy chatting together. I’m on hand to keep the lady drinks flowing. Works for me. We bought a pizza for the working gals to share, then later ordered another pizza to bring home with us. On the Sit-n-Bull menu, one of the daily specials was a “Big Ass Meatball Sandwich.” I’ve never seen meat on a bun advertised that way, so I decided to give it a try.

And so ended another day. Enjoy them while you got them.

Some other excitement in my day came via the Facebook Gestapo. Seems they took issue with something I shared a couple of weeks ago. At the time, I was just passing it along as food for thought, but it turns out I’m guilty of a FB crime:

This is what got the Facebook Nazi’s in a tizzy:

And as long as we are in the political realm, how about this:

Today’s stroll down memory lane took me back to my sophomore year in high school, where a simulator just like this one was part of the driver’s training requirement to be licensed at sixteen.

Eight years ago, I was repromoted to the position I had retired from five years earlier: Director of Human Resource Management, 8th US Army/United States Forces Korea.

I’m in a rush this morning so I haven’t had time to watch today’s YouTube video. I’m sharing this one from George with street scenes from Olongapo City. I saw George last night during his brief stop at Green Room. He wasn’t recording then, though.

And now for your daily dose of humor:

This morning I was greeted with this rare treat:

Okay, I’ve got to shower up and finish packing for my trip. Look for something a tad more interesting here tomorrow—or at least less familiar. See you then!

Another mostly empty Tuesday, but why should I care? You do what you gotta do and be done with it. That’s fine and dandy with me. Here’s what I’m talking about:

Driver Danny picked us up (me, Swan, and helper Teri) as usual at 0830. Drove to SBMA (the old Navy base) and made my regular stop at the Harbor Point Mall BPI ATM where I do my weekly cash withdrawal. I inserted my card and entered my PIN, and a message appeared saying the machine could not dispense cash. Would I like to proceed? Nope. So, we moved to the other side of SBMA and another BPI branch. This one has three ATMs, so I figured my odds for a successful withdrawal were good. I usually make two separate 20,000 peso withdrawals (20,000 is the maximum allowed). The first machine dispensed my cash in 500 peso notes, and forty makes for a thick wallet. I tried the next machine, and it spit out twenty 1000 peso bills, so all was good.

Given that this BPI branch is very near the old Royal supermarket, I decided to do my weekly shopping there. This Royal is housed in the former base commissary building and isn’t as modern and nice as the new store. Still, I can sometimes find things here that, for some inexplicable reason, the new Royal doesn’t carry. The downside is that the older Royal is laid out completely differently, and I have to search for the items I desire. I found most of everything I needed, so it turned out fine. And here was a surprise:

My helper wanted some cabinet shelves under the sink, so we had some made Filipino-style. She had a worker friend buy a wooden pallet from a nearby scrapyard, tear it apart, and build these from the scraps:

Three hundred pesos for the materials, and seven hundred for the carpenter. Not bad!

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that Swan was meeting a friend at It Doesn’t Matter. I joined her there around four thirty but didn’t want to intrude on the girl talk, so I sat at another table with IDM owner Cliff. Another of Swan’s pals came by, and Cliff’s wife joined the party.

Swan asked me several times if there was somewhere else I wanted to go, but I told her just to relax and enjoy her time with friends. I was enjoying my beer at IDM as much as I would anywhere else. And when it was my turn to eat, guess what? I didn’t order Filipino food.

IDM recently hired my old dart league friend, Rica, to run their kitchen. She has had a great reputation since her time as the chef at Thumbstar and Oasis. I congratulated the owner on the excellent addition to his team. Bar food is usually okay for a drunken snack, but I’d be glad to have a meal at IDM now and then with Rica cooking.

We wound up spending the entire evening at IDM and passed on our normal nightcap, grabbing a trike home in the rain. And so ended a productive, if boring, day in the life. There is a change of pace on the horizon–I’ll be taking Swan to the beach town of San Narcisco tomorrow for an overnight stay at the Mope Resort.

The way-back memory machine carried me to1978 just after my recent move to Prescott, Arizona. I made the decision to leave California because even back then I knew I didn’t want to raise my kids there.

Here’s the latest illustration of the gender revolution:

I still haven’t gotten a clear answer to the simple question of whether these male-chromosome boxers were born with pussies or dicks. This is the best explanation I’ve found so far.

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea is quite different for her—she tells the heart-wrenching story of her life. As I’ve said before, she is probably my favorite vlogger, and hearing her talk about her personal journey makes me all the more impressed.

On to the humor:

I’ll do a morning post tomorrow before we hit the road. I finally got in to see Dr. DeLeon today, and it was mostly good news. More details on that to come. Not sure what’s on tap for the evening hours, but odds are good it will involve beer.

Well, nothing stopped me from Hashing yesterday anyway. The lunchtime downpour let up, so I headed out to the highway to catch my ride to the trailhead at the end of Rizal Extension. My “sane” cadre of Hashers opted to do the second half of the trail, and that worked out just fine. Oh sure, there was a very steep and slippery climb involved, and it was slick going back down, but otherwise, it was a pleasant enough hike despite a brief rain shower. The views up top were amazing and worth the effort of getting there. Here, see for yourself:

Like last week, I opted to skip the Hash circle and hoof it back down Rizal Extension to town.

As usual, I finished my journey at It Doesn’t Matter, the after-Hash hangout.

I brought home some apple pie from Myleen’s and satisfied my sweet tooth cravings before bedtime. And so ended another day.

Some memories weren’t sad at the time, but make you blue later in life.

More and more it seems the Land of the Free is becoming a new version of the Soviet Union.

Today’s YouTube video comes from a Filipina vlogger I’d never watched before. She adds some context and perspective for those “Philippines is great” vloggers who don’t tell the whole story. The photography is especially well done. I was impressed enough to subscribe to her channel. Have a look for yourself:

To the humor we must go:

Alrighty, then. This is my lazy Tuesday and I’ve got the shopping out of the way. Swan went to meet a friend at It Doesn’t Matter and I’ll be joining her a bit later when they finish their girl talk. We’ll see where we go from there.

And glad to have it! Filled the hours with the usual Sunday routines, although there are always little quirks to change things up some. I’m talking about stuff like this:

Then it came time for the weekly Candy Walk on the streets of San Isidro. Swan counted how many got candy, and we sweetened the day for 189 children. A good morning’s work!

Come later in the afternoon, it was time to feed the hungry girls at Hideaway Bar. My weekly visits there are increasingly becoming almost depressing. As much as I enjoy bars, an empty one feels soulless. Joy said I was the day’s first customer (they opened at eleven, and I arrived a little after four). I asked about owner Griff, who was in his room out back, sleeping off his morning rounds to other bars. So, it seems my hopes that things might change with his return will not come to fruition. Hell, I don’t know what the answer for attracting customers might be. I have a reason to be there every Sunday, but if I didn’t feel obligated to continue the weekly feeding, I wouldn’t come. The hour I spend there is nothing I enjoy, and it is a relief to be on my way again.

Next up was my Sunday dinner with Swan at John’s place. A pleasant surprise this week was seeing Em Jae, our old favorite waitress, back at work. Well, back for Sunday anyway. She is still working at a call center in Pampanga and came home for the weekend to see her kids. They needed a waitress to fill-in yesterday and she was happy to oblige. She’s heading back to Angeles today for her real job.

After dinner, we walked a few blocks up the highway and did our nightcap at It Doesn’t Matter.

And then it was time to head for home and bring another day to a close.

Commenter Ted mentioned an old Subic blogger named Warren. I vaguely recall reading his blog back in the days when I was first considering the Philippines as a retirement destination. Reader Scott said Warren also had a Facebook group called Warren’s Subic Bay. So, the blog has been gone for many years, and the Facebook group hasn’t been active since 2021. And Warren disappeared without a trace four years ago—one of those unexplained mysteries.

Interesting memes I ran across on the internet today:

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay talks about what help you can expect from your embassy should your life go to shit in the Philippines. Man, I’d hate to rely on them for anything! I have heard of cases where the embassy would arrange a flight home in a dire emergency, but your passport would be held hostage until you had reimbursed the cost of the flight. I have money in the bank, and a credit card available should things go wrong. Hopefully, I’ll never need to use them.

Some weak humor to share:

Another Hash Monday is upon me. Once again, the trail starts and finishes at the end of Rizal Extension, my least favorite location for a Hash. And the icing on the cake is there is currently a downpour going on outside. I’ve already arranged a ride to the start, but I’m keeping open the option to bail altogether or do my own trail. Today is a fine day for a bar hop! We’ll see what happens.

Just another day in the Barrio.

Bruce, my new friend visiting from Taiwan, was up for joining us on a Saturday morning romp. I usually do a boring solo street stroll, but with Bruce and Swan along, I needed to up my game. So, we headed for the hills. We met Bruce at Sit-n-Bull and then climbed the steps up from La Union Street. From there, our journey was through the tall grass, and I had difficulty finding the trail in places. It went better after we reached the top and then rendezvoused with the familiar My Bitch trail. Then we circled around through the backstreets of Barretto and finished the hike at Sit-n-Bull after a 6K jaunt.

Thanks for joining us, Bruce. Safe travels home, and we’ll look forward to more hikes when you return.

Swan had mentioned craving the grilled pork chops at Mangos, so when it was dinner time, that’s where I took her. We got a table right next to the beach and enjoyed the views while our meal was being prepared.

After our meal, we popped in to The Green Room for our night cap. I had some SOB coupons to expend.

We had the Sit-n-Bull waitress deliver some pecan pie for us to bring home for our bedtime snack. And that’s how we ended our day in the Barrio.

Facebook carried me back seven years ago to remind me of the day I did a three-and-a-half-hour walk in Seoul.

This year’s Olympics may earn the Gold Medal for provoking memes like this:

Today’s YouTube video discusses some cultural aspects of the Philippines that folks in the West could learn from. I am happy with my decision to live here and have absolutely no desire to return to the USA for anything more than a brief visit. If I needed to move, I’d stay in Asia, most likely Cambodia.

Today’s attempt at humor:

It’s Sunday and the Candy Walk is completed. Next up, a feeding at Hideaway bar and a dinner date with Swan at John’s. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

I’ve been blogging here at LTG for going on twenty years now. During that time, there were several occasions where I had chance encounters with readers. It is always a shock to meet a stranger who tells me they read my blog. Most of the time, it’s a friendly meeting, but I’ve had a couple of unpleasant episodes. Once, during the scamdemic, I was confronted by a reader who criticized me for continuing to hike in defiance of lockdown rules. According to him, I was giving foreigners “a bad name.” In another instance, a guy I didn’t know stopped me on the street to say he didn’t appreciate my criticism of his girlfriend (she ran a bar and mistreated her employees, so I called her out for it). Otherwise, it’s always been nice to run into people who read my poorly punctuated drivel.

The circumstances for meeting a reader named Bruce yesterday were somewhat different. Bruce is from Taiwan and found my blog on some random Google search. I guess he liked what he saw because he planned his first trip to Barretto to see some of the views I post here at LTG. Bruce emailed me that he would be here for the weekend and wanted to participate in the Friday hike. He also asked about the SOB dance competition. It’s always nice to welcome someone new to the group and to meet someone who has followed my adventures from afar.

So, for the Friday hike, we planned a route that would provide Bruce with some of the views he’s been craving- the Black Rock climb and a beach walk on the bay. Here’s how that looked:

My planned visit to Dr. DeLeon didn’t happen because she cancelled her Friday clinic hours. I’ll try again on Wednesday.

The SOB was a good one at La Oficina, a bar that I almost never frequent. Bruce seemed to enjoy the show.

The Aftermath was at Alaska Club downstairs, so we dropped in for a nightcap before saying our goodnight to Bruce. It wasn’t goodbye because he joined Swan and me for a Saturday morning hike today. I’ll post about that tomorrow.

The memes have been more intense than usual these past couple of days.

Ah, the memories.

Today’s YouTube video is from George’s All About The Philippines. George is one of the only Vloggers I have met in person. On Wednesday, I saw George recording this video when I was up on the roof at BarCelona.

I don’t know how to post an advanced-time video, but the Barretto portion starts at around six minutes. I checked, and he didn’t capture me capturing him from the roof. Oh well.

Maybe these will put a smile on your face:

Time to get on with my Saturday evening. Swan is joining me for dinner at Mangos. We’ll see what happens after that. Back tomorrow with more of this goodness.

I’m posting like an early bird today because my plate is full, and I may be in “it’s now or never” territory. On tap are the Friday group hike, my visit to Dr. DeLeon, and the SOB dance competition. I’ll try to find time for a nap in there as well. It’s just one of those rare days where I have too much to do.

Swan joined me on my morning hike yesterday, which is always nice. We took a Jeepney out to Subic-town and did a walkaround to Philseco. Only 5K, but still good to see the sights we rarely visit. Let me show you what we saw:

Wasn’t that fun?

When beer o’clock arrived, we decided the slower pace of Baloy Beach was what we wanted.

The night ended on a sour note because of some miscommunication issues, but I’m sure we’ll find our way back to happiness.

Seven years ago, my favorite Itaewon bartender finished her tenure at Shenanigans. It wasn’t goodbye, though. She got married and moved to Pyeongtaek, where I spent time with the happy couple before I retired and moved away.

Today’s YouTube video is the latest from Reekay. I’m in a hurry this morning, but I’m looking forward to see how this guy fucked up.

And now let’s try for some humor:

Alright, time to get on with my day. Thanks for stopping by.