It’s been pretty quiet around here lately, so I’ll try not to disturb the peace. It’s not like I have a way to drum up something interesting anyway. So, let’s get on with the routines then.

We did the Decay Dance candy handouts on Sunday since Swan was otherwise occupied on Saturday. Hey, candy is always dandy on any day of the week!

For our Sunday evening out on the town, I surprised Swan with a rare visit to the rooftop of the Central Park Reef hotel.

But we came for the views and got what we came for, so I’m not going to bitch and moan about the prices. Much.

Then we followed our more normal Sunday routines, with a visit to Red Bar and, later, a nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks. For the first time ever, Swan agreed to play pool with one of the waitresses, and she did surprisingly well for a beginner. Good job, girl!

And that was how we scrambled through another Sunday.

Twelve years ago, I was holding court with Kevin Kim in Itaewon:

Continuing through the November 2018 LTG archives, I was taken back to another one of those otherwise forgotten moments in time. A waitress friend at Treasure Island got fired for keeping a tip in contravention of the policy that tips are shared. I prefer to tip the person serving me, but rules are rules. Then TI upped the ante by refusing to supply the waitress a “certificate of employment” showing that she had worked there. This meant the job she was seeking on a cruise ship wouldn’t happen because she couldn’t prove the requisite experience. It is also a violation of the Philippines labor law. So, I intervened on her behalf, which made things worse until I threatened to hire a lawyer for her. Yeah, lots of drama, but in the end it worked out. She got the certificate, got the cruise ship job, met an Aussie bloke there, got married, and is happily living in the land down under. It also led me to change my American-style tipping habits. For some reason, my “friend” Jerry didn’t like me anymore, but that happens a lot these days.

Today’s YouTube video talks about ten things parents did in the 70s that would be considered child abuse today. My childhood was primarily in the 60s, and my folks did all of these, well, except for the having me buy beer. I spent many hours riding in the back of a 1958 Jeep pickup truck, staying home alone while mom and dad worked, and doing wild shit on the streets of town, with the only caveat being to get home before darkness fell. Yep, the good ol’ days.

And now for the funny business:

Alrighty, then. I’ve got a Hash to attend to. And tomorrow, we’ll be doing our monthly get-out-of-town journey; this time to the ocean at San Narciso. So at least I’ll have something different to write about here for a change.

It’s not a perfect world, and neither is my life. I feel the pain that comes with rejection, but that man in the mirror, whatever his flaws, is who I am. Love me or leave me, I’m going to keep on keeping on.

Sometimes life intrudes on your routines, but that’s okay. Changing things up occasionally is part of reality, and the routines will be there waiting when circumstances permit. We postponed our Decay Dance candy walk yesterday, as Swan was entertaining her gal pals at The Rite Spot On the Roof and needed the morning hours to prepare food for the event. So, I was on my own for the Saturday hike, and I opted to just do the boring Barretto street circumnavigation. Since there wasn’t much of interest to see along the way, I opted to take a milestone (every 1.6K) photo during the journey. Here’s how that worked out:

I didn’t invade the female space during the gathering on the roof. Swan sent me a couple of pictures of the fun they were having up there.

I did pop up to the Rite Spot at beer o’clock to let Swan know I was heading into town. The gals said they’d meet me at Sloppy Joe’s in an hour or so. Off I went, and an hour or so later, Swan messaged to say the girls wanted to stay on the roof and watch the sun go down. No hay problema, I ordered another beer and some chicken wings to tide me over until they arrived.

We had one more drink at Sloppy’s, then the gals wanted to finish off the evening at It Doesn’t Matter. Welp, it’s only a block away, so why not? We were the only customers on a Saturday night, and the owner, Luna, was happy to have us. It’s a rare event when Swan overindulges, but apparently those shots of soju on the roof kicked in. I’d had my fill as well, so we said goodnight to the ladies and grabbed a trike for home.

Upon reflection, I guess it was a pretty routine day after all.

Oh, this gave me a good chuckle. Remember the note one of my neighbors had posted on another neighbor’s mailbox?

Anyway, I saw that note again on my way into town.

Facebook memories is always there to remind me of the life I had and lost:

It’s still November 2018 in the LTG archives, and I’m six months into my Philippines life. I share the story about my drunken humor and the offense it created with one of my favorite bargirls at the time. Once I sobered up, I realized what an asshole I’d been, and I made things right the next day. Until I re-read this post, I had no recollection of that event. Sadly, I don’t recall Kim, the gal in question, either. I’m hoping there will be a future post with her picture to jog my memory. We shall see.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the ongoing and worsening tourist crisis in the PI. It is certainly being felt here in Barretto. Several bars are now closed because the expat community isn’t large enough to support them all. I saw that the Arizona Resort’s pub is now for rent at a mere 2,000 dollars a month. That’s insane, no way you could sell that many beverages to cover rent, wages, and utilities. The Arizona floating bar is also for sale. I expect more downsizing to come.

On a lighter note:

Another day, another post. Let’s see how long we can keep this going.

Well, I hate loud, crappy music in the bars, but in those situations I can vote with my feet and leave. It doesn’t take much to trigger my grumpiness these days. That said, there is more good than bad in my life, and for that I am thankful.

I may not be fit as a fiddle, but I was fit enough to enjoy my Friday. We kicked things off with our Friday group hike. There were just three of us in attendance, so we decided we’d let Scott drive us to the Old Cabalan barangay in Olongapo City for a hike we hadn’t done in a long time. Alas, the traffic on the highway was insane, so we changed course and hiked on SBMA instead.

And it being one of those days that end in a “y,” I headed into Barretto when beer o’clock chimed. I had intended to kick off my evening at It Doesn’t Matter, but they were suffering a power outage, so I continued up the road to Red Bar. Cliff and Ashley were there to provide the warm welcome, and the place was rockin’ (Cliff always has a nice playlist). One of the customers bought a round of drinks and even included me. He requested a song I hadn’t heard for a long time, Que Sera Sera, and everyone at the backslappers’ table joined him in singing along. Hey, good times!

I was feeling a tad hungry (having skipped lunch), so I paid my tab and headed down the highway.

Those birria tacos are small, just two or three bites each, and I brought one of them home with me. I still had room for more beer, so I made Alaska Club my next stop. Owner Jerry was out of town, but his crew had things under control during my visit.

I went to Nipsey’s for my nightcap, and two beers later, I was on my way home to an empty house. Swan had left early in the morning for a trip to Manila to visit some friends.

Anyway, I was long asleep when Swan arrived back home around midnight. And that was how my fitless Friday came to an end.

From the November 2018 LTG archives, my last visit home is nearing an end, and I was once again reflecting on all that I had had and lost in a post aptly titled, “A broken man laments.” On a more positive note, here is a post full of pictures from that amazing stay in the mountains of North Carolina. But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s check in with the Filipina Pea as she interviews other Filipinas about what they are hoping to find in a foreigner relationship. Good luck, ladies. I’m already taken.

Let’s take another shot at some humor:

I hope you are not fit to be tied at this point, so let me stop now. I’ll try again tomorrow.

That wheel in the sky keeps on turning, and I’m still here to write about it. I’ll call that a win.

For the Thursday morning walk, Swan and I decided to change things up and pay a visit to the bayside village of Bantay Bayan. The Jeepneys were all packed, so we grabbed a trike. When we arrived at our destination, I gave the driver 120 pesos. I tend to overpay, so I thought he’d be grateful (Swan told me 100 was plenty). He wasn’t. Swan and the trike driver chatted, and I gave another 20 pesos, shrugged, and walked away. It was only about 3 kilometers, so technically, 60 pesos was enough. Weird.

Then we walked the highway back to Barretto.

I don’t like walking on those narrow highway shoulders. People drive like assholes here and invade that tiny space as they round the corners.

We finished our trek at Sit-n-Bull where I got a roast beef dip sandwich for takeout. It was good, but I didn’t finish it. Swan enjoyed my leftover portion.

In the afternoon, Swan went to visit some friends whilst I went to visit Cheap Charlies. She met me there later.

One of the things I like about Cheap Charlies is the availability of good food from the eatery downstairs. Except for the first time that I can remember, when the dinner hour arrived, I didn’t feel hungry, so I skipped eating. I guess that higher dose of Ozempic is kicking in.

And then we enjoyed the sun’s goodnight show:

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. During our visit a large group of young ladies came waltzing through the door. I asked our waitress what’s up with that, and she said they are new dancers hired from the province of Mindinao. Wow, the stage was packed for the first time in a long time. Not that I give a shit about that, but the new owner is putting forth some effort to make Wet Spot stand out amongst the bars of Barretto. Good luck with that!

Back to the November 2018 LTG archives. I rented a “cabin” in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and shared some great times with my family. I’m happy for the memories of the way things were.

Today’s YouTube video was a bit of a surprise. It’s from Reekay, one of my favorite vloggers who has been at it for thirteen years. His content is always straightforward and offers good perspectives on the expat life in the Philippines. And despite is non-controversial popularity, YouTube has decided to demonetize his platform. Why? Nobody seems to know. Anyway, Reekay isn’t going down without a fight.

And now it is that time again:

And there you have it. Thanks for dropping by.

As I was thinking about a title for today’s post, a thought occurred to me. If you married someone named Nes, would your anniversary be Wed Nes Day? Yeah, that’s how my mind works these days. But, at least it is still working, such as it is.

I always appreciate comments here; your feedback means a lot to me. I was gratified to learn that Terry stops by LTG every morning and enjoys the photos I post. After nearly eight years, there’s not much new for me to see around here, but knowing my reader(s) like to partake in the views provides ample motivation to look for things that might be of interest. And here’s a shitload of stuff from yesterday I found worthy of a picture:

(I lifted some photos from the hike from Scott’s FB page. Credit where it is due, his are marked with an (SP) in the caption.)

So, that was the morning portion of the day. At beer o’clock, I headed back out. Wednesday is the Baloy Beach routine. Swan had an errand to attend to, so she joined me a bit later on the floating bar.

The music was crap when I arrived, but I held my tongue because the other passengers outnumbered me and didn’t seem bothered. When they left, I politely asked the cashier if I could hear something I liked, and she immediately switched the playlist to classic rock. Thanks for that!

Back ashore, we popped into Treasure Island. Neither of us was hungry (I can thank Ozempic for that, not sure what Swan’s excuse might be). We did share a chicken quesadilla, but had two slices leftover that we gave to the bartender. I may not be eating healthy, but I’m eating less!

When we were ready to head home, we couldn’t find a trike, so we walked most of the way back to the highway before catching a ride. Hey, extra steps never hurt anybody, right?

From Facebook memories:

I’ll be going to Cheap Charlies this evening for old times’ sake.

And now it is November 2018 in the LTG archives. I’m still enjoying family time back home in Columbia, South Carolina, like this Halloween celebration. Those days are gone, but not forgotten, even if I have been.

Today’s YouTube video turned out to be surprisingly interesting to me. What was driving like in the USA back in the 1930s? Well, thanks to some old photographs and AI enhancements, we can now see for ourselves.

My humor never gets old, right? Right?

And that’s all for this time. Thanks for reading! Y’all are my last connection to the outside world.

I know I’ve posted this song before, and I just came across it again in the archives. It’s even older than me, but it tickles my fancy anyway.

There’s never much of interest to write about in my routine life, but Tuesdays are the emptiest day of my week. I mean, where’s the excitement in grocery shopping, right? On a positive note, at least this post will be a short one. Promise!

So, the aforementioned shopping at the YBC and Royal supermarkets went without incident. But I was in for a big surprise when I got back home. Before heading out at beer o’clock, I prepare my bedtime snack so I don’t have to mess with doing so under the influence of alcohol. And my preferred dessert to overcome my ice cream addiction is a nice bowl of sugar-free pudding. Like most imported foods these days, it ain’t cheap — $2.20 per box at Royal. Yesterday, I purchased four. So, I reached into the cabinet and grabbed a box. Opened the box, only to discover the brown paper bag inside was unopened, but empty. I have no idea how that could happen, but I assume there was a fuck-up in the manufacturing process. So, I reached back into the cabinet for another box, and WTF, it was empty too.

At least the other two boxes had their content, so I got my pudding fix. I’ll take the empties back to Royal next week and see if they want to make things right.

I also paid a visit to Dr. Jo’s office for my weekly Ozempic injection. I’ve now begun my second month, and so the dosage has gone from low to moderate. The cost has gone up as well — 6,800 pesos for the next four injections. It will be interesting to see what side effects I may experience with the higher dose and whether my weight loss accelerates. I only dropped 1.1 pounds last week, but I guess that’s progress. After one month on Ozempic, my total loss was 7.3 pounds. The biggest difference I’ve noticed (besides going without ice cream and candy) is not craving between-meal snacks, and I’m frequently leaving leftovers on my dinner plate. We’ll see what happens this month with twice the amount of the drug in my system.

My other Tuesday routine is playing in the Alley Hideout dart tournament. Since I can’t be fucked with practicing during the week, my performance is not getting any better. Last night, my partner shot every bit as badly as I did, and we were two games and out without winning a single leg.

Still, being in the dart bar once a week is something different, so unless I get tired of being ashamed of myself, I’ll show up and let the arrows fly. Such as they are.

We did a brief nightcap at Gold Bar after darts, then called it a night. I had a bowl of sugar-free pudding waiting for me in the fridge.

Via Facebook memories, an interesting coincidence from four years ago:

Wrapping up October 2018 in the LTG archives. I’m back in the USA after a 30-hour trip. At least I flew business class. Being back “home” was like traveling back in time. But some of the memories from the most recent iteration of my life in South Carolina were overwhelming. I’m not saying that life in the USA is bad, but I came to realize it was not the life for me, despite all the fun I had with my kids and grandkids. I haven’t been back since that trip.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s take a pictorial journey back to the glory days of the 1970s. What a life we lived!

Humor time:

Yeah, I’d better give it a rest. Time to get on with living my day so I can write about tomorrow!

Things have taken a turn for the better, so there’s that. And really, I’ve gained some insights that will provide comfort going forward. Promises are made to be broken, and words don’t always mean what they say. But I don’t want someone with me because of a promise. True love sometimes requires sacrifice, and if someone is not happy with me, I’d let them go, no matter the pain it brings. As I contemplated a life without her, I knew I’d be okay as long as she was happy. And after our talk this morning, she assures me that she will be happy staying by my side. So, onward we go to the next hurdle.

As for yesterday, there was the Sunday Sweets Stroll.

My Sunday evening plans were unsettled, but I decided to kick things off at Harley’s on Baloy.

It was time to move on, so I made SnackBar my next stop.

I was thinking I’d make Queen Victoria my next stop, but it was only after I’d crossed the highway that I remembered Queen Vic is closed on Sunday. Oh well, I dodged traffic again and paid a rare visit to the Outback Billabong Bar.

I figured as long as I was on a roll with seldom-visited bars, I might as well see what was going on at Lux.

I still had thirty minutes to kill before it was time to head home, so I crossed the highway once more and popped into Gold Bar for the final beer.

Having drunk my fill, I grabbed a trike and headed home. Those smoothies weren’t going to make themselves. And so ended another day in paradise.

Continuing with the October 2018 LTG archives, I reflect on the routines I’d established after being retired in the Philippines for five months. I called the post “Comfortably Numb,” and by golly, I’m still following the same regimen: walkaholic by day, alcoholic at night.

Today’s YouTube video discusses some of the realities of retired life in the PI. I spend a lot more than the average bear, I guess, but I like livin’ large.

Humor me:

And now it’s time to get ready for another Hash Monday. Yes, us cripples have already identified our shortcut trail. That’s just the way we roll.

And here I am, still trying to figure out what happens next and where I go from there. I guess time is on my side, so for now, I’m sticking with Option #1: riding it out. Things may not be ideal at the moment, but given my history, there’s no need to rush and make things worse. I have begun considering other options if circumstances warrant. I’m sorry, but I’m not able to be more specific than that for the time being.

My melancholy day included a Decay Dance.

A solo Saturday evening in Barretto.

And then I grabbed a trike and took my sorry ass home. I’m pathetic, I know. Hey, it’s who I am, you’d think I’d be used to it by now.

On to the October 2018 LTG archives. I was spending a lot of time at Treasure Island back in my early days in the Philippines. I’d become quite friendly with the staff, and when Jessa turned 30, I took them all out for a movie and birthday dinner. And yes, I got my chance with Jessa about a year later, but of course, I fucked it up. Jessa and I are still friends on Facebook, and she seems to be doing well, having found a new love and life in Subic. Kat found work on a cruise ship, met an Aussie bloke, got married, and now lives in the land down under. RuRu is an OFW working in Qatar.

Today’s YouTube video resonates. Most expats didn’t run away; they chased a dream. Of course, some dreams don’t come true, but at least we tried and made the best of it. My favorite quote from a John Greenleaf Whittier poem sums it up: “God pity us both, and pity us all, who vainly the dreams of youth recall. For of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: it might have been.” Damn, how did I remember that line?

Time out for humor:

And life goes on. I’m going to make the best of it.

On and on it goes. We’ll see what happens when I get there, wherever that may be. In the meantime, you gotta fill them hours. This is how my Friday went down:

We climbed up to the ridge that runs through Barretto. It starts with some steps, and as I neared the top of the first section, I got attacked by a dog in a way I never saw coming. The dog was at the top, and I was maybe five steps below him when he leaped out and hit me square in the chest. He bounced off and then continued down to the street. No bites, thankfully. It’s also good that I maintained my balance; had I fallen backward, I would have been in a world of hurt.

I started my three-hour beer drinking window at It Doesn’t Matter. The place is nothing like it used to be when Cliff and Ashley were in charge. I know there were some customers inside for the pool tournament, but I was alone in the outdoor section.

It was a rather disappointing vibe, but I sipped down three beers between 4:30 and 6 pm, then headed over to Sloppy Joe’s. Sloppy’s was busy, but I got my street-view, countertop seat, settled in, and ordered a pulled pork sandwich for dinner. I mostly just ate the meat.

I did my nightcap at Wet Spot, and it was hoppin’ too. Of course, I took care of my regulars with lady drinks, whilst dispersing cookies and lollipops to the rest of the crew. It was the first time all evening that I had someone to talk to. And then my time allotment for drinking expired, so I paid my tab and headed home.

Was it all as depressing as it sounds? Yeah, maybe.

On to October 2018 in the LTG archives. In this post, I talk about my life after four months in the Philippines. The purpose of my diving into the archives is to identify posts that might be included when I write The Story of My Life. Who knows, maybe someone will be interested.

As much as I bitch and moan, I recognize that I’m living a blessed life. In today’s YouTube video, The Filipina Pea shares the story of what life is like for one poverty-stricken father.

Smile while you can:

Sorry for the lack of excitement around here. Then again, it is best to avoid the painful kind.

Today’s post title is the answer to the question: What do you say when you ain’t got nothin’ to say? I’ll keep it as painless as possible. Anyway, I’m still not sure what the fuck is going on with my life, but I’m preparing for any contingency. Sorry to keep y’all in suspense, but I need more time to figure this out.

In the meantime, there’s yesterday to tell you about, such as it was.

And that’s the only photo I took during my 6K Naugsol loop hike. I guess I just wasn’t in the mood.

I was on my own in town yesterday, and started things off at the familiar Cheap Charlies. I took my usual seat facing the highway, and lo and behold, Hot Zone owner Jay came outdoors with his pet.

So, I ordered a snack for myself and some food for the girls from Foodies downstairs. Maintained my one-beer-per-30-minute pace and chilled. After seeing Jay and his snake, I realized it had been a year or more since my last visit to Hot Zone. One of the reasons for my absence is the relatively late opening of 7 pm. Nothing was stopping me last night, though. Since I still had fifteen minutes before Hot Zone opened, I went to the bar next door, Bob’s, for a beer.

Yikes! The doorgirl recognized me from when she worked at Blue Butterfly and invited me inside. I was the only customer in a relatively small bar. There were four unattractive gals on stage and a drunk or crazy waitress who accosted me as soon as I sat down. That ain’t my style, and I felt very uncomfortable in her grabby presence. I downed my beer and got the hell out of there in record time.

Hot Zone was quiet with only one other customer when I arrived. But oh, what a difference you see in a well-run bar. The dancers were all in uniform, slender and attractive. The waitstaff was numerous and attentive, but didn’t hover around your table like hungry mosquitoes. The mamasan I remembered from previous visits was still there, and she came to my table for a nice chat. I was dismayed to learn that Hot Zone no longer offers single-lady drinks; you have to buy a bottled drink for 300 pesos. Sorry, I have my limits (200 pesos). I did share some cookies and lollipops with the staff, which seemed to be appreciated. Owner Jay, the former Grandmaster of the Subic Hash, came out to greet me and bought me a beer. It was nice catching up with him again. Girly bars are really not my thing, but I can attest that Hot Zone is by far the best I’ve seen in Barretto.

And then my time was up, so I grabbed a trike for home.

From the September 2018 LTG archives, I entertain my first visitor since the move to the PI, my nephew Justin. In this post, I share the experience of his first night on the town in Barretto.

Checking in with Reekay for today’s YouTube video. He discusses the pros and cons of relationships post-retirement. As usual, he makes some valid points. To my thinking, it all comes down to the individual and his tolerance for drama. I’m not sure there is any such thing as a peaceful relationship, but then, what do I know? I’m the stereotypical bad example.

My humor is a little off as well.

And that’s all I’ve got for today.

Sometimes life can be a real kick in the balls. I’ll wait for the pain to reside before deciding what to do next. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of the good parts of the day.

Later in the day, I took Swan to Baloy Beach.

Back on the beach at Treasure Island for dinner.

After dinner, things took a turn for the worse. I’m still waiting to see what happens next.

Back to September 2018 LTG archives, where I share what a fool believes. Some nice insights, but the self-actualization didn’t stop future fuck-ups.

Today’s YouTube shares the pros and cons of city versus province living. I’m pretty much somewhere in the middle, and that works for me.

Once again:

But life goes on until it doesn’t, so nothing to be done but make the best of it while you can.

Yesterday’s excursion to San Antonio for the annual FRA beauty pageant went okay. Swan’s friend Mercy drove us safely there and back again, so that’s always a plus. The pageant stayed on schedule, which wasn’t the case last year. I didn’t win any of the raffles, but then, I never expected to. Despite arriving almost two hours early, all the best seats with an unobstructed view of the stage were already taken. So, my photos are not the best, but they will at least give you a flavor of the event. Here, see for yourself:

There were eight contestants. Here they are displaying their swimwear:

There were three categories: casual wear, talent, and swimwear. The “talent” for seven of the contestants was dancing, and the other one sang karaoke-style. And now for the results:

We arrived in San Antonio a little after 12, and headed home around 4:30. That’s a longer beer window than normal for me, plus I’d missed my afternoon nap. So, I had no desire to leave again after we got back home. I did grab a beer and headed up to The Rite Spot On the Roof to watch this:

So, despite being a notorious early bird, I judged it to be even too early for a lightweight like me to go to bed. So, I plopped my sorry ass down on the couch in front of the TV for the first time in I don’t know how long. I scrolled through some of the Netflix offerings and decided that “Yellowstone” looked interesting enough to give it a watch. I wasn’t even halfway through the first episode before the WOKE bullshit about the poor mistreated Native Americans was thrown in my face (we stole their land, don’t you know?). I said, “Fuck this,” and turned off the television.

In the LTG August 2018 archives, it is my 63rd birthday. I celebrate it with a post about all the places I’ve lived during this version of my lifetime. It’s been a good ride so far.

Back when I lived in Korea, I would occasionally encounter a bar with signage indicating that only Koreans were allowed to enter. I’d just shrug and walk away because who wants to go where they are not wanted. In Angeles City, Koreans have taken over many of the girly bars, and guess what, they don’t want Filipinos inside. Well, someone complained to a famous Filipino investigative journalist, Raffy Tulfo, and as today’s YouTube video demonstrates, all hell has broken loose.

I’ve heard some of the AC Korean bars don’t want white guys either. But once the government came knocking, it was just a misunderstanding.

Here are some more smiles for you:

And here we go with another Hash Monday. The Hare is on my notorious list, so I’ve got some alternative trails in mind. I will walk to the start and decide what to do from there. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

Okie dokie, I’m heading out to San Antonio (an hour or so away) to attend the FRALICS beauty pageant this afternoon at the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA).

And a scene of lovely young ladies competing is especially nice. They say beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, and I’ll be enjoying those as well.

So, before I go, let me do a quick review of yesterday. Starting with the weekly Decay Dance.

Then it was time for our evening fun. Didn’t really have a plan, but we wound up going to some places we don’t normally visit.

Then we hit up Nipsey’s Bar for the first time in a long time.

Then we strolled down the highway and popped into Queen Victoria Bar to finish our evening.

And then we hopped in a trike and rode on home. Around midnight, I woke up in a pool of sweat. Seems there was a brownout (power outage) and the fans had shut down. That lasted for an uncomfortable two hours and impacted my ability to sleep. And now as I write this post, the power is out once again. Looks like I picked a good day to get out of town.

From Facebook memories, eight years ago I had my last Korean haircut.

From the August 2018 LTG archives, the on-again, off-again romance with Marissa drama continues. I should have known better than to keep coming back for more. Hell, I DID know better, but sometimes it’s easier to be stupid, I guess.

For today’s YouTube video, let’s time-travel back to the Philippines in the post-war 1940s. Yeah, to hell with the “do-over life,” I’ll settle for a time machine.

One last thing before I go:

Okay, perhaps tomorrow I’ll have something a tad more interesting to post. At least the pictures should be more reflective of the inherent beauty to be seen in the Philippines.

So, Matain (Maw-tah-in) is a barangay when you cross the river on the way out of Barretto. You can’t get to the Subic side of things without passing through, and that’s what we did for our Friday group hike. And when I say “we,” I mean Swan and me, who were once again the only participants.

And since it was a day ending in a “y,” at beer o’clock we headed into Barretto.

First stop, the salon where I get my haircut.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we crossed the highway and enjoyed our first beverages of the evening at Red Bar.

Then we moved on to Cheap Charlies.

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot and had our usual good time, especially as measured by the number of lady drinks we purchased. Then, as bedtime approached, we headed on home where I prepared a batch of smoothies before calling it a night.

Is that last sentence correct? It seems I have compound predicate issues.

In other news, it seems I may been in line for a blowjob:

And Swan has finally lost her virginity:

Continuing with the August 2018 LTG archives, it’s three months into my life in the Philippines, and I have no friends. Eight years on, I still don’t have many. That’s okay, I have my Hash buddies, my hiking pals, and my drinking companion. If people don’t like me, it’s their loss. In this post, I talk about a couple of interesting folks I met at Wet Spot, including Dave Fischer. I still feel his presence every time I’m there.

In today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea reports on the impact of rising prices throughout the Philippines. As usual, it is the people who can afford it the least (trike drivers, sari-sari store owners, etc.) who are hurting the most. I fear things are going to get worse before they get better. I live in excess, so I’ll be fine. It’s hard to watch the suffering of the poor folks around me, though.

There’s a theme in today’s humor, see if you can tell what it is:

Yeah, I did that last one on purpose. Although I’ve always fancied myself a writer of sorts (high school journalism, creative writing, legal briefs, blogging), I’ve never mastered the intricacies of proper grammar and punctuation. It always sounds right in my head, but even when I’ve been shown the rules, I tend to ignore or misapply them. I’ll keep on trying to do better anyway.

…but still I didn’t feel so great.

Even a shit day is better than nothing. That said, I don’t want to waste the days I do have left. I was on my own yesterday and feeling out of sorts. I carried on as best I could, but I wasn’t a happy camper.

For my morning walk, I did a boring stroll through the neighborhood. Then I wrote a shit blog post (aren’t they all?) and took a nap. As beer o’clock approached, I showered up and headed into town. I was going to get a haircut, but couldn’t be bothered, so I kicked things off at Sloppy Joe’s.

I had a second Sloppy beer, then paid my tab and headed up the highway to Red Bar. When I arrived, the music was blaring so loud that I turned around to leave. Bartender Rolen asked what was wrong, and I pointed at the speaker. He nodded and said he’d turn it down, so I ordered beer #3. My next aggravation was two loud drunks sitting at the table across from me. It was painful to watch their obnoxious behavior, but thankfully, they left shortly thereafter, so I had another beer.

It being a two-and-done kind of evening, I paid my Red Bar tab and hit the road again.

I only visit Alaska once or twice a month, but it is a sentimental favorite. Owner Jerry shouted out a greeting when I arrived, and I plopped myself down at one of the empty tables and ordered beer #5. When the Sit-n-Bull waitress came by, I ordered me some chicken fingers and some lumpia for the gals. I only ate four of the fingers and gave the rest to the dancers. Then I had another beer before departing for home.

I had a bowl of sugar-free pudding, but wasn’t sleepy yet, so I grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed upstairs to The Rite Spot. I did find some comfort in the rocking chair and the city lights below me. So, I went back to the kitchen for night’s brew #8, then up to the roof again.

I went to bed but didn’t sleep well. In fact, I had my worst sleep score since I began tracking via my Fitbit.

And now I have shared my pain and sorrow with you. Please forgive me!

Onward in the August 2018 LTG archives, and here I am sharing my lived wisdom with a broken-hearted friend. Of course, I talk a better game than I live, and the lessons learned didn’t prevent the heartbreaks yet to come.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the vlogger’s provincial life. The beach town of Mulanay looks nice enough, and one of the things that he likes best is that there is only one other foreigner living there. Hmm, I get that living in an expat town like Barretto isn’t the “real” Philippine lifestyle. Still, I enjoy the company and camaraderie that come with the shared experience of growing old here amongst the familiar faces.

Forgive me once again:

So far, today is going somewhat better than yesterday, so there’s that. We’ll see what comes next.

Not having the best of days today, so let’s get on with this post about yesterday. No other Wednesday Walkers except for Swan and me, so we decided to pay a visit to the lola (grandmother) we help out once in a while. We took the riverwalk from WalterMart option to get there. (Ha-ha, my spellchecker says it should be Walmart. Nope.)

Swan declined to join me for the weekly Baloy Beach excursion, so I went alone.

I had one beer on the Kokomo’s floating bar, then left because of the crap music. I noticed they changed it as soon as I got on the departure raft. Hmm.

So, I dropped into the seldom-visited Kim’s Place on the beach.

Then I walked further down the beach and had a beer at Tropical Garden.

Walked back to Treasure Island for some grub.

After my meal, I walked to the highway and had my nightcap at Snackbar. Then I triked home and went to bed.

Onward to the August 2018 LTG archives, and in a post on my three-month anniversary of living in the Philippines, I list the top ten ways I’m likely to die here. Almost eight years later, I’m still kickin’, so there’s that. Oh, and I predicted that I was heading for a train wreck with Marissa. But of course, I didn’t get off the train.

Today’s YouTube video discusses how different life in the States feels after living in Asia. I haven’t been back for seven years now, but sometimes in the sports bars I see American television commercials, and it seems like another world. I’m pretty sure I won’t ever be going back “home.”

Funny or not, here they come:

Okay, enough of this. Until next time.

Sometimes, you have to give yourself credit. It took me two days, but I managed to jump through the hoops required to get my credit card reactivated. There was a suspicious purchase on the card, and when I reported it as unauthorized, the credit union blocked my card. I went online with them to try and resolve the situation, but was advised to call a number in the USA. I tried to call on Monday, but the automated system said the wait time to speak with an agent was over 1 hour. Um, no thanks. Granted, it was Easter Sunday there, so I kinda sorta understood. I called yesterday morning again, and this time the wait was “only” 10 minutes. When the agent came on the phone, she asked the usual questions to verify who I was, had me jump through a couple of confirmation hoops, and then told me she would transfer me to the person who handles credit card issues. Yep, another ten minutes on hold. I once again explained the situation (my card hadn’t been skimmed, like what happened in Vietnam; this was a vendor double-billing me). We agreed that my purchases would continue to be monitored on both ends and that my card would be reinstated immediately. Yep, that was the highlight of my day.

With my newly restored purchasing power ensconced in my wallet, I was able to take care of the weekly grocery shopping. On the way back home, I had my driver drop me off at Dr. Jo’s office for my third Ozempic injection. I informed her that my appetite continued to be suppressed, with an almost total elimination of between-meal snacks and a tendency to be satisfied with smaller meal portions. The only adverse side-effect so far has been bouts of acid reflux. So, I got my third shot. One more week at the low dosage, then we’ll see how I react to the big jab. Next, Dr. Jo put me on the scale: Down 2 kilograms since last week. Progress!

At the appointed hour, I attended the Alley Hideout Tuesday dart tournament. Overall, I’d rate my game mediocre, but at least I didn’t embarrass myself. Won one and lost two. It is what it is, and since I lack motivation to practice, I’m not likely to show much improvement. But chucking the arrows once or twice a week isn’t a bad change of scenery. The beer at Alley Hideout is cold and wet, just the way I like it.

After my elimination from the tourney, we popped into Gold Bar next door for our nightcap. Surprisingly busy, and we wound up seated behind the stage for the first time.

Then we were homeward bound for a smoothie and a good night’s sleep.

In other news, I loved this Earthset as seen from the Artemis spacecraft:

My pal Scott shares some of his old photo albums on Facebook, and it is nice seeing shots from the good ol’ days, most of which were before my time here. But sometimes I recognize someone in the pictures:

From the July 2018 LTG archives comes this post where I’m bitching about the worst Hash trail ever. Well, I’ve seen worse since then, but I was still relatively new to the Hash experience at the time. Anyway, it was days like this one that convinced me I needed to take responsibility for my own safety and well-being on the trail. So, I have no shame about taking a shortcut or making my own way as circumstances dictate. The post also mentions the opportunity I had to hook up with a couple of Hash cuties for a threesome, but I wound up bailing on that adventure as well. At least I’m consistent!

Today’s YouTube video shares five things you need to avoid to keep things hoppin’ when you hit 70 years old. I think I’m doing alright for the most part, although I probably do need to drink more water. I’m also going to have Dr. Jo revisit the meds and vitamins I’m dosing daily to make sure there are no internal conflicts. I’m trying to move past the mental stress that comes with knowing time is running out, and I think I’m doing somewhat better in that regard. I want to live to see how I feel when I turn 80!

At least I still have my sense of humor. Such as it is:

Life goes on, so I’d best get on with it. Come back for more tomorrow!

I’m not a religious man, but I do maintain my rituals. And not all of them involve beer. Even on Easter Sunday, we hit the road for a Sweets Stroll. But instead of calling Swan the Candy Girl, I declared that the Easter Bunny was in the ‘hood! Here’s some of what we saw on our walk:

The last three funeral banners I’ve encountered have all been older than me, which is very rare to see. Maybe there is hope that my turn, turn, turn can be similarly delayed.

And then we changed things up by inviting Swan’s extended family to join us for Easter dinner at The Rite Spot On the Roof.

We kicked things off with the traditional Easter egg hunt for the kids. We didn’t have any chocolate eggs, so we substituted candy bags left over from the morning walk.

After dinner, the Filipino adults in attendance played a weird game. Kinda like hopscotch, but with dice and drinking.

That kind of fun is not my style, but I had an ice chest full of San Miguel Light to keep me company.

The party was still going strong when I ran out of gas, so I said my goodnights and headed to the comfort of my bed.

It was nice to see Swan enjoying some family time, and they all seemed to have fun at The Rite Spot.

Facebook memories reminded me of an incident that happened eleven years ago. I was still a smoker back then, but as a long-time resident of Korea, I tried to use my limited ability to speak the language as a sign of politeness and respect. So, I could do things like order a beer and get a pack of cigarettes in Korean. Or so I thought until that night at the local 7-Eleven store:

I went to the neighborhood 7-11 to buy some smokes. As is my custom, I told the clerk, “Dongbae Marlboro silver chuseyo.” He pointed at the black pack, and I said, “Anio, silver.” He pointed at the gold pack, and I repeated “silver”. I finally had to gesture to where the ones I wanted were. He pulled them from the rack, pointed at the word silver, and proceeded to instruct me in how to pronounce the word “silver”. Apparently, it’s “sil-buh”. Who knew? Still, it was a unique experience having a Korean try to teach me how to properly say an English word.

Good times! I quit smoking tobacco shortly thereafter.

From the July 2018 LTG archives, my first relationship in the Philippines came to an abrupt end. I was all full of wisdom and accepted that it was for the best, as we were obviously so wrong for each other. Spoiler alert: the wisdom didn’t last. Oh, and that Muslim gal I was considering never happened. How can I date someone who doesn’t enjoy grilled pork?

In today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea is back home in the Philippines, sharing her pasalubong with her family. The surprise encounter with her mother after not seeing her for a year was pretty hilarious. The Pea is always a fun watch.

You knew these were coming:

And now it is time to prepare for the Easter Monday Hash. I won’t be doing the mountain climb this year, but the “easy” trail is long (around Easter Mountain instead of over it), and it’s hot outside. That’s plenty challenging for me. Come back and read all about it here tomorrow.

…in fact, you could call it a Good Friday!

Trying to make the best of these golden years while recognizing the limitations that come with old age has sometimes been a struggle. I think I’m doing better at finding my sweet spot. Ironically, that means giving up the sweets I’d come to know and love. The Ozempic is helping to impose the self-discipline I’d otherwise lack by eliminating my cravings for the most part. Hopefully, you’ll be seeing less of me in the future.

The group hikers gathered as usual for our bi-weekly excursion. It was a Good Friday for a hike (sorry, I’ll let that lameness go now). Another hot day (aren’t they all?), but we overcame and had a mostly pleasant 6K stroll through Calapacuan.

I was on the fence about participating in the Friday dart tournament at Alley Hideout. Turns out, Jesus saved me because the bar closed for the holiday. That allowed me to leave my darts at home and enjoy a guilt-free evening on the town. I elected to visit Cheap Charlies first, and Swan consented to join me.

Nothing like a little free entertainment while you sip your beer.

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. Or should I say Wet Spot/Green Room, since both crews are working out of WS while the renovation at GR continues. I usually limit myself to buying lady drinks for only two girls, but since I have four regulars here now, I have to double the pleasure.

After fifty bucks’ worth of fun, we called it a night and headed on home.

It’s the end of June 2018 in the LTG archives. I’ve got a new best friend, a winning date with Marissa, and another broken heart. Sounds like the story of my life.

Today’s YouTube video is something a little different—the story of a Japanese man who lived alone on a deserted island for 32 years. It was by choice, and he loved it. A voice in my head kept saying, “Is this for real?” but I’ve found nothing to the contrary.

I’ve got the jokes if you’ve got the time:

Hallelujah, another post has come to an end. Praise the Lord!