No great insights derived from another day of living in paradise. But I did achieve a new way to dispense water.

Yeah, it’s good to have something new and exciting to blog about! In other news, Swan decided to stay home last evening, declaring it a “me day.” Well, I enjoy her company when I’m out and about, but I would never impose my lifestyle on her or otherwise insist that she join me every time I go out. Since I was on my own, I decided to visit the bars on my “no go” list to see if they warranted reconsideration. And it also proves I’m not a slave to my habits.

First stop, BarCelona. I’d 86’d this place mainly because they insisted on playing crappy music at a loud volume. So, upon arrival, I noted that the music was acceptable and the volume was comfortable. I also noticed that the place was deserted. I’m used to being the only customer, but yesterday there was only one waitress in attendance instead of the usual half a dozen or so. I asked my server what was up with that, and she told me the others are scheduled to arrive later in the evening. Ah, okay. That actually makes sense; no need to pay wait staff when there are no customers to serve.

As I was finishing my second beer, the bartender showed up, greeting me as she walked by. And then the music changed back to crap and the volume increased. I paid my tab and left.

Cheap Charlies had always been one of my favorite spots, but the bartender saying I was stupid to be upset when they didn’t have wine for Swan inspired me to take my business elsewhere. So, it’s been a few months since that incident, and I was alone, so I climbed the stairs to see what I’d been missing.

I was somewhat surprised when the offending bartender came and sat down beside me, saying It’s been a while since we’ve seen you here. Um, you said I was stupid, remember? She gave me a funny look, as if she didn’t remember that, and just said it was nice to see me again. Okay, I accepted the olive branch and gave her cookies and lollipops to share with the girls. Then I went back to enjoying my beer and the view.

And then I ran into a guy I had met several months ago in a bar on Baloy. I’d see him around occasionally, but last night we had a chance to talk, and he’s an interesting guy—Air Force vet who spent some time at Osan in Korea. He introduced his girlfriend, a nursing student, and said he has really settled into a comfortable life here. I’m happy things are working out for him.

After wrapping things up at Cheap Charlies, I was ready for some grub. Myleen’s is right across the road, so I headed there.

After satiating my hunger, I was ready to continue my journey to bars that pissed me off in the past. Next stop, Cyclone. Another place that put me off with inappropriately loud music during my last visit. I’m happy to report that was not the case last night.

Cyclone has a nice ambiance and bills itself as a “sports bar,” but I’m not sure they’ve found a niche to fill in Barretto. During my brief visit, several people popped in, looked around, and then departed. We’ll see how long they last. I watched a couple of the bored waitresses playing pool, and then finished my beer and moved on to my last stop of the night next door at Cloud 69.

It was good to see my waitress friend Sheryl back at work, so I bought her my first lady drink of the night. Once again, no other customers but me.

And that’s where my “me time” came to an end. Back home just before eight and in bed shortly thereafter. Early to bed, early to rise meant waking up at 4:15 this morning

A couple of hours later, after the sun came out, the view looked like this:

Another bar I choose not to visit is MacArthur’s. I considered going last night, but it was on the wrong side of town. I noticed they have outside seating now, which I like, so maybe one of these days. Anyway, it’s a small place and the owner fills it with attractive young women. Apparently, some issues have arisen with other unnamed bar owners, at least judging from this post on Facebook today:

It’s still May 2014 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I share my deep thoughts after observing the parking lot beneath my Seoul apartment balcony.

Today’s YouTube video features Reekay discussing dental care prices in the Philippines. I’ve been blessed to find one of the best dentists I’ve ever used right here in Barretto (Dr. Raymond Barrera). Much cheaper than what I used to pay in the USA and Korea.

Nine years ago, during my first-ever visit to Pattaya, I walked to Walking Street.

And maybe these will make you show your teeth:

And that’s all for now.

Over at Kevin Kim’s Big Hominid blog is a post about being a creature of habit. As Kevin says, most of us are, and I’ve never seen that as a bad thing. Now that I am in my retired years with no work responsibilities to fill my time, I’ve developed my own rituals, routines, and habits that give my life some structure and semblance of meaning. Of course, I’m sure my regular readers see most of these activities as boringly mundane, and perhaps they are. But there is comfort to be found in sameness when you enjoy doing what you do. That said, I do try to take at least one trip out of town every month to change things up a little, and that helps keep things interesting. The bottom line for me is that having daily routines is beneficial, as they provide perspective and help keep life in balance. That works for me, anyway.

Things aren’t always the same around here. Today, I got a rather distressing email from my blog host that some suspicious malware had been discovered and removed:

During a recent security review of your WordPress installation for mccrarey.com, we detected and removed a malicious administrator account named “admin2backup” that had been added to your database on September 4, 2025.

We also located and removed the file that created this account, which had been uploaded through a compromised plugin upload request on September 12, 2025. Both the file and the unauthorized user have been successfully removed from your account.

At this time, no further suspicious activity has been detected. Please note, this cleanup was performed as a one-time courtesy. If further malware or compromise is detected on this account in the future, it could result in service suspension or account termination to protect server integrity.

Well, thanks for that, HostGator. Scary shit when someone attacks my humble little blog with only a handful of loyal readers. I’d hate for LTG to die before I do!

So, back to the routines. The Wednesday Walkers gathered as usual at the Baloy 7-Eleven and decided we’d walk the long version of Monday’s Hash trail in reverse. And that’s just what we did, more or less. Going up the original down proved challenging, but otherwise, most of the hike was on familiar ground. Being out and about is the mission, and that goal was achieved.

Sorry, for some reason, I wasn’t in a picture-taking mode, so that’s all I’ve got. Hell, you’ve seen it all before, anyway.

Fellow hiker Steve has recently returned from several months back home in Aussie-land and asked to join us for our nightly intake of alcoholic beverages. Hey, the more the merrier!

Swan said we broke a record by returning home prior to 7:30. Damn, I’m such an old fogey lately.

This post from the May 2014 LTG archives documents a time when I had some staying power. The story of a Korean weekend is primarily told through photographs, so take a look and see what you think. Getting back home at four in the morning seems mind-boggling to me now.

Facebook memories reminded me of a gal I met in Manila eight years ago:

Today’s YouTube video features another vlogger I’ve never watched before, recounting how he learned to accept the Filipino way (even if he still doesn’t know how to spell “Filipino”).

Let’s try these on for size:

Oh well, there’s still time for more screw-ups, so I’d better get to it.

Another first! Never heard this song or of Tove Lo before:

Okay, another Tuesday is in the books, and even more so than the other days in my week, there is not much worthy of note about it. I’m not complaining about that, I’m just glad to be still alive and kicking. I don’t know how much longer that will be the case, but life is a blessing, and even a boring day is better than the alternative of eternal darkness.

I’m not that comfortable talking about my various charity projects because it is supposed to be about helping others, not glorifying your own good deeds. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that the foundation of my giving is selfishness — helping a few takes away some of the guilt that comes with living rich in a poor country. So, I do what I can, and hopefully it makes a difference.

One of the people I’ve been assisting is barely an acquaintance. She used to be the take-out waitress from Sit-n-Bull a couple of years ago, and I’d see her around town making her deliveries. She always had a smile and a friendly greeting and seemed to genuinely enjoy her work. Then one day she was gone, and I was told she had moved home to the province. Several months later, a mutual friend contacted me and said Erica needed help. She had been diagnosed with cancer and required treatment. Well, my charity budget is insufficient to cover the cost of extensive medical procedures, but what Erica needed was a different kind of help. Cancer treatment wasn’t available in the public hospital near where she lived, so she needed to go to Manila for proper care, but didn’t have money for transport. That was within my ability to help, and so I wired the needed funds. For the last several months, she has shared with me the nightmare of medical care at public hospitals in the Philippines, but she wants to live and is continuing her battle to beat the cancer. I’ve been sending her money for food and lodging and hoping for the best, but my gut tells me her survival will require a miracle. She’s very religious, so maybe her faith will be rewarded.

Anyway, she sent me this message yesterday and it touched my heart:

I need to endure, I need to extend my patience, there’s nothing I can do, I wasn’t born rich. Nevertheless, you don’t neglect us when it comes to our daily expenses and our rent, so we don’t struggle here in Manila. Your support has been a tremendous help to us; it’s good that up to now you haven’t abandoned us with our daily expenses. I keep fighting because I know I have financial support, making our living and my treatment easier. If it weren’t for you, who genuinely cares for me, I wouldn’t know who to turn to for our expenses and rent. Thank you so much for your unwavering help and care for us. I truly wish you a long life and that you may continue to help many others like me.

The Lord has not abandoned me in this battle; He sent an angel to me, making it easy and without any worries about our expenses here in Manila. I will fight, and I know I will get better. That will be my payment for all the help you have given us. I will hold on to our Creator; I cannot give up, I still want to live. I know the Lord will give that to me; I just need to trust in Him.

Stay strong and keep fighting, Erica.

The rest of my day went like this:

Tuesday is our Baloy Beach day, and at the appointed hour, we headed out. I needed to replenish the cash in my wallet, so I stopped at the ATM in the 7-Eleven. The machine was out of service. We walked on down Baloy Road and tried the ATM at Harley’s. It was out of cash. So, on to Blue Rock. The ATM there was offline. The only other ATM I know of on Baloy is at the Viking Resort, so instead of toes in the sand time for Swan, we walked the pavement to Viking. Alas, that ATM was also unable to dispense cash. I have no idea what is going on with the ATMs, but welcome to the Philippines!

I had enough cash on me for our dinner at Treasure Island, which was practically across the street from us, so off we went.

Still needing to replenish the wallet, after dinner, we had our trike driver take us to It Doesn’t Matter. I was pleasantly surprised that the ATM there was functioning and dispensed the 10,000 pesos I had requested. After a couple of IDM beers, we moved on to the Wet Spot for our nightcap. I had planned to attend the final rendition of the SOB there on Friday, but manager Brett advised that it has once again been postponed, this time until Halloween. Alrighty then.

Ain’t life grand? Even a hollow Tuesday was worthy of enjoyment.

On now to May 2014 in the LTG archives. In this post, I recount an evening out in Itaewon with my good friend Dennis McPeters. Dennis retired and moved to Cambodia, and I visited him there a couple of times. And now he has disappeared. He didn’t do social media, so we stayed in touch via email, but he hasn’t responded for a couple of years now. I fear he has died (he is several years older than me) and wasn’t in the best of health the last time I saw him. My Google search for any news or an obituary was fruitless. Dennis is one of several good friends who no longer respond to my attempts to contact them. One of the sad realities that comes with ageing, I suppose.

From Facebook memories, eight years ago, I was still enjoying my first and only visit to Boracay Island here in the Philippines.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I’ve never seen before who tries to make the case that expats in the Philippines are losers. He convinced me that he is an expert loser, but his premise about the rest of us is as ignorant as he is. Yeah, it is far from perfect here, but most of us love it anyway.

And now for what passes as humor around here:

Another day, another post. Still glad to be here.

Today’s song was featured in a dream I had over eleven years ago. I even blogged about it.

That’s weird. My captions used to be centered under the image; now, all of a sudden, they are indented. Since I don’t know how to change it back, I’ll let the experts figure it out.

Otherwise, things were pretty much the same as they always are around here on a Sunday. Starting with the Decay Dance (aka Candy Walk). That name took on added meaning when one of the kids complained about having a toothache. He took the offered candy anyway.

Next on the agenda was the Hideaway feeding.

And then it was my turn to eat.

I’m sure you can guess what Swan had to eat:

We did our usual after-dinner drinks at Red Bar. Our regular waitress was being treated to lady drinks by another customer, so I was able to save some coin.

We did our nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks and enjoyed the usual chill-vibe ambiance and good music on the excellent sound system. Swan and the manager seemed to enjoy chatting in some foreign language while I shared cookies and lollipops with the waitresses.

And that’s how we closed out another day in the life.

Back to the April 2014 LTG archives, and I came upon a post I wrote about a dream I had the night before. These days, I forget my dreams before I awaken, but I remembered this dream enough back then to follow the instructions I was given in my sleep to post seven pictures from Los Angeles. Okay, I still don’t know why, but it is the city where I was born, and it was nice to revisit the memories I have about some good times in the City of Angels. Of course, like most Democrat-run cities in America, it is a shithole now.

Speaking of shitholes, Manila is my least-favorite place in the Philippines. In today’s YouTube video, you can cringe watching how the poor people in that city have taken up living in the cemetery. I do admire the resilience of the Filipino people, making the best of what they have.

Let’s end on a more pleasant note:

And once again, I’ll be partaking in the Hash Monday event. A first-time Hare this week, Fast And Loose. I’m not sure what to expect, but she is a fit-as-a-fiddle marathoner, so I’m guessing that if I want an easy trail, I’ll have to find one on my own. We’ll see how it goes.

An iffy day trip to Nangoloan Falls turned out well. Except for a couple of brief rain showers, the weather was fine. The cloudy skies were a benefit in shielding us from the direct sunlight. The only real downside from Friday’s storm was the residual flooding we had to deal with in reaching our destination. But we didn’t let wet feet ruin our good time. Here’s a shitload of photos from our adventure.

So, we arrived around 9:30 and packed up to go at 4:00. Not bad for an old fucker drinking San Miguel Light (no Zero available). We loaded into the carabao carts for the ride back to the parking area.

But the fun wasn’t over yet. I contemplated being home at six, falling asleep, then waking up at 2 a.m. Fuck that. I had my driver stop by the house to drop off our gear, then we continued on to It Doesn’t Matter for a nightcap. The riders in the van were on board with that idea.

As days around these parts go, this was a good one.

On to April 2014 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I tell the tale of an adventurous day in Seoul, some good and some bad.

Today’s YouTube video features the Filipina Pea dispensing her wisdom about the perils of attaching yourself to the wrong woman. Been there, done that. Repeatedly. It took a while, but it seems I finally got lucky.

And now let’s get down to the funny business.

And now it is time to get on with my Sunday routines. You know the drill: Hideaway feeding, dinner at John’s place, and a mini-barhop afterward. Yeah, I know, I’m a lucky bastard.

Yesterday was a mix of old and new. Another typhoon blew through, but that didn’t stop the Friday group hikers from hitting the road. It did keep me from hitting the bars, but a surprise invite to the neighbor’s house for dinner turned out to be a unique event for me. Jeff’s friend, Frank, is from France, and he prepared last night’s meal. The man is quite the foodie, and I couldn’t help but think of my pal Kevin Kim, who also prepares dining delicacies from scratch and coincidentally speaks French. Suffice to say, it was a great evening hanging out in the ‘hood, drinking beer (and some Fireball shots), and enjoying food items I rarely eat these days.

And last night’s attendees will reconvene later this morning in San Felipe at Nangolon Falls. The good news is the storm seems to have passed, and while the skies are still cloudy, the rain has stopped. Here’s hoping that continues through the day. Oh yeah, last night the group I’m bringing all canceled. This morning, they’ve changed their minds again and are going to join in the fun. Hooray!

For yesterday’s rainy hike, we opted to take the flat and mostly paved Philseco loop. Here are some photos from that adventure:

That was my Friday, and it was a good one.

Still climbing through the March 2014 LTG archives, and this post documents another mountain trek in Seoul, this time Bukhansan, one of my favorites. Oh, how I miss those days.

Today’s YouTube video shows yesterday’s storm in full fury. Wasn’t quite as bad in my neck of the woods wind-wise, but we got enough rain to flood the highways. Hopefully, we won’t have any issues accessing the falls in San Felipe today.

Humor time:

And now to finish preparing for today’s adventure at the Nangoloan Falls. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

A nice change of pace yesterday. Neighbors Jeff and Davina invited us to join them on a scouting expedition to Nangoloan Falls in San Felipe. By scouting, I mean that a large group of us is planning an adventure there on Saturday, and we wanted to check out what might be in store for us since none of us had ever been there before. It took just about an hour to get there from our house, and I enjoyed seeing some new countryside. Upon arrival, we parked and then rode on a carabao-pulled cart the one kilometer or so to the falls. I’d never ridden behind a carabao before, so even at seventy years of age, I had a first-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s a rare thing indeed!

I opted to walk back to the parking area to get some steps in and check out the scenery.

So hopefully, things will go as planned tomorrow. There is one potential wrinkle on the horizon.

In the evening, I took Swan out for dinner at Jewel Cafe.

We spent some after-dinner time at It Doesn’t Matter, then did a nightcap at Nipsey’s. And that’s how I rolled through an out-of-the-ordinary day. Hopefully, tomorrow’s adventure turns out to be a good one.

Still marching through the 2014 LTG archives. This post reminded me again of what I loved and miss about living in Seoul. The wife and I wanted to hike, and literally right outside our building was a mountain climb through a parklike setting amidst the urban sprawl of the city. What a life I had and lost.

It’s a dog’s life in today’s YouTube video. You won’t be barking up the wrong tree if you heed these words of wisdom.

But wait, there’s more:

I’ll try to do better tomorrow. I sure as hell hope this rain stops. How bad is it? Well, I’m not going into town tonight, bad. Of course, getting invited to Jeff and Davina’s made that decision easier.

I have no complaints about my yesterday other than I have nothing of significance to blog about. So, the good news is that today’s post about yesterday will be short and almost painless. Let’s get it done!

For our Wednesday evening outing, we hit the beach at Baloy. Kokomo’s was closed, so we went to Treasure Island instead. And there we ran into Kokomo’s owner, Steve, and our neighbors, Jeff and Davina.

When the rest of the group departed, Swan and I paid a visit to Green Room. Enjoyed watching some pool games and ordered some food from Sit-n-Bull before heading home.

And that was that for my Wednesday.

One of my commenters saw fit to create images that show a side of me that does not exist.

From the March 2014 LTG archives, my first post since returning to Korea and being forced to stay in the USA for thirteen months while Jee Yeun waited for her Green Card to be approved. Damn, I had it good back then.

Today’s YouTube video features a blogger talking about how turning seventy made him feel old for the first time in his life. I can relate. I’m still adjusting to the transition, but my overall attitude so far has been “fuck it, I’m going to die anyway.”

Let’s end this on a high note:

Okay then, we’ll try this again tomorrow. It’s bound to get better.

Let’s get the down and dirty over and done with. It’s Tuesday we are talking about, so there ain’t a whole lot to say about it anyway. The grocery shopping excursion went without incident. Got back home and did the usual neighborhood walk (4.5K).

Swan spent the afternoon with one of her girlfriends, so at beer o’clock I made a solo journey into town.

I plopped down at Sloppy Joe’s and enjoyed my first beer of the day. A couple of other acquaintances stopped by, and we exchanged some brief chitchat. Swan joined me there about an hour later, and we shared some chicken wings as we sat and watched the world pass by. When it was time for a change of scenery, we paid a visit to the Alaska Club. Owner Jerry is back in the USA for a while, and the bar was devoid of customers. When Jerry’s around, there are pool tournaments that bring in the regulars. We didn’t stay long ourselves. I suggested Green Room for the nightcap, but when I poked my head in the door, I saw the place was packed. Turns out there was an end-of-season pool tourney taking place. So, we walked on down the road to Cloud 69.

Our regular waitress, Sheryl, was absent once again. So, we were served by a waitress I had noticed before, but never interacted with, named Barbie. After a bit, Swan asked me to buy a lady drink for Barbie. Sure, why not?

If you look closely, you might notice that Barbie looks more like Ken wearing Barbie’s clothes. Yes, Barbie is a bakla. Not my thing, but no reason to be rude about it. Barbie and Swan seemed to get along well. And commenter Aaron knows where to find her now.

Reminds me of the story about a guy named Tom who was dating a bakla. We all knew the truth, but Tom thought otherwise. I asked him, “Why do you think she’s a real girl?” Tom said, “I don’t know, John. I can just feel it inside of me.” Bada bing!

So, we ended our evening with the girl with something extra and headed home.

It’s still February 2014 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recount how my brief time on the high school cross country team came to an end. It’s a little sad looking back on it now, considering the lifetime of other experiences. And I do wonder if my coach hadn’t been an asshole or if I wasn’t so stubborn, how different my life might have gone. Leaving high school athletics behind opened the door to me becoming a pothead. Many other bad decisions flowed from that one.

Facebook memories included this post from twelve years ago:

There was a big earthquake in Cebu yesterday. That’s too far from here to have had any impact. Reekay is somewhat closer in Bohol, and in today’s YouTube video, he shares some thoughts on the experience.

And you knew these were coming:

October has arrived, and with it the expiration of my current lease on this house. No worries, I’m signing a new one today. Paying the rent a year in advance takes a bite out of my savings, but I’m still above water. For now.

I had every intention of doing the first half of the Hash trail yesterday, including the climb up Kalaklan Ridge. But when I got to the steep beginning of the trail to the top, I said “fuck this,” and opted to walk the second half of the trail instead. That proved to be a wise choice because even that more moderate climb was an ass kicker. Feedback from those who did the ridge was that it was slippery going both up and down. Kalaklan will be there when I’m ready.

One of the birthday girls gave me a hug after the circle, getting some of the cake on my shirt. I got a laugh when I took a closer look during the after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter.

Just living through another Hash Monday is a pleasure. And so was the pre-Hash lunch Swan cooked me.

As I traverse the February 2014 LTG archives, I am reminded of those days when I watched television for entertainment. In this post, I talk about my favorite shows back then. I smiled when I read that I usually viewed them between 10 pm and 2 am. These days, I rarely even turn on my TV, and certainly not during my prime sleeping hours. Damn, life changes, but I’m still plugging away as best as I can.

Today’s YouTube video wisdom comes from Smart Girl Philippines. I’d summarize it as be careful what you ask for and ask for what you want. And yeah, you can buy it, but as I learned during my transactional phase, it’s a hollow feeling.

Humor me:

Another day done and another one to get on with. Keep ’em coming!

And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

I’ll keep it short and sweet today, starting with the Sunday Sweets Stroll. We did it, and when we finished, I realized that I had seen nothing new or different enough to warrant a photo. So, there you go. 5K of candies dispensed and smiles received. You’ll have to take my word for it.

I mentioned yesterday that I was forgoing my usual Sunday Hideaway Feeding routine. Don’t worry, they still got fed. I wired some money to Joy, and she took care of business.

Yesterday was my new helper, Gina’s birthday. Her niece, Melba, works next door for Jeff and Davina, and it was also her birthday. What are the odds? So, a celebration was held in honor of the special day they were born at Treasure Island on Baloy Beach.

We were going to go back into Barretto for our nightcap, but couldn’t find a trike. So, we walked the kilometer to the highway and plopped down at Snackbar to end our evening.

Another island of memories to treasure.

In this post from the February 2014 LTG archives, I describe the ordeal of my third-world experience in the good ol’ USA. Other than immigration, I don’t deal with government agencies here in my third-world home, but I’m in and out at the BI in thirty minutes or less, so no complaints.

From Facebook memories comes this collage of photographs depicting the life I was living nine years ago:

In today’s YouTube video, this doctor says drinking alcohol is good for you. He might be wrong about you, but it works for me.

Swan posted a video short of me potentially under the influence of alcohol on Saturday night at Jumpin’ Jacks. Looks like I was motivated to exercise.

If that wasn’t funny enough, try these:

And now it is time to prepare myself for another Hash Monday. No intel on the trail that lies ahead, but rumor has it that it’s gonna be a tough one. My plan, as of now, is to do a climb and then bail as circumstances warrant. Yep, the usual plan. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. Assuming I survive.

Several readers have recently called me an alcoholic in the comments here at LTG. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but in this case, I don’t agree. The issue may be that the definition of what constitutes alcoholism is not so well defined. I’m guessing a non-drinker judging me by my lifestyle would see things differently than I do. I’m a lightweight compared to many of the folks I observe in the bar scene. I’ve seen some expats drinking hard liquors from early morning, going home in the afternoon to sleep it off, and coming back out to drink again well into the night. To me, that’s how I define an alcoholic: someone whose drinking is out of control. Admittedly, I drink almost every day of the week. I have a narrow three-hour window for imbibing, and for the most part, I don’t get drunk. Beer drinking is primarily a social activity for me, and I don’t crave beer during the hours when I’m not drinking it. Beer drinking is the culture I grew up in, and as I wrote here a few years ago, it is in my genes. Anyway, call me what you will, it won’t change a thing. Beer is one part of my life, but I’m in charge and in control. At my age, I have no interest in denying myself the things that I enjoy.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get on with the Saturday report (WARNING: THIS POST INCLUDES MENTION OF THE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES).

As usual, the was a Decay Dance to kick off the day.

The evening hours saw a gathering of the neighbors for dinner on SBMA.

We were going to visit a rooftop bar near Texas Joe’s, but it turned out to be closed. So we loaded up and headed back to Barretto for our nightcap.

We all had a good time, and time went by fast. Hold onto your hats:

Sometimes you’ve got to push the envelope and let the good times roll.

From the February 2014 LTG archives, I was reminded of what winter looked like in my South Carolina home. Ice was more likely than snow. Of course, it never even gets chilly here in the Philippines.

Also in the LTG archives was this link to an article proclaiming that the comma was dying from irrelevancy. Damn it, eleven years later, I’m still trying to learn how to use the damn thing properly.

The storms have passed, and I’m once again walking under sunny skies. Today’s YouTube is a short video documenting some of the damage in less fortunate provinces. It’s not always paradise.

To the humor we must go:

Anyway, time to get on with my best life ever. I won’t be attending to the Hideaway feeding today (don’t worry, I sent money for food). Instead, I’m going to do some beach time with Swan and the neighbors at Treasure Island. Live it while you’ve got it!

I bailed on the group hike, but decided to see if I could walk off whatever was ailing my leg. Emmanuel, the recently deceased peanut vendor, lived with his wife and children in Calapacuan. I’d walked past his place in the past, so I knew where it was. His widow asked me for a donation towards funeral expenses, and I set out to deliver the funds personally. She wasn’t there when I arrived, so I left the money with Emmanuel’s sister. The trip there and back was almost 5K. As I had hoped, the pain dissipated while walking, but there was still some stiffness, especially when climbing steps.

Today I am pain-free, and the leg feels back to normal. I’m glad that whatever it was causing the problem didn’t stick around long.

At the appointed hour, Swan and I headed into Barretto. Our first stop was Jewel Cafe for dinner.

After our meal, we made our across the highway and spent some quality time at Red Bar.

We did our nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks and enjoyed the music selections as usual. Not many customers, but then, we are early birds. The live music started at eight, and the performers were the same duo who played at my birthday event.

I am enjoying my time as I near the inevitable end of my life. It doesn’t feel wasted or meaningless. I’m just doing as I please and appreciating the freedom to live as I choose.

Yesterday I shared the last LTG post from 2013. And today, I give you the first post from 2014. The big news was that I quit smoking (again). I gravitated to vaping for my nicotine addiction, but that was still better than further tar in my already damaged lungs. I eventually quit the vaping habit as well.

Today’s YouTube video features the Filipina Pea discussing the ten types of bad behavior foreigners should leave at home. I’m happy to report that none of those shoes fit me. Nope, not even the “barfly” category. I see barflies around town drinking to excess, and that’s not my style. I have a narrow window for beer drinking (5 pm-8 pm), and I’m not a drunken asshole prior to being done for the night. That’s just the way I roll.

I do have a fucked up sense of humor though:

Live it while you got it! Tonight we’ll be spending time with the neighbors on both sides of us at SBMA. Looking forward to a change of scenery!

Out with the old, in with the new. So far, this storm has only hit us with rain. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Meanwhile, Swan and I took advantage of a rare sunny morning and journeyed out to Castillejos for our stroll. Took a mostly familiar route, but if you only do it a couple of times a year, just how familiar can it be?

I had a four p.m. appointment with Dr. Jo, and she provided me with some meds that will hopefully clear my lungs of the phlegm I’ve been coughing up. I suggested to Swan that we head out to Baloy Beach after the appointment, but as we began walking, she changed her mind. Well, when the plans were altered, we were standing in front of the Outback Resort, so we took that as a sign.

We moved on to Sit-n-Bull for dinner.

After our meal, Swan wanted to revisit the newest bar in town, Cyclone.

During our previous visit, I’d picked up mostly positive vibes. Last night, not so much. They didn’t have wine again, which makes no sense, especially since the other two bars with the same owner (Cloud 69 and Nipsey’s) serve it. And the music, WTF? Loud rap-like shit in what is supposed to be a sports bar? We were the only customers, so I suppose the girls felt like they could play whatever they liked. However, the problem is that if you don’t cater to your potential audience of old, grouchy expats, you won’t have an audience. The owner was present, but didn’t greet me or otherwise give me a reason to stay. So, we didn’t. One drink and out. I’m not saying I won’t be back, but I’m not in any hurry to return.

For the hell of it, we went next door to Cloud 69 for our nightcap. Once again, we were the only customers, and the music playing when we entered almost made me turn around and leave. However, to the bar’s credit, once we had taken our seats, the music was changed to something more appropriate (classic rock). I appreciated that. My regular waitress, Sheryl, wasn’t working, and I was afraid that maybe I had indeed gotten her fired over my previous incongruous remarks to the owner about being scammed. I was relieved to be told that Sheryl was just late arriving. Swan got her wine, the beer was cold, and the music was good. We enjoyed our brief visit, then headed for home.

I had some dessert (a slice of pumpkin pie from Sit-n-Bull), checked in with the internet, then headed for bed. But when I stood up, I felt some excruciating pain coming from the back of my left leg. It was also hard to walk. When I got into bed, the pain continued, and I finally took some aspirin to dull my suffering. I didn’t get much sleep, and the leg was still sore this morning. I had hoped I could walk it off, but after walking the dogs, the pain still persisted, so I bailed on the Friday group hike. The pain has eased somewhat as I write this, but I’m clueless as to what is going on. I didn’t slip, trip, or fall, so it’s not a classic injury or muscle pull. Hopefully, it goes away soon.

My final post of 2013 was something a little different. One of my early retirement projects was to read all the back issues of Life magazine. In a 1955 story, I learned about an American captured by the Chinese during the Korean War. He was finally released and returned home to find out his wife had remarried. There were some twists that followed, which I covered by sharing a post from another blog. Anyway, it was something different than my usual drivel here at LTG, and it was good to read it again.

Today’s YouTube video is just some scenes from Manila in the 1970s. Looks like I might have liked it more back then. Maybe I’ll pay a visit during my do-over life.

The funny business (YMMV):

Anyway, here’s hoping I have a leg to stand on as I move forward with the remains of the day. Check back tomorrow to see how it goes.

It didn’t last long, a new storm blew in, and it is raining again. Oh well.

I received that picture last night, after I was asleep, along with a request for additional financial assistance. I hadn’t had a chance to respond yet, and then I received a message from his wife advising that Emmanuel passed away this morning. Sad news, but at least his suffering is over now.

My Fitbit monitors me in my sleep, and the night before, I had the worst sleep score ever:

One of the problems I’ve been having is coughing up phlegm again. I’m going to consult with Dr. Jo this afternoon and try to nip this in the bud. I don’t want to ever experience those breathing attacks I suffered from last year again.

Despite the rainy weather, the Wednesday Walkers ventured out yesterday for a street hike through Matain and Calapacuan.

When it was that time of day again, Swan and I opened the umbrellas and walked into town. I asked her if she preferred getting a drink first or eating first. She chose food, so our next stop was Mylene’s.

After dinner, we ended our evening at Green Room. We departed earlier than usual because we were seeing videos posted of the river overflowing the highway bridge, and we didn’t want to get stuck in the inevitable traffic jam. It was a close call, but we made it home without incident.

It is now December 2013, as I continue my journey through the LTG archives. I was surprised to discover this post where I mentioned a version of my fantasy “do-over” afterlife. Damn, I’ve been thinking about what comes next for twelve years now. Here’s hoping for twelve more years to figure out how to make that happen.

Today’s YouTube video is also from the 2013 archives. It’s only two and a half minutes and worth watching, if for no other reason than to see a good-looking white girl.

And now I hope you’ll humor me while I share these:

And now it is time to move on with the day, whatever it may bring.

The truth of the matter seems to be that the worst of the typhoon has passed us by, with only some residual rain showers left to inconvenience us. Our province wasn’t hit as hard as the ones up north, but we still had moderate winds and some of the heaviest rainfall I’ve seen in a while. So, what’s a fella to do, sit around and mope about it? Um, don’t forget I spent twenty-four years in the Service.

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”

Yeah, it was the Postal Service, but still. And like I always do, I kicked off my Tuesday morning with a shopping excursion.

Okay, I did wuss out of my usual neighborhood stroll when we got back home. Hey, it was wet and wild outside. Swan got invited to join a gathering of Hash girls, and she asked me to bake a batch of my brownies to take along. The hostess sent a trike to pick her up, and I was left alone to contemplate the future. And by future, I mean beer o’clock. I knew the usual Tuesday excursion to Baloy Beach was a no-go, but when the rain lightened up somewhat, I opened the umbrella and made my way on the wet streets to Sloppy Joe’s.

Swan messaged me that the girls were moving their party to IDM and asked me to meet her there. So, I hoofed it one block up the highway and plopped myself down in my usual seat. A few minutes later, several trikes pulled up, and the gals all piled out.

I sat at my table with my good friend San Mig Zero and watched the revelry. When everyone had had enough, we billed out. My tab was over three thousand pesos, including a multitude of lady drinks, purchased mainly by Swan. Who says you can’t put a price tag on a good time?

And that’s how we made our way through the stormy weather.

It is now November 2013 in the LTG archives, and I’m posting about my grocery shopping day in the good ol’ USA. We started at the Korean market to purchase all the items my Korean wife needed to satisfy her cravings. Then I recount the irksome experience I had in the regular supermarket. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

In today’s YouTube video, we check in with Smart Girl Philippines as she advises on what you shouldn’t say to the Filipina you are courting. It depends on what you are looking for, I suppose, but it sounds like good common-sense advice.

Time for some humor:

And now my duty here is completed. There is still intermittent rain, but that won’t keep me from my appointed rounds this evening.

My Brit “friend” John is the latest lefty to unfriend me on Facebook over politics. That’s something I’ve never done myself, but I don’t give a shit when it happens. I’d known John since we’d played darts together in Korea, and I don’t recall ever talking politics back then. Even now, I’ll just post memes like the one above and leave it at that without additional commentary. It’s amazing to see the head exploding reactions I get. In his final comment, John said that I’m a purveyor of hate. Oh well, at least I didn’t get shot. Good luck getting things sorted in your own fucked up country, John.

As far as days go, yesterday was a good one for me. Let me show you what I mean:

Here, let me zoom in for you:

Later in the afternoon, I attended to my weekly feeding of the Hideaway crew.

Next up for me was the Sunday dinner with Swan at John’s place. As soon as we sat down, she told the waitress, “Birria tacos, please.” Imagine the look of disappointment on Swan’s face when she was told they weren’t available. I don’t remember what she ordered instead, some stewed meat dish with rice, but it was not what she had been craving. I plan to surprise her with a visit to Myleen’s this week to get her birria fix.

We changed things up after dinner, stopping in at the seldom-visited Annex Bar. I secured the highway-facing table I prefer and was entertained watching the near misses in the heavy Sunday evening traffic. When it was time to move on, we went next door to Candy Bar. It was only our second-ever visit, and I was impressed to see dancers in matching outfits putting effort into their performance. Maybe they’ll participate in a future Battle of the Bars. Swan knew a couple of the waitresses, and my old friend from Cheap Charlies, Nerissa, was working, so we tabled them up and bought a round of lady drinks.

We popped into Wet Spot next for our nightcap.

I was glad to have lived through another day, and I’m going to keep trying for more as long as I am able.

I’ve progressed to October 2013 in the LTG archives. In this post, I wrote about watching my daughter’s induction into the Pelion High School Hall of Fame. Being a proud daddy was a special time in my life.

Today’s YouTube video is also from the LTG archives. It features a trail I won’t be hiking in this lifetime. Hell, I won’t even do it in my “do-over” life.

Humor me, please.

We have a typhoon headed this way, and it’s a rainy motherfucker outside. Today’s Hash will be a wet one for sure. The Hare, Leech My Nuggets, has already abandoned the mountainous Kalaklan trail he had planned and is substituting a Barretto street walk in its place. I plan to participate, but the weather may dictate just how far I’m willing to go. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

So, I shared the above on my Facebook in an effort to broaden the perspectives of my close-minded lefty friends. Jeremy, who is well-educated but fully indoctrinated, had this to say in response:

You’re comparing Roseanne’s Tweet to what Jimmy said? That’s utterly ridiculous. Here’s Kimmel’s quote:

“The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Then, a clip was shown of a journalist asking Trump how he felt about Kirk’s death. He paid lip service before talking about the White House ballroom.

Cut the bullshit. Trump has been pissy about the late-night hosts because they’re constantly calling him on his bullshit instead of kissing his ass, and he vowed to get them thrown off the air.

Was the joke in poor taste? Not necessarily considering that the Right was throwing shade at the Left and trans even before they caught the suspect or there was any evidence to prove anything. It was clearly a case of “Methinks him doth protest too much”.

Even Roseanne herself admitted that she deserved what she got because she crossed a line, and for a comedian to do that is serious business. However, Kimmel being fired for making a benign comment based in fact simply because it upset the current administration, and the Trump-appointed FCC chair could abuse his power to persuade Disney to take action is telling.

I responded thusly:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jeremy. We all have freedom of speech, but not freedom from consequences. Kimmel’s show was a bomb and losing millions, ABC saw an opportunity to get rid of him and took it.

I also shared Jonathon Turley’s (a law professor) take:

This week, Schiff is outraged by a company’s decision to suspend a host who refused to correct a false story he had spread.

For years, I appeared before these same leaders in Congress as they defended corporate censorship and dismissed allegations of collaboration with the government. I would not cancel Kimmel so long as his show was profitable. But I have long maintained that companies can limit the free speech of employees at work. I do not believe Kimmel should be censored on social media for spreading false information. At the same time, ABC does not have to lose money or viewers because an employee attacks others with vile, false claims.

Now Disney is accused of killing democracy itself, in league with Trump. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) attacked Trump for “trying to destroy our democracy” and acting like “many would-be despots.” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) used Kimmel’s suspension as evidence that “fascism is not on the way, it is here.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) insisted that suspending a host for spreading false information about a murder was “North Korea-style stuff” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted that it is “what Putin would do.” It is a curious spin, since Putin and Kim Jong Un value media figures who spread false information — particularly about murders.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) went so far as to compare Kimmel to Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense and “Penman of the revolution.”

So Kimmel is now a hero of democracy — all he had to do was spread disinformation. That makes this the funniest joke that Kimmel never told.

There are plenty of other examples of the left cheering when someone on the right got canceled over something they said. So, I have to laugh when their heads explode when it happens to them.

And now, let’s get on with my life that matters.

Our Saturday on the town started earlier than usual as we had a three p.m. birthday party to attend.

The party was held at Johansson’s, and we’ll be back there on Monday for the Hash On-Home.

After departing the party, I was thinking a visit to Annex Bar would be a nice change of pace. Alas, all the streetside tables were full, so we continued on up the highway a bit and settled into our usual seats on the patio at Red Bar.

When six o’clock rolled around, we headed out to see the newest bar in town, Cyclone.

Cyclone just opened on Friday. The old dance stage has been torn out and replaced with additional seating. My personal preference is a sports bar vibe over a dancing bar, even if I don’t watch sports on TV.

I had the opportunity to meet the owner and was surprised to learn that she and her husband also own Nipsey’s Bar and the notorious Cloud 69. The numerous beers I had imbibed loosened my lips, and I recounted my tale of being overcharged for lady drinks at Cloud 69. I assumed it was the cashier who did the scamming, but the owner suspected it was the waitress. I told her the waitress was my friend from back in her days at Alaska Bar, so I didn’t think she would intentionally rip me off. The owner said she would address the issue.

Maybe because I was a bit tipsy, but after leaving Cyclone, Swan suggested we give Cloud 69 another chance, and I agreed. My waitress friend once again served us, and I told her about my meeting with the owner. She got a look of concern on her face, but I assured her I had not accused her of wrongdoing. I woke up during the night with a sick feeling, wondering if my words were going to result in my friend losing her job. I hope not; that was certainly not my intention.

And so it goes, and so it went.

From the September 2013 LTG archives, I write about getting “sucked in” to my vanilla American life with nothing of interest to blog about. My, how some things never change. Well, my life in the Philippines isn’t all that vanilla; it’s more like chocolate, but you know what I mean.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I haven’t watched previously. It’s getting harder and harder to find real people doing real talking, so I liked that. Plus, it is under ten minutes, which is about the extent of my attention span these days. Anyway, he discusses the challenges expats face when they move to the Philippines. I don’t care about the food, so that’s not an issue for me. The English is good enough, at least where I live. I made the decision not to drive here, and I have never regretted it. It’s damn crazy on the roads. Yeah, Jeepneys and trikes can be uncomfortable, but you adapt. The heat, humidity, and rain are just the facts of life here; why bother complaining about the weather? Dating isn’t an issue for me either now that I’ve found the one. It took me a while, though.

Time for the funny business:

That’s all there is to say for now, but I’ll go out and live some more and tell you all about it tomorrow.

And why should I care? That’s why I like hanging out at It Doesn’t Matter.

Sorry, nothing significant to report, not that that will stop me. I’ll keep it as brief and picturesque as I can, though. We’ll kick it off with the Friday group hike. It had been a rainy night, so we wanted to keep things on the level. Street walks do tend to be a tad on the boring side, but we got a change of scenery by walking seven kilometers FROM Waltermart to Barretto on the backroads. Here’s some of what we saw along the way:

Back at home and hungry, and Swan served me this:

It was better than the burritos I make. I had her make me another one after this morning’s walk.

Once again, I chose not to attend the emaciated version of the SOB dance competition. I hear that once again, almost no one else went either. The news now is that the final SOB show will be held in two weeks at Wet Spot. I plan to be there for the funeral edition of this twenty-plus-year weekly event.

I got a haircut, then we hung out at It Doesn’t Matter before heading to our nightcap at Green Room. Exciting shit, eh? That’s just the way I roll.

I’ve progressed to September 2013 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I tell the story of my chance encounter with a star in Prescott, Arizona. Ah, the memories of days gone by are part and parcel to being an old man.

In today’s YouTube video, the sexy Filipina Pea talks about getting fucked. Sadly, it is YouTube doing the fucking. I honestly don’t understand what’s up with that; the Pea is not political or even controversial. I’d noticed that her videos are no longer showing up in my feed, but I just figured she wasn’t posting as often now that she is in the USA. Henceforth, I’ll make it a point to look for her videos on a regular basis.

To the humor we shall go:

I hope this post wasn’t too painful for you. Hearing the Pea talk about how boring some vloggers are when they incessantly talk about the goings-on in their lives made me think, ‘Good thing she doesn’t read my blog.’ Well, it is what it is. We’ll see what happens next.

What’s the point of trying? Let them wallow in blissful ignorance.

Not a lot to say about my yesterday, but here goes. Swan joined me for a pleasant enough street walk around Barretto.

We finished our hike at Jewel Cafe. It was brunch time, and I once again faced the dilemma: pancakes or French toast? The easiest resolution was to have both, so that’s just what I did.

They were both scrumptious. And in my defense, I skipped lunch.

At beer o’clock, we began our seldom-visited venue quest at my old darts hangout, Alley Cats. After a pleasant visit, we crossed the highway for dinner at Mango’s.

After our meal, we crossed the highway again and popped in to see what was happening at Nipsey’s. Not much, we were the only customers. They did have eight gals on stage who were at least going through the motions of dancing. That’s a rarity these days. We did our nightcap at Queen Victoria, which had a few customers and a more lively vibe. After that, we called it a night and headed home.

Ain’t life grand?

In August 2013, I was busy establishing the Columbia Area Darts Association. Part of that effort was creating an appropriate logo. This post recounts the results of that endeavor.

Ten years ago, I posted this observation in Itaewon on Facebook.

I apologize in advance for the crap narration in today’s YouTube video. As to the issues raised, I kept thinking: “Relax. Take a deep breath. Accept the Filipino way.” There may indeed be different work ethics amongst the poor here, but from my outside observations, the issue isn’t laziness.

We’ll end on a high note:

Time to get on with my life. Such as it is.