I had a beach of a day yesterday, which is always a good thing. The group hike with the Wednesday Walkers was also nice.

We took a Jeepney ride out to the Philseco side of Subic and started our walkabout there.

So, I saw a post on Facebook promoting Kokomo’s on Baloy Beach. I sent a message and confirmed that the Tiki beach bar was open again after a long hiatus. So, I decided a surprise beach walk for Swan was in order.

After having our fill at Kokomo’s, we strolled up the beach for dinner at Treasure Island.

And, brace yourselves, last night I finally gave Swan a ring.

It was a fine day, indeed! You might even say it was a red-letter day. Well, red number, anyway.

It is now February 2012 in the LTG archives. After a year in the USA, I rejoined Jee Yeun back in Korea. It was the first time back since I retired, and I no longer had commissary privileges on base. In this post, I share my experience shopping at a Korean grocery store.

Today’s YouTube video is one of those walking around town and talking about it types. The vlogger lives in Cebu, a city I’ve visited a few times and briefly considered as a retirement destination, but I wisely made Olongapo my home. To each his own.

And now let me try and be funny:

Oh, well. We can try again tomorrow.

The 70th birthday is one week away, and the preparations for the celebration Swan has been planning are in full swing. That meant we were busier (i.e., spending more) on the grocery shopping expedition yesterday.

YBC is a Filipino supermarket, and unlike Royal, I don’t think I’ve ever seen another foreigner in there. That’s no big deal, I go to Royal after YBC, and I get the imported stuff I want there. I’ve noticed that many of the YBC shoppers seem to be making purchases to stock their sari-sari stores. Anyway, I got a big dose of Filipino service yesterday that made the YBC experience very unpleasant.

So, the guy checking out two customers ahead of me was attempting to pay his bill via GCash (an electronic payment system popular here in the Philippines). If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. And he did. Finally, a manager came and told him the system was down, and he paid cash. Next up was a woman with a full cart. She carefully separated items into piles and paid for each stack individually. The cashier seemed inexperienced and rang up each item independently, rather than entering the number of items and scanning once. She also seemed to be having issues with the barcode reader, frequently punching in the number on the item. One of the baggers noticed my head about to explode, and he came over and helped us move to the other line, which appeared to be moving faster than the one I had chosen. But when it came time to pay, the guy at the front of the line used change rather than bills. So, naturally, the cashier was obligated to count and add up hundreds of coins—Hoo boy.

I remembered the mantra I was taught on one of my early visits to the PI and used it: Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way. It helped.

I left a little over 8000 pesos ($150) behind and moved on to Royal to complete this week’s grocery expedition. I used the senior citizens/PWD checkout line (hey, there are some benefits that come with being elderly).

Lightened my wallet another 20,000 ($350) for a record-breaking weekly grocery bill. Hey, you’re only seventy once, right?

On our way out for the evening’s fun, we stopped by Baybayin, the venue that will be hosting the birthday event, and paid our 5000 peso deposit. I will be billed 200 pesos for each guest attending for use of the facility, and Swan is anticipating we’ll have fifty or so join in the fun. We will also be providing the food and beverages.

We’ll see how it all works out.

Next, we strolled up the highway to John’s place. We’d missed our usual Sunday visit, so we wanted to make up for lost time. We were greeted with the sad news that birria tacos were out of stock. Oh well, next time.

We stopped by Red Bar for another round of beer and wine. Afterwards, we were sad to see that Jumpin’ Jacks has not reopened as yet after Vangie’s passing.

I got a message from Roan, an old bargirl friend, wishing me a happy birthday. I thanked her, but pointed out my birthday was still a week away. And then she started calling me “Uncle John,” which was surprising (I’m used to “Daddy,” even though I don’t like it). I asked her why she called me that, and she said, “Because you are my stepdad’s brother.” What? And then she realized she had contacted the wrong “John.” That was pretty funny. Anyway, we chatted some and she told me about her struggles at the karaoke bar she is running. It’s been a very low low season all over town, and I’m guessing most expats (me included) don’t frequent the singing joints. So, on a whim last night, I suggested to Swan we stop by and have a drink at Roan’s place, and she was okay with that.

Songs were twenty pesos for three, and yes, I partook (I Started a Joke, El Paso, and Crazy). We might return again one day when the mood to sing strikes us.

Not bad for a Tuesday, eh?

The January 2012 LTG archives carried me back to the time I joined my high school buddies, Rod and Pat Headlee, for a night on their sailboat. Rod is another of those old friends I used to hear from occasionally who has completely disappeared. No longer on Facebook, and a Google search didn’t turn up any information on his whereabouts. Thankfully, no obituary either. He lived a life of adventure, sailing the high seas. One night on the boat was enough for me, but I respect everyone who lives the life they love.

Ten years ago, I authored and posted these words of wisdom on Facebook:

Sometimes we wait a while to begin our journey, but in due time we move on towards our destination. Along the way, people come and people go, but the reality is we are all solitary travelers. And then the ride is over, and it is time to pay the piper. And the damn fare machine won’t accept the only paper money in your wallet. And so goes another morning subway commute.

Ah, the good ol’ days in Seoul. Speaking of Facebook, I’m a member of a group that remembers Westminster, California, the town I grew up in. Someone posted this yesterday:

Today’s YouTube video caught my eye because the blogger is my age and experiencing some heart issues. Despite my unhealthy lifestyle, I’ve been blessed so far. My mother died from congestive heart failure and also suffered from diabetes. Hopefully, I can follow my father’s path (minus the smoking) and reach my goal of a mid-80s lifespan. That said, if I lose the ability to do the things I enjoy, like hiking, I’m not sure I’ll want to stick around that long. Especially if my negotiations with the supreme power of the universe for a do-over life are successful.

Let’s go out on a happy note:

Had enough? Me too!

It’s good to be alive. Lately, I’ve been counting my blessings and trying hard to keep a positive focus on the unknown future. I’ll be seventy soon, and there’s no denying I’ve entered the final chapter in the story of my life. I hope it’s a long one! In the meantime, I’ll take each day as it comes and make the best of it. As long as you are having fun, it’s not a waste of time.

I filled those precious hours yesterday with the usual, starting with the Sweet Stroll’s new Sunday version. The kids are happy to see us no matter what day we appear.

Swan has been planning a celebration event on the 27th. We’ve been discussing possible venues to accommodate the invitees, and after several misses, we have found a location that should work well for us.

In keeping with my Sunday tradition, I took care of feeding the hungry girls at Hideaway.

We did not eat at John’s place this week. Instead, we joined the Bryce Street neighbors, Martin and Joss from our right, along with Jeff and Davina on the left, for dinner at the Hops and Brews.

After our meal, I suggested the group pay a visit to Jumpin’ Jacks, but when we arrived, it was inexplicably closed. I found out this morning that the sweet bartender there has passed away. She was a kind and friendly woman who was only in her early forties. Sad that her time here on earth was so short.

We left the car at Jumpin’ Jacks, and walked up the highway to Red Bar for our post-dinner liquid refreshments. When we’d had enough there, we headed back towards the car, but decided to pop into Mugshots for a nightcap.

Mugshots is now on my no-go list along with BarCelona, Cloud 69, and Cheap Charlies.

And then I ran out of time and brought another day to a close.

On to December 2011 in the LTG archives, and there still isn’t much of substance taking place other than photo memories from the past like this one of my mom and dad:

And me and my high school sweetheart Karen:

The only post worthy of inclusion is the pictorial story of the visit with Jee Yeun to the Congaree National Park in South Carolina. Losing the life we shared still hurts, but I’m still glad for all the good times.

Today’s YouTube video is the first one I’ve seen from this vlogger. I like his style and the fact that he keeps it short and sweet, so I’m now a subscriber. I totally agree with his top five things to dislike about living in the Philippines, but as he notes at the end, the good outweighs the bad.

Let’s take a shot at some humor, shall we?

And on that note, we will bring this post to a close. There’s a Hash in my near future, and I’ve already plotted a half-assed course. I’ll let you know how that works out for me tomorrow.

Here’s that song I want played at my funeral, not that I’ll care one way or another.

Saturday’s come and go, and yesterday came and went. Here is how it went down:

We did the Candy Walk on Saturday to avoid any controversy with the Sunday school teacher. The woman who runs the sari-sari store across the street from the church talked to the pastor, and he told her we should ignore the Karen because the kids are happy to see us. I guess he is worried about attendance if we are not there to provide an incentive to go to church. We still had a record-breaking day, so I’m leaning toward keeping the walk on Saturday.

250+ bags of sweets handed out, so the effort was worthwhile.

Once again, Swan opted to stay home instead of helping me keep the bars in business. Oh well, her choice. Here’s what she missed:

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that BarCelona had closed because they couldn’t pay their electric bill. They recently reopened, so I figured I’d give them a try. All the old familiar faces working there were gone, and the new ones weren’t an improvement. If I’m not mistaken, the bartender was a bakla (transgender). I’m tolerant enough not to be put off by that, but I have no tolerance for bad music played at high volume. Two beers and out, and I doubt I’ll be back. A beautiful venue doomed by poor management (and two flights of stairs).

I wasn’t sure where to go next. I was thinking about Hot Zone, but it was still two hours before their 7 p.m. opening. I popped into Sloppy Joe’s to consider options over a beer. Then I decided to have something to eat.

I was enjoying doing the open-air bar vibes, but wanted a change of scenery. Next stop, the seldom-visited Annex Bar. Hasher Fast and Loose was tending bar, so there was a familiar face to greet me. I was surprised that Annex was everything BarCelona isn’t. The place was packed, and they were playing some classic rock oldies with music videos on the big screen, like this one of Nancy Sinatra doing These Boots Are Made For Walking.

I would have liked to keep the open-air thing going and thought about forgiving Cheap Charlies, but I guess I’m too stupid to do so. (The last time I was there, the bartender told Swan I was “stupid” for being upset about the bar having no wine. She said it in Tagalog, but I got the message loud and clear.) So, I ended my evening out at Green Room instead.

I’d had enough fun for one night by 7:30, so I headed home. Same trike driver as the night before, but no flooding to deal with this time.

Continuing on with my journey through the LTG archives, almost all my posts in September 2011 are recycling photos from the past.

There was a post with some substance where I showed the difference between recycling requirements in Columbia, SC, versus Seoul. Here in the Philippines, we let nature do the recycling.

Facebook memories took me back to the time, thirteen years ago, when we disposed of my father’s ashes. His body was donated to a medical university, and they gave me a box of ashes when they were done with him a few months later.

From there, we drove to Memphis, Tennessee, my father’s hometown.

Today’s YouTube video tells the story of the guy who plotted to meet up with Filipinas in a town with no other foreigners to compete with. What a dweeb. The video is a little long for my liking (twenty-six minutes), but at least it doesn’t have AI narration.

And now I’ll subject you to these:

I reckon that’s just about enough for today.

Almost.

As we discussed where we should go, Gary recalled a hike we took once with Scott along the river in Naugsol. No surprise that I couldn’t remember that journey, but since it was just the two of us, we grabbed a trike for the 200 peso ride to Naugsol. I figured once we were there, one of us might recognize just where it was we had walked that long-ago day. And sure enough, when we exited the trike and looked across the river, we both recalled walking along the top of the concrete riverbank. Alas, I told Gary that the last time I had attempted to go that way, I discovered an impassable fence blocked the path. So, Plan B was instituted, and we did a circular journey around the Naugsol area before heading back to Barretto through the familiar backwoods of San Isidro.

When beer o’clock rolled around, Swan opted out, so I had the rare solo experience in town.

When I was ready for a change of scenery, I headed up the highway. It Doesn’t Matter where I went next.

After some more beers, the hunger pangs wouldn’t shut up. Myleen’s, a place Swan doesn’t care for, is right around the corner from IDM, and with Swan not around, I took advantage of the opportunity to dine there.

Turns out, Friday is discount night for Mexican food. That suited me because I was thinking about the enchilada platter. But after perusing the menu, I felt like I should honor Swan’s love of birria tacos. I also wanted to do a taste comparison to the ones we have every week at John’s place.

Let me render my judgment: I liked Myleen’s birria tacos best.

After eating, I decided I’d do my nightcap at Alaska. The SOB was taking place next door at Wet Spot, and I peeked in for a looksee. The place was packed. I also confirmed that Voodoo didn’t participate, so that brings it down to four teams. I asked Jerry, the Alaska owner, if he would consider rejoining the SOB, and he responded, “No way.” I was sorry to hear that. Alaska was always one of my favorite participants. Times change, nothing to do but move on.

Having done my duty and with the bedtime hour approaching, I said my goodnights and headed for the trike stand. Apparently, while I was indoors enjoying myself, there had been a heavy rainstorm.

The other weird thing that happened yesterday was receiving some U.S. Mail. It was addressed to my current residence, although not technically delivered there (it was left with the guards at the entrance to the subdivision). I’ve never had mail sent directly to me from the States; instead, I’ve had things like credit cards sent to a retired military friend’s FPO address.

It’s strange because I’m not eligible for Social Security benefits having not paid into the program for most of the years I was working for Uncle Sam (I was grandfathered into the old Civil Service Retirement System). What freaks me out is that SSA has my current address, an address I never use in my dealings with the government (my legal address is still my house in South Carolina). So, how in the hell did an agency like SSA find out where I’m physically residing? It’s kind of scary to think about.

Other things I found of interest as a former postal worker: The SSA correspondence is dated May 2, 2025. It was mailed from Pennsylvania on May 5 (international postage was $1.65). It has a Filipino postmark as being received in San Fernando (in neighboring Pampanga province) on May 23. Then it was postmarked in Olongapo City on July 14. And hand-delivered (via the Alta Vista guards) on August 15. Now you know why I use the FPO network whenever I need prompt delivery (US mail is sent to the US Embassy, and picked up there by a local veterans group here in Barretto).

I’ve hit a strange period in the LTG archives. Less than a dozen posts total for July, August, and September 2011, and none at all for October. I honestly don’t recall why I gave up on regular blogging during that period of my life. Having nothing of interest to say hasn’t stopped me lately. Anyway, here is the first post breaking the hiatus in November, such as it is. And hilariously, I spelled “here” in the first sentence as “hear.” Damn, I wasn’t even senile back then.

Today’s YouTube has The Filipina Pea sharing some unique news items from the Philippines. Like the fact that Filipinas watch more porn here than the guys do. What’s not to like?

Humor time:

Another day, another post. Enjoy them while you can!

Back from the beach holiday in Pundaquit, but there was lots of work to be done. Neighbor Jeff and I both had a shitload of SOB discount coupons about to expire, so it was either use them or lose them. Waste not, want not and all that jazz, so we loaded into Jeff’s car and headed for Barretto at five o’clock.

First stop, Sit-n-Bull for dinner. I had a 15% discount coupon good for four, so I treated the group to a meal. As usual, Swan and I shared so we could enjoy the best of two different offerings.

Over dinner, we sorted our coupons and finalized our plans. Jeff had a 500 peso voucher for Voodoo, and I had a “buy one, get one” drink coupon good there. We also had some deals for Wet Spot (buy a lady drink, get two free drinks), so that was on our list. Voodoo doesn’t open until seven, Wet Spot at six. We decided to kick off our Thirstday bar hop at Green Room, then move to Voodoo and enjoy the grand finale at Wet Spot.

Things didn’t go according to plan. We enjoyed our discounted beverages at Green Room, and at the appointed hour, moved a block up the highway under a light rain shower, and arrived at Voodoo only to discover it was closed. That sucked. So, we retreated to Wet Spot and drowned our sorrows there. Jeff messaged the owner of Voodoo and he responded that the bar was closed for “recalibration.” He told Jeff his Voodoo voucher would be accepted at either of his other two bars, Whiskey Girl or Tryst.

Voodoo is one of the remaining five SOB bars, so this may be another nail in the coffin for that long-running institution. I won’t be attending tonight to find out what happens next, but I fear the SOB is doomed unless someone steps up to reinvigorate the competition.

After Wet Spot, I was finished. Jeff headed upstairs to Tryst to use his remaining voucher, so me and my gal grabbed a trike for home. And so ended another day in the Barretto life.

Today’s weigh-in has me at 243.6, up from last week’s 242.9. Given my holiday misbehavior (not giving a shit), I expected worse. I hope to do better this week.

It is September 2011 in the ongoing journey through the LTG archives. In this picture-packed post, I share the adventure of a trip to the Korean East Sea city of Gangneum.

Five years ago, I was dealing with enhanced levels of COVID stupidity.

I’m a Boomer and proud of it! Today’s YouTube video recounts the way things were for those of us blessed to grow up in the ’50s and ’60s.

Humor time:

That’s all I’ve got for today.

What can I say that hasn’t been said before? Not much, so I’ll keep it short. And sweet, of course.

I’ve come up with a solution to that issue with the Sunday school marm. Starting next week, we will flip the Candy Walk to Saturdays and do the Sweet Stroll on Sunday instead. No issues with the holier-than-thou lady that way.

Next up on the Sunday agenda was feeding the hungry crew at Hideaway bar.

With the Hideaway feeding accomplished, it was time for me to meet Swan and feed ourselves at John’s place.

Then we did our usual stop at Red Bar and finished with a nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks. Swan is planning a big celebration on August 27th for some reason, and we are waiting to hear back on our request to hold the event at Jumpin’ Jacks. They’d need to open two hours early (at four p.m.), but I assured them we’d drink enough to make it worthwhile. We’ll see. There’s always The Rite Spot if need be.

In January 2011, I wrote about a funeral, a birthday, and a baby in the shithole town of Goltry, Oklahoma. The circle of life continues.

Three years ago, I experienced the shame that comes with surrender.

Who’s up for the wit and wisdom of Smart Girl Philippines? In today’s video, she talks about cockblockers. Sadly, I experienced this firsthand, and the culprit was an expat. I was just getting started in a relationship with a Filipina that he had a crush on, and he backdoored me by telling her mother a bunch of lies about me. After the damage was irrevocably done, the mother learned the truth and tearfully apologized to me. I forgave her because it wasn’t her fault. I’ll never forgive that fucking cockblocker, though (yeah, I still see him around town sometimes).

Today’s funny pages:

There you have it in a nutshell. I’m not participating in today’s Hash because it’s a Guenter trail, and it starts and finishes way out at the end of Rizal Extension. Swan and I will do our own hike and finish at It Doesn’t Matter for our after-Hash. Tomorrow morning, after shopping, we’ll head out to Pundaquit for two days and nights on the beach. Posting may be hit or miss depending on how much we drink, as two other couples (neighbor Jeff and Davina, along with Matt and his wife, Joyce. No worries, though, I’ll fill in whatever gaps there may be in subsequent posts. Plus, it will be something different for a change. Looking forward to a good time!

Here is the song my nephew Jason (who used to be in a punk rock band) and his wife (a singer from the Philippines Jason met on a cruise ship) performed for us after the funeral.

Life is a treasure to be enjoyed one day at a time. I started my yesterday with the Saturday Sweets Stroll. Here are some random shots I took along the way:

When I got back home, I started making plans for next year’s journey.

7 January: 1898 Hotel in Makati, Manila.

8 January: Philippine Airlines Manila (MNL) to Da Nang (DAD).

8 January-13 January: Haian Beach Resort, Da Nang.

13 January-14 January: Mercure French Village Hotel, Ba Na Hills.

14 January-16 January: Lantana Boutique Hotel, Hoi An.

16 January-19 January: Century Riverside Hotel, Hue.

19 January-23 January: Haian Beach Resort, Da Nang.

23 January: Vietnam Airlines Da Nang (DAD) to Saigon (SGN).

23 January: Philippine Airlines Saigon (SGN) to Manila (MNL).

I’ll be traveling with Swan and my neighbors, Jeff and Davina, who will be providing transport to and from Manila. So, now all that’s left to do is survive until January. Wish me luck!

With the travel arrangements taken care of, I was ready to quench my thirst. I was a little bit surprised when I saw a Facebook post that there would be live music once again at Treasure Island. Welp, we have had mostly sunny skies these past few days, so why not hit the beach?

Their set included several Creedence Clearwater songs, which I had never heard done in a female voice. Not bad at all. Then they did the Moody Blues (sorry for the brain fart) Procol Harum classic, “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” I hadn’t heard that tune in many, many years, but damned if I didn’t remember the words. I impressed Swan by singing along.

I headed out to the beach to check on things and saw this:

We headed back home not long after dark because that’s just the way we roll.

I enjoyed this photo of the Blue Angels spelling “F U” while flying in formation.

In the January 2011 LTG archives was a sad episode in The Story of My Life: waking up to find my mother dead. It wasn’t a surprise, and I was relieved that her suffering was over, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

In today’s YouTube video, a seventy-year-old expat shares his experiences during his relatively brief time in the Philippines. I smiled as he talked about the frustrations that come with Filipino inefficiencies, and I remembered the lesson my “tour guide,” Loraine, taught me during one of my early visits when I frequently lost patience: “Relax. Take a deep breath. Accept the Filipino way.” That mantra still comes in handy even after all these years.

So, who is up for a smile or two?

And now the time has come to prepare to implement the remainder of my Sunday routines. More of the same in a good way.

I’m referring to yesterday’s climb to the top of the beloved Kalaklan Ridge. It’s been a while, and with a break in the weather, it seemed like a good opportunity to revisit. Swan had told me she was going to skip the Friday group hike, but when I told her of the Kalaklan plan, she immediately changed her mind. She loves it up there even more than I do. Of course, as nice as it is up top, it is still a challenging ascent. We took a Jeepney to Kale Beach (about 3 km from Barretto) and started our climb there. There is no easy way up, but I find this one the most to my liking.

After some R&R, it was time to deal with the SOB. Sadly, it has really gone to shit lately, and last night was no exception. Down to five teams now, and only two of them put any real effort into their performance. I’m not sure what’s going on, but they had fewer than twenty paying customers in attendance last night, so I don’t see the SOB competition surviving without significant upgrades.

As usual, I was over my limit by the end of the show (free drinks from six to eight, and I got there before five to secure a good table), so Swan and I headed for home to sleep it off.

On the morning dog walk, I encountered a croaked frog.

I’ve reached January 2011 in the LTG archives. I am now retired and back in the USA. My first week home did not go well.

Today’s YouTube video features The Filipina Pea providing some little-known news updates.

The jokes are on me:

That’s all I’ve got for now.

K-pop has come a long way in twelve years, baby:

Does anyone else remember Hawaii Five-0?

I’m now booked at the Wave Song Resort in Pundaquit for Tuesday and Wednesday next week. I also bought two seats on a flight that departs for Da Nang on January 8 and returns on January 23. Still on my to-do list is booking my hotel rooms in Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, and Ba Na Hills.

In the meantime, I am just living life one day at a time. Trust me, it is not as boring as it sounds when I write about it. Or if it is, I just don’t care anymore. I’m glad for what I have. I needed some new things to wear, so I scheduled my driver to take me to the SM Central Mall in Olongapo.

What’s in the bag?

After shopping, I was hungry. I’ve had a craving for some good Korean food, and the best place for that I’ve found is on SBMA. Since I was already paying for a driver, I had him take us there.

We were greeted with a hearty “annyeonghaseyo” as we entered, then shown to our table. I already knew we would have samgyeopsal for the main course. You have to order and pay for your side dishes separately, which is not how they do it in the real Seoul, but whatever.

As I perused the menu, I decided I may as well make it a feast since I don’t get to visit Seoul that often these days.

Dining at Seoul was the highlight of my day. But there were still those evening hours to fill. We walked into town and stopped at the salon so I could get a haircut. After that was done, I decided we should do the seldom-visited bars thing we had missed out on doing on Wednesday.

One drink and out at Dempsey’s. Nothing wrong with it, just not a good fit for us.

It was only 6 p.m., and none of the dancers or waitresses had arrived yet. We chose to sit outside, and the bartender graciously served us there.

The wine at Mugshots was old and didn’t taste good, so we left before Swan finished her glass. We then paid a visit to Alaska for a bit. I had a chat with owner Jerry, and he confirmed that BarCelona upstairs was once again open. We’ll see how long that lasts.

We did our nightcap next door at Wet Spot, ordered some take-out tacos from Sit-n-Bull (damn, Korean and Mexican on the same day!), then headed on home.

My weekly weigh-in has me at 242.9, down from 244.2 last week.

From the LTG archives in December 2010, the occasion of my retirement ceremony prompted a post called “The end of the road,” about the jobs I’d done in service to my Uncle Sam. It turns out it wasn’t the end I thought it was going to be, but that’s another story.

From Facebook memories:

Today’s YouTube video is the story of how a vlogger moved to the Philippines, met a gal, married her, built her a house, and then all of a sudden, everything changed. Imagine that.

You can laugh or shake your head in disgust. Up to you.

And that’s that for this post. I’m heading off to the SOB at Green Room tonight. Not sure how much longer these competitions will continue, so I figured I’d give it a go before they’re gone.

Not that I had much of a plan to begin with. Still, sometimes things work out in unexpected ways. And now I have made some exciting plans, and I’m looking forward to pursuing them. I’ll fill you in on that later in this post. Seeing as how I’m a sequential blogger, let’s start with the morning group hike.

And now for good stuff. Swan was attending to some family business at the compound in Subic and said she would meet up with me later, wherever I was in Barretto. When I headed out from home, I was thinking about Mugshots as this week’s seldom-visited bar. But as fate would have it, right when I was passing Sloppy Joe’s, it started raining. Naturally, I went inside to take shelter from the storm. I messaged Swan and told her where I was, then ordered a beer. As I was enjoying my beverage, my next-door neighbors, Jeff and Davina, drove by and saw me sitting there. They parked and came by to invite us to join them at Hops and Brews for dinner. I told them I was waiting for Swan to arrive, and they went next door to Green Room for a drink. When Swan came, we joined them there.

During our chat over drinks, Jeff told me they were planning to go to Manila next week. I said that I was taking Swan to Pundaquit for a couple of days of beach time. He asked where we were staying, and I told him about the Wave Song Resort on the waterfront where we stay. He thought it sounded good and decided they would come along, and we could ride with them.. So that saves me the hassle and expense of arranging transport. That was an unexpected win.

Just before six p.m., we hoofed it up the street to Hops and Brews to rendezvous with another couple who are friends with Jeff and Davina for dinner.

Jeff’s friends will be traveling to Da Nang soon, so naturally the conversation turned to our shared experiences in that wonderful city (Jeff and Davina had gone just a couple of weeks before our trip). We both agreed that one week hadn’t been enough, and the next thing I knew, we were discussing the details of planning a two-week stay this coming January. In addition to Da Nang, we will be booking lodging for a couple of days in the city of Hue, a three-hour train ride from Da Nang. We also plan to stay in Hoi An a night or two, and also in the resort area we visited in the Ba Na hills. I’m really looking forward to going back and spending some quality time while exploring new areas.

Swan had her craving for the wood-fired brick oven pizza that Hops and Brews is locally famous for satisfied.

Table talk over dinner turned to bars we enjoy, and I mentioned that in my opinion, Queen Victoria is now the best girly bar in Barretto. Jeff wanted to judge for himself, so we agreed to stop by when we finished eating.

Riding in the neighbor’s car is by far the best way back home after a nice night on the town. Sometimes you don’t need a plan to have fun. And now I have two trips planned and more to come.

Speaking of plans, I’m in the early days of December 2010 of the LTG archives, and declared in a post that I have decided to move back to the USA in January. Not without some sadness, as this post of photos from my life in Korea illustrates.

Via Facebook memories, here’s something I don’t miss from Korea:

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay discusses four types of expat lifestyles. I’ve bounced around between a couple of them, but these days I’m living like a married man. Well, I am a married man, just not to the woman I’m living with. Life is complicated.

And you know what comes next:

That’s where things stand as of now. I got up to pee at two in the morning and saw this out the window:

And this is how the sky was looking at six:

It’s good to enjoy the simple things life throws your way.

That’s the way you got it! Tuesdays around here are nothing to write home about, but that won’t keep me from blogging about it anyway. I will, however, try to keep it short and sweet.

Speaking of sweet, it was the usual shopping day.

I mentioned the brownie-baking accident in yesterday’s post. I was able to recover in sufficient time to bring my specialty to the birthday party for Amelia at Alley Hideout. Thanks for your help, Betty Crocker!

And loud! Yeah, people having a good time tend to be that way, but there was only so much noisy revelry that I could take before I needed to escape. We found some peace and quiet across the highway at the Outback poolside bar.

Then, as darkness fell, we darted back across the highway for a nightcap at Queen Victoria. Once again, the bar was packed with girls and no other customers but us. Maybe they open too early, but I’m not complaining. I’m not their target audience anyway, but from my observations during the last two visits, QV is now the best girly bar in town.

A not-so-interesting bump in the road as I continue my journey through the LTG archives–I explored the whole month of October and most of November 2010 and found nothing worthy of sharing here or tagging for The Story of My Life. It was almost all about politics, like anything I had to say would make a difference (same as now). Anyway, my Aunt Pat’s World Famous Fruit Salad has been a Thanksgiving tradition for me since my earliest memories as a child. And here’s the recipe. You are welcome.

Facebook memories took me back to the good old days on Hooker Hill in Itaewon:

Today’s YouTube video is short and sweet, just the way I like them. It talks about cities in Southeast Asia to avoid and offers an in-country alternative for each of them. I have been to all three of the cited localities, and don’t necessarily agree they should be avoided, but do concur that there are better options available. Seeing that traffic again in Saigon was not a good memory, but I did enjoy my visit there. Da Nang was a much better experience. To each his own.

And perhaps you’ll find these worthy of a smile:

And so it goes, and so it went. And now it is time to get on with it once again. See you next time.

Two straight days of sunshine, what’s a fella to do? Same old shit I always do, of course. And I’m gonna keep doing it (and blogging it) for as long as I can. You’ve been warned!

Kicked things off with the Saturday Sweets Stroll. My neighbors, Martin and Joss, joined in the fun.

At the end of our jaunt, we decided to pop into a relatively new restaurant we’ve been meaning to try.

Yugto was a pleasant and informal dining experience and we will visit again one day soon.

We didn’t have anything in particular planned for our Saturday evening, so we plopped our asses down at Sloppy Joe’s to think it over. Swan mentioned Hops and Brews for a wood-fired pizza, but I wasn’t feeling it. I suggested Sit-n-Bull as an alternative, and Swan acquiesced. Just as we were finishing our drinks and preparing to head out, owner Bert sent over a beer and a glass of wine on the house. Damn, the way Swan sips at her wine (I drink three beers to her one glass), I knew we wouldn’t be leaving Sloppy’s anytime soon. I went over to Bert to thank him for his generosity, then complained that because of the free drinks, I’d have to order food from his place. He didn’t seem to mind. Funny how that works.

Sloppy Joe’s had a good crowd, and Bert confirmed they have been very busy, even when it rains and the street outside floods. So, the expats have found their place to hang out, drink, eat, and watch sporting events on several large screen televisions.

We did our nightcap next door at Green Room and had our usual good time. I sponsored a couple of the girls to play a best-of-three pool match, and was impressed with their ability. It came down to the eight ball in the deciding third match with 100 pesos for the winner, and 50 pesos to the loser. We also dispensed cookies and lollipops, and I was comped TWO more beers.

You know, I’m going to miss this life when it is gone. It may not be much, but it’s the best one for me as an old man. I can wait another fifteen years or so before I start the do-over life.

Here’s something about the history of the Philippines I found interesting:

Here’s the story:

In 1901, there was a proposition in the U.S. to change the name of the Philippine Islands to “McKinley Islands,” in honor of President William McKinley who was assassinated that year.

According to the September 30, 1901 issue of the New York Tribune, the proposition was intended to be presented “before the next Congress” and there was no doubt that it would be accepted.

The Americanization of the Philippines would not only change its name but also those of different provinces and islands within the country:

“This part of the scheme embraces the idea of bestowing upon the different islands and provinces the names of the men most prominently identified with the acquisition and management of the islands.

For instance, the members of the American Commission which negotiated the Paris Treaty would thus be honored, as well as the names of Admiral Dewey, General Lawton, Governor Taft, General Otis, Secretary Root, and others.”

The report also pointed out that “this proposed change would link his (McKinley) name with the government of the country for all time and also would be a constant and conspicuous reminder to future generations throughout the world that it was in his administration that the republic expanded its beneficent influence to the Orient and there established in enduring form its institutions and systems.”

President McKinley is remembered in Philippine history as the one who issued the “BENEVOLENT ASSIMILATION PROCLAMATION” in 1899.

The said proclamation emphasized the “altruistic” mission of the U.S. in acquiring the Philippines and that the U.S. have “come, not as invaders or conquerors, but as friends, to protect the natives in their homes, in their employment, and in their personal and religious rights.”

Obviously, the proposition didn’t push through. And that leaves us wondering what would have happened had the Congress approved the name change.

This August 2010 post from the LTG archives talks about the transition from my working life to an unknown future. I write some more about the uncertainties leading me to postpone my retirement date by three months, so I could figure out what to do next. Of course, I know what I wound up doing and where that led me, but perhaps future posts will help me remember why.

From Facebook memories:

Today’s YouTube video discusses how much bargirls make and how their compensation works, at least in Angeles City. In my opinion, a woman is free to sell her body for whatever it is worth to her, but I’ll be damned if the bars should dictate what she does in her off-duty hours.

And now the funny stuff:

Now it’s time to get ready to roll on out to the Hideaway feeding, dinner at John’s place, and a stop at Red Bar. Yep, it’s Sunday and that’s how I roll!

I don’t know why, but sometimes I can’t shake the feeling like I’m on my last lap. Of course, the goal is to make that lap as long as possible. I’m hoping for fifteen years or so, we’ll see what happens, but at least I’ll die trying. In the meantime, I’m going to keep doing what I do and embrace the joys of my mundane lifestyle.

We had a mostly rain-free morning, so the Friday group opted to head for the hills. It was nice to get off the pavement for a change.

We decided to skip the SOB again; it just hasn’t been worth the time lately. Instead, we rewarded our hard-working feet with a foot spa.

With our feet now refreshed and nails clipped, we went to feed our hungry bellies at Jewel Cafe.

After dinner, we dashed across the highway to Jumpin’ Jacks. Once again, the music was great and the staff friendly. And it seems to be paying off, because the place was hoppin’ with quite a few customers, notwithstanding the early hour.

I did two of these in my unique fashion: a shot of gin with soda water served in a tall glass with an additional can of soda water on the side. That reduces the potency of the gin and makes the drink last longer. Regardless, after the second one, I was feeling the effects in a way that was concerning. Regular readers may recall that in my previous attempts to reduce my beer intake, I had some falling-down incidents. Despite my fondness for drinking, I do not like being inebriated. So, I switched back to Zero beer after the second gin drink.

If you are keeping score, I had four beers (down from the usual 8-10) and two gins. The beers have sixty calories per bottle, and the gin shot has around ninety-five. I think prudence dictates that I stick with beer and look for other ways to reduce my calorie intake. The gin and soda method I use is also twice as expensive as a bottle of beer.

We’d both had enough of the fun when we departed Jumpin’ Jacks, and so we passed on the nightcap bar and headed home early. And so ended another day in the life.

I came across this horrific rendering in my internet travels:

I’ve reached August 2010 in my LTG archive journey and enjoyed remembering the bullfrog I grew up with.

This Facebook memory from six years ago made me smile.

Reminds me of that old saw, “when I was 16, I thought my father was stupid. When I was 21, I couldn’t believe how much he’d learned in five years.”

And now we’ll welcome back the Filipina Pea for today’s YouTube video. I really respect and appreciate vloggers who don’t resort to the fakery of AI, and they are getting harder and harder to find. In today’s edition, Pea responds to questions submitted by her viewers in her usual brutally honest way. There’s dumb, but some of these guys in long-distance relationships are the dumbest around.

And maybe you’ll like these:

Onward with the journey.

Yes, indeed. I lived through yesterday and woke up today to start a new one. And also, welcome to August. If things go as planned, I’ll be visiting the 70s on the 27th. I’m pretty sure I will like the 70s I’ve already lived through than the new adventure on the horizon, but I’m up for it anyway.

The weather was still iffy in the morning hours, so we opted to just walk from home to the end of Baloy Beach and back.

When we got home, Swan surprised me with a lunch she prepared:

When beer o’clock rolled around, Swan wanted to continue our seldom-visited bar quest. And that’s what we did.

I was hungry, and Outback has a fish and chips stand next door, so we placed an order and had it delivered at the bar.

Next up for us was a visit to Hangout Bar. It’s a sports bar with large screen TVs showing, you guessed it, sporting events. There were several guys in the bar when we arrived, watching footie, or what I call soccer, me being American and all. Good for them and good for the bar. It’s the first time I’ve seen other customers here. But the volume was turned up on the game in progress, and it didn’t take long before the noise was grating on my nerves.

Next stop, Queen Victoria. Wow, things have really changed in this bar since my last visit. For one thing, the stage was full of dancers, and they were actually dancing! The manager came over to greet me, and he told me they have nineteen dancers and thirteen GROs now. I laughed and said, Yeah, and two customers. He told me they get busy later in the evening. I complimented him on finding so many attractive gals to put on display. Most of the other “dancing” bars have three or four girls who stand around, and half of them are usually “American-sized.” Anyway, if watching girls up on the stage is your thing, Queen Vic is the place to be in Barretto now. Also, the big back room features live bands that start at 9 p.m. (sadly, that’s my bedtime these days).

We had an enjoyable visit at Queen Victoria. Dancing bars are not really my thing, and it is located on the opposite side of town from where we usually hang out, but they’ve earned a spot in our regular rotation.

I woke up this morning and turned the page on the calendar. A new month, and also the one I was born in. In an effort to enjoy future Augusts, I’m reinstituting my diet plan starting today. I got on the scale for the first time in months, right after my morning pee, and logged in at 248 pounds. After today’s hike and a shit, I reweighed and registered 244 pounds. How’s that for progress?

Wish me luck on my renewed weight-loss journey.

A two-fer from the July 2010 LTG archives. In this post from July 22, I am in the Philippines feeling sick and tired. And on July 28, I posted this:

Dreams die.

New dreams emerge.

It’s the freakin’ circle of life.

So, I have decided to postpone retirement until 2 January 2011. 

Time to work on Plan “B”.

Those two events were related. Let’s see if my continuing journey through the archives provides an answer.

Coming up with a YouTube video to post today was more frustrating than usual. The first one, about some historical events that made Manila what it is today, had some of the worst AI narration I’ve ever heard. Seriously, mispronouncing dollar? A few minutes of that and I couldn’t take any more. I next checked in with one of my favorite vloggers, Reekay, but his rant about dating in America left me feeling like, so what, who cares? Then I took a look at a video that headlined how devoid of tourists Angeles City is these days. Turns out, there was no dialogue whatsoever, just the camera shots of walking down Red Street (the AC bar district) during the day. Duh. There is no reason for tourists to be there before the bars open. I did notice how many of the business signs were written in Korean, confirming what I’ve heard about Koreans taking over in AC. So, that led me to the video I’m posting today: Why are Koreans moving to the Philippines? Spoiler alert: for the same reasons the rest of us did.

Maybe these will make you smile:

Don’t read too much into that, I’ll still be visiting the bars. I may just try the gin and soda water thing again.

We shall see what the future brings. Stop by tomorrow for an update.

The day began with a Wednesday Waltermart walk and ended with a what the fuck moment. Let me tell you all about it.

When I asked Swan where she wanted to spend our evening hours, she surprised me by saying anywhere but the Maze bars (Sloppy Joe’s, Alaska, Green Room, and Wet Spot). So, that provided the incentive to re-initiate the Wednesday tradition of patronizing seldom-visited bars.

We started out at my old darts bar home, Alley Hideout. Lots of memories here, and still some familiar faces. A warm greeting from the owner inspired me to ring the bell (a drink for everyone working), and we settled in for a pleasant hour-long visit. Swan commented on how much she enjoys the friendly vibe here and said we should make it a weekly event. I concurred.

Then we scooted safely across the highway for some dinner and beach views at Mango’s.

We enjoyed our usual grilled pork chops, then headed out for our next venue, Cloud 69. The last time we visited was several weeks ago, and we didn’t stay long because our favorite waitress wasn’t working and the music sucked. Sheryl was back last night, and so was the classic rock we enjoy.

On one of the forums I frequent, PI@Night, someone had posted a photo from the days when Subic town had a bar scene similar to Barretto.

One of the dancers I knew from her days at Cheap Charlies joined us at our table, too. Turns out she went to the same high school as Swan. We handed out cookies and lollipops for the crew, and purchased two lady drinks each for our tablemates. As usual, I specified single lady drinks (180 pesos) served in a glass as opposed to a bottled drink for 300 pesos each. The guy at the table across from us was buying bottles of Red Horse beer for 400 pesos a pop.

So, the girls told us about a customer in the bar the night before who was in full two-week millionaire mode, buying multiple lady drinks for everyone working. I was astounded when they said his tab at the 3 a.m. closing was 60,000 pesos. Wowza! That’s over one thousand US dollars. And he wasn’t done yet. When the bar closed, he invited some of the girls to join him at Sloppy Joe’s, a bar that is open twenty-four hours.

And here’s where that WTF moment arrived. Sheryl revealed that Cloud 69 management found out about the girls who joined the customer at Sloppy Joe’s and deducted 500 pesos from their salary for doing a sneakout. For those who are unaware of the bar system, if a girl wants to leave with a customer, the customer (or the girl in some bars) has to pay a “barfine” or EWR (early work release) fee. But in this case, the girls had completed their shift, and they were on their own time. For me, attempting to control what a girl can do during her off-duty hours crosses a line into the human trafficking realm.

Anyway, hearing about this pissed me off, and I was ready to leave anyway, so I asked for my tab. I foolishly trust the bars most of the time, but because of what I had just been told, I asked Swan to review our bill carefully. And sure enough, the four single lady drinks I had ordered were charged as doubles. I sent waitress Sheryl back to the cashier to straighten things out, and she came back a few minutes later with the corrected amount owed. I paid and left, not thinking for a minute that this had been a mistake rather than a scam. Needless to say, I won’t be returning to Cloud 69 and their evil ways in the future.

We grabbed a trike for home and brought our crazy day to an end.

I have moved on to July 2010 in the LTG archives. I wrote about my planned retirement, which was less than sixty days away, and with an upcoming house-hunting trip to the PI scheduled, I was beginning to question whether my dream would become a nightmare, and I was also starting to realize how much I was going to miss Korea.

I also came across some other memories:

I hadn’t thought of gramps in like forever, so I just Googled him and was surprised to see him mentioned in a blog called Okie Legacy. The relevant portion reads:

“Hal Clinkenbeard and family are visiting at the parental home during his vacation. He is in the Railway mail Service on a run between memphis and McAlester. In a chat with Hal, his memory harked back to the time when we were dispensing gas and oil for Dunn Wilkinson and he plied me with questions regarding the whereabouts of Olin and Phylllis chase and Merle Lewellen. He also brought me the good news that his father was well enough Monday to be brought down town a little while Monday.

Weird shit. The other thing I noticed was that Hal looks a lot like my brother Greg.

I’m so isolated from family these days that I feel like an orphan. Ah, well. It’s the life I chose to live.

Today’s YouTube video is an old 1960s promo from Pan Am Airlines to get folks to travel to the Philippines. It’s an enjoyable watch in a throwback kind of way.

Let’s see if I can avoid repeating myself with today’s humorous picks:

And that’s all I’ve got. Thanks for your indulgence.