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

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

That was Saturday, and Saturday’s gone.

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

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

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

Let’s try some humor:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And now for your daily dose of humor:

This morning I was greeted with this rare treat:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s the latest illustration of the gender revolution:

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

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

On to the humor:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To the humor we must go:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting memes I ran across on the internet today:

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

Some weak humor to share:

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

Just another day in the Barrio.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s attempt at humor:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ah, the memories.

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

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

Maybe these will put a smile on your face:

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

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

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

Wasn’t that fun?

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

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

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

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

And now let’s try for some humor:

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

Yesterday was pretty much the model for how I fill my hours. And the best part is that I really enjoyed it. I kicked things off with the Wednesday Walkers group hike and closed it out with beers, dinner, and beers. That’s how I roll!

The hike wasn’t long (around 5K) but had its challenges. I’m one of the Hares in a couple of weeks, along with Scott and Jim, so we did some scouting. Our path to the top of Kalaklan Ridge will work fine with a couple of tweaks. The down path we chose (appropriately nicknamed Motherfucker) was a tad too steep, rocky, and slick for a rainy season trek. We’ve got a Plan B we’ll implement for the Hash trail.

I got home a little later than normal and woke up from my afternoon nap off schedule as well. I rushed through my daily post here on LTG, showered, and then headed out for my beer time over an hour late. That’s okay. Swan joined me for the excursion, and we kicked things off at BarCelona.

After our fill at BarCelona, we headed to Myleen’s for dinner.

Two slices of freshly baked pumpkin pie to go for dessert. A rare find in the Philippines.

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. Owner Dave stopped by my table and informed me that the price of my beer was now 450 pesos. Ah, the fame that comes with living in a small town. It’s all good. Aine walked by and said hello, but kept walking. We didn’t call her back. Funny how that works.

Another fine day in paradise came to an end with pumpkin pie a la mode in my belly and my sweetheart beside me. Life is good.

Facebook reminds me of the good life I had in South Carolina eleven years ago.

I’ve never been shy about questioning authority. Especially when the folks in authority are almost always wrong.

Tomorrow’s SOB is at La Oficina, and I’m planning to attend. So, today’s YouTube video is a taste of what most of my readers will be missing:

Let’s take a crack at being funny:

Alright, another day, another post. I’ll be back with another one tomorrow.

Made it through another day with only one complaint. I’ll get to that in a minute, but let’s get the boring stuff out of the way first.

On the way to Royal for groceries, I stopped at the Ulticare Hospital to pick up my bloodwork results and x-ray. With those in hand, it is now just a matter of getting some face time with Dr. DeLeon for her interpretation. My breathing issues have all resolved, but I’ll try for a consult on Friday afternoon to see if there is anything going on inside of me I need to know about.

No issues with the ATM cash infusion or shopping to report.

Back home, I boxed up my portable nebulizer. One of the benefits of my recent return to healthy breathing is not needing to nebulize. I still have my home version should I need it in the future, but I promised to gift the other to a peanut vendor in town who has had some health issues recently. Emanuel messaged me on Monday, reminding me of our agreement, but I was already at the Hash, so I couldn’t meet up. I know he lives in Calapacuan and walks into Barretto daily to sell his wares. So, I sent him a message that I’d be at the 7/11 on Baloy at 4:30. I didn’t hear back from him, but I carried the nebulizer with me anyway.

As me and Swan began our walk to the Snackbar (next door to the 7/11) we heard some noise coming from the weeds near the road.

Swan went back to the house and fetched some dry dog food, a leftover chicken wing, and some water. When she tried to place it in front of the kitten, it scurried further back into the weeds. So, we just left the food there and continued on our way. I’m not a cat person and already have a house full of dogs, so adoption wasn’t really an option. Sad, though.

We arrived at Snackbar and ordered our usual beverages: Zero for me and wine for Swan. This used to be one of my regular hangouts, but times and circumstances change. I still recognized a couple of the waitresses and bought the one serving me a lady drink. I also had the waitress go to the 7/11 to get her and her workmates each an ice cream cone. I had two more beers while waiting to hear from Emanuel, but still no word. Welp, it was time for us to move on, so I asked to bill out.

Here’s the part where I whine. The bill came to over 800 pesos, about double what it should have been. Looking closer, I saw Swan’s single glass of wine billed at 450 pesos. Excuse me? I had just bought a whole bottle of wine at Royal for 300 pesos. The most expensive bar in town for wine (Sloppy Joe’s) is 200 pesos; the other bars we frequent are 150 a glass or less. I was more than a little pissed and let it be known I wouldn’t be back. Again, I’m not blaming the waitresses; they have no control over the pricing. However, Snackbar is a discount venue and advertises having the least expensive beers in town. It seems reasonable that they could have warned me of their expensive wine, but then, I should have asked. Swan asked to see the wine bottle and took a picture, and then we left, me still being in a huff.

We made Outback our next stop and sat at the pool bar.

So, while I’m enjoying my beer and view at Outback, I made a Facebook post:

Tell me you don’t want me as a customer without telling me you don’t want me as customer. Charge me 450 pesos for a glass of wine. Goodbye!

I did not name Snackbar in my post or respond to comments asking where it happened. Again, I was as much to blame as anyone, and I wasn’t going to trash the bar for my mistake. The owner messaged me later, apologizing for the misunderstanding. I suggested she warn customers of the price in the future, or better yet, buy a cheap bottle of wine at Royal like I do.

Okay, end of whine. I promise.

I also messaged Emanuel from Outback just to let him know where we were if he was in town. To my surprise, he showed up less than a minute later. It turns out he was inside the Outback bar selling his wares. Was that a coincidence or divine intervention? Either way, I handed off the nebulizer, and Emanuel was happy with his new tool. I also bought some peanuts for the girls at the inside bar (he’s not allowed to sell at the pool bar for some reason).

We did our nightcap at The Green Room. When we arrived, Jim, the manager, came to our table immediately to advise his wine was only 120 pesos a glass. Yep, he’d already seen my Facebook post. That made me laugh. We had a nice time with our regulars there (Swan enjoys chatting with Chu and Lea). Next we grabbed some takeout at Sit-n-Bull and headed for home.

And that was the end of Tuesday for me.

I’m loving the political memes these days:

Oh, and the audacity of lefties calling JD Vance “weird” has really backfired:

Ah, to the memories for a moment or two:

I’m in a hurry today, but here’s the latest YouTube from one of my favorites, The Filipina Pea. I haven’t had a chance to watch this one, but I will. The topic looks too good to miss!

And some down and dirty humor:

I’m late for beer o’clock and haven’t even showered yet. Damn. More to come tomorrow.

No drama, just a few intermittent rain showers, and lots of quality time with Swan. I’ll call that a win. As to what actually did take place, there was the regular Sunday Candy Walk, the Hideaway feeding, dinner for two at John’s place, and hanging out at It Doesn’t Matter with some friends I hadn’t seen for a while. I’ve got pictures to share, so let’s get to it!

The Candy Walk is getting to be pretty much the same old same old, but not in a bad way. I decided to document the route we walked along with some views I found of interest. Here’s how that came out:

The usual afternoon at home enjoying watching the rain showers from inside the house. And my lazy boys:

The Hideaway feeding went according to plan. Still only four gals working, so fewer mouths to feed. Only one other customer during my visit. I’m not sure how they are paying the rent.

I only spend about an hour at Hideaway once a week, and that’s more than enough for me. The music is good, so there’s that. Otherwise, the place is a bore—at least when I’m there.

With my Hideaway duty completed, I crossed the highway and headed up to John’s place. John was relaxing in his recliner on the second floor, and I asked if the open-air area upstairs was available. He called the waitress over, and she said it wasn’t set up for customers. To his credit, John told her to set it up then. Turns out I was the first person to use the third floor in six days.

After our dinner, we walked to IDM for our nightcap. We weren’t there long before Chris and Shie made a surprise appearance. I used to see them out and about two or three times a week, but since moving to Santa Monica, they stay home most of the time. It was nice to catch up with them again.

We stopped at Myleen’s after IDM and grabbed some pecan pie to bring home with us. A sweet ending to our Sunday, for sure!

Facebook memories provided this reminder from nine years ago of that special kind of Seoul summer:

Seven years ago, I was crushing on Mi Young, the only gal I met in Pyeongtaek that really tripped my triggers. Alas, the feelings weren’t mutual. Although we have maintained a friendship on Facebook.

If you enjoy watching province folk fishing, today’s YouTube video is for you. (Sorry, just didn’t see much else of interest today).

On to the humor we go:

It’s Hash Monday, and I’m on the fence. The trail starts and ends at the end of Rizal Extension. A pain in the ass to get to, and worse, to get back from, especially after drinking. Vienna Sausage (Guenter) is the Hare, and his trails are nothing I look forward to. So, one option is just to skip the Hash today altogether. Another option is to hike the My Bitch trial, which ends at Rizal Extension, hang out at the On-Home (Tiny Cunt’s house) for a bit, skip the circle, and walk back to Barretto before it gets dark. At least it’s not raining. Yet. Check back tomorrow to see what I decide.

A day without storms does not mean a day without rain. And that’s okay. The best part of this time of year is that the skies are overcast, and it ain’t so damn hot. If you get hit with a few raindrops along the way, so be it.

Swan joined me for my Saturday walk, so it wasn’t standard or solo. She brought some candy along, and we headed out in search of children to sweeten their day. The mission was mostly accomplished, although we did encounter a large group of unruly kids who were rude and grabby. Swan eventually had enough of their selfishness, and we walked away, never to return. That’s a thankfully rare occurrence, but it did kill the joy of our candy walk.

That took care of those morning hours. When beer o’clock rolled around, we headed for the highway. The first Jeepney to come by was full, so I splurged for a trike ride out to Kon-Tiki (150 pesos). I was very curious to see how my favorite beach bar did in the storm. I wasn’t even sure they would be open. It turns out that the water never breached the premises, but there had been no customers at all during the week until just before we arrived.

When it was time to head out, we crossed the highway and caught a trike back to Barretto. In an odd coincidence, we had the same driver as last week. Still, he knew we were going to Wet Spot for our nightcap, so that was easy. Another happy ending to a Saturday in paradise.

When I took my shoes off yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice just how much I’ve changed.

Facebook reminds me that nine years ago, I purchased my last car.

Today’s political viewpoint:

English is my first language, but I’m still learning it.

Which ten countries like the Philippines the best? Watch today’s YouTube video to find out.

Humor me this:

Alright, it’s Sunday afternoon now. Next up is the Hideaway feeding, then dinner at John’s place with Swan. More to come tomorrow.

A break in the rain and a dash to Baloy in search of some Friday night goodness.

The major storm has now passed, but we still got rained on during the morning walk. The flooding has all receded, and life is getting back to normal—at least until the next typhoon gives us a blow job.

Places I’ve lived: Garden Grove. Westminster. Huntington Beach. Midway City. Prescott. Monroe. Fort Smith. Van Buren. Poteau. Columbia. Lexington. Stafford. Arlington. Seoul. Pyeongtaek. Olongapo. Facebook Memories had a post from seven years ago where I posted photos of all my old hometowns.

Today’s YouTube video has Reekay dispensing four pieces of advice for a happy retired life. I’ve adhered to them all more or less: I’ve left my working life behind, I have my hobbies, I have an active (walkaholic) lifestyle, and I’ve finally managed to escape the toxic people in my life. Now, let’s see how long I can stay alive to enjoy it all.

Humor time:

Okay, I’m running a little late today. I’m thinking about doing a Kon Tiki visit this evening to see how they weathered the storm. Back with more tomorrow.

To hell with the flooding! Damn the wind! It was full speed ahead for four hardy Wednesday Walkers yesterday morning. We thought it would be a pleasant umbrella walk, but Mother Nature unleashed Typhoon Carina to make things a tad more challenging. We did a lot of wading through puddles, and the umbrellas were of little help in defending against the wind-blown downpours that never relented during the course of our journey.

In our defense, we did expect that the forecasted easing of the rain would occur early in our hike. So, we loaded up for the Jeepney ride to WalterMart in Subic town and walked back to Barretto from there, a wet trek of nearly eight kilometers. Swan surprised me by asking to join in, saying she liked walking in the rain. Be careful what you ask for, although, to her credit, she never complained. Taking photos in the rain is a pain in the ass, but between Scott and myself, we managed to snap these:

I took a trike home and was thrilled to exit my soaked clothes.

I was on the fence about what to do with my Wednesday evening, but when there was a break in the rain around 4:30, I took it as a sign. Swan joined me on the walk into town, and only sprinkles fell on our heads. We had intended to visit BarCelona to start things off, but it was closed, so we settled for seats at Sloppy Joe’s. A couple of the other bars were also closed. There was a power outage earlier in the afternoon, and some venues just decided it wasn’t worth opening. Also, for staff living in flooded areas, getting to work would have been a nightmare (Olongapo City was hit especially hard, with some bridges closing and vehicles being stranded). Then the rain came back in full force, so we moved inside at Green Room next door.

Shortly into our visit to Green Room, the power went out again. Green Room does have a generator, so we weren’t in the dark for long. As usual, we shared some drinks with our regular waitresses. I was prepared to treat them to some food as well, but I was surprised to learn that Sit-n-Bull was closed. Apparently, their kitchen had flooded earlier in the day. I tried to call Shamboli’s to order a pizza but got a message asking me to try again later. I assume they were in the dark without power. I gave up the effort to have a good time around 7 p.m., and we headed home. Swan provided me with a plate of baby back ribs to quench my appetite. And so another day came to an end.

It’s been raining hard all day today as well, and despite my heroism yesterday, I haven’t left the house as yet. And I’ve pretty much decided to keep it that way. I’ve got cold beer in the fridge for emergencies like this. Tomorrow’s another day; we’ll see what it brings weather-wise.

I’ve not been tracking much news about the assassination attempt, but these questions do warrant an investigation IMHO.

Today’s YouTube video shows some storm scenes from Manila. The impact was worse there, but then, everything is worse in Manila.

And now there’s this lame BS:

Anyway, looks like it’s going to be a quiet day at home. Not sure what I’ll have to blog about tomorrow, but then again, that’s never stopped me before. See you then.

On and on it goes; when it ends, nobody knows. Everything has now reached saturation level, so let the flooding begin. Here’s how I spent my rainy Tuesday:

I was scheduled for the blood work and x-ray at UltiCare Hospital first thing in the morning. That meant a ten-hour fast the night before. No problem, really, because I’d spend most of those hours sleeping. I woke up during the night feeling hungry but reminded myself eating was off the menu. I tried to go back to sleep but later was tempted by a plate of snacks. It was only after I’d eaten a few that I remembered the fast. Damn, I was pissed at myself and the temptress. So pissed, in fact, that it woke me from the dream I was having about cheating during the fast. I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to extend those hours of denying myself all forms of food and beverage.

The actual blood withdrawal and chest x-ray went fine. I’ll make an appointment with Dr. DeLeon later this week to share the results. I was hungry when I finished the lab work, so I had my driver stop at the Maple restaurant on SBMA before heading to Royal for groceries.

Refilled my wallet at the ATM and brought home another week’s worth of groceries. Yeah, exciting stuff, but that’s how I roll on Tuesdays.

The usual filling-in hours back home, and then beer o’clock rolled around. Tuesday is the day I try and get Swan her beach fix, but where to go when it’s pissing down rain? I knew Baloy would be a flooded mess after two days of non-stop precipitation, and the limited options in Barretto weren’t appealing in inclement weather either. Hell, even The Rite Spot was a no-go in the wind-blown wetness. So, I made the command decision to stay home and plopped myself down on the patio.

I also took advantage of the rare evening at home and fired up the television. Tuned into Netflix and opened up the movie about the life of our future Vice-President–J.D. Vance. I had never considered watching Hillbilly Elegy until Trump made Vance his running mate. I rather enjoyed it, both from the historical perspective and as an inspirational tale of overcoming the hurdles that come with growing up poor in a somewhat dysfunctional family and still achieving your goals in life. And it seems Mr. Vance is just getting started. Give it a watch if you are so inclined.

I didn’t realize Glenn Close was in Hillbilly Elegy until I saw the credits at the end. I’m far from a movie buff, but I vaguely recalled her performance in Fatal Attraction back in the 80s.

Everybody’s so different, I haven’t changed.

Not a bad stay-at-home night. And the rain is still coming down today. We’ll see what I come up with this time.

Today’s YouTube video is from the Filipina Pea. Apparently, there is a large outbreak of HIV here in the Philippines. Looks like maybe I found a steady girlfriend just in time. One less thing to worry about dying from.

A little something to smile about before I go:

I’m seeing a lot of Olongapo is flooded. I imagine the streets of Barretto won’t be holding up well, either. Should I stay or should I go? I’ll let you know what I decide tomorrow.

Another Saturday, another Standard Saturday Solo Street Stroll on the backroads of Barretto. Normalcy may not be all that exciting, but I’ll take it over feeling abnormal, that’s for sure.

That extra “S” I mentioned came about in the afternoon when Swan and I enjoyed an overdue foot spa/pedicure. I used to have this done once a month or so when I lived in Korea. These days, maybe twice a year.

The foot spa/pedicure was only 400 pesos for each of us, and the techs did a nice job, warranting a 100 peso tip to both. Maybe I’ll get back on a monthly schedule.

After putting my shoes back on, I took Swan to dinner at Myleen’s.

We finished our evening out at Sloppy Joe’s. While there, we saw Mike, my high school alumnus, walking by on the way to his car. Turns out he had gotten take-out from Myleen’s for dinner. I invited him to join us for a beer, and he agreed. We had a nice chat about the old days growing up in Southern Cal and some of our adventures at WHS. Mike’s life has been infinitely more interesting than mine. He was involved in the music business and managed several well-known bands. He also owned a couple of clubs in Orange County later in his career. He spent time living in South America before making the Philippines his home. One of the more interesting people I’ve met since moving here. And after the beers, we got a free ride home.

All in all, it was a pretty darn Sensational Saturday Spa, Supper, Sloppy-Sudsing, Sharing Stories kind of night. That other “S” word I experienced with Swan is just between us.

Ah, the memories.

Seven years ago, we closed down our building on Yongsan Garrison, and the remaining members of the DHRM team moved to our new home at Camp Humphries in Pyeongtaek.

We’ll keep the mood light with today’s YouTube video. Enjoy the Wet Spot SOB (hey, another “S”) dance team doing their thing:

Maybe these will make you smile:

I’ve got the Hideaway feeding coming up, then dinner with Swan at John’s place. He’s featuring a steak special this weekend, and I’m feeling like a plate with an “S” on it tonight. I’ll show you what it looked like and tell you how it tasted tomorrow.

It was a pretty darn special Friday featuring my return to the hills and a dinner gathering with my next-door neighbors.

The Friday group accepted my suggestion that we take the little-used path at the end of La Union Street to the top of the hill, then do a loop around on the My Bitch trail before coming back down in San Isidro. They also accepted my invitation for after-hike refreshments at The Rite Spot On The Roof.

When my hiking guests departed, I got busy in the kitchen.

Had a great time next door!

Today’s YouTube video has the Filipina Pea interviewing an immigration expert regarding how easy it is to be kicked out of the country and be “blacklisted” so you can never return. Piss off the wrong government official or even an ex-girlfriend, and you can be screwed. So, the advice is always to be respectful, so no one loses “face.” I’m reminded of what Loraine taught me when she was my “tour guide” all those years ago whenever I’d lose patience and get angry as a tourist: “Take a deep breath. Relax. Accept the Filipino way.” Advice I still implement on occasion.

Today’s attempts at humor:

That’s all I’ve got for today. Let’s see what happens next.

Yesterday I took I step towards normalcy. Actually, 19,164 steps. That’s the most I’ve done all month.

My morning walk took me on the backstreets and alleyways of Barretto, Matain, and Calapacuan barangays. Here is some of what I saw along the way:

It feels good to feel good again.

Thursday is date night with Swan, so I asked whether she preferred Kon Tiki or John’s place for dinner. She wanted her beach fix at Kon Tiki.

We took a trike ride back to Barretto and did our nightcap at Wet Spot. Aine isn’t talking to us anymore, apparently. It seems she wanted to borrow money from Swan, and Swan invoked Rule #1 (don’t be a sucker). Aine’s snooty attitude was a bit off-putting and pissed me off, but Swan and my waitress told me to calm down and that she wasn’t worth worrying about. I’ve been buying her drinks for five years, and she was a schoolmate of Swan’s, but she’s dead to us now.

Before leaving Wet Spot, we ordered some food to take home for the help, primarily because I had a 15% off coupon I needed to use or lose. Swan ordered a club sandwich and lumpia. I just wanted some pecan pie. The exact wording on the coupon was “15% off on F&B for up to four guests.” So, when the bill came, I looked, and they hadn’t discounted the pie. I asked why, and the waitress responded the coupon was only good for food and beverage. I asked what pecan pie was, and she said, “Dessert.” Crazy.

Anyway, I don’t sweat the small stuff (just write about it here) and didn’t let the insanity spoil an otherwise good time. Home safe and sound, another full night’s sleep, and woke up feeling as strong as ever. No complaints about that!

Another Facebook memory to remind me of the man I used to be and life I used to live.

I guess this qualifies as politics:

My blog stats don’t change much week to week. I’ve got a few dedicated gluttons for punishment who visit LTG regularly (200-250 a day) and I appreciate your loyalty (or sympathy). Thanks for reading!

Today’s YouTube video from Reekay discusses finding a Filipina girlfriend in three weeks (one you don’t have to pay for). It took me six years, but I had some fun along the way.

To the humor, then:

Okay, I was feeling energetic this morning and led the Friday group hike on a nice trail that included my first bona fide hill climb in weeks. And I lived to tell about it. I’ll share that adventure here tomorrow. Next up is a visit to next door neighbor Jeff’s dinner party. I’m bringing my bullshit brownies and some cornbread muffins. Jeff will be grilling steaks and I’m looking forward to enjoying some meat, beer, and comradery.

See you back here tomorrow!

Yesterday’s experience was more Filipino style than usual. Here’s how it went down:

As I mentioned in the previous post, on the way to Royal, we stopped at the new hospital in Barretto to sign in to see the doctor at two p.m.

Things went fine at Royal. They even had Coke Zero available this week. Woot!

I went home for some rest and blogging, then we had a trike come to the house at !:30 to take us back to the Unicare Hospital for my two-o’clock “appointment.” I was first on the list, so I figured the wait wouldn’t be too long as I plopped down on a chair outside the doctor’s office. It wasn’t. A few minutes before two, the receptionist came out to tell me that the doctor wouldn’t be in today after all. I’ve experienced doctors here being an hour or two late, but this was my first no-show.

Now what? I briefly considered trying the emergency room but figured that wouldn’t do me any good. I needed a consultation with a pulmonary specialist, not ER treatment. So, we scheduled an appointment with a different doctor for today.

We exited the hospital, and I was in a foul mood and on the opposite side of town, away from all the familiar places. Almost directly across the highway was the Inflatable Island Resort. I knew they had a restaurant and given my limited options, decided to check it out. I was hoping for a nice lunch and beach bar experience. It didn’t turn out that way.

Unlike Kon Tiki, you can not enter the resort without paying the standard 250 peso per head entrance fee.

Oh, and the service sucked as well. Definitely the worst dining experience in Barretto. You’ve been warned.

Everyone agreed that my taking a night off to stay home and rest was a good plan, so we got a trike back to Alta Vista. After a nap, I felt surprisingly good, the best I’ve felt in several days. I headed up to The Rite Spot to celebrate. I set up the speaker, opened my Spotify app, and prepared to listen to some of my favorite tunes. Except Spotify had a message saying I needed to update my billing. Since signing up for the premium plan, the 150 peso monthly fee has been charged to my Globe mobile phone bill. Apparently, that is no longer an option, and when I looked for other payment methods, all that was offered was GCash. I don’t use GCash and have no desire to do so. I tried to set it up so I could pay through Swan’s GCash, but that was a no-go because we have different phone numbers. Nope, there are no credit card options either. I finally said fuck it and let Spotify lose a customer. I’ll look into doing YouTube Premium for my future music-listening needs.

And then there was The Trial Of Billy Jack, the third in the series. Almost three hours of badness I won’t bother recounting here. The Wikipedia take linked above tells you all you need to know about this waste of time. The reviews Wiki cites are devastating and spot on. Pure left-wing propaganda, which is eerily similar to what is taking place in today’s overheated political environment. And yes, back in the 70s, I would have believed the crap Tom Laughlin was pushing in this film. It is included in the Fifty Worst Films Of All Time list.

Before I went to bed, I checked my blood oxygen level and was surprised to see that I was at 97%. When I awoke at midnight and rechecked it, I was at 96%. This morning, I was once more at 97%. I haven’t seen numbers like that since I began using the oximeter. For the first time in days, I felt strong enough to attempt the dog walk, and by golly, I got through it without a problem.

This morning, I visited pulmonary specialist Dr. Ana DeLeon and was impressed on multiple levels. I will talk more about that in tomorrow’s post, but I’ve got a couple of new meds to try and some tests she wants me to undergo. Bottom line, I am now glad yesterday’s doctor flaked out because my comfort level with Dr. DeLeon is very high. She has my trust and confidence already.

Hopefully, I’m finally on the road to recovery.

In today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea talks about poverty in the Philippines and the horrific impacts inflation is having on the already destitute. Sometimes you don’t realize how blessed you are until you see how so many less fortunate are forced to live.

You’ll need a good dose of humor after watching that video. Try these:

I’m more confident than ever that I’ll be back tomorrow. I’m going to walk back into town soon to test my lungs. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to hydrate once I get there.

I hope I get some answers and possible fixes when I visit the pulmonary doctor tomorrow. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m not getting better. It doesn’t take much to leave me winded; even the walk to the toilet feels challenging. And yet, I just checked the oximeter, and I have 94% oxygenation, which is almost normal. I haven’t been out of the house at all today, but I’ve got the Hash coming up in a couple of hours. My plan now is to give it a go and see what happens. I doubt I can do a hill climb, but I’ll try to do some of the flat at least. I really, really hate feeling this way.

On the plus side, I was able to do Swan’s candy walk yesterday. We walked into town later, and it wasn’t quite as bad as the day before. The dinner gathering at Hops and Brews was a lot of fun, and my beer-drinking abilities have not as yet been undermined. So, there’s that.

I usually don’t go into town until four o’clock, but our luncheon was scheduled for one at Hops and Brews, so we headed out at 12:30.

It was a very nice afternoon out with the neighbors. Jeff is having us all over at his place on Friday for some grilled steaks. Life is good. Hopefully, I’ll be able to hold onto mine for a few more years (my goal is 2038).

Today’s YouTube video is from last week’s SOB competition, featuring the winning Alaska team.

Humor time:

Okay, let’s see what happens next.