It was alright. Gonna be a quick report today, I’m in a sour mood and need work my way out of it. Anyway, here’s the story of my yesterday:
The weekly Hideaway feeding was once again accomplished. The bar was quite busy yesterday, and a couple of the drunks were loud enough to be irritating. I only stayed for an hour before heading for the beach.
The Arizona floater was busier than it was last week. That’s good, the girls were otherwise occupied and left us alone this time.
There was a bit of a snafu that I found irksome. As usual, we gave our waitress our drink order before heading up to the third floor. And after waiting nearly ten minutes, the drinks hadn’t arrived. So, we went back downstairs, and it seems the waitress had gotten busy with a takeout order and forgotten all about us. She apologized profusely, and instead of walking out, we just stayed on the second floor and let it go. A bit of a buzz killer, though.
Our nightcap was at the Green Room. Pudding before bed but still a sour ending to the night. I’ll leave it at that.
And here are some facts (well, facts according to the Facebook post I saw) about the Philippines:
FACTS ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES 
1. Most of people in the Philippines speak English! With a strong emphasis on English education, the Philippines ranks as the fifth-largest English-speaking country globally, making communication with locals a breeze for English speakers.
2. Filipinos ranked as the highest selfie-takers in the world! Filipinos have earned the title of the worldâs most enthusiastic selfie-takers, embracing the art of self-expression through photography.
3. Philippines has 7641 islands â making it one of the largest archipelagos globally. Surprisingly, more than 5,000 of these islands remain unnamed on most international maps, waiting to be discovered. Sounds amazing, right? Just imagine huge number of islands right there!
4. There are over 170 dialects in the Philippines! One of the most remarkable features of the Philippines is its linguistic diversity. While the official language is Filipino, based on Tagalog, there are over 170 dialects spoken throughout the archipelago, reflecting the nationâs vibrant cultural mosaic.
5. The Philippines is the only Asian nation that is predominantly Christian. More than 86% of the population identifies as Roman Catholic and religion is still a big influence in the country.
6. The largest and most expensive pearl in the world was found in the Philippines! It was being found in Palawan, weighing a staggering 75 pounds and valued at an astonishing $100 million.
7. Filipinos celebrate Christmas longer than you think! The Philippines takes Christmas celebrations to the next level, beginning in September and lasting until January during the âFeast of the Three Kings.â The festive atmosphere includes decorations and numerous parties.
8. The Philippines has âbest singers,â âloves music mostâ among 90 toured countries. Filipinos are so good at singing! Karaoke is their beloved pastime, showcasing their vocal talents at gatherings, turning any occasion into a singing festivity.
9. The Philippines has earned its title as the âtext capital of the world,â with social media and texting being the primary means of communication.
10. Tarsier, one of the worldâs smallest primates can only be found in the Philippines. It is known for its enormous eyes relative to its body size, aiding in night vision.
11. Fertilised duck embryo is the famous street snack. Filipinos enjoy eating this, they call it as âbalutâ.
12. The Philippines has unique transportation modes, such as tricycles, jeep, and kalesas.
13. The Philippines is known as the largest supplier of nurses to the world, with over 25% of all nurses in the United States being of Filipino descent.
14. Jeepney as the usual public transportation! It is distinctive and colorful public transportation vehicles, is ubiquitous in the Philippines, providing a unique way to explore its cities.
15. Philippines is the only country where the flag is flown upside down to indicate the state of war.
16. Filipino is the official language in the Philippines. It became the main language of the Philippines in 1987 under the constitution replacing âPilipinoâ.
17. Philippines is one of the largest island countries in the world! It offers an incredible diversity of landscapes and experiences.
18. The Philippines is the second largest producer of coconut products in the world. Locally known as buko, coconut is a top export product of the Philippines. Each year, the country ships around 19.50 million tons or more of coconut fruit.
19. Filipinos are known for being polite, addressing each other with âmaâamâ or âsir.â Respect for elders is deeply ingrained, reflected in terms like âateâ and âkuyaâ and use of âpoâ and âopo.â
20. âFilipino timeâ refers to the cultural phenomenon of Filipinos often arriving late for appointments or events, reflecting their laid-back, relaxed attitude towards time.
21. Two of the worldâs largest shopping malls are located in the Philippines, offering an incredible shopping and leisure experience. One is SM Megamall, located in Mandaluyong city, with a total floor area of over 5.5 million square feet. Another is SM Shopping center of Asia (MOA) is a rambling shopping center in Pasay City, with more than 4.4 million square feet of retail space.
22. The Philippines founded Asiaâs first basketball league, the Philippines Basketball Association, in 1975, making basketball a beloved sport in the country.
23. Jollibee is the top fast food chain the Philippines taking over McDonaldâs! Jollibee was the leading limited-service restaurant in the Philippines in terms of sales in 2021. In that year, the restaurant chain generated sales of approximately 24. 53 billion U.S. dollars. Its closest competitor, McDonaldâs, had total sales of about 786 million U.S. dollars in that year.
24. The Philippines has the largest underground river. Many people visit the Philippines because of its cultural history of famous water bodies. In fact, this nation is home to the largest underground river. It is located in Puerta Princesa Subterranean River National Park. There are many famous landmarks in the Philippines that will amaze you.
25. Filipinos canât eat without rice! For almost 99% of the Philippine population, no meal is complete without rice, highlighting its central role in Filipino cuisine.
26. Filipinos usually have 3 to 4 meals daily!
27. There are three main island groups in the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, and Visayas. Luzon, the most populous, is home to the capital city, Manila.
And now you know.
Today’s YouTube video is from a fellow expat retiree who reflects on the challenges of growing old here:
Who could use a laugh after that?
Okay, Hash Monday is upon us once again. Today’s trail starts and ends on Rizal Extension, which means it’s gonna be a pain in the ass to get back to town afterward. Oh well, I’m already in a pissy mood, so why not sprinkle a little salt in the wound?
And for you “first time hearing” fans:
Re: amount of islands. Sweden, Finland, and Norway have a lot more islands than the Philippines and Indonesia surprisingly enough to the extent that the amount the Philippines has is not even slightly impressive.
I felt bad because this is the portion we deleted from the Santa Claus Hash run last Monday. Except we had told all kids on Sunday that Santa was coming the next day. Several of them expressed their disappointment when he didnât show. My fault. I should have kept my mouth shut.
So why’d they get deleted in the first place?
At least they got some sweets yesterday
Santa’s mulligan
There was a bit of a snafu that I found irksome. As usual, we gave our waitress our drink order before heading up to the third floor. And after waiting nearly ten minutes, the drinks hadnât arrived. So, we went back downstairs, and it seems the waitress had gotten busy with a takeout order and forgotten all about us. She apologized profusely, and instead of walking out, we just stayed on the second floor and let it go. A bit of a buzz killer, though.
So to be clear, you gave the waitress your order while you were on the second floor, then you went up to the third floor, waited, then came back down to the second floor and stayed there? None of this involved the first floor? I guess I ought to know John’s layout by now since you’ve described it enough. And I suppose the waitress’s forgetting your order is a good argument for AI replacements.
Two birria beef tacos for me (I gave the third to Swan)
You sure those are birria? The tortillas don’t look dipped in sauce the way normal birria tacos are.
Pudding before bed but still a sour ending to the night.
The gods have been trying to tell you for years that you’ll get the best service by just eating at home, not at bars and restaurants. And this incident of forgetfulness occurred at John’s place, yes? So it’s already starting to fray and fall apart without him? Sad.
I donât see (Y)
It’s the old “boobie” emoji with the big nipples: ( o Y o )
Iâll wait for Kevinâs review
I have a feeling I won’t be watching that one.
Kev, that portion of the trail got dropped because we needed to shorten the trail length for the Hash run. Our Santa was barely able to complete the shorter version.
John’s place has two floors–a second-floor dining area and a third-floor open-air rooftop bar area. We prefer the third-floor views. There is no staff on the top level, so our practice is to give the waitress our drink order as we arrive to save her a trip up the stairs. She brings a menu with the drinks, and we order our meal. When she never showed up this time, we went back downstairs and discovered she had forgotten about us. Shit happens, but yeah, I had the same thought as you; this is the first sign that John’s absence is leading to the deterioration of the high standards he maintained.
Over 7,000 islands (2000 inhabited) in the Philippines is impressive enough for me! More is not always better. We have a lot of Swedish expats here.