Four more years!

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I hope so anyway. At least. Whatever the future holds, I have now arrived at the fourth anniversary of my move to the Philippines. To the extent that I had a plan, things haven’t gone the way I expected. On the other hand, it’s been an interesting journey on the road to the unknown. I’m probably as happy as I’m ever going to be, given the nature of my personality. And while I’ve experienced some setbacks and disappointments, on balance, I’m living the dream. Seriously, I’m a 66-year-old man spending his golden years surrounded by hot young Filipinas. Beats the hell out of being stuck in some sterile retirement home environment. Sometimes you just have to embrace life for what it is and know that each day is a new adventure with an unforeseeable outcome. I’m getting better at doing that. So, my big insight on living four years in the Philippines is simply this: I’m a lucky bastard!

I did expect I’d be in a loving relationship by now. None of my feeble attempts at achieving that goal have worked out. In retrospect, perhaps that’s for the best. It’s far better to be alone than to be with the wrong one.

The first gal I courted when I moved here. I had actually met her as a tourist and was looking forward to getting to know her better. Alas, she didn’t feel the same. She’s still working at Alley Cats, so I see her a couple of times a week. Sometimes I think about “what might have been,” but then, when I see her snuggled up with a bar customer, I’m like “thank you, Jesus!”
My most recent crush. Still hoping she’ll come back again to visit one day soon.

Anyway, I’m growing more and more accustomed to the life of a single man, and it certainly has its benefits. Lots of guys I know who are in relationships seem to envy my lifestyle for some reason. Maybe variety truly is the spice of life!

Take yesterday, for instance. I got my grocery shopping out of the way, then the mountain girl came over and gave me the kind of massage I really enjoy. After that, I baked up some brownies and delivered them to Joy at Hideaway.

The brown knees at Hideaway seemed to enjoy the brownies I baked.

Next up was the darts tournament at Alley Cats.

Another “tie” for first. Even had more fun than usual last night.
The Tuesday night crowd at Alley Cats.

Last night was also the first go at taking steps to reduce my beer belly by reducing my beer intake. The scale will be the ultimate judge (I’ll weigh in again next Tuesday), but I had around 50% fewer beers than usual, so that’s a good start.

I filled the gap with gin and soda. When I was doing the low-carb diet all those years ago, this was my beverage of choice. I have it served in a tall glass so as not to get overly inebriated. It worked out pretty well last night.

And then, after darts, I wandered over to Mango’s for some chow.

Regular readers won’t be surprised that I opted for the pork chops. Don’t worry; I only ate half of that platter. Had a female dart player join me for dinner. She wanted to join me at home for something more, but I declined. Hey, I’d had a satisfying massage earlier in the day. And at 66, I’m only as good once as I ever was.

I finished my night with a stopoff at Whiskey Girl bar. Haven’t been in there for quite some time. Under new management and I must say the gals were friendly and good looking. Given my beer reduction goals, I only stayed for one beer. Bought two lady drinks for the gals who kept me company though.

Pretty much.

So, that’s how I roll in my little retirement village known as Barrio Barretto. Long may I live!

Had a very pleasant hike with the Wednesday Walkers this morning. The dart league match this afternoon is at It Doesn’t Matter. I’ve never thrown there before, it should be fun. Full report tomorrow.

Here’s a little vocabulary lesson before I go:

Makes sense.

3 thoughts on “Four more years!”

  1. Beats the hell out of being stuck in some sterile [retirement-home] environment.

    Undeniably so. Then again, if you’re 66—which is young by today’s standards—and in a retirement home, you’ve got problems.

    Still shaking my head about the lady who could barely walk a single kilometer. What’ll she be like when she’s 66?

  2. Pleased to see you reposted the picture of Lyn. Your description of her seems to make her a winner.

    Might be taboo, but is there an update on Pearl?

    216lbs. You let yourself go pretty quick.

    66 not to old if health is well. I have 9 years on you and wish I was able to walk your distances. Doctor burned some nerve endings in my back. Seems to have eliminated pain, but still have no balance.

    Meanwhile, we are having a windy Spring and anything on my mountain not nailed down, is in Kansas.

  3. Kev, yeah, age is just a number, and I identify as 30, so there’s nothing stopping me from livin’ it up. I hope the day never comes when I can’t walk a single kilometer.

    Jerry, no real update on the ex; I have to assume she is doing fine. I miss her and think of her often, but I know I need to let her go.

    I do appreciate my relatively good health. Glad the surgery eased your pain some. Hope you are back on your feet again soon.

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