A busy (for me) day yesterday. Some things didn’t go well, but it could have been much worse.

One of the things that concerns me about our candy walks is how some kids come running out into the street without looking when they see us coming. We’ve trained most of them to stay where they are and let us come to them. But yesterday a kid ran out of a shop directly in front of an oncoming motorcycle. I yelled, “Look out!” and somehow the driver was able to swerve around the wayward child. The kid didn’t even look back and kept running towards the candy girl, Swan. I screamed at him in English, which he probably didn’t understand. The motorcycle driver sat on his bike, shaking his head for several minutes before proceeding on.

That’s my nightmare scenario: someone gets hurt or killed in the quest for free candy. Even if it is not technically our fault, we’d be blamed. And in the sense that “it wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t there,” I reckon we’d be found guilty. Swan said afterwards that maybe we should discontinue our candy walks. We handed out 250 bags of candy yesterday, so that’s a lot of kids to disappoint. At this point, we are going to continue our mission, but with increased vigilance for safety.

The other big project I took on yesterday was making arrangements for our upcoming trip to Siargao Island. We’ll be departing on August 5 and returning on August 11. I booked a round-trip flight from Clark Airport in Angeles City on Cebu Pacific. We’ll be staying at the Bamboo Resort in Pacifico, a part of the island we haven’t visited previously.

Nothing comes easy for me these days. I made a flight reservation on the Cebu Pacific webpage and attempted to pay with my credit card. Then I got a message saying Navy Federal needed to confirm the transaction was legitimate by sending a verification message to my telephone number of record. Well, there were options for three US phone numbers, but it is my daughter’s phone that I have linked to my account. I picked the one I thought was right, then messaged my daughter asking her to confirm the transaction. Turns out, I gave the wrong number the first time, so I went back and tried again with her number. Then I got a message saying Navy Federal had declined the payment. Fuck. My daughter was standing by, so I tried again using my debit card and with the proper phone number for verification. My daughter got the message and approved the purchase. Hooray! Except later, when I checked my account at Navy Federal, my credit card had now been blocked due to suspected fraudulent activity. They gave me a toll-free number to call to resolve the issue, but of course, there is no such thing as a toll-free call from my phone in the Philippines. Last time I called them, with a lengthy hold time, the phone charges were over $35. I sent a message to Navy Federal on the webpage, but so far they have not responded. I rely on my credit card, so I’m going to need to get this issue resolved prior to my trip. What a pain in the ass.

As for lodging, that went much better. I contacted Dr. Jo’s hubby, Chris, who is currently operating a brewery on Siargao near where I want to stay. He recommended the Bamboo Resort and sent me the WhatsApp number of the owner. I contacted him, and he responded right away. The only hitch is he is completely booked for the 10th, so I’ll have to check out a day prior to my departure. Well, I’ll have plenty of time to scout for a room once I’m there. He gave me a 3500 peso a night room rate, which is a lot less than Agoda’s 4100 quote. He wanted me to pay in advance, and I was able to do a bank-to-bank transfer via Wise. That went through without a hitch, so I’m good to go. And yes, I am confident it is all legit because Chris knows the guy personally.

By the time I had taken care of all that business and finished my blog post, it was already past beer o’clock. So, we headed into town and kicked off our evening at It Doesn’t Matter. We had the patio to ourselves, but that’s okay, even if a tad boring. I suggested we pop into Alaska next, and off we went. We actually had a better-than-usual time there, and when I asked Swan if she wanted to do the nightcap at Wet Spot, she said let’s just stay here. And so we did. I did my tipping the dancers thing and bought lady drinks for our two friendly waitresses. Owner Jerry gave us a warm welcome, and some familiar faces came in for the pool tournament. So, not a bad Saturday night in the barrio.

Here are some photos for the Decay Dance:

Continuing on through the December 2020 LTG archives, I was reminded of how forgetful I’d become. And yeah, I’m even worse these days. Anyway, my old friend Rodney Headlee messaged me asking about our 1975 championship softball team, the Ringwraiths. That brought back some memories that would otherwise have been forgotten. Rodney is another of those friends who have disappeared. No longer on social media, and I have no way to contact him. Losing people from your past is one of the saddest aspects of growing old. As long as you still remember them, anyway.

I also mention attending the California Jam in that post, another event in my life I’d have otherwise totally forgotten. Damn, this blog does serve a purpose after all!

The archives also had a picture of my former South Carolina home at Christmas time:

A newly discovered vlogger for today’s YouTube video (he only has 65 subscribers). In it, he explains how expats can avoid becoming homeless on the streets in the Philippines. I’ve managed to burn through most of my savings, but as long as Uncle Sam keeps sending my pension money, I’ll have a roof over my head.

Try these on for size:

I’ve got more stuff to do on my plate, but I’ve had enough for now. I just want to take it easy.