Make no misteak about it; it was good eating. The highlight of our night on the town was dinner at John’s place. We followed that up with a bit of a bar hop, visiting MacArthur’s, Red Stars, and Hot Zone before calling it a night. But first things first.
Speaking of All Saints Day, that’s also a huge deal here in the Philippines. Driving past the hillside cemetery in Olongapo yesterday, preparations were in full swing for the upcoming big day with the dead this Friday. Food stands were being erected, crypts were being painted and given their annual cleaning and refurbishment so when the families gather to pay their respects and eat in drink in memory of the dead, all will be in order. And the following day, everything will be a mess again. It’s just the way it’s done in these parts.
When the grocery shopping was done, I couldn’t help but notice the car parked next to ours.
Ah, I see now it is a low-priced EV from China. Good luck with that!
Alright, about those steaks at John’s place. Swan and I had both been craving some beef, and we went with the tenderloin special (750 pesos) to fill that void.
The first stop on the bar hop was the newest bar in town, MacArthur’s. The place was surprisingly full when we arrived. The music was blaring loud enough that conversation was difficult. They didn’t have wine in stock, so Swan ordered gin and soda water. They gave her a gin in lime juice. My beer was 120 pesos. It was one and out for us, and we are not likely to return.
Next up was the rarely visited Red Stars. Our waitress remembered me from the Blue Butterfly days and welcomed me back by pointing to my belly and asking when the baby was due. Thousands of comedians are out of work, and she’s trying to be funny! Anyway, I get that a lot and wasn’t offended. They had wine for Swan, and my Zero was reasonably priced at 80 pesos. We sat on the outdoor patio, and Swan engaged the two waitresses at our table in a Tagalog conversation. Naturally, I bought the girls a lady drink, then watched the world go by as I enjoyed my beer(s).
The last stop was Hot Zone. I can’t even remember the last time I was there. Nothing wrong with the bar, just not my kind of place anymore. I visited last night because I got a message from owner Jay telling me he had found a shirt of mine (Jay used to be the Grandmaster of the Subic Hash, so I assumed it was a Hash shirt). I was curious about both the shirt and its origins, so I found myself in the Zone. It turns out it was a special shirt designed to commemorate an ill-fated Hash in November 2019—the one where we got arrested by the Philippine Navy for trespassing. I wrote about it here. Apparently, it got dropped off for me and misplaced for almost five years. Better late than never. Thanks, Jay!
The Hot Zone mamasan still remembered me and gave me a poke in the belly greeting as well.
And that’s where the story of my yesterday comes to an end. All that fun came with a price:
- Medications: 1500 pesos
- Lady Drinks: 360 pesos
- Tips: 500 pesos
- Alcohol: 1560 pesos
- Dinner: 1500 pesos
- Groceries: 14,700 pesos
- Driver: 1000 pesos
- Charity: 250 pesos
- Trike: 100 pesos
- Total for October 29: 21,470 pesos
Eight years ago, I was walking the streets of Seoul.
And during that trek, I was surprised to see this old beauty:
Today’s YouTube video provides an update on the kidnapped American. Arrests have been made, but not sign as yet of the victim.
And now for some laughs:
Alright, a good morning with the Wednesday Walkers and this afternoon the skies are looking angry. Will I stay or will I go? I don’t know yet either. I’ll let you know tomorrow!
John, I must admit I find it commendable how you’ve taken total control of Swan’s life. Now I know she relies on you for food, a roof over her head, and money, but the fact that you still frequent the hooker bars on a daily basis, eat at the same places with no variation like Italian, Indian, German – never mind Filipino food – and never do what what she wants or take her somewhere different to eat on a romantic date is very impressive. Unless she truly has no hobbies or things she would really like to do of course.
I do wonder though if it was this lack of consideration for the other person’s interests and needs that led to your previous divorces?
I recommend switching to mouthwash for a bit to cut down on those outrageous spending costs, John. The buzz is good and you don’t have to be concerned as much about not having brushed your teeth in weeks. I started on it back in 2019. I was at the homeless vets camp where I met the ex and had ostensibly sobered up, but I was secretly getting my fix via two big bottles of mouthwash every few days. By that point my only experience with it was as a teenager, when a friend and I were desperate for a buzz and tried mouthwash/soda mixers.
Sometimes I’ll swill it around my mouth, but most of the time it bypasses the teeth and goes straight down the throat. When you’re drinking mouthwash you really don’t want the taste to linger.
I see now it is a low-priced EV from China. Good luck with that!
I’m sure we can expect nothing but good quality and great value. Nice racket: attack Filipino ships while having Filipinos buy shitty Chinese products!
We had ours medium-rare.
Someone needs to tell Donald Trump to stop it with the well-done steaks.
Our dinnertime view from John’s
Great sky. And is that your very own Cracker Barrel?
Next up was the rarely visited Red Stars.
Sounds communist.
Our waitress remembered me from the Blue Butterfly days and welcomed me back by pointing to my belly and asking when the baby was due.
You keep putting up those pics of a thinner you from a few years back, and even your readers are bound to notice something! Check out this vid on whether metabolically healthy obesity is possible. She’s an expert I’m subscribed to. Her advice is usually measured and sane.
The front of my newly discovered Hash shirt. The name on the sleeve is how Jay knew it was mine.
You’ve shown that design on the blog before. I recognize the guru and the dick. No homo.
Total for October 29: 21,470 pesos
I guess this more than nullifies the savings from the other day. Almost ten times the expense!
Damn, she must really suck!
Maybe BJ is bujitsu.
So—did you stay or go?
Thompson, well, as they say, you can’t take it with you, so spend it while you can. I have one more day in the month, and then I’ll assess my spending and determine what, if anything, needs to be adjusted. I don’t think my beer budget will be impacted.
I recently switched to alcohol-free mouthwash because I read that the alcohol kills the good bugs in your mouth that keep you healthy. But I don’t think I’d ever consider swallowing either version. At least around here, mouthwash isn’t any cheaper than most alcoholic beverages anyway.
Hope all is going well with you these days.
There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment.
Hunter S. Thompson
Todd, thank you for sharing your insights; wrong though they may be. Swan has a mind of her own and does as she pleases. One of the things I love about her is that most of the time, we are of the same mind. And on the rare occasion when our plans don’t align, we enjoy separate and guilt-free “me days.”
I also disagree with your assertion that a “lack of consideration” is “commendable.” But who am I to judge?
Kev, yeah, those cheap EVs will be burning up the highways here. Or should I say, burning up ON the highways?
If Kamala wins, eating steak will be rare for all of us!
I assume you are talking about the restaurants across the street from John’s. Alas, there is not a Cracker Barrel to be found outside the continental USA. The two places you see in the photo both serve roast chicken and some pork dishes, mostly for take-out.
The guy who bought Blue Butterfly and changed the name to Red Stars also owns Red Bar. I think he intended to play off that connection, but it seems like a silly name for a drinking establishment. Maybe if you overindulge, you’ll see the red stars.
Thanks for the obesity link; I’ll give her a watch. Yeah, it’s amazing how much I’ve grown in such a relatively short amount of time. I’ll have some news on this subject in tomorrow’s post.
Regarding the shirt, I think I posted a photo of someone else’s shirt. I don’t see one in my collection of Hash shirts I don’t wear anymore (most of them have shrunk for some reason). I won’t be wearing my new one either. That big dick displayed prominently on the front of the shirt is just too much. Can you imagine me wearing that and walking up to a little girl and offering her cookies? Yikes!
Shopping day is always a budget buster. Today is the last day of the month, so I’ll do some calculations tomorrow to determine where I might need to make adjustments.
Did I stay or go? I went. A few sprinkles on the way, but I was safely ensconced within The Maze when it started raining harder. No regrets.
re: Chinese EV’s. Quite popular in Thailand also. BYD and Oppo are the two that I see the most. For the most part, people vote with their wallets when it comes to buying something. With the PI being a developing country, it is a relatively easy decision when choosing to spend $50K or $25K on a car.
All the US automakers are aware of the threat. Tesla is at the cusp of this. Sales are up but market share keeps going down. In fact the CEO of Ford has been driving a Chinese made EV for the past six months and somewhat ruefully indicated that it was a decent car. One of the reasons Biden increased tariffs on Chinese EV’s to 100%
Brian, I’ve never really paid attention to the EV situation, especially now that I’ve given up driving. And if the car I posted really sells for around $5000. I can understand it’s popularity. Although that is the first one I’ve ever seen around here.
Still, if the quality of the vehicle is in keeping with Chinese manufacturing standards, it won’t last long.
Well then I was mistaken. Personally I’d find it suspiciously bizarre if my other half wanted to hang out at hooker bars every night, but that’s just me.
Most of the bars we frequent aren’t “hooker bars” and we don’t go every night. We are usually just in regular bars enjoying a glass of wine and some beer.