…and in with the new. Well, the year didn’t end with a bang (I went home alone as usual), but by my low standards, it was a nice last night on the roller coaster called 2022.
Here’s how I ended the year. I needed a cash infusion, so I walked the 6K to the ATM in Subic town. After waiting in line, the first machine was out of cash, so I got in line for the second. I settled for 10,000 pesos (rather than the 20,000 I prefer) the machine was willing to dispense. Hopefully, that will get me through the weekend, but I burned through a lot of cash last night.
Just how did I spend over $100 in a single night? Glad you asked! It started with the feeding at Hideaway Bar. Seeing as how it was the night we celebrate the passing of a year, I wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary food-wise. So, I went to the Jewel cafe and ordered an eclectic mix of food items: spaghetti and meatballs, pork chops, pork sisig, and fried chicken. I also brought along the chocolate cake I’d baked at home. The gals loved the food, and caught up in the spirit of the moment, I rang the bell, thereby purchasing a lady drink for all the crew. Happy New Year!
Joy also gave me a homemade New Year’s card, which was a first for me.
I played a game of pool for the first time in forever and lost as usual. I was impressed with how well Joy plays, though. I guess it comes with working in a bar.
When I departed Hideaway, I planned on dropping in at Blue Butterfly, but as I approached, I changed my mind and walked on by. Instead, I climbed the stairs to Cheap Charlies and spent some time with one of my favorites there, Maya.
I actually told Maya about my idea of hiring a girlfriend, and she seemed to think it was doable. I asked her if there was anyone in the bar she’d recommend, and she didn’t hesitate before answering, “no.” Anyway, I’m only half serious about the concept, but I’m keeping my options open.
I had intended to go to Whiskey Girl as my next stop but was surprised to discover they were closed on a Saturday night and New Year’s Eve to boot. Then I looked across the street and saw that Queen Victoria was also closed. New Year’s here is not a party day but a family day, and I guess all the girls want to be home with loved ones–to hell with their favorite customers! Heh, I don’t blame them.
So, I was out of options. And Snackbar is conveniently located next to the nearest trike stand, so that’s where I went to continue my holiday beer-drinking revelry. They had a party going on, that’s for sure. Jenn joined me for drinks; then I bought some for my other old favorites (Lydell wasn’t working). The owner greeted me warmly, and it felt *almost* like old times.
I hadn’t been there since the aborted Christmas party, so I was presented the gift I had walked out on:
There was a raffle, and my ticket was drawn for this:
So, I wound up staying past my bedtime, but not so late that I couldn’t be safe and sound asleep in my bed at midnight. Probably a good thing; when I woke a little after one to pee, I could still hear the celebration noises outside.
So, here we are on day one of the new year, or more aptly perhaps, the first day of the rest of my life. And one of my goals is to extend that life long enough to continue to enjoy as many New Year’s celebrations as possible. To that end, I’ve resolved to focus more on my health and, hopefully, find fixes for my two major issues–chronic sinus congestion and my COPD. I suspect the two may be related. The lungs are especially concerning–these past couple of nights; I’ve experienced shortness of breath while simply walking between bars. That’s reminiscent of my pre-diagnosis days, and I’m worried that my condition may be getting worse. So, I’ll be making an appointment with my doctor for a consultation and referral for tests/X-rays to find out what is going on.
My other resolution is to exercise some self-discipline. I don’t think it is any secret that I’ve totally let myself go. I hadn’t even bothered to step on the scale for months before I did this morning. I’ve seen the pictures, and my beer belly is ridiculous. But it is not just the beer. After a night of drinking, I go home and gorge myself on ice cream and other sweet treats. I don’t want to go back to where I was as a morbidly obese man weighing 270 pounds. That brings with it a whole other host of potential health problems. I actually wonder if my breathing may be impacted by the extra pounds as well.
Anyway, self-discipline will start at the grocery store–I’m not going to purchase items that are going to tempt me to go off-diet. And I’m giving up the beer for a while, although Monday’s Hash will be a cheat day out of necessity (it’s all that is offered). Now, I’m not saying I’m giving up drinking; I’m just going back to my gin and soda days and the low-carb lifestyle. I’ll eat and drink more responsibly and do an informal intermittent fasting routine.
So, I’ll be weighing in every Sunday morning until I achieve my weight reduction goal (or die trying). My target is 195. Today the scale told me I weigh 225.3 pounds. Yeah, Wow, I was surprised I was that far gone too. How long will it take to lose 30 pounds? I guess we are about to find out.
Here’s my message for 2023: Bring it on, bitch! I’m going to make this life I’m living the best it can be. Let’s see how that works out for me.
I didn’t know your nebulizer was such a huge machine. In fact, I’m not sure I knew what a nebulizer was at all. I’ve always imagined it as a compact inhaler for some reason. And now, I’ve learned a new vocab word.
That was a sweet card with a sweet message. The sort of thing I hang up on my work-station partition at the office. I’m sure you’ll treasure it forever.
At a guess, “gwapo” is Tagalog by way of Spanish, where “handsome” is guapo, with a “u.”
Congrats on the wallet and the spirometer. Use them both well. With the spirometer, you’ll want to keep a written record of your numbers so you have data you can bring to your doctors. Your phone doubtless has a notepad app, so you can use that to record your numbers and check your progress. In my mother’s case, the spirometer served both as a way to check lung capacity and as a way to inspire Mom to breathe more deeply, i.e., as a kind of lung exercise.
Good luck with the weight-loss project!
I have countless hopes for the new year, none of which I will achieve. But you can help me out with one. Please please please stop posting images of needy young Filipino females hungrily consuming a meal they needed bought for them. It’s strangely depressing.
Okay, Dan, no problem. I will avoid posting the needy ones and only focus on the gals I’ve satisfied. And we both know a satisfied woman is a rare treat. Nothing depressing about that!
Kev, I have a smaller and lighter nebulizer that I can travel with relative ease.
Yes, the Spanish language influence is evident in many Tagalog words, although surprisingly, little else remains of Spanish culture here despite 400 years of colonialism.
I keep a list of vitals (pen and ink, I’m old school), including blood pressure, resting heart rate, oxygen saturation, and step count that I record daily.