My life

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I had some really outstanding comments on the Living Dangerously post. As you faithful readers obviously know, LTG is as much a personal diary as anything else. I’m always frankly amazed that people follow my “trials, tribulations, and adventures” as recounted here. But the heartfelt comments and advice I’ve gotten along the way have meant so much more to me than you can ever know. So, I really wanted to acknowledge that and sincerely say thank you!

Aaron (a reader since 2005!) commented on the pending retirement of his parents and his concerns on how well they will fare in the transition. He’s following along with me for any insights he might glean from my journey. Well, it might be more of a “how not to guide, but my life here is pretty much an open book. It may be recalled that this is actually my second go at being retired, having originally stopped working at the tender age of 55 back on December 31, 2010. In that iteration, I was living six months in the USA and six months in Korea. And of course, I had my Korean wife with me back then. The first year was a busy one; both of my parents died, I bought and remodeled a house, and reestablished relationships with family and friends. And then things settled down into a comfortable routine which while sometimes boring, seemed like it was going well. The bombshell that my wife was unhappy in her life with me and wanted a divorce ended those dreams and that life. So I wound up going back to work for another three years.

This is my “do over” retirement. Before getting married I had planned on retiring to the Philippines. And now here I am. I’m still only five months into my life here so it’s a work in progress. I’m getting settled and slowly but surely finding my way. Yes, I probably spend too much time in the bars but at least I’m not one of those guys I see drinking at breakfast time (and I don’t drink at home either). The biggest void in my life I think is not having someone to love who loves me back. Finding someone who actually had some common interests would be icing on the cake (I’d really enjoy having a partner at the Hash for example). As commenter Kevin Kim has often advised I’m looking for love in all the wrong places. But the right kind of places are few and far between here in Barretto. So I need to expand my horizons and I’ve got some plans to do so, even if it means going back on the dating sites.

I don’t think I’m anywhere near as bored with my retired life this go round, but it’s still early in the game so we’ll see. I enjoyed my work but really don’t miss it much. The people and the social connections were really what mattered. I think it takes time to build something similar, but without the common bond of work that is much more difficult. Commenter Brandon recommends that I develop some hobbies and suggests gardening as an example. That’s probably not for me, but I do have darts and walking and will also be incorporating some travel into my lifestyle. So really, I think on balance I’m doing okay.

If I could just find a girlfriend! I think if I fuck up it’s going to be out of a sense of desperation. I had a bargirl friend who needed some extra money over to the house to give me a massage the other day (and that’s all it was, no happy ending!). And now there’s another woman who is friends with my helper wanting to provide me massage services. She’s married though and I’m not comfortable with that. On the other hand, tonight I’ll be helping a gal from Treasure Island celebrate her 30th birthday. She’s a sweetie and a cutie but I don’t have any illusions about why I’m coming to the party. To foot the bill of course. Her friend has already let me know that Jessa would love a new phone as a birthday present. And you know what, I don’t mind getting her one. I’d like her to remember her 30th as much as I do mine!

And I guess that’s the other thing about living here. I can afford to be generous. I’m very popular in the bars I frequent. But I’m also able to help out some folks when they are in need and that’s a good feeling. Just today I was asked if I could contribute some funds to help my downstairs caretaker who was recently hospitalized. I gave 2000 pesos (about $40.) which is no big deal to me but apparently will help him a lot in terms of getting the medicine he needs. Don’t get me wrong, I live on a budget but my budget allows me to live large by local standards. I’d say my standard of living is high compared to a large percentage of the expat community as well. As I’m often reminded, I’m a lucky man and in the bigger scheme of things what I perceive as problems are really meaningless.

I enjoy views like this one in my subdivision.

The steak dinner I prepared on my grill yesterday afternoon.

The dart tournament I won last night…

And who gives a damn if Subic thanks me for leaving their shitty little town. I’m a Barretto boy now!

So, yeah. That’s my life. It could be worse and it’s bound to get better. Thanks to my readers for joining me on the journey!

They will tell you you can’t sleep alone in a strange place
Then they’ll tell you you can’t sleep with somebody else
Ah, but sooner or later you sleep in your own space
Either way it’s OK, you wake up with yourself

I don’t need you to worry for me ’cause I’m alright
I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home
I don’t care what you say anymore, this is my life
Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone

I never said you had to offer me a second chance
I never said I was a victim of circumstance
I still belong, don’t get me wrong
And you can speak your mind, but not on my time
I don’t care what you say anymore, this is my life
Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone

A grave experience at the Hash

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Sorry for the delay in providing your weekly fix of Hash photos and commentary. Dealing with some shit that has me somewhat distracted, but I’ll figure it out. Anyway, on with the Hash report!

It was a funny thing when I discovered where Monday’s trail had led us. I had just reported in my “Living Dangerously” post about my walk to the old Navy base along National Highway. Well, I was surprised to be back to where I had just been, except this time the getting there was up and over the mountain. And then we meandered through a big ass cemetery built into a hillside. The return trip was a mostly pleasant walk along the beach. So it’s good to know an alternative route the next time I want to take a long hike, although truthfully I wouldn’t attempt the mountain path alone. As usual, let’s let the pictures do the talking:

The route we walked, just under 7ks…

We had 38 Hashers so we filled the Hashmobile AND a Jeepney. Perhaps the most dangerous part of the Hash was getting across the National Highway without being run over.

Assembling at the trail head…

And we are “On-On”!

We almost immediately began a steep and sweaty ascent of the mountain…

But once we reached the top it was easy walking…

And the bay views were pleasant….

It’s always interesting to me to get a new perspective of the bay. To me, that’s the best feature of the Hash, going to places I would never otherwise find on my own.

Heading back down through the tall grasses. You need to be on the outlook for wild things that may be lurking about…

What madness is this? I was surprised to see we were actually going to hike through the cemetery…

I was a little worried we might be considered disrespectful. I mean we were actually marching on top of the graves…

I fell behind as usual as I paused for pictures. And then I fell (well stepped) off one of those concrete graves into a drop off I couldn’t see because of the weeds. Just a deep scratch was my only injury thankfully….

Blood on the trail…

Some nice views but I doubt the dead appreciate them much. Speaking of the dead, it was a little disconcerting to note that many of the “residents” were younger than me when they left this world. Mortality sucks!

The old Navy base as viewed from the cemetery…

After exiting the graveyard and crossing the National Highway we found ourselves on the beach. This was my first Hash where we actually walked the beach. And the beach portion was about half the Hash.

And it was rather pleasant…

A good day to be in the water….

We did have one detour off the beach through a small settlement…

Which was maybe a fishing village…

One of the resorts on the bay features this inflatable island. Looks like fun for the kids!

In due course we arrived “On-Home” at Midnight Rambler for the after Hash activities….

Custom made T-back panties were on offer. I asked “for a friend” if the came in men’s sizes. That cost me time on the ice for a “6-7-8-9 violation”.

Snake Charmer was recognized with a Hash vest for completing her 100th Hash. I wish I could find a gal like her!

And as I’m sure you’ve been waiting for, the requisite hot asses on ice photo….

It was a good Hash and a good time!

Living dangerously

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Down in the dumps yesterday so I decided to take the LONG walk to the old Navy base. It’s about an hour each way but the challenge is there isn’t much shoulder so you have to be prepared to dodge Jeepneys, trucks, buses, and trikes. It’s actually a pain in the ass which is why I rarely attempt it. Sunday morning is probably the only time I’m brave enough for the hike since traffic is relatively lighter then.

A rare break in the traffic afforded the opportunity to take this deceptive photograph….

But it was nice to also get some new vistas, like this shot of half moon bay….

Anyway I really need to work on getting my shit together. Spending too many meaningless hours in the bars drinking beer. Yeah, it’s what I do to have some semblance of a social life. I really do have the type of personality that needs a significant other to fulfill me. Geez, I hate how that sounds. But I don’t want to get drawn into the dating a bargirl lifestyle. I’m going to have to suck it up I suppose and start trolling the dating websites again. That’s a whole other kind of depressing activity though. I just got to find a way to climb out of this rut.

Meanwhile, I continue on with the simple things that bring me pleasure. Like the crockpot chili con carne I cooked up:

It was surprisingly good, if I do say so myself. I like to use Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies but I couldn’t find any at the Royal grocery store. They did have a can of “Mexican style” sliced tomatoes, which worked out just fine. Very flavorful.

And finally, I would like to offer up a heartfelt apology to all of my faithful readers here at LTG:

It doesn’t get much worse than this, does it?

Unmotivated

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Yeah, it’s been one of THOSE kinda days. Other than walking and drinking I didn’t get jack shit accomplished. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

As seen on today’s walk:

A Wal-Mart on wheels.

You call that a bad residence? I’ve seen worse!

Your humble stalker.

What else have I got?

No idea what happened to the rest of him….

And meanwhile on Facebook:

The truth hurts….

Anyway, I’ll try harder tomorrow.

F’n crazy!

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It’s a fine day to be in the Philippines far, far away from all the political madness in the USA.

Took my morning walk out towards Subic town, 45 minutes up the National Highway and 45 minutes back.

Here’s a pleasant street scene to give you the flavor of my walk. Well, since you can’t taste on the internet (yet) it reeked of exhaust fumes and was loud and busy. Why did I choose to walk down such a busy road? Because I can!
Actually, I took side streets yesterday but they were equally busy and without the benefit of a shoulder to walk on. Not all my walks are this way, I just need to change it up now and then to alleviate the boredom.

Speaking of the Kavanaugh hearings, what a fucking fiasco. I stand with the man!

We have a lot in common. Except for the high school shenanigans. I was stoned most of the time so can’t say what I did or didn’t do for sure.

But I knew his accuser looked awful familiar!

Of course, the internet and Facebook are on fire with commentary and memes. The left is basically arguing that all men are guilty until proven innocent whenever a woman makes an unsubstantiated claim of sexual assault. I loved how Senator Booker kept referring to “her truth” instead of “the truth”. Kavanaugh did a good job defending himself against the spurious attacks and Senator Graham was on point in calling out his colleagues on their McCarthy-like behavior.

That’s gonna leave a mark!

So glad I’m here and not there.

Well, I’m glad for the most part anyway.

Rest assured I will continue to navigate the slow seas of connectivity to bring you scintillating posts like this one!

You’ve been warned.

Another day in paradise

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Well, make that days.

Getting settled into my routines and rituals such as they are. Not all that exciting or blog worthy, but that’s real life for most of us I suppose.

I played in my first dart tournament in awhile and took a first place. Even sweeter was beating my arch rival Greg in the finals.

And I also had a good time, which sadly is not always the case.

I wrapped up my dart league commitment yesterday by participating in the end of season MVP tournament. It didn’t end well, but I didn’t care. Henceforth my Wednesdays and Fridays are open again. I like the freedom to do what I want when I want, rather than having an obligation to not let the team down. The problem with league for me is it starts at 2:00 and by the time it’s over I’m buzzed on beer and so the remainder of the day is pretty much shot. With tourneys I can show up or not depending on what I want to do. My plan is to do some travel (both local and international) and I don’t want to feel tied down by darts. Darts is a pastime, not a vocation for me.

I’m still out there hoofing it every morning. I’ve been exceeding my personal daily goal, so I’m happy about that. Even pushing myself to leave my comfort zone and start exploring some new paths to experience.

Did I mention it’s been hot?

I’m more or less a passive observer of the world here as it passes, but a couple of things recently caught my attention. Not everything is cheaper in the Philippines, but labor definitely is. Unskilled workers are lucky to make the equivalent of five dollars a day. You see the impact of these low wages in many ways (other than the shanty towns). Construction projects are swarming with human bodies doing the work that machines do back home. For example, concrete is mixed by hand and carried up to the pour area by hand in buckets. And then yesterday I saw this:

Painting the lines on the highway by hand with a brush and bucket of paint. Never seen anything like that before. Oh, and as you might have noticed, there apparently is no OSHA equivalent here.

The other thing that really stands out for me is that people here have no cultural aversion to littering. Hell, it goes way beyond littering, it’s trashing the environment. I see kids and grownups routinely throwing crap out of windows and vehicles. But the other morning as I was walking across the Matain river bridge I saw something that left me gobsmacked. There was a guy walking towards me carrying a bucket full of trash. I kept saying to myself “no he isn’t, no he isn’t.” But he did. Got to the middle of the bridge and poured the contents right into the river. Which runs into Subic Bay in less than a mile. I’ll be seeing that trash again soon as I walk along the beach no doubt.

The dirty banks of the Matain river awaiting the next heavy rain to carry the garbage out into the bay and beaches.

Anyway, I don’t like to be critical of my adopted home, but cultural sensitivity only goes so far. It’s a beautiful country. I just wish the natives appreciated that as much as I do.

Oh well.

She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she’s been crying
She’s got blisters on the soles of her feet
She can’t walk but she’s trying

Oh think twice, cause it’s another day for
You and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it’s just another day for you
You and me in paradise

Just think about it

Oh lord, is there nothing more anybody can do
Oh lord, there must be something you can say

A hot ass Hash

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It was sunny and hot for yesterday’s Hash. On the bright side (besides the sunshine I mean) was all the mud was dried up. But damn, I was a sweaty mess when it was all said and done.

Nevertheless, I think the trail was my favorite overall in my admittedly brief Hashing career. Challenging but no so much that I feared for life and limb. And there was a variety of scenery that was almost breathtaking in places (or maybe I was just out of breath from climbing the mountain). Anyway, I enjoyed it for the most part.

We headed out in the Hashmobile this time, having walked out the previous two weeks. I’ve noted before just how uncomfortable I find being crammed into the bed of that truck can be. It is usually my least favorite part of the Hash. This week was no exception, in fact, it was even worse. The steel truck bed was fucking hot! I seriously worried that my butt was in danger of burning, but I couldn’t very well stand up in a moving vehicle so I endured it the best I could. We went out a good ways on the National Highway towards the old Navy base and started the Hash in a place I’d never experienced. So I did like that.

Let’s go to the pictures and let them tell the story:

The day’s trail took us up a mountain, along the crest, back down into town, and then on out to Baloy beach to the On-Home at Johan’s Dive Resort. I did the full trail and it took me an hour and a half…

Exiting the Hash truck brought immediate relief to my hot ass…

And we are On-On!

Did I mention it was a hot ass day? *ahem*

The first portion of the uphill climb was steps…

…and then we climbed up the old fashioned way…

Looking back on where I’d been…

Over the hills and through the woods to (somebody’s) grandmother’s house we go!

A view from the top (part 1)

A view from the top (part 2). A beautiful day!

Hiking along the crest of the mountain…

I really loved the variety of the scenery…

Then we began making our way back down…

…and down…

…and down into civilization…

In a first for me with the Subic Hash we had a beer stop along the way (we did this pretty frequently in Korea).

Your humble correspondent taking some time out to do a little stalking. Heh, the trail took us past Marissa’s house and I couldn’t resist the photo op….

The beach “on home” at Johan’s.

The full moon light’s up the full moon’s on ice…

Cooling off some hot asses….

The day’s effort was satisfying….

It was a good day for Hashing!

Monkeying around

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Yesterday I wanted to show Justin around the SBFZ (Subic Bay Freeport Zone) aka the old Navy base. Getting there was half the fun.

Yep, Justin experienced his first ever ride in the ubiquitous Jeepney.

Hang on! Subway style seating but that is where the comparison ends…

Upon arrival at the Kalaklan gate to the SBFZ, we hired a base taxi to give us a tour. When I told the driver I wanted to visit the Cubi Point part of the base, he said it would be 350 pesos for an hour and that I had to pay for two hours. It didn’t make much sense, but what the hell, let’s go.

The Cubi area is the least developed of the old Navy base and in many places is still mostly jungle. Very beautiful actually. A couple of years ago I looked at some housing up there and found one that I really liked. In the end though I decided living on base was just too isolated and insular. I really don’t regret my choice at all.

Saw quite a few monkeys wandering about…

…and this herd of cows.

Had the driver take us out to Zoobic Safari for a look see. It’s one of those deals where you ride in a caged vehicle and drive through an enclosure containing tigers and the like roaming about in a natural state. We didn’t take the tour this time, but did get out and stretch our legs some. Had the taxi driver drop us Harbor Point Mall and despite our trip being well less than two hours, he said I owed him 1000 pesos because we had exited the SBFZ when we went to the Zoofari. Which is total bullshit. That kind of crap is really irritating, but then it ain’t worth it to throw a fit over a couple of bucks. The driver didn’t get a tip though.

Ate lunch at TGI Friday’s and it was pretty disappointing. Walked around the mall some then headed back to Barretto, again via Jeepney. Upon arrival we popped into Alley Cats for some liquid refreshment.

Justin had been hankering for a Red Horse, a highly potent local brew that is a cheap way to get drunk fast. He just had one, then switched back to the more sane San Miguel light beer.

Justin enjoyed sharing a couple of drinks with the lovely Meica…

And the equally lovely Espie…

The Alley Cats crew wanted to take Justin out to a Filipino bar but I put the kibosh on that idea. Far too dangerous for a drunk Kano in the company of pretty Filipinas to be around drunk and jealous Filipino men. The girls did invite him out (with him paying of course) for a traditional lunch of Filipino food. Hope he enjoys. I was disappointed he chose not to Hash with me today, but that’s the way it goes.

Speaking of the Hash, I best shower up and prepare myself for that adventure.

Stay tuned.

About last night

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Justin’s first day in the Philippines is now complete. Of course as I recounted in yesterday’s post, the day began a little after midnight when he landed at Clark airport in Angeles City. We managed to get a fair amount of walking in, over 20,000 steps by day’s end. And then it was time to introduce Justin to the Barretto nightlife.

We began at my home bar, Alley Cats. The dart tourney was still going on so the place was pretty crowded. We did find a place to sit and quaffed some ice cold beers to quench our thirst. Then it was time to move on to the second stop on the bar crawl–Cheap Charlies.

That would be us enjoying brews with a view.

I introduced Justin to my barfriend Mhaya and enjoyed observing his virgin experience of buying lady drinks for a Filipina bargirl.
He actually did pretty well for a beginner. He controlled her intake by only refreshing her drink when he bought another for himself. He did slip up by being suckered into buying a drink for Mhaya’s “friend”, but he limited the damage by only buying her one. Overall, a good effort for a beginner…

Then we moved on to the Man Cave bar where the party really got started…

With Justin’s new friends, Cherry and Lynn….

…or was it Lynn and Cherry?

Tequila shots and pizza, does it get any better than that?

We next popped into Hot Zone to enjoy their hot lineup of dancers, and then it was someone’s bright idea that we do videoke (otherwise known as karaoke). And so we did, singing our hearts at at Double D’s.

Justin rocking it…

And yours truly doing a heartfelt rendition of the Bee Gee’s “I started a joke”… People often cry when I sing, even when it’s a happy song….

I finished my set and my night with an old Beatles tune I dedicated to all the bargirls who work so hard to gain our money affection.

The best things in life are free
But you can keep ’em for the birds and bees

Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want

Your loving give me a thrill,
But your loving don’t pay my bills

Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want

Money don’t get everything it’s true
What it don’t get I can’t use

Now give me money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want (that’s what I want) yeah
That’s what I want

Well, now give me money (that’s what I want)
Whole lot of money (that’s what I want)
Whoah yeah, I wanna be free (that’s what I want)
Oh, money (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want, yeah (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want

Well, now give me money (that’s what I want)
Whole lot of money (that’s what I want, whoo)
Whoah, yeah, you know I need money (that’s what I want)
Now give me money (that’s what I want, whoo)
That’s what I want, yeah (that’s what I want)
That’s what I want

A guest in the house

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My first visitor since the move to the PI has arrived. Welcome nephew Justin!

His flight from Seoul arrived a few minutes late and by the time we got back to the hotel in Angeles City it was after 1:30 a.m. Still, I wanted to give Justin a taste of the AC nightlife, so off we went.

First stop was a “show bar” called Atlantis. Basically, the gals do dance routines as opposed to shuffling aimlessly on the stage. Beers were 150 pesos each, the same price I pay for a lady drink in Barretto. One round and out of there!

We walked the length of Walking Street which is basically wall-to-wall clubs and bars. Wanted to give Justin a regular dancing bar experience, so we popped into Voodoo. Place was pretty full for the late hour and the stage was full of mostly fugly girls. Yep, that’s about par for the course I suppose. Again, we did one round (at a more reasonably priced 105 pesos each) then hit the street again.

I actually have grown to despise AC for a myriad of reasons and they were all pretty much in evidence last night. The street vendors and touts in aggressive pursuit of a sale, and kids out begging after 2:00 a.m. really got to me after awhile, so I suggested we just sit by the pool at the hotel and chill. Which worked out fine. Hit the bed at 3:30 (who knew it came twice a day?) then up at 0730 for breakfast and the drive back to Barretto.

I was happy to see the nephew again, just not pleased with the environment.

We had a nice walk around town and on the beaches this afternoon, including a lunch at Treasure Island. I will be showing Justin the local nightlife here this evening. Should be fun!

Like baking a cake

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Today’s adventures (so far):

Buddy enjoying his morning walk. As the tongue suggests it was a hot day…

Hot or not, the views were nice on this beautiful morning…

Of course, Buddy isn’t up for my step count (yet), so I continued on without him, including this walk on the beach…

One of the hard to find items I bought at the Puregold supermarket yesterday was a carrot cake mix. I turned the mix into a cake this afternoon. With the help of my oven.

Honestly, it’s been awhile since I’ve indulged in such sweetness and it was just a bit too much for me. I guess I just got used to those less sweet Korean baked goods.

I avoid the politics on Facebook, but now and then I come across something that makes me laugh. This did.

Time to shower up and get ready for my overnighter to Angeles City. More to come!

Rolling thunder

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Yesterday was pretty much a typical day here in paradise. Started off with a shopping excursion. Had planned to get some stuff at the mall on base, but arrived at 0930 to discover the mall doesn’t open until 11. Seriously, who opens at 11:00?!

Had my driver take me over to try the Puregold grocery store for the first time. I was kind of impressed with some of the selections, but very disappointed with their frozen foods and meat options. Got what I could find, then moved to the Royal supermarket and got the rest. Was surprised that I spent nearly $300., but I’ve given up worrying about prices. If I want it I get it. Anything left over I’ll spend on the bargirls. Ha! That’s a joke. Sort of.

Did an afternoon two hour sweaty walk along the beaches. As I approached home I could see the clouds building up and the ominous sound of thunder.

This is how it looked from my balcony…

I glanced out the window thirty minutes later and was shocked to see this:

I couldn’t get to my phone camera quick enough to get a decent picture, but a friend posted this on facebook.
That’s out over the bay, so it’s technically a waterspout, not a tornado. Still quite a chilling sight to behold!

And then the storm passed on by with nary a drop of rain. Which suits me just fine. I had copious amounts of liquid in the form of beer last night anyway. And then this morning I awoke to this:

The rainbow looked better in person, but you get the idea. A hopeful beginning to the day!

Oh, and I threw the dog a bone…

He’s my good Buddy boy…

Later this afternoon I’ll be rolling on out to Angeles City. The nephew is flying in from Korea for a visa renewal run weekend. His plane arrives at Clark airport at 12:30 a.m., so we’ll stay over in AC and return to Barretto later on Saturday morning.

And that’s where things stand in my little corner of the world…

Nothing is perfect

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Notwithstanding my bitching and moaning here at LTG, life in the Philippines has been mostly good. Except when it isn’t. Power outages, and that having no water for over two weeks thing have been frustrating to say the least. But at least I’ve had decent internet. Until I didn’t.

So yesterday I couldn’t access my blog or other frequently visited websites. And I couldn’t figure out why. My internet was on and showing a strong signal. I could access Facebook and email, but not much else. I emailed and asked my pal Kevin Kim to see if there were any issues opening my blog in Korea and he reported it was all good there. So I had a local problem to deal with, such as I could. I had the helper contact my internet provider via text, but of course there was no response.

I had darts in the afternoon (we won!) and the guy who runs Treasure Island came into the bar for a beer. We got to chatting (he’s one of the most well-read and knowledgeable folks I’ve met here). I mentioned my internet problem and he said “you must have CATV as your provider”. Yep. He does too and had the same issues. He told me it is a periodic problem with them, as apparently they have capacity issues. I note they don’t have any trouble getting me my monthly bill on time!

I’d change providers except they are the only company that services my subdivision. My blog did open this morning and I’m writing this post before I’ve gone on to check anywhere else on the ‘net. Didn’t want to leave y’all hanging if things go south again.

I’ll be back!

UPDATE: Internet is back to 100% functionality. Woo Hoo! Of course, now the power just went out. It went off at exactly 0800 so I assume it is some scheduled brownout for maintenance or something. Thank goodness for my mobile hotspot function!

Last night’s pork chop dinner at Mango’s.

Mhaya, the Muslim bargirl I’ve been buying drinks for chatting with at Cheap Charlies.

The best thing about Cheap Charlie’s (other than Mhaya of course) is sitting there watching the world go by on the National Highway….

Your humble and neurotic correspondent.

UPDATE II: Power is back on! A 15 minute outage I can live with! Life is good.

A lucky day to Hash

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It was run #1313, what could go wrong? Well, actually nothing went wrong. The sun was shining, the Hares laid a challenging but not overly difficult trail, and I made it through to the end unscathed. A good day indeed!

Google Earth says 7k, but it felt longer. Took me over an hour and a half and I was soaked with sweat.

Waiting at Johannson’s to get started.

Listening closely to the Hare’s last minute instructions…

And we are On-On!

Interesting trail in that we spent an equal amount of time on the streets of town…

…and up in the hills.

Lots of steps as well.

In fact, it reminded me of climbing up Namsan…

What goes up must come down. We went up and down the hills three times by my count…

…in town…

…and out.

over the streams…

….and up the mountains.

and through the alleys and backstreets.

A cabin in the woods. More or less. Mostly less.

There was something fowl about this place.

A final creek to wade across left me with wet shoes. Damn those nasty Hares!

And we finished up back at Johansson’s for the on-home after Hash circle…I once again avoided time on the ice.

One of the violations that will put you on ice is not wearing proper Hash attire. Here Wonder Woman proves that she has indeed dressed (undressed?) for the occasion.

Hot Filipina asses on ice!

Drank my share of beers then went next door to Alley Cats for a few more. Then I headed on home to unpack the crockpot…

…and indulge myself in a pulled pork sandwich. I might have finally found a good source for these pork loins that turned out to be quite tasty indeed.

28,000 steps on the day. Still feeling blue, but this too shall pass!

What a fool believes

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Somewhere back in her long ago
Where he can still believe there’s a place in her life
Someday, somewhere, she will return

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He’s watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
There’s nothing at all
But what a fool believes he sees…
—Doobie Brothers

I’m not sure it rises to the level of an epiphany, but I’ve been doing some thinking (shaddup!) and I believe I’ve turned the corner on gaining some understanding and insights into my so-called life.

As regular readers have likely discerned, I’m what you might call relationship challenged. I’ve certainly done more than my share of wallowing in self-pity, but lately I’ve been considering more about what exactly my problem is. And as it turns out, surprise surprise, the problem is me. Yeah, I’m the common denominator in every single one of my past failures. Go figure. But why exactly is that?

As I look back on my most recent “love” relationships and the additional loss of what I considered to be some true friends I just couldn’t get my mind around how people could act that way towards me. I mean, I’m far from perfect but I do try to treat people the way I hope to be treated, I’m probably generous to a fault, and I do my best to be honest in my interactions with those few individuals I’m close to in my life. So it is especially disappointing when these folks fail to keep their promises, lie to my face, and outright betray me. How can I be such a poor judge of character?

And there’s the rub. What I’ve come to understand is that these people I’ve allowed to hurt me were just being who they are. My expectations and beliefs about their innate goodness were nothing more than my projections of what I wanted them to be. And that blinded me to their true nature. Hmm, well that seemed a lot more profound in my head than it does here in writing, but I hope you get my meaning. People are going to be who and what they are, wishing and believing them to be what your hoping for doesn’t make a bit of difference. Hell, it only took me 63 years to figure that out!

I think my recent experience with Marissa really illustrates that point. I’ve been so frustrated that she can’t or won’t give me the type of girlfriend experience I most desire. I should actually give her credit for honestly living as who she is, not what I want her to be. Unlike my past loves and so-called friends who always pretended to care about me only to turn their backs and desert me when something they thought was better came along.

As a practical matter how will these new insights make a difference? Well, hopefully I’ll be both more discerning in my choices (looking hard to discover the true nature of the people I let into my life) and also more accepting of who someone is, even when it does not align with my wants and desires. Easier said than done I suppose. But I think I can learn to be satisfied with having people around me who may not fulfill all my needs. I’m also learning to accept that I may be destined to live out my life alone most of the time. And I am getting more accustomed and comfortable with that. Better to be alone than with the wrong someone, that’s for sure.

Speaking of being alone, I did in fact end things with Marissa. It’s kind of funny in a sad way, because once I had got my mind around that she wasn’t ever going to be my ideal, but I could still enjoy my time with her, she went tampo on me and did it in a way that was embarrassing. I just don’t need that kind of drama in my life (heh, she went from being better than nothing to “eh, not so much” just like that). The link above gives you the Wikipedia definition of tampo, including this quote from Reekay Velez, an American vlogger here in the Philippines:

“To avoid confrontation, this tampo thing has developed over the years to where they don’t wanna speak in anger, they don’t wanna confront and say, ‘Hey, you hurt me with this or that.’ What I found out triggers it most of the time is that a guy spent one nanosecond more than he should’ve noticing a pretty girl passing by. Ninety-nine percent of the time, that’s what it is. All of a sudden, the wife, the girlfriend doesn’t wanna talk to him anymore.”

Anyway, she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong and after asking three times I’d had enough. I’m ashamed to admit that I lost my temper and yelled at her, which of course didn’t help matters. The next day she did admit that she was jealous of how I was interacting with the other bargirls. Well, if she had been responsive I could have assured her I was not interested in either of the women in question (I consider them friends that I joke around with). But I have a very low tolerance for jealous behavior and given the overall unsatisfactory nature of the relationship I knew it was time to walk away. As my friend Jerry reminded me, in the Philippines when a relationship ends you just say “next!”. We’ll see.

So, speaking of next, I saw this description of a relationship on the Althouse blog:

“When you think of what it is you’re looking for in a significant other, you’re generally talking about someone to talk to, someone to spend your day with, someone to talk about your day with, someone to go places with and enjoy life. Never in that is there ‘I want someone that’s going to cry at the drop of a hat, or be mad at me for no reason.’… In any relationship, the same exact feelings you have in the first two years of a relationship — that insane, intense drive — always tend to change after a couple of years. They turn to laying your life out with each other. They turn to be more everyday, logical… And for her to be able to reciprocate that way to me, on a routine basis, is fantastic.”

That is exactly what I’m hoping to find for myself someday! But here’s the punchline: the guy describing his relationship is married to someone who is a diagnosed psychopath! I guess maybe it’s true that you’d have to be crazy to love a man like me!

Oh well, I’ll find her or I won’t. In the meantime I’m going to enjoy the life I have, solitary though it may be. I’ll find ways to fill the holes and get my needs fulfilled (yeah, I’m considering easing my stance on no barfines). Minute by minute, I’ll keep holding on.

You will stay just to watch me, darlin’
Wilt away on lies from you
Can’t stop the habit of livin’ on the run
I take it all for granted like you’re the only one
Livin’ on my own
Somehow that sounds nice
You think I’m your fool
Well, you may just be right

‘Cause minute by minute by minute by minute
I keep holding on
Oh, minute by minute by minute by minute
I keep holding on

Call my name and I’ll be gone
You’ll reach out and I won’t be there
Just my luck you’ll realize
You should spend your life with someone
You could spend your life with someone

Minute by minute by minute by minute
I’ll be holding on
Oh, minute by minute by minute by minute
I’ll be holding on…

Thar she blows!

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Typhoon Mangkhut has surfaced in town and by all accounts she’s gonna be a whale of a storm.

The tracker I saw put us at the outside edge of the storm’s intensity. Went to bed with some rain happening and I awoke at 0100 when the power (meaning aircon and fan) went out. Wind was gusting hard and the rain was pounding in sideways. I’ve been in the dark ever since, which sucks of course. Still glad I’m not living in one of the many shantytowns around here. I can only imagine how scary this storm must be for them.

Thus far this is the only “damage” I’ve suffered. That’s my new black trashcan out in the middle of the road. I was able to retrieve it prior to it surprising some unsuspecting motorist.

What a typhoon looks like from my living room balcony. It’s hard to get a good picture of wind, isn’t it?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world my kids in South Carolina are dealing with the impact of Hurricane Florence. They are in Columbia, about a hundred miles inland, so hopefully they will not have any problems weathering the storm. It was kind of funny exchanging be safe messages with them last night/this morning.

Looks like I’ll be stuck inside for the duration. Not sure what I’ll do when the battery goes on my laptop. First world problems can be so frustrating!

The last shall be first

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Today’s highlight was playing in the MVP tournament.

As my last hurrah for the Friday dart league that I won’t be playing in next season, I did agree to participate in the end of the season doubles event. We lost in the first round, but came back through the loser’s bracket and defeated the team that put us there. Twice. Which means we are the champions!

Good job by my partner for the night Liezel….

I can’t account for why my darts were better at the end than at the beginning. I just have to believe it had something to do with the aiming fluid.

Prove me wrong!

Anyway, it was a good night for darts.

And now the rains have started. Let’s see how much punch this super typhoon is going to throw our way….

My day

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Up at 0530 which is pretty much my norm. Had a quick walk then breakfast at Arizona Resort. Hustled home afterwards for my shopping excursion to the S&R store.

My driver Donnie was right on time at 0900…

As is my custom, I dropped off my laundry on the way out of town. A week’s worth of dirty clothes washed and folded for the equivalent of 8 bucks…

I’ve always gone to the S&R in San Fernando but the road there is under construction and traffic sucks. I had heard of an S&R in Dau near Angeles City so I told Donnie let’s give that one a try this time.

On the road. Clear sailing on the expressway. Probably further in miles than San Fernando but about 30 minutes quicker.

The store in Dau was much newer and appears larger as well.

Warehouse shopping at it’s finest. Or so I thought.

Oh, did I mention Christmas season starts her on September 1st?

Anyway, this S&R proved to be a disappointment. Things I had expected to find were not in evidence (including things I know the other S&R stocked). I was especially unhappy with the frozen foods and meat selections. Keep in mind, the trip alone costs me 3,000 pesos (about $60) on top of prices that are not necessarily the best deal in town (not to mention that you have to buy most things in larger than normal quantity/size). For this reason I only go once a month and when I go I want what I want when I want it! Yeah, yeah, just another spoiled Kano, I know.

I even bought some things that were pure indulgences (like that big ass box of frosted mini wheats) and I still could barely fill the cart…

….and didn’t put a dent in the cargo space of Donnie’s car. I’m going to stick to the Royal Duty Free store on base in the future I think. Much more convenient. And really, there are very few things they don’t carry that I can find at S&R. Sadly.

I had hoped to fill up my new freezer. Alas, it was not to be. Maybe next week!

Got home and walked Buddy, then took another hike to get my steps in. Started raining half way through so I came home soaked. No big deal, I would have been soaked with sweat but for the rain anyway. Then I fired up the grill.

I bought these Aussie ribeyes at the local meat market here in Barretto. I did buy some more from S&R so I can see how they compare.

Steak, potato, corn, brussel sprouts, and garlic bread. With banana pudding for dessert. Yeah, my life sucks!
I marinated the meat for three days. It was better, but still a tad tougher than I like.

And that brings you up to date. Going to get in some beer drinking tonight while I can. A super typhoon is headed our way and by all accounts it’s a monster storm. Should be fun.

Stay tuned for a full report!

Rainy day people

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It’s been sunny and hot these past few days. Except when it’s not. Take Monday for instance. Great weather all day right up until it was time to Hash. And then the rains came down. The rain stopped again about 3/4 of the way through the trail, stayed clear until we finished the after Hash circle, then came pouring down again. Ah well. There’s talk of a big typhoon on the horizon so I guess I should hold my complaining until then.

Let’s get on with the Hash pictures then, shall we?

The day’s trail. Fucking Old Man was the Hare and for a guy in his 70’s he laid a surprisingly difficult course, including up and down a couple of small mountains…

And we are On-On. Those are the runners in front of me. I’m leading the pack of walkers at this point…

But not for long. Here most of the walkers have just passed me on the flat highway (that’s me with the walking stick). So much for my supposition that I could keep pace except in the hills. Oh well.

It wasn’t long before I was the only Hasher in sight. The stragglers behind me wound up bailing before we even reached the mountains.

I was missing Snake Charmer, the sweet gal who held back last week so I wouldn’t be alone on trail. I hustled as best I could until I caught up with these two on the day’s first real incline. I stuck with them the rest of the way…

As regular readers may recall, early in my Hashing career I got tangled up in some barbed wire. It had me in stitches, but it was no laughing matter. So I’m particularly wary of that particular hazard these days.
On this trail there were not one, not two, but THREE fences to cross over. This one at least had been knocked down and held down with some bamboo…

Had to actually step over the second fence, but it wasn’t too high or too difficult. This time.

I didn’t bother with a photograph of the third encounter. Every time I stopped for a photo op I fell further behind these guys. And I hate being alone on trail almost as much as barbed wire.

It’s always fascinating to me how people manage to live up in the mountains with no road or easy access to conveniences most of us take for granted. Who do they think they are, Walt Whitman?

And then suddenly we popped out of the hills and into some familiar territory…Alta Vista…my own subdivision. It’s always nice knowing where you are again plus I was able to drop off my walking stick at the house. It’s a pain in the ass to lug around during the after Hash circle…

On Home was at one of my favorite venues, Treasure Island. I’ve been eating at home more these days so I haven’t been there in awhile…

It was good seeing Jessa, one of my favorite waitresses again. And this is the closest I got to an ass shot (didn’t want to be rude) but trust me, she has a fine one!

The traditional beer drinking ritual prior to doing the Hash circle. And no, I didn’t have to sit on the ice this week…

The beach view at Treasure Island….

After the circle I enjoyed some quality time with Jessa and Kat. In fact, I bought them both dinner. To be honest, I’m kinda sweet on both of them. I can’t tell if either or both like me, although they did say they want to come to my house and have me cook for them. So there’s that…

And so goes the story of another Hash. The next best thing to being there, right?

Rainy day people always seem to know when you’re feeling blue
High stepping strutters who land in the gutters sometimes need one too
Take it or leave it, or try to believe it
If you’ve been down too long
Rainy day lovers don’t hide love inside they just pass it on

One third of the way…

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…through my first year in the Philippines.

No major insights on reaching this milestone. You are who you are wherever you are. I’m not going to pretend that my life here is anywhere close to perfect. It is what it is and I don’t imagine it would be particularly better had I chosen a different venue in which to spend my future. It could damn well be worse, I know that. I also know that I have the power to make this time and this place the best of all possible worlds. Happiness is a choice when everything is said and done.

I’d say I’m getting better at accepting the frustrations that come with living in a third world developing country. There is bad and good everywhere, and really the people here tend to make it all worthwhile. Watching them live happily despite crushing poverty is an inspiration. As I have been told many times, I’m one of the lucky ones. I need to stop bitching and moaning about what I don’t have and learn to embrace my good fortune. I do think I’m getting better at that as well.

Of course, my circle of acquaintances is largely the expat community. And looking around at them, well, yeah I am lucky there as well. It’s true that I may drink somewhat to excess but I sure as hell ain’t doing it at ten in the morning! I think all of us living here have to find a way to fight the inevitable boredom, the day-to-day sameness, and the lack of intellectual stimulation or other worthwhile challenges. Again, that’s on me and at least I have the resources to find and do things that make life satisfying. Honestly though, looking back on my first retirement the boredom then was palpable as well. That may be a natural state when you leave the meaning and purpose of a working life behind.

Anyway, I’m not complaining at all. Things are good and bound to get gooder.

Here’s some outtakes from a typical day in paradise:

The local electric co-op helpfully gave advance warning that there would be a scheduled power outage (aka “brownout”) today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. so they could do line maintenance and tree trimming. I had observed the need to get those damn branches out of the wires months ago, so was happy to see they noticed too.

On my morning walk I saw the power guys working hard at the task at hand. Power went out at 0900 and was back on at 1600. Good job!

On the beach walk portion of my hike I observed this bottle. Was there a message in there for me? The secret to a happy life perhaps? Or maybe it contained an evil genie wanting to capture my soul. Decided in the end it wasn’t worth the risk…

Had a foot scrub and pedicure…

and when I got home Buddy said “she missed a spot!”

Hurricane Florence is on her way to the Carolinas. My kids are inland at Columbia, but when Hugo blew through in 1986 Columbia still suffered. Florence appears to be much stronger.

Here’s hoping the folks on the coast don’t get fucked too hard…

And finally, I guess the President must have read my rare political post yesterday:

Thanks, Don. And right back at ya!

Oh my! Look at the time. It’s beer o’clock! Photos from yesterday’s Hash will be posted tomorrow. Stay tuned!