The brownout party at the Rite Spot On The Roof turned out to be a lot of fun. It was also a bit of a marathon for a lightweight like me, with the first guests arriving just before noon and the last departure around 9 p.m. During the course of the event, we downed over fifty(!) beers, and the lady folk enjoyed several bottles of wine. There were lots of compliments on the chili and corn muffins, and we didn’t have many leftovers from the other food offerings. I think at the peak, we had fifteen or so in attendance, which was a better turnout than I expected. Ironically, we had ANOTHER brownout late in the afternoon, although this one only lasted thirty minutes. The neighbor said it was scheduled, but I hadn’t heard about it. Anyway, the attendees all said they had a good time, and that’s what a party is for, so I’m calling it a success!

I have to conclude that the visit wasn’t about me, and I never got a clear understanding of what was going on with Gem’s situation. She said she has an Israeli significant other, but he is currently visiting Thailand. So, maybe she’s just trying to fill in space until he returns. Anyway, it is nice to be remembered after five years, and I hope things work out well for her.

The shade provided by the roof was inadequate, and throughout the afternoon, we were rearranging tables and chairs to try and capture what shade we could find.

The best damn party I’ve attended all year, if I do say so myself. Good times!

And now, it is Hash Monday, but after a careful assessment, I’ve decided not to participate today. Vienna Sausage (Guenter) is the Hare, and his trails don’t suit my survival instincts. Strike one. The trail begins at Court 4, near the end of Rizal Extension, which makes it very inconvenient for me to reach (it’s all uphill, and some trikes have difficulty getting there). Strike 2. The On-Home is at a Hasher’s house (Always Wet) and is also at the end of Rizal Extension. That makes getting back home, especially after drinking and in the dark, problematic. Strike 3. Yeah, maybe I’m a wuss, but I don’t expect I’d have a good time, so what’s the point?

I’m not sure what I’m going to do in lieu of the Hash. Fact is, I’m concerned about some lung issues I’m experiencing. Even on the morning dog walk today, I was huffing and puffing. I’ll see Dr. Jo tomorrow, but I may go back to the pulmonary specialist for some advice on minimizing my breathing difficulties.

Today’s Quora Q&A (someone’s question, my answer):

Q: Do people regret moving from their original home country and living abroad permanently or do they feel it was a good decision? If so, what makes them feel that way?

A: I’ve been living in the Philippines for over five years now. No regrets whatsoever. Every time I read the news from back home in the USA I am so thankful to be far away from the nightmare my country of birth has become. Of course, the Philippines is far from perfect, but I’ll take the ups and downs that come with living here over the vanilla American lifestyle any day.

Now for the funny business:

Alright, that’s all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Which version of this song is best?

While I like them both, I’ve got to go with the upbeat sound of the original by The Drifters.

More or less. Yesterday’s brownout ran a bit longer than scheduled, with power being restored at 6:20 rather than the promised 6 p.m. Early this morning, while I was doing my usual internet browsing, the lights went out again. In typical unscheduled brownout fashion, things were back up and running within thirty minutes or so. Until the next one.

There is an all-day scheduled brownout in Barretto today (I’m on the Subic grid, so it doesn’t impact me), and in a show of sympathy and brotherhood to my comrades in the Barrio, I’m hosting a rooftop party this afternoon featuring cold beer and a variety of food offerings.

So, I filled the brownout hours by taking care of some business and then heading out of town to Pundaquit in San Antonio. The business part was picking up my blood work results, then hitting Royal for more beer, some snacks, and another table for the rooftop.

After dropping off my purchases at home, I had my driver take us to Baloy Beach to meet up with Gem and her five companions. I had assumed it was all females in her group, but it turns out three of them were guys. Younger guys, so I hesitate to call them couples. Anyway, my driver said we could squeeze all six in his vehicle, but Gem and her friends opted to take their own vehicle and follow us. Sounded good to me.

I’m not sure who was driving Gem’s car, but I was impressed with his ability to keep up with my crazy driver, Danny. Danny seemed to be as well, saying he must be from Manila (where crazy driving is mandatory). My first stop in Pundaquit (a 45-minute drive) was the Car Wash bar and restaurant, my favorite venue there. It was lunchtime, and I was hungry and, of course, thirsty.

Gem has been living in Israel and said it had been scary times since the latest outbreak of war, with her city being subject to frequent rocket attacks. I can’t imagine that nightmare. I dropped some hints about the purpose of her visit, but she didn’t have much of anything to say in that regard. The money issue didn’t come up directly, but she did pay for our lunch, so there’s that.

I asked Gem what they wanted to do after lunch, and she said her friends wanted to go swimming. I assumed that meant on the nice ocean beach in Pundaquit, but no, they wanted to return to their hotel and swim in Subic Bay. Well, I still had hours of brownout ahead of me, and Gem assured me they could find their way back without us, so we said our goodbyes. Her crew is supposed to join the rooftop party this afternoon. We shall see.

Swan’s sister and her family had also escaped the brownout by visiting Pundaquit, so we stopped in at Monty’s Resort to pay them a visit.

Being home with no power sucks. Without fans, it is uncomfortably hot. I tried to nap a bit on the couch where I could catch a breeze through the window, but I didn’t achieve forty winks. So, I headed up to the roof to wait things out.

I finished my beer, went downstairs, turned on the fan and the TV, and enjoyed a few more episodes of “Shameless.” I had a good night’s sleep, then up this morning to start the party prep.

And yes, I’ve got them on ice now. When it comes to beer, I’m not worried about leftovers. I spend a lot more time at home these days!

Tomorrow I’ll tell you how it went.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: What is the difference between a restroom and a bathroom? What do they call it in other English speaking countries, if anything at all?

A: In the Philippines, they are called a CR—comfort room.

And for your amusement:

And for my French speaking friend:

Alright, I got to get ready to party!

I’m in the dark this morning and operating on battery power, so I’m going to knock out this post as quick as I can, while I can.

Yesterday Swan joined me on an end-to-end hike of the My Bitch trail. It’s been quite some time since I’ve done the entire length. To make it a tad more interesting (for me), I did the photo every 1000 steps routine. Here’s how it came out:

My visitor from Manila was running late, and since she’s staying on Baloy, I figured we could meet up there, and I’d wait at McCoy’s for her arrival. Swan and I headed out at beer o’clock.

That’s the manager on her phone. The big news is that the barangay has disallowed McCoy’s from having videoke. Now, that made me selfishly happy, but I could see how upset she was. McCoy’s is primarily a Filipino hangout, and videoke is a big part of their business. I suggested they try the norebang (private singing rooms) style like they do in Korea. She said they might look into that.

My friend messaged that they were still in Manila (there was some issue with their driver), and I said I’d see her tomorrow then. I guess we’ll meet up later this morning.

I wasn’t drunk last night, but I had enough beers where this seemed like a good idea to bring home for dinner:

So, we’ll see what the day without power brings. Lights are back on at six, and I plan on killing some of that time in San Antonio. Full report tomorrow.

Today’s Quora Q&A entry:

Q: Can you share any humorous moments that have occurred during a meeting at your workplace?

A: My boss, Sherrie, was holding a meeting with her senior staff members in the conference room. After an hour or so, she said she needed a cigarette break. One of the staffers jokingly said, “Gee, Sherrie, do you smoke after sex, too?” Without hesitation, Sherrie responded, “I don’t know. I’ve never looked.”

The Star Trek meme:

Yesterday was a different kind of nothing. It began with a morning fast and then a trip to the clinic in Olongapo to have my blood work done. They require at least an eight-hour fast, but more than ten is a disqualifying “over fast.” I split the difference and did nine. Once the blood was drawn, I was free to eat once again, so we visited the Xtreme Xpresso Cafe on SBMA.

On the way back home we stopped at DiviMart where I purchased these:

I’m planning a rooftop gathering for Sunday afternoon and wanted to be sure I’d have adequate seating for everyone.

Back at the house, I was feeling lethargic and lightheaded all day. I don’t think they took that much blood, so it must have just been one of those days. I blogged and napped, but I just didn’t feel like going out when beer o’clock arrived. That meant sacrificing the last day of validity on my “buy one, get one” coupon at Alaska Club, but some things just can’t be helped.

I settled in to watch Mother Nature’s show with a cooler full of cold beers, a comfortable seat in my rocking chair, and a personally tailored playlist of songs from Spotify.

I placed my order for dinner, and it arrived in due course.

I enjoyed another beer by lamplight, then headed back downstairs for my daily dose of “Shameless.” I’m into Season 10 now, and it is still holding my interest, which says a lot. There is one more season to go after this one.

A good night’s sleep, and I woke up feeling somewhat better this morning. Still, I bailed on the Friday group hike and took a walk with Swan instead. I’ll post about that tomorrow.

Someone posted the virtues of hiking on Facebook this morning and I stole it to share with my faithful readers here:

Today’s Quora Q&A (these are questions I’ve answered over the years):

Q: How do I find out what my purpose is in my life?

A: Well, I’m not a religious man, but the other day, I was feeling depressed. So, I got down on my knees and prayed to God, asking, “Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?” Again, I’m not a true believer; I’m just getting it off my chest. I certainly wasn’t expecting an answer. And then, I heard God’s voice. He said, “John, what is your purpose in life? You are my gift to women!” At least, that’s how I remember it.

It has over a hundred views and not one upvote. Go figure.

And Kevin, this one’s for you:

And then there is this:

One more for the road:

I’m not exactly sure what’s on tap for tonight. I’m supposed to meet up with an old “friend” I haven’t heard from in five years. I have no idea why she wanted to see me again, but she traveled to Olongapo from Manila to do so, so I’m curious enough to find out. And don’t worry, she knows I have a girlfriend, and I’m bringing Swan along. I’ll let y’all know how that goes.

Oh, and we have a scheduled all-day (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) brownout (no power) tomorrow. I’m having my driver take us to Pundaquit to fill some of those hours. I’m not sure when or how I’ll blog, but I’ll do my best to post some form of update. Till then.

Today’s song is even older than me. Not sure why it came to mind.

Apparently, I can’t get enough of a hard thing. With Monday’s torturous Hash trail still fresh in mind, the Wednesday Walkers said, “Hold my beer,” and attacked the Kalaklan Ridge from the Olongapo City side of the mountain. As I’ve frequently said, there’s no easy way up, but the route we took this time was among my least favorites. Still, the beauty we witnessed during the all-to-brief time up top made it almost worth it. Almost. And then, once again, our downward trek on the Barretto side of the ridge proved to me much more challenging than anticipated. The consensus of the group was that we would never go down that way again.

At the conclusion of our journey, Swan, Geraldine, and I popped into Sit-n-Bull for some lunch to bring home.

Facebook memories reminded me that 8 years ago I threw the best dart game of my career.

Today’s Quora Q&A:

Q: What is a small, everyday decision you made that unexpectedly changed your life for the better?

My answer to this question was sharing a blog post I wrote back in 2010 called “The Road Not Taken.”

On to the fun stuff:

Alrighty, then. Time to get on with the rest of my lazy day. Back tomorrow with more of the usual BS from my so-called life.

Tuesday is gone and I’m still here. I’ll call that a win!

After grocery shopping, I had the driver drop me at Dr. Jo’s clinic. It was time for my second round of treatment for the sciatica nerve repair in my back. This involves drawing some blood, harvesting the stem cells, and then injecting those cells into my back to facilitate healing. I lost count of the painful jabs involved, but I believe it was around fifteen or so. Then I got a shot of testosterone in my ass for good measure.

She also referred me for blood work to see how things are faring inside my tired old body. I’m going to try to do that tomorrow.

Home from the doctor for a nap and blogging. Then I saw a Facebook post on one of the Barretto forums from a guy who has been in country for a couple of months and has experienced multiple problems, including a motorbike accident and some financial issues. His post was about settling down in Barretto and the place he had found to rent on Baloy Beach. I sent him a sympathy and welcome message and invited him out to the floating bar to join me for a beer. He messaged back and said he didn’t have a beer budget, so I offered to buy him a couple. He didn’t respond right away, and I wondered if I’d creeped him out and gave off an unintended gay vibe with my invite.

Swan finished her tutoring gig at four; then, we made our way out to Baloy for some afternoon fun on the floating bar.

Swan and I weren’t done yet. We stopped into DaKudo’s for some dinner, sat at the bar, and were served by my old friend Jessa. And then I got a message from that guy I don’t know telling me he was on his way to the floating bar. I responded that we’d already left and were now at DaKudos. I thought that was the end of it, but he messaged, “See you there.” Alrighty then.

So, he arrives in a trike escorted by a young Filipino, who I assume is his helper. He didn’t have change for the trike, so I provided some. He didn’t order a beer; he ordered a Coke instead—his choice. We chatted a bit, and I learned he was not yet living on Baloy–the rental he mentioned on Facebook doesn’t begin for a couple of weeks. He told me of some of the places he visited and mentioned his accident and the medical issues that resulted. He was born and raised in Michigan, and I asked him if he liked Kid Rock. He said he didn’t, and my sense was he didn’t like Kid Rock’s political (right-wing) viewpoints. Then I asked him if he hoped to meet a woman here, and he told me, “Actually, I’m looking for a guy.” Ah, that explains his disappointment when he saw me with Swan. He DID think my invite was for something I hadn’t intended to convey. Sorry about that! I’ve actually never met a gay foreigner here looking for a relationship. He finished his Coke and left with his young man.

Swan had her carbonara, which she didn’t like. I enjoyed my chef’s salad. I bought Jessa another lady drink, and then we headed home. A strange but nice night out.

Today’s Quora Q and A:

Q: What has motivated your interest in China and how does your interest in China relate to human resource management?

I think I got this question because there are a lot of Chinese propaganda accounts on Quora. I consistently downvote their bullshit posts. I guess someone wanted to know why. So I told them.

A: It doesn’t. China is an evil empire that will likely cause the outbreak of another World War. My interest is in seeing them stopped before that happens.

Ready to lighten things up? Here you go:

Okay, another grueling hike this morning I’ll tell and show you about tomorrow. Peace out!

The blessings of another day are upon me. Notwithstanding the seeming sameness of it all, I’m still enjoying the ride. Yesterday featured a Sunday sweetness stroll with Swan dispensing candies and bringing smiles to the faces of the children we encountered during the walk. In the afternoon, I fed the girls at Hideaway, then headed out to the Arizona Resort floating bar, and Swan joined me there. Back home and “Shameless,” then a good night’s sleep. Here’s how things looked along the way:

There was some leakage from a hose on my bedroom toilet. I sent my helper to the hardware store for a replacement.

Later, I was off to Hideaway. Joy is playing on the pool league team now, and they won yesterday. Only five gals working yesterday, which is concerning. It makes it cheaper to feed them, at least. Joy has been promoted and begins working behind the bar instead of as a waitress. The pay is much higher–six bucks a shift versus four. Yeah, you read that right. That way all over town, which is why I don’t mind throwing a lady drink commission their way now and again.

Hideaway is next door to the Arizona Resort, and I take the back alley to the beach.

It’s Hash Monday, so that’s next up for me. I’ve been feeling weaker than usual, and I hope I don’t bite off more than I can chew today. Only one way to find out. Stay tuned.

Today’s Facebook memory:

Alright, back tomorrow. Hopefully.

I can’t say this group is the best ever, but Abbott and Costello always played them first.

The Friday group ventured out to Philseco on the far side of Subic and walked the back way to Castillejos. We hadn’t made this trip since April last year, so it all felt pretty fresh. And then we took a different route up into the hills and came down quite a bit further out of town than usual. That long walk back to Castillejos after a climb was an ass-kicker for me. We finished at almost 10K, which is tough for me even on flat ground.

After lunch (the chicken wings were good), I caught an aircon bus back to Barretto. I took a much-needed nap, blogged, and then got ready for my Friday night at the SOB dance competition. Swan joined me there. When the show was done, we headed home and engaged in our “Shameless” ritual before hitting the hay.

And so ended another day in the life. Tonight, I’ll be going on a double dinner date on SBMA. So, you can look forward to something a little different in tomorrow’s post.

A good group hike with the Wednesday Walkers and a good dinner out with my sweetheart made for a good day.

The walk was especially nice because it was something we hadn’t done for quite some time. The reason for that is the logistics–we need transport out to Tibag for the start, and since it is a one-way hike, it has to be a drop-off. Last time we did this route, there were only two of us, so we had a trike take us for 200 pesos. We used my driver this time, and we all kicked in a hundred pesos each for the ride. So, we started out Tibag way and hoofed it through the foothills to Waltermart on the far side of Subic-town, then caught a Jeepney back to Barretto.

The big surprise for me was Swan came along for her first-ever group hike. And she brought my part-time helper, Inday, with her. When I asked her later why she decided to come, she told me it was because I hadn’t been feeling well the night before, and she wanted to be there to help if I needed it. Ain’t she sweet? And she asked Inday to come along because she wanted to make sure she knew someone there besides me. Whatever works. They both seemed to enjoy themselves.

Seven kilometers from beginning to end. Most of it was quite pleasant, and I look forward to passing this way again someday.

Swan had afternoon business in Subic, so while she did that, I paid a visit to Cheap Charlies.

When Swan got back into town, I took her to dinner at Sit-n-Bull.

So, I’ve switched from feeding the Hideaway crew on Wednesdays to feeding my girl. It must be love.

We were back home by seven, and I enjoyed a couple of more “Shameless” episodes. My lifestyle seems to be transitioning to something more domestic, don’t you think? I had a much better night’s sleep (no oxygen issues) and woke up at my usual early hour of four a.m.

Okay, that’s all for now.

Tuesday is my nothin’ much day, and yesterday was no exception. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

And in keeping with my new Tuesday tradition, I ventured out to Baloy Beach late in the afternoon to spend some time on the Kokomo floating bar.

Back ashore, we went to Treasure Island for dinner. The menu featured some new options:

Triked home after dinner and did my “Shameless” thing on the couch until I fell asleep. Again. And then my night took a turn for the worse. I went to bed and awoke around midnight, not feeling quite right. I used my nebulizer, returned to bed, and still couldn’t sleep. I checked my blood oxygen and was shocked to see it was a dangerous 89. It has been months and months since I had that kind of low. So, I fired up my oxygen tank, breathed in some air, rechecked my reading, and it was up to a healthy 97. Back in bed and still sleepless, I got up to check once more, and I was now down to a 91. So, I took in more oxygen. I’m not sure what was up with that, although I have been hocking up phlegm, which may be the cause of my issues. Today, I’m back at 95, which is pretty much normal for me. Weird.

Via Facebook memories, I was provided a glimpse of my life six years ago in Korea.

I got a compliment on my garlic bread. Here’s my secret recipe:

I always suspected there was a training class for bargirls. Now, I’ve found the evidence:

Alright, it’s time to get on with my day. I had a great group hike with the Wednesday Walkers this morning, which I’ll share with you tomorrow. Until then, hasta la vista!

I posted the dragon shot on Facebook for shits and giggles. Folks were impressed with the view, and some of my Filipina friends asked if it was real. I answered truthfully that it was real. A real photoshop.

No hike yesterday, I just wasn’t feeling up for it. Hopefully, I’ll have more strength when I attempt today’s Hash trail. In positive health-related news, my blood pressure has been steadily dropping since I started my new meds. 123/76 this morning!

I got back on track later in the day with my Sunday feeding ritual at Hideaway. I told Joy not to count on me continuing the Wednesday feedings as I have other priorities now.

After Hideaway, I took the back alley to the beach.

We did a quick nightcap at Wet Spot; then I scored some pecan pie from Sit-n-Bull for our snack while we watched an episode of “Shameless” at home together.

I got up to pee in the wee hours of the morning and saw this out the window:

Even a nothing Sunday was a blessing.

I saw a meme mocking Biden as a nowhere man: “doesn’t have a point of view, knows not where he’s going to…”

A full and fulfilling day is behind me now. Here is how it went down:

Swan joined me on the morning hike with a bag full of candy to hand out to the children we encountered along the way.

At the end of our journey, I was feeling a tad hungry. And the urge struck when a Jollibee was conveniently located across the street. So I went in and brought some home.

I still needed to make some final preparations for the grand opening of The Rite Spot On The Roof, so I had my driver pick me up and take me SBMA for some shopping. I purchased two rocking chairs and a folding chair at American Hardware.

The chili had been cooking all day in the crockpot, but I still had some cornbread muffins to bake.

The party was scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m., so I went upstairs and began getting everything set up before the guests arrived.

The beer lasted until 9:30 or so; by then, it was past time for this early bird to call it a night. Still, it was a good time and nice to hang out with the neighbors. It was also a pleasant change of pace to take a night off from the bars in town. I’ll definitely become a regular at The Rite Spot.

I took today off from walking; just wasn’t feeling it. I’ll be out for the Sunday Hideaway feeding later and will likely do some time on the Arizona floater. And life goes on.

Sugar, ah honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you
Honey, ah sugar sugar
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you

…the better the view.

Yep, we did it again. Another group hike, another route to explore and see what we could see on Kalaklan Ridge.

But there was still more highness in my day to come. I ventured out as usual at beer o’clock, making Sloppy Joe’s my first stop. I made the decision not to attend this week’s SOB primarily because the venue (Voodoo) is small and gets crowded. I see it as sacrificing my seat so an out-of-towner can enjoy the show. Once or twice a month is plenty for me.

Lots of familiar faces to socialize with at Sloppy’s.

At six o’clock, I moved on to a new rooftop venue, The Rite Spot. Swan was waiting for me there.

The grand opening of The Rite Spot On The Roof will be tonight. I invited my neighbors to join me for some beers upstairs. I also made a crockpot of chili and will serve it with some cornbread. Swan is making a sausage casserole. I went out this afternoon and bought a couple of rocking chairs to add to the seating options. I’ll be sharing photos from tonight’s event tomorrow.

Well, maybe there are spiritual needs. And puns.

Had enough? Me too. Besides, that cornbread won’t bake itself!

I experienced one of my favorite excursions with the Wednesday Walkers yesterday. Once again we tackled the Kalaklan Ridge, this time assisting the Hares for next week’s Hash scout a trail. The route we took to get to the top was interesting. First, we’d go up, then down, circle around some, then back up and down until we eventually made the final push and achieved the ridgeline.

I was once again suffering at the start. My heavy breathing led to a hacking cough. Then I started spitting up hunks of phlegm. And after a while, I could breathe better again. I guess a hard climb is a good extraction method for the shit that accumulates in my lungs. At least it worked yesterday.

My evening out was pretty much routine. I fed the crew at Hideaway, such as it is. Down to two waitresses, a bartender, and a cashier. Not sure what’s up with that. I’m probably going to cut to a once-a-week feeding on Sunday.

Swan was working last night, so I didn’t have meeting up with her to look forward to. I filled some time at Cheap Charlies, then Sloppy Joe’s, before finishing up at The Green Room. I got home around seven and spent some time with my friends from “Shameless.” Swan arrived home from work just before nine, and we enjoyed some couch time before bed.

Swan is working again today but finishes earlier, so we will get together for dinner tonight.

I was walking the beach at Baloy and had to take a leak, so I stopped at Treasure Island.

It’s funny looking back at all my “conspiracy theories” that have recently been proven to be the truth.

And I also came across evidence that I really am a rich man. At least in the Philippines.

What am I forgetting? Oh yeah, the puns!

Was that a big sigh of relief I just heard? Well, I’ll be back with more tomorrow. You have been warned!