I’ve decided to take a break from the darting scene for a while. No issue with the game, I’ve been pretty happy with the way I’ve thrown lately. It’s more of a people issue, and of course, I’m one of those people. I’d been spending three and sometimes four nights a week at Alley Cats. It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt. In this case, it isn’t really contempt, rather more of a “what am I doing here?” feeling. There was one issue with one staff member, and another kind of issue altogether with someone else No big deal in either case, it just seemed to be a signal that it was time for a change of scenery.

The Facebook memories feature brought back a gem I had first posted nine years ago. Actually, it was this post of Kevin Kim’s from April 2005. I believe that was right around the time I discovered his blog and this remains one of my all-time favorites from this gifted writer. I hope you’ll indulge me if I post the full text here (that’s what I originally did on FB):

I was sitting under a tree, feeling glum.

The tree asked, “What’s up?”

I said, “You know, I’ve done things I’m proud of, and things I’m not proud of.”

The tree said, “It sounds to me like you’ve got something specific in mind.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Just some things I’ve said and done recently which are bothering me.”

“I’m only a tree,” the tree said, “but I’ve been sitting in this spot for centuries, collecting wisdom from all over. Tell me what’s on your mind and maybe I can offer some insight.”

“OK,” I said, heaving a sigh. “Let’s say you’ve gotten into a fight with someone.”

“A female someone?” the tree asked slyly.

I smiled. “Yeah, a female someone. And let’s say that… well… you both said things you regret. Things you might have meant, or might not.”

“You’re not sure if you meant what you said?” asked the tree.

“No, I’m not. I really don’t know,” I replied. “I sure as hell meant them the night I said them, but now…”

“Now you think that maybe you had your head up your knothole,” said the tree wisely.

“Yeah, that’s about the size of it. But I’m still angry, see. She said some awful things that night, and it wasn’t just that night, but the night before, too. I think she meant what she’d said.”

“I see. Have you thought about simply forgiving and forgetting? Have you thought about apologizing for what you said?” asked the tree.

“Apologizing? Forgiving? Forgetting?” I asked, incredulous. “Tree, I don’t think I’m there yet. And the last things I said and wrote to her were… well, they pretty much killed any possibility of further dialogue.”

“So it seems. You strike me as something of an arrogant bastard, if you don’t mind my saying so,” said the tree.

I kept silent. The tree seized the opportunity to keep talking:

“Did you ever see that movie, Karate Kid 2?” the tree asked.

“Yeah, I remember it,” I said.

“Remember the beginning of the movie, when Mister Miyagi has the chance to kill that evil karate instructor, but he doesn’t?”

“Yeah. Pretty cool,” I said.

“Daniel-san asks him why he didn’t do it. Do you recall Mister Miyagi’s answer?”

I racked my brains. Then it hit me.

“He said, ‘For man with no forgiveness in heart, living worse punishment than death,'” I quoted. I looked up at the tree. “Are you saying I should forgive her, anyway?”

“You’re pretty good at quoting movie lines, aren’t you. Yeah; try some unilateral forgiveness,” suggested the tree.

I was angry again. “But she doesn’t think she did anything wrong,” I said, staring into the branches above me.

“And you don’t think you did anything wrong, either, do you?” asked the tree.

“I gave her so much, and she kicked me in the damn head,” I snarled.

“The selfsame head that’s stuck up your knothole?” grinned the tree.

I simply glared at the ground. It’s hard to take when a vegetable is dispensing wisdom you don’t want to hear.

The tree pressed its advantage. “Just a little while ago, you expressed regret for things you’ve said and done. At least we know you’re feeling sorry, even if you are still angry.”

“So?” I asked.

“So,” said the tree, “that’s your starting point.”

“I don’t get it,” I said.

“That’s because men are perennially stupid,” sighed the tree.

I looked up. “You’re not a guy? Not some fatherly wisdom figure?”

“Deep wisdom is always female,” laughed the tree.

“Women are fucked in the head,” I said. “They say one thing, they mean another, they don’t make any rational sense.”

“And there’s your problem in a nutshell,” said the tree. “You’re looking for sense. Do you think you can be philosophical about matters of the heart?”

“No,” I admitted. “A man can try, but… ultimately, no.”

“So– back to that starting point we talked about. I don’t know her side of the story, but it sounds to me like you’ve got some regrets. Do me a favor, would you? Try this. Stand up.”

I stood up, somewhat reluctantly.

“The wind is going to blow hard in a second,” said the tree. “When it does, just shout I’m sorry into it.”

I didn’t want to do this.

“Trust me,” the tree said, apparently reading my mind. “It’ll make you feel better.”

A slight breeze caressed my face, then began to build.

“You ready?” asked the tree. I nodded.

The wind picked up, turned harsh. The tree’s leaves rustled and its branches writhed violently. It was like watching some mysterious, inhuman struggle.

“Do it!” boomed the tree.

“I’M SORRY!” I shouted.

“The wind is still blowing! Do it again!” shouted the tree.

“I’M SORRY!” I shouted.

“Come on, keep it up! You’re making progress!” exhorted the tree.

I’m sorry…
I’m sorry…
I’m sorry…

I shouted until I was hoarse. Then I finally slumped down. I felt intensely pained, but strangely relieved. It was a bizarre, paradoxical feeling.

The wind ended.

“Not bad,” said the tree, thoroughly impressed. “Maybe the wind will carry your message to her.”

“Maybe,” I said. What was I hoping for?

“If the message reaches her, what’ll you do?” asked the tree.

I thought for a bit. “I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I really don’t know.”

A soft breeze rustled the tree. I thought I could hear its smile.

“One day at a time,” the tree whispered. “Just take it one day at a time.”

Yep, one day at a time. That’s how I’m trying to live my life.

Speaking of Facebook and their ilk, I enjoyed posting this there today:

So, the time I’m not spending in Alley Cats needs to be spent elsewhere. Last night, that elsewhere began at Dive In. Alright, I had to buy some vape supplies, so I was on that side of town anyway. And yes, I craved the delightful company of Jessa. She didn’t disappoint. She joined me for drinks (that’s her job after all) and we engaged in our usual chat and banter. I was the only customer, so we had total discretion in selecting the music videos. I was in a country music kind of mood and enjoyed introducing the youngsters to the kind of music my dad would play after a hard day at work; namely Marty Robbins and Patsy Cline. I reckon they had to indulge me seeing as how I was buying the drinks. I also went next door and got them a roast chicken to go with their noodle-like meal. Now, that’s what I call a good time!

I popped into It Doesn’t Matter for a couple more beers and lady drinks for Roan, then headed over to The Pub for my Wednesday wings, Korean-style, of course. Yeah, I’m living large, but why shouldn’t I? Turns out, I’m rich!

I’ve mentioned before that sometimes living here in a small town with other old expats feels like being in a retirement community. But one with some special perks and benefits I wouldn’t find back home in the USA. This picture I think captures those differences quite well.

Alright, I promised you some photos from yesterday’s hike and here they are. It was a nice, flat, 8.6 kilometer hike through the Naugsol valley. Thanks to Scott for a lot of these:

That’s my story for Wednesday. My Thursday story will include a trip out to the Baloy Beach neck of the woods. See you tomorrow!

More of the same around here. Not that that is a bad thing, just nothing worthy of blogging about. Yeah, like that’s gonna stop me, right?

Started my anniversary evening at Cheap Charlies. My regular drinking girl was off, but I found a willing substitute. A few beers later I got the urge to eat, so I headed over to Mango’s. Had a roast chicken salad that was quite good. After dinner, I wasn’t quite ready for home, so I popped into Adam’s Sports Bar. I used to know the bartender there, but she wasn’t around. I asked about her and got a look like they didn’t know who I was talking about. I sent her a message later and she told me she left the bar four months ago. I didn’t realize it had been so longs since me last visit. One and done at Adam’s, then I moved on up the street to the newest bar in town–Whisky Girl. First time there for me and probably the last. Just another girly bar, not my thing. Finished my night with a final beer at Outback. Been a long time since I was in there too. Nice ambiance, I’ll visit again.

See, I told you there wasn’t much to say. But wait, I do have this:

This morning, I came across this “story” on the internet: Billy Joel plays “Piano Man” for the first time at the bar he based the song on. I thought it was funny as hell, give it a read if you are so inclined and see if you agree.

Speaking of funny, I got a laugh out of this too:

Did the Wednesday Walkers hike this morning, but I’ll post about that tomorrow.

Let the good times roll!

Today marks the third anniversary of my arrival here in paradise. You regular readers have been along for the ride, but the bottom line is that I have no regrets. Yes, my Philippines life has had its fair share of disappointments, but that has always been the case, no matter where I live. Funny how that happens. More importantly, my little town feels like home especially windows from Maverick Windows. I’m part of a community, I know people and they know me, I have my hobbies, and lots of places to drink where everyone knows my name. It seems to be a good fit.

One thing that never gets old here is the natural beauty that surrounds me. On the dog walk this morning, I was almost in awe as I looked out at the mountains and bay, even after viewing them almost every day for three years. Yeah, I still have my demons to wrestle with now and again, but it is hard to stay depressed for long when there is so much goodness to absorb. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.

How best to celebrate the anniversary of my departure from Korea? Duh, with a nice bowl of sweet bulgogi from my pal John Kim’s restaurant, The Pub.

And me being who I am, and this being where I am, I took advantage of the opportunity to spread a little Joy today. In fact, she joined me for lunch. And then we came back to my place for “dessert”. She just sent me a message to say she has paid her water and electric, and will soon be off to the grocery store to restock her shelves. Glad we could help each other out!

In other news, I finally got a response from my landlord:

Hi John,

Your lease agreement expires at the end of June so you will need to vacate the premises by June 30, 2021.

Upon vacating the premises on time, you will have a total of 3 months advance deposit and advance rent payment. This amount or a portion thereof shall be returned to you within 90 days after you have vacated the premises.

We would like an opportunity to inspect the premises with you at your earliest convenience. Let me know when you can be available for this inspection.

Sincerely,

Jeff Ocampo GP Homes Management

“Or a portion thereof…” Hmm. Well, I really don’t have an issue with my lease going through the end of June. I’ll still take the new place on June 1, and I’ll make a leisurely transition from here to there. I reckon I’ll break the news about the appliances and air con units that will be moving with me during the inspection. If I get any shit, I have receipts. I might also mention that the ceiling fans, hot water heaters, and window shades, are all items I purchased but planned on leaving. Unless they want to get nasty with me. Anyway, perhaps we will have an amicable separation.

Yesterday’s Hash, in which I participated as a Hare, seemed to go well. The trail was only 5K, but it included two moderate climbs. It’s been crazy hot as well, so I was bushed when we finished marking the path. Generally positive reviews from the Hashers, the naysayers complained it was too short, which I heard as “just right”. No one said they got lost or couldn’t follow the intended trail, and that’s always my goal as a Hare. Here are some pictures from the day:

No way to know how many years I have left, so I intend to make the most of each day I’m blessed with living. Thanks for joining me!

Spent a couple of hours out on the Kokomo’s floating bar yesterday. The brown knees there seemed to enjoy the brownies I shared with them. There was a big spender aboard who bought all the girls a drink for Mother’s Day. That made me happy because I didn’t have to! As people came and went, I couldn’t help but notice a large percentage of the guests were Filipinos. You almost never saw that in the past. Things are changing around here as the Subic area becomes a destination for folks fleeing the big city lockdowns. That’s good for business, and keeping the bars viable is good for me. Win-win!

Regarding the title of this post, no, the floating bar was not sinking. But the sun was.

After departing the floating bar, I walked across the beach and had some dinner at Da’ Kudos.

Speaking of walking, this is Hash Monday and I’m one of the Hares:

We set the trail this morning and it kind of kicked my ass. Two climbs on a hot day wasn’t much fun. Most likely, it will be hotter this afternoon when everyone else does the trail Glad I’m not them! Now I need to shower up and get ready to head out to the VFW to give the Hashers their marching orders.

I’m glad I don’t have this kind of comma problem:

I wasn’t having the best of days yesterday, so I decided to do something about it. My preferred method was to drown my sorrows. It seemed to work just fine. I was starting out much earlier than normal, leaving the house at 1:30. I had the bright idea of doing an old-fashioned bar crawl–I’d start at the first bar on my side of town, and then go bar-to-bar until I reached the last one or couldn’t go any further. That plan got stymied immediately when the first bar–Outback–hadn’t opened yet (most bars here open no earlier than 2:00). Well, why not do it in reverse? I’d walk to the other side of town, then make my way back. I knew Dive In opened early so that would be my first stop.

A traditional bar crawl usually entails one beer then moving on to the next bar. I threw tradition out the window. For one thing, my friend Jessa came and sat with me. Of course, I bought her a drink. Gerlie was also at the bar with her boyfriend, and she bought me a beer in memory of her beating me at darts Friday night. Then a customer who remembered me from somewhere, but I didn’t remember him, sent over another beer. Jessa suggested we play a game of pool, so we did that. It was also another bar employee’s birthday (19, yikes!) and pizza and chicken were delivered for the celebration. Naturally, I bought the birthday girl a drink. By now I had been in Dive In for several beers and I knew the bar crawl idea wasn’t going to happen.

I decided to start making my way back to my side of town. Along the way, I came upon Cheap Charlies and decided to have a quick cold one upstairs. I was surprised that I was the only customer.

Just a couple of beers there, and I moved on up the highway. And then I came to Beach Please, and thought “why not?”.

I was also the only customer here. I’m pretty sure Beach Please is targeting the locals market–no girls at all.

A couple more beers, then I walked on the beach for a bit until I reached Mango’s.

This was my last stop of the day. I know I took a trike home from there, but this morning I couldn’t remember if I had paid my bar tab before leaving. I may have been a little inebriated by then.

It’s Mother’s Day today, so naturally I’m remembering my sweet mom.

In other news, I signed the lease for my new place today. I received no response from the current landlord to the email I sent. The message I sent asking if he’d received the email was also ignored. I’m probably going to have a fight on my hands. My move-in date for the apartment is June 1. This current residence is paid for through the end of July. Absent a refund, it looks like I’m going to be maintaining two places. It’s nice to be rich!

I snapped some photos of the apartment this afternoon:

Anyway, it’s smaller than what I have now, but it will suffice. Too bad my current landlord thought raping me for a hundred bucks a month was a good idea. Glad that I had this option.

So that’s where things stand as of the moment. Going to make a run out to the floating bar this afternoon. Yes, I made some brownies for the brown knees there. But before I go, let me leave you with this:

A second place finish in darts last night. No complaints, really. We threw well, our opponents threw weller…er, better I mean. That’s the way the darts fly sometimes.

Our Friday hiking group journeyed out past Naugsol to begin a planned hike to Tibag and back. On a previous visit, we walked the highway, this time we were planning to take a riverside path. Of course, things don’t always go according to plan. Our trail led us up to the top of a small mountain, then abruptly dead-ended. I hate backtracking, but we had no choice. We eventually took a little-used trail down the mountain, and near the bottom, we ran into the trail we thought would lead us to Tibag. Alas, a couple of kilometers later it also came to a dead-end. Another retreat, then we said “fuck it” and made our way up to the highway. It was too late at this point to continue on to Tibag, so we just hiked the highway back to our vehicle. Enjoy the photos from our ill-fated adventure:

Ah, well. Tibag will be there next time. Maybe we’ll actually find a way to get there!

In the meantime, I’m considering starting a chapter of the People Encouraging Niceness In Society here in Barretto. How hard can it be?

And life goes on.

I just watched a documentary on Bangladesh. Pretty shocking really. I mean, on a very basic level I was aware that it was a poor and poverty-stricken nation. I remember that concert George Harrison hosted back in 1971 (damn, I’m old!), but I just haven’t paid much attention since then. Wow. I apologize for calling the Philippines a third-world country. That’s an insult to the genuine third-world status of Bangladesh. Don’t take my word for it, you can see what I saw on YouTube.

So, you may be asking what in the hell am I doing watching TV on a perfectly fine Thursday afternoon? Truth is, I’m feeling poorly today. No fever, no cough, no energy. Yeah, that again. Took the dogs for an abbreviated walk, came home, and took a two-hour nap. Woke up and moved onto the couch, then turned on my little-used television. Scrolled through some YouTube recommendations and clicked on the one above. I don’t know why. Anyway, it remains to be seen whether I’ll find the strength to venture out later today or not.

Yesterday, I changed things up a bit and started my beer drinking at the Dive In bar. It’s on the far end of town and there is nothing really special about the place. Well, other than the fact that my ex-crush Jessa works there as a bartender. Naturally, I bought her some lady drinks, she sat with me at the bar, and we had a very pleasant chat for an hour or so. I was reminded of why I was attracted to her in the first place. No, I don’t expect I’ll be attempting to resurrect that relationship, but I’m glad we are still on friendly terms. As I was leaving, Jessa told me not to be such a stranger. I responded there are so many bars to visit and so little time. But I may try to find a way to add Dive In to my rotation.

Next, I had a couple of more beers at It Doesn’t Matter. The place was pretty packed for a Wednesday evening. Glad it is going well for the new owners. My regular waitress there, Roan, is a hoot. She’d been out sick for a few days and I mentioned the waitress who served me in her absence. Roan asked if had told her any jokes. I told her no and asked why she wanted to know. She said, “I’m going to use them, but don’t want to tell a joke they’ve heard already.” I was impressed that she even remembered my jokes, let alone found them funny! So, of course, I felt obligated to tell her another one:

A friend’s wife has been ill for quite some time and the doctor has been running tests to find out what is wrong. Finally, the doc told my friend he’d narrowed it down to two possible causes–AIDS or Alzheimer’s. My friend was like “oh my God! What should I do?” The doctor replied, “well if it were me I’d drive her ten miles out of town. If she comes back home, don’t fuck her!”

Yeah, not my best work, but Roan laughed politely. Oh, coincidentally, Roan used to work at Dive In and is friends with Jessa. Life in a small town, eh?

I departed shortly thereafter and headed out to The Pub for my weekly fix of Korean-style chicken wings. I’m usually only in there once a week, but I’m greeted like a regular: “Welcome, John. San Miguel Zero and sixteen chicken wings to go, right?” Yep, thanks! That’s my kind of service and the wings were excellent as usual.

Ah, I’ve become a predictable man of routines it seems. Monday I Hash. Tuesday is darts at Alley Cats. Wednesday has become It Doesn’t Matter night (and wing night, of course). Thursday I hit up the Kokomo’s floating bar on Baloy Beach, Friday and Saturday more darts at Alley Cats, and on Sunday I like to visit my friends at Cheap Charlies. I was not kidding when I told Jessa that I wasn’t sure how to fit Dive In into my schedule.

I don’t know if I’m feeling better or not, but I just popped some brownies into the oven. I don’t want to disappoint the brown knees on the floating bar should I decide to venture out later.

Yesterday, I sent this email to my landlord:

Hello, this is John McCrarey, your tenant in Casa Rosenda.

I have reviewed the lease contract I signed with Gloria Ocampo on May 25, 2018.  The term of the lease was for three years, expiring May 25, 2021.  In accordance with the terms of the lease, this is the formal notice of my intention to NOT renew the lease. 

I have also reviewed my rental receipts which confirm I paid a one-month advance rent and two-month deposit on June 18. 2018.  I trust the two-month deposit will be returned to me promptly.  Please advise if that is not the case.

Also, on December 29, 2020, I paid six months’ rent in advance.  That means my rent is paid through the end of June 2021.  Additionally, I paid one-month advance rent when I signed the lease, so that means the rent is paid through the end of July 2021.  I am prepared to vacate the house by June 1, 2021, provided the rent payments are refunded.  Please advise of your intentions in this regard.

To summarize, as things stand, I am owed two months advance deposit (90,000 pesos) and two months advance rent payments totaling 90,000 pesos, for a total of 180,000 pesos.
Let me know if you have any issues or disagreements with my assessment.

Sincerely,
John M. McCrarey

No response yet. I’m in a bit of a box. I don’t want to lose my new apartment, so I’ll need to sign a lease there next month. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up this place before my paid rent has either been refunded or expires. I might have two houses for a while. Everyone I talk to says it’s doubtful I will get the security deposit back. If they do go that route, I’ll do my best to make sure every expat in town knows not to rent from them (in addition to my house, they several duplexes they want to rent out). I’ll help Karma out in any way I can!

And that’s the way it is in my neck of the woods. It could always be worse, and it is in Bangladesh.

Reader: Your grammar’s pathetic.

Me: Oh, yeah? Well, your grandpa’s no better, either

Just a little inside humor. See the comments to yesterday’s post for the backstory. All in good fun.

So, a development of sorts in the continuing drama associated with my pending move. Now, I previously mentioned that one of the brothers in the landlord family was unaware that I had been hit with a rent increase. Apparently, he was upset that he had not been consulted. He has not said anything directly to me, choosing instead to relay information through my basement neighbor, who is technically his employee. He told her to tell me that he had talked to his brother and sister and they agreed to reduce the rent increase to 5%. As you may recall, that is the amount originally proposed that I had objected to–their counteroffer was 10%. Anyway, I relayed back through the neighbor that it was too late; I’d already verbally committed to another place. I also had her convey a counteroffer on my behalf–if they would reduce my rent by 10% I would consider staying. Haven’t heard back. Don’t expect I will.

Ah, the art of negotiation. I spent a goodly portion of my career in labor relations where I participated in collective bargaining for labor agreements. At least the union’s proposals had a basis in reality. I still have no idea what the hell my landlords are thinking. Maybe they aren’t.

I also believe I mentioned I know my upstairs neighbors. They are both Hashers, and the husband (also named John) plays darts. As I was leaving for the tournament on Friday, John was walking past my house on his way to Alley Cats as well. So, we walked together. John casually mentioned that his downstairs neighbors were moving out and he was happy about it because they were so noisy. I told him I was planning to move in downstairs. He was a little surprised and said that explains why he got the email from his landlord asking if he objected to allowing two dogs downstairs. He didn’t. I’m actually not noisy at all, and my dogs only bark when there’s a reason–like someone being outside the door. I don’t think we’ll have any issues in that regard. While I’d prefer to have a house to myself, I’m already thinking in terms of being accommodating. For example, I’ll put my grill in the carport in order to avoid sending up smoke from my balcony to his apartment. Hopefully, we will all just get along fine and dandy.

What else have I got for you? Well, John Kim’s The Pub restaurant just published a new menu. I’ll share it here to illustrate that it isn’t hard to find good food in my little town.

Damn, now I’m hungry for some reason.

I believe getting vaccinated against COVID is a personal choice. I probably will at some point, especially if my freedom to travel is contingent upon vaccination. Other folks might choose a different path, and that’s fine with me.

I am SO ready to do some travelling!

I’ve got pork chops in the crockpot for dinner tonight, and I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (on toast) for lunch. Is there no end to my creativity in the kitchen?

I’ll close out today’s post with these words of wisdom:

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.

I have heard it said that over time humans begin to resemble their pet dogs. I wonder if the reverse is true as well?

Speaking of dogs, my new landlady provided a modified pet amendment to the lease that includes a provision for TWO dogs. So, that’s another hurdle cleared. I went through my desk drawers yesterday and found my original lease for this house and my rent and deposit receipts. I also have the receipts for the three aircon units I’ll be taking with me. Yeah, I’m expecting trouble. As I understand it, the Ocampo’s are a politically connected and powerful family (the daughter was a Congresswoman), so I doubt I’ll prevail in any court battles. We’ll see what happens, but I do prefer to avoid being deported, so I’m only going to push it so far. More to come on that I’m sure.

In the meantime, life goes on like it always does. Walked out to Baloy beach yesterday afternoon. It was deserted.

What’s changed? Well, Manila is on a lockdown status which means no one is supposed to travel to or from that area. Just read today that one of the local hotels is being investigated for accepting guests from Manila this past weekend. The other thing that happened was a couple of drownings. Kids under 15 are not supposed to be out of the house (same with old fuckers over 65) and that rule still applies here in Olongapo. So, the police are patrolling the beaches on foot now and families are staying away. By the way, no one has ever asked me my age throughout this pandemic, but if they ever do I’m going to say “55”. That’s actually the year I was born. I’ll let the cops do the math. If they can. Which I doubt.

If I’m on Baloy beach, you know I’m bound to wind up on the Kokomo’s floating bar. And I did. Just a handful of customers, most of whom I gathered were up from Angeles City, which is still on a lockdown that includes an alcohol ban. Poor bastards!

I started feeling a little hungry, so I grabbed the menu from Treasure Island and had a look. For some reason, I decided to give the Mexican a try–quesadillas and tacos. Now, the kitchen at TI is one of the better ones in town, but I’ve generally been disappointed with the Mexican dishes everywhere I’ve tried them.

The girls were all hungry too, so of course, I fed them. Some Filipino dishes and chicken. They seemed pleased with their meal, and that pleased me.

Well, I did have one for the road at Johan’s. Home by 8:00, made a smoothie, checked the ‘net, and headed off to bed.

So, the decision has been made. I’ll be leaving Casa Rosenda when my lease expires in June. The landlord called today to advise that the rent would indeed be raised by 10%. His justification was that needed repairs would cost $2000, therefore higher rent was necessary. I told him I would be moving out then.

The stupidity of this situation is mind-boggling. They are going to spend two grand on repairs I never asked for. That’s fine, they should maintain their property as they deem necessary. They want to charge me an extra $100. a month to pay for the repairs and I’m not willing to do so, seeing as how I’m already overpaying for this house. When I move out I’ll be taking the appliances I purchased, including three aircon units upstairs, with me. So, they’ll need to buy replacements for those, along with a stove and refrigerator. That’s another chunk of cash they’ll be spending upfront. Had I renewed my lease in June, I’d be writing them a check for $11,000–a year’s rent. That was a sure thing for them, but they’ve chosen this path instead.

Landlord says the next tenant will pay $1000. a month (versus the $900. I currently pay). Good luck finding a sucker who will pay that for this old place. Hell, it sat vacant for YEARS before I foolishly came along and overpaid. There’s a pandemic and lockdown now, so folks are not able to move here from out of the country. It’s likely only a foreigner would be able to afford that kind of rent, and most people in a position to do so would be more likely to purchase their own place. The landlord’s family owns several other places here in the neighborhood that have been sitting vacant for the three years I’ve lived here. Good luck finding a renter to replace me. In the unlikely event it only takes a month, they won’t recoup what they lost when I moved out for six months. I expect it will be much longer than that before a replacement renter is found. Good luck with that. I’ll be up the street keeping an eye on how long this house is vacant and laughing every time I walk by.

Up the street? Yes, I’m moving into that downstairs apartment I mentioned previously. It’s not ideal, but it will do. And it is $300. a month cheaper than this house. I went and had a look yesterday. It’s only a couple of years old, has two large bedrooms with full baths, and another half bath off the entrance. The kitchen is larger and more modern than my current place, has actual cabinets, and a pantry! That’s probably what I like best about the apartment. I was surprised that it even has a nice view, from the balcony anyway. There’s also a maid’s quarters downstairs and some space for the dogs to hang out. The biggest drawback is having upstairs neighbors, but I’ll deal with it as necessary. Perhaps we will all just get along.

So, that’s my big news. Stand by to see what the future holds. In the meantime, we can take a look back into the past courtesy of Facebook memories.

And neither did the marriage. Jee Yeun left this on my Facebook page ten years ago:

I love you baby!!! So happy about you were always next me and take very good care of me!!!! My baby…Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm….

Oh, well. Everything changes, but life goes on.

You should never argue with a crazy mind
You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Is that all you get for your money?

And if that’s what you have in mind
Yeah, if that’s what you’re all about
Good luck, moving up, ’cause I’m movin’ out

I’m movin’ out

Last night, or rather yesterday afternoon (I started at 4:30), my venue of choice for my libations was Cheap Charlies. Besides the two gals sitting on each side of me sucking down lady drinks, this is what I saw:

Shortly after the sunset, I headed on home to check on my pot roast.

Today is Hash Monday, and our On-Home is at the Alta Vista community center. That means making up a batch of chili for the hungry Hashers to enjoy after the hike.

What else have I got for you? Well, I came across this story about the history and origins of cusswords that I found quite interesting. I hope you motherfuckers like it too.

And the Babylon Bee brightened my day with this story entitled: “Man Who Agrees With The Media, Universities, Corporations, And Hollywood Thinks He’s Part Of The Resistance”. Maybe it will make you laugh too.

On a more serious note, it turns out these COVID mandates are indeed a joke. But you must have known that already. It’s been fun to watch (from afar) as no mandate states like Texas and Florida are suffering no apparent negative consequences, despite predictions of imminent disaster by our liberal elite. And now an MIT study explains why the fear mongers were wrong. It is well past time to let it go and let the rest of us get on with our lives unimpeded by the sheer stupidity of our duplicitous would-be rulers.

Ah, well. There’s always poetry.

This verse came immediately to mind:

Roses are red, violets are blue

I could have been happy, but I chose you

yours truly

Yeah, I won’t quit my day job. Oh wait, i don’t have one!

UPDATE: Just came across this bit of wisdom:

Things don’t always go according to plan. Take our hike up to the falls outside of Olongapo for example. We had intended to all meet up in the Gordon Heights barangay, do a 2.2K hike up into the mountains from there, have a picnic lunch, then hike back down. I honestly had some reservations about this trip and considered backing out. Then I was reminded that the hike had been rescheduled, at least in part, to accommodate me (I have darts this afternoon). As it turned out, my concerns about doing a trail Guenter called “easy” were misplaced. I should have been concerned about COVID. Or more specifically, the idiots in charge of “protecting” me from a crazy virus that apparently targets hikers in the great outdoors. Who knew?

I never did an actual headcount, but I reckon there were 15 or more of us. As we proceeded to march up the road we encountered some purok officials who were apparently overseeing a free rabies vaccination event (a purok is a neighborhood organization within the larger barangay, that is a section of the city). So, these purok folks asked where we were going and when we told them they responded “not allowed”. I’d say half the group just kept walking, the rest stayed back to see what the problem was. The problem at the base level was that these purok jerks love exercising authority that most thinking people are happy to just simply ignore. Had our group been the usual small number we might not have even been noticed, but now we needed to be made an example of to demonstrate to the local populace who is in charge. Or at least it seemed that way to me.

They were pretty pissed about the portion of the group who just kept on going, and a few minutes later a van with several barangay officials aboard showed up, presumably to chase them down. Guenter, who was our putative leader for this hike, tried to talk reason to them.

Eventually, it was decided to allow Guenter to make his case directly to the barangay Captain. So, he and his girlfriend/interpreter loaded up in the van, and off they went. Meanwhile, the group who had gone on ahead had decided to reverse course and return to see what was happening. Guenter returned about 20 minutes later and reported that the barangay Captain had agreed to let us depart for the falls, with the caveat that we could not return to (or through) Gordon Heights. He made it clear that us barangay Barretto folks were not welcome in his barangay. It was a classic Catch-22 situation, to avoid Gordon Heights would mean scaling a different mountain, and of course, abandoning our vehicles. A good portion of the group thought we should just ignore the barangay’s directive, do our hike as planned, and return where we pleased. That might have worked, but I wasn’t willing to chance it. The Bureau of Immigration has been making an example of foreigners who defy quarantine restrictions by deporting them and blacklisting them to prevent any future return. Just wasn’t worth it to me, and ultimately we all chose to do as we were told and depart Gordon Heights.

Before leaving, we discussed a Plan B that involved meeting in Naugsol and doing our picnic riverside. I was in a car with Scott and Dave and we picked up some ice and beer on the way. But when we reached the designated meeting location no one else was there. I learned later that Guenter’s group, who had hired a Jeepney, got turned back at another checkpoint in Santo Tomas, a barangay of Subic. At that point they just gave up the quest.

So, the five of us in Dave’s car did our own riverside luncheon. We were looking for a place with some shade, easy access to the river, and a place to park. We eventually found a location that offered all three, thanks to a kind local woman who rented us a lean-to for 150 pesos ($3.)

We had a pleasant enough lunch, then the beer ran out so it was time to go. On the way back to Barretto I got a message from Gary, a retired Navy guy with an FPO address, that my new debit card had arrived. We agreed to meet up at It Doesn’t Matter. It was a relief to have my replacement card, the one I have expires on Friday. That’s how I access all my cash here.

After a few more beers it was time for me to head on home. I’d missed my naptime and drank much more mid-day than normal. After taking a shower, I decided to spend my Friday evening at home. I fired up the grill and threw on some ribeyes:

Being at home well before bedtime left me with a dilemma–how to fill the hours? I turned on my little-used television and watched season one episodes of The Addam’s Family on YouTube. I used to really enjoy that show back in the day, but I’ve got to say I found it really disappointing last night. Not that funny and the over-the-top acting was off-putting as well. Hell, even Morticia wasn’t as hot as I remember her. Needless to say, if I’m going to add TV to my routine, I’m going to need to find something better to watch.

I only got in 7,000 steps yesterday, so I pushed myself a little harder and longer this morning, doing a two hour walk up the highway towards the Navy base. I also explored a little more of this village that I’ve always found intriguing.

Oh yeah, my landlord called last night with some news. Now they want to raise the rent ten percent! I expressed my displeasure and he said he’d go back and see if the family would settle for five percent. I think it is time to move.

Alright, gonna be late for darts. I’ll give you the story of Singles League playoffs tomorrow!