Party time!

Yesterday’s Swan-hosted event at her/our house seemed to go well. I arrived at the appointed hour of 1:00 p.m. and was a little surprised to see so many children running about. But they weren’t a problem, and as more of the adults arrived, the kids mostly confined themselves to the bedrooms. I wasn’t sure what to expect beyond the normal eating and drinking that occurs when Filipinos gather. I teasingly told Swan that I had prepared a short speech announcing that we were now officially a couple. Swan clarified that this group of trusted friends and relatives already knew about me, which is why they had been invited. So, I guess our relationship is still technically a secret. I’m looking forward to moving in next weekend and seeing how things change for us, for better or worse.

Prawns and mussels
Something fishy
Pork and rice. My chili contribution is in that pot. It seemed pretty popular with the guests.
My cornbread
Brownies
Chips and salsa. The gals at my table drank red wine; I was having beer.
Rum and coke is a Filipino favorite. It’s interesting how they drink it. A shot with a coke chaser. Served individually, one at a time, in turn.
It is not unusual for some form of gambling to break out as well.
It is usually some kind of card game, but yesterday it involved a box of these tiles and dice.
I don’t have a clue as to how it works.
My shy girlfriend
A Sunday afternoon get-together in progress.
Thanks for having me, Swan

So, I sat and drank beer from one until five. When a carload of guests were departing, I caught a ride down to the 7/11 on Baloy and had a couple more beers at Snackbar. My idea for ending my evening there was to avoid walking back to my place from Swan’s in the dark. I was able to catch a trike home after my nightcap.

I had a good time as the token white guy at the party. I’m sure I’ll be having similar gatherings in the future. It’s every bit as much fun hanging out and drinking at home as it is in the bars. Although I don’t mean to imply that I’ll be discarding my barlife entirely. I’ll find the right balance, I’m sure.

It’s Hash Monday. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll do what the Hare admits is a tough trail or make my own. The problem is the official trail starts about 3K out of town in an area I’m not that familiar with. That makes it tough to shortcut. I’ve got a couple of hours to decide.

And speaking of the Hash, I learned today that one of SBH3’s oldest members, Goldfinger, has passed away.

He hadn’t been physically able to do a trail for a couple of years, but he still attended the Hash circle most weeks. Sorry to see him go.
Goodbye my friends
Maybe for forever
Goodbye my friends
The stars wait for me
Who knows where we shall meet again
If ever
But time
Keeps flowing like a river (on and on)
To the sea
To the sea
When my time comes, this is the song I’d like to have played before my ashes are scattered on the Hash trail.

UPDATE: Oops! I’ve used the Party Time moniker once before. Way back in July 2005. It was kind of interesting to reminisce about my first 4th of July party in Korea. And seeing Mi Soon, my first Korean girlfriend, again. Ah, an old man and his memories…

4 thoughts on “Party time!

  1. Yesterday’s Swan-hosted event at her/our house seemed to go well.

    The “her/our” makes me wonder whether there’s gonna be any weird politics about who owns/runs the place.

    I arrived at the appointed hour of 1:00 p.m. and was a little surprised to see so many children running about.

    Catholic families the world over. Except America, where the Catholics skew liberal and heretically use birth control.

    Chips and salsa. The gals at my table drank red wine; I was having beer.

    Chips and salsa with red wine! Nice to see people not standing on ceremony.

    It is usually some kind of card game, but yesterday it involved a box of these tiles and dice.

    That’s looks kinda like mah-jongg.

    Thanks for having me, Swan

    At last! The great reveal! Gotta love the “Dickies” shirt.

    He hadn’t been physically able to do a trail for a couple of years, but he still attended the Hash circle most weeks. Sorry to see him go.

    RIP, Goldfinger. May you ddongchim many angels with your golden finger.

    Well, it seems to have been a good, lively, happy gathering. If these happen often enough, you can show off your grilling skills by whipping up a ton of steaks.

    It could be that one of the great benefits of being with Swan is the network of care that comes with her. Once you’re “part of the family,” so to speak, you know that there’ll be people who have your back, and they’ll be your people. It’s taken a few years, and I still might be saying this prematurely, but Welcome Home.

  2. By her/our house, I’m referring to the fact that I won’t have the keys until next weekend. Then, it becomes “my/our” house, depending on what happens next in the relationship. No politics involved; she’ll choose to be my partner or not.

    Yes, when it comes to birthrate, the PI is not suffering from the China (or Korea/Japan/USA) syndrome. I met one bargirl in her early 30s with SIX kids!

    It may well have been mah-jongg that they were playing. Thanks for the link!

    I was going to make some lewd reference to Swan regarding the shirt, but I opted for discretion. This time!

    The gal Goldfinger brought to the Hash with him each week showed up yesterday. Apparently, she hadn’t heard the news. Sad and weird. She just got up and left when she found out Goldfinger wasn’t coming. Ever.

    We’ll see what the future brings with Swan. I do think she is a natural caregiver and that’s a nice feature of the relationship. I just hope she lets me reciprocate.

  3. The gal Goldfinger brought to the Hash with him each week showed up yesterday. Apparently, she hadn’t heard the news. Sad and weird. She just got up and left when she found out Goldfinger wasn’t coming. Ever.

    Pretty safe to guess, then, that she wasn’t that close to him. Wow.

  4. He lived in Angeles and had a wife/girlfriend there. She was his Barretto squeeze when he was in town. I honestly don’t know more about it than that. I really didn’t know him well.

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