The visit with my ophthalmologist, Dr. DeCastro, went well. The assistant did the standard eye tests, and I was pleasantly surprised when, with my right eye covered, I could read every line on the chart, except the bottom one. During my previous examination in January, I couldn’t even read the top line with my left eye. The vision in my now cataract-free eye is still a little fuzzy, but Dr. De Castro assures me that as the swelling recedes, my sight will become clearer. I have a follow-up appointment on the twentieth, so hopefully I’ll be 20-20 by then.

Took another 400 peso cab ride home and chilled for a while, waiting for beer o’clock. I had asked Swan earlier if she wanted to do the SOB at Queen Victoria or something else. She opted for something else. She suggested Kon-Tiki, and I was down for that. Until we saw the traffic on the highway on the way back from the doctor’s office. We agreed that a weekday visit makes more sense. I offered doing the seldom-visited Hangout Bar, then Mango’s for dinner, or BarCelona and Jewel Cafe. She didn’t have a preference, so we headed for BarCelona. Of course, it began raining as we departed.

Swan enjoyed her glass of wine, and I had three beers waiting for her to finish it. Then we were off to Jewel Cafe for dinner.

As we dined, Swan got a message from her friend Marilyn wanting to meet up for drinks. Swan asked where we were going next, and I said IDM. She asked, Are you sure? Lots of people know Marissa there. I shrugged and responded, Who cares? So, Swan messaged Marilyn to meet us there. By way of explanation, Marilyn is the sister of my ex-girlfriend, Marissa. Her twin sister. Identical twins.

When we arrived at It Doesn’t Matter, only one other person was seated outside, fellow Hasher Grace (Leaking Pussy). She moved to our table, and another person we know, Rica, the IDM cook, joined us as well. So, the stage was set when Marilyn arrived a few minutes later. Marilyn has lived in Manila for a long time and, for the most part, is unknown in Barretto (I met her for the first time a few weeks ago). As she approached our table, Grace jumped up and screamed, “Marissa, good to see you again! It’s been a long time!” Then gave her a big hug. Swan and I were laughing, and the look on Grace’s face when Marilyn calmly told her, I’m not Marissa, was priceless.

So, the revelry continued in Tagalog, and I just sat there taking it all in. A couple of other people came by and greeted “Marissa,” but it’s hard to blame them for the mistake. I was thinking that I’d never been alone with her, but I’d seen Marilyn naked. Anyway, I was buying the drinks, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, so that constitutes a good time for me.

All things must end, and it was almost 8:30 (late by my standards) when I paid the tab and we headed for home.

Friday’s report card: 10,912 steps, 8.4 kilometers walked, 3,029 calories burned.

I’m still in May 2009 on the journey through the LTG archives. This post is a picture-filled account of an organization day gathering with my fellow Directorate of Human Resources team members. Why do these memories make me feel a little sad? Because I didn’t realize just how awesome my life was at the time.

Today’s YouTube video discusses the income tiers in the Philippines, from the very poor to the very rich. I pay my full-time helper/caregiver 26,000 pesos per month, which puts her in the lower middle class category. But when you factor in the free lodging and food she receives, she is doing better than most. And if you are wondering, I qualify as a rich bitch. There is no denying I live large and comfortably.

Some Zen:

How Many Of You Believe In Psycho-Kinesis? Raise My Hand.

And on with the humor:

And I’ll leave it at that for today.