Sorry for the misleading title for today’s post. I should have said, “sticker bush,” but where’s the fun in that?

It’s called Mimosa pudica and is also known as “touch-me-not.” Early in our hike yesterday, both sides of the trail were lined with those bastards, and they seemed to be aggressively in attack mode. Fortunately, the encounter lasted only a hundred yards or so, but it was a painful experience.

Otherwise, the day was about as good as it gets around here. The hike from Subic Hills to Castillejos is one we hadn’t done in a long time, and the scenery was refreshingly beautiful and different. I’ve got a shitload of photos to share later in this post. The other big event of the day was the 9-ball pool tournament at Alaska Club. As they say, it’s better to be lucky than good, but maybe all that practice I did the day before paid some dividends. Whatever the cause, I won my first two matches—something I had never accomplished before. It was already after 10 p.m. when I was finally defeated and sent to the loser’s bracket. Rather than wait around for that encounter, I chose to forfeit and get my sorry ass home, where it belongs.

When my third match finally arrived, I was squaring off against the owner of Hot Zone bar, Jay “Simba.” He won the coin toss for the break and sank the 9-ball for the win. So that leg lasted all of five seconds. We played a longer, more traditional second leg, but Jay’s superior skills prevailed in the end, and I was knocked down to the loser’s bracket. I asked the tournament sponsor, Alaska owner Jerry, if he would forgive my rudeness if I forfeited and went home, and he said it was no problem.

Thirteen beers and two victories is a pretty good night’s work. Although I might need to pace myself a little better, I don’t think all that “aiming fluid” had a negative impact on my play. Maybe the opposite: I was relaxed and didn’t give a shit, so I was a little more consistent than usual.

That’s how the day ended. Here is how it began:

Then it was time for the Wednesday Walkers group hike. We gathered at the Baloy 7-Eleven then caught a jeepney for the long ride out to the far side of Subic town.

A long-ass jeepney ride brought us back to Barretto no worse for the wear. Overall, it was one of the nicer hikes we’ve done in a while. Except for the sticker bushes.

Facebook memories reminded me that three years ago I was having some pretty severe breathing issues.

Just for shits and giggles, and checked my oxygen level this morning:

From the July 2023 LTG archives, Swan and I are taking our first steps towards a relationship. Against all odds, more than three years later I’ve managed to maintain it.

Today’s YouTube video explores Koreatown in Angeles City. I’ve driven through parts of it but never stopped. Unlike the vlogger, I prefer the bar district. Although many of the bars are now owned by Koreans, I’ve heard that Western guys aren’t particularly welcome in some of them. Well, I’m no fan of AC anyway, so it’s no big deal to me.

Shit happens:

It was a good day. Hopefully, there are many more like it to come.

It’s 1985 in our musical journey through a lifetime. I’m 30 years old and living in Fort Smith, Arkansas, but I wasn’t in dire straits and did enjoy me some MTV.