Two weeks into my life of leisure, where do things stand?
Well, I’m living large. Too large? Maybe still too much in the tourist mode, but I’m not bleeding red ink so it’s all good. I do keep track of my expenses on a handy phone app, here’s how it breaks down thus far:
Rent: 22,000 ($440.)
Eating out: 16,500 ($375.)
Transportation: 13,000 ($260.)
Drinking: 12,500 ($245.)
Charity: 10,000 ($200.)
Groceries: 7300 ($145.)
Domestic help: 5,000 ($100.)
Shopping: 4300 ($86.)
Entertainment: 2450 ($45.)
Phone: 1100 ($22.)
Laundry: 1070 ($21.)
Medical/Pharmacy 950 ($19.)
Hair/Feet 90 ($1.80)
So, double those totals and I’m still well within my monthly budget. When I start eating in more often, that should reduce food costs some. Rent will be going up of course. And I suppose if I have the good fortune to find a girlfriend, that will inevitably reduce my fortune somewhat. Just need to be sure she is worth it!
I walked on the old Navy base yesterday, and found this little piece of Korea inside the Harbor Point mall:
Korean culture is huge here. The girls love the K-Pop and Korean dramas….
Sad to report a pretty disappointing night out on the town last night.
These two sweeties from Alaska bar were the highlight of the evening. They assisted me in distributing kisses to all the dancers. Hershey’s kisses that is…
Of course, I wasn’t going to sit there buying lady drinks all night. I ain’t quite that lonely yet. So I moved on to a bar I hadn’t tried before called Rolling Stone. The minute I sat down, some random bargirl joined me at the table. I tried to explain that I wasn’t interested in her company, but she ignored my entreaty and began stroking me. Well, that rubbed me the wrong way (ahem) so I quaffed my brew and left the joint.
I really don’t like drink pressure. I’m generous enough and I’ll buy at the time of my choosing. Ask me and I’m unlikely to buy at all. I’m better off sticking with the hotel/resort bars where the staff has no incentive to drink on your dime. And of course, the dart bars are a refuge as well. Anyway, I did go back to Treasure Island for a night cap. Joana (a gal I’m smitten with) seemed more aloof than usual which turned my already sour mood more dour. Finished the night drinking alone at Lagoon Resort.
Yeah, I’m looking for love in all the wrong places, I know. Speaking of which, I reactivated by Filipina Cupid account today. What could go wrong?
Whatever it is, you’ll hear about it here first. Stay tuned!
Are there no normal, Western-style bars in the PI?
As for finding a quality woman… I doubt you’ll find her by trolling bars. She’s out there, though. Somewhere. Probably doing the things that develop a person of character: studying, bettering herself, thinking and living deeply, dreaming big, improving the world, and looking for someone who might share her dreams and the depth of her mind and heart. You’ll meet her once you find the right activities at which to meet a woman like that. I have faith.
I’m almost afraid to ask… what types of expenses belong in the Hair and Feet budget category?
Kevin, yes there are some “sports bars” here that are normal Western-style operations. I do tend to gravitate to those. It’s been a long time since the “go-go bars” held much appeal, other than an occasional distraction. And yes, I need to put MYSELF in the locations where I’m most likely to find what I’m looking for.
Chris, haircuts and pedicures. I started to call that category “beauty”, but my beauty comes naturally. Of course.
Wow. $1.80 for a haircut? I’ve been paying $12 to $15 in Seoul over the past 15 years. This is one area where the cost of living clearly favors the Philippines. Oh, and massages, too. I remember my wife and I paid like 1/10th the Seoul cost when on a vacation to the Philippines some years ago – and that was at a touristy area (Boracay).
Chris, the haircut itself was 40 pesos! I tipped him 50…
But yeah, not everything is cheaper here, but anything labor related is. You can get a full-time live in housekeeper for a couple of hundred a month for example….