Find the cost of freedom Buried in the ground Mother Earth will swallow you Lay your body down
I got the jab yesterday. I went with Sinovac, the one my anti-vaxx doctor said was the least damaging. No side effects that I’ve noticed so far unless sleeping in until 7:00 a.m. (I’m usually up at 4:30) is vaccine-related. I need to get a second dose next month to be considered “fully vaccinated.”
I’m not happy about having to forfeit my bodily autonomy to a bullshit government edict, but the choice came down to submission or losing my freedom to come and go as I please. Well, I can travel almost anywhere in my unvaxxed state of being, but the Philippines will not permit tourists to enter the country without being fully vaccinated. Of course, the fact that the vaccines don’t work doesn’t matter; it is do as you are told or stay away. For better or worse, this is my home, and I want to be able to return. My tourist visa expires in December, so I just ran out of time waiting for some level of sanity to be implemented. Oh well, life goes on. Hopefully.
I have a friend named Cathy whom I’ve never met in Bohol (an island several hours away). If I recall, I found her several years ago on a dating website (prior to my move here). Even though I didn’t feel any romantic connection, we’ve continued to stay in touch and occasionally chat. And yes, I’ve helped her out financially from time to time. She’s a widow with a ten-year-old son, and I’ve agreed to be his “sponsor” and pay his school tuition and expenses. It’s not that big a deal, but it means a lot to her, and if it helps the boy have a successful life, then it is money well spent.
Anyway, Cathy read those poems I posted yesterday on Facebook and sent me a message asking why I didn’t become a writer. Heh, she’s easily pleased; no wonder I like her. I told her that I had wanted to be a journalist but didn’t have the money to attend college. Her response made me feel good:
Even though your not a journalist but you helped many people who are in need around you. And I’m one of them of those people who are so blessed to have you as our benifactor. The words thank you is not enough how thankful I am to have you sir. Your such a blessing for us.
Glad to help when I can, Cathy. One of the reasons I moved here was to make a difference, even in a small way. If things are better for some because I am here, then there is some purpose to my life.
Thanks for indulging me in the mental health moment above. Let’s get on to the good stuff.
Wednesday was feeding day for the girls at Hideaway bar. I had a pizza delivered and decided to change the brownie routine and try some cupcakes instead.
After a few drinks for Joy and me at Hideaway, I headed up the highway to Blue Butterfly. My mission: to learn more about the “exotic” woman a couple of my commenters had noticed at last week’s Hash.
So, what’s the story? Tanya is twenty-four years old and has one child, a four-year-old daughter. Her Filipino boyfriend and father of her child abdicated his responsibility as a parent, and now Tanya works to support her family. That’s a pretty typical story in these parts.
But I came away from my meeting really feeling that Tanya is something special. First of all, she is intelligent and articulate. Prior to being dumped, she was going to school to study secondary education. Those dreams died along with her relationship. She says now her life revolves around her daughter–she works and goes home every night to be with her child. Yep, that’s what good moms do.
I really wanted to explore her heritage and try to discover why she doesn’t have a “typical” Filipina look about her. She was born and raised here in Subic. She told me the story of only recently discovering her mother was, in fact, her stepmother. Apparently, right when she was born, her father took her and raised her with his wife, who became the stepmom. All she knows about her “real” mother is that she worked in a bar in Subic. But both her father and mother were pure Filipinos, so that, I guess, dispels my theory that she might be of mixed blood.
Anyway, I really did enjoy chatting with Tanya. Very open and honest, and interesting. She got pretty excited when she found out I have a blog and wrote down the name so she could read it later. I tried to warn her that she was bound to be disappointed. I guess she’ll find out for herself.
Not much else to say about my night. I finished up at Snackbar and ran into my pal Ron. He was there with his new girlfriend. She was kind of shy but cute.
Of course, the other thing I did yesterday was the Wednesday Walkers hike. We got a break from the rain during the course of our walk, so that was nice. We kept it mostly flat and paved anyway, and just a tad over 7K. Here are some photos:
All in all, a good day. Except for the needle and the damage it may have done.
Thanks 👍 😊
While the rest of the bar patrons were getting drunk, you were doing the good work interviewing an interesting individual 👏 👍
You’re so good with words , you could change the world 🌎
It looks like your hiking group is growing in numbers. I see some younger men of a western hue.
And that picture of Ron and his girlfriend….I’m sure some readers will come up with an apt caption 😀
Thanks again
Hopefully you don’t scare off the beautiful Tanya with your declarations of love yet, but the bar looks like it could benefit from your regular patronage. Let’s assume the beer 🍺 is affordable, and the music 🎶 is acceptable for you.
And I believe congratulations are in order. First for getting the vaccine despite your misgivings.
And secondly, one of your exes is doing rather well in business: 2 businesses booming in such a saturated market and yet she’s making a killing.
The other ex gave in a bit too much, and I suspect you’ll be on the hook for her living expenses. Last time I excoriated you on your soft deer-like generosity….but you are what you are. And nobody’s getting hurt. You’re doing the Lord’s work, helping your fellow man because you can and you want to.
How come Dave the resident businessman rarely join your hash hikes or drinking 🍸
Also, the loss of your friends at the dart club is something I hope is temporary. As you know ,I’m a big advocate for you having some male friends to share conversation and good laughs. It would be a shame to give up on such a good home bar just because the vibe was off a few times.
Thanks for writing as usual
John, as you alluded to; freedom is never completely free.
Seems like you are feeling better (almost back to 100%?), and in the grand scheme of things, that is much more important.
Sorry to hear about the jab, but this has been on the horizon for a while. As long as you’re a “tourist” in the PI, I guess there are certain inevitable inconveniences. Keep checking your health, and see a doc if something untoward happens. I suspect it won’t: I’m seeing a ton of news about how the drugs interact badly with young people, but not nearly as much news about how these jabs affect older folks. Doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening, but maybe there’s a reason to relax a bit. Here in Korea, no one I know has dropped dead of the jab, but almost everyone I know did get COVID after being jabbed. So, you’ve got that to look forward to.
Tanya, from a frontal angle, looks mighty different from that previous photo of her. Is that really the same person? Anyway, I wish her good luck, given her situation.
Cathy sounds nice. I’ll be curious to see whether she takes the initiative and does more than just send thankful vibes your way. (I’m not talking salaciously; I’m just thinking it might be nice for her to send you a home-baked pie or something, given all the $$$ you’re sending her.)
Food looks great! Wish I could try that succulent-looking pot roast and the cornbread. May have to make my own (both roast and cornbread).
That one shot of the Virgin Mary was interesting. She looked almost as though she had a beard. Look closely, and you’ll see what I mean. Can’t un-see it.
Kev, I’m not afraid of the vaxx doing serious harm; the mindless requirement just triggered my innate resistance to government dictates. Now that I’ve been jabbed, it doesn’t matter–what will be will be.
Yeah, Tanya is the same one from the Hash picture you spotted. Saw her again last night for a bit, and we are now officially Facebook friends.
My impression is Cathy is a good woman. She’s also made it clear that she would like to be more than friends and has invited me to visit Bohol, and she’ll be my tour guide. It’s definitely on my list of places to visit.
Glad you liked the food. You know me; I don’t do anything the hard way. Throw it all in the crockpot and wait 8 hours to eat. And I bake with packaged mixes. I’m sure your versions will be tastier.
Ha! I had to go back to look at the Virgin Mary photo again. Yep, she does appear to need a shave. Or her face washed.
Brian, yes, I am back to feeling normal again, well, as normal as I get anyway. Maybe the recent illness will make me appreciate my health more. I’d hate not to be able to do the things I enjoy.
James, now wait a minute; who says I wasn’t getting drunk during the interview? 🙂
Don’t think I’ve scared Tanya away yet; I bribed her with brownies last night. But seriously, I reckon she’ll just be my regular company when I visit Blue Butterfly. And it is a comfortable bar for me, so I’ll likely drop in more often.
I honestly don’t know if those businesses are making any money, but Snackbar at least seems to be developing a crowd of regulars. Of course, I wish her well.
Dave is not into hiking but has commented that he enjoys the pictures I post. I know he occasionally does a bar hop, but I usually see him at his table in Wet Spot, and I’m happy to join him there. SOB tonight, so I’ll be seeing him for sure.
Darts just stopped being fun for me, but I’m not harboring bad feelings about the bar or its patrons. I imagine I’ll drop in one of these days for a drink and hello to everyone.
John: As happens so many times the definition of “fully vaccinated” is misleading. To preclude being refused boarding for returning to P.I. recommend you contact your airline, or you may not be able to board, have Immigration problems at NAIA, etc. Try this recent website: Jennifer Terri, Aug. 12
FULLY VAX TRAVELER FROM THE USA QUARANTINED UPON ARRIVAL: WHY?
Thanks for the heads-up, Ron. I’m probably not going to leave the country until November. Hopefully, there will be more clarity on the requirements for re-entry by then.