Still no symptoms, so there’s that. These are definitely strange days we are living in though.
I remember back in the days when I figured one of the most likely ways I’d die in the Philippines was crossing the National Highway. No problems this morning though.
Well, a couple of things are driving the lack of drivers. For one, most all businesses are closed. For another, as I feared, the authorities are not allowing people to leave their Barangay of residence. That may prove to be a problem for me since I have no access to San Isidro from my house. Rumor has it you can be issued a travel pass, so I’ll have to check into that tomorrow.
Oh, and speaking of closed down businesses, the Out Back hotel is now shut down. Damn, I hope the local police aren’t reading my blog! And where the hell am I going to go to drink beer now?
I was able to score some beer last night out on Baloy Beach, but I’m keeping my mouth shut about that for now.
This morning a new cover photo was posted on the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers Facebook page:
And so it goes. Some commenters here have made the point that this Wuhan virus is serious stuff and should not be taken lightly. I’m actually not disputing that, although I do question the effectiveness of the measures being put in place to slow the spread of this disease. Honestly, it’s only an inconvenience for me. I’ll live through it. It’s another story for my poverty-stricken neighbors. I will not be surprised at all if some of the most vulnerable (newborns, elderly) succumb to the effects of malnutrition. Perhaps I’m overly optimistic about the virus’s impact and overly pessimistic about the control efforts. Time will tell.
This article is the best I’ve seen so far on honestly assessing the current state of the pandemic. Give it a read and see if it doesn’t ease your mind to some extent.
What else have I got? Well, there’s this “interesting” find:
In these dark hours, it is good to know Uncle Sam is keeping an eye on things:
Finally, a shout out to the recently deceased Kenny Rogers. A very talented man whose music I’ve enjoyed since hearing his first pop hit way back when (1972 actually). There’s a popular chicken restaurant chain bearing his name here, Kenny Rogers Roasters. I guess that’s as close to immortality as one can get.
I woke up this morning with the sundown shining in
I found my mind in a brown paper bag within
I tripped on a cloud and fell-a eight miles high
I tore my mind on a jagged sky
I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in
Yeah, yeah, oh-yeah, what condition my condition was inI pushed my soul in a deep dark hole and then I followed it in
I watched myself crawling out as I was a-crawling in
I got up so tight I couldn’t unwind
I saw so much I broke my mind
I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in
Yeah, yeah, oh-yeah, what condition my condition was inSomeone painted April Fool in big black letters on a Dead End sign
I had my foot on the gas as I left the road and blew out my mind
Eight miles outta Memphis and I got no spare
Eight miles straight up downtown somewhere
I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in
I said I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in
UPDATE: Damn it! I used this title once before, back in November of last year. Ah well, this time it was to honor the memory of Kenny Rogers, so I’ll let it go on Through the Years.
My brother Sean, living in Washington, DC, just told me that there’re lots of empty shelves in the area… but the local Korean marts are fully stocked. Sean wonders whether American racism is keeping people away from Asian stores. I don’t know. I hope not. But on a practical level, Sean had better not let on that he knows where all the toilet paper is. I told him as much, and he said, “That’s what I was thinking!”
Yep, beer and toilet paper…same same. I actually found out that Mango’s was serving diners sit down meals tonight (and beer of course). I had my favorite dish from there –the grilled ribs. Washed them down with copious amounts of San Mig Zero. How long will that last? We’ll see!
Not part of panic buying horde. Saw where someone mentioned our local Asian Market was stocked. With What? I don’t have masks, but I also don’t go out on a regular basis.
Was told Walmart had put a guard? to limit purchase at entrance and exit of toilet papet/disinfectant aisles.
About the only things you can’t find here right (other than the normal cluster fuck of things being out of stock) are masks and disinfectant alcohol products.
Rascal asks:
“Saw where someone mentioned our local Asian Market was stocked. With what?”
Probably stocked with toilet paper, which is apparently a hot commodity in many parts of the United States right now. Why? Because a bunch of drooling idiots apparently think COVID-19 is the same thing as dysentery. What’s up with that?
Here in Korea, there no shortages of anything but masks. Food is plentiful, toilet paper is plentiful, alcohol wipes and disinfectant lotion are all on hand, etc.