It’s all the way up to 14 May now. We have a tropical storm due in tonight. I think somewhere around 8 pm. I’m not sure if it’s typhoon strength yet or even if it will be by the time it gets here but I’m not worried either way. It will be nice to have the rain and the wind probably won’t be that bad for this one. I haven’t looked up the stats on it but it’s not a super typhoon so no problem. Being here in Calbayog on the opposite side of the open ocean is a plus during this storms. Of course there is not hiding from the super typhoons but storms other than those don’t bother the well built structures too much here in Calbayog.
Tomorrow is supposed to be the last day that business are closed around here. We still have to wear the masks and practice social distancing but businesses are going to open up again. I think it will be harder to achieve social distancing when everyone heads downtown again. It seems to me that as long as the mask are worn and people continue to sanitize their hands, then things should be alright. I could be wrong but that’s the only thing I think should have been done from the beginning. Of course that would mean no stimulus checks, not that I have gotten mine yet anyway. I don’t know about everyone else but I prefer my freedom over dollars. At least for me, you cannot put a price on freedom. Although it is limited freedom with all the laws, rules and regulations we have to follow, it is so much better than a lot of countries.
I see that 3 of the 4 items I ordered on Lazada have been shipped. My speaker for the TV is the only one that has not been sent. I hope that it will be in the next day or two. I also hope that Ninja Express is able to find my house for these deliveries. They are kind of iffy. Half the time “they say” they can’t find me or that they attempted a delivery and either no one was there or the item was rejected. All that is bullshit. The thing is, our house should be so easy to find. I give them exact directions and being right across from the largest hotel on the island should make it even simpler but they still manage to get lost or not find me. I’m ready for them and someone is always around the house.
We were able to buy pandesal (rolls) again this morning. They have been shut down for a while. The pandesal were a little bit larger than normal. I hope that is a sign of how they will be from now on. I got to have my toasted pandesal with tomato for breakfast again. My wife says she is making tacos tonight. She uses the lumpia (egg roll) wrappers to make them and they normally fall apart from being so brittle. It’s okay though, I just turn it into a taco salad and move on. So, most likely, I’ll actually be having taco salad tonight. It’s just past noon now, so it’ll be another 6 or 7 hours before I eat again.
We actually had a taco salad yesterday, made by Mango Lounge. He didn’t have any lettuce, it’s in short demand these days, but it was pretty good for the first time that he made one. I forgot to take a picture of the taco salad but I did take one of the tacos we had the day before (the 12th). That picture is the feature picture. Very tasty tacos for being hard tacos. Lita and I prefer the soft tacos but we can’t be picky here, not yet anyway. Christian is planning to expand his menu even more, including Tex-Mex food. That’s something I’m looking forward to happening.
Salamat Y’all
Hey John good news the wife and I finally received our stimulus check yesterday in the mail but to late to run to bank and deposit it. First time in over 50 years in receiving a government check that the President of the US needed to or wanted to sign check going out to the people. I remember back in the day when first joining the Military we had a Disbursing Officer with 2 Marines guards would come to the ship on first of the month and pay us in cash. they would ask how much you wanted to get paid that month or leave some on the books for saving. Also if my memory service me right what ever country we pulled into for R&R the Disbursing Officer would pay us in the currency of the Country which we was in. My first year being station in the Philippines we had to line up on first of the month to get paid. And then the Government decided they was going to start paying us monthly with checks. And the only place you could cash those checks was on the Base. I would always ask for dollars when cashing the check because the wife could take the dollars and get more Pesos in town then what was being exchanged on the Base.
Mine is still not in my account. If they mailed it to me it’s going to my PO Box at the Embassy. It seems they should be able to just send those things. I read that the payments may be coming in the form of a Visa card. That’s fine with me. Just get it to me.
Don’t feel left out UJ, he’ll we’re in Oklahoma and just now got our corona check. Heading your way next year for a couple of months vacation there since I’m now fully retired. Started drawing full ss plus my DOJ retirement along with a few other retirements haha. Heading back down to Central Texas in a few days to visit my folks Graves and will stop in Belton for a burger for sure. We plan on just traveling around when we get to the PI as the wife’s family is mostly gone now so who knows we may run into each other and I’ll buy the beer.
If you’re getting a burger in Belton, be sure to go to Crow’s Burger just off 6th Street on Old Waco Road. Turn right just past the CEFCO station (I guess it’s still CEFCO) when coming from IH 35.
As for coming to the PI, I’d be happy to see you down here in Calbayog. We have an airport for you to fly into and if you stay at the Ciriaco Hotel & Resort, they have a van that will pick you up if they know you are coming. It’s right across the street from me and Mango Lounge is really, really close to both. We’ll buy each other beers and maybe some tacos.
John don’t fill left out the wife and I have not received are checks yet. From what I hear on News treasury is sending checks to people who earn less first and working their way up the list. They probable thought Lita could use her check more then you. As for Typhoons Calbayog is more save to live in then Eastern Samar which faces the Pacific where most storms come from also Calbayog has mountains around it to help slow down the winds. During Typhoons when the wife and I are not there her sister who keeps an eye on the house will open it to allow family and others in the Barangay to use it for shelter until the storm pass.
I keep checking everyday. I’ll feel better about it once it arrives. I am glad to hear that I’m not the only one though.