[smartads] Today I got up the latest I’ve gotten up since I’ve been here, except for the morning after the heavy drinking. I didn’t bother getting up until 10:01am.
I stayed up downloading, listening to and organizing music. I’m trying to get 1000 songs in a 3 day period. I’m at 633 right now, but some of those will probably get deleted either because they are not good quality, or because I decided I didn’t like the song. I download a few songs by artists I like, but I had not heard the song. I’ll listen to it, and if it’s not very good, I’ll delete it. I’ve got a big variety. Everything from The Platters, Olivia Newton John & Dean Martin to Elvis Presley, Alice Cooper & Led Zeppelin. Only thing that will not be on here is that rap crap. I can’t stand it.
Air Supply is playing now, Making Love Out of Nothing at All.
This morning when I came in here that electric fan would not come on again. I took the front off and spun the blades a few times with my hand and it finally started. Tonight, or probably early in the morning, when I go to bed I’m just going to leave it on. I’m worried that maybe next time it won’t start at all. I need that fan in here. The a/c we have is very good for 1 room, but it doesn’t reach this far. If Lita would let me get another fan in Tacloban like the one we have in the bedroom, one that I picked out by the way, then I could put it on the wall between the rooms and it’d be cool in here. I’ll get one soon, before the end of the year for sure.
We paid our cable bill today. It was P1468 for the month. That’s about 1/3 what I was paying in Texas. I get just as many channels, plus here I have HBO and Cinemax. Didn’t have those 2 in Texas. Of course most of the channels here are in Tagalog, so I don’t watch them anyway.
The BBQ business gets bigger and bigger everyday. I was out there a little while ago and there were 7 people out there ordering and waiting on food. We’ve been told that people like buying BBQ here for mostly 3 reasons. I’ll give them to you in what seems to be the most important: #3 – They like the sauce. Lita makes a wicked BBQ sauce using a variety of mixes. I told her to be sure to make it the same each time, since they like it so much. #2 – It’s convenient. If there are other places close to us, I don’t see them. I think a lot of people in this area were very happy when we opened up this BBQ and will be even happier when LolyKat opens. And reason #1 – It’s cleaner than the other places. We’ve had more than 1 comment about how customers like to eat here because we keep things clean. I was talking to Titing about that and I told him about the strict health codes in the States, so it just makes sense to us to have everything clean. Besides, that’s how’d I like every place to be when I eat there, CLEAN.
I got another first time commenter today. Neilvert Noval left a comment about jeepney’s. I don’t know if he/she just starting reading or just decided to comment for the first time today. Either way, I’m glad to get more input. I’m almost to 10,000 views. I think about 1000 or 1500 of those are probably me though updating the post. Yep, in the next couple of day, I should hit that 10,000 mark. That’s cool.
It’s looks like I’m never going to make any money directly from this blog. I’m going to have to find a way to make money from it otherwise. If I don’t though, I’ll just keep typing. If I get money for advertising, I don’t know how they would get it to me. I have 3 ads on the site, but I just put them there myself. No one asked me to do it and said they would pay me to do it, so I don’t know.
I might have to start putting more in here about MJTS to try to recruit business. I did find out yesterday from Mar that each package requires coordination in advance so we can reserve hotels/resort at the closest places to where the customers what to sight see. I came up with a slogan, kind of, for the traveling part, not the whole business. I haven’t said anything to Mar about it yet, but y’all tell me what you think of this. “We want you to see more sights and less seats”. Maybe a little bit corny, but I think slogan’s should be something people will remember, whether it is corny or not. What do y’all think, is that okay, too much or too little? Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, you won’t. That’s why I’m asking, I really want to know.
Ramil finally returned. He had all his mga bata with him, and his asawa. I guess he picked them up at school or his Tatay’s house. Then waited for his asawa there. I didn’t need the truck anyway, so it didn’t really matter. I know if I needed it, I could have gotten a hold of him and he would have been right here. Besides I have other means of transportation here, if I really need it.
John Lennon is singing “Imagine” now. Johnny Cash is next, “I Walk the Line”.
I had to go outside to help move some things around. Just benches and tables. While I was there Ramil commented on how busy the BBQ business was. I told him, and you know what, it’s just going to get busier. By the time they open up LolyKat, it’s really going to get crazy around here. That area we have upstairs, where our house is suppose to be, I’ve had Mar and Titing kidding me about putting my restaurant up there. I was thinking tonight that maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Lita said that for P15,000 we could build a nipa hut up there. The Nipa Hut Restaurant. I haven’t said anything to anyone else, y’all are the first. I’ll talk about it to Lita later. Of course we’d have to wait a little while. At least until until LolyKat get going good. Maybe the LolyKat Restaurant? Good thing dreams are free or I’d be back in debt again.
I didn’t go downtown today, like I said I might. Just never got around to doing it. I know for a fact I will be going downtown on Monday though. It’s time to go to the bank. I ‘have’ to go to the bank at least once a month, until we make enough money here that we don’t have to use my retirement check. That probably won’t be for another year or so though. In May we’ll have that extra P40,000 from the Pepsi trucks, but that won’t be enough to get us by without the retirement check. Maybe enough to use less of the check though.
Johnny Cash has been everywhere. At least he has in this song. He’ll even be in a Ring of Fire next.
There was an old acquaintance of ours out there buying BBQ. His name is Gary. Hey Wanda, tell David we saw Gary today. He looks a little different, but he remembers us. Back in 2002 when we came to visit the Philippines, Gary was our driver. He and David (my nephew) hit it off pretty good. He moved to Manila for awhile, but he is back now. Guess his house is around here somewhere if he is eating at the BBQ. I like Gary, he’s cool.
Lita was talking about getting a aso today, for outside. I told her it would be a pain in the ass, but that just means she will be getting it. I’m still going to try to talk her out of it. It’s just a mutt. Actually it’ll be a puppy. Vickie has a dog that is pregnant. Now if it was a Rottweiler, German Sheppard or Labrador, then I wouldn’t mind. That mutt will probably be useless and crap and pee everywhere for me to clean up. If he served a purpose, it might be worth it. Something like protecting LolyKat or the tricycle we park in here each night.
Tagalog word of the day: tasa (taw-sa) means cup.
It’s 8:10pm now. Johnny Horton is fighting in the Battle of New Orleans.
Tomorrow is my weigh-in day. Every Friday I worry about whether I’m going to lose weight on Saturday morning. I mean it ‘really’ doesn’t matter, because I will lose it eventually, but by now you should know I’m a little impatient. I should be happy though because in Texas I couldn’t lose weight for anything, but I’m doing it here. I know slow is good for losing weight, but when I get down to about 250, I’m going to have to start putting my fat in shape. I might add a little muscle. Ramil and I did not go to the gym last weekend, maybe this weekend, but I doubt it. Procrastinating. I guess it’s about time to close up. I’ve already got some material for tomorrow’s post, but I’m still going to need more.
Judy Garland is Somewhere Over the Rainbow right now.
While a people preserves its language; it preserves the marks of liberty. Jose Rizal
Salamat, Paalam
“We want you to see more sights and less seats”
I understand what your getting at, but not sure if it flows well.
Who are the targeted tourists? Americans, Europeans, Astralians, Asians… I guess need to see the marketing plan to figure it out. Honestly, there are so many travel agencies that trying to stand out is difficult. I tend not to trust many that have not been around for a while. To many bad stories of agencies taking deposits and then going bk. So need to find a away to assure your potential guests.
Back to your other topics. Would be interesting to see photos of you BBQ especially stuff that we dont see in the States (chicken blood. I used that for catfish bait.)
Don
Just a slogan off the top of my head. I’m sure I can come up with something better. Glad you commented on it though. Yes it’s very difficult to stand out, especially when you’re new. I’ll have to come up with an extra special slogan to attract tourists. I’ve never encountered a travel agency that tried to rip me off, but I have read about them too. I’m not saying that you thought this, but that wouldn’t happen with us. I’d be looking forward to the trips to the islands as much as the tourists would. Plus the Jungle Restaurant is definitely a place I want to check out. I could do that anyway, when I’m in Cebu, but it’d be more interesting being there with a lot of people, seeing their faces light up, having a good time. Especially if there are children enjoying themselves too.
We don’t have much to sell at the BBQ yet. The chicken blood and pig guts are the weirdest things, right now. The fish balls are still the #1 seller though. I’ll keep an eye out for other things and be sure to get pictures of it.