[smartads] If you read the last post, then you will know that I was having a problem with the internet going out. Well it’s a little past midnight, just starting 28 March and I just finished talking to Rich. I went to answer my only comment on the website and the internet went down again. I just said, “Forget it”. I was tired of messing with it and just plain tired.
But around 0830 I was up again and even more energetic than last night. Rich came up with a very possible solution to my Paypal issue, Magic Jack. Just purchase a Magic Jack in the US, get a local number and plug it into my computer. Paypal could call me and it would be like them calling a local number and I could satisfy all the needs to get my service re-verified. Of course I still wonder if it will be flagged as limited each and every time I try to use it here in the Philippines.
Magic Jack is strange to me and I don’t really like spending money on strange things, but it’s been around long enough, so maybe I’ll take a whack at it. I hear the newer versions even allow for you to not have to have your computer on to get a call. Definitely something to check into.
At 11:39 I noticed that the internet was down again. I hope it doesn’t do that up and down thing all day today. It came back up pretty easily this time and I just finished an excellent breakfast, so who cares. For breakfast I had a 2 egg omelet with bacon, tomatoes, peppers and onions. I also had another egg scrambled with the same ingredients mentioned. I topped it all off with a little Tabasco sauce, ate the last 2 slices of bread and washed it all down with a Mountain Dew. That’s the best breakfast I have had in quite awhile. Probably the only thing that would have made it better would have been cheese. To me just about anything tastes better with cheese on it or in it.
Cathy stopped by to get the camera, or rather she sent Lita in here to ask for it. That happens often around here. It’s like they are to embarrassed or to scared to ask me themselves. You would think that after 2 years of me being here, they would all be over that. Sometimes they send the kids to ask for/return things. I could see it maybe if I was an intimidating person, but I’m not even close to that. I know that at first all different cultures clash a little, but after 2 years there should be better communication. Me learning Tagalog would help, but with no one to teach me and having to do it on my own, I can’t seem to find the time right now. Heck I’m 5 days behind on posts again, with the Korea/Texas trip coming up.
We will be getting some chicken for the freezer in a little while, plus a little more to cook for tonight. I’ll sure be glad when Robinson Mall or even the SM Hypermarket get built here. Looks like the Hypermarket is delayed because the owner and vendors at the wet market refuse to move to the new market because of the way to high stall prices. I did hear rumors of a Gaisano Mall also before, but not anymore. Whatever! Just get a decent supermarket here as soon as possible. Maybe they could get some of the sexy and popular actresses to do a grand opening. Beauties like Anne Curtis or Sarah Geronimo are the ones I’d like to see here. Heck even a couple of the male actors are very popular around here and it would get a good turn out. Guys like Piolo Pascual or John Lloyd Cruz.
We are back from downtown now. I went with her to Racar and Monterrey Meats, then I came home. We still don’t like to pay the “skin tax” there sometimes and I just don’t like walking around in crowds anymore.
She ‘was’ going to make chicken tacos tonight, but opted for chicken adobo instead. You can’t go wrong with those choices. We will have the tacos tomorrow. The night after that we plan to have the best thing ever made with chicken. Yes I mean better than adobo and even better than fried chicken. All in my opinion of course. It’s a slab of chicken wrapped around a hot pepper and some cheese. That is wrapped with a slice of bacon and held in place with a toothpick. For me it’s best when it’s broiled or baked, but we will have to fry ours. It tastes good that way anyway. Even as I type this my mouth is drooling.
Lita made the adobo spicy. It was so spicy that she drank 2 cups of Red Pepsi even though she rarely drinks 1 cup at a time. I drink 2 or 3 glasses (not cups) regardless of the spiciness.
Salamat, Paalam
Advice to Live By:
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience
I just paid $ 1360.00 per round trip from west coast to Tacloban on May 6 on PAL as much as I hate it because they are the most expensive. Wife says it about the same because won’t have to spend night in hotel in Manila waiting for flight to Calbayog. Paid only $ 960.00 last year on Korean Air to Manila. Had 2 hr layover in Korea.
Sounds like another good reason to take advantage of the free flights if I can. I still wish we would not have waited to get the flight to Korea though. I told Lita that it won’t happen again. I told her that before, but this time I added, “no matter what”.
It’s only 9:50 AM and y’all are making me hungry. The Missus remarked how everyone noticed I’d put on some weight when I was there in February so I’ve been trying to lose a little before I head back over in May. I’m afraid it’s leaving me a little hungry between meals. Where did I put those baby carrots?
Mark, I am just the opposite. I put on weight when I am back in the States and lose weight when I am in the Philippines. I walk more when I am there and don’t have access to pizza and burgers any time I want. Plus, there is no digging thru the ref when I am there because there isn’t anything any there I want to eat anyways.
I’m with Gary on this one. Same thing happens to me, but mostly its burgers and steak.
I didn’t get a new post out today because I was doing some unexpected updates for the new site. I have to go back over each and every post I have done. That’s about 900.
Anyway, I hope to get a new post out early tomorrow and hopefully a second post tomorrow night. I’ve still got a lot of that updating to do and I’m still a week behind in posts.
I definitely lose weight in the Philippines but I was there in February for two weeks and everyone noticed the ‘winter weight’ from the US. I just got my plane tickets for May: $1677.00, cheapest flight I could find that got me there without a grand tour. Still 28 hours with stops. Only 14 hours on the return trip though. I’ll be there from the 19th to the 27th. Not long enough really but someday that will change. The wife wants to go to Cebu for a few days so no telling how much free time I’ll have. There never seems to be enough any way.
George that seems a bit high for a ticket to me, but I haven’t really priced round trip to/from the US lately. When you get here, I’ll be there, I hope. The problem is not the money now, even though were going to end up paying about P10,000 more than we should have total. The problem is getting the tickets. That’s all being explained in the posts, which I have to get to now, but I’m so far behind at the moment.
My flight this trip cost me $37.50 thanks to using 120K miles from my Delta Skymiles account. Otherwise, it was over $2,000 with Delta. I typically fly Delta because there aren’t too many alternatives out of a back woods town in a back woods state. I still have about 450K miles in my account and I have gold medallion status(upgrades baby!!) so it is Delta for me. I did find a flight with Asiana Airlines that was $1,300 but I have never flown them so I was hesitant to fly with an unknown.
My flight over is 27 hours on the button but my flight back is 31:17. Yikes!
Since I am using frequent flier miles, Delta has me flying to Salt Lake City first and then to Detroit(wait, I am heading east to go west?!) and then to Nagoya and finally to Manila. On the way back, just reverse everything but instead of going from Detroit to Salt Lake City, I fly to Minneapolis/St Paul and then to Montana.
Ticket prices have gone crazy over the last few years. My first trip to the Philippines in 2003 cost less than $700.
Probably another thing I would do if I had a time machine is to rack up frequent flyer mileage. That’s a lot of travel time though.
I remember those $700 flights and still expect to find some, but I can’t.
Gary,
My flight is with Delta, too. I have frequent flyer miles but it seems I’m never able to cash them in. No where near as many miles as you though. Asiana is very nice but usually expensive. If you can fly with them and don’t mind not using your frequent flyer miles I’d highly recommend them; absolutely wonderful service.
John
George who? lol First leg of my trip is San Antonio – Atlanta – San Francisco – Taipei – Manila. The return trip is Manila – Taipei – LAX – Cleveland. Skymiles all the way. I remember those cheap flights too and believe me I look for them!
Mark G.
Is that the kind of routes they give y’all with your sky miles? That’s pretty weird. But Mark you say you can’t cash yours in, so that’s a regular planned route? I’d never sign up for that one. I’m really hoping that this Space A works out well enough. It’s free and no bouncing all over the country first. Of course IF you can get on.
John
Never mind. I just saw George was the original poster!
Apologies George.
Mark G.
Hi John,
I was trying to get the most reasonable price with the shortest duration and still get my miles so yeah it’s a little outlandish. There were a couple of cheaper options but they were in the 51 hour range for traveling. Any savings would have been eaten up in hotels, etc.
Mark G.
It is very outlandish. I was on the phone with the Delta concierge service for an hour trying to find something that worked for me. They could send me to Salt Lake first and then to LAX or Seattle for the next leg but those would cost me an extra 30K miles so the choice was Detroit or New York City unless I took a layover somewhere or spent more miles. No thanks! Salt Lake City is the only place that Delta flies out to from backwoods Montana so my choices are pretty limited.
I have found some cheap flights from Las Vegas to Manila with an advanced purchase, and if you can fly Southwest to Vegas, you can wind up saving some money, if you don’t mind the total travel time or layovers.
We don’t have Southwest here either but we do have Allegiant which has a direct flight to Vegas. I should check out that possibility. The best man at my wedding is moving back to the States after 8 years in the Philippines and he will live in Vegas so I have a place to stay for a few days before catching my flight.
my kind of omelet. Jen makes that for me several times a week.
I was thinking about that omelet when I typed that up and went in and made another one. I didn’t have the bacon, but I used left over chicken adobo and had the cheese to add today.