It now Saturday afternoon (14 Sept) Froggy is making Fog Horn sounds today so it must be raining plus it’s in stereo so Froggy has a new friend, it’s raining a real gully washer (I heard that on Roy Rogers) the new furniture shows up at the gate and driver man wants to start unloading the truck. Mayang with hands on her hips explains to driver man that, that was just not going to happen. It’s a battle of wills at the gate, and I have no doubt about who will win. Driver man, I’ve tried, so my advice to you is stop trying to Ehi (piss) up a rope, you’ll just get your shoes wet. (Last week’s pictures)
The painting, by now you’ve figured out the color selection never fell into my bailiwick, and I very wisely didn’t even voice a color choice. Oh I’m learning. So the new color is to be “Rose Honey Bun” so I foolishly assumed it would have a bit of red in it because the word rose was in the title. Oh how wrong one Kano can be, and so often at that. Forget the rose part and think about the Honey Bun part. Well that didn’t work for me either, after I saw some on the wall I figured out it was kinda’ like a yellow color. Women don’t they know that to men there are only the basic colors on the chart that we understand? You can say teal as many times as you want and I’m going to say; “Yup, that’s a green to me.”
My mother and father went out to buy a new car in 1961, and came home with a pink Rambler Station Wagon. They both swore to all that’s holy that the car was color was Coral and I believe my dad was brow beaten to go along with the party line, but their five sons all saw a pink monstrosity parked in the driveway that we somehow had to explain to our friends. It was the first and only car his boys never asked to borrow. The Boston MTA was better than that.
My Brother-in-law Jhun is the painting contractor on this project, and so far has done most of the work himself, as none of the unemployed seem to be in the job market. Oh and Mayang, his sister has brow beaten him into the mantra of the Rose Honey Bun color, albeit he will smile when I call it a nice yellow.
The first was spackling the overhead or ceiling to you land lubbers. As over the years the paint was peeling, caused by the Air/Con and believe me it will happen again. That will be painted an off white or in local speak “Dirty White”. With wood trim left stained, to look like what it is, WOOD! After the spackling came the request for my sander to smooth it out, had I not said yes my time out of my inner sanctum or my land of naps and Android reading would have increased tenfold, and I couldn’t allow that.
So as I pen this rambling missive my house is in total disarray, all Mayang’s new furniture is where my dining room once was, my bedroom looks like a typhoon blew through it. And Paul is napping on the computer room floor on a futon. Oh yeah that’s fun! But wait I must add, and to make matters worse, my bride has informed me that my dungeon of a computer room is next!
They threw my whole schedule into disarray, but I found it was good to shake things up once in a while. My Brother-in-law Jhun did a great job, and preformed his painting with great care. He even cleaned his brushes every day, whereas I would have purchased a lot of them and threw them out at the end of the day. Jhun and I were tasked with humping the furniture up the stairs, but that made me thank myself for my forethought in having the delivery men hump the mattress up the stairs last week, even Jhun thanked me for that also.
My old bed and mattress left to Jhun’s house for his sleeping pleasure, the dressers and TV stand were claimed by our oldest Daughter YoHanna May and will sit in my dining room until she comes and picks them up, since I’ve explained in the past that she operates on Hanna Central time, I’ll give her a week and then tell her that it’s going down the road to her Aunt’s house if it’s not removed from my house yesterday. She knows that I kid and joke, but I don’t fool around when I say something like that.
The painting is done, the new furniture is in place, and as said by A.J. Martin last week; “A happy wife is a happy life!” and truer words were never spoken. But when it was all done and I took my nap where I was supposed to, I came down stairs, turned to Mayang and said; “Thank you Mahal, you did a great job and I love it.” I think Christmas is next? (Am I allowed to say that word?)
Now for the tragedy of it all; the new bed is much higher than the old bed, my dog Coolett who guards me while I nap now must be lifted to the top of it. Hey she’s the one that gained all the weight!
It sounds like an event is be planned in your house, and you don’t know it yet!!! I recall my mother once started renovations and next thing you know, her mother moves in.
Dirk;
I’m not too worried about that, since I’ve helped to improve her house just a five minutes’ walk from ours…Olongapo is flooded today, could my other daughter be moving home again? I like her husband and love her daughter so I guess I’d not mind.
As I’m sure you know Paul, this is only the beginning, it wont be done till every room in your house has a fresh new coat of paint, and perhaps new furniture throughout the house. Then the old drapes, wont match the new paint colors. Then it will be decided that a nice 7pc. crown moulding would look great at all the ceilings, etc, etc. Its just all part of the fun of owning a house, and being in love.
Bill;
How did you know, they started my painting my daughter’s bedroom yesterday! New sheets have been purchased, and the subject of new drapes has come up. Where are you getting this information? Christmas is hereby canceled this year!
Here it is 1645 in Olongapo and the electrick which went of around six this morning is back on, and the internet back too. Now all we need is water in the pipeline. Woke up to a huge flood here in the city. Two feet higher than the previous high in my memory which translates to knee deep water in the apartment I vacated a few months ago. I think the water is chasing me, but I am too fast for it. I escaped from Colorado a few months before the flood they just had which was supposedly a once every 1 thousand year deal and now here in the fair city of Olongapo we just had a super flood but I am staying high and dry. (on the outside anyway, I had to drink a few SMBs today before they got too warm to taste good)
Loren;
Do you need a painter to touch up the first floor? My Daughter Hanna, area was waist deep and it’s a mess over there by the market. But I know it was dry on Pogue Mountain. Stay dries my friend and as with Tommy and Paul, we have one word to solve that warm beer problem GENERATOR.
Loren,
Yea I saw the Po was in a state of calamity. The Mayor was asking for assistance from the US Navy there doing exercises . We have a little flooding here in Cavite. You can get Paul to help you clean up the flooded apartment. He works for beer lol.
I don’t think Paul swabs floors anymore. Floods all gone now so we can kick back and reminisce about the big one in 2013 while drinking a few SMB’s.
Loren;
Yeah buddy, I sure do remember the Big One of 2013, if came a frog choking gully washer pourin’ rain. When Johnny Cash asked his Mama; “How highs the water mama?”, she said; “Four foot high and rising.” Noah was selling boat ride tickets at the mayor’s office so people could save their fighting cocks. It was a bad one, cause the beer got warm!
Funny how Pinoys shout slogans like, “Go home, USA”, then they ask for help when they’re in trouble. U.S. forces exercising with Philippine troops just recently laid the foundation of a community center in my barrio Salaza (Palauig) in Zambales. In the next town of Masinloc, military engineers replaced a worn footbridge, while military dentists and optometrists performed services at no cost to the villlagers who otherwise would not have been able to afford it.
John;
John;
The USNS Mercy (The big white hospital ship) was here in the Philippines months back providing outreach services to the folks here. I sailed on her once and we toured Asia with the ship stopping to do just that.
Randy;
Both Navy ships the USS Boxer and the USS New Orleans are amphibious ships, but the
L-CAT landing catamaran is too wide to come into town. It is a mess in town, and I was surprised that the Navy didn’t put to sea and out run the bad weather which is the normal thing to do.
Hi Paul,
I really enjoyed the part about your family car. When I was in high school the attorney that adopted me told me that he took a car in on as part of his fee. I was really excited when he told me it was a 57 Chevy with only 13 thousand miles on it. It was owned by an old lady that drove it from Fort Worth Texas to Little Rock and the garaged ti. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time during the drive to go see it. On the way there Papa Gene told me that it had a 327 V8 engine. I was really eager to get behind the wheel. I was having the mandatory American Graffiti daydreams. We finally arrive and open the garage. There sat a pristine four door coral pink 57 Chevy. Sorry, long haired teenage boys at the time could never get away with driving a pink family car.
Tom;
A pink 57 Chevy 327 big block, pride be damned, I’d drive it and fight anyone who made a nasty comment. Save my money and paint it soonest!
Roses are Red but they also come in Yellow . I can easily understand your surprise about yellow paint. Reminds me of a hit song Bobby Darin had ” 18 Yellow Roses “. I am quite sure you remember that one Paul. Yes, I still have it on a 45.
Sounds like it is going from a bedroom pain job to a whole house refurbishment so there could be more chapters to follow. I am sure those who are getting the former furniture are very happy too.
When I was a kid one of our neighbors had a Nash Rambler. What I remember most about it was the ugly radio which as I recall was just two big black knobs. No glass dial and no push buttons. Funny looking car in those days.
Bob NY;
You got me on that, yellow Roses never entered my mind! I’ll tell her what you just said (But I’ll take the credit lol) and she’ll feel better about it. The story is done, but you called it, because when I wasn’t looking a spare bedroom was painted, and yesterday my daughter wanted her room painted too. But since my painting contractor had overestimated the amount of paint required there is enough left to paint my car!.
Paul,
glad you are dry and to the others that are flooded I just hope that it is not too bad,it has been raining since we arrived in Manila. I enjoyed meeting you and your wife as well as the rest of you last Wednesday,the food was good as was the adult beverages, you have given me another place to consider when I make the move. As to the people shouting for the American’s to leave then crying for help I won’t go there except to say that they have the right to their opinion of us and all we can do is help if we can. I would personally see the money go over ther than to some other countries that care about us.
Stay dry and keep stocked up on the beer.
Fair winds and following seas
Steve
Steve;
It was a great afternoon in the Big PO, we enjoyed meeting you both, but sorry about the rain it poured our whole way home that evening. And then it rained for the next few days and just stopped today I’ve not come off the mountain yet! Have a safe trip home and give a shout next time you are here.
Another appropriate song may be (Mellow yellow).
As for a few Pinoys shouting slogans like, “Go home, USA what the hell does that mean?
Why even bring it up? I have never heard any one saying this except on the news long ago. Who pays any attention to that crap?
Loren;
There are fringe groups everywhere, I went to the US Embassy years ago and while waiting I spoke to some young anti-American protesters. Or I should say Anti-American Government protesters as we got along fine. But I did point out the cameras everywhere and that with facial recognition software they might have a problem in the future applying for a visa. The next time I noticed bandanna’s over their faces.
Sounds to me like you need to have a doggie ramp built so the dog can get in bed by itself. 🙂 Enjoys your naps!
Scott;
It took a few days, but Coolett has learned that a few extra feet added to her run, and her fat butt can make it now.
Long ago? Significant happenings are transpiring around you there in the Philippines as we speak, and you have no clue? Just to clarify, I am neither for or against the protesters. I brought this up in reply to Randy’s comment above simply to illustrate the irony of Pinoy contradiction. May be not you, but plenty of Filipino intellectuals on the Left do pay attention to this “crap”, because, to them, the issue of Philippine sovereignty is at stake.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/321946/news/nation/amid-protests-talks-start-on-increased-us-military-presence-in-phl
John;
Why is it always those people on the “Left”? As for the many years as I’ve lived here I’ll have to assume I’ve never met one as no one has ever asked me to go home, except a bartender or two. The average person here is more worried about feeding their kids than sovereignty. The news is consumed with the Pork Barrel Scandal this month and the US Navy ship’s are unbothered by anyone. I like Olongapo the way it is today, and the Free Poet is doing very well on it’s own. There is no problem here, so lets have another beer and discuss it.
Paul, as long as you remain an upstanding American expat, I have no reason to believe that you will be asked to leave by any Filipino. I am also of the opinion that an overwhelming number of Filipinos are pro-American due largely to their close cultural affinity with Americans, not to mention the two countries’ historic ties and for economic reasons. I am willing to bet right here and now that if the issue of bases presence in the Philippines is ever put up to a referendum vote by the people, following a Senate ratification, of course, there is no question in my mind that Subic and Clark will be back. This is not to say, though, that anti-American feelings among Pinoys do not exist. The unavoidable reality is, they do, just like everywhere else, and are usually found on the Left, among the elite, and in academia.
John;
I agree with you 100% the elite left in most countries (USA Included) feel that the rest of us have no capabilities to think on our own and must be led by our betters. They are allowed to do this by making the media feel that they are part of their club, when in fact they are just pawns manipulated by the powers to be. The schools pump this dribble into the young minds and send them out to do battle for them, while the elite sip cocktails and smile at their power. Send the elite or their children to fight any and all battles, and war would cease that very day.
I’m now stepping down from my soapbox and opening a beer, Beer, the opiate of the masses.
Wow, that’s one of the finest speeches I’ve heard delivered from atop a soapbox, Paul. 🙂 You sound different. Suggest you not get rid of the soapbox, but keep it around for the occasional change of pace. Love it! LOL
Hi John;
Once in awhile I climb on up there on my soapbox and spout off, there was a time when you could do that at the Boston Commons until the left invented the PC Police. I was asked once if I agreed with the “rights” point of view, my answer was, Attila the Hun was too liberal for me.
My neighbor here asked why guns were so important to Americans to which I explained that I’ve haven’t owned one since I was a kid, but the Navy supplied me with some fairly large ones during my career.
But the Constitution gives us that right, and if the left has the power to usurp one of our rights then they’ll go after the rest.
Here in the Philippines it is not within their Constitution so I’ll abide by that rule and respect it.
Paul – 🙂
John;
I knew you’d understand! (LOL)
Hi Paul — For some unexplainable reason, I broke into a couple of choruses of “Yellow Rose of Texas” when I saw your pictures. (You’ll have to forgive me — latent SMB withdrawal.) 😆
Paul;
I explained to Mayang that I was wrong about her color and used that very song as an example. She doesn’t see that many roses around here. But a rose by any other name…
Guess great (Chiefly) minds think alike! 😆
Paul;
New Your Bob, pointed out above that roses came in other colors. I’d forgot!