Here is hoping that Christmas fulfilled all your dreams for you and yours and that your family and you had the best celebration ever.
And further I wish all the LiP readers and contributors the best that 2014 has to offer, and that the NEW YEAR shows each of you good health and prosperity in the upcoming year.
I’d like to thank the LiP readers for all your great comments and encouragement you’ve shown to all of us over the past year. For without you, we are not here.
This year as with all previous I will not be going out on the “Ultimate Amateur Night” that is reserved for my wife to go down the road to her mother’s house with all her family and whoop it up!
My duty will be to lay out the water hoses and try to prevent my neighbors from burning down my house with wayward pyrotechnics, and I will render aid & comfort to the dog Army during the noise blitz.
So please stay safe this New Years Eve wherever you maybe in the world, and please enjoy it in a safe and fun way.
I’ll return next year with tales of adventures and exciting times found while living here in the Philippines.
For those of you who missed this a few years ago I’ll tell it again about the misadventures of the drunken man setting off fireworks in the rain.
It was a damp and drizzly New Years Eve, a couple of years ago, I was standing watch on my roof with my dog Army prepared to fight any fires that might arise. In the empty lot next door I see a young man with a two foot Roman candle attempt to light it off and scurry away with great haste. The rain caused the fuse to go out. At the urging of his friends he came back to light it again, but wisely this time with an umbrella. He bent over the Roman Candle and flicked his Bic protecting the flame. The candle went off too quic [wb_fb_f name=”Paul Thompson” id=””] kly and lit the umbrella aflame. But the funny part was the effect that Beer consumption will have upon a person (These things I know), as he clutched the flaming umbrella to him without throwing it away and he ran up the street wildly yelling “AYE,AYE AYE” and jumping about like a Tasmanian Wildman..
HAPPY NEW YEAR one and all!!!
Paul,
Have a Happy New Year! Thanks so much for providing another enjoyable year of great articles. It looks like we will be staying home for New Years Eve too. It will be frozen tundra here. Low’s in the single digits. I really don’t want to be out in the cold after a few too many adult beverages lol. Looking forward to flying to Florida on the 11th. Stay safe protecting the dog army.
Randy
If I could only train the Dog Army to march… I was in Detroit one New Year’s Eve 1968, so cold my Chevy’s engine seized up. Not fond of winter at all. Enjoy Florida!
Paul,
We’ll be spending Christmas and New Year in the Philippines next year. Best enjoyed in warmer weather as Anne found out lol.
Randy;
Cold is only good for beer! People need warm sunny days. See you both next Christmas.
Great Fireworks displays in Olongapo. Great view of them from my apartment on the fourth floor. Too bad I won’t see them this year. I will be staying close to the fire here in Colorado. Oh well there is always next year and it will soon be here. Happy New Year to all of you too.
Loren;
If the idiots with their fireworks, don’t burn the city down this time. Keep the water pressure strong on Pogue mountain, as you’ll need it. Last year in my area they only burnt down three houses.
So stay warm my friend, it’s cooling off now with the temps in the mid 70’s, great sleeping weather no A/C required. I’ve still got Billy’s rum and won’t open it without you and Tommy. So get back soon as I’m looking hard at the bottle!
Happy New Year to you both!
Maybe we can talk Billy into coming back next fall too, although he looks like he is having a good time out there in his bull pasture enjoying his honey moon time.
Loren;
Mr. & Mrs. Smythe would be nice to see this fall, but now that she has the horse and boots, the round-up are too much fun to leave. Have a great New Year!
Best wishes to you and your family Paul for the New Year. I always enjoy your informative and entertaining articles here on ” LIP “. You might wish to consider equipping your dog army with noise cancelling headphones which might even make things quieter for you. They might like the tactical version of the noise cancelling headphones.
Bob (NY);
White noise might work, but their hearing range exceeds mine so how will I know if it’s on and working? (LOL) They seem to get thru it okay as long as they can see and be close to me. But I’ll be darned if Coco, and the other 13 dogs will be sleeping beside me.
Happy New Year Bob, I also enjoy your comments!
You should live in Davao City….. No fireworks allowed!!!
We have bought some in Tagum City and we are taking them over to Samal for a blast tomorrow.
Happy 2014 everyone
AJ UK
Olongapo has a law banning fireworks. But it is broken and can’t be fixed, similar to a STOP sign. I am not anti-fireworks, but more care should be taken around them. Let us know tomorrow how many umbrellas were set alight in Samal on New Year’s Eve?
No burnt umbrellas!!
Had a great time in the private resort we booked. Partied to around 2am when the voice finally have out on the karaoke!!! Sweet Child Of Mine always does that to me!!!!
The highlight of the evening was the fireworks though which went on for about 30 minutes and everyone enjoyed it safely. Got to say that my wife and brother in law did a great job in organising things.
Hi again AJ UK;
They took my karaoke do hicky down to the party at my Mother-in-laws house and partied till they dropped, there was a cloud of cordite on the street 2 feet thick from the fireworks. But by 5am they were done and dropping off to sleep like bats returning to roost.
I’m happy to hear that you and yours had a safe and joyous celebration.
Paul,
haha, no boots yet for the wife… The only reason she is wearing sneakers is the cow pies are to cold step in wearing slippers!! As for the horse, other than my faithful “porch hound”. i feed no animal that does not at some point wind up as ulam:):) Best wishes to you, Loren, Tommy and your families in the coming New Year…. As for the bottle, if ya bread weak, not to worry Paul…… I have its brother and sister here ready to set sail and be there before Loren and Tommy get back…. :):) Have a cold SMB for ya ole Florida buddy until I can make it back that way:)
Hi Billy;
You have some spare Captain Morgan? I didn’t know there was such a thing?
But Mrs. Smythe will need those boots; otherwise the town ladies will think she’s a tourist when she shows up to the market in her Pitch-em-up truck.
We are all looking forward to hear about your adventures in Florida, so keep those pictures coming on Face Book. Stay well and the best of the New Year to the both of you.
Paul…. You know I am a beer only guy, so there is always copious amounts of ” Tha Captain” available for my close friends:):) We will stay in touch for sure.. Mrs Smythe showed me how to post here yesterday and is determined to bring her techless asawa up to speed…. I am no Nostradamus, but I foresee a crash course in facebook 101 in my near future:) Every now and then, warm a seat and drink a cold SMB for me at Sit N Bulls… Best to you and your family also in the upcoming year…
Billy Smythe on Face Book, I also was dragged kicking and screaming into the computer age. I thought Transistor Radios were High Tech! I forgot that were a San Magoo guy only, that rum will be long gone before you get back! (lol0
Will be to Sit-N-Bulls Friday, I buy a beer for you!.
Stay well and enjoy your time in Florida with your loverly bride!