July 2015 harry the horse

July 2015 | Harry The Horse

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July 2015

Posted by admin on June 30, 2015 in 2015 Monthly Newsletters | Subscribe

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Here we go…

Breaking News

Welcome back to Harry the Horse on this month of July 2015. My name is Justin and I’ll be your host for today. Gentlemen and regular men – trust me when I say that my mind has been racked trying to figure out how to start this July newsletter, the first one that hasn’t been scripted entirely

by Jimmy D himself. For fifteen years you’ve been reading his newsletters – surely this has to be a tough act to follow.

Tourist of the Month

Allan Villagrand

I would if I could…

Do I still have your attention or have I lost you already?

There have been at least a dozen people say something along the lines of having big shoes to fill. I definitely agree in a sense that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with the overhaul and I’m going to have to start going Kobayashi in the weeks to come. Where’s my muse when I need her…

Let me apologize in advance for talking so much about myself in this newsletter, I don’t want you all to have the impression that it will continue this way. I actually hate talking about myself unless someone

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July 2015 | Harry The Horse

asks me a personal question. Don’t worry, after this one, you won’t be reading about me much – just the experiences.

Jessica

Recent Visitors

Without further adieu, let’s get started…..

You’ve probably already noticed that my writing style isn’t the same as Jimmy’s. For me writing is about painting a big picture and letting you interpret the painting in your own way. No offense to anyone, but it’s hard to mimic how someone else approaches their craft. Jimmy took his approach and I’ll take my own, I’m sure everyone can respect that. If the diehard Jimmy fans want to check-in here strictly for his input you will be able to follow him directly – he will have his own section on the new website (that, and his email address won’t be changing). Look for him in future newsletters, and also in the new section of HTH called “Harry’s Stable” beginning in August.

I should preface this topic by saying that Jimmy might not be contributing as much content as before, but we have hatched a plan so that he can contribute what he wants, when he wants….however that will work out, time will tell. I think he has earned a break from this writing stuff. It’s definitely not as easy as it might look, I can vouch for that. On the other hand, if you would be willing to embrace me as your new commentator and stick with me for a while, I would be honored.

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People in general are resistant to change, myself included, whether through passage of time or in this case….two short months. I am fully aware of this and I am trying to ease into this transition without rocking the boat. To that end, I’ll do what I can to keep the tradition alive on the new website and provide information to you at the best level possible.

Please feel free to send me a message any time you want to share something newsworthy, suggest a topic that others may find interesting, add comments, suggestions, or ask questions about something. I don’t have all the answers but the more I learn from you the audience, the more I can improve. My new email address is rememberthehorse@gmail.com and I check it several times per day.

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Moving quickly – there’s quite a need to quell the rumor mill, so let’s get the facts straightened out and visit the upcoming changes one last time before they occur:

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1. The original Harry the Horse, Mr. Jimmy D – is alive and kicking.

Some people seem to think he has fallen quite ill but we met at Phillie’s again today and he is still out and about sometimes.

2. A lot of feedback has been received already. The main thing people have asked for is less political rants.

3. This site is not ending, it’s just changing..

4. This site will look different in a month – new layout and design.

5. The old website needed to be fixed to modern standards. And by fixed I don’t mean get rid of Jimmy, I mean categorized, organized, and expanded.

6. This newsletter, as you’re about to see, will feature a lot more pictures. The new website will also be picture friendly.

7. I am not mixed Filipino or Korean or anything, I’m 100% American of Norwegian and Irish descent.

8. In terms of news: Nothing front headline news will be posted here that isn’t backed up by several sources, up to and including other media outlets.

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This week I had the chance to shake hands with a few people up and

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down the road and I was asked a lot of questions so that’s why this newsletter has a more inward voice in places. Thank you to all those who reached out to me via email with greetings and suggestions, I appreciate the warm welcome.

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Here’s a list of what we’re going to cover for July: · A brief introduction… · How I’ll type “Harry the Horse” on here just three more times – you’ll see why · Words from Jimmy D · Intro · Feedbag · News · Restaurants · Joke of the month · I would if I could… · Political Rants · Some reader submissions for the new guy · Photos from the Mutya Ng Pilipinas 2015 Beauty Pageant at Lewis Grand Hotel · New topic: I overheard someone say… · Night photos from around Fields Avenue and Perimeter Road: · A partial picture batch from Walking Street down Don Juico… · No. 7 Bar shots · The Living Room – 7th Floor Queen’s Hotel · RBI Steakhouse Stuff · Phillie’s Sports Grill & Bar · New beginnings: · Piccolo Padre’s new location at Prime Asia Hotel · Zeppelin Suites Condos “Rises Above The Rest” in Hensonville · A few snippets from Subic: · MV Logos Hope docked in SBMA · New Restaurant – Wild Herb’s in Barretto · Buccaneer Bar mention · New topic: Off the beaten track – Part 1: Cock Fighting · Photos from the Miss Pinatubo 2015 Bikini Contest at Scorebird’s Hotel · Calendar of July events (its incomplete but better than nothing): · Dollhouse Group events · Independence Day for USA – July 4th

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Cheap Flights Get the cheapest flights Deals! Find & Compare Prices on Flights.

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· UFC 189: Aldo vs. McGregor (Correction: Aldo is out with a rib-injury so it will now be Mendes vs. McGregor.) · Upcoming cinema movies · Some Angeles Bar Promos · Status of the new HTH website · Forthcoming changes in decorum · Conclusions…

Paying homage to Murphy’s Law – The Introduction Before we get started, I wanted to say this early on in the newsletter. The new website that is coming will have an “about” section where I can list all this, for now, here is a short disclaimer: Things might be said in this column that you don’t like – it doesn’t necessarily mean that I like them either, we just accept them differently for what they are. In the future you could see a mediocre review for some place or establishment that you really like. On the flip side, there’s a chance that good things will be mentioned about places that gave you food poisoning or overcharged you on something.

Whatever the differences are, we will not see eye-to-eye on everything. It doesn’t mean I’m right and you’re wrong, all it means is that we are living life the only way we know how and whatever can happen, will happen. I am far from perfect and expect me to stumble as I get my mind wrapped around everything here on this newsletter. Not a lot of planning went in to my taking over as the primary writer here. I pretty much just jumped head first into the lion’s den so to speak. We’re talking about 15-years of writing for Jimmy vs. 4-weeks of me as of today (although I had been known to write in my previous life)….

I do endeavor to do the best I can here, to be objective, fair, and humble.

I have to cover a wide range of subjects good or bad – we all have to remember that there is no sweet without the sour. If I write something about you or your business that you would like to discuss feel free to contact me. Having your side of the story is useful and usually brings things around one-eighty. Things written here are not the gospel – there will be times I’m sure that articles will need to be edited, amended/altered, or removed altogether. My mission in life isn’t to kick up a bunch of dust.

If anything, Jimmy enjoyed the luxury of saying exactly what he wanted because he built up the credentials to do so. The community granted him that because he put in time. Starting out brand new like this, I appreciate ALL critiques and criticism – just know that I’m not out to get anyone and have no intention of putting a damper on things. This is a site for information that needs to be filled with the good, the bad, and the beautiful.

Regarding Photos: In the years to come I will be taking a lot of photos. In the event you, your friend, or your girlfriend can be seen in any photo and you would like to have your face blurred, tattoos covered up, you name it…just let me know. I will do my best to respect your privacy especially when it comes to photos.

I believe this is an important point and it deserves early attention. You will read this again as I will repeat it from time to time so anyone who comes by this site understands my position on this matter. In the meantime, just let it be known that the info that disseminates from today

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outward should also carry with it that this rule about photos is for the best. My contact information will be at the bottom of each newsletter

and on the new website – which will launch on or before August 1st.

Drop me a line any time.

“Git Along, Little Dogies” – Harry the Horse gets HTH’d For us younger chaps, “git along, little dogies” has an old school American flavor to it. I thought it was fitting to start off the list with a nod to the older gents who have read this column religiously over the years.

The first point in the list up above is fairly obvious, but I felt the need to explain why. I don’t want to keep typing Harry the Horse over and over and over, plain and simple. I also do not want there to be any confusion because many people call Jimmy, “Harry.” I am not Harry the Horse – Jimmy has claimed that title and will retain it.

Although I’ve gotten my hands on the riding crop over at HTH HQ, think of me more as a jockey turned word sleuth. Let’s call this place HTH in text from here on out. I have no intentions of referring to myself as HTH – I made a promise to Jimmy when I took over writing duty and I’ll stick to it. Call me Justin or JC, whatever floats your boat.

Words from Jimmy D As this is the first newsletter where two voices are combined, I am leading off with Jimmy’s content so everyone can get their fix.

If after reading his section if you still have time to go through what I’ve composed, I would appreciate it as it will give readers a chance to see what the new website will be all about.

Take it away Jimmy….

Greetings dear readers! It is my pleasure to still be able to communicate with you. Justin has told me that many have asked about my health so let me assure you that I am well and am up and about. I am just not able to walk as well as I used to and my left arm and hand needs a bit of work. I can type with one hand so excuse any typo’s you might see. I still look forward to greeting visitors to the stable, as it is hard for me to get out to find Tourists of the Month. Yes I will also try to look for my “I would If I could” ladies as well, a difficult task for me now but one I hate to give up. This month I will try to visit the Candy Bar. Justin has been kind enough to still allow me space in his new format which should be ready to introduce in Aug as he is working many hours to complete the change over as soon as possible, it is a huge endeavor.

One of his exciting plans is to purchase a drone and be able to add fantastic videos for readers and advertisers. I am so happy that this young man came along when he did. It was time for me to step aside but I will still have a small presence.

As I continue my rehab at Medical City Clark I hope to get out and around much more. Thank goodness my stroke was very mild. Again I thank all those who wrote to me and asked about me.

You might like this, some of the between songs commentary brings back memories of AFVN (American Forces Vietnam Network) in the day. Continuous streaming from the net. http://vietnamvetradio.com (This site is great for all the vets that served in Vietnam. It will bring back a lot of memories)

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Harry, I just ate a T bone (med rare) steak at RBI last night - was perfect – the best I have tasted since my being here 10 years – restaurant inside Queens Hotel – great atmosphere and you get you choice of steak knives – unique. My friend had a rib eye (well) and said the same thing – we will definitely be going back. Check it out . Shelby T. (Shelby, I agree with you 100%. I was able to eat there recently, ordered the Rib Eye and it was absolutely perfect, so tender and delicious. Chef Gregg was so attentive to every detail and I did pick out the perfect steak knife; There are so many restaurants that do not pay attention to the knives offered up to diners ordering steaks. An extra bonus when dining at the RBI is enjoying the company of Dave Crowe who is an excellent host. Dave has been a fixture in Angeles for many years and was the popular head supervisor at the Orchid Inn Group for many of those years. For those old timers who remember the Power Keg will also remember Dave as one of the owners of that popular venue. One last comment, you absolutely have to order the cheesecake for dessert, it is the BEST in this town and maybe the PI. It could stand up to any New York offering. Mrs. Horse and I took the blue berry topping and it was so good I called out the lady baker to compliment her.

Good day, Harry, this be Rangerbo I was shocked, delighted, and frankly befuddled to find myself mentioned in the final paragraph of the last ever HTH newsletter. Over a storied career spanning 14 years you have impacted thousands of others, altered the dimension of countless destinies, provoked innumerable adventures– and misadventures–one hastens to note. To be singled out of this mob and saluted in your farewell truly makes me prouder than all those combat trinkets the Army wrongly figured so damn important.

I will of course continue to attend court at the Blue Boar, but I will genuinely miss the cantankerous voice that has been a constant in my life every month for so many years–a voice as familiar and comfortable as my own. I wish Justin every success, but his best efforts will never, could never, come close to achieving what you accomplished just being you; an iconic legacy never to be rivaled: raconteur, rapscallion, scribe, mentor, noble advocate, patron saint of expats.

The departure of Harry the Horse will be justly heralded, inevitably stirring exuberant memories, but alas, sadly, opening an irreparable void in the world of his vicarious companions. See you down the trail, Harry, Godspeed….And thanks for the wonderful ride. (I received many Emails regarding my turnover of my newsletter to Justin and I have saved them all, I did not insert them here as there were so many and personal.

There were so many wonderful words and they affected me emotionally.

I did decide to share this one message from Bo because is so well written and the words were special. Bo is a retired Marine, an adventurer, world traveler and also a published writer. He is also dealing with that common enemy, cancer, I think that what Bo missed is that I will still be able to contribute a few words every month or so and submit to Justin for him to decide on its location. I am not completely out to pasture and can still keep in touch with my readers. Be a bit patient during the transition as Justin has a lot to do to present a new format that you will be pleased with.)

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Harry, I wanted to offer a Most Sincere “Thank You” to you for all of your years of writing and publishing the monthly “Harry the Horse” newsletter.

You have entertained, informed, assisted and intrigued me a lot over the years. I also offer my deepest appreciation for the hospitality that you always extended to me at the La Casa and the Blue Boar.

I am also grateful for the words of wisdom, the intel and dare I say some insider tips on business and other matters there in Angeles City. I look forward to hearing some more of those things and having a cold San Miguel Light at the Blue Boar again very soon. I am also looking forward to the things that your successor “Justin” will bring to the table (or to the stable in this instance) and in carrying on your legacy. The Horse rides on. Long Live the Horse !

By the way Your “Liberty Buddy” has decided to publish this letter (on his weblogs: yourlibertybuddy.com, fun4uinthephils.com and fleetsailor.com) from Douglas Allen to Harry The Horse as was posted on Harry’s June 01, 2015 newsletter. There is a lot of truth and fact in what Mr. Allen says.

There are many liberal and conservative do-gooders out there, especially from the USA and Europe, who do not understand the reality of the The Philippines, Thailand and other countries. Some of them think that their money is going towards doing something to help the poor povertystricken people that they consider to be victims. The reality is that their money is mostly skimmed by the “Corrupt” Philippine government officials and their henchmen in the PNP, CIDG, NBI, etc… The poor victims that are arrested in the raids are then subjected to unfathomable “Hell” at the mercy of the corrupt and cruel government officials. The raids are just a dog and pony show for the I.J.M. (who is also corrupt and in my own opinion full of pedophiles), for the U.S. Government and the News Media. It’s all smoke and mirrors in my view.

The Corrupt government officials become even more wealthy on the contributions from western world donors and from the money of U.S. Taxpayers. The rich get richer, the poor people stay poor and the dogooders get to feel warm and fuzzy about having done so-called good things. This situation in reality does nothing to fix or solve any problems.

It only further feeds the corruption racket and drives the poor underground to much more desperate and dangerous ways of attempting to earn a little money. I know it for a “FACT”.

I have been living in and associated with the Philippines since 1986. I actually do know what I am talking about. Then of course there is the legal aspect of all of this. Most cases that are adjudicated result in the defendants being exonerated. Mr. Allen’s case in point. The do-gooders and self-serving politicians who prosecuted him and several others accomplished nothing other than wasting time and money. They wasted a lot of U.S. Taxpayer money.

Your Liberty Buddy is all about “LIBERTY” and “FREEDOM”. I am an Independent Libertarian. I do not believe that law enforcement has any business getting involved in actions that accomplish nothing other than to impede the Liberty and Freedom of citizens whether in the USA or the Philippines. These illegal, corrupt and totally non-productive actions should be curtailed immediately and those behind them most severely reprimanded.

There are much more productive and better ways for all concerned to address and actually work towards solving the problems that currently exist without having the corruption involved and trouncing upon the Individual Liberty and Freedom of the citizens. Stop feeding the Corruption. Stop making life even worse for the poor people. The Philippines is a sovereign country. Let them address their own problems and stop feeding the corruption there. There are problems galore for the U.S. Government to put it’s taxpayer funds and resources to work on within the USA. That’s my Two-Cents Worth on this subject. (This was sent to me by Duke Lafferdy who I hope to see again and thank him for his years of support. I never heard of “Your Liberty Buddy” but his “two

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cents worth” is a good read so am happy to pass it on to HTH readers – I can only hope he is not a “Hillary” fan)

Hello Harry, It’s Dave from California here. I’m a visitor to the Philippines 3 to 4 times per year and spend a lot of time in Angeles city, so I’m an avid reader, fan, and follower of your newsletter. I have mixed feelings about you stepping aside from writing the newsletter: On the one hand, people mostly don’t like change and I have been a fan of your work for a while now. On the other hand, I certainly understand the work load stemming from a monthly newsletter so I understand the need for you to take it a bit easier going forward. In that sense, I’m happy for you and wish you all the best.

I’ve not written you previously, but noted a comment you made recently about Jun Pineda, who runs a car service based in Angeles city. I just wanted you to know that you’re information about Jun is EXACTLY CORRECT. I was surprised that you commented about him in your newsletter because I didn’t think many people knew about this crook.

Here is my experience: I have used Jun’s service many times but over the past year, he has been pressuring his clients to “loan” him money. This has turned into a scam with this guy. He puts on extraordinary pressure for you to loan, say, 5,000p or 10,000p. He proposes to pay you back with his services and so in this way, he whittles down the amount of money he owes you. On my last visit to Angeles city (mid-April 2015 to mid-May 2015), Jun “borrowed” 5,000p from me and another 5,000p from my brother. We shuttle back & forth from Angeles to Metro Manila for business, so we use a driver extensively while in the Philippines. He get’s more business this way because you’re somewhat locked-in to using him since you want to get your money back. But, on two of the trips to and from Manila, Jun asked us if we can just pay ‘this time’ and ‘next time’ he will credit the trip to the amount he owes.

Of course, he plays this “I need money to fix my car” scam a few times and then he stiffed my brother and me for the money. I’m furious with Jun because he waited until 8:45pm on the evening before he was to pick up my brother the next morning to drive him to Manila to catch his flight home. My brother had to scramble to get a driver at the last minute, but did find one.

I don’t know if Jun has a gambling problem, a drug problem, or what – but he is a crook and a thief, so please let others know about this guy. I know I was stupid for loaning him the money, but that will never happen again.

Jun Pineda showed no integrity as a man. Jun Pineda is a thief, a con man, and a crooked bastard.

I’m glad that you are reporting on him and I hope it keeps others from getting scammed like we did. I hope retirement is good to you and please keep your health! Best Regards, Dave Harry, I agree with you about the quality of beef in the S&R store. Twice now I have bought the breakfast steak rolls (8 to a pack), and wound up giving most to my dogs. Ribs too, a little shy on the meat, mostly bone.

The only meat worth buying is the chicken pieces, legs, thighs, wings, all neatly packaged. But you can get good chicken at Hypermarket too, and a lot closer to home. (Angeles). My card expired June 17, I doubt I will be renewing it. It’s just too far to go for what they have to offer. Now, I make runs to the Royal duty-free on Subic and that is one good store. TV dinners, pot pies, frozen burrito’s, that’s my kind of food, and they have plenty of it. OK, Jim, I just want to say hi before you give it up completely.

You have a great column and I hope this other guy does you justice.

Sometimes I send my nephew to your place for spaghetti “to go”. Don’t ever stop the spaghetti. “Albert” B. (Glad to hear I am not the only one disappointed with the S & R meat)

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July 2015 | Harry The Horse

News: 3RD Airport in Bangkok, Thailand Thailand brings 3rd Bangkok area International Airport on line at UTapao to relieve congestion at the other two Bangkok international airports.

UTapao also was former US air base. Also of note further is that UTapao is 80 miles from Bangkok… with no high speed rail.

The parallels to the Philippines are very strong, except that Clark is so much better positioned, and country still struggles with but one saturated airport in Manila. This should be used as but one more compelling reason that the government needs to promote more use of Clark. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/581495 Videoke Noise Not Going Unnoticed ANGELES CITY—In this Pampanga city, one cannot sing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and other popular ditties in videoke or karaoke machines at any time or place loudly.

Be wary because the city council has passed Ordinance No. 366 to “protect residents from discomfort and disturbances posed by the unregulated use of videoke and amplified sounds, especially during the wee hours of the morning.”

The ordinance, also known as the “Videoke machines and similar electronics devices regulation ordinance of Angeles City,” was passed in response to two complaints filed with the council, said proponent Councilor Edgardo Pamintuan Jr. last week. (Finally something being done to bring some order to these out of control videoke joints. Should have happened years ago) What’s Behind the Green Fence on Clark?

What lies behind this fence is a lot of controversy and anger from many different directions. Suddenly the name of a Singapore based company, Capilion Corporate PTE. This company signed a long-term lease for the development of a three-hectare lot at the Clark Freeport. Iheir investment would be in the neighborhood P7 billion and that certainly must have had CDC President Atty. Arthur P. Tugade dancing around his office in joy.

The project is located on the left side entering the main gate to Clark Freeport, parallel to M.Roxas highway. The plan is a mixed-used facility to be used by for business process outsourcing (BPO), residential, commercial and retail enterprises. It would no be completed until 2018.

They are calling this the “Clark Green Frontier”. They have already had the ground breaking rites. Figures given predict that employment will reach 75,000 people from the local community.

So, is everybody happy? NOPE! The sangguniang panlungsod (SP) (City Council) is not happy happy.

Famous councilor and a very wise man Max Sangil submitted resolution 7184,S2015 that “vehemently objects on the construction of any structure in the said area.” The resolution was unanimously approved by the City Council. This means that Capillion would have to look for another site. No doubt there will be a lot more legal discussions forthcoming. Remember the billions of pesos mentioned. Nothing is settled easily when that much money is involved. Reasons given is that since the American time no structures will be built in this area as it is a buffer zone, There was concern on the increased traffic gridlock which is a big problem now. It would become unbearable if business established were built in the area, Ruperto Cruz is not happy! Though I must admit he is always unhappy

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about something. Ruperto is the chairman for the Pinoy Gumsing Ka Movement (PGKM) and has joined the City Council in opposing the construction of any structure along M.A. Roxas Ave, which is running parallel to Don Juico Ave (Perimeter Rd.) along the south perimeter fence of Clark. Cruz says we need more roads for the airport once it becomes fully developed. Of course we have been waiting years for that to happen and I suspect both Cruz and I will not be around to see it. Oh yes, don’t forget the cutting of trees when the planned 9-story building is constructed. He also said that the local business already established in the area would be hurt. Now that could be a possibility and again, maybe not.

That gives you an idea of what is going on behind the green fence or the “green monster”. One newspaper named it the “Wall of Contempt”.

Whatever the name we will be reading a lot about it for many more months. I predict that it will be built as agreed by the CDC. Sure, there will be legal battles and many voices in opposition but remember the money that is what counts.

Restaurant mentions: Rasoi Indian Restaurant, Zeppelin Street, Hensonville INDIAN FOOD – For me, there is only one place to go when you get the urge to experience the taste of authentic Indian cuisine. While watching TV recently I found myself watching a movie about an Indian restaurant and the food they were discussing made me hungry so the next night the Horse family headed to the Rasoi Indian Restaurant in Hensonville where we feasted on Vindaoo and Madras plus extras.

My eyes flooded with tears, my nose was running and my throat was burning yet I did not stop eating as the flavor was perfect. My wife opted for a much milder dish but my 16-year old son matched me bite for bite on the Vindaloo. Owner Richard was the perfect host and for the first time he told me of his successful restaurant in Makati, Manila. He promised me he would never close his local restaurant and that is a promise I hope he keeps as I plan to eat there every time that urge for Indian food hits me. By the way he has a separate room for groups and special events.

First Roy’s Pub, then King’s Head Pub, now “Old Mates” Pub For many years it was “Roy’s Pub” headed up by the famous Roy himself until he sold it to Angeles City gentleman Clive Pollington who carried on the original for many years until he also bowed out and then, well, after ownership changed a few more times the Pub was never the same again.

Last October two Australian lads took over ownership of The King’s Head” and have changed the name to the “Old Mates”.

I just met Geoff, one of the owners from Victoria, Australia and I found him to be a very likable person who has been visiting AC since 1995 and settled here in 2010. He knows his way around the town and has that perfect personality for being a Publican. He did not make any major changes after taking over so a lot of the old atmosphere remains. He does participate in the pool leagues nearly every day and has already built up a steady following of local Expats and tourists. I have not met him but Geoff has a partner, Peter Smith from Sydney, You can meet Geoff any day from 3 PM and he enjoys meeting all customers. Operating hours are 0800 -2400 hrs which allows plenty of time to check out the “Old Mates” and you might see some of your old mates there!

July Joke of the month MY VISIT TO A MUSLIM BOOKSTORE – So I was walking through the mall, and saw that there was a Muslim Book Store. I was wondering what exactly was in a Muslim Book store so I went on in. I was wandering

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around taking a look and the clerk stopped me and asked if he could help me. I imagine I didn’t look like his normal clientele. So I asked for a copy of the U.S. Immigration Policy Book regarding Muslims.

The Clerk said, “F *ck off, get out, and stay out!” I said, “Yes, that’s the one. Do you have that in paperback?”

I would if I could… – July 2015 Here we are in July and way back in May I was in Thi-Hi and was able to photograph both my Jun and Jul ladies. I guess I knew I would need a bit of recovery time before I could visit other bars.

I now introduce Nicole who is one hell of a fun lady, personality plus and a bit sexy too. She is 27-years old and a high school graduate. She is the single mother of a 5-year old boy. She has been working at this location for 3-years and still hoping to meet that special guy! She likes singing and dancing. I tried to get her to sing a Johnny Mathis song for me but she never heard of him, could we have a serious age difference here? She would love to study computer technology and I suggested caregiver. I was thinking I could get a few sponge baths at a discount; see how men think when old age hits you.

She laughed and asked for another drink. I decided not to ask about “sensation”. Her age preference in men is between 42 – 65, I was afraid to ask what music she liked. Her E-Mail address is mayann.ungriano@yahoo.com.

****Political Rants Begin Here**** Dr. ARYE ELDAD WAS A BRIGADIER GENERAL THE CHIEF OF THE MEDICAL CORPS OF THE ISRAELI DEFENCE FORCES. Here’s a nice little bit “trivia.” Lovely people aren’t they!!! I was instrumental in establishing the “Israeli National Skin Bank”, the largest in the world. The National Skin Bank stores skin for every day needs as well as for wartime or mass casualty situations. This skin bank is hosted at the Hadassah Ein Kerem University hospital in Jerusalem where I was the chairman of plastic surgery. I was asked to supply skin for an Arab woman from Gaza , who was hospitalized in Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, after her family burned her. Such atrocities happen among Arab families when the women are suspected of having an affair.

We supplied all the needed Homografts for her treatment free of charge.

She was successfully treated by my friend and colleague, Professor Lior Rosenberg and discharged to return to Gaza.

She was invited for regular follow-up visits to the outpatient clinic in Beersheva. One day she was caught at a border crossing wearing a suicide belt. She meant to explode herself in the outpatient clinic of the hospital where they saved her life. This is only one example of the war between Jews and Muslims in the Land of Israel . It is not a territorial conflict, it’s a civilization conflict, a war between civilization & barbarism.

Netanyahu gets it, Obama doesn’t. I have never written before asking everyone to please forward something so as many as possible can understand radical Islam, and what awaits the world if it is not stopped. (So hard to “love your enemy”)

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Donald Trump launched a Twitter battle late Thursday and into Friday against Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer, calling him a “dummy” and a “totally overrated clown” after the conservative pundit mocked Trump’s low poll ratings. (Gosh Donald, I hate to tell you this but Charles is right. You came in at the top of the list for candidates Republicans would not vote for! Badmouthing Krauthammer will not change the facts. Like so many entering the Republican nomination you should stay home and relax. You and Huckabee can return to TV where you both were much more interesting) Obama declares he is “the Jewish President”. I spent two days throwing up after hearing that one!

The US will send 450 American troops to Iraq to train Iraqi Soldiers. What the hell is Obama thinking? We did this before and we have seen what these people do, drop their weapons and run. This is not the way to defeat ISIS. I think we should drop Obama, by parachute, into the middle of the war zone so he can do the only thing he is trained for – Community Organizing!

New idea from Obama - force communities to allow the building of low income housing to force race diversity in upscale neighborhoods. Those States who refuse could lose millions in Federal funding. I guess all those so called “thugs” in Baltimore can be moved to a more “upscale” community. It reminds me of the “Projects” built in various areas in Queens New York when I was a kid that rapidly became crime-ridden neighborhoods. Will history repeat itself? Maybe yes, maybe no but I don’t have a warm fuzzy feeling about the idea.

Iran is one of the major countries supporting, financially, terrorist groups! Now Obama wants to release billions of dollars into their banks because he thinks he can get a nuclear deal. Disregard the fact that Iran cannot be trusted. Hell they lie easier and more often than Hillary.

Whose Decision Was It To End the War in Iraq? Insightful one minute long clip. This in the face of ISIS now taking control of the country, although the same guy who wanted to end it for the sake of taking credit for something is now sending in 450 new troops. Does the word CLUELESS come to mind. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10202804003885630 I keep hearing the words “White Supremacy” and “Racist America” everyday day on TV now and it is getting old, especially after hearing it for 77 years. No matter how far we have come over the years in the fight for equality it is never enough. First, face it, there will always be racism on both sides, Blacks as well as whites but we must work together as much as possible to reduce this divide; It may take many more generations but today do not let us go backward, we must continue forward, no matter how slowly. Our men and women in leadership positions from the President on down are weak and only think about their own careers, this must change. Republicans and Democrats are killing America. We no longer teach Nationalism in our schools and far too many College Professors teach hatred and stoke the fires of division. We are the United States of America and all men and women, all Nationalities, all skin colors must work together, fight together, live together and be proud of our country. Somehow in our quest for equality our leaders must bring quality education to every school and every neighborhood, rich or poor starting in Kindergarten. Our Children will lead us out of this quagmire we find ourselves in today. That is where we must start for the future.

Well I got a bit emotional here and all I started to do was to introduce this article from the Baltimore Sun Editorial:

*The Black Dilemma * “For almost 150 years the United States has been conducting an interesting experiment. The subjects of the experiment: black people and working-class whites.

The hypothesis to be tested: Can a people taken from the jungles of Africa and forced into slavery be fully integrated as citizens in a majority white population?

The whites were descendants of Europeans who had created a majestic

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civilization. The former slaves had been tribal peoples with no written language and virtually no intellectual achievements. Acting on a policy that was not fair to either group, the government released newly freed black people into a white society that saw them as inferiors. America has struggled with racial discord ever since. Decade after decade the problems persisted but the experimenters never gave up. They insisted that if they could find the right formula the experiment would work, and concocted program after program to get the result they wanted. They created the Freedman’s Bureau, passed civil rights laws, tried to build the Great Society, declared War on Poverty, ordered race preferences, built housing projects, and tried midnight basketball.

Their new laws intruded into people’s lives in ways that would have been otherwise unthinkable. They called in National Guard troops to enforce school integration. They outlawed freedom of association. Over the protests of parents, they put white children on buses and sent them to black schools and vice versa. They tried with money, special programs, relaxed standards, and endless handwringing to close the achievement gap. To keep white backlash in check they began punishing public and even private statements on race. They hung up Orwellian public banners that commanded whites to “Celebrate Diversity” and “Say No to Racism”.

Nothing was off limits if it might salvage the experiment.

Some thought that what W.E.B. DuBois called the Talented Tenth would lead the way for black people. A group of elite, educated blacks would knock down doors of opportunity and show the world what blacks were capable of. There is a Talented Tenth. They are the black Americans who have become entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors and scientists. But ten percent is not enough. For the experiment to work, the ten percent has to be followed by a critical mass of people who can hold middle-class jobs and promote social stability. That is what is missing. Through the years, too many black people continue to show an inability to function and prosper in a culture unsuited to them. Detroit is bankrupt, the south side of Chicago is a war zone, and the vast majority of black cities all over America are beset by degeneracy and violence. And blacks never take responsibility for their failures*. Instead, they lash out in anger and resentment.

Across the generations and across the country, as we have seen in Detroit, Watts, Newark, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and now Ferguson, rioting and looting are just one racial incident away. The white elite would tell us that this doesn’t mean the experiment has failed. We just have to try harder.

We need more money, more time, more understanding, more programs, and more opportunities. But *nothing changes no matter how much money is spent, no matter how many laws are passed, no matter how many black geniuses are portrayed on TV, and no matter who is president. Some argue it’s a problem of culture, as if culture creates people’s behavior instead of the other way around. Others blame white privilege. But since 1965, when the elites opened Americas doors to the Third World, immigrants from Asia and India, people who are not white, not rich, and not connected have quietly succeeded. While the children of these people are winning spelling bees and getting top scores on the SAT, *black youths are committing half the country’s violent crime, which includes viciously punching random white people on the street for the thrill of it that has nothing to do with poverty.

The experiment has failed. Not because of white culture, or white privilege, or white racism. The fundamental problem is that American black culture has evolved into an unfixable and crime ridden mess*. They do not want to change their culture or society, and expect others to tolerate their violence and amoral behavior. They have become socially incompatible with other races by their own design, not because of the racism of others – but by their own hatred of non-blacks. Our rulers don’t seem to understand just how tired their white subjects are with this experiment. They don’t understand that white people aren’t out to get black people; they are just exhausted with them. They are exhausted by the social pathologies, the violence, the endless complaints, and the blind racial solidarity, the bottomless pit of grievances, the excuses, and the reflexive animosity. The elites explain everything with racism, and refuse to believe that white frustration could soon reach the boiling point.”—

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“You can’t legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government can’t give to anybody anything that the government doesn’t first take from somebody else*.

When half of the people get the idea that they don’t have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

Baltimore Sun/2015 Trump for President?

I wrote that Donald Trump should go back to TV and drop out of the race for President. Since listening to his announcement speech I have changed my mind. He is the only one running that has the balls to say what has to be said. He brings excitement to the race, I can’t wait to see the debates now. I am sure he won’t get the nomination but he sure will stir the pot up. Go for it Donald. ****Political Rants END Here****

Reader Submissions Like Jimmy before me, I’ll try to add the best reader submissions each month for the newsletter. I noticed that previously Jimmy would copy and paste in a lot of submissions, I on the other hand will try to limit it to 3-5 per month that get placed in the monthly newsletter.

Reader Submission 1 – July 2015 Can’t tell you how pleased I am that you have decided to carry the football from here on out! Like many others, Jim’s blog has been a source of wonderful information over the years to me. Although I retired here to the Angeles City area only 2 years ago, I started reading HTH about 4 years ago to get a better understanding of the local scene so I could be as informed as possible . The little things I do in everyday l in some way go back to HTH. From dental visits for the family, to choice of hospitals for minor problems, to “let’s eat at that Aussie restaurant that Harry recommended.” Although Jim doesn’t see those results, he should know that he has touched many of us in our day-to-day lives here.

I’m glad to hear that you plan to give it a facelift. Looking forward to seeing the new site and especially like the emphasis on a “mini-Google” aspect. Is a possible forum in the works?

I responded to this message slightly differently when it was one-on-one, but I thought I would elaborate on your question.

I’ll go into more details about HTH V2.0 towards the end of this newsletter, but for now I’ll just answer with a plain no – there won’t be a forum. That doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to comment and read responses to other’s comments etc etc. Stay with me for a few more minutes and I’ll explain why.

Reader Submission 2 – July 2015 Wonderful to see you taking up the reigns!

A few suggestions going forward: · Less political rants. · Edit the negative bashing – June gay comments. The Baklas are a problem, but this is 2015 and we all need to

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be more sensitive. · Would like to see more on day trips and things to see and do. Lots of great WWII history within an hours drive · Identify those business who prefer only Korean clients. Makes it easier for everyone. · More tips for a safe and fun visit. · Start a section of Harry the House Approved businesses. · More photos from around town. · Good reviews of new bars / hotels.

Wishing you many years of success.

Thanks for the ideas and I’ll definitely keep them in mind. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse until I get the new website completely finished, so I’ll speak more to these topics towards the end of this newsletter.

Reader Submission 3 – July 2015 “Don’t waste your money on bar girls” they said “Go to the mall and get some numbers of the good girls, they’re gagging for it” they said – hmmm Sounds too good to be true but worth a try right?

So after 2 very successful trips collecting numbers in SM I met this little shy cutie in Jollibee for my first non-bar related date. Everything went well for a first meeting and at the end of the date she asked if she could come back to my room to use Facebook. “Of course I said” my mind already jumping to much more exciting outcomes than social networking.

So we made our way out to the trikes and she kindly explained she would have to go and tell her mother where she was going and she would meet me at my room later, and off she went.

Many texts and a little while later she appeared at my door but she was not alone. She had brought a skinny, tattooed, rough looking girl friend along “for safety”. No problem I said switching my mind from “sexy time” back to “gentleman” as I asked them in.

So for the next 30+ minutes they giggled and laughed taking pictures and scanning Facebook as I sat politely watching TV. Eventually I took an inevitable bathroom break and as I stepped out of the CR I caught her friend red handed stealing money out of a petty cash pot I keep on the kitchen bench. The pot holds nothing major maybe 600php in change and small bills. But this abuse of my trust angered me and after a bunch of stuttered denials and excuses I asked them to leave.

At this point the skinny girl calmly walked over and sat on the end of my bed pulled out her mobile phone and said I need to give her them both 3000php or she will call the police and say I raped them. I was stunned.

Fully flushed with anger now my first impulse was to launch at the skinny scumbag and throw her from my room. But then the reality of my situation dawned on me.

1. I’m in my room so they know where I live should they wish to hurt me at a later date.

2. Philippine police are notoriously unpredictable and corrupt so any involvement could end badly for me.

3. Looking at my date and how calm she is at this situation I see that this was her intention from the start.

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Sh*t!

Ok damage control time I thought to myself. I walked over to the corner of my room where I had my GoPro charging and switched it on angling it on the shelf so it can record the room.

“Please leave as you can see I have just turned on my camera and I am recording you so the police or anyone else can see you are unharmed and are blackmailing me into giving you money” and so I went on clearly explaining the situation not to her but to the recording.

At this point I thought she would leave but of course she did not, too dumb to adapt to the changing situation of their plan.

“Ok I am calling the guard and he can deal with you” She started to haggle “2000php each……..ok 1500php” Now in hindsight I realise that I should have just kept my head down and just paid them especially once she dropped the demand. But I was enraged with anger and humiliation mentally restraining myself from getting physical.

The Guard arrived and I briefed him on the situation. He approached the girl and they started to argue in Tagalog.

“She’s crazy” he said. “I think she’s on drugs she just keeps saying you beat her and tried to rape her. I asked her where are the marks but she won’t answer” My ex-date at this point is getting cold feet and is talking to her friend obviously saying they should leave. But she just sits there waving the phone at me saying she’s gonna call the police.

The guard turns to leave explaining that there is nothing he can do as she obviously wants to start a fight he will have to go get the police.

My heart sinks but ok what can I do.

“The police are coming all this has been recorded on camera you can see you have not been harmed in any way. This will not end well for you. Just please leave!” – I say.

She screams incoherent threats back at me saying that I’m the one that’s in trouble once the police get here.

My ex-date is now outside wide eyed looking in at her friend beckoning her to leave, but solidly she sits waving her phone at me.

I’m panicking now and visibly shaking as I really don’t want to have to deal with the police. I start second guessing how useful my video will be.

I crack and decide to pay her. The guard returns with 3 police officers in tow – crap!

All hell breaks loose and she launches a verbal machine gun of Tagalog at the police pointing at herself, her friend and me Startled the police entering into a long discussion between the frantic girl and the guard, glancing at me from time to time.

I just stand there dumbly holding my camera awaiting the outcome.

Then it’s all over. They grab the girl and drag her from the room so fast she never gets to take a step. They say nothing to me and only nod to the guard as they leave.

The guard explained that the police did not believe the girl and could see she was not harmed so they took her away. Who knows where? I don’t care I was just relieved that ordeal had ended. I escorted the guard to the door thanking him and absent-mindedly handed the guard the girl’s slipper, which had come off on her exit. He looked at it, then me and laughed and left.

I later gave the guard 1000php in gratitude for his help. ” Go get a good girl” – they said.

Here is a photo of the girl who threatened me:

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Credit to Jonky Kong for bringing this situation to our attention. Not the first time this type of thing has happened to a foreigner and definitely won’t be the last. Watch out for these freelancer types….

Reader Submission 4 – July 2015 I caught word that you are going to be taking over Harry the Horse. I have been an avid reader for years and since there is a changing of the guard wanted to mention somethings. Wouldn’t the newsletter benefit from people who are able to also contribute as co-authors on their own fields of expertise? There are many retired expats living here in AC and many of them have really interesting information to share without access to a platform. Doctors, military, business owners, stockbrokers, like this. Even these local owners could provide insight that might help people.

If you would be so kind as to allow people to contribute I would think this place would be better for all.

Most definitely – I think in the past people have emailed Jimmy and depending on the substance of the content, he has decided whether to include it in his “feedbag” or not. After having seen Jimmy’s Gmail inbox I understand why not everyone gets posted due to the fact that he is bombarded with a lot of information. Let’s see how it goes…

Mutya Ng Pilipinas 2015 Beauty Pageant at Lewis Grand Hotel I didn’t get a chance to go to this event in person. James, the manager over at the Lewis Grand Hotel, was kind enough to send these pictures of the 12 contestants for our viewing pleasure. Quite a collection of tall beauties if you ask me.

What is the “Muyta ng Pilipinas?”

Mutya ng Pilipinas (Pearl of the Philippines or Muse of the Philippines) is a beauty pageant held annually in the Philippines under the current franchise-holder and organization President, Jacqueline Tan. Mutya ng Pilipinas, Inc. organization promotes “Beauty Tourism” stemming from the motivation and inspiration in promoting tourism, social responsibility, fashion, and beauty pageantry within the greater Asia Pacific with the direct participation of the overseas Filipino communities around the globe.

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I overheard someone say… – Part 1: “Where has all the money gone?”

Have you ever sat down somewhere and accidentally eavesdropped on the middle or the end of someone else’s conversation without knowing what the entire chat was about? And yet, a part of you really wanted to know what else was said but you decided not to interject or ask them to elaborate….

I was at Tequila Reef sometime in early June having my usual two-taco combo for lunch. From what I could tell this convo took place between a local business owner I was unfamiliar with and a friend of his. They weren’t talking about someone lifting money from the till, what I heard was the tail end of a chat about why there wasn’t as much revenue coming in these days, “it’s so slow out there” they said…. and a few head shakes before walking out the door.

This got me to think, where has all the money gone?

Could it be the past?…

As a product of the late 70’s, I wasn’t here in the 80’s, 90’s, or even early 2000’s so I can’t speak for the past. I understand that Angeles City has become a hundred times more civilized since “the way things were.”

Sure, it’s more PG now than X-rated, even R-rated at that, but compared

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to many places around the globe there is still a great time to be had. I’ll do a simple case study on this later called Los Angeles vs. Angeles City.

I’ve heard stories from older guys that “back in the day” Angeles City was the place. You could do just about anything and everything. Back then all the action was super cheap too. What can I say to that? It sounds awesome. Then again…things change. Just like the former all-state athlete who was the starting quarterback and captain of his high school football team that somehow ended up working at a carwash for the rest of his life – not everything goes the way we had hoped.

From the perspective of having missed all those earlier festivities back in the day, and hearing rumors of how wild the times were – I can see from the older expats point of view that….for you all, those days may have been the main drawing point for why you moved to this area to begin with. I would venture a guess that it was the #1 point, other than saving a buck. You’ve had to watch – in slow motion practically – the impending crash of those times and what we’re talking about now is all that’s left.

Could it be the Clark Airport? …

First, let’s look at the Clark International Airport. One month it’s the next big thing, the next month it isn’t, and no one seems to know if it will ever really live up to its potential. There’s no denying that Clark is expanding rapidly, but the airport isn’t moving at the same pace as the surrounding land development (and even that is slow in some sections.)

For the non-aviation gurus out there, I think everyone would agree that to hear the two words “airport” and “airline,” it’s pretty much the same difference to us. So, what’s the deal? We see those bumper stickers plastered on rear windows all over town: “Clark is it!” Sure we might not face the long traffic jam getting to NAIA, and our flight probably won’t be delayed, but there are pretty slim pickens on the tarmac over there in terms of outbounds flights.

Clark Airport is one of the reasons I love living in Angeles City; in the past, it helped provide easy access (no pun intended) to the rest of the Philippines and Asia. Sadly, today a flight from the airport can take you direct to just 7 places: Cebu, Hong Kong, Incheon, Macau, Singapore, Doha, or Kuala Lumpur. Someone pass me the peanuts because I’m starving over here – oh wait, airlines don’t even do that anymore.

A year and a half ago there were a few months when Emirates flights were bringing in business type expats and Middle Eastern guys (also adding a connection for Europeans via Dubai) before they canceled their route in May 2014.

What other drop-offs has Clark Airport faced? Cebu Pacific flights direct to Bangkok have stopped altogether, matter of fact as of today Cebu Pacific offers just 3 international flights from Clark to Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore. Oh, and to make things even more challenging, some of these flights change every week. One week Macau flights are going out on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays/Sundays, and the next week they only go out on Sundays. But then the week after, Monday/Wednesday flights are back on again but no Fridays. Yep, tourists love playing hot potato with their flight schedules.

To make matters worse, Cebu Pacific offers one domestic flight to Cebu City and that’s it. For comparison, Davao City – which is one of the southern most places in the country, offers direct flights to 7 different domestic locations, but Clark gets stuck with one because why?….there’s “only” 66-miles (111 km) between Clark and NAIA? Left with no other choice people are forced to take the NLEX and suffer through the parking lot known as EDSA if they want some variety in their travel schedules.

Unless it’s 3 or 4 AM, those 66-miles are some of the longest miles

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many of us are familiar with, compounded with 3-4 hours of time that’s wiped out before we even step out curbside at the terminal.

What’s the use of having an airport 7-10 minutes away from one of the fastest growing cities in the Philippines that offers such a limited selection of routes? They build a shiny new terminal and that looks good from the outside and all but, where’s the meat? All the promises of Clark International Airport and the positive windfall for the local economy haven’t come through and many people are still wondering why. The business sector is growing steadily so this situation really needs to change.

Could it be the airline industry?…

Has anyone ever tried using the Tiger Airways website to get anywhere domestically? Forget it – supposedly their flight service is built in to Cebu Pacific’s partnership which means you should trade using one difficult website for another. Tiger Airways international flights will always take you through Singapore anyway, which means getting to Hong Kong or Bangkok from Clark will take 7-8 hours and getting anywhere else takes 18-28 hours. How many tourists would go through that to save a buck? Clark needs more airline partnerships, and more routes. As what Jimmy mentioned earlier in this column, Bangkok will be getting its 3rd airport soon – and it is further away from Bangkok than NAIA is from Clark.

Want to go to Boracay?….and when I say Boracay I mean Caticlan not Kalibo – because Kalibo is about as Boracay as Angeles City is to Subic.

SEAir from Clark used to be the best way to get to and from Boracay and it was cheap too. Now they are only flying out of Manila. Getting to Boracay these days requires a road trip to Manila first or a flight from Clark to Cebu, the latter gives us one option to fly at night – while the only flight into Caticlan is during the day….so you’re either staying overnight in the airport or at a hotel to go Clark-Cebu-Boracay now, which is just about as bad as having to go to NAIA. Could it be one of these guys?…

“Malaysia Truly Asia….”

Have you seen those commercials, “Malaysia Truly Asia?” In my opinion it’s such a clever marketing campaign they came up with over there. ”Malaysia-Asia”….wow…huge thought process put together on that one.

It’s like if the slogan here was “It’s More Fun in the Philip-Philippines”….

AirAsia has just one flight via Clark now which goes through their hub in Kuala Lumpur, and since their website is in constant search mode yielding zero results I guess it is completely useless. All it does is keep searching and searching…

Up until late 2013, AirAsia flights were carrying Malaysians in by the boatload. The same Malaysians that treated hotel rooms like ashtrays – who acted less like adults and more like frat boys. I have no problem with Malaysians whatsoever, but I understand the pain hoteliers have gone through in the last 1000-days because there simply haven’t been

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enough cash cows in town. To business owners, money spent is still money spent regardless of who is running the tab.

AirAsia’s affiliate Tune Hotel used to have one of the highest occupancy rates in town a few years ago due in part to its low average daily room rate and ease of use with AirAsia bookings. For a 165-room joint, that surely looked good on the books and some of those budget travelers were trickling down to try out local establishments. AirAsia was poised to pump up local tourism until they bought Zest Air and shortly thereafter got slapped with a litany of fines and a suspension of their air operator certificate. In order to prop up the company, they had to make some cuts. Now they fly everything out of Manila, and when the flight is delayed at Terminal 4 you can enjoy the “Sorry Sir, no stock” routine from the Seattle’s Best baristas there.

Now there is talk about Clark losing Qatar Airways to Manila, not that many of us are frequenting Doha as it is. Regardless, it appears to be one more loss for Clark and the surrounding businesses.

When Emirates canceled their Clark route, that particular tourist segment practically fell off the board. The Middle Eastern guys are down on Burgos and they aren’t venturing up here much at all. As for AirAsia, word around town is that the Malays have acclimated. This might only be due to the fact that there are less Malaysian guys around. In the early days they were like kids in a candy store. I remember when they first arrived, one Korean hotel owner I knew at the time didn’t even want to cater to Koreans which is rare – he preferred the Malaysians because they spent like there was no tomorrow. They also walked around common places butt naked, not once, not twice…..you see where I’m going with this. These days I’m not affiliated with any one hotel, restaurant, or bar business so I don’t see the same statistics/demographics like I used to but from what I know, everything is dropping off and its the slowest slow season yet.

Could it be the Manila Airport…

Of the 24 flights that I boarded in 2014 here in the Philippines, only twice was it out of Clark – once to Hong Kong and once to Cebu. I came in to Clark just one time also. That’s probably par for the course. All those other flights went out of Manila – for years being voted one of the world’s worst airports.

This was before they decided to shut off the air-conditioning due to a never-ending upgrades. Terminal 3 was like a sweat lodge for awhile. I flew PAL once out of Terminal 2 and there was one open bathroom for a couple thousand people.

All of this and regardless of the terminal there seems like a pretty high chance of having a delayed flight. I once had a security lady walk up to me before I paid the Terminal 3 fee to check the weight of my bag. For some reason she tried to clean and jerk my carry-on like she was going for the Special Olympics gold. In the process she broke the handle off my suitcase, and in front of everyone else in line she had the gall to say, “ok sir” – gesturing with her hand for me to go on ahead to the security checkpoint. What the? I thought it was supposed to be more fun in the Philippines – not, hey, let me approach you because I can, break your stuff, and tell you to have a nice day…

Like most stuff around here, these airport situations are painstakingly slow processes. Money is definitely missing around town because there are less flights coming in to Clark, and going into Manila is a total nightmare for anyone who has seen Hong Kong, Changi in Singapore, Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok, or pretty much any other airport. Obviously this Clark waiting game is having a huge effect on local tourism.

The bottom line is that booking flights is difficult enough without all the

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other headaches – the fact that there is almost no selection and less than robust airline websites to fumble through to get in and out from the Philippines makes it less appealing (or more difficult depending on how you look at it) to come here. I didn’t even mention the immigration dilemma’s almost all of us have faced at some point in time or another.

Have you been mistreated in Hong Kong, Singapore, or Bangkok? Most likely not.

(By the way, I know it is not any one persons fault that all of this is happening – but no one can deny that it is beyond frustrating. The most basic principle of tourism is to get your airports in order first, followed closely by your immigration procedure.)

Could it be the train system…(wait, what train system?)

What about the “Northrail Project” that was supposed to be (re)built from Manila back in 2006? Surely there must be a real train (non-light rail style) that leaves the greater Metro Manila area and goes somewhereanywhere, right? The one system they had – the Bicol Service run by the PNR, is offline indefinitely due to typhoons and landslides damaging tracks.

Anyway, wasn’t there a plan for the Northrail to help alleviate all that congestion down in NCR and bring a few bucks this way via inbound and outbound flights and overnight business stays? Yeah, what if.

It took 3-4 years to build the SCTEX from Subic to Clark and that’s a 30mile (50 km) stretch of paved highway with one bridge (which still hasn’t been repaired from when it washed out in August 2013). Fixing all that track, upgrading stations, keeping the trains from breaking down, and avoiding the typhoons all in the process sounds like performing a magic trick. Didn’t anyone in the administration think there would be a high probability of something going wrong if the railways were to be rebuilt?

If the proposed fixing of said railway was going to run parallel to the NLEX, just the bridge that they would have to build in that elevated section between Bulacan and Pampanga would be a…..carry the 2, I don’t know, 12-year process? Surrrrre, contract it out to the Chinese – those guys never cut corners either *wink*.

There used to be trains from La Union in the north to Legaspi City in Bicol, way down in the south. That’s 459-miles (738 km) of missing transport service. Today, there must be a reason why the Philippines is one of the only southeast Asian countries without a proper train system and it probably has nothing to do with the fact that there’s 7000+ islands.

The fact is that most Manila-based people don’t want to come to Pampanga. If it isn’t a priority to not use the Manila airport what on earth would they rebuild a railway for? I wouldn’t say this if the Filipinos I have sat with at some point in time in the last 6-years hadn’t echoed that same sentiment. There’s nothing here for them except for maybe their family, friends, and a small handful of landmarks or destination type restaurants. In terms of traveling out of the country though, that’s not enough for them to change from NAIA. Who can blame them? They have to get out of the Manila traffic the same way we have to get in to it.

Trains really aren’t that bad in my opinion. In the last 6-years I’ve experienced riding them through China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Burma. It is such a great way to see a country if you’re not in a rush. Train systems are fixed and tourists know that – when you take a train from one point to another you know where you’re going and how to get off. It’s dummy proof. It’s also reliable. Buses on the other hand, seem like “maybe” you’re going to get where you’re going – with 20+ stops along EDSA before you make it out of Manila, and then who knows. Flat tire or engine failure, water buffalo on the road, or a conductor who has to go pee can all slow you down. Sometimes the tollbooths are backed up for an extra 30-minutes. Want to increase tourism? Promote traveling by train. I haven’t checked in to it yet but I bet train travel would also decrease pollution as well – just a thought.

The very best train travel website in the world is Seat61 – I’ve used it to get around many times. It’s really one of the most comprehensive sites on any subject you can find. If you scroll down the list on the left side of the page you’ll see how nearly every Asian country has a nice section on their train system. What’s missing?

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Could it be other places?…

We all know the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” – let’s go a step further and get out of Luzon altogether. Are Cebu or Dumaguete luring people away? A couple friends of mine have made these moves without any regrets. Oddly enough they still visit the Angeles City area every 30-60 days like clockwork. Speaking from a cultural level, I know why they leave (not that I’m a super cultural guy to begin with). They get to stay in the Philippines where they’re already established and understand the lay of the land – but trade the pollution and the dust bowl for fresher scenery and a new bevy of faces to look at.

In some ways it’s ideal, especially for those who are into the beach scene, water sports, or scuba diving.

What about other international destinations? There are rumors that Cambodia is coming online and guys are finding it the next-bestcheapest alternative to Angeles. Could be. I know 2 or 3 guys that don’t want people to know that Cambodia is awesome because they don’t want anyone else to show up and spoil all the fun. But is it worth the transition to save a few bucks on your visa, eat better, and chase tail for less? It’s a toss up.

Then there’s Thailand. Bangkok is…..well, Bangkok. I wouldn’t even know where to begin if I started talking about it. See Stickman for that.

To me there isn’t much (if any) comparison between anywhere Philippines and Bangkok.

Pattaya isn’t bad by any means if you don’t mind a few Ruskis, and many people would say the closest Asian alternative to Angeles City. There’s a lot to be said for a specific type of atmosphere (hint-hint) that is adjacent to a beach. Even if you’re not a beach goer the water and the breeze are better than being landlocked one would assume.

Like Patong Beach in Phuket, for example. I can only speculate on this, but I would venture a guess that Bangla Road does way more in capitalizing in overall tourism than any walking street in the Philippines, as does Pattaya for that matter. Then again – we’re not talking apples to apples anymore are we.

Most of the guys I come across who have lived in Pattaya go back and forth frequently and would flip coins between quality versus quantity. It makes me wonder what would happen if Manila Bay were clean and well kempt? One can only imagine if Manila offered nice beaches lining Roxas Boulevard from the US Embassy down to the Solaire Casino. Maybe Pasay-Ermita-Malate would all be packed to the hilt. We all know that’s a line of delusional thoughts. It’s a sad reality watching the sun set over Manila Bay with the knowledge that you wouldn’t even want to ride a jet ski through that water. The Philippines with its central location to southeast Asia AND Boracay type beaches in the capital city? The gem it would be……

Could it be the statistics?…

Plenty of guys will point their fingers at the Koreans for screwing up the entertainment-economics of the Philippines in general, especially right here in Angeles City. The mantra is like a broken record – “I’m tired of the Koreans, man. There’s just too many of them.” Ok. But if you had to choose between them, the Indians, or the Russians, which would you choose? Someone is going to fill up this space so decide who you get along best with and stop whining about it already.

Sure Koreans are flowing in by the hundreds of thousands every few months; but they definitely are not the reason why there’s not much peso around. Prices have gone up but I suspect that’s more the way of the world.

Hop over to the Department of Tourism site for a glance at the statistics.

Not only are the Koreans the largest tourist segment in the Philippines for the last several years, but they are also spending more money per capita year over year. Business owners would be foolish not to cater to them, which is a double standard given that lots of Korean places don’t want Western (er, white) customers.

Has anyone seen the back of Clark lately? I’ll put some pictures up once I get the chance. It’s getting carved up like a birthday cake to make room

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for the hundred thousand or so Korean expatriates that are predicted to come in over the next few years. Outside of Clark and aside from Walking Street, no other place has seen more overall investment than Friendship (aka Korea Town) lately.

Should we blame the Koreans for overpaying for everything? Yeah maybe, but when was the last time you didn’t do what you wanted to do with your money, when you wanted to do it? The last time I checked, most human beings were selfish creatures. We do what we want, when we want. There’s no tomorrow and if there was, it’s someone else’s problem. So what are we going to do, target this one group and say – “hey, stop doing what you’re doing because it’s making it worse for the rest of us?” Good luck. In case you hadn’t noticed, they don’t care.

[A quick side note for the non-finance types: overpaying and “where’s the money” don’t correlate much do they?….]

Unfortunately you have to take the good with the bad. I’m sure a lot of you guys are on the other side of the screen right now looking at this thinking…what good is there with the Koreans?

One thing in particular was brought to my attention by a friend of mine who knows as much as there is to know about the bar industry (seeing how he owns quite a few of them and has been around for more than 20years). At this point in time, if it weren’t for the Koreans, this town really would be empty. The money lost would affect who knows how many Filipino families across the country. You want to talk about where all the money has gone, remove the Koreans and there might not be enough money to go around. Angeles City couldn’t remain a secret forever, and Korea is insanely expensive for some reason. Spaghetti, salad, and a coke, for $50 US? No joke.

Could it be human behavior?…

“Did he just say….remove the Koreans?” No Koreans might sound like a dream because it is just that. Speaking of dreaming, let’s paint a hypothetical situation for all the Koreans residing in the Philippines (this would be really bad for the world, forget the microcosm that is Angeles City): Imagine for a moment that the war drums with their northern neighbors reached a tone that resembled the early 1950’s and the South Korean government declared some sort of “martial law initiative” tomorrow morning that required all Korean Nationals to come home and take up arms. Just like that, we wake up next week and Angeles is all ours again (not that it was ours to begin with…we just have the illusion that it is…)

The war never goes down, just another standoff for a lifetime….but the Koreans aren’t allowed to return for some long period of time, like 5years. Isn’t this dream …..a good thing? Wouldn’t that mean that the ladies would be more plentiful, less greedy, and once again oozing with sweetheart attitudes? After all, they wouldn’t have many other options….

To that I say, who knows. Maybe yes, maybe no. Various nationalities are spoiling the girls. One doesn’t have to look far to see that things are not the same as they used to be (and again I can’t speak for the past-past, especially vis-à-vis the girls.) Then again, Facebook and Jollibee have done more damage to them than all of us combined but we aren’t shutting off the internet or banning them from junk food either.

And before you go getting your briefs all in a twist over this Korean debacle, let me offer a suggestion: let’s agree to disagree on a few things. Did I just come in and defend the Koreans for the way they act with the rest of the girls and us? No. I’m simply suggesting that human behavior tends to have certain traits that overlap from man to man, regardless of their nationality. We might show courtesy in a different way, we may party in a different way,……such is life. “Oh yeah bro, but they look down on us and think we’re scum…” – and what are you thinking again? Happy thoughts?

In this case I can only speak for myself. In the 6-years of being in the trenches, I have never had a trouble with any Korean in Angeles City, and given that they are my neighbors in every direction on each street….even the Korean Mafia Don lived unbeknownst to me just a few houses down, life went on as normal. I find plenty of them to be respectful and polite,

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the only difficulty coming in being able to effectively communicate sometimes. That’s not to say that they aren’t a rambunctious group of chain-smokers, but to each their own.

I digress. Clearly the missing income is a combination of things, perhaps for a lot of guys it just seems easier to point their fingers at the Koreans than it is to sum it all up.

Could it be technology?…

So maybe technology is to blame? Whereas before guys used to go out for a drink or two and find a friend for the eve, guys nowadays are using smart phones and the internet to get around all the flashing lights, ladies drinks, and pseudo-negotiations. Websites like Facebook, Filipino Cupid, Date in Asia, Tagged, and Pina Love to name a few are distracting guys long enough to stay home instead of doing the nightly barhop.

In this case, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty as charged. I used to go out 4-5 times per week. Meeting up with friends, real socializing, drinking, playing billiards, and a seeing a bit of T & A were a hell of a lot more fun than any online social media chat or dating website.

These days guys can practically order delivery on a dating website and it’s not unlike calling up for a pizza. I for one, still like to window shop – but I’ll click over to Amazon once in awhile for whatever reason if you catch my drift. There is a lot of low hanging fruit on these websites, you just have to dole out your number and some trike fare and then presto…….there they are.

My night outings have dropped in half for no other reason than sometimes, not always, I find it equally convenient to find something to entertain me online while I’m sitting at home than I could find a couple miles down the road. This is also due in part to ones individual taste. I know plenty of guys that spend hours looking for what they want and have to comb a dozen establishments to find their style only to go home empty handed. I might sit at home and find nothing also, but at least I’m already in bed…

Could it be the girls or the bars?…

Maybe we should blame the girls or the bars they dance in? After all, the girls have been spoiled by the dolts who send them monthly allowance. I had never heard the term WUP before a few years back and now they’re all supposedly “Western Union Princesses.” They spend too much time on Facebook, watching television, and not enough time taking care of themselves. Is the quality of Angeles entertainment diminishing because of Jollibee or is it the same as it has always been?

One thing I keep hearing in this town is that the attitudes of the girls has changed, they are hardened and manipulative, they just want to drink overpriced juice while they sit next to you, they don’t want to hang out all hours of the night, and it’s impossible to get the same GFE (girl friend experience) as before. Meanwhile the places they work in are pricing themselves out of business while taking every shot at gouging the customer.

It seems we forget that most businesses operate for one reason only, and in this case their employees are usually there to make money for themselves, their families, or their Filipino boyfriends. Businesses exist to remove money from your pocket in exchange for something – that is it. We also have the choice to go into a bar that has cheap drinks and six to ten dancers who barely move an inch, or we can pay a bit more for a place with hundreds of dancers – some of whom at least make the attempt to perform a routine of sorts. I find that the smaller bars might only have one girl who is up to snuff, but the problem is she’s been booked through Christmas and has serious Princess Syndrome. Helps narrow down the choice sometimes when there is no choice.

“Listen to me,” this guy says, “prices for this were less than half what they are now 5-years ago, 10-years ago….” Hey man, I tell him, “Past is the past.” Remind me again if a liter of gas was cheaper back then, because chances are it wasn’t. Name one thing or one place where the prices are going down, anywhere, and you’ll see something on the verge of closure.

And no, I’m not talking about oil futures being manipulated, I’m talking about us regular folks who are consuming stuff. My breakfast was P395

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this morning for P70 of goods, do the math. Everyone wants more. Big bars aren’t going to close down because their prices are up – they can only fall on hard times if customers stop patronizing their establishments.

Let’s pause a moment to think about this again – inflation and attitudes, could this 1-2 combo be the reason why there’s less money about? Are they the main reasons? It’s hard to tell. I bet if you dropped 10,000 or 20,000 extra tourists here tomorrow and the prices were the same as they are today, pockets would swell. When was the last time you strolled in to a Walking Street bar on the weekend only to find it completely empty? I walked in to Atlantis the other night and there were no seats.

None. Biggest fish bowl in town and I could only stand in the back like I was watching a Kiss concert or something. A few hours later down at Eruptions I found myself in the corner because I don’t like sitting right on the rail when the stage has already been picked over. Perimeter bars seem to be doing just as well on the weekends as their neighbors down the way. Weekdays are sparse but, I hardly find any places where I’ve taken up the only seat in the house.

Could it still be the girls or the bars?…why not…

The transformation of the atmosphere in the entertainment industry has caused mongers to seek other alternatives or pull out from going out as much (yes, I said pull out). Not for all the businesses down the road mind you, but for a greater majority than any time in the past. I’m not Sigmund Freud or anything, but human psychology suggests that these actions/behaviors are not going to get better any time soon and they are more likely to keep getting worse and worse (from a consumer standpoint). There isn’t a reset button we can push so we just have to deal with it.

I haven’t had any issues with bars or attitudes; however, that’s not to say the next guy hasn’t. It hasn’t changed my spending habits. In my opinion, there are still plenty of innocent, shy, naïve types all over the place. There’s a plethora of annoying “see how you are” types, and there are still diamonds in the rough if you have the time and patience to suss them out. I guess it all depends on your particular cup of tea and if you’re in the right place at the right time.

Some of the girls have certainly gotten savvy enough to play us, that’s for sure. But then again, haven’t they been doing that for a couple thousand millennia? Absolutely. It’s just that a.) we don’t like to be played, in fact we hate it – and b.) we already consider ourselves superior in just about every way possible so when it does happen we take it as a harsher blow to our ego than we would if it were another breed of girl, one we felt actually had a chance to outthink us to begin with.

Here we are crawling through slow season (low season in tourist speak) and while the rains are moderate, we have yet to get majorly typhoon’d.

Not even close. I’ve seen a ton of girls in my recent outings. There haven’t been any raids, or even the mention of one. The people in City Hall are widening the roads making traffic somewhat bearable for a change. Both MacArthur Highway and Friendship Highway from Korea Town going south past bridge are like the Autobahn. Clark Development Corporation (CDC) is cleaning up the border fence along Perimeter road with new jeepney huts, a semi-decent walking path, and better lighting.

Every watering hole is running some sort of drink promo. Room rates are down a notch. The ratio of US to THEM is still heavily tilted in OUR favor.

After all we’re basically surrounded by them, literally.

Could it be the world economy?…

A few years back I sat down with John Inouye to chew the fat. John was heading up the Doll House Group at the time. He was one hell of a guy, someone I really admired in this town, and I’m sure anyone else who was familiar with him would agree. (I mention him in the past tense because he lost his battle to cancer in December 2013.)

I found myself in the middle of an awkward conversation sometime in late 2012 with John at the end of the table. Thank goodness he was there because I wouldn’t have navigated the waters as graciously as he did. At a lunch one afternoon, he said to a wealthy Canadian woman that one of the major draws to Angeles was that guys could be whoever they want to

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be here. She was fascinated – or morbidly curious rather, about the main attraction that is Angeles City. “What is it that you think brings these guys from all around the world to this place here,” she asked (apparently not having ventured too far)…

John didn’t just out and say one of the three-letter or five-letter words that most of us might have on the tip of our tongues, he waxed eloquent about it. “Even if things aren’t as wild as they used to be,” John said, “you can dress up or dress down, stay straight or not, blow through cash or go tightwad, make a friend or two, get drunk or go sober and still wind up with a bit of strange day-in and day-out. In this place you can be whoever you want to be.”

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing because she somehow mistook the word “strange” for like, strangers. “They are here for strangers you said?” Uhhhhh.

Whatever it was, to this day I still have to agree with the statements he made. The only problem is that the current economic conditions in many parts of the world might not allow as many guys to come out and play as much anymore. There’s a large portion of the money lost right there (not to mention the aforementioned difficulty getting in to or out of the country.)

Could you be whoever you want to be back home? Probably not. Not without a big bankroll and a disconnect from a lot of things like social responsibility, family, you name it. The world might offer the average guy less than 100 relatively safe places to forget who they are and become someone else for a while. That is a luxury that is not often afforded in ones lifetime, lotto winners aside. Maybe the overall tourism numbers are down because a lot of guys got wiped out in 2008…

Ten or so years ago the guy sitting on his couch in Omaha, Nebraska could afford to be here next week, living the dream. The guy from Darwin, Australia on work leave…could hop up here to find a future wifetype before the end of the day if he so desired. Whatever tickles your fancy, right? Guys definitely had more disposable income a few years back. Now they are stuck dreaming, and we complain about being here sometimes…geez, sometimes someone needs to remind us to look at things from another perspective.

Having a good time out here is all a point of view – it just depends on who’s looking. There are still good times to be had for any budget, whether you’re a cheap charlie or a high roller.

Could it be the demographics?…

If you add up a everything, what’s not on the list? What one thing is missing that used to be here? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not more girls.

Angeles in particular is starting to lack a certain demographic – younger guys. What’s the definition of a younger guy…..under 40? I don’t mean to offend anyone but there’s a cut off somewhere in there where young/middleaged/older occurs. I’m no spring chicken but being a mid-30’s guy myself I hate to be the one who brings it up, the lack of younger tourists, not to mention the guys in uniform, are hurting both Angeles and Olongapo. Jimmy D would back me up on this I’m sure – that and the action here is expensive and tame compared to not too long ago.

New money has to come in more often otherwise things are going to continue to be stagnant. It’s like a being at a casino – the pit bosses don’t want professional card counters sitting at their tables, they want that guy they call the “dumb money chip” – they want him and all of his friends who are piss drunk celebrating a bachelor party to just push their money over one hand at a time. Apply that same analogy to spending in this town and you can see how a lot of places would benefit from the “dumb money.”

That’s not to say that smart money would hurt either – I’m sure Angeles and Olongapo could both use a few dozen more real business men, real investor types who have the capital to do things and the business

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acumen to get it all done in a country that is notoriously difficult to do business in as a foreigner.

For the local expats reading this I say forget about what the bar owners are doing because we know better. A group of guys fresh off the boat don’t have any idea about the inner workings of these businesses – they’re still trying to get over the “come inside, sir” shouted from every direction. Most if not all just want to enjoy their time while they can and usually toss some money around while they are at it.

Given the fact that we live here we can find a little bit of comfort by knowing where all the best deals are to be had – they don’t. We have time on our sides, slow and steady wins the race. Think about the tortoise and the hare. Our monthly overhead can be less than their stay at a decent hotel for the weekend. We get to live this lifestyle, while they come to party. We might do things in moderation and cut loose once in awhile, but younger guys normally just spend without worrying about capital preservation. This youthful income stream is declining rapidly around here…am I the only one who notices?

The potentially bigger problem is the loss of local investment, which is why certain locations in Thailand are booming – money is flowing through like a river in some places.

Could it be because we forget to compare? – Case Study: Los Angeles vs.

Angeles City Here’s food for thought, and this brings me back to my earlier mention of doing a case study: Try ordering 3 or 4 drinks at any decent club in Los Angeles and entertaining a few truly spoiled girls who don’t give a crap about you. See how quickly your pocketbook dries up. Have you forgotten how cheap it is to be here for entertainment purposes?

One round of drinks at a top L.A. nightclub might set you back $50$100+ with the tip. Here in Angeles City….even if the bar gave you DLD’s for 3 or 4 girls, including your order, including a tip at the end, you’re looking at maybe $35-$40 at most per round. No DLD’s and you’re looking at a $20 spot. Multiply it out by a couple hours and then try to get the finish line – in L.A. you’d be lucky to get out for $400-$600.

Maybe a grand who knows. Around here, in a couple hours you could sort out your situation for under $200 easily. Under $100 easy too. And if you’re smart, you get what you want for like….P500 to P1000. Heck, I’ll go as far as saying that you could get what you want for the price of trike fare if you want to be that stingy. Guys from the UK, feel free to swap out this entire conversation and use the word quid….is the math not sound?

Plain and simple, tourism is down. I don’t need to point out the longterm economic problem this pattern brings along with it. The weekend warriors, the “weekend millionaires” probably spend more money in the entertainment sector in 2-3-4 days than most local expats do in a month. They also have to pay for their flight, transport, everything. Us locals aren’t bad for businesses because we repeat more often, we are the bread and butter so to speak, but we are also usually more careful about our spending.

At the end of it all, every single business is intertwined in this system some way. From the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to your stomach, from your stomach to your…..use your imagination fellas. Your patience is definitely tested here but we must remind ourselves that Rome wasn’t built in a day either. (Ain’t that the truth.)

What I still love about the Philippines is twofold: first, the greater majority of the people are kind towards us and tolerate our crap. We want what we want for whatever reason and we want it to be cheap and NOW. Eff being patient. And yet they still smile and call us “Sir” all the time.

Second reason for liking the Philippines, this place has a ton of potential because everything seems years behind where it is in other countries.

Look around and you’ll see most sectors have room for growth. We just have to get past the “what ifs” on this list to get there. It might take 10 or 20 or 80 times longer to straighten the infrastructure out compared to a first world country, but that’s the way the ball bounces.

Of course, I could be wrong about everything. What’s missing (besides the money)? I am interested to know what other people think about this.

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We probably all have issues about either the airport, airlines, immigration, or something similar. Send me a message at rememberthehorse@gmail.com and if it’s good I’ll add you to next months reader submissions on this subject. We’ll start up a new subject next time. Until then, keep your ears peeled!

Miss Pinatubo 2015 Swimsuit Competition and Pool Party at Scorebird’s Hotel My apologies for starting this section off with an odd admission, but one of the things I enjoyed about this years Miss Pinatubo swimsuit competition was that it wasn’t elbow-to-elbow crowded. Then again, it’s not like I did a head count.

Scorebird’s Hotel has a nice wide-open layout and a 2nd and 3rd level so maybe it just seemed spacious because everyone was more spread out. I remember before Scorebird’s was built these gatherings were done over at Wild Orchid. Perhaps due to the fact that there are more grassy areas it just seemed like more partygoers showed up – the extra space allowed for easier engagement with the ladies. I didn’t get to mingle much this year because I was busy taking pictures. I was surprised at how laid back the crowd was overall. In years prior guys would have been circling the pool like sharks. Cue the Jaws music….

The forecast is probably what kept a larger audience away this time around. I could have done without the light rain shower that came through in the middle of the festivities, but for the most part the weather held up just fine. You’ll notice about 4 or 5 of the ladies had their pictures taken on the balcony – this was to prevent the camera from getting wet.

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The buffet was good as always, lots of easy going gents attended, and the girls were hot-hot. There’s some real stunners in this group. Don’t forget to check out the Miss Ponytail’s swimsuit contest on July 11th at 2 PM, same place, same time. They’ll also be having their talent, swimsuit, and gown competitions over at Ponytails, check the July schedule of events for more details.

April from Club Atlantis

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Mary Grace from Crystal Palace

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Sheryl from Club Asia

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Mocha from Club Atlantis

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Bebelin from Pony Tails

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Aida Mae from Tropix

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Marianne from Club Atlantis

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Renilia from Pony Tails

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Ailyn from Club Atlantis

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Vanessa from Crystal Palace

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Derica from Doll House

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Aira Marie from Crystal Palace

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Marla – Freelance

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Fatima from Club Asia

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Concon from Pony Tails

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Erlinda from Doll House

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Analiza from Club Asia

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Kim from Club Atlantis

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Maike from Doll House

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Princess from Tropix

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Jennifer from Crystal Palace

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Elsa from Club Atlantis

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Lovely Tracy from Tropix

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Sally from Club Asia

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Elaine from Club Atlantis

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Ronalyn from Pony Tails

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Hanelit from Tropix

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Criselle from Crystal Palace

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Ina – Freelance

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Dana from Club Atlantis

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Marie from Tropix

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Winniemar from Tropix

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April from Club Asia

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Maryl from Doll House

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Ruby from Tropix

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Aira from Club Atlantis

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Alicia from Doll House

Some night shots from around Fields Avenue and Perimeter Road: [If you live here locally you can skip this section as you’ve seen it all before. Drop down to No. 7 Bar...]

I’ve been hitting the pavement more and more since jumping onboard with HTH. I’ll be including pictures whenever possible. As an aside, should your face appear in any picture you can contact me directly to have it changed/removed.

A partial picture batch from Walking Street down Don Juico Avenue: You’re probably familiar with all these places already, but for the newbs out there – take a walk down Angeles City’s most famous street (not every establishment is included, just some):

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No. 7 Bar: No. 7 is a part of the complex behind Jumong restaurant, on the MacArthur Highway end of Walking Street.

Really the only strange thing about No. 7 is the location – you have to walk down that short alleyway area directly across from Paradise Beer Garden (look for the gigantic guitar at the end of the walkway). This place would likely be jam packed if it were right on the road. The layout is good – there’s lots of space, plenty of cute dancers, a decent billiards table that isn’t crowded, a proper dartboard, and one of the most friendly bar owners in town, John. He’s recruited himself a good Aussie manager down there as well.

John is from Korea and one of the things I like about him is that he is sometimes out on Fields to greet patrons and walk them inside, and unlike a lot of other owners if he sees you paying up he’ll walk you back out to Fields. He shakes hands on the way in and the way out, that’s not something you see everyday. From managers maybe, but not owners.

No. 7 is one of those places I was surprised about, you know….you walk back in there and you think you’re getting ready to step into a closet but it’s really quite the opposite.

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Stop in for a try. No. 7 does a Sunday promo: buy one Jack Daniel’s, get one free. John also has a beach resort project opening in Bataan next month, I will try to get some pictures of it.

The Living Room Cocktail Bar & Music Lounge: Rooftop Queen’s Hotel

This is one of the best-kept secrets in Angeles at the moment, The Living Room Lounge atop the Queen’s Hotel. Why don’t people know more about this place?

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I’m up there a couple times a week before I hit the streets. It is full of plush leather couches, dim lighting, good music, flat screens, and has a game room with darts, billiards, foosball, beer pong, with nice décor. All this with a view to boot.

It’s all air-conditioned as well which I know a lot of guys prefer. It’s swanky but not over the top. They have a live music duo that performs on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night from 8 PM until 12 midnight.

Another cool trick, if you’re a non-smoker like me you can step out on the balcony for air and sit at one of the tables.

If you are already going to Paradise Beer Garden, Phillies, or Margarita Station – definitely check this location out. You won’t be disappointed.

Queens is located just one block behind Skytrax Disco.

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Wednesday night is Ladies Night – there is a free drink for every unescorted lady, and 50% off drinks for the ladies as well. I haven’t heard the results yet but I think this place has a lot of potential and when the HTH website gets plugged into Facebook in the coming months this place is going to be packed.

I have every intention of doing a more in-depth review of this entire establishment so I’ll save the rest for later, for now take a look at some pictures.

RBI Steak House – Ground Floor Queen’s Hotel: On my way up to The Living Room, I dropped in the RBI Steakhouse to meet up with the co-owner Geoff and exchange information. You can tell he’s been burning the midnight oil making sure this restaurant gets off to a great start. Several times I’ve past by the entrance on my way to the elevator (to go to the Living Room) and I’ve seen Jeff chatting with patrons at the tables. They also accept bitcoin and I’ve noticed some interesting customers come through…..

I’m hearing really great things about the food here. Angeles is starting to get a few more foreign chefs so I expect the quality and attention to detail to start going up.

Jimmy D had a chance to get in there and you’ve probably already read his contribution. I apologize for not having more pictures (especially of the food) – but as a parting gift I snapped a shot of the staff and some of their steaks.

They have a variety of excellent cuts from USDA such as Ribeye, New York strip, Tenderloin, Tomahawk, and T-Bone.

Phillie’s Sports Grill & Bar:

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Phillie’s enjoys one of the best locations in town – central to everything, within walking distance of everything else. Billiards, sports, people watching, and a live bands on the weekends. They are doing a 4th of July Barbecue beginning at 12 noon until late. Special prices on hot dogs, steak sandwiches, and stuff.

More Phillie’s things in the coming months….

New Beginnings: Piccolo Padre’s New Location: Chef Dan has taken up the space over at Prime Asia Hotel. I already liked this hotel before he got there, the only thing they were lacking was a good menu. Problem solved!

Piccolo Padre is one of the very best places to enjoy a meal within a 50mile radius of Angeles. The interior is not ready to be shown just yet but I assume you’ll be updated next month.

Prime Asia is renovating their rooftop as well. They punched out the gym and something “new and exciting” is apparently coming in. Can’t wait to check it out. I think I know what it is already but don’t want to jump the gun…

Zeppelin Suites Condominiums in Hensonville: Their slogan is “Rises Above The Rest” – and let me tell you, this place is on the up and up. All 7-floors of it.

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You might be familiar with one of the partners here, Neil, formerly a partner of the Orchid Group (Orchid Inn, Wild Orchid, and Bourbon Street Condos). He has been involved in various development projects here for years.

Where to begin – first off the location is superb. Being on Zeppelin Street you’re not on a main road but you are just a couple blocks from connecting to one by jumping on Malabanias. Everything is a couple minutes away. This will be an excellent place to live comfortably and quietly.

Without any other tall buildings around you get an unobstructed view of the surrounding areas and the fact that you’re next to a 9-hole golf course doesn’t hurt. The property is set to be mixed-use so there will be some commercial spaces on the bottom floor with a coffee shop, convenience store, or sports bar.

The list of details is extensive so I’ll bullet them here: ·Units Available: ·Studio Type A (35 sqm) ·Studio Type B (55 sqm) ·One-Bedroom A (75 sqm) ·One-Bedroom B (85 sqm) ·Two-Bedroom (140 sqm which is a One-bedroom B plus a studio B) ·The Units: Each unit comes complete with interior design, air-

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conditioning, ceiling fans, fixtures, ceramic tiles, with the kitchen area fitted out with nice cabinets, range with hood, and stone counter tops. You get everything except the furniture, oven, and refrigerator. There are furniture packages available. Each unit has a balcony so you can step outside. They are willing to work with buyers on fixtures if you want to customize. ·The Grounds: 24-hour concierge, swimming pool with garden area, two-elevators, security features. ·Exclusive Features: Car rental (self-driven), car service (with driver), airport pick up and drop off, maid and laundry services, and a helicopter landing pad on the roof.

Their show room is complete and they are open 10 AM to 5 PM, 7-days a week, for you to go down and see for yourself. The same team that did Central Park Tower Resort and Prime Asia Hotel designed Zeppelin Suites. In case you hadn’t noticed, they are two of the nicest new places to stay in town.

If you’re looking to buy or invest, this is the place. The price point is really outstanding. Now through August they are doing a VAT free promo, which will save you about half a million pesos on a one-bedroom unit. You’ll also get a 5% discount if you pay with cash. Additionally, they have flexible payment terms in-house.

For more information and a full list of floor plans check out their website and the map below for location. Zeppelin Suites contact information: Website: www.zeppelinsuites.com

Phone: +6345.304.3016, +63998.224.3692, +63916.449.1253

Email: sales@zeppelinsuites.com

(Map courtesy of Google Maps)

A couple tidbits from Subic: The MV Logos Hope docks at Rivera Pier in SBMA: The MV Logos Hope – the world’s largest floating bookstore is parked in Subic until July 6 before it heads to La Union. Small admission of P20 to park, P20 per person to get in.

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Directions to get there from Barrio Barretto – down the winding hill past the cemetery, hang a right over the bridge on to SBMA, then stay straight going past the hospital (don’t veer left to Royal Duty Free / Harbor Point Mall).

Go through the next stop sign, stay straight and go all the way to the end of the road. When you reach the “T” make a right, and then make another left. Go straight down and look for a manned gate. (If you turn towards the waterfront a few streets early watch out for the one-way that leads you past Texas Joe’s Restaurant, you’ll end up doubling back). The entrance is a few hundred yards from the ship and it’s a P20 manned gate that you have to stop your way through for a second. Stay straight and look for the big white ship.

I was thinking it was going to be levels and levels of books, but it turned out to just be one section of the ship. They lured me in because they promoted themselves online somewhere as a library, alas…..if you’ve ever been inside a Barnes & Noble you’ll want to pass on this, but if you have children they’ll sure enjoy it.

New casual dining restaurant opens on National Highway in Barrio Barretto: Wild Herbs Resto-Bar, located next door to Dynamite Dicks on the waterside of National Highway, literally popped up out of nowhere it seems. (Hence the name, Wild Herbs?) It was raining outside so I didn’t get a good exterior shot, and there are only 5 tables inside with seating for 16 so I didn’t want to bore you with a picture of empty tables. Patio tables are coming soon so folks can sit outside.

This place could double for semi-fine dining given the area it’s in. I met the proprietress, Jocelyn Axtell, who’s also the chef. You’ll pay a very miniscule premium for the quality but from what I can tell she truly cares about the food she’s making and won’t compromise her reputation for less-than-quality ingredients or preparation. You don’t get a huge plate of food, but what you do get is concocted with your taste buds in mind.

It’s always hit-or-miss trying new places without a recommendation from anyone so I was expecting it to be “average” like most places you come across the first time. The main reason I’m even writing this to begin with is because it was much better than I had anticipated.

The Chinese Chicken Salad was spot on – impressed me right from the start. Her Shrimp Pad Thai substitutes usual Thai flat noodles for a more Filipino-style pancit, it still works well especially for a date if (when) you stop by with a lady friend. The Penne Al’ Arrabiata uses decent size chunks of ground beef mixed in with whatever her red sauce recipe is – it was somewhat heavy so I ended up taking it out and finishing the rest back at the hotel later. There was a small hint of sweetness in my pasta sauce, which I tend to believe is a Filipino-style thing, but it was subtle if anything. Either way, none of that food went to waste.

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It was one of the better meals I’ve had in Barretto…..ever. Outside of a handful of places and the hotels, Barretto has been known in the past to lack variety and consistency so I’ll let you know how round two goes.

I’ll follow up with this resto soon, for now you can check their FB account wildherbsrestaurant, or phone +639064971499 for a table reservation.

A couple of cuties from Buccaneer Bar:

A few friends and I stopped in to Buccaneer for a chinwag with the ladies and to throw down a drink with owner Dave Fisher, along with a few of his pals. I really like the Dryden group bars because the girls are super laidback and you get a lot of camaraderie with guys who stop in. Fields Bars especially don’t really promote guy talk like Perimeter and Barretto do.

Some people might say, “why would I want to go in to a bar to talk to guys?” I have one thing to say to that: good luck carrying on a conversation with one of the girls, haha.

Off the beaten track – Part 1: Cock Fighting I want to try and bring HTH reader’s different kinds of content rather than just carpet-bombing you with reviews and girls. Sometimes it is good to shake things up. I’ve decided that every so often I’m going to get off the beaten track and get into some local things that most tourists aren’t really aware of. There are still adventures to be had all over these islands if you are willing to get out there. This time we head to the Fernando Coliseum in Mabiga, Mabalacat.

On Saturday, June 27, I went down to there for my first Cock Fighting event. I never realized how much betting guys are doing on this sport.

I don’t know anything about cock fighting parlance – all I can say is that when you’re there it’s calm one minute, it’s crazy the next, feathers fly, and a victor is announced (if not there isn’t a draw).

You need to be in with one of the locals to have this kind of experience because first, the moment the betting starts the stadium area erupts with noise – guys are yelling numbers, flashing their fingers and hand

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gestures, all this stuff you have no idea about. What guys are looking for is someone offering the best odds and when they take it, it’s locked in.

The fight starts and ends, losers pay up, winners collect.

I only placed one bet for 500 pesos and wouldn’t you know it, the two cocks drew to a tie. They were only fighting for about 8-seconds when they flew right past each other and fell to the ground at the same time.

You might wonder how a tie is possible, well apparently it has something to do with what happens when the referee picks them up after a they make contact. The referee restarts the fight over and over until one cock gives up and does not try to peck (or bite?) the other one. One fight in particular went on for about 5-minutes and the guy standing next to me won P20,000+ (not sure what his wager was though.)

Directions for getting there: From Balibago (Fields Avenue) go down MacArthur Highway past the Dau bus terminal. You’ll pass St. Raphael hospital on the left, Hypermarket on the left, and you stay on MacArthur Highway until you go past the underpass (which is the SCTEX Highway).

At the next 7-11 store, go left, and go left again before you reach the next gated complex – you’ll see a gravel road and there’s a manned booth there for parking admission. P20 for parking a motorbike, P40 for cars, and P350 admission per adult.

Without traffic this ride takes about 8-10 minutes on a trike, but considering Dau is always a traffic jam tack on another 10-15 for good measure.

What do they do with the losing cocks? Well I’ll give you one guess, and it’s finger lickin’ good.

Calendar of July events: If you are an owner/manager/investor and have read this far down, or if you know of anyone who wants their events promoted, have them get in touch. This is not a complete list at this time, it’s just a few things I’ve found while putting this newsletter together.

In the future expect this to be a bigger section – I’m just too bogged down with everything to be more meticulous: Dollhouse Group:

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Independence Day for USA - Saturday, July 4th: For all us Yanks – Tequila Reef Cantina is having their “All You Can Eat” Buffet from 6 PM onwards.

P445 per person, or P805 per couple. Frozen Margaritas will be P120 each. Been there before for this buffet and also Thanksgiving Day – I wish I were in town for this time but unfortunately I’m stepping out.

Additionally, Phillie’s is having a special on some food beginning at 12 noon until late on the 4th.

Elsewhere – UFC 189 on July 11th: (July 12th in the Philippines)

Are you one of the million plus people who felt like the MayweatherPacquiao fight was an overhyped dud? Me too.

UFC 189’s main event features featherweight Brazilian champion José Aldo (25-1) versus the flash Irish kid Conor McGregor (17-2). José is the UFC’s consensus pound-for-pound #1 after Jon “Bones” Jones was stripped of his belt and crown a couple months ago for being a complete idiot.

Aldo is also undefeated in nearly 10-years, riding an 18-fight win streak, really only having been tested (I say that term loosely) two or three times. He has destroyed pretty much everyone he’s faced – and you don’t stay on top of your division for this long by accident.

McGregor on the other hand, is a beast. He’s about as brash and arrogant as the UFC has witnessed. He makes for good television, and the presales on the pay-per-view are the biggest the UFC has ever had. I don’t even know how McGregor makes it down to 145-pounds to fight, his out of competition weight is probably 175-180’ish. He finishes guys early so it will be interesting to see if Aldo can drag him in to deep water in the later rounds.

The co-main event has long time brawler American Robbie Lawler (2510), who is the champion of the welterweight division, up against Canadian Rory McDonald (18-2). Lawler won a “controversial” splitdecision against McDonald in late 2013, and this also looks to be a great battle.

UFC 189 will be on the Balls Channel (Channel 90 for Converge) on th

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Sunday morning at 10:30 AM, July 12 . Head down to Rob’s Gastropub, Phillie’s, or Paradise Beer Garden to catch it with a friend. Order yourself some steak and eggs and let’s hope it’s the blood bath it has the potential to be.

(On July 1 shortly after this newsletter was posted José Aldo had to pull out of this contest with a rib injury. It will now be #2 Chad Mendes (172) vs. Conor McGregor. (17-2) Aldo knocked out Mendes in their first bout and went the distance with a unanimous decision the second time they fought, now McGregor has to earn an interim title before he can try to unify against Aldo at some later date. Bummer!…)

Movies coming out in the SM or Marquee Cinema soon: I’m not sure about the reviews, but here’s a handful of movies guys might like coming out in July: Terminator Genisys – July 1 Ant-man – July 15 Ted 2 – July 15 Point Break – July 29 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – July 31 Some Local Bar Promos: WOW Wednesdays!: Every Wednesday from 6-8 PM enjoy P65 local drinks, P150 ladies drinks, raffle prizes, and finger food from Tequila reef, along with additional guest dancers those nights. These places get packed around this time so show up a tad early if you want a comfortable spot.

Here’s the schedule: July July July July

1 – La Bamba 8 – After Dark 15 – Rhapsody 22 – Monsoon

Manic Mondays: Same info, different places: July 6 – Crazy House July 13 – La Bamba July 20 – After Dark

Status of the new HTH website: I have included some screenshots of the upcoming design change for HTH Version 2.0. This gives you a glimpse of where things are headed. I still haven’t settled on a logo yet but it’s coming.

The first 3 pictures you see what the home page will look like from your desktop or laptop, then mobiles, and then for you tablet users. The site will launch just before August 1st – I am pushing for the 4th week of July so that anyone who wants to check it out can get in and fumble through it to get the feel beforehand.

HTH Desktop & Laptop Version

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HTH Mobile Version

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HTH Tablet Version The site will feature 9 main categories: Hotels, Restaurants, Local Info, News, Entertainment, Classified Ads, Popular, Harry’s Place, and Newsletters. The categories you know from the old website will also be available as subcategories on Harry’s Place.

Like most up-to-date websites, I think what I like most is that the design allows for easy maneuvering from category to category. A guy might be looking at a classified ad and see an article written about your restaurant or something, and click over to see it. From there, he might see a submission from you the reader on one of your experiences in the Philippines, click…click….scroll….click. We filter information so quickly when we receive it bit by bit instead of scrolling the entire page to look for something (like the newsletter forces you to do) – we can quickly pick and choose what we want.

Due to the fact that this is such a huge undertaking, I have to warn everyone that the website will not be completely filled up with information until we (I, for now) begin in August. I would love to be out getting a head start on all these things but I’m going through all of Jimmy’s Newsletters, all 8000-pages in Microsoft Word – to have them SEO optimized and the content divided over each main category. One thing that Google hasn’t done for the HTH website is pick up a lot of content, and that was because this version of HTH as it is not optimized, and second, because there has been scraped content in Jimmy’s newsletters that needs to be fixed. No problem, just takes time to fix it up.

Will there be a forum? No, there will not be a forum. Forums are great and provide guys with a platform to connect and share, but I’ve also seen it get out of hand and pissing contests spill out before moderators can lock

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down a thread. I don’t want to mediate anything, nor do I want to put someone in charge of babysitting what people say either.

The new HTH website will have a simple registration for users to post their comments on each article like I mentioned above.

Plug in your email address, pick a username, and that’s it. You can also tie in with your Facebook account if you find it more convenient (as I know a lot of small businesses around here will want to use their Facebook accounts.)

If someone comments you can respond to their comment and on the surface this appears to be forum-like. A couple paragraphs from now I’ll explain how this will work because it won’t be a free-for-all. There will be levels of controls built in to keep the trolls out, to keep out the 20 or so guys I’ve seen on the forums who just want to rain on the parade, and to keep this website beneficial to everyone, everywhere. Unlike forums that require a registration to see all the sections including the advanced parts, the new HTH website does not. It is still open just like before; however, commenting requires registration.

Forthcoming changes in decorum: It had previously occurred to me that some people want things to stay the same. As I mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter, people are resistant to change.

Here’s what I know: I have received dozens of emails and I’ve met up with hundreds of people during the month of June who know of Jimmy/Harry, and the website itself. The common complaint shared by everyone is that there isn’t someone promoting the tourism here properly, there’s too much doom and gloom, and there’s too much political ranting going on.

I hear you guys.

The new site should help divide the content for you to filter on your own.

Jimmy’s political rants are great for guys who want to know what is being thought by someone like Jimmy – current state of affairs around the West and whatnot. These are the type of guys who might watch a bit of Fox News, and read political on goings in the world. I know plenty of guys who are in to this and that’s the main reason why I won’t get rid of it.

I’m not a political guy and from the very start I told Jimmy that he can continue the political rants section all he wants because it is not and will not be my area of focus moving forward.

Here’s the hard part: Some would say this is the impossible part, actually….

Accountability. For example, If I write a short article about a laundry shop on Narciso Street with their location, contact number, and rates, you might not see the hundreds of good reviews they should have received because people tend to not take the time to review a place if they have had a good experience. However, if someone has a bad experience they come out guns a blazin’…..and that could really paint a lopsided picture of what the business is hoping to accomplish.

I know this kind of thing happens all the time. A friend of mine here owned a home and hotel massage service. In my opinion they were the best in town before she recently turned the business over to someone else (it was a hobby for her as far as I could tell – her family owns one of the largest businesses in Pampanga so they aren’t hurting for money).

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I recommended them to everyone I knew, and which massage therapists were the best – everyone I referred said they had a good experience.

They were reliable and consistent, and that’s hard to find anywhere in this town. I felt good because my recommendation helped the business and helped my friends work out their kinks. Win-win.

One time a friend of a friend I recommended them to went spastic because they charged him the regular rate of P350 per hour for his massage. He knew the price before they arrived because he saved the text messages. Apparently I had been receiving the “preferred rate” of P250 for years and years because I was one of their early clients and helped promote their business, and I lived close to their home base.

Rates were different out on Clark if they had to drive further. He got all bent out of shape and then tried to tell all our other mutual friends that they were crap and that he didn’t enjoy his massage. I used them weekly for years without a single incident, and he tries them once and goes nuts over P100? Give me a break.

In order to prevent this: All of the comments on the website will be reviewed before actually showing up on the site for the public to view. I don’t expect there to be a ton of comments because people may find it easier to just message me directly for a reader submission. We’ll see how it goes.

This process will be done for a few reasons: One, there will be a need to make sure that the language in the comments is useful and bearable to all audiences. When people are angry they tend to stop being constructive. If there is any foul language mentioned in a comment, it will never go online – period. Two, it will allow someone to contact the owner to let them know of the review if necessary (I believe auto-contact might be built in to the article commenting actually, but I’m still checking.) Three, it will allow that owner to rectify the situation, respond, and if they want, perhaps have the review lifted. I suspect that reviews will remain up long enough for people to read them if they are checking in on that particular article and reading different things regularly. If there are no changes to the review it means the owner didn’t care to follow up and it will just stick. It’s better to PROMOTE businesses rather than tear them down, and certain agencies here are never going to change. The process of promotion will drive more and more people to the businesses we use on a regular basis and people will figure it out from there.

I remember when I first arrived here 6-years ago I was like, “where do I find this?” Word of mouth is still practically the only way to get pointed in the right direction around here. Soon, not anymore. Have some patience, it will get built out over time.

The new Local Info section gets tricky: By far the largest section on the new website in terms of subcategories will be the local info section.

Local info is alpha listed starting from accounting services, acupuncture, dentists, doctors, going all the way down to water delivery services and wholesale stores.

If you want to focus on one topic, you can do just that. Refer someone to the new website to find something locally – from carpenters to home massage services, you name it. As for the tourism side well……I have absolutely no problem with promoting the right kinds of businesses in each section of the website. If you care about your business and your customer, you should be listed on the new website. By the way, there is no charge to be listed.

These businesses will be listed solely so that HTH readers can identify what they want as quickly as possible. As the site develops in the coming months/years and these sections fill up – whether through the course of our work, or the course of your contribution by mentioning a certain place or places that you enjoy using for your services, it will grow into what I hope it will be.

Reflecting on the overall goals of HTH Version 2.0: As it was mentioned in one of the reader submissions listed above, there will be more reviews of hotels, restaurants, and the local practices. If I visit a place I will share that experience.

Jimmy D has been writing a certain way for years: he introduces you to

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the newsletter, provides reader submissions, news topics, tidbits, tourists, I would if I could, reviews of local businesses, and usually closes off with political rants. His contributions over the years will provide the foundation for which the site is built on. Moving forward, my feet will be on the pavement, pictures will be plentiful, and I’ll be getting back to your emails as quickly as possible.

My HTH newsletters will be content driven first – I will link to news articles and summarize where possible, write fresh content about topics and minimize the amount of copying and pasting that is done. Not because I don’t want to be unoriginal, but because I’d prefer to stay in the good graces of Google et al.

One of my goals with HTH V2.0 is to promote to a younger crowd while still balancing it out so that the older guys don’t run for the hills. Hence the overhaul. More Lifestyle stuff. Samples. Pictures. Ideas. Trips.

Bachelor type stuff sometimes, with plenty of throwbacks for the guys who are settled down with families and whatnot.

Current or Future advertisers: I can tell everyone now that the advert places on the new website will consist of banner ads 728 x 90 (width/height) and 250 x 250 pixel (square) advertisements. The home page of the new HTH website will not have any flashing .gif advertisements on it, nor will the new newsletters. People want to read without flashing in their eyes. If you wish to supply me with a .gif file for the other pages on the site that will be fine – there is plenty of advertising space to be taken.

The best thing to do if you’re interested is to supply me with multiple kinds of banners or square adverts and we can go from there starting in August. If you have a graphic design artist I would ask them to produce each size in both .jpg (or .png) and also .gif if you wish. Having both will make the transition from this site to the next much easier. I will be in touch with you soon and rates will not change for you until September however negligible that may be.

I didn’t even mention the Phantom 3 Drone that I bought and my plans for shooting aerial…..oh wait, I guess I just did. More on that later…

Conclusions…

Writing this newsletter was challenging but this kind of thing is right up my alley. I already know where I have failed though. I have been so busy running around, and punching up the past HTH site content that I didn’t get as much into this as I wanted. I typed a lot yeah, but the local events, and news, weren’t as good as I wanted them to be (and if Jimmy didn’t pick up the slack there’d be no news at all.)

I know a lot of older guys hate change and will probably despise the fact that a young buck like me has a voice and a wide audience to cast it out to. I’m a fairly respectful guy and I understand that this is not a process many people are fond of. I’m with you – change usually sucks, because it seems that most things change for the worse; that, or we only notice the bad changes because our brains don’t get the same reward as when things change for the better.

Do me the courtesy of giving me a chance to get things going around here before you crucify me. I’m open to suggestions and constructive criticism is always ok. Also, if you see me out and about please stop me or get my attention, I’m always approachable and the networking aspect has the potential to help everyone. My role as facilitator around here is not complete without the local guys who are also willing to give me their two cents.

August will likely produce another monthly newsletter, because previously I was adamant about switching over to weekly updates. Now that I’ve composed this newsletter, which looks to be the longest newsletter ever on HTH V1.0 because of all the pictures, I think the new format will be like this….

I will update the website daily or randomly whenever I feel, and topics of urgent nature will be posted on the front page as soon as they are confirmed by multiple sources.

I’ll also write a monthly newsletter to draw attention to and/or summarize

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the updates that I make throughout the month so you the audience have a couple options to choose from: Option A would be to check in here whenever you want to get a dose of what’s happening because things will constantly be updated and new posts/articles written. Or, Option B and you wait until the 1st of the month and get it all in one shot with extras when the newsletter is published.

The newsletter won’t be an exact summary of what took place over the month, it will highlight some things and contain content not yet posted.

I plan to publish the newsletter on or before 12 midnight on the 1st of each month, which corresponds with the last day of the month around most of the world.

Now that the new website will be mobile-friendly, you can always check HTH V2.0 out from the airport when you’re stuck waiting for your delayed flight to take off. Haha.

Many thanks to everyone who scrolled all the way down. See you next month!

JD & JC JD: jimharryhorse@gmail.com JC: rememberthehorse@gmail.com

Stats for this newsletter: Word count: 23,509 Pages in Microsoft Word (before pictures and adverts): 53 1/3 Pictures included: 113 Adverts included: 25

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