Philosophical 11

Thanks BEVS for moving that post. It is a separate subject worthy of its own thread.

All quiet here. The lovely lady has not asked for the 10k to start her rice business yet. Another uncle who is a fisherman has sent her 15 kilo of big prawns to sell locally here. She used her allowance for that. She is also starting to act as an on-line agent for a resort here. I like her enterprise.

Father has borrowed 5k from me for one week. The reasons for which went over my head. She has asked for 3k advance of next months allowance. Again the reason went over my head. Doesn't matter.... I don't like to be seen as interrogating. I know I will be repaid.

Had repairs to windows which the landlady paid for and also to the drainage outside. She seems very accommodating and friendly.

All for now

Best regards

Philosophical 11

Small update.

Forgot to mention that the chicken that appeared in our garden went the next day. Fortunately there was no great drama when I complained. I expected a Pinay pout or its the chicken or me situation.

No food appears to be going out of the front or back doors. If something does go, she tells me why. She let 6 bottles of orange go to her family.... because the bottles were old. Just an example of her reasoning. Don't mind, as long as she tells me.

The prawn enterprise has so far been a failure. I suggested before she buys 15 kilo of large prawns for 3k she finds out if there is a demand for it here. We know a few restaurants and she was convinced that there would be no problem. Anyway...I am just a foreigner. What do I know? She want to sell at 350 per kilo. We sold one kilo to a friend. Looks like we are going to have prawns now for the next few months for dinner.

She came up with a bright idea this morning. "Lets buy a pig". She wanted to keep it at the back of our house. Which is a few metres from our bedroom. Now, she has been complaining about the neighbours pig for a while now because of the smell. But our pig will be fed on special food and will not smell. She wanted to buy a young pig for 1k and sell 3 months later for 3.5k. I queried the maths and could see no profit or merit bearing in mind the cost of food and paying one of the family to slop out etc. Never mind pig noises outside our bedroom at night or the cost of concrete foundations and fencing etc. This resulted in the famous Pinay pout and I was sent to Coventry for about an hour. My internment in Coventry seems to be getting shorter each time thankfully. I eventually asked if she loves me or the pig. The pig lost.

I don't think it was her idea. She has an uncle working on our house at the moment (paid by the landlady) and he has been laying concrete amongst other things. I think it was his idea. More work and pay for him. So, when I said no, she lost face maybe. Just guessing. I still cannot understand how the Pinay mind works sometimes. I figured this could be the thin edge of the wedge...ie Lets buy 3 more pigs.

Anyway, we went to the market and bought a melon. Happy days!

Regards

quiltman

Oh No! Another melon. you'll be getting worn out Pete. This is a Pinoy plot to get you exhausted so you can be taken advantage of. Sorry about the prawns - I would have had a kilo from you but we're too far away. Keep the updates coming, bring a little light relief to my day!

Philosophical 11

Thanks quiltman..... been trying to tell her that Red Horse beer works just as well. She sadly does not believe me!

Sister who owes 5k asked to borrow another 5k mainly for her sons birthday party today. She says she will repay the 10k in the 3rd week of September.

Her son wanted lechon to celebrate on the day so off we went to the market and she bought a pig. I asked where the pig was going to be kept and was told in her fathers house. Later that day, said pig arrived at my place and tethered. I asked her what was going on and she said it would be only for a few days. There was no room at fathers house. I was a tad annoyed about this as she had misled me about where it would be kept. Also, no-one asked me. The phrase "Would it be ok if...." seems to be missing from their language. I sometimes feel like a mushroom....kept in the dark and fed on s..t. Anyway, her father happily removed the pig but her face again resembled that of a bulldogs face stung by a wasp. The famous pinay pout was on. I emerged from Coventry after a couple of hours and explained that if I was asked to keep the pig here, I would have said yes. I think the penny dropped. She asked yesterday if the pig could be prepared here after it was slaughtered. I said yes.

Went to a funeral the other day. I was taken aback when I saw it was 3 separate funerals in one. I was more staggered when I heard that after 7 or 8 years the remains are removed from the entombed coffin and placed in a special area with all the other remains. I believe all the remains are dumped together. Then the grave if I can call it that is used again. I was saddened by the state of the cemetery. Huge concrete blocks lumped together in no semblance of order, a lot in state of disrepair. It looked like a scrap yard for cars I used to see back in the UK. It looked like a scrapyard for people. Far different to our cemeteries where those who have passed on can rest in peace in serene and peaceful surroundings. Homeless kids live there also.

Last night we had a bit of drama. Walking home from the beach at dusk (we normally take a tricycle) but she wanted to walk and a young boy in his mid teens ran from behind us and as he overtook us, tried to grab her purse and phone. He failed and ran on into the night. It happened too quick for me to react. A trip to the police station followed where we were advised to get CCTV cameras fitted inside and outside the house. I thought that was irrelevant to the case but never mind. But I was deeply hurt by what she said. She asked why I did nothing at the time. After all I am a big man and he was a kid. Explaining that it happened in a split second and I could not run after him in my flip flops. The fact that he could have a knife did not seem to matter and nothing was stolen. She said that she no longer feels safe with me. That hurt. A pinay pout followed with another visit to Coventry.

Today is the day of the kids birthday and all appears well after an uneasy night. We went to the market today for food etc. She suggested we get a crate of Red Horse.

Bye for now

Regards all

quiltman

Hi ! Thanks for todays smile!
Yes, the cemeteries here are a bit of a disgrace. You lease the concrete box then the bones are slung into a communal ossiary and the space re-used. As you say, not like English churchyards where the grave space is yours and even if cremated, your ashes can be buried in a marked plot. Used to enjoy sitting in the local graveyard in contemplation but no way can that be done here. The kids living in the cemeteries here are often paid to look after the "boxes" and keep the space around them tidy.

glad the attempted theft failed , but you were right in not chasing after him in flip flops - and as you say he could have had a knife , or a gun , then where would your GF be? No amount of pouting would help! We're lucky in that our sons fiancees family 1. Do not live very near and 2) Would never ask for money etc as they are better off than we are!

In my case, Red Horse would have the opposite effect to that intended, probably due to age. A pair of chopsticks and some duct tape would likely be more effective.

BEVS

I am also relieved you did not run in your flip flops. I can testify that this is a foolhardy form of exercise as I once broke my own ankle flopping off my own flip flop.

I find the idea of re-internment of bones after just 7/8 years rather unsavory. There is an irish family plot in Waterford and that gravesite has been opened several times to inter a body. The last one being my uncle.The next one being my cousin after which I will have the site closed for good as I shan't be buried there. However, at least the remains .....remain.

Stokkevn

, suggest you get a dog, I have a few that roam the property, not even close family dare just open the gate and come in, even though the dogs would only make a noise. If I go wandering around in the evening where either feel a bit unsafe or have not been before I take my young dog on a lead with me who is only friendly but Filipinos can not tell the difference between a dog friendly or killer mode.

Gazza-d

A bit off topic but they do clear graveyards here in the UK. Have you ever noticed a row of headstones lined up along the cemertary wall. It usually only happens when a grave stops being maintained for a long time, but it does happen.

Stokkevn

See attached for how bodies are treated here when you can not afford the box you thought you should have and are required to downsize.
http://online.wsj.com/media/1030pow204.jpg
Please ensure breakfast is a few hours away, not pleasant but a fact of life here. Hence my living will says 'Cremation and then thrown in a river'

Philosophical 11

Thanks all for replies. Had a disturbing episode a week ago which puts doubt on my stay here

As you may remember, I am in a rented house which I have furnished myself and any repairs have been carried out by the owner (friend of the family) without problem.

When we moved in we were told we had first option on purchase of the house and land when I had the money and inclination. Gf mentioned to me that the perimeter wall was in a state of disrepair which was true, but no different to others around us and no worse when we moved in. Certainly not dangerous. She wanted it repaired and I was reluctant because it would be no small expense on the landlady with whom we have excellent relations.

I didn't want to rock the boat. Landlady was contacted and to cut a long story short we were told to move out within a year or buy.

Gf asked me again to buy and again I explained I could not at the moment. This resulted in one upset gf leaving the house to go to mothers house and saying she will leave and go back to Kuwait to earn money for her own house.

She came back a couple of hours later and apologised the next day. She is very prone to these sort of tantrums although 95% of the time she is a very caring and loving lady.

However, it certainly has put a question mark over my future here and with her. We shall see.

Best regards

Philosophical 11

Apologies for the layout on my last post. Laptop problems maybe

InVinoVeritas

There is a bug on BE at the moment. You need to go into your profile and select the standard editor with extra formatting (not WYSIWYG). I'll sort your post out for you.

Philosophical 11

Many thanks....done. :-)

InVinoVeritas

Bit of a tricky one this. Maybe when the dust has settled you could suggest sharing the cost of repairing the wall with the landlady in return for extending the rental period?

Gazza-d

I would never considder buying a property for a gf. Don't forget you can't buy it yourself.