American Flag of the United States of America (USA Flag), originally uploaded by jcolman.

One step closer to getting back to America. Thanks to the generosity of some very special friends back in Illinois, Jeff and Julie Hart (and Bella!), The Sainted Patient Wife and I will be back in Illinois by the end of June. I cannot begin to even express how gratefulwe are to the Harts, and we appreciate their kindness so much. Melinda had to be back in America by July 15th or lose her Permanent Resident Status, but we will now be able to return to the States in time.

Went to Iloilo to retrieve some funds from the ATM and purchase tickets to Manila since SPW has some sisters and brothers there and we will booking our flight to Illinois from a travel agency in Manila. I advised the Sainted OneTHREE times that I was leaving for Iloilo to purchase the tickets to Manila. Cost 29 US dollars each for the trip. I even texted SPW to let her know I was in the ticket office getting ready to buy the plane tickets from Cebu Pacific. Get home back to “The Compound”and fry some chicken fingers (you didn’t know chicken’s had fingers, huh?) for my lunch, and the Boss says to me that we will have to pay extra for luggage since we are taking the plane and not the boat to Manila. I said I know that, but she is the one that wanted to take Cebu Pacific. Too late now, I advised her. She said she would not take any clothes then. OK, by me, said I, told her that she could just go shopping in Illinois with her best shopping bud, Lourdes. She was happy with that answer and dropped the subject. All you have to do is say the magic word “shopping!” Ha ha, sometimes my brilliance even amazes me!

Also, a big thanks to Richard and Lourdes Landry (SPW’s shopping buddy) who are going to put us up in their home (again) until we find a place of our own. Richard’s magic rabbit, Snowball Landry, has agreed to give up a corner of his outside hutch for me.

POSTED BY THE ROOSTER CROWS AT 4AM! 

LABELS: GOING BACK TO THE AMERICA

Is The Rooster Coming Back? Not as “The Rooster Crows at 4am!” But there is an extremely strong possibility I will be returning with another blog in the near future. It will be agrittier look at life in the Philippines blended with tips on how to live cheaply in the Philippines. I will close my other blog,Philippines. Live Cheap!, and combine it with my new blog (thanks to a suggestion from a faithful Rooster supporter, Lance the Canadian.) Hopefully the new blog will be humorous at times, and it will contain more controversial topics I have not covered in this current blog. The new blog will be opened up for comments again. But gone, for the most part, will be the cutesy photos of my nieces and nephews. There are plenty of other blogs where you can see pictures of cute kids and pets. I will also be featuring stories and images about Filipinos that live here. Tell their tale about the adversity millions daily endure in the Philippines just to survive. How can I do that if we plan to return to America? Only the future will tell.

POSTED BY THE ROOSTER CROWS AT 4AM! 

LABELS: THE ROOSTER’S RETURN

“The Compound“, in beautiful San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras province, Philippines, is finally getting a fresh outside coat of paint. I have posted the obligatory “before” and “after” pictures. And yes, we go for the bright and gaudy colors! Mensha Yellow with Song of Green accents. The Sainted Patient Wife and our brother-in-law, Joery, are finishing Phase One today. Took three gallons of white latex paint plus one and-one-half liters of yellow for the main color. Another four liters of green for the trim work. Phase One involves painting half of the outside of our house, the front and the new Comfort Room side that faces our dusty, cow poop-filled subdivision road. Approximate cost for the paint in US currency was $48 dollars. Joery cost us around an extra three bucks because he thought it was OK to mix water with paint to thin it out. It produced a different shade of green that was already painted. When SPW told me this, I just walked away. Joery offered to pay for a new liter and even though we pay him top wages of just a little over five dollars a day, I advised Joery that I would cover the cost. Phase Two, which will commence next month, will involve painting the other half of “The Compound” plus the front porch.

I know. We are planning our move back to America and now doing this work (not that I personally am doing anything.) Didn’t want to leave the house looking like crap when we left. Things are picking up financially for us as SPW has started selling small bags of ice for about five cents a pop (for you Filipino insiders out there, the plastic bags are the same size as the sari sari stores put drinks in.) She raked in about 70 cents yesterday. It was hot! Around 98 degrees, and the same is forecast for today. I sit behind the computer with a fan blowing. We only use the air con in our bedroom at night. If we ran the air con all day it would be too expensive. At the end of May this will be the first full month we have used it. Keep it around 72. The rainy season is supposed to start in less than two weeks. Will cool things off a bit. Still planning to be in the States before July. Will keep you posted.

POSTED BY THE ROOSTER CROWS AT 4AM! 

LABELS: THE COMPOUND MAKEOVER

Getting ready for the move back to America. Should be flying out late next month. Since I won’t have much time to update the blog or look at any possible comments, I have disabled the comment section for now. Thanks for your past support, and I apologize to those that have tried to comment. I am considering a new blog in the future once we get back to America. Thanks again!

POSTED BY THE ROOSTER CROWS AT 4AM! 

The Sainted Patient Wife and I went to theShirven Hotel in San Miguel, Guimaras province, the Philippines. Only about a ten minute walk from “The Compound” where we live. I had spoken to a couple of foreigners the past few months that had recommended going to the Shirven on a Friday night. Seems a lot of other “kano’s” get together to socialize and have a meal. I surprised SPW and advised her we were going on a “date” a couple of Friday nights ago and have dinner at one of San Miguel’s hot night spots. After I picked her up from the floor and brushed the lizard poop out of her hair, she said that sounded great.

Arrived just a little past six pm and could not find our way into the restaurant so we walked to the back where we stumbled into the dining room entrance. We were greeted by a couple of staff workers and looked around and did not see any huge crowds. In fact, we saw no else but the hotel employees. I advised our waitress that I heard from some other foreigners that this is the gathering place on Friday nights. Seems like the owner, an American, was not back from his stay in the States and would not return until June. From what I understood, there were more patrons when the proprietor returned.

I was hungry and was not going to have a lack of customers deter me from feeding my belly. We ordered fried cheese sticks and fried squid appetizers (very reasonably priced for a total of about three bucks in USD.) Fish and chips sounded good to me, and SPW got the catch of the day, red snapper. The food was delicious and the total cost of the meal, with two cans of soda and two San Migs in frosted mugs, was just a little over 14 dollars. The service was excellent, and when we left there were still not any dining customers though there were occupants in the hotel. Check out this link to the Shirven Hotel for details on their room rates. The Sainted One and I will definitely be returning for another Friday night meal, and had quite a positive experience. Enjoy the little lizards crawling above the wall next to the bar, it just adds to the ambiance, and hey! this is the Philippines!

POSTED BY THE ROOSTER CROWS AT 4AM! 

LABELS: THE SHIRVEN HOTEL IN SAN MIGUEL