 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
JANUARY 2004 by the masses, once again overcoming the educated minority that have more sense. Naturally the first action he would take when gaining office is to pardon Joseph Estrada, pay homage to Imelda and get further instruction from Cojuanco. There is always a positive side in that those expats living here and spending dollars will continue to see the peso weaken if this scenario does in fact take place. This in turn will encourage more tourism, especially to Angeles City where your dollar, Australian dollar as well, will definitely stretch further. The Presidential election in the States should be interesting as well and thank goodness the rag heads in Iraq can't vote as they no doubt would help to elect the "Dean" of Bush bashers so that, finally, Saddam could come out of hiding and attend the inauguration. (yep, wrote this before the ass-wipe Saddam was caught and of course Dean still insisted in putting his foot in his mouth. OK, I don't like Dean or Hillary either). Yes folks, '04 should be an interesting year, one in which you would be a lot happier just coming over to Angeles City and bury your heads in San Miguel with the rest of us. Happy New Year! TOURIST OF THE MONTH
Last month when Robert Sullivan (Sullo) invited me to visit the Blue Orchid Room in the Sphinx Club, there was, buried behind at least 10 lovely ladies one Cary Biggart who, believe me, was one very happy individual who had no desire to leave that room and was trying to figure out how to stay there the entire length of his trip. Not only was he being well taken care of, but he was celebrating his retirement from the US Army after 21 long years and would you believe that his last assignment was in Korea and on 29 Dec he will report to work in Korea as a GS-11, only two months after retiring as an E-7. His joy at getting this civilian job was evident but what made it even greater is that he can now visit the Philippines every 3 months instead of every six and have more money to spend as well. When in town he stays at his favorite hotel, the Phoenix which happens to be the favorite domicile for many of the active duty and civilian folks from Korea. One thing is for sure, as long as it exists, Cary will be found in the Blue Orchid Room every three months. For details on how to gain entry to the "Blue Room" see Sullo at the Sphinx and believe me, Harry the Horse guarantees that this is a room worth visiting and possession of SPEAKING OF CLOSURES Another Club that I was going to feature with pictures and text was the Kangaroo Club as I visited there in early December and while talking to the owner we discussed the reasons for the low patronage and what could be done. I did not have any suggestions as I thought the ladies on stage were plentiful with quite a few looking good enough to attract some attention. The one problem was that they did not have a manager other than the Mamasan and that is not always a positive for a night spot on Fields Ave; additionally, trying to run a club from as far away as Las Vegas, NV is rather difficult. A week after I took the data for this months column the old Kangaroo must have run out of steam as the doors to the club were closed and the excuse is "renovation" which seems rather strange but maybe it will reopen again, sometime in the future, possibly with a new owner??? TIDBITS This is not confirmed but I heard on the street that possibly "Club Amore" and "The Club" might be closing at the end of December. I will let you know one way or the other in Feb. The parking lot adjacent to the Blue Nile Hotel (Tropicana) has had a for sale sign up for quite some time and I suspect that the P20 million price tag will mean that it will stay up for quite a while longer. Congrats go out to Marcus & MJ Fahy on their recent marriage. Marcus was adamant about my not showing a picture even though I was able to take a very nice shot and will present it to him one of these days. The very simple ceremony at the Oasis was made special by the attendance of Marcus's very proud mother. Pop into Honey Ko's bar to say goodbye to part time manager English John who will be leaving in February to work on the Harry Potter 4 movie. Those sequels do go on! TAPS - After a very long illness (brain Tumor) retired US CMSgt Ralph Bridges passed away on 19 Dec at the Mt. Carmel Hospital. Ralph was a friend to many of the veterans in this area who, after he retired, stayed in the Philippines and worked as a civilian in the Civilian Personnel Office at Clark AB right up to the closure of the base in Dec 91. It was reported in the local paper last month that a dancer at Blue Berry Hill, Maricel, was murdered by her Filipino boyfriend who was pissed because she came home late and he suspected that she had a boyfriend. In a jealous rage he stabbed her repeatedly with an ice-pick. Why mention this? Well, some visitors to this country think that all Filipinos are nice gentle people who would do no harm but that is far from the truth. The men have violent tempers and can be extremely sensitive and if filled up with enough booze would kill their own relations much less a foreigner. So, when visiting here, be advised to stay away from Filipinos that have been drinking and for sure, do not get in an argument with one. The same man that loved you in the afternoon will kill you at night if you piss him off. I WOULD IF I COULD
Many of you may not get to the Swagman because it is located quite a distance from Fields Avenue but it might be worth your effort to jump on the Swagman free transportation vehicle that traverses Fields Ave and be prepared to enjoy the restaurant, pool, racing, and the air-conditioned comfort/pleasures of Shaggers bar. Just in case you might not think it is worth the effort check out my "I would if I could" young lady, Cheryl who is quite a charmer. She is from IlioIlio, 25 years old and does have two kids, a boy and a girl (6 & 4 yrs old). She came to the Swagman after suffering physical abuse from her Filipino mate and after taking a few days to recover started work at Shaggers in November, last year. You can catch Cheryl any day from 1500-2300 hrs and buying her a ladies drink would only cost you P85. Now, isn't that worth a trip to the Swagman?
THE MAN The man is John Hollis and this picture reminds me of the "Lone Ranger" as John rides his mechanized horse along with his trusted side kick Romel. Both John and I are old enough to remember that great TV series and we both share a lot of years here in Angeles City but John is the far more successful businessman as over the years he has made the name "Garfields" well known in town but now sits back in semi-retirement. Do not be swayed by John's laid back demeanor displayed now-a-days for he had a very active interesting career with the US Army Special Forces during the Vietnam conflict that has left him with a few painful memories of that time of his life. Right now he holds court at the "Other Bar" and can also be found enjoying a coffee at the Phoenix in the morning and to enjoy a coffee or drink with John is to enjoy a bit of time and conversation with a living legend in this town. When you need a break from chasing the ladies, drop in and say hello to the "Lone Ranger" who still shoots "bullets" but they are not silver anymore.
A HELPING HAND The Philippine International Hospital (PIH) has embarked upon support of two charity organizations to provide medical services to local indigents. The Shriners (Mount Arayat Shrine Oasis of Angeles City and Mabuhay Shrine Oasis of Olongapo) provide assistance to crippled and burned children. Among other sources the Shriners obtain money for this endeavor from the annual Love of Children Golf Tournament sponsored by Health Visions Corporation. It was held November 21 at Mimosa on Clark. Mr. Cliff Wilsey of VFW Post 2485 coordinates operations for cataracts, harelip and cleft palate for any child recommended to him by a VFW member.
The Shriners brought to PIH a 21-month old little girl who suffered from dislocation of the right hip joint from birth. The results of this were one leg appearing shorter than the other and a permanent limp. On November 15 at PIH a team of six physicians, including three orthopedic specialists: Dr. Juan A. Legaspi, Pediatric Orthopedic Specialist who trained in the USA, Dr. Alex Duque, and Dr. Frederico Maralit, gave their services free and conducted a four hour operation to open the hip joint and rotate the right thigh bone to correct the problem. If necessary, they will conduct a second operation. High Shereef Albert Mitchell is pictured here with mom and daughter as they show up for a follow up examination at the PIH. It was a pleasure to receive a message from Larry (Tassie) Smith who was born in Tasmania and in response to my question as to whether Queensland was the best place in Australia Larry had this to say: "Well I live in Brisbane, the capital city and must agree that it is a very nice state. However, I was born in the smallest state of Tasmania and if you really want to know about beauty, it's Tasmania (or Tassie for short) which must get first prize". OK folks, Queensland and Tasmania, both sound good but now Tasmania sounds a bit more interesting, what say you? In December I was able to visit Hidden Vale a couple of times and it appears that patronage is picking up and I think I saw some improvements being made to the facility. Maybe, just maybe we will see a few surprises in the first quarter of 04. Keep paying those dues and enjoy the consumable rebate and be patient, I remain a bit optimistic about the future of this club. Mind you, I consider 04 to be a critical year where improvement must be shown in order to keep the confidence of the present members. During the last Angeles City Businessmen's Luncheon I had the opportunity A few months ago I wrote about some investors that were planning to establish an entertainment center and leisure complex in a 14.8 hectare area within the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) and recently it was announced by Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President Emmanuel Y. Angeles that a signed Lease Agreement with Dragon First Consolidated, Inc. (DPCI), an American-owned firm had been signed. This is a project that would certainly create a lot of jobs at the CSEZ and also be a boon for the local economy but, and there is always a BUT, there is a chance that the whole project may never get off the ground. The reason is that it all hinges on the construction of a Las Vegas style casino and hotel and to date, the PAGCOR (Philippine Gaming Commission) is holding up licensing. Naturally, the debate is on percentage share and without going into any details it is the same old Philippine story of the Government asking for a bit too much. Is it any wonder that in Thailand the baht is now at B39.60 to the dollar whereas the peso is at P55.20 as the Thai economy continues to grow as that government has learned to encourage foreign investment by reducing the red tape and being honest in their dealings with foreigners. Of course, the good news is that as long as the powers that be in the Philippines continue on their present path, it remains a great place to attract tourists as their dollars go much further than if visiting Thailand. It is becoming more and more expensive for expats to live in Thailand and many are thinking of spending more time in the Philippines or even relocating here permanently. RICHARD AGNEW RETURNS
In mid December Richard Agnew returned to the Philippines from Thailand after resting up from his unfortunate three month detention in Manila by his hosts, the Bureau of Immigration. Enough publicity has been presented in the media and on the various message boards as to how this came about but it is hoped that in this new year of 2004 the harassment of various foreign individuals connected with the entertainment industry in this town will be discontinued unless a "real crime" is being committed. It was so good to be able to greet Richard again and immediately, the positive results of his return were obvious. The atmosphere at Nero's Club improved considerably and business picked up to where it will not take long to recapture the attendance lost during Richard's absence. Work on the Tropicana Hotel, now renamed the Blue Nile Executive Hotel is back on schedule and one of the VIP rooms has already been reserved for a seven month period by a customer that was very impressed by what he saw. A proud Richard gave me a quick tour of the hotel interior and, believe me, it was very impressive.
Its interior decoration for the rooms and hallways is similar to that found in the Blue Nile Executive Room. The VIP rooms will be the most sought after for their space, Jacuzzi bath. All rooms have a TV with built in DVD player, electronic safe and programmed access cards (no keys to hand in each day), double glazed windows (very little outside noise), telephone and wi/fi interconnection is also planned. The VIP rooms will cost $60 a day and standard at $40. The lobby is still under construction but one can already see how impressive it will be and Richard has plans for the area where the pool is located that will have to wait until the main building is up and running and the construction fund is replenished. Anyone checking into the hotel will be presented with free drink tickets to any of the clubs under the Hotel's umbrella of operations. Hopefully, the pictures shown here will give you an idea of what to expect and as usual, Richard's touch of class is very evident. Welcome back Mr. Agnew, you were missed!
AUSTRALIA DAY FIESTA 2004 Just when you thought that Christmas and the New Year partying had come to a close along comes something that promises to be just as intoxicating and as much fun. The 3rd annual Australia Day Festival kicks off on January 16th with a very busy schedule of events over the next 10 days which are guaranteed to have something for everyone. Started in 2002 the festival was the idea of a couple of Aussies to not only celebrate Australia Day but also as a means to raise some money for charities around town with the Angeles City Returned Servicemen's League (RSL) children's fund as the main benefactor. The Festival has gone from strength to strength over the last few years so much so that the organization and work load have become so great that the Rotary Club of Clark Centennial (RCCC) has joined in to help along. This year all monies raised will be divided between the RSL Children's fund and the Bahay Bata Center which is operated by the RCCC for street children. Funds are used for accommodation, education and health needs. The Festival has also generated a lot of expat support with Pommies, Yanks and many other nationalities becoming honorary Aussies for the duration. It all starts on Friday the 16th with the Angeles City Businessmen's Club hosting a Luncheon at the Fiesta Garden Hotel where representatives from the Australian Embassy and other notables will be in attendance. Over the following weekend sporting events such as Golf, Lawn Bowls, Cricket, Touch Football and more will be played. Another highlight occurs on Thursday evening with the Miss Australia/Philippines Beauty Pageant being held at the Orchid Resort. The competition is open to all females over the age of 18 and features disciplines in evening wear and swimwear. Miss Charity Queen and Miss Australia/Philippines will be crowned on the night. Great prizes are up for grabs and the competition is sure to be close. A BUSINESS LUNCH Some business lunches can be boring but seldom are the folks that gather for the monthly Angeles Business Men's luncheon bored and last month was no exception as serious minded lads gathered at the New Stampede Club to socialize, eat, and listen to Pat Lynch reminding one and all that 04 dues are to be paid up. Peter O'Donnell was the MC for the raffle that had some darn good prizes and one was so good that Peter had to put it up for grabs again lest he get in trouble. The luncheon does have a serious objective in that local businessmen get to meet each other, greet newcomers, exchange information and relay pertinent information that might benefit all in attendance. There are a few distractions but most of the lads never lose their concentration or their self control.
CADDY SHACK Even though I pass the place quite often it has been a fairly long time since I visited the Caddy Shack so I decided to pop in and see if the lads in attendance were still friendly. This is a bar that is located in a prime location because of the new construction of hotels in the area that will no doubt bring them in a heck of a lot of new business. There is nothing fancy about the place, just a friendly watering hole with a mix of regulars that take a bit of getting used to and then a fair number of tourists that feel they have discovered a secret place to go to. The music is not too loud, it is friendly, nicely air-conditioned, and has a pool table and a great escape from any of the "ladies" on the street that might be chasing you. If you get hungry for a steak then pop across the street for a great treat at the Hole in The Wall.
HAPPY NEW YEAR "Uncle" George was spotted roaming the streets in the Fields Ave vicinity and he was so jovial and upbeat that I decided to take his picture as he wanted to wish all his friends here and in the States a very Happy New Year.
FACES OF THE FIESTA Last month the Mayor of Angeles City decided to close off Fields Ave to traffic and hold a Mardi Gras festival where access to the street would cost P50 per person. I am not
sure how successful the event was. Two live bands were performing, one next to Kokomos and another further down by the Blue Nile. Food booths were set up, dance competitions featuring dancers in various costumes representing some of the clubs on Fields put on quite of display and it was a crowd pleaser. It was fun to be able to walk down the middle of the street and not have to worry about traffic but not all the bars were happy. Many just closed shop and others moved their operation out onto the street where they served drinks and food. Establishments located on Santos Street were adversely affected as it was inconvenient for customers to visit as the streets were blocked off. It was different and girl watching was at a premium so I decided to throw in a couple of pictures highlighting a few faces of the evening.
NEW AT THE SWAGMAN Do you enjoy fresh crab for lunch or dinner? Search no more, drop in to the Swagman and pick out of live one for the chef to serve up to you in no time. A recent visitor to the Swagman, ShaSha who is married to an Australian working in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was interested but did not volunteer to reach in and catch one for herself. If crab meat does not interest you, how about some smoked ham, bacon, or corn beef. A proud Jeff Henderson, F&B manager, is proud to show off the Swagman's new smoke house that he supervised construction of. Anyone interested can order a 7 kilo leg of ham at P250 a kilo that takes four days to cure but four days notice is necessary when ordering. Jeff's motto is "Hendo's ham & bacon from pigs that die happy" and I suspect that you would find no finer ham in the Philippines.
LAS VEGAS CLUB
The long anticipated opening of the Las Vegas Club finally came about with a well attended grand opening. I don't usually go to openings because I can't really get a feel for how it will be received until after a few days when things settle down to a normal routine. But, this was Bill's dream baby and I wanted to share him special night with him and he was so pleased to finally, be able to open the doors to the public. Since I am a Las Vegas resident I appreciated Bill's attempts to bring a little Vegas to Angeles City and I liked the place. Yes, it is big, yes, the music is a bit louder that it has to be and for sure there are many pros and cons from the public at large. The opening brought in a lot of customers and also a SOB meeting brought in a lot of folks and the actions on stage was very spirited. But, on the regular nights I visited the attendance was a bit Spartan until after 9 PM when folks started to drift in. On one of my visits, rather than depend on my own opinions I decided to ask a couple of customers what they thought of the place. At a table of three I was told that they thought it was too large, impersonal and that the music could be lower. They felt that when a customer walks in and sees only a few folks in attendance that they will turn around and walk out. An opposite opinion was happily given by Dino Wineland, from La Union (stays there part time) who liked the wide open space and the friendly staff and felt that the Las Vegas Club was the best place in town. There you go, some will love it and others will be a bit more critical. As for me, I like the place and agree with some of the
criticisms but not enough to keep me away. One night, by 9 PM I counted 11 customers on hand and the music was still a bit loud. The stage is round but most of the dancers face in only one direction but then 79 of the 11 customers sat on one side of the club. It is strange, if you watch you will see that nearly everyone that comes in the door will sit on the right hand side and not bother with the walk around to the opposite side unless it gets crowded. I really like the Vegas theme but if doing that why not have a few ladies dressed in Vegas show girl costumes with high heels, skimpy bikinis and high feathered headdresses where they could just walk about the club. Naturally, these ladies would have to be tall and real good looking. There were plenty of dancers employed as well as the token fat one that every club in town seems to have. I strongly suggest that everyone visiting Angeles City stop in to the Las Vegas Club and form your own opinion but my feeling is that the majority will return for subsequent visits.
THE STINGER
The Stinger Bar has had its ups and downs but it appears to be on the road to success. For some reason I had not visited this bar for quite a while but a couple of weeks ago, while passing, steady customer Gary Stone saw me as he sat outside in a state of friendly euphoria and invited me in for a drink. How could I pass up such an offer and curiosity got the better of me. As I consumed my drink I met the manager, Tango and I mentioned how much the atmosphere had improved since he took over. Of course it helps that Tango is from New York and, of course, all New Yorkers, are likable, personable folks and through hard, dedicated work Tango has transformed the Stinger into a pleasant place to stop in for a drink, a pool game, or just to enjoy the Rock and Roll music. That's right, only rock and roll is played and at a sound level that is not intrusive. I've included a couple of pictures that show three of the dancers (29 are employed) but I would have chosen a few others to photograph but it is so damn difficult to get these dancers to cooperate and all too often they don't care if it helps the image of the club they are working in or not. Believe me; many of the dancers on hand were looking good enough to satisfy any critical eye. The lady that caught my eye was not a dancer, but a hostess named June that is 22 years old, has two kids and hails from Angeles City. She has a great personality and I just had to get her picture to share with the readers. When in town, stop in to the Stinger and say hello to Tango, and then make sure to greet June, but hurry, I don't think she will last that long as someone will entice her away for a long time relationship.
MOVING The loyal customers of Roy's Pub, located adjacent to the Orchid Inn will be following owner Clive to a new location very soon. The owner of the building where Roy's is located is not renewing the lease so a move is necessitated but fear not, I have been assured that the new location will be very close to the present site. Clive has asked me not to reveal the details as negotiations are still underway but for sure, a decision will have been made in time for my Feb column. HOW NICE IT IS
There are a lot of great words I could use to describe the Insomnia Club and I did plan a rather in-depth review but I decided that the picture of 22 year old Daisy would be enough to make anyone want to check out this fine establishment with a great line-up of good looking women. Daisy is from Samar and I love this picture but would you believe that her sister, 19 year old Irene looks even better. Irene is the one I spotted right away but she refused to pose for a picture. When I told the manager about Irene and how great she looked he is the one that told me about her sister. There are many reasons why you should drop in to the Insomnia but for the life of me, I can't think of any reason better than just being to see Irene and Daisy. See you there?
|
Other than getting older it is great to start out a new year and wonder what will take place in the next 12 months. It is nice to have survived another wild New Years Eve night in Angeles 
the "key" will be a much sought after item. 
The rotund, well known BJ will be attending his last Knights of the Brown Ring (AH Club) meeting on 3 Jan as he will be leaving for Townsville, Queensland, Australia to work as head chef at the Ocean Palms Resort. BJ has worked at various establishments in town as chef and has become a familiar figure about town and all his mates wish him well in his new position. Always remember the correct answer to the question "Are you an asshole" BJ as I am sure some AH members will be seeking you out in Townsville. 
to meet the owners of the soon to be opened real Italian restaurant located just a few doors up from Jerry's Café on Perimeter Road. Guido, from New York and Sal, from New Jersey told me that they will be opening in Jan featuring first class Italian food. There are two buildings under renovation, the front for the restaurant and the back building for the bar with a small pool table and at the rear a space for a coffee shop and special events. It is too early for pictures as when I went by there on 30 Dec it was all locked up but I could tell, by peeping through the windows, that it appears to be on schedule for a January opening.
Just like BJ says, "So long mates, I'm outta here" so goes Harry for this month. Boy, do I need a rest after December and all my Santa appearances with the most challenging being two full days at Nepo Mall, downtown, Angeles City. Special thanks go out to the many wonderful people who donated money for my Christmas Eve visit to two hospitals in town and the feeding of 50 economically depressed kids and their parents at my farm on 21 Dec. I can't name them all for fear of leaving out a name but they know who they are and Priscilla and I are very grateful for their assistance. Additionally, ALL members of the Clark Centennial Rotary are to be commended for their efforts in putting together the fifth annual Christmas party for the Children of the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center as this was a team effort as is the continuing daily running of the Center. Special thanks to PhilSundts Dave Mar for assuring the success of the party through his financial assistance. And last but not least I thank all of you that continue to read this column and your comments throughout the year, both positive and negative were appreciated. You can continue to forward comments to me via Email at  |