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Tidbits At a recent meeting with Secretary Diaz and the CDC President, Dr. Manny Angeles this Horse was able to raise the question about the anticipated date when work would start up again on the Friendship Bridge. Secretary Diaz answered that just the previous day funds had been allocated and work would start. Sure enough, that very afternoon as Priscilla and I were trotting over the bridge we saw a front end loader working on the South End approach to the bridge. This is great news, especially for Damien, one of the energetic hosts holding court at Honey Ko's Club on Perimeter Road. As many of you know, the temporary bridge allows one way traffic only and the line of cars waiting to get their turn can be quite long, especially during the rush hour. One evening, as Damien headed home he encountered a rather long line and was suffering an extended wait. Of course this was at the end of the day after Damien had consumed a few drinks in the course of his duties and despite the discomfort of the jeep he was driving, he managed to fall sound asleep. For one hour, vehicles passed him on either side of his vehicle and no one bothered to disturb his slumber. When finally awakening he thought he had dozed off for a minute or two and was quite shocked to realize that a whole hour had passed with the result that his lack of consciousness qualified him for special mention in this month's Harry the Horse.
The very upscale Doll House Club is scheduled to open on 14 Feb with 200 ladies in attendance to entertain one and all. A lot of money has been spent by the two owners from Hawaii. I stepped in to take some pictures well before completion and I was impressed by the size, the stage and the surrounding lighting that is more than I have seen in many theatres that I have visited over the years. I am sure that many of the dancers being employed may be familiar to patrons as a very aggressive recruiting campaign took place around town to attract a core group. For sure the Doll House will be a hot attraction as soon as it opens but size and glitter do not mean automatic success, let us see if the two owners are good enough hosts to assure success. This Horse wishes them both the best of luck and it is nice to see an innovative Club at the beginning of Fields Ave instead of just towards the opposite end. The Pasha Club has replaced the Irish Pub on Fields Ave and already, owner Mike S. is reaping the luxury of receiving many compliments from the customers who have stopped in for a drink. The word is out that his line-up of dancers are some of the best looking in town. The Pasha is well on its way to being a very successful Club and this was done without spending a huge fortune on renovations. Well done Mike!
The Blue Book has a new owner, the lovable Kangaroo lover from Australia, Nick Coley. Only kidding about the Kangaroo bit but I am not kidding when I say that Nick has the personality and energy needed to make great improvements and to beat the bushes for new business. As Nick would say, "hey I'm out to solicit business wherever I can and offer customer satisfaction as well". Good luck Nick, the third owner of the Blue Book, the worse that could happen is that owner number four will come along.
OK, so this is too long but I still have to mention that some time this month Chris will be offering an exciting selection of US Angus flank steak, US baby back ribs, rosemary of olive oil marinated chicken, and giant (200 grams) prawns, all grilled to perfection. A special grill will be installed at the outside garden area and I am sure this new addition to the menu will draw a lot of customers. It was too early to come up with the pricing because of the increases in meat prices that are coming about this month. Recommendation from the Horse, take your special lady to the "C" on Valentines day and I am sure you will gain enough points to have one great evening when you get her home. The famous Black Pearl Club located on A. Santos has opened up an annex on Don Juico Street (Perimeter Road) in the shops located in front of the Blue Boar Inn/Hotel La Case, near the VFW and the Galleon Building. They offer the same services as the one on Santos Street at the same prices. My one objection is that they have located a fair distance from the Tourist Belt but still want to charge P100 for ladies drinks when most of the clubs in the area charge P75 to P85. Maybe Sonia will follow suit when she realizes that her new neighborhood attracts a different clientele than she is used to. Many of the lads who will be dropping by are on a fixed income and do not spend as freely as a tourist. My recommendation was to put a couple of tables and chairs outside as well and also the Blue Boar Inn will cater the food since it is located only a two minute walk away.
Attention folks, get ready for a hell raising three days of fun orchestrated by the dynamic Mo of Mo's place as he gets ready to celebrate the 7th anniversary of his entertainment complex. Make your plans to be here on 18, 19, 20 Feb (Fri-Sat-Sun) for the type of action that only Mo with his deviant imagination could come up with. A pool party (of course) on the 20th and some contests at the Voodoo and Lollipop on the 19th should be eventful and provide some visual pleasures. The theme for those three days is Fun, Fun, and more fun so if you can handle the action, come on down! When this old Horse, because of a lack of knowledge and any technical skills is introduced to some folks that are spot on in providing some services to get me up and running in my business, I like to pass on their names so that others can avail of their skills. This month I recommend 1) JoJo La Madrid who did a great job in installing a new cloth for my pool table and doing his best to get all the pockets, and cushions up to specifications. He started the job at 1000 hrs and finished at 2200 hrs and the table is as good as it is ever going to be. The price, including cloth, repairs, leveling, etc. cost P5,500 which seemed pretty fair to me. His telephone numbers are: 892-1701/4552 or cell # 0920-794-4665. 2) For generator repair you can contact the Pong D.S. Motor Shop at 894-4264, cell # 0919-419-1075. Pong does maintenance work on generators for many of the major hotels in town. Again, good response, good work and at a reasonable price. I was so happy to see the return of Mico's Party Cakes and Balloons to Don Juico Ave. They used to have the shop next to Bretto's before Bretto became famous and rich, expanded his shop and forced out Lou the cake maker. For a year she was in a very difficult location to get to but now is back at 490-D Don Juico, right next to the Blue Book office. I give Mico's cakes a four out of five horseshoe rating for the quality of her cakes. Recently, when talking with Ronnie Tiotuico, the Department of Tourism Regional Director he passed on some information that may interest some of the tourists coming this way. An investor is developing a 5 million peso spa using hot lahar to be located at Sta. Juliana Capas, past what used to be Camp O'Donnell. Construction is supposed to have started last month. This same investor is putting in another one million pesos to establish a spa not far from Sapangbato that will make use of two natural ponds fed by a hot spring that was recently discovered. A trail that could be traversed by a 4x4 vehicle will be developed to get to the site. Welcome aboard Al Graham, new General Manager of the Orchid Inn. Many folks might already know Al since he has been heading up the Hungry Marlin at Subic for quite some time. Our man Shanno will be kept active as the day to day manager so that is a mighty professional team on hand to take care of the customers and guests at the Orchid Inn. Speaking of the Orchid Inn, their Miss Orchid Inn contest went well with the winner coming from the Doll House which has to be a first for a Club that is not even open yet. They entered 10 of their ladies in waiting that have been gathered from various clubs on Fields and the provinces for the contest. The swimming contest was won by Jackie from the Flamingo and the most fun contest had to be the "find the banana" as 63 ladies ran around grabbing the guys in strange places. The incentive was the P200 for each banana found so you can imagine how aggressively they searched the 100 guys present for the event. Had the opportunity to visit Brian Holman's fantastic eatery and hotel on the waterfront at Subic (Vascos) again and I think it has to be the highlight of any trip to Subic. Brian is constructing 42 townhouses on the property and the waterfront views have already been sold out. He is also adding more hotel rooms and I am looking forward to the time when the Mrs and I can spend a weekend there. My favorite time is playing with the bird at the entrance to the restaurant. Be careful though, because that son-of-a-gone likes to grab things in your pockets or play with your watch. Brian told me of a mate of his that was enjoying the company of this friendly cockatoo and Brian warned him to be careful of his watch. When Brian returned a few minutes later he saw this guy gazing down into the water looking for the stem to his watch. The bird got hold of it and just pulled it out of the watch. Brian noticed that it was a Rolex and stated "oh well, lucky it was a fake Rolex" and his mate replied, "fake hell, it cost me $5,000!" It was a pleasure to meet Phillip Terrell, a retired Coast Guard member who is the driving force behind bringing "Operation Smile" to Angeles City. This is a Cleft Lip program that is privately funded by Phillip where he obtains the volunteer services of plastic surgeons to operate on indigent children that suffer this deformity. Last year he obtained the services of the Philippine International Hospital and this year he has contacted Capt Jack, PIH administrator to set up another project for 1-6 March 05. Plastic Surgeon Sonny Santos and world famous anesthesiologist Willie Go from Manila have volunteered their services. Phil was with the Coast Guard for 22 years and 4 years with the Navy and now feels that he would like to spend his energies helping Children. Not too long ago he had the opportunity to invest in the Orchid Inn or help children - Operation Smile reflects the decision he made. Keep up the good work Phillip, those smiles are a thrill to see. Even though A. Santos Street has been upgraded one has to very careful when walking along Henyfel St. and nearby streets in the vicinity where the Rajah and Sunlight motels are located. This is the side street that leads to Johnny's supermarket and day or night you will see some free lance Filipina hustlers loitering about trying to entice some customers to take them in for a bit of sexual pleasure. Don't be tempted to do so folks, for many reasons. These ladies are not licensed and do not have to get their health checks every week, they are subject to rob you and recently there have been two incidents where expats have been set up by the police in the old "you have had sexual intercourse" with a minor charge. The most recent incident related to me by the victim that has lived in this town for a number of years and should have known better involved a girl that he had been intimate with off and on for a couple of years and the police from the ------------------- (you can understand why I omit this detail). According to this source he arranged for this girl that uses the area near the Rajah Hotel as her place of business to meet him at his apartment in the XXXXXX compound. Now this lady, according to my source is no stranger to this compound as she has enjoyed the company of more than one of its occupants. Anyway, the girl showed up, the deed was done and just as our victim was relaxing after all that exercise the police barged in with cameras going off and apprehended him for having sex with an underage girl. They took him to the police station and kept him there for quite a few hours while they threatened him with all sorts of punishments. He was not able to call anyone because the first thing that went missing when they entered his bedroom was his cell phone. I will skip all the other details related to me by the victim except to say that he was finally released after parting with $1,000 U.S. He is still in a bit of shock and disbelief because he thought this lady was a friend since he knew her for two years and can't believe she would set him up like that. Now, according to the victim she is still at her favorite location looking for another victim and laughs at him every time she sees him. So, be careful, stay away from free lancers, stick with taking the ladies out of the Clubs where there are some controls. Here was a street wise expat that has lived here for quite some time and he fell victim to this scam so you can imagine how vulnerable a tourist is. MESSAGE FROM THAILAND Harry, you might not remember me, Larry, (Aussie guy) worked with George Brown (Phil Sundt) and long time A H club member. Anyway thought you might be able to use the attached photos in your column next month. I am currently living and working on Phuket island, Thailand. Kamala beach to be more accurate. I'm the construction manager on a large condominium development being built on a steep slopping site right on the beach. On 26 December. 2004, I was on my way to the site office (a bit hung over from the Christmas day lunch and subsequent bar hopping down Bangal road) when the tsunami hit. My site office and storage area, along with 2 restaurants, the client's 2 office's and my friends house were completely destroyed. Only thing left was the concrete slabs. (All in less than 15 min's) We are well on the way to rebuilding our office and also helping to rebuild local people's houses, the Kamala Buddhist's temple and some minor infrastructure works for the local council or OR-bar-tor as called here. We were very lucky not to have lost any of our workers. Only destroyed building that can be rebuilt. Other people lost a lot more. Anyway mate, just thought you might use the pic's and maybe tell people that Phuket and in particular Kamala and Patong beach are operational and the best thing to do to help the local people is for the tourists to come back. Banagla Rd is up and running for those people that come to Phuket and like to visit that area. It's a great place and the Thai girls are as friendly as the girls down Fields Ave. Believe me I know???? Will be back home in Feb and will drop in as see you. FIELDS AVE DOES IT AGAIN FROM RAY WILSON: For those who may not know what this fund raiser was about, let me just encapsulate: I am an American bar owner who has been living and running various businesses in the Subic area for the past 14 years. My life was complete when I met and married a lovely young Leyte girl named Joy. We have been together for five years, and wanted to start a family. I had a vasectomy over 20 years ago and cannot make babies, so when an employee mentioned she was pregnant and could not handle another child and asked us to take hers, we said yes and were very happy with the prospects of getting a new mestiza baby. My wife bought all kinds of baby clothes, a crib and other baby things. She was very happy and was literally beaming at the thought of raising a child. We supported the mother through her pregnancy and paid for the delivery which was one month ago in the San Marcelino hospital. We were all very happy. A few days after we brought the baby home, we noticed he had a fever and took him to a pediatrician. The doctor advised us that the baby had to be hospitalized immediately, that he suspected something serious and needed a battery of tests. To boil it all down, an ultra sound showed that he had hydroencephalus (which means water on the brain) and that a medical shunt would have to be installed to drain the fluid right away or his head would grow large as a basketball in a month or two. The cost for this medical shunt was to be P200,000 plus. We don't have that kind of money. We love the baby and feel it was given to us for a reason, so we decided to have the surgery and raise the necessary funds by selling our business. At this point, some guardian angels in the form of Mo, Vegas Gary, Interested Party, and Bee, stepped forward and proved what kind of human beings they are. Gary started some action on the local Angeles chat rooms, and Mo, who is a physician, unselfishly came up to Olongapo and provided the funds for the operation with no strings attached. My wife and I were shocked and thrilled at the same time. We did not realize the goodness in some peoples hearts. Anyway we scheduled the surgery and were hours away from having it done when we re-evaluated the baby's situation. First, the CT scan, which Mo reviewed and gave his professional opinion on, showed that the baby has no brain - shocking, but the top 2\3rd of his skull is fluid only and he is blind. So, even if we had the surgery, and assuming it was successful, the boy would still have no future - could never sit up, walk or even feed himself; so the question arose, why do it? We opted instead to have Joy's mother take him to the province and make him comfortable and we will support him until he passes away. It is sad and heart wrenching, but that's where we are right now, and thanks to the generosity and caring of those mentioned and you folks who came out tonight, we will be able to cover the past medical bills and provide for his continued care in the province. From the bottom of our hearts we thank all the staff at Lollipop, from Steve Healey to the girls, who work so hard every night at Lollipop to entertain: we want you all to know you are APPRECIATED! There is a lot of tragedy in the news right now, and we never think that kind of sadness could come into our lives, but it can. In closing, I want to thank Mo, Interested Party, Vegas Gary, Bee, and those who we don't even know (some of whom Beau has identified to me as Roadslut, Bluewidget, and so many others), and all of you who contributed to this fundraiser, in any way, to know they have lightened our pain and anguish in our time of need. They all have our undying admiration and sincere thanks ........... Ray and Joy Wilson TAPS A GOOD RESPONSE
Dear Anonymous, tim993, and anyone else who cares to here my side of the story. This is Bill the new "owner" of Limited Edition Bar. I will try to respond to each of your complaints but if I miss any please email me at bill@infinno.com or better yet call me at 09209607270 so we can talk. You are correct that I am not always in town but I am always available at the email above, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have an issue. As far as the part time manager you referred to, his name is Greg and he is actually one of the owners who stops in several times a day to check on things. I must believe that you two had a bad misunderstanding because he certainly does care what the customers think and the future of the bar. The TV is in the bar for the customers enjoyment and it will always be changed to accommodate customers desires. Soon we will be adding several conveniently located flat screen hi resolution TVs. As for the girls watching TV instead of dancing, that stops today. As for unacceptable food being offered during the pool league, I will personally arrange catering in the future and if it is not acceptable, please let me know. As for not being greeted properly or served timely by our waitresses, that too will be fixed. In the future you will be greeted by a waitress that meets you at the door, escorts you to your table and immediately serves your order. As for the music that is played, it is the customers choice, tell me what you like and please tell me what you don't like. I bought Limited because I liked it the first time I visited over a year ago. We want to make only positive changes that make it your bar of choice. We are in the process of negotiating for more space so that we can expand and offer good food, another pool table, dart boards and a few private entertainment rooms. We have already installed high speed wireless internet and you will soon be able to use one of our laptops or bring yours and connect wireless. I hope you will come back and give us a chance to prove that we will listen to you and try to accommodate your suggestions. WELCOME BACK LHEN Lhen has personally assembled and installed 11 brand new computers each of which is equipped with webcam and headphones, two of which are set up in private booths. The system is connected to cable giving a speed of 512 kbps which is the fastest Internet speed currently available in Angeles City. Lhen builds computers to a customers own specifications and personally repairs and maintains computers both in the shop and in the customers own home. She personally maintains and repairs the computers of many ex pats who appreciate her technical knowledge and her ability to explain problems in her excellent English. Even though she tries hard no matter how much she tries to simplify the computer gibberish for me I still do not understand. I just tell her to "fix it and how much". She is a whiz and extremely helpful. She also designs personal business cards and invitations to order and the shop holds a range of computer accessories & spare parts. Printing, scanning, C D writing and software installation are also available. (Update - regretfully, my computer developed some serious viruses and I had to call Lehn in for help - she spent hours of work on it, even bringing it back to me at 0230 hours and then had to return the same evening to iron out more problems from 1700 hrs to 2300 hours, despite her husband constantly texting and calling for her to return to the shop, as she realized I needed to get up and running so I could finish this column. She did all this at a very reasonable rate and was a pleasure to work with. Recommendation - all computer retards like me - call Lehn when you run into some serious problems with your computer). TOURIST OF THE MONTH
ILLUSIONS IS NO ILLUSION  MEDICAL CARE WHAT A WONDERFUL SIGHT
Finally, after waiting for years, the stalls along the South side of Real Street, and the side streets on either side have been demolished, leaving a space that, temporarily can be used as a much needed parking area. Those budget minded beer drinkers that used to sit outside these establishments, taking up space that encroached on City property will now have to seek their cheap drinks elsewhere. With the removal of the stalls and the customers sitting on the street, taking up space that caused inconvenience to vehicle drivers. traffic will now be able to move more freely. With this clearing the plans to make Real a walking street can now be dusted off and implemented in the near future, additionally, I have heard that there are plans being discussed to create a four story building that will provide space for a food court, market and apartments but this is just in the "idea" stage now and no doubt there will be other ideas thrown in the pot to be considered in making full use of this area. The objective would remain to provide jobs to locals and to create an environment to attract more tourists. At this point, I am not sure what development will take place but for sure, it will be far better than what has existed since the aftermath of Mt. Pinatubo. Sadly, I must report that when the demolition was completed, the City did not erect a fence right away which allowed a group named "NAGKA's (United Women of Angeles City) to set up a tent along Real Street to accommodate the disgruntled past occupants of the stalls that were removed. Their leader, ex-councilor Susan Pineda was spearheading the protest against the actions of Mayor Lazatin. Regretfully the local police and the Barangay Captain allowed the erection of this tent so now, legal procedures will be discussed in court which will mean that the development of this area will have to be delayed. Fortunately, a large portion of the area is being used as a parking lot which is sorely needed. It is too bad that some elements of the local community do not want to see progress but those budget (cheap Charlie's) drinkers have already returned and what is an eyesore in the area is heaven to them. Of course there are always two sides to an issue and of course, eventually, one side will prevail, let us hope that it will be the right side, and I will reserve my opinion as to which side is "the right side".
MISS AUSTRALIA PHILIPPINES
Once again the Orchid Inn staff and members of the RSL did a great job in organizing the yearly Miss Australia Philippines contest. Twelve lovely ladies from various Clubs in town were presented in bathing suits and after dinner, evening gowns. The venue was perfect, the entertainment enjoyable and the dinner was excellent. Peter O'Donnell was a perfect MC except that someone has to tell Peter that the microphone is used so one does not have to shout to be heard. The combo that provided the music was very pleasing on the ears and they are featured every Sunday night at the Orchid; Bill Winston, with his guitar in hand entertained during the bands break and his efforts were appreciated but I suspect that his music would be more suitable for a much smaller, more intimate venue. The 12 ladies represented the Voodoo Bar, Fiesta Garden, Dirty Duck, Jungle Bar, Kitten Club, Viper Room, Winchester Club, Flamingo and Honey Ko's. Best in swim wear went to Crystal, Voodoo Bar; best evening gown, Cara from Jungle Bar; 2nd runner up, Edlyn, Honey Ko's; 1st runner up, Crystal Jane, Winchester Club and Miss Australia Philippines 2005 was Joy from the Fiesta Garden. Special guests on hand were Secretary Rene Diaz and movie actress Ann Curtiss. The judges made all the right choices thanks to John Reville (3rd year), Vina Dale (2nd year), Willie Go and Mr. Curtiss (Ann's Dad). Special thanks go to Tony Milsop, part owner of Fiesta Garden who bid 24 thousand pesos for a bracelet donated by Phillip Terrell in the spirit of charity. Beneficiaries of funds raised during the Australia Day week are the Bahay Bata Street children's Center and the RSL charities so for all you that supported the week long festivities, many thanks from the RSL and the kids that you helped by your attendance. MAKING ROOM
I thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of pictures showing A. Santos Street as the Clubs were experiencing a bit of "voluntary" demolition to the front portions to comply with the City Government's campaign to reclaim the streets. Owners were told business permits would be withheld until the establishments were in compliance. MORE PHOTOS FROM OUR WAR CORRESPONDENT  Dave sent some interesting photos last month. I realize that one of them is rather graphic but that is the reality of war. If the Arab terrorists love cutting the throats of innocent civilians than it certainly is good to see a little bit of payback. This dirt bag without a face was a suicide bomber that was running to blow himself up and take some brave soldiers with him when a great Marine sniper took aim and saved a few American lives. Sure would love to buy this Marine a dinner and a couple of drinks, maybe he'll make it to Angeles City one of these days. Message to all troops in Iraq, we appreciate and support you all and may you make it home to enjoy many cold beers. HELLO FROM KEITH GRAY
Bear with me folks as I feature a few pictures of Keith Gray from a CD disc that was bought over from Australia. There are many folks here in Angeles City, Australia, and other countries that love this guy with the big feet. Keith has been a popular figure in this town for many years and last year he had a stroke that required him to be evacuated to Australia for medical care. A big fund raiser was held at the Winchester Club for his family so that they could join him in Australia. The pictures indicate that he is a lot more mobile than when he left but I do not know the details of his progress. A few of his mates will be in town this month and hopefully they will stop by and give me a status report. Meanwhile, Keith, you are still remembered and missed and we all hope that someday you will return to us. By the way, you are not fooling us Keith, no doubt that container you are drinking from contains some 5 year Tanduay Rhum instead of water. Time for me to get my butt out of here; speaking of butts, the Knights of the Brown Ring will be meeting on 5 Feb featuring some lovely lasses from Stampede Club. My computer was sick with a virus for three days and I am getting this to the webmaster on the 29th if all goes well, so we might be a bit late this month. Uncle George was in town again and says hello to one and all as he tries to collect some money again. He is so optimistic that I hope that some year he succeeds, I hate to see him look so sad. That is all folks, it has been a difficult month being so busy and having a computer problem but my friends Chuck Guinn and Lhen came to my rescue. Hey, remember, give candy to all horses this month. |
retty damn nice right now. What I am trying to say is the town is not mine but "I love my town" - does that make any sense? The problem is that I have no desire to go out of Angeles City which means that tourists coming here see more of the Philippines in one month than I have seen in the 24 years I have been here. Why? Because those shoes are so darn comfortable and any other location just bores me to death. I love the vibrant, aliveness of Angeles City and the action. It is NEVER boring! It may be frustrating at times, it may make you mad at times but for now, it is one hell of a place to live and visit. I don't why I started this month's column like this, maybe because I read so many complaints on the various message boards as well as favorable comments. It takes a while to understand Angeles City and its mix of interesting characters but that is part of the joy of living here and a large part of my joy is being able to write about "My Town" - Hey, happy Valentine's Day! 
A tale of reality from a tourist last month in which he told me that he realizes that the rules with the working girls in town has changed a bit, and not all for the better. In one instance he found that after negotiating an early release with one very charming lady from La Bamba a couple of times he was disappointed that his third meeting met with a bit of a snag. He prepaid for an early release in the morning but when he went to collect the lady she "sadly" told him that she could not go because she was contacted by someone else that evening and committed herself to go with him. This did not anger the customer, just saddened him a bit and the money he put up earlier was refunded to him. Then, the next night, he negotiated with a lady from the Cambodia Club and asked all the right questions of her and an agreement was struck, fees paid and off they went. But, once in his room she spent at least an hour or so on the cell phone without any let up. Then she told him that she had to leave at 11 PM and this was after agreements for a much longer stay had been agreed upon. Her excuse was that she had to pick up her friend in Dau who was arriving from some location. Needless to say, further discussion was necessary and the end result was that she did stay long enough to satisfy all requirements even though she did leave at 0200 hrs. This tourist was not angry but just wanted one and all to know that the attitudes of the ladies have changed considerably over the years and it is much harder to find a lady that honors her commitments. Cell phonitis is a culprit as well as the management of many of the Clubs not all that concerned as they only want to make sure that they have enough girls on hand and many of the Mamasans are not as sympathetic to the customers as they used to be a few years back. He said that he "had learned a few lessons" and just had to adapt to the new rules of engagement but still, he sure did like that cute lady from La Bamba. 
Tonight I am full, very full as Priscilla and I have just returned from eating at the "C" Italian Restaurant on Perimeter Road. Many long time readers will remember that the last time I ate at this gourmet eatery I was mystified as to what the heck I was eating, "osso bucco" or something like that and kept throwing away what I thought was fat. OK, so I screwed up but not this time. Oh dear, what a beautiful meal with flavors that made me eat slowly slow I would not finish too quickly. Once again, like a maestro conducting an orchestra Chris directed the ensemble of a appetizer, his original creative panizza, green salad, and the main course (the Classic C' Italian Menu). Now, Priscilla went ballistic over the panizza as the flavor of this very, very thin crusted was absolutely unique. It is so thin, in strips, that you roll it up with some green leaf vegetable inside of it. Magnificent! Salad, with assorted garden green with a delicate, tasty Italian dressing. Ah, now the main course for a price that is very affordable at only php 595 with a selection of three different items. You have the choice of dorado, pork chop or chicken. Priscilla went with the pork chop braised in tomato sauce baked with mozzarella cheese bedded on al dente cooked fettuccini noodles; I chose the Italian marsala nad lemon chicken served on butter and olive oil roasted potatoes and dessert was a chocolate panna cotta. Folks, I will not lie to you, the tastes of the items I have listed were absolutely wonderful, and so much so that I now appreciate the meaning of a gourmet meal. When finished I told Chef Chris that I felt guilty that I chose to drink a coke with my meal for I do believe such a feast deserved a fine wine with it. So, hey, this horse has no class and I do not particularly like wine but the next time I will make an exception because, such a meal deserves more respect, and a glass of coke simply does not do the job. By the way, the panizza is make with a fine crispy dough layered with a blend of 5 different cheeses and herbs and perfected with your favorite toppings, I chose salami, and if you want a treat without eating a full meal, the panizza is worth your stopping in just for that. On this night there was a group of diners eating in the air-conditioned section of the restaurant and one of the diners, an expat, finished off, by himself the 36 oz Black Angus rib steak which cost P2,500. As a comparison, at the table next to me in the garden area had four people eating and they ordered that steak as well but shared it between the four of them. A 36 oz steak is a challenge to eat but again, the way Chris prepares it, each bite makes you want to have more and more but that is a heck of a lot of bites for one person. OK, as you can guess, I do not feel that there is a better Italian restaurant in Angeles City, you have a couple of other places to choose from that put out a good meal, but, well, no other place has the same ambience, the same service, the same quality, the same originality and for sure, no chef Chris. 
Last month I called the Philippine Immigration in Manila to make sure they had my name in the computer for that new card that will replace the ICR/ACR. I registered at Subic last year and surprise, they had my data in the computer. The bad news is that the $50 fee will have to be paid and the lady I spoke with told me it would have to be paid yearly, in addition to the normal alien registration fee we have been paying for years. This is one big rip off of the foreigners living here as permanent residents and I sure wish that other countries, particularly the US would reciprocate by making Filipino green card holders pay an annual fee as well. Speaking of our Embassy I sure hope that I don't run into a problem when I take Priscilla the horse for a tourist visa interview on 22 Feb. That's right, finally, after many years I am going to take her to Las Vegas in Sep this year, her first trip to the US. I wanted to be the one to take her there before I get much older and taps are written for me. For sure I won't be letting her stay too long as I don't want her to get so Americanized that she will quit taking such good care of me. 
I WOULD IF I COULD
A BIT OF A SURPRISE
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