
I have been having a bit of bad luck as of late. A string of it. Actually, a veritable deluge of it. Now don’t get me wrong – I am not, as a rule, superstitious. But after counting up the number of misadventure that I have been having as of late, I am starting to think that something is up. I mentioned this to Michell today, and she agreed. She also noted that it all seemed to really gain momentum right about the time we took our horrific trip to Mabinay. Then she reminded me of one of the caves we entered (the Marriage Cave) where we were supposed to knock three times and say “We are coming in….” I remember going through the motions, but I don’t really remember my heart being in it. Hmmmmmm……..
So, if you haven’t been keeping track, here’s a list of all the things that have been going wrong these past two months:
Staph Infection: Yep, a plague of boils infested my right armpit, necessitating multiple trips to the doctor and Emergency Room. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a boil in your armpit, but just imagine having seven or eight at a time. It also took about three courses of different antibiotics before coming under control – during that time, one of the doctors also recommened the surgical removal of my sweat glands. Pretty frikken painful…..
Scooter Stolen: Michell’s scooter was boosted from her work. It was great getting it back, but it was still pretty stressful time. Michell in particular was very upset, and when she is upset, I am upset. Plus, we still have to replace some body panels that were taken off of it or punched out.
Back Goes Out: We hit a huge bump on the way back from Mabinay that totally ganked my back. It has “gone out” before but this was the worst ever – I was pretty much housebound and in bed for five days and wasn’t starting to feel better for two frikken weeks. If you have ever had your back go out like that, you know what I am talking about…..
Main PC Explodes: My uber-expensive ASUS RoG G73JH’s 5870M video card decided to die on me this week. It was a 2012 model and only worth about $560 on Ebay. Now it’s worth nothing.
Stolen Phone: I am to blame for this one – I left my BLU smartphone on the bench of the gym by accident and someone decided to take it home. I called the number right after I noted it was gone but found out they had already taken out the SIM card. Gone – along with all my Philippine’s contacts as I was stupid and didn’t back them up to my Gmail account.

Electric Meter: And then today, the rain shorts out the electricity pole across the street, plunging the neighborhood into darkness. I drive down to NORECO and they dispatch a team to fix it. Everyone gets power back but us as the power surge cooked our meter. Back to NORECO to fill out more paperwork and pay a 200 peso replacement fee. Then off to another location only to be told that we have to pay for a new meter. We finally work it out but our told we probably won’t have power til tomorrow. Ah, bahala na…..
Right now, I am expecting a satellite to fall on me any second. (That’s a Northern Exposure joke by the way….)
And the constant rain is starting to get on my nerves. And I need Legendary Orange Items if I am ever going to beat Borderlands 2 on UVH mode…..
It’s got to have something to do with that cave in Mabinay. If things don’t improve, I might have to go back and secure the services of a wok-wok witch doctor.
We have video on Mabinay and a bunch of other stuff (including Michell’s scooter return) but it’s all on my burnt out computer that a tech friend is trying to (fruitlessly) repair. I am going to get the vids off it soon and will transfer the SSD drive to my new desktop system that I ordered from Ace Logic.
That’s about it. Just needed to vent, bitch and moan….
**If you have ever thought about retirement in the Philippines, subscribe to our site to hear the pro’s and con’s of moving to this crazy island paradise. Here you will see both sides of such a move and be able to follow our sad misadventures along the way**
Have you heard of Mercury Retrograde? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-schwimmer/mercury-retrograde-oct-4-_b_5927044.html
Dang!! Even if it’s not specifically that, it doesn’t make it any better!!! 🙁
Hang in there it will get better I remember one trip to my in-laws house we were hiking through the jungle and I slipped in some mud and pulled about everything in my wrist hurt all the way home to the U.S.
Back to my previous “if I didn’t bad luck…” The Hawaiian side says plant some ti leaves around the house, starting by the door. The Pinoy side says go to mass, get blessed. The Kano side says by a surge protector, better yet, a battery backup for new system. I still don’t understand why you have to pay for replacement of their meter. It’s the electric company or landlord at bedtime. Bug, I long ago learned in the Phil. “Why ask why?” Good luck, brother.
Yeah, bahala na and all that. We finally didn’t have to pay for the meter – they tried to have us pay for it though. I have the whole thing on film, so I will be posting it up at some point. And yes, there are cultural differences for everything all over the world! Thanks, Ponani!
Hiya Ned, I have lifted weights almost all of my life, and I’m fifty eight years young at this time. A couple of years ago my low back started going out right when I got up each morning. And I mean “GOING OUT”! I could stand and look into a full length mirror and see my sacrum was way lopsided. (looked like one leg was six inches shorter than the other) OUCH! My Chiro asked me in which position that I sleep. I told him that my top half was laying almost on my back looking upward, and that my top leg was thrown clear over the bottom leg top knee bent. So my stomach was twisted to almost facing the bed. He said to “never let your top knee cross over the bottom while sleeping”, or it throws the sacrum out! DUH ME! I now since consciously sleep like that now and no more low back going out to that extent “ever” It was an instant overnight fix for me! Also, when home I found my “Hang Up’s” inversion table I bought to be very helpful. I hope that soon, I do not here that you are the first American with Ebola in the Phil’s, or that your testicles fall of next! I’d wish you good luck, but at this point I have my doubts if it would help! LOL Take care……….. Bob & Mhel
Ouch! I hope my testicles don’t fall off, either!! Using the inflatable excercise balls helps a lot – I can actually hear it crack in alignments when I first extend backwards over it. I hear you on the “58 years young.” I just wish my back felt “47 years young.” 🙂
NOT TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR TESTICLES BUDDY….ITS WHEN THEY STAR RATTLING….THEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM
Something else to look forward to, I guess…… 🙁
Maybe its the video you took, has catched a bad sprite on it,???
It seems to be the 5870M video card, which has a bad reputation in the ASUS Republic of Gamers. Getting new PC today…..
Ah Borderlands, the digital crack – getting those legendaries can be a real pain. Do you just stick to singleplayer games or have you tried multiplayer at all (I’m thinking the latency might be an issue if you ever want to play with NA/EU buddies)? Also, how are the prices and selection for computer hardware in the Philippines, in general? Bit of a niche topic, I know, but not something you normally see discussed in expat forums etc.
Just discovered your blog/vlog today btw., great stuff from the both of you – keep up the good work!
Thanks, Jake. I am picking up our new desktop today and will probably do a video/blog entry on it. I have not tried multiplayer over here but will test it soon with the PS3. And prices are a bit higher here for PC components than in the West. Thanks again!
Looks like the only way left is UP!
You could be really unlucky and be in Boston! lol
Enjoy life while you can yall! Nobody gets out alive!
Didn’t Bugs Bunny say that? Thanks, Don, and you are right. I hope….. 😉
So if a satellite does fall on your head, should we stay calling you Ed? As in our non-resident Northern Exposure cinematographer?
Seriously, with all this bad, you are due for a very large good coming at you… Are you sure Michelle isn’t pregnant? Hehe!
Ha! That was a great show. And we are (pretty) sure Michell is not pregnant. 🙂
Better go find the wok-wok…..just to take the logical out of the equation. May the curse be lifted!!!…and not a macbook user???….tisk…tsik ….I have both…HPDV7 with the go fast I-7 and MBpro 15″…the MB wins hands down…just sayin’….keep up the good work guys….my asawa and I look forward to each vid…..however you get it loaded!! hahaha!! Stay dry.
A high-end laptop with a video card doesn’t do well in the Philippines. Just too much heat, humidity and dust for it. Thanks, Ray – and the wok-wok is on the way!
ned and michelle..i am a fan of both of you, realy enjoying your u-tube PHILIPPINE DREAMS SERIES..I AM 68 AND RETIRED-MY PHILIPINA IS A WIDOWED AND ONLY 56 YEARS OLD..SINCE MY HOME IN FLORIDA IS PAID FOR AND THERE IS NO SENSE IN RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL, SHE APPLIED TO MANILA FOR A TOURIST VISA..SHE IS IN THEM MEDICAL FIELD AND WAS DENIED THE REQUEST..THEY ONLY ASKED HER 5 QUESTIONS AND DENIED HER, I WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANT OF THIS AS SHE HAS FAMILY IN NEVADA..NO NEED TO INTRODUCE ROMANCE TO THE GORILLA FROM MANILA(EMBASSY) DO YOU KNOW OF ANY VISA THAT CAN BE OBTAINED OR HAVE THE BEST ODDS TO BE APPROVED..THE GORILLA HAS POWER ANS SMASHED MY DREAMS…THANK YOU FOR ANY REPLY…DONALD AGRIPPA-OCALA, FLA..
Hi Donald. You would best be served by talking to Larry and his wife over at http://www.pinayvisa.com. They have been working visas for 15 years, and he knows about everything there is to know about them. I get no “kickback” by saying this – they just have an excellent reputation and won’t steer you wrong. Good luck and keep us updated! I do know this: Make sure you are keeping records of ALL conversations you are having with her to “prove” your love – emails, calls, skype, etc. etc. The visa people will want this.
Hey Ned. Hey Michelle. Really enjoy your videos. Just wanted to give some advice on your string of bad luck. I can sympathize with your mishaps and having things break in short period of time (in having my apartment being robbed). My advice is to replace one thing at a time, and not to worry about replacing everything at once and celebrate it with Michelle. Maybe a movie or something. It took me months to buy all the things I got stolen but each time I did replace something the bad feelings subsided.
I was in Mindoro island Philippines for the first time last October and will be coming to Cebu this January for the Sinulog festival. All I can say is that the Philippines is simply a better life than here in the states. Thank you again for your videos. I hope to one day make it my home too. God Bless.
Patrick
San Diego CA
Yes, even with all the bad luck (or Life, as one might call it), I haven’t lost sight of how good things are here in the Philippines. In the end, it’s just stuff. I still have concerns over my back, but we just got one of those exercise ball things and extending my spine out til it cracks (adjusts) helps IMMENSELY. Ack, I guess it’s just part of getting old…..