Family news

My air conditioner needs a cleaning and isn't working well, so I am suffering from the heat.

Long story why it hasn't been cleaned and recharged when I first noted the problem. Guess it's my fault: I rely on others to call the certified Aircon folks... a couple years ago the same delay happened, so I finally called in a self trained guy to do it, and it took him three days,

but when we moved here, we ran into the same problem: but it was because of brownouts, and the main generator was broken. At that time, there were not many places to buy one so I was advised to buy one in Manila, and the trip there kept being postponed. When we finally went, I was pressured to buy a huge Chinese generator that could be used for the entire compound, but my budget wasn't that large, and no body offered to go halves with me, so I bought a small Japanese one big enough only for our house.
That small generator was a lifesaver in the typhoon/ flood a couple years ago, when the large generator was at the farm and had gotten damaged: the small generator meant we could run the pump for our water (the city water was off due to damage, but Lolo put in a deep well pump years ago, when city water was not very good in quality or quantity).

So we ended up supplying water (and cellphone recharging) for neighbors and relatives. Not to mention keep the refrigerator running, lights on, and keep our koi in the pond alive.

That generator ended up at the farm where it was "needed", so two years ago I bought another one for backup, for when the old large generator dies or no one is here to start it... the new one is Taiwanese built. You can't quite trust Chinese stuff, even though it is cheaper.... But we have fewer brownouts now, so we don't use it much.

One reason I finally bought my own generator, since hot season we tend to have rolling brownouts (because our electricity is from hydro electric dams, and they can't produce enough electricity in the dry season).

We are also having brownouts from the city fixing the electric lines. The wooden poles are being replaced with concrete ones and the many tangles lines are being replaced with cables, and the lines are being put higher so that they don't snag on the rice trucks who now detour up our street (the main street is now one way).

The main street also has a center barrier, which stops the weaving in and out of tricycles causing accidents, and they are getting stricter about double parking.

Borocay is now officially closing for a clean up, so he will marry at a resort in Bataan. The wedding is when I will be visiting my son in the US so I can't make it, Alas.

Bataan is now an eco tourism center, by the way, which is startling to those of us who remember that name for the death march (or for the closed partially built nuclear plant scandal).

Boracay is being shut due to ecological problems (dumping garbage in the waters, etc). but there are rumors that a Macau casino wanted to build there.

It's sort of a "lose lose" proposition: They either let it deteriorate into a slum and lose tourists, or get some investments going to attract the high end tourists.

But corruption makes anything suspicious here. So the SJW will yell and scream no matter what: but in the end, the place will get cleaned up, the usual suspects will pocket money, and the workers (including the hookers) will come back and get better wages in the end.

In other words, like a old jeepney that chugs to it's destination, it will be done: not as efficiently or as honestly as it would in the US, but it will get done.

I haven't checked with Joy if her relative's bed and breakfast will have to close.