Hmmm... Yeah, that sounds about right. We're talking a place called Recife a good 20 years ago, but the ambiance sounds quite similar. Have no idea what its like these days. I hear they locked everybody up and then had a coup then locked 'em all up again. Then some idiot from USAID got the bright idea to bring in dynamite one year. I lost track of a lot of my old friends after that...

So you folks out there in Cali are sending us your damn rain which will become a three foot blizzard by time it hits the Rockies! Whoever admitted you guys to the Union, anyhow?

I had a pleasant and mildly profitable New Years. Everyone bought the "Rose Lady" free drinks, and I cleared $75.00 while dancing the night away. Would have made more, but didn't buy enough flowers. I'd always spent previous New Year's with the Ax Murderer at different musician's gatherings, so I had no idea what to expect from my rose route tonight. I'll know to lay in lots more roses come next year!

happy 2006!! YAY!! WE all made it!! I was in bed by nine! Obviously, I am a loser and no one likes me. BUT! That's Okay!*

*am taking course in Self Acceptance, and, I think it's working!!

Happy New Year's all you hungover cellarites!

How do the other people in the bed feel about that? ;)

So now that the new year has come does that mean that the thousands of firecracker blasts will cease?

Doesnt bother me here in the states now, but Jesus H....What a pain in the ears having those go off all the time.


(thinks to self: Am I getting old?)

Since you missed all the fun, Slang, I should send you the video tape that Lu made for me of New Years Eve in Manila about 5 years ago. Truly amazing, the streets outside her house were filled with smoke from burning tires and explosives, and you can see figures staggering through the smoke like something out of Day of the Dead. Constant gunfire in the background. She almost dropped the camera while dodging a bottle rocket, but most of it is fairly clear :D

And that was the first and last time I ventured out of the house on New year's Eve. I am still amazed I survived that venture out unscathed. I remember thinking that I was never going to venture out again for any reason after that on that night. Now I take videos from the safety of the 2nd floor bedroom window :headshake

So where do you post them ????

Tonchi has a 2 hour videotape of Christmas and New year's Eve in the Philippines. Send her a PM. I am sure she will gladly send you a copy of the video I made for her. I don't have an up to date computer so I don't have the capability to post the videos for web viewing. My apologies :redface:

Before we moved out of Coatesville, we had a roofer pull 2 bullets out of our roof. He showed them to me but didn't act as if it were a very unusual occurance.

5 minutes after I posted this I got a call that a youngster had crossed the double lines on Dad sending him to the ER with a very badly busted up knee/knee-cap. He's gonna be ok but the rehab is gonna be pretty lame. Volunteer firemen and involved neighbors make all the difference. Thanks guys!

sorry to here that Griff.

New Year's day a saturn rolled off the frontage road by my house killing a couple of people. they were drunk. it was noon. guess they won't make that mistake again.

From here :(

Bruce, these numbers are completely insignificant. The boundaries of the "original" city of Manila has a population of more than 3 MILLION while "Metro Manila" counts nearly 15 MILLION. Saying that only 11 people died in the holiday celebrations this weekend is absurd! At least 11 people die from violence or absurd accidents in which they blow themselves up EVERY DAY within a 10-mile radius of Luisa's house. The statistics in that article are just about the bodies that the police "investigated". The TRUTH is that the entire police force, as well as all government employees including the Post Office and anybody resembling a public service worker is not on duty at all for the entire week before Christmas and only occasionally after that until January 3. And in addition to that, the government has a strict campaign to stifle any "negative news" about the Philippines getting out. So yes, it was a very tragic weekend in Manila, but we can only guess how bad it really was. I settle for knowing that Luisa survived.

Same here. During one town fiesta, a drunk police guy took his gun and fired into the air. I think that bullet had one of my relatives, or even my name written on it but changed its mind midstream. It came in through the roof, ricocheted off the bookshelf in the attic, slammed into the storage area shed in the same room and landed on top of my Archie comics collection.

Yep. Just another long festive holiday in the Philippines. Drunkeness and bullets go hand in hand :p

After living 32 years of my life in Manila, I have learned that the cops and the hospitals and the fire department will never get their statistics right for NYE casualties. If you must believe any statistic, believe what your eyes see. That is as accurate as it will really get. :headshake