My friends in the United States recently finished celebrating Labor Day. I used to look forward to the three day holiday when I worked at AT&T. Now, I enjoy unlimited 3-day weekends in the Philippines. In fact, every day is now a holiday for this crusty old American expat.
I QUIT THE RAT RACE FOR GOOD
First of all, when I retired over seven years from Ma Bell, I actually retired. Didn’t work some part-time job because I needed to “stay busy.” I choose to do absolutely nothing upon quitting the rat race. Working in my “golden years” as a Walmart greeter did not appeal to me. Check out my book, “The Philippines Expat Advisor”, and find out how you can retire sooner than you ever thought.
ENJOYING MY UNLIMITED 3-DAY WEEKENDS IN THE PHILIPPINES
I’m thoroughly enjoying my unlimited 3-day weekends in the Philippines. While I’ve taken on additional duties as a “pool boy”, maintenance for our new swimming hole in the Philippines only takes an hour out of my day.
Because eliminating the “comments” section from my website saves me time, I can use that block of time for my “pool boy” duties.
Now while I do miss interacting from my readers, removing the comments doesn’t hurt the daily readership of “Philippines Plus.”
I have over 1,300 posts in the can that I’ve written over the past seven years. That gives Google plenty of material for their search engines and keeps my daily traffic going. Therefore, I also don’t have to write new material every day, either.
EIGHT DOGS ON OUR SECURITY PATROL
With the addition of five new puppies, we now have a total of eight dogs on our security patrol. Our Belgian Shepard, “Killer”, is the leader of the pack. No stranger enters our property without our dogs knowing it. And if they visit us unannounced, “Killer” will tear into them. He’s bitten three people in the past year, sending one of them to the hospital.
While we really don’t need five new canines, the puppies are too cute to give away. We did try to relocate one of the pups, “Squeaky”, to a new home but that transfer didn’t work out. Now “Squeak” wakes me up every morning around 4 am and bangs against our door demanding to come in.
Because I’m usually awake by then anyway, I obediently go to the door and let the little pup in. Don’t let my crusty old expat exterior fool you, I’m a softie at heart.
UNLIMITED 3-DAY WEEKENDS IN THE PHILIPPINES CONTINUE
Despite the five new puppies, they’re not any extra work for me. Our live-in helper feeds all the dogs twice a day. My asawa bathes all of the animals every week. I really don’t do much for the brood, except pet them occasionally or accidentally step on them.
Though I strive to do as little as possible in my retirement years in the Philippines, such a lifestyle’s not for everyone. Some expats like to keep busy. I know of a few that like to keep busy lifting a cold San Miguel to their lips. Nothing wrong with that, as long as it’s done in moderation.
Finally, I’ve pretty much abandoned Red Horse and San Miguel Pale Pilsen. Haven’t had a beer or any other adult beverages in a couple of months. Haven’t felt like hanging out with any other crusty old expats and we don’t keep any alcohol at home.
That said, I’m still enjoying my unlimited 3-day weekends in the Philippines where every day is a Labor Day holiday.