dazedandconfused

Nice to see this up again Jimslim.... Here are 4 very different tunes guaranteed to get me happy and the feet tapping before a big night out! Apologies if the Laura Greene track is already in the Northern Soul thread...... 1. The under rated Chi-Lites: 2. Superfly Curtis: [media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lus0wLOXvAc 3. Laura making a great racket: 4. Eddie and the Hot Rods - 'Do Anything you Wanna Do' Wish I was a teenager again: [media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XONqHfZzbsI

Jacky looks very errrr.....charming!

Kahuna, you should be the LBR Sports Correspondent! They reckon that NBC may get better than a 5.2 rating in the US for the Ryder Cup this year which mean it was watchd in 5.2% of all US households. Not huge in the general scheme of things but then not trivial either...... Seriously though it was gripping.

I know that it might not be the best result for our BM's from across the big pond but what a monumental wekend of sporting endeavour. Certainly the best Ryder Cup I have seen in over 40 years. Astonishing golf played by both teams in the most incredible and emotional conditions. Loads of absolute heroes on the European side but special mention to Poulter (who semed single handedly to grab the damn thing and wrest it from the US), Rose for two unbelievable putts at the end and the much under-rated Lawrie. Credit to the USA for absolute dignity in defeat as well. Am I the only one on here who watched it?!

Hi everyone, thanks for the feedback. Hefe, I like Davao and it's an interesting place but I'm not sure that I would go out of my way to visit the City if I was on a relatively short trip. If primarily here to spend some time with LB's then time in Manila and Cebu is well spent. Possibly Angeles City as well (to be fair it is primarily all about GGs there but the LB's are literally and confidently beginning to step out of the shadows....). Davao is quite big and sprawling and does not really have the kind of nightlife scene, or indeed the kind of tourists, that will generate a wildly active LB scene out in the discos and bars. They are deffo there but not all that easy to find. Personally I would rather combine some city time with downtime on one of the islands. Boracay is the best known, has great beaches, lots of things to do and is busy at night. It's also popular with LB's - either ones free-lancing there or ones that you can take with you. Plenty of other island / beach places to head to and explore throughout the islands. Check out Puerto Galera, Dumaguete, Malapascua, Moalboal, Panglao Island, Camiguin, El Nido etc. Some already have a fair sprinkling of LB's there and others are a lot quieter but no less enjoyable for that. If you find someone you are comfortable with and whisk her away to the beach for a few days then you are going to be much loved!

Stealth, too much detail for here methinks! Kind of all of the above. Am an expat doing my own thing and enjoying life in the PI I'll send you a message with a bit more info.......

Thanks for the comments Gents. Just one rider.....nightlife in Cebu, good as it is, is definitely a Fri / Sat affair with Thurs sometimes ok as well. The rest of the week there is relatively quiet - possibly deathly quiet. So do bear that in mind if planning a trip and assessing priorities.

Hey Stealth Am living in Manila and have been based in the Philippines for quite a few years now :) Aside from the Oyster Bay I have only really seen Mandaue as I travel through it to and from the airport to the City. Seems to be the home of a lot of the Cebu based LBs though....

Thanks SiamSam. I'll wrap this thing up now.... The Sunday Sunday daytime was a wash and was spent in a quiet, slightly fragile state, both poolside and in the room. We were dodging showers and welcoming the ac. Ayala Mall, Cebu. Here you can dine, watch movies and buy anything that your lb girlfriend adds to the damn shopping list. Pic from cebucitylife.com Sunday night was funny. Anyone who has ever spent any length of time with a Filipino girl or LB will tell you that on a fairly regular basis there is going to be an argument or a sulk or a small dispute. These can easily spill over into bitter recriminations that even the UN would baulk at trying to solve. Candy got hers in on night 3 – which was not too bad. I can’t remember exactly what sparked it but it was something really really trivial (it always is from our seemingly more sane perspective) that set her off. We were going to the Cinema and were planning to eat in the Mall beforehand. By the time we got there she 100% was not talking to me at all. In my (lengthy and gloomy) experience of such matters I know that there are usually 3 ways to deal with this: a. sulk back and don’t talk to them either until someone cracks. Trouble is that this can last for weeks b. rise to the bait and assume that you can shout and holler some sense into the situation which is extremely tempting as the blood pressure surges but rarely works c. and my personal favourite, chatter along amiably as if nothing has happened and you have not noticed anything wrong. Sounds great but after a while if the other person refuses to bend it becomes a one person discourse of gibberish. I went with c. but eventually had to give up. So, after a very very quiet meal we went to the cinema separated physically by inches and a chasm of silence. However a brief tentative hand squeeze half way through from her suggested that things were possibly back on track and after the movie there was a cuddle and some tears. Never really got to the exact bottom of it but suspect somewhere along the line there was the emotional effect that a nice weekend as a ‘real couple’ was having – especially as it is only a temporary / occassional situation for us. We did recover though and went back to the hotel for great make-up sex. Next day a flight back to Manila and to our separate lives. So, Cebu was cool, as always, and it was good not to have to chase around but just enjoy the place with an LB who is a pretty special friend....

The Saturday Much of the next day was spent poolside. It’s an ok pool but has quite a lot of concrete around it. Depending on where you sit there is some wi-fi access. They also allow non-guests to use the place at a reasonable Php 300-00. Well worth considering if in Cebu and staying somewhere without a pool. Maybe avoid weekends though – it was a bit of a bunfight for the sunbeds… The pool at night (or during an eclipse) Pic from ensogo.com That night was Saturday which meant hitting the bars and clubs. Different modus-operandi for me – usually I am on more of a mission. This time I had a beautiful lb already in tow who was keen to show off so we hit the town determined to look great and have a cool time. First off though was dinner and ballast…. We both wanted fish and there is a fairly known fish restaurant in Cebu called the Oyster Bay. This is on the main road in Mandaue about half way between the Airport and Cebu City (about 10 – 15 mins taxi from the hotel). It’s actually set roadside in a small U-shaped Mall the kind I would guess you might see in the USA… Anyway, very nice place with lots of seating and space so you have a bit of peace and quiet. It's a slightly funky place with a friendly knowledgeable team working there. Seem to be familys there early evenings and more couples / mates there from about 8.30pm onwards. Good value menu too with the Oysters being exceptional. Well worth a visit imho….. Outside at Oyster Bay Pic from oysterbayseafoodrestaurant.com Suitably refreshed we headed back to the hotel and got our glad rags on. Ms Candy in 5inch heels and a dress that seemed to stop somewhere just a few centimetres south of her waist. Me not in a dress or heels. First stop was a quick look at the Hotel casino. Then on to the Penthouse / Loft which is just about the most trendy and fashionable club in town. It’s in the Technology Park near the hotel. Comprises of the 2 bars on different levels. The Penthouse is the upper one and the most popular. Crowd is a mix of some of Cebu’s (slightly older) finest (and wealthiest), upscale Korean and Japanese tourists and the occasional misfit like myself. I’ve been here a few times and it’s not really a place if you are solely looking to track down LB’s. That said a posse of at least half a dozen of them swooped in at some point during the evening and hung around for an hour or so. Some familiar faces amongst them for anyone who knows that part of the Cebu scene. Couple of DJ’s from Manila were playing and music was a decent mix of house and funk. We left around 01.30am when it was starting to get pretty full. Next stop was Mango Square. You either get this place or you don't and getting out of the taxi there at 01.45am was like walking into a crowd scene in ‘Escape from New York’. There is the whole gamut of life that zooms in on nightlife in a city in the developing world – kids selling cigarettes and gum, hustlers, taxi drivers, cops, hookers, drunks, lbs and fbs, tourists, students, bums, bar crawlers, glam girls, etc etc. It’s got an edge and it’s fun. Mindful of the fact that I was with La Candy I could not stare toooo long at a gaggle of FB’s who were making unsubtle eyes and so dragged her into J Ave 'Super club'. Formerly known as Julianas this has been revamped, refurbished and is now very big. It’s also very bloody noisy. Music was the usual mix of current, pretty average, mainstream dance music and a DJ yelling the usual tired old stuff ‘make some fucking nooooiiiissse’ ‘put your hands up in the air’ and so on. I stuck it for about 30 mins. There are a whole bunch of bars and clubs in Mango Sq with quite a bit of seating outside so you can easily sit there and watch the world go by. No real need to actually go into any of the clubs and it’s an easy place for a pick up. Actually the main road bisects the Square and the other side is quieter with just a few bars and restaurants. Incidentally, located on that side is a branch of Zubuchon that is one of the Philippines very best places to eat. The lechon pork is great. Final stop for the night was Pump 1 which is located at the back of the Convention Centre just 5 mins in a taxi from Mango Sq. It’s a bit weirder still but slightly less busy with the Crazies. A fair number of the workers from the GG bars come here after the clubs shut and there always seem to be a good number of LB’s around. It’s loud inside but loads of tables and chairs outside. I’ve always had a fairly good time there and one BM and myself struck the Leyte / Samar Island LB motherlode on a visit there a year or so back! A word to the wise... there often seem to be a few young un’s hanging around so take the usual precautions if in doubt ie pass and move on to the next table. BTW all the above clubs have a nominal entrance fee and then give you a voucher that can be exchanged for a rum coke, beer or whatever. Most expensive was the Penthouse at around Php 300-00. I think but memory of the night is a bit hazy. End of night we crawled back to the hotel, bit tired and already hungover but fueled by oysters, baileys (her) and rum (me) we were eager and ready to test that bed again. One final caveat - I'm far too old for that kind of night but when in Rome.....

Just some notes on a few days spent recently in Cebu. Quick note, none of the photos are mine – they have been mainly lifted off official sites on the web and have been credited where possible The Friday So…. a few weeks back the current lb mrs dazedandconfused (I’ll call her Candy here, it’s not her real name but I like it for now and it was a good enough name for Lou and Andy!) and I went down to Cebu from Manila for a long weekend. We don’t get together all that often and have to snatch some brief time when we can. I really enjoy her company though so it was time to throw some money at it and have an overdue silky, romantic kind of weekend. We booked into the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino (not to be confused with the one by the airport). It’s an institution in Cebu and is one of the largest hotels around. Probably now the third or fourth best in the City but it’s in a good location, has decent facilities, a very impressive lobby and a whole bunch of in-house restaurants that meant that we did not have to wander too far from the room if and when in lazy mode. Got a deal via Asia Rooms that worked out around $90-00 USD per night. Hotel is definitely lb friendly and if on a monger trip there is no problem with joiners. Decent buffet breakfast as well. If you get up in time. Deluxe rooms are big and spacious and have huge beds to roll around on. Good wi-fi signal as well. Bathrooms are a bit small and cramped though. The Hotel (not as ugly as it looks) Pic from checkcebu.com First afternoon was as most here would anticipate – I went out to get some decent drinks and snacks for the mini-bar, and was provided with a shopping list of a whole range of stuff for her. These were the very things you would expect the traveling LB would bring with her but they never ever ever do ie hairbrush, sun-block, make-up remover etc. Go figure. The main Ayala Mall is just a few mins from the Hotel. Got back and La Candy was tucked up and fast asleep in bed – no big surprise The Deluxe Room - big enough to swing.... Pic from waterfronthotels.com.ph She later surfaced and spent just the one hour 30 mins getting ready for dinner – located 6 floors below us in the Italian restaurant. Nice place with the added bonus for the smokers that they have indoor and outdoor seating. Food was very good but Jeez, it’s not cheap. Had a bottle of wine that we did not finish but was later sent chilled and on ice up to the room for us – nice touch. Ended the night fully testing that bed suspension and the pillow strength... The lobby - before the arrival of KE631 from Seoul Pic from asiabet.co

Thanks pdogg (proving it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks)! This one was popular out here in the PI a few years back... Perfect timing with the sound of the cockrel in the background at the very end of the clip [media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44rvmGHNJqE[/media]

How do I embed a You tube clip on here? There's one I would like to post and I'm not up to speed on how to do it.

Thanks for the feedback SiamSam, that's pretty much pushed me in the direction I was already heading. Looks like it will be the August Suites. Unless I have to change my flipping dates again! I'm 99% sure of being there Nov 18 - Nov 25.....

My fault.... am heading over to Pattaya mid-late November and had a room held at the Evergreen at Areca Lodge. I dithered around, chopped and changed dates, lost my option date at Areca and now they are fully booked on the nights I need and I'm a bit sad! So, am just trying to work out next best options. I want a new-ish place, a swimming pool and need to have reliable wi-fi in the room. I kinda like Page 10 but it's just a bit more lumpy than I want to pay this time round. At this point I'm juggling with either August Suites (probably the first choice) or April Suites and as a possible wild card the LK Royal Wing. Anyone got thoughts / comments on the above? Thanks D&C

Funny you should say that.... Many years ago I was at a party and there was a young woman there who was a Prison Officer (similar territory to policewomen?). She was quite fit albeit a bit butch and scarey - as you might expect. As the evening went on she got more and more pissed on the fruit cocktail and cider. Come late evening she was decidedly predatory / aggressive and had me trapped at the bottom of the stairs and told me that the very best thing about being a P.O was that she really liked to see men locked up and in cells. This got me a bit nervous and uncomfortable (and i wasn't even ready to think about the psychological stuff about this clearly slightly weird girl looking after prisoners)and I was ultimately rescued by some mates. They warned that she was keen on using the 'tools of her trade' including cuffs, batons etc on a series of casual partners who were often to be seen walking bow-legged and shocked from her place in the early hours. So I bottled it and headed for some sweeter lasses instead. Thing is, if I knew then what I know now, I would have happily let her drag me, blindfolfded and tied if need be, into her second hand Ford escort and off to her dungeon of horrors!

Kim Delaney as Detective Dianne Russell in NYPD Blue. The thinking man's bit of crumpet.....apparently. I had a bit of a crush on her....

Thought it was great. Could have been a huge embarrassement but Danny Boyle pulled a masterstroke in concentrating on some clever references to British music, films and popular culture. The Pistols being played at an Olympic opening ceremony?! Who would of thought....? Some great heads up along the way as well; including Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the NHS (Cameron and the Tory head honchos must have been squirming in their seats) and a few others. The torch ceremony was incredible and a great design. Macca deserves our forgiveness in this instance because all of his previous contributions.

My last trip to Pattaya last year and I was determined to run like a rutting stag. As it turned out, apart from one brief short time stint, I settled in with the same LB for most nights. Just happened that way and worked well, I came back with no regrets and good memories. Next time, later this year, I may well revert back to the rutting Plan A again but you never know what's going to happen. Trying to decide anything in advance just doesn't seem to work. Here in the PI and on home turf I seem to have been more or less into the groove with one particular girl for over a year now. I'm not sure either of us would call it a real relationship (and she's in P4P) but it's not far away from that and does work well for both of us. She's easy on the eye, generous with her time and affection, we have developed a good level of trust and discretion and we do hit the right buttons in the bedroom stuff. So, am a bit lucky really. On the occasions when I have strayed it's generally (with a couple of exceptions) not really worked out so well and it's often been a bit disappointing. Maybe it's an age thing as well - you kinda learn that it's not always worth chasing around when you've already got something decent in hand. Still, nothing wrong with a bit of window shopping eh?

Hey Pacman, there are people out here! I'm not certain that I enjoy movies just for the sake of them being obscure. It is though definitely worth looking outside the box to stretch the horizons (a pertinent analogy might be to occasionally stop going to Obsessions - purely as an example - every night and have a wander instead round some of the small bars off 2nd round). There are great films to be found outside the 'mainstream' but there are plenty of poor ones as well – it’s a very subjective area though. What I like and my judgement on what is good and bad is not necessarily going to be the same as the next man’s. I can’t defend in any way Hangover 2 but concede that some folks (Azza, Azza, Azza….) might like it. Two of my favourite films are Two-Lane Blacktop and Memento. Admittedly both English language, both very different and pretty much low budget movies that were defiantly indie minded but the sheer quality and imagination they exhibited won over audiences by word of mouth and nudged them into a wider viewing platform. The distribution system which works very hard against Independent releases and the much wider cultural difficulties of many folks getting to grip with foreign language films always mean that these movies are unlikely to get much coverage outside of their home patch unless there are compelling reasons for critics, movie buffs etc to shout out and for word of mouth to spread the message. Your example of A Separation being very much a case in point which almost miraculously got seen outside the Middle East (helped of course by a dollop of liberal guilt served up with the Arab Spring!) Bottom line is that people go to the cinema or watch films at home for a whole number of reasons and everyone has different pleasure points from the experience. I happen to enjoy watching some foreign language movies just as I like to watch some of the big blockbusters but then I’m enthralled with the whole notion of film and everything it brings. Sorry, bit of a disconnected ramble…

Nice Randi. You continue to demonstrate good taste in music as well. Is it a trip to LOS / PI or Ibiza this year?!

Ah, got it and understand now. Thanks Larry

Only allowed three? Not all that obscure but not watched so much these days....... 1. City of God (one of the best films EVER? Slum/Gang life in Rio de Janerio with an awesome soundtrack) 2. Come and See (WW2 film set in Belarus - harrowing tbh) 3. Collateral (Tom Cruise but don't get put off by that, he's great in it and LA at night looks amazing in the film)

Hi Larry, this might be a bit anal but a newbie to this forum type question.... my post count say 5 but I've written one or two more than that. Does the system capture all posts or only of a certain type? If it has an in-built editorial function and ignored my ones which were rubbish then of course I understand!

I did! Nice to know someone else out there likes it....