The Forum Seems Dead

[samatm 2,996]

On 9/7/2020 at 5:16 PM, Kreole said:

This seems like the normal flow of things without being alarmist.  When important issues arise, there are plenty of us who post or reply.  It is important not to depend on any one source for your information or stimulation.  This forum serves a very important service by keeping us informed when it matters, so, "no news is good news" for me.

As per the explosion of activity after everyone is vaccinated, I wouldn't jump the gun.  I predict that we are in for a series of rolling lockdowns because lockdowns don't really do anything but kick the can down the road, since this is the only "weapon" in the arsenal of this so called "war on covid" here in the Philippines.  It hasn't worked anywhere else in the world, so it is pure magical thinking that it will work here.

The evidence of this disastrous policy is becoming universally acknowledged, and was as obviously predictable as it was avoidable.  So many crashed economies, unemployed, loss of businesses that will never return, loss of freedoms that will never return...the list just goes on and on. 

But, you know that governments can't admit that they were wrong, so they just double down, in order to avoid losing face, by which time economies will be driven into the ground and the countries are forced into a debt they will never be able to repay in order to prop up their economies until the next so called pandemic occurs.

It is as simple as this;

1.  the virus explodes and government and media hysteria ensues

2.  many people are infected and some die

3.  lockdowns are enforced until the areas are supposedly "virus free"

4.  lockdowns are suspended until the population of people, who have not been infected or exposed to the virus, become infected

5.  lockdowns are reimposed

6  ad infinitum

Any bets?

I guess we are all hoping that Herd Immunity will Kick in at some point.    ... Ive seen some reports not to be to hopeful on that front too... so It could be that we all learn to live (and die ) with the thing until the vaccine comes out.     I think folks who endured constant bombings and air raids in WW2..  Life kept on going on..  Both in London and Later in Berlin.   It wasn't fun, and the economy took a beating... but life went on and rebounded..       This to shall pass. 

[Pman 4,725]

Paul died???

Damn. RIP. Actually crying.

 

Logged in to post about it, and I had warning and -5 points from Paul... LOL... Remembered why I left. So much drama. Still I will miss him. So sad.

I'm in USA with my wife. 3 years married now.

 

Damn. Going to miss him. 

[Jess Bartone 1,820]

On 9/9/2020 at 6:18 PM, Gus said:

Wombats Womb, one of the most notable.
 

What ever happened to Wombat?

I joined in 2009 after I got married, and quickly became a daily fixture for 2 or 3 years, but then I inadvertently got caught up in some sort of factional war, which to this day I still don't understand. Paul banned a ton of members at that time, myself included. Then, suitably contrite, I wrote to Paul, who let me back on the forum.

When I returned, I was somewhat shocked to see that a couple of my former "co-conspirators", the very same who had convinced me to join them, and rebel against the hierarchy (Paul) in the first place, were already back, and well-ensconced in the bosom of the forum's purple circle. That was okay though, I have dealt with people like that all my life, so even the screeching pm I got from one of them merely added to the hilarity of it all.

However, every time I poked my head up after that to say something, they, or one of their new bestfriends, would take a swing at it with a 20-pound metaphoric sledge hammer. Who wants to be active in that gloomy man-child atmosphere? Yes, they were heady times, I only wish I could have been living there at the time, but there was no way I was ever going to do it on a "budget", tempting as it was, and especially after our first daughter came along in May 2013.

So now I am "blocked" from my retirement in Mindanao by this bloody virus, after almost 12 years of marriage and 2 kids later (2 daughters can you believe it?), endless planning and plan updates, scrooging away money all the time by force of habit, then finally I call "ready team" just as the virus hits and the airlines shut down... GRRR. It's difficult not to shake a fist at the sky.

One of my plans was to do one of those house building vlogs with costs etc to share here on the forum... it will still happen, but "when" is anybody's guess. I spent most of my working life in construction, you could say I picked up a thing or two, so after having followed a number of builds here on the forum, and a lot of the same thing on you tube, I have a pretty good idea of Filipino construction mentality, but more disturbingly, how many expats are willing to pay top dollar for a "contractor", then they see the potential major structural faults/failures, and just laugh it off with "it's more fun in the Philippines" or "that's okay it's how they do things here".

Yeah, nah.

[Goetz1965 1,071]

Yeah Im more productive now on YouTube so no time to post here that often ha ha ha
 

[Jess Bartone 1,820]

On 9/17/2020 at 11:11 AM, Goetz1965 said:

Yeah Im more productive now on YouTube so no time to post here that often ha ha ha
 

What's your channel?

[+Salty Dog 69,134]

 

On 9/16/2020 at 1:04 AM, Jess Bartone said:

What ever happened to Wombat?

Wombat (Phil) was before my time. He was banned March 20, 2013 for attacking Paul's character, and accusing him of illegal activities.

If he was an avid poster, I wouldn't be surprised if he's back using a different username.

[Ozepete 9,586]

Phil was a good bloke but he got himself into a major bind with a project he put everything into but failed. He fought to try and get it to work but things didn't go his way and it overwhelmed him unfortunately.

In the end he had a bit of a breakdown and returned to Oz. I hope his health has recovered now but all contact with him has gone so who knows?

[Headshot 29,354]

58 minutes ago, Salty Dog said:

Wombat (Phil) was before my time. He was banned March 20, 2013 for attacking Paul's character, and accusing him of illegal activities.

If he was an avid poster, I wouldn't be surprised if he's back using a different username.

I liked Phil. My family and I ate at his restaurant several times, and I organized two LinC Forums get-togethers there. Paul messed with Phil (and his business) first, and Phil got fed up and threw some mud back in Paul's direction. That got Phil banned.

Phil tried to run a restaurant in probably the worst location on Mactan. It had great food and was doomed from the start because it was never going to draw a customer base large enough to survive. Phil was into martial arts, and he intended the first floor of his place to be a dojo, but that never happened. He thought the restaurant would support the dojo until he could get it going.

Unfortunately, Phil had some serious health conditions, and the strain of those plus the business failure (and some legal issues) caused him to walk away from everything in the Philippines and return to Australia. We haven't heard from him since he left, so I don't know if he is OK or no longer with us. A lot of LinC Forums members just drift away like that. I doubt seriously that he is posting under a different name.

Edited September 18, 2020 by Headshot

[Edwin 7,409]

1 hour ago, Headshot said:

I doubt seriously that he is posting under a different name.

His large brown type would give him away in an instant. He was a likeable character. 

[Chris24 1,051]

Wombat (Phil) is one that I wish I had had a chance to meet.  I also really wanted to try the pizza at Wombat's Womb.  The closest I got was passing the restaurant and seeing it from the back of a truck as part of a dive group. He seemed like an animated and genial fellow from his posts here, but I do recall that they changed a bit before the banning.  

There are actually quite a few that I'd have liked to meet.  Now there's a new crop too.

[newtocebu 1,488]

We visited Wombats Womb a few times during construction - Phil was a good bloke

Unfortunately, we missed the grand opening by a few weeks when we relocated back to Oz (but donated a few slabs of San Mig Lite for the opening - hope those that attended enjoyed them!!)

I seem to remember a member posting a few pics of Phil after he returned to Australia - it looked as though his health had deteriorated so badly that he was totally unrecognisable

I thought I did see a follow up post not long after that he had passed on?

[enoonmai 675]

On 9/18/2020 at 7:00 AM, Salty Dog said:

Wombat (Phil) was before my time. He was banned March 20, 2013 for attacking Paul's character, and accusing him of illegal activities.

Maybe that was behind the scenes, I don't recall that. The main thing that got him on Paul's bad side was him constantly saying derogatory things about Filipinos. Warned numerous times. Never met him but he was an interesting character. Not many of those left.

[smokey 21,914]

He was grumpy i was selling a pair of rool up doors he came by started to low ball i liked him and gave them free and a few other construction things  one month later he called to tell me ome of the doors was broken  like i knew that? 

[+Salty Dog 69,134]

4 hours ago, enoonmai said:

Maybe that was behind the scenes, I don't recall that. 

It was in the Dirty Kitchn, where it took a lot for a member to be banned from the forum for...

[Jess Bartone 1,820]

On 9/19/2020 at 12:17 AM, Chris24 said:

There are actually quite a few that I'd have liked to meet.

Me too. I'm sort of aiming for April, hoping that in 6 or 7 months there will be a vaccine and flights will have resumed.

I've decided a multicab is to small, so I intend to bring the family to Cebu, where I hope we can find a near-new Isuzu double cab elf. I would love to introduce myself and my family to any old hands who might be interested, even better if they had kids too, sort of a common interest, and our kids could play while we talk. Nothing too serious just lunch and a few beers, maybe we could book one of those day resorts with a pool.

I would not be averse to sending the wife and kids back to the hotel after lunch, in case "the men" found they had some serious matters to discuss  I am definitely not an habitual drinker but I do love a good session occasionally.

Just musing for now, not much else to do.