D' Mall - I swear it annoys me progressively more every time I go there! Why is it that as soon as the average person enters a mall they start to behave in the manner of a lobotomised monkey - staring vacantly into space, and gazing in any direction except that in which they are walking. If one more idiot shuffles into me because they are texting as they meander aimlessly about, I swear I won't be responsible for my actions! For me, that mall epitomises everything people used to come to Boracay to get away from - crowds, nasty cheap neon-lit fast food "restaurants", noise, and general tackiness. There are now people coming to Boracay specifically to hang out in the mall. There are even hotels being built for those people who are so addicted to mall culture that they actually want to stay IN the mall, as opposed to on the beautiful beach! It drives me nuts! How I wish we could turn back the clock.

While I'm having a good rant, an unfortunate thing happened on the beach today outside our place. Our friends who captain the paraw named Wave Song were arrested for trying to collect their customers from the shoreline. While there is a rule in place stating that all pleasure boats must pick up and drop off at either station 1 or station 3 (station 2 has been taken out of the loop, as usual), it seems riduculous that on the one hand they have turned our area into a marina/mooring area, with boats pumping their bilges out into the sea, and at the same time sailboats (which of course do not pollute) are prohibited from picking up customers in these areas. Which does the most harm? And why is the setback for these moored bancas not being enforced? Seems it's pick on the little guy, as usual.

And last rant of the day - the squatter area next door! They have set up a load of stalls on the empty plot between our bar and Tree House Resort with the intention of holding a peria fiesta - a month long gambling fest supposedly in aid of the church. As far as we know they will start operations on Monday, and continue until June 26. What a nightmare in terms of noise, mess, security, hygiene etc. Most of the nearby neighbours objected, but they were given a permit to set it up anyway. Normally these events are held away from the beach in the plaza, and in my opinion that's where they belong - not in tourist areas where they will cause significant loss of earnings to local hotels and businesses, and nuisance and damage to private homeowners and residents. The joys of living in paradise!

I'm off now, to celebrate Rolly's birthday with a good dinner and a few cold beers...