My Move to the Philippines |

 So glad to report that this week we have arrived in the Philippines. Not a complete move but working towards someday doing just that. We have spent the first few days just adjusting to the time difference and visiting with friends we haven’t seen since last year.

I have been to Jollibee and Chow King, my fave places to eat, a couple of times already and it seems that there are more Starbucks here than anywhere I’ve ever been. Aside from that I’m finally figuring out the Internet Providers and prices. I’ve already been to Mall of Asia, Manila Bay, and Market Market and will share pics with you guys when I get them uploaded.

A strange occurance is the amount of Americans I’ve seen here this year. Although I’ve only been away for a year the amount of foreigners I have encountered in our little suburb of Manila suprises me. I have seen many younger Americans in the malls and places I’ve been. I guess the secret is out!

If you follow me on twitter you know I have been comparing the weather in the Philippines with the weather here in West Virginia. Mainly because it is so freaking cold and snowy in West Virginia right now and so nice in the Philippines and I will be flying into Manila in 20 days.

I am not a lover of snow or cold weather and can’t wait till I am staying the beautiful climate of the Philippines the majority of the time. Just in case you want to know the temperature in West Virginia right now is 20F and feels like 12F. In Manila it is 79F and feels like 83F so I ask you WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING HERE?

My wife had inherited some land in Pangasinan close to Hundred Islands so we decided to build a second home for the family when we visit the Province. Check the following link for pictures of the hoouse in progress.

Our House in Hundred Islands

Yes we are catching up with the Philippines here in the U.S. I heard my first Christmas music of the year in the Mall today and I think we are starting to get in the mood. Actually, I have to admit the first Christmas music I heard this year was on a Merry Go Round at the local amusement park in July. Can’t figure that one out maybe they were trying to keep us thinking of cool weather.

Another sign I saw of Christmas is the lines for the popular toys this year. Went by ToysRus this morning and saw a line outside. Then I saw a sign on the door that said one Zhu Zhu Pet per customer and I knew why. If you don’t know about these toys yet they are the Cabbage Patch Kids of 2009. If you are too young to know about that there is usually one hot toy that sells out every year and this year it is the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster. I think they make too few of a toy like this every year on purpose.

Other than that, my wife and I are working on getting ready for our trip to the Philippines in January which I hope will come soon. I really miss our home and family and friends there and plan on spending lots of time catching up. Hopefully the storm season will be over soon and the Philippines can get back to normal but it may take awhile.

Well we just received a few new pics from our home in the Philippines. As you can see when looking at the pictures we have added an awning. This was against my wishes but my wife decided it would protect us. Whatever the reason I think awnings can get tacky looking if not maintained. One more step will be accomplished this week when the air conditioning is installed. Believe me guys I can handle the heat but my wife who grew up in these temps demands it! Anyway the link to all the pics is Moving to Philippines Home Pics Will be leaving for the Philippines on January 28. 2010. Hope to meet some of the readers then!

The saying “time flies when you are having fun” but it could also be “time flies when you are busy” and I have been very busy. Since Christmas season in the states is near I have had a couple of marketing campaigns I have spent most of my working time on so I have neglected this blog. One of them will almost surely be a profitable campaign for me and the customer but also has taken much effort and is not close to being ready. To see what I’ve started click here but I warn you it is still only half way done. Anyway it seems like September has flown by so quickly and we are almost halfway through October.

The dream house is coming along quite well and actually we should have air conditioning in this week and the outside  has had a few changes. I hope to be posting some pictures on the changes real soon so keep looking for them. We have sent some balikbayan boxes full of essentials to the Philippines recently so it looks like when I go there in January there will be a lot of unpacking. With this stuff going in, the house should start feeling like a home to me and Ican get comfortable there. To all my friends online, I would like to meet at least some of you when I get there so let me know if that will be possible. As the time for my next trip to the Philippines draws near I am getting more and more excited to see my extended family once again. I’ll sign off for now and will be posting more frequently in the coming weeks and months.

I can’t believe it’s been a week since I last posted. I’ve been really busy on a very profitable and successful project but time consuming as well. Not really much going on other than my favorite season which is Fall. One thing I will miss after moving to the Philippines will be the drastic change in seasons. Just a couple of weeks ago it was hot and humid and now we are experiencing the cooler days of Fall.

If you are in the Philippines I would like to greet you with Season’s Greetings, probably something you have been hearing for the last two weeks since we are in the “ber” months. Never could get used to hearing Christmas music in September or October but I will adjust.

I ran across a recent video from my friend and noted author Bob Martin (see the sidebar for his writings). This video is a tour of his house in Davao City. I recommend you visit his YouTube channel and watch it. To view the video please click here. Once again SEASON’S GREETINGS especially in the Philippines.

What do you feel is the real Philippines? Is it the provinces, where the some people are so poor that they don’t have running water nor electricity? Or is the beautiful sprawling cities of Metro Manila or Cebu? Is it the cool mountainous regions? Maybe you think as I do and believe that all of this together makes up the real Philippines. The country’s geography is as diverse as the different languages and people.

This came to mind when a friend recently visited the Philippines with his wife and she brought him straight to the province in the middle of the night and they stayed there for about 1 month. It was in an area that was like the first example I cited. No running water, no electricty, and not many English speaking people if any. My friend was very discouraged and vowed to never go back to the Philippines again. I believe his wife cheated him out of seeing the beauty of the Philippines so I found this video on YouTube and showed him some things he missed. He may visit again I promised to take him along with me when I go. Anyhow here is the video I found on YouTube:

Book early and save! Find special deals in hot destinations only at Expedia.com!

President Obama’s Healthcare reform bill is a hot topic on the internet, TV, and just about every other media outlet. The people who are pro-healthcare and anti-healthcare are very passionate about the topic but I feel like I’m not a good judge of what is best because my whole life I have basically been on a government provided healthcare program. I joined the Navy right out of high school and retired from the Navy so my family and I have only known government healthcare. What I can say is I’m over 50 and in reasonably good health and still have all my internal organs and teeth so I guess it’s worked for me.

It’s a fact that the Philippine doctors and medical personel are as professional and well trained as their counterparts in other countries. Philippine health care is less expensive in most cases and I hear that many people who live in countries such as Canada that have socialized medicine end up going to the United States for operations that they can’t afford to wait on in their home country. This is where the Philippines may benefit.

Consider if the U.S. health care system turns into something similiar to the British or Canadian system and Americans can’t get the surgery or treatment they need at home.They can go to the Philippines and get the same level of care and won’t have to wait long or go through government red tape. Some of the best doctors and nurses in the U.S. are Filipinos, in fact the doctor I see the most is Filipino. Will this mean that Filipino doctors in the U.S. who would be subject to accepting what the government health plan provides would opt to move back to the Philippines and open a private practice there? Possibly but there are many things that readers of this blog may have to think about. I know that when I move to the Philippines I can expect to receive the best medical care for me.

Just posted some new pictures to the Moving to Philippines Dream Home Makeover Binan Laguna. Also an introduction to one of the neighbors. Follow the link here.