As you can imagine, I get a lot of e-mails with various questions about visiting the Philippines, and also about living here.  One of the most frustrating things to me is when somebody sends me an e-mail through one of my websites, and when I take the time to send them a reply, the message bounces. I mean, the fact that I took time out of my busy schedule to help these folks with answers to their questions, then when I send the reply to them, I get a message that the e-mail address is not valid.  It’s frustrating, and makes me usually feel that I have wasted my time in answering, or really even reading their e-mail.  Some such … [Read more...]

Have you ever heard of the Global Pinoy Center?  It is a relatively new thing, perhaps a year or so old now.  It may be even older than that up around Manila, but we have had it here in Davao for a year or less now. The Global Pinoy Center is owned by SM, and can be found in almost all of the SM Malls around the country now.  The Global Pinoy Center is primarily aimed at Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s), and the member ship to the Center is limited to OFW’s and other Filipinos who have traveled or worked abroad.  Expats can also qualify for membership in the Global Pinoy Center. I joined the GPC about 6 months ago or so, and … [Read more...]

The other day, I got an e-mail from Don.  Don lives in Canada, but it seems that he is considering making a move to Davao with his family. Don has a wife and two kids.  He asked me why Feyma and I decided to move here, and especially why we decided to raise our kids here in the Philippines. I have written on this subject matter in the past, but it’s been a long time, so I thought I’d share my e-mail exchange with Don, for the benefit of others who may have such questions on their minds. Here is what Don wrote: Hello Bob, Can you tell me why you and your wife decided to move to the Philippines and raise your children there ? Why … [Read more...]

Just a couple of days ago, I had an article entitled “It’s Coming!  I can’t wait!”  Now, today, I wanted to use the exact same title for this article, but I refrained! What’s coming this time?  Well, I’ll get to that in a minute. About 6 months to a year ago, somebody started preparing an empty parcel of land for building.  Feyma and I wondered what was going to be built there.  The place is not far from our house, five minutes walking distance.  No signs or anything were put up, nothing to indicate what was coming.  The land is right next to a barber shop where I used to have my hair cut regularly, … [Read more...]

Over most of the years that I’ve lived in Davao City, SkyCable, the local Cable TV company has offered Cable Internet service.  Problem is, their service area has always been very limited.  For many years, only one or two relatively small neighborhoods had access to Cable Internet.  I have always wanted the service, but never lived in an area where it was available. During those years, I would usually call SkyCable 3 or 4 times per year to inquire if the service was available in the neighborhood where I lived.  I already knew that it was not available, but I wanted them to realize that there was demand for my neighborhood, and … [Read more...]

The other day, I got an e-mail from a self described “keen follower” of this site, his name is Paul. Paul had a question regarding the costs of living in the Philippines. Of course, cost is an important consideration for those planning to live here, unless they have a large budget.  But, for most potential residents of the Philippines, cost is something that they have to consider and take into account when they make their decisions on where to live, lifestyle and other such matters. Paul has a question Let’s see what Paul had to say: Hi Bob, I am a foreigner living in Japan, and a keen follower of your Web Magazine. I am … [Read more...]

Last weekend, I wrote an article about My Recent TV Interview, which happened when I was getting my haircut in the barbershop.  Basically, what the article was about was that a TV news crew was in the barber shop and wound up interviewing me.  They asked me a question in English, and I replied in Bisaya, the local language where I live.  It was a lot of fun, and both the film crew and I enjoyed it.  They were caught by surprise, because they did not know that I was able to speak Bisaya. As part of the article, Queeniebee left a comment: Knowing the local language is a real coup though, isn’t it? Queeniebee can also speak Bisaya, like … [Read more...]

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, I went and had a haircut.  For the past year or two, I have a regular barber that I always go to.  From time to time, when I go to the barber shop, Joel is not there, and in those cases, I have a “regular backup” at that barber shop, his name is Dodong.  About 80% of the time, Joel cuts my hair, about 20% of the time Joel is not there when I go for a haircut, so Dodong takes care of it.  I really like the work of both barbers, and am happy with either.  Since Joel was my first “suki” at the barber shop, I always go to him first if he is there. In case you are wondering what a suki … [Read more...]

On a constant basis, I hear from people who ask me “how much is this” or “how much is that” in the Philippines.  Frankly, I get a bit tired of that question, because I don’t consider the cost of things to be the most important thing about living in the Philippines.  To be honest, it’s more of a very small part of life compared to other things concerning life in the Philippines.  But, still, I try to oblige when I am asked such questions.  I don’t write about such topics often on the site though. Today, though, I decided to break my “normal” writing practice, and go ahead and write … [Read more...]

Did you know that the Philippines is famous for it’s swords?  It’s true. Swords are made in many parts of the Philippines.  Some of the best swords are made in Tugaya, Lanao del Sur Province right here in Mindanao.  I went to Tugaya with Feyma back in 2007, and we had a great time.  We saw swords being made right in front of us. I’m not talking about factories here, I am talking about people making swords in sheds in their back yards.  But, these home made swords are not poor quality, even though they are home made.  Most of these swords are world class quality!  And, they are somewhat costly due to their quality. … [Read more...]