Over the past couple of weeks we have been following a couple of American guys desperately trying to make a living in the Philippines. First, two weeks ago they tried driving a Jeepney in Manila, they got some passengers, but it’s a tough way to make money.  Truth is, they barely made enough to buy a cold drink. Last week, they tried driving a Taxi, and could not find a single passenger to ride with them. This week they are going to try their hand at selling a favorite snack of Filipinos, Taho! Do you think they will succeed in finally finding the right job to keep them from going hungry in the Philippines? Have a look and see how they … [Read more...]

A little more than a week ago, there was a very surprising outcome to several old kidnapping cases in the United States.  Three young women escaped after being kidnapped about a decade each.  One of the victims had been held for 11 years, one for 10 years and the third victim had been held for 9 years.  I am sure that most readers have heard about this incident.  After being held for so many years, one of the young women was able to escape and notify police, thus saving all three kidnap victims.  If you don’t know about this case, you can read more about it here. As this case has been covered by the media, I heard a statistic used … [Read more...]

Last Sunday we looked at a couple of Americans who tried to make money in the Philippines by driving a Jeepney in Manila.  This week, let’s watch as the same two guys take a try at driving a taxi. On their Jeepney adventure they got some passenger, but at P8 per passenger, it’s hard to put food on the table.  Will they be more successful driving a taxi?  Or will they find that it is too hard to succeed? At least this week they have air conditioning and are a little more comfortable! Watch the video and see how it goes for them this week. If you want to move to the Philippines and don’t want to resort to driving a Taxi, … [Read more...]

A topic that is always of interest to expats is VOIP telephone service.  What is VOIP?  Well, it is Voice over Internet Protocol, basically it is a telephone service on which you can call overseas using the Internet, and thus avoiding paying long distance International phone charges.  There are many different companies offering VOIP service.  Some of the companies that I have used over the years include Skype, Vonage, Magic Jack and perhaps a few others as well. My Vonage Experience For me, it all got started back in like 2003 or so when I got a Vonage account.  You needed to get a special router box and a few other things, but I was … [Read more...]

I get a lot of e-mails, almost daily e-mails, from foreigners who want to know if they can find a job in the Philippines.  The fact is, you probably can’t find a job in the Philippines. Some people try, though.  Take a look at the video below and see about these two Americans who tried to be entrepreneurial and make their own jobs in the Philippines!  They decided to try driving a Jeepney to see if that would help them pay the bills. Do you think they succeeded?  Watch the video and see what happened. Looks like they got a few passengers there!  But, at P8 per passenger, I don’t think it fed them for too long, and while it … [Read more...]

Could the Philippines be energy independent?  Could it even go further and become an energy exporting country?  Although I doubt that could happen, it would seem that the country could make a stride in that direction with an invention that is being put to the test here in the Philippines. This invention makes it possible to convert used plastics into fuel – diesel, gasoline and other forms of fuel.  Amazing, huh?  It is to me, as I had never heard of such a process before.  Upon reflection, though, it makes sense, since plastic is a product of petroleum, which is also the basis for most of our fuels. The plant that is processing … [Read more...]

Manila is a tough place.  It’s tough in many ways.  Manila is a city of 20 Million, and is considered to be the most densely populated city in the world.  Living in Manila is not easy, especially if you don’t have much in the way of finances.  This is true whether you are a Filipino or an Expat.  Regardless of what many people believe, being an expat does not necessarily mean that you are rich. This story starts about 2 years ago for me.  Back in 2011, somebody e-mailed me and told me about a show that was on TV in the UK, on BBC.  The show was called “The toughest place to be…”.  The title changed a … [Read more...]

Some of the people reading this site are Filipinos.  Probably a few more than that are foreigners who live in the Philippines.  But, the vast majority of LiP readers are people who want to move to the Philippines. Many people looking to move here think that the Philippines is paradise.  I have always written that it is not paradise.  There are lots of problems here.  Many things that you won’t understand.  So many things that you won’t be able to figure out.  Paradise it is not.  I always tell people that there is no such thing as paradise anywhere on earth, and the Philippines is no exception. Truth is, for most of you … [Read more...]

Today is a celebration for Feyma and I.  Well, for the kids too, but Feyma and I really feel like we have something to celebrate! Today, I am publishing this article a little later than the LiP publishing schedule dictates, but there is good reason, I think.  You see, this morning, Feyma and I attended a graduation.  In fact, over the past 5 days, we have attended three graduations!  Two High School graduations and one Elementary School graduation. The Graduates! Congratulations! It all started on Saturday morning when Jean, our daughter, graduated High School from Davao Wisdom Academy.  We got a break on Monday, but Tuesday morning we … [Read more...]

I’ve been working hard for the past 3 months or so!  Real hard!  I have something new up my sleeve, and today is launch day! What is it, Bob?  What have you been working so hard on?  I want to check it out! Well, my friends…  most of you can probably already guess that it is a new website!  But, it is also more than that.  It also includes a new series of eBooks that are what the new website is all about. My new website is How to Move to the Philippines.  The site features interviews with three different types of people: People who have moved to the Philippines and are living here. People who want to move and start a new … [Read more...]