[google 325448843920318757] … [Read more...]
My Parents’ Music
September 30, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Education will never be expensive as ignorance. A great many children face the difficult task of learning good behavior without seeing any. Another philosophical behavior is: Youth is wasted on the young. I remember the day my parents first lugged the heavy accordion up our front stoops, taxing the small frame. They gathered me in the living room and opened the case as if it were a treasure chest. And guys, it really was! "Here it is," my parents said. "Once you learn to play it, it will be with you for life!" Thanks God, it is. Really. Up to now, even here,in my private room in the Philippines. Anyway, if my thin smile didn't match my parents' … [Read more...]
A Lovely Dining Experience
September 29, 2007 By 28 Comments
Last night myself and my other English friend were invited out to dinner to Claude’s Le Café de Ville restaurant in Davao city.. Neither of us had been before, although we had previous invitations to go there but for one reason or another we had never got round to doing it. However nothing stood in our way this time and we turned up at the restaurant at approx 7pm. I am writing this because it was a very pleasant dining experience indeed. The restaurant itself is nice and small, giving it a cosy and very friendly ambience. Our friend who invited us to dinner there had been several times before and he was hoping that we would enjoy the atmosphere … [Read more...]
I’m going out of town today
September 27, 2007 By Leave a Comment
I am actually writing this about 12 hours ahead of when it will post on the site, sitting here at my desk making plans for tomorrow. We are headed out of town for the day. Remember yesterday, I posted about my mother-in-law? Well, today we are taking my Mom to go and visit with Mama. My Mom and Mama have met a number of times now, and they are actually quite close to each other. Like me in my earlier days, My Mom can't speak Bisaya, so her and Mama don't have a great deal of talk between them, unless it is translated by somebody. But, still, they are like Me and Mama, in that they have a common love for each other, and a common respect … [Read more...]
UK Expats – Forward Planning – Tax – Pensions – Entitlements.
September 27, 2007 By 11 Comments
UK Residents living in the Philippines - State Pension entitlement - Double taxation Treaty - National Insurance Contributions. Are you a UK based resident who is shortly planning his retirement in the Philippines, if so, then welcome on board, because thats exactly what I am doing, firstly though, I wanted to find out about non-residency and the rules, secondly, if I was non resident in UK, I wanted to find out about state pension provision for oversees residents, and if the UK had a taxation treaty or pensions treaty with the Republic of Philippines. Forward Planning Many of you, and this applies to a mainly British audience, (sorry for … [Read more...]
PINOY KIDS SMILING
September 26, 2007 By Leave a Comment
[google 8027085609226107283] … [Read more...]
Me & Mama
September 26, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Zosima Bayoy, or "Osing" is Feyma's Mom. I call her Mama, or "Ma" most of the time. Ma is nearly 80 years old now, and her health is not good, but over the 17 years of my marriage to Feyma, I have known Ma during many years of good health. Mama speaks virtually no English at all. Of course she knows a few words, but that's about it, she's certainly not able to make a sentence in English. Over most of our marriage, I have known virtually no Bisaya (OK, ok.... I knew most of the bad words!). This means that Mama and I have, over the years, not been able to communicate verbally with each other much at all. But, there are other ways to communicate … [Read more...]
UK Expats – HM Customs & Revenue Your Responsibilities.
September 24, 2007 By 8 Comments
What are the tax liabilities and responsibilities for UK Expats in the Philippines Are you a British expat living and working, or retired in the Philippines, I often get asked in my inbox about tax liablities, very often I receive e mails from interested ones who come through my website British-Filipino.com they tend to be worried about their tax positions and their pensions. The good news is, unlike in the United States where U.S. residents in the Philippines must pay tax on their worldwide income, UK residents are not duty bound to pay HM Customs & Revenue any tax on income made in the Philippines, this also applies to their private … [Read more...]
Passing along responsibility
September 24, 2007 By 28 Comments
How do Filipino families afford to send their kids to school? I think this is one of the questions thats pops up to the minds of some of the people that come here to visit and not live here and seeing how big many people we have here in every household. We all know that a typical family in the Philippines has 6 to a dozen kids. That's just the normal families here. As you guys know Philippines is among the highest rank of the poor nation in the world. So some would wonder how a family of 6 or 8 send their kids to school, especially to college? Well, as I can see in the place where I used to grow up some of our neighbors that has 8 kids or more … [Read more...]
Some retirement options
September 24, 2007 By 14 Comments
Today's Guest Column is from Kevin Smith. If you retire in the Philippines, the first question that comes to my mind is: What will you do when you get there? If you still have a few years to go before you retire as I do, then now is the time to plan and dream. For me, now is the time to brainstorm and make a vision to change my piece of the world for the better. While I’m not living in the Philippines now, my dream is to retire to Mindanao or Cebu, or both. My definition of retire is not the traditional definition, but to change gears and do things I don’t have the proper amount of time to devote to now. I will have an education pension, … [Read more...]
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