You probably already read Bob's column that my kids and I went to the farm of my parents to visit my mom. She's not in good health now. I don't know if she will even be staying for that long. Anyway, it was the first time that my 2 kids visit there. I was interested to see the reaction of my 2 boys since they are not used to going places they are not familiar with. I asked them if they are up to it in going there without computers, PSP and cable TV. They said that they wanted to go and see what their big brother is doing out there. See our oldest son, Chris stayed in the farm for over a month. They missed him. JeanJean likes to go there because … [Read more...]
Medical help?
May 30, 2008 By 11 Comments
Many times over the last year I get asked what do I do for medical insurance or medical help. To be honest, and I know its not an excuse, I have good health so I rarely have to go to a doctor for help, but as the years roll by , I know this will have to change. Recently I had suffered for many weeks with a parasite infection that I had felt had spread to my lungs, and naturally I began to panic and cough!! and cough!! Lucky it was not serious and seems now to be under control. I was lucky as a fellow expat had found an excellent doctor here in Davao, who although young was switched on and thorough and above all courteous too. I asked so many … [Read more...]
Should I check in at the embassy?
May 30, 2008 By Leave a Comment
One question that I get from time to time on my e-mail is from people planning to travel here or to move here is this - "Should I go to the embassy and check in with them when I get there?" It's true that there is indeed a "check in" system where you can go to the embassy of your country in Manila and register with them so that they know where you are visiting or where you are living, if that is the case. Personally, I have never "checked in" with the US Embassy. It is my feeling that it is really not their business where I live, or where I visit. On other posts I've made, people leaving comments have talked about "big brother" and such, and … [Read more...]
Don't worry…
May 29, 2008 By 2 Comments
... during the last weeks I really got a very hectic schedule. Then - since two days I tried to do my Internet work... BUT, PLDTmyDSL got double trouble shootings regarding its Visayas and Mindanao links. Even NDD's (National direct calls) have been impossible. This morning everything seems to be fine again, BUT: I am off to a place in Northern Mindanao and some other tasks will be waiting for me after returning back. Don't worry: Some more write ups will be posted here soon. Bear with me. And, believe me: it's wonderful to live in the Philippines for good.... … [Read more...]
Living out
May 29, 2008 By Leave a Comment
I am considering doing something a little bit different. I am thinking about "living out." What's that? Well, I'll explain it in this column. As anybody who reads this column regularly knows, I have been studying Bisaya (the local langauge where I live) for some time now. I started studying in August 2007. I am getting pretty good now at using the language, and I enjoy it. Being able to communicate in Bisaya has made my recent trips around Mindanao much more enjoyable and interesting. So, what exactly is "living out" and what does it have to do with language studies? Living out means that you go somewhere out in the Province - up in the … [Read more...]
Touring Mindanao
May 28, 2008 By Leave a Comment
As you surely read in my column a couple of weeks ago, I recently went on a Mindanao tour with John Grant and Migs Bassig. We traveled from Davao to Cotabato City, then to Parang, through Lanao del Sur, and to the Zamboanga Peninsula. After visiting all three Zamboanga Provinces, we also visited Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and back to Davao. It was really an enjoyable trip! I hope that John and Migs enjoyed it as much as I did too! Take a few minutes to watch the video of the highlights of the trip! [youtube LG0Hltjq8us] … [Read more...]
What an interesting trip!
May 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment
I took another trip recently, and I really enjoyed it. I didn't go anywhere fancy, nothing that I could write a travelogue about. But, I went somewhere that had a lot of meaning for me. I visited a little barrio called Patag, which is in Malapatan, Sarangani Province. I have been to Malapatan before, but Patag is a remote barrio in the hills, which is actually pretty far from the Poblacion (town center). Why does it hold meaning for me? Well, Patag is the place where Feyma grew up when she was a kid. She was actually born right there in Patag, at her parent's house and lived there until she finished elementary school, at which time the … [Read more...]
What happened to my Internet?
May 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Last Friday at 11 am I lost my connection on my DSL Internet. Well, that happens from time to time, so no biggie, I was sure that it would be back in a few minutes. By 1 pm, I was starting to wonder what was going on, so I had one of my staff call PLDT to ask about it. "System Upgrade is in Progress" they said. OK. Well, we waited for a few more hours, still nothing. Finally, by 4:30 pm I was starting to get upset. Friday at 4:30 - if it didn't get fixed by 5 pm, that meant that there probably would be no internet for the entire weekend. So, we started calling again. We were told "There is nothing wrong with the system, everything is … [Read more...]
A trip into danger two
May 24, 2008 By 9 Comments
Bob and Migs have articles in depth on this journey so I show just an overview here. Last week I told you about day one of our trip around Mindanao and now the story continues. Day two we left Ipil and travelled on to Dipolog a very friendly place on the coast it looked like Southern England holiday town and although we did not stay too long we ALL agreed it looked so good we are going to come back and spend a day or two to learn more and enjoy more. SEE THE MAP BELOW With only minutes to spare we sped on to Ozamiz where we had an excellent Chow King meal and managed to buy a new charger for my phone and I so wish we could buy a battery for … [Read more...]
Why do FILIPINOS have flat noses?
May 23, 2008 By 23 Comments
Sometimes, it's good to relax and smile. I did it yesterday, when one of my nieces showed me a little booklet from Printshop Publication, which really made a selection of popular storybooks specially designed to entertain children, who have learned and mastered their basic reading skills. Why do Filipinos have flat noses? I remember, that this topic was an important one from the first moment on, I stepped on Philippine soil. Let me share Ofelia Concepcion's little story with you: In the olden days, all the races of men lived together in one island. the white, back, red, yellow and brown races were all living in harmony. All of them have no … [Read more...]
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