Hello Everyone!

To all those who have been reading my husband's blog, it is with deep sorrow and pain to let you know that he passed away last August 8, 2015 exactly our 12th wedding anniversary.  He was admitted June 30, 2015 and expired after 40 days....I called it our 40 days journey. I have to exhort all my efforts to be able to scan over his blogs. If nothing else I just want to remember everything that he has been up to while we were together. I love him so much and I will always thank God for giving me the privilege of becoming his wife. He was such a gentle soul, the most honest and simplest not to mention the most organize person I've met....I don't care if it makes me the most disorganize woman he had known....it's our reality here in the Cline home.

Our journey was not an easy one, although I got the ultimate reward, any wife who is a believer of  Jesus Christ would love to have.

Giving to you the link where "our" miracle happened.

http://www.livingincebuforums.com/ipb/topic/84895-alan-passed-away-was-i-am-personally-needing-your-help-this-time/

Thank you for reading my husband's "potpourri".

Daisy Jaramillo Cline

The Expat and the Home Country

  


 Expats and the Home Country 

Expats have varying degrees of interest and involvement with their home country after moving abroad . Most will have family , friends and other interests such as TV , Sports , etc. Some will care less and some more , depending on their personal situation . And some will engage social media in regards to what their home country will do , won't do , should do .. ad nauseum...   :-)   

The Nationalistic View 

It would be fair to say , i think , that most of us take some pride and angst in regards to our home country no matter which one it is . Logical , given that's where we come from and have most of our life experience . Sure , there's good natured ribbing among expats in local venues regarding each others home base but based on my experience not taken too seriously .

My Aussie and Brit friends can and do rag about the game of Football , American style versus Football in the rest of the world style . And don't even get me started about Cricket & Baseball . Or , whether America should be or is  the protector of the free world vs the big , bad meanie that butts into everyone else's business because it's in it's best interest to do so .

Actually , i suspect that many if not most expats have enough life experience to realize there is good , bad and ugly coming out of all countries . As an American by birth i have no problem in stating that America does things i am ashamed of at times . Yet , at other times , she makes me proud , as in the recent Philippine relief effort . In the end , what is a country , but it's people . 

The Intrepid Keyboard Warrior  

Everyone knows these types . They are everywhere but most especially on social media sites . Social Media offers a platform ( free , in most cases ) to reach out and " touch someone " so to speak . These are the folks that have opinions about pretty much everything and want everyone else to know so .  :-)

Since Facebook is the media choice for most in this culture i am more familiar with the Keyboard Warrior from this venue than any other . Though i take a passing interest in what America is doing for the most part unless it effects me directly i am not so inclined . 

Of recent interest to the American expat is the subject of ObamaCare and it's impact upon expats  , hence the reference below . If you are not American the information will probably not be of interest to you . Which means , of course that you can continue to post and show photos of what you had for breakfast , lunch and dinner or whatever else strikes your fancy . But , that's the beauty of social media , is it not ?     
 
  ObamaCare or the Affordable Care Act  

The stated  purpose of ObamaCare is to give more Americans access to affordable , quality health care while reducing health care costs in America . The act contains over 1,000 pages should one care to read it all .   :-) I choose not to read it all or even a significant portion for one very simple reason .

 I remain an American citizen but i do not remain in America .  I reside in the Philippines and absent a visit to America lasting a month or more it would have no effect upon me , one way or another . That Means , NO , I will Not Be Fined For Lack Of Insurance .

In fact there are several exclusions available for Americans that do not wish to participate . For a quick look at whether you might be able to avoid the morass follow the link provided .   Affordable Care Act   http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=267553  

To Publish or not to Publish 

It has been a good while since i opined upon this platform in part because at times you feel you are just talking to yourself and at other times because you have other interests .  Every once in a while someone will contact you via this blog or in person regarding something of interest to them . If you have something of interest to you and wish to share , by all means ... please do ..

Happy Holidays

The Perils Of Philippine Plumbing

I have been a fairly good "old goat " lately  and not prone to engaging in " old goat " grumpiness but  i do feel a grump session about to begin , sooner rather than later . Is it just me or is Philippine Plumbing ranked high on the list of Reasons to Not Retire there ?   :-)

We recently moved to Cagayn de Oro from Iponan and one of the primary reasons was water , or too much of it , at our former location . Seems the former landlord had decided to pave a concrete driveway over the primary water line entering the house .

 I just put that decision into the rapidly filling Water " Duh " file and dealt with it as best we could . Obviously it meant tearing up a portion of the driveway and replacing water line at some cost and inconvenience .

Then there was the issue of  water getting between the roof and the ceiling and me having to bail water out of the master bedroom during a rainstorm . On second thought that series of events probably should go into a Roof " Duh " file .   :-)

Moving on into CDO i thought we had left our water problems behind us only to discover , ain't so . Turns out our new rental also has water issues though still to be determined is the extent of the problem .

Not uncommon to rent here and have to fix up a few things upon moving in as most probably know by now . Based upon my experience Maintenance in the Philippines tends to mean wait till it's broke  , then fix it .

So , we have  a plumber dude come in and unstop primary kitchen sink ( this house has two kitchens ) . Plumber says it was " mud " build up in the line . Apparently " mud " build up in water pipes is a prerequisite for Philippine Plumbing .   :-)

The plumber dude also fixes the 2nd kitchen sink that wouldn't drain properly only to discover the real problem is more complex . Something to do with the pvc pipe they installed so that you could wash clothes in doors and just have the water run across the tile floor in the 2nd kitchen to drain out . Trust me folks , i am not making this up .   :-)

Wife says she can hear water running at the water meter and with everything indoors turned off the meter does still turn . So , enter 2nd plumber who must be a real plumber because he shows up with plumber tools and represents the landlord . His inspection suggests the problem is the main water line entering the house and he will report to the house owner .

The caveat in all of this is that this house was effected by Sendong though don't know to what extent . That could well be the cause of the main line issue since no one apparently has lived here since Sendong .

 City water did replace all the water meters ( donated by Japan ) and surely flushed their lines in this area . That doesn't mean the pipes internal to the house were likewise flushed .    :-)

Growing up in the mountains of the southeastern US i am well aware of what flooding can do as we always had spring flooding when the snow melted . You knew it was coming and you were prepared to deal with it afterward .

Ironically , for a country/city surrounded by water i am not so certain the locals do ? But then again , maybe that fits into that maintenance file cabinet .   :-)

What i do know is the meter says we have consumed 17 cubic meters of water in 10 days . Doesn't sound so bad except for the fact that my wife is obsessed with turning the water off at the meter .

So , in reality we are probably only using the meter about 8 hrs a day . Doing the math does get me grumpy ...   :-)

The Curious Case of The Coolers

A

A while back i went shopping on line for for a supply of the type of item shown above . After rummaging around the INTERNET for a considerable amount of time i came to the conclusion that on - line advertising in the Philippines leaves much to be desired .   :-)

Apparently Philippine business people do not see the logic in making their products or services readily available to the general public . You would think that finding a supplier for beer  wraps or coolers like the one shown would be a simple task , but ain't so .

I did find out that i could order such items , minus the art work from China , Taiwan , Vietnam , Singapore , Indonesia and Malaysia but not the Philippines . I also found out that to order from another country meant ordering hundreds or thousands .   :-)

Then , Eureka , i got the bright idea of contacting someone in Angeles City that is rather well known . That individual was able to provide me with an email address for what turned out to be an Aussie gent that solved my problem .

Originally , i was just looking for blank coolers thinking i could get the artwork done locally . As it turned out the gent in Angeles not only could furnish the coolers but do the artwork as well . The result is what you see above .

I supplied the image though he did have to rework a bit to take out some background junk in the image . His minimum  order for my job was 20 coolers , which certainly beat having to purchase a boatload .   :-)

In the end my cost per unit was about 63 pesos each and that included the beer wraps , the artwork and the LBC shipping, which to me was a great deal . Below i have posted a sample of some of this gents work  thats a bit more sophisticated than what i ordered .

 As i remember this gent can also do t - shirts and other items with a variety of artwork for special events such as weddings , graduations , birthdays , etc . So , if you are ever in the market for this type of artwork let me know and i would be happy to pass along the gents email for you to contact directly .

Cheers

PS - To date i own the "only" Broken Chicken  beer wrap . Future ownership to be determined...

Facebook Fasting

Around my house there is a morning ritual that i have become quite accustomed too . Because i am the oldest folk in the house i am the earliest riser . Which is a bit ironic i suppose given that i have no job to get up early for having already had a life for the most part while others yet to make one for themselves are yet to stir .   :-)

As a part of my normal routine i make a coffee and boot up the computer to see what's going on around the planet . For a non Filipino that usually means checking headline news from various sources .  For a Filipino it generally means dialling up Facebook  and making some money for Mr. Zuckerberg , the founding father .

The reason behind the above statement is of course because the Philippine culture is known to be very socially gregarious . This just happens to be a culture where folks thoroughly enjoy sharing their lives on line and especially the picture taking parts . Given that the country has a low internet usage per capita of around 33 % the fact that of that 33 % going online 89 % are Facebook users says alot .

Because i am first up and using the primary computer in the house and also because i don't use cell phones to connect to the internet i regard my time on line as somewhat sacred .. Because a trip to the kitchen or elsewhere generally means i will lose my place at the computer via sneak attack i was genuinely  surprised this am when my wife said she didn't want to turn on Facebook .

When i asked why she informed me that she was doing a Facebook Fast for a week . After having my laugh i had to admit that the idea had merit . I did jokingly remark to her that she might find out that she could do without it though i doubt that will occur .

Haven't run across any social media addiction studies as yet but i am sure they are out there and if there is such a thing as a societal addiction Facebook would have to be it for this culture , along with camera addiction of course .   :-)

On second thought maybe i will just do a Facebook Fasting Poll on Facebook just to see how many folks might sign up .  Just kidding folks...

                                                        Have A Great Day

Monday Musings

A cup of Java while sitting on the sofa ( now a dog bed ) under the covered driveway at daybreak  helps Old Goats to appreciate the rhythm of the Universe in these here parts . And the rhythm  is pretty much standard stuff this am .

Two of the neighbours dogs roaming up and down the street looking for a place to dump which no doubt will be the grass in front of your house since the neighbour has the artificial stuff . Geez , and here i was thinking it was for putting practice .

Feeling a little sorry  for one of the neighbours pooches that hobbles around on three legs probably because it spends so much time in the street and because Evil Knievel lives 2 doors down . Motorcycles with mufflers apparently not being allowed  here .

Watching the young lady on the other side of the street do the standard Filipino sweep the asphalt routine which is as reliable as the sun coming up . Can understand picking up paper , plastic and whatever though never quite grasp the need to move the dirt on the street around from one place to another .

Contemplating the return of my stepdaughter to the house now that she is back in the job market again and wondering why after two days she feels the need to rearrange the kitchen , especially given that the kitchen is about the size of an American toilet . And , no you can't move the 2 burner stove inside the house .   :-)

Wondering why my first Lazada order arrived within 24 hrs from Manila but without two items i ordered and being minus the 300 peso birthday discount coupon they emailed me not being deducted . Also wondering how long for them to answer my email enquiring about same .

Not the best way to treat a first time customer i am thinking but then customer service  does not seem to be included in the Philippine business model . Thinking surely these people realize that saving 300 peso in the short term will be far outweighed from lost revenue in the future ?

Wondering why after a one time email to Paypal they are sending me requests for customer service feedback when i am still trying to get answers from them . And am i reading this correct . You can send money out of your Paypal peso account but need to receive into your US $ account with some banks here . And why is it that the biggest banks in the Philippines don't jump at the chance to get on board this cash cow ?

And who does the marketing for retailers here , a 6th grader . Why not just tell people that your business accepts credit cards instead of running promos for " instalment payments " ? Instalment payments to who , the business , the bank , the loan shark , etc .

Makes me want to sign up for one of those no credit needed credit cards that don't actually exist except in cypher space currently being hawked on Facebook . Come to think of it i did sign up . Wonder if no response because i don't have 1,000 + Facebook friends or hundreds of photos of myself on line . Or , maybe because i told them i didn't need a $ 50 credit card since anything i would use a credit card for would cost more than $ 50 ?

Anyway , time for another cup of Java..

Have a Great Day !

Finding " it " in the Philippines

So , your first thought is probably what is " it " . Actually , " it " can be anything you are trying to locate in the Philippines . " It " can be something as simple as trying to locate a particular address , piece of information , a product or any number of other things . Finding " it " is , however , rarely simple .

Old Goats like myself that migrate from western pastures have , for the most part , grown up knowing where to look for information leading to " it " through advertising . Advertising in the Philippines is not , however , anywhere near what one would be accustomed to in a western culture .

In western culture when one needs to find a business the first reference point is often a Telephone Book . Telephone books usually have extensive " yellow pages " specifically designed  for advertisers of various products and services . If that fails one tends to look in the white pages if one knows the name of the business .

 But , most folks in western cultures have land line telephones and most folks in the Philippines do  not . Now , there is no need to expound on exactly why that is the case except to sum it up by mentioning one word.. infrastructure , or lack thereof .  Those that have lived in Philippine pastures for a while know of what i speak . Those that might be just recently arrived will soon know .   :-)

Now , we do have a land line telephone in our house but not so much because we have to have it but rather because we are required to have it by PLDT as a part of our internet service . This being the Philippines one is not allowed to just pay for the internet service without the land line . Of course , that gives PLDT reason to charge you another 300 peso a month whether you use it or not .   :-)

Marketing

Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers , for the purpose of selling the product or service . It is a critical business function for attracting customers, or so says Wikipedia . Actually , in western cultures some would say marketing is the most important part of a business model . Let's face it , if no one knows you exist as a business or what you are offering how much of a business will you have ?

Now , not talking about the mom and pop " sari " type operation here folks . Folks in the neighbourhood know you are there because you are in the neighbourhood . But , what about the " big boys " ? The S & M's , Robinson's , Gaisano's , Rustan's , etc .

No 6 - 8 page on line ads with pricing here to be seen as is common elsewhere .
 From a foreign perspective they don't do a particularly good job in promoting their products . Some do better than others of course but in general none of them embrace the corner stone of business know as marketing very much . Biggest " bug " i have  is that many of these big boys run national ads rather than ads for specific locations .

Just because their national ads features specific products does not mean those products will be in your location .   :-) My first visit to Rustan's in Cagayan de Oro comes to mind . Here i was foolishly thinking that i would have access to cheeses of many different types and tastes only to discover 2 types ( colby & cheddar ) and one taste ( mild ) . Ok , my bad and silly me for thinking otherwise .   :-)

I also have no problem with using Facebook as an advertising venue " but " should it be your primary or only advertising venue ? Some have suggested that the " big boys " don't see a need for advertising the way foreign cultures do because they have a captive audience or put another way ... little competition . There would seem to be some merit to those ideas from this " old goats " perspective .

What do you think ?