JDDavao

"Help Desks" in the Philippines are only there to get you frustrated enough to stop complaining.

No, they aren't. Just to make life interesting, everything is different everywhere! Here's a great list (if you click on the plug type, you get to see the Plugs Of The World!): https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plug-voltage-by-country/

There were some things we couldn't leave behind in good conscience. A Kitchenaid mixer with all of the fixin's was one. Another Kitchenaid food processor. We even brought an almost-new coffee grinder because I couldn't bear to chuck it. What we find, though, is that since we shipped our televisions and other things and use step-downs for them, we often have to hunt up a transformer when we want to use an appliance. It's okay for us, but woe unto him who wants to grind some coffee without our input! BAM! I think it was someone here who gave a sage piece of advice about bringing appliances from different voltage countries: a quick wrap of red electrical tape around the plug or the wire near the plug will serve as an easy reminder not to plug the appliance in directly. Enjoy!

I ran things in the US. I made the income and paid the bills but my wife knew what everything cost. We have always shopped together for groceries and other needs so there has never been any hidden purchases. Here, I obtain the monthly income and Menchu pays the bills with it. We still shop together for everything. We know what each other is ordering online and I will pay the shipper. it's extremely important that we each know not only how much money we have, but how much money we don't.

Yeah, who'd believe it but I kind of miss those days. Many days here I feel utterly useless. Some days, i even miss my last supervisor who was the kind of guy who'd pat you on the back and say, "WE have to get this done for the property manager. I have a meeting. See you later."

Budget-wise, realize that you'll be using more electricity than you may think with the converter. I'm sure an electrical whiz here can tell you how much. Also, aesthetically, the converters are ugly, usually bulky things to have stationed on your counter top.

I've been here for four years and while I will confess openly to my share of complaining and swearing under my breath, I am reminded of the saying, "Wherever you go, there you are." You can't run from yourself. Have I learned that lesson? Alas, not completely.

We had the vet come here to the house a couple of years back and put my 16-year old cat Shimai down as his back legs suddenly gave out on him and he hadn't the energy to do more than meow plaintively. I dug the hole for him, tears streaming. I know what you're going through, Jack. It's a hard, hard thing. My condolences.

Not ignoring your VPN, but seeing your VPN. They know the IP allocations for the VPN company. It's getting much harder to legally watch what you pay for if you leave your country.

This is from a few years back but it seems to jibe with other things I found while searching. Is there formaldehyde in beer? - Stackexchange Really, though, there's "chemicals" in everything because everything is chemicals! You probably get a higher dosage of "kill yas" from a good snootful of diesel exhaust coughed out by a bus than from formaldehyde in beer. HOWEVER! I totally agree on certain alcohols affecting different people in different ways. Some get a headache from red wine. Some don't. Some seem to get more drunk on champagne than on the equivalent amount of white wine without the bubbles. I had a terrible, gaseous reaction last week to my own home brew. I found that it's the unfermented sugars which WILL ferment in my rather attractive intestines and make me blow like Moby Dick surfacing. It seems that some home brewers are affected by them and some aren't. Weird. I don't doubt drinkers get headaches for whatever reason but I don't think it's from formaldehyde. Hell, if it is, then I'm gonna be a well-preserved corpse!

My first act of true involvement with my wife was to try to give her money for a ferry from Manila to her aunt's island. In truth, I didn't want to lose track of her as we'd only just met online. And, I say this rather guiltily now, I wanted to throw a little loop over her head with money. She refused. More than once. But she was going. She'd sold almost everything and was only killing time online at an internet cafe owned by a friend when we met. She had to leave Manila. I offered a couple of more times and she refused. Her girlfriend then sent me a note and told me that she was about to sell her clothing to pay for the ferry. I insisted one last time and she accepted. Then I had a dark thought: was I just scammed? But I hadn't been. Throughout the nearly three years that we "dated" online before I visited and then well after that while we worked on her visa, she voluntarily accounted for the money that I sent her. We spent nearly four hours a day/night video chatting, just being with each other. And sometimes if I lost track and it seemed that she'd run out of money sooner than I thought she should, I asked and she rattled off her expenses. We came to an understanding about money long before we were married. She said her immediate family wouldn't ask for money because they'd be too embarrassed but that she would handle requests from extended family. We knew they'd come. And when they did, she turned them down and told me about it. A couple of times we did send money for emergencies. A nephew broke his arm. The aunt she had stayed with was on a ferry that capsized and lost all of her belongings. An uncle died and there wasn't money to pay his hospital bill and bury him both. Get you a hard-headed woman, fellas. At least, hard-headed about money.

I had no idea. The only pretty girls in boots I've seen down here are the ones at Gmall during Christmas prize time.

I know we did it, like Jack above, when the banks issued new cards but I think BDO had us come in for the one you're asking about, Dave. i think the banks do things here just to keep the rubber stamp makers in business.

Were they burying a strip club owner?

Did you learn it from the same person who told you to go to the barangay captain first? It seems you were suckered for six years. Please don't be credulous.