PI - Things I've Noticed This Time Around

[Onemore52]

4 minutes ago, Old55 said:

LOL, my first thought as well Dave. 

Good luck in finding a maid.

[hk blues]

I'd say the majority of Brett's observations are spot on.  Here are the ones that I have a different experience with -

·         Eggs are different sizes in the cartons rather than being boxed by size, - I DON"T BUY EGGS BUT THE ONES MY WIFE BUYS SEEM TO BE STANDARD  SIZE.

·         On the subject of doors, haven’t they heard of wood stain and varnish?  Faecal brown seems to be the default for all doors; cabinets, doors you walk through, whatever.  No consideration given to external doors and weatherproof paint, - CASE BY CASE IN MY AREA BUT MOST ARE PAINTED/STAINED.

·         The trike “wrangler” at Robinson’s Dumaguete is an absolute tool bag.  As soon as he sees a “long nose” he tries to negotiate at least 50% above the going rate.  Robinson’s to home is normally 40PHP, he’s tried anything from 60 to 100PHP…  We walk around the corner after AM (Angry Midget – my wife) has given him a level 10 eyeroll. - I WON"T SAY I"VE NEVER BEEN SUBJECT TO SUCH PRACTICES BUT RARELY

·         AM refuses to buy a washing machine but whinges about doing the laundry, - MY WIFE SEEMS TO ENJOY DOING AND USES BOTH THE MACHINE AND HAND WASHES.

·         I miss baking in a properly thermostated oven, - MAYBE YOUR SPECIFIC CASE -OURS SEEMS OK.

The others I pretty much agree with and a few of them made me smile. 

 

 

[Peaceful John]

On 3/15/2022 at 11:49 AM, BrettGC said:

The models we were looking at new (smaller SUV's like the RAV, CRV etc) all had 2-4 week delivery dates which is the norm in Australia as well, pre-covid that is - new car delivery in Australia is currently 3 - 6 months.  As for second-hand here?  The prices are ridiculous, it's the reason we decided to go new.  For late model second-had cars here right now you're paying 90% of the new price without the 3 years LTO, insurance and in some cases servicing as well offered by most new car dealers here, as you're never quite sure there's something not right with it.  

It's a very basic gas oven that has a chart for temperatures that you have to constantly adjust to maintain a constant heat.

Yeah, it's something I've noticed for years that was high-lighted by skin whitening products; there's only two ways to permanently lighten your skin:  Stay out of the sun or go full Michael Jackson and have the pigmentation removal therapy.  On the Lola thing, Momma caught a tummy bug, she put it down to having breakfast too late the day before so to the entire family now, this is gospel.  

On the "Lola" thing also......  Man, you couldn't be more correct!!!  I tried for years to convince my wife that it was OK to eat chicken if she had a small rash.  Forget it!!! It's nothing but pork and some beef when the rash pops up (even on me).  And "no sex" when you're pregnant!!!  It can injure the babies head and they are born with dimples on the top of their head. Oh, and their hair won't grow where the dimples are.......😲 As a result.....no more kids for us!!!  But I was interested when I read the comment about showing the midriff, so I ask my wife what she thought and as I expected, she believes it too!!!  And let's not get started about what can happen to a baby if a pregnant mom or dad pisses off a frog!!! 🤢

On the subject of new/used cars.  I agree with you 100%.  New is the only way to go and it's much cheaper too in the long run.  The local sellers of used cars put outrages prices on them and the DP request is ludicrous!!!  They won't guarantee the condition or operations of the vehicle, but the price it 85 to 95% of a new one.  Then they demand 40 to 50% DP, when a new car has a warranty and you can get some great deals on all included DPs.  The sellers want to recoup every peso they can from when they bought it new.  All I can say is....there must be a heck of a lot of used cars sitting around!!!  

[Mike J]

10 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

And it does not take long at all before the fixture is broke, leaking, seized up, or just wiggling around like it needs tightening.  Plumbing here is atrocious. Then there is the hot water that isn't, the toilet seats that are loose, broken or completely off, the smelly drain water that never seems to have a gooseneck under the sink to stop that smell.  Did I miss anything?

When living in the US, I always bought brass faucets with a nickel satin finish and they would basically last forever.  We live next to the ocean here in Moalboal and anything metal gets eaten up by the salt air.  I buy plastic faucets and they last much longer than the metal ones and a whole lot cheaper.

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, Peaceful John said:

 The sellers want to recoup every peso they can from when they bought it new. 

This applies to most things here that they try to sell on.  The concept of depreciation doesn't seem to apply, at least not when selling.

I particularly noticed it when we were buying our house - the agent was trying to sell us older, identical and run down units for the same price as new - old but had never been inhabited so no extras!  

 

[Jack Peterson]

4 minutes ago, hk blues said:

The concept of depreciation doesn't seem to apply, at least not when selling.

 There is a saying here especially at fiesta times " everything has a value  to someone" 

[hk blues]

1 minute ago, Jack Peterson said:

 There is a saying here especially at fiesta times " everything has a value  to someone" 

Indeed jack.

I've lost count of how much I've spent on transport for items fit for dumping (IMO) to be sent on to the family - no joke, we have a sofa about to be added to the list this weekend.

[graham59]

4 hours ago, Peaceful John said:

  All I can say is....there must be a heck of a lot of used cars sitting around!!!  

Many in the same condition as cars to be found piled up in the breakers yards in the UK.

.

 

[Jollygoodfellow]

13 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

So many places closed down or in disrepair since the storm.

So many places closed down since covid as well. Typhoon was icing on the cake.

[Possum]

As far as used cars are concerned check some of the banks. They have plenty of late model repossessions and  you make a bid. You can find them on  all the banks websites.