Taking Life A Day At A Time

[Mr Lee]

I would like members to get to know my wife and I better and I would like to get to know you all better so I felt a post like this might help.As many of you already know, my wife and I live in Florida a good part of the year and we go back and forth to our second home in Cebu which happens to right now be a condo. I like condo living but should the time come that we move to Cebu or possibly Cagayan de Oro full time then I might like a home, although I feel that leaving a condo is much safer if a person plans to travel and does not have someone to take care of the unit and it seems to always be easier to find a neighbor to look after our place in Cebu and to leave the keys with and who will visit often since they are right across the hall and can even watch our door rather than in a home where it would be harder to watch all access points, well at least in our situation.Life in Florida is like living in paradise except for the darn occasional hurricanes that have hit us and have done a lot of damage to other homes but we have been lucky and they have only blown down fences and damaged our screen patio enclosure, so I can compare them both and love them both and in Cebu we can afford a condo with a great view, well at least for now because we never know what may end up being built in front of us if someone were to buy up some of the homes there, and in Florida we could never have afforded to own a condo with such a great view. I get bored easily sitting out in our Florida patio because all there is to watch is other homes and an occasional neighbor walking by, so I wonder if others might feel the same way? Yet life is good and Florida is more advanced than Cebu and much cleaner, both on the streets and the air quality. So a full time move has so far been hard for me and as long as we can manage to afford living in both places then we still have to decide if we would move full time to the Philippines and maybe end up in a more expensive home or condo, but while my wife would prefer to live anywhere in the Philippines and while I wish to please her, I also have to think what might be best for both of us and she is accepting of my thoughts on the issues.I wonder if any of you have considered living in two places verses living in just one? And if so what would those two places be if you could afford to?" We have friends who often come to stay in our small home in Florida while we are away but they cannot stay the whole time we are away and surely would not stay if we spend even more time in the Philippines, so at times it would mean that our home might end up empty and for that reason we have been looking at inexpensive condos that seem to be plentiful now with the downturn, yet the maintenance in many make them unaffordable to live in and older ones would be much more likely to get damaged should a hurricane hit again and that would increase the maintenance even more to effect the repairs, so I am wondering how some of you might want to handle a dual life if you could afford it? I realize that a dual life is not for everyone and for those of you who live full time in the Philippines, what made you decide to move there full time and would you rather split your time if you could afford to do so or now that you have lived there for a while? Of course with my wife and I, we are just two and have no children to control some of our decisions as many of you may.Right now it has been raining on and off for a couple of days and the news says that there is flooding all over, yet when I look out the window our neighborhood seems to be OK and it is probably because of all the lakes and canals, although they did fill up once during a hurricane years ago and the water did get up to our driveway and there was fish swimming across the streets and it was very hard to navigate out of our neighborhood in a car since the streets twist and turn and driving into a lake could have been a very real possibility back then. So what is the weather like where you are and what was it like back where you came from if you now live in the Philippines?Maybe we can use this section to just chit chat some and get to know one another better? What do members think about this idea?Thanks all for reading and I am always open to questions and I would like to hear from some of you about just daily life where you are and what you think about it.

Edited December 18, 2009 by Mr. Lee

[Guardian]

I also live in Florida way down south. The weather is the same, rain all the time and the roads down here are all flooded and impassible by car, good thing I have a high van. :yes: I keep dreaming of going to Cebu and have been for years and I hope to get there next year or the year after but I am taking it one day at a time and trying to get to know my girl friend first to see what she would like to do. I can see myself living in a condo since I live in a high rise now and I can see myself wanting to live in both places but only if income will be sufficient, and unless the market turns around and my 401k goes back up, I will not be able to afford to live that life and I will either have to work until I am so old that I cannot walk or I may be forced to move to a more affordable place to live. Maybe I will win the lotto. :cheersty: I guess I just cannot see myself working my whole life so for now I am taking life as it comes.

[Sampaguita]

Lee's first visit to see me from my prospective. I was scared to death on that summer day and it was very hot when his plane arrive in Cagayan de Oro from Manila. Not sure if any of you have been to CDO airport but back then it was just a room where people pick up their suitcases and as of earlier this year people still have to walk down a staircase that is brought up to the plane. There I was with a bunch of my friends from work and a driver who my boss was kind enough to drive us to pick Lee up. We had been writing letters for over 3 years and talking on the phone often and I was still afraid to meet him. There I was hiding behind my friend who had recently married a man from Australia when this giant of a man walked out of the airplane and down the steps and then towards the room were I was hiding outside. The driver waved to Lee and so did my friends but he seemed to not reply and only smile. Once he got his luggage he came out the door and he was taller than any white face I had ever seen in CDO and there were not many back in those days which was 1994. Lee walked out and the driver wanted to take his suitcase but he refused and carried it himself and we all walked back to the truck the driver had been allowed to use. My heart was racing and I was scared to death but Lee seemed kind and reassuring. We all got into the truck and it was just Lee and the driver and me in the front seat and my coworkers in the back of the L5 and with Lee's suitcase and when Lee put his arm behind me on the seat I was almost shaking but he was nice and asked if I was OK.When we got to the pension house we had reserved for him he signed in and we all went up to his room. What did I know about privacy because it is common for a lot of people to be in one room and none of us took the hint when he said he wanted to shower. Well he gathered up his clothes and then went to shower and came out all clean and smelling a lot better than he did when he arrived and his face was now clean shaven and he was not so mean looking as he was unshaven because his hair grows fast and I now know it took over 36 hours in planes and waiting areas until he got to me. Next we go downstairs to the restaurant in the pension house and we all sit down to eat and Lee orders a tuna sandwich and then asks me where the tuna was since all it had was what looked like a fine layer of spread on it. I had never been in a restaurant before except street food and carenderia so I had no idea what it should look like and told him what do I know. Well at least it was pan even if with little on it. :lol:Next it was off back to my work and for Lee to meet my boss. Since my father passed away the year before my boss was very protective and Lee later told me that he questioned his intentions and warned him to behave or else, my boss knows just about everyone in CDO so there would be few places we could go that someone would not be watching and report back to my boss. Lee behaved like the gentleman that he is and we walked around and got to know each other for the afternoon and then I had to go back to work and Lee wanted to get some rest.The next few days we walked around the city and took taxis to the malls which were few and small back then and got to know each other and took a lot of pictures while Lee learned about CDO. Then came the day for him to go visit my family which consisted of a whole village who are mostly related in one way or another and 12 brothers and sisters most of who were living in the village back then, see I am one of 13 with 11 of us still alive today.More to come later and it will get much more interesting. :cheersty:

[Mr Lee]

Oh no! :cheersty: I did behave, I guess lucky for me or the whole world would know.

[volstateguy]

Great idea Mr Lee, this will be a good way for people to get to know each other a bit more. I'm still very much a newbie when it comes to life in the Cebu or anywhere in the Phils as I've only been there a couple times. So I'm reluctant to post in most thread becoz I have no knowledge of the topic. So I just read topics, take it all in and learn from everyone else. Hopefully when the time comes for me to move there I'll be prepared enough to make a smooth transition.So about my life now. As some of you may know, I'm active duty Air Force. So for the last 18 years I've lived where Air Force has sent me, currently I'm in Germany. Ive been here for just over two years and I'm due to leave next Nov. For the last week it's been below freezing and snowing here (makes me wish I was in Cebu in the warm sun) don't get me wrong I like the cold weather and snow if I'm snowboarding or sledding, otherwise I can do without it. No word on where I'll be headed next yet, but I'm hoping to remain overseas somewhere, preferabbly Europe, but I'll be happy anywhere overseas. My main past time is riding my road king. A buddy of mine and I rode over 17,000 miles around Europe this past summer alone. Everywhere from down to Spain, and into Morocco to up north into Norway. For now however the road king is in hybernation in the garage. Can't wait till summertime again. I think I may ride up into to Norway again, possible up the artic circle.I'm originally from E. Tennessee...grew up on a farm there. My father and step-mother still live there, though they dont farm as much since my brothers and I don't live at home anymore.So my plans for the future is giving a try at living in Cebu once I retire from the Air Force. Just not exactly sure when that'll be at the moment. I'll be eligible to retire in Sept 2012, which will give me 20 years and 9 months in....the extra 9 months is due to me transfering my GI bill benefits to my daughter. (Oh yes I do have 1 daughter with my ex-wife. She's 16 now and will be off to college in a couple years time.) So back to the topic, it's possible I may remain in past Sept 2012 however. Depending on where I'm stationed at that time ad how happy I still am. My goal would be to stay in till Jan 2016, which would give me 24 active duty. The reason for this is because that would add quite a bit to my pension....between $900-$1000 a month. I'm sure I could survive in Cebu without the extra money, but having it as a cushion in case the dollar drops will be nice. Well I guess I've rambled on enough. I look forward to meeting some of you in March at the get together.Brett

[Mr Lee]

Great idea Mr Lee, this will be a good way for people to get to know each other a bit more. I'm still very much a newbie when it comes to life in the Cebu or anywhere in the Phils as I've only been there a couple times. So I'm reluctant to post in most thread becoz I have no knowledge of the topic. So I just read topics, take it all in and learn from everyone else. Hopefully when the time comes for me to move there I'll be prepared enough to make a smooth transition.So about my life now. As some of you may know, I'm active duty Air Force. So for the last 18 years I've lived where Air Force has sent me, currently I'm in Germany. Ive been here for just over two years and I'm due to leave next Nov. For the last week it's been below freezing and snowing here (makes me wish I was in Cebu in the warm sun) don't get me wrong I like the cold weather and snow if I'm snowboarding or sledding, otherwise I can do without it. No word on where I'll be headed next yet, but I'm hoping to remain overseas somewhere, preferabbly Europe, but I'll be happy anywhere overseas. My main past time is riding my road king. A buddy of mine and I rode over 17,000 miles around Europe this past summer alone. Everywhere from down to Spain, and into Morocco to up north into Norway. For now however the road king is in hybernation in the garage. Can't wait till summertime again. I think I may ride up into to Norway again, possible up the artic circle.I'm originally from E. Tennessee...grew up on a farm there. My father and step-mother still live there, though they dont farm as much since my brothers and I don't live at home anymore.So my plans for the future is giving a try at living in Cebu once I retire from the Air Force. Just not exactly sure when that'll be at the moment. I'll be eligible to retire in Sept 2012, which will give me 20 years and 9 months in....the extra 9 months is due to me transfering my GI bill benefits to my daughter. (Oh yes I do have 1 daughter with my ex-wife. She's 16 now and will be off to college in a couple years time.) So back to the topic, it's possible I may remain in past Sept 2012 however. Depending on where I'm stationed at that time ad how happy I still am. My goal would be to stay in till Jan 2016, which would give me 24 active duty. The reason for this is because that would add quite a bit to my pension....between $900-$1000 a month. I'm sure I could survive in Cebu without the extra money, but having it as a cushion in case the dollar drops will be nice. Well I guess I've rambled on enough. I look forward to meeting some of you in March at the get together.Brett

Brett, thank you for chiming in and I hope more members will feel comfortable enough to chime in and just say whatever they feel comfortable saying. My life is not an open book and I said what I felt like telling people and then my wife chimed in and I am not even sure if people would be interested in those things but I may have to proof read her next post, :( that is if there will be a next posts in this thread by her. :cheersty: :lol: Thanks for sharing and for helping others to get to know you better. :yes:

[Hoz]

Proof read? Maybe, but NO censorship Mr Lee!

[MikeB]

Lee's first visit to see me from my prospective. I was scared to death on that summer day and it was very hot when his plane arrive in Cagayan de Oro from Manila. Not sure if any of you have been to CDO airport but back then it was just a room where people pick up their suitcases and as of earlier this year people still have to walk down a staircase that is brought up to the plane. There I was with a bunch of my friends from work and a driver who my boss was kind enough to drive us to pick Lee up. We had been writing letters for over 3 years and talking on the phone often and I was still afraid to meet him. There I was hiding behind my friend who had recently married a man from Australia when this giant of a man walked out of the airplane and down the steps and then towards the room were I was hiding outside. The driver waved to Lee and so did my friends but he seemed to not reply and only smile. Once he got his luggage he came out the door and he was taller than any white face I had ever seen in CDO and there were not many back in those days which was 1994. Lee walked out and the driver wanted to take his suitcase but he refused and carried it himself and we all walked back to the truck the driver had been allowed to use. My heart was racing and I was scared to death but Lee seemed kind and reassuring. We all got into the truck and it was just Lee and the driver and me in the front seat and my coworkers in the back of the L5 and with Lee's suitcase and when Lee put his arm behind me on the seat I was almost shaking but he was nice and asked if I was OK.When we got to the pension house we had reserved for him he signed in and we all went up to his room. What did I know about privacy because it is common for a lot of people to be in one room and none of us took the hint when he said he wanted to shower. Well he gathered up his clothes and then went to shower and came out all clean and smelling a lot better than he did when he arrived and his face was now clean shaven and he was not so mean looking as he was unshaven because his hair grows fast and I now know it took over 36 hours in planes and waiting areas until he got to me. Next we go downstairs to the restaurant in the pension house and we all sit down to eat and Lee orders a tuna sandwich and then asks me where the tuna was since all it had was what looked like a fine layer of spread on it. I had never been in a restaurant before except street food and carenderia so I had no idea what it should look like and told him what do I know. Well at least it was pan even if with little on it. Next it was off back to my work and for Lee to meet my boss. Since my father passed away the year before my boss was very protective and Lee later told me that he questioned his intentions and warned him to behave or else, my boss knows just about everyone in CDO so there would be few places we could go that someone would not be watching and report back to my boss. Lee behaved like the gentleman that he is and we walked around and got to know each other for the afternoon and then I had to go back to work and Lee wanted to get some rest.The next few days we walked around the city and took taxis to the malls which were few and small back then and got to know each other and took a lot of pictures while Lee learned about CDO. Then came the day for him to go visit my family which consisted of a whole village who are mostly related in one way or another and 12 brothers and sisters most of who were living in the village back then, see I am one of 13 with 11 of us still alive today.More to come later and it will get much more interesting.

What a nice story and thanks for sharing. I didn't realize till now that you are Lee's wife. For some reason I had pictured Lee as being smaller, not "a giant". I hope I'll have the chance to meet you both in Cebu in Feb.

[Sampaguita]

What a nice story and thanks for sharing. I didn't realize till now that you are Lee's wife. For some reason I had pictured Lee as being smaller, not "a giant". I hope I'll have the chance to meet you both in Cebu in Feb.

Lee was 6 feet tall and about 100 kilos (220 pounds)of mostly muscle back in those days and while he is still about that size he has lost a lot of that muscle with age and he is no longer a giant compared to many of the people that I have now see in the US and expats who live in Cebu. Back then I was tall compared to most of my friends and on our first return visit I asked my friends what happened and how did they all shrink because that was my perception after seeing so many tall people in the US. I was never out of the Philippines before so most people seemed shorter to me and so many people in the US are mostly taller.Mike it will be good to meet you too in Cebu next year. Edited December 19, 2009 by Sampaguita

[Gold Heart]

Mr. Lee, In many ways your situation is similar to mine. I am currently with my family on a year trial of living in Cebu. We continue to maintain our home in Raleigh, North Carolina. My wife was very content living in the US in Raleigh as was my son. I convinced them to come here and give it a this trial.Why? It is my hope to have a better life here. While better is in the eye of the beholder, I thought we would be able to have a more active, enjoyable, and healthy life here. I've discussed attributes of that in other places. I thought the biggest difference would be to have access to help and more affordable options for dining and entertainment here as well as the climate. Raleigh winters can have their challenges. Not close to Chicago where I grew up and New York where I spent most of my working life, but uncomfortably cold. I think it is snowing there today. (rare but happens). One of the great things that I love is that here