One of the most fun things about blogging to me is the daily searches people make to find this blog.  yesterday I noted one that landed here at PhiFAQS … “Do airplanes going to the Philippines from Minneapolis fly East or West”?
An interesting question, really.  When you’ve flown back and forth across the Pacific as [...]

In a nation made up of 7107 separate islands those of us used to driving everywhere are going to find ourselves learning to use alternative forms of transport.  One of the good things about living in the Philippines is that there are many local (domestic) airlines and they offer many inexpensive (sometimes downright cheap) fares [...]

Thought I’d drop in another post on how to get around in the Philippines … the ubiquitous Jeepney.  The Jeepney earned its name at the end of World War II when the overwhelming demand for transportation caused by the twin factors of the relief from Japanese occupation and the Philippines budding drive for Independence was [...]

I wanted to hit the subject of lack of communication between Philippine businesses and their potential customers just one more time here.  It’s one thing for me to rail about what I feel the monetary costs of unanswered emails and phone calls may be, it lends a certain authority to my thesis, though, when I [...]

Recently I read an interesting piece on one of the better Philippine blogs I follow about a fellow expat’s problems with a trip on Air Philippines one of the better-known domestic carriers here in the Philippines.  the article pointed out many of the l ittle “idiosyncrasies” one has to learn to live with here … the [...]

Here’s a little update on the article about voltage/frequency standards and using your current computers and appliances in the Philippines. Most laptops are multi-voltage but it is surprising how many laptop power supplies (the big “wart” in your power cord) go bad and how easy it is to lose a cable … thus making [...]

One of the most consistent questions asked by persons living overseas and thinking about travel or a move to the Philippines is “can I use my electric-powered xyz there?”
Fortunately, the answer is almost always “yes”.  But you can’t always just plug it in and go.  Here are some basics:

Philippine commercial power is standardized at (nominally) [...]

No, I’m not talking about the ubiquitous sexually transmitted crab lice.  I’m talking about a phenomena that anyone planning to move to the Philippines had better be aware of.  I don’t often use Wikipedia as a source, but these few paragraphs sum things up much better than I could:
Crab mentality describes a way of thinking best [...]

Don’t know where that saying came from, it’s one of those “oldies but goodies” though that keeps on circulating because it is so true.  I was working on a totally different posting for PhilFAQS this morning, along with a number of other projects, when this gem of a travel article popped up in response to [...]

There is a lot of misinformation and half-baked information circulating about this subject in most of the on line Philippines resources I visit, so I decided to do my bit to try to clarify a few things.
First, an important DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney, I don’t even play one on TV.  If you [...]

I just posted a number of articles regarding getting around in my personal car.  But what about those who don’t have a car?  (and by the way, I don’t recommend you make buying a car a real number one priority … get your feet on the ground, first).  In the Philippines, you are in luck, [...]

I’m working on a number of other PhilFAQS blog subjects (perhaps one of my weaknesses, too many irons in the fire at once) but I couldn’t resist Bob Martin’s recent post about “Getting Around“.  Bob lives down there in the sunny Philippine Southland, Davao City, Mindanao, which is almost as far south as you can [...]

Well, perhaps I am a bit over enthusiastic there.  I’m not yet sure I have the secret to individual fortunes.  But I do know how Philippine businesses could increase their bottom line profits tremendously … at absolutely no cost.  So if you know someone in business here or if you’re thinking of starting a business, [...]

I could write a book … sigh.  Every day the Manila papers are full of news about some hotel chain or another investing in the Philippines.  But just try to find a hotel, as noted, on-line .. or one that doesn’t double their rates.  Even when living here in the Philippines it’s a tremendous hassle [...]

‘Habitat for Humanity’ goes on recruitment drive
By Tarra QuismundoMANILA, Philippines–It takes no expert to pile blocks, drive nails or paint walls, just the heart to make time to rebuild lives one by one.
Seeking to enlist more volunteers for a noble mission, international humanitarian organization Habitat for Humanity is going on a road trip to [...]