Dave Starr

Top 10 Art Schools – 2018

09/10/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Top 10 Art Schools – 2017

Art Schools in the Philippines.

(Last updated 8 October 2018)

This was originally published many years ago, but it still gets traffic. Obviously some of you are still searching for answers in this subject. I’m trying to “clean house”. There are well over 1000 articles here on PhilFAQS and I want to “clear out the deadwood”. Should I keep this, update it or send it to the trash?

A lot of people search for and ask me direct questions on Art Schools in the Philippines. Most art school candidates in the US never think of the Philippines when it comes to school but there can be some real advantages to attending school here. The Philippines is a world center of artistic talent, especially in the performing arts area.

In particular, costs will be lower … a lot lower in many cases and, if you’re a US Military Veteran with educational benefits you can go to school at a VA approved Philippine school and come out way ahead cost of living-wise.

To find out about VA-Approved schools visit the site of the only overseas VA Office (located in the US Embassy, Manila)

The top 10 art schools in the Philippines shake out something like this:

There may be others who would argue for a different ranking among these schools or that a few different ones should be on the list, but these are top-notch schools and you can not go wrong investigating them for yourself, your spouse or your children.

Good luck in finding a quality education with an international flair and a very affordable (by US standards) tuition bill.

Don’t forget, if you are currently living outside the Philippines and want to get a visa to stay here as longs you remain in school you can apply for a 9(F) Student Visa to avoid paying tourist visa fees and continually renewing your tourist visa.

Let me know your thoughts on Top 10 Art Schools in the Philippines.

Making It Hard On Yourself In The Philippines

03/10/2018 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Making It Hard On Yourself In The Philippines.

(updated 30 Jul 2018)

Why would people want to make it hard on themselves?

Especially when breaking the law and prison time is involved?

Frankly, when the consequences of breaking a law include possible prison time, I personally become very law abiding … you can be sure of that.

But what about a law that seems ancient and virtually obsolete to many Westerners?

Adultery.

You Have To Make Decisions Before You Die

24/09/2018 by Dave Starr 4 Comments

Making decisions before you die.

(Updated 24 September 2018)

Most People Who Die Don’t Want To Die and Most Are Not Ready For It.

I think that is a pretty well-accepted statement above. We all know we are going to die, but except for the sad case f suicide, virtually none of us wants to die. And we sure are not ready right now. Most of us know there are many things we would like to straighten out and make right before that last morning wakeup.

You Can’t Make Things Perfect, But You Can Try

Especially if you move to the Philippines, you usual;y have more loose ends than you bargained for. For the sake of your loved ones, and especially children you may have left behind, please give things some thought BEFORE that moment when all your earthly thinking will stop.

I Get Messages Like This All The Time, And They Make Me Sad.

Do It Yourself or Ask For Help in the Philippines

23/09/2018 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Do It Yourself or Ask For Help in the Philippines.

(Updated 22 Sep 2018)

I had fun writing about my waiting for the chicken article centered around getting my car fixed. I’m glad some other folks enjoyed it also.

I actually had fun that day living out the experience too … why? I feel, mainly (except for the un-invited summoning of Philip), I was on my own.

Not knowing the language “to speak of” and often being a bit ignorant of local customs, it can sometimes seem a bit daunting to go off on your own to get things done. But always having to have an interpreter/helper/shepherd guiding you can be very wearing at times as well.

Many Foreigners Refuse To Have Fun in the Philippines

Just Fall In Line Behind The Chicken

22/09/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Just Fall In Line Behind The Chicken.

(Last Updated 21 Seo 2018)

Hauling Out and Dusting Off An Old Favorite

I first published this post nearly 10 years ago. It’s always been a favorite of mine because it tells a lot about what it’s really like to live in the Philippines, day by day.

It has had its share of readership but it is now buried so far back in the archives hardly anyone is ever going to find it, so I decided to dust it off, polish it up and make a few edits to bring it up to the present.

How Did The Chicken Get In Here?

A while back I took my car to the dealer for its routine 40,000-kilometer service (that’s about 25,000 miles for the Metrically challenged out there).

Yep, four years now of living in the Philippines and car ownership in the Philippines and I have accumulated 25,000 miles already?

Already? Heck, I would have run up that many miles back in Colorado in only a year … one of the many reasons that living here is much cheaper than living in the US, even if you insist on the luxury of your own car.

It’s now 12 years living here and I have just over 100,000 km (60,000 miles.)

Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

20/09/2018 by Dave Starr 52 Comments

US Visitor Visa concerns. Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

(Updated 21 September 2018)

Originally published sometime back. Significantly updated and corrected for my current reader’s information. Thanks for being a reader, by the way.

I have received a lot of queries over the years about the US Visitor Visa (known as a B2 Visa to the US State Department) for Filipinos.

Mainly these questions revolve around the subject of getting a Filipino friend a temporary visitor’s visa allowing them to enter the USA for a short visit.

People want to know, mainly:

How do they (the visas) work,
How much do they cost,
Can my girlfriend get one, etc.
I’ve heard they are very hard to get, and why?

It occurred to me today that I hadn’t written about these issues in some time when I opened an email from a reader here with some specific questions: [Read more…] about Can My Philippine Friend Visit Me in the USA?

Use A Fixer in the Philippines?

15/09/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Live in the Philippines — Use a Fixer?

(Updated 15 Sep 2018)

Should You Use a Fixer?

Here are a few thoughts on a question that comes up frequently here on PhilFAQS where we try to answer the most common questions about living in the Philippines.

With this question, you are not going to get a clear, quick answer from me, but I’ll give you some current guidance and some real-world experiences that will help you decide some things for yourself.

I Know A Guy

One of the joys, as well as the hazards of living here in the Philippines, is that you can often buy almost anything you want .. or hire someone to get something done for you.

There Is No Profit in Being a Skeptic

30/08/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

There Is No Profit in Being a Skeptic.

Updated 30 August 2018

If you are interested in learning how to make a living online (or off), I recommend you take the time to read this great article my blogging colleague Chad Hamzeh recently published. [Read more…] about There Is No Profit in Being a Skeptic

How To Retire in the Philippines With No Money

18/08/2018 by Dave Starr 16 Comments

Updated 18 August 2018

How To Retire in the Philippines With No Money.

OK, just on the face of things this is a really silly title for an article. You can’t retire in the Philippines (or anywhere else) with no money.

But since more than 150 people a month come here searching for that exact phrase, I figured I better say something about it.

Actually, my blogging colleague Dave Dewall said some more about it, word for word. Two sandwiches shy of a whole picnic I think was one of his expressions. Made me laugh. Go read what Dave had to say here, it’s good stuff:

How to Retire in the Philippines with No Money

Now you might think that Dave’s article upset me.

Not in the least. We’ve both been in the Philippines a lot of years now, and we’re both US retired men married to wonderful Filipina wives.

In other words, Dave knows whereof he speaks and so do I.

There are a number of prices and techniques he brings.. out in his article that I haven’t covered.

Well worth a read if you really want to know just how “low you can go” with monthly costs of retiring in the Philippines. [Read more…] about How To Retire in the Philippines With No Money

Home Country Things You Better Hold On To.

29/07/2018 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Home Country Things You Better Hold On To.

(Updated 26 July 2018)

Just recently I was telling a reader that writing about moving to the Philippines seemed very boring to me.

I had gotten very old and stale.

But then I just had a conversation with a fellow US military retiree here in the Philippines and I realized there’s a whole raft of things out there I should be writing about.

One thing people always ask about over the years I have been writing about is:

“What to Bring from the US and What to Leave Behind”

Well, I think rather than a blog article someone could write a whole book on that subject. Sorry, that won’t be me.

But one thing that did come up with my retiree friend recently is something many westerners who move to the Philippines don’t think about a lot when packing their moving boxes. [Read more…] about Home Country Things You Better Hold On To.