I'll be there and yes I'll be a little on edge. On the bright side these are times when security is extra alert and on edge too.

 

It astounds me how anyone…ANYONE can condone such a despicable act of violence. People, ORDINARY people celebrating a new year, whose lives were senselessly taken by a maniac.

Such sad times we live in when you can’t participate in something innocent as a celebration of a new year without having to worry about whether or not you’ll be able to come home to your family alive.

 

I haven’t heard about this - what, exactly, are they protesting?

 

I'll definitely be steering clear of any Cybertrucks in the parking lot.

 

Living in the Philippines for the past year, my perspective on the world has changed tremendously. Terror attacks have been so common in other parts of the world that people aren't even surprised by them anymore, and it worries me that it's starting to become that way in the US as well. It's going to get worse as well, I think we all know that in our guts.

As a man of faith, I'm not worried nor afraid. But I do wonder if we're approaching a tipping point that mankind can't come back from. We're witnessing pure evil from school shootings to bloodbaths around the globe, and stuff happening here does tie into what's happening there. China is challenging the Philippines and neighboring countries on a daily basis, claiming the Pacific is theirs alone. Russia and N Korea are backing them, which is bringing US fleets within 100 miles of me right now. And kids are being taught throughout the Middle East, China, and other regions that the whole problem is America, you've stolen their wealth, freedom, and opportunity.

Imagine hearing that since elementary school, you have nothing because those darn Americans took everything worth having. Those are the terrorists that show up in the US, or build out social media channels focusing on our youth to convince them to commit atrocities. It's unthinkable, yet that's the world we now live in. Again, pure evil stuff.

You guys are all in my thoughts and prayers- it's a blessing to be able to get on here and argue over something as trivial as a football team. Please be safe in NY this weekend.

 

Humans have always fought wars and always bounced back. The situation today is actually relatively peaceful historically speaking. Obvious danger of WW3 if a Taiwan conflict breaks out and Ukraine, Middle East and Taiwan suddenly link up as connected global conflicts. As usual though, we'll survive. Question is which side comes out on top — which side has more prosperity afterwards will depend heavily on that.

China is a formidable adversary though. They can out-manufacture us just like we did the rest of the world in WW2. And Taiwan is on their doorstep, not an ocean's away like with the US. But they have an achilles heel: can't do well economically without selling products to the US, Europe and Japan, their likely adversaries in a potential WW3. Hopefully we can keep the conflicts local, but history suggests otherwise with great power competitions.

 

China's window is closing in a couple weeks. They had 4 years to make a move and balked.

 

Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, and one other....maybe Viet Nam....signed a defense treaty last month to aid each other in case of attack (by N Korea or China). The US is building three massive bases here in the Philippines to go with the three they already have. China is blockading the Philippines from everybody but the US....for now they leave when we're in the region. But they come right back when they leave and ram/non-lethal attack other military ships. It's massive news here.

China's economy is certainly tied to the US and our allies, but Russia is doing everything they can to take over that role. Both China and Russia have been invading the airspace of NATO, Alaska, etc. with fighter jets and bombers to gauge response times...it's worrying and there's not sound thinking behind it.

 

Their plan all along (stated in documents too) was to be ready to invade by 2027. They're on track. The chance of China succeeding has little to do with which administration the US has. This is way deeper than any specific leader on our side.

Yeah US was really smart to get those bases in the Philippines. China has some other serious disadvantages. They don't have any kind of amphibious landing force like we do, making it necessary to dock in the ports in Taiwan to offload stuff, which makes it easier to defend. Taiwan is also far away (for the Chinese Navy), mountainous and full of jungle. The biggest worry I have with Taiwan is their willingness to fight. I just don't see it. All of East Asia (who knows about NK though) has a pliant population — see what happened in HK.

Russia can take over Chinese imports of raw materials, but no one can replace US, Europe and Japan for Chinese exports.

 

every last one of them should be removed from America today!

 

Why are you in the Philippines? I know several from the Philippines and they are all awesome people.

 

Went through an ugly divorce a few years back, got on an international Christian dating site and met my new wife. We've been married 7 months now and waiting for the visa process to allow her and her 13 year old son to join me in the US. I always wanted to adopt a foreign kid and bring them to the US anyway, which was what got me on that path.

So I sold the house after the divorce, paid off all debt and headed over to meet my new wife with a little bit of cash in the bank. I almost instantly knew she was the one since we get along so well. She's 32, I'm 51, but the age gap isn't an issue at all. I was worried it would be, but once we were in person it just felt so natural. She wanted a better life with actual opportunity for her/her son and a Christian husband. I wanted the same thing, and it's normal to date younger over here. Her family instantly accepted me as well and I have good relationships with almost everyone. It's been a tremendous blessing.

People in the Philippines are awesome. They're silly and always laughing; nothing at all is taken seriously here. Family and faith is everything here, so I've really enjoyed being temporarily retired while we wait out the visa process. I volunteer some at our church and I have a couple gig jobs from the US that pays the bills. We live comfortably on around $800-1200 per month, so I'm not in a rush to get back to the states. Once we're there in the US, real life starts again since we need jobs, to find a home, etc.

We're on track to move back home around late summer/early fall, but we're definitely going to retire here since social security will easily pay all our expenses. So the plan is to come home, save enough to build a nice house in the Philippines (maybe $100-150k), then move back once I'm 65ish.

 

I've heard a person can live really well there on like 1500 a month. I imagine it is a beautiful country in parts of it. I know the people from there I know are all awesome. The food they cook is amazing. Glad things are working out for you.

 

Most locals live on around $200 a month, but that's eating rice and veggies with limited power in your home (no AC, no hot water, etc). An American can rent here for 100-500/month (depending on area) and get something pretty modern...there are condos in Cebu and Manila for $1k a month that's luxury for the US. My 3/1 home is $165 a month and we spent a few grand adding A/C, a shower with hot water, etc. There's no closets or kitchen cabinets, no pantry....stuff like that you get used to in the rural areas. Over time it's absolutely not a big deal though.

My expenses are:

house- 165/mo
utilities- 100/mo (super fast internet/electric)
food- 200/mo groceries, 250/mo eating out
diesel (for car)- 120/mo
water- 30/mo
Car insurance- 200/year

If we cooked at home for every meal and didn't spend so much time driving/exploring, we could probably live on $500 a month. But you can get a beach-front hotel/condo for $15 a night in the rural areas, and there's 7,000 islands here. So it's hard not to explore and travel a little bit. Even in the big cities, a 5-star resort (by US standards) is around $100 a night.

 

That sounds awesome! How do you feel about safety? Would assume being married to a local helps

 

Am I safe? Yes, 100% of the time. Almost everyone is super friendly and polite, I've had cops run to hold a door open for me like I was a celebrity or something. But there are so many here with absolutely nothing that they do anything to make a buck, including begging or pretending to be someone they're not. So you have to be aware of your surroundings...especially with younger kids.

For example, we went to a local mall yesterday....more like a strip mall plaza by American standards...and there was a guy directing traffic and telling people where they could or couldn't park. You'd think this guy worked for the mall at first, but he's just a homeless guy giving himself authority and asking for bribes to park in a parking space. Once people like that see an American, they figure I have to be a billionaire (by their standards I am) so they'll harass the heck out of you until you give them a few pesos. Luckily I have a fiesty wife that will scream at them and make a scene...so they'll literally run away before a cop comes to investigate. I laugh about it now and a lot of times, I won't stop somewhere because there's too many beggars waiting.

The worst are the young homeless kids or the elderly...there's nowhere for them to go and so many end up on the streets. No such thing as a shelter or retirement home here. I'll usually give the kids 20-30 pesos (30-50 cents) but if you help one, ten more come running. So I'm still figuring that part out because i feel like a total jerk when I tell an 8 year old with nothing that I can't help him. Some homeless moms will sleep at a 7Eleven parking lot and have their 3-5 kids out there begging all night....those I won't help because they actually make 10x the average working family. If you don't help, I've seen those types throw rocks at people or try to break their car windows....again, these are little kids that would probably be in middle school.

Still, I'd say 97% of the Philippines is safe once you understand how society works here and the scams to watch out for. For instance, never get a taxi at an airport because some will try to rob you (as a rich foreigner). Instead, book an Uber for about the same price and you can watch the route they're driving to make sure they're taking you to the right place. Or here's a funny one- if you're coming here to fool around with the locals, never bring a Filipina back to your rented apartment. Most of the time she will refuse to leave since you're giving her a fairytale life. I've heard some horror stories about that as well- she'll show back up with brothers and cousins saying you took advantage of her.

In general, the Philippines love Americans. The guys want to learn about American culture and just make a friend from the US that could possibly help them get to the USA in the future. The women want to marry you, but even if that's not an option they desperately want a mixed baby with blue or green eyes, and possibly blonde or brown hair. Every person I meet here has a million questions, usually starting with Trump/Biden or the NBA. Besides watching out for the scammers and beggars, I genuinely love it here and wouldn't come home if I didn't need the eventual income. We have to come back though so my wife's son gets a US high school/college education, and my wife can work to help us and her family.

 

Heard that Newsom was told to burn off the growth in the forests, but refused to do it.

 

Didn’t realize you were in So Ca. My son is in California City. Talked with him this morning, told him to avoid LA area. Told me he had to pick his wife up from LAX last night. Said it was insane. Saw a skyscraper on fire and in another area, the entire side of a mountain was in fire. Just glad he got back home safe and sound.

Not sure where you Finatic but as I told my son, keep your head on a swivel.