Now smoking on a lot of places in Manila is not allowed anymore it is a good moment to look for alternatives. Some of the alternatives are: do not go out anymore and just smoke in your house try to smoke in the ‘forbidden’ areas, without being catched quit smoking finaly (your partner will love(…)
bad weather in the Philippines
Today, and also yesterday, a tropical depression is passing the Philippines, dropping lots of rain which are causing floods, unreachable areas and several casualties. The name of this storm is: “Juaning” (international codename Nock-Ten). It is the tenth ‘typhoon’ in the Philippine area of responsability of this year and it has a diameter of 500 km which(…)
search for other house
In our search for an other house we haven’t had success yet. But we are also not in a hurry. Many thanks to the readers of this blog who are helping and giving tips. Recently I spotted this nice tree house not for from our place. But definitely this is not the kind of house(…)
turn your engine off in the Philippines
Yesterday I wrote about an advertizing sign with wrong spelling. Today I like to write about an advertisement I saw recently in a motel. Flor and I were attending a wedding in Manila and the reception was held in a hotel. This hotel is also known in Manila as a motel and has many guest(…)
signs in the Philippines
Everywhere you are looking in the Philippines you see sign boards. Along the high ways they are the huge bill boards with commercials, in more common streets they are smaller and show shop names and the like. Lots of Filipinos have problems in spelling. They often just write what they hear or think they are(…)
buying property headaches
When Flor and I moved to the Philippines in 2008 we decided to rent for some time and see if and where we were going to buy a property to live. We decided to do it this way so we were not in a hurry and could make a better decision and choose a house(…)
van damme and van dam
Living in the Philippines is funny for me from time to time. This also has to do with my family name which is ‘van Dam’. It happens every time when I have to fill in my name in forms or in shops and other places. And it also happened when I applied for my 13a(…)
Jose Rizal 1861-2011
June 19, 2011 is Fathers day in many countries in the world. Also in the Philippines. But the Filipinos also remember the 150th birthday of one of their greatest hero’s: Jose Rizal. JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town(…)
independence day, june 12, Philippines
Tomorrow, June 12 is independence day in the Philippines. A little history of the Philippines: The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila in 1892, whose primary aim was to gain independence from Spain through revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrés Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and(…)
rainy days in the Philippines
This time of the year is rainy season in the Philippines. many low pressure systems are passing the country and some are even developing into Typhoons. When (sometimes heavy) rains start hitting the country in May and June everybody is bringing an umbrella to be protected for the rain. Stores are making good business in(…)
smoking ban in Manila
Last year I published already a post about smoking in the Philippines and the possibilities to buy cigarettes everywhere, even in traffic jams and public places like markets, jeepney stops, bus stations and many more. A few days ago it became public that the MMDA will implement a non-smoking policy in the whole Metro Manila,(…)
coca cola promotion in the Philippines
When you are in the Philippines and you see this Coca Cola truck parked somewhere, it’s time to get into action. On the back of the truck is a large button saying: ‘push’. And when you press it, you will receive a bottle of Coca Cola or even other surprizes in the small compartment next to(…)