Heavy Rain in Dumaguete City

Heavy Rain in Dumaguete

0:59 Hey, what's up, man? Good to see you, Chris. Yeah, just sharing my stream to my Facebook channel. It's raining really hard here in Dumaguete. I'm actually south of the city, but yeah, just very heavy rains.

1:13 It's been raining for several days. It's actually going to be raining for the rest of this week, upcoming week. Yeah, it's, I don't know if you can hear it, but it is heavy. It's a downpour right now.

1:27 Actually, I've been fortunate to be able to hang out with one of my buddies, but a lot of folks are just staying inside. They're just staying indoors trying to stay dry. That's the wind you can hear, that kind of whistling noise. You might be able to hear that whistling noise.

1:47 And it's just downpouring. It's cold too, like, it's definitely the coldest weather I've experienced in Southeast Asia in the last year and several months.

2:04 It's definitely, you know, glad I've got a jacket, a hoodie. I went to Uno tonight to take a look at some clothes. Kind of depends on what the next month or two looks like, but yeah, I may be grabbing an extra hoodie.

2:25 Rain season is approaching here in Indonesia soon. Yeah, that's interesting. It's funny because in Thailand, it's actually the opposite. We're getting close to kind of the winter, dry, cool weather in Thailand, and especially Northern Thailand.

Weather Patterns and Forecasts

2:44 So it's interesting to see how the islands have a different weather pattern. I'll pull up like a map here.

2:54 We could even pull up a forecast too. Yeah, as you could see, it's, it feels colder than 80 degrees. So I know it says 80 degrees, but it feels like feels like in the upper 60s, maybe 70 degrees.

3:24 And yeah, it'll be raining, as you could see from the forecast, every single day this week. Maybe Thursday, it'll just be cloudy. Okay, so Thursday I could do something Thursday then. I want to do a collab with Gio's wife and I need to get back to her about it.

3:39 So I'll probably try to set something up with her, maybe like late morning Thursday. We'll see. Kyle says on station from Bulacan. Okay, very cool. I don't think I've been to Bulacan.

3:57 Bulacan? Oh, okay. North of Manila. Interesting. You know, I haven't been up there. Is it raining where you're at?

4:21 Kyle, and thanks for the heads up, David. I actually turned the ads on low, like very conservative. So that's pretty intense on the ads. Thank you for the heads up. That's good to know.

4:31 But yeah, what's it like up in Bulacan, Kyle? I don't think I've been up there before.

4:44 Also, David, I will mention, you know, I've talked to friends about it and I've suggested, well, why don't I just, why don't I just turn the ads off? And they're saying, well, you could turn them off, but they're going to run anyway.

4:58 So yeah, that's kind of what I've heard. So that's why I'm hesitant to turn them all the way off, as I feel like they're going to run anyway. But it, you know, had no benefit to me. So if they're going to run either way, might as well get some compensation for it.

5:18 Chris says, David, the algorithm is punishing you. That's funny. David says, I deserve the punishment. That's really funny.

5:26 Kyle says, rain is on and off here. It's been intense. Like, it's definitely starting to accumulate on the road to where I'm staying. And then also on the highway, there's definitely some parts where it's starting to pull up pretty significantly.

5:43 I'm hoping tomorrow is not so bad. But yeah, it's it's definitely significant.

6:00 Chris says, we all do, David. That's so funny. Dard says, about a week ago, I saw flood in the Philippines, collar bone high. Yeah, it's it's getting really pretty significant.

6:10 It hasn't impacted me seriously. I mean, of course, it's affected my social life a bit. I like to go out, and certainly a lot of my friends are just staying home, staying dry. You know, but as far as just like getting to and from town, it hasn't been too bad yet.

6:27 But I have heard that sometimes, why don't we go back down to Dumaguete here? It does get so significant here on this highway that it can actually be blocked. So people can actually be blocked from going to and from town.

6:49 I hope that's not the case, because I like to go to town. I always, for some reason, come up with some kind of reason to go to town. Also, like today, I didn't get to town until almost 5:00 PM, but I wanted to go out for dinner, wanted to get out of the house, just get some, get my steps in, go walking.

7:10 So I did go out for Indian food, which was pretty good. And then I went walking and ran into my friend. We had to seek shelter because the rain just started coming down hard. And yeah, we had to just, you know, find some place to kind of hang out under an awning or under a covering so we weren't getting soaked.

7:30 I wanted to get some editing done actually today, but I left my laptop because I was thinking, ah, I don't want it to get rained on, even in my backpack. I just don't want to risk getting my laptop wet.

7:41 David says, I called Amazon customer service last night. The girl rep was from Cebu IT Park. She said they are in a major storm. Yeah, it's, we're getting dumped on a lot.

7:51 Even here in Dumaguete, and Dumaguete is known for being protected because you have all these other islands, like the eastern part of the country, kind of protects Dumaguete from some of that inclement weather. But even so, I mean, it's, you know, it's pretty, we're definitely feeling it.

8:25 I imagine in Surigao, you know, places like Leyte, for example, over here, it's probably much more significant. So, you know, over here on the west side of the Philippines, western part of the country, it seems to be less, less significant, but it's still impactful.

8:43 I mean, I've heard they suspended some of the ferries to Siquijor a couple days ago. I'm sure service will be intermittent to Siquijor for the next several days or throughout the upcoming week.

Cebu IT Park and Amenities

9:04 But yeah, definitely inclement weather is part of the reality of living in the Philippines. It's unfortunate, but it's certainly impactful.

9:20 Yeah, David, there's a huge kind of call center scene in Cebu IT Park, a lot of customer service reps there. It's kind of part of what makes IT Park a little bit fun is that you do have a little bit of a late-night scene there because people will show up there before work. They might work like 10 PM to 6 AM, and so that area is really lively.

9:43 And it's also conveniently located. We could pull up IT Park here. Here's IT Park. If you call into customer service and you get somebody in Cebu, this is typically where they're at.

10:03 I'm a fan of Sugbo Mercado. This is like a food court or kind of a night market, and they have a lot of different options. They also have live music there. There's a barber shop, some, I don't know if the barber shop is still open, but there's like one of these spots you can get your haircut. It's a nice scene.

10:28 It's a really nice scene if you want some Western conveniences, like they have a great ramen shop around it park, a lot of great restaurants, a lot of nice-looking ladies too. I dated a woman who's working in IT Park when I was in Cebu five years ago.

10:49 And yeah, I can't believe that's five years ago. Time has just flown by. We had a great time, and I really liked IT Park. It's very walkable. You can walk around really easily. It's kind of hard to tell from this image, but it's very much a very developed feeling. You've got a lot of modern condos.

11:09 You will pay a premium to be in IT Park, but if you're willing to pay a premium, it's a great alternative to Manila if you feel like Manila is too big. Next time I go for that kind of developed experience or that built-out experience, I do want to try BGC.

11:25 But yeah, we'll see. But yeah, how's everybody's weekend going? I know it's Saturday morning in the US, it's Saturday afternoon in Europe, and of course, it's Saturday night here in the Philippines. It's very close to midnight.

11:49 I've got my fifth round interview next week for a job back in California. Hoping it goes well. It's a great opportunity in the same industry I was in before when I got laid off. So it could be a great opportunity for me to bank a bunch of money and move closer to that, like I said, financial independence.

12:21 David says, yes, IT Park is often mentioned as a great landing spot for expats. Yeah, Chris, I definitely IT Park is often mentioned as a great landing spot for expats for a soft landing. And I can get into that a little bit more.

12:38 David, let's see here. So you've got Ayala Malls. You've got, this is kind of one of the anchors, or what I call anchors of IT Park. It's a very modern shopping mall. You've got, I think this is a Robinsons. You've got a modern grocery store in there.

12:56 So you could do your grocery shopping here. You could get your clothing here. I call it almost like a one-stop shop in a lot of ways. Now, you are going to pay a premium, but if you want that convenience, it's that's what you're paying for basically to be in IT Park. You're paying for the convenience, having all the restaurants, having all the shopping options, being able to just walk around, not having to hop in a jeepney to go here or there.

13:22 You can, I mean, you can go to other places. If you want to go to SM City, you're probably not going to walk all the way down to Mandaue to go to S&R or, you know, to go to some of these other places. But yeah, I mean, it's, it's, you know, it's super developed. You've got the night market, you've got Ilomilo.

13:47 What else do you have here? I mean, you've got like, so Avida Towers, really popular development. What else do you have here? I guess you, the gaming, down here, so like across the street, I guess you have to cross Selena Drive.

14:21 Park. I mean, it's, you know, you can walk, walk to downtown because I was staying more toward the Capitol site over here. So it's like, you know, a 30, 40 minute walk and you could be in the Capitol area. A little less built up, a little less, you know, it's still going through development, but very convenient location.

14:36 Of course, if you want Grab, you know, if you want Grab deliveries or you want to call a Grab taxi, IT Park, everybody knows where that's at. So yeah, I'm a fan of IT Park. Also a fan of the Reclamation area down here. Rizon Blue, this is a super nice hotel.

14:56 Rison Blue is a super nice hotel if you're looking to ball out. It looks like it'll run you about 5,000 pesos per night, which is about $90 per night. If you really want to enjoy yourself, maybe you're coming for a couple of weeks and want to splash out, this hotel is super nice. It's one of the most beautiful hotels I've seen anywhere in the world.

15:16 It has a really nice swimming pool, though I didn't check it out as I only came for the buffet. They also have a gym, but I didn't check out any of that stuff. The lobby is beautiful; I mean, it's one of the nicest lobbies I've ever seen in any hotel. They were really nice; after I ate, I just kind of relaxed in the lobby, taking in the decorations. It's just a gorgeous hotel; you can tell they put a lot of effort and thought into making it a really nice space.

Career Break and Job Interviews

15:53 Have you tried Bango in that part of the Philippines? I tried some Bango dishes. By the way, we have 16 people in here; please give us a thumbs up if you like this content. It helps to distribute it in the algorithm, and it's always appreciated.

16:08 Last time I had a job interview go this far, it had seven rounds. I actually got notified that I got the job after the fourth round for the last one, but they wanted me to do another three for various reasons. With these tech jobs, especially right now with the down market, they really want to be careful about who they hire.

16:34 I get what you mean; it's intense to have five conversations over the course of several weeks, knowing you could get disqualified at any one of them. But I just go in, do my best, and enjoy the industry. I'm really interested in it and excited about it, enthusiastic about it. I have confidence that I'll get the offer, but if I don't, for whatever reason, I'll just keep applying and keep trying.

17:03 It's kind of funny with the job I'm applying to; with sales, you kind of sell yourself into the role. You actually use the skills that you use on the job to get the job. That's part of the advantage of being in sales: you learn how to sell yourself, you learn how to sell your skill set, and you have the persistence.

17:23 Some people might be scared or intimidated. I just think, whatever the worst thing that happens, they turn me down for whatever reason, maybe I'm not the right fit. But the best-case scenario is I get this great opportunity and get to go back to California. I do enjoy living in California, in spite of its challenges; there are just a lot of great opportunities there. I love the weather, and it pushes me closer to my expat dreams.

17:55 I can save a lot in California, much more than I ever could where I'm from in Tennessee. Chris says probably a few bingo halls. Black and Thailand asks, 'What's good, Eastern? Are you being impacted by Typhoon Yagi?' Yes, how about you, Black and Thailand? What have you been hearing about it? Because it's definitely impacting us here in Dumaguete.

18:22 We're getting a lot of rain; it's been pouring down and super windy. I came into town today and ate at an Indian restaurant called Spice Eat. The rain kind of stopped when I walked in, but midway through my meal, I looked out the window, and it was just pouring down hard.

19:23 They have this beautiful mural inside. I actually sat at this table right here. The food was great; it's not necessarily that there are as many Indians here in the Philippines as there are in Thailand or Vietnam, but I enjoyed it. It was my first time having Indian food here in the Philippines, but they did a good job. It was spicy and flavorful.

19:59 David, thanks for the tour. Absolutely, David, always happy to dig into Cebu. I'm partial to Dumaguete these days, but Cebu is a great option for those who want to fly in and break up the international flight. A lot of us have sat on a plane for 12-13 hours, and we're not even landing in Cebu; we're landing in Mactan.

20:26 So, what's actually happening there is that you're landing here, and then, if you're like me, you're getting a cab and going to downtown. That ride could take an hour and a half to two hours; I've heard Cebu traffic has gotten worse. So you've been in some kind of vehicle for like 24 hours, right?

20:47 If you took a cab or public transit to the airport in the US, got on the plane, flew halfway around the world, transferred maybe in Taiwan or Tokyo, then you got to sit in a cab. You may not want to sit in the airport again to fly to Dumaguete and wait a while to do so. So Cebu is a great option for a soft landing.

21:15 You can get over some of your jet lag, have a hot meal, and sleep in a comfortable bed. You get your SIM card, get your bearings, and get some of your adjusting done a little bit faster. Although, I will say, if you can put in the extra time to get to Dumaguete, in some ways, I think Dumaguete is a softer landing as well.

21:41 Because when I land in Cebu, I'm like, 'Okay, I'm in a big city.' It can be a little bit overwhelming with traffic; it can be tough in Cebu. The noise is more in Cebu. So you're still going to have that big city environment, which for some people is going to be an easier adjustment. For others, it's going to be a harder adjustment.

22:02 Maybe if you're from a small town, you're not used to the big city. Dumaguete might be a softer landing. Whereas if you're from Chicago, New York, or LA, Cebu might be the softer landing. But yeah, it's a great option to get your SIM card. I think that's one of the first things anybody should do: pop the SIM card into their phone and get the data plan.

22:21 If you can download your maps in advance, that's one of the things that I recommend. If you can help it, download the map for offline usage. So if for whatever reason your signal's not good or you can't get the SIM card as fast as you want, ideally, you still have a way of navigating your immediate area.

22:44 I downloaded a map of Dumaguete before, like when I was in Vietnam, because I knew, okay, I land, it might take me a day to get a SIM card. I'll at least be able to get around a little bit, walk around a bit, and not necessarily worry about that.

23:01 Black and Thailand, do you find the gap in your resume impacts your job application? I don't. I get asked a lot about that. By the way, guys, I hate to bug you, but it's only been 10 minutes since I asked: please give us a thumbs up if you enjoyed this live stream. It helps to distribute the content to more people.

23:21 But yeah, Black and Thailand, tons of laid-off people right now, especially in tech. Tons and tons of laid-off people, tons of people have lost their jobs. I'm happy for the career break. I look at it like I'm 30, turning 32 in a few weeks. Let's say I worked till traditional retirement age, 65 or 62. That means I realistically have another 30 years of working.

23:50 So if anybody were to have a problem with it, I would just say, 'Wait, you're not going to hire me because I have a one-year gap in a potentially 40-year career?' Those aren't the companies I really want to work for anyway. I think that with younger people, especially people who don't have children, like I'm not trying to pay a mortgage, I'm not trying to pay for childcare, I'm not trying to pay for private school.

24:14 Yeah, you know, I've earned it. I've been grinding; this is the only break I've had since ever in my life. When I was a kid, my grandma basically forced me to do after-school activities like math and all these other things, so I just never had a break. I look at it like I've earned this break. I saved a lot of my money when I was working in tech; I lived on about a third of my income specifically to enjoy something like this.

24:49 I get a lot of, unfortunately, insecure guys who are unhappy that I can do this at 32 or 31. I feel bad for them; I feel bad that they couldn't discover this lifestyle at a younger age. They talk about leaving money on the table. My grandfather had his first major health issue, a heart attack, at 38 years old.

25:14 So let's say I go into this saying, 'No, no, no, I'm going to wait till I'm 62.' He was done at 62; 62 is the last year that he breathed oxygen. So I don't believe in this idea at all of, 'Oh, you're too young to do this.' There's no guarantee of tomorrow.

25:34 That's just, you know, these people have this; some of it's insecurity that they can't do it until they're at a significantly higher age. Some of it is jealousy that I get to do this now and they didn't get to do it. They may never get to do it; they've made some decisions in their life where they don't have the flexibility or the freedom. Maybe they're afraid to do it and they don't want to see somebody else doing it because that reflects poorly on them.

26:00 'Wow, if he can do it, why can't I?' Well, I'm afraid I'm not afraid, right? You know, I look at it like the only moment I have is in the present.

26:10 The only moment I have is in the present, and I enjoy it. I'd also point out I have plenty of excuses. I was taking care of family, which has plausible deniability. I do have a family member with serious upstairs issues going on, and when I was in Thailand, I was talking to him fairly consistently because he has nobody else to talk to. So, I would say, you know, let's say I use the family reason, which is partially true. You're going to not hire me because I was trying to help out with my family? I don't want to work for somebody that doesn't value family or the importance of helping and supporting family.

26:50 There's, you know, in sales, you learn how to flip things back on the opposite party, and I'm very, very good at that. Now, I see it as, look, if you're doing well in tech, you can afford that. If you're working in tech, you have the fortune to work in tech. Unless you have a crazy lifestyle, you can afford to take time for yourself. A lot of the people I've worked with in tech have gone to top-of-the-line universities, they're buying super expensive houses, they take international vacations. They're not your average Joe.

27:32 So, I don't, no, no. I mean, I look at it like, worst-case scenario, I have to pivot and go get a job in a different industry. But like, worst-case scenario, I'm at zero, which I'm not. I've got substantial savings and investments. Then so be it. I got to go do some other job or other line of work, but I'll find a way to improve.

28:01 I also think about my lawyer. I had to hire a lawyer about 10 years ago, and I was asking about it because I was actually planning to be a lawyer at that time of my life. I asked him, like, can you tell me about your path to being a lawyer? When did you go to law school? He said, well, I started law school at 37. I'm like, what do you mean, 37 years old? Isn't that a little bit old to go to law school? He says, who wants to be a lawyer for 40 years? Why would I want to work as a lawyer? It's a miserable, stressful grind for 40 years. No, I had a different career from 22 to 37, and I earned the money to pay for law school. Nobody gave me the money. I had to pay for it myself, and I graduated at 40.

28:49 Did anybody ask me when I graduated or when I went to law school? No, people just hired me. He went into private practice, made tons of money. By the time I met him, he owned numerous pieces of real estate, had this collection of artwork from all over the world, traveled all over the world. He had a very lucrative career as a lawyer, and it wasn't ever an issue that he didn't start out as a lawyer at 25. Right? When you're a 25-year-old lawyer, most people aren't going to take you as seriously as an older lawyer, for whatever reason. They just see you as a kid; you haven't had the time to grow and develop your experience.

29:41 But yeah, you know, if somebody's got a problem with it, I don't want to work for them. I don't want to work for people who live to work, and the only thing that brings them meaning in life is working. That's how they define themselves; that's their identity. I look at work as a means to an end. I want X, Y, and Z, and so I work to get X, Y, and Z.

Sales Industry and Financial Independence

29:58 Sales is inherently stressful, and nobody would do it if it weren't for the money. I think very few people would be in sales if it weren't for the earning potential, the income potential, and the skill set that you develop. But it can also lead to burnout and stress. So yeah, I mean, like I'm not opposed to taking more time off. I get all these guys complaining, and I'm like, look, just because you can't afford to do this doesn't mean I can't. I'm not in the same position that you're in, and it's just a lot of projection.

30:33 A lot of people do a lot of projection in the world at large. They project their issues onto you. I've dealt with that in many different ways. And so, yeah, I'm sorry about the rant or the ramble about that, but I just had to cover it because it's something that comes up a lot where I should ignore it, but sometimes it just gets a little bit irritating.

31:05 And yeah, I mean, I get that sometimes for sure. Not so much in Bangkok where I am, but it massively impacted the north. Yeah, I've been looking at photos from Chiang Rai. I actually plan to check in with a friend of mine who's from Chiang Rai and ask her how her family is doing because I'm sure they've been impacted somewhat. They own some tourism businesses up there, like a cafe, guest house, that kind of thing.

31:38 The heavy rain, I noticed in Thailand vlogs as well. Yeah, Gerard, it's definitely a major thing here. I was not expecting it because it's been hot and dry or hot and humid for the last month, barely rained at all. And then all of a sudden, this last couple of days, it's just been really intense. It seems to have built in intensity. The first day was decent, but today was wow.

32:06 Tomorrow, I'll probably mostly chill at home. I've got a ton of editing to catch up on. I need to edit the video with Chad. I did another chat with Mike and Paul together, side by side. I need to edit. I've got one with this guy named Connor I met on the Boulevard, and then I have another one with a chick. I just met this Filipina on the Boulevard and wanted to ask her some questions. That one's a little bit shorter, but it is fun. She was really fun. I asked her some questions; it was on the fly. I didn't even have any questions; I just walked by them and joked around with them like I do here with random people.

32:47 You just joke around with people. Filipinos love to joke around and have fun. Just really a fun bunch of people, and yeah, so that was great.

32:59 We'll come back down here to Dumaguete. Yeah, I definitely been noticing the rain. I'm just using the YouTube platform. Stoic, have you ever thought about starting your own business, Gerard? Yeah, so that's kind of one of the things I want to evolve with this channel. If I get rejected, one of the things I want to start doing is offering consulting. I think I have a lot to offer to help people save money and time when it comes to becoming an expat.

33:31 I'm sure a number of you don't need that. I'm sure a number of you have traveled abroad or can do your own research, but for some people, they really need some handholding, they need some guidance. In some cases, they want me to talk them out of it, right? They've got some deep questions about whether or not this is going to be good for them or not. Hiring me to help them sort that out could help them to sort out and figure out whether it's a good fit for them or maybe it's not, or where they should go, right? Narrow down the choices of where to go.

34:06 I know what works for me, but I don't know what works for them. Sitting down and talking for an hour could be very helpful. So that's one of the things that I want to do is to offer that. I've gotten the video put together; I recorded the video, I just need to edit it. Once again, super behind on editing. I've got at least five videos in the tank that need to be edited, along with notes to produce several more.

34:29 Another video I want to put together, I haven't recorded it yet. I'll probably record it as soon as we get our first somewhat clear day, talking about jealousy, why so many people are jealous of expats. That's a really big one. I noticed that just being a significant issue that I want to approach because it seems to a number of us YouTubers over here do get trolls. I know Chad has seen Chad get trolled a little bit, Paul, all the guys that vlog, Mike, all the guys that vlog get some trolling.

35:04 I think some of it's from guys who are jealous guys back home. They see us smiling, they see us happy, they see us dating, they see us, you know, having a good life. And I want to address that and give them some pushback as far as that whole sphere. But yeah, Gerard, so consulting is part of it. Also, I could do a business on the back end of this where I help people to hire virtual assistants. That's something I thought about doing several years back. A friend of mine warned me about AI that AI is going to displace some need for that, but I don't think it'll eliminate it entirely.

35:53 Don't worry about taking a career break. Keep doing what you're doing. You look happy and healthy. Thank you so much, D. Yeah, I feel a lot happier and healthier than I did when I first landed in Thailand last summer. I was just burnt out. I needed a break, I needed some stress relief, I needed to slow down, I needed to just have some time to explore and go on adventures and take time for myself.

36:18 I mean, I have to do what makes me happy, and being over here does make me a much happier person. The back home dealing with all the issues back home, from all the unhappy, materialistic, stressed-out people whose situations just aren't going the way they want, and they thought it was going to make them happy, and it's not. So they want to take it out on other people. People are less materialistic in this part of the world.

36:49 For the different challenges that do appear, I do find people to be less materialistic in Southeast Asia, and it's just a wonderful overall vibe. I enjoy it a lot. And that's part of the reason, like YouTube, if it could become a viable business to cover all my expenses, that'd be awesome. I'd really enjoy that. We'll see how it goes. Like I said, I'm behind on editing, and one of the first things I'd do with my channel if it got big enough is I'd probably hire an editor, but it would be a heavy lift.

37:33 editor, but it would be a heavy lift because the 4K files I'm working with are big files. Not everybody has the hardware to be able to edit. My laptop is definitely capable of editing the 4K footage, though it's a little bit harder to expect that from a person who may be living in a developing country who doesn't quite have the same hardware. But yeah, thank you so much, D. I really appreciate that. You've been a kind supporter of the channel for a long time now. I always smile when I see the flower that you use to represent your profile. It's just a very uplifting person, and I can tell that you're happy and satisfied. Those are the kinds of people I want to be friends with.

38:22 When you go back to California, have you thought about living in a Sprinter or RV? So, I wouldn't, and I'll tell you why. Derek, I'm mostly based in NorCal near San Francisco. This job I'm interviewing for is actually based in San Francisco, and with the car break-ins, I just worry about getting my window smashed and them getting all my stuff. I had that happen last summer when I was living in the Bay Area. My car window got smashed, they got in, got a little bit of valuables, like a power bank, but I had to pay a couple hundred bucks to get the window replaced.

39:00 It's appealing, right? It's definitely appealing, but the crime is so bad there, property crime specifically. I'd be worried about getting broken into. I've got a special deal where I've got an apartment in Berkeley in the East Bay for $1,000 a month. I feel like even though that's not as cheap as living in a van, the security issues would be less. Parking can also be an issue in the Bay Area, so it's a little bit trickier to pull off. I've thought about it, but I do worry about getting the window smashed.

39:42 And I worry about finding parking in a safe area because typically the safe areas in NorCal do have a heavier police presence. They're going to be more likely to knock and ask you to move. Whereas areas that are less that way, well, then you've got more crime, right? Like Oakland, you can get away with that in Oakland, no problem. The problem is you're in Oakland.

40:11 Black in Thailand, dude. So you decided to move back to State Side? Well, it's more so just that I'm not financially independent. Black in Thailand, so I have tried to be transparent about that. It's, uh, what's it called? I'm not financially independent, so I'm not at a position where my investments pay me enough to live over here in perpetuity. I have enough to be here for a number of years, but what I don't want is to live here for, let's just say five years, for the sake of discussion.

40:46 Black in Thailand, well, five years from now, I'm broke, which I wouldn't be, but just hypothetically, let's say five years from now, I'm broke. While I go back, I haven't been working for five years, I'm depleted my savings, I don't have relevant job experience, and I've got nowhere to live because I can't rely on my family. So this was always a temporary thing.

41:08 Where I got laid off last summer, I got four months' pay, severance, and accelerated stock vesting. I thought, well, this money, which turned out to be around $20K or $22K, $23K, that doesn't go very far in California. Right, that'll pay my bills for like six months, seven months, but after that, I'm back to where I was.

41:37 And the job market being where it's at, I don't know if I'm going to find something good in six to seven months. Really beaten down with a high interest rate, so I bought a one-way ticket to Thailand because I'm thinking that'll easily last me a year in Thailand and then some, because the cost of living is so much less, because it's a more economical part of the world to live in.

42:00 And so that's what I did. I thought I'll just interview, I'll apply for jobs and interview, and then when I get an offer, I'll buy a one-way flight back to San Francisco. Then I'll go back to my old apartment building. I even asked the building manager and the owner of the property I used to live in, 'Hey, I'm going to go travel the world for a while. Can I just like come back in a year or so and move back in?'

42:25 They're like, 'Yeah, you always pay your rent on time, your credit score is perfect.' Right now, my credit score is 798, so close to 800. 800 being perfect. I did achieve 800, but I got rid of one of my cards because I don't want to pay the annual fee. That pulled me down to 7.98, but still, I have great credit and always pay my rent on time. So I could go back whenever I want.

42:49 So if I get an offer, for me, it's as simple as fly to Manila, fly to San Francisco, take the train across the bay, show up there with my backpack, knock on the door, they'll let me in. I've got to reapply, they've changed a slightly different system where you got to apply online, but I've lived there several times.

43:05 And yeah, I see. I mean, I've already talked to one of my friends who was a temporary building manager after the last one. Unfortunately, the last one passed. But my friend that lives there, she's like, 'Yeah, you're welcome here, of course. Just put in your application, it's like 40 bucks, you'll get approved because I've lived there several times now for six months to a year at a time.'

43:31 And it's a convenient location. It's two doors down. It'd be like a half hour to work. So it's like above a train station. I just literally walk downstairs, walk a block and a half, get on the train, take the train to downtown. Get off the train and then walk probably 10 minutes to work. So very convenient to my job. Wouldn't even have to have a car.

43:56 And, you know, it's a safe. I mean, the building, I've never had issues with anybody breaking into my room. The utilities are included, like electrics included. There's showers on each floor. It's just a convenient place to live down the street from a grocery store like Trader Joe's.

44:18 But yeah, it's, you know, I don't love living in the US, but doing this, making what I'll be making if I get this offer. They've already given me the range, the salary range and the potential commission expectations. And, you know, paying, if you're paying $3,000 a month in California, then no, you ain't going to save that much. You're paying a grand a month in California, and I got rent control there too.

44:48 So it's the building's actually protected by rent control, unlike in Tennessee where I'm from, where they could jack up the rent 20, 30% a year. Nobody, there's no regulation there. There's no, nobody's batting an eye, you know, batting an eye as far as jacking up the rent overnight. You can't do that.

45:04 And with this building, the most it could be raised would be 30% or, sorry, 3%. So it's $1,000 a month when I go for, if I go for renewal, they can only raise it to $1,030 a month. Now, some people will complain and say, 'Oh, the building's old and they don't paint and this and that.' I don't care about that. I'm a renter, I don't really care what the building looks like. I'm not there, it's not an investment. I'm not there forever.

45:31 I just like the fact that I live, I could live a half hour from work, pay a grand a month, know my rent's not going to go through the roof overnight. I've lived there several times, so I'm very familiar with the layout of the building. I'm familiar with the neighborhood. It's a nice part of the East Bay. It's down the street from UC Berkeley.

45:54 It's a great arrangement. And the biggest thing is I could just bank a ton of that income. My total expenses living there, I could probably keep my monthly expenses to $2,500 a month. And anything above earning that, then I just bank all that money.

46:18 So let's say hypothetically, it's going to be more than this, but let's say I make $5,000 a month. Well, that's 50%, I'm saving 50% of my income right there. Now, I think it's going to be more than that, but that's awesome. Like most people, many people aren't going to save that in a year, right? A lot of people in America are living paycheck to paycheck, they can't save anything.

46:38 So I'm willing to live in that older building in a smaller room, you know, because it's not permanent. It makes no difference to me. What's far more important to me is being able to buy my freedom. If I have to live in an unfurnished apartment, so be it. I mean, I'm comfortable with it. It's not the perfect situation, but there's no perfect place.

47:06 And if I go searching for it, I'll pay an arm and a leg. I won't save any money. And yeah, I mean, it's, you know, I don't want to live in the city of San Francisco as much because it's just, I don't know, it's just got some issues right now. And the weather's nicer in the East Bay.

California Living and Cost of Living

47:28 Yeah, the weather's nicer in the East Bay. Gerard says, '$1,000 a month in California?' Yeah, Gerard, I mean, a lot of people assume you got to go for a nice, fancy place and pay $2,500, $3,000 a month. That's available right for people that they want that luxury, maybe they come from a well-to-do background. Certainly, that's accessible for a lot of people.

47:55 For me, I don't come from that, so I just looked for modest housing in a decent area. I'm cool with living in the cheapest place in the nicest area I can afford. And so that's kind of how I found that. I like the city of Berkeley a lot, but I don't need to live in the fancy spot in the city. What matters to me is that it's a convenient location, relatively safe area. I can easily get to the grocery store.

48:29 Yeah. Black in Thailand says, 'The reason I'm asking that is I'm in a similar situation.' Yeah, um, it's, uh, if you have a resume gap, just spin it, you know, lie. I don't lie in my personal life. I don't believe in lying to my friends, but I was straight. I've been asked before, I'm not going to name names, I'm not going to name in shame. I've been asked.

49:03 I've been asked in the past, in a past job, are you comfortable lying? I was even being asked to lie in a professional capacity. To me, if you have to spin the truth a bit, what's important is if you can do the job. That's the important part to me. I think it's ridiculous for them to even ask you about it because it's irrelevant to your capability of doing the job or not.

49:34 If I get asked about it, which I haven't actually much, I haven't been asked about it. It's like they just want you to have a sufficient answer. So, just spin it. I was taking care of family. I decided to take a sabbatical. That's actually the more accurate answer for me: I decided to go take a sabbatical, I wanted to go travel for a while, I wanted to go do some other things, some things I'd been wanting to do for a long time but put off for my career.

50:07 You know, I guess they just want to know you weren't just sitting in your room picking your nose. But yeah, no, that's a fair question. Black and Thailand, I mean, I think it's going to become, it's going to come up. I've had arguments. I actually had a subscriber leave the channel because he kept trying to argue with me over it, and I kept telling him, 'Dude, I don't need your advice and please mind your own business.' He got frustrated and quit.

50:33 I think he quit subscribing. I don't see him anymore. But yeah, I mean, some people really don't want you to enjoy your life because they're not enjoying theirs. Right. I mean, that's what it comes down to: they're not enjoying theirs and they don't want you to enjoy yours. So, yeah, I would just say think of different ways to spin it.

50:55 Maybe even pop it into ChatGPT. Michael says, 'Heavy rain here too in Cavite.' Oh yeah, Michael, I saw one of your posts. It looked like it was raining pretty hard there in Manila. One of my other subscribers mentioned he's in, I think, Bacalar, something like that. Anyway, yeah, I've heard definitely Manila is getting hit by the rain, and I hope you're staying warm and dry, Michael.

51:53 It's chilly down here in Dumaguete. It's a pretty chilly day, and definitely with the rain, it makes you feel even cooler. The rain's nice during the day, like somewhat, you know, if it's a sunny day and then it comes in and you cool off a little bit, it can feel a little bit refreshing. But it's definitely a bit chilly. I see a lot of people in town wearing their hoodies, wearing their jackets. It's, yeah, it's kind of my trike driver tonight, the trike driver who drove me home, he was wearing a hoodie.

52:35 Studios in SF for 15 to 1600? Yeah, I mean, that's not bad. Prices are coming down in the Bay Area for rentals. There's, you know, all this whole people talking about this big California Exodus. I'm like, look, if you can get a job in California, that's perfect to me as a renter. Please, please free up some of the housing. I'm happy to pay a lower rental price. None of my friends have left. All my friends who moved to California are all still in California because they love California. They've got a skill set where they can get a professional income in California. They get all these opportunities there to move up in their career, get promotions, and they're able to save a lot of their money.

53:16 If they're a renter, they don't have to, like people think, 'Oh, I'll just buy a house in the Midwest.' Well, you buy a house in the Midwest, it's still going to be costly to repair it. You're still going to have electric bills, you're still going to have to do, replace the roof, just because the property taxes can be really high in places like Michigan, for example. Just because your base cost of your house is cheap doesn't mean the whole situation is cheap.

53:44 In California, you know, I pay a thousand a month rent. I don't have to replace the roof. My electric bill was covered. It's the economics of it for a single person, and in my opinion, make California cheaper than the Midwest. Where the Midwest is cheaper is where you have a family. If you want to have a family, you want to have children, it's going to be a lot more expensive in California. But if you're a bachelor like I've, I've had this conversation so many times with people back home, and I have to break down the math and show them it's cheaper for me to live in California than it is for you to live in the Midwest.

54:21 People really get uncomfortable, and I say that because, you know, it just goes against logic and reasoning that California is expensive. Well, in California, you have economies of scale, so there's a number of things that are actually cheaper in California because you have so many people demanding that service or that product, that it brings the cost per person down. Like Nashville, perfect example, a burrito is going to run $15. San Francisco, I could get a burrito today for $10 plus tax, $11.

54:52 Same with apartments. There's just so many more people there that can reduce the cost because they're making smaller amounts of profit on much larger volume. Call it Costco, great example. They do 30% of their business in California. People are always telling me, 'Oh, you must pay so much for this and that.' I'm like, 'I just go to Costco.' Costco charges the same price in California that they charge in the Midwest. So, there's a lot about California that can be much more affordable than what people realize. They just think they can't afford to live out there, and so nobody should be able to afford to live out there.

55:26 More projection, but you know, it's the same with the Philippines, same with anywhere else. Millions of people make it work. Millions and millions of people make all these different places work. I mean, you look at the struggle of many people in the Philippines, and they're still making it work. It's, you know, I had this conversation with a Filipina friend where she said, 'Oh, it's cheap for foreigners.' And I corrected her respectfully. I was like, 'Hey, I just want you to know I know it's expensive for you.' And I never throw around 'cheap' because I don't want to put you down.

56:04 Because I know what may be friendly to my budget may not be friendly to yours. And I say it gently. I'm not here to put her down and say, 'Oh, I look down on you because you can't afford it.' It's more so, I just want to empathize and validate that you may have some struggle in your life, and you smile in spite of that. But we should be considerate of them and empathize or sympathize with them. Like, hey, it ain't easy, just like our home countries are expensive to us.

56:35 I mean, it's, you know, San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Most people are going to find it to be expensive unless you're a billionaire, you're a founder, you've started a company and gone on to have a liquidity event. Most people will find San Francisco to be very expensive overall. I go for the cheap eats like the burrito spots, the takeout spots, but if you want to sit down, it's going to cost you a pretty penny. I mean, you want to sit down for a burger and fries, you'll spend $17, $18.

San Francisco City Life and Real Estate

57:14 If you want to go to a Michelin star restaurant, I spent around $300 to celebrate my birthday a couple years ago. Now, a bunch of that was covered by credit card points, so I really only paid $80. But still, I mean, that's pricey. That's more than that meal alone costs more than what the average family lives on here, which is about $250 a month. To put things in perspective, Richard Clawson, I lived in Millbrae for two years for a project, paid $1,000 a month for a basement. Everything was walking distance. Yeah, Millbrae is a nice area, it's beautiful, looks like Ireland. That's actually what Millbrae was named after, a part of Ireland, the kind of rolling hills, gorgeous area.

58:02 And I think you got a great deal to rent a basement for $1,000 a month. You know, you're probably pretty close to work, and you're able to walk around, you're able to go to parks. It's a beautiful area, and I'm a fan.

58:17 John C. Alex, are you still considering video consultations? Absolutely, John. So I need to roll out my offer. I've got a questionnaire. You can reach out to me, and I'll throw my email down in the description below. You can send me an email at [email protected]. I'll send you a questionnaire. I've got a questionnaire written up with some basic questions to basically get as much information out of you as far as what you want and what you need before we start the conversation.

59:01 That way, we can really assess what's going to work best for you: the countries you're looking at, the countries you're not looking at, get a sense of your target budget, what you're aiming to spend, what kind of area, like, do you prefer a condo, do you prefer a single-family home? Are you a bachelor? Are you in a committed relationship? Is there a preference for weather? Weather is the big one. Like, if you like cooler weather, certain parts of certain countries are going to be better than others. Do you want to travel? That's another big one. Like, if you want to travel, certain places that are far away from an airport might not be as good of a fit, right?

59:53 Yeah, that's just a basic rundown. Thank you so much for asking, John. Happy to answer any questions regarding my consult. I think it would definitely be a lot of value to a lot of folks who just want to save time and save money, right? And having that kind of conversation can help them save.

1:00:10 Kind of conversation can help them save both and get specialized attention from somebody that's been to a lot of cool places. It's taken me some time to get around to all these places, but it's a passion of mine. I think this lifestyle flexibility is more and more appealing to people as they have more time on their hands but also the financial capability to live somewhere different.

1:00:42 The best places to make money aren't necessarily the best places to live. There are some really nice places in the world to live where it's hard to make money, like Hawaii. Everybody wants to live in Hawaii, but it's not super industrial, and a lot of people struggle to make the money there. Maybe they've made their money in New York, Chicago, or California, and now they're ready to have that more laidback lifestyle.

1:01:11 I think the Philippines falls into that category as well, along with Thailand, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain. These are all great places that I've been to and love spending time in. It's hard to make money there unless you have an online business, but if you're bringing your money with you, they're all fantastic choices.

1:01:35 Gerard says that a lot of the brick-and-mortar stores in SF are no more. That's true with the high rental prices in San Francisco, coupled with the difficulty in doing evictions and the permitting processes. It's very hard to start a small business in San Francisco, and a lot of owners would rather just keep an empty storefront and hold out for top-dollar rent.

1:02:01 I think it's also just kind of a lull, and the city will come back. The city is definitely kind of in a low point right now as far as the tech industry being hard hit. AI is definitely coming in and shaking up the industry even more, and it's tough on small businesses.

1:02:39 Except for those legacy businesses that own their own building, those are the businesses I think that are having a less difficult time, like El Falo, my favorite burrito shop, or Costco. The bigger businesses can kind of sustain through it, but yeah, a lot of the bars have closed. Much of the financial district, for example, was empty. Probably a lot of spots in the Mission District and any areas that really catered a lot to tech employees are impacted for sure.

1:03:26 John C says thank you, and I'll check it out. Excellent, excellent, glad to hear that. Richard Clawson says if SF wants to come back, crime prevention needs to be taken seriously. Absolutely agree, Richard. It's tragic what's happened to the city.

1:03:40 That's something I'm not looking forward to, to be honest with you. I have some concerns about that. I stay on top of the news somewhat, but I try not to be overly enveloped in it because it can be honestly scary and disheartening. It can make a negative impact on our mental health to focus too much on it.

1:04:11 But if you love the city, you care about it, right? San Francisco, in my opinion, is one of the greatest cities in the history of civilization. It has one of the most beautiful locations in the world, the architecture, the culture, and all these different factors. If they would just sort that out, if they would just fix that, it would be a perfect city.

1:04:36 Pre-pandemic, it was amazing, so vibrant. I'd go walking through the city, and it just had this energy about it. People walking on the street, you'd hear five to ten different languages. You could spend a day and be immersed in three different cultures. I'd start off the day in North Beach, then go to Chinatown, then finish up in Japan Town.

1:05:05 Or I'd start down by the pier and just, you know, such a vibrant, exciting city. So if they could get that under control, I think the city could have a renaissance. I know there's been some hard times in the past. I've heard after the dot-com bubble, the city was kind of in rough shape. I imagine after the '89 earthquake, it was also in rough shape.

1:05:40 Black and Thailand, you're absolutely right about the Midwest. I'm from Columbus, Ohio. The Midwest has seen a rise in cost of living but not necessarily a rise in wages. So, a lot of these people who say, 'Just move to the Midwest, it's cheap,' it's like, well, one, it's no longer that cheap. And then two, you have to be thinking about a job. Are you going to be able to get a good job?

1:06:08 And then three, if you want to own a home, that's a liability, not an asset. A home you live in is not an asset. A home you rent to somebody else now, that's an asset. But they don't teach us this in public school. The difference between a liability and an asset is something I had to learn the hard way as an adult.

1:06:31 My grandma always warned me, 'Don't buy a house.' She was a homeowner, but she said, 'You underestimate what it's going to cost you for the upkeep of the home, you underestimate taxes, you underestimate all these things.' Because you just want to be a homeowner because there's some kind of glory or pride attached to that. It makes sense if you have a family, but if you're a bachelor, just rent.

1:06:54 Get a job somewhere else, you could just up and leave. Like I've thought about trying out New York. If I ever want to move to New York, I don't have to sell a house. I can just pack up my backpack, hop on a plane, land at LaGuardia, and then go to my new apartment, which I could find before landing. Now I'm in New York, so it's so much more flexibility as a renter.

1:07:18 As long as you're living below your means, the downside of renting is where you don't invest, you don't save, and rent keeps going up. You're not putting away money for your next stage in life. But I've committed to maxing out my 401k, maxing out my Roth IRA, and then saving on top of that, doing the Employee Stock Purchase Programs. All that stuff has been helpful for me.

West Coast vs. East Coast Cities

1:07:45 Gerard says the crime is happening on both coasts. Yeah, that's fair. I think it's more visceral on the West Coast. I guess I've always thought of the East Coast as having a gritty vibe or edgy kind of vibe, and the West Coast as being a bit more laidback. But that's not realistic, right? I mean, you look at 90s hip hop, and you learn about what LA was like in the 90s; it was definitely a rough town.

1:08:25 It grew super fast, and anytime you have rapid growth like that, there are some consequences and tradeoffs. Richard says post-pandemic has not restored the vibe. Yeah, I'd agree, Richard. I was there about a year and a half ago.

1:08:45 It's definitely kind of edgy. I remember going to dinner in Japantown and coming out of the restaurant to find a bunch of homeless people hanging out outside this Michelin-star restaurant. Very sharp contrast. That same night, I went into a Target, which has since closed, near Market Street. They had loss prevention all over the store.

1:09:26 It was just, I don't know, sorry, there was just a dog whining outside. But it's just kind of disheartening to see that level of security when you're just trying to buy a sweater. It's frustrating for sure because you know the potential.

1:09:59 I mean, if you saw it during its heyday, which I know you have, Richard, just a one-of-a-kind city. You go to Dolores Park or Golden Gate Park, gorgeous parks in that city. You bounce back and forth between, okay, I'm on High Street, having a meal, or I'm stepping into a store, and now I'm in a park and get fresh air. I'm going down to Ocean Beach, for example, and I'm watching the waves.

1:10:53 Gerard says he's born and raised in New York and doesn't go there. He just wants to try it out for like a year. I don't think I'd ever live there forever, but living there for like a year, or six, eight months, I think it'd be fun. I'm not as much of a fan of the weather; I definitely prefer California weather.

1:11:10 But I think New York's just got an interesting vibe, and it's worth trying out. Yeah, people seem stressed out in New York, like on edge. The weather doesn't help, the cost of living doesn't help. I've been up there for a week, and I actually like it for a week. It's a lot of fun.

1:11:31 I like the subway; it's super convenient. I like that urban cityscape, that kind of concrete jungle feeling at times, where you can just go out exploring on foot. Because where I'm from in Tennessee, you can't just go out walking. You'll get the cops called on you, people will be very suspicious. They're not going to understand why you're walking.

1:12:03 People come up to you and ask you why you're walking, or they won't even come out of their house, they'll just call the cops. So that's something I like about New York is that people are too busy to really be nosy like they are where I'm from.

1:12:14 Really be nosy, like they are where I'm from, where people have nothing to do. They don't really have much of a life, and so they're trying to kind of interfere with you. New York, there's just too much going on for people to do that, to kind of engage in that kind of behavior. Plus, you have plenty of cultural activities.

1:12:32 I could see why if you're from there, you wouldn't want to live there. I've known a number of New Yorkers or ex-New Yorkers who did not want to live there, but I feel like they saw and did everything they wanted to do.

1:12:52 Sorry, I'm one second, guys. I'll be right back. I'm gonna check something out. Sorry about that, just trying to figure out where the dog is out there. It's just kind of irritating.

1:13:34 Western Queens is pretty diverse. You could rent a room for seven or 800 a month, that's a pretty good deal. I'll keep that in mind.

1:13:40 Richard says, 'I have been now working and living just outside of Yosemite the past two years. The good neighbor culture I was raised in, country boy through and through.' San Francisco was a culture shock coming from Washington.

1:13:55 Washington is a beautiful state, but it's certainly more laid-back than the Bay Area, for sure. And that sounds beautiful that you're near Yosemite National Park.

1:14:06 I'm familiar with that area. I actually spent probably like a month in the Central Valley when I was working remotely because I knew the job was winding down and I wanted to try the Central Valley out. My mom was actually born in the Central Valley.

1:14:26 So getting to see some of those more out-of-the-way places, the atypical places, right? Because when you talk about California, everybody's thinking LA, everybody's thinking San Francisco, they're thinking San Diego, maybe they're thinking about like Santa Barbara, not as much Yosemite, but like not as much people are thinking about the area surrounding Yosemite.

1:14:49 That sounds amazing. Richard, actually, one of my friends here is from the Northwest. My grandfather was from Idaho. So even though I grew up in Tennessee, I definitely feel like I get along well with people from the Pacific Northwest and West Coast, just that kind of sensibility, that down-to-earth nature.

1:15:10 But also very hardworking and logical thinking. Sometimes, like in the South, people could get a little bit overly emotional, in my opinion. That's just been my opinion.

1:15:24 It certainly doesn't go for everybody, but that was my experience in the South. People have kind of an extreme sense of pride at times where the pride kind of gets in the way of them thinking clearly. They sometimes don't, they often don't want to have honest conversations because an honest conversation might entail confronting some uncomfortable truths.

1:15:48 Whereas people from the West Coast, to East Coast, or even the Midwest, I found just much more relatable. I don't know if it's just me, I don't know if it's the people that I grew up around, but I found the people from other parts of the country to be very, very...

1:16:14 Gerard, which part of New York did you grow up in? Eastern. Do you have Indian heritage? Yeah, Black and Thai, so I'm half Indian, so not Native American, but my dad was actually from Southern India.

1:16:22 And so yeah, I'm half. And actually, there's, I've, yeah, I've connected with a couple of, or at least one other Indian YouTuber, he's in the UK. But yeah, there's, there's definitely some Indian in my background for sure.

1:16:45 Unfriendly South Bronx, then Co-op City, 30 years in LA now. Yeah, Gerard, I could imagine if you grew up in New York, LA is a refreshing change. You got the sunny weather, you got the access to Santa Monica, you can go to the beach.

1:17:02 You also have access to Mexico. I think Baja is amazing. I know it's a little bit far, right? You have to go south like pretty far south down through San Diego. But LA, I've always enjoyed it. I mean, it's spread out, you know, it's you have to give it some time.

Living in Dumaguete

1:17:18 But it's a city that really appeals to living there. I think LA is not the best to visit, just my personal opinion, but if you live there and you can do everything in your neighborhood, and you know, it's just an interesting city.

1:17:33 It's like got this culture, but you have to dig into it. And so that's where I think some people, they don't have the contrast with New York, so they think, oh, this is such a big city. But if you're from New York, you're probably thinking LA is not quite as big city feeling or as dense feeling as New York.

1:17:52 But yeah, I'm a fan of LA. Like I think there's just something for everybody. And I've had several friends move there like 10 years ago, and they're still there and they love it.

1:18:03 They like the tolerance, they like the acceptance, they like the open-mindedness, they like the cultural events, they like there's always something for them to do.

1:18:13 If they want to fly anywhere in the country, you just go down to LAX, you can fly up to Seattle, you can fly out to New York, anywhere you want to go. Just a very, very convenient place to live.

1:18:25 And the weather, LA has the best weather in the country, in my personal opinion. Very, very mild, never too cold, never too hot. You've got, in some ways, it feels like the center of the universe.

1:18:40 Just my personal opinion on LA. It could be stressful. I mean, you got to make a pretty penny to live in LA, but there's also a lot of unique opportunities you can't really find outside of LA.

1:18:55 Richard says, 'I have a house in Bohol now, but still working in California. My fiance and sister is keeping it up. Looking forward to spending time there in November. Will be retiring and moving full-time in May.' Excellent.

1:19:06 Congratulations, Richard. You definitely have earned it. I know you worked for a long time for this. I think you're going to really enjoy being in Dumaguete, or being out, I should say, outside of Dumaguete.

1:19:15 It's such a convenient city. You really have a lot here. I love it. I mean, it's one of my top favorite cities in the world outside the US. The other two being Chiang Mai and Cusco.

1:19:32 Chiang Mai is fantastic, Cusco's is fantastic, and then Dumaguete is on my top city list now.

1:19:41 I know you've been here probably several times before you make that kind of commitment to getting the house, but it's so nice here. I mean, it really to me, it hits above its weight as far as offerings go, like plenty of Western food, plenty of foreigners and cool locals.

1:20:00 You've got several shopping malls, you've got an airport if you want to fly to other parts of the country, you've got ferries to cool islands. It's, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I love it here.

1:20:13 I really, I wasn't sure like, would I enjoy it as much as some other places I've been? Because I've also been to Cagayan de Oro, which is a very industrial city. I've been to Camiguin Island, which is like more of a vacation hotspot. And I've been to Cebu.

1:20:27 But this, I feel like I'm one of the three bears here. It's just right. It's not too big, it's not too small. It's got enough of what I want and not much of what I don't like.

1:20:40 There's very little that I don't like about Dumaguete. If you were to ask me, maybe some days are a little bit hot, maybe some days they're a little bit rainy, but that's me really stretching to find something I don't like.

1:20:55 It's not easy, and that's once again, that's me having to pick something. Other than that, the people are super friendly. 99% of the people I meet here in Dgte are awesome. The food's great, I find great international food. I'm also a fan of some of the local Filipino food.

1:21:15 The infrastructure is continuing to improve, like they're expanding the boulevard. They're actually right now, they're dumping boulders there to widen the boulevard.

1:21:25 It's got a small town feel where I run into my friends all the time here. I've made a bunch of friends. I feel like I have more friends here than I've ever had in my life, and I'm running into them all the time.

1:21:41 I go to the mall every other time I go to the mall, I run into a friend. Boulevard, almost every time I go to the boulevard, I run into a friend. I walk down the street and I've had a person pull over and wave at me.

1:21:50 You constantly have people introducing themselves to you. So as far as like my need for a vibrant social life, much more vibrant than most other places I've lived.

1:22:03 Lots of English, just so convenient when it comes to English and just talking and chatting with people. You know, if you want to go snorkeling, if you want to go diving, the pace is also relaxed.

1:22:16 Like it's not, most people are not in a hurry here, unlike a big city. The pace is just very leisurely, whereas in Cebu, most people are in Cebu to work, right? Most people are moving up to Cebu, they've got to get a corporate job.

1:22:30 They're there to make money. Same with Manila, people come here more so to spend money, to relax, to have a good time. And it's a low-stress environment. I mean, for the most part, it's very low stress.

1:22:46 And I like it a lot. I think if I were to live here long-term, Richard, I would be buying, I'd probably buy for myself an electric trike. I keep meaning to go check them out.

1:23:00 But for whatever reason, every time I go down to Robinson's, it slips my mind. But right around Robinson's, there's a dealership for them where they've got a three-wheeler. And my friends are all telling me, hey, if you don't want to ride a motorbike, which I'm not super coordinated, I don't really want to ride a motorbike.

1:23:16 They're saying check out the three-wheeler because it's something you can't really go up the big hills with, but if you want something to drive around town, then it could be a great fit for you.

1:23:27 I think they're electric, so I don't think they're gasoline powered. I'd prefer a gas-powered one because, I mean, it just seems like, I don't know, sometimes like where I live, the road could be a little bit bumpy, the access road, and it can be kind of jarring to be bouncing up and down.

1:23:45 Where if I could get a gas-powered one, I don't know, maybe I could find somebody on the highway that...

1:23:52 I would like to have private transportation for myself. It's not really an issue with Dumaguete, I just think it would help me to explore the area more and go out into some more provincial areas that I haven't seen much of yet. You can't really get to those places on foot; it's not going to be a situation where I could walk five miles and then five miles back. So, a vehicle would help upgrade my experience for sure.

Transportation and Safety

1:24:27 Gerard says, "Great weather, other than when I hear I interrupted your blog days ago about the earthquake." Yeah, the earthquake woke me up at about 2 AM, and I went back to sleep. It kind of threw me off. I was like, 'What's going on? The room's rolling a little bit.' I don't drink, so the thought crossed my mind, 'Did I have drinks?' and I was like, 'No, no, I didn't have any drinks.' So it was kind of funny.

1:24:58 Vano, I like hearing from you. So far on day four, Vano, please feel free to reach out to me on email. I'll throw my email in the description one more time. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] if you'd like to link up. Vanico, maybe you're open to an interview? I don't know if we've already interacted. I've seen your name pop up a few times, but even if you don't want to do an interview, I'm happy to just meet up and chat and maybe grab a cup of coffee. I don't want to miss you while you're in town because if I get an offer, I could be going back to the States in about a month. So, I'm definitely trying to meet as many people as I can before that potentially comes up.

1:25:51 Richard says, "My favorite city in Thailand is Udon Thani. Similar vibe, felt more isolated due to language barrier." I would absolutely agree, Richard. If I had one issue with Thailand, it would be the language barrier. I never really managed to learn any Thai, so even though I loved my time in Thailand, you know, not speaking Thai, you're just always going to have that barrier between you and connecting with the local people. So, that's something that, you know, it's not an issue here.

1:26:24 So, yeah, I love that about being here in Dumaguete. It's just being able to talk to local people, being able to socialize. Also, being able to communicate with the foreigners is helpful. Occasionally, I get a warning from a friend, 'Hey, you see that foreigner? That's not somebody you want to interact with.' Which is rare, but when it does happen, you know, the locals in Thailand can't necessarily warn you because if they can't speak English and you can't speak Thai, there might be a real jerk you want to avoid, but they can't really explain that to you.

1:27:00 Richard says, "I have bought a Baja trike, plenty of room for passengers as well as cargo." Yeah, that's perfect. You could cart your fiance around town and I think her sister as well. Yeah, that's awesome.

1:27:15 Richard says, "I don't do scooters either. Prefer a little more between me and God." Yeah, I agree, Richard. I've seen numerous motorbike accidents, people in various states of disrepair, to put it politely. And I don't want to chance it. I'm not coordinated. I'll readily admit to people I'm not that coordinated. I'm not the best at turning, I'm not the best at directions, I'm not the best at last-second reactions on a bike. You also have to engage your muscles, and if I get tired or whatever and decide to ease up a little bit, too much can go wrong.

1:28:05 I'm right there with you, Richard. I don't need to impress anybody. I don't need to be zooming around. For me, I'm not here working, so I don't have to get to a job at a certain time. I'll just leave early. So, yeah, I'm a fan of the trike. I think you're thinking very effectively to pick a trike over a motorbike. Some people can do a motorbike just fine, they don't have any issues. I've had a number of friends ride motorbikes with no issues, but I saw numerous accidents in Thailand and I've seen several here in the aftermath. I don't want that to be me.

1:28:46 Even with a helmet, you can still get banged up pretty bad. I occasionally do see people in a cast, people missing digits. So, not something that I want to be in that position, especially my head. That's what I worry about the most: hitting my head and losing my ability to articulate, communicate, or work. Those would all be horrible things for me. So, yeah, and most importantly, what you said, between you and God, you want that barrier.

Language and Cultural Immersion

1:29:24 Richard says, "Valencia is also great. Sunday after Mass, you can just walk across the street to the park which opens up for the market." Yeah, I see. I got to the market late, so I went up to Valencia a few weeks ago on Sunday, but I got there late, like 2 or 3 PM. By then, it was a lot more emptied out. So, one of these days, I need to get up there in the morning. I've heard it's really active and busy from 8 AM until noon. So, when you want to enjoy the crowds and those vibes, you want to get up there early. So that's something where a vehicle would come in handy, where I get up there early and I can interact with all the different people and meet new people. I've heard everybody comes out and it's a really great time. And of course, when you get there early too, if you're trying to buy vegetables or fruits, you get the best selection when you get there early, right? Things haven't been picked over as much.

1:33:36 So, yeah, I think that's a big appeal, Richard. It seems like a really awesome space in the morning. I enjoyed it in the afternoon; I got to watch kids playing basketball, which is really exciting. But certainly, going there in the morning would be great.

1:33:55 Yeah, and you've got Sunday Mass as well. Tagalog is much easier than Thai. Yeah, I would definitely agree with that. Richard, Thai, I attended many classes, I talked with friends a lot, it just never clicked with me. I mean, I've got some basic Thai, but my basic Thai is not comprehensive or cohesive. It's not like I've strung together an understanding of how it connects. I know a few words in Thai; I know like 'delicious' and that's really it. I know how to say 'delicious' and like 'hot and spicy,' mostly food-related words. Whereas in Bisaya, I know a little bit more. I know enough words to make my Filipino friends laugh because I'll say a word and they're like, 'You know what that means?' and so they're really surprised that I'm starting to pick up on it more because I think it throws them off that I can understand some of what they're saying. I'll even pretend sometimes to understand what they're saying. Like if I catch somebody giggling, I'll just start laughing, and they'll start laughing, and then I get a little bit of a lesson there. So that's another way to learn here: just pretending you understand, and then you kind of get a little taste or a little bit of teaching. People ask, 'Do you know what this means?' and so that's a lot of fun here for sure. 8 o'clock Mass is in English, so perfect timing. Okay, very good. Yeah, because I've seen certain Mass services.

1:35:39 Because I've seen certain Mass services Richard that are in Bayah and it seems like a really nice service, but I just don't fully understand what they're saying. Whereas if you go for the English one, you get really the full experience as far as comprehension and understanding. You feel like a more active participant as opposed to an observer. I think, not to say you can't engage in the rights and things like that, but yeah, toal spend Tang Gish, that's funny.

1:36:11 Gerard, yeah, it's definitely a complicated one for sure. Richard says, "I tell most folks that I could speak seven languages, but just enough to get some." But I'm learning Bayah for real. It's super helpful. I think if you're wanting to stay here long term, which I think you are, Richard, just based on your discussions and like you're talking about, of course, you're engaged. Then it would be so helpful for you to learn. And yeah, you can really connect with people even deeper. I mean, the English level here is great, but having that local language in your pocket will take you to like new heights for sure.

1:37:01 And it's not that bad in my opinion. Like with Thai, I feel like I could study it for a very long time and I still wouldn't get anywhere. And then it's only good in Thailand, right? I mean, that's the other challenge with Thai is that it's, you know, you're limited to Thailand. And I guess with Philippines, you could say something similar, but there's more Filipinos in the US than there are Thai people.

1:37:30 And I see it as bridging the gap in the Philippines between English. Like, you don't necessarily have to be fluent in Bayah to, uh, to like string together some understanding. Whereas in Thai, I can understand like one word out of every 20 or 30. It's just not enough to be helpful or useful. Fortunately, I've spent a lot of time in Bangkok where a lot of the people in the service industry have some very basic English, and it's enough to kind of work with you.

1:38:05 Now, I will say one thing I want to share with everybody. I've talked to my Thai friends about this, and they say in five to 10 years, there's going to be a lot more English in Thailand. So as time progresses, and I've noticed this every time I go to Thailand, every other year, there's more and more English being spoken. So when I first got there six years ago, it seemed like the level of English was much lower, and now it's much higher, especially in Bangkok.

1:38:33 Especially in Hat Yai, because Hat Yai is near the southern border. And I'll pull up Hat Yai really quick. It's down here. This is Hat Yai, one of my favorite cities in Thailand, and you're close to the border of Malaysia, so you get a lot of Malaysian tourists. And so the level of English in Hat Yai is actually pretty high.

1:39:00 I would actually love to go back to Hat Yai at some point. I feel like it's underrated. Lots of great Chinese food because there's a big Chinese diaspora population there. It's, uh, yeah, it's just a cool place.

1:39:15 Richard says, "You do not have to be fluent in Tagalog or any language, but when locals see you show respect by trying, you will also earn big respect." I totally agree with that, Richard. People's faces light up whenever I use some basic words. Like, I'm talking to a woman now, and she always gets a big kick out of it whenever we're together, and I'll try some of the local language. She always just has a lot of laughs and surprise too, because I'll drop some words and she's like, "You know what that means?" And like, "Chismis," I mentioned I know what "chismis" is.

1:39:54 Marites, uh, maybe some negative words, you know, or maybe there's negative. I also mentioned too, and better ones too, like "Lami, lami" is delicious. It's, uh, yeah, it's just fun. I think it's just kind of a fun language. It's, uh, yeah, it's a fun language to learn.

1:40:18 And you're absolutely on point about that, Richard, that people, they're like, "Wow, you're not expecting me to speak fluent English, and you're actually wanting to understand some basics of my language?" And the language level varies. Some people have strong English, other people may not be in a position where they get to develop their English skills as much, right? Like if they're not in a customer service situation, like a job where they're say, they're working in a hotel, they're working in a restaurant, they're working in a call center, they may not have as much reason to develop English skills. And so you're helping them out too by meeting them halfway when it's possible.

1:40:56 With Thai, it's so difficult. I just got to apologize, I'm not going to get there, guys. But with, you know, Tagalog or Bayah, yeah, I have confidence I could get some basic words down for sure. I'm also starting to recognize some songs that, uh, some of my friends, uh, listen to and play.

1:41:26 But, uh, I'll probably wind down here in the next five minutes or so, guys. I've got some editing to do, and it's also getting pretty late here. It's about 1:00 AM. But yeah, feel free, guys, to share any like last questions or thoughts, concerns, you know, anything you want me to cover or talk about. I'll probably stream midweek. I would say the next stream I'll do, and I typically do these late night because it's quieter. That's assuming there's no amplified music being played around here.

1:41:59 I wish I could be more predictive about that, but sometimes there's just amplified music where I don't want to get a copyright violation. So yeah, feel free, anybody has any last thoughts or questions to share the next few minutes, and we'll call it a night or a day, depending on where you're at.

1:42:27 And if you haven't already, give us a thumbs up. I know we got 18, that's a lot. That's been wonderful from everybody. If there's anybody who hasn't, you know, greatly appreciated, not required, but always appreciated.

1:42:37 Gerard says, "I always ask what time is it?" So Gerard, we're actually 15 hours ahead of you in where you're at in California. So it's about 5:10 AM where you're at. It's actually 5 past 1:00 AM here in Dumaguete. So I've got some editing. I'll probably edit for an hour and then I'll crash out. I had some caffeine around 5:30, so I had an energy drink at around 5:30 PM because I knew I wanted to do this, and I have to be prepared for my interviews.

1:43:11 Like my interview on Thursday, Wednesday night, Thursday morning is at 1:00 AM. So technically four days from today, I'll be doing an interview. And I want to be like lucid and wide awake and not kind of sleepy. So I'm shifting my sleep schedule.

1:43:31 Richard says, "Glad I saw you online as I enjoy your energy. Thanks so much, Richard. Hope you will be around in November. Would love to have you over for dinner." That's so generous and kind, Richard. If I'm here in November, I'd love to come over and have dinner with you and your fiance and her sister. And if not, I know I'll be back. I love Dumaguete. I want to come back. Whether I get a vacation from work or in between my next job and the job after, I'd like to come back. And I think by that point, you'll be living here full-time. You'll be retired here, Richard. So that's a, yeah, that's a wonderful, generous invitation, and I definitely want to take you up on that.

1:44:12 If possible, back in Thailand, my fiance studied university in Hat Yai. Her family is from Songkhla. I also like Hat Yai. Have you tried the famous Hat Yai chicken? Yeah, that hot fried chicken is amazing. That's the best fried chicken in the world. I love the garlic, I love the flavors. It's so good. I could eat that every day. It's so good. I love that chicken. I mean, I've had a lot of good chicken here in Southeast Asia, but Hat Yai has the best, some of the best. It's good here in the Philippines too, but yeah, that chicken is memorable.

1:44:47 As is the grilled chicken. I like the grilled chicken here more than the fried chicken here. There, I like the fried chicken more than the grilled. Gerard, good day. Thanks so much for joining us, Gerard. I really appreciate it. And thank you so much for the blessings, Richard. Really appreciate it.

1:45:02 So, uh, yeah, we'll go ahead and call it a night. Thank you so much, everybody, for watching. If you're watching this on replay, please subscribe to the channel if you haven't already. Give us a thumbs up, it helps the algorithm. Comment down below if you're watching after the fact. If there's anything you want me to cover or talk about, any thoughts or suggestions, we really appreciate it, and we'll see you soon. Good night, everybody.