You will also see the same programs playing on different channels.  With all the shows available, it does get frustrating when you see the same show over and over.

To combat this problem and to see shows I miss from the US, I would download torrent files of the shows I like. Torrent files, also known as bit torrent, are a way for many internet users to download or upload files to be shared. This is what known as P2P or Peer to Peer sharing.

To upload or download available files you need two things. First is a Torrent Client program. I use Vuze but there are many others available. Some of these include Bittorent, Bitcomet, microtorrent and others. The second thing you need is to download a torrent file. This is a file that tells the program what file you want to download. Once you add that torrent file into the program, the program will look for available computers over the net that has that file to share. A computer sharing the file is called a “seed” and the computers getting the file are called a “leach”.

This does take a lot of time to download depending on how many are seeding the file you want to download. However, the program runs in the background and I usually download over night when I do not need to use the internet because the downloading takes up much of the internet resources.

There is music, movies, TV shows and EBooks available on the net to download. Now here is the problem. TV stations make their income from the commercials targeted for their local audience, music produces and book publishers make theirs from sales.  Many of these torrent files are breaking the copy write laws.

The website I used to get my Torrent files and downloads was Mininova.com. This was a site with thousands or maybe millions of files to download. The company is located in the Netherlands and recently was sued for hosting all this content.  Because of this, I have to look for other places to find the downloads I want.

Another thing I have tried, but was not successful was to be able to watch some TV shows from the TV networks that have the shows available on their website. Unfortunately, because of the need to make money by advertising, these network sites are blocked to users outside of their areas of broadcast.  I have tired finding a proxy server to be able to watch these shows but have not been able to find one and get the streaming video.

If you do not know what I mean by a proxy server, let me explain. First, let me explain how they know where you are located.   Some websites have what is called a “sniffer” program checking the location of the computer accessing their website. These sniffer programs look at your IP address to see your location. All computers accessing the internet have an IP (Internet Protocol) this number is your unique address on the internet. Each IP address is coded with information that shows where the user is located and who their provider is.

A proxy server are sites you connect to and from there go to a site that is blocked by your IP address. There are free proxy servers and others you can pay to use.  Because I am cheap and not sure, it will work after paying, I have been trying the free ones. I am able to connect to the TV network site, but have not been able to get the streaming video.

If anyone has a solution to the proxy situation, the readers and I would like to know.

In America, an architectural firm, especially in residential architecture draws the plans and elevations for construction. In house or with associations we would provide all structural, electrical and mechanical plans to give the client a full set of plans to take to the building department for permitting.

The best view the client would get was the black line, no more blue lines or blueprints, elevation drawings showing all four sides of the building. Sometimes we would draw basic interior elevations to show cabinets, built-ins or any specialty carpentry. At times the client would request a colored elevation for marketing.

For high end houses, especially if being build to sell, the developer would hire a company to do a perspective drawing. This style of drawing was usually drawn by hand and would give the look of a 3d representation. There were some specialty graphic companies that would make this perspective drawing look more like a photo, or at least more realistic. These drawings were for marketing brochures or advertisement. There were some 3d modeling programs on computer, but this type of service was expensive and timely.

I did not work with or know anybody who did this type of work in America. Then I moved to the Philippines and was hired for about seven months with an Engineering, Architectural and local building firm here in Davao. There I met a young man who started his career as a graphic artist before attending Architectural School.

This man is amazing; with the use of Google Sketchup or AutoDesk 3D modeling and 3D StudioMax he can take a floor plan and elevation and turn it into a 3D model. From this model he can show views that look as a photograph of a finished product or even a video walk-thru of what looks like someone with a video camera recoded their visit to a real home. He has also taken a photograph of a street and inserted a rendering of a building to show how the block will look after the new project is built.

With my contacts and lists of architect firms and developers in America, we teamed up and just opened a website offering these services. Even if you are not in the building trades or an architect, I think you will enjoy seeing his work. If you are in the industry, or know of someone who is, I would appreciate you letting them know about us. We offer amazing work with lower prices than you can get anywhere in the States, Canada, Europe or most anywhere.

The site is BestRender4U and I hope you will enjoy it. This is the beginning, over time we will add more examples and more U.S. style representations. Feel free to comment on your thoughts.

I have tried to enter here to reply to comments. At times, after logging in, and waiting 10 minutes, the page didn’t fully load. From fustration, I just closed the computer.

It is now 9pm here and just got home from a long day at a family event. Tomorrow morning I will answer all comments.

Sorry to all for the delay.

When you first move here your days are filled finding your way around and finding places to live, where to shop, and how to live here. You probably had visited the Philippines before you decided to move here. From these trips you already knew where in the Philippines you wanted to live.

Unless you had an extended stay in the place you decide to live, once you’re here there is so much to learn about this new place.

When you first move here you think your pension, savings or disability pensions will be enough for a good life. Once you’re here and get settled you might realize the income you’re getting from back home is not enough to live the way you want. So, what are your options? Get a job? Start a business?

You might have been a businessman or experienced in many different occupations where you rose to a high level in your native country.  You might think with the advanced schooling and technology from your home country there will be many businesses excited to have someone like you on their staff to help them with their business.

When you first move here you are probably on a tourist visa. According to the rules under that visa you are not allowed to work. If there is some company that does want to hire you they need to get you a work visa and a work permit. To get a work visa the perspective employer has to apply you. But you cannot take a job that can be filled by a Filipino.

To be legally able to work here you need to get resident status. To get that, the easiest way is getting married to a Filipina or file for a PRA (Philippine Retirement Authority). To get a retirement visa there are age and monetary requirements to satisfy. If 35 to 49 years old you need a US$50,000.00 time deposit and if   50 years old and above you need to make a US$20,000.00 time deposit. There is a cheaper way if you’re over 50 years old, and that is if you have a pension, but with that visa you cannot work or own a business.

So, your first problem is being able to work legally. Once you satisfy that hurdle you need to find a job offer. As I mentioned before, you are a highly skilled or experienced person. You think you will be in high demand for your knowledge. For me, I had 15 years in architectural drafting, project management and studio management. I came here and did work a short time for an Engineering and Architectural firm. All the Filipinos I worked with were college graduates and most licensed in their field of specialty. They also knew AutoCAD to a level they could function. I learned things from them that I did not know and they learned from me.

Here in the Philippines families will work hard to put their children through college. With the fact that employees are a large commodity, even a low level job needs a college degree. At the better hotels, even a cocktail waitress is a HRM graduate (Hotel and Restaurant Management).

So what do you do? Maybe open a business. To open a business is difficult for a foreigner with investments so most will open it under their wife or girlfriend’s name. Then if you’re going to work at the business, you will need to be careful or still get the work visa and permit.

Anyone who has opened a business, please comment on the problems or situations.
One other idea is an internet business. They are some that make good income with the right site. There is talk of niche sites. In some ways this is a niche site, but making money from ads is difficult. There is a term of “ad blindness.” That is after a while readers see the articles and not the ads. Or as many who read blogs, they have no interest in the ads on the site.

Whatever your plan, I think it is best to have a savings or pension backup. If you do find a way to make an income here, it will be extra.

A little while back, I received an email directing me to his site, Blog Interviewer .com and offering me to be interviewed. It was not an interview as much as just answer questions and then it is posted with a screen shot of your home page.

They also have something where people can register and vote on a blog.

If you would like, please visit Blog Interviewer .com and if so inclined, vote for my site.

Now I have heard in the past about Googles Page Ranking. It is a way they feel the importance of a site for search reasons.

A page rank is based on some algorithm that tested how many sites link back to the tested site and how important those sites are rated also.

Another rating company is Alexa. These 2 are used by other sites to determine if or what type of advertising or connection they are willing to do with your site.

When I looked into Pay-per-post type of way to make money, I saw companies that required a Google Pagerank of 3 or higher.

Do not worry, American in Davao will always be my personal forum and I will not fill it with articles paid by others to post. Any sites or companies I do write about will be because I feel something to write or comment about.

Back to me having a Google Page Ranking, it is nice to see how this site has grown. As I have mentioned in the past, I started this Blog in 2007 as a free site on Blogger as a way to forum my life, observations and thoughts being an American Expat living in the Philippines. I did eventually registered my domain and had the site hosted. I never expected the change and growth would be as big and fast as it has happened. Now with the Ranking, it is just a little more information that I must be doing something right.

I know a lot of my readers also visit Live in the Philippines by Bob Martin and many have found my site from his. One reader even commented that he enjoyed my site but I will never be as well read or as large as Bob’s sites. I never expected to grow as much as I have and never expect to be as big a success as Bob has attained. I consider Bob as a friend and look at him also as a mentor and also a pioneer of blogging as an Expat. His knowledge and insight of the use of the internet is vast and I am happy when he assists me in times of need or confusion.

At first I wrote a lot about my family activities here with lots of photos. As I and this site developed over the 17 months I have tried to be more insightful and descriptive of life here and less on my personal life.

I hope to continue to bring you my thoughts, views and observations and I also welcome comments, good or bad, about what I write. I also hope we all develop into a small community and will also with comments give me thoughts about items you would like me to write about.

Thank you all again, from all over this world. Do not ever feel your english is too bad, or your comments too minor to say hello and comment or ask anything.If I feel it is too unwarranted or insulting, I have the power to edit or delete your comment.

In the words of my family Salamat Po to you all.

In part 1 I mentioned how I started using the internet to look for a future wife. At first I was in communication with ladies from China and Thailand. Some had a knowedge of english, but most had very little or none at all.  I then realized from my past, that English is/was taught in the Philippines.

From then on I concertrated my chat with Filipinas since they knew English. Over a few weeks I found a few ladies I was interested in and would chat frequently. As we got to know each other better, I would find things that was not compatible with my needs, my philosophy in life or different from my needs. At the time I had a 2 bedroom townhouse. Some women had a few small children and I was thinking, I would need a bigger home that I could not afford at the time. Others would tell me, even though they had children, they would leave them with their mother or family member with no intention to ever bring to the US.

There was one that was very religious and felt, no matter what, God would provide. I am not an atheist but I do not feel God will help anyone that doesn’t help themselves.

Well one Saturday morning, I was in the site and looking at the photos of ladies online and I saw Elena’s photo. I thought she was beautiful and then read her profile. She was single, no kids, had a college degree, a good job and owned her own home.

Elena had her own computer at home, so it was not waiting for a lady to go to the Internet Café. We started chatting and got to know each other. At first we would chat 2 or 3 times a week on Yahoo Messenger . Then it became every evening for me, morning for her, before she left for work. After a few weeks it was every morning and evening.

Over the next months we would talk about everything, life, loves, and feelings. Nothing was kept secret.  About 6 months later, I decided to fly to the Philippines for 10 days and meet Elena in person. Elena lived in a city on Mindanao that was not too safe for a foreigner to visit, so we decided we meet in Manila. So I went online and found a good deal on Continental Airlines.

What a trip. It started in Florida at about 9am, my next stop was Newark, New Jersey with a 4 hour layover. Then from there the next flight went over the North Pole to a stop in Hong Kong, China. Then a switch to Cathay Airlines to Manila. I did not arrive until 11:45PM. All in all I think it was about 17 hours of travel.

Elena arrived earlier than my long flight. When I got to the exit, I looked for Elena and then was informed security will not allow Filipinos to enter the airport to meet arriving passengers so I found my driver from the hotel and he called Elena on his Cell. Next thing I know I see Elena crossing the street and my first thought, she was more beautiful in person than her photos or the lady I looked at for months on a web cam.

After traveling for about 18 hours and not being able to sleep on the flights, we went to the hotel, checked in and then just talked a little before I needed to sleep. What a first night, Elena having to listen to my snoring through the night.

Because both Elena and I were strangers to Manila we did not know what to do with our days. Each morning Elena would make me a cup of the complementary coffee in the room and once showered and dressed we would go down to the buffet breakfast. The buffet had foods for all types of foreigners. I would usually have eggs and either French toast, pancakes or waffles.

We became friendly with the Assistant Manager Chona. She would always watch over us and when I needed ore coffee, instead of the pot used for most, she would make me a fresh cup. That was one of the beginning signs of the hospitality of Filipinos especially if you are nice to them.

In the first few days we would go down to the hotel pool, browse around a small mall across the street, of just go to the room to get to know each other better.

One morning, talking to Chona, we talked about things to see in the city. I wanted to see Corregidor, a small rocky island which is at the entrance of Manila Bay. Growing up watching all the WWII movies, I wanted to see such a historical place.

We hired a driver from the hotel to take us to the dock where you take a boat to the island. When you arrive you are brought to the Corregidor Hotel where you are severed a buffet lunch. Waiting for the tour to arrive I met Sheila, one of the tour guides. She was fun and liked to joke. So we made sure we got on her tour bus. We saw the place General McArthur said the famous words “I shall return.”

It was a fun day especially with the joking from Sheila. There was also a Filipina on the tour whose father was on the Baatan Death March and related a story. He survived the march because of Filipinos would toss down to the marching captives water and foods wrapped in Banana leaf parcels.

We also went to see Fort Santiago, which is part of the walled city of Intramuros. They had bronze statues of men in military uniforms to make it feel more realistic.

In the evenings we usually went to the lobby where they had a bar, seating and some form of live music.

All in all, Elena showed me the loving hospitality a Filipina has for her man. From making me coffee in the room, helping me with my clothes in the room, always concerned with me for my comfort, eating, beverages. What to do or not do being a stranger in her country.

We were like young lovers. If we were in the room, she would squeeze in next to me in the arm chair I would sit. We would walk holding hands or arms around each other.

The day we were to fly back to our perspective homes, there was tears in our eyes as I got out of the taxi at the International departure area at the airport.

The one we use and from talking to others PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone) is up more and has had consistent service. One problem is if it is available in your location. There are areas where Landlines are not available. Especially if your in a remote area, far from a main road or in an area where there is not enough demand for landlines so they have not run main lines.

PLDT for me has had the best service of all, but best is a comparison description. Lately my connection has been very slow from late morning until very late at night. I have called once and they blamed my router. I connected my computer sirectly to the modem and it still is slow. I have seen more cannot connect errors than I have wanted to see in a lifetime. I do not know if they have an overloaded Hub or what it is, but I hope I can get them to fix this soon.

Here are some other options:

Smart Bro. This is a wireless connection where they install an antenna on your roof. This also has an availability problem. If there is buildings blocking the line of site to the antenna can be one or too far from an antenna that services that area, if there is one. They also have a 3G modem that plugs into your USB port. This can be expansive if your planning to be online for an extended time period. It is a prepay plan and can be loaded like you load your cell phone. The cost is 10 pesos per 1/2 hour.

Globe Communications has a wireless landline and Broadband service.  It is also wireless and can have the same problems as Smart. They also have a USB modem connection at the same price.

BayanTel is also a Broadband and wireless land line product. If you plan to use only one computer, they have a wireless telephone that has a port to plug into your computer. If you plan to use a router and have more than one phone, you will need a different system.

So in closing, the connection type avaliable differs from your location and needs.