My ADVICE to you
- This is a courtship -- yes,
there is competition, especially for the most desirable Ladies, but it is different than
dating in your own country - you are competing more with inner-self than appearance
(frankly, depends on girl).
- Respect -- most of these Ladies
are quite conservative, a little shock value goes a long way - sometimes I am more red
than brown from blushing.
- Be Funny -- it
is more important than riches (honest, but no dirty jokes for a
looooong time).
- Be Yourself -- frankness &
honor are valued over age, appearance or money
- Family -- honor - respect -
recognition -- very important, a gift to her family is appreciated, but not
required.
Be creative --
my favorite gift was a small stuffed
he loves me, he loves me not, flower; It always ends with he loves
me. Next came poetry, personal audio
& video tapes, flowers, jewelry, clothing, music, camera and XXXX (I'm embarrassed to say, it was my first). Anything
from the heart is great and she will appreciate it more. Is there is
a travel video that shows your Country? VHS and Beta
are both popular so ask girl what she have access to use. Be careful
about electric gifts as voltage is different here than USA. 35MM
cameras are popular and Digital is becoming popular soon I think. My
men friends like Amazon.com
because they have a reasonable International shipping rate and
they gift wrap including a personal note from you. In
my book I make list on 20 good gift items as suggestions for
you. T-shirts are good gifts for children and nice belt (Levy
popular) for Father and handbag (not shoulder bag) is good for Mother,
but ask your girlfriend for specific suggestions before you visit. Best present for
parents I think is artist drawing of their daughter. Jerry use Robbie by sending
him my photo and it beautiful, a big thrill for all family.
We made arrangement with Philippines largest Rose grower
and most
dependable courier service so you can send
2 dozen roses for $20 less than 1 dozen sent using FTD, 1-800-Flowers,
etc. Less than $45 total including shipping, taxes and delivery
almost anywhere in The Philippines.
Roses
Delivered in The Philippines. We
now also have some very nice gifts we deliver
in the USA.
- Postage -new
2007 rates- Include return
postage - local stamps are much cheaper than IRCs
- Philippines - 27
Pesos for international stamps
= about 42 cents US$ -- an IRC is now $1.85
- Hong Kong - $3.30HKD is about
48 cents US$ -- an IRC is
now $1.85
- IRC - is International Reply Coupon and is available at many
US post offices
- PRO - it can only be used to buy international stamps
- CON - she must go to her local post office to use it (travel costs can be higher than value)
- TIP - just
put dollar in letter and mention it for postage to reply your
letter. Cheaper than IRC and trust me, she need money more
than US Government, OK?
- USA - Airmail / 1st Class postage is 84¢ for 1st ounce then
80¢ for
each additional ounce
- 1 ounce is about 4 pages plus envelope&
1 picture - fancy paper may weight more
- Correct postage is important as
too little means it probably will NOT be
delivered or "returned" - just disappear
- Packages not sent airmail go by ship - "Yes" slow
boat to China
is real - "real slow" over 30 days
- Airmail takes about 10 days to Hong Kong & about 30 days to
Philippines depending on which island
- Postcards are 75¢ and are great if they show your community or favorite
place or fun travel place.
- USA-Global Priority
- There are 2 sizes and you can send as much as you can put in the
cardboard envelopes (up to 4 lbs.)
- Large size is about $9.50US while smaller size is around
$5.25US ( Jerry
sends me video tapes for $5.25 )
- Only 3 days to Hong Kong or 10 days to Philippines (Sometimes
Global Priority costs less than Airmail)
- Post office better than UPS
as mailman know where "family" live as many residences
not have street addresses. UPS good for business addresses
in larger towns.
- Currency -- Be generous, but
not duped
- Most Ladies are very honest, but use head as well as
heart, OK!
- Conceal it carefully in letters - thief is #1 reason for
undelivered mail in PI. Hong Kong mail is good if you clearly print
address on envelope and again inside envelope or package.
- When you get serious, open a special banking account accessible via ATM
- Western
Union wires, MoneyGrams & Xoom
are reliable; checks and money
orders take 30+ days to clear before she can use money. I use USA bank account for
American deposits and get money at ATM machine here as currency exchange is automatic
(& low fee) and funds are available quickly. My eBook
describes details of several safe ways. Western
Union does not require the recipient to have a
telephone.
-
At
this time my favorite is Xoom
money transfer Service. Xoom
is a great way to send money to The Philippines.
The cash can be picked up at over 400 Equitable PCI Bank
locations. FREE delivery is also available in many areas. Xoom
is much less than Western Union especially on small amounts like
under $200 the fee is usually half that of Western Union (i.e.
send $50 for only a $5 fee).
Xoom
has a rechargeable ATM
card that is very convenient. They have an arrangement with
PayPal to actually transfer the money. I have used PayPal
for six years without even a single problem - I highly recommend
them. And Equitable PCI Bank is very respectable Bank in
Philippines so use the Xoom
service with confidence. iKobo
is also good if you have time to set it up and will be sending
money several times to the same person like a fiancée or wife,
or family. More
details on all three services.
- Manage expectations -- avoid
misunderstandings,
- Her feelings are sensitive and English is a language of words with many
meanings.
- We watch TV so we understand a lot of
slang and
colloquialisms but be careful - keep it simple but NOT babytalk please. (the correctness of my words is helped by many) On phone talk
slow and pronunciate clearly until you know her comfort in asking to explain, be especially
careful if you have a regional accent or English
is 2nd language for you too.
- I make page of suggestions about
when
to call Philippinas. ( Filipina,
Philipina, Philippina are ALL same, I prefer Filipina)
- So Much More - -
With the help of many, plus all the great
information I obtained during my Personal Searches I now have an online book about Filipina
courtship, placing your own Asian ads, very personal feelings, how to
avoid misunderstandings, how to make sure she is girl she says she is,
how to get hundred of free addresses from websites that show photos,
& much, much, more. Information you can not find in
other books or websites, that is for sure. Plus I continue to
update and add to it particularly on issues you ask me about and you get
a full year of unlimited access. See
details on book NEW I
feature a woman from Section I each month including her original
application - an $84 value over the full year access period.
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