FarAngMoh

That’s right, and his mom was Canadian, not American… so he’s out of luck.

TBH, my fervent hope is for a third candidate to win the next presidency. Maybe Musk will run as a Libertarian.

I haven’t examined all of the evidence, but on the surface it does appear that Trump might have at least indirectly been involved in provoking the riot. If true, it was 100% wrong of him to do so, even if the election was stolen - and I’m not totally convinced it wasn’t. I saw clear irregularities that have never been explained in the voting data from cities like Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee. If true, that would be 100% wrong as well. That said, why must it be like choosing the least worst candidate? Many liberals really didn’t want Biden, but they’d take him over Trump. Many conservatives didn’t really want Trump, but they’d take him over Biden. Both candidates actually lean moderate, and neither uphold their party’s ideals in many ways (although Biden now seems to just be in “where do I sign” mode, and agrees to anything his party wants). There plenty not to like on both sides — I don’t see how people can have so much zeal for either side.

Funny thing, as soon as Pelosi landed in Taiwan, my first thought was — she must be about to retire.

Not a Trump fan, but I haven’t seen any hard evidence of racism, only media spin.

If you want quiet/suburban living, try Subic Bay Freeport Zone, well connected to Angeles City and Manila via expressway. If you want simple/rural living, try Valencia near Dumaguete. It’s just a bit of a pain to get there from Cebu.

I have followed several expat YouTubers from the Philippines for last 5-6 years, but haven’t been there in person since 2003. Having lived in Southeast Asia since 1996, I enjoyed taking a break from Asian food — the Philippines has the most authentic Western food (for the price) compared to anywhere in Asia. The only local food I found to my liking was chicken cordon bleu… an adapted/adopted local dish and a wonderful one at that. I used to fly into Manila at night and it seriously reminded me of Blade Runner. After just a few days I was blowing black stuff out of my nose. I did manage to visit Puerto Gelara with some friends and stayed on White Beach - very rustic. I also visited Cebu, stayed on Mactan, took the fast ferry to Tagbilaran and went to Panglao, did some snorkeling off Alona Beach. Good times. But it wasn’t without some craziness too.

The island of Borneo (Kalimantan) is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia has a retirement program for 55 and up, but it’s a lot of paperwork; I wouldn’t call it easy. Indonesia taxes your worldwide income once you stay beyond 6 months and become a tax resident, so it’s not easy in that sense either. An argument could be made for the Malaysian (Northern) part of the island, and specifically the state of Sarawak because they still have the old MM2H program with the lower financial requirements. You can now even work in Sarawak with this visa (a rule change they made recently). So maybe that is what your friend is talking about. It’s almost like a poor man’s LTR. But let’s be honest, the Philippines is still easier. Brunei only occupies a tiny fraction of the island — it is an oil rich but highly conservative Muslim state. If you lived on the island, about the only reason you’d go there is to visit your embassy.

Thailand is ready to welcome these tax refugees.

What has Malaysia abolished? It has a territorial tax system, the same as Singapore… it doesn’t matter what visa you are on, your overseas income is not subject to tax. Vietnam had the DT visa which is good for an entire 12 months (for US passport holders) with no visa runs. Most US retirees there use that one. Although it is technically a business visa, even exploring business opportunities is sufficient. For the Philippines, I don’t deny that it is less safe than many other parts of Asia, but it is mostly petty stuff. Like many parts of the US, the usual precautions apply, plus some extra awareness and prep.