WHAT A LONG DRAWN OUT BIT OF SPAM :o
Hi, my name is David and I am a 50 year old Brit married for 3 years to a lovely sexy Filipina from Cebu.
I left school in the UK at age 16 and did an Electronic Engineering Apprenticeship with the MOD at Signals Research & Development Establishment (SRDE) in Christchurch. This establishment no longer exists – defense cut backs, a large housing estate now occupies what was a small disused airfield on the site. I think Plessey took over the workshops and offices.
Rather than transfer to RRE Malvern, having completed my apprenticeship and served as an ASO (Assistant Scientific Officer) for about 6 months, I left and joined the Cable & Wireless Group as Foreign Service Staff.
After some specialised training at the C&W school at Porthcurno, Cornwall (6 miles W of Landsend), I was posted to Doha, Qatar.
Pity it was not Hong Kong as I would probably then not have ended up marrying a girl that I had been dating who was also working at SRDE in Administration.
20 years on I got a divorce after accepting a promotion to be Engineering Manager - Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong. I do wish I had visited Asia when I was a bachelor instead of Doha, Qatar.
I must admit I went a bit crazy at first – boy in `sweet-shop' type thing! Anyone remember reading those `Eye-Spy' books? They had many different series My "Eye-Spy Book of Cars", My "Eye-Spy Book of Birds" and so on- rember? Well it was like I had my "Eye-Spy Book of Asian Women". I was working my way through the pages of as many Asian Countries as possible – collecting points for having seen one, extra points for having chatted to one , and bonus points for um well … you get the idea? Trouble was I found it a bit difficult at first, but once you had ticked off a couple of pages – it started to get easier and in fact quite 'addictive'.
I don't know if the `novelty wore off, or I just saw the light of potential health risks. I decided to find the special `bird' I really liked and stick with that – no more ticking pages!
I found the bird I liked at a Salsa Dance Class in a Mexican Restaurant in Times Square, Hong Kong. The Dance Instructor was a tall dark, Latino looking guy by the name of Ricky – who came from London. I liked his dance instruction method. He had all the guys on one side of the room and all the girls on the other. He and his sexy hot legged female dance partner showed us the `basic steps' and had us practice these over and over – forwards backwards – sideways, then with a turn left, a turn right and so on. He then got the girls to form a big circle and the guys then squeeze inside and form another circle within that. "Girls – face the guys and introduce yourself to the guy opposite you". Now move 3 places to your right and introduce your self to this guy who you will practice some steps with! You practiced some steps with the girl then Ricky moved the circle around some more and you got to meet another girl and practice some different steps. This went on a couple more times. You had learnt some basic steps and got to try them out with several girls having learnt their names also.
Ricky then got us back to girls one side, guys the other and went thru some elaboration on the basics. It was now time to practice these with a partner. The problem here however was the girls usually outnumbered the guys. This meant some girls would have to practice the dance steps with another girl meaning the one playing the male role would not be learning the correct steps for the lady. This is probably why when Ricky shouted "Girls go grab a Guy". There was this crazy rush by the Girls for the Guys.
It was cute brown sexy, but short Filipina, that ended up grabbing me, and I guess she has hold of me more or less ever since. I asked her why she picked me, when there were taller and slimmer guys to go after. She said it was because I was near the front and she had been watching me go through the dance steps and seemed to pick it up very well, and she liked the way I moved – sexy dancer. I did not have the heart to tell her this was my 2nd week in the Beginners Class, because I had trouble learning/remembering all the basic salsa steps the first time around. It came more naturally and `flowed better' that following week, because I more or less knew what to do from the week before. Well whatever she was impressed by me and I was with her. That was the start of our romance – just wish that had happened for me back in 1978 rather than 1998!
I was in the Telecom business and got to travel all around Asia with some business trips to HO in Herndon, North Virginia, USA. Also trips to Spain, France and the UK.
Had a `buy one, get one free' promo with Virgin Atlantic on return trips to UK. I wanted to take Sha-Sha with me on trip to Madrid and attend my brother wedding in UK a week later. Managed to get her a Schengen Visa in the Spanish Embassy in Hong Kong, was easy as anything. No interview, no masses of supporting documents, or anything much.
Getting her a UK Visa at the Philippine Embassy was a different story however. It's a pity I had not found web sites like this pointing to where useful information can be found. Sha-Sha had been an OFW, working as Domestic Helper in Hong Kong for over 5 years when I met her. Unusually she `lived out' rather than room with the Chinese family who she was working for. She explained that whilst she had to spend money sharing with another Filipina, she had more freedom. Free from work for one thing – seems Chinese families often work their Filipina Domestic Helpers well past an standard 8 hour day if they live in? When her friend left, she told me she could not afford the increased rent and had not managed to find another girl to pay half the room rent. She knew I had a spare room in my apartment and worked on persuading me to let her rent that and would do cooking, cleaning and laundry to pay for it.
That is when our relationship started getting serious and it was not long before she was only using the spare room as a `wardrobe'. When her Domestic Helper contract expired, she failed to find another employer and sadly told me she must treturn to the Philippines. BUT if I would sign her as my Domestic Helper, she could stay and what's more I would not have to pay her any wages! I was curious to know how she would `survive' but she explained she was a bit of a business woman and would trade in gold Jewely, buying at trade price and selling to Filipinas. She also took trips to Schenzen – over the border into China, having obtained a Visa first. Here she would pick up Louis Vitton handbags and the like and sell them to `friends' for about 4 times the price! Seems not many Filipinas had what it takes to obtain Visas, buy train tickets and make that journey over the border – too scared, or shy or both?
So she was then my Domestic Helper and I had to give her a written letter giving permission to go on holiday to UK with her boyfriend. This is where the confusion came in since her boyfriend was me also! During the Visa interview the officer asked her "Why do you wish to visit the UK" and Sha-Sha answered, my "Employer is going on a business trip and then attending his brothers wedding and would like me to go with him". The officer re-phrased the question but Sha-Sha feeling rather nervous and a bit intimidated, did not stop and think `why is he asking me almost the same question again'. She said in her 2nd reply, something like " I want to go and visit England with my Employer'. It was the word `employer' she should have changed to `boyfriend' or better still `fiance', but too late, the Officer was compelled to conduct the remainder of the interview
under the impression she was traveling as my Domestic Helper? It was doomed to be rejected from thay point since 1) She would need to have been employed by me for a minimum of 12 months, and 2) Her duties need to be more than just that of a domestic helper (more responsibility than standard EEC Domestics, or infant or elderly caregiver training), responsibility for handling the household budget, the money, the household purchases, and manage the housekeeping `books'.
She was able to travel to Madrid with me via LHR but when my business was done she had to stay on in Madrid whilst I flew to UK for my brothers wedding. She would join me at Heathrow 5 days later if all went well.
Sha-Sha had shown she was a cut above many other Filipinas. For a start she had made the effort and heart break of leaving her only daughter and family behind in Cebu whilst she worked as Domestic Helper in Honk Kong. Remitting money home like many OFW's, helping save the Country and more importantly putting food on the table for her daughter and family as well as giving her daughter good schooling and nice clothes to wear. Sha-Sha also showed independence and business sense making additional money trading jewelry and handbags etc.
Without this `experience' and independence she would not have been able to `survive' in a strange country, not speaking Spanish much at all (some root basis given the Spanish occupation of the Philippines influencing the language). She had to fend for herself, staying at this guest house I found for her a few days before I left. She also had to make her own way to Madrid airport, and get on the plane.
The big difference between Hong Kong and Madrid, is that only a few seem to speak good English. No community of Filipinas to turn to for help and advice.
My hat went on to Sha-Sha since there she was at Heathrow airport when I met her for the flight back to Hong Kong. We just had 6 hours to kill for the flight – luckily I was up to Virgin Gold card and had use of their excellent Clubhouse to while away the hours after 5 days of being apart.
That was over 6 years ago now and we are still together. Netrix, the American company that brought me out of UK, to Hong Kong, decided to close their office to cut costs in the Telecom recession. I was only out of work less than 3 months – my ex-boss got together with an ex-boss of his, and formed their own start up
company. Things were looking good but as the recession bit deeper some of our new `clients' could not even afford the 1/3 price of having office in Asia and bailed out. Another client, `Sonoma System's into ATM `Convergence' got bought out by `Nortel Telecom'. We got shares in Nortel for our "Sonoma systems stock shares but these went down the tubes like nearly every other Telecom company. New clients got signed up while others were going bust. I was put on half salary to `weather the storm', but it never blew out and I coulnt afford to stay in Hong Kong on this reduced income – I was spending more than they were giving me. After 7 months I had the option quit or relocate. Having sampled life in Asia and the love
of a sexy warm Filipina, I was not looking to find work in the UK.
My company allowed me to relocate to Cebu and put me on a `Retainer' of US$1K per month plus operational costs and full expenses reimbursement. This was good – life was easy and enjoyable. A trip to Manila 2 or 3 times a month and the odd trip to Japan. Trouble is that it did not last – we were down to our last paying client and some `commission only' deals. When a US$1.5M contract for our
client failed to get awarded (to anyone of the 11 bidders, 8 of whom were proposing our clients equipment for the in-building DSL distribution), they bailed also!
That was 3 years ago and I have not been able to find work. Went to UK in April of this year – not to look for work, as not interested taking a job for £20Kpa, when I was on £35K + in UK back in 1997 and rose to US$85K plus sales commission in Hong Kong. I went there to visit my family – Mum especially as she seems to be suffering increasingly from Alzheimer's. Did not even remember who I was, her
first born son! She came out to Hong Kong when we were there and to our wedding in Cebu 3 years ago and again a year and a half later. No problems remembering me then, so it is getting much worse.
I also celebrated my 50th Birthday and took the opportunity to convert my Private Pensions into Annuity income and take Early Retirement. 5 months on I am still waiting for the 25% Tax Free Cash Lump Sum on the Non-Protected rights element and the Annuity of about £3Kpa.
£3K may not seem a lot to anyone trying to live in the UK with no income and 15 years away from State Pension.
However this is Php360,000pa or Php3K per month, which is a lot of income for perhaps well over half the Population of the Philippines? As you may know wages are low here and so is the cost of living – your £ goes a lot further than it does in the UK.
What savings I had disappeared some time ago so was forced to find money to live off. Started making British Banger Sausages since no proper ones seemed to be available in Cebu. My Dad was a Master Butcher and had his own `Family Butchers' shop. I used to help him in the butchers shop – with some local `meat round deliveries'. Also at Christmas with the extra Chickens and Turkeys, and helping Dad make his own recipe sausages the rest of the year. He entered
the National sausage Competition in London and got to the final 8 in
1973/1974 and 1976 if I recall correctly.
An even better way to make some money is to find some capital and just stick it in a Bank and live off the interest - simple! I cashed in the `Bonuses' of some 7 `With Profits' Life Assurance policies, which gave me £35K. Put Php3M into 5 Year Term Deposits with HSBC in Cebu paying 8.3%pa with interest credited to my ATM
account monthly.
Even better, but more risky, is Rural Banks paying 20%pa. One can minimize the risk (8 Rural Banks closed this year already), by limiting deposit per depositor to Php250K since then covered in full by PDIC insurance scheme).
So why work your buts off in UK till you are 65 when you can be living in Paradise with a Filipina beauty who loves you and takes care of you at age 50, like me, perhaps?
WHAT A LONG DRAWN OUT BIT OF SPAM :o
