Few more questions in reguards to the philippines

[brettb]

Ok so I am sorry if I am asking a question that has been answered a million times... I looked around didnt find an answer or a post for these... So communication... I see alot has been said about Yahoo msger and magic jack.. I see how magic jack would rock, But she has no computer for her house so I can rule that one out... We talk alot via yahoo messenger, But would also like to hear her voice. Anyone recommend a website or something along the lines where i can get a cheap but good quality phone card? or something along those lines.. Verizon has an international calling plan but damn is it expensive minutes.

on to number dos!
Anyone recommend any kind of software or any eaiser way they have found it to learn a good foundation of tagalog? It seems alot of the software i see is really poorly made or just deal with flash cards....

And 3rd.........

Her birthday is coming up in November and I was think about maybe sending her something for it... But i wounder what is too much aka money wise... I dont want her or her relatives to think i am rich (as i have read a few stories mostly piglett's)

Thanks for the info in advance

-Brett

[robert angel]

You should be able to use cams and talk live on Yahoo messenger using most internet cafes in the RP.

If you don't acknowledge her birthday, you'll be as good as toast on a stick......

[z_k_g]

We talk alot via yahoo messenger, But would also like to hear her voice. Anyone recommend a website or something along the lines where i can get a cheap but good quality phone card? or something along those lines.. Verizon has an international calling plan but damn is it expensive minutes.

on to number dos!
Anyone recommend any kind of software or any eaiser way they have found it to learn a good foundation of tagalog? It seems alot of the software i see is really poorly made or just deal with flash cards....

And 3rd.........

Her birthday is coming up in November and I was think about maybe sending her something for it... But i wounder what is too much aka money wise... I dont want her or her relatives to think i am rich (as i have read a few stories mostly piglett's)

Thanks for the info in advance

-Brett

1. Calling cards are way expensive, but you can get a good deal if you go into the Asian hoods and buy them there.  Get the $25 and $50 international cards that allow you to call from any phone and from outside the country so you can send her a card and she can call you.   I don't purchase anything from Verizon- they overcharge in every aspect!  high quality, but high priced.

2. Sign up on google voice.  They have an awesome deal until the end of the year.  You can call on your computer to her land line or cell phone for way way cheap.  I've been using it to call over the last month and its decent quality, but sometimes cuts you off at 5 minutes so you have to tell her before hand and call her back every 5 minutes.  My last call lasted 15 minutes and it never cut off.  Anyways its really cheap and I've spent a total of $10 bucks so far and I still have money in the google voice account.  I love it, but the special will end on Jan 1, 2011.

3. I would sign up on Zoom and send her money, like $50, or a little over 2100 pesos.  This is not a lot of money but its enough for her to maybe buy a few nice gifts, some essentials and a few cell phone loads.  This will do two things for you.  First you can see how she handles a small amount of money (Let her know this) and you can see if she starts asking you for more- a bad sign.

I only make the suggestion that  you send her money because if you send her a gift the minimal shipping is 13 bucks plus the price of the gift.  Might as well send the money to her.

If you haven't gotten to the stage where a money gift is appropriate then send her some Victoria secret, a lotion and bath with bag collection, bout $35 bucks and shipping bout $13, $50 total.  She will really like that because VS is really popular there!  You can optionally send her some nice undies too, but that's your call!   

Hope this helps.

Zulu

[brettb]

Zulu once again thanks for the advice... I will have to check that google voice out, just that cut off rate reminds me of my time in OIF II. As far as the money issue I dont think we have come to that crossroad So the Victoria's secret thing sounds spot on...Not so sure about the undies just yet    I have also seen some stuff online that you put money on and they give you a pin and you can call the 800 numbers and then call to the philippines for 8.8 cents to 16.9 cents depending on landline or celluar service they have.

-Brett

[Jeff S]

Skype is a great way to go and cheap from computer to landline too. Like 2 cents a minute to landlines Japan and 6 cents a minute to a cell phone in Malaysia. You can put a cam on also and see each other if she goes to an internet cafe also. Great quality too - like you're sitting in the same room. It's free computer to computer anywhere in the world too. I travel with my laptop and talk home free from everywhere.

[Ray]

Brett,

I’m not sure what is available in your area, but this works for us. Calling cards are not expensive. We use them all the time. We pay $4 for at the local Filipino supermarket for $5 calling cards to the PI They are also available at many local stores, liquor stores, $.99 stores, etc. in our area. There are also numerous Web sites that sell calling cards/PIN numbers.

ALWAYS buy the smallest denomination available, usually $5 face value, so you can use the whole card in one shot. Multiple calls on a card normally involve big service charges which run the cost/min way up. A $5 card will usually get us around 28 mins to a PI cell phone and about 45 mins to a land line.

As Jeff stated, Skype works good (free) from computer to computer and my wife uses it for those family members with home computers.

One piece of advice: DO NOT SEND CASH! And I would not send anything expensive for a birthday gift. A nice card would be much appreciated but it takes about 10-20 days from the US to the PI for snail mail. You can order all kinds of gifts over the Internet with your credit card for local delivery in the PI. I would try to limit gifts to around $20-25 US. Here is one on-line store to order for fast PI delivery (how about a cake, a hot pizza, or a small stuffed animal?)...

http://www.gifts2pinas.com/default.asp

Also, a first phone call from you on her birthday would be VERY much appreciated. If you have her phone number, give her a call timed for around noon PI time and surprise her.

(Underwear is not appropriate for someone you have never met)

For Tagalog lessons online, check out this Philippine government-sponsored site. The cost is very reasonable:

http://www.learnfilipino.ph/sitemap.asp

Ray

[z_k_g]

Ray,

Now a days women wear underwear outside of their clothing and you can watch the Victoria Secret runway show in Fox TV.   It doesn't imply sex like it once did, so I disagree with you on that one.  I will agree its a gift for someone you have chatted with for awhile, NOT someone you just met, but the VS brand its more trendy that anything else, and women love cute stylish undies with the Victoria Secret logo.  Just buying underwear would be a bit mundane and silly actually, she would think you are a bit weird if you sent her Hanes. 

I think $50 total is a good gift limit.  Of course $25 bucks in RP is quite a bit and it will be much appreciated, but in the states it doesn't buy a quality gift that will last.  I think that's way to low.  The $50 includes USPS shipping in a small box which takes 7 to 10 days.  So you will be spending at least $35 for the gift and $13 for the shipping, both very reasonable. 

Xoom cash limit is $50 so that's why I suggested that amount.  She can load her phone, 500p per load, 4 times or even purchase time at the local cafe.  If he has singled out this young lady, and they are an item, then sending this modest amount will facilitate his communication with her and indicate that she is dedicated to keeping the communication open and constant and she will have the funds to do so.

Where I live  you cannot find any reasonable phone cards, that seems to differ from your area because you have more foreigners there who purchase the cards maybe.  The lowest rate to RP is 17 cents per minute on the phone cards here.  If you buy them on a consistent basis  you will overspend to talk on the phone.  I already went that route.  In the Asian stores they had much better deals and you saved if you bought the larger denomination cards, like $25 and up, sometimes as low as 14 cents per min.  You save, but still to expensive if you ask me  If you buy a $10 card, the cheapest you can get in my city,  you will pay 17.5 to 18 cents per min.

Zulu

[thekfc]

1). You can use Yahoo Messenger & Skype to do a video chat, you can see as well as hear each other's voices - just tell her to request a headphone/mike when she is in the cafe. We do video chat all the time, my wife's sister owns an internet cafe & my wife manages it. You can also use cheap calling cards, get the ones that that are "specialize" for Asia - they tend to have a betters rate to Asia than the others.

2). For the Tagalog lessons (can't help you much on that)- my teachers are my wife, her nieces & nephews.  To me human interaction is the best way to learn.

3). Birthdays - Ha ha -I am going thru this as we speak - Today is my wife's birthday.

Earlier in the week, I sent some stuff to my wife:
A 2lb box of Leonidas chocolate, it was nicely gift wrapped, she received it in perfect condition - she LOVED it.

I also made 2 beautiful hardcover photo books of our wedding (via Shutterfly) as well as a customize post cards & a birthday card. Everybody, I mean everybody was like WOW when they say the photo books & cards.
So that is something to think about for later in the relationship.

I also sent her some gifts via the same website that Ray listed (Gifts2pinays.com) & I had it delivered yesterday - you can choose what day you want the gifts to be delivered.

They LOVE Victoria's Secret ( I have sent/given just about every thing VS carry to my wife & I have a bunch of stuff waiting for her for when she comes to NYC) BUT sending underwear/lingerie at this stage, is a very big no no -  too intimate for this part of the relationship.
Instead of Lingerie, send her either VS lotion, perfume or makeup. Victoria's Secret have some nice gift set that would make wonderful gifts (I am talking first hand experience here).
Check the VS store & also check their website - there are things that are on the site that are not carried in the stores. VS always have a promotion going on - they currently have free lip gloss or $5 Pink tote bag with ANY purchase as well as  a free tote bag with beauty samples w/any $75 purchase. Sign up for their email & they will soon start sending you coupons, sale promotions, etc.

Also the ladies love The Body Shop products - first hand experience talking again . You can go that route if you are not comfortable walking into a VS store.

[Dave H]

Anyone recommend any kind of software or any eaiser way they have found it to learn a good foundation of tagalog? It seems alot of the software i see is really poorly made or just deal with flash cards....

-Brett

Hey Brett,

Is she a native Tagalog speaker? If not, I wouldn't worry too much about it. My wife's first language is Visayan (Cebuano). If not speaking her language, she prefers to speak English before Tagalog. But it would come in handy living here when watching Tagalog movies and television. Then I wouldn't have to annoy her by constantly asking her what is happening! 

We used Skype or MagicJack (got her mother one) when we used to call the Philippines from the US. It would have saved me a small fortune back in the stoneage when we first met! 

Dave

[Ray]

Zulu, just a couple of points on your comments.

Women now wear underwear outside of their clothing? On which planet is that? I guess I completely missed that one. I would never send underwear/lingerie to a lady I just met a few weeks ago online!

The same goes for cash. NEVER send cash to someone you just met online. It sends the wrong message.

In fact, I would tend to discourage any gifts at this stage of the relationship. An unexpected phone call or a nice birthday card would be more than enough to show her that you remembered her birthday IMO. It isn’t necessary at all to spend a bunch of money.

On the phone cards, I disagree that purchasing a larger denomination card will save you money. With all of the calling cards that I have seen, a $10 card buys you exactly twice the minutes of a $5 card, and a $20 card gets you exactly 4 times the minutes of a $5 card. With connection fees thrown in, it is always wise to buy the smallest denomination available.

One more thing to consider. Having hard records of phone conversations can be invaluable later if it ever comes down to a visa petition. I recommend at least an occasional call that shows on your monthly phone bill. Using a 10-10-xxx dial around service will accomplish this at a fraction of the cost of a regular long-distance call.

Anyway, I guess my experiences are just different from yours.   

Ray

[z_k_g]

Zulu, just a couple of points on your comments.

Women now wear underwear outside of their clothing? On which planet is that? I guess I completely missed that one. I would never send underwear/lingerie to a lady I just met a few weeks ago online!

The same goes for cash. NEVER send cash to someone you just met online. It sends the wrong message.

In fact, I would tend to discourage any gifts at this stage of the relationship. An unexpected phone call or a nice birthday card would be more than enough to show her that you remembered her birthday IMO. It isn’t necessary at all to spend a bunch of money.

On the phone cards, I disagree that purchasing a larger denomination card will save you money. With all of the calling cards that I have seen, a $10 card buys you exactly twice the minutes of a $5 card, and a $20 card gets you exactly 4 times the minutes of a $5 card. With connection fees thrown in, it is always wise to buy the smallest denomination available.

One more thing to consider. Having hard records of phone conversations can be invaluable later if it ever comes down to a visa petition. I recommend at least an occasional call that shows on your monthly phone bill. Using a 10-10-xxx dial around service will accomplish this at a fraction of the cost of a regular long-distance call.

Anyway, I guess my experiences are just different from yours.    

Ray

Good points, Ray as always. 

And I agree 110% about the cash, never send someone you just met!  I clarified it was for a committed situation where you have to assist on communication costs. 

I would also consider purchasing a cell phone, get a SMART or Globe SIM, and load up Yahoo on it via Opera mini so you can chat 24/7.

The phone records are valuable and so are the chat sessions for proof of your relationship.

Zulu

[robert angel]

Re:

>>Zulu, just a couple of points on your comments.

Women now wear underwear outside of their clothing? On which planet is that? I guess I completely missed that one. I would never send underwear/lingerie to a lady I just met a few weeks ago online!<<


I think that maybe Zulu goes to a lot of Lady Gaga concerts!!

[z_k_g]

Re:

>>Zulu, just a couple of points on your comments.

Women now wear underwear outside of their clothing? On which planet is that? I guess I completely missed that one. I would never send underwear/lingerie to a lady I just met a few weeks ago online!<<


I think that maybe Zulu goes to a lot of Lady Gaga concerts!!

Robert,

I was being a bit flippant, not all lingerie!  My point was that the styles have changed and lingerie has less meaning in terms of intimacy and more of a trendy statement.

Lady Gaga!  A bit too weird, but Madonna and Prince with Vanity 6 started that trend, with Brittany Spears and Pink continuing it, wearing lingerie outside, and since then its been pretty much blaze', you see it everywhere, jeans with camisole tops, or with a VS bra, you women with VS sweats and bustiers, etc.

I'm not suggesting that your woman will be dressed that way, but if you send her those types of items its really not a big deal, and she will love the VS logo!!

And I NEVER suggested for one minute that you should send ANY gifts to someone  you just met!

Zulu

[thekfc]

I would also consider purchasing a cell phone, get a SMART or Globe SIM, and load up Yahoo on it via Opera mini so you can chat 24/7.

Are u trying to confuse us Zulu. We do not have Globe or SMART in the USA. I kid I kid

Using/having a data plan in The Philippines is not like here in the USA.

Data plan in The Philippines can be expensive. The last time I checked (I am not sure if things have changed), to have an unlimited post paid data plan in the Philippines, you have to buy the handset from that carrier & also pay advance monthly fee (s). Not good if you want to use your own phone. Once again I am not sure if that is still the case.

My wife do not use any data plan (she have just about everything installed on her phone), she browses the internet on her phone because she gets free wifi.   
Remember, texting & data plans in phil are different.

Before committing to any non-prepaid plan in The Philippines, do a little research to see what is needed/included (is there a 24 month lock in, roaming charges, etc). The fees can add up pretty quick, it can be as much (or more) than what she makes a month.

[z_k_g]

Kfc, let me clarify,

My girl has a Globe Tattoo USB stick that she can plug into any computer and use the internet.  I got this for her so she could use the internet on any computer and not have to go to the Cafe to chat.  This is mobile broadband service, the loads are 300p or 500p.  SMART has a USB mobile broadband also. 

Also she has two GSM cell phone SIMS, one with Globe and one with SMART, that she puts in her Nokia cell phone.  She uses both SIMS, she just swaps them out.  She can get 500p load on either one.  She has Yahoo messenger mobile on her Nokia so we can chat pretty much 24/7.  She has Opera Mini loaded on the Nokia and she does not have a data plan.  If you can't get Opera Mini working, then uzzap has Yahoo messenger for 100p per week for cell phones.

So, she can chat on her cell phone or on any computer that has yahoo messenger.

Zulu

[thekfc]

That is a better clarification.

I know about the USB stick, (my wife wanted to get one when their internet was down, but the rates & speed wasn't to her liking.

Opera Mini / Yahoo Messenger are both internet based - either you need some form of a data plan (prepaid or post paid) or wifi.
Since your girl put a load of 500p on her phone that means that she have a prepaid "plan" - so she gets internet/data as part of the prepaid plan. She is paying somewhere around P10 every 30 minutes (peak) / P20 per hour + 1 hour free (off peak) for internet connection.

[thekfc]

To clarify a bit.

When I say prepaid plan, I mean that whatever money/load that is put on the phone - it is used to make either phone call, text messages or browse the internet or a combination of them or all of them. There is no contract signing on prepaid plans. 

[brettb]

Good lord!! Thanks for all the advice... Thanks for that website for gifts, As I wasn't thinking about spending anymore then 25 bucks for the gift. Once again I do not want her to think that I am this incredibly wealthy guy. I did think about buying her a phone that was wifi capable. She has mentioned her phone is really cheap. but as i look at the smart website...some of those phones can be pretty expensive...So maybe that's a gift to wait on. As for the VS I think i might go with bath and body works giftbag thingy. I'm not sure VS is quite appropriate at this point.

You guys have an infinite amount of knowledge! so thank you once again

-brett

[robert angel]

Just 'joshing' you on Lady Gaga Zulu--I'm sure you picked up on that. I don't know what all the fuss is about and how on planet earth she was named the seventh most influential woman on earth.

She's at most derivative, as if David Bowie was the first gender bender and Cher and Madonna weren't doing electronica music years ago. I just don't get any feeling of awe when I watch her, no thinking "Wow, what a God given talent that's incredible and original". She's kind of like a circus act to me. And if you want a great circus act, catch Pink doing (covering) Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" live, -- I think Freddy Mercury would've loved it.

I know there's only so many notes and so many styles out there, but it's been a while since I saw anybody new who really blew me away and seemed original. Some of the stuff Outkast did was impressive, but then again, they were masters at mixing genre's and styles that already existed. Then they've pretty much flamed out.

That physically little singing phenom, "Charice' that Oprah  and David Foster helped break is the most awesome new singer I've heard in quite a while, but then again, she's still doing covers of other artists, albeit usually better than the original artists. It's hard to imagine someone who can sing Whitney Houston better than Whitney could at her peak, but that kid can.

For you newbies to Filipino chat, if you want to get a Filipina excited and break the ice quick, mention Charice and Arnel Pineda, who does a pretty good job filling Steve Perry's shoes with the band Journey. There's a lot of Filipino pride over those two for sure.

[thekfc]

For you newbies to Filipino chat, if you want to get a Filipina excited and break the ice quick, mention Charice and Arnel Pineda, who does a pretty good job filling Steve Perry's shoes with the band Journey. There's a lot of Filipino pride over those two for sure.

Don't forget the popstar princess - Sarah Geronimo.

[z_k_g]

Good lord!! Thanks for all the advice... Thanks for that website for gifts, As I wasn't thinking about spending anymore then 25 bucks for the gift. Once again I do not want her to think that I am this incredibly wealthy guy. I did think about buying her a phone that was wifi capable. She has mentioned her phone is really cheap. but as i look at the smart website...some of those phones can be pretty expensive...So maybe that's a gift to wait on. As for the VS I think i might go with bath and body works giftbag thingy. I'm not sure VS is quite appropriate at this point.

You guys have an infinite amount of knowledge! so thank you once again

-brett

Brett,

Go to www.ebay.ph which is the philippino ebay website.  Search for Nokia, do not get the chinese knockoff phones, they are decent but you never know if you are getting a junker.  The 2600 or 2640 series nokia are great values and you can do everything on those, but they are very basic phone, not a lot of options, 1800 to 2200 pesos. ($45 to $55).  You can always purchase a more expensive phone if you like and Of course ebay.ph has all the new phones for bid and buy now, so you choose what you are willing to spend.

Once you find a phone, you can pay for the phone through paypal or xoom bank transfer to the ebay seller and give your girl's address for the delivery destination, they will even do pickup if your girl is in the same city.

Once she gets the phone, she can get her a Globe or SMART GSM SIM card and get it loaded.  You can actually load the SIM yourself without ever sending her any money.  For SMART All you need is her phone number and you can load 30p at a time, or more, through www.plugntalkload.com/smartpinoyload   Globe has a similar online phone load service.

I use it all the time and it works great, takes about 8 hours for her to get the load.

You were in the same position I was in birthday time.  I was struggling to find inexpensive decent and appropriate gifts.  I ended up spending around $75 total including shipping.  If you can spend $25 for a quality gift then more power to you.   The VS gift collection, bath, lotion and body spray with a carry bag is $40 and is a very nice combination gift.  Add in some other cute items, about $20, and I had a nice birthday package.  Shipping was $13 you can use uncle sam USPS for that.

Zulu

[Ray]

I did think about buying her a phone that was wifi capable. She has mentioned her phone is really cheap.

brett,

How long have you been communicating with this young lady?

My advice: If her cell phone can send and recieve calls and texts, then leave it alone. She doesn't need all that Internat junk anyway on her phone.

Perhaps after you marry her you can upgrade her phone for her...   

Ray

[thekfc]

I agree with Ray but if you want to get her a cell phone - forget about ebay. There are too many deals going around right now - you can get a great new phone right now for cheap. Check places like Slickdeals, Amazon, Newegg, Buy.com just to name a few. The people from ebay but phones from these places and resell them on ebay for a profit.
You can get a smart phone on the above mention sites for the same price as getting a cheap phone on ebay.

If you are to send anything by mail right now - go the express mail route or she will not get the package in time (or she may never get it).  Remember, this is the beginning of the X-mas shipping season. With express mail - you can track it & very likely she may get the package within a week.

As mention before, checkout gifts2pinays.com, see what gifts you can send to her &  you choose the day (but not the time) that you want the gift to arrive. I have used them a few times & haven't had a problem yet.

Take a look at the birthday cakes that they have on there & choose a nice one & customize it (if possible).
A nice birthday cake will make an excellent gift - Dave H, Ray & Robert will back me up on that. Something as small as a birthday cake can be worth as much / more than gold.
Just remember that there is a lead time for the cakes.

[robert angel]

A B Day Cake is always appropriate and with some on-line gifts you can include a teddy bear. Pizza Hut (go with  Hawaiian style) is popular, can be delivered and usually comes with Pepsi. Chocolate w/ a small teddy bear is nice too and flowers are nice.

I was amazed that sending Pizza Hut didn't cost much more than it would've to buy it right here

[thekfc]

The Pizza are not that expensive - I sometimes pay more for pizza here in NYC.
The Pepsi isn't (no longer) free but the 2L is the same price as what you would pay here. I sent some pizza w/pepsi to my wife this pass weekend (her birthday was yesterday).

Hawaiian Supreme then either sausage stuffed/triple stuffed/cheesy volcano - masarap.