u/unmasked_zero

So I am planning a 4D3N trip for my senior parents and uncle in Boracay. There are two dates we are looking into:

• January 28-31
• February 18-21

It will be my family's first time in Boracay, so I would like it if they could experience it without any issues. That means ideal weather, no algae bloom, and fewer crowds.

The February dates were my first choice pero I'm torn because some said nag s-start na daw algae bloom by then, pero it has the closest weather to a summer feels daw. I only considered the January dates because it's in between known events (Ati-Atihan, Chinese New Year, and Valentines).

What do you guys think?

We are eyeing a 2-night stay in a 4-star resort, then transfer to a 5-star resort on the final night as my treat to them. Please help me suggest other resorts (aside sa Shangri-la) that accepts 4 people in a room kasi halos makita ko lang is maximum 3 occupancy.

Thank you!

So I am planning a 4D3N trip for my senior parents and uncle in Boracay. There are two dates we are looking into:

• January 28-31
• February 18-21

It will be my family's first time in Boracay, so I would like it if they could experience it without any issues. That means ideal weather, no algae bloom, and fewer crowds.

The February dates were my first choice pero I'm torn because some said nag s-start na daw algae bloom by then, pero it has the closest weather to a summer feels daw. I only considered the January dates because it's in between known events (Ati-Atihan, Chinese New Year, and Valentines).

What do you guys think?

We are eyeing a 2-night stay in a 4-star resort, then transfer to a 5-star resort on the final night as my treat to them. Please help me suggest other resorts (aside sa Shangri-la) that accepts 4 people in a room kasi halos makita ko lang is maximum 3 occupancy.

Thank you!

Just crowdsourcing to see if may better options.

Pupunta akong Japan this December at dun na sana bibili. Sabi nila meron dapat around PHP 10K, kaso tinanong ko sa mga friends ko na based there wala daw sila mahanap. Sa Yonex JP site naman ang price is JPY 42.9K (PHP 16K). Parang close lang sa price dito sa Pinas (kaso out of stock) or yung nasa Shopee (if with vouchers).

To those who owns one, where did you buy it and how much pagbili niyo? Please indicate in this format sana:

(Where and when you bought) / (For how much) / (Brand new or secondhand)

Salamat!

So nagta-try ako ever since the lockdowns have eased up, around 2022. I have tried and tried and tried, the closest I got was being one of the 2 options to be selected for relocation sa Norway, but I lost the opportunity to the other applicant because mas pabor for the company i-relocate siya proximity-wise.

By 2025 idk medyo naging passive nalang ako sa mga international applications ko (my focus is EU), from like 50 applications a month to maybe 1-4 nalang, mas nilaan ko nalang free time ko towards my wellbeing like fitness, hobbies and travels. Aside from being discouraged sa past failures, napamuni-muni ako and it made me wonder, is it really worth emigrating considering my current situation? Eto yung mga self-deliberations ko:

1. I am now in my 30s, and emigrating at this age means I will be starting from scratch again. I guess eto yung immediate dilemma ko, medyo nakakapagod isipin I will start from zero na naman. Like gets ko naman it's the price to pay for a better life . . . but for context due to the pandemic napabukod ako sa family ko and I have really settled in and made this new home my sanctuary by buying the things I really wanted long ago. So ang hirap isipin i l-let go ko etong lahat kasi di ko naman madadala halos, and if I want to buy the same thing again in the country I would relocate to, availability would be a problem.
2. Adjacent to #1, my next dilemma is that I am starting to get "comfortable". Comfortable sa current living conditions ko. Comfortable sa current lifestyle ko. For context I work in IT industry, and yes my salary here in the PH is enough to live in comfort as a single person with parents-as-dependents, and I am thankful for the privilege naman. Alam ko naman mas malaki sweldo ng IT sa developed countries and mas magiging comfortable life ko dun, but reality is it's not 100% guaranteed due to the current job market and volatile economy sa West (which I will expound sa #3 and #5). So yeah napapaisip ako if it's worth sacrificing this "guaranteed" comfort for one that is still a risk.
3. And the one more reason why I think that way is because, when I do emigrate, wala akong safety net. I noticed sa mga kakilala kong nakapag emigrate ng matiwasay, it's either: their job is consistently in-demand overseas (eg. nurses), they are bringing their S/O or family with them (so dual income), or they have a safety net (they are upper middle class, or they have relatives in that country). I don't have all those. My parents are retired, and their pension is really not enough, so they rely on me financially. It's a big risk for me because relocating will also be quite expensive in the first few months, and you need to shield yourself din sa pagka-volatile ng job security lately.
4. Quite similar to #3, the problem of having no support system in the new country. Kasi nga single ako, and my circle of friends are quite few. Sure, I can make new friends there, but iba padin yung meron kang ride-or-die friends like the one I have now that I can rely on. Tbh di ko to naman iniisip na big deal before, but just recently, I had a medical emergency. And it made me realize how important meron kang malapitan na one-call away especially when you live alone.
5. Last but not the least, yung pinaka root cause is the job market itself. Proof to that is ilang years na ako nag a-apply, wala talaga. I understand naghigpit ang EU due to the past mass-hiring bubble burst, and lumalala pa ngayon considering the age of Gen AI, and mas saturated na ang market when a lot of STEM-adjacent workers are pivoting to the IT industry. So kahit makasecure ako ng trabaho dun, if I lose it, it's really GG for me. Compared dito sa Pinas na I experienced two retrenchments already pero naka get by naman, and I always have the choice of moving back home and downsizing my lifestyle if worse comes to worst.

Idk, maybe I am overthinking it. Pero lessons learned din from my earlier years that I can't just wing it anymore, I need to plan my life ahead in some way. Prepare contingencies.

If your question is about why gusto ko padin mag emigrate considering okay na naman life ko dito, my honest answer to that is: I just want to "further my potential" in a new environment once wala na yung parents ko (knock on wood). Kasi di ko din naman hangad magka pamilya, so I just want to chase after my passion. Ewan ko lang pero I don't see myself working in IT in the PH up to my 40s, 80% of the time you are expected to be in a managerial position eventually, which I really don't like. I still want to be on the ground, I want to be hands-on sa tech. That's why I'm also open to pursuing higher education like Masters for other tech-adjacent disciplines. Most of the IT work done here in the PH is outsourcing work . . . . I really want to be on the R&D side of things naman.

I have a feeling I might be criticized but these are all just my unfiltered, vulnerable sentiments. Please let me know your honest thoughts, is it worth crossing the fence for a grass that does not seem that green (for now) anymore?

Hello, so because it is a busy workweek I opted to avail a meal plan from a meal plan provider. Dahil late midshift ako and delivery is usually 7-9 AM, naglagay nalang ako ng icebox sa tapat ng door namin and instructed them to put it inside the icebox (naglalagay ako ng ice every night before I go to sleep).

So far nasusunod naman nila, until today na gulat nalang ako nakapatong lang ang order ko on top of the icebox (kahit na nagpaskil na ako ng sign beside our door na pakilagay sa loob ng icebox, hays).

Naka plastic container naman ang each meals, then wrapped in a paper bag then a plastic bag pa. Pero nung tinanong ko ang meal plan provider, 7 AM pala na deliver . . . . Kaso 11 AM na ako nagising so 4 hours na siya at room temperature?

I'm apprehensive if it's still safe to consume. Chineck ko naman each at inamoy and wala naman amoy panis? Pero advice ng meal plan provider is refrigerate right away upon receiving daw eh, so I'm not truly sure.

What do you think?

Asking because sa St. Luke's BGC ako ever since nagpapacheck-up kasi eto pinakamalapit.

Ngayon I'm in Makati Med for a second opinion sana, and gulat ako medyo DIY dito for HMO: ikaw magreach out ng doctors from their list and ikaw din mag contact sa HMO for LOA request. Tbh medyo demotivating tuloy ituloy kasi meron ka na ngang dinaramdam, ikaw pa mag isa-isa tawag sa mga secretary for appointment (wala ding nakalagay na sched, so idk if babalik ka ba or makaka walk-in), tapos ubos ang call balance kakatawag.

I mean gets ko naman na baka ganito talaga dati and for added convenience lang siguro yung concierge ni St. Luke's. Aware naman ako na fortunate ako to have such privilege via my HMO.

Pero just wondering lang if merong HMO concierge sa ibang top tier hospitals in Metro Manila like Medical City?