DATE ARCHIVES : January 2018

List of Things You’ll Need to Start Your Life in the USA and Where to Buy Them

List of Things You’ll Need to Start Your Life in the USA and Where to Buy Them

Moving to the United States essentially means restarting your life. You will need furniture, appliances, and many other things that you used to own. The problem is, you can’t really bring your possessions halfway across the world because it’s too expensive.

When I moved to the United States with my family, we only brought the most essential things we needed and the things that we can and transport cheaply from the Philippines.

Read our article on packing here: http://amightylife.com/the-art-of-packing-and-letting-go-of-books-appliances-things-that-wont-fit-into-your-luggage/

Here’s a list of things that you will need in your new apartment or home. I’ve arranged them according to the sections of the home. Some of these things are easily available at Walmart, Kroger, and any other department stores or grocery. also included the best place to buy it.

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If you’re an OFW in the USA, You CAN’T Invest in Mutual Funds in the Philippines

If you’re an OFW in the USA, You CAN’T Invest in Mutual Funds in the Philippines

For the longest time, even before coming to the USA, I wanted to invest in Mutual Funds. I know that it is a better financial product than most banks’ savings accounts. We have spent more than 2 years in the USA and felt confident that it is time we spent some money to invest long-term. We had some amounts saved up.

I did my research, I read blogs, and checked some of the Filipino Financial groups on Facebook, and talked with my wife about it. My wife used to be a production staff of ABS-CBN News Channel’s “On The Money.”

I had a trip to Manila in October 2017 and we agreed that I will open a mutual fund investment account. I set my eyes on the Philippine Equity Fund. It was marketed as an aggressive, long-term investment fund. We did not want to withdraw the funds in the next few years anyway, so we thought we were in it for the long term.

So I checked out the requirements for opening a mutual funds account; downloaded the forms, checked what other documents I needed to present, and planned to go to a BPI branch to submit my application.

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Travel Tips When You Fly to the United States: Guide for the US-Bound Pinoy

Travel Tips When You Fly to the United States: Guide for the US-Bound Pinoy

This is it! You are going on a long trip to move to the United States. Moving to another country is always a big move. And if you’ve never traveled by plane for more than 6 hours before, then you need to pack in a lot of patience. In most cases, travel to the USA usually lasts for about 16 to 24 hours including the layovers.

Here are some tips to help make your trip to the United States more bearable.

Before the Trip

When you book your flight, decide on the seat you prefer: aisle or window seat.

If you are traveling with your family, try to sit together so you can easily manage the needs of kids. If you don’t have kids yet, sitting together with your spouse still makes the trip easier.

When I travel on an airplane, I usually prefer the aisle seat. If you need to go to the restroom, you can do so without any fanfare or inconvenience. You can stand up right after the pilot turns off the seatbelt sign after landing. You can get out of the plane more quickly. But if you’re on the aisle seat, you won’t have a chance to look at the clouds or the mountains the plane will pass by.
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What Winter is Like in Nashville

What Winter is Like in Nashville

Before moving to Nashville in the USA, I experienced the coldest natural temperature in Baguio City and Tagaytay City during the month of January. It must have been 14 degrees Celsius, which is about 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit. A lot of Americans would probably say that that is great temperature!

But for Filipinos, that’s sweater weather! It’s great to huddle inside the home and sip a good cup of Kalinga brew.

When we came to Nashville, though, I realized that 14 Celsius or 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit is nothing compared to the cold winter here. I mean Nashville is located somewhere in the Southeastern part of the continental USA. It doesn’t get too cold compared to the Midwest and Northern cities and states such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Wisconsin. But it still gets cold.

Heck, our Filipino bones can get frozen below 10 degrees Celsius.

Here’s what winter is like in Nashville.

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My Father: Pastor, Farmer, Church-Planter

My Father: Pastor, Farmer, Church-Planter

Today is my father’s 62nd birthday. I decided to write some things about him and his life work. 

My earliest memories were set at the seminary where my father studied for his Master of Divinity in Dasmarinas, Cavite. I must have been 3 or 4 years old then. All my life, he had been a pastor and I daresay a good one at that.

He had never been a district superintendent. But I have seen his leadership skills in the churches where he served.

When we moved from Union Theological Seminary from Cavite to Roxas, Isabela to take on his first assignment after seminary, the church building was pretty small. With the growing number of church-goers, they needed a bigger space.

I grew up as a young boy in that church. That is also where I attended my first Christmas Institute and got connected to this life-giving stream of ministry with youth and young adults.

Although Papa did not oversee the renovation of the church until its completion, he left behind a bigger structure that was on the way to being finished.

My father also organized at least two congregations during his time at Roxas United Methodist Church–one at Dannal, Paracelis, Mountain Province. One can only reach that village by riding motorized boats at Simimbaan, right by the Siffu River dam.

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Buses from Baguio City to Cagayan Valley: Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, Cagayan

Buses from Baguio City to Cagayan Valley: Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, Cagayan

It’s not easy to find information about bus travel from Baguio City to Cagayan Valley and Northeast Luzon.

I looked at Facebook, did a Google search, but in the end, what worked is a simple crowd-sourcing question on Facebook, and a quick trip to the terminals in Baguio City.

Here are the buses or vans that you can take to travel from Baguio City to the towns and cities of Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Cagayan provinces. Although it is not a province within the Cagayan Valley region, you can also go to Kalinga from Baguio City.

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5 Tips on Traveling with a Toddler on a Long Flight

5 Tips on Traveling with a Toddler on a Long Flight

Travel time from Manila, Philippines to the USA is usually between 16-24 hours including layovers. When we traveled, our son was 2.5 years old. He was very young and it comes with a lot of challenges!

For one, we were traveling with 7 big boxes, which we checked in. On top of that, we had three carryon luggage, my backpack, and a small bag for his needs. Here’s a list of 5 tips for traveling with a toddler on a long flight.

Anticipate your toddler’s needs.

Look at the number of hours you’ll be traveling, plan for her meal times and pack some formula, snacks, and other food items you will need. Security at the airport will let you carry some bottled distilled water as long as it’s sealed and unopened. Most airlines would also have food for young kids available. Do check with your airlines at least 2 weeks before your flight.

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My Reliable Swiss Gear 21-Inch Carryon Luggage

My work requires me to travel internationally frequently. And that is why it’s very important for me to have reliable checkin and carryon luggage.

For 5-10 days of travel, I have found the right carryon luggage. I can still have it checked to my final destination usually. But if I carry it with me into the plane, I can take it and go out of the airport right away. No waiting at the baggage claim area.

My reliable carryon luggage is a 21-inch dark grey SwissGear spinner luggage.

Spacious! I can fit in about 15 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 2 shorts, a pair of shoes, my slippers, and several underwear & socks.

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My 2017 in Books (or a Report on my Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge)

My 2017 in Books (or a Report on my Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge)

The annual Reading Challenge by Goodreads is an awesome way to inspire people to read and log the books they read on the site. In 2014, I read 40 books; 60 books in 2015; 52 books in 2016; and 15 books in 2017.

Here are some interesting tidbits for my year in books:

I read a total of 15 books in 2017.

That is significantly less than my usual 40-52 books a year over the 4 years. But that’s okay. Earlier this year, I decided to read only 12 books so I could spend more time thinking about and digesting the books I read.

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