Why do women look for Western Men?

I was watching a TV documentary regarding Russian women and Western men who were meeting for the first time. The majority of men had high expectations but very few had looked at how they lived themselves. The problem with that is that about a decade ago Russian women were looking to escape Russia and poverty but these days they have money, nice jobs and independent. What they do struggle for though is reliable men. Drug and alcohol addiction mixed with wars has left a shortage of good men. The expectations of the women have risen and it shined through on the TV documentary as most women decided not to have a match even though they had Western men who were interested in commitment. The tide had changed.

In Asia its a bit different though but catching up fast there has been a severe change of attitude in China for example with its one child policy which is causing a reduction in females in a big way. For those of you who don’t know Chinese culture when a couple marries the bride becomes part of the grooms family and in turn responsible for his parents in old age. Leaving the brides parents to struggle alone. Couple that with the fact of western ideals sweeping into China women are often seeking Western men over locals and city dwellers over provincial husbands. This is starting to cause a shortage in the provinces which has resulted in kidnappings of women for marriage within China.

Thailand like the Philippines has experienced something different which has seen the rise of wealth by someone marrying a foreign. I watched a documentary on Thailand and the fact that most women in the sex industry were hoping that someday a foreigner would marry them and take them from the life they were stuck in. But that is only part of the story as like China the educated women in the Philippines and Thailand are also seeking foreign husbands for other reasons. In many instances its assumed its all financial benefit for the women that they choose a foreigner but its not. In Asian culture it is still a very male dominated society women want to be treated as an equal and with respect and its something they assume a western husband can bring to the table. As well as stability and commitment.

What are my personal thoughts?

Personally I think that a mixed marriage brings balance it does in our marriage. But our personalities and pretty much most things are a good match as we are happy to just spend time together even if doing nothing. We find that with my natural drive with ideas and Aprils ability to be level headed and supportive we get through life in a positive way and manage to stay content and happy. Could I find this in a Western woman? I don’t think I could find it in any other woman. April is my April and a happiness that I doubt I could find again anywhere else.

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This is the latest post regarding Aquaponics as time goes on you will find it starts to build up with information on Goats, Pigs, Fish and chickens aswell as home food production. IF you are farming on a larger scale please let me know if you would like to write articles or even your own blog as simply this is an area of information that a lot of expats would be keen to gain knowledge on in the Philippines.

Tropicalpenpals.com – Farming weblink

What fish tank to use for aquaponics?

To be honest it depends on location and space. Fish like cover from the elements but also it stops predators getting in so nets or some other cover for the tanks is important as well as possibly a roof structure. But lets start at the tank itself. There are membranes available for setting up a tank like below :-

What I do like about this setup is that it looks very rustic and will blend in with a garden well with a bit of work.

The more traditional type of pond using a membrane looks a lot more in keeping although I wouldnt be keen on this because of young children in the house. The one at the top due to its height its likely the kids will be old enough to know better by the time they can look over the top. Also you could build a seating area around the top photo design.

The third design is built in concrete. Looks the part but obviously the space and budget required could put it out of reach for many. As you probably have noticed these are all pretty big setups and more ornate than functional the reason for that being is I wanted to show being sustainable projects it doesnt always have to be ugly. Sticking fish in a barrel works but it doesnt have the same appeal as sitting watching the fish moving around the pool.

So will move onto setups that are more common. Because one of the major factors in the pond designs is most used primarily for Aquaponics are new and often new projects for people so the design of the look has come pretty low on the list because first is space then design for functionality and easy maintenance. Then you start looking at what plants etc. you will use and at some point often the look isnt even thought of as everything else has so much time absorbed into getting it right.

This is a balcony kit provided by www.aquaponics.net.au as you can see its not pretty but its functional. Its got everything you will need to get started and based on fibreglass tanks. nothing wrong with that but if anyone has got this kit or another fibreglass one please post photos on how you got it blended into your garden/patio etc. As a Wooden frame round this would look good or even a bench seat.

Same company but obviously its blending in a lot better with this 3 part kit. But also I think it would be nice to see the fish regardless of what type are in the tanks. But the positives are is its a kit and for disabled people they can do most of the gardening due to the design so there are a lot of good points to this.

Also the fact it can fit anyones budget the biggest headache is probably getting it setup in the first place.

Main thing is to have a search round as many things in your house/garden that you no longer use are likely to come in handy. So if its cost that is worrying you then maybe should start by seeing what you already have.

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As the talks go on in Copenhagen and to be honest I think its nothing more than another pile of bull that is going to take money from tax payers and not actually do anything constructive. Sound a bit harsh? I’m looking it from the perspective of throwing Billions of cash into countries that are riddled with corruption that already receive Aid and the scandals that go with them and now we are giving more on something else? We are struggling in all countries to keep governments traceable with tax payers money and its just about to get worse. How can we save money in a sensible way as its easy to say others are wrong right?

Firstly we need to look at restructuring the way in which many of us travel and work encouraging more home working and if giving companies penalties for not meeting targets why not aswell bonuses for those that are beating them?

Reduction in consumer buying as we pretty much live in the West to excess then preach to everyone else. A car if the figure stands true is built for 11 years so why is it most people change in 3-5 which I was one of these culprits previously but I have realised that the fuel economy that is sold to us as the reason for buying a car isn’t a real figure unless your doing a lot of miles. An eight year old car is already manufactured and running it may not be as reliable but generally are easy to fix at home (yourself!) than a new car which needs to go into a garage just to have the service light switched off and also has a high Co2 count when it comes to manufacturing costs. So in theory an eight year old car that you can use for several years until it fails its M.O.T. for £900 will have a fuel economy roughly around 35mpg over a new car that will cost £5,000+ which has expensive repair parts and servicing aswell as an average fuel efficiency. I know which I go for. Reality bites but its pretty much time to abandon the consumerism way of life and replace it with the ability to save and buy what we need. Moving the UK away from debit and into credit.

There is also the fact of the hidden and new technologies which are being either suppressed or ignored. Things like the sea water farming which has been working in Mexico for over 20 years proving it works and with high yield crops aswell as the ability to reduce Co2 and rising seawater levels if expanded to worldwide developments. Literally the ability to turn deserts green. With also one other major factor of creating employment in some of the poorest countries in the world which the question from me is why it isn’t rolling out elsewhere?

So am I an environmentalist? To be honest I have given up on politics and the media as it has become such a circus of useless information and I have never been a tree hugger. My sustainability is about the future of my family and the people around me. There is profit in it but the way governments are handling it all I can hear is a gravy train pulling into the E.U. station as they discuss the top jobs for politicians and contracts for associated friends. The reason I am reacting now is simply we are seeing a huge change in the way of life for the average human. Poorer countries are seeing price hikes on rice and other food resources which are the difference of life and death for many. But for the West its an increase on rice we don’t notice to much due to it not being our main diet. We notice the fuel hike though right due to the issue of supply and demand? Which is really just controlled by the oil industry that can move it up or down ok its not an endless resource but they can increase supply if needed but fix the number of barrels.

Only real way forward is looking to make yourself more self sufficient for the future. Like I have stated before in the Philippines if retiring here you should build at least ventures that match a profit of 30% of your total pension as a buffer zone if things go wrong (Like the collapse of the Dollar or Sterling). Its not as difficult as it seems there is lots of opportunities out there by changing habits. E.g. a rice field in the Philippines should also have ducks and fish in there to increase the profit margin. Squeeze as much money out of every square metre as possible and start to build part of your diet round things you can grow yourself where possible. I’m preparing for the changes that are going to cripple the UK for a long time to come and a lot of the hardship should have been prevented if Politicians hadn’t looked after themselves and done the job they were put in power to do. They were elected as a servant of the people and its about time they acted like it.

So I’m wondering what to do next as I have lots of ideas but sustainable projects are all new to me so I think its something that’s going to involve a lot of networking up for the next year to make a lot of things possible. But either way all I see coming out of Copenhagen is a bunch of politicians with more of my money and a lot of fake promises.

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Its now Saturday morning and time to get ready to go.. busy looking at my bags and wondering what really is going to make it to the Philippines. Got 5 bags and need to fit it all into 2 and cut the weight at the same time. Where is the Tardis? Anyway this week has been a bit of an odd one as normally leaving work is pretty cut and dry very rarely do I meet people that I want to keep in touch with (those of you from old contracts know how many you are..lol) but the thing is its odd leaving a place that I wasn’t there that long but a great bunch of people are there. Its a pity that the restructure will pretty much dismantle everything that is good within the company. It will be odd not having Jenna around with our random conversations and discussions of soup. Or the chatting while Donovan is trying to work and having to come in later once I’ve gone out.. But more importantly I hope everyone keeps in touch as I made a lot of great friends. I’m now in the Limbo part of going home where I’m still thinking about work, sorting the luggage and looking forward to getting home to my wife. No doubt at the 6am I start to head off to Heathrow next week it will all be on a higher note and ill be logging a few email addresses to send exploits of my travels as I head home. Its also strange that as I begin to head home I seem to be spending less time with my wife online but I’ve noticed that a lot as Zoei has got older the more she needs to be under a watchful eye.

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In the time ive been in the expat community in the Philippines generally everyone fits into one of the four stereotypes above. The friends are the hardest to find as even in general life good friends are rare without moving to a limited community. Also the con men are at different levels could be the one selling gold that doesn’t exist or an e-book that isn’t worth the time of day. Real information is difficult to source and generally time consuming if you think the answers are in an e-book I would ask you to look around at where you live now and tell me could you write a good e-book on how to move,live and survive there ?

There are experts and exberts the exberts are the ones who think they have done it all and have plenty to say on every aspect of what you are trying to achieve. The difference is an expert will generally have positive information and wish you success with the ideas. Also very likely if the project is likely to fail they have already tried it and can probably tell you the pitfalls they had. But the experts are there and there are some very smart people amongst the community with a wealth of experience aswell. There is no clear quick solution to finding who is who its more a suck it and see approach.

But the one that can be the hardest to find of all is the true expat who lives, and breathes the Philippines each day. They have adapted and developed businesses and really are integrated. Generally they have little interest in forums or the politics involved round them simply because they are part of the country even though in many cases still regarded as an outsider. Doesn’t mean they are unfriendly but I think if your working full-time what real benefit does a forum bring to your life unless you are trying to help others but it would literally mean your spending a lot of time doing something that is a daily thing to you its no longer out of the ordinary. There is also the factor of getting fed up with a lot of the people on forums that you put up when you first setup which turns you off the idea and if you have other things to get on with it could quite easily be time to switch off the PC and play golf instead.

I think the term enemy may be a bit strong for the last type of people but its more they are looking for the new expat to find a way to make money. Its fine to make a living but sometimes I find the methods are a bit extreme. I have met people that are simply networking with everyone to find out how people benefit them. They pick and choose what they want and when they want it. Which is fine if they were honest about they way they operate. Simply I haven’t got the time or interest in these type of guys as you cant trust them on any level as if they are buying you a beer no doubt they are earning a crate or more off your back somewhere else. What I do like about the expat community though online is you can ask opinions on people and generally they will tell you things about background information. Which sort of gives you the truth or at least another perspective on some people so you know not to let your guard down. I treat life in the Philippines often with a business mentality not always because its business related but it does allow you to think a little bit further ahead and distance yourself from things so you can think clearly.

There is a friend of mine who is currently struggling with a business because he was ripped off by another expat on its value and its not the first person. The issue is people arrive and assume they can trust people from home countries. Its probably the worst mistake to ever do as you instantly give them breathing space you wouldn’t normally give anyone else. The community talks about not being able to trust a lot of Filipinos but personally I think more should be said about the Expat community and some of the crooks amongst it. Don’t get me wrong generally most expats are harmless but if your looking to buy a house, buy a business, invest or anything else you really do need to look at the people you are dealing with because the airport is never to far away and there are plenty of other countries they can disappear into.

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I have mentioned to a few people that im looking into Aquaponics when I go back to the Philippines and the answer from everyone is “what is that?” The video gives an insight but the main thing is that its using fish and plants in harmony. The water for the fish is purified by the plants and at the same time the nutrients enter the food chain of the plants which basically means you can do away with fertilizers which are expensive but also the results can be pretty amazing. On top of that the fish get nice and fat which make them ideal for the plate aswell. So I just wanted to share this with you before I head off to bed because one of the things people keep asking me lately is how to save money on monthly budgets well this has to be one of the best ways once setup. As having not only fish and vegetables you can add other livestock into the mix with a bit of research. But most importantly your creating an environment that is sustainable for you and your family. The other thing to be aware of this setup can work in most parts of the world with a bit of research identifying which plants will thrive in the conditions where you live.

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Dont worry we are still here ! you need to head over to Tropicalpenpals.com/blog

The reason being this is a new development for those of you who want a blog of your own. You can simply register and create this will generate you a WordPress blog www.BLOGNAME.Tropicalpenpals.com I have already included over 100 templates to get you started aswell as will add more plugins as we go.

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