Expat Eye: My Philippine Journey

March 18, 2024

Digital Nomads

By David Haldane March 18, 2024     I should have been there. Billed as the Philippine’s first Digital Nomad Summit scheduled on Siargao Island last […]
March 11, 2024

Zamboanga Reimagined

By David Haldane March 11, 2024     Hanging out at the mall. That’s how thousands of Zamboaguenos spend their weekends these days. You see them […]
March 5, 2024

Reading Your Own Obituary

By David Haldane March 4, 2024     I have a confession. Sometimes I imagine my own obituary. What will it say, I wonder, and how […]
February 26, 2024

Taking a Break for Heartbreak

By David Haldane Feb. 26, 2024     It was the worst night of my life. I had just learned that my (now-ex) Filipino wife had […]
February 19, 2024

The Flop Heard ‘Round the World

By David Haldane Feb. 19, 2024     A Filipino comedian told a joke that flopped. And now the universe is talking about Taylor Swift and […]
February 12, 2024

Friends in Germany

By David Haldane Feb. 12, 2024     It felt like a tropical breeze. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently announced a trip to Germany in March. […]
February 11, 2024

A Late Reinvention

A true story of true love, no matter how truly unconventional   The Manila Times Sunday Magazine 11 Feb 2024 BY DAVID HALDANE   IT started […]
February 5, 2024

Getting to America

By David Haldane Feb. 5, 2024     It was a moment of uncertainty. Would we get the smiling, easy-going immigration officer who seemed like a […]
January 29, 2024

White Privilege

By David Haldane Jan. 29, 2024     It was an easy experiment with predictable results. First my Filipino sister-in-law entered the mall. As always, the […]
January 22, 2024

Eating Dogs

By David Haldane Jan. 22, 2024     I’ve never tasted it. Those who have say it’s like chicken. And to make it less bland, they […]
January 15, 2024

The Winding Road to Zamboanga

By David Haldane Jan. 15, 2024   We should have been there by now. We should have grabbed a flight the day after Christmas and enjoyed […]
January 8, 2024

Sputtering Solar

By David Haldane Jan. 8, 2024     If only the sputtering would stop. It attacks suddenly, like an enemy soldier watching from a nearby bush. […]