"Some get it, some don't. Some will, some won't. Those that do, do. Those that don't, dont!" ~ David Knox

About Living in the Pacific

Actually I began blogging in 2009 when I was still working in real estate on a site called Active Rain. And weirdly, that blog account is still active. Before I left the real estate business, I began blogging in 2012 about retiring and moving to the Philippines, one year prior to moving.

The "Retired in Samar" blog began as a series of chronicles documenting our preparation, the actions we took, and our journey into retirement. After some early success with the blog after arriving in the Philippines, I changed the blog into a "One Day at a Time" format. By late 2016 I had published several hundred posts - all related to moving and living in the Philippines.

Just after relocating to Guam in 2017, I received recognition from Top Blogs as a "Best Expat Blog" for 2017, but by this time blog visitor traffic was in decline. Blog readers were migrating to YouTube for the visual insights into living in the Philippines. Many Philippine Expat blogs died a slow death and even travel blogs globally felt the slowdown. I shut down the public blog late in 2017 but would later begin blogging for our PATREON members. I then turned my focus to YouTube concentrating on sharing the visual aspects of our adventure.

Just before ending the public blog, I officially rebranded both the website domain and the YouTube channel from "Retired in Samar" to "Living in the Pacific." I started blogging again in November of 2021 on PATREON however, these blog articles are exclusive blog posts for Members. You can join us there to help support the Blog & Vlog and for exclusive access.

Rebranding is Not a Recommended Practice!

After the rebrand, the YouTube channel began experiencing a significant slowdown with viewership and, per analytics, was likely based on our new location. This was understandable given our original base of support was formed around Moving To and Living in the Philippines. We were no longer there as expat retirees. My my media-focus was now shared with our life in Guam. The result was a net loss of our Philippines-focused base of support with the geographical change leading us to a more narrow base of supporters - those who were simply interested in living in a tropical setting or looking at retirement options.

As our living in the tropics transgression solidified over time, so evolved my vlogging efforts. Because I was not solely focused on a single location but on a region, "Living in the Pacific" more accurately reflected that content. But it was a complex title that had a hard time with recall. This led me to make another critical decision... to streamline the brand. It was time to create a new name.
A simple two-syllable name that was easier to remember and one that could be branded more easily (think Coca-Cola, Go Daddy, Yo Mama!).

Reborn!

In November of 2024, Tropic Shade was born - and yes, the rebranding took its toll again! But that's okay because when it's all said and done, I know I'll never do it again!

And now, the public blog makes its return on this website under the registered domain Living in the Pacific. Over time, older archived blog posts will be revised and given new life. And there will be new blogging insights into living and traveling in this part of the world - from Guam to the Philippines and beyond. This site will serve as our main hub/landing page, linked to all our media endeavors.

Why do I keep blogging? There are three reasons:
1. To ensure retirement never gets boring.
2. Because after 17 years of blogging, it's hard to quit.
3. And because living and enjoying life's most simple pleasures among the islands of the tropical Western Pacific should not go unnoticed.

And for those who may not know - It's much easier to find the Tropic Shade when you're Living in the Pacific!