Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
Displaying 3,361 To 3,390 Of 4,403 Comments
I think Jerry/Rascal has the right idea.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/April/2019 @ 12:09 am
What’s the problem with Western women?
My own confession: I used to think Asian women were less neurotic and less into mind games than Western women were. These days, I think all the womenfolk are crazy, each in her own culturally mediated way. Finding a sane woman, whatever her race or culture, is like finding a 10-pound chunk of ambergris on the beach—rare, and nearly a miracle.
Let me define “sane”:
– not given to drama
– not given to mind games
– well-intended and congenitally kind
– optimistic and basically cheerful, but not overly so
– minimally bitchy, but when bitchy, bitchy for non-petty reasons (e.g., when I legitimately fuck things up, as I know I will)
– taking full responsibility for her own conduct & mistakes
– generally unselfish
– practical and realistic, not given to magical thinking
– smart, and her own person, i.e., not needy
– not the type to want to remake me in her image
– not given to stupid grudgesThe kind of woman I find attractive isn’t the kind I immediately want to bang. For me, respectability is a huge component of attractiveness: if the woman is one I can respect and/or admire, that respectability makes her hot. She does need to be smart and capable, but if she’s not up to snuff IQ-wise, I’ll be happy enough if she’s of good character.
Alas, here in Korea, most of the women who’ve been attracted to me (with one major exception, and the ending of that relationship was entirely my fault) have turned out to be weirdos in one way or another. They seem to see me as a source of solace from whatever inner demons are hounding them, which means they’re not really looking for a healthy relationship. In a healthy relationship, both people see each other as equal partners and willing to grow together, as opposed to seeing each other as “someone who meets my needs.” (I think unhealthy relationships are usually founded on needs, not wants.) Damaged people are worthy of sympathy, but I’d never date a damaged person (again—cough). I don’t want scars and drama.
So who’s more damaged (or kooky, or whatever), in your view? Western ladies or Asian ones? Why do you think so?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/April/2019 @ 10:11 pm
Also meant to ask: now that Lucky is allowed inside, is he proving to be more of an indoor dog or an outdoor dog?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/April/2019 @ 9:07 pm
Lucky looks a thousand percent better. Great job taking care of him. As for 12K in the heat… that’d probably kill me.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/April/2019 @ 7:48 pm
D’oh—I said “Malissa” when I meant “Marissa.” I have a cute (but way too young) coworker with the former name. There must be some mental static preventing my fingers from doing what the brain commands.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/April/2019 @ 9:47 pm
Didn’t know you could break up with Marissa because I’d thought you two were were just an on-again, off-again thing, i.e., not a true couple in any sense: I thought you were “friends with benefits” or whatever, even though I’m not sure that sort of relationship is stable or even advisable. Too much potential for self-destruction. Anyway, I’m still convinced there’s no value in being with someone like that. Why waste your life on useless, fruitless pursuits? Time is precious. (To be clear, I’m preaching that last part to myself even as I’m preaching it to you.)
Maybe, just for Malissa, you could walk a path that describes a giant hand giving the finger to the cosmos. Call it the Mal-ware Trek. It can serve as an alternative to My Bitch.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/April/2019 @ 6:51 pm
Ugh. Have fun weathering the weather.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/April/2019 @ 12:38 am
Seems to me you’re living a good life—one that involves being compassionate to animals and children, as well as one that involves self-improvement through involvement with a group (the Hashers) whose purpose is not merely the cultivation of camaraderie but also the discovery of new paths and new vistas. (Not to mention your involvement with other walking/hiking/running groups.) If you do ever get bored, I imagine you’ll turn your talents and attentions toward other activities. Maybe you’ll build an extension to your house and turn that room into your atelier—a place to do paintings or sculptures or God knows what else. And with your level of introspection, I’d say you’re doing your best to live life deeply, avoiding what Plato called “the unexamined life.” I still think the solution to your female-companion problems lies outside of the bar culture, but I realize it may be hard for the tiger to change its stripes.
All in all, though, I’d agree you’re doing quite well. I hope that, when I eventually retire from my own zigzag, itinerant life, I can be half as good as you at finding things to motivate me and give me meaning. You’ve succeeded at keeping your life an adventure, and that’s what matters most. I’m certainly not bored when I read your blog entries.
Side note: ever thought about taking online courses in things like video editing? You could construct a modest studio and, with your impressive radio voice, make videos with some kick-ass voiceover narration on topics of interest to you (your son Kevin could lend his media savvy and help you figure out how to do this!). Combine your voice with cell-phone video to create documentaries about life in the Philippines, or political rants, or whatever suits your fancy. Jump on the YouTube train! How awesome would that be?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/April/2019 @ 8:35 pm
I appreciate the multiple shout-outs, but damn, was my foodblogging awful back then. I think I’ve improved a bit in the intervening years. Or so I hope, anyway.
Congrats on being named the Hare! Good luck figuring out where to add a kilometer or two to your trail. Brace yourself for whatever complaints about the trail will come your way afterward, but I’m sure you’ll quell those complaints by preaching that we must all Cum Together as one.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/April/2019 @ 4:25 pm
Great pics of two lucky dogs being buddy-buddy. I get the impression that the pack hierarchy has already been established, but in a loving way, not in a bullying way. Lucky is Little Bro; Buddy is Big Bro, and Big Bro will now always be there to protect Little Bro whenever he’s in trouble. Otherwise, they’ll tussle and maybe steal each other’s beds (and/or each other’s food) on occasion. It benefits Lucky to be socialized into the pack, and it benefits Buddy by providing him the balance that comes from having the pack leader (you) above him and now a pack junior below him.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/April/2019 @ 2:35 pm
Heidi’s quite a looker. I don’t blame you for being interested… if you are interested. If so, then get in good with her kids, and she’ll be yours.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 02/April/2019 @ 6:51 pm
Whoops—the first “since” ought to be capitalized. Mea culpa.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/April/2019 @ 7:17 pm
“Deuterostome,” from the Greek deutero, meaning “second,” and the Greek (also Latin) stoma, meaning “orifice, mouth, hole, opening.” since we’re all assholes, I guess it makes sense that we’re a bit hole-ier than thou. Then again, Alan Watts described most living beings as basically tubes, with stuff constantly coming in one end and going out the other.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/April/2019 @ 6:10 pm
Har har. Or “arf arf,” as the case may be.
Happy April Fool’s Day.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/April/2019 @ 3:16 pm
One lifetime, many lives–Chapter Two: Rebel Without A Pause
“I was a notorious flaunter of traffic laws, mostly speeding related.”
Editor’s note:
to flaunt = to display or wave about obnoxiously
to flout = to defy contemptuously or scornfullyGo and sin no more, O Notorious FLOUTER of traffic laws.
(Also, a hyphen: “speeding-related.”)
I don’t normally point this stuff out in your comments section (and you normally don’t make this sort of diction error), but I’ve seen the “flout/flaunt” confusion in so many places that it’s worth a public comment, possibly for the benefit of others prone to making the same mistake. Carry on!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 29/March/2019 @ 7:08 pm
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pics also reminded me of this.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/March/2019 @ 1:50 am
I had no idea that Lucky was so much smaller than Buddy. The size difference is striking!
Fingers crossed that the mange treatments will work their magic and result in a happier, healthier pooch. For the moment, though, the poor guy makes me think of the ironically named character Lucky from Samuel Beckett’s existentialist play Waiting for Godot.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/March/2019 @ 9:24 pm
Always good to listen to your body. Take a rest. Get to know Lucky better. Give him a nice mite wash.
Sorry the trail sucked. I noticed how much of it seemed to be along a road. Too much of the path went through civilization. Maybe someone should introduce a Hash rule: at least 80% of the trail must always be away from civilization, i.e., most of the trail ought to be along mountain paths, creeks, rivers, or the beach. Passing shanties counts as being “away from civilization.” No city walking!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/March/2019 @ 7:02 pm
Well, Buddy went through his own period of kicking and screaming before things calmed down, so I have faith that things will smooth out eventually. I hope you’ll eventually show us before/after pics so we can see Lucky with all his fur, sitting happily on your lap, tongue a-hangin’ out as if he had not a care in the world.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/March/2019 @ 6:19 pm
There’s this channel on YouTube called Howl of a Dog. It’s all about dog rescues happening in Eastern Europe. Very emotionally manipulative, what with the sob-story editing and the weepy, heartstring-pulling music, but I can’t help myself, and I get sucked/suckered in by every video, each of which succeeds in producing that “Awwww” reaction in me.
I guess the upshot is that I find dog-rescue stories pretty uplifting, and it’s great to hear that you’ve done a rescue of your own. Here’s hoping Lucky’s life will henceforth be a charmed one. Welcome home, little guy!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 23/March/2019 @ 11:15 pm
Sorry to disagree, sir, but you walk a lot faster than 5 kph. I walk at 5 kph on flat ground, and you’re much quicker than I am. I’d put you at around 6 or 6.5 kph, at least—especially if you’re going at 7000 steps/hour (my rate is 6K steps/hr).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/March/2019 @ 4:49 pm
After I’m done with my current book project, my next project will be a book on grammar and mechanics. The latter term refers to things like punctuation and capitalization, and I’ll be thinking of you when I write the section on commas and semicolons.
Not to worry, though: you’re in prestigious company. Both JK Rowling and George RR Martin are infamous comma-splicers, and their errors somehow got past teams of editors, probably because those editors were too afraid to say anything to these divas.
By the way, I liked all of your poetry. Maybe not the punctuation, but the heartfelt sentiments felt alive to me. You took poetry more seriously, at that age, than I did at the equivalent age. Back then, I saw poetry as little more than pretentious verbal farting, in which drooling idiots praised obvious garbage simply because it had been arranged into verse. These days, I’d say I have a lot more respect for poetry.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/March/2019 @ 7:59 pm
Renée was “Offensive Player of the Year” for three years, eh? She must have an impressive swear-word vocabulary!
I’m sure you had more to do with these highlights than you think.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/March/2019 @ 2:50 pm
Looks to have been an awesome day. Congrats on a good finish!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/March/2019 @ 5:20 pm
I could see myself doing a flat 12K. Was it indeed as flat as advertised?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/March/2019 @ 6:54 am
One lifetime, many lives–Chapter One: Just Kidding
Ah, the innocence of youth.
For what it’s worth, modern eggheads say that personality is roughly 50% genetic, 50% environmental… so maybe there’s something to the idea that one’s environment doesn’t influence one as much as previously thought.
Still waiting for the genome researchers to find the “asshole” gene.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/March/2019 @ 12:09 am
That’s a lotta floors. Congrats on getting it done.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 16/March/2019 @ 11:47 pm
That last picture makes me think of a scene from “The Thirteenth Warrior,” in which a group of Vikings sees what they call a “fireworm” working its way down a mountain. It’s actually a procession of local, torch-wielding barbarians who plan to attack the Vikings and aren’t bothered to hide the fact.
Good for you re: helping those kids. “Blessed, to be a blessing,” as my old pastor would say. In other words, you were blessed into order to serve as a blessing to others. I don’t think you have to believe in God to believe in the power and possibility of blessings.
Great-looking ribs. Are you going to join the growing trend of people doing their own home versions of McDonald’s McRib sandwich? You can see a lot of these sandwiches on YouTube. I’m pretty sure you can easily find the pickles and the onions for the home-made McRib, but finding the exact bread might be a chore. Unless you’ve got an awesome local baker…
Oh, as for remembering that post: I’m not sure whether I was even reading your blog back in 2005. I found that entry by clicking your “LTG Blog Stats” and noticing that one of your posts was heavily, heavily commented. Curious, I clicked on the post and found your prophecy. Also, lots of surly comments from leftie naysayers.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/March/2019 @ 4:20 pm
May we all learn from Buddy’s example. He had a hard life before he met you, and now, he’s got his priorities straight.
Happy dog = good home.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/March/2019 @ 5:29 pm
«« Back To Stats PageEvery man has a duty to live his life balls-out.
As Ozzy Man would say: “Fuck yes, Buddy. Fuck yes.”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/March/2019 @ 3:56 pm