Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
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I was wondering about the rent situation. When I was in Front Royal, VA, my rent went up steadily, starting at around $730/month and creeping to slightly over $800/month by the time I left three years later. That’s a 9.6% increase over three years, which isn’t exactly small. So what’s the rental scheme like where you are?
Glad to know you’ve achieved solidity. I was going to recommend not eating for two days to see whether things might at least dry up a bit, but that merely takes care of a symptom, not the fundamental problem (or the problem with the fundament, as the case may be). Get lots of bananas and other fibrous foods into your diet, and maybe take Metamucil or the Filipino equivalent (psyllium fiber). I take psyllium tablets every day; they’re a bit of a paradox because they help constipated people by softening the stool, but they also help diarrhetic people by absorbing a lot of the water in the intestines, thus solidifying the stool. Psyllium helps people on both extremes.
Switching gears: I remember reading that your new landlord needs time to make repairs and to spruce your future home up before you move in, but do you have a move-in date?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/May/2018 @ 1:47 pm
Interesting! The house even comes with a pergola (which looks as though it might need some painting)! How deliciously pretentious! You’ll be hosting tweedy, frou-frou wine-and-cheese parties for the neighbors soon, I’m sure. Ha!
As for “a dirty kitchen/maid’s quarters,” I think I’d rather have a sexy, dirty maid than a dirty kitchen.
How big is your plot of land? A quarter acre? Half an acre? And still no fence, I see…
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 23/May/2018 @ 4:02 pm
Checking in, checking up, checking out
I suspect your medical stats are merely a reflection of the fact that you’re in the “fading shock waves” phase of the recent upheaval that accompanies a major life-transition. Gotta say, though, that that’s some enviably low blood pressure! As for mild weight gain: I’d say you’ve fuckin’ earned it. It’s okay to slack off for now, as long as you hit the trail once you’re mentally and spiritually ready to do so.
Will be curious to see pics of whichever properties we LTG readers haven’t seen yet. Good luck deciding!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/May/2018 @ 8:46 pm
Gotta say, though, it’s a nice-looking little house. With two balconies, no less! Am curious to see the interior. As for cost: $900/mo does seem steep, especially for the Philippines (that foreigner’s tax again). $700 might be more reasonable. Would you have to pay a huge deposit of some sort, like in Korea? Or would you just start paying rent after giving over a smallish deposit?
re: smallish yard
You may come to appreciate a small yard once you realize how little mowing/weeding you have to do!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/May/2018 @ 5:10 pm
Interesting. While it might be nice to have a fence if you have dogs, I see plenty of dog videos on YouTube showing dog owners who live in suburban housing with no fences. It’s just a question of watchfulness, training, and discipline, and maybe a question of what kind of dog you want. If you go for the overly clever, escape-artist type, you’re in for a lot of work because such a dog sees a fence as a challenge. Might be better to go for a breed that’s more passive, less apt to escape on a moment’s notice, and very loyal to its owner.
Or, hey, just get a fence built. Heh.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/May/2018 @ 4:28 pm
Wait, so that property has a security gate but no fence? How does that work?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/May/2018 @ 3:45 pm
Small world.
Better start learning Tagalog! If you work at it, you can know 1,000 words by the end of the year. You can then string those words in all sorts of permutations and combinations to get tens of thousands of possible expressions!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/May/2018 @ 9:15 pm
The real-estate quest continues!
Congrats, I think, on the third-place finish in darts. In a few months, you’ll be the Don of Darts in your neck of the woods.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/May/2018 @ 2:09 pm
Good luck with housing in High View.
As for Magellan’s Revenge: bottled water!
And please wash your fresh veggies thoroughly before you prep them: they’ve been repeatedly sprayed by a hose attached to a source that pumps potentially untrustworthy water. This goes double for salad veggies, which can contain all manner of unsavory critters from salmonella to fecal bacteria to God-knows-what.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/May/2018 @ 10:49 pm
The Subic Bay naval base was decommissioned in the early 90s, right? I was reading this interesting article about US bases “disguised” as Philippine bases, which got me wondering whether there are any military facilities (with commissaries, BXes/PXes, etc.) near you.
If not, I’m sure there have to be open markets with fresh vegetables… although, given my experience in Korea, summertime is the worst time to be shopping for veggies in open markets: the poor things are wilted and dead-looking by 3 p.m.! You’re better off getting fridged or frozen vegetables (or shopping at the markets in the early morning).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/May/2018 @ 5:08 pm
That’s one of the best optical-illusion pics I’ve ever seen. If I were teaching college, I’d risk getting fired just to show that one to my students. Heh.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 17/May/2018 @ 12:32 pm
I can relate. Given the negotiations I’m currently going through, I agree that having a back door at the ready is a good idea. Ninjas and cats are always mindful of their lines of retreat.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 16/May/2018 @ 12:44 pm
Phase One of Operation Permanent Residence complete.
And now: the search for a real home! Are you still planning on renting, or might you be tempted to buy (well, mortgage) a property?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 16/May/2018 @ 10:24 am
Some fucked up things in my personal life but hey, I should be used to that by now, right? Too drunk to think about it at the moment, but I’d love to figure out just what it is about me that drives people I care about away. Heh, maybe I don’t want to know.
Boy, you work fast. Already?!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/May/2018 @ 1:46 am
Awesome!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/May/2018 @ 12:05 am
The first day of the rest of my (new) life
W150,000 sounds like too much to pay someone who drives dangerously, but at least the ride was exciting.
Welcome back to Ye Olde Stompinge Groundes! Good luck as you begin Phase 1 of settling in, a process that won’t really conclude until you find your dream home. May your real-estate quest go well and smoothly, and may you have fun establishing a whole new set of walking routes.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/May/2018 @ 10:01 pm
(Imagine a thumbs-up emoticon here.)
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/May/2018 @ 11:44 am
You probably won’t have time to check comments on anything written tomorrow, so please let me take this opportunity to wish you safe travels and good fortune as you follow your heart to a new land and new climes. I’d say “It’s been nice knowing you,” but that implies a finality that I don’t feel. We’ll meet again at some point, I’m sure, and instead of “so long,” I’d rather just say, “Thanks for your friendship and for the wisdom you’ve imparted in person and in my blog’s comment section. Thanks, too, for the on-base supplies you’ve gotten for me over the years (ssshhh!), and for the pleasure of your company during the few chances we’ve had to chow down in Itaewon. You’re quite the Mensch, Herr McCrarey!”
Good journey, my friend. I’ll be following your updates once you’ve established your beachhead in the PI.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/May/2018 @ 7:21 pm
They love me. They really love me!
Another great day in a series of great days.
En avant!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/May/2018 @ 3:59 pm
Sure, something like that.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/May/2018 @ 1:21 am
The threshold between life-phases approacheth, and the door to another universe doth beckon!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/May/2018 @ 8:41 pm
That “tombstone” says “Yeon Hwa Bong,” which means “Lotus Flower Peak.”
Looks to have been a great hike!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/May/2018 @ 4:07 pm
“One thing is clear, how well you adjust and how happy you are in the Philippines really comes down to your own attitude.”
Indeed. The Zen notion of hell is that it’s something you create for yourself. Relocate as much as you want, but if you constantly create the conditions for your own hell, don’t be surprised when hell follows you around.
I think your positivity, as well as your sense of purpose, indicates you’re on a healthy path, not a hell-thy path. Balgeun mirae! as Koreans say: “Bright future!”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/May/2018 @ 9:51 pm
I’ve never even been there, and I already miss it.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/May/2018 @ 3:24 pm
I assume that, by now, you must be more than ready to fly this chicken coop.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 02/May/2018 @ 2:02 pm
Congrats on walking the Great Wall! As for your “Come What May” title, I thought you were going to link to this song, but maybe it’s not your style.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/May/2018 @ 3:46 pm
Not with a whimper, but with a bang! Looks as if it was a great time. Adios, Seoul!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 30/April/2018 @ 2:11 pm
“After all, this is the man who walked from Seoul to Busan at this time last year.”
True, but I was a few kilos lighter—not to mention in slightly better shape—than I am now!
It was great hiking and dining with you. I know there’s plenty of nostalgia as your days in Korea draw to a close, but you’re moving into a future that won’t let you ignore it, so eyes front! And enjoy that ride, my friend. I might not like the notion of all that heat and humidity, but I do kind of envy you.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 29/April/2018 @ 10:59 pm
A friend of mine, who has a Filipina wife, and who visits the Philippines often (I think he has some property there), says about the same thing: PI is fine as long as you know the ropes. To me, that’s not very reassuring.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/April/2018 @ 1:01 pm
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
«« Back To Stats Page“…but beautiful on the inside. Maybe.”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/April/2018 @ 9:10 pm