Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
Displaying 3,961 To 3,990 Of 4,392 Comments
Did someone try to tell you to shaddap?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/March/2016 @ 10:46 pm
Congratulations! Those are great pictures. You took a route up Namsan that I’ve never taken. I was amused to see mention of a “Philosopher’s Area,” because on my own blog long ago, I had talked about a particular path that reminded me strongly of the Philosophenweg (Philosophers’ Way) in Heidelberg, Germany. I somehow doubt the “Philosopher’s Area” is the same as my Philosophenweg, but no matter.
I’m curious, now, as to which route it was you took. There’s a surprising number of different paths up to the summit and around the flanks of the mountain, and I know only a few of them. I will say, though, that it’s good you’re using Namsan this way; before I’d regained my weight, I credited the mountain with saving my life—weight was lost, blood pressure and resting pulse were down. Namsan may have to save my life again soon.
Great photos, and what appears to be a great hike. I also envy you those damn ribs. They look luscious.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/February/2016 @ 12:14 pm
I need to follow your walking example more assiduously. I walk about 7000 to 8000 steps while I’m at work (I do 1000-step chunks about once per hour), and if I have the gumption to walk home, I get another 3000 steps in. Right now, for me, it’s about clearing that paltry 10000-step daily minimum. I can’t even think about 20000-step days; those won’t be happening for a while.
Anyway, congrats on getting serious about your diet and your activity level. More power to you.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/February/2016 @ 11:27 pm
Congrats on the SIDL victory, and happy Namsan-ing!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/February/2016 @ 5:31 pm
Buona fortuna!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/February/2016 @ 10:53 am
Good luck with the walking! Long may you stroll.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/February/2016 @ 8:06 pm
Hey, if it tastes good, it tastes good.
Didn’t even realize it was President’s Day. Happy President’s Day.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/February/2016 @ 1:42 pm
It’s a bit like watching the T-1000 from “Terminator 2” reassembling itself. Happy re-integration.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/February/2016 @ 6:28 pm
A bar stool knows the medical history of every asshole that sits upon it. Glad you came out of your experience in one piece. Will you be sharing your results come the 16th?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/February/2016 @ 3:53 pm
Good luck, I guess. I’m heading to a clinic tomorrow to get my damn finger looked at.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/February/2016 @ 6:30 pm
Thanks, Arnold. We’ll be waiting.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/January/2016 @ 9:59 pm
I hope they have quality medical care. Poorer countries freak me out when it comes to medical care. Hell, Korea freaks me out, given the nightmare stories I’ve read about hospital stays.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/February/2016 @ 11:22 pm
Sounds as though you had quite an adventure, despite the loss of $100. Many experiences, stuffed into just a few days. Any plans to go back and get even more familiar with the place?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 31/January/2016 @ 9:37 pm
Great seeing you last night. Safe travels and much fun to you. I’ll have a post up within the next 24 hours.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/January/2016 @ 11:12 am
A stand-up fellow. Happy trails to him.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/January/2016 @ 3:49 pm
This is a remarkably frank post, but I’m guessing that, drunk or not, you did the math and concluded that, while the issues underlying a divorce might be private, the divorce itself is a very public fact—which is why you’ve elected to write publicly about this. Hats off for your courage.
I can understand your depression, and to be honest, I don’t think you should deny it. (Not saying that that’s what you’re doing, of course; if anything, this blog post is a sign that you’re working through it.) It’s good to be positive, especially at the start of a new year, but there’s nothing wrong with riding the wave of confused emotion that comes with this sort of brutal life-change. Just understand that there’s no need to crucify yourself. You’re not evil; she’s not evil; it simply is what it is, and things suck right now, but you’re tough and you can fight through this.
For what it’s worth, and I speak as one of your many friends: you have a support network with whom you can hang and blow off steam. They won’t judge you or moralize; if they’re real friends, they’ll simply be there for you in your time of need, and when they’re at their best, they’ll point your way toward hope and healing.
While it’s very unfortunate that your wife isn’t going into any detail about why she wants out of the marriage, you obviously can’t force her reasons out of her. Maybe she’s afraid that, if she starts explaining herself, she’ll lose it and scream uncontrollably. (She should know, though, that screaming isn’t the worst act in the world. It can actually be therapeutic.) I don’t know. But it’s not anything you have any say over, so the best thing to do is just let it go and soldier on.
Some of your post sounded a hell of a lot as though you were looking back on your life and seeing nothing but a series of failures. Your more rational self knows this isn’t true. You’re the father of some incredible children; you have relatives in the States who love you and will welcome you into their foyer any old time. Based on what I’ve read on your blog and things we’ve talked about face to face, I know you’ve lived an amazing life and have acquired a great storehouse of wisdom. I don’t see failure in any of that.
Koreans have a proverb: geo-geo-geo-joong-ji, haeng-haeng-haeng-ni-gak. (Pronounce the “geo” like “gaw,” not “jee-oh.”) It basically means, “Going-going-going brings wisdom; doing-doing-doing brings knowledge.” In other words, no matter what you do in life, you collect knowledge and wisdom the way a wolf collects burrs as it moves through the tall foliage. You can’t help it: even things that seem to deserve labels like “mistake” or “failure” accrue to you as wisdom and knowledge—as grace, to use Christian language. We’re grace-gathering beings.
So, yeah—keep getting drunk for a while. Sulk for a while. Simmer and rage at your situation for a while, and be sad, too. But ultimately, when you’re on the floor and all is quiet, that inner voice is going to come to you and say, “Dude. It’s time to stand up.” Don’t force that voice; it’ll summon itself. And that’s when you mentally turn the page, take a deep breath, and put yourself back out there to face the future. All of that is internal, of course, but externally, remember your safety net of friends who will be there to ride the tempest with you.
You have my sympathy, but never my pity. You’re a good man, and strong, and I wouldn’t write at such length if I didn’t care about you and your future.
On a more practical note, if you read my blogged review of Linus’ BBQ, I’ve decided that Manimal is the better smokehouse overall. Not that Linus is bad or anything, but if we elect to do barbecue again anytime soon, I say we hit Manimal from now on. I wouldn’t mind becoming a semi-regular there. You contact me or I’ll contact you; I’m easy that way.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/January/2016 @ 7:20 pm
Amen to that. Happy, slappy New Year.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 31/December/2015 @ 5:59 pm
Forward, indeed. And good luck. Any thoughts on hitting Linus’s this week? Probably not on New Year’s Eve, for obvious reasons, which leaves us tomorrow (i.e., Tuesday the 29th) and Wednesday the 30th. If none of those days works, I’m fine for after New Year’s. Name a date, name a time, and we’re there.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/December/2015 @ 5:46 pm
The case of the missing backpack
Glad it all worked out. I’ve done stuff like that before, but in my case, it involved a key, not a backpack, and it happened several times.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/December/2015 @ 10:18 am
Stay strong, and Merry Christmas.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/December/2015 @ 6:25 pm
I must be at the other end of the preferential spectrum: I’ve been living alone and independently for so long that I’m in no hurry to plunge into a committed relationship. I’ve made myself self-sufficient in so many ways, and I enjoy solitude so much, that shoving my habits and routines aside to accommodate someone else seems quite a burden. My current thing with Ligament has a definite “friend zone” feel to it, but we both seem comfortable with that and are waiting to see what happens next. It’s all happening gradually, which makes it pleasant instead of jarring.
Meanwhile, you have my sympathies: if you’re that gregarious a person, or at least in need of a life-companion (if not a whole group of friends) to see you through your days, then your current isolation probably isn’t all that pleasant. May you find your way to a better shore… but do note that, in this admirably frank and autobiographical post, there are detectable patterns that hint at a road map for avoiding such pitfalls.
Merry Christmas, my friend. Feel me to contact me if’n you wanna hit another resto. I wouldn’t mind taking a tour of Itaewon’s best eateries. Along with Linus’s, I’m also very interested in Braai Republic, although I’ve heard that you need reservations.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/December/2015 @ 6:13 pm
I’d forgotten about Courtney Cox in that video.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/December/2015 @ 6:46 pm
Welcome back! I’m glad you had the chance to fly business. When I was a young’n, I used to fly first class all the time thanks to my father’s airline-employee privileges. Northwest Airlines wasn’t so generous as to give the family free passes, but flying round-trip to and from Korea for about $50 a person wasn’t a bad deal at all. I’ve lost all that, now, which means I’ve had to grovel for an aisle, exit-row seat in economy class whenever I fly… although I’ve noticed that, lately, the US airlines make you pay extra to get an exit-row seat (I think you mentioned this as well, ja?). Little by little, everything is being monetized. We’ll probably be charged for flatulence soon, once they figure out how to install thermal scanners and electronic chemical sniffers.
Here’s hoping you can slip back into the groove at work. I’m sure the Missus is happy to be home. I want to make a joke about how vampires can wither if they’re too long away from their native soil, but I don’t think you’d take kindly to my calling your wife a bloodsucker.
Welcome back.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 03/December/2015 @ 1:08 am
Happy post-Thanksgiving, and safe travels back.
Good luck hunting down your Five Guys.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 30/November/2015 @ 1:00 am
Classic recipe. I’m okay with everything but the coconut.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/November/2015 @ 6:57 pm
You planning to smuggle babies back or something?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/November/2015 @ 2:04 pm
Congrats on the laptop and have a safe trip! Say hi to those over-delicate college kids for me.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/November/2015 @ 12:21 pm
Strangely silent and echo-y in here. Anyone home?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/November/2015 @ 7:49 pm
Yikes. And I thought Myeongdong was bad on Halloween.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/November/2015 @ 6:40 pm
I’ve always said my kids belong in the Hall of Fame
«« Back To Stats PageCongrats to Kevin! You mentioned two kids, above, so I assume you must’ve already blogged about the other one…
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 31/October/2015 @ 2:09 pm