Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
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A nice outing with the Wednesday Walkers, although there was a misunderstanding along the way. I understood the group was going to do the Black Rock climb, and I agreed to join in. The rest of the group thought I was going to do my usual walk around and meet them at the bottom. So, when Swan and I reached the top of Black Rock, no one was there.
How does this sort of misunderstanding arise? Everyone simply assumes? I hope this kind of problem doesn’t occur too often. It feels a lot like one of those married-couple things where the wife says, “But I thought you were…,” and the husband says, “But I thought you were…” Every group needs a coordinator/leader responsible for communicating the agenda clearly and well beforehand. And you all don’t text each other when you go missing? Or is the signal bad when you’re out in the mountains? (It was bad for me along Skyline Drive.)
I’m sorry to hear your son no longer talks to you. So I ask in turn: what’s that all about? I’d guess it’s at least partly the American aversion to all of the May-September nonsense you old pervs engage in in the Philippines. But I suppose there are American examples of this, too, like the ill-fated Anna Nicole Smith and her nonagenarian hubby, J. Howard Marshall.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/May/2025 @ 10:29 pm
Steve’s a big-time leftie. Some years back, he disallowed me from ever commenting on his site again because, in his words, I had taken “a deep dive into fascism.” I used to think he was one liberal I could talk civilly with, but he didn’t agree, I guess, and partly thanks to the arrival of Trump, he chose his side and went all woke. I think the breaking point was all the memes I’d been publishing on my blog. I was never once uncivil when I commented on his blog. A shame, really. He’s otherwise a good guy, and I don’t have the same anger toward him that he harbors toward me. Then again, I’ve put plenty of people—leftie and rightie—out of my life as well, so I have no moral high ground on that score. The bridges we burn, eh? Funny thing: I’ve known the guy for years, since we were both on AOL forums in the 1990s, but have never met him. So… what did I lose, really? Or so I tell myself. The whole thing is kind of sad.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/May/2025 @ 4:33 pm
Yes, Wikipedia confirms it was “Diamonds and Rust.” Baez had a nice voice back in the day—lots of high notes with vibrato.
A movie buff I know wrote his own review of “A Complete Unknown.” He and I don’t talk anymore, so don’t tell him I sent you.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/May/2025 @ 8:25 pm
Now what?
Gather enough trees and make a connect-the-trees path. Create your own “tree Hash,” or “Trash.” People can go in groups or singly, and they have to take selfies at every tree along a given path: the filename of their photos ought to provide a date/time stamp. If it’s a group, they can take a group photo of themselves at the start, plus group selfies along the way, with every face clearly visible, to prove no one dropped out by the end. Or, if that’s too strict, just put the path out there for people to figure out for themselves. Assuming they know how and can navigate/orienteer. I’ll leave photo-upload methods and other rules up to you.
You have one of the worst cases of TDS I’ve seen.
I’m sure s/he had a response to that. Some people don’t know when to give up.
re: the “tolerance” meme
Hilarious. I may have to steal that.
“That’s impossible!”, says the old man in disbelief, “Someone else must have shot that beaver.”
Didn’t you just put this joke up—or one that was similar—the other day? Well, I found this from 2019 (scroll down). But I’m sure you recycled this joke more recently.
Old men are repetitive. They also repeat themselves. And I’m positive I’ve left that joke here as a comment, too.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/May/2025 @ 6:13 pm
So I guess the PI wants its citizens to be sober when they vote. Do they have any laws against voting while stupid?
Congratulations as you start your eighth year in country. Here’s to many more.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/May/2025 @ 10:02 pm
Sure thing. I’ll be here. I think.
Are you just unwilling to get your laptop repaired or replaced? Depending on your needs, you might not have to buy an expensive laptop as a replacement.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/May/2025 @ 3:14 pm
Something’s changed. You rarely ever respond to comments at 6:30 a.m. anymore, and you rarely visit my blog at that time anymore. Everything okay? Just sleeping later these days?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/May/2025 @ 10:31 am
Well, you’ve accumulated a lot of memories. I imagine it feels like an interesting ride. And you seem to have settled into the Filipino way of living, more or less. Any chance you’ll make a book out of any this? Some legacy to pass on to your Stateside family, who might need some catching up on what life has been like for you? Blogs aren’t forever, after all.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/May/2025 @ 11:10 pm
I’m glad to read that Daddy Dave is okay. How’s the driver? Fired?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/May/2025 @ 7:48 pm
You’ve got a lot of favorite trees. Ever thought of doing a connect-the-trees tour? Could be awesome. Can you plot each tree’s location via GPS coordinates? Info on how to do that is here. It’s a skill that could come in handy someday.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/May/2025 @ 9:18 pm
I went over to read your old post because I was curious as to what “duh-ee-na-stee” was. Apparently, you thought it was the hangeulized way to say “Dynasty.” But the long “i” sound (like the “i” in “night”) in Korean is written in two syllables as “ah-ee,” not “uh-ee.” So it would’ve been “dah-ee-nuh-seu-tee (다이너스티).” The “st” combination can’t be hangeulized as “st” because, according to Korean spelling and pronunciation rules, you have to interrupt the consonant sound with a vowel sound. So the “-sty” in “dynasty” would become a “seu-tee” (스티, see above). This is also why a simple-to-pronounce word like “Christmas” is such a mess when you spell it in Korean: 크리스마스/keu-ree-seu-mah-seu—going from two syllables in English to five in Korean.
The above remarks are true for the Yank pronunciation of “dynasty,” but a lot of Brits would pronounce it “dinnuh-stee,” which would hangeulize as 디너스티/dee-nuh-seu-tee.
Yeah, it’s possible to learn to sound out Korean words without having any idea what they mean. And FWIW, one Korean word for “dynasty” is “wangjo/왕조.”
Saying “heyo/해요” is less polite than saying “haseyo”; even more polite would be “haejuseyo/해 주세요” (sort of like “please do it”). But Koreans don’t normally say “do it,” by itself, as a command, the way we do in English. They’ll usually add some information like “that way” (그렇게/geureogae) to make the thought more complete in their minds. So you might hear, “그렇게 해 주세요” (“Please do so”). However, in an office context, especially if you’re the big cheese, you might get away with sounding less polite because of how social stratification works in Korean society and language. But in many Korean offices, people of higher and lower status all speak to each other in a politely informal (or formal) way. Again, this may depend on the office and the social context.
We English speakers immediately sense when a foreigner hasn’t said a phrase completely. For example, if I ask, “Did you speak to Bill?” and the foreigner says, “Yes, I spoke,” you immediately realize there’s a “to him” missing even if you understand the speaker’s intention. Every language comes with its own sense of how to form a naturally complete idea.
And now, alas, I guess you’ve forgotten all of your hangeul (written Korean) through lack of use. Nice to live in a more-or-less English-speaking Asian country!
Three years ago, I had my first and last date with this gal I met on a dating website.
Dating sites are lame and geared toward desperate people. Avoid.
And as every leader knows, success is about the quality of the people you lead.
And success in love is about the quality of the people you date. You’re a lucky man.
I’d pay to stay out of a Filipino jail because I know I’d die inside of one.
You’ve said this a few times before. What would kill you? Lack of beer and sex (there might not be a lack of sex—ha ha!)? Lack of general companionship? Something else?
Well, good luck with the next walk and stay out of trouble.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/May/2025 @ 6:54 pm
Sorry—I started writing the comment last night and never published it. I see your answer to Brian re: the start of the rainy season.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/May/2025 @ 2:30 pm
So, Danny got busy jacking things up and putting on the ritz, er, spare.
Nice Asian parking job! Like our BMW drivers back in the States.
The writing wasn’t on the wall, but the artwork was.
That’s awesome. Reminds me of similar art that we have in Korea.
Why I don’t trust sidewalks in the Philippines, especially after dark.
We’ve got deathtraps like that here, too. I’ve seen them during my cross-country walks.
And then just as I was coming into Barretto, the skies opened wide and dumped rain by the buckets.
You say it’s the “upcoming” rainy season. When does it normally start?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/May/2025 @ 12:45 pm
So it was found to be a mini-stroke?
Good luck as you train and build up to that distance (29K).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/May/2025 @ 11:53 am
I’m not sure I saw the actual distance you’d walked versus the exact original distance of Vienna Sausage’s trail. You said you’d added 2K to your walk, but your walk was also a shortcut, so in the end, how long was it from your place to the On-home?
Welcome back, Pubic Head.
Here’s hoping he’s around for many more years. Is he all better?
Have you guys ever planned out a flat walk that was just raw distance? A minimum of 18-20K? Is there such a stretch anywhere in the PI?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/May/2025 @ 5:42 pm
Oi! Birria tacos are supposed to be dipped in a red-colored beef consommé before being fried. Someone needs to tell your people that. See here.
Billy, don’t be a hero!
That’s Canadian actor Callum Keith Rennie. He’s famous for playing a Cylon on the rebooted “Battlestar Galactica.” Didn’t realize he’d also been on “Star Trek.”
So how’s that “stronger, wiser you” coming along? I’m not finding mine.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/May/2025 @ 1:36 pm
The Drunken Sailor has recently reopened at the Baywatch Resort.
Is “Dranken Sailor” a typo or some sort of pun?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/May/2025 @ 6:14 am
Sorry to read about Swan’s unsatisfactory wine experience. You say the place restocked… I guess you’d better get back there soon before they run out again!
This meme popped up on my phone right after that wine shortage incident. We both got a laugh out of that.
The AI is always watching you.
A very limited menu, but in my opinion, that’s a good thing for a bar venue. Doing a few simple things well is the way to go.
I love the overuse and misuse of the scare quotes on that menu.
The SOB was still going on down the road at Whiskey Girl, but the bar filled up later for the Aftermath.
The sign in the photo says, “We don’t offer double LDs.” What’re those? They offer a pair of learning-disabled students?
Saw this map on Facebook, which shows some of the more popular places in Barretto and Baloy Beach.
The map spells Barretto as “Baretto”—one R. The spelling variations continue.
And I came across this controversy involving Bill Belichick and his much younger wife.
As Glenn Reynolds recommends: always bring your own camera equipment and crew to every interview. Get the whole thing on video and air it yourself.
Maybe I really have died, and the Philippines is my heaven (or hell).
It’s not a hell until you’re confined to bed for whatever reason. And you can’t have “health” without “hell.”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/May/2025 @ 6:14 am
…but seeing this meme today took me back to those glory days of the 1970s
All that flammable hair!
Let’s see if I remember to come back tomorrow.
At the rate you’re going, it might be more important for your mind to survive to 85 than for your body to live that long. Watch out for those ruffians, D. Mentia, C. Nility, and D. Crepitude. Make plans so that, when you’re too old to remember where your wallet went, someone will be around to guard against all the vultures who inevitably gather around people with money as they age. And definitely take measures now to avoid getting put in some senior home (assuming that you, like so many of your cohort, hate the idea of being tucked away in an “assisted-living community” that smells like piss and sounds like constant groaning).
Stay independent as long as you can, but you can really help yourself by not destroying your brain cells with the sauce. Set up a chain of contacts leading back to the US in the event you get hospitalized and end up in a coma or something. Or don’t if you prefer to remain isolated from your US family. Whatever works.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 02/May/2025 @ 6:45 pm
He told me he had sent another driver to cover for him, but the other driver never showed, claiming he could not find my house.
So… no GPS, eh? What do they call GPS in the PI? In the UK, it’s often “satnav” (satellite navigation)… in the PI, do they just say “GPS”?
Good to know that you seem okay otherwise. Back to your medicated good time!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/May/2025 @ 6:42 pm
If not surgery, then what?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/May/2025 @ 8:50 am
I ordered a new Fitbit from Lazada
These FitBits must be shitty, given how often you replace them. Damn. Why bother? Use phone apps and go old-school to check your pulse: get a rough number by counting for six seconds and multiplying your pulse by ten, or count for fifteen seconds and multiply by four. Your pulse fluctuates minute by minute, anyway, so I wouldn’t obsess over accuracy. As for checking things like distance and elevation, there are phone apps like Strava (mainly for bikers, but also used by walkers/hikers) that give you data. Available features may depend on whether you subscribe to the paid version.
I’m thinking this has to be a scam rather than a mistake. So, I had Swan help me file the return claim, and the seller has five days to respond. As of now, I haven’t heard anything.
That’s God telling you to stick with phone apps. Your FitBits suck.
I hope the ultrasound reveals something, even if that something turns out to be nothing. Best-case scenario: stubborn gas. Worst-case scenario: a growth of some kind.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 30/April/2025 @ 6:25 pm
I’d be a terrible Santa. Satan, maybe.
Good luck to Martin.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 30/April/2025 @ 9:23 am
A view of the Kalakalan Ridge
Kala-kalan or Kala-klan?
18-Kilo Ass (Martin) was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. Lots of broken bones, including a leg, but he’s still in the fight
I hope he heals in time to be Santa this Christmas.
A very nice guy gone too soon. Rest in Peace!
How old was Joakim?
An interesting mix of a day.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 29/April/2025 @ 7:16 pm
If it’s stroke-like symptoms, I hope he also sees a neurologist. With strokes, cardio and neuro go together.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 29/April/2025 @ 2:59 pm
Glad that Scott is doing better. Did he explain what happened in any detail?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/April/2025 @ 9:50 pm
Best wishes to Scott. Hang tough!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/April/2025 @ 4:18 pm
Kevin, I never was good at math in school[;] grammar and punctuation were my strong suits.
God help us.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/April/2025 @ 10:19 am
You knew I was going to do this:
And then that math stuff I learned back in high school kicked in: One large 16″ sells for 890 pesos. But the small 10″ version was only 410 pesos. So, I could buy two of those for 820 pesos and get four extra inches of pizza for less money than the large size. And that’s just what I did.
So the square-inch area of the 16″ pizza is 64π, or 201.062 sq in. Divide that by 890, and you get about 0.226 sq in of pizza per peso.
For the two 10″ pizzas, you’re not getting the equivalent of a 20-inch-wide pizza. Each 10-inch pizza has an area of 25π sq in, or about 78.54 sq in. Multiply that by 2 since you’re getting two 10-inchers, and that’s about 157.08 sq in. Divide that by 820 pesos, and that’s approximately 0.192 square inches per peso, i.e., less bang for your buck.
So mathematically, you’re better off buying the 16-incher. A single 16-incher has more surface area than two 10-inchers combined, and the amount of pizza per peso is slightly bigger, too. Was that Cali math?
Promise kept, Bethany!
Who’s Bethany? Did you mean (presumably male) commenter Bentley? Someone’s got bakla on their mind. Or did I miss a promise to a certain Bethany somewhere?
Please keep us apprised of your gut rumbles and pangs.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/April/2025 @ 9:40 pm
«« Back To Stats PageSounds ambitious. From what you’re saying, that’s 29K out, then 29K back, right? Well, plan the route out—see what rest stops are along the way, think of the entire route as almost 60K, then do the whole thing in two or three days. Dividing the route up like that ought to make it doable, especially if the ground is relatively flat. By figuring out possible rest stops before San Narciso, you give yourself the option of a Plan B if you get too tired or achy. Take along water and decent snacks.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/April/2025 @ 10:32 am