Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
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That would be us
It’s the return of the puffy lips!
The steaks had always been small, but damn, raise the price and lower the volume? They were still tasty, what little there was of them.
Will you order them again?
Sheryl Crow—another wokie! There’s a neverending line of them.
Well, it looked to have been a nice hike, despite the arduousness. And it’s good to know there are kids who appreciate you, even if it’s just for your candy.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/March/2025 @ 7:11 pm
Horsin’ around with the neighbors
Oh, what a tangled web we weave…
Spider or caterpillar? Looks more like caterpillar webbing to me.
Feeding another stray
That there’s a skinny little dawg.
Food at the get-together all looked good.
The sun at five p.m. when we started
My favorite sunset pic of this set.
Don’t go to bars except on odd occasions. You never use to go to bars. You sat at home and played Civ III or blogged. You filled up your entire evenings and weekends.
So all that stuff about growing up in bars was horseshit?? If it wasn’t horseshit, the fact that you avoided the bar culture for years, then plunged (back) into the culture, means it wasn’t always this way. You could still find something better to do with your life than to spend so much effort trying to drown it out chemically.
She’d hate my life in the Philippines.
Indeed.
so today’s YouTube video about seven signs predicting how long you’ll live after that milestone caught my eye.
All hail the AI voice!
I’ll stick with the brown bread here in the PI
Damn. I’ve got similar images, with the same jokes, scheduled to publish.
Chelation seems to be going well. I’ll be curious to read what the final results of this round are. And whether you’ll be continuing.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/March/2025 @ 10:42 pm
Look up “low-carb coconut pancake recipe” on Google. I’m sure you’ll find tons of recipes.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/March/2025 @ 2:48 pm
Except maybe for fried coconut shrimp and coconut milk/cream in Thai peanut sauce, I’m generally not a fan of coconut. I’ll eat it if it’s given to me, but it’s never a top choice. I do admit that the one time I made low-carb, coconut-flour pancakes, they were pretty damn delicious. Beware, though: coconut flour is highly absorbent, so either use less flour than normal or increase the amount of liquid in your batter.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/March/2025 @ 4:28 pm
Back to the routines, at least for now. Congrats on somehow not gaining any weight.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/March/2025 @ 5:52 pm
My final complimentary breakfast at Go Resort.
Looks good and carby if a bit meager. Then again, it is complimentary.
so today’s YouTube video presented information on areas I might best avoid during my stay.
I watched less than a minute before I had to turn the video off. Couldn’t stand the guy’s poor editing, his voice, and his presentation style.
Yep, getting old stinks, but it sounds good to be alive
Damn, I’m already farty like that.
Welcome back home. And now: forward to a stricter diet! Will you be in “don’t give a fuck” mode for your next trip (coming up soon)? You don’t want to do that too often. A few days in a row of misbehavior (as opposed to a single cheat day) = don’t go off the chain for two months. I know what you’ll say, though: “No promises.” That’s your usual back door when there’s an opportunity to make an actual effort. Sit down and seriously learn the grammar? “No promises.” Work on the diet? “No promises.” Cut down on the drinking? “No promises.” Sigh…
Well, good luck.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/March/2025 @ 10:42 pm
Art on the wall
Why would they paint the cat to look as if it got caught picking its nose?
As seen from my table
Chiaroscuro! Nice.
A tree I like along the way
Looks to be a very nervous tree. Maybe it’s been hiding immigrants.
I have to hand it to the Hare for a unique method of marking the trail
There was something a little ghostly about this place
That place screams, “Paintball battle!”
The rare signage telling folks not to throw trash in the creek
Google Translate says, “Do not throw anything on the creek! This will cause pollution and stop the flow of water.” I saw no Tagalog on the language menu, but there was a selection for “Filipino.”
I’ve seen dirtier water
I’d love to test my Grayl filter on that. Grayl has a nanofilter meant to strain out even parasites. To be honest, though, I’d probably strain the water through a double layer of tee-shirt fabric first, just to make things easier on the Grayl.
I managed to overcome my temptation to ride the slide
Why not slide? Worried about diarrhea on the way down? If you’re forceful enough and aim carefully, you can make the diarrhea precede you, thus greasing your way down the slide. Fun times.
I thought it was funny
Was his name Lik Bik Dik?
…and account restrictions removed. Geez.
Do not trust Zuckerberg. He is not for real.
Sounds like tit-for-tat
Interesting how they start off across from each other, then end up catty-cornered. Guess he wanted a better angle.
Overall, La Union seemed like a good change of pace. More traveling to come, I hope.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 03/March/2025 @ 9:03 pm
Ah! I see the carabao on my desktop’s big monitor.
I hope yesterday wasn’t my “final Hash.” I am going to skip the Subic Hash today, but I’ll be back in action in a week.
Final Hash for the event.
“A drinking club with a running problem.”
More like a walking/hobbling problem these days.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 03/March/2025 @ 8:08 pm
You often write “Hash run,” but how often do you run with those raspy lungs? I get that there are some people who do run these courses (not me, not ever… but then again, I’m not a Hasher). Is this how Hashes originally started—as runs, not as walks? If so, what changed, and why? (I guess we’ll see how well you know your Hash history!)
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 03/March/2025 @ 4:11 am
The first Hasher to finish overall was a ballbuster and his time was three hours and nineteen minutes.
Wow. So his speed in the mountains was equivalent to (slightly faster than) my speed on flat ground. Badass.
A shady place to rest
On my tiny phone screen, that rock or group of rocks looks like either a giant crocodile or a huge dick poking out of the woods.
Farm life
That looked almost like a Korean view.
Good luck with what I guess is the final Hash. Be safe.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 02/March/2025 @ 3:07 pm
Sounds like an activity-filled agenda. If I were in your place, I’d quickly be chafing for some “me” time, introvert that I am. Well, enjoy!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/March/2025 @ 6:41 pm
Anyway, my point about Swan selling meat—a thought I failed to complete in the previous comment—is that you might ask her to make the kare-kare at home. Now, at least, you have a basis for comparison. I bet hers would kick ass.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/February/2025 @ 5:00 pm
Swan recommended I give the beef Kare-Kare a try…. It wasn’t bad, although some of the meat pieces had bone fragments[,] which was a tad disconcerting.
Swan sells meat, doesn’t she? I bet hers is better. Yes, I said it. Her meat is better.
Yeah, yeah, I’m a bad boy. But at least I didn’t get drunk. Yet. Today’s Nash Hash itinerary may make maintaining sobriety difficult.
I expect you’ll be emailed pics of you being face-down.
And to slow down my [beer-consumption] rate in the absence of my preferred low-alcohol brew. We’ll see how that works out for me.
Does it violate some sort of rule to pre-pack your own beer (San Mig Zero)?
Buy her a razor
I think I prefer a little hair down there. At least a landing strip.
Good luck with the Nash Hash. Don’t get shitfaced.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/February/2025 @ 12:46 pm
Tra-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Splendid views. Good luck with the Nash Hash. Try not to get falling-down drunk again.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/February/2025 @ 2:02 pm
Chili con carne y frijoles on the menu
Is that a chili soup, or did you drain the liquid/add a thickener later?
Kimbap, eggs, and brownies all look great.
A family man in Prescott, Arizona, in 1978. With wife #1, Bridget, younger brother Greg, my mom, and my two kids.
I assume that that’s Greg with the beard (and looking like the elder brother) and you in the striped shirt.
Good luck in/at La Union.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/February/2025 @ 6:22 pm
Looks to have been a good walk even with the shortcutting. What motivates some of these Hares to make such steep trails?
We’ll see, over the next few years, just how aggressive China gets on Trump’s watch.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/February/2025 @ 10:02 pm
Eggs on hamburgers are trendy these days. The link to a patty melt is that it’s a burger using sandwich bread.
Sometimes, it is fun to intentionally flaunt the rules!
I assume you mean “flout,” or was that the joke?
flaunt = ostentatiously show off
flout = conspicuously scorn or defyShe flaunted her cheap jewelry.
She flouted the law by driving drunk.» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/February/2025 @ 10:23 am
Or should I say “was”? I can’t, because I’ve already used that as a post title, and I don’t want to repeat myself.
Is this riffing off the song title “The Way We Were”? Why not just use a completely different post title?
You normally don’t use the phrase “it were” unless you’re employing the subjunctive mood. As in:
• If it were a matter of criminal justice, my office would be on the case immediately.
• If it were possible to fly cheaply with jet packs, we’d already have them.The subjunctive mood is hard to see in English, but like in French, it’s used to indicate things like wishing, imagining/speculating, necessity, etc. Examples:
It’s necessary that you be there by five.
If I were king, I’d make you my jester.Taking care of the sweet tooth of both young and old.
Subjugation of the populace via diabetes. Nice.
re: “pajee boseyo”
That’s “look at the pants.” B, not P: baji. The conjugated verb “take off” would be romanized as “beoseoyo.” The “eo” is somewhere between an “aw” and an “uh,” or as my boss says, it’s like the “eo” in “George.”
“Enlève ton pantalon” is how to say “Take off your pants” in French. Hey, sailor.
Also, it closes at 7:00, which isn’t much of a nightlife.
Incredible. Is the bar deliberately trying not to make money?
I’ve never seen this happen before. A Banka boat crossed over the lines used to pull the transport raft to the floating bar.
I assume such an event is rare for a reason.
It’s official[;] Swan is addicted to birria
You really need to learn how to make that at home. Not hard if you have a slow cooker, a pan, and a blender.
And a poem I wrote for her. Pardon the punctuation.
Yeah, you can remove almost all of the commas. Here’s an exercise: find the commas that ought to remain in place. And throw out the silly rule that “commas mark a pause.” While sometimes true, that “rule” will get you in trouble, as it did in this poem.
That said, it’s a nice poem. I hope Karen liked it. Assuming she knew about it.
Jee Yeun’s “egga burger”
I imagine that’s a wimpy version of a patty melt…?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/February/2025 @ 5:06 pm
More enlightened me (from a third universe): A comma after “wait” is also an error—it’s called a “comma splice.” Between independent clauses, use a semicolon or em dash instead.
Just wait; I’ll prove him wrong!
Just wait—I’ll prove him wrong!And a comma after the “Oh” in “Oh, yeah?” would be nice.
“Executive Editor”?? What kinda’ ship you runnin’ there, boy?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/February/2025 @ 11:17 am
Your pardon: it’s apparently spelled as a hyphenated compound: pipe-weed.
Well, if we live in a multiverse, there’s doubtless a more enlightened version of you out there, living his best life. And since there’s likely an infinity of you out there, all of those unexplored paths are surely being explored in different universes. Too bad you can’t accumulate all of those experiences inside one skull.
Imagine a scenario where Enlightened John meets Unenlightened John. What sort of conversation might they have? Would they even relate to each other? Would each see the other as roasting in his own personal hell?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/February/2025 @ 10:29 am
Damn. Correction:
Sure, we’d lucky if the cosmos were run
“Sure, we’d be lucky if the cosmos were run”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/February/2025 @ 6:24 am
So, the beach bar Laharnyz, which used to be a popular expat hangout, is no more. It is now called Cherryz, but it was not open when we stopped to check it out. The story I heard is that the expat owner of Laharnyz and his girl split up[;] the girl took over the bar, and now[,] no one goes there anymore.
Wow. That was all in a matter of a few months, wasn’t it?
Michael and Taz live in the Club Morocco subdivision out near Cawag, a pretty good drive from Barretto. I’d looked there during one of my house-hunting trips prior to the move. Loved it, but just too isolated, especially for a non-driver.
But you have a driver, ja? So anything within reach of a car is reachable by you.
When I imagine my “do-over” life, I think I’d elect to start again in high school and take it from there. Today, I was reminded of those long-ago times in an old Facebook post sharing memories of my high school journalism exploits.
I can’t think of any major religions that offer postmortem do-overs as the same person. In Hinduism, the karma you generate determines what your next life will be, and assuming you didn’t gain enlightenment in this life (in which case you wouldn’t reincarnate, anyway), you won’t be privy to your past lives in the next life (seeing your past lives is a siddhi, or special power acquired through wise practice), so you can’t use the wisdom from previous lives to help you live better the next time around. Why would you do anything differently next time, anyway? You seem pretty intent on not learning lessons right now! Example: gonna stop drinking anytime soon? Didn’t think so. If Hinduism is right, you’ll be carrying that stubborn rejection of enlightenment into the next life. And the next, and the next… So I guess it’ll be do-overs in that sense, if Hinduism obtains, but without your ever learning anything. Eternally trapped in the painful round of samsara. Paddling in useless circles.
Better for there just to be a Big Nothing after death. Sure, we’d lucky if the cosmos were run like “Groundhog Day,” with previous knowledge slowly helping us to improve, but I seriously doubt that’s how any of this works.
I’ve read the LOTR books several times but remember nothing about the food.
Did you ever read the appendices to learn about pipeweed? I would think that, as a young pothead who liked Tolkien, you’d have been keen on that.
I got curious about the capitalization question re: hobbits/Hobbits, and it turns out Tolkien probably would have capitalized the word when referring collectively to the entire race, but not necessarily in reference to individual hobbits. I don’t know… it’s been a few years since I read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/February/2025 @ 12:45 am
Next time your harshest Hare, Vienna Sausage, makes a trail, you take the easy route and let Swan take the harder route. See who finishes first.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/February/2025 @ 2:46 am
The day that was and is no more
For the record, that’s not Swan sitting by the railing; it’s just some random stranger who happened to be there. I’m glad she enhanced the view with some perspective, though.
Oh. My mistake. I guess I misinterpreted “view from our table.” Now that I look at the woman’s silhouette again, I can tell that that’s not Swan.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/February/2025 @ 5:21 pm
The day the music died
As I was scrolling slowly down this post, I knew this would be the caption. You’re becoming predictable! But frankly, it’s the caption I would probably have used, too. Derelict guitar, death of music, easy connection.
Great house, crappy location
Because of the forbidding-looking fence, or was there really something wrong with the general location?
I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never gonna keep me down
This is a tree you’ve shown before, ja? Well, hello, tree.
re: walk/basketball video
Overall, much better focus. You’re still tilting the camera too much to the right, though. You really can’t tell? Just make the bottom of the cell phone parallel to the ground. Otherwise, you seem to be improving overall. Narration all the way through this time! Good commentary about local culture, some humor about “YouTube movie stars,” etc. All in all, thumbs up! Just work on that tilt.
Hello again
With enough wires to be reminiscent of Korea.
The view from our table
Why this is a great shot:
1. contrast of light and shadow (almost a chiaroscuro effect)
2. Swan off to one side, producing a wabi-sabi effect
3. horizon line = perfectly horizontal
4. the beach (and the railing by Swan) diagonals upward to the right, accenting the wabi-sabi effect and lending a bit of perspective
5. good contrast b/t intimate foreground and tiny people in the backgroundI could go on. This is stuff to remember for video as well.
Before he passed, he told me he regretted not spending his final healthy years with his family.
Do you ever think about your family in the States, or are you content to “black-sheep” it?
You heard of this guy, Kevin Kim?
Nope, but I have no doubt that assholes like me litter the annals of history.
And now I don’t even eat toast
So you comfort yourself with pecan pie and ice cream.
My blood pressure this month has been lower than I ever remember—in the one-teens over sixties.
Certain isometric exercises are supposed to be good for lowering BP. I was down to 109/73 this morning. One isometric exercise in particular, wall-sitting, is supposed to be especially beneficial for BP. I started doing it this week, 2 sets of 15 seconds. I wonder whether there’s any connection between my lower BP and the new exercise. Anyway, congrats on your own almost dangerously low BP. I still don’t get how you’re still alive despite all the shitty habits.
I’m going to ask Dr. Jo if I can stop taking my [blood-pressure] meds now.
I guess that’s how you’ll find out whether she’s in league with Big Pharma. Good luck with the chelation.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/February/2025 @ 6:50 pm
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Remember those? I’ve certainly used those typing skills I learned more than I ever used the algebra.
When I was in elementary school, we had an old neighbor across the way who had been raised on the old manual typewriters. He was freaked out by the at-the-time new electric typewriters, whose keys he found to be “too sensitive.” He’d absolutely hate my 2019 Mac’s chiclet keyboard.
I still want my laptop fixed.
I’m not sure why. It’s obvious the computer’s on its way out.
Looks like the pot of gold is somewhere in Kalaklan
When leprechauns came to the PI…
That reminds me of those old transactional relationships I couldn’t seem to avoid. I guess it made for more interesting blog posts, though.
“Couldn’t seem to avoid” sounds like leftist language for having no free will, and therefore no responsibility. I find your current arrangement much less frustrating to read about. It has the virtue of breaking the cycle of needless stupidity. Swan is a good, decent person, amazingly tolerant of your flaws, and I hope you never lose her.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/February/2025 @ 9:10 pm
Yeah, I was just using that old comedy line from SNL they’d throw out after mocking gays so as not to offend.
Was that SNL? I do remember that as a running joke on one episode of “Seinfeld.”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/February/2025 @ 7:42 am
Are you no longer moderating comments? My comments now appear directly on your blog without approval. Just thought you should know in case unmoderated comments are not intentional.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/February/2025 @ 11:53 pm
Kicking things off we an Alta Vista hill climb
I assume “we” is “with.”
Making it under the wire
How often does this constitute trespassing?
Streetwalkers and a goat
Now there’s a phrase that’s ripe for perverted misinterpretation.
My dad found a [gay-porn] magazine in my brother’s room, and woo boy, he went ballistic. I don’t recall the circumstances of how the magazine came to be there, but my bro is as straight as they come. Not that there’s anything wrong with it.
it = being straight? (Yes, I know what you meant. But pronouns need antecedents, and those antecedents have to be nouns.)
That sounds like one of those scenarios where the mag is given as a joke or a curiosity, then gets tucked away and forgotten about. Or maybe your bro was going through an experimental phase. Heh.
re: the post-Hash video
Good job at being steadier and more focused. Disappointing to see the ladies didn’t sit with bare bums on the ice.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/February/2025 @ 11:51 pm
«« Back To Stats PageSorry for the abrupt ending. I thought I had just paused the video, but when I tried to restart it, it had shut down.
Less tilt this time, so it’s a win. I can tell, though, that you’re still not planning ahead with your shots. I’m still seeing lots of sudden glances (i.e., sudden, whipping camera movements) and moments where you either fail to capture the central action or turn away before the action is completed. If you can, please try to make your camera work steadier and less distracted-looking.
There’s nothing wrong with applying your photography skills to your video work. I generally like your photos and think you have a natural knack for how you compose your shots. A lot of stuff is happening instantaneously in your head when you snap a picture, e.g., camera tilt(!). Without even realizing it, every time you take a shot, you’re quickly asking yourself a blizzard of questions like, What is the subject of this shot? Is it better to center it perfectly or to make it more dynamic by having it a bit off-center? What’s the most important aspect of the shot’s subject? Is it the girl or, more specifically, the girl’s happy grin as she receives candy? I can see you mentally asking and answering these questions as you compose and snap your photos.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with applying that skill to your videos. But with videos, since time is now a factor because these are moving images, your brain has to go from 2D to 3D, so instead of asking yourself, What’s the subject of this shot?, it might be better to ask yourself a “3D” question like “What event am I concentrating on?” E.g., if Swan is giving out candy, focus on her and the people who receive the candy, but without wavering from Swan since she’s the source of the generosity. See the story happening in front of you. Let it play out all the way. Videos like the ones you’re making are a strung-together series of little stories, little events, each with a focus. Stay focused and try not to pan back and forth distractedly. If you can compose your photos, I’m confident that you can learn to compose your video images.
It’s down at the end of this road
Damn, look at the gap in that brick wall. Just like in Korea. Older Korean houses all show off bad architecture and shoddy building skills (with the exception of traditional housing/buildings like hanok, Confucian schools, and temples).
But you can see Easter Mountain from here.
So is this the shot of Swan’s lot? If not, where is it?
I ordered fish and [c]hips from the Outback kitchen—lousy Dory fish. I ate only half and gave the rest to Swan and her group.
Is Dory really that bad? I’m not sure I’ve ever had it. Is the problem taste? Texture? Something else? Ideally, fish & chips should be made with a firm whitefish like cod (the gold standard) or tilapia (a bit thinner but not bad).
Eleven contestants this year. I knew two of them–Hershe from It Doesn’t Matter and Barbie from Green Room.
I was going to grouse that you didn’t point your acquaintances out in this picture, but you do point them out in pics and a video later on. “Hershe”… is that her compact way of presenting her pronouns?
Feel free to speed through the twelve minutes at triple speed.
Only up to 2X on my phone, alas.
Barbie is well known for her tattooed ass. I really don’t like it.
Well, she’s young and kind of firm now. In forty years, as she sags, the tattoo will go from shorts to long johns.
I’m surprised the Facebook goons didn’t flag this one
Maybe they’re waiting for someone to report you, Soviet-style.
I hope the Hash went well.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 17/February/2025 @ 9:33 pm