Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
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re: ACR
In Korea, it’s an ARC: alien-registration card.
Eithan
Is it really spelled that way? Yikes.
Okay, I guess I was a little drunk.
And that’s why you forget the Jos of the world.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/September/2022 @ 11:38 pm
I don’t mind it when you put up photos of the ladies showing some leg, but some of the pics of the guys wearing their too-loose shorts and exposing a little too much leg… that’s gotta stop, man. I don’t visit your blog for the man-thighs. I realize the PI is hot and humid, and a lot of you guys are past caring, but I guess I’m just a sensitive snowflake. Say no to man-thighs!
Other than that, I’ll congratulate you on another nice walk, even if parts of it were unwontedly slippery.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/September/2022 @ 7:03 pm
Well, congrats on the new housing prospects! The place sounds great, and since it’s on a hill, you don’t have to worry about flooding. Will you keep the house the same color, or will you repaint it? A big master bedroom for the housekeeper sounds like a great thing.
Somewhere in the middle of your blog post, it looks as if your period key stopped functioning. A paragraph or two later, things return to normal. Everything okay with your keyboard? I’m sad to have witnessed the Great Period Massacre of 2022.
You know way too many Joys. Something weird is going on. Maybe it’s like how, in Korea, when parents give their daughters Western names, they almost always choose “Grace” or “Eunice.” No idea why.
Marga looks kinda scary. I assume her name has no relation to the Hindu term marga, meaning “way.” The three principal ways of spiritual practice in Hinduism are karma marga (action), jnana marga (knowledge/study), and bhakti marga (loving devotion).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/September/2022 @ 3:59 pm
Those Skechers look nice. Do you think they could take the punishment of distance walking?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/September/2022 @ 9:24 pm
I was impressed by the size of the truck in that hammock photo. Damn.
Hike looks to have been good. Martin is indeed back!
How close were you to your friends in Korea compared to how close you are to your acquaintances in the PI? How many Filipinos do you count as hang-out buddies, or is it all expats (I assume you don’t actually hang out with the ladies you know in the mountains)?
I’ve got only one close Korean buddy here in Seoul (JW), and as I get older while my coworkers get younger, making more friends doesn’t seem likely. I’m not too exercised about that; as an introvert, I’m fine having only a handful of very good friends as opposed to having hundreds of friendly acquaintances. I’d rather the friendships be deep than superficial.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/September/2022 @ 10:59 pm
Fill your heart with a little Joy
I guess you were expecting Lucky to curl up like a cashew. Lucky has learned from Rian Johnson, director of the controversial “The Last Jedi,” to subvert expectations.
Well… you’re happy, the girls are happy, and everyone is aware of what everyone else is doing, so I guess it’s all good. As long as no one is lying to him- or herself about what’s really going on, you do you.
Less rain these days? Are you finally leaving the rainy/stormy season?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 23/September/2022 @ 8:54 pm
Nice weather, nice walk. Haven’t seen any pics of Martin in a while. How’s he doing?
Those were some award-winning hemorrhoids. I can never un-see that image. Thank you so much.
I should take one of your pictures of Joy and splice it with the ad via Photoshop to make a picture of Joy eating hemorrhoids. Got anyone in your kennel nicknamed Roideater? Roidmuncher? Roidiphage?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/September/2022 @ 5:47 pm
Well, you’re doing what good you can. Six kids, eh? It’s a neverending tide.
At first, that overhead shot of the cupcakes looked like chocolate truffles.
Looking forward to the hike pics.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/September/2022 @ 7:26 pm
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Regarding that “The traditional after-hike imbibing” pic: what an honor that Captain Picard elected to join you on your trek!
The PI looks gorgeous even when it’s raining.
Seen this video? Would love to have your thoughts on it.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/September/2022 @ 6:26 pm
Burrito looks good! You’re definitely improving. Are you frying the burrito without any oil, or are you using something like butter, vegetable oil, or mayonnaise?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 19/September/2022 @ 4:41 pm
No desire to reconnect more intensely with your blood relatives? You’ve very occasionally written lovingly about your granddaughter Gracyn; your son Kevin gets a mention a couple times a year, and one of your daughters does, too. You feel no motivation to visit the American branches of your family several times a year, now that you’re retired and certainly have the bucks to do so? Why might that be?
To be clear, I’m not accusing you of anything: I certainly have no moral leg to stand on regarding family. After all, I’m not on speaking terms with my dad, as you know, and I have pretty emotionally strong reasons for never wanting to see that person again. I do miss my mom intensely, though, even all these years after her death.
Koreans in general have a very strong sense of family; they often think Westerners tend to be colder, e.g., when it comes to kids’ gaining their independence and leaving the nest. While many Western parents can and do experience empty-nest syndrome, Koreans feel that sort of thing much more keenly, partly because Korean society is less individualistic and more group-oriented. So there’s a trade-off in terms of cultural values and personal satisfaction. Koreans may have a stronger sense of family, but Korean kids become independent, functioning adults much later in life than American kids, with many Korean boys (in particular) not learning commonsense things like how to take care of themselves, how to do chores, etc. All that’s done by Mom, then later by the military. When Korean guys get married, their wives take on the role of the mother—the guy goes from being taken care of by his biological mother to being mothered by his wife. And from the wife’s point of view, taking care of her husband is a lot like taking care of her very first child—before she even has a baby of her own. The newlywed husband is the first baby, requiring constant care. Korean men often grow up spoiled and knowing nothing.
At the same time, I can see why Koreans think the Western way is cold. “Boy, I can’t wait until the kids are finally outta the house” is a thought you’ll never hear expressed by Korean parents, but it’s a common sentiment I’ve heard expressed in the States. So maybe your emotional distance from your own family is just a function of being Western. Then again, I look at my French host family, and despite it being a stereotypically huge Catholic brood, all the family members, of several generations, remain warmly in contact with each other. My French “brother” Dominique’s parents, whom I call Maman and Papa, live only 700 meters away from Dominique.
Zooming back a bit, I’d say that you’re definitely in a bind of your own making. If you don’t reach out often to your family, why would they feel motivated to reach out to you? And given your chickadee-chasing lifestyle, which makes sense to you given the crowd you hang out with (“everybody here does it”), your American relatives probably look on that with a degree of queasiness. From your perspective, they might seem prudish. From their perspective, they may be wondering why you didn’t find someone years ago and settle down with her. Maybe your frequently serial monogamy has made you some sort of black sheep among your US relatives!
I don’t know. I’m only speculating. In the end, though, if you feel that your emotional distance from your family is a problem, then if it’s urgent enough, you’ll do something to solve the problem. If you distantly think it’s a problem but feel no immediate urge to solve it, then the status quo will simply continue until you’re six feet under. And in the event of your demise, people might not even know that you’re gone if you’ve got no system in place for informing them. The ripples you leave in life depend upon the ripples you choose to make. If you’re really looking to make a big splash in the world, then you’ll need to engage yourself in a massive, high-risk project that results in a splash—whatever “splash” might mean: emotional impact among your blood relatives? The fame and fortune that come from writing a memoir? Something else? Only you can determine that.
There’s probably a desire for immortality lurking in everyone’s heart. “Making an impact,” or even “being mourned”—these are ways to gain some sort of continuation, some way to continue rippling forward in other people’s lives. But people who retreat from potential and actual loved ones can’t really expect to be remembered by those who count. The women you’re currently helping with your money? Well, I don’t doubt it’s a noble gesture you’re making, but I can’t shake the feeling that you’re merely throwing good money after bad, and in such situations, why would the recipients of your generosity bother to remember you? It might be different—as with the student(s) you’re sponsoring—when your dedication to a single life, over a long period of time, can help bring meaning. That ought to engender a feeling of gratitude for what you’ve done, especially if your gestures of care are more than just financial, e.g., by involving yourself personally in the life/lives of the student(s) you’re sponsoring. Those people are, ideally, the ones who will remember you when it’s time for remembrance.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 18/September/2022 @ 9:06 pm
Five of us turned up, and it fell on me to lead the way.
I see 5 people in that first hike photo, not including you. So… six turned up?
The hike looks to have been nice. As for the SOB contest… does it all ever blend together and start to feel like more of the same, or is it constantly fresh every week?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 17/September/2022 @ 5:37 pm
May all your beer be frothy.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 16/September/2022 @ 6:12 pm
Damn—and I see I’ve misspelled President Marcos’s name: it should be Bongbong, one word, only one capital letter (reference).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/September/2022 @ 8:47 pm
Oh, yeah—congrats to President Bong Bong for making the right call.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/September/2022 @ 8:24 pm
Death defyers
So close! But it’s “defiers.” I know that’s strange, given that we say “death-defying,” with a “y.” All the same: defy, defied, defying, defier.
The older lady in your “Friendly natives” pic has the sweetest smile. You ever get to wondering what the story is with each of the people you meet, especially the older ones? If you started talking to these folks in depth, I bet you’d never run out of interesting stories. Each person is a universe of experiences.
As for the offer of an out-of-town weekend trip: sounds awesome! I look forward to the pics of new sights and new food.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 15/September/2022 @ 8:22 pm
The first stop of the day was a visit to the immigration office. My replacement ACR (alien registration) card was supposed to be ready for pick up in three weeks. I waited for four just to be sure. Alas, it still wasn’t available. I’ll try again next week.
God, it’s like living in Italy. “Meh… it’ll get done when it gets done.”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/September/2022 @ 4:46 pm
Interesting, indeed.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/September/2022 @ 6:03 am
Riddle me this:
(1) You guys are Hash House Harriers.
(2) A “harrier” is a type of bird.
(3) The ensemble of your membership is called a “kennel.”So are you birds or dogs?
(Or, like the Everly Brothers song, are you bird dogs?)
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/September/2022 @ 6:17 pm
Bars of Barretto: John’s Sushi and Steak
So, I’m guessing John’s place is only #11, and not higher, because of the price factor. For some weird reason, I always imagine John cooking all the food, but in reality, he has a trained staff doing all that work, right? And I’m further guessing they’re specialized cooks: you can’t have a single chef zipping back and forth between sushi and hamburgers. (Or can you?)
Anyway, this post pairs nicely with the post in which you displayed John’s extensive menu. That menu gave me a pretty clear idea of what his resto was like in terms of cuisine, but today’s post supplemented that by showing the place’s ambiance.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/September/2022 @ 2:53 pm
Day turns into night, night turns into day.
Not sure why, but I started laughing when I saw Jesus on that cross. Imagine no cross, but with Jesus in that same posture. Doesn’t he look like some ninja leaping down from a height to make the kill?
I agree: if a taco is the size and shape of a canoe, it’s no longer a taco.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/September/2022 @ 4:47 pm
Reading Instapundit is enough to make one wonder who the worst enemies are—the ones outside of US borders or the ones within.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/September/2022 @ 7:12 pm
Sorry to hear that one of your haunts is closing—and not for any good reason. A lot of people in this world seem to have no clue how capitalism ought to work, or they know but just don’t care. Ah, well. Here’s hoping the staff can find work elsewhere.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/September/2022 @ 5:08 pm
Maybe you should include some eateries in your pub-crawl map as a way to break up the constant drinking.
It occurs to me, though, that you don’t actually need a map to design a pub crawl: everyone local who might participate in such an event already knows where all the bars are. You just need a map for yourself to figure out routes that make geographical sense. Making a map for us readers to be able to follow your (mis)adventures would just be icing on the cake.
Glad to know the docs were of some help. Here’s hoping your problem(s) clear up soon.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/September/2022 @ 8:02 pm
I hope the doc proves helpful. I’ll be curious to hear what s/he says.
62 seems awfully young to be kickin’ it, but if Don was an inveterate smoker, then there we are. Sorry to hear he’s gone. My condolences.
Read your review of Lux and thought of the French poem by Baudelaire, “L’invitation au voyage” (Invitation to Travel), which has a refrain: “luxe, calme, et volupté” (literally, “luxury, calm, and voluptuousness,” but more like “sumptuousness” in the context of the poem).
Actually, though, the original Latin lux meant “light” (totally different root from
“luxury”). It’s where we get the name Lucifer from: “light-bearer.” Less demonically, girls’ names like Lucy and Lucia come from lux. The bar certainly has an entrance filled with light.» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/September/2022 @ 5:02 pm
You sponsor a lot of folks, and many of them seem thankful. Good for you! There are treasures stored up for you in heaven—the Bible’s way of talking about good karma.
Good luck with your lungs! You kinda need those.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/September/2022 @ 4:16 pm
Grammarly’s awfully kind assessment is another reason not to trust it. Are you subscribed to it or something?
If you don’t want to buy and learn Photoshop, I think there are plenty of Photoshop equivalents you can use for free online. I don’t think you even have to download a program—just upload the image to be worked on, then save when you’re done. Here are four that I found right away:
Pixlr
fotor
Adobe Express
CanvaYou’re probably gonna need the following capabilities for your map:
– resize photos
– add text and graphicsHappy exploring!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/September/2022 @ 7:05 pm
Sandwich at the end looks good! The trail, while beautiful, looks treacherous, especially that muddy descent and that area where you need roots for footholds. Yikes. At least you’ve lived to Hash another day!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/September/2022 @ 5:59 pm
“food processer”
Sorry—”food processOR.”
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/September/2022 @ 5:45 pm
«« Back To Stats PageI notice that, in a lot of pics where Joy bites into something, she makes a show of baring her teeth. “Eeeee!”
So how much of that carrot cake did you make? And why was it in a pie tin? More exposed surface on the cake = more icing—the best part of a carrot cake for me!
If grating carrots is an annoyance, get a food processer. Grating is done in seconds. The only problem with a food processor is that you have to clean it, and that can be a bitch.
Omelet looks good!
Yeah, slippery surfaces are the bane of my existence. As a big guy, I’m always petrified of falling. You have my sympathies.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/September/2022 @ 5:42 pm