Filipino style.
Ate dinner at Tequila Reef in AC and was more than satisfied with the quality and quantity of my platter. Shredded beef taco, shredded beef enchilada and chicken enchilada, plus beans and rice. Set me back 360 pesos, or about $7.50.
Definitely the best Mexican I have experienced since leaving the USA.
Open air darts that is. Spent some pleasant hours yesterday at the Blue Boar Inn chucking darts in the upstairs open air dart bar. The temp was hotter than my darts, which actually doesn’t say much because the same statement would be true if it were December in Alaska. But actually I played alright.
The proprietor of the Blue Boar is Jimmy Dale, who is known around town as Harry the Horse. You can read his monthly newsletter here if you are so inclined. Great guy and enjoys the game of darts. Even invited me to play on his team. Which I might consider if I’m willing to make a weekly trip down from Subic. We’ll see…
Jimmy and his upstairs open air dart bar at the Blue Boar…
We played a nice 9 leg set (cricket, 301 DIDO, and 501) of which I managed to eek out a 5-4 victory. Then he called in an Aussie teammate who put a pretty good ass-whuppin on me. I had a great time though.
…and workin’ overtime.
Well, not really. But I am getting some things done. Had a good meeting with the Special Resident Retirement Visa (SSRV) representative and came away with a whole new list of things to be done. Some I can do now, others will have to wait until I return in September.
Right now I’m fixin’ to head over to the medical clinic for the exam required for all SSRV applicants. Then I’ll go to the mall and have 14 2×2 photographs made of my handsome mug. 12 for the SSRV, and two for the bank. I need to open a Philippine bank account in order to make the required SSRV deposit.
Anyway, I’m getting about by the most common* means of transport in the Philippines (and my least favorite)–the trike.
This is my happy driver from yesterday, anticipating charging me the foreigner tax for a short ride (about twice the fare he could get away with for a local). Ah well, we’re talkin’ the difference between 50 cents and a dollar here, so I don’t sweat it. My problem is folding my oversized body into the sidecar. It ain’t pretty or comfortable, trust me on that!
*I guess the Jeepney might be the most popular means of mass transit, but the trike takes the place of taxi’s, generally. Although taxi do exist, just not so much in AC.
I arrived safely and without incident at midnight. Drank some SML’s and went to bed. Woke up, ate, exchanged some dollars for pesos, walked to the mall, bought a cell phone (Samsung!), walked back to the room, and now I’m posting this play by play account of my exciting trip. Next I’m going to take a trike to the Perimeter road area and meet with the SSRV (retirement visa) counselor.
Needless to say, it has been an outstanding trip thus far!
One of the highlights occurred on the bus to the Airport. I just love some of the English naming conventions adopted by Korean businesses, both large and small. Like this:
Perhaps their motto is “we take the convenience out of convenience store”.
At the mall today I was reminded that wherever you go in the world, you are never far from Korea.
More great stuff like this to follow…
…the wonderful wizard of immigration for the Republic of the Philippines. Among other things.
10 days of adventure in AC, Subic/Olongapo, and Manila. If you call house hunting and dealing with bureaucrats an adventure.
Well, it won’t be all work. I’m taking my darts and looking forward to quaffing a couple a few San Miguel Lights along the way…
I’m taking along the camera, so chances are you’ll see some photographic evidence of the trip here at LTG soon enough.
See y’all on the other side.
…and the law won. Don’t it always?
My first traffic infraction in nearly six years in Korea. And my last ticket before that was back in 2000. It seems that one of the ubiquitous traffic cameras caught me doing 76 km/h in a 60 km/h zone. Actually, I don’t tend to be a lead foot driver. I’m guessing this occurred during the transition from a 80 km/h speed limit. Yep, the age old speed trap appears to be a global phenomenon.
It appears flaunting the law is going to set me back 70,000 won.
So says Glenn Reynolds regarding Obama’s Katrina. Hard to argue the fact that there seems to be one common denominator to the problems we are facing in America these days.
Well, according to Bill Press, the problem is not Obama. The problem is Americans.
I think this says more about the American people than it does about President Obama. I think it just shows once again that the American people are spoiled. Basically, spoiled– as a people, we are too critical. We are quick to rush to judgment, we are too negative, we are too impatient. Especially impatient. We want it all solved yesterday, and if you don’t, I don’t care who you are — get out of the way.
And again, basically spoiled. To the point where it makes me wonder if it’s even possible to govern today. I gotta tell you, I don’t think Abraham Lincoln — who certainly didn’t get everything right the first time — could govern today. I’m not sure Franklin Roosevelt could govern today, the way we are again. Just about like spoiled children. And it’s Americans, and it’s the media, and if we don’t get instant gratification, then screw you is basically our attitude.
Well, ok then. I’m spoiled for wanting competent leadership. Mianhamneeda.
Then again, Charles Krauthammer takes a look at the man behind the curtain and finds an empty suit. All I can say in response is: Krauthammer, grow up and stop acting like a spoiled child!”
And pass me some more of that Kool-Aid.
Hell if I know, but looking back at these old advertisements I’m just wondering why I am even alive…
See, it is probably not my fault I love beer so much, I might have been raised on it…
…and maybe this explains my cravings for Diet Coke…
Well, thanks to the Internets I can now download all my favorite TV shows and watch them continuously without commerical interruption. Thanks Mom!
Hmmm, coincidentally or not, Mom quit smoking right about the time I moved out of the house…
Hey, as Sawyer Brown said:
I’ve got to thank momma for the cookin’
Daddy for the whoopin’
The devil for the trouble that I get into
I’ve got to give credit where credit is due–
I thank the bank for the money,
Thank God for you!
Freedom and Democracy are beautiful things. And so are the women of the Czech parliament. Or at least the ones who posed for this calendar.
Czech out these samples (more at the link):
I guess in the game of politics, it would have to be Czech-mate for me.
Hat Tip: PowerLine
If everyone is racist, does that mean no one is?
Seriously.
Let’s see. There’s Arizona.
Then we have the NAACP calling the Tea Party folks racist.
And the Tea Party says the NAACP is racist.
Well, it is no surprise that the Black Panthers are racist.
And Obama says that al Qaeda is racist.
Hell, apparently even Hallmark greeting cards are racist.
It’s all so confusing.
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, gave a commencement address at Princeton that I found moving. Perhaps you will too. The talk was entitled “We are what we choose” and one of the points he makes is that it is easier to be clever than kind. He concluded his remarks with:
I will hazard a prediction. When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story.
Go read the rest, it is well worth your time.
I’ve kinda fallen off the posting wagon of late here, haven’t I? Not to make excuses (as I proceed to do so) but I’ve just been a tad out of sorts here of late. When the going gets overwhelming, my tendency is retreat into numbing mindlessness.
So these past several days have found me escaping into the world of CIV IV (and doing pretty well, thank you) and watching countless espisodes of House (I’m halfway through season six now!).
That hasn’t left much time for the blog. But what’s to write anyway? Politics is not exactly a bore, but I find it increasingly difficult to watch Obama and his team of clowns and fools systematically deconstruct everything that once made America great. Which is not to say that politics is not in the future here at LTG, but I’m waiting for something inspiring. Hey, maybe the elections in November will bring good cheer…
But really, I think it is my impending retirement and move to the Philippines that has put me off my game. I have a great job and the career has been so much more than I ever imagined possible. Lucky I have been! Still, I do know it is time to let go and do something else (or nothing at all) for awhile. I just don’t have the passion for it anymore. I think this passionlessness is most notably manifested in my escalating inability to tolerate bullshit. And trust me, working for the government is the Kingdom of Bovine Excrement. Although I will miss the people and the security of a well paid position of responsibility, I can let go and move on. I really can.
So, moving on means moving on to the Philippines. But oddly enough, I can’t seem to generate as much excitement for the reality of that proposition as I could for the dream. I’m not exactly sure why that is and that fact has created a sense of foreboding and dissonance of late.
Well, there I’ve said it out aloud. And no, I don’t feel particularly better for having done so. The fact is I have built a very nice life for myself here in Korea. As the days dwindle down I’m realizing just how much I’m going to miss living here amongst the friends I have made. So, there’s that.
I’m going to be heading out to the PI on Thursday and will stay for 10 days. It’s really a business trip. Taking care of the business of securing a visa, a house to live in, and a sense that I am moving to a place where I belong.
I told myself I’d give it a year and see what happens. And that’s what I plan to do. I’d just prefer that the year feel like time spent in paradise rather than jail.
It’s a hot day. And the lake is dark and cold. It’s a little scary to contemplate jumping in, because the shock of hitting that water is bound to be…what? Painful? Perhaps, but once I’m aclimated I expect it will be refreshing.
And if I’m wrong? Well, I reckon I will just get my ass out of the lake and go look for a hot tub.
Or something.
(Mt. Pinatubo in Northern Luzon nearby where I expect to be living in September)
So for the Independence Day weekend, we took a roadtrip out to the West Sea on Korea’s, well, west coast. Now, to the rest of the world, this is known as the Yellow Sea. It would only make sense to call it the West Sea if Korea were the center of the universe. Oh wait. I’ve answered my own question.
Anyway, the weekend started and ended with overcast days and rainy nights. It all worked out fine though. Saw some excellent countryside on the drive, which was really the point of the trip, before encamping at Daechon Beach in Boryeong. This is the site of the famous (well, famous enough to have a Wikipedia entry) annual Boryeong Mud Festival. Missed it this year by 2 weeks (it begins on the 17th) which is a good thing. Room rates triple and I imagine things get a tad crowded. Saturday and Sunday were pretty hoppin’ as it was.
Anyway, it was a good trip. Photos pretty much suck, but here they are anyway:
Stopped at the Hwaseong rest area/foodcourt/gas station along the highway. It seemed like half the population of Korea was there as well, but really the facility was built to handle volume and thing went rather smoothly.
The food court options were numerous if you were in the mood for something Korean. Me, I was was craving a Big Mac…
Cripes, where did I park?
Hey, somebody stole the West Sea! No, the tide was out near Amyeong…
Barbecue shell for dinner at a seaside restaurant in Daechon…
Preparations for the mud festival were in full swing. Bali Bali!
The view from my night 2 room. I stayed on the beach the first night, but damn, Koreans like to beach party all night long. Loudly! Actually, I could still hear them clearly from my off the beach venue as well.
Typical Daechon architecture. The big blue motel sign marks the spot of my first night’s residence.
By Monday morning the crowds had left and Daechon took on a more serene posture.
The Yellow West Sea.
It is always nice to get out of town and see that there is a whole ‘nother world and lifestyle beyond the concrete environs of Seoul.
From Glen Reynolds:
Actually, the reason the oil cleanup is so slow is that there’s no oil spill at all. Oil’s just a cover story. It’s really aliens on the seafloor. That’s why the press is being kept away, and that’s why they’re preparing the public by floating stories about the possibility of nuking the site. Those skimmer ships aren’t cleaning things up, they are actually releasing oil to support the cover story. That’s why they’ve found lame excuses to keep volunteers and foreign assistance away. It’s all obvious once you think about it! Wake up, sheeple!
And if you want to argue about it, read this first…
Kevin Lee got married Saturday to the beautiful Lauren. She’s a sweet gal whose love for my son is something to behold. I know she will make him a happy man. Kevin, you done good!
Here comes the bride:
Heh, how many times have you heard someone say that?
Anyway, Happy Canada Day!
Er, not so much…
“This week’s spending cut, developed by Phil Gingrey, addresses one of the perpetual roadblocks to American private-sector job creation and economic recovery: federal-employee unions,” Cantor announced. “There are many who collect generous salaries and benefits entirely paid for by taxpayers while simultaneously working for unions that spend a lot of money on political activities and lobbying. Taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize a union’s activities. Not only is this a bum deal for the American people, it also wastes well over $100 million a year and more than a $1 billion over the next decade. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for this fair and fiscally responsible proposal.”
The schizophrenic American left is always entertaining:
And let’s flash back to good ol’ Harry Reid:
Liberal advocacy groups and senators at the time accused Petraeus of misrepresenting the success of the surge of nearly 40,000 troops. …
[Harry] Reid told CNN in April of 2007 he did not believe Petraeus’s claim that the surge was working in Iraq.
“I don’t believe him, because it’s not happening,” Reid said. “All you have to do is look at the facts.”
At a press conference a few months later, Reid said: “For someone, whether it’s Gen. Petraeus or anyone else, to say things are great in Baghdad isn’t in touch with what’s going on in Baghdad, even though he’s there and I’m not.”
Well Harry, someone is a fool but it ain’t the General…