Chilling at home...on my vacation aka lockdown...

Here I am at my pc I just walked 5 km and I feel great. I am going to spend some time making a recording (work-related) and check on my boys' work. Then it will be eve online for a few hours then I will go on another 4km walk. Eat dinner watch a movie chill, then go on another walk with Yogita. Usually, we go on two walks a day. Right after work, then 20-30 minutes after dinner. The total range is about 6 km, although sometimes we do more. Feels great to just walk (social distancing in mind). We choose a route that has no other people around. More wooded areas or agricultural areas. Also, those routes are easy for us to map out and get the right range. Every day of the week we do different things at home after work. So this means the time spent exercising changes as well. Now the boys are taking long walks to get some exercise as well. Of course, they take the dog with them which is actually a very good thing. Our dog needs to burn off a lot of energy. 

So here we go. The situation is not good in Iksan due to the city not really going into lockdown. While I was walking today the afternoon rush hour looked...normal. There was an outbreak at a daycare center. The City needs to shut down and they need to help everyone and I mean EVERYONE out with cash payments for a minimum of two weeks. They should have done this three weeks ago. However, they know that small and medium-sized businesses will get hit very hard and people will get really upset. 

It also annoys me that people are still traveling around. PC rooms were still in operation. Kids are not as careful as adults. One boy became a community spreader last week after he visited a pc room for hours!

Instead of locking down private academies (cram schools are another name that is used) went on "vacation", while schools are still running! So I am going to keep being careful. We are now living with this virus. 

/tata

Starting a new year...well in a week..

 This past year has been nuts. There is so much controversy surrounding this pandemic. On one hand, there is proof that this was a planned event. A way for world powers to exert more control over their respective population. There is another move to make a modern-day Babalon. Basically, a world order in which basically we are all controlled by one central power, using one basic currency. 

Then there is fact that this virus is killing people means that it does exist. My cousin like all of us around the world gets flu-like symptoms every fall or winter. Yet this year he dies? This flu is new to our immune systems. Due to this, there is a chance for able-bodied people to be killed by it. The answer lies in a number of factors that doctors have learned about this virus. 

Then there was a mask issue. Here is the thing with viruses, they are VERY small. Next to bacteria, the virus is like a dot. However, viral particles are suspended in droplets that stay suspended in the air. This is the main danger. Also, we humans love touching our faces. This virus survives for some hours on surfaces. So yes Masks do work. I have not gotten the seasonal cold this year. Last year I had mild flu-like symptoms yet this year...I have had none. 

Workwise this year was very strange as well. Wearing masks washing my hands twice during class. Spraying down the desks in between classes. I think we should keep up with these procedures as I have not gotten sick teaching this year. I think wearing masks during flu season or in the winter is important, and should be continued. 

I have a vacation (it is actually a shutdown but falls nicely into our normal vacation time). It is not really a vacation. I still must socially distance myself (along with my family). I miss meeting many of the new friends I have met here in Iksan but I have to stay safe. I know that if I am found to be the vector that brought the virus into the school that I teach in...I will be blamed. It is basic human nature. Blamed shamed and out of a job. I think there are better ways to end our stay in South Korea than that. 

So this new year will look about the same for the first several months. Especially as millions and millions get vaccinated. 

So goodbye 2020 and hello 2021.

Walking has been great this week. I should beat my previous record last week!

/tata

Parrots vs Real fluency.

 Being a teacher here in South Korea you see all kinds of methodology in the classroom. ALL KINDS. After working for a large academy in Gunsan for a few months Yogita and I had a long conversation about what we saw. 

Basically, we were producing parrots. They could memorize passages in a book, or text book. However, they could not form ideas or opinions based on that. When we used Story books the kids would first actually learn how to read the new book. They were able to identify new sounds by breaking them down phonetically. However, because of the parrot like nature of private schools here we kept the kids reading the same book for far too long. The actual knowledge was lost because they had to read the same book over and over again. 

What this produced was a child that when asked to read a select book could produce the sounds. In other words they "sound" fluent. That is until you ask them question related to the story. Then you see the stuttering struggling to make a complete sentence. They do not have the ability to speak about certain topics. General topics are impossible for them to discuss. The main issue? Parents dominate this business. Owners of this private schools are not stupid. They know if they offer something that is too radical, or new they will lose business. 

Yogita and I started teaching our own "side" curriculum. We would take the kids out of class room to show them the parts of a plant. We would take them to an open market to show them anatomy of  fish. Basically, we made learning fun and engaging. Kids would look forward to coming to class. 

What I want to say is it frustrating to work in an industry that is killing itself. The older generation of Korean parents are not in academies anymore. The new generation is smarter, more aware. The old norms in South Korea are dying everyday. TV dramas show this. Parents today will just pull a kid out of a school and try another school. In the old days if a kid could "read" a book, and they sounded American boom job done! Today, parents are more aware of bullshit like this. I talk to them all of the time.

Last year I used my old style. It was met with negativity not from the parents, but from my boss. So I stopped. I became a parrot again. I hope the new year will bring some changes. I can not and will not teach in that way for another year. It is so boring and mind numbing. It pains me to have kids excited to learn about nothing. It pains me because they are not actually learning. They are just really good parrots, with an amazing memory. There is hope on the horizon. I think that someone knows about our style of teaching. They are watching and copying Yogita. I hope they continue to do so. They will make kids happy to learn English. 

I had a kid in my class yesterday say: "Ah I hate today, I have Math academy and English academy today". Then in the next moment he excitedly said "Well no I love Jemal teachers class! It is fun!" I felt bad for him. He was happy being a parrot.

I hope to walk about 6 kms today.

/tata 

Fiat currency...do not ignore cryto currency

Fiat money is a currency (a medium of exchange) established as money, often by government regulation, that does not have intrinsic value. Fiat money does not have use value (inherent utility, such as a cow or beaver pelt might have), and has value only because a government maintains its value, or because parties engaging in exchange agree on its value. This taken from Wikipedia. What this means is that money we use today has been agreed upon by powerful governments. 

What gives them this power? It is the people themselves. What happens when people no longer have faith in such systems? That currency loses value. A while ago I made a mistake with a post of mine. It was related to the first covid-19 stimulus package. Each American was to be given 1200 dollars. Unemployed people would be given a certain amount each week. Of course you unemployment would have to be a result of covid-19. It must suck to out of work months before this pandemic and still you are left out. 

Crypto currency can not be ignored as quirky or weird. It is set in a system what has a very real transparency. This is known as the ledger. This file is downloaded by everyone mining and using that crypto currency. This money in the form of digital coins is obtained by using computers to break complex algorithm. Once that is solved a coin is awarded. These are not something a single computer can do alone. People use many machines, or they join together in large groups to mine digital coins. Here is the issue though. Having your pc running 24/7 will increase you electricity bill. However, not to a crazy degree. A computer, or perhaps 2 or 4 pc's will not use as much energy as say one air conditioner. 

Wow ok so we can use fiat currency to "mine" digital coins. This is something we all need to do. Governments, and powerful individuals like this system. It uses a self checking, self recording system called a block chain, and ledger. Together they record EVERY financial transaction that has ever occurred. This is due to the fact that EVERYONE has this record. Today those records are on banks servers. They can be manipulated with out our knowledge. 

Even governments are working on developing block chain technology of their own. 

So yeah I will go back to mining bit coins, or some other widely used crypto currency. 

Walking this week is coming along really well I walked 7.5 kms yesterday!

/tata

Technology and kids

 Things were so different when I was a kid. Every ten years you could see HUGE advances in tech. When I was a kid of course I was into video games and all of the console systems that were out. I remember my mother finally caving and helping us buy our first system the 16bit super nintendo. It was awesome. Years later my brothers and I upgraded to the playstation 1. It was worlds batter! 

Fast forward to today we have small computers in our hands that would make pc's of ten years ago sweat bullets. With tiny gpus that can draw beautiful games on 5 to 7 inch screens. 

I feel that it is important to limit tech to kids. They should be gradually introduced to to it. Our boys have been gradually exposed to tech. There were hiccups along the way. However, limiting and monitoring access to the internet has saved us from some horror stories.

Today what we carry around in our pockets are so helpful but also very dangerous. 

Walking last week was nice we actually walked 4 kms on Sunday but the app will count it towards this week. In my mind I always start the week on Monday not Sunday. 

So about 7kms on average last week! Planning 6.5 kms today! (12/21/2020)

/tata

Parenting....

Some people believe that you are a real family if you have children. I disagree. On the subject of kids many parents today are taking the easy (yet very hard) way of raising thier kids. What I mean is teaching basic disapline at home. I do not mean beating the crap out of a baby. I mean setting rules and making sure the little one understands that they must follow those rules. 

With our boys it meant tantrums at home, or even in a supermarket. Our strategy was first above all we had to be on the same team. Recently my oldest son told my wife that he was surprised that "mom and dad" told each other things. A crying child is normal. As humans we all need to express our feelings. Some of those are not so nice. When our boys would throw a tantrum I picked them up and took them to the car. I let them cry and cry. When they calmed down I would restate that they can not have this toy or whatever it was that started the tantrum. Lets just say after a while we had very calm kids when we would go shopping. 

Eating. Kids hate certain textures, or flavors. With our oldest it was garlic. Lets just say he really enjoys it today, due to teaching him that food is to eaten, and even though it is wierd at first it is actually really nice. I have memories of teaching Jeyo to eat all of his food. Now the boy eats MORE THAN ME. We all try new foods from time to time and it is alot of fun. The teaching part isn't. Actually, it gets more fun as your child starts to want to copy what you do. There is that rough bit a first. Most important having a husband and wife work TOGETHER is the key. Well it is the key for us. 

Respect. This trumps everything I said before. Kids will see how you treat each other. If dad abuses mom, it creates a horrible atmosphere. The child will either hate the father, or resent and treat the mother badly. This goes both ways.When we argue today our sons are very relaxed. They know it is no big deal. 

Anyways it is time to start classes. A small city nearby just raised its social distancing alert level to 2.5. 

Ugh. 

Walking: Yesterday was awesome! We walked for over 9 kilometers. Of course we had some chores to do which resulted in the extra walking. So this week is off to a strong start.

/tata

An odd strange year

As we are in the last month of this year and with the holidays right around the corner 2020 will end. However, it will always live on in our memories and a very strange year. I feel odd if I do not have a mask on and I am in public. If I go to a restaurant that does not know me I feel on edge. Foreigners have gotten some negative treatment in Korea as spreaders of this virus, even though 99% of those spreading it are in fact Korean. 

I have not seen the lower half of many of my students' faces. This feels normal now. Walking on the street I get annoyed when I see others wearing their mask improperly, or coughing without doing it the proper way. When I go on walks with Yogita and look in restaurants and see them full of people I wonder why are they playing a game of Russian roulette. 

Not meeting my friends (we have made many new friends here in Iksan), is now a normal thing. Even though they make plans to meet each other we usually stay away. I recently had a nightmare in which I spread the virus to our boys and one of them died. UGH. 

Gaming...seeing larger than normal numbers of people online, then realizing that they are in lockdown. Temporary lockdowns are another odd normal we face. My smartphone beeping and beeping with warnings are tracing and tracking current coronavirus confirmed virus cases.

In the back of my mind especially when I am alone I have a great fear that I will lose a family member in the States to this deadly virus. That happened last week. Is this something that will be a horrible strange new normal? 

So today should be a good day for us. We will spend time together and get some walking in. Likely we will go to a park near our home and chill there for a bit. I am finding some new dramas for us to watch.

So I am happy to finish a week, and hope that our local caseload drops. 

/tata

Did very little walking yesterday so basically it was a rest day. 

2800 calories burned so far this week...

Some nice changes..

 We started our evening walks on November 1st. Since then I feel much stronger. My legs feel charged.  I also get better sleep, and digestion is much improved. I also feel that my stress levels are MUCH lower. Even with the terrible losses of last week I am able to process and cope while walking. 

I have lost some wieght but more noteable is that swelling on my body has been reduced. I have seen this on Yogita as well. She has seen her edurance increase, reduced sweeling, and she has lost wieght. 

What I am aiming for is to have a regular routine that if we skip it we will feel like our day is not complete. Even if we join a fitness club our daily walks will not stop. So next year we will make sure that all of us will have good shoes for walking. In the summer I will bring a change of clothes to change into for my evening walk. So if I join a fitness club it will only be better for me, and Yogita.

walking 7.5 kms

/tata

Second hand stuff...

I love using second hand items. There is a sense of not wasting useful things. For me I usually buy pc compenents second hand (if I see properly priced item). Cars are another thing I'd rather buy second hand as they lose market value so fast it, yet the vehicle is still very enjoyable to drive. 

Pc parts if taken care of can last a long time. So many people go to pc repair shops with a pc that is actually NOT broken! They do not understand malware, or the difference between HDD and SSD. They do understand that most of thier issues stem from connectors that get dirty over time. I have "fixed" many gpus over and over again just by cleaning them and reseating them. The PC shop tells the customer your gpu is dead buy this one. They take that "broken" gpu clean it up test it then resell it. Usually at a higher price. 

In Korea it is so hard to find a second hand seller who sells items at the right price. They sell 7 or 10 year old systems or components for 10% less than new. You should be able to buy a decent 9th gen gpu with 3rd or 4th cpu based system for 200-300 bucks. A bit more for a monitor. That is with a good sized ssd, not those 128 gig drivevs you see in budget systems. 128 gigs of ssd storage is a joke. 

Cars are a bit more consistant just do not expect to get a good deal on reselling your car to a second hand dealer. It is best to junk it or sell to a friend. 

Yogita and I walk into a second hand pc shop. He has components EVERYWHERE! This is like a dream to me. I see a 10 year old monitor a 27 inch model, which is not a big name brand. Should be 50-70,000 won. The condition was good. If buying from a friend I would not pay more than 50,000 won. 

Anyways the man gives me that up and down look. He sees that we are well dressed carrying Galaxy Note smartphones. He then slowly says 170,000 won! LOL I broke into a grin and laughed. I told him thanks but no thanks and we left. Even at 70,000 it is a bit expensive but he needs to make some profit. However, for 170,000 you can get a new monitor. They do this for a range of compenents and complete systems. Sometimes they use a cheap case with rgb lighting to fool people in to thinking it is worth more than it is.

There are some excellent places in Gunsan and Seoul that I know of but....covid-19 means....I stay local.

I am going to give that guy another chance though. 

walking 7kms yesterday

/tata

Still running..

There was only one more case recorded today. So I am feeling optimistic that by January things will be back to "normal". Perhaps the social distance alert level will go down to 1.5 or even 1. Hopefully.

Having lost two family members (cousins) I find myself getting angry when I hear students joke about this pandemic. I keep my cool but I remind them that people are dying because of this. It is hard to understand sometimes how in the USA people are still pushing back against wearing a mask. Trumps own lawyer caught the virus and he was photographed on many occasions not wering a mask or practicing social distancing. I really hate that term. 

In Korea recently 3 or 4 people die everyday because of covid-19. It is a drop in the bucket. In the states 1500 died. Last week 2000 deaths was the daily average. 

I know this was an engineered event. It will allow for more government control over citizens. Now they can legally track us now. I wonder how much we will have to pay for this vaccine. I am pretty sure I will get some sort of document showing  negative test for coronavirus antibodies in order to travel abroad. 

However, as of today it looks like there will be no shutdowns this week. 

/tata

walking: yesterday was nice about 7 kms walked for me, Yogit did around 8!

Make sure you have a backup plan...

We are not exactly living in unprecedented times. This pandamic isn't the first to have ravaged humankind. It will not be last as we live too close to each other. 

However, we need plans in case something goes wrong. If you are an expat like we are that means having your travel papers ready. It also means knowing what you will do to make money when you land on the ground where are you going. Housing, work, and transportation. Also internet connection options and getting your smartphone set up on a new network. Education for kids and even jobs. 

We have 3 back up plans. One of them I really do not like but the other two are pretty nice. I am in the process of developing a fourth. Now this does not mean that I will "protected" shit can still hit the fan and fly everywhere. But while that is going on we might have more of an idea as to what we will do. 

Our plans are not just ideas, we do research, and keep as up to date information as we can. Prices, viable locations, these can change on a monthly basis. Prices of cars, or how to get a driving license. Lucknow now has a metroline. So that means maybe a car will not be needed at first. 

This year has been crazy, but with some forward thinking we can get through this. We weather this storm. 

walking: started this week off strong 8kms yesterday.

/tata

Terrible news...

 It was a strange week. First we have a lot of local cases in Iksan (covid of course). So there was some tension due to that. 

After one of our walks last week I got the news that two family members have past away. Thomas Webb, and Marc Webb lost thier lives last week. One Marc as a result of covid-19, while Thomas it is known what killed him. 

So many people just do not take this thing seriously. My cousin Marcus pleaded on facebook for people to take it seriously. It is hitting so many families across the USA. I feel that right now most American families have someone who has died from this pandemic. 

So, one family lost a husband and father. My Aunt has lost two of her three children in just a matter of days. Marc was in his 30's, while Thomas was in his early 40's. 

I think Yogita and I were right to stay away from crowded areas. Many of our friends spent time in crowded areas last week. Yogita and I stayed at home, or walked in our nieghborhood (wearing a mask) for excercise. 

During the two days we were out of work we walked ALOT. We found a new route as well. 

Thomas, and Marc I hope to see you both soon. Sleep in peace. 

/tata

Shutdown ... too late though

 Well it is happening. City hall officials visited a number of resturants including the academy I work at. The next day I learned (basically over hearing conversations) that we will shut down for 2 days. I know other private schools have been shut down for this full week. In retrospect I think we should have done the same. Kids who live in other areas of city were absent from classes. 

The city will upgrade the social distancing alert to level 2.5 which is one step from level 3 which is a total shutdown. 

It sucks because I knew this would happen. When the outbreak started it went from 2 or 3 people to over 20 in three days. We should have shut down for one week at that time. Instead city officials just send mildly worded text messages encouraging people to self distance. Then the number of infected individuals jumped to 50 then 60. Yet the city remained open. We are now at 107 infected. The drive thru testing areas have added 2 more hours for testing people. 

I know that there are more than 107 at this point. I just hope the others follow the quarintine guidelines. 

I will be going on a walk twice a day to keep fit. So I am hoping to average 8-9 kms a day until next Monday. 

Ok I have to go. Middle segment is about to begin. 

walking: only 3.2kms yesterday.

/tata

When will we shut down?

 So welcome to December last month of the year I am wondering about when we will be shutdown. People are still going to resturants. Yogita and I saw this yesterday night. A couple of watering holes had an infected person visit them. Of  those two one was empty, and closed early. The other one is closed until the 10th of this month. 

At this time we are still seeing most of our students. This area has not been "hit" yet. But, once one or cases occur in an academy or school...we will see. 

I think a shutdown for one or two weeks is needed. It will not happen though. It sucks because it means that likely we will end up getting sick. There is a greater chance the more we are not social distancing. Even though I am wearing a mask and washing my hands and surfaces there is still a risk.

I think I kmow one reason why we shut down for 3 weeks earlier this year. I think it was due to my contract being up. So for 2 weeks I did not get paid as I was not under contract. Legal but kinda of puts a bad taste in your mouth. 

If we shut down now I will get 70% of wages paid. I wonder where that money comes from. If it is from my employer...well lets just say I will be on a plane. It is just too expensive. 

/tata

walked about 6.5km yesterday split it into 2 sessions. It was nicer more like a short warm up then a nice brisk walk.

Social distancing level 2 reached

Korea as a 5 step system that goes like this: 1 to 1.5 then 2 to 2.5, then level 3. Level 3 is a full shutdown. Being at level 2 for us is simple. NO RESTURANTS. If we go to the store we are in and out. We make sure to disinfect our hands before entering the house. 

If we decide to go out for drinks we do it in an isolated place. In other words you will not even know we are there. We have some nice parks in our area that have nice little nooks and crannies. Basically, we stay away from groups. The risk of causing a major comunity spread is just too high. 

I promised my students that I would be extra careful. Not only is my family at risk, so would many other families. There are people in our sociual network who just keep taking risks. They schedule get togethers that can get large. (more than 10 people). They are breaking the social distancing guidelines. 

The funny thing about all of this is how much we took a "noraml life" for granted. I miss going to resturants so much! Or just having a get together. I love spending time with my wife. However, I really enoy going to a cafe together and "people watch". Or walk all over the city and see a random shop go in and buy a few items. 

Now we have to be so careful. Now it is a finable offense to be seen not wearing a mask in public. Ok time to finish this Monday (workwise).

I am glad we were not shut down. Basically, months ago 7 people tested positive, and Iksan shutdown. Now we have over 80 covid cases. I feel like every dollar I can make is a blessing LOL.

/tata 

One week down...one more...

 Ok, this is another post about the scamdemic we are under. In Korea, there is still a surge in infection rates. I am hoping that we can remain normal and not be locked down next week. If we can weather this we can end this year nicely. 

If I were to lose work it would mean certain upgrades (yogi's pc and one of the pcs the boys are using) will not get upgraded until the end of spring. It is better to just save the 900 bucks I will need for her upgrade.

So I hope things run normally and I can upgrade this year. Next year if things go well or normal I will be upgrading all of our Ipads, and throwing out the old Ipads we have. If we get shut down then this will not happen until mid or late summer next year. 

I have a vacation coming and we need to complete Jeyo's OCI papers. So that will be risky because we will have to go to Seoul to get it done. Basically, it will be an in and out deal. KTX (Korea's high-speed rail) in the morning, submit our papers, take the interview. Then KTX back to Iksan. Usually, we enjoy a bit of shopping but not this time. In and out fast and quick! Oh, and we will not use the Subway. Taxis will be more expensive but it is less exposure to crowds. IF WE ARE SHUT DOWN, I will have to use my summer vacation to complete the OCI process, or just get him an X-visa and complete the OCI papers in India. It is more expensive and a slower process but you have to do what you have to do. 

So if all goes well I will have some posts (with pictures) of me building Yogi's new pc. Hopefully. 

/tata

walking about 20kms so far. I am hoping to add about 7 to 10kms more this weekend. 

Still running...

I was afraid we would be put in lockdown this week. We have some absent students (perhaps 3). I know why they are absent. Parents fear which is not unfounded thier kids coming into contact so many others. We have about 50 plus cases in Iksan now. It seems those few Uni students spread the infection in small clusters. 

So I am glad to say on this Tuesday it is business as usual. Of course we are being extra careful. Washing our hands, wearing masks. I feel it really helps. 

Ok this is now Thursday. Some bad news Korea topped 380 cases yesterday. I feel that if people do not follow directives this number will only go up. This year has really slowed us down. Soeul is very important for us getting our OCI cards for India, George getting his GED done, maybe even his SAT as well. 

But we are still running normally. Locally we have about 60 cases I think. So we will be staying away from resturnants and being extra careful while teaching. 

Exercise has been coming along really well for me. I am averaging 7kms a night. I am happy with 6km but I feel like I have extra energy to burn. I think saw one of our middle school students walking at the track field field yesterday. (more like a soccer field with a track around it).

We are craving raw fish and grilled sprimp. Maybe we can have it delivered on Saturday. 

Ok time to get Thursday started.

/tata

Walking about 22 kms so far this week.

The year is ending....

 Updated my calender in my classroom. Wow, 2020 is almost over. I do not think 2021 will be much better. Governments have been strained very hard this year due to people losing work due to covid-19. It sucks but it shows some serious flaws. 

First, money. Many people could not properly isolate themsevles because they had to support themselves. Governments gave out money (basically in a long and convoluted way made more cash), and this hurt the world economy. People are looking to the governments espically the stable ones to give support. Even those governments could not, and will be able to do it. More fiat currency means less value which means less value. 

Uncertainty is soaring nowadays. Hopstials and big pharma could not stop over 1.3 million "reported" deaths. People do not trust medical experts (USA), are led by fools (USA and other nations). This leads to all kinds of missinformation. 

Loss of security. How can one be secure if the institutions that are supposed to protect us end up killing us. South Korea has done a great job. However, like all goverments they held back exposing important information to the press. I know for a fact that certain apartment complexes in Iksan were not included in nationl counts of confirmed coronavirus patients. There were times where the mobile apps showed zero cases. Yet, my boss told me that there are actually a few cases, they want to keep things going.

We have over 30 confirmed cases in this city (likely it is higher). Yet they are not shutting down the city. It will have to get MUCH worse for them to actually do something meaningful. This delay means larger community spreads. Of course they do not want to do this...see the second paragraph. 

We live in a system of things. Things drive people to want be active. If you think about it at the base of our society if you remove "things" we would become almost barbaric. If you ask someone what do they want (I am also in this number) most will list some thing they want. We have not based our global society on true human welfare. It is based on the exploitation of others for control and the aquisition of things. 

I am pretty sure when we are on our death beds (or close to it) we can see just how we wasted our lives chasing peices of junk. 

/Tata

Walked a bit over 30 kms last week. Lets see what this week will bring! Yogita has been keeping pace with me so nicely! Time to finish this Monday (workwise).

Iksan....Covid on the rise...

 It seems the main culprit this time are young university students. I and my boss agree that it is better if Unis had stayed on lockdown and continued with online classes for the rest of the year. Perhaps even into the next year. Young people and people in their late 50's have been causing more community outbreaks. 

Young people well they just want to have fun, and they have a lot of stress to blow off. Imagine not being able to really follow any hobbies or personal interests for practically most of your young life. Then suddenly you can drink, spend time with friends, even earn a little money. 

Then you are told to attend online classes, and many places where you can hang out are shut down. Then those places open up covid numbers are low. BOOM young men and women are out having a good time. So it makes sense. It sucks but what can you do? The government opened Unis this was bound to happen.

Older people in Korea, in the beginning, could be seen wearing no masks, socializing like normal. In the alerts we received often the ages of the patients were between  50 to 60 years old. Now it is rare to see older people not wearing masks. In fact, if you are out and about and with a mask...you will be fined 100,000 won. 

Many people are getting lax about wearing masks properly. It is common to see people's nose sticking out of their masks. Today many places to shut down due to the 20 odd new local cases. So it is time to go into lockdown for ourselves. Some people in our area are being very reckless. I hope that there isn't an outbreak can be traced to them. As they are foreigners, it would really cause issues for all foreigners in Iksan. I know they made plans in advance but at this point, it is better to pay a "fine" as foodstuffs were bought and money was spent by the owner of the restaurant they reserved. Pay up and stay home is what I think they ought to do. I heard some of their ideas on "social" distancing during the get-together. It shows a real lack of microbiology, virology, and aerosol spread. Very scary. I will socially distance from them for about two weeks. I have to take care of the students I teach and their families, while my number one priority is to protect my own! They do not understand this.

Anyways...walk only 1 km yesterday, will do more today hoping for 6-7km!

/tata

To buy a car or lease one

 Esl teachers can sign a contract for up to 2 years. However, you must renew the visa every year. In the past I never gave it a second thought as we prepared our documents that we might leave. In light of current events there is no telling what might happen even next month. 

Living in the kind of city we live in a car is a really nice thing to have. We do not have the great subway system in Seoul and Kyungi province. Actually, that subway connects many cities. 

We have always bought second hand cars over the years. Why would I get an autoo loan or save up for a new car when I might be leaving in a year?

I have seen some really nice ads about leasing a car. The culture of sharing is coming. Leasing means that taxes (which must be paid twice a year), and insurance costs will be a much smaller expense. Maintence will also not be something I will need to factor in when leasing a car. 

I think that it is likely that a large number of the "new" cars that I see on the road here are actually leased models. They have monthy, biweekly, and even weekly leasing contracts. The cost are not as crazy as they used to be.

Many rental companies do not even do one day rentals anymore. Prefering to lock in customers for longer periods of time. 

I am leaning towards leasing a car. I might try a 2 week plan and see how that goes.

Yesterday I walked 6.5 km felt awesome!

/tata

Some sad facts.

 Everyweek students must write a dairy entry. Sometimes they spill thier heart into it. You can catch a glimpse of thier soul. These kids come from famiies that are upper middle class to well off families. You would think that having that extra wealth would make these kids happy. They sport the latest smart phones, name brand clothes and very expensive back packs. They live in very nice apartments, and are driven around in high end cars. 

Yet, in thier diaries I read about parents wanting to see 100 points on every test. Kids overburdened with homework. Kids getting bullied and teachers just ignoring because they think it is "normal". Kids that when asked "What would like to do for the holiday tomorrow?" They usually answer I want to sleep. I then ask them do they dream when they sleep. These kids close thier eyes just to shut out the stress of thier lives. Sounds like an adult leading a family, or struggling with life's hardships. These poor kids. 

My son was feeling depressed because he wanted to fit in with the kids around him. He wanted to go to academies. I hope he understands (after I talked to him) more that these kids are in a grinder. They study more but actually do not really learn. They just memorize data and spit it back out. 

Yesterday we walked 5.49 kms. 

/tata

Got some new sneakers!

 I rarely buy shoes. However, for the last weeks I have been walking at night around our neighborhood. I feel that it is better to get the exercise in around 11pm and finish at mid night. It works out better for our games (there is an event running). If we go later then I feel like I do not hve enough time for other things. 

One thing Yogita and I both noticed was that our footwear needed upgrading. When we walked in our old walking shoes we could feel ground under our feet as if we were wearing socks. Long term that woud lead to many issues. So last weekend we got new walking shoes. The soles are so thick and they have a shock absorbent gel in the heel. 

This week we should be able to walk faster (for me when I am alone I walk at abour 5.1km/hr with yogita is it up to 4 km/hr). If we can average 5.5 or 6km per hour we would only need 45 to 50 mins a night.

I have set our target range at 5km a night. So if we can go a bit faster we can be back home showering and getting ready to game or watch documentaries earlier. Friday is one day that is a bit challenging as Yogita is very busy on Saturdays. I have a work around which these shoes we got should be of great help. 

Last week we averaged 6 kms a night.. I hope to stay at this level activity this week.

Ok time to go!

Distanced walked so for this month about 30 kms. 

/tata

Making a change

When it comes to dieting and exercise usually people do it wrong. I too make the same mistakes over and over again. Firstly, once wieght is gone, the diet stops, or the extra activity (exercise stops). Then the yo- yo effect comes into play. The issue is as we age our metabolisms slow down. We have to keep it burning by making life style changes. For me it will be taking measured walks. Even a 3km walk is better than not walking at all. 

I think on a normal day I walk perhaps 800 meters. I walk to work. That activity level is just to low for me. When I started walking in the evenings last week that number jumped to about 5kms. I feel stronger, my legs that is. As I am married it is so much easier if we both can support each other in this change. 

Yogita is still getting the motor going. Every winter she gets congested lungs. So yesterday the walk helped clear some of that congestion. I will post how many kilometers I walked. I hope that it will help keep me motivated to no stop this activity. I think I am burning about 300 calories each night. The app I use shows that I am burning MUCH more, but I do not trust the numbers it shows me. 

Ok time to fnish this day err the working part.

/tata

Yesterday 5.2 km so far this week: 10.3 km.

Do as I say not as I do....teaching in Korea...

 Somethings relly make  me want to roll my eyes. When we first started teaching English years ago it was ok to use Korean in the classroom to explain things in English. It still is but you have to do it in a certain way. 

However, these private schools have one rule that is usually the number one rule. That is DO NOT SPEAK KOREAN. This applies mainly to students. Foreigner teachers can use a bit of Korean to explain certian things A word here or a phrase there.

However, some places the kids are told in KOREAN, to not use Korean. Then Korean teachers will in KOREAN scold or have small talk with students. So for the kids it is confusing and frustrating. One school ONLY one school ALL teachers had to use English Apple English Language Institute had a rule were every teacher had to use Korean. It was for the students. We had students using English 80-90% of the time because EVERYONE used it! It was not perfect but you could hear English conversations here and there. 

It is the same with parenting, you have set and example and your kids will follow it. I am a gamer yet I am not addicting to games. My boys can look at me and get the same idea. Ugh. Anyways what can one do but keep on rolling!

Yesterday we walked for 5.3 kms. (go job Yogita it was not easy for you!)

/tata

Monday another week.

Last week was a nice week. Boys enjoyed meeting their friends. Dog is doing well. Yogita and I excecised a lot. We started our walking program. Basically, we use our smartphones health app to help keep track of our activities. 

I have a nice route that is in total 4.5 km long. It is not very hilly so should be a bit easier on our joints. We need to get proper walking shoes, that will happen this weekend on Saturday. 

I hope to get in about 5 days of walking this week reaching the 4.5km mark. Perhaps 2 or 3 km on the other days. Or Sunday will just be a rest day. I can already feel lighter on my feet. In the mirror things are looking a little better. The problem is Yogita gets painful cramps as her muscles are to get back in shape. I will make she gets electrolytes into her system. 

Ok I have to go my students are waiting for me. 

/tata

Politics

 Well, the presidential election is underway. It looks like Biden will win. I have spoken to a number of people who have strong feelings towards this election. 

For me personally, I feel that it just shows how weak we are as Americans. We have a two-party system that divides the nation. With two polar opposites, there can never be a general consensus. Perhaps this is just another example of how badly mankind has done leading each other. 

Some people point to the fact that Trump is good on the economy. Well, when you are running a world economy (still pegged to the US dollar) based on debt creation...you will fail. People who saved for decades lost everything when banks when under in 2008 in the USA. 

For me, I do not feel good about this election. I feel that it just shows how divided America is. How even after so many years people have not grown up and that they are still sleeping with their eyes open. 

We are in a system in which we are basically put into one of 2 groups. It is so easy to control people that way. Feed lies to each half, and watch as they try to rip each other's throat out. At the same time, things are happening that are taking away what little freedom people have.

So there it is. Who will win we will see. Time to get this Saturday started!

/tata

A very nice surprise!

Ok so we went camping last Saturday. On the way there we got lost. Actually, my friend's wife told him to take the wrong the exit. I enoyed it. I knew we took the wrong exit but I was not really excited about camping and driving around was actually really nice. 

Finally we arrived and the sun was going down. We were shocked. Yogita's friend had prepared a mock wedding ceremony to celebrate our 20th wedding annervesary. It was really nice, while Yogita and I felt uncomfortable because of all the attention other people at campsites around us looked on. 

We took loads ot pictures. The food was very nice. We brought steak which was cooked medium rare, and well done. We had eel, pork belly, sasuages, and more. It was nice. Sleeping was very comfortable due to our electric blanket. 

So all in all it was very nice. However, I am very happy to have it all behind us now. I think I will try to for very quiet 21st next year. VERY QUIET. I want to head to Seoul by ourselves. I made some new friends last week. 

If we stay in Korea for another year then we will go camping more provided covid-19 does cause a massive outbreak. 

Ok time to go love Wednesdays!!!!

/tata

Camping...

 It has been a while since we have gone camping. This weekend we will venture out to a campsite in our province. I plan to bring just 2 things to grill...maybe 3. A few steaks, some lamb, and sausags. The challenge will be getting the lamb. I think I will get the lamb thursday night. Let it thaw in the fridge over night and Friday. 

I will bring our tiny old grill. I am attached to it now. It has served us really well. I will bring Yogita's gaming notebook, and my ipad pro. We will watch some programs while grilling the lamb. 

One thing that we MUST bring will be an electric blanket. With out it lets just say staying warm becomes a major challenge. I had to bear hug Yogita all night as she absorbed my body heat. I could not sleep very well at all. The boys...so toatsy and warm with the blanket we brought along for them. I thought we could buy  an electric blanket at the campsite or nearby. After walking a few kilometers, I think we even hopped in the car to find a shop. The result we failed to find a place selling the electric blanket. 

I am looking forward to next week we might be heading over to Gunsan. We have not visited in over 3 months. So I am looking forward to that. 

But the flavor of this week in camping!

/tata

Will I be here net year...or not?

Most academies run the year from March to March of the next year. This is because there are major changes that happen among students. New classes are formed (hopefully) usually younger phonics learners. On the older age range students go to middle school. These students either quit or attend later in the day. Some students go to middle schools far away and actually live at a dormitory. 

So this can result in either a school being stable or needing to cut back. If there is a trend of losing students then I am out of the door!

Now if I leave our plans are to have the rent for an apartment (currently we are monitoring prices and good locations) prepared for 1 year. Next Yogita and I will upgrade our main computers. Not for gaming per se but for enhanced connectivity and for easier maintence. 

So many peope over look their cars and pc's. If it has an issue take it to a shop. With the right case a pc owner and open the side panel and troubleshoot MOST issues. If something needs to be replaced, order it online, and learn how to install it yourself Things have gotten more plug and play over time. 

Today I just got some WONDERFUL news. My sister's family finally upgraded their pcs, and internet connection. So now when we chat it will be smooth with 1080p to 4k resolution. FINALLY! All it took was a pandemic. This is big news to me and it shows that I stated above with enhanced connectivity upgrades. A pc needs plenty of RAM 16 gigabytes is ideal, 32 to 64 IF you game (running multiple clients at the same time). If my sister tells me that she has 8 gigs I will advise that she brings it upto 16. They are finally using fiber optic connections. Before we relied on our own fiber optic connection paired with a crownded LTE connection that was likely being throttled (slowed down) for network stability. Fibre optic connections....it is like night and day. 

ok time to finish Monday 10/26th 

/tata

Hump day is almost over!

 As a teacher there are some things that really make my day. I woild say the thing I look forward to the most is when  student is happy to come to my class. This is hard to see these days. Parents send their kids to many private schools for varying reasons. Most simeply do not trust the public school system. I do not blame them. Many of the older teachers are ... strange. I have heard of teachers physically abusing students. Sexual harrassment of students in full view of other students. For example one female student of mine was groped (her breast). I actually met the teacher she was talking about When he met me the only thing he was interested was drinking soju. He also smelled of soju and cigarette smoke. When I looked at the other teachers (mostly femalte) they looked very uncomfortable. This guy was able to teach for years like this. YEARS! So it is no wonder parents send theri kids to private academies. 

Another reason  is to "keep up with the Jones's" mentality. This of course places a heavy fiancial burden on families. Some parents need a safe place for their kids because both parents work. 

Anyways I have some students who enjoy just coming to my class. That makes my day.

/tata

Ugh a lost post Count your blessings!!

 I actually made a post yesterday but the browser got bugged and now it is lost. That sucks. Well October is almost over next week will end the month. Sometimes we tend to forget the small blessings in our lives. Perhaps we lose a job, then later we are actually in a better situation. Perhaps we have t move far from family even then we tend to ignore how that move actually helped us. 

Due to this pandemic I am still in South Korea. I will likely be here for one or even two more years. MAYBE. I was disappointed this year because I was supposed be preparing for our move to India next year. However, it is best that we stay in here. Things are very stable workwise my current boss (or should I say bosses) are happy with my performance. My boss has stated that I am an asset to his business. So it makes perfect sense to just wait it out next year, and maybe even the next. Our savings will be even better, my pension payout will be higher. Also the school I work for handles all work related papers properly. Which means when I do part ways it will be a very smooth process, likely very emotional.

Anyways count those blessings! Wearing a mask and washing my hands after every class has resulted in me not catching seasonal colds or the flu, not to meantion covid-19. 

/tata

20th Wedding Anniversary today!

 All that rambling in the last post, well ok it is how I feel but rambling it is today is our 20th wedding anniversary!

I think I will go over how we started our story. It all began back in September of 2000. We were both attending  Ewha Womans University. She was a graduate student, I was an exchange student. 

Back when I met Yogita for the first time she did not see me. But boy oh boy did I see her. I was new to South Korea and actually thought the Korean girls I saw were really pretty. Not until I laid eyes on my Yogi that is, all of those girls just seemed plain. I actually went on a date with a few girls (I did not know it was a date at the time) and it was a very confusing experience. I just could not understand what they were saying. They were so vague. It was obvious that one girl liked me. However, when she would talk to me it was so vague. 

When I saw Yogita she was helping a very unattractive girl (in my opinion) with her backpack. We did not lock eyes or anything like that but I could not take my eyes off of her. A couple of days later I saw her in the cafeteria, even from where I was sitting perhaps 15 meters away I could see her soft brown eyes. I thought to myself I will never get a chance to meet her. 

Well in the language class at the University there were Korean classes. Our class was the lowest level class, and perhaps 2 weeks into the semester this beautiful Indian girl is shyly standing in the doorway. The teacher introduces her and then she looks around to see where Yogita should sit. I was begging with my eyes if she could sit next to me. It was like magic! The teacher said, "sit next to Jemal si". Or sit next to Mr. Jemal. I proposed to her 3 days later. We married 2 months later. 

Now 20 years later we have 2 boys..and now a dog. I have the person I never realized I needed. 

We have had ups and downs over the years, however, she is the one for me. I can not imagine a day without her. Many people do not understand we love spending time with each other.

/tata

Successful people and happiness...

 I think it sucks that we measure success by fame or money. Happiness is often assumed to come with more money. I feel happy for a number of reasons. I guess knowing that I have gotten what I wanted out of life, and knowing what my role is in the world makes me happy. I have faith that things on Earth will get better. Even though there is so much evil in the world, I feel that a happy world is right around the corner. 

I met some friends over the weekend. They are so caught up well one friend is in politics. Politics today are meant to divide. Even Facebook executives have mentioned that they use an algorithm to make sure that divisive comments and topics propagate on their platform. It seems people today are more stimulated by hate. This will change. 

Politics place a veil over our eyes. You see the political leaders commit worse crimes, cheat the legal system more than a non top 1% can even imagine. Clinton was photographed with a known child trafficker and pedophile. Clinton is not the only one guilty many of them are. But instead of looking into them, we argue about black lives matter, police brutality. It would be so easy to solve those issues if we were not so divided. The term black lives matter is in itself divisive. Police hurt people of all backgrounds (blacks and other non-whites get hurt at a higher ratio). 

Democrat, Republican, far right, far left, liberal, conservative, pro-life, prochoice I could go on and on. These "labels" divide us. If we see someone has a different opinion as an enemy how can we sit down and solve issues? We need a greater power. It is not of this Earth. 

I will not get into religion here. However, the answer lies there. I wonder how the media will portray that. How will the higher-ups try to divide us then? 

It is funny how things that were written long ago are coming true today!

/tata

Final holiday for the next 11 weeks.

 Hangeul day or Korean language day falls on Friday, tomorrow. We have some special plans. We will do what we did last year. We will cook some kababs Lucknow style, and go to the park behind our house and have a little picnic. Maybe we will do this Saturday night. It is really nice that there is a sizable population of South Asians in Korea. It is easy to find Indian spices and mutton! 

Our family really enjoys Indian food. We had two Indian meals this week (thanks my little lady!).

Well, actually this was not completed last week. Yesterday we had a wonderful Indian meal. Meat dishes take on a new level of flavor with Indian spice mixes. 

We did not make the kebabs we actually got invited to a friend's house. More on that in the next post!

/tata

No new covid-19 cases since September 17th

 So it looks really good right now. No new cases since the 17th of last month, That was the message we received this morning on our smartphones. We will be coming out of our family lockdown this week. Of course, that could change over the course of this week. President Trump was reported to have contracted COVID-19. Funny this happened after a terrible debate. 

I believe the man is fine and this is a ploy for votes, or to distract from the fact that America is in a terrible position concerning the pandemic. Deaths are down but still with 400 plus dead from this pandemic along is just horrible. 215,000 Americans have died of course these are the reported numbers. As I have mentioned before there are far more who have died due to not realizing that the novel virus was already present BEFORE the official timeline. 

Actually, I just read this yesterday, Trump and others have spread the infection to others on the White House staff. Thanks to most Koreans wearing masks, and washing hands, even canceling trips there has not been a spike in cases. I think there were 113 cases yesterday. 

I think we can relax a little (with regular precautions).

/tata

5 Day holiday coming up....worries.

 The Korean government really wants to stop another major outbreak of the coronavirus. I and Yogita will be avoiding any large get-togethers. We have become well known in the community, which is quite friendly and matches with us quite well. Most people are in their 30's- to early 50s. 

So we have an aggressive gaming plan (Eve Online intensive) that should see us chilling at home. I will let the boys enjoy time online as well. So we will have all of our pc's gaming.

Ok that sounds good. Also, we will be doing A LOT OF home cooking. We are well stocked and have good stuff for err cooking. 

What worries me is if people will pack the roads and travel as if this year is normal. Even if traffic is moderately high then it is too much. It can lead to multiple areas of community-based outbreaks. This worries me. If Koreans make the right choice then for the first time since the highways were constructed they will be empty during this holiday. I have an app that tracks highway conditions. I will be glancing at it here and there. I might even post a screenshot of it here. 

I hope it shows green across the board. We would have made this a major travel event for us due to the holiday being 5 days long. Let's hope Koreans do not decide to carry on as many in America have.

One man went to jail after hosting 3 large parties with over 50 people in attendance. 

Monday is almost done...my middle school students are here....OMG.

/tata   

My favorite days of the week.

A friend of mine last year said he read a book. The book stated that when people have a favorite day for example Friday, they are not really living and enjoying their life. They are only really living for "one" day. Now I hate it when people read common sense in a book and then tell me like it is something new. 

I look forward to every day of the week for different reasons. I think most people do this without realizing it. For me, Mondays are awesome because our boys have a nice time cooking and baking. They like for me to be a "taste tester" on some Mondays. Also, Yogita cooks a special meal every Monday. 

Tuesdays and Thursdays we have a special gaming / listening to music night. These nights we go to bed very late. So I am looking forward to next week because we have a holiday so we can sleep in. 

Wednesdays we also watch documentaries and discuss various topics. While we have a special weekly event in our game. This event really helps us upgrade our characters. 

Friday is very special for us. We talk about EVERYTHING. We make plans, we review the week. We often meet in a park or convenience store. This is very important for us. This world requires that we try to be ready for different situations. Sometimes this day gets interrupted. Which means we look forward to the next Friday even more. Sometimes we change Saturday's plan if we miss our Friday night meeting. 

Saturdays I would say is our foodie day. We go to our favorite places to eat and we kind of have a Friday part 2 BUT we enjoy ourselves more. So we end up joking with each other and just having a laugh. These nights often result in Koreans sitting near us to join us. We make new friends this way.  

So I would say if you LIVE for one day...think closely you are likely living for each day of the week. 

Ok, my phonics students are here. Ah, this brings me back a couple of years when a former employer told me foreigners can not teach phonics. I could not help laughing out loud. She was not offended but she was really surprised and happy that...this foreigner could, in fact, teach phonics....some people.

/tata

Private schools fails in South Korea

 In Korea and in East Asia for that matter, there are private schools that trach most subjects taught in school. These schools are often referred to as cram schools. Not all of them fit this description of kids cramming to pass a test. They are actually centers of education that refine a student's knowledge in a certain topic with the main goal of passing some standardized test. These tests are so important. Students can see what their future job prospects will be depending on the scores they earn. 

However, there is another side to these schools. They are MAINLY about profit. So class sizes are from 4 to as many as 12 or 15 students. In Gunsan it depended on how many they could fit in one classroom. I complained about this but was told to please "make it work". I "made it work" for years with great success. I know this because I was able to see the books. 

How do so many fail though? One way is that the owners of the business treat the earnings like a debit card. They live a very expensive life style. I know this all too well after 18 years in Gunsan. Seeing owners of private schools soar...then crash. Another way many schools failed is that they only looked for "handsome" "white" faces. Not actual skill, charisma, or leadership skills along with teaching skills were sought after. It was appearance only, that was what mattered. I remember overhearing a group of white trachers talk about this. They had little to no ability to do the job. In fact, many of them didn't even treat it like a real job. Result? Parents looking for results got none. Students got bored, complaints added up then the teacher is fired as soon as they find a replacement. I know this from first hand experience. Two teachers named Eric comes to mind. Both were lazy, one was even a bully. 

One other way that schools fail here in the private sector is they can not hold on to talent. This is perhaps the most important. Today teachers really have to show they can do the job. Or they are soon given notice. Some schoool owners simiply do not renew contracts. Once again I know this from frist hand experience, just last year this occured. You see when you know you can learn a schools system, and terach in the way they want you to you are valuable. If you can build a postive repore with students after only ONE class you are valuable. If students are excited when they arrive to your class...yes this is valuable to a business. 

There is a good way to keep good talent. It is so simple. Profit sharing. If teachers knew they would get a quarterly or annual bonus they would go the extra mile to make sure the school does well. Many of these skilled teachers left very stable schools got married and set up their own schools. Often times the curriculm is the same one they learned at a previous school they work at. 

I know profit sharing will never become widespread. Private schools here are often short lived. People run after quick profits, rather than building a solid business. One complaint I here the most from parents is "They changed teachers too often".  

Of course there are other causes for these schools to fail. One is knowing when to move to school. Understanding the demographics of where you are situated, and how you can set your tution properly. I told all of this to my former boss in Gunsan. Did that person listen? Nope. Everytime we left business fell off, and she would invite us back. Business would go up, people would try to poach me to work for them. Then I would leave again and get "invited" back. Nah that chapter is closed. Iksan is working very well for us. India will too once this pandemic is under control. 

Ok I gotta go!

/tata

Fall is here

Ok, so actually Tuesday was the first day of fall. This is our favorite time of the year. Our boys take Oscar on longer walks. Yogita and I also take long walks. I love the changing color of the leaves. Also, fall starts with Chusok and another holiday so before you know it you are a few weeks into fall. Time can really fly especially if you are having fun and making your own happiness. 

People don't often realize that we create our own issues. I owed over 7,000 dollars due to mistakes I made with registering my car over 10 years ago. I was stressed for about....5 minutes. First, I realized it was my fault, once Yogita and I put our heads together hashed out a plan BOOM back to happy go lucky times. 

Now that is almost paid off. Time flies that was one year ago when I first heard that news. So Fall is a new season that we enjoy A LOT so before you know it winter will be here. 

Actually, winters in Iksan so mild. Winters here are nothing like Gunsan, yet another nice thing about this little city.

Ok time to finish this week!

I might update our gaming blog there is another big war in EVE ONLINE.

/tata

A free Note 20 Ultra?

 It is so funny when it comes to smartphone sales these days. You see if you have an iPhone 7 you are still golden. Likewise, if you have a galaxy 9 series phone even an 8 you are still doing well. Your device will not feel that slow. It will only look a bit long in the tooth. Now the 10 series galaxy was released and iPhome 11 from apple. These were and are great devices. They are also expensive. 

However, after one year of using mine and having paid 75% of it off, I have come to one conclusion. That is these things age well on the hardware side. I can see using this device for another couple of years if not even a third (replacing the battery in the second year). This means that Samsung is getting desperate. They need people to part with their phones and "upgrade" even when they really do not need to. 

So they have various plans such as they will waive the cost of the phone if you sign up for a 2 year plan on the new device. Now it sounds great! BUT there is a hidden trap here. The package that you buy will be about the same as if you purchased the phone on a 2-year repayment plan. If you opt for a cheaper plan you will one run out of data, which will incur a penalty. This can get expensive. If you drop your phone you will end paying a GREAT deal of money to get it repaired. Cheaper plans lack insurance. Ugh. The only thing to do is to keep my fully functional note 10+ until it is paid off. Then if I want to upgrade I can give the note 10 to yogi and upgrade. The note 8 will go to George (while getting a new battery). Note 10+ will go to Yogita, and I will get the Note 20 ultra. Actually, the longer you wait the better the deals become, and they are less scammy.

ok Time to go!

/tata

Several more cases in Iksan...

 About 2 months ago there was I think 2 cases of coronavirus infections in Iksan. The city decided to shut down for one day. Fast forward to today we have had a number of small outbreaks. The city did not shut down. Shutdowns are costly. 

This time however we have had since that Friday shutdown many cases popping up here and there. Rather than shut everything down, aggressive contact tracing, and testing has taken place. This seems to have worked rather well. 

I got nervous a few weeks ago when a recent outbreak brought the number to 15 patients here in Iksan. The city hall did the same thing I mentioned above. Most businesses stayed open. They let slip the name of one pub chain and the two I saw were completely empty of customers. In recent updates, City hall officials basically said they would not release the names of restaurants or pubs. That chain lost money last weekend when the city hall released the name anyway.

Since last week on Friday, there have been NO updates and in this case, no news is good news. If we weather the next seasonal outbreak like we did before with perhaps 5 or 6 cases we will have no major shutdowns. No shutdowns mean our plans can proceed smoothly. Let's hope things quiet down for Fall and Winter. Perhaps by next spring, we will be able to visit friends in Gunsan again.

/tata

My pc upgrades!

 Ok lets forget about that uncomfortable conversation last week. When it comes to pc upgrades I am a firm beliiver in future proofing. If you have an old ssd from years ago as long as the capacity suits your needs there is no need to upgrade. Some people spent large sums on large ssds years ago. Like 500 gb, or 1 tb. Those capacities are still ok today. Most pcs you can add more ssds later if needed. 

So my specs are dated but perform so well. Cpu is an i7 4930k 6 core (12 with hyperthreading), ram is dated too 64 gb of ddr3 ram. I actually love this about my system. I have enough ram do what I need. Another thing I like is the fact that I have 2 ssds in my system. Everything is respsonsive, and quick. Gaming at 1080p meaans that RTX cards are not needed. Our monitors support 60 fps and it is more than enough for us. 

Future proofing for us means geting hardware that works well at our type of online gaming. Top end machines would just be a waste of money since most mmorpgs can run on very modest system. We like a build mid range gpu with a strong cpu and plenty of ram paired with a large ssd. 

All this means there is only ONE thing I need atm. I want a pci m.2 adaptor that can support 4 m.2 ssds. Ssds are getting cheaper so it would be nice to have 4-8 tb on my machine. Also the drives are so small so it is easy to travel with. Ship the PC ahead remove the ssds take them with me bingo my data is safe!

Next year I will over haul my entire system. So that means new cpu, motherboard, ram and a couple of m.2 ssd's. I'll keep my case and gpu for some time.

/tata

Money...again LOL

 Through out our time in South Korea the issue of money comes up a lot. Koreans often think that it is ok to discuss these things to people they do not look at as equals in terms of status. If said person is on a lower rung (age, job position, or of a lower type of job) they get this treatment. This is done to Koreans and foreigners alike. 

One thing people do not understand about my wife and I is that, we are really smart when it comes to money. For example; we never buy new cars. When it comes to cars we aviod foriegn cars like they are the plague. They are cheap to buy but EXPENSIVE TO maintain. Even if I could do some of the work myself, the parts are too pricey.  Also taxes are MUCH higher as well. In Korea taxes are usually paid biannually every year of ownership. Insurance also scales upward if you get a BMW or some overseas model. Basically the name of the game is live within your means. 

We do not buy property here. Our visa status means we live year to year. So good luck getting a large housing deposit of say 40-80,000 dollars back in a timely fashion. Of course there are deposits that are less than this like say 2-5 million won, yet the same still holds true. Banking issues arise when a contract might end early for reason....hello Pandemic.

We have and have always had mutilple income streans. To many Koreans they guess about your income and can tend to look down on you if they make less than they do. I know this is global and people do this everywhere, Korea is where I have experienced this. 

I know of many foreigners who are "black, and brown" who are doing very very well in Korea. Anyways we had a very uncomfortable conversation last week over this. Of course details on that do long belong here. 

/tata

Pc and smart phone upgrades around the corner!

 The time has come to upgrade Yogita's rig. At the moment it is a strong system. It has an i7 3770k with 16 gigs of DDR3 ram, paired with a gtx 1060 6gb gpu. She 4 ssds in her system. The main issue is the case. It is not portable in the fact that is too fragile. So we need a case that we use a special pc tower luggage. This will protect our system if we have to relocate. 

Now replacing the case is easy. It s time to upgrade her system It works well but it is long in the tooth. Also there so many options for us uprgade to a faster system cheaply. I will go back to the way I used to source parts.. I will use amazon to build the system ording the various parts online then assembling it at home. 

Ok time for the specs. Cpu will be a AMD ryzen which one we will see. Ram 32 gigs of ddr4. The ssd will be  m.2 drive 1 TB, along with all of her smaller ssds. Time to go to Amazon...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/cart/view.html?ref_=nav_cart 

Grand total 966 bucks! I am not upgrading the gpu our 1060's are just what we need at the moment.

Her older system I will give to George after shoring it up and cleaning it. The PC he is using will be scrapped or I might use it at work in the game room my boss / friend is putting together. I have another system I can set up in that room as well. Good hardware for group gming err lan party gaming. 

/tata

Less work than years ago...

 In Korea while we lived and worked in Gunsan we were busy from sun up to sun down. Literally this was the case. We would go to factories or have early morning adult classes, then morning cl asses at around 10 or 11. After that we would head back out to the factories so lunch classes. Then we would enjoy a 2 hour siesta, before going back out and finishing late around 9 or 10pm. 

Since 2018 I have been working in more traditional academies in Korea. I do not get the massive overtime I was used to. Actually, we had private classes on the side (set up in a legal way) so this took even more time. So money was awesome, our free time was shot to bits. 

I meet teachers today to mainly enjoy single shifts, and of course as it is human nature they bitch about it. While they often have side jobs (serious money is made this way) as well. I enjoyed what I did in the past but I will not do it again. Time home with family, is far more important. 

One of Yogita's former students suddenly died due to years of over drinking paired with over work. His coworkers loved him. But to go out that way is sad to me. Time spent at work isn't really a good time. I mean it isn't really meaningful unless you are doing things on your own time, and you enjoy it. One example comes to mind, running a business. However, most of us work for some sort of business. 

So I enjoy far more time with my wife than I ever did before. I also made the mistake years ago that I needed friends other than my wife to enjoy my free time. There were some good times but more often than not it was a poor use of my time. 

So I will enjoy these single shifts and fewer working hours and pretend that working less that 6 hours a day is so tough, and that I feel super tired at the end of the week. LOL

/tata

Lockdown will end this week...

 Ok so no we are not in Lockdown but my wife and I often limit our movements based on information about outbreaks, or clusters of infections. In Iksan we had a small spike about 9 confirmed cases. So we decided two weeks ago to stay in our neighborhood. This week we will go back to normal which is wearing a mask outside, and if we go out to eat that location must meet some of our guidelines. If it is crowded this is a no go. If it is very small, and cramped it is a no go. If we can not easily see hand sanitizer near the entrance we do not go in. There are a few places that actually spreads customers out. Some places are very spacious. So likely we will still go out but with caution. 

Ok so the weekend is over and this will be posted today. We met with a friend I repaired and upgraded his computer for him. I am thinking about getting into the repair business. With many people going online, older laptops are being dusted off and put back into use. These means people will need more RAM, and SSDs. I went into detail about the different between HDDs and SSDs. Lets just say my friend is surprised at what his 9 year old machine is able do. His machine uses an integrated gpu which is MUCH slower than having a stand alone graphics card. 

We talked about many different things. I will not go into much detail here but lets just say some of the topics I have been posting about in recent months were discussed. Many people drink what news outlets give them. They do not realize that there is a veil placed over their eyes. They are are seeing what a select few want them to see. 

When people speak up in the way that he has, people give him others like him a negative label. It makes me think of the scene from Matrix when the traitor wants to go back into the simulation. He wants to be rich and famous, but he wants that veil placed over his eyes. 

Other people I have talked to have basically made statements to the effect of putting their heads in the sand. 

Ok time to get ready for today.

/tata

Black Lives Matter...musings

 The BLM movement is ignoring that while we as blacks (funny how that term has changed over the years) suffered a lot due to police violence. So have others. Movements like this will divide people. This is my major gripe. Change is needed but making about one group alienates others. It makes them feel left out. People seem to forget that there are black officers that commit these acts of violence as well. There was an Asian American present during Flodys killing. 

We need to STOP dividing ourselves. When we do this, IF we can do this we can move ahead. I do not think it is possible at this point. We all have a memory of seeing ourselves as different. 

So of course people will counter BLM with All Lives Matter. At the root of things the latter is true. Blacks have suffered in America. BUT so have other groups. It is well documented. WE HAVE ALL SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF EACH OTHER. Throughout time this has and presently is the case. 

So when we ALL join hands together perhaps change can happen. So here is my view ..ALL LIVES MATTER. We have all suffered, and are suffering. I hate this issue. I have white people telling me sorry for my suffering. I do not want to live in the past. The past is educational. We can learn what we should do and perhaps what we should not do. Humanity needs help not of this world. I think our history proves this. Whites killing whites in Europe. Blacks (I hate using colors like this) killing blacks in Africa. We tend to forget the ethnic cleansing that goes on. 

Ugh. 

/Tata    

DIY is the way! And..Berare of second hand in South Korea!

I know people who have side businesses repairing computers, smartphones, cars (main business), even selling homemade foods. Most of these people have a do it yourself mentality. They have and are able to make money out of it. I do not have time to use my PC maintaining skills to earn money. Plus I can not fix apple computers. I ONLY know pc. 

However, it is very liberating to know exactly how to fix most common issues with a computer, and know what parts to buy if it can not be done at home with tools on hand. I have the same outlook with my car. I do not do to a mechanic and say my car is doing blah blah… NO I tell them "I need a new radiator this one is leaking." Or I say "How much is it to change a head gasket? I ask for services I need, or want. Very liberating. Once the mechanic broke my clock spring. I smelled something fishy when he blamed it on me. I only went to him for oil changes. So called my long time friend who helped A LOT with my education in car maintenance, and how to diagnosis certain issues. I asked him in English how much is a clock spring for my model of car. He told me it is 180 bucks new from KIA, not OEM. The mechanic seeing me drive a large car quoted 400 bucks. When I told him to stop cheating me. He then said it is 180 for a used unit. He likely could source one for free from a friend or a junk yard. I told him that look you are lying it is 180 for a NEW unit. I never went back there. 

Second hand items are another funny thing here. I will only say this. If prices are dirt cheap by from them you can trust them. If prices are slightly lower than the cheapest new items on the market stay away. Or if they are very cheap but they keep pushing you to buy a "new used item" run away. As for second hand goods you have to know the market. I was looking for a cheap monitor for my boys. I already new for a 24 inch monitor I could grab one for 95,000 won. I go into a shop. The dude sees my note 10 in my hand. He sees me using English with my wife. I ask for a old...very old 27 inch monitor. He said shiiiiiiip chil man won. Basically, he was seeing what I could afford by saying onnnnnneeeee hundred seventy thousand one! I laughed and told him that it is a rip off. I said thank you and left. 

He could have made an honest sale an gained a loyal customer. 

/tata

Coronavirus Korea was complacent.

A few weeks ago I was out with Yogita in our neighborhood having some grilled meat and a drink. We overheard a group of Korean males in their 50's state "Iksan is safe from corona". They went to talk about how life should return to normal, how South Korea handled this pandemic so well. 

Now, we are getting 200+ cases in the past 3 days, today it topped 300! Why? People got too relaxed. It is hot so why wear a mask? One woman saw Yogita and I and basically thanked us for wearing a mask. She then gave excuses as to why she did not want to wear one. As we parted she stated that washing the hands is enough. We both looked at her with dead pan eyes. 

South can not sustain what the USA is going through right now. I take back what I said a couple weeks ago about governments not printing money. Actually they are making out of thin air to make these "bonds" or "IOUs". If Korea did the same the won would tank very fast. I wish I could get 600 bucks a week in benefits during a lockdown. 

So here we are. This is not even the feared fall resurge I have been talking to Yogita about. This is people doing stupid things as if we are not living with a virus that we have no immunity to. People who feel a little under the weather and rather than get tested and self quarantine they go spread it to others. 

We have returned to a limited lockdown for our family. It will last two weeks. It really sucks, but it is needed. Too bad many other people are not following suit. Some teachers treated it like a holiday. Especially public school teachers, and some English "professors". I use that term loosely because to become a professor...basically they are ESL teachers who work for Universities. That is a topic for another day. 

Bottom line they traveled, held parties, basically they did not social distance at all. When a Korean super spreader the virus to 3 or 4 foreigners we all were treated as potential vectors for the virus. There have been reports of some losing jobs over just being in the same area. Lets not mention that the spreaders are in fact Korean. 

Basically, everyone is just taking it easy. If this thing isn't contained....I might be out of work for a few weeks, or out of a job all together. Of course I have backup plans in place. We go over them on a weekly basis. 

People need to keep vigilant!

Ok I need to make some photo copies for my last class!

/TATA

Vacation over...Chusok is around the corner!

This time of year tends to pass so quickly. I had a nice vacation. I chilled at home, and had drinks with Yogita. Our boys studied math, and the dog chilled in my room. Very very laid back and chill. We were invited to another friends birthday party (I think it is this coming Saturday). We declined. First, we are busy that day we will be doing some home cleaning. But, the main reason is that there is a number of small outbreaks in South Korea at the moment. Many people wear masks, while many do not. 

Yet another church this time is to blame. You see church services need to stop, and be moved online. Many churches have violated government orders. Many went to a rally is Seoul, many thousands packed in a small area. We have had almost 1000 new cases in 3 days. 297 being added today. So why this person wants to go to the largest city in our province and spend time in crowded drinking areas.

My vacation is over but I am worried about losing working days. Even if my salary is at 70% of normal if there is a long shut down staying at home in lockdown is nerve racking. If it happens again I WILL and the ENTIRE family will have more computer gaming time. Of course after chores and food is prepared. If I have to stay back there is no reason to just veg out and watch youtube, or Netflix. We will make headway in the games we play. Why not? There is really nothing else to do. We can exercise, prepare food, and do general chores. Problem is we are really good at those things. Now we have a slow cooker so we end looking at each other after 2 hours of being busy. Nah, not this time. If we have to stay home we will make the most of it. 

Well this week is actually almost over. Friday here I come!

/tata

People just don't get it...

While I was getting ready for work day some memories were on my mind. Over the years people have often expressed confusion, or well to be frank they just do not understand why we do things the way we do. 

Ok case in point because examples are needed, homeschooling. This was the best thing that could have happened to me. While I was in public schools in an underfunded district, and that is putting it mildly; teachers did not care. They did not really teach at all. There would be fighting in the class, talking, using bad words. Most teachers did nothing to control the students. When I was bullied I always fought back. This led to more issues. I made up my mind, screw school. I would turn to arcades to spend my time. I got really good at it too. 

Fast forward to high school. You see my mother was suffering from a very difficult to diagnose disease, Lupus. This was of course a major distraction. In and out of hospitals. Doctors visits, all this while suffering strange seizures. You see we did not know that there were different kinds of seizures. Finally in high school my Mom figured out that I was not going to school. I explained everything. I hated going to a place where I feared just getting there. We had a family discussion. It was then that we all learned once we went to public school to build personality, or to learn how to socialize, and exist in society we all changed.

We changed for the worse. We used to care for each other. My parents had five children. We really showed love, kindness, and compassion for each other. Once we went to school we all developed methods of coping with the bullying and teasing that went on. We brought that shit into our house. Teasing each other, tearing each other down rather than building up. 

Where I grew up used to be a nice place. Then drugs were allowed in. Yes that is right it was allowed in. I will not go into detail but that is what happened. 

When I talk of my early years some people just smile and say "Oh look at you now. There is no way it could have been as bad as you say." Usually, no everyone who said this happened to be White. No that is not true there is one man who I consider a part of my family who fully knows what it is like. 

People hear only what they want to hear. What they want to believe. Many people live with blinders on. Instead of listening they judge based on what they have experienced. It is normal but doesn't feel good on the receiving end. 

/tata

Money can't save us for long...

It is funny we live in  world where we can not live a comfortable stable life with out money. For the first time since 2016 we are making the most money we have ever made. Of course I will not put numbers here. This has led me to think about some things. First this money isn't really "worth" anything. Government policy, or some powerful people can change monetary, or banking policy that can lead to money losing value. Take India for example they removed 1000 rupee notes, and old 500 notes. This sudden move reduced the value of the rupee. There is an interesting Indian movie about this. Basically, the people holding illegal funds usually in great amounts, had advance warning. They worked with the banks to launder the money. Common folks lost money, time, and spent many stressful hours in line at banks to turn in old notes. Being in line at an Indian bank is not a pleasant experience. The line moves SLOWLY. 

So if you have 250,000 USD, you have to be so careful. How do you report it on your taxes, invest it safely and how to access it. We have been sending money to overseas accounts for years. In India we have to be careful about which banks to use. Some offer very good interests rates, but do not offer insurance of deposits beyond a certain amount. If you put more money into that account and something happens kiss the money that is over the "insured" amount goodbye. 

When banks went under in the states 401k retirement accounts where wiped out. Some people committed suicide. 

Life is more comfortable, bank accounts grow a bit more. But one major life event can take it all away. 

Only the ones in charge behind the curtain are safe. It is funny my students say that they want to be rich when they grow up. Likely we will all have a universal style income system. This means it will be even harder to become "rich". 

Money is a means to an end. I will quote my bosses father "I do not want to be richest corpse in the graveyard". Enjoy money but do not let it control you. You end up a slave to it, or obsessing about it.

/tata

Yeah no more AC issues and HELLO VACATION!

I saw in friends school she had a really cool window mounted air conditioner. It is pretty compact and very comfortable to use. Yogita and I bought it in a heart beat. The deliveryman got it to us even though it was raining heavily. It is so nice. Of course we do not run our ac's the way we would in the States. We call it pulsing the AC. Our little term. Basically, we let it run for a couple of hours at 26 degrees C. This cools the room and removes the humidity. Then we shut it off for a couple of hours. This works because our electricity bill says so. We some times just put it on a 1.5 hour timer and run it like that. At night they run until the sun comes up. Works great! It is still costly but not a 500 dollar bill. This happened to us years ago. I might have blogged about... 

So Yogi is sleeping and gaming in more comfort. Which is of course very important to me. When we just kept our door open I would still sleep for my 4-6 hours and wake up. Yogi would sometimes toss and turn. It also auto cleans the filter. 

I found out yesterday that due to parents complaining our vacation will be extended. So that is nice. My plans? Stay home basically. MAYBE visit a nearby city.....MAYBE. I will try to get back in to Eve Online.

We basically log in check a few things then log off. 

Ok time to start Tuesday's classes! 

/tata

Air conditioner woes...

Our apartment has one air conditioner. Now many apartments are like this. In the middle of the summer when it is very hot Koreans use fans, and of course an air conditioner. However, many Korean families will sleep in the Livingroom near the main AC. We did this as well when George was younger. But now with two smelly (lets be frank teenagers are ripe), a long with my large frame in our Livingroom? HECK NO! Yogita and I need our space. Also with our two gaming rigs each well yeah it creates a lot heat. Anyone who enjoys gaming on any platform knows that heat is a thing that needs to be managed. 

So, we are going to buy a window mounted AC. The thing is I want a model that we can easily transport with us. For example, lets say we have a job placement in South India (Yogi and I fell in love with south India). We can also arrange housing from Korea and have our computers and air conditioner shipped there. Yes it is expensive but why put down the same money to buy new unit. So we will be shopping for a unit online.

Ah this pandemic has removed our ability to do what we want to do. I am where I have to be, or rather need to be. Korea has handled this pandemic so well. Other nations … well the global reported number is over 700,000 souls. Reported number...so it could be as high as 2 or 3 million lost. 

Ok time to get this Thursday started.

/tata

Burning oh wait...another rainy Friday!

So yeah another rainy cloudy day. Some updates are needed. 

George is ready to take his GED but now due to this virus heading up to Seoul just seems to risky. There are a number of imported cases. Why are flights from America and other heavily hit countries not being shut down? Also some people who had to go into quarantine actually escaped the hotel they were staying at James Bond style. They used the fire escape rope to run away. WHY????

So George is revising everyday, and honing up on his weaker areas while we wait for a calm in the storm. Jeyo has hit puberty like a storm. He sticks just like I did when I was a teenage. I remember when George entered the hellish years of teenage hood. Now our youngest is as well. 

Yogita and I are busier and busier which is always good. Actually, we are fortunate. Tonight we will have a date. I think she might want Chinese food. I think I will post about the food here in Iksan. It is quite nice. Living here has been quite a change from Gunsan.

Ok time for my last class....TEENAGERS.

/tata

Note 20 around the corner.

I love my note 10+. I love the large storage, the display, note cameras have always been nice. I am not an expert on cameras. I will say though the note 8 and 10+ take very nice pictures. Much better than my LG G pro 2. Videos are clear and crisp. The 12 gigs of ram means I just load up apps I want to use with out worry. On my Ipad pro 12.9 apps just do not load when the ram is maxed. It happens really fast when I am logging into to many games to get login rewards. 

Overall I love the phone. I major gripe is durability. A phone that cost this much should be far more durable. I dropped the phone...well I actually fell down...rolled down a small hill and it gave the phone a small crack in the upper right corner of the screen. I guess it is pretty durable, The phone was note in it's case. Battery life is great after one year. I am more mindful of not completely draining the battery. At times I do not let it charge to 100%, 95% works just fine. 

The Note 20 is really tempting. However, the leaked images, and specs seems to point to really minor upgrades, with more added stuff most people do not need. 

Ok time to get started!

/tata

Odd weather in Korea

Where did the summer heat go? Last year was a scorcher. I remember on my vacation which was this week last year, it was HOT. Sunny hot humid days, with a few rainy days here and there. This is the norm for Korea. It is funny how the last week of July and the first week of August is the main vacation season. It is also the hottest. This year? We have had rainy days like late summer. Jeyo and George got soaked walking Oscar on his late walk.

Usually, this time of year we have hot humid nights. The nights are humid, but as hot as usual due to the rains we have been having. I actually like even though my body is complaining. Usually, by mid July until late August we use the AC every night. This summer we have used the AC perhaps 6 or 7 times. Many people around me do not feel that this is a strange weather pattern. I think this will be a rainy summer. Since we returned in 2013 every summer was HOT. So I am going to enjoy this as long as I can.

Anyways time to get over the hump day! Actually, this day is important in our mmorpg that we play.

/tata