World will not got back to "normal"

 We are too far into this pandemic for us to be able to go back to normal. With governments talking about covid passports. A virus that now has different strains. People trying to back to normal activities and once they do this those areas experience a wave of new infections. You see unlike the Spanish flu (more like the United States flu) people went back to normal activities due to transportation not being as developed as it is today. Covid spread on ships, planes, buses, trains, private cars...you get the point. We did not have the same travel options as we did in 1918 to 1920.

Masks will be a thing now. Covid documents that show either a vaccination, or a negative test result will be needed. This will be our new normal for a long time to come. 

We had a work meeting and covid is always somewhere on the agenda. If we make plans for anything this pandemic enters the conversation. Likely where I will be working next year will be largely dictated on covid. More people will be working from home. Youtubers are going to become even more famous as they produce more content than other broadcasting services. 

So here it is a new normal that will last for some time. We all thought 2021 would bring us a big relief from this virus. This year as we enter the 5th month is THE SAME as last year. 

So keep wearing your mask! (Maybe I will buy one of those fancy masks with patterns on it).

/tata

India is showing us what China isn't!

 Hats off to India during this horrible pandemic. China could have told the world what to really expect and could have saved lives to this day. Instead we got bullshit reports of them knocking out the virus with very few deaths. There is so much evidence online that many many more died as a result of "flu like symtoms". Covid-19 and the flue ravaged China. I mentioned last year that China took draconian methods to stop the spread of this infection. However, they should have shown what it can do. How oxygen canisters should be made available. 

Why do people play the blame game, instead of just taking care of a problem. Since Adam we are blaming each other first then tackling an issue. The blaming phase wastes SO much time. In many cases innocents have to "take the blame". China killed those who spoke out at first. There is more information on youtube. The youtubers who posted this information were demonetized by Youtube. They still posted and are still posting the truth about what happened in China. 

The channel is https://www.youtube.com/user/serpentza 

another channel is https://www.youtube.com/user/laowhy86

These two are friends who have lived in China for over a decade. If they ever step foot back in China they will be killed. 

Shame on China's government. 

Not to say that other governments have a lot of blood on their hands too.

/tata

India....Covid-19...its back...

 Wow, heard some terrible news from family on the ground in India. You just can not trusts the news sites that are often controlled by governments. From the sounds of what they described likely large metro cities (by American standards) are seeing several thousand cases daily. With a large number of those persons in serious condition. 

Oxygen tanks are in short supply, many are simply passing away at home. This is far worse than what was posted on the net by CNN. Far far worse. Many countries are stepping up to help India. I hope red tape doesn't slow down aid. Our family members are in good condition which is a blessing. Too many in India live in housing that just isn't safe from a pandemic view. Heck here in South Korea we are also living in boxes what share the same air circulation, people use 1 or 2 elevators which which means dirty surfaces. 

In bible mankind was told to "spread out and become many". Instead we crowded ourselves in large cities and now this is a result. China even sprayed disinfectant down sewers due to the fact that the virus could survive in human waste. 

We are now feeling stressed as it seems all over India they are being hard hit in this fourth wave. In the United States it seems to be stabilizing. Here in South Korea we are have seen a large uptick in cases 700's last week. In our area it spread throughout schools but the numbers were small. 20 here, 6 or 7 there, and seems to spreading in tight family circles. Several hundred people are in self isolation at the moment. Likely this number is far higher. Some schools have gone back to long distance learning.

People need to stop traveling for pleasure stay with in their locality. In Iksan we had 15 new cases last week. With numbers so low they have lowered the social distancing level back to 1.5. I think we did a good job. I hope that people limit travel in just our immediate area. Iksan has many nice green spaces, restaurants (take out is better), camping sites, and other types of recreation. We have this here! If we get sick it is easier to track. Also churches need to go online. Some clusters of infection in our area came from church gatherings. 

We are ending our lockdown this week. However, we will still take certain precautions. We will avoid packed eateries. There is a restaurant in our area that has widely spaced seating outside. This might be our go to place this week. Keep fighting India! May God bless you and aid you this struggle! 

/tata

Fast food!

 I am here with one of my students his name is Danny. We were looking at an app that allows us to order food via our smartphone. I have found that this is really interesting. We have tried Chinese food, Vietnamese, Korean, American style food, and others. To be honest if covid-19 was not here we would not know about most of these places. With this app we can explore different food from the comfort and safety of our home. 

Tonight we will be having Indian, and Korean fusion. We will buy Korean style fried chicken, rice (Korean rice), Dal (Indian style lentils with spinach), and fresh fruit. So no exploring on that app tonight.

However, many of our friends have been raving about a new sandwich place in town. They serve American sandwiches. I am going to order a Ruben sandwich. I have never had this sandwich. So I am looking forward to Saturday. 

Walking has been going very well. We are at 18.5 kms so far this week.

Here is a picture of the Ruben sandwich.

Oh Saturday here we come!

Time flies...

 It is so odd that here we are about to finish April and start May. It feels like this month just started. Today on my way to work it was so warm. Of course now it has become much cooler. Time really flies here. Now that we are back at level 2 of the social distancing index we are saving more money. I feel for other businesses that are hard it by this virus. A mortality rate of  2% does not seem to merit this response. 

One sound that has become normal this year is the near constant hum of scooter motors. Since most people still avoid eating out (many still do but the majority don't.) delivery service workers are super busy. Several have died due to over work. 

In America the police officer that killed a black man in public was finally found guilty. I remember my friend and wife talking about missing home. They could connect over the idea that home is a nice place. I on the other hand could not. When I was a teenager I felt fear when I saw a police car drive down the street. When they would slow down and stare at me it caused my blood to run cold.

I have memory to share. I was walking my dog a Labrador Retriever. It was in the morning. It was my usual routine. While I was heading to the park a police car slowed down! The white office inside was staring at me!! I instantly froze. The officer knew exactly why I was reacting like that. He immediately threw up his hands in a non threatening way telling me that he was dog person and loved Labradors. 

For the next 2 weeks we would have a quick chat. I have had other experiences but why delve into the negative. 

/tata

Upgrades will be postponed

 So due to a recent surge in cases and local government is suppressing information on exactly how many patients there are I will be postponing our upgrades. Locally, people talk with in their social networks and then they spread information to other networks. It is how we communicate. Communities are set up like this. So we already know that there have been outbreaks in several schools in different neighborhoods. We know this yet the local government is not taking strong action. 

Due to this we need to be ready for any changes that might come. I do not want to be "shopping" when some emergency occurs. So not only are we locking down (not meeting friends, avoiding restaurants, parties, large gatherings and so on). We will do this until the end of the next week. we will then evaluate what to do next. 

So no upgrades right now. I will be looking and reviewing our options though. 

/tata

When I was young...

 In the bible it says that one will reap what one sows. This is so true. When I was young I had things rough in school. I mean it was hell. I was bullied, I had to deal with peer pressure. I basically did not go to school at times. My parents did not know this. I had a clever way or so I thought of forging my report card. 

You see people are different, we all know this. However, there is as my own father would say: "an easy way", and "the hard way". 

I was very stubborn when I was young up until my mid teens. I would argue and argue. I would ignore orders. My mother reminded of that verse in the bible. I of course knew better and ignored those words of wisdom. 

That is until I was 15 years old. I realized that in 3 short years I would be 18.In America being 18 and Black means you are a very ripe target for law enforcement. It means you make a mistake and the book gets thrown at you. There is no slap on the wrists. My mother was explaining this to me. For some reason I guess it was fear, my ears opened. After arguing with her I would go back to my room and sort of replay the words over and over. Finally, I got it! She was trying her best to warn me, to help me. She knew things that I did not. You see when I was young it was popular to get your high school diploma and move out. Be your own man so to say. To be free. I envied the guys I saw doing this. 

Yet, they did not seem happy. They seemed overly distracted by bills, or debt, while driving their new cars. When they married they would complain about life at home. These guys were 18-20 years old. Some of them would run afoul of the law and get locked up for 2 or 3 years. 

Ok, so once I realized my mom was actually trying to help me I did the smartest thing I have done in my life. I shut the hell up. I listened more, I asked questions, and examples of the things she was telling me. 

So when it came for my turn to decide I followed her advice. It was simple get a degree in a field that would allow you to do many things. Science, business, IT or computer science, law, medicine which is closely linked to science, just a name some examples. So I made my choice. 

Since then I have never worried about work. I have options all over the world. If I choose to enhance my skills that is not difficult. Parents know best. We have been there, done that. So many teens today ignore parents. They do this at a peril they have no understanding of. 

This world is changing fast. The skillset needed for tomorrow will not be same as we have today.

There is a reason most universities reserve a number of seats of foreign students. American students will not take courses in the "hard" subjects. 

Mom and Dad know best. I am even listening to advice given to me by my Indian mom and dad. You know what? It has been helping me to this day.

/tata

I am planning on a shorted walk today due to the siege coming in Archeage later tonight.

700 new cases in South Korea...

 The change in the alert messages really sucks. However, it is nice to see that due to social media people can still pass on useful information. I now know that there is an outbreak at an elementary in this city. So for 2 weeks students from that school will be tested, and will be staying home for 2 weeks. 

This is nuts. Now we have just come off a 2 day lockdown (no work). I think it is due to what I posted above. People just went on like normal because they were not getting the alerts which acted like mini warnings. So 2 days of work was lost, and Yogita is going to be off for the rest of the week. It looks like I will work on Saturday to make up lost work. 

It is so strange today is Wednesday but it kind of feels like Monday.

/tata

Walking update this week we are already at 23.5 kms walked.

South Korea needs to wake up..

 For years there has been regular debate on how to cope with the fact that South Korea's population will decline. There are many reasons why people are deciding to forgo raising kids. That is a topic for another day though. Now the issue is with how South Korea plans to "fill in gaps" in the work force. 

South Korea has promoted a number of "professional" visas aimed at bringing in highly skilled people who they hope can fill the shortfall of native job seekers due to a shrinking population. HUH? There are thousands of people like me, who would actually consider South Korea a long term option if they changed some rules regarding our visas. Under the new system they are allowing these highly skilled persons to have a type of "open" visa. Basically, they are not tied to their workplace. They can change employment, and likely work in other fields if they so choose. 

Now here is the kicker, there are very few foreigners who are attracted to Korea to take advantage of these visas. Korea needs to wake up and realize that long term residents is where their focus needs to be. Once we leave South Korea we will be coming back. I have been blessed to work at two wonderful schools here in Iksan which has allowed us to become more and more financially stable. 

This would allow me to invest more and more in Korea. However, my visa is locked to my workplace. Yogi's and the boys are locked to my visa which makes doing something has simple as buying a car, setting up a internet connection, or smartphone a hassle. The reason? Our visa's are only 1 year long. We make more money than the small group of "highly skilled" persons South Korea seems to prefer. Most of us in this group make between 50 - 70 million won a year. If you look at our CTC it is nearly 60 - 80 million won. Many of us simply save money, send it to bank accounts overseas. Why? Why should I invest in a country that looks at me like I am a visitor? 

If I have a 3 year fund, but I have to leave because of a one year visa .... that is a nightmare! Not to mention when you go to banks to seek ways in which we could invest we are met with the "you are not Korean". Stupid stupid stupid. This group of people are in fact highly skilled. I mean the thousands of foreigners who have made Korea a second home. They should roll out the red carpet for us. Give us proper access to the financial system. South Korea will end up reacting too late when this large group of people start leaving the country.

/tata

Beautiful Cherry Blossoms

During the day.

 Down the street where I work.

At night they look even better under the new LED lights they are installing everywhere.

And here is another night shot.

The odd thing is that they are blossoming earlier every year. They start blooming late March. Now they are shedding pedals now. Global warming, climate change yeah it is here. These were taken last week at the start of our evening walk. I love the pictures this Note 10+ takes. It is hard to imagine but smartphone cameras have improved even more today. 

Some really odd stuff happening...

 So last week was a normal week. Well as normal as normal can be. I started and finished all of my visa paperwork. I was actually at the hospital and I heard a doctor tell a patient to remove his mask. Perhaps it was a respiratory related issue. I made up my own mind that I will not remove mine. Of course no one asked me to. 

So I am relaxing at home late last week. I get a notification on my phone. I translate it. It basically says that due to the improving situation (a slow down the spread of the disease), they would no longer be sending alert messages. 

Ok so I felt good for moment. Perhaps this is a good thing. Uh no it was not. You see when I saw those messages I would then take certain actions. Avoid certain areas, or even stay away from restaurants period. Due to the lack of alert messages we would go out more. The alert messages allowed me to prepare my family for some of the short lockdowns we had last year. Now, they will only update on Iksan cities social medial sites. Last week there were 8 confirmed patients. This means that perhaps 30-40 others are self quarantining themselves. These people are not counted. So this means that when they report numbers you must assume that there are more cases. 

They the authorities do not want to create a panic. However, it seems to me they want to limit our access to almost real time information. So we will be locking down again for 2 weeks. No social meetings, no visitors at our house, restaurants are a no go, as well as bars, we will be ordering out a bit more. What will not change is our exercising. We might change the hours though on Saturday. Many people are on the routes we like to walk on the weekends. 

So there you have it. No more alerts due to the situation getting better (last week was the largest increase many weeks) due to things getting better. Ugh.

/tata

Walking and walking...

 Thursdays is a major walking day. I walk to another neighborhood to meet Yogita. That stretch is about 2.5 to 3 kms. Then when I meet Yogita I try to get at least 4km in for her. So I usually average 7kms on Thursdays. However, this pattern has now been in effect for nearly 5 months. 

My Note 10 like all modern smartphones has apps that record that data. I know they use it, and sell it but that is another topic for another day. I have walked about 600 kms! Actually, it is slightly higher than that due to a lag when you stop walking then start again. Of course this happens when you are at a stoplight. However, with Yogita we often stop if she sees something nice. Lets just say we stop walking often because of her wanting to click pictures of various things. 

So I am very happy with the changes we have made. We walk about 7 hours every week. The best part of my day starts when I meet Yogita and we start walking. Talking things out while burning energy is so helpful. I hope this week we beat our 7 hour average. I have found a new spot where we can have a few drinks, that is so safe (social distancing friendly). That location has a field so we can get about 4 kms on a Saturday n the evening. I love it! 

Ok time to start the work day, I will be meeting a new group of little people today.

/tata

 Musings Of An Inquisitive Soul!

Today as I was going to work...waiting to take the elevator down..two boys from next door...also waiting for the elevator...were animately talking...talking about games..normal...however, this is where it gets a bit strange..as soon as they got on the elevator..both of 'em started checking themselves out in the elevator mirror...one boy mentioned ..with a slight hint of panic in his voice...how he forgot to put sunscreen on before leaving his house...and bemoaned how his skin is going to turn dark now...OH NO!...the other boy laughed and then screamed...because...he just discovered two pimples on his face...THE END OF THE WORLD....and the punchline...these boys looked like 5th graders so around 12....LOL

Now, the fair skin craze is all over Asia..including India...but I have to say... I've met some of THE MOST self absorbent people in this country....constantly obsessing over their looks and complexion...no wonder Korea is the country of selfie mania and a plastic surgery haven.

I wonder how are they going to deal with the fact that soon most of their populous...including them...will be OLD....right now, no one wants to talk about it...the situation is not that bad yet....but what about a few years or a decade from now....when you look around and everyone around you is up there in age...your own skin is starting to wrinkle...hence all the anti-aging creams....well it can slow it down..maybe...but it CAN'T STOP it! sooner or later....probably sooner than later...people here have to wake up and smell the coffee....You CAN'T cheat nature...you CAN'T cheat life!