The Iceberg

Just took a quick peek at Aaron’s blog, “The Idiots’ Collective“. I found it very well written and entertaining and decided to add it to the sidebar.

Check it out.

Also added “GI Korea, One Free Korea, and Roboseyo”.

Nice article (admittedly from a few months ago) in the LA Times on Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay - truly a site to behold.

If you’ve ever been there and were sufficiently impressed, you can vote for Ha Long Bay as one the “new seven wonders of nature”.

For some reason, I felt like putting on Al Green’s “Let’s Get Married”.

lets-get-married

Enjoy.

(And Happy Birthday Buddha!)

I was reading the latest in a long history of arguments over the supposed moral superiority of Korean society at The Marmot’s Hole - for the record, I’m in the “baduk and wjk are full of shit out of touch” camp - when I remembered a story told to me back in the day by a couple of my co-workers. I’ll share it with you now.

It was some time around the turn of the 21st century and it involved two co-workers of mine. To avoid confusion, I’ll refer to the co-workers as “Mr. A” and “Mr. B”.

Mr. A had been dating a woman for about three weeks. One weekend he asked me if I’d like to go on a double date with the two of them and his girlfriend’s best friend. For reasons that now escape me I was unable to join them, so Mr. A instead invited Mr. B.

It seems that the night of the double date Mr. B and the best friend hit it off quite nicely. The four of them went back to Mr. A’s place for drinks and an hour or so later the best friend and Mr. B scurried off to his place.

As guys who have not reached full maturity (which in my case no longer applies, thank you very much) are prone to do, Mr. A and Mr. B shared with each other what occurred in each other’s rooms that night. Suffice to say, both couples had done the deed.

Fast forward a few days. Mr. A and Mr. B came over to my place for some beers. I’ll now paraphrase what they said were conversations that took place between the respective couples.

CONVERSATION ONE

Mr. A’s Girlfriend (AG) - I feel so guilty.
Mr. A - Why?
AG - Because you and I had sex, but my friend and your friend only went back to his room and talked that night.
Mr. A - Why do you think that? Maybe she’s not being truthful with you.
AG - Of course she is. She’s my best friend. She would never lie to me.
Mr. A - Did you tell her that we had sex?
AG - Of course not! She would think that I’m easy.

CONVERSATION TWO

Mr. B’s Date (BD) - I feel so guilty.
Mr. B - Why?
BD - Because you and I had sex, but my friend and your friend only stayed in his room and talked.
Mr. B - Why do you think that? Maybe she’s not being truthful with you.
BD - Of course she is. She’s my best friend. She would never lie to me.
Mr. B - Did you tell her that we had sex?
BD - Of course not! She would think that I’m easy.

There was a time when I used to shake my head and roll my eyes in disbelief at such stories - and there were many of a similar vein. Not because I didn’t believe the story, mind you, but because I was dumbfounded that such an environment really existed. But now I no longer care. After all, it’s not my psychosis. This issue is now the sole possession of people like baduk and wjk. And to anyone who is confronted with their sort of prattle my advice would be to nod your head, say “Uh huh,” and move on.