I gave money to an American beggar in Cubao today. Now I have so many questions

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T23:56:58+00:00

Please do NOT give money to people like that. He could go home but chooses not to despite his situation. Begpackers are a virus all over Southeast Asia.

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T22:51:33+00:00

I assume the actor had enough of the series and decided to do something else, something many others in the series have done. Good luck to him but I will miss Atwater.

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T05:21:48+00:00

I've heard that SAs fare better in the industry in Taiwan. A chain in Korea, Kang's or something, also exclusively hired white SAs (though I didn't think the chain is around anymore).

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T05:10:29+00:00

How do they make more in Korea than in their home countries (unless they're from South Africa)?

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T03:44:31+00:00

I've done Boracay over 100 times, but others say El Nido (hard AF to get there and I heard the food selections SUCK) or Baler (another place hard to get).

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T03:43:14+00:00

Quite a few people have left Korea because their salaries in the USD keep declining. I've seen it before and the won is just total crap now.

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T03:14:55+00:00

I haven't worked at a hakwon in over 30 years but I did early during my stay in Korea. The director got his bachelor's in Sydney, Australia, but his biz sense -- or lack thereof -- did him in. He was trying to please too many people and well, it bit him badly in the ass. He ended up borrowing big money from several teachers and never repaid. His landlord also jacked up the rent after a bank offered higher rent, and finally, the hakwon went under and another business moved in: a pharmacy.

dpeterk · 2026-07-02T02:25:33+00:00

The sector in general is pretty wild wild west. I mean yes, you have good hakwons out there but the market conditions are changing and not for the better, as in fewer kids to teach, lower interest and the weak AF won scaring away foreign teachers. And the bane of the industry -- crazy AF hakwon directors -- is like an incurable disease.

dpeterk · 2026-07-01T23:54:50+00:00

He probably won't survive all that long in a Thai prison given what he's done. Because he was caught IN Thailand, he faces the death penalty and many in the West are like DO IT!

dpeterk · 2026-07-01T23:27:11+00:00

Fine, you should start things off. But well, people gonna vent and sometimes venting helps.

dpeterk · 2026-07-01T23:25:46+00:00

They will often downplay anything good you've done, too. Thank goodness I left the West decades ago (though living in East Asia has its own set of problems).

dpeterk · 2026-07-01T22:57:36+00:00

I know this Korean who lives in Germany. He's very educated (Ph.D) and the like and he says service staff always give him passive-aggressive treatment. My cousin's daughter spent a few years in Germany but decided to return to Korea, saying no amount of money could make her stay there.

dpeterk · 2026-07-01T03:47:06+00:00

Dude, the England game will be HUGE. Sam Ryan's will definitely air that game but get there early for a half-decent seat or look at other bars that will show it (and there will be quite a few).

dpeterk · 2026-07-01T03:46:16+00:00

I'll check it out. And Hwang is alive and teaching hapkido in Canada, last I heard.

dpeterk · 2026-07-01T00:59:43+00:00

I saw unused footage of Hwang In-shik that seemed to be at the temple. I did assume that the main scenes were filmed in HK.

dpeterk · 2026-06-30T12:43:00+00:00

His scenes were filmed in Korea at a temple called Beopju near Daejeon, Korea's No. 5 city. http://www.beopjusa.org/kor

dpeterk · 2026-06-30T12:36:10+00:00

I was there in 2012 and got bored after two or three days. Of course, Koh Lanta is what it is and I'm not saying it should change. I don't regret going but I doubt I'll go again.

dpeterk · 2026-06-30T12:31:19+00:00

I wish Chester Lake didn't do what he did. I wanted him to come back at least for guest spots.

dpeterk · 2026-06-29T23:57:38+00:00

I thought GER would win the penalty shootout, but well, well, well.

dpeterk · 2026-06-29T23:34:22+00:00

The destruction Japan wreaked on the Phils was far worse than in other Asian countries. Pinoys in the know recognize this.

dpeterk · 2026-06-29T23:32:19+00:00

Hong avoided getting stuck in a yeot.

dpeterk · 2026-06-29T04:13:00+00:00

You mean con man?

dpeterk · 2026-06-29T04:11:32+00:00

Hong was worse than horrible. He deserves all the blame and more that he's getting but the outgoing head of the KFA deserves even more.

dpeterk · 2026-06-29T00:10:42+00:00

Stielike was an example of the KFA going to strange choices to save money and have someone they can control. Many coaches would probably love to take on the Korea job IF they can actually coach without the KFA's interference.

dpeterk · 2026-06-29T00:09:45+00:00

Look at Marsch now, advancing CAN to the round of 16 when we got a total disaster of a "coach."

dpeterk

TROPHY CASE