Today is my 41st birthday.  Last year at this time was when I technically entered my 40′s but I feel like today is when it is finally real, 41 just seems that much older than 40.

What did I do for my 41st birthday?  Well yesterday our friends Tom and Sara took our kids while we went for Indian buffet.  The food was yummy but today my stomach still feels a little queasy.  I do appreciate that unlike after eating at Chinese and Korean restauraunts I was not incredibly thirsty due to high amounts of salt ingestion.

Today I talked with my parents and Ji Seon made the family cupcakes.  I don’t actually like cupcakes, it’s more for making this day fun for the kids.  Ji Seon also gave me a nice sweater but unfortunately it’s too big for my non-muscular frame.

I decided not to work today and instead just blogged and read.  Some friends left me Happy Birthday wishes.  It was a nice relaxing day.  And later we go shopping even though I think I have been buying too many things recently.

Searching the web I see the most famous person who has the same birthday as me is Frankie Muniz.  Happy Birthday Frankie!

Categories: Frank
1 Comment »

On Saturday, November 22 our realtor, Rainmaker Properties, hosted a client appreciation event at the local theater featuring Madagascar 2.  This was the first time for Victoria, Isaac and Dylan to see a movie at a theater.  And I think it was the first time that I had seen a movie in a theater since Dylan was born over five years ago.  Ji Seon recently got to see a movie at a theater during a women’s night out but before that I think the last time was also before Dylan was born.

We arrived right at 10:30 AM as the invite said and realized immediately our mistake.  The theater was already almost completely full and we ended up sitting in the second row.  I ended with a sore back from looking up at the screen.

Lunch was hamburger and hot dogs with cookies and chips.  There was a raffle and we are hoping to win the 32″ LCD TV.

We were wondering how the kids would do because normally they don’t like watching movies, they find them a little scary.  They prefer more innocent fare like Dora, Cyberchase, Sid the Science Kid, Dragon Tales, and Raggs.  Dylan did just fine though he sat on my lap at the beginning with Isaac.  Isaac found some of the parts scary.  Victoria was not happy at all with being in a dark theater and Ji Seon had to take her outside and strolled her until she slept.  Isaac later left me to look for Ji Seon.  And at the end of the movie Victoria woke up so I took care of her while Isaac and Ji Seon returned to catch the last ten minutes.

Overall though it was a good time and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  Isaac and Dylan loved the song “I Like to Move It, Move It” and you will sometimes hear Isaac singing it.

Tags: youtube
Categories: Dylan, Frank, Isaac, Ji Seon, Victoria
2 Comments »

Frank: Ji Seon, are you going to vote today?

Ji Seon: I think so.

Frank: If you’re too busy, you don’t have to vote.

Ji Seon: Okay, I think I won’t vote.

[pause]

Frank: YOU HAVE TO VOTE!  It is our greatest privilege being part of the greatest democracy in the world.  We have to as Christians!

Ji Seon:  Okay, okay, I will.

Frank:

Ji Seon and I have laughed several times about this conversation.  In the afternoon we, the whole family, walked over to the voting station and Ji Seon voted while I waited and the kids played in the park.  I am happy Ji Seon and I participated in one of the most historic elections.

Tags: obama
Categories: Frank, Ji Seon
2 Comments »

I just don’t get it.  It happens 90% of the time.  Indian people invariably call me “Kim”.  I have asked them several times why they do it and they don’t know why.  Today I was corresponding with the business representative at eBay.  He calls me “Frank”, the emails clearly show that my first name is “Frank”.  However when my case is given to the tech representative who is Indian, she calls me “Kim”.

Indian support people call me “Kim”.  Indian engineers I work with call me “Kim”.  Indians of every walk of life call me “Kim”.  Even when I correct them sometimes they can’t stop, they have to keep calling me “Kim”.

Once I asked if it had anything to do with Rudyard Kipling’s book, “Kim”, but they said no.  The mystery remains unsolved and I must again try to correct another Indian with regards to my name.

Categories: Frank
No Comments »

Warren Buffet, in a New York Times op-ed, encouraged readers to buy American stocks because everyone else is selling them.  It reminds me of when Ji Seon told me her aunts were buying internet stocks and I said “We should sell.”  Or the time when I heard someone bought a condo after saying no so many times before and I said “The housing market is about to decline.”  And for the past few weeks I have been saying it is time to buy stocks.

However though I was right in the past I did nothing about it so there wasn’t really any value in my being right.  And though I might be right and I am sure Buffett is right, I am not buying any stocks now.  Why don’t I do anything?  Because I have this other philosophy which says “You cannot time the market.”  So I am frozen with indecision as I have been many times in the past about even the simplest things like which pair of eyeglass frames should I buy?

A good friend has been encouraging me to read a book about Buffett and learn about his investing style.  I will be doing that soon (I have it on reserve at the library) and hoping the market at least stays flat before I get in.  One other philosophy I have is “Don’t rush into things.  Opportunities always keep arising.”  Maybe I am wrong about that philosophy too.

A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. And most certainly, fear is now widespread, gripping even seasoned investors. To be sure, investors are right to be wary of highly leveraged entities or businesses in weak competitive positions. But fears regarding the long-term prosperity of the nation’s many sound companies make no sense. These businesses will indeed suffer earnings hiccups, as they always have. But most major companies will be setting new profit records 5, 10 and 20 years from now.

Let me be clear on one point: I can’t predict the short-term movements of the stock market. I haven’t the faintest idea as to whether stocks will be higher or lower a month — or a year — from now. What is likely, however, is that the market will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up. So if you wait for the robins, spring will be over.

Buy American. I Am. – Warren Buffett

Categories: Frank
No Comments »

I have realized the role of the father is to be selfish and the role of the mother is to be selfless.

For example I will be eating dinner happily and then I will say to Ji Seon “Did you eat?”

She will reply “No I was feeding the other kids.”

I will then advise Ji Seon to eat.  My role as the selfish person has helped remind Ji Seon to eat.

Or I will be watching the Olympics while Ji Seon is giving the kids a bath.  Ji Seon will see me watching and that will remind her to watch TV sometimes herself.

Or when the guys call me to play basketball I say sure and run out.  This encourages Ji Seon to take some time off for herself.

My role is crucial.  If I had tried to be selfless like Ji Seon than we would both be weary and spent.  But my selfishness reminds Ji Seon to take care of herself.

Categories: Frank, Ji Seon
3 Comments »