Notes
Personal Notes
Reflections on Starting This Blog — Again
A few months in, a second blog, and a mix of categories I never quite planned — some honest thoughts on why I started, what I’ve learned, and where this is headed.
I hesitated for a long time before starting this blog. To start or not to start — that was the question. But in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, I found myself craving something more human: genuine connection, real exchange, the kind of conversation you can’t script.
Once I started posting, I noticed the gaps quickly. The nuance and rhythm of English felt different from Korean. My awareness of certain conventions was thinner than I’d hoped. Legal disclosure requirements were a blind spot I hadn’t even considered. Humbling, but instructive.
01
The Beginning
Having crossed into my forties, I wanted to build friendships beyond borders — especially with fellow entrepreneurs, however small our ventures may be right now. In East Asian tradition, each decade of life carries its own name, and the one for the forties speaks to settled judgment: values no longer easily swayed. I liked the idea of starting something new from that footing. So instead of hesitating further, I took the first step.
Language without nuance is just information. I wanted something more — and that’s what pushed me to finally begin.
02
Nearly Twenty Posts In
Some posts make me wince. There are entries I’d love to rewrite, others I’d quietly revise. But I’ve decided to leave them as they are.
Those early, imperfect posts are the honest record of who I was when I first started — and I expect they’ll make me smile years from now. Every beginner leaves traces of their beginning. These are mine.
03
Actually, This Is My Second Blog
Why So Many Categories?
This isn’t actually my first blog — it’s my second. And going in, the range of categories here worried me: a coffee shop one week, Seoul’s history the next, guitar gear after that. It looked less like a focused blog and more like a scattered notebook.
For now, I’ve made peace with that. I don’t expect to post on a fixed schedule, and I don’t think I ever will — my work comes first, and this stays something I do alongside it, not instead of it. What I do want is to keep communicating across whatever field I happen to be thinking about that week, without confining myself to one lane. If that means Food & Cafés sits next to History sits next to Guitar, so be it. The categories exist to help you find what interests you — they were never meant to define what this blog is.
04
Let’s Connect
I’m still figuring out the best way to connect with readers. Comments, email, Instagram — all on the table. I’ll find my rhythm as I go.
For now: thank you for being here. Whether you found this page by chance or have followed along from the start — your presence means everything to a blog that’s still finding its voice.
Sources & Notes
This post is a personal reflection on running yourmaninkorea.com, including its earlier incarnation as a Tistory blog. No external sources are cited — the post count, categories, and quotes referenced here are drawn from the author’s own record.
Paul Cho — Your Man in Korea