"Two Times Kim" Strikes Again

Once upon a time at a ski resort far far away I received the nickname of "Two Times Kim" because of my propensity to have duplicates.  I wasn't completely sure that this nickname was appropriate, but the rest of the group laughed as I received this epithet - none more so than the individual who found himself at the top of a snowy slope with a quickly dropping temperature and NO gloves.  I duly lent him my spare pair (actually "inners") and we returned to the safety and warmth of the pub at the foot of the mountain.

Every now and again something comes up when I am reminded of this nickname and I have begun to think that the tour leaders who bestowed it
upon me may have known me better than I knew myself.  It is not that I consciously carry duplicates of everything (else I'd never be able to pick up my pack), but it seems that I could definitely drop a bit more weight (although with an average luggage weight of 14kg for non-diving trips I'm not sure that is necessary).  On my recent dive trip my propensity to multiples seemed a bit extreme - 2 camera's (the flash for the underwater one didn't work); 2 dive computers (a very basic computer that I used as a backup); 2 pressure gauges (tank transmitted to my dive computer and connected to my regulator); 2 sets of fins (one with fitted shoes, the other without); 2 sets of goggles (swimming goggles - eyes only; and nose covering ones).  Weight was not an issue on this trip, but I'm not sure other than dropping a pair of fins that I'd pack any less.  As any good diver knows - redundancy saves lives and my erstwhile travel partner nearly managed to make full use of the additional equipment.  Her dive computer didn't work after the 1st dive - she used mine; her pressure gauge was giving funny readings and we could've reconfigured her regulator to use one of mine. (And to add to her woes - and expense - her camera case flooded on the 1st dive.)  It was ironic that with all the duplicates my mask (goggles) sprung a leak and I couldn't substitute my swimming goggles instead!

The last picture before the camera died

But, it seems that this habit of "Two Times Kim" is not foolproof when it comes to camera's.  On my trip to North Korea, my battery ran flat at the beginning of the highlight of the trip - the Arirang show.  I'd tried to re-charge it the night before, but the intermittent electricity supply meant that it didn't charge fully.  After which I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and purchased a 2nd battery.  I was unconcerned when the "battery low" signal appeared while on safari (and making our way to see mommy lion) - I had a 2nd fully charged battery waiting.  But it wasn't! and I couldn't recharge either of the batteries for the rest of the holiday.  I finally had to replace the charger when I returned back to Singapore.

Now that I've shared mine - have you received a nickname that turned out to be more appropriate (or inappropriate) than you initially thought?  Share it with us in the comments below.

September 2011 Update: It seems that managed to live up to my nickname on my trip to Pakistan.  One lady in particular ceased to be surprised when I mentioned that I had a spare of what she was looking for.