Okay getting this car is sort of a big deal. My parents never
really were interested "luxury cars," which is very rare for Koreans. I
mean, seriously, go to Ktown and see all the cars parked at Koreatown
Galleria. Over half the cars are Lexus's, BMW's, or Mercedes's. My
parent's philosophy was that, cars depreciate so quickly that there's
no point in investing in a car. Rather invest in stocks or real estate,
because they can appreciate. So we've always bought cars <$45,000.
But now that my mom is in her mid-late 40s now, she seems to want to
drive an upscale car [Basically means, any car over $70,000.]. Before
that, she did complain sometimes that all the other executive vice
presidents and board members of the bank drove expensive cars, but she
was the only one driving a car that was worth $45,000.
Anyway, they spent last weekend and this weekend searching... First
it was Mercedes, then BMW, then Audi, then I told them to get a Lexus.
For the past 10 years we have only been driving japanese cars because
well they pretty much last forever and never break down.
ASIDE: Watch this clip. It's from the BBC show Top Gear. They try to destory a Toyota Hilux. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrk6vsb77xk
It's hilarious. Basically they threw it in the salty ocean, crashed it
into buildings, trees, , set it on fire, etc. They even put it on top
of 30story building that was being exploded. It still survived.
Basically, indestruceible.
German cars have so many problems.
You eventually spend twice the amount you spent on purchasing the car
on repairs and maintenance. Ridiculous. Also besides... Mercedes made
cars for Hitler. haha
So here is a list of some of the features that makes the Lexus LS460 better than your car, unless you also have a Lexus LS460
-World's first rear Pre-Crash system (basically
if some asshole is about to rear-end mom, the car senses this and
adjusts the headrests upwards and fowards to cradle the head to reduce
whiplash.)
The back, SEXY
-World's first sonar-based Parking Assist (It
helps mom parallel park. Lord knows asian moms can't park even if their
lives depended on it. It's pretty nifty, you should see it. The wheels
turn by itself and the engine accelerates and brakes by itself.
AMAZING, it's a ROBOT)
- World's First 8-speed automatic transmission (more gears = more torque = faster acceleration, 0 to 60mph in 5.3seconds. That's faster than your minivan)
-World's first Facial Recognition - Driver Monitoring System (LED
sensors on the steering column, if you are not paying attention
[drowsing or looking for CDs in the glove box or something else], the
car takes control by setting an alarm to you as well as applying the
brakes if it senses trouble ahead]
-Voice-activated Hard Disc Drive (HDD) Navigation System (a
backup camera, XM Satellite Radio XM NavTraffic, and Bluetooth, which
provides real-time traffic updates, 20 GB of HD storage for music.
weee.)
-Eleven Airbags (It has knee airbags and extra side airbags besides the usual 6)
-19
speakers Mark Levinison Reference Surround Sound Audio System, Hard
Disk Drive (HDD) stores up to 2,000 songs, 7.1 architecture and
in-dash, single-feed, six-disc DVD/CD auto-changer featuring DVD-audio
and DVD-video playback
All
this for $81,000. Mom made a down payment of $25,000. With an APR of
6.9%, the monthly payment is a little above $1,000. We are purchasing,
not leasing. If we were buying a German car, we would lease
(depreciation is so crazy), but Lexus's don't depreciate. Well they do,
but by so little. So leasing a Lexus would not be smart, better to buy
it.
This is Mom. She is happy now. I'm glad. She deserves it.
So
basically this is a cool car for a cool price. Mom will drive it mostly
going to and from her bank and the headquarters, and still use the SUV
when she is going to a "bad neighborhood." Dad doesn't work, so he
really doesn't need a car. So basically I get to use the Maxima [which
I have been using all along]
the Maxima. I love this car.5th generation, 222hp. 0 to 60sec in 7sec.
But
now, I get to use the SUV more now. 4Runner Limited. It has a 4WD that
you can turn on and off. I love playing with that thing. The only
problem with this car is that it's fuel economy is SO BAD. It's almost
as bad as a Hummer. WTF.
The 4Runner Limited with 4WD and an all-around feel-good car. weee
The
LS460 is used for chaffeuring. I wonder if my mom will make me drive
her around, while she lounges in the backseat. (The seats have built in
massaging probes)
So now, I just have to persuade mom to buy me a IS350.
A few days ago, a digitally restored version of the full-length
feature film, TaeKwon V was released on over 170 screens around Korea.
Besides TaeKwon V being the K's first full-length animated sci-fi film,
the restoration project for this 30 year-old film was also
revolutionary. First released in 1976, the film was so popular among
adults and youngsters.
The New Movie Poster for Taekwon V
When it was released, the memory of Japanese occupation and the Korean
War was still in the mind of many, youngsters were looking for a hero.
Answer: TaeKwon V. It's difficult to explain what this animated robot
represents. I really feel there is no analogue. Here's a shot: A symbol
for jaded youngsters amidst the rapid industrialization during the
"Miracle of the Han River." Similar to A Scanner Darkly, this film was
made with rotoscoping technology. That is how the animators were able
to make TaeKwon V do TaeKwonDo kicks and such.
Still from 행복 aka Happiness
The original film was lost in 1981 while it was being exported to the
US. Many people feared that the film was lost forever. Luckily, in
2003, a very dusty copy of the entire film was found. Around 5,000
people over two years with a million dollar budget manually cleaned the
slides and digitalized the film, converting mono sound to Dolby 5.1. I
am more familiar with Mazinger Z, a Japanese robot released a few years
before. TaeKwon V is based on its Japanese counterpart with a few
differences. I didn't grow up during this era, but I definitely felt
its influences. Spending my summer vacations in Korea, I, as a
youngster, remember playing with plastic reincarnations of TaeKwon V,
humming the tune. Even today, many films and dramas make references to
TaeKwon V.
Oh 로보트 태권브이, I dearly miss you.
임수정
I am a Hur Jin Ho fan. I've seen all of his films: 8월의 크리스마스 (Christmas
in August), 봄날은 간다 (One Fine Spring Day), and 외출 (April Snow). Hur Jin
Ho is now releasing a new film with guess who? AHHH YES IM SOO JUNG.
WOO HOO. The movie is called 행복 and it's been categorized as the same
melodramatic crap that I love so much. In case, you don't know who 임수정
is, she's the one who's been gracing my profile for some time now. :)
Hwang Ji Min will play opposite of ISJ. He was really good in 너는 내 운명
(You Are My Sunshine).
황정민
My
current profile picture is from the short CGV drama called Freeze. It's
about Vampires! Park Han Byul is really pretty. Hmm I didn't even ski,
yet I'm tired from the trip. Tomorrow will be very scary because I have
so many things due. It's only the second week of school, too! Maybe I
should just stop facebooking for the next week. That sounds like a
great (and highly improbable) idea. sigh.
Here's a facebook
True story that'll make you cringe with horror. I deactivated my
account last night only to reactivate it this afternoon. HOW
PATHETIC!!! I have some good news though: I got my Dean and my PI to
write me recommendations for my internship! I hope I get it because I
didn't apply for any other internship. Maybe it's too much of a risk?
We'll see in March.
This entry contains some untruths. (It's up to you to see which are falsehoods and which are not. Not nice, huh?)
The
only reason I go to St. Marks is to eat at Oh! Taisho. And the only
reason I go to eat at Oh! Taisho is to have Calpico in a beer glass. I
order myself a pint of Calpico like a champion. Who needs draft beer
when you can have the sheer satisfaction of drinking yogurty Calpis!! I
LOVE CALPICO!!!
Speaking of Japanese soft drinks... Whenever
I drink Pocari Sweat, I am reminded of my summer travels in Korea.
Possibly because of the ubiquity of Pocari Sweat machines in Korea. I
was always fascinated by the fact that Pocari is made by a Japanese
Pharmaceutical company and of course the name... Pocari Sweat...
I
sat down and watched episodes 1,2,3,4 of Snow Queen (yes it is based on
Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale). Never a big fan of Hyun Bin, but
since One Fine Day, Sung Yuri Jjang!!! Jein, you should watch, although
you are not in the mood for maudlin stuff. Fountainhead or Casino
Royale? I've been waiting for Fountainhead for many months. Casino
Royale is supposedly very good. Rotten Tomatoes told me so.
Thanksgiving in New York. What can be better? I
love Columbia when it's so empty. Reminds me of good times during the
summer, except now it's better because of the rainy weather. The Dean
at Yale Law is a Korean dude that I think my family knows. I'm
impressed. Dean of a Law School isn't a small thing. How did I not know
about this before? I'm listening to Big Bang's third single. It's good,
but I have a penchant for listening to the second one. Sarah's
brother-in-law patented a rapid HIV test that she will help administer
in India? Can someone please sign me up? A Swiss company [Vestergaard
Frandsen's LifeStraw] produces a 3-dollar waterfiltration system that
looks like a magician's wand. They are distributing them to flood
victims in third world countries. Engineers without borders, anyone?
I've
been hitting up the Sim City 4 again. Weee. I feel like I'm Baron
Georges-Eugène Haussmann reincarnated. I'm quite proud. I have to call
my mom tomorrow. My doctor moved unexpectedly to California, so I need
to find a new PHP. Loveholic realized a new 'special' album. Ji Sun has
a special voice. Yiruma also released. Korean music is love. Anyone
know a program that will automatically calculate the BPMs of your
digital music collection?
Last night, Mark, Dan, Esther, and I
went to a chinese restaurant in Brooklyn specializing in dishes from
Shanghai. Chef Liu's? I'm sold. Not only is Chinese food much cheaper
than Korean food, it seems so much easier to make. All you need is a
wok!
I have next to me, several boxes of Glico's Mousse Pocky in my favorite flavor... Green Tea. YUM!!!!
The difference between Pocky and Peppero? "These ones go to eleven"
