Simple Living

I adopted a minimalist wardrobe several years ago and went from 175 articles of clothing to under 38 pieces.  I've been fine-tuning that number and have 45 items as of 2018 with a planned increase to 48 items in 2019. My initial approach was to drop the total count and now the fine-tuning process is to identify specific colors and types of clothing to ensure a proper balance across my entire wardrobe ensemble. Core Colors I've settled on three core colors:  Black, Blue and White.  They constitute roughly 70% of my total wardrobe and I'm slowly increasing different color choices in 2019; notably a Red Adidas Track Jacket. Brand Quality I've been experimenting with various types of clothing and color choices and when I'm satisfied with a certain type or color I then seek out the best brand quality that I can reasonably afford.  In general, I spend on better brands for work attire and limit my discretionary budget for casual clothes on mostly fast fashion

I scored a pair of Beats Urbeats Earbuds as my friend switched to bluetooth only headsets.  I was naturally skeptical as I used to own a pair of Series 1 Beats Studio headphones and was quite disappointed with them. But when I tried on these Beat Earbuds, I was surprised and impressed.  The bass was toned down (unusual for 'Beats') and the mids/treble are tuned to be a bit brighter.  I immediately had to compare them against my Klipsch R6i's. Environment Sound Source - iPhone 6s Volume - 50% Klipsch R6i Specs: Drivers -- 6.5mm Frequency Range -- 10 ~ 19,000 Hz Sensitivity -- 110 db/mW Impedence -- 18 Ohms Noise Isolation -- -22 3.5mm Plug (Gold) Flat Cable (Tangle Free)  Microphone In-Line Control (Volume Up/Down, Start/Pause) $60 @ Amazon Beats Urbeats Specs***: Drivers -- 9mm Frequency Range --10 Hz ~ TBD Hz Sensitivity -- 112 db/mW Impedence -- 18 Ohms Noise Isolation -- -20 3.5 mm Plug Flat Cable (Tangle Free) Microphone) In-Line Contr

Stocked up my Liquor Cabinet with two (2) bottles: Basil Hayden Bourbon Jameson Irish Whiskey Whiskey Front The Jameson was decent and on par with Johnnie Walker Red Label.  It's excellent on the rocks and will be in rotation with JW Red and Monkey Shoulder for my standard Whiskey. Bourbon // Still Trying I'm really trying to get a taste for Bourbon.  Buffalo Trace was decent and Basil Hayden was always on my list to try.  Generally, most Bourbon's I drink are part of an Old Fashion. Was interesting to learn Basil Hayden is part of Jim Beam and one of four brands they are segmenting along with Bakers, Bookers and Knob Creek.  I'll eventually try them all. Thoughts so Far... I'm just a Scotch drinker...took almost 10 minutes to decide whether to pick up Laphroig or Basil Hayden.  I haven't had a dram of Johnnie Walker Black Label and had one on the rocks recently at a bar and it tasted delicious.  I have a bottle of JW Black (Jane Walker Edition), b

 I recently picked up a 2nd Generation IS250 and driven it for a few weeks.  Paid $11k for it.  The IS250 is a joy to drive and satisfied my basic requirements: Daily Driver (mostly freeway/highway miles) 6-Cylinder (V6) Motor Sedan Bodystyle I'm probably in the minority of car owners as I disdain SUV's / Hatchbacks and Turbos; which seems to be what the majority of models car manufacturers offer these days. Specs - 2007 Lexus IS250 Engine - 2.5L - V6 RWD - 4GR-FSE HP - 204 @ 6400 Torque - 185 @ 4800 Transmission - 6 Speed Performance: 0-60: 7.4 seconds 1/4 Mile: 15.4 seconds @ 88 mph EPA MPG: 24 City / 32 Highway Dimensions: Length: 180.1  inches Wheelbase: 107.5 inches Height: 56.1 inches Width (w/o mirrors): 70.9 inches I. Highway Cruiser - Yes In short, the Lexus IS250 was designed for the open freeways and highways and feels most at home above 60 mph.  It's when you overcome its anemic 7 second 0-60 and can rev into the 3-4k RPM power band when the IS250 is

Part of my EDC while I'm studying.  I sometimes also carry a Swiss Army Spartan, but lately haven't felt the need.  Only recently, I started lugging around my old Zippo and upgraded it with a Butane Insert (very convenient). Not pictured are my ATH-MSR7 Headphones & iPhone 6s. EDC June 2018: iPhone 6s Black Leather Wallet Swiss Army Knife - Spartan Rolex Explorer 114270 Zippo Lighter (Butane Insert) Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen NY Yankees Baseball Cap

I've enjoyed a Minimalist Wardrobe for about 2 years and maintain just 41 articles of clothing: Pants - 11 Slacks - 5 Jeans - 2 Shorts/Gym - 4 Shirts -20 T-Shirts/Gym - 7 SS Shirts - 8 LS Shirts - 5 Outerwear - 5 Blazer - 1 Jackets - 2 Hoodies - 2 Shoes - 5 Dress - 2 Sneakers - 3 Future Purchases I am planning on a few purchases in 2018-2019 White GAP Hoodie Denim Levi Jacket Update 12/16/18 Bought the White GAP Hoodie, but decided not to get a Denim Jacket.  I'll reconsider in 2019 as I plan to add a Jacket and not sure what brand, style or type.

Purchased a 750 mL bottle of Buffalo Trace for $28.  While I prefer Scotch and imbibe primarily Single Malts or Blends, I wanted to expand my understanding and appreciation for Bourbon's. 1st Dram - My basic take: Bite - similar to Johnnie Walker Red Label; has more than I'm used as a regular Scotch Drinker. Taste - ranges between a Blend (JW Black) and but less than a Single Malt (Highland Park 12).  There is alot going on and reason I need a few more drams to appreciate this.  It is a bit spicier and some sweetness; but nothing like a Macallan 12 or any Cognac. Nose - similar to Hennessey VSOP. For the price, its worth a try to see if its worthy of adding to your liquor collection.  It has a distinctive taste that is nice to add to a taste library and for me helps gain a better appreciation when sampling other brands.  The main thing I love about Bourbon's at this point is usually mixing it in an Old Fashion as I appreciate the Spiciness and Sweetness. 2nd T

I debated for quite some time whether or not to invest in a proper Watch Case.  I used to own a cheap 6 slot Watch Case, but was very unsatisfied with the poor quality (plastic clear top and glued vinyl).  To avoid that same mistake, decided to invest in a Hard Wood and Glass Case from Amazon @ $53.  First Impression - It's decent The internal cushions and partitions are about the same quality as the cheap 6 slot Case I used to have and if you pull too hard they will pop out. Some issues I had was the bottom 2nd tray has a very low height clearance.  I was planning to put my Casio G-Shocks in there eventually, but other than the 5600's the bigger G-Shocks will have a hard time fitting (unless you want them scraping). The 2nd Tray is also quite loose and jiggly.  You'll have to guide it into place, but not really a big deal. In it's defense, the solid glass top is gorgeous and really makes the watches stand out.  I actually am very happy investing in this case f

I picked up the Limited Edition - Jane Walker Series of Johnnie Walker Black Label.  It actually retailed for less than regular Johnnie Walker Black and partially reason I purchased a bottle.  Otherwise, my understanding its exactly the same blend just in different packaging. They sell at least 230 million bottles of Johnnie Walker Black a year and produced about 250,000 bottles of the Jane Walker variant.  I was surprised they still had quite a few left at my local liquor store. To be honest, I bought it because I love JW Black and it was selling for $4 less than the regular bottle.  I understand what they are trying to accomplish with this bottle packaging and applaud them for it, but same time after reading other blogs and reviews online, I tend to agree that slapping on a different logo and putting a new name on the same blend of whisky is not exactly impressive marketing. I'm surprised Diageo would make such a misstep like this.  They sell quite a few popular Vodka's

I'm partial to three (3) styles of analog watches:  Chronographs, Field Watches and Divers.  For most part, I find Quartz better suited for a Chronograph complication, while Automatic/Mechanicals give Quartz a good run for Field and Dive Watches.  I like to have at least a few budget Quartz watches in my collection as 'beater' watches that I don't need to worry about and yet enjoy some basic styling. In general, when not wearing an Automatic/Mechanical, I lean towards 'busy' Quartz Chronographs on a metal bracelet like the Casio MTP-4500. Watch Specifications [Watch#1] Brand/Model - Casio MTP-4500 Style - Chronograph (3 Register, Center Seconds) Dimensions - 41mm Case Width, 11mm Case Height, 22mm Lug Width Movement - Quartz Features - Tachymeter Rotating Bezel, NoDate, Metal Bracelet Retail - $33 @ Amazon (MSRP $80) [Watch#2] Brand/Model - Wenger 72803W Style - Field Watch Dimensions - 41 mm Case Width, 11mm Case Height, 20mm Lug W

I've studied quite a few minimalist blogs & videos and see several recurring themes defining what type of minimalism a person is practicing and they have three characteristics: Quantity Quality Variety Extreme Minimalist = Survivalist There are the 'Extreme' Minimalist who are surviving on literally just a few unique items.  They live in a tiny home or out of their car and probably could fit their entire life in a single backpack.  A true nomad of the modern age. Quantity = LOW Quality = HIGH (ideally) Variety = LOW Casual Minimalist Then there are the 'Casual' Minimalist that have more quantity than an Extreme Minimalist and generally wavers between quantity and variety.  There are many approaches and some Casual Minimalist may have 5 white t-shirt or 5 t-shirts, one of a different color and anywhere in between.  All can be considered a Casual Minimalist.  For me I'm somewhere in the middle and limit myself to 3 color of t-shirts (White, Gre

Found it on sale at Lotte World for 11,000 Won.  I think the reason it was so cheap was because it uses a fixed adapter for the Mini-USB / Lightning that'll soon be obsolete in a few years as the new USB-C connector becomes predominant.  For now, most of my devices use these connections in the foreseeable future. I'm quite happy with the much larger capacity 5000 mAh as I was surviving on a smaller 2,200 mAh portable battery pack.  I'm not a fan of the massive 10,000 mAh or larger behemoths and think this one will be more than sufficient for my brief trips. Update 9/10/18 This battery pack sucks!  Other than a blinking blue light, you cannot tell how much charge remains and it doesn't seem to recharge properly; after a few minutes it just stops blinking and I had to reconnect the charging cable, then a few minutes it stops again.  Dont buy cheap crap like this again.

Decided to spend a full week in South Korea rather than try split it between two countries.  This turned out to be a wise decision as I could just relax and take a leisurely pace.  Previously, I spent only shorter stays of a few day in Busan so it felt like I couldn't get my fill of certain places.  I decided to remedy that by spending a week here and really take in certain locations.  That worked and now I'll be satisfied with brief visits in the future. Day 1 - Incheon Hyatt Arrived in the evening and spent a night at the Hyatt.  Ordered room service (Pasta + Caesar Salad).  They still have a mini-fridge and tried a Cass Beer (not half bad) .   Day 2 - KTX (Incheon -> Seoul -> Busan) Due to Olympics there is no direct train connection from Incheon to Busan and had to make a brief stopover @ Seoul Station.  Picked up a Box Lunch and had my first cup of coffee in Busan.  Dinner was @ Vikings Buffet. Day 3 - Lotte World, Busan Woke up early and walked to

Created a 2nd Blog called Coffee Study Talk. For most part my original Blog: Simple Living will focus on my Technology Related Hobbies: Watches Video Games Headphones Technology Misc. The 2nd Blog - Coffee Study Talk will segway to everything else and be focused on: Coffee Liquor (Whiskey mostly) Traveling My Studies Fountain Pens Update - June 2024 - Merged the Blogs Decided to merge the blogs as it wasn't worth the hassle of maintaining 2 separate sites.  I don't get that much views and its become more an inventory and personal journal.