Simple Living

 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.

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

I purchased a Pilot Custom 74 w/ Soft Fine Nib for about $70 on Amazon.  I also ordered a Con-70 Ink Converter, but for now am using a standard Blue Ink Cartridge. Initial Thoughts The pen is quite nice and naturally better than the Pilot Metropolitans that I've relied on for several months.  But it was somewhat of a let down in how the barrel of the pen curves inward a bit before connecting with the cap.  I would have preferred a nicer fit & finish comparable to the Platinum Century 3776. The Nib is also much more subdued and almost the exact same size as the Pilot Metropolitan.  Visually, it is more appealing with it's added engraving, but unless you write with it, it looks almost the same as a Metropolitan Nib. In short, I was hoping for a pen that was both an excellent writer & a bit more ostentatious; like the Platinum 3776.  I probably will have to order a replacement 3776 in Chartres Bleu and likely do so near August of this year (I really miss the 3776). I'

I've set my sights on my 1st Certification in my journey to the Data Analytics Realm.  With the Microsoft MTA Exam - 98-381 - Intro to Programming with Python . My Preparation Books Intro to Python 5th Edition - Mark Lutz Programming in Python - Mark Lutz Self Practice Writing Python Apps Timeline 180 Days (Dec 2017 ~ May 2018) Tentative Exam Date - Early May 2018 NOTE I won't feel competent in Python until I've spent at least a full year writing serious code.  For now I want to understand the basics and apply them at work.  I have some small projects in mind to 'cut my teeth' with Python and plan to apply them in 2018.  I consider this the 'foundation' step to at least tuck Python knowledge under my arm. Update 2/1/18 Got busy @ work and have to push back the Python thing.  Still studying, but progress is slower than I had hoped.  But keep plugging away...   Update 7/4/20 Such is life...I never got around to taking this certificat