The City of Angels

On our way to the City of Angels...
If there is one thing I can look forward to when working with Mattel as one of the client, is the chance to go down to LA and visit friends, but most importantly, to stop by K-Town and eat Korean BBQ!!!
Our crappy rental car. It was alright. But you wouldn't want to buy one. Seriously.


Because I don't get to go down to LA as often as I would like, I always end up going to the same place, because they are *that* good!

It's called the Corner Place by K-Town, and the food is good. The beef is tender, and marinated just perfectly. And to top that off, they have the Dong-Chi-Mi Gook-Soo, (special cold noodle) which goes perfectly well with the meat!

I know that there are a lot of good places in LA, but because I don't get to go down as often as I would like, I always end up coming here.

I wonder if Heaven is like this, where they have food beyond our wildest imagination... :-)

Dream Car

So the some of you know that my 1991 Mazda RX-7 (FC S5) broke down on me again when the temperature gauge hit the forbidden "HIGH" mark, and since have occupied a precious parking slot at the church.


Technically speaking, ever since the first time it broke down a few months ago, I've been looking for a car, but never found one that I liked. Looking back, I never had a doubting moment about my cars, which is a short list of, 1997 Acura Integra LS, and 1991 Mazda RX-7. Certainly, RX-7 has caused me certain pain as it is a very fragile car, but as the saying goes, no pain, no gain. I loved every minute I've owned these two cars.

But the Integra is now approaching end of life, and technically, I had already given the Integra to my sister for her use, and the RX-7 is, well, it is a ticking time-bomb. :-)

So I've been looking around, and got down to the following list, *for now*.

- 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2.5L H4
6 Speed Manual
305@6000 (hp)
290@4000 (foot-lbs)
MSRP: $34,995
Invoice: $33,010





- 2008 Honda Civic SI Coupe
2.0L I4
6 Speed Manual

197@7800 (hp)

139@6100 (foot-lbs)
MSRP: $21,110
Invoice: $19,422






- 2009 Acura TSX
2.4 DOHC I4
6 Speed Manual
201@7000 (hp)
172@4400 (foot-lbs)
MSRP: $30,290
Invoice: $27,841




- 2008 VW R32
3.2L V6
6 Speed Automatic
250@6300 (hp)
236@2500 (foot-lbs)
MSRP: $32,990
Invoice: $31,283





- 2008 Mitsubish Lancer Evolution GSR
2.0L I4
5 Speed Automatic
291@6500 (hp)
300@4400 (foot-lbs)
MSRP: $32,990
Invoice: $31,093






But if I could, I really would like to get the following... kind of like a dream car:

- Nissan GT-R
3.8L VR38DETT twin-turbo V6
6-speed dual clutch automated manual
473@6800 (hp) (est)
434@3200 (foot-lbs) (est)
MSRP: $70,000 (est)






And then other cool-to-have hybrid cars (since the gas price seems to go only one way...):
- Honda CR-Z












- Toyota FT-HS












?... What do *YOU* think I should get ...?

Photography... anyone?

I've always thought that life was short. But a passing memory. A flower quickly fading away.

I think the beauty of photography is that we are able to capture such moments of our lives. In a single photograph, we are able to capture more than just a digitized image, a scenery, but a memory.

We see it in TVs and on the big Cinema screens... how crucial this "memory" is to a person. We just watched a Grey's Anatomy episode of a lady who has lost her memory in an accident, and she is devastated because she cannot remember who she was, not even her own name. When someone loses his/her memory, it's as if the person has lost his/her individuality. It is as if the person no longer exists in the world.

That brings me to yet another movie, "It's a Wonderful Life", which is an old Christmas-time classic, based on a man who has financial issues, and wishes that he never existed. And his wishes come true, where he ended up in a world which he did not exist in... and he longs to belong to the world, and to be with those that he love, his family, friends...

One of the beauty of photography is that you are able to capture the "moment", a "memory", a part of your life, and cherish it for as long as you want.

On a related note, I took a couple of shots @ Oakland airport, when we were leaving for LAX... Capturing a "moment" is fun especially at the airport, because it is full of blurred moments, going from one terminal to the next... trying to catch the flight, etc...