Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Marlboro Hot Laps
I went to the Marlboro Hot Laps event at the Irwindale Speedway on Monday morning. It was very cool riding shotgun with pro drifters at the track. We rode on two different courses around the track. I was honestly scared the first few seconds before the first corner. The driver I was with was going impossibly fast approaching the first corner and then he spun the steering wheel around applying opposite lock and the rear end of the Mustang swung around the corner. That was a lot of fun. It takes tremendous skill and precision to control the cars while they're drifting.
I want to try and do that with my cars, but I just don't want to spend the thousands of dollars it takes on buying new tires all the time.
Since the event was sponsored by Marlboro, there was a ton of smokers smoking all around me. I've never seen so many overweight and sickly looking people with brown teeth before. Yuck!
Although there was too much smoke, it was fun drifting. Plus, they provided really good food. I was totally stuffed on the buffet.
They also gave out great gifts including a Swiss Army watch valued at nearly $300!!! Sweet! Cigarette companies must still be rolling in the dough with all the nicotine addicts in the world, despite being sued nearly every day.
Pictures of the event to come soon.
I want to try and do that with my cars, but I just don't want to spend the thousands of dollars it takes on buying new tires all the time.
Since the event was sponsored by Marlboro, there was a ton of smokers smoking all around me. I've never seen so many overweight and sickly looking people with brown teeth before. Yuck!
Although there was too much smoke, it was fun drifting. Plus, they provided really good food. I was totally stuffed on the buffet.
They also gave out great gifts including a Swiss Army watch valued at nearly $300!!! Sweet! Cigarette companies must still be rolling in the dough with all the nicotine addicts in the world, despite being sued nearly every day.
Pictures of the event to come soon.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The Joys and Sorrows of Cycling
I rode my bike for the first time in several weeks since opening the pharmacy. In the early part of my ride, this woman yells out "Damn, you have nice legs!" from the passenger seat of a car. That made me feel good since most of the time people are yelling obscenities at me or honking at me or just trying to run me over.
Things started getting worse when I started my route back home. Some fugly fat Hispanic grandma in an SUV kept honking at me for no reason. I was going down a 2 lane road. One lane for going south and one for going north. There was plenty of space for the angry granny to pass me. Instead she just kept honking her horn at me as if trying to say that I should get off the road. I actually went down 5 miles south before I saw her again. After that I just left her in the dust. I guess people are frustrated when they are stuck behind traffic and stop lights. It's still no reason to take it out on bikes. I always watch out for bikes and pedestrians when I drive without getting mad at them even though they aren't obeying the traffic laws. Some people are so rude.
Later on when I was biking back home, this guy sitting in the front passenger seat of a green taxi opens the door right in front of me trying to knock me down. Fortunately, my spidey sense was tingling and I had a precognitive moment where I thought that a car door might open up. The green taxi cab was stopped at a signal behind a few other cars. The taxi just passed by me earlier. As I approached the taxi, some stupid middle eastern guy just opens the door as fast as he could trying to time the door swing so that I would get hit. I slammed on my brakes and started skidding. I tried to steer my bike as close to the right as possible. Fortunately, there was some extra space on the right for me to pass without hitting the car door. If there was less space between the car door and the curb, I might have ended up in the hospital. He screams something at me and I yell back, "You frackin' @$$hole!" I should have stopped and taken some pictures of him and the taxi's license plates. I was kind of in shock and plus my adrenaline was pumping. I made excellent time on my way home so I guess I didn't want to stop or didn't think about stopping. I didn't want a jerkoff to ruin my day. Actually, he did since he committed assault by intentionally trying to make me crash into the car door. He might have been mad since I kept passing him on my bike at several intersections. Still, he had no right to try and kill me.
The taxi passed me again and I caught up to him at the light, but the light turned green before I could get the license plate. I got the taxi cab phone number, but decided not to call since I didn't have the license plate.
Despite the idiots and a-holes on the road, I wouldn't trade cycling for the world. If I make it back home in one piece and I had fun and exercise most of the time, then it's a good day.
Things started getting worse when I started my route back home. Some fugly fat Hispanic grandma in an SUV kept honking at me for no reason. I was going down a 2 lane road. One lane for going south and one for going north. There was plenty of space for the angry granny to pass me. Instead she just kept honking her horn at me as if trying to say that I should get off the road. I actually went down 5 miles south before I saw her again. After that I just left her in the dust. I guess people are frustrated when they are stuck behind traffic and stop lights. It's still no reason to take it out on bikes. I always watch out for bikes and pedestrians when I drive without getting mad at them even though they aren't obeying the traffic laws. Some people are so rude.
Later on when I was biking back home, this guy sitting in the front passenger seat of a green taxi opens the door right in front of me trying to knock me down. Fortunately, my spidey sense was tingling and I had a precognitive moment where I thought that a car door might open up. The green taxi cab was stopped at a signal behind a few other cars. The taxi just passed by me earlier. As I approached the taxi, some stupid middle eastern guy just opens the door as fast as he could trying to time the door swing so that I would get hit. I slammed on my brakes and started skidding. I tried to steer my bike as close to the right as possible. Fortunately, there was some extra space on the right for me to pass without hitting the car door. If there was less space between the car door and the curb, I might have ended up in the hospital. He screams something at me and I yell back, "You frackin' @$$hole!" I should have stopped and taken some pictures of him and the taxi's license plates. I was kind of in shock and plus my adrenaline was pumping. I made excellent time on my way home so I guess I didn't want to stop or didn't think about stopping. I didn't want a jerkoff to ruin my day. Actually, he did since he committed assault by intentionally trying to make me crash into the car door. He might have been mad since I kept passing him on my bike at several intersections. Still, he had no right to try and kill me.
The taxi passed me again and I caught up to him at the light, but the light turned green before I could get the license plate. I got the taxi cab phone number, but decided not to call since I didn't have the license plate.
Despite the idiots and a-holes on the road, I wouldn't trade cycling for the world. If I make it back home in one piece and I had fun and exercise most of the time, then it's a good day.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Bowl-o-Rama
Last night, the Sunday School Teachers met at the Great Wall Chinese Restaurant and had some delicious food. We met at 8:00 p.m. since we had to close the pharmacy prescription section. I overstuffed myself as always.
Then, we went bowling. We only had time for one game since it was Saturday night and it was crowded. We had to wait about half an hour to get 2 lanes. There were 12 of us who played. We finished around midnight. I suck at bowling and seem to be getting worse every time I play. I only play about once every one or two years. Sarah did much better than me.
However, bowling is a very good social game. It really brings people closer together since we're all cheering for one another. Well, it brings feelings of closeness. It's back to normal the next day.
I had to wake up by 6:00 a.m. so I could get to church by 7:00 a.m. to set up the church sound equipment.
Sarah and I are really tired since we work 12-14 hours a day every single day at the pharmacy these days. I've only been sleeping 4-6 hours a night and I'm simply too exhausted to do anything else these days.
Those who attended bowling night was: Tony, James, Sarah, Yang, Whoony, Fenny, Jenny, Jung Mi, Ryan, Jimmy, Erich, and me.
Kate, Miju, Irene, and lil' Mikey were there for dinner.
I left my camera in my car, and we took Whoony's car so I couldn't take any pictures. :(
Then, we went bowling. We only had time for one game since it was Saturday night and it was crowded. We had to wait about half an hour to get 2 lanes. There were 12 of us who played. We finished around midnight. I suck at bowling and seem to be getting worse every time I play. I only play about once every one or two years. Sarah did much better than me.
However, bowling is a very good social game. It really brings people closer together since we're all cheering for one another. Well, it brings feelings of closeness. It's back to normal the next day.
I had to wake up by 6:00 a.m. so I could get to church by 7:00 a.m. to set up the church sound equipment.
Sarah and I are really tired since we work 12-14 hours a day every single day at the pharmacy these days. I've only been sleeping 4-6 hours a night and I'm simply too exhausted to do anything else these days.
Those who attended bowling night was: Tony, James, Sarah, Yang, Whoony, Fenny, Jenny, Jung Mi, Ryan, Jimmy, Erich, and me.
Kate, Miju, Irene, and lil' Mikey were there for dinner.
I left my camera in my car, and we took Whoony's car so I couldn't take any pictures. :(
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Chinatown 5K Race
I just got back from the Chinatown 5K Race this morning. I got there a little late, because a cop pulled me over. Fortunately, I was able to sweet talk my way out of getting a ticket.
I started at the back of the pack at 8:00 a.m. I only did the 5K instead of the 10K, because I had to finish as fast as possible so that I could fulfill my duties at church. I usually get to church when it opens at 7:00 a.m. to set up the sound equipment for the kids worship service. I wish it opened earlier on Sundays, because I have a lot of stuff to do. I have to prepare the kids' bible study, set up the sound equipment, eat some food, wash up, and change my clothes. I usually run or bike 13-15 miles depending on the route I take to church. If I run, I usually leave before 5:00 a.m. If I bike I leave before 6:30 a.m. I go to the 8:00 a.m. service and we have a teacher's meeting at 9:30 a.m. Maybe next year, I'll do the 10K. It starts at 8:30 a.m. though. Maybe, I'll do the 5K and then run the 10K right afterwards. The 5K and the 10K registration fees cost the same.
I was thinking of running to the race, but I thought I would be too tired to post a good time. I was thinking of biking to the race, but I didn't want anyone to steal my bike while I was running. Plus, I usually carry some stuff with me when I bike and I didn't have any place to put my stuff. So, I drove my car to the race. That's when I got pulled over.
There were several hundred people at the race. I couldn't believe how many people there were. I couldn't even run in the beginning because it was way too crowded. When I was finally able to run, I went at a really slow pace, because there were just way too many people blocking my way. The entire street and sidewalks were filled with people. Eventually, the crowds thinned out the further out we went.
I was passing everyone and it felt great. After awhile though my heart started beating really fast. During a race, I push myself at a faster pace than when I usually run during training. The uphill section was tough. After when I reached the turnaround point, it started going downhill. That's when my heart felt like it was about to burst. I had to slow down because I had not felt my heart beat like that before. I guess my conditioning was not as good as I thought. I usually don't run at that pace. When I run a half marathon to church in the mornings, I usually go at slow and steady pace. During today's race, I pushed myself to pass as many people as I could. I need to do some more interval training to get my heart to take that kind of high pace strain.
Eventually, my heart settled down a bit and then I pushed myself again. When I came near the finish line, I sprinted. I finished in about 23 minutes. I think I could have gone 5 minutes faster had it not been for the slowpokes blocking me in the beginning of the run. I'll have to train a lot harder though if I want to keep up a faster race pace. I don't want to die of a heart attack.
The great thing about racing is that it is fun running with so many people. I can totally understand the pain and heavy breathing from the people around me. We share in the suffering and we revel in our mutual agony. I didn't even wear my new running shoes, because it was raining in the morning and didn't want to get them dirty so soon. So, I ran with my old running shoes.
I used to be faster in high school. I was the fastest kid in junior high. Then, the kids all started getting the growth spurts in high school, and they started running really fast. I was still fast, but not as good as the track stars.
I've been pretty tired lately since I've been helping Sarah's pharmacy as much as possible. We have to work really hard to make our business grow so that we can survive this recession. I don't want to live out on the streets.
I started at the back of the pack at 8:00 a.m. I only did the 5K instead of the 10K, because I had to finish as fast as possible so that I could fulfill my duties at church. I usually get to church when it opens at 7:00 a.m. to set up the sound equipment for the kids worship service. I wish it opened earlier on Sundays, because I have a lot of stuff to do. I have to prepare the kids' bible study, set up the sound equipment, eat some food, wash up, and change my clothes. I usually run or bike 13-15 miles depending on the route I take to church. If I run, I usually leave before 5:00 a.m. If I bike I leave before 6:30 a.m. I go to the 8:00 a.m. service and we have a teacher's meeting at 9:30 a.m. Maybe next year, I'll do the 10K. It starts at 8:30 a.m. though. Maybe, I'll do the 5K and then run the 10K right afterwards. The 5K and the 10K registration fees cost the same.
I was thinking of running to the race, but I thought I would be too tired to post a good time. I was thinking of biking to the race, but I didn't want anyone to steal my bike while I was running. Plus, I usually carry some stuff with me when I bike and I didn't have any place to put my stuff. So, I drove my car to the race. That's when I got pulled over.
There were several hundred people at the race. I couldn't believe how many people there were. I couldn't even run in the beginning because it was way too crowded. When I was finally able to run, I went at a really slow pace, because there were just way too many people blocking my way. The entire street and sidewalks were filled with people. Eventually, the crowds thinned out the further out we went.
I was passing everyone and it felt great. After awhile though my heart started beating really fast. During a race, I push myself at a faster pace than when I usually run during training. The uphill section was tough. After when I reached the turnaround point, it started going downhill. That's when my heart felt like it was about to burst. I had to slow down because I had not felt my heart beat like that before. I guess my conditioning was not as good as I thought. I usually don't run at that pace. When I run a half marathon to church in the mornings, I usually go at slow and steady pace. During today's race, I pushed myself to pass as many people as I could. I need to do some more interval training to get my heart to take that kind of high pace strain.
Eventually, my heart settled down a bit and then I pushed myself again. When I came near the finish line, I sprinted. I finished in about 23 minutes. I think I could have gone 5 minutes faster had it not been for the slowpokes blocking me in the beginning of the run. I'll have to train a lot harder though if I want to keep up a faster race pace. I don't want to die of a heart attack.
The great thing about racing is that it is fun running with so many people. I can totally understand the pain and heavy breathing from the people around me. We share in the suffering and we revel in our mutual agony. I didn't even wear my new running shoes, because it was raining in the morning and didn't want to get them dirty so soon. So, I ran with my old running shoes.
I used to be faster in high school. I was the fastest kid in junior high. Then, the kids all started getting the growth spurts in high school, and they started running really fast. I was still fast, but not as good as the track stars.
I've been pretty tired lately since I've been helping Sarah's pharmacy as much as possible. We have to work really hard to make our business grow so that we can survive this recession. I don't want to live out on the streets.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Justice Brothers Racing Museum
Click on the picture for more images.
The Justice Brother Racing Museum has a bunch of vintage race cars, classics, and antiques. They also have this strange moon mobile with an astronaut standing by it.
I got my Canon camera back so I can take more pictures again. Yaay!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Happy New Year (Or At Least Try to Have One)
Happy New Year everyone! I know it's tough for many of you, including me, because of the financial crisis we're having. Hopefully, we'll survive this year so that we can enjoy the good times to come after this recession. Let's hope the analysts are wrong and the recession does not last a long time.
Well, this past xmas and New Year's, we had dinner at Sarah's parent's house and at my parents house. I had to bike to burn off all those holiday dinner calories. I've been riding almost every Saturday morning with YN Cycling. We've bike around the San Fernando Valley starting in Encino, Rose Bowl to Tujunga, and Whittier Narrows to Azusa.
Oh yeah, the reason I haven't been posting up pictures is that my camera broke. I have a Canon Powershot S400 and I've been having memory card error messages. I sent it to Canon to get it repaired. Hopefully, I can get my camera back soon. I hope all the pictures I've taken haven't been erased either.
I took a bunch of pictures when I biked to the Rose Parade. I was waiting for the parade to come through the streets of Colorado Boulevard, but they were moving so slowly that I biked on the parade route. There were other people walking on the streets too. I tried to find a good spot to see the parade. With a bike, I don't have to worry about finding a parking spot and I could easily move around to get a good spot. Biking on Colorado Boulevard was fun. It was like I was part of the parade, because everyone was lined up already and it was a festive atmosphere.
Sarah and I hiked Sturtevant Falls in Arcadia too. Last time, we went with my sister, Sae Woon, Grace, Sae Jin, Ben, and their dog, Destiny. Unfortunately, we took a different path and didn't get to see the falls.
I also was invited to test drive a Mercedes SL63 AMG. However, the dealer gave me the 2008 SL55 AMG instead. But, it was an awesome car. It was the most powerful and most expensive car I've driven so far. It costs nearly $140,000 and has 508 hp. Sweet. They usually don't let any chump off the street drive an AMG. Fortunately, I had the invitation when I signed up for an AMG event. The salesman wanted to sell me the car. I offered him less than $100,000. Needless to say, there was no deal to be made. I still wished I drove the even more powerful SL63. What would be totally awesome would be to drive the SL63 Black series.
I also drove the Lexus IS-F. That car is a serious competitor to the BMW M3. I love the blue light instrument panel too.
We've been having a very warm and dry January here in L.A. so far. It's been in the upper 80's lately.
Also, there was another earthquake last week. It was only a 4.5, but it's scary, because I was home alone. This was only a couple of months or less after the last 5.0 earthquake. I'm very scared about the "Big One" happening.
We went to the New Year's Eve service at church. Not exactly the way I wanted to celebrate.
This past Sunday, the Sunday School teachers went to Tahoe Galbi and had All-You-Can-Eat BBQ. That was really good. I didn't eat that well since New Year's Day when I had All-You-Can-Eat BBQ at my parents' house. I've been burning thousands of calories, but I've been thousands of calories more so I haven't really been losing any weight.
Sorry, for this messy post. I've just been trying to remember what I've done these past few weeks. It's easier to write a more coherent post if I write down what happened immediately after it happens, but I've gotten lazy. Plus, my camera is dead. Hopefully, it will rise from the dead soon and I can start taking more pictures like crazy again. I should buy a new camera, but the economy has wiped out my savings, mutual funds, and stocks. Grrr!
Well, this past xmas and New Year's, we had dinner at Sarah's parent's house and at my parents house. I had to bike to burn off all those holiday dinner calories. I've been riding almost every Saturday morning with YN Cycling. We've bike around the San Fernando Valley starting in Encino, Rose Bowl to Tujunga, and Whittier Narrows to Azusa.
Oh yeah, the reason I haven't been posting up pictures is that my camera broke. I have a Canon Powershot S400 and I've been having memory card error messages. I sent it to Canon to get it repaired. Hopefully, I can get my camera back soon. I hope all the pictures I've taken haven't been erased either.
I took a bunch of pictures when I biked to the Rose Parade. I was waiting for the parade to come through the streets of Colorado Boulevard, but they were moving so slowly that I biked on the parade route. There were other people walking on the streets too. I tried to find a good spot to see the parade. With a bike, I don't have to worry about finding a parking spot and I could easily move around to get a good spot. Biking on Colorado Boulevard was fun. It was like I was part of the parade, because everyone was lined up already and it was a festive atmosphere.
Sarah and I hiked Sturtevant Falls in Arcadia too. Last time, we went with my sister, Sae Woon, Grace, Sae Jin, Ben, and their dog, Destiny. Unfortunately, we took a different path and didn't get to see the falls.
I also was invited to test drive a Mercedes SL63 AMG. However, the dealer gave me the 2008 SL55 AMG instead. But, it was an awesome car. It was the most powerful and most expensive car I've driven so far. It costs nearly $140,000 and has 508 hp. Sweet. They usually don't let any chump off the street drive an AMG. Fortunately, I had the invitation when I signed up for an AMG event. The salesman wanted to sell me the car. I offered him less than $100,000. Needless to say, there was no deal to be made. I still wished I drove the even more powerful SL63. What would be totally awesome would be to drive the SL63 Black series.
I also drove the Lexus IS-F. That car is a serious competitor to the BMW M3. I love the blue light instrument panel too.
We've been having a very warm and dry January here in L.A. so far. It's been in the upper 80's lately.
Also, there was another earthquake last week. It was only a 4.5, but it's scary, because I was home alone. This was only a couple of months or less after the last 5.0 earthquake. I'm very scared about the "Big One" happening.
We went to the New Year's Eve service at church. Not exactly the way I wanted to celebrate.
This past Sunday, the Sunday School teachers went to Tahoe Galbi and had All-You-Can-Eat BBQ. That was really good. I didn't eat that well since New Year's Day when I had All-You-Can-Eat BBQ at my parents' house. I've been burning thousands of calories, but I've been thousands of calories more so I haven't really been losing any weight.
Sorry, for this messy post. I've just been trying to remember what I've done these past few weeks. It's easier to write a more coherent post if I write down what happened immediately after it happens, but I've gotten lazy. Plus, my camera is dead. Hopefully, it will rise from the dead soon and I can start taking more pictures like crazy again. I should buy a new camera, but the economy has wiped out my savings, mutual funds, and stocks. Grrr!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Xmas Carolers
The BSBC Kids worked hard to bake thousands of cookies to pass out to people for the Sunday services. They also sang angelic xmas carols.
You can click on the picture to see other pictures on my photobucket site.
YN Cycling Palos Verdes Ride
Click on the picture to see the entire photo and to see other pictures on my photobucket pile.
Monday, December 29, 2008
YN Cycling
Sorry my blog hasn't seen too much action lately. I've been either too busy, lazy, or have been leading a boring life. Perhaps it's been a combination of all three of those things.
I've been way too behind in my blogging (among other things) to remember what to blog about, but I do want to update my YN Cycling rides.
The YN Cycling Team has been riding every Saturday in December after about a 2 month hiatus since our big ride to San Diego. We've done some rides from the Rose Bowl to beyond Duarte, rode from Malibu to almost Camarillo/Port Hueneme, rode in Palos Verdes, and rode from the Rose Bowl to Tujunga.
It's been really chilly in the morning. I put on my long sleeve jersey and cycling pants, but it's still cold. When I wake up before dawn, it's been in the 30s. However, just after a few minutes I start sweating from cycling. I've also been running to church too. My legs are getting stronger too. I've been getting to church faster and my legs don't hurt as much after the half-marathon distance run to church.
All the rides have been fabulous and very scenic. I made my personal best in terms of distance was the ride to Malibu. I rode 141 miles that day. My second longest ride was 120 miles. I made myself ride a lot more as training/punishment after the Montrose Pro ride. In that ride I was disappointed in myself for not keeping up with pro and amateur racers. Now I believe, I'm in better shape and am more experienced enough to keep up with them.
I ride to all the bike rides to get in a lot more extra miles. Malibu is a huge area that is about 20 miles long along the Pacific Coast Highway. From Malibu we rode past Port Hueneme almost to Oxnard. Then, we started heading inland to Camarillo and rode along the strawberry fields.
We always have pretty good lunches afterward. I totally pigged out after the ride to Tujunga. We had a big uphill climb that wore all of us out. I had a extreme huevos rancheros lunch that was probably 2000 calories or so. But, I felt I was entitled to pig out since I burned so many calories. According to bicycling.com's calorie counter, I burned over 8000 calories riding at race pace for 8.5 hours.
I still need to keep my eating under control. I think I gain weight since I get so hungry from exercising. Hopefully, it's muscle instead of fat that I'm gaining.
If I keep my overeating at bay and cycle more, I should be unstoppable. I need more self-discipline though.
I've been way too behind in my blogging (among other things) to remember what to blog about, but I do want to update my YN Cycling rides.
The YN Cycling Team has been riding every Saturday in December after about a 2 month hiatus since our big ride to San Diego. We've done some rides from the Rose Bowl to beyond Duarte, rode from Malibu to almost Camarillo/Port Hueneme, rode in Palos Verdes, and rode from the Rose Bowl to Tujunga.
It's been really chilly in the morning. I put on my long sleeve jersey and cycling pants, but it's still cold. When I wake up before dawn, it's been in the 30s. However, just after a few minutes I start sweating from cycling. I've also been running to church too. My legs are getting stronger too. I've been getting to church faster and my legs don't hurt as much after the half-marathon distance run to church.
All the rides have been fabulous and very scenic. I made my personal best in terms of distance was the ride to Malibu. I rode 141 miles that day. My second longest ride was 120 miles. I made myself ride a lot more as training/punishment after the Montrose Pro ride. In that ride I was disappointed in myself for not keeping up with pro and amateur racers. Now I believe, I'm in better shape and am more experienced enough to keep up with them.
I ride to all the bike rides to get in a lot more extra miles. Malibu is a huge area that is about 20 miles long along the Pacific Coast Highway. From Malibu we rode past Port Hueneme almost to Oxnard. Then, we started heading inland to Camarillo and rode along the strawberry fields.
We always have pretty good lunches afterward. I totally pigged out after the ride to Tujunga. We had a big uphill climb that wore all of us out. I had a extreme huevos rancheros lunch that was probably 2000 calories or so. But, I felt I was entitled to pig out since I burned so many calories. According to bicycling.com's calorie counter, I burned over 8000 calories riding at race pace for 8.5 hours.
I still need to keep my eating under control. I think I gain weight since I get so hungry from exercising. Hopefully, it's muscle instead of fat that I'm gaining.
If I keep my overeating at bay and cycle more, I should be unstoppable. I need more self-discipline though.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
My Birthday December 18
This year, I had a computer virus on my birthday so that basically sucked. I spent all day trying to get rid of it. Then, I had to reinstall windows and reformat the hard drive. That still didn't work, because I needed unpartitioned space on my hard drive. I had to get Hyukky to help me fix it.
Well, at least I did get a birthday cake from my Sunday School Co-Teacher, Jun. We also celebrated Soo Jin's (Christina) birthday as well, which was on December 15.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Turkey Day Weekend Recap
On Thanksgiving Day, we went to church for the Thanksgiving Day service. We led the church kids to memorize a couple bible verses and Jenny Teacher, DDS, led them in a couple of praise songs in front of the main chapel service. I think the kids liked it, but one kid asked, "Aren't the adults tired of watching us up on stage so often?" I thought that was hilarious. We had a Thanksgiving Day lunch at church.
Then, we went to my sister's house and we had Thanksgiving Day dinner there. The food was delicious. Ben, Saejin, Saewoon, and my mom were also present.
Learning from previous Black Fridays, I did not go anywhere near the mall or Fry's Electronics on Friday. It's just too crowded, and they only have a very limited amount of the advertised deals. Plus, there were some people that got killed during Black Friday fights and stampedes. Now, it's dangerous shopping on that day. We need a new laptop and desktop computer, so we're hoping on getting in on some better deals as Christmas approaches. I'm betting that there will be bigger and better deals since the economy is getting so bad.
On Saturday, we went hiking in Arcadia with Christine, Saewoon, Grace, Saejin, Ben, and their dog, Destiny. I've never seen it so crowded there before. People were fighting for parking spaces like they were in a shopping mall on Black Friday. We hiked for 3 hours or so, but we didn't get to see the waterfall this time. I think we'll go again next time. It was still a beautiful hike on a beautiful day in a long time, after the rain the previous weekend, and the wildfires 2 weeks ago.
Sarah and I bought an all in one printer at Office Depot and then bought another one in Garden Grove.
On Sunday, I gave my Sunday School kids an exam on Exodus. I told them that I would test them, and I meant it. I think I am going to give them tests more often since they seem to be quiet when they're taking tests. We're giving out tickets for prizes as an incentive for good behavior now as well.
Man, the stock market went down a lot today. It was the 4th steepest point loss in Dow Jones' history. This was after news that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007. I knew we were in a recession since last year. Didn't we all? The economy has been bad for a while now. I guess now it is official.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Audi Driving Experience
This year's Audi Driving Experience was much better than last year's. Instead of just one measly lap around the race track, we were able to drive about 3.75 laps around the Auto Club Speedway track with the new 2009 Audi A4's. Also, we were able to drive around an autocross track in the parking lot with the A4's along with their direct competitors: the BMW 328xi, Lexus IS250 AWD, and Mercedes C300 4Matic AWD. Last year, we just drove the Audi line-up around the autocross track. It was kinda chaotic because you have to quickly get in and get out of the cars so that everyone can get a turn driving the cars within the short time allotted. This year seemed better organized.
They split the group into 2 different autocross tracks while another group got to drive around the Speedway Track where some NASCAR races are held.
One track went clockwise while another clock went counter-clockwise. I liked the counter-clockwise course better. It seemed better laid out. I had no problem on that one and was able to drift around the first big turn.
The clockwise track was a different story. This course seemed to be laid out entirely wrong. The turns were just not proportioned properly for great drifts. I love stomping on the gas pedal and really making the cars scream out in pain. Unfortunately, when I was driving the BMW, I mashed the throttle trying to drift around the last turn but the car understeered horribly into the cones. I got a scolding by one of the instructors. Hopefully, I'll be invited back next year.
All the cars were All Wheel Drive (AWD) so that we can compare the Audi Quattro system to the competition. The Mercedes C300 4Matic was last place in my book because of the soft suspension. The car seemed to fishtail around corners. The Lexus IS 250 AWD was 3rd. They should have had the IS 350, but they said that would make it much more expensive. So, we got the underpowered IS 250 which was sluggish getting to the first major turn. In 2nd place was the BMW 328xi. It was excellent handling (except for the part when it understeered into the cones), but the Audi A4 Quattro performed the best. Their new Audi Drive Select System is awesome. You can select between comfort, auto, and dynamic. It can also automatically sense changes to your driving and accommodate the input accordingly. You can also manually change individual settings like accelerator response, shift points for the automatic transmission, amount of power steering assistance, steering ratio, the electronically adjustable shock absorbers, and a number of other chassis settings just like in a race car. There is a ton of technology packed into this car. The new 2009 model looks elegant on the outside, and I still think that Audi's have the best looking interiors out of all the other manufacturers.
The Audi A4's handled pretty well along the Speedway track. I love the way it handled. If only I could have driven the RS4 or the R8. That would have been awesome.
After driving the awesome new A4's around the track, we were able to sign up to drive a different car from Audi's line-up. I was able to drive the TT and the A3.
I had an absolute blast drifting around the turns in the TT. That little sports car is a ton of fun to drive. The track was just perfect for testing out the handling capabilities of the car. About 4 cars followed closely behind the instructor in a paceline. The TT was just so nimble I was able to flick it around turns and mash the throttle for some drifting action. The A3 was pretty good too for a station wagon. I'm sorry I think it likes to be called a sport wagon, especially since it was Audi's S-line, which is their sporty line.
This was definitely a fun event to go to especially for car maniacs such as myself. Last year, I was able to drive the S5. The new 2009 A4 looks like it was modeled after the A5/S5 except with 4 doors. I can't wait for next year.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Pasadena Marathon
There were no actual fires in Pasadena during this latest batch of L.A. wildfires, but the Marathon was canceled due to very poor air quality. The afternoon before the race, you could see smoke across the entire sky of L.A. I went to the Marathon Expo the day before and nobody said anything about canceling. The air quality got worse as the day progressed. There were so many fires going on at the same time: Montecito, Santa Barabara, Yorba Linda, Brea, Corona, Diamond Bar, Placerita, Sylmar. It seemed that L.A. was in a warzone with all the smoke in the air.
I still biked to the marathon bike tour by 6:00 a.m. When I got there I saw people on bikes, but there weren't that many people. When I asked when the race was starting, someone told me it was canceled due to the smoke. I think it's going to be rescheduled to another date. I had some time, so I biked to church by 7:00 a.m. and then biked back home in the late afternoon. There was so much nasty smoke in the air, it felt like I smoked a pack of cigarettes after my bike ride.
I feel bad for the thousands of people who lost their homes in the fires. This a tough time with the economy falling apart and now the fires burning L.A. County. Most of the homes that burned down are located near the mountains. Now I know never to buy a home in the hills...if we can ever afford to buy a home in L.A. Homes in L.A. are still ridiculously expensive despite all the foreclosures.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
2008-2009 Sunday School Classes
The Sunday School Faculty: James JDSN, John, Ji Yeon, Pearl, Hye Jin "Grace Bae", Soo Jin, Tony "PonJin", Jun, Eun Jung, Sarah, Kate, HeeJin "Irene", Grace Lee, Michelle "MJ" "Moon Jung", Jenny, Sharon, David.
5th Grade Class: Teachers: David, Jun, Michelle.
6th Grade Class: Teachers: Eun Jung, Kate.
1st Grade Class: Teacher: Jenny.
1st Grade Class: Teachers: Grace Lee and Grace "Hye Jin" Bae.
4th Grade Class: Teacher: John Moon.
3rd Grade Class: Teachers: Tony "Pon Jin" and Soo Jin Koo.
3rd Grade Class: Teachers: Sharon Park, Pearl.
2nd Grade Class: Teachers: Sarah, Ji Yeon, Whoony (Not Pictured).
Also not pictured: Joseph Teacher (4th Grade).
Here are the pictures of this year's classes. Everyone looks really great! Thanks to Jay for taking the professional pictures. Click on the pictures to view a larger image.
4th Wedding Anniversary
Today is our fourth wedding anniversary. I can't believe it. The years go by so fast. It's like a dream. On one hand, time went by so quickly. On the other hand, it's hard for me to imagine my life without Sarah. I can hardly remember what life was like before I married Sarah. My single years are like a distant memory now. Well, I've always had a bad memory. I'm always thinking about the future and not the past. This blog helps me to remember the things I've done in my life.
Since Sarah works until late at night on many weekdays, including today, we went out yesterday when she was not scheduled to work. We went out to one of our favorite local Japanese restaurants. After that we ran some errands at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond. Whenever we go shopping, it feels like we've been shopping all day long.
It's my blog's 4th Anniversary as well. I wanted to make a new template for the 4th Anniversary, but Sarah said my template was fine. That's cool with me, because I just don't have time to tinker with different layouts and stuff. I kind of get obsessive with stuff, and that would take a long time. It feels like my life is getting busier and busier all the time. It's hard to get all the stuff I want to do and get done accomplished. I'm always running behind. Such is life.
Since Sarah works until late at night on many weekdays, including today, we went out yesterday when she was not scheduled to work. We went out to one of our favorite local Japanese restaurants. After that we ran some errands at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond. Whenever we go shopping, it feels like we've been shopping all day long.
It's my blog's 4th Anniversary as well. I wanted to make a new template for the 4th Anniversary, but Sarah said my template was fine. That's cool with me, because I just don't have time to tinker with different layouts and stuff. I kind of get obsessive with stuff, and that would take a long time. It feels like my life is getting busier and busier all the time. It's hard to get all the stuff I want to do and get done accomplished. I'm always running behind. Such is life.
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