2022년 2월 13일 일요일 – Mountain View 생활 18주차

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Party

My apartment has some elegant amenities, like a roof-top lounge, small movie theater, swimming pool, etc. Some of them are available for holding a party. Residents can make a reservation and invite their friends for a gathering. On Friday, I booked the indoor lounge and had dined with my family and friends.

In Korea, I often had a gathering outside rather than at home. In the US, many restaurants close early, and the dining cost is expensive. I assume that that’s why people prefer a home party over eating out.

Anyway, we had a pleasant and peaceful time. We could see the swimming pool shining with lights from the apartments at the lounge. There was a fireplace at the center of the lounge, which made the atmosphere cozier.

But it took some time to prepare for the party. We had to buy ingredients and cook everything from scratch. After the party ended, we spent more than an hour cleaning the place. There are pros and cons. DIY culture is more common in the US.

All Of Us Are Dead

The new Netflix TV show, All Of Us Are Dead, is blowing up, preceding Squid Game, the most successful Korean TV show in 2021. I also watched 10 Episodes with my family this week.

The advantage of being aired on Netflix is less restriction in depiction and script. There were some brutal scenes close to gore which never be allowed in Korean Broadcasts. Also, action scenes were as super dynamics as parkour games.

Nevertheless, the storyline was boring, and many scenes were unnecessary. Repeating sentimental scenes was the most annoying. I suspect that the director intentionally put these scenes expecting that K-Shinpa would be successful as it was in Squid Game. But, the amount of spice was more than the main ingredient.

Also, sidekick characters consumed too much running time. I think the director put a lot but couldn’t finish anything. Maybe Netflix ordered the director 12 Episodes, and the director put extra stories to extend the running time. In my opinion, six episodes are enough to show the main story without distracting the focus.

OTT market is getting competitive, and Netflix is no longer the super-dominant provider because its competitors are pouring more money into their TV shows. Korean drama studios can’t produce large-scale TV shows like The Lord of the Rings. Therefore, their strength should be from the story and the depiction rather than computer graphics. The movie Parasite is the most famous example.

Swimming Pool

Now, the average daytime temperature is close to 20 degrees Celsius. People would feel hotter due to the intense sunlight. I feel that it’s already Spring here and it’s good to enjoy swimming. Other neighbors have the same thought. When we went down the swimming pool in my apartment at 2 pm, some people were already sitting on the deck chairs.

The good aspect of the US apartments is that amenities aren’t crowded because the number of residents is far less than in Korea. It reminded me of the time when I traveled to Bangkok in 2018. At that time, not many people were at the swimming pool, and I could relax and enjoy the time floating on the water.

The benefit of living in the US is that many outdoor activities are easily accessible.

Fire drill

My apartment conducted a regular fire drill this week. I guessed that it wouldn’t take longer than an hour. However, I underestimated it. When my wife called me, I could know the firing alarm was extremely noisy. And it was scheduled to end at 4:30 pm. So, I applied for a half-day vacation to get my wife out of the apartment.

When I arrived at the entrance, I could hear the loud noise. Fire doors were blocking the elevators, and only stairs were available. When I entered the hall, the noise was too loud to stand it. I noticed that fire alarms were everywhere, even inside each room. So, it was impossible not to hear the alarm.

Besides, fire drill staff came into the room and checked something. I haven’t experienced this kind of emergency drill before. Even though It was uncomfortable, It let me know that this place was safe to live in.

Rent fee

My rent contraction will expire in September. Since my baby will be born at that time, we should decide whether to move out or extend the current lease. Our rent fee for the one-bedroom costs $4300 every month. If we include home insurance, gas & electricity, maintenance fee(trash, water, leasing office), and internet, the total cost is $4600.

In this apartment, the minimum rental fee for the two-bedroom is $5000. It is also possible to find a house or apartment that costs less than here. But they are old and not safe as here. I expect the rental fee to increase after people return to the office.