u/bluebrrypii

Lived in Korea for 8 years, moved back to America. Recognizing the pro's and con's of both societies. In terms of convenience and quality/cost of life, Korea wins, no question. Even on my 2.1mil KRW grad student salary ($1500), I never had to think about money. Rent was 350,000 KRW ($250), and I could eat out/delivery 75% of the week and still have enough money to spend on leisure + save 1~1.5mil KRW/month.

In the US, I make ~$4,500/month after taxes. But with how expensive life is (studio rent is $2000, eating out is $15~20, etc), I am constantly thinking about expenses and whether I have enough in the back of my head. Being able to eat whatever and whenever I wanted (without having to pick the cheapest item on the menu) in Korea definitely feels like a step up in terms of life quality for me. Not to mention being able to pick up life essentials (soap, household supplies, etc) at Daiso for 2,000~5,000 KRW as opposed to driving to a Target/Walmart or ordering on Amazon for $10~20 is also a huge win.

In other aspects of life, Korea seemed more like life was on "easy" mode. You were told what to do and you could trust what gov/service providers told you and be fine. In America, it's almost like they're trying to play "gotcha". For example, with taxes, Korea just calculates it for you and tells you what to pay. Or with banking, banks will tell you which account/cards are the best for you and it's as simple as that. In America, there's so much stress trying to figure out if you got the best deal or going through customer service to make sure you didn't miss anything. Life in Korea was much more straight forward, whereas in America, you get more "choices" but it also means only those with the knowhow benefit from the system.

In terms of society, I didn't find that much of a difference. I never succumbed to Korean societal pressures in the first place, so American "freedom" didn't really make that much of a difference to me. People definitely do live at a slower pace of life in America, but Koreans get to enjoy more of daily pleasures (eating/drinking out, conveniences, etc) so it cancels out for me. For this reason, I find general happiness to be similar levels between Korea and USA. I personally felt more at peace in Korea because I visually fit in as a Korean-American. But I witnessed more blatant day-to-day racism in Korea than where I am in America.

Infrastructure: Korea wins. (USA returning after 8 years feels like a second world dystopia. Terrible roads, dirty, cell phone service keeps dropping out, everything is built blocky/industrial/lifeless).

I even found driving to be more pleasant (shockingly) in Korea compared to my state (MA). Roads are shit here, and drivers are even more aggressive than Korea.

Medical stuff: America is actually cheaper for me since my work provides free health insurance. And while medical services are more thorough in America, getting reservations is ridiculous (1~2 months to schedule exams and whatnot - by which point either the symptoms are gone or you're in a worse state). Korea, I could just walk in and do x-ray's or CT scans same day at some hospitals.

Work style: America wins with 9-5 schedule (as opposed to 9-6 in Korea). Work days feel strangely short in America after working in Korea.

All in all, living in Korea definitely put perspective on life in America. While I would consider moving back to Korea for permanent resettlement, the structural limitations for foreigners in Korea still remains a hurdle. I don't even know what retirement in Korea would look life for foreigners who lived/worked long term there

For ~$350 and the brand reputation, the 49 Pro was honestly mediocre. The body and base are not tightly machined so there's a lot of wiggle when you lock in the portafilter. The brew chamber also rotates with the portafilter so every once in a while you have to reset the chamber. The piston arms seem like they were made with spare parts - everything wiggles and jangles and nothing is tight. Some units only have two arms, but some units have 4 - I don't understand the inconsistency in their manufacturing. The portafilter sometimes doesn't lock in all the way or gets loose, resulting in water spraying out (I saw another post mention this is manufacturing tolerance issue and requires you to shimmy some spacers into the group head).

For this price/reputation, they should have at least made the pressure gauge threads correct - but no. I went through 3 units, and all three had different positions of the pressure gauge (ie, you thread the pressure gauge on, but the final position would be facing backwards or downards. You have to use teflon to position the gauge so it's facing the user, but then there is a big white wad sticking out of the gauge port). Even the black coating - where the screws thread in, the black coating peels off and ends up looking scratched and ugly.

Like with other US-based coffee trendy companies (think Fellow), Flair seems to have put good effort into the design, but didn't give a second thought into manufacturing or QC.

Finally, Flair seems to be ok that Amazon and other distributors are shipping out used products. I had a situation where I ordered from Amazon, got a used product (no plastic packaging, scratches on the body) and I returned it and placed a new order the next day. To my disbelief, Amazon sent me the literal exact same used product. Flair customer service told me to deal with it with Amazon. Not to mention charging $16 for restocking returns.

I’ll add though, it does make good tasting espresso. But i preheat it 2-3 times

In all the trendy TikTok and Instagram reels with ppl asking mechanics what car they never buy, they always say Hyundai’s or Kia’s. But a lot of reviews/ranking sites consistently list them as best. From a mechanical/reliability point of view, are modern Kia’s and Hyundai’s really that bad?

I called my local Mazda service center to ask about transmission fluid costs. They said they only do fluid changes, and don't change the filters. Are mazda's transmission filters really meant to be life-long?

I have a 2019 CX-5 with 54,000 miles. Gonna do a transmission fluid change, but was wondering if the filter also needs to be changed while I'm at it (the filter change is substantially more work than just the fluid change, so I didn't want to touch it if not necessary). Thanks

Considering a 49 Pro vs 58+2. I only drink espresso once a week. Is the heating element on the 58+2 really worth double the cost of a 49 Pro? Or can I get equal results just by preheating the 49 with hot water a couple of times before pulling the shot?

Just started a new postdoc but I was surprised to learn that the lab and institute doesn't provide access to softwares (Illustrator, Prism, etc) nor work computers...I could understand up to the computer part, but I never heard of a serious research lab not providing access to core softwares...

I asked the other postdocs and most either purchase their own software subscriptions or leach off of their previous institutes/friends.

Any work around for this situation? thanks

Located in USA. Scanning for used car. CRV, Rav4, maybe CX-5. I need something reliable that won’t cause a headache with repairs/maintenance. Hoping to use it 4-5 years and either resell, or maybe take it with me across the country on my next move if it’ll survive that.

Should i be looking around 150,000 miles for 10-12 years old car? Is $12,000-15,000 a reasonable price range? Trying to figure out which age, miles, and price factors to consider.

First time car buying in America so thank you in advance.

Currently using Raffles 16234 fluted bezel (silver color). Are there any better upgrades without paying hundreds?

Looking for an apartment, but was quoted utilities are $150-200 a month per person (electric, gas, internet). For a 2br shared by 2 people. Seems a bit high but I’ve never lived in Boston so curious if this is about average. Thank you