i promised myself i wouldn’t spend more than ₩50,000 (≈$50.00) on a new cell phone. i should’ve promised myself i wouldn’t spend money—period—on a new cell phone.
saturday morning, we woke up early and went to the red cross hospital downtown so i could get my yearly physical check-up (it’s really more of a drug screen than anything else). though there was no wait and the paperwork was easy and i was finished in less than fifteen minutes, the bill came out to ₩90,000 (≈$90.00). i do not remember paying that much for my check-up last year. yep, i just double-checked. i paid ₩58,000 last year; true, it was at a different hospital, but why the huge difference?
maybe the red cross hospital thinks it can charge an inordinately large fee because foreigners will pay anything blindly (a lot of the foreigners in daegu go there for their medical needs). well, i wasn’t in the mood to argue or storm out in a huff (i need the paperwork done by next week). yes, that hospital is fast, easy and convenient (located in the heart of downtown and all), but i will not go there again.
the significant and i had lunch together and headed towards cell phone street (everyone in daegu knows where that is). cell phone street is a long avenue that is lined with over thirty cell phone stores, one after another, on both sides. each store has the latest pop hits blaring through their speakers and out front, young men in business casualwear gently pester passersby.
we went to a small, unassuming shop run by two young ladies who are very good at their jobs. we filled out all the paperwork to put me under the better half’s name and shopped for phones. because i am ridiculous, i zoned in on cyon’s new-ish, very stylish lollipop. for months, the commercials (CFs) for the lollipop phone (video above) have been dominating the airwaves. obviously, there is an almost shameless product tie-in between the phone and korean pop groups big bang and 2NE1’s single, “lollipop.” clever of them to do that.
originally priced at ₩534,000 (yeah, it’s like a $500 phone), i got a brand new blue lollipop for ₩79,000 because i signed a one-year contract with SK telecom, korea’s #1 cell phone company (there are three big ones in korea: SK, KTF and the worst, LG (ironically, LG makes the best-looking cell phones)). korean students all have their own phones, and the lollipop is one of the most desired products because of its sleek look, ’secret light’ function and connection to the hottest boy group, big bang.
so why did i, a 28-year-old man, who uses his phone strictly for brief calls and texts, need a sharp, new phone for? the same reason women wear jewelry and high heels. vanity. i couldn’t resist pulling out the electric blue contraption out of my murse and having envious eyes aimed in my direction. as i’ve said before, cell phones in korea aren’t just accessories; they are also status symbols.
the machine is popular among teenagers because when a call comes in, you can simply flip the phone over onto its belly and the ringing will stop. great for avoiding calls. another thing i love are the little lights that sparkle and shine upon every incoming call (in neat designs, too!). also, the edge (picture, left) of the phone contains what is called ’secret lighting.’ i can customize the color of bulbs that light up to each individual in my phone book. for example, when the significant other calls, red lights light up. when ms. shin calls, purple lights. and so on…
here i am, going on and on about a silly little phone. such a korean thing to do. and i love it. i also loved the service i got at the phone shop. through some kind of wireless magic (maybe bluetooth?) the lady at the store transferred all media and phone numbers from my old phone into the new one. she also managed to let me keep my original number and showed me how to use all the neat functions of my lollipop (does that sound dirrty?). so easy, so clean, so efficient.
in the states, when i was with sprint pcs, i got no such service. all the departments were separated and i had to wait in line for this, wait in another line for that, etc. the thing with korean cell phone stores is that they work with all three phone companies, so they can switch you from one carrier to another quickly. you don’t have to go to specific branches of the company if you don’t wish to. and you don’t have to wait. point for korean service. [note: perhaps things have changed in the states. i wouldn't know, i haven't had to deal with cell phone companies in the states in three years. i hope things have improved.]
i am recalling something. ah, yes. one of the projects the students had the option of choosing for the stargirl project was the ‘peter sinkowitz’ scrapbook. for that project, you had to follow a friend for a month and note down daily routines, special habits, etc. and create a scrapbook focusing on your friend. these two girls created amazing scrapbooks about their friends and on the profile pages, they listed information like name, height, weight, hair color, star sign, birthday, cell phone. i did a double-take as they were presenting. cell phone? really? is it that important? as important as birthday? apparently so. and i should know…’tis the reason i got myself a lollipop in place of the no-name piece of metal i carried around for a year.
