Filed under: posts | Tags: apexi, cars, do-luck, Evo, rexpeed, stikiller, tanabe
[via STikiller.com]
If you know me, you know I love cars. Like any good owner, I love my evo. It’s a USDM 2005 GSR. Now that I’m actually employed (!!!), the range of possiblity on where the evo is going has expanded. The first thing that is going change is my GReddy counter-weighted shift knob. It has been great, but it is extremely scratched, the fitting is off and I want a different feel. But that’s a small fry detail.
Powerwise, I am going to be very gentle. ECU reflash, some tinkering with the boost psi (no annoying BOVs) and a turbo gauge are given. I am also liking GST’s open air solution sounds about right, but may be a bit on the ricey end. After all, I will NOT be making enough power to say my intake in my bottleneck. I will be going for a catback /w nothing touched from the catalytic converter up (I know this will restrict my possiblities). The Tanable Touring Medallion and the Apexi NOIR are strong contenders for being realtively quiet (under 90 decibels) as well as allowing for better breathing. However, I believe they both taper at some point so they are not true 3” exhausts.
With that said, I don’t want to make too much more power, but just enough to get an extra “kick.” The evo is fun stock, and I’m not trying to beat z06s in a straight line (hah).
Cosmetically, there’s some carbon fiber that is going on. I’m looking into a replica Do-Luck front lip. I love how this lip looks. I also love how the JDM rear looks, but it is around 700 dollar and requires mods to both the license plate holder and the rear low-speed crash beam. “Evo-dave” JDM lights front and JDM evo 7 lights in the rear. I don’t believe the crazy prices vendors charge for JDM lights when there’s a reputable evolutionm forum member who does them for a fraction of the price. Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to put a HID kit in there. Finally, I am debating whether or not to swap my huge wing for a rexpeed c-style wing.
Misc. stuff I need to do. Get that keying mark taken care of, so I need to find a reputable detailer in the Bay Area. I need to get my 30k service and get that 80 mph whine taken care of. (T-case of death?)
Eventually, going to slap some all black shoes on those Falkens. Yup. Obviously, this plan will not be carried out overnight, but this should be a fun ride.
‘Tis all.
Filed under: posts | Tags: cars, economics, Fang Datong, Fast and Furious, happiness, Nintends DS, Rhythm Heaven, Shanghai, sights & sounds
A few things going on right now, the most important of which is an agonizing wait for the results of of my final round interview with a leading economics consulting firm. I feel I did fine during the interview and case, but who knows? These things tend to have a way of surprising you.
(This next paragraph is for those who are interested in the otherwise boring on-goings of economics)
My thesis which is about the One Child Policy and its Effects of Women’s Education, is coming along daintily. I have found a newer, more trustworthy dataset, but it will limit my usage of certain statistical methods. I will have to check in with my advisor to make sure it’ll work. I am getting a nice self-led crash course introduction to SAS though. 
On the entertainment front, a few items of note.
Fast and Furious was good. It wasn’t deep, or intellectually stimulating, but from a auto-head POV, it was pretty sweet (minus that atrocious MY2009 STi). I really liked the beginning which paid homage to one of the forgotten greats in American muscle history – the Buick Grand National. These turbo’d Regals are in my mind, still the epitome of no frills American power.
Of course, this movie featured a lot of great cars, including a whole myriad of American classics as well as an awesome scene with an R32, R34 and GTR Nissan Skylines. Honestly, I even thought the fighting scenes weren’t half bad. If you can get over the cringe of a few typical F&F lines, then go watch it!
Rhythm Heaven (リズム天国ゴールド) for the Nintendo DS. With the release of the “new” Nintends DSi, recently released games have not been given the spotlight they deserve. I recently started playing this gem of a game and it is wonderful. It’s like a good mix of Warioware with Elite Beat Agents. It is a collection of rhythm-based mini-games that are all very original and clever. This is the kind of game the DS was made for. Hours of boredom assassination! Check the quick vid of the mini-games in action:
Khalil Fong, a.k.a. 方大同 (Fang Datong). Mr. Fong here (courtesy of my wonderful Serena) has answered my prayers for some different Chinese music. Born in Hawaii then moving to Shanghai (yes!) when he was 6, Khalil possess a less prototypical sound. He a stronger idea of bass and rhythm than his peers and I personally think he sounds Mraz-ish. An added bonus is that his English pronunciation is native, so when he adds that English phrase between the mandarin, it doesn’t add all that cheesiness.
Here are few songs of note:
(1) Love Song from the album Wonderland
(2) Singalongsong (English) from the album Orange Moon
(3) 三人游 (pinyin: san ren you) from the album Orange Moon
Whew. That was a good, long post.
‘Tis all.
Filed under: posts | Tags: cars, crime, dialogue, Evo, punks, school, self, society, vandalism
If you guys don’t know me that well, then you do not know the relationship I have with my car. The evo to me, is like what a dog is like to its owner. It’s reliable, proud and is always there for me when I need it. There’s nothing like boosting away the world’s problems. So when I tell you today some punk(s) keyed my passenger side door, it is akin to a parent just realizing someone had blinded their child with a pitchfork. Sure, life goes on, but does it really?!
For those in the car detailing know, there are two scratches from the key. One is just barely through to the color while the second, more bitterness-filled one goes right on into the primer. This means that either my car will look like it has tissue scars or my local body shop is getting a phone call. Nonetheless I will see what magic I can conjure up with paint touch-up pen before spending the repair bucks.
In my mind, I keep making up how this all went down:
(2) kids probably because one isn’t usually brave enough and has no one to show off to.
Kid 1: Hey [Bob, Joe, Francis, Kareem, Tayshawn, Soo-Kim, Cheng Jian, Kimberly, Collete*, Mary, Hasheem, Andre, Jose, Ivan, Peter], check it out! It’s a mother****** Evo!
Kid 2: Yeah [long list of possible names], probably some rich **** drives it around.
Kid 1: Yeah, f*** those guys. You know what?
Kid 2: Wha?
Kid 1: Watch this!
Kid 2: Oh, hell, you’re crazy man!
Kid 1: Haha, you know it!
*Evo violation*
*Silent Evo weeping*
Kid 1: F***, let’s get the f*** outta here!
Kid 2: **** *** ***** *** ** **** *** (I don’t know if you can string foul language this long consecutively, but I want to imagine you can)
*Runs away*
*This name is too awesome to be associated with this nonsense
Now, before the real mourning process can begin, I must take another final.
‘Tis all.
[from thetorquereport.com, now my wallpaper]
Ok, so in this world, you have your burnt-out, overly tanned Ferrari owners. Then you have your “I own an island and I can buy your freedom” or I am an Arabic prince Bugatti and Zonda owners. The Lambo folk are just trying to one-up their Ferrari driving friends and look stupid doing it.
Then you have your Aston drivers. In the world of cool things, the Aston is the epitome – the peak. If anything were to be cooler than an Aston, it would have to be immediately destroyed as we would all have to yield to its power. So when I say the new Aston Martin DBS is the coolest Aston ever, you’ll know I mean coolness on the scale of the coming of God. Enough cool to create universes – or destroy them.
Here, here and here are some links to automotive heaven. Look at those amazing curves, those aggressive headlights and that sleek, powerful back. The interior is purposeful, filled with stitched leather and aluminum accents – delicious.
Not only is the Aston a looker, she performs greedily well, thanks to the DB9’s V12 heritage and 510 horses. As always, Aston Martins sound like a raw power expressed as the most beautiful roar in the world. Don’t believe me? Watch (rather, listen to) this vid. 
Now, as an Aston owner, you want to look awesome before even entering the car right? Of course. Enter the DBS remote watch (click pic for higher res). It can unlock the car and remotely start it. Wow, just wow. How am I supposed to live my life now, knowing something this awesome exists in the world?
Well, the price tag of oh, $332,000 for the ride and $35,000 additional for the watch helps a bit.
But if I am going to shell out half a house in California for a car, you damn well be sure that I am going to buy the watch that boosts my coolness factor even more so. After all, if you drive 007’s car, you might as well tell time/start your car, Bond style.
Motor Authority has some high-res images for those who want to flatter their desktops. And a gallery. Aston’s official site has a whole DBS page.
——————-
If you’re still unsated, here’s a youtube vid about the car with commentary from its designers: (The car sounds so mean!)
So guys, if you ever hear that I sold my soul, you know what I sold it for. Materialistic I know, but really in the face of an Aston with a remote start, who isn’t?
‘Tis all.
One day in high school, Nate said: “we need to start a street racing group.” At that time, we all drove 90 horsepower beaters – not that there’s anything wrong with them. Thus, JOUF was born in Ahmed’s pre-calculus class one day. Jaeman was designated wheel supplier, as we all dreamed of the day when we would own worthy vehicles. JOUF actually stands for “Jammin’ On yoUr Face.” (JOYF is definitely a sub-par acronym.) Why did we name ourself something so insane with no relation to any kind of car lingo? Well, ’cause Nate said it with vigor and we all laughed our asses off. Simple as that.
Now, we don’t really street race and I think we’re more of a parody of any kind of illegal street gang. However, we do love our cars. We don’t segregate the American and the Japanese models either! Today was a nice day to head to Treasure Island off the Bay Bridge and snap some shots. Without further ado, drink em up! [Mine's the shiny black Evo =)]
Click the snippets for larger versions on Flickr.
4.17.07 Update – Tobias’ pictures (the power rangers one is great):
note: more pics will come as they are uploaded by the other people
