Our Generation

 

The only thing that is stopping us from saying that our generation is BETTER than this AI-Aided, Google Powered, Automatic Shifting, Soc Med dependent generation is Love. 

We built our own PCs, we hated walkthroughs, we sailed through gears like the transmission acted like an Automatic, smooth and never jerky. We wrote well and spoke well, never stuttering, fingers glided through keys with a masterpiece inevitable. We kept our hands dirty and we kept our tools in handy. Our generation, minsan tubero, mekaniko, engineer, wiring specialist and other DIY talents. Once a job is done & finished, we keep these small triumphs to ourselves; cleaning up, joyous, proud and smiling. We often keep these feelings just within us, never exclaiming, the same way our parents did for us. ❤️

Social Media and its lack of two sides

𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗕 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗸𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆: 𝟭𝟴 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗱𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 has taught me a lot of things. Most notably you can't please everyone, that there is no perfect shop, and no perfect client. As business owners, we have a pace which may or may not suit clients from speed of replies, special orders coming in and the conditions given to us at the shop and most especially at home service/delivery. The more clients you have, the more money coming in, the more things you would have to watch out for.

The thing is clients may rant about their experiences that's a given, but you'll rarely see or hear a shop owner ranting about client if you think about it. How about a "barat" client, or too much extended terms, walang pakisama sa staff kahit OT, too small of a work area provided to us, a car that's been around and is almost falling apart or too much demands for such a small and simple item and finally yung "Hm/PM Price/Thanks for the info na 1 year na nagtatanong?"

They say it's more of a "honor" thing, yes partly but rather I consider it online massacre if I use my page with almost 300k followers (FB alone), to berate someone. It's simply not something I would do, and we are simply not the kind to do such. Truly there are two sides to every story, 100% of the time. Nevertheless as with all things, we forge ahead and move forward, because we have our families and our employees families to support. Just a 5 minute entry to my blog, have a restful weekend everyone.

The One True Yabangan

After the show that was JDMU at SMX, para bang nahugasan lahat ng kalokohan, at toxic na nakikita natin araw araw sa ibat-ibang group which keeps us from being focused on the "world" that we know very well, on our project cars; rather presenting to us, trash content disguised us "presently cool" and "new humor". 

Finally a gathering, at the big stage wherein walang drama at kalokohan na nangyari sa huli na gustong gustong pag-usapan kahit palagi naman nangyayari. Finally, a gathering where discussions are made on the hangover that was, about the participants, their builds and their well kept secrets rather than yung nagpa-iyak ng gulong, or yung hindi marunong sumunod sa rules. A gathering wherein you would usually hear ohhs, and ahhs, or "pare may binubuo ko pala na ganyan", some truly rare bits and pieces finally making an appearance, and that certain "magazine-worthiness" of the cars, that you all well and anticipate that surely its going to making waves in the interwebs one way or another of course outside the Philippines. Finally, a gathering which prides itself with the quality of the members and more importantly the ideas presented through their builds, by the OGs, the core members and what they usually call them.. matatandang tao. Finally an ultimate gathering finally realized , of making known what JDMU is really made of, with sir Stik watching from above with a good smile in his face. 

This meet was done in a time wherein a lot of new people in this scene are making waves, and the power of social media and "vlogging" has never been as powerful as it is in these present times. And the thing is, the people of JDMU sticks to its own ideals from day one. Hindi nila tatanggapin ang bagay na baduy kahit na pilitin pa ng mga taong "sikat" na pwede na at parang cool din naman. Individuals who suddenly consider themselves an authority because of their fame and number of views believe me prompted a few smirks and LOLS, and that is no surprise Why? Because JDMU's tightly knit community is simply that way. It thinks old school, plays and respects an old game. 

When a new generation witnesses such, in SMX's four corners, truly there is great meaning in that. Just imagine how such a show if you may call it, has altered, changed, inspired or reinforced hundred of attendees' concept of the right build. Egos and established norms slightly crushed. realizing, witnessing, and as one utters in words, "pu*a pare ito pala yung totoong Yabangan." 

This is the standard, hate it, love it. 

A 2 minute blog by yours truly, there is more to come, good to have recovered my account. :)

Revisiting Car Groups

Amazing 13 years in business and very thankful for Gods blessings and the clients and friends we have met along the way. The employees we were able to help and their families we were able to support. I call it business because we have been paying our taxes for more than a decade. Passion because I get to do what I love while making a living.

Coffee time with our friends in the industry and long time officers of HCP always brings out the best stories and a clear vision of what the current situation is of the barrage of car groups or subgroups or even barkadas turned to be cargroups. With the advent of Facebook, more and more groups and segments have been born. I mean anyone has a group nowadays. Maybe it stems from ones's natutal urge to have a sense of belonging.  Yung may pupuntahan ka at makakahalubilo. As with all things groups come and go, they have they strong times and there will soon come a time na lilipas din sila. Different groups, different set of officers and different agendas. That is the reality. 

As shops we have a responsibility to keep it at a low and never delve into group politics. Its obvious that shops are always exposed to the whims and requests of groups, its intrigues, raves, rants, defeats and triumphs. Such is widely accepted and acknowledged kapag papasok ka sa isang grupo. 

I remember back then when we still didn't use an admin or moderator, I had to post on different talkboards like that of the Ae Corolla and its different subgroups, the same goes for the Vios clubs, the rivaling groups of the Jazz who could ever forget that, the Civic FDs, the EGs and EKs of HCP that would literally fill up home depo something we can never witness nowadays, the Civic ES club, the GTs and funruns of Honda City Club that would cause traffic dahil sa sobra dami nila, I mean we've been around and I easily surmise that life nowadays for groups and sellers is way easier and spoon fed. Sometimes it could always be a bad thing dahil dumami naman ang keyboard warrior, matapang online pero pag kaharap mo you guessed it.

Tuwing grupo ang usapan, natatandaan ko yung conversation namin ni Sir Vince Chua of Bigberts yung officer na isang grupo na sobra demanding humingi ng giveaways during their events. I think that guy was from Mxxxxo Club a good 4 years ago. Kung makademand talo pa ang terrorista. 

As shops though we have a clear vision and enough experience to lead, steer and guide these groups but nevertheless its elementary for us to never ever delve into such things primarily because there is conflict of interest. We cannot use our influence to gather people and at the same time make a sale and profit because its not fair to the members and the would be sellers and sponsors. Kung sinimulan mo ng ganyan ang kultura sa isang grupo alam na namin ang kahihinatnan nyan, we clearly know down the road may conflict na mangyayari at paguusapan ka lang ng mga kapwa mo shop and seller. 

I view it as more of an honor and dignity thing. What do you value more? Money or how the majority sees you? How they perceive of you as a person, seller or leader. Hindi ibig sabihin na walang ka narinig or walang naisulat tungkol sayo sa internet ay hindi ka pinaguusapan. People are diligent nowadays the same way they too are onion skinned and would like to hide behind the veil of a social media account. 

Jealousy, hate, and connivance. Be careful with these if you are a member or a shop.

Idle Hands are the Devil's workshop, take note of this lalo na ngayung may Covid when people spend more time on their keypads rather than being outdoors.

Alam mo yung mga niche market groups na rare yung mga kotse nila and then yung mga members sobra strict and grabe mag critique. Those are the good battles, I seriously adore groups whose members are straight up jerks when it comes to parts originality and builds that must satisfy and meet their standards. Galit sila sa respek all builds, if the car looks like shit then let it be known. Ganun yung mga masaarap na usapan. Deretso, pranka and hindi pailalim kung tumira. That this Evo isn’t actually a Makinen but actually just a regular evo claimed to be Makinen by the ones who built it but sold at a Makinen price. Or how about wheel period correctness and the fight between I dont care it looks good vs your wheels dont match your era. Puro ka fitment hindi naman yan forged those kind of hirits. How about taking pride on a sports chassis vs a fully modded regular version of that car, na kahit anong gawin mo dyan when you strip it all out at the end of the day it will never be the a Type R or an RAR. How about a clean setup vs a jacked up racing setup with its theme and look completely lifted out of a Japanese tuning catalog. magandang usapan yan because its one's preference of jdm vs the pinnacle of jdm styling and performance.

Blogging by 19th floor and a perfect view of the mountains as embraced by the fog. Cheers! ❤️

Builders aren't on the sidelines..

What fuels the fire of a certain kind of enthusiast are exclusive and limited edition models. Sport and tuned variants with unique components only found on such models. As we are in the Philippines, we are bound to have our RHD aspirations converted into LHD with the right and complete components by the best people in the industry.  Hindi na yan question na gusto mo ng Orig LHD or Converted. If you know your roots and involve yourself in building your cars, if you know your mechanics, the parts,  what makes things work, what don't, some short cuts and items which can only be had by scouring every shop and contact or imported through your usual means. 

Kung tatawagin mo basura ang mga project which were built the right way, through the right parts with passion amd excellence as the driving force then ano pa ang ginagawa natin dito sa industriyang ito? Mag jack en poy? Mag-chikahan at kwentuhan tungkol sa sobrang hot na babae na kakilala mo kahit anong papogi mo ay di ka naman uubra? Magtitigan ng 2 hours ag magyabangan sa Stabucks while sipping on expensive coffee which we both know can be had at half the price? 

Magbigay-pugay tayo to shops who build cars from the ground up, that dreams of Japan exclusive models can be had locally through the technical know-how and expertise of mechanics. Lets stand up for research, hard to find parts, left hand drive parts which we painstakingly collect to build the project of our dreams, to strive for excellence, to do it the right way and meet a high standard which other enthusiasts can aspire for during this long road. 

There is a whole world beyond your usual bolt on scene. Sobra lawak ng mundo na yan and I do hope that one day you will understand that building cars isn't about convenience and getting it done by watching from the sidelines. Mas malawak yan than your show scene, and how you would want to believe that people look up and admire you because of an appearance at the Transportshow. You can be in love with yourself, your ideals and what you have, but that doesn't give you any right to mock on others people's projects because truly, the real builders and enthusiasts, people who actually go out and race, obliterate laptimes and spend their Sunday afternoons at the twisties with the smell of oil and rubber, tainted and sweaty shirts, adrenaline filled sprint runs at kabado na baka may kumalas.... just don't care about you. 

These are the real battles of the internet. Hindi chismisan, hindi kakokohan at walang pagkukunwari. 

A conflict of people with different ideals but the direction is towards excellence. People at the top of their games, hindi naman talaga magkakasundo yan palagi, but maintain respect, even an once of it. 

A five minute blog by yours truly. Thanks Idol JP for the pic! :) 

The Talkboard Era

On March 22, 2007. Mainit, summer, boring, sitting on plastic stool. My friend Benavon and I were discussing about parts and the impact of online marketing in the coming months and years. We had eyes on Honda Club, dahil during that time, it will always be the powerhouse and the go-to-place of all Honda enthusiasts. Bawat techie, builder, enthuasiasts, manloloko, seller, bolero, konyo, guru, feeling guru, manginginom,, babaero, feeling babaero, barkadero, shop owner, tatay at marami pa iba ay nandun na ata. All of course hidden behind the thick curtain of the internet at their desired “nick-name”. Ang mga yan, nagkakakilanlan sila sa nick, and shempre those who stuck together and didn't forget their friendships have beautifully transitioned to what we call now is Facebook. Their founder Carlo was clearly a visionary and timing was key because more and more, people are switching online, kahit na ba sa PC ka lang nakikipagkulitan sa lounge, or yung kadebate mo sa Engine boards, na bakit mas practical pa din mag B series ka nalang kaysa itodo mo iyang SOHC mo.

HCP was the ultimate online tambayan. If you weren’t driving, if you weren’t fixing your car, if you weren’t out for a meet, then likely you’re hanging out at the forums, beer on the side, sitsirya sa kanan.

Nowadays, kamusta? People are on their pads and phones, seamlessly browsing, no effort, with various ways to express yourself of course with a simple like, love or care, or a complete comment na maari din namang sing-haba ng nobela. Nowadays, people are so used to shield of social media that its easy to disrespect anyone, without the fear of freakin being punched in the face. Tila nakalimutan ng tao ang rumespeto at humarap, magpakatao at magkatotoo. Yan of epekto ng social media. Back in the old HCP boards may nakaalitan yung kaibigan ko, shmpre they had different ideals, iba ang mga alam nila, iba ang mga approach nila sa kotse. Couple of weeks after we were invited to their meet, sa South, couple of EK and EG Hatchbacks here and there, nagkakilala, nilabas ang mga tripod, nag kamayan, nagkasundo at nabuo ang magandang pagsasama at respetuhan. People back then were that way, may pride, may angas pero walang backstaban. People let their cars do the taking ika nga, no matter how old such saying is, amazingly it applies effortlessly in today’s society.

I have always considered myself lucky because I have car friends who has the highest standards, espcialy during the 2000s days then across sa panahon ngayun. People like Mr. Uncle Mark Luna, sila Law Go, I will always have great respect for Alan Lim of Splitsecond and Sam the mechanic, John Moreno, Stew, my earlier visits to H3 with friends on how we witnessed the importance of motorsports and function more than being pogi and more. Just imagine being raised and influenced heavily by those people. Tangina, hindi mo mabibili yan, hindi mo rin pwede balikan. Pranka, high standards, all out, wow factor always at galit sa peke. They can be jerks sometimes, but I love them for that because totoo silang tao and their super high standards (paulit ulit ko ito sinasabi) will wash away all that is mediocre in today’s industry. 

Benavon and I thought of selling purely Spoon Parts, nag mix kme ng bit of Mugen and I called the company JDMselect. JDM for a term coined by then Head Editor of Super Street. Jonathan “JDM” Wong, it simply meant Japanese Domestic Market. The word Select? Well, because back then we only sold selected parts and I didn’t want the hassle of selling knock-offs then at bka masita tayo ng Original SPOON POLICE. Only the OGs will understand. Benavon supplied the goods, I built my company, HCP will always be an intergral part of our growth and the rest is history. Tinalikuran ko ang malaking sweldo at komportableng posisyon sa company ng dad ko for this, I was mocked, criticized and had an extremely hard time, but the journey was worth it. Every year, during March 22, hindi ako pumalya mag-thank you sa aking kaibigan for opening the gates for me. That everything that I am, everthing that I have, kahit paulit ulit niya ideny at sabihin sakin na dahil sakin talaga yun, sasabihin ko na dahil sa kanya. 

The gates which he opened for me, binalik ko naman sa pagtulong sa tao through our monthly gift giving and employing people and being able to support their families. Hopefully, God-willing now as we open our paintshop to the public, we’ll be able to employ more people through our “assistant” program wherein we’ll be hiring people on a few days basis para magkaroon sila ng konting pang kain sa araw araw nila and their families. 

Times flies, so do our lives. It withers away without us knowing it. We take each minute and hour for granted. Its up for us to decide on how to best channel our lives. On pulling each other UP and being the best version of ourselves, spending time with our family and loved ones. Lalo na sa panahon ngayun.......

Your 10 minute blog by yours truly. Take care. Be good! :) 

Passion First

I would like to inform all our friends and customers that we are directing our efforts and product lineup towards branded items from Japan, Taiwan and the USA. This pandemic taught me the value of time and upon reflection, I’d like to aim and divert our energy towards high quality products, stuff that work, parts of high quality, best packaging and are known worldwide.

We are proud to carry the best parts in the market, to name of a few these are Ksport, TEIN, Injen, PRL, Spoon Sports, Maxspeed, Greddy, Tomei, Rays, HKS, Hard Race to name a few. These brand names are at the forefront of this industry and continue to innovate and compete in the motorsports world.

It’s no secret that we despise fake and useless generic parts from China. They bring down your car’s value as fast as the part’s value itself. The proliferation of these fake and generic parts over the internet especially at Shopee and Lazada is testament their soul-less character in this hobby which we value and respect so much. Fake parts are a complete waste of time.

JDMselect is the home of Sport Compact Cars. 

“Passion First, the Rest will Follow”