The Online Pyesa Guy

Facebook is the perfect place to post, pose and try to create an illusion for everybody so they can perceive you as you would want them to, or to try to exhibit an image, to be above everyone else, to look cool, intelligent, socially relevant, upscale, athletic and maybe for the simple reason of trying to impress that girl you have been dating. Kotse ng cliente, pinost na parang sa kanya. Mga nabentang motor, pinost in one single pic kahit na alam naman nating pagaari na yan ng mga kaibigan nya. How about your Facebook friend who only posts selfies with pretty models? Pero pag kasama na niya ang mga officemates niya ayaw na nya mag pa picture.

Away-pyesa is something I've witnessed recently on Facebook therefore, in a funny popcornish way, we, as spectators, witness how these people use Facebook to try to sway the crowd to their favor. After the big fight they had online wherein it gained 1267 likes, 456 comments, 20 pop-corn bags and and 19 bottles of Stella Artois, shempre si Online Pyesa guy #1 nagpost bigla ng inventory niya of parts, sharing past posts, sharing (again) his present post, gaining ground by tagging a couple of friends, clients and barkada to gain acknowledgement, to secure credibility. Aba the next day, si Online Pyesa guy #2 medyo palaban, nagpost ng kanyang bagong buo na kotse, ang garahe niya meron 3 spare Type R engines, aba bigla nasa shooting range sya, nag emote selfie pose kasama ng kanyang Glock G43 TFX Pro, bumabaril in slow-mo, may kasamang leadership quote from Winston Churchill, likely sending shivers to his rivals. wow.

It's no mistake that Facebook is also a place for people wanting to be real, true and no BS. My friend for many years can be honest, brutal and a jerk, but he is real. He likes a post if its worth liking, and comments on a post if its worth commenting, its that simple.

Oftentimes, posers forget how diligent their friends are. That pictures, quotes and shares can simply perceived by "us" as predictable, kinda expected and simple case of once again trying to climb that social ladder.

We had a lot going in the past weeks as we singlehandedly planned, arranged and executed our wedding. We didn't have organizers or specialists, all we had was “US”, our own money we worked around with and the will to make it work our way, and no other way. We didn't try to please anyone, nor adhere to tradition, we wanted the wedding the to be as what we envisioned it. During such phase we also had multiple events such as trackdays wherein our friends and clients were participating, sactioned races wherein our sponsored cars are racing at gunning for podium finishes, shows which we need to attend to wishing our clients who had planned ahead and well as they gun for the best awards and not 2nd or 3rd. I always remind myself to take things one day at a time and to make the best of what father time has lent us. 

So there you go, medyo 20 minutes ko ito ginawa dahil maingay yung katabi ko dito sa Starbucks, leaving in a while and heading South. Take Care, be good!

Island of the Gods

As Tania and I were riding our trusty scooter all across Bali as we head for the other side of the island, we in many ways bathed in a pool of cultures, attitudes and habits that the Island of the Gods has always been known for. The long motorcycle ride prompted us to do stopovers, talk to commonfolk, get our tea and street food at the roadside or simply stretch and marvel at the view that the unknown. Though we didn't ride a 1000cc machine nor an expensive van to tour us around, we found ourselves shouting in joy and in silent prayer, thanking God for the means to have this "moment", the sheer joy of discovery and simply being outside our comfort zone. It also reminded me of a few things back home, such as a recent experience I had with a friend as he entrusted his car to us. I learned that no matter what you do, explain, present and compare, you can never dictate your style and let him adapt it.

If a person is born out of the stance scene, it would be hard to teach static and impress unto him that a decent and workable drop will do, so as to be ready for sprints or the weekly trackdays. Or of this person has this love affair with huge body kits and wide fenders, its nearly impossible to tell him to keep it simple, low and clean. How about that guy who puts function at the pinnacle of all his car concerns, mahirap din paliwanagan yun to do his project justice by putting in a set of Rays 57 19s and some big brakes from Endless, ang irarason nya, mga 100 pages worth of automotive engineering coupled with his knowledge on Mathematics. Wag kalimutan ang kanyang  digital weighing scale and his knack of researching and weighing the parts before he approves of them. How about the JDM guys who whose love for this game can never be moved or replaced. No meet, fad, event, party, new part, new car, chick or barakada is going to move this persons world. Mahal nya ang kanyang straight TOM's AE101, how its built, the parts in it, yun lang at wala na iba. How about the paint guy who puts utmost importance on paint quality and detail inside and out. Mga 30 minutes ka na nagkkwento kung gaano ka kainis doon sa sandbagger guy who's been corrupting yung bracket niyo sa FORS pero there goes your friend, staring at his car while having it washed at his favorite car wash, in love, in trance, deeply spellbound by the his car's perfect show car finish and of course his perfectly tucked-in and rare burning red Volk Racing CE28RT Limited Edition. 

So that's if for now. By the time you are reading this you might be basking in the afternoon sun, by the beach, bear or wine on hand. Kasama chicks yes? Enjoy the holidays everyone. Be good. 

Thailand is not an excuse for using Fake.

Alam ko marami magagalit sakin or maiinis sa post ko na ito, dahil buwan ng wika, hayaan niyo muna ako baybayin ang storya ko sa wikang Filipino. Sigurado, inyong ikagagalak na ang inyong lingkod ay marunung magsulat sa ganitong paraan. Na ang inyong lingkod ay hindi lamang puro benta dito, benta doon, pyesa dito, kotse doon, na mayroong intelihenteng patnubay sa likod ng bawat takatak ng  pilak na komputer. Filipino, lahing pinakakamamahal ko, at minsan, masakit man tanggapin at kinahihiya ko. Tuwing nababalita sa angulong mali, sa dyaryo man or sa internet, tuwing nakikiipagsuntukan sa international stage (hindi mma at boxing ang aking minumungkahi) at shempre pa, kapag nangingibang-bansa kami ni Tania at nakikita at malinaw na agwat ng teknolohiya at sa kabilang dako, mababaw man itong pakinggan, at ugali at kalinisan ng isang pangkaraniwang tao, propesyonal man siya, or simpleng manggagawa. 

Balik English na tayo guys. 

Well I'll say it straight. Thailand is not an excuse for using fake. Thats it. If you're selling fake parts, please state that its a copy, when you're selling fake parts, indicate its real price. What I commonly observe is masking and by saying that, I mean certain individuals mask the true identity of a wheel or any other product's identity by not stating its full details. Therefore, of course, blinding the buyer and surely, teaching and feeding the community or the newbies of the interwebs the wrong information. It is as if certain people, when I talk to them and reveal prices of the real good stuff from the states or Japan, they get surprised and almost get a heart attack. By that example, babad na babad ang tao sa fake stuff na ang buong akala nila, its what solely exists in the market. Have you ever encountered a guy pointing at a legendary name and calling it naturally, of no doubt  and pure confidence its "fake name"? Saklap diba. Guys do not get me wrong, Thailand is cool, and they offer so much compared to our side of motorsports, you can have all our Thai and multi-colored badges and parts. "Hype pa more" sabi ng isang purist, ok lang naman yun, as long as you have a true and complete grasp on what a Thai setup looks like, rather than making it as your biggest and concrete excuse to go balls out on fake parts and a wacky setup which, I'm sure, will make the Thai guys themselves, scratch their heads. Trust me I know a lot.

So there you go, a 5 minute blog by yours truly. Have a great week ahead guys. Ang dami nagaaway sa newsfeed na groups masyado mainit. Lunes palang yan ah. :)

Lone Road.

I started out small, and alone actually. Building the shops name to what it is now, all by myself and will always be thankful to the people who have helped me along the road. Actually, I thank them via SMS or FB message every March 22, to simply remind them that, number 1, longevity is still on the top of our list as we enter the 11th year, and 2: that I am completely and utterly thankful of their help since the day the actual idea was conceptualized. It was, in many ways a long road for me, being the independent person that I am, I completely exiled myself from the easy route, from a big salary or extra allowances I would have from my parents. Rather, I lived independently, financially on most cases, and survived from what I earn in my business, and even questioned and prayed on what possible future I would have by doing this. Nowadays its not actually about pride anymore, of being able to do such, or reach this height. Its actually being thankful to God, to what I have reached at this stage in my life and more importantly, being able to employ and feed their families. Ganun na ngayun. Magisa, at wala ng iba. That is my edge, nothing more, nothing less

Its amazing that sometimes, as tight as the competition gets, all you have to do is carefully detail and explain to the client your background and why you know what you are doing.Through that, by telling whats true and never going for a hard sell, you gain the client's trust and you make him realize things even without having to explain or narrate to him. This is about an unfortunate experience I had, kinda nightmare-ish if you ask me. Imagine your client being led to the competing shop, bringing the stuff he bought from you, asking advice from the competing shop and receiving negative views I guess you already know. Our edge this time is that we have been doing our job since 2007, another edge would be a motorsports background wherein we can share an ideal street or track wheel and suspension setup for him, actually based from the people we deal with from FORS and Touge. Lastly is proofing, by using our elaborate and orderly album and wide inventory of pictures, we have a clear cut illustration on why is this and that, and what fits and what doesn't. The problem with other sellers is that they rely on habits and hearsay. That whatever is applied to the other one, can also be applied to the next client. No actual data. no figures to prove. I guess that is the result of a generation who never "searched". That knowledge is mostly sourced from Facebook and a few reads from FB pages and groups. Truly, the ones who have labored through the forum days exhibit much diligence and persistence.  Our connections and roots in the North is also a key and essential part of dealing and serving clients in the South. A simple example would be these A**** tires which were bing sold to my client for 2*,000.00 Pesos, only to reveal to him that such is only being sold by our friend's tireshop at Banawe at only 14,400 for a set. Ang saklap diba.

Napakasimple lang ng ginawa ko, I built it myself, I rented a space and never relied or asked favor by using my parents huge warehouse or lot for operations, paid my taxes, delivered the stuff by myself, I also did the accounting by myself. I had an old, small brown table and called myself plainly a "manager" Some business are built with love and passion for the sport, that each day you really look forward to rather than tire out or burn out from.

JDM Underground. The Pioneer of Cool

<<<pic courtesy of sir Dens Dela Cruz>>>

I received a random meet invitation through PM, it was a gathering if I’m not mistaken going to Marilaque. I had a white EK Hatch, I was an online seller back then and also worked a day job, I had a small office at Project 3, and usually flooded the forums with my stuff. It was 2008 and forums are king, such meet would later on be known as the first JDM Underground meet. It was memorable to me, and I clearly remember it because first, I was not able to join because I had reservations of attending since a close friend of mine back then had this conflict with one of the founding members of JDMU (something common back in the day). Second of course I was envy because my others set of friends went and had tons of pics to show me come Monday and of course third, JDMU is one year younger than the company which I built myself, on March 22, 2007. 

In my opinion, JDMU is the pioneer of cool car groups, or during the latter part of its existence, the pioneer of cool car meets. It was the anti thesis to everything baduy, to everything generic and usual. It cringed at fake wheels, caliper covers and odd paint jobs. It clearly didn't approve of fake GT wings, misplaced stickers, underglow lights and well, in its entirety, lousy parts that didnt mean a thing. It mocked and laughed at poorly made and fake products which are sold online, generated captions and memes were like lessons one could almost learn from. In a world of JDM, of the coined term Japanese Domestic Market, only original parts mattered, speed and performance are two important facets which they uphold and the often misunderstood and debated, function over form slogan. 

Fast forward 2018. From a bunch of purist who found love and built their families from an institution called Honda Club, it has grown coverage and appeal to new guys of course with the help of Facebook. It was a killer too though, since most of not all migrated to FB as a medium of interaction. Ultimately its community grew, so is its influence, mainly its purist, clean and all original approach if I may reiterate. 

Such meets at JDMU taught me time out of work. It also helped me appreciate today's car culture beyond its business side. The business side which is most often blinding and make you a slave. JDMU meets also remind me of something I uphold at the shop as I only serve sport compacts, and never anything beyond it if you know what I mean, to protect my friend's business, and to prove that we can make a living and employ people and their families by sticking to what we really know and started on from day 1, never to "migrate" to another market and stay loyal to the culture and industry. Tania always pushed me to attend these meets, she encourages me constantly to take an early off from work during Sundays just to witness these meets. 

Let it be known that JDMU, beyond its image as a strict, original only, closely knit purist group, is a clear and constant niche in our culture. Maraming grupo ang naimpluwensyahan ng JDMU, even coming up with other groups and meets with a similar and somewhat obvious target market. Photogs and pages were also born out of JDMU, new people met old people, the HCP-era guys met the new Facebook/Google age guys (as I call them) at shempre nandyan yung tatay na high waist na mahilig mag exclusive class picture (wink wink), collaborations were done and dealt at marami pang iba. No doubt it was an evolution and a revolution.

Ayun! I'm done and I challenged myself to write this blog with no mention of any car (except the one in the 2nd sentence) or any brand haha. So there you go, a 5 minute blog from yours truly, ang dami gagawin bukas nakakalula, so time to catch some shut eye. Good night! Be good!

The Avengers Factor

The importance of new is rather simple but unappreciated. One clear example is the Avengers movie which rocked everyone's world. As in everyone, non fans, fans, readers and no readers, MCU regulars or just the casual viewer. We, for the lack of a better term, were enthralled by how epic the movie was.

Rewind year 1991, the 2nd half of the year. As the kid who would often pass by Filbars at Katipunan  after having a meal with my mom at Sweet Haven. Eager, excited, ready to pounce on the newest release of the Gauntlet Series. We had better imaginations then, kids were more focused, were more simpler and longer attention spans. We let our minds work as we skim through page upon page of the comics we read rather than letting CGI do the work for us.

Fast forward again to the year 2018, I would never have imagined to watch such characters or at least I must say Thanos to appear in such glorious fashion as what I have just witnessed in the movie. Never could have I imagined (even with MCUs faults and inconsistencies) that the gauntlet plot could have been laid out in such a seamless way.

Through technology. That we often overlook how it affects our lives as we pass our days and months and years. That every bit of improvement from our watches, to the food we eat, to the phones we use, to the speed we now connect and the things that "entertain" us, is a result of technology.

And as we relate such to cars, the modern machines that we drive is too a perfect example of technology paving way. Its undeniable though always debatable that new is always better. That these modern machines spool faster, handle better, they're more fun to drive and less clunkier. As someone who gets to drive old cars then newer cars via the work I am involved with, I have a clear and concrete appreciation of the cars of past, and the modern machines we have today. That improvement is unstoppable, that the new cars carry every bit of established and continuing R&D done by these companies and ultimately the importance of their involvement in motorsports as there is better and "leveled-up" performance value in each of the sport compacts we drive today.

Nostalgia is such a big word nowadays. that is completely paradoxical to what I have just discussed and we shall save that for another blog. Gotta catch some sleep now, what a day filled with trips back and forth North and South.

Intersect

Everyone needs an EG, the same way we need that speed drug which we as enthusiast yearn for and the basic backbone of this hobby turned passion. the Civic EG in its most basic sense is the favorite pocket rocket in my opinion. It’s something that is assumed to undergo a basic set of mods and ultimately leading to a better engine, some bigger brakes and a career, if fortunate enough, leading to motorsports and the like. I’m writing this letter at a Cafe at Gyongdong, overlooking a busy street full of professionals, families, lovers and basically individuals who has a knack for shopping and dining. I couldn’t help but compare and think back to what we have in Manila. At ang lamig, promise.

Inno drives his EG, windows done, feeling, hearing, continuously inspired by the sound and terror that his B18c5 brings. Passing through Katipunan on eventful Friday night, teens on their backpacks Still, dining, chatting with their friends,couple of friends slightly curious of the balut and penoy Manang is selling.  Kids at Starbucks, eating much time, sipping that coffee, trying to be relevant, of the norm that nowadays one has to have that coffee in hand before they can start studying, before they can even start a task or even concentrate. During such time, past midnight, our good friend El Natcho might be ripping to and from Tagaytay through its lesser known back roads. he may be on a FF, or a FR of his choice. Trying new stuff, clicking endlessly on that stop watch, of what makes his car faster than the other one, chasing himself, questioning what could have been faster on that particular corner, his BRZ, CRZ or the Porsche. A true and undying testament that there are still enthusiasts out there who are simply addicted to driving. No fancy stuff just driving. 

The Civic EG is an entity which has intersected our lives one way or another, its a trip down memory lane, a pure nostalgia machine or that great teacher to all of us. May it be on parts, or being a purist and most importantly, of putting much importance on function rather than form.

Well in my opinion, one of the simplest lessons of owning an EG Sedan and Hatch through out these years is showing me the true essence and the ultimate form of a manual. Meaning, it completely changed my perspective on cars in such a way that I question myself on whats the good of buying that manual STI or Evo or WRX, when you can have your 1800 lb B18 EG hatch just completely destroy everything on the road, come up with the fastest laptime and still go home unscathed and/trailer-less. That there is nothing more ultimate that the manual EG, and that everything else could be considered just a "powerful cruiser". Now thats my narrow minded point of view.  

Moneyz.

If there’s one thing we can all be proud of is being able to deal with different types of people. Life throws a lot of stuff at you day by day, at work, play, leisure and the like, and through that, we are able to experience life and most importantly different people. May taong parang matandang dalaga ang ugali, there are free loaders, pioneers, aggressive people, humble, mayabang, mahangin, mabait, mama’s boy, siga and all, and I guess that is what life is. 

In your life, I think life is bound to throw in an compete asshole here and there just to stir things up, to make it a tad difficult, rather being a challenge to you as you make way in this thing called life. We need these people in our life, that office mate that annoys you every single day, that crush that always takes advantage of you and you end up treating her coffee at the expensive coffee place just across school. How about that friend who inspires you to work harder, or that neighbour na walang kasing simple pero when you open his gate he has 5 valid sport cars. Or the business people who you have to deal with day by day, who look at people with Peso signs in their heads, who smile when you pay good, and frown and treat you like nothing when there’s nothing to profit from. How about that guy who has 25 bible verses stuck in his car window, but is a complete jerk when he drives. 

Education. Thats why its important. Thats why its essential for kids to get quality education, to gain formation and of spirit thats nourished the right way. Not by the struggles of life, nor by greed, not by business and absolutely not from the sense of urgency to gain or earn. But by truly understanding life and being a man for others. Of working diligently and doing business not only for profits but to alleviate the life of other people that of your employes and their families. I’ve always believed that if your motivation comes from greed, you are simply wasting your life away, or in many cases people view you as one dimensional. You’re stuck into perceiving people as to what they can give you not to what their value is as human beings. 

Do we live for money, or shall we rather strike that perfect balance in life? 

Class Act

Hindi pa came ready maging "baduy". I think that statement says it all. Of the struggles of someone who has lived in the EG/EK era, did business on his own, got lucky, worked hard and is staying true to his roots in this present era. Napakahirap. To maintain such outlook in tuning, and walk that fine and almost fading line between keeping it simple and functional, or gaining a huge profit from selling parts that go against your belief, parts which you would never dare install in your car. Simple as that.

The battles we had at South taught me a lot of things. That other shops actually push products to clients even if its actually not needed. Just to make a profit, just to include it at the spec sheet, just to say its more complete or for them to post something on FB or IG. Surely these people in my estimation, woke up one morning, thought of getting parts from a supplier and selling them for profit and call it a day. Wag mong kalimutan yung Facebook post nya na kulang ng subject verb agreement. Salamat sa mga magagaling ko na teacher sa Ateneo.

The pride of the enthusiast who’s lived in the EF/EG/EK era’s is a real passion for building cars. Of keeping it clean, simple, effective, reliable and of course, making use of the best brands possible. To be honest with you when I help my clients I try to make the transaction as smooth as possible annd avoid hassles on their part and mine. I hate being baduy though sometimes to tell straight its unavoidable, but we try as much as possible not to put those weird looking lights on your brand new 2018 RS Civic. I even put quotes on our wall, snippets of the style we believe in and the form we strive for. Hmm, what else, ah yes, we’re not there yet calling our cars cute and funny names nor we want it overdressed. Like women, we want to keep it simple, less makeup, let her real beauty shine but when you ask her on a random date from posh hotels, to a simple date at a kubo-kubo resto at Tanay, she’s game, she’s ready to go, hindi maarte, parang kabarkada mo lang, hindi naiilang at nakasimangot, sa halip ay natatawa pa, sumusugod pa, at nauuna pa sayo. You want to bring and introduce her to your parents and friends? Aba pwede. May utak, may gilas, may galaw, not a girl whose world revolves around bags, makeup, events or the dire need to post everthing on FB and IG. Nopes.

I remember a public figure in motorsports who I'm sure you know and has in many ways became a mentor to me. The kind of guy who's sikat na nagsisismula na yung event nya, di pa sya tapos makipagkamay at magpa picture sa mga tao. He told me, choose between two simple things. Gain the profit that you need, or preserve the dignity of your client. Such words are engraved to mind to this day, it also serves as a reminder of our purpose and direction as a shop.

Motorsports. Thats one of the main factors of such difference. Of someone who had participated in racing, and has involved himself in such, someone who wants it lighter, simpler, faster as compared to someone who would want his clients rolling on 67 pcs of LED lights, fake stuff and recommend parts that do not really mix well. Yun any difference. Cars are machines, those are built to run. Those are made to make you smile on straights and corners whatever may it be. We daydream about time attack STI's, Evos and Civics, ripping though the race track at unbelievable lap times, we dream of limited edition parts, those timeless Rays wheels and big budget builds that win SMX shows.

And there you have it, a 5 minute blog by yours truly. By the time this gets published siguardo late na, btw ginawa ko ito sa isang maingay na coffee shop, pugad ng mga genius ang order ay isang kape at uupo ng 8 hours, na kaya magaral kahit volume 10 ang ingay at napakagulo. Peace.