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”

Weather the Storm

Im writing this letter to say thank you to all my clients, friends and suppliers who have supported our shop throughout the pandemic. As ECQ has dawned upon us during mid March, I was very anxious on what I was facing and the future my company had, including my staff. Approaching ECQ, there was this eerie feeling that something was going on and there were less and less people on the road. The country was held motionless but knowing myself I was too curious to stay at home and traversed the roads on a motorcycle to check the shop, and visit my employees at Katipunan. During those days I found myself sending assistance to my staff using Cebuana, send items at LBC and at the same time still paying my obligations on long lines at the banks. I would would wake up at 6:30am go to the riverpark, go home, have breakfast and do my obligations. 

I remember a morning phone call transaction with Von, napaupo nalang ako sa bench ng church, sa kawalan, sa kaba, na kung ano ang mangyayari sa mga susunod na araw at lingo. That no amount of economic and marketing wizardry can save me now. Wala.

For some reason I fancied driving my old Corolla. I’d bring it anywhere in Marikina, to the Church, at the banks, to go for a jog at the park or to simply drive around. Amazed of an old piece, now perfectly working. 

By 4pm I was facing the television, feeling weird, body not used to such, mind still restless, but truly helpless given the setting. During the last week of March I made a decision to activate my QC staff and do work at the QC Shop since we were limited to that area. The checkpoints were very strict, especially that of Batasan (to this day!). So if we had scheduled work in QC, I would usually sleep at my wife’s house in QC so as to avoid the checkpoints from Marikina. Not for its long lines since back then it wasnt, but because of the Police’s too much questioning. So from Marikina, the strictest checkpoint is via Batasan, the ones in Tomana and Tanong/Riverbanks were weak. The checkpoint at Tomana was heigtened during the end of March because someone was tested positive.

The sales we have during March were limited to nurses, doctors, the police and other front liners. We even had clients from the Dep. Of National Defense who during those times spilled some beans to us as to what the future has in store. Our sales were enough to pay the bills, enough to pay and support my staff and their families and to pay partial to our big supplier. I had to give and pay from the little that I had primarily because I didn’t want to ruin friendship and reputation. That with all my might, with all this shop’s network and clientbase, I was able to, miraculously, come up with a partial sum to cut through the big payable, somehow. Nakakahiya kse, kaya pinilit ko, sinagad ko. 

Driving was a breeze of course, there were no checkpoints from QC to Paranaque via Edsa, not until the 1st or 2nd week of April. The checkpoint at Paranque, right after the SKyway exit was a pain. But we got through, thankfully so as we can attend to clients at our Sucat Branch. When we had work at Paranaque I had to cover the client’s car with our van as not to attact unnecessary attention from the local officials. We had to finish at 4pm since my staff’s curfew were at 5pm. During these days we were scrappy with every bit of sale we can find. We were very lucky to gather sales online. It felt like 2007 again, back when the company only met with clients and sent packages nationwide. The parts weren’t big, but were significant enough to make us stay afloat. Till April 15th Paranaque was a ghost town, I even made deliveries to BF Homes. Magulo lang yan sa entrace ng gate nila and the available food stores and banks, but beyond that it was pretty peaceful. Traffic doon sa maliit nila na Palengke till 1pm.

Every afternoon as we came from Sucat, we were greeted by a magnificent view of Laguna lake as we swooped and entered the Skyway and as we were traversing the long open road, a scenic view of Makati, with the clear blue skies crown the tall buildings. There was no pollution, no haze. Our minutes at Skyway and its peace and tranquility gave us time to reflect. Everyday we embraced it, we appreciated such view from our van, knowing that in a month or so, everthing would go back to normal again. It is only during this time, can we experience the Philippines as a country we would wish it to be. Clear skies, no pollution, less cars on the road. Hindi maingay, malamig ang ulo ng tao. 

Sidenote: My go to route kapag rush mode yung tipong kailangan ko mag back to back North to South is Mindanao Ave, Luzon Ave, Katipunan, Libis, c5 then up Kalayaan, up the bridge to Makati CBD, left at Makati avenue, then right at Arnaiz and head your way to Skyway entry then exit Paranaque. I did this to avoid the strict checkpoint at Magallanes. One checkpoint 30 mins travel time. Ang sarap. 

By God’s grace we were given accomoation by our clients who maybe sensed our sincerity to serve them. From Makati, to Caloocan, clients arranged entraces to us, guards and Police paved way to us and into their homes so as we can do the work swiftly and be back at QC just in time to meet the earlier curfew back then. Makati was beautiful, during the last week of March till the 2n week of April, you can appreciate Makati’s Maze like ins and outs, its buildings glittered in the sunlight. I would often take pictures from the front windshield during stops, if there were any since most stoplights were deactivated. One client gave us direct access to a whole building floor to do our work and testing. 

Caloocan was in complete contrast but had its own charm. We had a three day work combination and when tasks were done during the end of each day my staff and I would often hang out with the Brgy Officials and Bantays, also go in and out the eskenitas, kwentuhan at tawanan to the max with the locals, a warm feeling of solidarity and hope, simpleng mga buhay, simpleng mga pangarap, maraming reklamo sa gobyerno, at takot sila sa presidente. They talk about the president and his actions as if he was part of a teleserye. For 3 days we considered Caloocan our home, we had no checkpoints from the shop to 5th avenue, we started work there at 11:00am and ended at 4pm.

Jerome my staff and I gave away food packs every month end, we usually stationed at Banawe and Araneta Ave, it was our simple way of giving back, na kahit paano na ang biyaya na bigay sa amin mashare naman namin sa mas nangangailangan. 

Since my wife Tania held office at BGC, we had access to it during the weekends since she had WFH. As expected, food places were open, the cats ruled and shempre yung natumbang display ng isang health and beauty shop ay ganun pa din.  Surprisingly BGC to me was lifeless because through it was a perfectly skulpted urban jungle, it only vividly showed promise and vigor when there were cars and people are present. Wala yung total effect kung baga. Ok lang nakapag milk tea naman kame, by 4pm pala wala na pearls, and they had limited flavors. By 5pm, stores are closed and wala ka na magagawa kung di umuwi.

Sidenote: Thank you thank you! To my friends and clients who offered help and access during our workdays. Your powers are greatly appreciated pero kilala niyo naman ako. Only when severely needed ika nga. :) thank you also to our doctor and nurse friends, salamat for keeping us healthy.

I have to admit that Tania and I went to Subic since it was her birthday. I wanted to please her through a road trip which she would fervently enjoy. This was I think 3rd week April. Hanggang dun nalang hindi ko na ikkwento as we might get in trouble. 

By the 3rd week of April till the days of May, by God’s grace we were blessed by transactions. Though not big as were were used to during the normal days, I was very thankful because through that I can support my staff and a least pay my obligations and supplier. It also helped me get in the groove of work s if I was getting ready for what’s to come June. Ayaw ko mabigla, I hate the feeling of working right after, say a backpack trip to Indonesia. 

For almost 10 weeks, I was outside. 

Doing work, witnessing the change in peoples attitudes, the flow of traffic, the changes in the long lines at the checkpoints, the weakpoints as I also call it, yung mga tanga na driver nung mid April, I tell you I witnessed 2-3 accidents in a day maybe because people arent used to that speed and less traffic. The proliferation of riders, stoplights being activated again, supermarkets who had extremely long lines and changes to their schedules as well as banks. Back then, the peak of which people were out was morning mga 8-10am. By 3-4 pm tahimik na yan, pauwi na sila from maybe the supermarket or palengke, or drugstore or the banks that often close at 1pm or 2pm. Last week of April to May magulo na, more and more people were out, clearly they have tested the waters and found ways to be out. Challenged the rules and trying their best to live their life again. Yes there was traffic at QC, but beyond QC maluwag pa din.

Sidenote: Nagdrive ako ng manual na van for almost 3 months. Everyday ko sinusundo si Aris and Jerome sa lugar nil sa Katipunan at 930am, sobrang stricto ng checkpoint sa Brgy nila. Because entrace to Ateneo is not allowed, I would often drop by and pray at the OLA Church in Marikina before picking them up. It took us 20 -30 mins driving via Luzon Ave/Congressional till the last week of April, by May I have shifted to for the longer route via Qave/Edsa then right at North Ave/Trinoma. Congressional Ave was a pain even before May started problem area talaga siya.

Sidenote: Ang dami ko naging Facemask, meron pa ako Bane type mask, but sa bandang huli babagsak ka din sa surgical mask because those damn masks make you breath harder especially pag marami ka ginagawa. Nagkaroon ako USA Made na N95 Mask, a 3M copy mask from China, an original 3M mask, minsan twalya pag nakakalimitan. 

Sidenote: Things accomplished: new pebbles for the garden, fully detailed cars, books read and completed. As well as comics, old consoles made active again. Discovered art (again) and fell with love with constructing beats. Tania learned how to drive a motorcycle, rediscovered Marikina’s beauty, witnessed sunrise and sunset numerous times via the riverpark, went to Cebuana 25 times. I kept Netflix movies and series at a minimum, of course everyone watched the Last Dance and kept everyone’s Facebook debating skills active and sharp. 

I can say that I saw everthing. From March 15 to May 29, I saw change, I witnessed, I embraced life and appreciated the beauty this metro can offer only possible through a pandemic such as this. For almost 3 months, we were given a taste of “what if”. A life we can only have imagined, mga detalye, oras na dati naman ay wala ka, being able to bond with your parents or kids, having time to reflect, take on tasks, discover talents, expand creativity, cook dishes and so much more.

Tania and I would dare ourselves to go to Tagaytay to test and witness an upcoming storm. 
We are the type. 

End. 

High Level Meets..

Pic ctto Sir Pow Lo and C Magazine. Thank you!

If I said that 2020 pretty much had a rough start that would be an understatement. Multiple calamities, the death of an icon, and of course the pandemic which we are all experiencing worldwide. It has made an impact in our lives and had greatly affected how we live and most importantly how we perceive our love ones, our lifestyle, what we possess and a realization that no matter how many achievements, no matter how much money we earn, that no one is immune to God’s hand. May it be a painless death during sleep, or a global pandemic which levels just about everyone, no matter who you are, no matter what country you live in, or kung estado mo sa buhay. You’re humbled.

Meets. Gone are the days of disoderly meets. Nowadays, these gatherings are so well organized its oftentimes comparable to a high quality car show or reminds you of those meets in the states. Minsan pa nga the likes of JDMU and Legends meet, or the recent Stance Ph meets easily outshine that of your usual carshow I will not mention the event of course as not to offend anyone. From preparation, to the way they do invites, car slots, to ingress and engress, to the organizer’s time to address the attendees, of course the quality cars and that certain feel in gives you being surrounded by the “real” best in the field. 

Kaya nga pag meron nag rerev or nag buburnout during such a well prepped meet, parang gusto natin kutusan e. What the hell are you doing? Are you stuck in those times? 

These meets, has taught us a number of lessons actually. 

To name a few, it taught us that when you put heart to organizing a meet and your core group are real enthusiasts, purist, JDM or Euro Lovers etc, you’ll probably attract the best atendees and the best crowd. It’ll flow naturally, from media outlets with those high res pics and albums which we all can take reference from, to shared pictures snd discussions. All these trickle down to the existing, would-be’s and the learned. The result is, a meet of people who are “in” if you know what I mean. People in the know, movers, shakers, the influencers, people we sometimes despise but in reality we respect for their fearless compliance of the truth, no matter how it hurts to some. Kung puro peke at Lazada parts ka, labas ka dito. Ganun ka sakit, pero ganun din kasarap yung realization for motivation..

It taught us the true meaning of recognition. That no trophy bought from Cubao or Recto can match a moment in a purist meet. With crowds drawn to your project, mix of praise and awe, multiple snaps pro and non pro, friends gained, shempre ang di maiiwasang inggit and critisim, which is normal. Hindi mo na kailangan yung model mo na ubod ng ganda, ke maghubad pa yan or magsplit sa harap ng kotse mo, you wouldn’t be needing that if you’re running on original limited ed CE28s, Spoon Monoblock, Spoon Gauges, Spoon Buckets, that rare JDM interior, a freshly swapped K series, some beautifully mounted Defi gauges and that paint na halos 1 year mo pinatigas before you had it finalized. 

I remember my friends, their standards, that before you call something a TRD car, Spoon or a Mugen car, my god, the specsheets usually reached the floor. That’s how tune cars are built back then, and hopefully till today with the new generation. 

That when you put heart over money when organizing a meet, everthing falls into place, and that is into every enthusiasts heart. That these attendees are clearly knowledgeable, to know who’s who, and which project car to aspire and learn from rather than trophy which for me signifies fake recognition, just to please everyone, to justify, somehow, the entrance fee. That these meet ups are kinda brutally honest more than anything if you think about it. Get noticed when the build is best, on the other hand left in the dark if yours don’t deserve it. 

So there you go my 10 minute blog salamat sa pagbabasa. By the time you read this I’m probably done with my jog and enjoying chef tania’s breakfast. Stay safe! Be good. :)