A Social Experiment

A few days ago, Topgear posted a picture of mine on their Facebook Page to be viewed by their 700,000 Plus Followers. And you guessed it, haters are going to hate. It’s basically a random pic at my garage of a Jazz and an Impreza, creating a contrast of Green Cars Vs the Gas Guzzlers who often makes trio to the gas stations. 

If you follow my blog at jdmselect.blogspot.com aptly named Stay on the Left Lane, I have a couple of blogs that are about Haters. These are:

Hater Mentality

Connected More Than Ever

Leave Rice on the Table

For a long time I have been following the post by Top Gear and been an avid fan of the comments being posted in relation to the picture. I have often wondered how it feels to be in that centre spot, how it would feel to be hated, or being thrown negative comments on, something which does not happen to me ever primarily because I hate conflicts and consider them as an emotional baggage. I would often even see myself giving advice to my friends telling them to stay away from some troubles on the internet, or having a nasty 1one1’er at the forums or a certain Facebook thread. When people bash you in the internet, its just a wait-see thing actually. This is because you cannot be saviour-like and debate everyone, you’re only good as your handle, your prior posts showcasing your character and a few public pictures which everyone can fester on. 

But I have always wondered, because at the back of my head, I could finally complete my curiousness and even trump everything I have written about these haters by actually being there”hated”. Sometimes in life you have to experience a certain emotion to awaken something in you. May it be for motivation, pure curiosity, to keep you grounded or to simply “feel” what others could have felt. Its no different from dating, or going for a long stroll or even a hike. Probably a road trip, or going out of the country to find yourself, to be lost and finding your way in the end. 

By finally being at the centre or the hot seat, add to that, Top Gear even put a really aggressive caption by putting “Check out my Garage” which in the first place I know nothing about, it even added more fire to the comments being thrown at. 

My Social Experiment has finally come to a close through that final “thing”. I do think that no matter how much you write about something, if you haven’t experienced it first hand, everything is just mediocre. 

I do believe that each one of us has their “hater” gene. Its just that some are quick to react, or moulded and raised in a way that they can control it, while others on the other hand cannot. I know that everyone has their hater moment, this is dictated by our own upbringing, experience, standard in life, capability, buying power, standard, and educational achievement and background. I know a couple of people who hate B-Plated Cars, they have this certain discrimination against cars that are converted. The same goes for people who look upon a person’s school. I guess that extends to job applications and the like. Another would be a person who hates the fake stuff, as with my ex-girlfriend who owned 2 Channels, an LV, a Prada wallet, a couple of expensive shoes that I don’t remember anymore, she hated people with fake bags, or at least the ones who flaunt them as if their original. How about fake parts? I’m sure you know a couple or that can even be you. How about secretly hating the individual you never expected to be more successful than you are? Has that ever “secretly” crossed your mind and heart?

Hindi ba nagagalit din tayo sa mga pinuno ng ating bansa dahil mas magagara ang kanilang mga sasakyan at kasuotan kaysa sa atin? Na mayroon silang isang katutak na alalay kapag sila ay nasa labas, mall or kainan? Hindi ba may halong inggit din ang ating galit laban sa mga anak ng mga pulitiko na walang awat kung gumastos ng pera, ang karaniwang bukambibig natin ay “galing sa nakaw” Galit din tayo sa tayo sa pagbabago di ba po ba? Kung saan ang sistema ay hindi natin matanggap sapagkat tayo at nasanay na. Galit din tayo sa mga taong bumoto sa mga pinuno tulad ni Erap, Jinggoy, Aiko Melendez, Bistek at Bong Revilla. Ang tawag natin sa kanila ay masa, na para bang higit tayo mas nakakataas sa kanila bilang tao. Na ang binoto nila ay bobo din tulad nila. Alam ko marami din galit sa mga "rich kid" na madaling nakakahingi ng kahit ano sa kanilang mga magulang, kapital, pera, bahay, na kung saan tayo naman at hirap na hirap kumakayod nang mag-isa, ang tanging tangan ay ang ating "pride" bilang isang tao. 

Sunddenly I remembered my friend Mr. Law Go who had a heated argument with a guy from Honda Club. It turns out that those guys are siblings of my batchmate from college. We ended up meeting them at Alabang for an EK-Hatch meet back in 07 and well, you guessed it, they definitely are one of the warmest and kindest persons you can ever meet in the car club community. Oftentimes, a person's aura on the internet is total opposite of what he is as a person. Internet conflicts are resolved my simply meeting them in person.  

In every facet of life there is a hater, it cannot be avoided since each one of us has their aspirations. Its nearly impossible to be a noble as a saint after all. 

Riding the Wave.

It's a rainy evening here at the Ateneo, I just finished jogging. I'm waiting at the shed which overlooks Katipunan with the big Eagle symbol behind me. Its a joy hanging out here because you get to see how Katipunan has evolved over the years. The high rise buildings, the new and hip resto’s and of course the long standing Sweet Inspirations and Mcdo. I remember walking through Katipunan with the joy of holding a Coney Island Icecream and with Filbars in sight.

Do you actually take time to sit, relax and go through your memory? Does anyone actually do that? Do you really go through your memories through childhood with your yaya, or your gradeschool fights? Or the slide at the back of your schools, the spiders you caught during lunch time? Or the footlong and sago which you regularly ordered during lunch as you ate in the football field? The girl you’ve been crushing on perhaps? Or the time the tindero cursed you because you dropped your 1 peso coin in his full gallon of watermelon drink? The Math teacher your dreaded because he always kept you standing in the middle because you weren’t fast enough to answer the questions, or the Science teacher who somehow smelled the same as the mongo plants she was experimenting on. The Snes and Genesis Streetfighter nights, the phonecalls with the girlfriends and a lot more…

As I was headed here, I saw a group of bikers who were riding a particular style of long-slung bikes, like miniature cruisers, they had tattoo’s and were sporting long hair and matching shirt. Similarly, a group of rat-look EFs buzzed though me as I was making a U-turn. They too had that familiar hockey mask in their headrest and all the stickers resembling their counterparts from Japan. The 3^rd were skaters, passionate on their craft, they had their thrasher look getup. The cool-looking Vans matching each unique skateboard. I assume that each design is a reflection or their belief in life.

I couldn't help but admire these people. In a complex world wherein we are pushed each morning as we get up to meet deadlines, make profit and please people, these guys are breaking out of their mold and enjoying life. Life which is full of passion for the things they aspire for. That beyond all the obligations that father time has blessed us, they have something to focus on, to thrive on. It’s not merely being different, or having a hobby, or being an enthusiast. Its living IT. And living life. To put it bluntly, I think these guys as they ride together, they get this feeling that is unique and similar to a couple of surfers waiting for the next big wave. Think obout it.

I promise myself that my next road trip will be southbound. And I wont bring a Mac this time, only an Iphone (lol). No baon of paperworks and a very small zero star appartelle or Kubo to stay at with a wonderful view of the mountains or the ocean, the breeze blowing through my face and whispering a common word called “life” unto my ears.

Have a great week everyone. Keep safe! J

Some Random Thoughts...

Father time skilfully plays with us in so many ways. Tonight was really something to be remembered. Just imagine someone very significant from your past reincarnated to present. So the question, is, how do you deal with that. You gain access to her through good friends, you observe from speech, through very similar physical features, skin colour, build. It was like entering a time machine and being brought to past. Partly as a ghost, as much as you want to talk to her, touch her and listen to her, the “present” does not allow you to do that, because simply and metaphorically, “times have changed”. That the sweetheart from UP is no more, nor is the swimmer from the Philippine Team. This is just a random rant from yours truly. Because sometimes I wonder how I got into this industry and should have been teaching, writing or doing voluntary work for the NGOs.  

One of the most important things for today is a friend finally revealing his self. How he thinks of certain relationships, how they go about. How he truly feels on his situation, his frustrations and what not. Its always refreshing to finally hear someone’s side of the story, after all his FB pics, rants and posts, which in the first place you’ve been wanting to dig out since day one, you finally see the real him. Discovering that he too, is human. That the things you sympathize on, whether related or unrelated to him, are the same things he’s gradually revealing. That is good stuff... 

Going on long drives present a gazillion things to ponder and dream about. The smell of burnt wood as you pass through the roads of provinces remind me of the days our parents would leave us in Pampanga and just go about our normal life, on vacation. Driving on a very long road also can be a very quiet one. I am reminded of the days wherein I would just sit at the bench of Church Of Gesu at Ateneo and look at the stars on a plain Wednesday evening. Crickets cheering and leaves cracking, and thats about it. You look up the sky and for some reason you get sucked into its solemnity. Breakfast being cooked in the nearby houses as you make a stop over in the middle of nowhere reminds me of breakfast in grade school. Erick Luz, a long time friend would put his heavy arms around us “barkada" and we would head to the Cafeteria and grab the usual Tocino, Egg and Rice. The staff would usually serve those in plain “platito’s”, the food looked so plain though it tasted good enough to fill us up in the morning with good laughs and kalokohan, all go which we will never forget. When you usually go for drives, its always unavoidable to encounter a few boys playing basketball at a makeshift basketball  court. That clearly reminds me of our teacher whose class was right before PE. She would sit there, delay leaving and watch us dress up into our basketball gear. To keep the story short, she was enjoying what she was seeing. Stories of such can never be forgotten and are engrained into our hearts. I wish yours is filled a lot too. 

Good night everyone, random rants, just for tonight :)

The Girl and your Old School Ride.

While I was having my Stuffed Porkshop at a restaurant in Whiteplains during late dinner, I was promising myself to not eat any meat for the next 5 days. At the same time keeping my stash of Red Wine in check. The tradeoffs I guess, of eating such good treats to your health. I enjoy eating alone by the way, more than any other date, lousy or interesting, beautiful or plain, eating alone simply gives me the sense of freedom, of being able to observe other people, their tendencies and how I chew on my food while digesting on what their lives are outside those short-loud chats at the resto anyways. 

In life, there is no such thing as a complete package. There are times that you meet a girl, she seem so perfect, beautiful in every sense, liberated, she gives her heart out to you, she’s so wity, she has an undeniable and very keen sense of style and fashion and yet you find out that her family or the other members are, lets just say, not your type of persons to be around with. Maybe they remind you of a bunch of dysfunctional people in class back college, or probably the grade school bully who was so despised as he walked through the corridors as the nerds watched in horror, or maybe your prep teacher who would smile in front of your parents in the PTC, but would often make you stand up in class or face the room’s corner. This is but of many example that even stem from the bad barkada, or probably the alcoholic, or someone who loves going out everyday that you want to pull your hair right out of your head. Ups, downs, Pros and Cons as we may call it. 

The same goes for old school cars. These are simply the headturners on the streets. Some aren’t released locally, long hooded, rear wheel drive machines, that draw so much attention from the crowd. Or probably an AE86, which has such a huge cult rolling all over the world followed by the Initial D Manga. Yet, such machines cannot be simply driven day in and day out. You cannot simply daily drive those machines without special care and maintenance. Or probably looking out for some parts which needs to be replaced or simply a checklist of what has been patterned upon your fellow Hachi Roku owner and enthusiast in Japan. There are trade-offs as compared to the modern cars, the purist and real enthusiasts somethings call it soul. Thats cars without such as simply just CASA cars rather than the “Stuff of Legends”.

They say cars with “soul” clearly segregates the men with money from the real car lovers. Does it also have to do with mere practicality, being hassle free or should we write another blog on dedication and the built not bought idea?

Anyways, have a great Sunday everyone. Cheers!

Of DOM's, groups and time...

Monday is ending in a few minutes so why not put in an entry at our blog in celebration of a very successful weekend at HSN and a very strong Monday both at the shop at our online division. My jog too at the Ateneo helps me unwind a bit, and do a bit of brainstorming on my own.

Facebook has its way of showing things to you, the sidebar makes it obvious. It basically tells you who liked what, or who posted that, or is now friends with whom. My long-time friend who has all the right to be named a JDM purist all of a sudden awakens from his usual day dreaming and is suddenly liking all the posts from a new JDM group may it be an announcement or a picture or whatnot. Long before, you wouldn’t see him doing such, because the only main JDM group is the one which we all predominantly know, and, one of the founders is shall I say his number 1 BFF ;)

There are a lot of stories in this industry if you ask me. I do not want in any way to delve into these stories because primarily I’m not old enough though, and thankfully I look a few years younger than my age. Upon refection the thing that I just talked about shows us how life revolves. That time heals everything in different ways, may it be an opportunity for you to finally let out, or on the other hand, chance has hindered you from being who you are or being able to reach something you’ve wanted for so long. That extends to politics by the way. I’m sure you’re all aware of that. 

My experience again at the show showed me another perspective on groups. What better way to spend time at the show is by talking to clients and a trait which my Ex successfully endowed to me: People Watching. Our friend who was very attractive was approached by a certain group who kept on asking her number. I wouldn’t narrate much about that as not to offend anyone, but you know if you think about it, different groups have different faces. Let’s all be honest here, there are scrappy ones, there are extra loaded and rich ones, hustlers, family oriented ones with the kids and apo’s playing around, guys who love taking pictures and selfies or warm and accommodating ones, true enough there are geeks who primarily focus on their cars who joke around and laugh like kids, or sometimes, groups who are led by men past 40’s maybe, who I think grew the wrong way, emotionally & mentally. The industry, as far as groups or clubs are concerned are full of faces, personalities, characters. You can see that the most at grassroots shows such as that. 

Anyways, thats it for now, I’m secretly sad that Miami lost. Oh well, my pickup is rocking a Pacers sun protector though. Good gives everyone! I can’t wait for May to be over and be heading for another road trip. 

Parting Ways.

I’ve had dinner with a long time friend from the car industry the other night and we were discussing weird relationships. I’m not sure how that topic came in, because it was completely unrelated to the likes of Cameras, cars and business. But anyways, I was telling him of the people I’ve recently met and in “natural” terms how weird the relationships they have to other people. The impact they make on Facebook or perhaps a possible “character” they are projecting. That there are certain individuals who are so used to being the center of attraction that they miserably fail to differentiate the limelight from real life. Many are vain, some are conceited, some are demanding and manipulative.  Maybe I was just fortunate to be with people in the past who are key into that kind of industry, thats why for me, its like nit-picking on their lives, a common observance or basking on how predictable they are. 

A quick discussion too on break-ups on how one moves on, and how it completely relates to cars. We all had our relationships, we know that, some sweet, some disasters, some of long term, some of flings, we had careers that even are influenced by our past relationships, or even attitudes or tendencies shaped by our partners. Parting ways will always be painful. That is realty. No matter how many trucks of flowers you send someone, when its time to part ways, that will not be remembered. How many time you’ve brought her to and from school or the office, or waited for her at the lobby, mall, museum, shed or park, that will not count at the end of the day. No matter how many trips or gimmicks you go to, dinner, lunch, getaways, it will all be for nothing at the end of the day. The many triumphs, defeats, experience, lesson learned, that will just flow through like water. But keep note of such experiences make you strong though. 

The same goes for cars I guess. That the countless hours working on the engine, the interior, the many days you’ve spent on working on it, the trips to and from numerous shops, the parts you’ve sought for, put on, and the list goes on. In the end, when its time to part ways with the car, thats it. You hang a figure at Sulit, and its done. They say its personal, but I’ve always believed that thats temporary. That at the end of it all, there will come a time that you’ll emotionally part with it, hang a figure and move on to the next car or bigger project. Sunny days at the garage, barkada nights inuman with the cars parked outside, the track days, the beach runs to Batangas or Zambales, your road trips, triumphs at the car shows. Those are but memories to the mind and heart, because at the end of the day, father time dictates emotion, father time plays with our tendencies, our decisions as just “humans”. Later on, we will part ways...

It's a little more complicated than your Fast and Furious :)

I’ve been attending car shows recently because some of the clients have been requesting me to drop by and probably say hi, or proudly introduce their models, but seriously, I don’t consider it as a chore, rather a mere exercise of my job or duty. 

If there’s one person in this industry who wouldn’t talk badly about other people’s take on cars, or their style or theme, I’m one of them. I’m proud of it. I cringe whenever people take a beating at the Top Gear posts, if its baduy, or the car looks like its flying etc, I feel so bad for the owner, but thats just about it. 

That’s why I consider this entry as a once in a lifetime thing, ill write as responsibly as I can, as mild and poetic as I can possibly be (lol). 

As usual, I would bring a stock car, parked conveniently away from the venue. Bought my ticket as usual without any drama, I finally entered the “Carshow", on the left I saw a built guy probably holding an airsoft rifle with camouflage paint on his face, he’s wearing camo uniform too, he’s well elevated just enough for everyone to see him. He seems proud. He’s part of the theme the cars on his background are trying to present. 

Sometimes I wonder where class went. Was it simply forgotten or erased? Has Fat and the Furious possibly evolved in a way that KFC raises its Chickens?

I’m trying to limit my writing as not to offend anyone, you can sense that by the way I write this entry. I hope you don’t get bored, just simply read between the lines. 

Moments like these make me miss the good old days and make me further understand the rage of purists, may it be from our friends at JDMunderground, or private people/enthusiats who hold so much pride on their cars, forumers, clients, other shop owners. 

In the past I would always criticise the purists for, well, being too pure and would explain, in my own mind, the business side of it. But as my journey went on, I began to fully understand their role in the market, their job in this industry. 

JDM purists, we really need them. Everyone has to accept and acknowledge that. To say it bluntly, they will save us with their Original wheels, their JDM interior, their well built engines, their RHD track cars, their hard to find and expensive parts. We need such substance to be engrained in this industry because without them, we’ll be left with nothing but _____________________…. :)

Beyond all the bright lights, the flashy paint jobs, gimmicks, LED’s that could light up a neigborghood, the wild kits, the beautiful models (and the totally weird ones), I would often pause for a minute. It makes my miss my ex’s brother whom I would ride passenger to. He had one of the first Spoon EK’s back in the 90’s. I was forever entranced by how his VAFC looked like, and would never forget how the first time I heard a B16B engage Vtec on a Spoon N1 Muffler. 

I miss skimming through back issues of Superstreet and SCC at a small magazine shop at Megamall which used to be next to Carls Junior. I miss our trips to Highlands, during offs, my college friends and I would just go there for lunch, on convoy. Clean and simple cars whose tuning was dominantly form over function. I miss visiting my friend’s warehouse, who used to house so many Type R Engines. I would often call it wonderland. There came a time I would go there weekly to shop for parts, the pinnacle of the experience is buying parts whose brands are totally unheard of and only exist in motherland Japan. I miss the people at Splitsecond, they built my EK Hatchback but more importantly the friends we met though out the process and the times we brought out our cars. I miss the track days at Subic, wherein there was a lechon in the middle of the pits to celebrate our friend’s birthday while everyone was tearing up the track with their purpose built vehicles. 

Whenever I see too much wild, too much shiny, too much LED, too much height and metal, too much rubber paint, too much weirded out setup and models, I simply find myself yearning for the fundamentals. As much as I would want to extend my writing, I got to catch some shut-eye. 

Next time guys :)