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.
Huwebes, Abril 17, 2025
Social Media and its lack of two sides
Biyernes, Abril 28, 2023
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. :)
Sabado, Nobyembre 28, 2020
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! ❤️
Biyernes, Setyembre 11, 2020
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! :)
Martes, Hulyo 21, 2020
The Talkboard Era
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.
Lunes, Hunyo 1, 2020
Passion First
Huwebes, Mayo 28, 2020
Weather the Storm
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.
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.
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.
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.
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: 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.
We are the type.

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