Bolt

Saw this video about Usain Bolt's pre race finish celebration. For some reason, I thought it looked a little different on TV, but then again, it's prolly just my imagination.

Jimoto Special

With the MR2 finally here, it's been like a damn Delorean equipped with the flux capacitor each time I sit in it. I guess its because it seems like I've been out of the aftermarket industry forever. The countless builds you see, all the experiences you have, and most importanly all the friends you make are awesome. Now that I work at a normal nine to fiver, I truly envy those who do what they love for a living. I mean, sometimes the money might not be the greatest, but its definately worth it. When going to "work" becomes more like meeting with your homies, talking about car shit all day long, selling some parts, going to races, doing some tech calls, and wreching on your car afterhours with all the tools and resources you can dream of... it really doesn't feel like "work" anymore at all.

A huge part of these years was hanging with the homies. Fucking around, building cars, eating, track days, street racing, and did I meantion eating? Well the biggest thing I miss everytime I jump in the MR2, was chillen with the crew. We were the young fucks at the time, and back then you respected the OG's, something alot of these new school fucks know nothing about. Well, enough of that. Here's a few memorable pictures from back in the JMS days. JMS for life.

[Shits not a game. Someone left home hurt, pissed off, or humiliated every single day.]
[260lbs plus of airborn jumpkick action. I still can't believe it...]

SW Fanboy

Back when I was 16 I remember selling Tomogochi's (JDM giga pets) at different malls like Montclair, Ontario, Irvine, etc. It was probably the easiest job I had, as they pretty much sold themselves. What was cool, was that I made enough to buy myself a 91 MR2 turbo. I remember going with Andy down to Hollywood and picking it up. After hours of trying to work a deal, around 9pm the car was mine. Half way home on the 60, Andy hits his hazards, and pulls over on the freeway. "wanna go to the street races?" "sure." That night was probably one of the best nights of my life. It was the begining, first night really driving stick, and first night at Etiwanda in my own car. Launching like a dumbass at 6,000rpm, and thinking I'm a fucking "racer". I beat a white DA GSR with a K&N intake and a flowmaster that night, and shit, it may be small pickins, but gimmie a break, it's 1996.

[What it became in 98: Built motor, FRD widebody, Kandy lime gold paint, show fag spec.]
So I eneded up selling the car shortly after and was never satifsfied since the shit was cursed with problems (purely my ingnorance of maintenance) and rarely ran. I guess I was trying to re-live some part of my youth in buying another MR2 recently. I'm sure many of you feel the same way about the first car you owned, and I plan on cruising this thing with Su when we're 50.

[Don't let it fool you, this shits beat! Zip tied bumper, bad wiring, krylon paint. Not to mention, I'm not a fan of this BA Baracus A-Team shit.]

Thanks to Troy, Eric, Pete, and Rob, the car is back in healthy shape. With less than 500 miles on a freshly built motor, ugraded turbo, IC, fuel system, tune, etc., the car is ready to go, and currently on a truck to Chicago. I'm pretty excited for it to arrive, as I haven't had a turbo car in a while. With the engine out of the way, now I can start making the bitch lighter, stiffer, and a bit prettier.

[Cosmetic shit stacking up in the house.]

[Waxed SC after cleaning the garage. She won't be getting any love for a very long time.]

MGS4 Revisited

MGS 4 has been out for a while, but being a fan, I can still feel like talking about it. As many of you know, I am a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid Series. From MGS 1 thru 3 I've usually taken off of work on release day, and don't come out until I'm done. So MGS4 was no different. Kojima on a new system, a BD50, and millions of fans eagerly waiting like a family skipping Thanksgiving to sit in line at a Wal-Mart on Black Friday. This game could have gone either way. Kojima can be a genius, but he can also be a total fucking weirdo. So does the game deliver? Yes...and no.

Graphically, its truly a sight to see. I'd have to say that nothing I've seen graphically comes close. From the amount of detail on Sanke's Octo-camo, to the depth of the enviroment and the events happening around you. The more you play, you are constantly amazed by the way something looks, sounds, or what you're doing. I was thinking to myself, "whoa, this is fucking crazy." through so many points in the game. Truly it is totally on a different level when it comes to game production. So is it they best in the series? No. I can say that confidently. The game definately has its moments especially with Snake crawling though the microwave scene. The best part in the game by far, was the final battle with Liquid Ocelot. What makes this scene so great was because it brought all of the MGS music memories back, especially when the "Snake Eater" track came on. While that was awesome, it meant more hearing that tune while CQCing The Boss, then popping a cap in her ass point blank in the middle of the field.
In closing, MGS4 is an excellent game that truly puts an end to the Solid series. It rewards its fans with exactly what we look for in a Metal Game... it just doesn't do it as well as some of its predecessors. In order by rank: MGS3, MGS1, MGS4, MGS2.

[Who's your daddy Snake? Big mutha fuckin Boss, that's who.]

MR2 Projectors

Today, after selling some old GS parts I had laying around, I decided it was time to dump more money into my MR2. The SW body style is over 18 years old now, and even typing it makes me freak out on how old it is. I always thought the MR2 body style was ahead of its time, and aged very well, I mean, its no fucking fountain of youth like the FD, but the shit still looks damn good (well to me at least...). Anyhow, one thing that really shows the Age of the MR2, is its flip up style headlights. Bulb and housing in one nifty package for $4.99!

Well, times they are a changing. Today I finally ordered a head light conversion from an MR2 tuner in the UK, Rogue Systems. I figured it'd be a good idea before our US dollar plummets any further. The kits include everything you need to update your SW's lights. Lowrise mechanical parts, 4 Hella free form projectors, and Hella HID ballasts and bulbs. I've seen the kit in person once before, and by far is faded up all other MR2 headlight conversions I've seen, from PJ's piaa setup in 95, to show feezys and their FTO swaps.

[Rogue Sytems Quad HELLA Projector conversion]

[Half Rogue, half brick]
[Some SW with the HID kit]

Home Theater

After months of debate with deciding if losless audio was worth it, I decided to take the plunge and get rid of my still almost new recevier (no lossless support) , to take the pepsi challenge for myself. The higher bitrate DD and DTS tracks on bluray were awesome, but i felt like they could be so much more. The legacy dvd codecs end up sounding like MP3's in comparison, but is the jump from high-res DD and DTS to Lossless worth it? In one word, Fuckyeah. Poeple sometimes think loudness is quality, and this isn't what makes lossless great, its the ammount of depth and immersion the lossless track has. Uncompressed, bit for bit audio straight from the studio master is the real deal. If you're on the fence with making the jump, as long as you have decent speakers, its worth it.

One of the things I most was excited for in buying our home was building a home theatre. Well that, and building a garage. I'm by no means an audiophile or videophile, but definately a huge enthusiast. Within my budget, I'd have to say I'm pretty damn satisfied with the setup. I've probably gone to the movies 3 times in the past 2 years, since watching movies on a huge ass screen with shit resolution is not my cup of tea. Not to mention the people talking, cell phones ringing, and sticky floors fucking up your new shoes. Anyhow here's some pics of the current living room, and my attempt at creating a theater that doesn't overpower the room asthetically.

[Samsung 67" 1080p, Onkyo 606, KEF's, PS3 for Blu/music/pics. ]
[Next up will hopefully be a credenza to make the tv look more like furniture, rather than a bestbuy display.][KEF front and surrond channel wiring done through the walls.]
[ISF certified calibration.]