female car enthusiast..

Just recently i had a talk with my mum.. she has been asking me to change my baby.. for the l o n g e s t time.. she said, it is time.. according to her my baby is old.. i tried to explain to my mum why i love cars, my baby z especially.. she just doesn't get it.. so all i said at the end was 'i like driving. fast.'

Most people are quite curious about my passion for cars.. of all the things, why cars? the automotive industry are dominated by males.. well... my passion started since i was 18 years old.. and it has been 16 years now and counting.. i consider myself quite fortunate as how things fell into place..

When i was 18 years old, my first car was a Proton Iswara 1.5L AT.. it was from my mum.. back then i've no knowledge on cars and all i knew was to drive it.. fast.. haha.. then my mum got me a Kia Spectra after a couple of years.. upgraded from a 1.5L to 1.6L.. haha.. back then i already started to develop my love for cars..

Passion grew after i met Russ, my ex husband (9 years ago).. we met on ZeroToHundred, ZTH forum and we clicked instantly.. we were young, in love and share the same passion for cars.. yes, he was the one who drove the bayside blue Nissan Skyline GTR34 Vspec (HKS tune) from Garage R.. he thought me a lot about cars coz i was asking him too many questions.. while he was away for work, i was the one who kept him up-to-date with the modification progress of his baby.. i started to learn about the parts, the brands, tuners and etc..

And when he was back, we always go for drives.. he took me out for car gatherings with the skyline boys; that's where i met most of the guy friends which i have today.. i always pushed Russ to drive harder and faster.. i just love to hear the sound of the RB.. inline six.. music to my ears..

As Russ knew about my passion for cars had grew, he got me my baby Z.. he knew the Nissan Fairlady 350Z was my dream car.. i just fell in love with it when it was first launched (not when it was in Tokyo Drift).. the curves.. yummy.. we searched high and low for a mint condition Z from car dealers.. Tan Chong wasn't selling it here brand new.. the first Z we saw was in JB.. drove all the way down south in the R34; not that he was complaining.. as he got to drive his baby, haha..

The Z which we saw was modified; with big GT wing, loud exhaust, 19" rims and it was in blue! i love it BUT Russ was kinda skeptical.. after thinking long and hard, he decided it was best to get a mint stock condition Z (even though it will cost bit more)

Alas, we found the Z one day.. it was perfect.. grey color, stock standard with Fujitsubo exhaust, brembo brakes and Bose system.. we kept the car standard for quite awhile.. haha.. who are we kidding? how can we, as car enthusiasts keep a JDM car stock standard?

Russ gave me an option, either to change rims OR exhaust.. so i went with a HKS hi-power exhaust with torched titanium tips.. he got it and installed it by N1 Racing.. we also took out the speedcut and got the Veilside kit..

My baby has been with me for 7 years now and people often are quite fascinated or curious how the hell i have my baby as a daily driven car.. i clocked 140,000+km on this baby in 7 years.. driving her to Penang-KL-JB-SG and vice versa.. all these years i have been quite fortunate as my baby didn't really gave me much big problem; maybe coz i kept her NA..

Okay, back to the topic.. i really do not know how to explain to people what made me love cars; especially when they asked me.. and not too long ago, i was being asked by Mat Canyon if he could interview me.. i was like... what for? he said probably i could tell my side of story how my passion for cars develop..

To be honest, i do not have a dad who love cars AND i do not have an ex bf who influence me into loving cars.. it just happened naturally and gradually.. maybe coz the sound of the engine, the wastegate, bov, exhaust? or maybe the G force that i get from driving the car? or maybe just plainly the power of the car? or the backfire/misfire?

All i know is that, i am attracted to cars NOT according to their brands of logo.. i believe that every car has their own pros and cons BUT for me.. i am truly a JDM girl *wink*

No one could understand my passion except the car guys and some car girls :) i still have a long way to learn.. not only on the car itself but how to handle a car as well.. from a AWD to RWD to FWD..

Some people might think that i wanted a Z just to show off; but if you do know me well enough.. i ride with the boys.. and i do not hesitate to ask the boys for a ride in their cars sometimes :P

To those who are reading this, yes.. you.. if we know each other coz of cars, i do appreciate your friendship.. to me, we are FAMILIA..

you ride. i ride

*fist bump*

Here i end this post with a video clip of the beloved bayside blue Nissan Skyline GTR34 V-Spec being tuned by Nezuka-san from Duke Racing after being stroked to 2.8L with 4inch ARC titanium exhaust

has it been a year?

The month of november should be a joyous month for us.. as 3 years ago, we got married.. BUT a year ago, november became the month that i loathe the most.. why? coz we lost the car that we both love.. the very same car which brought us together..

I got into depression after the car was stolen.. i cried to sleep every night and i would avoid going to the car park.. i stopped smiling and being friendly to the guards..

I still remember that day so clearly.. the rain was pouring down and i was searching for the car frantically around our condo area.. my phone batt was flat out while talking to russ and i had to go upstairs to take the charger ignoring the heavy rain.. i was screaming and crying in the car when i saw the empty parking lot.. i went to the guardhouse and ask if i could have a look at the cctv but according to them, it doesn't record.. i just couldn't believe it.. was so frustrated and helpless..

When i went to the office to tell them our car got stolen, the office girl immediately called the supervisor.. he argued in the phone with me saying that he just went to check the car park half an hour ago and our car was still there.. he said maybe our car is at another level and he's sending the guards to check.. i was like WTF! he thinks that our car is knight rider's car? self driven??! i was so angry.. til now, i never acknowledge him when i see him..

I had to go through the emotional breakdown while doing whatever i can to find the car back.. i went to the police station alone, made a report, went to the inspector's office alone and it was creepy coz it was just the 2 of us, called up friends for help and etc..

I was even more depressed to think of how sad russ felt.. he kept telling me that it's alright.. it's just a car which we can buy another anytime.. he told me that he's just grateful that nothing bad happen to me coz i'm irreplaceable to him.. i know he was VERY sad too.. when he came back and i could see that he lost weight..

Now, it has been a year.. i still feel sad.. the car means so much to us and to those people who said 'it's just a car'.. you got no idea how much time, effort and money we put on it and what/how much sentimental value it has for us.. it's not fair for anyone to judge us like that..

My 2nd date with the beast.. the day russ asked me to be his gf..


And THIS is the last photoshoot we both did before the car was taken away from us forever :'(

another photoshoot?

Yeap! i had another photoshoot just now but it was not with the Z this time :) my photographer for this batch of pictures is none other than my bb! hehehe..

Well since there are comments saying that some people like the pictures from my 1st photoshoot attempt coz it look more natural, then what about this batch? ;)

This time the photoshoot is different from the rest coz 'my' photographer chose the outfit, shoes, helping me with the poses and facial expressions :P



















Honest feedback welcomed :)

tuning?

Alas! the beast had been tuned *grinning* it was done by Nezuka-san (CEO of Duke Racing Japan & CEO of RH9) while he was here for a 4 day holiday with his daughter :)

Here are some pictures of nezuka-san in action :-

Tuning in the beast while its on the dyno @ ST Wangan





Road tuning while my hubby drove




And showing us how to do the launch 'thingy'



We got nezuka-san to autograph on the ECU and pose for a picture with my bb at the end of the day :D


Pssst pssst, leo.. see the RH 9 sticker russ was holding? hahahaha.. it was given by nezuka-san! :P *pfffffffffffffffft*

ps: gonna do the dyno one more time one of these days

un-leashed?

YUP! the beast is un-leashed.... TODAY! YAY! me and my bb went to the workshop almost like everyday.. we were eager to take the beast out..

Anyway, at first my bb was supposed to leave today.. BUT then his office called and said that he needs a mexico, FM3 visa as his ship will ge going there.. so today we went to the mexico embassy which is in menara tan & tan.. after that, we went straight to the workshop..

The mechanics were giving the final touch to the beast.. installing the wheels, front lip, side skirt and etc.. here are some pictures which i took :-


My bb helping desmond out by holding the carbon hood while des drilling the holes


My bb looking at his precious car


Putting final touches to the beast :)


By 7pm only the beast is ready for my bb to drive.. now, the beast and the Z are park side by side.. wish i could take a picture now but it's too dark.. BUT i'll promise to post it up once i take it tomorrow! :)

I gotta go now guys.. taking the beast out for a spin =.= yea i know.. not me driving but my bb :P

Tata!~

ps: my bb will be leaving on wednesday :( *sigh* gotta spend some 'quality' time with him before he leaves *wink*

ready?

We left the 'beast' into Desmond's hands in Nov 06.. hmmm.. was it before we got married or after?? yea, it has been THAT long.. yesterday my bb asked me to check 'it' out so i drove all the way to Sunway with my mum and boboie to take some pictures..

Along the way, this is what boboie did while i was driving :-


Anyway, this is how 'it' looks like now :-



You just have no idea how happy i felt when i saw most of the things are already in the engine bay.. wohooooooooooooooo! finally it's time for the 'awakening'... muahahaha!

BEWARE waja-lution, wira-lution and even evolution!! move to aside to let the King of the Road pass when you spotted it on the road.. LOL!!!!

ps: pardon me.. i'm just a lil teeny weeny over excited :p~

tein?

I'm sure every car enthusiasts would agree with me that TEIN make the best absorbers around :) so my bb got the Type Flex Damper set :-


Was still in the box last few weeks ago..





And today, i got a sms from Desmond.. he asked if i'd be free today coz he's gonna install the absorbers later :) i quickly jumped out from my bed and get ready and took my trusty ol' camera along.. hehe..

When i arrived there, this is what i saw :-


The car was up and the rims was out.. the mechanic was starting to install the absorbers!!





The old absorbers which was still intact..










And replaced by the brand-spanking-new Tein absorber










Ah~~ Tein + Brembo.. a good combination, huh? ;)











These are the rear absorbers








The beast has been hibernating for almost 9 months.. i miss the beast :(





See how dirrrrrrrrrrty it is.. it needs a good wash :)





Oh yea, Desmond told me that he'd 'wake' the beast up within this week!!! HOOOOORAY!!! yea, i'm damn EXCITED!!! so, stay tune for the 'awakening'... hahahah

my experiences with the 'beast'?

I HAVE to blog this.. as i was driving to the mini mart at my place, i spotted an orange Lamborghini Murciélago!! i was like "OMIGOSH!!"..


Isn't this a beauty? imagine seeing this in real life.. i was like 'whoa!'





I asked my mum to look at it.. the owner just finished pumping petrol and he opened the door.. my mum was like 'wah! the door open like that ar?'.. i was like 'er, yeah'.. and she asked me 'so, that car is more expensive than russell's car?' and then i was like 'of course!'.. duh~.. a Lambo can't be compare to a skyline.. it's just above the par.. a Lambo should be compare to a Ferrari.. that's for sure :p~

Okay okay, enough about the Lambo.. i know that we could not afford one UNLESS the one which is scaled down to 1:24 selling at Tamiya shop! LOL! let's leave the lambo and ferrari to those super rich and famous people.. for now, i'd like to talk about the 'beast'.. yeap, my baby's 'beast'...


Beauty and the 'beast'? LOL!! XD





My 1st experience driving the 'beast' was waaaaaaaay back in august 2006.. it was when i was dating my baby.. he was staying at a hotel at that time and he gave me 'the heavy key'.. lol.. so i started the engine.. it went 'roooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaar'.. oh, it turned me on :p~ then my baby came down and he saw me at the driver's seat.. so, he went to the passenger seat and i was like 'what are you doing?'.. and he pulled the seat belt and said 'you drive'.. i went 'huh? you serious?'.. and he gave me his serious look on his face.. okay okay, so i pulled the seat nearer coz i'm short.. sigh..... the clutch was giving me problems.. racing clutch #!@^&*$! i put on reverse gear and i had one hell of a time to get the 'beast' out from the parking box! why? coz the engine kept giving up on me! arghhhhhhh! my baby was like 's-l-o-w-l-y let go of the clutch' and then the engine died.. and i tried again.. and again and again.. thank god my baby was patient with me and let me torture the 'beast' :p.. i gave up eventually..

The second time i drove the 'beast' was when my baby wanted to install strobe lights.. so i drove the 'beast' to my friend's accessories shop which is just nearby.. oh man! HUGE mistake! i had troubles with the clutch again! i stopped at a junction and guess what? the engine kept dying as i let go of the clutch too much.. cars were piling up behind me waiting for me to go but there we were, stuck at the junction.. luckily my baby was with me.. i didn't panicked and just left the 'beast'.. lol.. well, the drivers behind me was nice enough not to honk me.. thank god for that BUT it was embarassing for sure! after that blardy junction, i managed to drive to the workshop without stalling.. upon arriving at the shop, there were a few customers.. guys mostly.. with their wira-lution and waja-lution.. when they saw me coming out from the 'beast', i know that ALL eyes were on me! LOL.. damn.. it felt nice..

And my third time with the 'beast' was after we had our TT session at subang.. it was me who wanted to drive this time.. why? coz we saw a girl driving a R32! i was thinking to myself.. if that girl could do it, why can't i? furthermore, the R32 is an older model.. it'd be nice to have a girl who drives a R34! so i told my baby about my request.. without hesitation, he stopped by the road side and let me take over the wheel.. i adjusted the mirror, side mirror and the seat.. it was nice driving at night.. it was like 2am.. my baby was like 'ok, change gear'.. 'change gear again'.. 'low gear'.. then..... 'FLOOR IT!' i was like 'HUH?!'.. so i floored it! OMG! it was fun! imagine 400bhp at the wheels.. unbelievable! no words could describe how it felt or how i felt at that time.. gosh...

Now, i really can't wait for the 'beast' to be 'un-leashed'.. it'd be 700bhp on wheels.. that's what my baby said.. i've made another resolution for this year.. which is to be able to 'tame' the 'beast'.. no no, not with the stool and whip :p~ lol.. i want to be able to drive it without any problems.. when my baby isn't around, at least i can drive it for him.. imagine, guys would be sooooooooooooooooooo jealous and envy.. LOL.. ain't it a good idea? hope my baby would believe in me.. that i'd take real good care of the 'beast' when he's away working.. nyek nyek nyek..

Driving a manual car isn't easy especially with a racing clutch but a performance car is always with manual transmission.. that is why i want my baby to get me a car with tiptronic transmission.. i don't need another manual car as he already has one! hehe.. so the next car that i want would be :-


The Fairlady 350z with a Nismo bodykit! ain't she's fine? mama-mia! as for the Veilside bodykit, it can wait.. as it's pricy..







p/s : fyi, i'm the only girl who had driven my baby's 'beast' since he bought it.. hehe.. the 1st and the last girl.. no other girls would have a chance to drive the 'beast'.... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... LOL!