I say this every year...I have for the last five years...but, why must this site get uglier and more useless with every retarded update?

Especially since YOU KNOW WHAT happened.








Uuuurgh.

Tell you what, tearing my '89 Legacy apart and putting it back together again, then convincing it to run with a massive water leak has got to be less painful than this...

Damn straight.

CAR RANT

My first-born son and I made a hike from Auckland to Wellington and back in the days between Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Shale was given a test of a lifetime - it is a 700km trip to Wellington through country roads, one of them being the Desert Road...a bit of a frightening one I must say.

A tank of fuel down, a tank of fuel up...he's an expensive bastard to run but in the scheme of things...well...most Subarus would do it in TWO tanks each way. NA ftw...

Nothing broke, surprise surprise.

I have to say, the Wellington crew treated us wonderfully...there were jibes as to Shale's lack of a turbo for all of about five minutes...it all pretty much stopped completely after we indulged in an NZ-style variant of Initial D.

I must point out at this point that Wellington is mostly mountains. The suburbs of the Hutt valley are smattered through an impressive wall of mountains, the only thing dividing them being a motorway and thin slab of civilisation throughout the valley. Needless to say...NZ country roads...mountains...it is the making of something that makes Initial D look just like a Quarter Mile (which is, for those not in the know, 'drag racing' - 400m of straight, flat road).

Shale's current setup is unusual - he has an extensive rear bias in handling. The rear brakes are STi, front ones are stock. Rear swaybar is STi-RA, front is stock (swaybars connect the bottom half of the suspension/wheel setup so they don't slosh apart under heavy cornering). No LSD (limited-slip differential) and an even power curve...this forces the car, both under power, in neutral/throttle and under braking, to break the rear tyres out and oversteer dramatically before the fronts will lose traction.

While this sounds dangerous, it's actually a very good thing. Imagine you're chasing a similar car (which I was), and you have to keep up. Sharp left hand hairpin (tight 180 degree turn) ahead...you slam it into 1st gear and slam your foot on the gas as you turn into the apex.

If the car is an AWD and has neutral bias, the front and rear will break out evenly - if not, front-first. After all, forces want the car to go straight...not turn. This results in understeer...which translates to smacky-smacky into wall straight ahead.

If the car's got Shale's rear bias, put your foot down and turn, and the back wheels are going to light up. If you can imagine the rear is going around a lot faster than the front, the car's angle is going to veer sharply in towards the corner rather than out of it...

...as the front wheels scrabble to maintain traction and steer the car...you can see how this is a massive advantage eh.

So yes. I got my first taste of REAL touge. And tell you what...I'm a changed person by it. After all, there are two options when you taste it.

Either you scream, cry, freak out, demand to be let out, and never step foot in a car again, especially the wet, soiled seat you leave behind.

Alternatively, you've never felt so alive. You discover your purpose. You revel in the sweat, the shakes...it's heroin, only better.

I know what I choose.

PARTS RANT

Meanwhile, back up in Auckland, a parts pile due to become twice the value of my car is mounting in storage. A $4000 gearbox awaits installation (6 speed manual with a driver controlled centre differential), along with brand new Brembo brakes...all $2000 worth.

Awaiting the cash for a few more parts, then this conversion can get underway. Shorter gear ratios, shorter shifter, more power being put to the ground due to less power loss...it's looking good.

Time and money...time and money...

OTHER STUFF...lmao

Currently on a Pirates of the Caribbean buzz like I never thought would happen. 3rd movie...it's caught me with one epic fucking hook...

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann should have died horrible, horrible deaths...and I'm pretty hacked off they survived. Possibly THE most annoying, THE most Disney characters ever created. DIE DIE DIE DIE FREAKING DIE. Oh, and Orlando Bloom has no penis

True to my form, my favourite character has to be Davy Jones. You know what I'm like...the cold, bitter, dark 'bad guy' is the one I am drawn to in almost every series. It's because something just seems to scream of their silent pain for me...there is a reason behind every dark character's ways, and so often it's abuse, rejection or hurt...

Perhaps it's the allure of a weakness in an otherwise staunch, immovable character.

Frick, I like him so much I'd happily play with his tentacles If he didn't decapitate me for trying. Lmao.

Sparrow and Jones...those two just cover all the bases don't they.

*interesting mental imagery*

ART RANT...finally

I'm going to get back in to painting...only this time it's going to be BIG canvases. I have some NZ scenery that must be painted...some epic photos of my car...and some pirates that need to meet my wall. Hurr.

Will be difficult as I've forgotten how to draw :/

Tis true. I currently suck ARSE.

Just as I wanted to get back into drawing my Romulans, goddamnit! T________T

Time for some practising.






Anyway...that should do it for now. Sleep-deprived rant over...

Happy new year, everyone

So Project Shale aka ‘NA OF DOOM’ marches on.

Tomorrow is Dyno Day – Shale goes on the dyno so we can have a feel of his private bits...for those in the dark, we are going to find out what power and torque he is making :3

A stock HX20s makes 135hp...not a lot. As a comparison, a stock BC5 Legacy GT will make about 220hp...my partner has said Legacy with a boost controller. Low boost makes 180-200hp, high boost adds about 60hp to that. Feels like a NOS switch, I swear. Lol. So we’re driving back to his place to drop the Legacy (aka guzzleguts) back, and I’m following behind in Shale. He puts his foot on the floor on low boost...I put my foot down with no boost...and wow. The Legacy could not get away...right through first and second gear, that Legacy could not gain distance on Shale. That tells me – we can expect upwards of 170hp a the engine, and considering it’s almost stock, that’s a HUGE improvement over the factory output.

Hence the dyno. :3

Anyway...

The folks with the 6MT I want are willing to negotiate...so with my loan I should have that sorted. From there I need forged rotors for my brakes (5x100, the cast ones I have are 5x114.5), rear hubs, four halfshafts, a new propshaft, R180 diff and a new clutch. And then we will have... GC8/GDB mongrel of d00m :3

We’re looking at a scary vehicle.

Unfortunately Winger currently has my dream car in...and I can’t afford it. Black version 9 STi – all the specs I want bar it being a Spec C. Maaan...Blackie is sitting there waiting to be bought while his poor son Shale is sitting out in the rain alooooone...

Time for a mini-whine...because I can.

- I have stalkers...a few people have decided that they will follow me wherever I go on the internet and flame the fuck out of me. They have even dedicated hate sites to me. Why? They don't like my car or my gender. YAY HOW FRICKEN MATURE. They know me in real life too, which makes it worse. Always so sickly sweet and 'leasant' irl...then the backstabbing comes online. Honestly, why bother? What's the point? Is it going to make me sell my car? HELL FUCKING NO.

- Speaking of the car... 1) I went to a PPG place today to buy some touch-up paint for my f**ked bumper and lip (had a few idiots drive into me). Instead of buying paint, I discovered from them that the guy that resprayed the car didn't f**king prep it properly and all my paint is eventually going to peel all the way off. Looooovely. It cost me $2000 to get it painted in the first place, and now I find out it's all going to bloody peel off. Nice. 2) The new parts I want are not only far more expensive than I thought, I've now got half the car community abusing me over buying them. Why? Because it's NOT A TURBO (and because they don't think I drive well enough to deserve them. WTF. The only people that say this, mind, have never EVER seen me drive. Those that have competed against me at Grasskhanas quickly shut up, as the car is brilliant at them). Only a few people have come up with good reasons I shouldn't use Brembo brakes and a GDB STi 6MT with DCCD. Weight. They are HEAVY parts. But - the heavy bit on the brakes is the cast rotors I'm trying to sell and replace with far stronger, lighter FORGED rotors...and the 6MT is only as heavy as an auto box! My car used to be a fucking auto!! -_____- So I'm up for a few grand more on the hubs for the Brembos (have the calipers), and up to $4500 for the gearbox. Yaaaaay.

- My entire body is covered in flea bites. I am absolutely exhausted, but I cannot sleep because of the stinging, itching, burning bites. Nearly passing out on your desk at work is NOT fun. Getting yelled at for making mistakes because you can't concentrate is also not fun. Almost hitting someone pulling a u-turn in front of you because you're half-awake...also, yep, not fun. Would love to hit the gym and lose some freakin weight, but staying awake is effort enough, yet sleeping is just too hard. GURGH.

- Favouritism sucks. I make a boo-boo in the studio, and I'm chewed out. The other junior designer makes a MASSIVE FOOKING MISTAKE and it's a tap on the knuckles. Anyone think the fact that they're both of one race and I'm asian might have anything to do with it? Grr. It drives me spare, I swear.





...but ultimately, there's no wrist-slashing going on here. A bit of a whine, and soldier on.

Thing that gets me through - good friends, good family, good man. It's true - you show people love and respect, and you get it back. The knowledge that people care, even a little...it makes it all tolerable. Thanks to all my good mates out there...I haven't forgotten about you, just going through some hard times. Thanks Cam - we don't always see eye to eye but you're still a fantastic man and I love you to bits. Thanks to the family - you guys are awesome, even if you piss me off to no end and I get up your left nostrils. C:

Think about it.

It's especially true here.

Now I remember why I left in the first place...