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Good sir!

Thanks for keeping us up to date with blogs on your site.  As promised, here is a quick synopsis of what’s going on in the land of the setting sun:

First off - the important stuff.  Resident Evil 5 comes out in a few weeks.  I just reached the old-school game level on Metal Gear Solid (looks like the version from PS1) and hope to wrap that by the 18th.  My pre-ordered copy of RE5 should come in a day or two early courtesy of the girl I flirt with at the video store.  We are about even on treating for lunch, but I’ll get the next one to ensure the deal.  Outside of that, I’ve been itching to get back into Ninja Gaiden but will wait until after I’ve run through the Evil.  There is also Halo Wars on the horizon… let me know your take on that.

Transitioning (not so smoothly) from games to anime, thanks again for letting me borrow your Cowboy Bebop DVD, although, your mom actually gave me the CD and a DVD of Macross Zero.  No worries, our group was able to give a bang up presentation in class.  We continued into a short comic page for an impromptu assignment and that went well too.  All of this graphic novel adrenaline should get me started on another comic, maybe even something I can post here in weekly updated segments.  We’ll see.  I returned the CD and DVD last weekend.  Your parents make sure your car is taken care of, although your mom joked that they sat in the garage for 45 minutes reading about how to get the car in reverse. 

Speaking of cars, 370Zs are now at the Nissan dealers.  Since the car market is suffering I’m tempted to go down there and brow beat them into a steal, but I just don’t have the means.  I’ll have to wait beyond my 40th birthday in November (darn economy), but by then the 2010 version should bow and the bugs will be worked out.  Maybe even more horses?  Remains to be seen.  Hopefully I’ll still have a job and swing it.  I’d love to pull up to the Korean BBQ in a yellow, white, or blue one with a little Bob Marley playing on the radio.

Track days are still jumping.  At the last event only 15 cars showed up, most of them German, and I was able to drive an older gentleman’s Porsche Turbo.  Good car, but I prefer the GT3.  A R35 GT-R showed up also (hence the picture of me sitting in it on Picassa), but I didn’t get to ride in it.  The driver was cool and was ready to give us all a few laps.  Next time.  :D  We ran an open track that day but it began to snow after lunch so I had to take off.  I also was in the Axela because too much work prevented me from prepping the Eunos Roadster.  But I will be taking that little tyke to Streets on the 18th.  The great Roy Sakioka is having a private run group for his birthday and invited me and one other car up for a free day (with free food).  Man, that guy is great.  Fred will try to make it and Rob is an alternate.  Should be cool.  Our first Time Attack is coming up also - Buttonwillow on March 28 and 29.  This is a big deal so a tidy sum-up will follow after.  Look for some hot cars, including GT-Rs and the new Hyundai Genesis driven by Steve Millen himself.  Chris, Nik, and I had a Redline meeting and are all gung-ho about it.

Not much else is going on in the Inland Empire.  Work has been hectic so I’ve been driving a lot, wearing myself out a bit.  But at least I may be able to see some friends, like Christine in Bakersfield, Heidi in San Luis Obispo, and Nee-Nee in Vegas if I time it right.  It’s been difficult even to get to the gym, but I will do that in a few minutes here.  I did my first hike of Sally Two Trees with the kids… good walk.  I need to condition myself more for San Gorgonio in May.  The spirit is willing, but the knees are weak.

Facebook isn’t as bad as I feared so I’ll keep checking that for contact with friends and such.  Peep game every once in a while and you’ll find what’s going on in the lives of the masses.  It can get a bit confusing though, everyone posting what’s up in their lives.  But it’s easy to strain it down to the essentials.

Outside of that, still living life.  I drifted onto the freeway the other day (just for kicks) and still run to the 15000 rpm redline on the bike once in a while.  Can’t help it… 0-60 in 3.5 seconds just feels right.  But a lot less cruising around for sport in those vehicles as it’s been kind of cold.  The Axela (not 6 months old) has 17000 miles on it… my main mode of transport in these harsh So Cal winter times.  And no snowboarding yet, although conditions have been perfect.  I need to take Nick and Sarah up on their offer to ride Wednesdays nights.  Oh, and remember my high cholesterol level?  I found a doctor’s report from 1994 and it was only 19 points lower.  So, just 19 points in 15 years, with all the fries and burgers I’ve eaten, makes me think I can lower it pretty easy by eating right from here on out.  Maybe fries and a burger once in a blue moon, but my diet has certainly changed for good.  I’m just getting old.  I think I’m even a bit dyslexic.

Anyway, keep on enjoying Japan and sending updates and pictures.  I’m living vicariously through your miscellaneous adventures.  It’s already been nearly 2 months, and Rob and I will catch up with you in another few.  Later!

This is just an updated post of some pencil on paper drawings, the kind of sit down stuff I do when I’m bored, or when it’s raining, or if there’s not much going on in the world of video games and DVDs.  You may notice a common theme here:  there are a whole lot of actresses.

When I was kid, I mostly drew cars, buildings, and comic book type characters - like fedora wearing, bricked faced detectives and shifty eyed henchmen.  I wasn’t very adept at drawing women, so I decided to practice.  Not to sound sappy, but you can’t really get much better subjects, so I stuck with them.  Besides, I’d much rather look at a pretty actress than a tree, so yes, your model has a lot to do with keeping your interest.  I still get kind of restless, so I usually watch TV while drawing.  Needless to say, it’s difficult then to draw a live subject.  Most of the time I get a couple of photographs from Entertainment Weekly, or a freeze frame from TV, or a photo of a billboard and go from there.  Once the basic shape is on paper, the shading is easy.

Most real artists won’t consider these art and I agree.  They are cold, calculated, illustrations, measured to be as photorealistic as I can make them, and have little interpretation or feeling or meaning or whatever else the bleeding heart liberal birkenstock wearing hippie folksters look for in ‘my kid can do that’ sidewalk fare.  In fact, the few buildings thrown in the mix, enabled by architectural rendering classes back at Santa Monica College in 1990, are the true slant of my education in art and anything following will sort of lean in that rigid, soulless direction.  But hey, they allow me to decorate my house with what’s pleasing to my eye.  I have about 3 times as many on the walls as are on this website, but hopefully I can post more in the future.  I’ll also keep drawing as long as the good Lord allows, so we’ll see what new items crop up later.

Click on ‘Read the rest of this entry’ then any drawing for a slightly larger shot and a description (or explanation).

Read the rest of this entry »

As many of you know, I was born in Half Way Tree, St. Andrews Parish, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies in the VERY late 60’s.  But I was raised here in the States since infancy (Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles… and the beautiful Inland Empire).  Still, due to the influence of my parents, extended family, and passion for all things Reggae, you may catch me rattling off sayings and phrases from the old country.  Here now to bring you up to speed are some quick definitions of miscellaneous Jamaican ramblings:

“Mi come fi drink milk, nuh fi count cow”.
I came to drink milk, not to count cows.
Conduct business in a straightforward manner.  Get it done.  Don’t waste time when you have something to do.

“Iya deh monkey climb, more ‘im expose.”
The higher the monkey climbs the more he is exposed.
Use caution on the ladder of success as it exposes you.

“Nah cyaan test”.
You can’t test me.

“Gwan an lef me.” - “Lef mi Nuh?”
Go away and leave me alone.  Leave me alone.

“Is bare dog inna deh yard.”
There are only dogs in that yard.
There is nothing worth going there for.

“Cuyah!”
Look at that!

“A who dat?”  “A who seh dat?”
Who’s that?  “Who said that?”

“Yuh dun know.”
Now you know.

“Fling stone a duppy, duppy fling stone back.”
If you throw a stone at a ghost, it will throw it back.

“Yuh too facety”
You are too feisty.

“Galang bout yuh business.”
Go along about you business.

“Pickney” – “Pickney dem.”
Child - Children

“Gan a foreign.”
Gone abroad (from Jamaica).

“Every hoe dem stick a bush.”
To each his own (For every size garden hoe, there is a stick in the bush that same size) or there is someone out there for everyone.

“A peer rumors gwan.”
It’s pure (only) rumors that are going on.

“Did deh deh.” – “Me deh yeh.”
I was there. – I am here.

“Make haste.”
Hurry up.

“Why yu galang so?”
Why must you behave in such a manner?

“Carry go bring come.”
Gossip.

“What sweet nanny goat a run ‘im belly.”
What pleases the nanny goat will ruin his belly.
Things that taste good (or seem good) now may hurt you later.  The grass is always greener on the other side.

“Puppy-show”
Show offs showing off.

“Yu too red eye.”
You’re too envious.

“Sin?”
See it?  You see what I mean?  You know what I mean?  You understand?

“Chicken merry; hawk is near.”
When the chickens are merry, the hawks are near.
Every silver lining has its dark cloud.  Even in the happiest times one must still be watchful.

“Ahs dead an’ cow fat.”
Horse dead and cow fat.
Nonsense.  Irrelevant details.  Miscellaneous ramblings.

“Me trow me corne but me no call no fowl.
I threw the corn, but I called no fowl.
I never said what I was doing was for your benefit.  Don’t call yourself a chicken just because you eat my feed. You are who you show yourself to be, not who you might say you are.  Or making a provocative statement (throw corn) in an indirect manner, thus forestalling any accusations of personal insult.

“Sorry for maga dog, maga dog turn round bite you.”
Extend charity to the scruffy dog, and he’ll turn around and bite you.  Be wary of hasty do-gooding (the dog may bite the hand that feeds it).

“Cock mout’ kill cock.” - “If fish could keep him mout’ shut, him neva get caught.”
Making noise or boasting will get you in trouble.

“Every day di bucket go a well, one day di bucket bottom a go drop out.”
Every day the bucket goes to the well, one day the bottom of the bucket will drop out.
Social chaos.

“Wanti wanti cyann get it, getti getti no want it.”
The have-nots covet what the Haves take for granted.

“Time longer than rope.”
Have patience.

“Walk good.”
See you later!

My track buddy Rob Burgoon shots this video from his NA Miata at Buttonwillow Raceway during a MazdaFest event. I saddled him with ballast in the form of my friend Lorelei. That helped me stay in front for a while.  Led Zepplin’s “Custard Pie” drives the point home.

This is the first of a few video compilations of our track days, High Performance Driver Education (HPDE) events which allow car enthusiasts to safely push the limits of their vehicles in a controlled environment.  I started in 2001 or so and usually run with Redline Track Events, where I volunteer for Chris and Nik as an instructor.  Cars range from bone stock street machines to all out trailered race cars, and the variety of drivers is just as diverse.  Since this isn’t wheel-to-wheel racing, anyone can come out and enjoy a day of fast cars and shop talk.  As I like to drive when I’m calm, the tune running through the background is Tori Amos’ “Ireland.”

The Foo Fighters play “My Hero” in tribute to my buddies who are, well… my heroes.  The Scion tC, which tided me over from Vette to MX5, was a bulletproof little front drive that populates this post.  Rob’s WRX, Anton & Fred’s 350Z’s, and brief shots of my brother and the great Roy Sakioka are other highlights.  There’s also some drifting, rallycross, dragracing at the late LACR (Palmdale), JTC Pro Champion Tarzan Yamada’s R34 GT-R Skyline, and some comments by Rob at the end regarding a powerslide seen in the first video.

Starting off with a few shots of the cars in the paddock (or pits), this video highlights my 2003 Corvette Z06, which I sold shortly after buying my home, and my 2000 Trans Am, which I sold for the Vette.  You can also see the great Roy Sakioka’s red Mini Cooper S and his black Elise 111.  If not my favorite song of all-time, the featured joint of Bob Marley’s “Mellow Mood” is definitely in the top 5.  The only thing that sounds quite as good is the 405 horsepower of the Z06.

This video has cars such as a Dolphin America and a Lamborghini Gallardo, features Manly Ko’s first ever slide in his yellow Elise, and has a lot of in car footage from the venerable MX5.  The songs are “T and T” by The Breeders and “Fire Fire” by Peter Tosh.

Unlike a lot of the previous track day videos,  some of these were taken at Laguna Seca, one of the finest racing facilities on the west coast.  Hopefully I will be able to visit Infineon and compare.  The song playing is “Ladies and Gentlemen” by Saliva, made popular to the regular masses by the Sony PS3 commercials.  My speech at the end is a lame attempt at being an Italian pro driver.  Go-kart pro driver.

The boys are recruited by the FBI due to their intimate knowledge of the inner dealings of one Baron Von Choi…