Well, it’s been a while to say the least. I have literally been all over the place. 2011 has been quite the year for me. I have traveled the world, seen family and revisited my heritage. I have been working hard to focus on the sales aspect of our company, and generate more business. In order to go out racing and do what we do best, we need to make that money! What I have learned this year is that my personal time is getting more and more limited with business picking up, and having more events on our schedule. Updating my own website has become the last thing on my list of priorities lately, but I am working on making more time for myself. As you all know I have kids. As they are getting older and more independent, things get crazier and crazier. Between running a business and keeping the family happy I am a busy lady! With that said I have to put a lot of my own tasks on the back burner. It’s always a matter of prioritizing, which I myself need to improve. So, here we are over half way through 2011. I’ve got so much going on this year! I am just very thankful for everything that I have going currently.  I am excited to start posting more on my personal site again! I have tons of updates to come with what all I have going on right now. Here is a quick glimpse into what’s been happening and what’s to come!

 

Behind The scenes Skunk 2 Racing photo shoot

 

 

 

 

Nashville Road Trip-Import Alliance 2011

 

 

 

 

Another year Of FF Battle:behind the scenes of the Super Street Magazine FF Battle 3 with my Civic Type-R

 

 

 

 

 

Back To My Roots- Little Red Riding Hood- K Powered drag EG/ Honda Tuning Magazine photo shoot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know, I know. It’s been quite a while since I have updated the blog. I have been all over the place since my last update. I had to kind of put my own blog on the back burner for a bit as I have been through some big life altering changes in the past few months. But, things are finally getting back on schedule around here.

I spent the last 6 years of my life in an industry that wasn’t me. I was very successful, and made great achievements in my career in telecommunications. I also realized it was not my life long career. In the past 10 years I found who I am and what I believe in. I believe the real key to success in your career is having a real passion for what you do. I now feel that I have that passion for the new industry I have fallen into. Life isn’t always just about the money and the spoils. Money only makes you happy for so long before the happiness wears off. I am confidant I made the best choice in life for myself and most importantly my family. Family is the biggest part of my life. Without my children, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I am very grateful for the amazing friends and family I have surrounding me. In the good times, and the bad. I am terrible at picking up the phone and calling, but I never lose touch of what matters in life. I am stubborn, that’s for damn sure. But, paired with my stubbornness is determination. They go well together when you set your goals high and only settle for what is best. Life is way too short. Live each day as it is always your last! Smile and stop to notice the small things in life. Stay ambitious and on your toes at all times. You never know what each day will bring to the table. What hurts you will only make you stronger. I am a prime example of that.

So, here I am. I am currently still recovering from the aftermath of my car accident in May. The most frustrating part of being injured is the fact that you can’t do what you love. Driving down the street to the store has been difficult, let alone step foot on the track yet. Until I am medication free, I will not be anywhere behind the wheel of the CTR. The car is one of my most prized possessions in life. The bond I have with the car itself is crazy. The memories, the determination, and the struggles are all apart of that car. I trust no one when it comes to driving my car. I treat it as my 4^th child. But, someone changed that self-proclaimed rule.

In July we were invited to the Super Street FF Battle. I needed to get someone behind the wheel that I could trust, and that was comfortable in a right hand drive car. Driving backwards is no walk in the park, especially on the track. We had our good friend who happens to be one of the best guys out there on the track come out on his vacation from college. Tim Kuo has been dominating in time attack racing for years now. His schedule has been tight since he is now in med school full-time now. Racing has to be set aside at times. Tim was nice enough to come out for an afternoon out at California Speedway in Fontana for some track time for FF Battle. He did a great job out there especially considering this is his first time behind the wheel of the car, and the event required we run an all season tire on the track. This was definitely an interesting time. Unfortunately Tim’s schedule didn’t allow him to stay for the rest of the event.

Since Tim was headed back to school, we asked our friends Oscar Jackson Jr. and Sr. to come out and join us for the remaining events for FF Battle. Of course my first instinct is to be protective of my precious car, but that feeling subsided quickly. When I saw the look on Oscar Jr.’s face when he first sat in the car, I saw the same expression that I see in the mirror when hoping into the car. Jr. professed his long time love for the EK9 Civic Type R. To see Oscar’s feelings about the CTR was pretty cool, especially coming from such a strong Honda oriented family. Immediately, I felt that I found the right person to trust with my car for the time that I’m unable to drive. The Super Street FF Battle is just the beginning. For, 2010 we still have 3 more track events scheduled for the car, and a very full 2011 season of racing.  Be sure to follow us for the next few events. Up next is Super Lap Battle at Buttonwillow, and Redline Time Attack at Fontana. Both are in November.

Sneak peek at Super Street’s FF Battle. The full article should be coming out soon

At Skunk2 for a custom allignment done by Oscar Jackson

Oscar Sr. out helping us in the pits

Getting ready to head back out at the track next month!

It’s been a very interesting past year, but I’m super excited to finish the year out strong, and get ready for next season!

What a week! The randomness headed East last week for Import Alliance in Nashville. This year I decided to skip Spocom in Long Beach and do something different.  I have always heard all the talk of how big IA was. There was all the talk on the web about how this event compares to our meets on the west coast, and it’s was quite funny how people went back and forth about whose events are better, bla, bla, bla. Many people on the west made big promises to go out there “big” and do this , and do that. I was pretty disappointed, not in the event but in how many people made broken promises to bring their cars out there from the west, and didn’t. Guess the trek out to the east wasn’t worth their time. I think there were less than 10 of us west coast strangers there this year, and most of us didn’t bring our cars. But, hey we never made any promises to bring cars this year. At least we randomly showed up!

The first day out in Nashville all of us from the west went downtown to see what Nashville was all about. We walked a lot, and learned that the humidity there is insane! Followed by being super hot and humid, the rain made an appearance leaving us all wet and sweaty. I am not a big country music fan personally, so I felt a bit out-of-place there. But, I managed to see from cool stuff downtown and have a good time.

Batman is was here!

Crazy looking arena!

A must see in Nashville.

BBQ just isn’t the same in the west!

One big record store!

Out of all the pictures, we managed to forget the Waffle House! Man, that place has my heart! I think I ate at least 6 waffles while I was there! Food was defiantly a highlight of the trip, besides their idea of mexican food. Man it was bad!

On to the good stuff! I was overwhelmed by how many people came out for Import Alliance! The place was packed top to bottom. Some of you might sit here and talk shit about some of the cars that showed up, yes it is different there. But, hey I give props to all these people driving so damn far to be there! I even saw people on doughnuts with cars that barely made it there. But, hey at least they made it. I have yet to see any events here draw this many people, and not for one day but two! These are some dedicated people! The biggest difference I saw there was that almost everyone is respectful. Even if they don’t get along or like your car, or whatever everyone is very respectful of one another. There was not the animosity in the air that there is back home at events. It was nice to see some many diverse people in one spot enjoying an event with little drama. I was happy to meet many people at the event for the first time. I don’t consider myself any different than anyone else, yet met quite a few people who loved my build of the CTR, and follow my blog. It is always nice to meet people who really admire all the hard work it takes to get stuff done. This was a great time, and many of you really missed out big time! Next year’s event will be sure to be yet another great time. I look forward to shipping my car out there next year.

And for the pics! Enough from me. There are tons of pics, so for more be sure to check out the remaining pics on my fan page on Facebook. I will let the pics say it all for themselves. Enjoy!

Stunna Ben finally brought out his beast!

Another NH-0 real deal CTR.. She was all pretty, basically stock yet beautiful! Can I have her?!

Look closely!

A lot of cars!

Ben’s trunk became our lounge!

Some Skunk2 love in the BH’s bay! Check out the little girl snapping a pic of his pretty purple wheels!

Great view from the top late afternoon after hundreds already left. Crazy!

Couldn’t forget this car! I love it! I need a Spoon front now for mine thanks to this car! I’m in love!

Off we went back to town, with a minor stop in the middle of nowhere to get gas in the gas guzzling Hummer Stunna Ben was driving us around in!

I am really glad I went out there. Coming home was quite the journey as I was stuck in Atlanta for an extra day with lost luggage thanks to Delta making me miss my connecting flight home, but the trip was worth all the craziness!

Next up this month is Super Street’s FF Battle! The car is coming out of hibernation for the event. Stay tuned for more details!

In order to succeed and have realistic goals you have to set your expectations for what those goals will bring to the table. The things that have always been a big part of my success in setting goals are ambition, determination, my imagination, and my love of life itself.  I recently went through a time when I let my guard down. All those things that have taken me as far as they have faded away. It was time to take a long hard look at life and the great things that have come along with it. We all have times when we want to quit, times when the future looks grim, times when we just don’t want to go on. But, then we wake up and realize what is in front of us.

In the past year I finally finished one of my goals. I got my car done and did it the way I wanted to do it. Not how everyone else wanted me to do it. And, I built a car with a completely different purpose then any car I ever built before. Building the CTR taught me a lot of things. And, I built it during a pretty tough time in my life.  The car was an escape from reality for me. It kept me motivated and on my toes. Looking at the car every day is a constant reminder that I can do it! I can do anything I set my mind to in life, and nothing and no one will ever stop me.

But, what is next for me? Many things are in store for me in the next year. There are many changes to come, good and bad. Part of getting what you want is battling through the bad to get to the good things in life. I am going to take a step back, and go back to the beginning. I was once a young kid standing on the side of the quarter mile with a smurk on their face. I knew what I wanted that first time I saw the pavement in person. That goal was never fully achieved. I will build another car. Can you guess what its purpose will be? I think that one sweet spot that was put on the back burner in this industry lately is drag racing. I think almost every person that I have become aquatinted with in the industry started at that very place that has temporarily been forgotten. Eyes all focused to others ventures in racing lately, and sadly any good events are hard to come by. Will it make a comeback anytime soon? I think so! I don’t think I’m the only one who wants to go back to the beginning of this culture that has now been created.  This is the time where I go to the drawing boards and get what I want organized.  The first step in ever getting what you want is trying.

It’s been a little over a month since I have updated everyone. I have been doing a lot during this time to get back to normal. I don’t think I ever realized what pain this accident caused me. Mentally and physically. I am on my way back to my usual madness soon.

The past month marked the annual all Honda meet at Eibach.  This has always been more about seeing the friends and family I have that all come together from all places in the county at the same place every year. I drug my ass out there even though I could barely drive my own car thanks to my arm injury from my car accident. I struggled just to put my car in reverse and park it neatly inside the parking lot for the meet. I spent most of the day with the guys at the BDL Industries booth just laying low in the shade enjoying the day. I think the only time I moved was when Brandon from Skunk2 managed to track me down for a quick interview for a video he was working on for them. I realized that day, I took for granted that I could just jump in the car anytime for one of the meets and have a good time with out a worry in the world. This time around I paid the price. I left the meet that day in pain from the drive there. The very thing I love the most was painful. So much for taking a random drive to relieve my stress!

I didn’t take any photos as usual, so I have a few from the friends that were nice enough to send them my way. Thanks guys!

And, be sure to check out the video of the “Elite” from Skunk2 at the Eibach meet: http://cms.skunk2.com/id/479/The-Honda-Elite-Video-Inside/

Well, well, well.  I am alive and well. For the most part. The past month or so has been a lesson! During a daily commute to work I was involved in an accident in my S2000. Luckly, I am still here to tell the story and was very lucky to walk away with minor injuries that will heal in the months to come. This accident was a big wake up call for me. It has caused me to stop what I do every day, and focus on recovering and resting my mind and body. Doing the small random things I do daily has become difficult. I am now just appreciative seeing my amazing family I have smiling everyday. I have to take a break from everything for as long as it takes to get better. If I can get my ass in my car safely without pain and discomfort, I WILL make it for the annual Eibach meet. Until then I am determined to get better and get back to doing what I love ! Thank You to all the friends, and family that continue to be here for me each and every day!

one of my all time fav’ shots! (Photo from Honda Tuning Magazine ’10 by Ben Howard)

Well, we did it! With over 20 hours of driving time under our belts this weekend, we managed to pull it off! The long rain filled drive was definitely worth it! This weekend marked Wek’ Fest 2010 in Japantown in San Francisco. I have always loved this lime green colored underground garage that is filled neatly with some of the best cars around! This year seemed to be more VIP filled than import, particularly Honda oriented as it had been in the past. Neverless, it was still great. With what I heard over 20,000 people attended and I believe it! It was crazy in there! This year was most special to me with my feature finally out in Honda Tuning Magazine and I got to catch up with my Dad and brother at the show! I couldn’t have asked for more! Thanks for everyone for all their kind words and props this weekend! It was great to meet everyone! Thanks to Loi and Sportcarmotion for making the long drive and transport of the CTR from So Cal to Nor Cal!!

My Dad and Brother!

Off to celebrate after Wek Fest with the family and friends!

Well, time has passed quickly and it’s time to make the 11 hour trek up North to SF for the annual Wek’Fest event. Last minute changes and cleaning are happening today in prep for the Sunday show. I had some new shirts made for the show, but not sure if I am 100% happy with the design. I will not be selling them just yet, but please stop by the booth and take a look at the test shirts , I wont be too hard to miss as I will be rocking my own version of my  ”I love haters” Tee, and say hello! See you all there!

I can remember the days as a teenager reading all the automotive magazines. I knew back then one day I would be taken seriously, and perhaps see one of my own in one of these publications . It was never a goal to build a “show car” or a “cover car”… It was my goal to do what I do best, do what I enjoy, what makes me happy, and what keeps me motivated and do it better than the rest. I was always the “girl trying to play with the boys”.. I was doubted, I was clowned, and I was made fun of growing up at times. Why? It started back in elementary school,  I played kickball with the boys and hung out and had a good time with them. I was “accepted”. What was weird about me, was I wasn’t at all your typical “tomboy” as people may call it. I had long blonde hair, manicured nails, and always dressed nicely. I was a spoiled girl, still am to this day. I like my luxury shit. I didn’t care if I broke a nail or tore my designer jeans. It was all for fun, and to be happy! The girls hated me growing up, many still do. I had the best of both worlds. I never once let that get to my head, or used it to my advantage. I have always been into all this for myself. Over the years the kickball court turned into full-blown street racing, and eventually to the track. Life has had its ups and downs, but im still here doing what I do! I am so greatful for what life has given me, and for the great friends and family I have around me. I thank everyone here today thats been here from the very beginning. Thank you!

This is by far a great article by Joey Lee (stickydiljoe.com) and a great set of photos by Stunna Ben Howard! Be sure to support the magazine, and grab the newest issue on stands next week!