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I dropped off See Yin at the airport today. She's finally moved to Edmonton to pursue a career in Landscape Architecture at a prestigious firm. I on the other hand, am giving up my full time comfy job to become a broke, penniless student. Hopefully in 2 1/2 years time, I'll be a fully-qualified Industrial Designer, with a focus on experimental composite materials for vehicular/automotive performance.
My living space in Calgary is all set for moving. I'm not quite packed yet. That's what I'm doing today. I'm basically just bringing my desktop, both monitors, external accessories, clothes, SLR camera, bike, some design books, and.... that's about it. My whole life can fit in my car.
fright of the day
So I was walking out to the barn in the backyard this morning, with my head down, texting Jiggs. I was obliviously finishing the message when I noticed a black shape at the front periphery of my vision. I kept walking and casually looked up when I was about 3 ft away from the obstacle in my path. It was a groundhog, standing up on its hind legs, squinting at me. I jumped backwards about 3 ft in the air and let out a yelp, while it simultaneously did the same. We stared at each other for about 10 seconds before it dismissed me as a threat and proceeded to shuffle back to its lair underneath the storage shed.
Frankly, I'm not sure who scared who first. We've been visited by cats, bunnies, fawns, adult herds of deer, hawks, finches, a fox, chipmunks, squirrels and even a stag with a full rack of antlers, but I don't think I've ever been as startled. I think it was because of how close I got to the groundhog. I could have nudged him with my foot - we were that close before noticing each other.
What's next, a bear? Cougar? Wolves?
car
I'm so happy with my built engine Subaru.
The delivery is so smooth, and the torque is instantaneous. Upon mashing the gas, my head snaps back against the headrest, and the engine opens up with a throaty roar. The car then streaks off, the fervor and intensity increasing as the RPMs do the same. The shift light flashes green, indicating the need to shift into the next gear. The momentary pause is then broken by yet another mad dash to redline, then the process is repeated. Before I know it, I'm at 180 kph with about 3000rpms left before hitting redline in top gear... however I've run out of straight road - the twisties are coming up fast.
I'm very satisfied with the finely tweaked suspension, too. I maintain my 180 kph speed into the corner, threshold braking at the last possible moment. The braking force activates my seat belt restraints, and a carwash rag in my backseat flies forward to plaster itself on my dash. I double-clutch and rev-match into 3rd gear, letting out the clutch while gently steering into the apex simultaneously. The tires grip, then begin gradually break away, allowing a sweet-sounding scream of protesting rubber to fill the air. All four tires are now loose, and I've entered the apex of the turn. I touch the throttle and progressively bring it to the floor, using my driver's side window to look outside - because that's the direction that my car is going. The engine throatily bellows for more, the tires scream with a vengeance, and the car shoots out of the corner exit facing straight ahead, a modest 2 feet away from the guard rail.
I admit that the car isn't quite the looker. It definitely doesn't scream Porsche Killer... even if it has done exactly that countless times. However, I'd like to think that I've wisely modified it underneath the skin. There's barely a shadow left of the original engine and suspension. The car's rigidity has been increased several times over, and the performance has also been elevated beyond that of any car more than thrice its dollar value. The only hints that it has of its performance are the subtly lowered stance, the suspiciously effortless way it corners without body roll, and the deeper rumbling idle that immediately gives away the large cams to the more knowledgeable car enthusiasts.
I'm finally done. :D That's the best part of it all. I can hang with powerful turbo cars on the straights, and demolish most of them when the roads begin to get squirrelly. I've been told that I'm a good driver, but I believe that it's just because the car and I are very well matched. I suck at RWD (RR and MR in particular... FR's not too bad). A senior racing instructor of mine once commented that he couldn't beat my time in my own car because I know the limits of AWD better than he ever could.
So what am I going to do now? I'm putting all future plans on hold. The engine is new and fresh, the suspension is spotless. I'll focus the next two years on my education. When I can afford it, my engine will receive a GT28R turbo, accompanied by methanol injection and a custom FMIC, ditching my large radiator in exchange for smaller dual radiators in place of my foglights. I've got it all down on paper - 400 horsepower to the wheels (approx. 450-460 horsepower at the crank), with a quick spool and terrifying acceleration.
I dropped off See Yin at the airport today. She's finally moved to Edmonton to pursue a career in Landscape Architecture at a prestigious firm. I on the other hand, am giving up my full time comfy job to become a broke, penniless student. Hopefully in 2 1/2 years time, I'll be a fully-qualified Industrial Designer, with a focus on experimental composite materials for vehicular/automotive performance.
My living space in Calgary is all set for moving. I'm not quite packed yet. That's what I'm doing today. I'm basically just bringing my desktop, both monitors, external accessories, clothes, SLR camera, bike, some design books, and.... that's about it. My whole life can fit in my car.
fright of the day
So I was walking out to the barn in the backyard this morning, with my head down, texting Jiggs. I was obliviously finishing the message when I noticed a black shape at the front periphery of my vision. I kept walking and casually looked up when I was about 3 ft away from the obstacle in my path. It was a groundhog, standing up on its hind legs, squinting at me. I jumped backwards about 3 ft in the air and let out a yelp, while it simultaneously did the same. We stared at each other for about 10 seconds before it dismissed me as a threat and proceeded to shuffle back to its lair underneath the storage shed.
Frankly, I'm not sure who scared who first. We've been visited by cats, bunnies, fawns, adult herds of deer, hawks, finches, a fox, chipmunks, squirrels and even a stag with a full rack of antlers, but I don't think I've ever been as startled. I think it was because of how close I got to the groundhog. I could have nudged him with my foot - we were that close before noticing each other.
What's next, a bear? Cougar? Wolves?
car
I'm so happy with my built engine Subaru.
The delivery is so smooth, and the torque is instantaneous. Upon mashing the gas, my head snaps back against the headrest, and the engine opens up with a throaty roar. The car then streaks off, the fervor and intensity increasing as the RPMs do the same. The shift light flashes green, indicating the need to shift into the next gear. The momentary pause is then broken by yet another mad dash to redline, then the process is repeated. Before I know it, I'm at 180 kph with about 3000rpms left before hitting redline in top gear... however I've run out of straight road - the twisties are coming up fast.
I'm very satisfied with the finely tweaked suspension, too. I maintain my 180 kph speed into the corner, threshold braking at the last possible moment. The braking force activates my seat belt restraints, and a carwash rag in my backseat flies forward to plaster itself on my dash. I double-clutch and rev-match into 3rd gear, letting out the clutch while gently steering into the apex simultaneously. The tires grip, then begin gradually break away, allowing a sweet-sounding scream of protesting rubber to fill the air. All four tires are now loose, and I've entered the apex of the turn. I touch the throttle and progressively bring it to the floor, using my driver's side window to look outside - because that's the direction that my car is going. The engine throatily bellows for more, the tires scream with a vengeance, and the car shoots out of the corner exit facing straight ahead, a modest 2 feet away from the guard rail.
I admit that the car isn't quite the looker. It definitely doesn't scream Porsche Killer... even if it has done exactly that countless times. However, I'd like to think that I've wisely modified it underneath the skin. There's barely a shadow left of the original engine and suspension. The car's rigidity has been increased several times over, and the performance has also been elevated beyond that of any car more than thrice its dollar value. The only hints that it has of its performance are the subtly lowered stance, the suspiciously effortless way it corners without body roll, and the deeper rumbling idle that immediately gives away the large cams to the more knowledgeable car enthusiasts.
I'm finally done. :D That's the best part of it all. I can hang with powerful turbo cars on the straights, and demolish most of them when the roads begin to get squirrelly. I've been told that I'm a good driver, but I believe that it's just because the car and I are very well matched. I suck at RWD (RR and MR in particular... FR's not too bad). A senior racing instructor of mine once commented that he couldn't beat my time in my own car because I know the limits of AWD better than he ever could.
So what am I going to do now? I'm putting all future plans on hold. The engine is new and fresh, the suspension is spotless. I'll focus the next two years on my education. When I can afford it, my engine will receive a GT28R turbo, accompanied by methanol injection and a custom FMIC, ditching my large radiator in exchange for smaller dual radiators in place of my foglights. I've got it all down on paper - 400 horsepower to the wheels (approx. 450-460 horsepower at the crank), with a quick spool and terrifying acceleration.