Petrol Head

In addition to blogging and sourcing content for S12Silvia.com, I am have been preparing for taking High Performance Driving lessons, so there will be information on that in the future.  And as always working on my Nissan S12.  Just last month (February issue), Modified Magazine ran a feature on my car that I had been waiting nine months for.  I was thrilled and it was far better than the S3 feature (S3 blog site).  Sorry Jonathan, love S3 but Modified was my primary goal.  I was not aware that S3 was going to feature me in their magazine last year, which is great, but is bittersweet for I feel that by talking to Jonathan that Modified was a bit out of luck.  If I had realized this, I would have definitely asked to have waited until the first quarter magazine in S3 that would have been printed after the Modified feature.  In the end, it is my fault for not realizing this, although, the Modified feature is by far the better of the two, so if you had to make a decision, go with Modified's article.  The article will soon be made available for download in PDF on S12Silvia.com's blog covering Project S12/26.  For now, the article is available from Modified's website.  I want to thank Peter (editor of Modified), David (author of my feature), and Josh (photographer) for the whole experience was great and each one was top notch.  I would love to work with them again.... A possibility since I have already worked with Peter twice and David was aware of my S12.  I cannot say much more in praise of the three.

When first discussing a possible feature with a few editors, the editor of SuperStreet, Jon, was keen on running my car.  He ran Henry's S12 in the June 2010 issue of SuperStreet and would make a great complimentary feature.  However, since Peter from Modified had told me he would cover my car, Jon bowed out and said that since both magazines are owned by the same parent company, that he would be unable to run a feature on it.  Despite that, in the March 2011 issue of SuperStreet they covered the Japanese Classic Car Show I attended last September in SoCal.  As my shop owner said, looks like I did make it into SuperStreet after all.In addition to my S12, fellow S12 enthusiasts Andrew's (white coupe in picture) and Henry's (on page not shown) S12s made it in as well.

As in customary for my daily routine, I warm up either car for at least seven minutes.  It really isnt the best when being in a hurry or late for work but considering my daily is Wankel-powered RX-7 and my 'toy'/back-up car is twin-turboed, it is necessary that both warm up.  So, what is there for me to do during those minutes, usually freezing in the car as it warms up in this cold state of Washington where there is a distinct lack of warm sunlight: read.  I am slowly getting into the habit of reading again.  For years before college and fancying a social life, I used to read non-stop... almost to a detriment in some ways.  Well unlike then when I read novels, my choice of reading material is automobile related.  Surprise surprise.  What may be surprising is that with the large variety of material I have to choose from, I am reading a British magazine.  EVO, as it is called, is to date the best magazine I probably have ever read and the first one I have ever read cover to cover.  The content is excellent not because of its flavour but because it is in-depth and informative in it's explanation and break down of the cars and the reviews that follow.  Yes, a subscription is must and I will have mine soon.  For now, I just pick it up at the local Borders.  I highly recommend it.  I only have a few issues but am looking to obtain a lot more in the future.

Always Busy

Ever busy, I have neglected my personal blog in lieu of S12Silvia.com's blog.  Not having much time remaining after work, school, and homework, all that I have left has been a serious effort to either not fall asleep or simply stare at the TV whilst Netflix is on.  Then on the days off I have had every so often and the weather being quite lenient as of late, I am out during the day driving the S12 enjoying every moment of it.  While out yesterday I had  an opportunity that at one time would have been unique but has since become more common in the past couple of years.  As my Facebook status said:

"There's nothing like blowing by a Smart car in a proper petrol-based car: An S12 that has an appetite for petrol and a love affair with a pair of turbos."


Not surprisingly, I received much interested from my fellow petrol heads and an informative explanation as to why current day Hybrids/EVs, for example the Prius, isn't as environment friendly as they seem.  My only regret was driving solo and not getting a picture or a video of my 'fly-by', not that they appreciated it much.

About S12Silvia.com though, it has been a success.  With eight blogs posted in January alone including coverage of Nikolay Konstantinov at Irwindale and Vaughn Gittin Jr, the site has garnered much interest as of late, gained praise, and has been linked to from other sites - even from Jr's blog.  As was mentioned in the previous blog post, S12Silvia.com keeps me very much busy.  As a moderator and committed content supplier, it is pretty relevant to much of Internet activity as of late.  Please forgive the inability to read the text, but due to the fact that it details current blogs in progress, planned blogs, and blogs in research, it can be considered proprietary information for the site.

An Eclectic Collection of Interests

For the most part, I dont hold much interest in doing too much concerning my birthday.  I acknowledge it but really there is just too much I have to do these days.  Between school, work, working on content for S12Silvia.com , and planning future content for both the aforementioned site and a couple others, I keep quite busy.  Today I took a day out to enjoy myself.  Spent the first bit of it with my bro and celebrated my nephew's bday.  After that I ventured to Seattle with a couple of friends.  Could have requested one more but unfortunately he is out of state due to work.  Thanks to those three, I received a handful of gifts.

Yup, still on the Tron thing.  Enjoyed the movie for what it was and looking forward to the third installment due out some time in the future.  Sam came with his disc (on his back), his utility baton (on his right leg), and lights.

Then there is the printed material.  A 2011 calendar of Dragons and such.  Came with a 'Dragon Hunting' guide; now my nephew will be obsessed with having me teach him how to find dragons in his backyard.  He did enjoy How to Train Your Dragon after all.  Received the first combined volume of The Adventures of Tintin by Herge.  It is one of seven compilations each of three adventures by Tintin, Snowy, and friends.  I am also very much looking forward to the movie Tintin due out later this year.  Then lastly I bought two mangas while in Seattle of a series I've been interested in for some time, Claymore.

All in all, it was a great day and I enjoyed it greatly.  I feel that I need to take more days like this to just enjoy life, friends, and just to have fun.  I do owe much gratitude for those who took their time out of their day to accommodate.  Cheers!