Weeknd Report

Formula Drift Atlanta took place this weekend at the world famous Road Atlanta track in Braselton, GA. For myself, this meant one more weekend being alone and waiting for Yukio to come home. Normally, a few days apart is not a big deal, but we have been apart for a little over two weeks now, so I was really excited for Sunday morning to roll around. There was horrible weather this weekend at the track, and my Facebook feed was flooded with complaints that Formula Drift needed to get their shit together because the livestream was down. Honestly, it isn’t their fault; they aren’t am internet/cable company or technicians. It was just annoying and sad to see lots of entitled people complaining as if they paid for this bonus that is provided free. I get it, we want to watch some of our friends and teams compete, but seriously, if you’re going to talk shit and complain, tag names directly or blame the correct source of the problem. Another thing I saw that made me roll my eyes was some kid from the PNW calling Formula Drift drivers “pussies” for doing shakedowns since the track had some wet spots. He even went as far as to compare the skills of Formula 1 drivers to the skills of Formula Drift, that one made me laugh big time. It’s not like this rookie cut it for this season anyways or has competed throughout the ENTIRE series in the type of cars that the top 16 drivers have. Don’t knock it until you’ve been in their shoes, or at least be Nico Rosberg to run your mouth. Personally, I didn’t watch the event, I wished all the Garrett drivers well, but went on my day. Terrible Drift Bunny, I know.

Speaking of F1, who else is stoked that Mercedes wins again? Personally, I am a Rosberg fan, but still thrilled that Hamilton took it. Anyone in the LA area doing something fun for F1 Monaco? My boyfriend and I want to eventually do F1 parties. He is a Kimi fan, so Ferrari fans, I suppose you are welcome to hang out LOL.

The fun doesn’t stop as this weekend we are heading to Pomona for NHRA which is a perfect since I am in the process of writing my Female Friday spotlight on a drag racer. Funny enough, drag racing and time attack are the newest motorsports I have been going to more than drifting this season and am really starting to enjoy it. NHRA is fun, but it seems a bit old school for my taste, Import Faceoff is what I am getting into. I’ve never been a fan of Hondas, typical grassroot fangirl, I was all about Nissans. Close minded on my part, I have been enjoying being around other cars on the strip more and more. Hopefully this season, with or without my partner in crime, I’ll be able to watch another World Challenge event or maybe even photograph it. Yukio is turning me into a race nerd!

I am starting to really love my new job, and especially the fact that I have weekends off. It has been really interesting working in Los Angeles, specifically the “west side”. I worked for a shitty property management company that had me out of two buildings; one on Ocean Ave in Santa Monica, and the other in the fancy part of Brentwood. Eventually, I stayed in Brentwood which was more enjoyable because the other office girl became my friend. Ironically, she went to school with Walker Wilkerson, small world! My weekends were Monday and Tuesday which blew big time. One thing I noticed about working on this side of LA is the type of people that throve here. You have your wannabe kardashians, real housewives, bored with too much money, or starving actor one gig on 3^rd street promenade away from hitting it big. Although there is an artificial vibe, it is fun, I feel like I am working in another planet so to speak. When you find people who are genuine, or out of state transplants, it is like finding a plastic toy in the cereal box. I live in the South Bay side of Los Angeles, specifically where we live is very close to the beach, so it is a laid back vibe. That is one of the things I like about this city, it is a huge melting pot of people, cultures, and things to do.

I guess you can say I feel at home here finally, I have bled out the last of Moorpark from my system. Although I miss my itty bitty doggie, that is just a 45 minute quick fix I have somewhat gotten over. Last month I even changed my number to a 310 area code, just felt right.

There is never really a dull moment for too long in my new life lately, I have my ups and my downs too, but accepting that has become something that has come with time. I am working my ass off to make sure I keep a consistent forward pace with my relationship, career, and journey in development as a photographer and writer in motorsports. Hopefully there are few people out there who read this and find some sort of relation in situations and are inspired to keep on keepin’ on.

xoxo Drift Bunny

The Weekly

The past few weeks have been interesting on top of our laptop dying on us. I finally found a new job at an awesome property management company, Yukio left to Europe for about 12 days, and I got a pet bunny. Yes, the irony is obvious, but my friend Tiffany needed to give him up for adoption and I told her if I landed this job I’d take him. He is so adorable, while and grayish silver. Not sure why, but his coat reminds me of the F1 Mercedes team colors, so I renamed him, Nico, after Nico Rosberg. I tend to do that, perfect example would be my doggie, Tanner. He has gold and black, like the Rockstar energy team, which Tanner Foust drove for in FD.

It is my 3^rd day at my new job, and I am feeling like this is going to be a good match. Although Yukio came home for barely 2 days, he left for Formula D Atlanta and is coming home first flight on Sunday. It does make me a bit sad that he has been gone for 2 weeks; I never really saw how close we got until we have been apart. Through the ups and downs and everything in between, I know this brings me more into the realm of adulthood and maturity, which has also been a growing pain. Our apartment feels like home finally, and my transition into a cohabitation is starting to be more relaxed.

Last night I went through my Instagram account and came across the old photos I took at my Mom’s 50^th birthday dinner at my Grandma’s house last year. We don’t talk, at all. We had another falling out back in December and haven’t spoken since, although I have my own feelings towards the situation, I wish it wasn’t hostile. After reminiscing through pictures and memories, it became clear that I really am the black sheep of my family, at least on my Mother’s side. I am the only different sheep amongst the heard, but that is what sheep do, the follow and conform. My cousins, my brother, and myself, were born out of wedlock and at a very young age. All the marriages are ending, but for some reason, the way of thinking has not changed. This is where the disagreements have come from and why I refused to follow the same path, I need to make my own mistakes, learn, and evolve. I definitely feel lonely on the family side of things, but life sometimes deals hands that are not what we preferred. Hopefully one day in the future, my mom will be proud of me without any contingencies and we will see eye to eye rather than agree to disagree.

 As many of you already know, I have my Real Estate license and have been in the industry for about 8 years now. Recently, I have decided to go back to school. Ultimately, I would like to achieve an MBA and hopefully enter the professional side of motorsports with a tire company or team. Falling back on my RE license has been helpful, but with the encouragement of my boyfriend, I have realized that I need to have a stronger education if I want to go above and beyond the average “comfortable” life. Hard work does pay off, so I am looking forward to going back to school and just learning new things.

Slow and steady wins the race (of life, not motorsports) and as of now, I am back on track. So far, I have learned that life and love require hard work, patience, and compassion. First you need all the correct ingredients, and then you mix them together, then finally enjoy the cupcakes of your labor.

xox Drift Bunny

Nutshell

My infamous time gaps, ah yes. Lovely, aren't they? I know, I know, I am terrible at updating. Here's the truth, it has been hard to update often with the situations I've been in. When I lived at home, our family PC was on it's last leg of life, so working on photos and posting/blogging was challenging. My mother let me use her work laptop on occasion to edit, but with work, obviously that was priority. So as always, here is the juicy post that catches you up to speed on the past 6 months or so on my life in motorsports and off the track.

I last left you all on a cliffhanger before SEMA. If you all follow my Instagram (@thedriftbunny) then you saw how crazy it was with the crazy industry parties every night, the exciting show itself, and of course, hanging out with a variety of new faces and old ones. I hadn't experienced wither SEMA or Vegas until that week, which was the most fabulous thing ever, going back to Vegas when it isn't SEMA is going to be debated ;) If any had noticed I went out there on Halloween, it was for a certain reason, and no, it was not to get extra partying in. 

This now brings me to one of the most exciting and special chapter in my life that I have already been very open with, the love of my life; my boyfriend Yukio. I went out early to hang out with who I originally saw as a friend, and wanted to just have fun few days early. Right off the bat, it was like I had known this person for years, and it was like seeing those animated stars when we had our conversations. Ironically, in the city of sin, I fell in love.

About December time, things at home were once again, rough and not working out. Just like last year, I left unexpectedly. I stayed in Moopark for a few weeks figuring things out and working a small part time at my favorite store, Sprouts. After about a month, I moved in with my boyfriend to the beautiful South Bay. We live on the border of Redondo Beach and Torrance, and it is so lovely here. Living on my own for a bit last year is totally different now, especially since I chose to have a better and positive state of mind than last year. Life for the past 4 months have been an adjustment, and I am now barely seeing here as my home. I have the most loving and supportive boyfriend here that wants to make sure I am always comfortable and happy as to where living in Highland Park, I had no one. Don't get me wrong, I am not an ignorant young woman that is going to sit here and rant about how I have the "best boyfriend in the world", because we have our ups and downs learning to cohabitate together.

The hardest aspect of living with a boyfriend has been the struggle to accept that I am no longer an "I" and have to learn to share space and adjust habits of mine like when I lived at home or on my own. All in all, it is fun, Yukio has an incredible career (in motorsports of course) and I have been lucky enough to go with him to few drag races and two time attacks. Today, we are  going to the 2nd day of the Long Beach Grand Prix, and it is just amazing. Being with someone who shares my love for motorsports feels like I've slipped on a pair of glass slippers.

Of course, there has to be one thing that isn't so peachy. I fell off the vegan/healthy wagon. I FEEL SO GUILTY! It really sucks. When I lived at home, our family room was very spacious and i could move my couches quite easily and get my workouts in, here, not so much ( haha). Yes, yes, I do remember my motivational sayings and postings, I should just move the damn sectional couch we have here along with the coffee table. The space here is small, however, I need to just suck it up. My whole being felt so in balance last year, and now I just want to be back in that spot. Hopefully that motivation stick whacks me in the head and there will be no belly aching about this! 

So there you have it, my life over the past 6 months or so. now that we have Internet and I have a laptop that won't travel from me, I can attempt to update this weekly (hopefully). I am planning on introducing a new blog on my cohabitation adventures, but will most likely just merge those stories with this blog. 

Off to the races we go! Make sure to keep up with my pink adventures of Instagram; @thedriftbunny... Let's see if I can reach 50k followers! :)

xo Drift Bunny 

Scribble, scribble, dot, dot.

I get asked a lot about this whole Drift Bunny project and what my agenda really is behind it. Truth of the matter is, I really do this whole thing because I love it and have such a passion for bringing these events to life. I have friends and family that aren't into any sort of motorsports and telling them all about the day or weekend adventures is always fun, especially because I get to somewhat experience it all over again. When I was in high school I had this one history teacher who would always take his time and ask everyone what they did over the weekend; if there was a drift event my hand would be up before he could finish his sentence. Simply telling classmates, friends, and family wasn't enough especially since my adventures kept getting more and more exciting and complex. My favorite part of any adventure I write about will always have to be when I am working on the track and am few feet away from these absolute monsters roaring past me and leaving behind their musky yet sharp smell of burning rubber... Oh! Just gives me goosebumps reliving those moments.

One of my favorite parts of each and every event is seeing all my friends and familiar friends that I have been lucky to make over the past years being around this chaotic playground. Formula D Long Beach feels so comparable to the first day of school, those same jitters and excitement from not seeing your friends after a few month hiatus, just anxious to see everyone's new monsters dance through the turns and hairpins. One of the best events to cover and experience all around. Some familiar faces aren't always in the Drifting side of things, they're working in the vendor village, have a show car in their own area, or some of them happen to be the pretty faces that make men melt; the models. Whatever they do, making the rounds around the general paddock with the diverse friends constantly makes me smile and happy to be in such an interesting industry with even more interesting characters.


Wouldn't you know? That's just for the pro league. Although I started off with Nightshifts and Formula D, JustDrift will always be like a second home for me. Willow Springs is where the raw talent and love for the sport is cultivated and nurtured, grassroot style. Beat to hell 240s, 86s, FC's and so on whine and wiz by with their stock motors and coilovers spinning often but returning promptly to the start line to try again. It's really an addictive taste that isn't difficult to acquire, but addictive once you have it; spectating, riding along, or driving, drifting is such a potent fun at any level. Top Drift is a lot of fun, especially in the recent seasons since more and more pro license hopefuls come out to journey themselves for a professional license. It really is grassroot days on steroids and twice exciting, just as down to earth.

The waking up early and driving through the mountains and desert that feels as if I'm traveling through Mars and is usually one of the best parts of the day before the track. Its usually cold and windy in the beginning of the season however weather and any other grievance seems to fade when everyone starts driving and especially when ride alongs are given out; that will always be my favorite part of any event, planned or not. There is something about driving with someone that is so magical and memorable each time without fail, I believe it is because every driver has their own unique style to their art, each personality seems to be painted a bit through their driving, just like every writer or photographer has their own personal touch to whatever it is they bring to life. In a way, it feels like I am able to get to know that person somewhat regardless if they are shy and not speak.

I could very well go on and on and on about how exciting every experience has been and try and make it dance in your mind, but you and I would most likely be here all day and night, but I promise I won't keep you hostage that long. Since Formula D Texas is in two weeks, and I have to wait to start doing what I do best, writing is my outlet for that excitement. The best part about Drifting is that I grew up throughout the whole experience; 15 to 22 years old. It never dulls, never becomes routine, and never becomes a jaded chore. Hopefully this little entry explains where I come from to a degree, because it will never be understood unless you go out and experience the monsters and magic for yourself.

xo Drift Bunny

On the Daily

The past week and a half or so I have really been pushing my blog also with my updated portfolio a bit, so thank you all who have shared and viewed, been seeing lots of new countries from around the world and it makes me smile! So hello to all my new readers from beautiful Los Angeles! 

During the time I have been stalling to promote my updated portfolio I have been also focusing in my career as a Real Estate agent. It's been good so far, trying out a new method of working to prospect for new business since the market has gotten even more difficult than when I started. Talking to 40 people a day has been really challenging but its something I really have to attempt to stick to. My mom is the person I report to and since taking time apart she got her very own office in the town that I live in, so it makes it easier to go to and from home to play with my little yorkie who I bring to the office occasionally. 

Last weekend was very exciting and there are some new opportunities coming my way for media/motorsports. Right now I am just waiting on a confirmed date to announce a new style of racing I will be covering, I even got to hang out their shop in Orange County last Saturday. There is a new outlet that has presented me with an great spot on their team as well, so you will be seeing a lot more of the Bunny in front of the camera instead of behind with few things, so stay tuned! 

This summer has been a lot of fun meeting new people and trying new things especially after all the bullshit that happened right at the beginning, but I guess what they say is true, "time heals everything" and life has never felt happier for me. 

Still keeping up with being vegan and working out although I have come up with my own routine and when to do different videos; rotating the asylum, insanity, turbo fire, and P90x. Some guy today was telling me that I am basically putting my life at risk for being vegan and need to do more research... Hmm well, I've never been in better shape and the number of cat calls have increased drastically, so I'd say I'm doing fine haha.

There's about 3 weeks left until Formula D Texas and I'M SO EXCITED TO FREAKING GO!!!! I can't wait to cover this  event and totally get a second chance to make a Texas trip fun. Can't wait to feel the power of these monsters, smell the burning rubber, wipe tire boogers off my arms, and especially slip into the bow and mask again! Meeting Josh from edrift is going to be super fun too, really looking forward to that as well. 

TopDrift is this weekend and I am so sad to say that I will not be making it out there, I totally forgot that I have a baby shower that I need to go to for an old co-agent I worked with when I was at my first RE company. I know Rob is going to do incredible and everyone needs to send him good vibes for the last event of the season.

Keep in touch, will be writing again soon!
xoxo Drift Bunny