Weekend Report

This weekend was the first time in 3 weeks I got to spend with Yukio, but because we are officially in the motorsport season, this was another race weekend. 

Friday Yukio was out in Pomona supporting the first day of the weekend for his teams while I was up on the westide of LA working away in my new awesome job. We decided it would be a good idea to have a date night before knowing the next two evenings would be spent falling asleep early from heat exhaustion due to the heat off the track. It's moments like date nights that remind us that we are just regular people outside of racing and it is important to keep it in check off the asphalt.

Saturday morning rolls around and it is time to head out to the famous Pomona drag strip. I have been there before, ironically, that is where I first experienced Drifting almost a decade ago. We get there and meet up with the one and only Bro Photo aka Kyle Lewis that has been shooting for Yukes since forever. Turbo by Garrett has 4 cars that race out of about 80 teams in the series more or less and there is one dragster that is a 2jz with Garrett turbos. Three of the 4 come from the shop MMR (Modular Mustang Racing) from up in Camarillo which is super close to where I grew up. They specialize in of course, mustangs, in which they began specializing in mustang part installations and eventually began turbo charging few years after prototyping and installing super charger kits. The owner Mark expanded his knowledge in aftermarket for mustangs by learning the science of airflow dynamics when he accepted a position working for Best Products/Pro-M. 

The other car belongs to Garret’s distributor, Turbos Direct. They run their Outlaw 10.5 2005 Mustang W/ Smith Racecraft Backhalf that produced a Best 1/4 ET 6.62 @223 MPH and a Best 1/8 ET 4.32 @177 MPH. This was my second NMCA event, and I am starting to understand the complexity that goes into Drag racing; the different classes, brackets, mods, rules, everything. As with any other motorsport, there is a lot of waiting around for your drivers to run, but when they have their turn after patiently waiting in the staging lanes, it is nothing short of pure adrenaline. At Fontana, I got my first taste of how badly methanol burns, and to listen and smell for those cars, my eyes and lungs burned like hell!

We basically sat in the VIP box the entire time with our friend Rossy and Yukio’s pal from Turbosmart, Marty. After qualifying, Rossy, Bro photo, and us went to Korean BBQ which is always a good idea. The food there was super fresh, especially their chicken, which still had a feather on it despite being friend and dead. Yum, yum, super fresh feather chicken!

Saturday night is not complete without a date night to our favorite hookah spot in Redondo Beach, skyline hookah. The ambience is very upscale club setting, but they don’t have their liquor license, which draws a younger crowd. Unfortunately more and more it feels like high school seniors hang out here with their vapes and talk about how PCP and pills don’t show up on drug screening. Always a good time I suppose? Yukio has a fan boy there as well, he is so fascinated with Yukes’ WRX and always tries to start up a conversation on builds and what he is getting next. So adorable!
Soon after it was Sunday morning and time to hit Pomona for the finals, all of the Garrett cars had qualified. Again, lots of waiting around for our bracket, the Turbo by Garrett Pro Mod. Everyone ran really well and laid down some solid time,and we had one podium for Mickey Thompson Tires True Ten 5, Mark Luton, the owner of MMR. 

We ended the race weekend with a quick visit to my aunt, uncle, and cousins down the street from the track and dinner at Malibu Fish Grill which was just about the most amazing thing I’ve had in a while. If you are in the South Bay, I highly recommend you try it! To top off the exciting weekend, we gave into our guilty pleasures and tried a new ice cream sandwich place, Baby G’s on PCH in Hermosa Beach. Another weekend of successfully combining racing with cohabitation which will get tested again with more and more race events coming up soon. Never a dull moment, and that’s the way I like it.

xo Drift Bunny

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

Track Life

Last week was Formula Drift; we went to Press day on Tuesday and attended both qualifying and the main event. I decided to sit out shooting on Friday and enjoy the event as a spectator while hanging out with Yukio which was a really nice change of pace. It's different shooting specific drivers and not shooting everyone, but it was a good experience none the less, it will only help sharpen me as a photographer.

Fun fact: we just got internet access in our apartment, it has been about 3.5 months.
No complaints here, I moved in with a bachelor who travels constantly so I understood why it was the way it was. The good news is, I got to see my chookio more and more since he could do a little work from home. I was still day dreaming about all the fun we had over the weekend I almost forgot to look forward to the Grand Prix up this weekend. Our schedule is a little hectic for the next week; Grand Prix, IDRC (drag racing), and Las Vegas for the SEMA exhibitor summit from Monday to Wednesday. It was so refreshing to see something other than drifting, which don't get me wrong, that is where it all began for me, but my motorsport interest has matured into other reaches of the Industry and I was mostly looking forward to seeing the Prototypes compete in the Tudor Challenge/ALMS race. The Grand Prix involves a ton of walking around, but it is so worth it, especially if you are there to absorb and learn about several types of racing. Yukio's company sponsors some cars in World Challenge and Prototype; for some reason, the WC teams did not compete, but the two Sky Active Mazda cars did. Quite honestly, they got chewed up, but that's okay! That just leaves so much opportunity for growth after development.

Hearing what ALMS and World Challenge cars sound like up close and in person was like hearing the motorsport angels sing; Ferrari, Cadillac, Porsche, Audi, BMW... So Incredible! When the bunch of ALMS cars accelerated after the hairpin it was like all 9 years of drifting excitement was bubbled up into those few seconds of glorious roaring. Ferrari was so loud, you could here that driver spool up over the bunch of 6 other machines; one of the most amazing sounds to hear in person. Our friends Cuban, Kevin, and Travis were with us too, talking good shit and making even better jokes, I couldn't ask for a better experience than laughing and watching some amazing racing.

At the end of the evening, Motegi has their "Super Drift" Challenge where 16 drivers from the series compete instead of the usual demo they put on. I feel like that was a good move in terms of showing what Formula Drift is really like and will bring in a load of new faces for Irwindale or perhaps out of state events.
Yukio had to shoot photos and do all the social media stuff in the photographer pit both nights, so last night, I hung out with my new friend Ari in the spotter tower to which I found out was a suite for spectators too! Of course, it's not free and I could imagine it costs a pretty penny to be there... When the competition began, chooks came up and watched with us and we all had fun despite the chilly weather. Everyone did a great job showcasing what the series is about, and just from hearing the comments from new faces, this league is only going to continue it's rapid growth.

After the excitement, we finished with dinner at our favorite ramen spot in Gardena. Super authentic, and one of the best tasting hot meals for when it is cold.

Today is IDRC in Fontana, Import drag racing. I was going to go with Yukio again, but there was one problem; laundry. We need some fresh laundry for Vegas, and in the midst of the racing excitement, it kept getting put off. So I decided last night to stay back, clean our apartment, and make sure we have clean clothes for our trip. I guess that's love, right? I want to be supportive in more ways than cheering for my boyfriend's sponsored drivers, so hopefully cleaning today will do the trick (I know it does).

I am excited to leave tomorrow and spend a little time with my lovey out of state even though this is a work trip, but he will be traveling internationally and all over the US soon. We are trying to spend a good amount of time together before he is gone for basically 6 weeks. This is one of the aspects of my relationship I am going to have to learn to deal with in a positive manner, since we have basically been together since October. Time apart is good, but it will be a good challenge.

Well, it is time to watch a few of my favorite shows then start cleaning up a bit. Viva Las Vegas in the AM!

xo Drift Bunny  

Curiosity doesn't always kill the Cat.

I noticed that I get a ton of follow up questions with things that I post up on here, facebook, instagram, twitter, etc so I have decided to take the most asked questions and answer them on here! Thank you to everyone who submitted their questions through facebook xo

DRIFTING/MOTORSPORTS
How long have you been into/around Drifting for and what got you into it?
I have been around the sport for 7 years now, since I was 15 years old. I went snowboarding with some church group thing to Big Bear where my snowboard instructor just happened to be a former Formula D license holder and sponsored by a major tire company back when licenses and sponsorships were give out a lot easier. I really liked this guy (of course being 15/16) so when he invited me out to the Pomona Night Shift by HIN that's when I fell in love with it just by watching the Dunlop tire demo.

Do you drift? What kind of car do you drive?
No, been on lots of memorable ride alongs but never gotten a car sideways. If I ever get around to finally building a track car it will be for grip/road racing, I feel more drawn to that style of driving personally than to drift. I own an 08 Mercedes C300, and no, it doesn't drift, yes I know how to turn the TC off.

Do you go to all the Formula D events?
The only ones I have not been to so far are West Palm Beach and Seattle, for some reason those just never find their way into my top traveling priority although I'd love to go, especially if I could be flown out, it gets quite pricey. I go to as many as I can on my own dime, well, simply because I am so in love with Drifting and covering these incredible events. Hopefully one season I will be at all 7 rounds to meet you all who ask about WPB and Seattle!

What do you do in the off season?
I LOVE snowboarding, it's how I got into Drifting in the first place! Not only does it tap into my athletic side, it gives me a chance to be around a totally different scene and meet new people, which is my third favorite thing ever. I own an 09 Burton Feather, with Burtong bindings, boots, jacket, bag etc. I am a label whore when it comes to snowboard gear, but I guess its better than being a label whore with purses or clothing. Two seasons ago I lost my favorite gloves that were Volcom Stones' and scratched a quarter of my goggles, which are Von Zipper of course. I've been riding the same amount of time as I've been in Drifting, so if you're ever in the SoCal area in the middle of winter, lets shred the gnar ;) 

Behind the Bow
Is photography what you do for work?
Nope! I am a licensed Realtor in the state of California through C21. Photography and writing are my creative outlets, and thus the Drift Bunny was born out of imagination, pink ribbons, and glitter. I have a seasoned agent I work with, been around the housing industry all my life so being a real estate agent just came naturally to me.

I read your LONG post about your ex, what a jerk. Has he ever tried to call?
Ah yes. This one was VERY popular. No, he hasn't, I doubt he ever will, and I am at peace knowing that. Going to Texas only to be told he thought the whole situation was funny and he never really cared was my closure and showed me that I wasn't dealing with a man, but a coward who couldn't handle his business. Honestly, I don't want to know anymore, its irrelevant to my life now and will only slow me down more. There are no crystal balls in life, and last year I thought we would never talk again after him going overseas, so who knows! Maybe one day he will come around or maybe he won't. It's a non issue to me now.      

Hey.
HI.

 Any advice for me for getting in shape? I've tried everything and nothing works!
For myself, being vegan was key. I have always worked or because I was always in sports, so that was never the issue, eating properly was. After going through such traumatic events earlier this year I wanted to really hold myself accountable and what better what to do it than make myself sick if I ate junk food? haha. There is a saying that 80% of weight loss is dieting. I call bullshit. Proper diet and exercise go hand in hand period, you cannot out exercise poor eating. I wouldn't recommend vegan or plant based eating for everyone but I will say that you really have to FEED your body with all the good nutrients it needs and craves. Red meat is difficult for our bodies to digest, so I suggest lots of lean white meats, lots of fruits and veggies, and LOTS of water each day. Combined with 40 minutes of good cardio and weight training and you should see results in no time. Lastly, some fun upbeat music to get you going always helps, download lots of good things and try to listen to it only during workouts so they don't feel overplayed.

What do you do for fun besides Drifting things? 
Reading is always fun and relaxing, I love to read any books that stimulate the mind and get the imagination going. The Catcher in the Rye, the Great Gatsby, A Million Little Pieces, The Alchemist, are a few that get my imagination going. Also, lots of psychology based books are in my lineup too. About 99.5% of my friends are from the automotive world, so I love spending time with them and getting into random adventures doing whatever. I have one really good friend that lives by me and have known her since high school, her name is Katrina and she's probably the funniest and most amazing person that I get to call my friend, if not my "bestie". She is totally the girlie girl part of me; we get our nails done, shop, and go dancing at nightclubs together, not to mention watch MTV's catfish and Keeping up with the Kardashians religiously. One super random thing that not many people know about me is that I love horses and horse back riding; there is a ranch that I volunteer my time at occasionally very close to my house and just hang out with the people and animals. It is so relaxing and a nice break from everything.

Do you have a boyfriend or dating anyone?
No. I really want to be alone and single in every way romantically possible right now. There are some projects in motorsports that I am trying to get off the ground the rest of this and for next season that I really want to put all my energy into. Real Estate is what is going to fund my expensive hobby, so that requires a lot of time and focus as well. Boys seem to have a nasty little spell on me, they distract me so much and I really cannot deal with anyone besides my friends, family and people that are surrounding my projects. For one whole year, I'd love to just stay single and work on myself and things that matter to me the most right now.


I love reading and answering questions and things from people who enjoy my blog. Lately there has been a steady stream of questions, so any good ones that pop up again I will answer them on here every two weeks or so.

xo Drift Bunny   

Cheers to the freakin weekend

I hope everyone had a fun and safe weekend! It hasn't been as hot as Southern California usually is at this point of summer and got to spend all of Saturday in beautiful Los Angeles. I haven't seen my friend Michelle in a while since she's been super busy with all the amazing opportunities in modeling lately including Roll Models, the reality show on the Loud network. Have you guys checked it out? Totes love.

Saturday we went to this amaziiiiing place for lunch at the Grove called Veggie Grill, holy Vegan heaven, it was amazing. Tried kale for the first time with my baja wrap with Chick'n (soy meat) and instantly fell in love. We went to get foot massages after with her roommate and this was my very first time getting one so I was a little curious when we went into a dark room with sub rooms all over. This is now officially my favorite pampering activity, they rub your feet then like a legit massage after, clothes on. So amazing, need to do that more often. 

After hanging out with Michelle, I decided I really didn't want to go home, so instead I drove down traffic clogged Santa Monica Blvd to hang out around the promenade and walk by the beach. There were a lot of fun things going on with the street performers, lots of talented singers and dancers. 

Of course, you have those crazy nuts who preach about their hardcore Jesus beliefs and such and also animal rights people with the meat is murder program. I love animals and all, but that's not why I'm vegan, tend to mind my own business haha. After getting some frozen yogurt (dairy free of course) I walked across this really talented singer with a younger guy on the drums playing that new song "Radiocative"and while playing the guitar and holy shit was he good. Great tone, soft voice, I was really impressed since street performers are generally the same skill wise; I could hear that there was that spark of talent in him. Scott Stowe is his name, and I liked his voice so much so that I decided to buy one of his CD's; he sounds like Jason Mraz meets Jon Foreman.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scott-Stowe/117932281766 

Leaving Santa Monica I headed over to my friend Steve's house who lives close to downtown LA to have dinner with him and two other friends Luis and Ruthie. They're probably some of the most honest and funniest people I have ever met, really glad to have them as friends. We headed over to Ktown (Koreatown) to have korean bbq for dinner, which was a bummer for me because I'm on that vegan program and have to restrain myself from eating amazingly amazing bulgogi beef. The place we go to is on 6th street called Hae Jang Chon, or the Happy Pig as Steve calls it; there is a giant happy pig on the sign outside the restaurant. Two doors down there's a Korean lounge bar thing that we usually go to drink before going next door. I forgot the name, but it's a pretty awesome place to hang out. I ate only rice paper, rice with chili paste, kimchi, french fries, and salad, which wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. As much as I wanted to drink or take just one shot, I held back, God forbid I get pulled over with any alcohol in my system, that would be the end of many aspirations for me. There will always be other times again to drink and have fun responsibly!
I fell asleep on the way back, so I knew it was time to head home. My day ended at 1:30 in the morning and it was a much needed day of fun and no worries.

Sunday was just a lazy day and I ended up hanging out with my mom at her place with my grandma. Helped around with few things and fell asleep super early, which was great for today, my mom had a closing on a property that called for the broker file to be completed, which I had done earlier. 

This Sunday, in Fontana, it is the annual 86 fest! It will be my first time going if nothing else pops up. Bring your friends, change your plans, but head out to experience this great event that has lots of good stories attached to it.

How was your weekend? (:

xo Drift Bunny