My Car for Sale

Complete pre-facelift, built from the ground Mitsubishi Galant VR-4. 2.5L V6 DOHC Twin Turbo AWD rated at 280hp.

– Newly swapped brand new 6a13tt
– Apex Filter (original for EC5A VR4)
– Custom pipes and exhaust by Brodeth
– Aftermarket oversized intercooler
– Denso Aluminum radiator
– HKS SSQV
– Custom MSD HT wires by Ichiban
– Custom Carbon Fiber engine cover
– New OS Gikken Twin-plate clutch with new clutch fork and clutch master

– Complete VR-4 pre-facelift original body panels (front and rear bumper, skirts, grill, trunk with spoiler etc)
– GT Carbon hood (imported from HK)

– Tein Super Street Coilovers
– Brembo Brakes on all fours
– Project Mu front calipers
– Endless CCX Brakepads
– 18×8.5in Rota Torque with 235/35 Bridgestone RE01s

– Defi Gauges with controller (Turbo, Oil Pres, Oil Temp, Water Temp)
– Original VR-4 Optitron gauge cluster
– Ralliart white shift knob
– Bride Ergo II front seats (black)
– Alpine 9835 Head Unit
– Focal KR2 front separates
– HID headlamps and fogs

I have an extra hood, front bumper, stock VR seats and a multitude of spare engine parts like a rebuilding kit, timing belt etc that I’ll throw in as well.

Just had the engine pulled down, changed all the seals, changed clutch, fixed suspension parts, fitted new engine supports etc. Put simply, nothing to fix. Also, newly painted last year.

Price: 500,000

0917 8934390

ADHD and Our Generation

ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Plainly, our entire generation’s got it. Some of us may have it more than others, but all of us have it at some level. I don’t know exactly how or why, but this is the reality, and I just can’t help but be bothered by it. Oh, and when I say ‘our generation’, I’m 26 years old right now, I grew up ‘collecting’ mp3s, going on mIRC, my ICQ number is 9156526. If you understood any of that, then you know where I’m coming from.

Our attention span—for most anything nowadays, has been reduced to nil. We can’t stand alone in one corner without having to either plug music into our ears, incessantly check our phones or just start fiddling with some other gadget, rather than to immerse ourselves in what’s actually happening around us. We facebook, tweet or blog whatever news we have to whoever would pay us any attention instead of saving it for a good conversation later on with friends. And these days, even in the company of friends, some of us prefer to stick our noses into our phones and actually talk to others online, and I emphasize, while in the presence already of other people. We can’t wait for the next new gadget, the next hot item, the next big thing, rather than just be content and happy with what we’ve presently got. (I’m mostly guilty of this one actually). We’d rather sit inside an airconditioned room watching one of a plethora of TV shows rather than sit on the sand by the beach, watching the sunset that’s right outside.

We’ve got our heads so deep into all this stuff that’s been fabricated for— I’m not even sure what for? Convenience? Fun? Entertainment? Necessity? That we’ve forgotten so much of what living in the real world is like. Well, that may be an exaggeration, but the fact remains that our generation is probably the most detached to ‘reality’. What’s even more bothersome is that we could consider ours as the ‘transition’ generation. We witnessed the boom of the internet, the birth of the GSM network (SMS), the evolution of that into the 3G network, mobile computers, superphones and so many more things, but seems like we’ve all forgotten the times before all these had arrived.

We should have more chats over coffee. More good dinners with friends and family. Good, extended, meaningful conversations that cover more than just the last thing you read on the internet or the last TV show you watched. We should read more books again and learn to discern for ourselves the information we’re receiving, rather than just believing everything we read on some blog. We should really go out more, do more, explore more. We’re wasting so much of our lives, to be honest.

This is a pretty pointless post, but if you get what I’m trying to say here, then you’d understand why I worry for how our generation’s kids would turn out.

Raining Cats and Dogs!

The weather was actually nice for the past week or so, raining once in a while, the wind picking up every now and then but generally nice. So today’s downpour was quite a surprise especially since earlier today it was quite sunny. It’s now 4:55PM, its been raining for exactly an hour now, and judging from my immediate surroundings, this is a whole lotta rain. Good news though, the water’s still calm if not calmer because of all the rain 😛 I can’t imagine what the Mabini side dive sites would look like tomorrow though. Best to head off to the Tingloy side.

click on thumbnail for a larger image

Weather August 14

GreAt weather today! Sun’s out and the water’s so flat and clear!

Road construction is still ongoing in the Bauan area so those travelling today and tomorrow shoulpld still take note of that.

Anf dor those not following the news, there will be a 300% increase in the toll fees on SLEX from Alabang to Calamba. The only silver lining to this grey cloud is that they’ll open the SLEX-STAR connection along with the hike. As of today however, there was a TRO issued by the SC that disallows this increase, so we’re kind of just back where we started.

August 14, 2010

So… its 2 in the morning, I’d just arrived at the resort. Weather seems pretty cooperative this weekend. Right now the sea’s pretty calm and the skies pretty clear, hopefully this’ll be good for diving tomorrow. Will post images of weather conditions in the morning.

Post-Weekend Update

Sooo.. wasn’t really able to make any updates earlier today, but the weather was just bad the whole day. Getting on and off of the boats from Acacia meant having to swim for it. I did 2 dives this afternoon and feared greatly for my camera while the bangkeros carried it on/off the boat. Mabini side was plain undive-able, mainly because of the choppy water which could prove to be problematic whilst trying to get back on the boat after a dive. Mang Ishio (Patrimar) suggested we cross over to Tingloy instead, so we did Caban Cove (checkout dives) and Kirby’s Rock, vis was relatively OK, could have been better with the sun out though.

So it seems like its raining now every afternoon until the evening, I hope this doesn’t last for very long.

I won’t be in Anilao until the weekend probably, so I won’t be able to make any real-time updates, but I’ll do my best to keep everyone posted.

Anyway, just to share some photos taken over the past few days of diving:
Click fo Facebook link

Last Update for Today

So it is now 10:45 in thE evening and unfortunately, the weather seems to have turned for the worse. It hasnt stopped raining since this afternoon and te waves are now angrily crashing onto the shore, making boat boarding impossible. Those wishing to still dive tomorrow can still do so, but you’ll have to board your boat from Mainit. Visibility across the channel and in certain dive sites like Koala have been reportedly great, while other areas like Mainit had as bad as 5ft of visibility.

Dive safe everyone!

Weather Update

Well, weird weather today. Through out the day, it was alternating between sunny and overcast. The water on the Mabini side was pretty much choppy the whole day, while it was better on the Tingloy side. It started raining at around 4 in the afternoon and is still raining a bit until now (7PM). The winds have died down a bit and the sea’s a little calmer too.

Oh, and we had a group today that saw 2 cow-nose rays at Mainit Point.

August 7 2010 Weather

Still preetty gloomy at 7 in the morning, and the waves are a bit roug this morning. Hopefully this will get better later during the day. Blue skies in the distance, always a good sign.

Taken at 7AM

Basic Underwater Photography Workshop

Acacia Resort and Dive Center will be conducting a Basic Underwater Photography Workshop this coming August 28 and 29, 2010. The workshop will be conducted by myself and Adrien Uichico.

We will cover the very basics of underwater photography from controlling your camera, photography concepts like shutter speed and aperture and how to use these underwater, composition, lighting and many more. The seminar schedule will be broken as follows:

Aug 28
Morning – Introduction, Lecture on basics, Set up.
Early Lunch
Afternoon – 2 boat dives followed by a dusk/night dive
Dinner – Critique, questions, etc.

Aug 29
Morning – Lecture on maximizing your camera underwater. Lighting, composition, critter tips, etc.
2 dives out, we will probably have packed lunch to save on time, but this may be adjusted.

Dives will also be tailored specifically for photography, so you can expect some muck diving. To maximize dive time and photo opportunities, we will also be employing a 2 divers to 1 dive guide ratio.

The course fee will be PhP15,000, but as an introductory rate, we will be charging only PhP12,000 for the first batch of participants on the said dates. There will only be 10 slots for this first batch.

Participants must have their own camera with underwater housing and at least 1 strobe in order to be able to apply concepts to be discussed in the workshop.

Interested parties may contact me through 0917-8934390 or email me at oliver@acaciadive.com.