02/05: Super Bowl Sunday
Soo... I've come to the conclusion that the Super Bowl should really be an official national holiday. First, it's more widely celebrated than many of the actual holidays. Second, the commercials receive so much publicity that they're sure to help at least a little bit in our economic crisis. Third, football is an integral part of American culture, so much so that the rest of the world refers to the sport as "American football". Not convinced yet? Well, that's too bad, since I still decided to use the Super Bowl as an occasion to throw a party. The funny thing is that I don't even follow football, and neither do around 90% of the people who came. But hey, we all love good food, and we all love having a good reason to get together and hang out, so why not seize this opportunity to make it happen?
 
Special thanks to Ken for preparing the wonderful steaks, not to mention a very successful first attempt at making cream corn. And thanks to everyone who showed up, whether it's to eat or just to hang out. Considering how little time there was to prepare everything, I'm quite amazed at how great things turned out. Now it's going to be really weird waking up tomorrow morning and suddenly realizing that it's time to return to five consecutive days of office work. I guess it's time for me to hop in bed now. Good night!
02/04: Two Years of Exotic Affinity
As hard as it is for me to believe, it's already been two years since Exotic Affinity was launched, allowing me to share my car spotting videos with the world, not to mention have an appropriately-named identity in the automotive world. Contrary to what many may believe, getting rich and owning an exotic car is not one of my top priorities in life; if I can afford a supercar comfortably, there's nothing wrong with having one, but I'm completely content with living my life for more important things and letting cars be a hobby - a very exciting, passionate, and personal hobby.
I'm very glad that, even with the bad economy, exotic car manufacturers are still coming out with impressive new rides, and buyers are not only willing to dish out the necessary funds, but also eager to take their toys out to play. In this past year, I went to cover several events, including a meet at DC Motors, an open house at Hennessey Southern California, and the annual Concorso Ferrari in Old Town Pasadena, which allowed me to film many extremely rare, multi-million-dollar classic Ferraris. As for pure street spottings, I was amazed by both the cars in my area and the cars in Beverly Hills, which I found time to plan a few visits to.
Of course, I can't forget to mention good ol' Cars & Coffee in Irvine. This past year's special apperances were truly epic - a McLaren MP4-12C, a pair of Lamborghini Aventadors, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato prototype, a 1200-horsepower(!) Hennessey Venom GT, and much more. The combination of a suitably-designed parking lot and the event's increasing mainstream attention makes it a perfect opportunity to catch excellent arrival and departure footage.
Given the rarity of the cars filmed in this past year, it was only natural that I expected Exotic Affinity to grow, both in video views and in overall popularity. But what surprised me most was the exposure that it received thanks to some popular blogs and websites that shared the videos with the world. My McLaren MP4-12C video, which I finished editing and posted online within hours after filming, was not only the first of many from the special appearance that made it on YouTube, but also the one discovered by Jalopnik and featured in their blog about the event. About a month later, news of Bijan's tragic and unexpected passing, along with the discovery of a one-off collaboration between him and Bugatti that he was, unfortunately, unable to live to see, pointed many viewers to my channel, which contains probably the largest public video collection of his cars, including his famous yellow-and-black Veyron. Thanks to one blogger who included my video of Bijan's existing Veyron in an article about his secret project (a personalized chrome-and-yellow Veyron Grand Sport), the video made it to the front page of many popular automotive websites, including Autoblog, which I follow "obsessively" on a daily basis. I don't know who that mystery blogger is, but if I ever find out, I'll be sure to thank him.
A few months ago, a sudden surge in daily views prompted me to set a little goal for myself - to get one million video views by the end of 2011. It's not that I was really planning on doing anything in particular to help reach that benchmark, but I was truly surprised when the goal was actually achieved - on December 30th. In all honesty, with so many more important things to focus my life on nowadays, I haven't devoted nearly as much time to YouTube (or car spotting in general) as I used to. But it's definitely fun to check my stats every day and watch the channel continue to grow.
Throughout this past year, I've had the privilege of meeting several fellow YouTubers with similar channels. I've always felt that car spotting is more about creating a community rather than competing against one another. But somehow, I'm not all that confident about whether everyone else feels the same way. Whether it's through interrupting the videos with advertisements or disrupting the viewing experience with all kinds of messages telling viewers to subscribe, it seems like many spotters are more eager to boost their numbers on YouTube than they are to produce quality content. There's no doubt that their tactics work, giving their channels more than double the exposure of mine. But I consider it quite a shame that their videos - many of which are far better than mine in both quality and content, end up tainted by ulterior motives. I've always believed that if I truly love car spotting, then I should enjoy it regardless of whether or not anyone else shares the same interest. And that makes me even more thankful that there are several hundred people in over 70 countries who enjoy my videos and see exotic cars as masterpieces of art and engineering.
If finances and time allow someday, I would definitely love to upgrade my camera and catch more opportunities to shoot rare cars. However, at this point I really can't be more content with the way Exotic Affinity has progressed throughout its second year. A viewer once commented that it is one of the most underrated car spotting channels on YouTube. And perhaps that's the way it will always be. But even so, my passion for cars will not change, and I look forward to all the great car spotting adventures that await me in the future.
02/03: Soo... I've decided that I'm going to set my alarm for 5:00AM(!) tomorrow morning so I can force myself out of bed before sunrise to go to Cars & Coffee in Irvine, simply because I feel like it. And here's a few reasons behind my crazy decision-
1. It's been almost half a year since my last trip to C&C.
2. It's a good feeling to know that there are more reasons to get out of bed ridiculously early than to go to work.
3. With office life so busy these days, I'm in desperate need of some physical workout.
4. The weather is great - sunny, but not too warm.
5. Even if the turnout isn't that great, Lambo NB will be bringing out a fleet of cars, and that's always something to look forward to!
6. With life becoming increasingly busy, it's nice to be able to seize this rare opportunity to collect loads of footage.
7. Tomorrow is the two-year anniversary of the launch of Exotic Affinity.
It was that last reason that helped me confirm my decision to sacrifice my precious Saturday morning sleep to go car spotting. Besides, since I've got a party to throw on Sunday, I've already set aside the day to shop for food and clean the house - tasks that I can complete even if I feel a little lightheaded.
First car spotting trip of 2012, here I come...
01/28: Random entry while sitting by myself in my car in a parking lot, enjoying the beautiful weather, looking for nice cars to shoot, and just thinking about life. I haven't done one of these random solo mini-adventures in a while, and it wasn't until I got here that I realized how wonderful it feels to drive around and not have to worry about getting to a specific destination at a specific time. Life nowadays has been, to say the least, challenging, whether it's work, church, or my own well-being. And when things get busy, it's even more difficult to remember the most important things in life and keep my focus on them rather than on my immediate problems.
I want to thank the people closest to me, along with various church- and Bible-related activities I've been participating in lately, for helping me to not only stay sane, but also remember that there really is hope in Jesus that transcends all the problems in this world. Most recently, I've been learning a lot about how my faith should impact me in relation to the past, the present, and the future. Even though I've been a Christian for so many years, I often find myself struggling with letting go of my guilt, knowing that I've done a lot of wrong things, am still doing wrong things, and will always end up doing more wrong things, no matter how hard I try to improve. The older I get, the harder it is for me to accept this truth. But God knows exactly where I am right now, and sometimes it's during difficult times like this that I begin to truly understand the heart of the gospel message at a deeper level.
I'm pretty sure all of us have, at one point or another, asked ourselves, "why is this world such a messed-up place?" Whether it's natural disasters, social injustice, or simply idiotic people doing idiotic things, there are plenty of reasons for us to feel angry, insecure, or hopeless. Many of us do our best to try to make the world a better place. But in the end, it's still messed up in one way or another. And to me, the worst feeling is when I try to live by good standards but end up making ridiculous mistakes that turn me into the very opposite of what I want to be. I understand that if I did my best and end up facing unjust consequences, God will definitely fight for me. But what if it's my own fault? What if I've messed up so badly that the consequences in this world will forever haunt me, if not others as well? Sure, as a Christian, I can still go to heaven when I die. But here on earth, given how much of an idiot I can be, why should God give me any hope?
The truth is that we're all sinners who fail to come even close to God's standards. It's like two criminals who are both sentenced to the death penalty - Will it do any good for one to tell the other that his crime is less severe, when both are bound to face the worst of consequences? "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). God is perfect and holy, and whether I steal a chocolate bar or rob a bank, I deserve the same consequence. Paul said it very well - "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38). Jesus has already paid the price, and that covers even the worst of sins. It doesn't make him feel better if I wallow in my own guilt as a way to show him how much I need grace. His grace is already given to me, and what he wants me to do, once I've repented of my sins, is to get up, pick up my mat, and walk (John 5:8) - to leave the past behind and boldly move forward and live in freedom. God never told me He won't give me hope - I'm the one putting Him in a box and convincing myself that there's no hope. And with that in mind, I need to just let go of all the crap happening to me and around me, whether it's my fault or not, and be set free.
God offers His children hope that lets us forget the past, deal with the present, and focus on the future. "The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Does that not give us something to look forward to in the future? And with that in mind, I should find motivation to live my life in the present with a new attitude. People have tried throughout history to come up with ways to explain our existence, our purpose, and why there are so many problems in this world. But even with so many theories, philosophies, and religions to choose from, none of them offer the kind of unconditional hope that Jesus does. Right here, right now, in this messed-up world, I - a child of God created in His own image with a purpose in mind - can live knowing that the perfect and loving God has everything under His control, and that this world is only a temporary stage of the eternal life in paradise that I am bound for! As for my sins, God is "faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9), and He will do so as many times as needed, because the price for our sins has already been paid by Jesus once and for all.
Sure, this doesn't mean it's okay for me to sin over and over again. But the fact that I will continue to make mistakes doesn't justify my choice to stop trying. Just as I must confess my sins to receive grace, I must accept the gift of grace in order to experience hope, joy, and peace in Christ. If there was no sin, then there would be no need for the gospel. And it is only by acknowledging my imperfections - and receiving God's grace - that I can live the life of freedom that Christians are called to live. In all honesty, I had no idea that sitting in a parking lot on a Saturday afternoon would give me this much inspiration. But I praise God for seizing the little time I've set apart for this "mini-retreat" and using it to give me a glimpse of His love. Now, it's time for me to start doing my best to live out what I believe.
01/20: It doesn't take long for people to discover that I like keeping my car clean, sometimes even a little too obsessively. But earlier this week, I suddenly came to the realization that my car was not just dirty, but probably more dirty than it's ever been since I got it. I wanted to point a hose at it and bring it back to its usual shiny state as quickly as possible. But upon realizing that this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I decided to resist the temptation and have a little fun instead.
 
That's right, racing stripes. You know, like the ones people put on Shelby Cobras and Dodge Vipers. Of course, striping a Honda is kind of like putting "Type-R" stickers on a Ferrari. In other words, it simply shouldn't be done. But hey, considering I live in an area full of Asians driving poser cars, why not try to blend in a little?
Okay, fine, this doesn't exactly help me blend in with anything. In fact, I'd be surprised to find another double-striped Accord, not to mention one done with dirt. But I won't deny that it's lots of fun driving around and trying to imagine what's going on in the heads of people around me as they see my "work of art". I've always thought it would be fun to insert a little creativity into my car. But the sad truth is that, whether you're talking about visual mods or performance mods, such a hobby requires a little more money than I'm willing to spend on entertainment. And besides, I enjoy the stock look of my Accord, and feel no need to be associated with ricers. But given such a perfect opportunity, a little fun doesn't hurt, right?
Anyway, I just felt like posting the result of my hard work for all to see. The only costs involved were a clean cloth, some toilet paper, a little water, and probably no more than an hour of my free time. Actually, I think the stripes turned out a little nicer than I had expected. Given how dirty the rest of the car is, the shiny stripes definitely stand out, especially under bright sunlight. It's almost like one of those matte-and-gloss two-tone paint jobs that's becoming increasingly popular these days.
If I had more time, I wouldn't mind adding some decorations to the sides of the car too, just because I can. Perhaps a racing number and some fake intakes wouldn't look too bad. Or, if I want to really be a poser, I can try to copy Porsche's "GT3RS" graphics. If all else fails, some hot-rod-style flames would always work. At least flames and stripes are both American.
The only problem is that it's supposed to rain this weekend. And no matter how much effort I put into this "project", a few drops of water will ruin it instantly. Not that I'm complaining or anything... did you really think I want to permanently leave my car's color as "dirt w/ black stripes"?
With all that said, I'm gonna go ahead and enjoy driving my striped car until the rain gives it a free and desperately-needed wash. I won't deny that it's pretty awesome sitting at the driver's seat and seeing stripes on the hood in front of me. And if anyone asks, at least I can brag and say that the "custom paint job" is all done by hand and is truly one-of-a-kind!
01/09: Winter Break
One of the biggest complaints I hear about transitioning from college to the working world is that there are no longer spring breaks, winter breaks, and summer vacations. Aside from occasional 3-day weekends, life really boils down to the same weekly routine year-round. But no matter what stage of life we're in, there are always people around us to remind us that it's a season to celebrate, whether it's our younger siblings, our friends, or our kids. Maybe it was the sudden increase in the number of teenagers running around the streets on weekdays, or maybe it was the Christmas decorations and music playing in the hallways, but even though I only got two days off work (for Christmas and New Year's), deep inside I knew without doubt that it was winter break. And looking back at these past few weeks, I'm truly amazed at how much fun I had.
  (L: Hot pot party at my house, 12/17/11. R: Vicky's Christmas party, 12/18/11.)
Even though most of us, like me, didn't really have much of a "winter break", something about the holiday season made us all want to get together, hang out, eat good food, and celebrate, just because we could. And no matter how old we get, we're never too old to celebrate Christmas!
  (L: Buffalo Wild Wings get-together, 01/03/12. R: Disneyland w/ the Tan and Tung families, 01/08/12.)
Whether it's a small dinner gathering on a weeknight or a big party on a weekend, we seized the opportunities we had to enjoy the holiday season and make great memories. I never considered myself a huge Disney fanatic, but all the holiday decorations at Disneyland were really nothing short of magical.
Those of you who do consider yourselves Disney fanatics probably know that yesterday was the last day to see all of the holiday decorations, and I can only imagine how many sleepless overtime employees it took to take everything down overnight. The fact that even the "Happiest Place on Earth" had to put away its holiday decorations serves as a reminder to me that, if I actually had a "winter break", this is the point where it ends.
As of today, all of the students are either back in school or left with nothing to do because all of their friends are already back in school. And even though I didn't really get much of a "break", I can't even describe how thankful I am to have enjoyed such a great period of celebrating the holiday season. Even though things in these past few weeks have not all been smooth, I'm really so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life who brighten my day even in the darkest, loneliest times.
This brings me back to my strong belief in the power of effort. Sure, we're all getting older, and it's useless to sit there all day wishing we could turn the clock backwards. But we should be thankful that we now probably have more wisdom, freedom, and money than we used to, and those things allow us to enjoy the times we spend together even more. Life may also be a more busy and stressful now than it used to be, but with a little effort, a little desire to overcome our laziness, and a little willingness to take time out of our often exhausting schedules, our lives can be no less exciting than those of our younger years.
Even though "winter break" is now over, I'm glad to be able to look back and feel deeply content with having spent time with such amazing people and made such wonderful memories. And the best thing is that the fun times definitely won't end here. After all, for those of us who have full-time jobs, having fun during the holiday season really isn't all that different from having fun any other time of the year. Thanks everyone for such an awesome "winter break", and I hope to continue hanging out with you guys and making memories together in the weeks, months, and years to come!
01/08: A Prayer
The truth is finally starting to hit me. As hard as it is to believe, I am now officially, in a sense, homeless. You were homeless too, yet the Lord protected and guided you every day as you walked the earth. My life may be far from the pure, sinless life that you lived on earth, but if I am truly a child of God, then surely I will receive protection and guidance too. And that's exactly what I pray for right now.
As I set sail for this new and unknown journey, may nothing get in the way of my willingness to surrender completely to You, whether it's people, emotions, or materal things. God, You know my heart. I'm doing this for You, and if I'm not completely honest in saying so, then may You search my heart and point out my flaws so that I may have pure motives. May You grant me courage and wisdom to recognize Your voice and step out of my comfort zone when needed. May You grant me peace despite past hurts, and joy taht overshadows my fears. May Your great and perfect will be done.
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