Such a dramatic label for a post, i'm just being playful with the words I choose to start this post.
I can't believe it is already March. The first of march 2013, and my 3rd semester in college is really flying by. Anyways i'll be rambling on this post about a few things, a totally new enviroment, public relations, updates about my wagon and smoking. Funny thing is, if you've been following my blog consistently you'll notice I always bring up the subject of smoking, but thats for later anyways.
Okay for starters, the new enviroment i'm in. It's not new actually, it's the church i've shifted to. DUMC, to be specific. DUMC is a church where it is really easy to get comfortable with, in terms of socializing. It's only been 4(ish) times i've been there and i'm alerady getting comfy voicing out my opinions on things. (As if I don't do that enough pfft.) But from a theological point of view, it's MILES ahead of what I expected. I highly doubt i'll be ever going back to my old church.
I'm also enjoying myself a lot in college, particularly in public relation class. I will not lie, I get ego-boosts everytime i'm there. I just feel so at home with the subject. Better yet the compliments I get from the lecutrer make me blush ahaha. She claims that I should be dating older girls because of the way I react to situations, anyways besides that I think that we will be going to some PR firms to meet the seniors in PR. I'm really really excited for that. It feels like my life is finally going somewhere ^.^V.
Ah and my wagon, my mode of transportation. Finally, the swap is starting. Well okay, no it hasn't :(. I've only been scouting for garages to take the car in for the swap. So far 2 garages are scouting for engines for me, and they both can do installation, endorsement and the small issues. I swear engine swaps are the biggest hassles ever, and I haven't even started. Why such a hassle though? Okay i'll run you through what you need to do for an engine swap, especially on an odd car. First up, consider what engine is going in. Having the options for a SR16VE, SR20VE, and a SR20DET makes it hard. As if 3 engines aren't hard enough to decide about, all have their upsides and downsides. The 16VE, it has the most power without a turbo. But the capacity being stuck at 1600cc will always be at a disadvantage to the 20VE and 20DET. The 20VE has of course, a bigger capacity but the cams are milder than the 16VE. That and its revcut limits you to 7000rpm, but it still has power climbing up at the top. Extra power can be unlocked by just swapping in 16VE cams. These 2 don't have any issues with gearbox mounting and all since they came with FF ones. I think they came with a smaller 8.5" clutch in comparision to the 4WD DET, which came with a 9" one, which is the last option to use. The SR20DET of course out of the box has much more potential than either two combined. In fact, there are frankenstein head swaps where I can always take a 20VE head and plug it onto the DET block with no problems. The issue for the swap here is... the gearbox. As I mentioned above it comes from a 4WD car, and in Malaysia, you are not allowed to convert your car to a 4WD. This forces anyone like me who is attempting the swap, to swap in a FWD gearbox. But swapping the gearbox i've heard of people saying the driveshafts never match, the gears can shatter, and the clutch slips more than a drunk guy running on a frozen lake with an oil spill on it. Ah and the fact my wagon is carburetted, I have to get a fuel injected model fuel tank, because it runs a return hose I think or something like that. For handling i've got a set of R32 4-pot brakes lying around, that again, I have to get it refurbished before getting it mounted onto the car, and mounting it onto the car, again will require mods because my car is not a Skyline or anything as such. Frankly if I had a proton to start out with these headaches will out of the way, practically non-existant. But their stuff is bleeding. expensive. That is the only redeeming factor playing around with Nissans, nobody wants their engines & parts. The 20VE is 3-4k? DET would be around 6, in comparision, a 4G93T for say a satria, that goes for around 11k. Yeah astronomical, I know. I really pray that these garages aren't taking me for a fool. The last thing I need is the car to be falling apart even after the swap. It's bad enough that my parents have to pay for everything. So to any Malaysian kid who comes across my blog, my advice is GET A PRE-SWAPPED CAR. It's easier fixing problems rather than starting from the ground up. Unless you have a kancil or somethinig.
The last thing i'll be posting about is about smoking! You all are probably wondering when the heck i'm going to make up my mind about this matter, aren't you? Funny thing is I am too. I can NEVER justify the reason to stop smoking. Well physically i've already proven I can do just fine without it, but see thats from a human perspective. What does God say? I was curious, so google, my best buddy came to the rescue as usual. I came across this interesting article about smoking and being a follower in Christ, a.k.a being a christian and puffing on a cancer stick after church or something. WHY I keep searching this up is because my mindset has never been very normal. I am always torn apart the fact that yes, cigarettes are a huge stumbling block to young christians, and yes they are harmful. But just because they are frowned upon by the society, does that mean if I smoke when I am alone I am sinning? I guess this whole article from overseas helps me out. I have yet to finish reading the whole bible, so my opinions are really really minor. Please take this with a pinch of salt. I may be writing an article sooner or later down the road how the opposite is true. I am forever upgrading myself, and I just enjoy blogging about what I am going through because not a lot of people express themselves these days. See if I remember correctly, smoking is frowned upon because it is a form of addiction, and as Christians, we must not be bound to earthly masters who come before God. But the thing is other addictions lie before us. Eating. Having a cup of coffee before class. Spending excessive time on hobbies and blowing money on it that you will never get back again. All these too can become idols, but in society it isn't frowned upon. Sure, eating a few macaroons, having a cup of coffee daily and racing cars over the weekend isn't dangerous right? Yeah until you get diabetes, random spikes of energy bursts and crashes throughout the day and literally, crashes in a car race. See the problem is everything in my own opinion should be done in MODERATION. Including smoking. Yes there is tar in cigarettes and everything, but if you take say a pack a week or so, is that more unhealthy than going to your local fast food joint and gorging on burgers 3 times a week? People say its unhealthy but still go there. Why not just abstain from everything poisonous around you? If I really want to nitpick, and I will because its my blog after all, why not just grow your own vegetables and rare your own livestock? I'm getting a bit sarcastic here but my point should be clear, if you can control it and your life is for God, is it a sin? But this doesn't give you the license to go out an buy crack and say this is for God. Drugs are highly addictive, and the damage caused by it is insane. If you think you're funny and go against what i've blogged, be my guest. Only prayers can save you then haha.
I'm still a very young Christian, even though i've been one for 20 years. Whatever i've said here, if you do come across it and feel I should be informed i'm all ears. Really this is just my own personal opinion, not to step on anyones toes so don't feel offended or whatever yeah? I'm going to conclude this post with something I find very important, or at least it people should be aware of this. You will not get very far in life if you don't put yourself first and step out of comfort zones. It is okay sometimes to be selfish. You need that to survive. I know I do.
