Jing’s 30th @ The Entrance

Posted on 17 February, 2013 by Justin Fox


Matt and Alissa picked me up from Zen at around lunch time and we set off for The Entrance. We got to the holiday house first, did some food shopping and started smashing beers before everyone else got in.


We freaked the shit out of Jing with party poppers on entry. He didn’t know we were all going to be there! Eddy’s got a hilarious video of his reaction recordered on a go-pro. I’ll see if he can get it up on youtube (it’s sooo good!).


Jing scored these Y3 boots, and some rad snowboarding gear (he doesn’t snowboard lol) and also a Justin Beiber watch, which was presented in a genuine Bell & Ross watch packaging (lol).


The boys got pretty rowdy and smashed beers, then shots of Sambucca and Hennessy, we then picked up our rods and did a bit of night fishing.


We saw the people next to us pick up a 40cm catfish, weed was all we managed to get though (and we lost quite a few beers which dropped into the ocean, accidentally of-course!).


What’s going on here?!


Dizzy walk back home, empty handed.


When Jing jumped in the shower before bed we ran outside and fucked up his new Audi with eyelashes.


A bonnet scoop.


Front and rear batman badges.


Flashing LED lights and rainbow gay family stickers.


Next morning I was pretty hung over despite dunking a berocca before bed. The bacon ($20 worth of it!) helped though.


Little Ethan, he’s the calmest baby I’ve ever met. Such a rad kid!


A sign on our gate at the house.


Brandon’s EVO. Love the Thule storage box!


Kevin’s Golf GTI Edition 35, Eddie’s new Murano and Jing’s A4 Allroad.


We then went for a fish in a different location.


The boys managed to catch a few baby brims (all of which were let go). Me? I nursed my hangover by sunbathing and burnt the fuck out of my chest (the only place I forgot to put lotion on!).


Jody and Ethan.


Fishing brought on a craving for eating fish and chips so we headed back to the main beach for lunch.


Spotted on the side of the road, what a monster!


Spotted this lovely Hillman in the carpark and gave the owner a thumbs up.


Ethan chilling out in the shade. After lunch we tried a different fishing spot which again saw us catching baby brim.


As expected, everyone had rad cameras!


Sunset out on the deck.


Chilling out before dinner.


BBQ feast!


Later that night we did another spot of night fishing. Eddie pulled up this Mono (quite a popular brackish water aquarium fish).


Brim caught was bigger, but still not legal size.


Oh shit!


Jing and Shirley – The next morning we finished off all our food, cleaned up the house then headed to the driving range for a hit.


Matt – Happy Gilmore!


My first 2 hits were awesome, then I lost it (thinking too much!). PS: The T-Shirt I’m wearing was a $10 impulse buy at the local mall. It reads “Grump Old Man!”. Haha.


Shane’s Supra! We headed back in to town for lunch and spotted at least 30 or so Supras, amongst them Shane’s Gorilla Supra (couldn’t find him anywhere unfortunately).


Seafood platter was delicious.

Got back earlier this afternoon from a great weekend away at The Entrance with the BMU boys (and their partners… I was the 3rd wheel!). Great times, heaps of laughs and many feasts too. I’m super burnt, and I’m starving right now as I’ve got a completely empty fridge! More photos on instagram @justinfoxau

PS: Jing’s pics and the entire trip from his perspective are up on his great blog now. Visit: http://jingers.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/30th/

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Students Guide To Digital Design

Posted on 12 February, 2013 by Justin Fox

Last night’s Students Guide To Digital Design event featuring industry pros John Butterworth, CEO of AIMIA, Jon Christensen co-founder from Tractor Design School, and creative directors Ash Ringrose and Brad Eldridge from Soap Creative went down a treat last night at the Apple Store Sydney.

The panel gave the many students in attendance (so many more than we expected that Apple staff scurried to get more chairs out!) tips and tricks on how to get ahead in the digital design industry. They also praised the students in attendance for being there, and standing out from all the other students who, for whatever reason, didn’t show (you’ve got to be in it to win it!).

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The Rook

Posted on 12 February, 2013 by Justin Fox


Sergio introduced me to The Rook yesterday afternoon. Strangely hidden within a corporate building on York St Sydney. Potentially my new fave rooftop late night restaurant/bar. They serve lobster three ways!

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New Moon Birthday

Posted on 10 February, 2013 by Justin Fox


Liz lives amongst these absolutely amazing mountains (The Glasshouse Mountains). Eleven hills that rise abruptly from the coastal plain on the Sunshine Coast.


This lookout is literally up the road from her place.


So beautiful, and surreal.


Liz’s place. Her awesome retreat and practise on the right, and her house down below.


Some of Liz’s EMBODY products.


Inside her practise.


Her dog Onyx gave us a warm welcome!


He’s so awesome!


I spotted this lovely old scooter in her garage.


The view of Mount Beerwah from Liz’s massive balcony.


Lovely old piano. That night we just chilled out, ate a lovely dinner and enjoyed my fave bottle of red.


Furnace in the lounge room.


Lovely old bath tub.


Party decorations.


Caryn’s baby Honey, her eyes are amazing! Like a porcelain doll.


Nibbles.


The party kicked on into the wee hours.


The morning after; a shot of dreams which everyone at the party the night before had written down, ready to be burnt on Chinese New Years eve.


Caryn’s beautiful present to Liz, a framed drawing of Onyx.

I just got back from a great weekend up north in Sunny QLD where we celebrated my great friend Liz’s B’day, as well as the Chinese and Buddhist New Year. Was so great to catch up with some loved ones and meet lots of great new friends too. Was way too short a trip, feeling a bit bummed being back, especially as I have jury duty tomorrow!!!

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Too soon junior

Posted on 8 February, 2013 by Justin Fox


50 years apart.

I’ve had 911 on the brain a lot lately. A 911 featured in my article on 10 cars to own before you die, and driving Sam’s 911 last month pushed me over the limit (I put my EVO IX up for sale that night and sold it a few days later!).

Turns out the hunt for a classic isn’t as easy as I thought it would be and it’s looking like I’ve sold the EVO way too soon. Kevin San (aka Babalouie) has been a true champ in helping me find the right car. That’s a car which has had a lot of mechanical work done so that I don’t have to fork out $25k+ on getting it working nice straight off the bat. Whilst the mission was a 964 for years I’ve fallen in love with the shape of the previous model 911 but I have my doubts about whether or not I could live with no power steering on a daily basis, that and the expensive upkeep on these older cars.

At some point a week or so ago I gave up (it’s all just too hard!) and made a serious offer on an NSX (manual, 70,000kms!). The buyer accepted my offer and I had booked in an inspection. A few days later he called to say someone outbid me by $2k. I wasn’t about to play that game so I let it go (turns out it sold to a guy I know through Zi at JDMyard!).

I’ve since been on car sales every single day. Morning, noon and night. I’ve looked at everything from Lotus Elises to BMW Z4’s to M3’s to Honda Jazzes (would be my 4th!) but it’s images like the one above that make me realise just how much I want a 911 and also how much more I love the old stuff better than the new stuff. The hunt continues!

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Sayounara EVO

Posted on 30 January, 2013 by Justin Fox


Off she goes. So the boys were off on a 10hr road trip back home. New owner stalled it twice up the hill, not surprising as the clutch in the EVO was pretty hard. He’ll get used to it in no time.

On Sunday I put the EVO up on carsales. I got a call later that night from a guy who was interested in the car. He asked a lot of questions, all of which I’d already answered in the advertisement. He didn’t sound too smart and was super keen to see it on the next day (was a public holiday). I had a bad vibe about the guy. Not only that he was most probably a time waster, but also that he, and the mate he was bringing, were going to roll me for the car (because EVO). But what can you say? I said OK and met him the next day.

I met him at the beach to be safe and it turns out he was a young kid and his mate he brought along was his Dad who spoke little English. It was pouring (not the best weather to be checking out a car!), we drove to the local mall to find some cover so they could check out the car. His Dad offered $30k (I was asking $32) and I outright refused. He asked for a few hours to think about it. I let him have the night to sleep on it.

I called him the morning after and nope, he wasn’t keen on the car, all good as I had another guy lined up; late Sunday night I also got an SMS from a guy in Victoria who also offered $30k. I refused, but he then messaged back accepting $32k, sight unseen as his mates are apparently on JDMST and trust me/the car.

He flew in yesterday morning. Brought a couple of mates with him, one of which was a Cop! We drove straight to the bank. He’s with Westpac, so am I so the cash just went right in (so easy and fast it was kinda freaky). On the way back to mine to fill out the paperwork I got to gun the EVO for the last time, pretty strange when you’ve got a Cop in your back seat haha.

Sergio came around to pick me up, and at that moment I got an SMS from Howie (who owns a 997 911) who told me to get to his local dealership as the guy who sold him his 911 has a 993 for sale. I replied that there was no way I could afford a 993, he replied that the 993 this guy was selling was well within my budget so Serg and I drove direct to the dealership.

After perving on a few GT3 RS’s (still a dream) we met the guy who was selling the car (lucky as he was on holidays but just happened to be in that day). Turns out it’s a late 70’s 911, not a 993 (duh Howie!), but hey that’s what I was after anyways! He was selling it cheap too, reducing $10k off the asking price. I started to think this was more like it, in that it’s more about fate, but alas I don’t think it’s the right car for me.

I’ve got the best guy looking after my purchase. Babs who’s been super helpful. You can read up on his advice (on my 911 carsales selections) here.

Posted in Cars | 2 Comments

ALL STARS Australia Day Show n’ Shine

Posted on 28 January, 2013 by Justin Fox


Our ALL STARS Australia Day Show n’ Shine Bikini Car Wash was a massive hit! We had Scott Mitchell put together this amazing video. Be sure to check out the photos from the day too at ALL STARS.

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Popped my 911 cherry

Posted on 25 January, 2013 by Justin Fox


Grinning from ear to ear!

I jumped up and down when I saw Sam’s 911 in our driveway today @ Zen. He’d driven straight from QLD for tomorrows ALL STARS Australia Day show. After perving on it for a good bit he let me sit in it (whoo hoo!). The steering wheel is so close to the dash, which was loaded with cool analog gauges, all in German! I clutched in and surprisingly the gear throw wasn’t anywhere as vague as I thought it would be. Next I had to check out the pedal placement, and yup, it was super strange with the brake pedal being to your left, a big gap where the accelerator would be, and no deal pedal so you rest your left foot at the base of the centre console. I couldn’t figure out how to get out of the car, turns out he’d modified the door pulls so that when you pull it, the door opens. Very nice touch.

I appreciated the lines from the outside some more, all the while letting Sam know my intentions to buy one. He then asked if I’d like to take it for a spin!!! Seriously. Zi told me that one must never drive another mans 911 but how could I refuse? The driving position was spot on, the non-power steering wasn’t at all heavy and the clutch was friendly too (yet still had plenty of feel). A few corners in I’d realised how pathetically light the steering in my EVO was. Just going through a small s-bend I could feel how the would just urge you to go through corners faster and faster. I stop at the lights and look at the commodore next to me, it’s way up high in the sky which reminded me of being in my tiny, and low MX-5 a lot, expect that this car had a massive lumpy rumble coming from the rear. The girls crossing the lights gave us a nice smile too. :)

1st gear has heaps of punch. It’s actually quite violent. 2nd is much more linear though. The car feels small. You can use the drivers side frog headlamp as a gauge of where the front of the car is, vision out the rear was pretty bad though (lots of glare).

By the end of the drive I still hadn’t gotten used to the pedal placement but I’m sure it’s something I could get used to very quickly. So… I’m sold. 100% sold. Funny thing is that there’s a couple of people after my EVO, one of which just messaged an hour ago. I had all intentions to get one when I turn 40, but it might come a couple of years earlier! We’ll see.

PS: I’d totally forgotten that I had driven Howie’s 997 911 a few years back. Amazing car, so much power and response but completely disconnected in comparison to this car I drove today. I now understand why there’s so much love and respect for the classic aircooled 911’s.

Posted in Cars, Zen Garage | 5 Comments

Serious machines @ Xtreme

Posted on 25 January, 2013 by Justin Fox


Like… fwoar!


Perfection: 9.5 wide CE28′s in an aggressive +22 offset.


Lexan windows, carbon doors!

evo_timeattack_3
Engine bay is all business.


All business inside the cockpit too.


The boys also had this amazing EVO 1 race car.


Amazing.


Then we spotted this thing! A genuine Tommy Kaira R32 GT-R. Such a shame it’s missing the Tommy Kaira wheels it came with in Japan.


That front bar.


Original strut brace.


And compliance plate.

Joe from Xtreme Motorsports called to say he had something very special just land from Japan. Sergio and I thought we’d drop in to take a look. Turns out it was a time attack EVO 5 and it blew our socks off. The EVO 1 race car did too, and the Tommy Kaira R32 GT-R was such a treat to see in real life, having only seen in in Japanese GT-R Magazines over the years.

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ADGP Media Day

Posted on 24 January, 2013 by Justin Fox


Loving the new branding of Eastern Creek (now Sydney Motorsport Park). Today Sergio and I were invited to the ADGP Media Day where we got to meet some of the drifters, check out their rides and better yet get some passenger rides on the new south circuit!


Courtney doing her thing (in this shot interviewing American driver Matt Powers).


Andrew Hawkins’ car always has new bits on it every time I see it.


Branding on the wing? Love it!


Drivers introduction. The 3 Fingers Neat guys – Scott and Jabbit, Beau Yates and Matt Powers.


Yates’ car with all new livery.


Jabbit’s car.


It had cameras all over it.


Scotts car.


Once we were done with greetings we were out on the new south circuit.


Bump! A little impatient to get out there and drift.


Scotty Mitchell was the first out.


I got in soon after.


Off we go!


Post lap – so giddy. Jabbit was awesome.


Scott, working up a sweat.


Courtney does a great job of avoiding snaps!


This truck loaded with drift cars rolled in straight from WA. Driver was such a character.


McLaren rolled up to from the track day happening on the main circuit (pretty sure it was a burrows day).


We then got to scope out our ALL STARS Show n’ Shine space for our event on Australia Day this weekend. It’s awesome. Basically that entire hill leading up to the toilet block at the top.


From the top looking down.


DB9, so long.


458, so nice.


What a spot! The new Ferrari FF.


I love it.


So nice.


Andy’s Nur Spec. We then dropped in to Meguiars to pick up car wash stuff for the Bikini Car Wash we’re hosting on the weekend. Love Meguiars products, have been using their stuff on my cars for years now. Addicted to how nice it all smells!


Spotted this at Meguiars HQ. Microfibre Cloth washing, so cute haha.


Goodies ready! Now we need to go out and buy a long hose!

Had a big day out today at Eastern Creek. Got a passenger ride in a drift car, man if you’ve not experienced it you’re missing out! Reminds me of the very first time I felt what a rollercoaster ride felt like… nuts!

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