ORIENT3 ended last Saturday.

All of us were primped in our business clothes, neckties and suits. All of us submitted our two-page-or-longer resumes. All of us were frightened at the thought of having to face a job interview.

Somehow I left the room feeling a little scared and unprepared, as if what I am right now isn't enough to satisfy future employers despite my having a degree in De La Salle University - Manila. It's going to be tough having to deal with the pressures of the real world after spending 18 years in school.

I envy those people who can make clear-cut goals for themselves, like Angiela for example. This early she's decided on quitting her present post at Philamlife---this after only around a year being employed there, and with the kind of salary she has! But she's very headstrong. She figures she wants to move on and experience all the professions her accountancy career can take her---even if it means getting a lower salary. Listening to her talk over tea and coffee at Starbucks, I felt she wanted to do so much within the span of the next eight years.

I don't know. I probably made the mistake of thinking that I'd be young forever, or that I wouldn't have to live on my own. The world is changing so rapidly and so I really need to keep up, be competitive, make the most of the next few years. I'll be 22 in less than a month. It's about time I got started getting serious about my life and stopped being so nearsighted about things.
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After ORIENT3 I quickly headed over to Kart Trak to join the HCP EB, even if I was late. Turns out my arrival was just around a half hour before Juno and the others decided to adjourn.

Because the Tropang SX8 City won the prize at the Christmas Party for Tropa of the Month, we decided to squander the PhP5,000 prize money on karting and dinner. Eight of us trooped over to the nearby go-kart racetrack in the CCP complex.

I have to say my friends were really good kart racers. Patrick Chua, especially, was driving and drifting his kart through the corners like a bat out of hell. He drove impeccably in both heats he ran.

As for me I decided to drive conservatively as the CCP track was a lot more technical than the Enchanted Kingdom one. There are technically no straightaways here; most of the time you'll find yourself fighting the g-forces, leaning your body into the turns, heaving the little steering wheel to point the kart in the direction you want. Manhandling the steering wheel feels like lifting weights---do it too often and you'll soon tire out. I did well enough to improve by around two seconds on my second heat, but I always kept clear of potential overtakers and I still came dead last.

After the kart races we accelerated over to Shell Macapagal to eat dinner at Yellow Cab Pizza. There we discussed the minutiae of our lives and our passion for fast cars. It was rather nice having the SX8 barkada around to hang out with, and I wish I could do this more often.
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This afternoon while waiting for Bianca to finish her class, I scooted over to Robinsons Place Manila to burn money on Initial D ver.3.

Despite having only a crappy non-turbo S14Q Nissan Silvia as my primary car, I finally managed to conquer Irohazaka and Akina-Snow within an hour! I was grinning ear to ear from the achievement. If this was what I could do with a humble S14Q, what more could I accomplish if I got my blue AP1 Honda S2000 back?

Akina-Snow was especially surprising. I thought it would be hard, but I beat Miki's ST205 Toyota Celica GT-Four 4WD in just two tries. Reflective of driving on the snow itself, the steering wheel lightens almost ridiculously, meaning there's less effort in turning and there's less of a distinction between making a good drift through the corners or ending up rubbing the guard rails. The secret is to keep everything smooth and predictable.

As for finally defeating Kai Kogashiwara's SW20 Toyota MR2 G-Limited in Irohazaka, I essentially saw through his "corner-jumping" technique and applied it on my own S14Q. HAH! Turns out it was nothing special after all. Pretty efficient technique though.