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Range Day

Just came back from the range. Bishop, Spook, Dervish, and I went to this shop and range owned by Bishop’s friend. It was a totally nondescript taho factory but once the guard let us through the gate we were greeted with the sight of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII(?), a Toyota Supra, a Porsche, an Escalade, and some others sitting in a [also] nondescript garage. Bishop’s friend still wasn’t there so we waited for a bit. After a while he drove in on a Mercedes-Benz. The guy sure has the right interests :)

After some introductions he led us up some stairs and through some corridors and then into the shop which was cluttered with shorts and longs in various stages of assembly or disassembly. The right interests? Hell yeah! After a lengthy chit-chat, we proceeded to the indoor range where we all got to try an extremely shortened M16 (Infant), a full-length M16 with RAS, a suppressed M-16 also with RAS, a Benelli M3 Super 90 with a folding stock, an HK MP5A5, a suppressed Beretta 21 Bobcat, a suppressed Walther P22, and a Glock 19.

It was fun but I’ve realized all this trying out all sorts of shorts and longs won’t do me any good and I need to practice and hone my skills with a short of choice. Spook said we might be able to schedule a visit to a club next week, become a member, and practice more systematically. Finally! :)

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Mulholland Drive

Mulholland Drive is one long drive full of twist and turns that become more and more bizarre as the movie hits the second part. The first part is actually pretty interesting. A woman escaped assassination because of a car accident. But in the process, she also lost her memory. Now it is up to her and her newly-made friend, an aspiring actress, to find out who she really is. It has shades of L.A. Confidential: something’s afoot in tinseltown. But there are also shades of Donnie Darko: strange scenes hinting that things are not as they seem, perhaps a dream or something. However, thing’s got really messy and confusing in the second part. It became a mescaline trip reminiscent of a much milder second half of 2001: A Space Odyssey (now that is one mescaline trip). At least in Donnie Darko, things gets tied together at the end, here it just gets an ending of sorts. I’d rate it two stars, but I’ll add an extra star for the scenes of the women leads making out :P

Rating: 3/5

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Victim of a Random Car Check

Well looks like the police are doing something about the carjacking problem that has been plaguing Quezon City the past few months. Or at least trying to appear like they’re doing something about it. Police officials had been on the news admitting belatedly the problem and talking about doing something about it. More recently, they chased three alleged carjackers riding a red Nissan Sentra, cornered it, raked the car with gunfire in a supposed gunfight, and finally made sure everyone was dead. It was all in the news because a TV crew was able to record the incident. Then there was tonight.

A few moments ago, my sister and I were on the way home from Fort Bonifacio visiting relatives. As I sped [at a bit over the speed limit] along that drag racing strip between EDSA and White Plains Road, I spotted a police FX, so I immediately slowed down. Besides, I was about to make the turn towards White Plains road. As I made the turn, the cops inside the police FX started spotlighting me. I thought it was just a cursory check (Are they singling out Nissan Sentras?) so I went on and started to accelerate. But they kept spotlighting me from behind and then drew up alongside and flagged me down.

I stopped, they stopped in front of me, and two cops alighted. One was carrying an M16 (Do I look too much of a threat?). One went up to the window, the other one slightly behind him. To be fair they were polite. Said it’s a cursory check. Was about to let me go when as an afterthought, he asked for my license. I gave it to him. He then asked for my firearms license. I didn’t realize I was still carrying my license from long time ago at Malabon range so I said I didn’t have one. But he insisted. Apparently he glimpsed it from inside my wallet (Note to self: leave it at home next time).

Anyway, I realized what happened and I again opened my wallet and gave the license to him. He commented to his colleague “Glock pa to, oh.”, and then they did a more thorough check. From what I know they’re just supposed to look but not touch. But I thought I’d take the path of least resistance and cooperate so I just let them look under the seats and in the glove compartment (but they didn’t ask for the trunk to be opened). While poking around, they were asking if I have a gun with me. And I kept telling them that I don’t, I have no PTC, etc. And while this was happening my concern was what if they palmed a sachet of shabu and planted it under the seat as they were searching. Damn, was I nervous.

Suddenly, the cop looking under my seat said “Ano to?!?” My heart skipped a beat and I thought “He planted something!!!”. I was really relieved when it turned out to be my umbrella. Whew! After a few seconds, they stopped, returned my licenses, apologized for the inconvenience (to which I good naturedly said “No problem. You’re just doing your jobs.” :P), and let my sister and I go on our merry way home.

Wonder what would have happened if I had unwittingly ignored their spotlighting me and sped on as I usually do on that road. Would they have chased me? What if I they were in an unmarked vehicle and in plainclothes? Should I stop? What if I had packed my piece? What if they had planted drugs? All those things are passing through my head after the incident. Darn! What a night!

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Cruven

I first heard about Cruven from the NissanBayan forums. There’s a long running thread there about a shop called Zee Carplus and its sister company, Cruven, which are reputed to be very good with suspension and underchassis maintenance and repair.

I finally went there a few weeks ago because my front brakes were screeching, sign of brake pads that need to be replaced. In addition, there was a springy sound coming the front suspension. Once I got there, my first impression was that the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. And as a bonus, I was the first customer that day. All the mechanics were swarming around and working on the car! The following were done:
1. Replaced front rotor discs and brake pads, cleaned and lubricated front brake calipers
2. Replaced shock mount bushing – this was the source of the springy sound
3. Renovated fronts shocks – they refilled my old gas shocks and added valves for easy gas pressure adjustment. This is one of their unique services.

The end result was a firm, smooth, and relatively quiet ride. But a few days after the shock renovation, I started hearing popping noises from the front suspension and I went back to get it checked. The following were done:
1. Check popping sound from front suspension, tightened nuts and bolts, put rubber inserts on the two front stabilizer clamp bushings.
2. Checked rear drum brakes and brake shoes
3. Rebonded valve cover and distributor – engine oil was leaking out.
4. Replaced my serpentine belt – the old serpentine belt was routed erroneously by the previous shop and was squealing.

Unfortunately, the popping sound didn’t completely go away so I had to go back again after a few weeks. This time, the following were done:
1. Completely replaced the two front stabilizer clamp bushings, replaced front stabilizer link bushings, injected the front stabilizer links via their proprietary polymer injection technology. Polymer injection is another of their unique services.
2. Completely replaced the valve cover gasket – there was still some engine oil leakage.
3. Renovated rear shocks

That finally solved the popping sound. Now the ride is not only smooth and firm but also suspension-noise free!

In conclusion, I must say I’m very happy with the shop. If you’re on a budget and don’t wanna suffer highway robbery from some shops, this is the place to go to. Although I haven’t been to Zee Carplus, from what I’ve heard and read, Cruven is as good if not better. After all, they have the same technology and the staff of Cruven mostly came from Zee Carplus.

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Infernal Affair 2 and 3

This is essentially just a follow-up to my review of Infernal Affairs as I don’t intend on going through it again here. The two other movies in the series follow the same formula as the first: a police drama with a lot of twists and turns and great acting. I don’t know if all three movies were planned beforehand, but it sure looked like it. Though each can actually stand and are great on their own, the experience would be even better if you watch all of them and in sequence. It would also be less confusing that way.

Infernal Affairs 2, is a prequel to the first movie. It follows the stories of the lead characters Yan (Tony Leung) and Ming (Andy Lau) as they rose up the ranks of Sam’s organization and the police, respectively. This is while they grapple with identity issues that plague moles. As a backdrop to this is a complex and sometimes bloody struggle between and within the police and a powerful crime organization.

Infernal Affairs 3, is a sequel to the first movie. The original cast returns and picks up where the first movie left off. It follows the story of Ming as he tracks down all of Sam’s moles while grappling with his worsening identity crisis all the way to the climactic ending. As the events unfold, there are constant flashbacks to put the current event into perspective. Needless to say, this can sometimes be disconcerting and this is the most confusing of the three. Here’s where you will appreciate watching the first movie.

Rating: 4/5