S3 Magazine // Issue 34

Cars have always been something I’ve had interest in. Growing up, my four older
brothers were gear heads, and I guess I picked up their habits.
Dad walked out the door when I was 10, no warning, so I had to learn to grow up at
an early age. I worked hard, and by age 16 I got my first car… an ’08 Honda Accord
Coupe. That car was my gateway (and my weapon) to meeting & joining up with
the car community in Houston. I started modding that thing with all my Christmas &
birthday money, in addition to my minimum wage job.
Exposure to car culture in Houston, along with the more expansive ‘social media’ car
culture, opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities. I got super motivated to get myself
more involved, and started Prospekts car team with 6 other guys from Houston. We
really strived to take it seriously, and set out to be one of Houston’s youngest & most
elite teams. (You have to understand, teams are a big deal in the Houston scene…
that’s just part of it)
So fresh out of high school, I started college in the medical field… like every Asian
mother prays their child will do, and a year or so into college, I was blessed with
an accounting job that kept a good income while I was in school.
Yeah, yeah, it’s all so stereotypical
‘Asian’. I know. But by age 20, I was able to trade in my Accord and pick up the ’09
Audi S5.
Before I bought the car, I already had a rendering of the final design on my computer.
See, my older brothers started a graphic design business when I was still young.
It is a business that I grew up with, and helped-out with since I was 10. Now that
I’m older, I’ve got a lot of experience under my belt, and I’m getting more & more
involved with graphic design as a career (one of them ha). But the point is: I had this
car built to the T, before I ever had the keys.
So when I picked up the Audi in July of 2014, I drove it straight to a friend’s shop in
Houston, Unlimited Car Stereo. They accomplished exactly what I had envisioned for
my trunk. As that was going down, I was waiting on the Rieger kit and RS5 front-end
conversion to arrive from Germany. The body pieces came in 4 months later, and the
car went straight from the audio shop, to another friend’s paint & body shop, CMS
Collision Motor Specialist. It took them 1 month to have the car kitted-out, and looking
flawless. Next, I ordered the wheels, and took the car straight from the body shop to
CVT Designs to do my Universal air suspension. They dialed in the wheel fitment & ride
height perfectly. So 6-months after the original purchase, I finally drove my car for the
first time... other than driving it just to ‘drop it off’ at a shop somewhere haha.
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