“Cliff Notes” - Gail Tolentino, v1.6
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Name: Gail Tolentino
Username(s): initial_gt
Age: 23
Occupation: Team Leader - Corporate Contact Centre of Investors Group
Current Ride: Subaru Impreza 2007 2.5i SE
Past ride: n/a
How long have you been in ZuCru?:
I’ve been part of the crew for less than a year….I don’t quite remember the date I was asked to join the crew but it was within the last quarter of the year shortly after ZuCru got back from the Perfect 10 show from Fargo. I’m considered as the rookie in the crew.
What factors made you consider purchasing your current ride and why?:
I needed my car to be a daily driver in any Winnipeg weather, I needed it to be stylish, I needed to be able to have fun with it and overall, and I needed for it to have some meaning as I’ve never owned a car previously.
Just like many of us, at one point or another I’ve dreamt of owning a WRX or even an STi but when reality hit, the funds weren’t as readily available when it came time to purchase the car. It was actually my cousin and fellow crew member Ryan that first showed me that the GD style impreza’s offered an affordable non-turbo AWD sedan model.
I was immediately impressed when I first saw his old 04′ Impreza 2.5TS and what he did with it. This influenced me in a big way as riding in his car for many summers just showed the car’s potential and versatility in any driving condition.
When the time came for me to purchase the car, it was a no brainer, Subaru was the way to go. Though I originally intended to purchase a Subaru Legacy, but the Impreza 2.5i Special Edition package just gave me more bang for buck.
Do you have any plans for your car in the future?:
I’m keeping things simple with my car as I need it for a daily driver. I’m trying to pay off the car as fast as possible if you call that a plan……LOL……I’ve always been a fan of cars, but never been a mechanically inclined so my plans for the car are limited to more cosmetic additions than going for power gains. I’ve owned the car for almost two years and I’ve successfully crossed off a lot of the things I’ve wanted to do with it. Some loose ends I’d want to take care of include probably getting a new front lip, rear aprons, and a trunk lip. Lately I’ve been thinking of switching up my current wheels to something more like an 18×9.5 set up…but I’m not sure I want to deal with that headache…
Other than that perhaps maybe when the car’s paid off, who knows, STI swap? We’ll see….
What does it mean to you to be part of the ZuCru Team?
It means that when you’re out, family is always around…….literally….
Since I first got introduced to most of the crew members through my cousin Ryan, I’ve gained a lot of new friends and contacts who I would have never met otherwise. I’m quite a shy person to begin with but being part of the crew allows me to surround myself with people who share the same passion and it’s always a good time.
You’ve only joined ZuCru for a short period of time, what can we expect from you as a member of our Team?:
The obvious thing to expect from me is my creative side and that’s expressed through my photography and design ideas. I’m hoping to become more involved with the web team to keep the main site current and fresh if needed. My main goal I hope to contribute is that I’m here to capture ZuCru in a way that I don’t think has been done in the past. I’m here to document the progress of the crew and display it visually on a higher level, be it from automotive photography or through general portraiture. If I’m asked to shoot, I’ll do it!
Tell me about your second love “Photography”, how did you get started in that?:
In high school I became involved with a Graphic Arts class and that passion just never stopped. Though it was only for a short semester, it taught me that a good picture starts with a vision. I always had many ideas in my head but without a forum to express them. I was never that brilliant at drawing, nor was I amazing at graphic design so the next obvious choice was through photography.
I never really got into photography until only recently. After graduating College in 2005, I bought my first DSLR which was a Pentax IST DL. It was a entry level SLR which minimal functions which helped a beginner adapt to the fine points of photography. Though I bought the SLR in 2005, I never really picked up the camera until late 2006 when some of my friends wanted me to take out my camera to shoot pictures of their cars.
I needed an artistic outlet as my job doesn’t necessarily allow me to utilize my creative side. I decide to take photography to solve this need. So…almost 2 years later and here I am, no formal education with photography and I’ve been recently published in a nationwide magazine for PASmag.
If you could trade cars for a day with someone in the Cru, who’s car would it be and why?:
This is a hard choice as the crew has a strong selection of cars….i’d have to go with the obvious choice and pick Shaun’s GC8 for obvious reasons…mainly because I want to feel like a man like Shaun….
You do realize that since joining the ZuCru Team you have to be initiated, are you willing to do ANYTHING for us?:
Who knows? I’ve been recently watching a lot of Kenny Vs. Spenny episodes so it’s my way to prepare for the initiation………
Can you tell the readers something that they don’t know about you? any special skills?:
I play guitar occasionally and no, I’m not talking about guitar hero….but other than that, I’m a regular guy with nothing to brag about….
Any special shout outs you’d like to say?:
Just a couple to mention, shout out to Anna, her two cats Carey (aka Carebear) & Popcorn, Ryan for always bringing your younger cousin along, Shaun for helping me install ANYTHING on my car, Allan for hooking me up with Zu, Cliff for askin’ me to do this and everyone else from friends and family.
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