A Wayfarer's Journal: May 2011

Compared to other guys, I have lesser knowledge about cars. I hope it doesn't make me a lesser man. To explain, let me just say that I spent my teen-age days away from my father so I didn't get the chance to learn about it much. Oh yes, I don't know how to drive well also. Cut me some slack, there wasn't any car to practice on. Anyway, a car show here in the Philippines is an event where I would say 3 groups of people converge for sure. 1.) the car owners who know every little detail about horsepower and stuff like that, 2.) models, (professionals and aspiring) because cars and women just look so right together. With these 2 on the list, we arrive at 3.) photographers (professionals and hobbyists) who are in a trigger happy mode to shoot. If you're still a baby in photography, (I consider myself a grade school) I'd recommend going to one of these because it's like hitting multiple birds with one stone. That's right, not just 2 birds, multiple. You can practice your macro photography by shooting parts of the engine, wheels, interior etc. You can practice still life by shooting those incredible parked machines. Sometimes if you're lucky and there's a race, you can try action photography. Lastly, a handful of models would help you attune your portraiture. So for the last car show I attended, a P20 entrance is certainly not bad.

The event name is Hot Summer Nights 4 and it started with a lateral drifting competition. A big thanks to Wiki for the following definition: Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed. A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle prior to the corner apex, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa), and the driver is controlling these factors. So what's lateral drifting? Beats me, it may simple mean race.

The interior of the Nissan 350z

A Ferrari. Who needs to know the model anyway?

The event showcased a variety of top vehicles. There was a Nissan 350z which could be seen in the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift movie. There was a Ferrari which doesn't need any description, the name itself is already a legend. Undying classics were also there like the '77 Toyota Celica. 4x4 vehicles w/ mad car paints also caught my eyes and a whole lot more. At the end of the day, I just wondered - will I ever hit the jackpot in the lottery?