He isn't a wussy when it comes to reverse parking!
For the next two stunts, fun-seekers had to bid for a prized seat beside Russ. I would say it is well-worth the money because you cannot fool around with your car like this on Singapore roads.
At the end of the stunt, one of the passengers was asked how he felt, and to which he exclaimed breathlessly "It is like a centrifuge!" There was an awkward silence as everyone looked lost. I was groaning to myself 'Don't use big words.' He even dared to continue "Do you all know what is a centrifuge?", and before he could begin his impromptu explanation, Russ quickly shooed him away.
After the show, I went for the test-drive. It was so fun that I had to go for another round. The cheeky speed demons took us in their Subarus and sped, drifted and brushed shoulders with pillars. The windows were wound down, and all the wind, the smoke and the screeching tyres - I deliriously lapped them all up.
Ten things that I have garnered about the Motorshow
1) Different beauty standards - I must say the most attractive race queens of the whole Motorshow were stationed at a booth (manned by a car brand from China) next to mine. They had fair and flawless skin, curvy bodies and looked totally stunning with makeup. I was quite surprised to observe that the other models from big brands (like from Japan and Korea) could not match up to those beauties.
2) Pretty boots that hide a secret - Black boots, white boots, PVC boots, leather boots, knee-high boots ... You cannot catch a race queen without her boots. Although they really look good on leggy models, the lack of ventilation causes a weird smell to be concocted in between their toes. I was gagging when this model in the toilet cubicle beside mine took off her boots, and there was an unmistakeable 'salted fish' smell wafting through the air.
3) People are generally nice - 9 in 10 of them would take brochures from me when I was distributing them. Some were courteous enough to say "Thank you" with a big grin. I guess the trick is to flash them a smile that is oozing with sincerity and thank them for accepting a piece of coloured paper that will probably end up wastefully in the bin anyway. Those who did not give me face received a profanity mouthed behind their backs.
4) "Confirm free or not?" - This was the most asked question when I encouraged interested people to sign up to be members of a motoring portal that my booth was promoting. My first assurance that it is definitely free never registered on them because they had to ask the same question again a few more times. When they were finally convinced that it would not rob them of their dollars to be members, their next question was "Got goodie bag / free gifts or not?"
5) Die also must find - Speaking of free, no unfamiliar territory can stop them from hunting down freebies. "Where to collect the free ice-cream?" and "Where is the lucky draw box?" are the two most popular work-unrelated enquiries that I have encountered.
6) Freebies galore - You will be surprised at the freebies that the exhibitors gave away: Mazda calendars, Subaru fans, Bridgestone tyre pressure gauges, 1 year's free supply of petrol from SPC, limited edition Ferrari merchandise, Wall's ice-cream, AIG watches, Nescafe coffee etc etc (and even carabiner pens and air fresheners from my booth). I had a helpful colleague who helped me jostle with the crowd to lay his hands on an exquisite miniature car from Nissan.
But I would rather have this
7) Kiasuism in the works - When it comes to freebies, you have to respect Singaporeans for their highly 'competitive' spirits and perseverance. Just look at most of them amassing goodie bags and brochures from various booths. Just look at the 4-booth long queue for the Nissan miniature cars which only 48 sets were given out at selected times of the day. Just look at the even longer queue for the free tickets to watch Russ Swift's stunts. I am sure they have gotten back the value of their ticket with the free coffee, free ice-cream, free performance (for some only), freebies and views of the race queens and the Lambo.
8) Snobbish exhibitors - They pissed me off. I hated the skeptical looks that I got from the exhibitors from Toyota, Lexus and Suzuki when I was asking them for their price lists. I may not have the look of a million bucks now, but someday I will show them.
9) Singaporeans are a photographic bunch - Everyone just had to record Russ's stunts digitally for their own viewing pleasure later, and the way they tailed Russ's Subaru with their camera devices was even smoother than the Kallang Wave.
Look forward to the next Motorshow in 2008!
