Of Chicago - Fall 2008

So, after resting up in our hotel for the night where 5 people shared two queen size bed (UZ sacrificed himself by sleeping on the floor - damn good right him?) we headed to Chinatown in the morning for breakfast!

Why Chinatown you ask?Simply because it has Chinese food.
Personally ... I can't stomach American breakfast too much.It gives me headache and stomachache.Why headache you ask?
Because most of the time, it is too oily.And oily food gives me headache.
And what bout roti canai you ask?
Yes.Oily roti canai gives me headache.
I digress.

We were brought to this dim sum restaurant by Amy a.k.a Team Leader's Assistant.
Personally ... Malaysia dim sum beat it top down left right north south and west east.Which in Chung Chin's term means ... TOTALLY. (Yeah ... I can see you saying "Cheh.Spoilt MALAYSIAN brat", Amy)
But ... considering that we were in U.S., I would say the food is pretty good!
At least the stuffs are fresh.

V pose with chopsticks!

Perfect timing! Erm ... Don't ask me. I have no idea what gave Shie Meng that look. =P

Full team picture.
What is it with asking other people to take pictures?Do other people intend to make you look bad?

With reference to the comments above, I seriously think that people are out to make other people look bad.Either that, or there is just a limited quantity of people ... and I mean LIMITED quantity ... who knows how to take a DECENT group photo of OTHER people.
You thinking, "Cheh.Not like you're an extremely good photographer."?
*shrug* I admit that. But at least I think I take DECENT photographs of them when requested by some stranger.
I digress.Again.
Oh.And Amy.If you are reading this.I am in NO WAY referring to Fel.I swear.
I just suddenly remembered when I finished writing the whole thing.Heh.

After the fabulous breakfast, we headed to downtown Chicago by subway.I think all of the team members with the exception of Amy and me had not ride on U.S. subway before.It was definitely an experience.At least when I first rode the subway, I thought of it as fantastic experience.You just can't help but feel a little ... poetic?

Perhaps it's Hollywood.It has contaminated my brain too much with the image of lonely poets living beside train tracks or a yet to be discovered hero (Wanted!) waking up to the noise of the train or a uber-cool image of Brad Pitt having dinner (Seven!) in an apartment beside the tracks.
Heh.Well.As they say ... "Whatever ..."

Hmmm ... I think my moustache is pretty cool.

Fel is holding the camera because earlier she was commented on her photography skill.

Nauseous bumpy ride for some

Where else to go when we are in downtown ... Millenium Park of course.
And well, practically ... this is where our day REALLY starts.When all the classic things happen.
Heh heh

I like this picture.Somehow ... felt nice.

For the picture above, the classic thing that happened was that, while EVERYONE was preparing to take this picture ... moving around and getting into their places and poses ... I snapped continously ... and when inspected upon ... Felicia actually had the same pose ... SAME POSE ... for the 8 pictures I took continously. Geng ler.

Signs of 不合群

Cloud Gate or more famously known as The Bean.

Group picture.This one is considered ... ok la ... And I think UZ was looking at some girl by the side.

I don't know why ... but the assistant seems to be scared of me.

That day was HOT!Burning hot.We were literally being toasted walking around the park.But lucky for us ... water park!
It wasn't actually an ACTUAL water park ... there is just this pool of water somewhere near Millenium Park ... and there were lots of people over there chilling out.Kids especially!

Cooling down

Damn cute.

All the kiddo playing in the pool of water was SUPER-cute.Especially when they were running around.The happy smile on their face ... that was really priceless.It was a mini-heaven.With little angels all around.

Wet.With no extra clothes to change.

It was actually a rather ... random act to jump into the water.No one brought any extra clothes to change.
Which is why in all the pictures, you do not see me!
Hahahaha ... I guess I like spontaneity ... but only when I am not part of it.
=P

Water being thrown out.And where were you looking, team leader's assistant??

And then, someone actually took notice of the shirts we were wearing ... Allow me to introduce the Traffic Light band ...

Red, Yellow, Green!

Coincidence?Perhaps
I like coincidences. They make me wonder about destiny, and whether free will is an illusion or just a matter of perspective. They let me speculate on some idea of some master plan that, from time to time, we're allowed to see out of the corner of our eye.
- Chuck Sigars

Part II ends

Of Chicago - Fall 2008

Allow me to introduce the team -

Team Leader : Chung Chin a.k.a A.C.
SUPPOSEDLY the planner for the whole trip.But only realized he was SUPPOSE to be the planner half-way through the trip.

Stunts are managed by professionals. Please do not attempt to imitate or copy the above dashing pose.

Team Leader's Assistant: Amy Chan a.k.a 阿米
Was the one excited about the trip for the most part.And keep badgering to take over the wheel.
Somewhat a dangerous driver.

Ooooo.Nice teeth.The red shirt brings it out

Team's Leader and Leader's Assistant Boss: Shie Meng a.k.a The Lady
Doesn't pay out a single cents nor give any employee benefits despite claiming herself as boss.

Huh???That's what the look says.

Team Member #1: Corrine Yap a.k.a xiao cha bor #1
Hyperactive for most of the time.But when quiet ... she goes into a serious mood that can kill you with a flick of her eyebrow

Aren't the grapes looking healthy?

Team Member #2: Felichia Oh a.k.a xiao cha bor #2
SUPER-hyperactive when she is in a sleepy state but can't go to bed yet.Non-stop talking to keep herself awake.Has the side effect of annoying all others.VERY blur too.

This does not happen when she sits in front with the driver.

Team Member #3: Yew Ze a.k.a UZ
For the most part, provides the photography and heavy lifting.But there wasn't any heavy lifting during the trip.So only photography.

Couldn't find a profile picture during the beginning of the trip

We started our trip in the afternoon.For the most part, I was driving.And they were taking some random pictures.Without directions, they took pictures like this:

Standard V pose

Standard smiling with one flashing a V

Don't know what she wanted to pose.But looks pretty cool.Still.Standard.

Standard

Slightly not-so-standard but don't know what they are doing photo.

With a little direction and creativity from *ahem* someone who is creative, we had pictures like these;



Aaah.The wonder of camera timer.Well, too bad the driver wasn't too happy with my *ahem* creative ideas.

Arriving one piece - cars and bodies - in Chicago, we headed straight to downtown.
Guess where we went.


John Hancock Observatory!The place never fails to amaze me every time I visit.
And much to my surprise (and chagrin) they actually don't allow tripod usage.*pheeeeeesh*
What kind of lame restriction is that?!
*sigh*

Back to you!

Glorious lights of Chicago.And I think Shie Meng was trying to promote the audio-tour player thingy

Standing above the tower and looking down always give me the feeling ... what a long fall it is going to be.
*shrug*

After the brief tour in Chicago downtown, we headed to our hotel to get some rest for the night.

Part I - ends

Of Why I have been missing

Cho-to-ma-te!
Before you say "Aiyah, you always go missing one la. As usual only mar", allow me to explain why I have not posted for a period.

Two words. Spring break. One more word. Traveling.

For those who have forgotten what's a break, its a brief period of time where you take some time off from the mundane and back-breaking routine for a small breather.
Excerpt from WordWeb's definition:
Noun:
2. An unexpected piece of good luck. (Hmmm...something like that. But not really.)
7. A time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something (Aha! Which is what I was doing for a week.)
If anyone reading this is currently seething with jealousy, envy and anger - don't. I am currently swamped up to my necks with assignments. That's another story for another day.

And nope. I didn't travel for one whole week. Don't have so much $$. Only for the weekends when the break started and when it was ending.
Went to Minnesota AGAIN, but this time with a different group of people. Hmmm ... come to think of it, all my trips to Minnesota has been with different group of people.
Then came back and work for a few days, and headed to Chicago with the lady and two friends.

Chicago is ... not a nice city to visit during winter. It's not called windy city for no reason. Seriously, taking a walk out there in the street with the winter wind blowing can only be torture. Not fun. To be fair though, the city is beautiful as always. The building there never fails to amaze me.

One thing though. Since I drove there this time, I finally really got a taste of Chicago's citizen's "courtesy". I don't know how many times I was honk-ed by the cabs over there just because I was slow by 1 second, when the red lights turn to green. City people. Now I know why I wanted to come back Des Moines so badly when I was over there for a week during summer 2007.
City's people courtesy. Nice.

Anyway, first thing we did in Illinois (the state) before heading to Chicago (the city) was shopping. Nothing much to blog there. Couldn't find what I wanted to find over at the outlet malls, though I did get a bag for my sis-in-law.

Headed to Chicago around mid-afternoon. We actually had our dinner at Chinatown before hitting the street. Here are some photos.

The group of tourists from Des Moines.

Trying on some Elizabeth Arden's lipstick. Not. (In Macy)

The Lady and a tower.

Disney store. Full of mouse, ducks, tiger, dog, pig and bear. Cute ones though.

When we finally couldn't take the cold, we headed to Signature Lounge, "the lounge Chicago looks up to". That's what they keep on saying when we were riding the elevator up. Heh.

Anyone visiting Chicago should definitely make it a point to stop by at the John Hancock Center.

Erm ... I know. A bit cacat after Photoshop.

And yes. Please shaddup about the Photoshop effect. I just thought the background was a little dull. Anyway, here is an unadulterated night view of Chicago from the Signature Lounge.

From top to down. *pheeeeeew* Long drop there.

Chicago city. On fire.

Burn baby. Burn.

By the lake.

Astounding view, no? For those who are there to take photos, I would highly recommend you to go to the Observatory instead of the lounge. The observatory is deserted most of the time, so you can take your time to set up your camera to whatever setting you want and take a thousand pictures without worrying that you are blocking the way. And trust me, the ticket to the observatory is much more worth it than having to pay for the drinks in the lounge. My two cents.

The lounge is not exactly bad. Just not my kind of place. I hate cramp-y place. Worst part of the lounge was that it was jam-packed with people - lots of noises, chattering, cam-whores. Well, I guess I just can't stand places with too many people. Or people mainly.

Millennium Park was next on our hit list after resting up for the night. Most of you probably know that the park is one of the main attractions in downtown Chicago from my previous post.

On the way to the park.

Me with The Lady in Millennium Park.

The Lady in front of a sculpture.

Due to it being weekend and everything else, we didn't visited much else places. That's it for most of my trip to Chicago.

Well, it has been an interesting trip. Especially since it was with two other people that doesn't share the same frequency with me. For the unknown, I have always like traveling alone. Either that, or with a VERY small group of people who share the same frequency. If you travel a lot, you probably know the trouble of getting decisions done when you're in a big group.

You: Eh, so now want to go where?
A 君：Anywhere lor.
B 君: I anywhere also can one.
Etc etc: Yeah. Me too. Anywhere also no problem.

...

If only there is a place actually called "anywhere" in every places we go.
And when decision has finally been made after an hour of dragging or so.

A 君: Wah lau ... what kind of place is this. So dirty one.
C 君: Ok la. I just can't take the heat. Damn hot ler. Why no air-con one.
Etc etc: Wah lau weh. Who say want come here one?

And everyone starts blaming each other for deciding to go to a place that proves to be somewhat disappointing.

If you're traveling with a group of same frequency of people, in a VERY small group, chances of the scenario above happening are probably nil to 0.000001% either because everyone sincerely enjoys the trip not because of the places, but because of the people there, or everyone just hold themselves responsible for whatever decision made.

Hopefully one day I will be able to tour Europe in that kind of ideal situation.

Of the climax of my visit in Chicago

I spent roughly 9 days in Chicago. Out of the 9 days, I visited various museums, walked a few parks, and toured the city quite a bit.

But, of all the things I have done, I would think visiting these people is the climax of my visit to Chicago.
These people?
Allow me to present to you:

Yup! The Blue Man Group. I think most of you probably know them through the Intel advertisement. When I first arrived in Chicago, I had no idea that they were staging shows there. But when I Wikipedia-ed Chicago, they actually introduced the Blue Man Group. And I thought what the heck, might as well check it out.

And so I did. When I found out that their ticket price was USD59, I was partially discouraged. It was rather pricey actually. But I thought it is not like everyday I get to see them, and so I decided to make the journey to the theatre.

And I am glad I did.

Cause when I showed them my student ID (they wanted some sort of identification for the credit card I was using) they told me that they actually have student's ticket!
And guess how much is the student's ticket?
USD29!
WHOA! Of course I told them I wanted that. And on top of that, since I was watching it alone, they actually had a single seat left that was in a pretty good position.
Super lucky right? I thought so too. Hiak hiak hiak =P

From Wikipedia:
Blue Man Group's theatrical acts incorporates rock music (with an emphasis on percussion), odd props, audience participation, sophisticated lighting, and large amounts of paper.

A pity that they didn't allow photography, or else I might be able to show some stuffs over here. But yeah, the Blue Man's show is exactly as described. Rock music, odd props, audience participation, sophisticated lighting, and large amounts of paper.

A visual feast.

It was really a visual feast. I like how they used colors and lighting to stage the show. And then there were UV lights which was really really REALLY cool. The UV lights itself wasn't cool.
What was cool was the effects it had on glow in the dark paints (I think it is paint, can't be sure though) and white colored stuffs. Yup. That was why they were a lot of paper. Toilet paper to be exact.
I don't know how many rolls they used, but I know that it was A LOT. And you know how white paper/shirt will glow blue when hit by UV light? And it is really chio?
It is.
It is super chio. It felt a bit like disco. Though I have never been to a disco. But I think that's how disco looks like. =P

And for those who like percussions (me!), the whole show was a total blast!

Frankly speaking, I felt that even if I have to pay USD59 for it, I would have gladly pay for it. It would be worth every single penny. They definitely know how to interact with the crowd. I think there were quite a bit of the show that totally depends on how the audience reacted. And they acted accordingly. Which was really cool.

Creepy? Not at all. They are ridiculously hilarious.

For those who ever get a chance, I would strongly, and I mean it, STRONGLY, encourage you to watch it. Perhaps not by yourself. I think it would be more fun to watch it with a group of friends.

I know, I watched it by myself. And frankly speaking, I enjoyed every single seconds of the show.

I think I have never laughed so hard for so long, for quite some time already.

Perhaps that's why I enjoyed the show so much?
=)

Of the city of architecture - Chicago VI

Allow me to present to you - the downtown of Chicago:

Some pillar by the roadside which I thought was pretty chio.

Buckingham fountain:

A statue by the roadside which again I thought was pretty chio.

Interesting looking building. Notice how each level has its own design?

Anonymous building:


Chicago Public Library:

I thought the carvings were really nice. Plus it is lion-shaped. Lion=Leo=My zodiac.

Mesmerizing lamp.

When I went inside the "Chicago Public Library", I couldn't find any library. But instead found myself inside the Chicago Cultural Center. The interior was beautifully decorated. A pity that the lighting was not suitable at all for photography. Try as I might, the photos still turn out blurry.

A still in progress building opposite "Chicago Public Library".

Thought the carvings were nice.

Pillars by the roadside that tell a story:


If I did not remember wrongly, the pillar tells stories of how Chicago was a fort for some war and how the people bravely defended the fort.
While reading the story, I noticed I was the only person standing there to read it while hundreds of people just walk past by.
Makes me feel very self-conscious that I am traveller in this city.
And also the feeling that somehow, I am the only one stranded with a slow pace.
Time to move on?
And join the bumbling crowd?

Think it is a hotel. Can't be sure. Couldn't find any signs.

Tribune Tower:

Chicago Tribune Tower.

Chicago Tribune is the newspaper I read everyday.
Ok la.
Honestly. The newspaper I TAKE everyday to play the Sudoku inside.
Nope. I don't read the news.

From far.

Again, I thought the carvings were really nice.

A church along the Magnificent Mile.

Inside the church.

The church was probably the last building I visited before heading back to IIT (the campus where my hostess are in).
When I went inside the church, there was only one lady there. I found a seat and planted myself there for several minutes.
As I rested, I was very conscious of how quiet and serene things had suddenly become.
Not trying to sound spiritual. Probably it is because of the sudden change of place.
But, I really felt that I was transported elsewhere as I sitted there by myself for a few minutes.
The serenity inside the church refreshed me.

Made me wonder of the pace the world is going at. Is everyone going too fast?
Or am I too slow?

Whichever it is, the rare moment of serenity help lift my spirits a little.

By the way, the Magnificent Mile is this stretch of road with lots of upscale boutiques and ultra-chic shops. It is probably a 禁地 to me.
I Wikipedia-ed it once, and if I am not wrong, they compare it to New York's Fifth Avenue and such.
Window shopping is probably the only thing I can do here. Can look. Can't touch. Definitely no buy.

People along the Magnificent Mile.

But probably I could afford a shoe polish?

You think they would let me in if I wear sandals?