vroom vroom in detroit

i took a short car ride to detroit last weekend for the north american international auto show 2007. there was nothing folky about the place (as sufjan stevens would insist) nor was there gangsta-feva (as eminem would rap about). but i was there for the cars. gimme some metal.

mercedes had the most cars on display, and the most cars for everyone to have a sit-inside-and-push-a-few-buttons-and-wiggle-your-ass-in-the-seat experience.

audi had some pretty decent stuff out too.

next up was porsche. it helped that there was this passionate red baby in front. after all th silver/black/chachoal/gun metal of the benzs, red is such a show stopper.
and oh, baby got back. now that's a sweet ass for sure.

unlike asians, ang mohs have a stronger interest in the actual cars and not the chicks. this girl here at the the dodge avenger section was a rare sight.

the luxury car section was a like a restricted zone. see, no touch. the crowds were kept well away from the automobiles. the cars just sat there and primmed and posed, much like supermodels, but they cost a lot more. we had:

ferraris,

lamborghinis,

rolls-royces,

and maseratis.

ah bengs would have been delighted to see some of their own dream cars modified exactly the way they want it. the modified scion (pronounced sai-on and not ski-on as most of the ignorant call it) tcs were out in full force. my inner-beng quivered.

gimmi mai jinon lites. i wan spoiler big big, exoss big big aso. can put baby head inside.

at the lexus booth, i got my most perfect shot. the lexus IS-F was revolving and i just took one shot. it turned out to be the most perfect shot that i've ever imagined. the cobalt blue just radiated, and coupled with the reflection of the lights, it sends tingles. i'm not a big fan of lexus, but this picture really hits the spot.

if there was a car to beat lamborghini's doors, this saab would be it. honestly, this is sightly over the top.

not to be outdone, the aston martins and jaguars were also there to be seen and heard.

some pretty impressive concept cars from acura and honda.

a random "album cover" picture outside the joe louis arena. the skinny jeans was there for the right photo shot.

detroit turned out much cleaner and brighter than i expected. ok, it's not exactly gangsta-town, but now i can say i survived detroit.

all that shiny metal

adrenaline for real snowboarders, real pain for the gutless

i'm taking a break from narrating my incredible winter break to talk about a shot of adrenaline (and a lot more) to my head.

two weeks ago, i went on a ski trip to gaylord. yeah, what a name i hear you say. but i assure you, there was nothing gay about the trip. quite the opposite actually.

at that time, the snow hadn't really fallen in ann arbor. (now it's piling up faster than panda express) so the snow was really appealing. a weird and spontaneous fun feeling came over me. i was ready for anything. ANYTHING at all.

the gang that i walked with along the long winding path downhill to the rental place. the boots were stinky, but hey, it's just for two days. kaijian looks like a serial killer. as if the all-black get-up wasn't enough, the shades sealed the deal.

the trick to learning snowboarding is to go in without any expectations.
don't expect to feel pain. (although you most certainly would. i mean, duh)
don't expect to be able to do stunts in 30 minutes.
don't expect it to be easy.
don't expect to go fast.
BUT, do expect to fall a million times. and don't be afraid to. if you gotta fall, you gotta fall. gravity does favors for no one.

alright, now you say falling on snow shouldn't be too painful. let's think about it again. it's artificial snow. it's thin. some parts of the slope were covered with rocky ice. hard, rocky ice. now just picture yourself landing with a small 'thud'. then, multiply it by 50 times. do you feel it now? if not, i'll come over with a baseball bat.

snow sports really add a new dimension to posing.

skiing is for girls. and if you're a snowboarding girl, you've got balls.

snowboarding is so much cooler. this is one of the obvious reasons.

i'm happy i came to gaylord with unbeatable enthusiasm. i did almost everything a beginner can expect to do with a snowboard.
i learnt to fall willingly. it's much less painful that way.
i sped down the slope and lost control, and i actually liked it.
i sped down the slope and braked so hard that the blood in my ass rushed to my head. without falling. ooh, what a feeling. all that pressure and adrenaline.
i slammed my head into the snow twice. and got some macho bruises on my face. add a mild concussion too.

i'm glad i pushed myself to do whatever i did at the resort. i left the ski resort with every single joint in sufficient pain to not want to turn in bed at night. they say there ain't no other way but the hard way.

i have to board again.

shipping up to boston (day three)

according to plan, we were to explore boston's freedom trail. it's a route for tourists to follow and look at some historic memorials and other meaningful stuff.

shao just had to show off his shiny new toy gun. nope, NO innuendo at all.

the old governor's house. just a funny thought: put this house in cali and get arnold to stay in it. and make a super-smash-box-office-smash-movie. XD

the USS Constitution. apparently extremely well-kept and in excellent condition. it had fought in a few wars. the museum next to it was really interesting too.

a memorial remembering the atrocities of the holocaust and the death camps. there were grilles on the ground that emitted a fine mist, and the structures made of glass panes were beautiful. each pane had a short experience or quote inscribed on it.


the quincy market had a lot of stuff on sale. from cute little (and practically bai-swee) items, to a wide variety of food (think beard papa from japan), to the standard GAP and banana republic stores. diversity.

and the old state house. the basement has been transformed into a subway station. the rest of it is a museum, and they charge an entrance fee. no thank you.

we ended the day (and the trip in boston) with a delicious meal at legal seafoods, a famous chain of restaurants in boston. the lobster was succulent. i want it again.

boston was pleasant, but slightly bland. now on to the happening big apple.

how we were shipped!

shipping up to boston (day two)

the fog has arrived! it's eatng everything up! AAARRGGH!!

the trinity church in boston. in retrospective, there are so many trinity churches around. i guess each city must have its own.

besides the fog, a monster came along to terrorise the john hancock tower.

what's that coming over the hill?
is it a monster?

hell yeah!

another view of the church. notice its near-flawless reflection in the side of the john hancock tower. which brings to mind how much it costs to clean the glass to such a polish.

riding the subway can be a bitch. just kidding! i was just giving a little attitude.


we explored harvard for a bit.
one word: U-G-L-Y.
nowhere near as pretty as umich. but wait till you see MIT.

seven people.
seven phones.
seven 'phonecalls'.
one kooky picture.

this is the ONLY face of MIT that i wanna put up here on my blog. it's FUGLY. oh, if i could say 'ghastly' in an arrogant british accent, that would hit the spot.

the lengths and places to which people would go to showcase their art. we're really living in a world without creative freedom.

i like to live dangerously. let's lie down on the trak some day.

shipping up to boston (day one)

we stepped off the train on xmas day to find the streets deserted. shops closed, cars parked, it felt like a ghost town. the streets were clean though, and buildings looked new and bright. it's no wonder why boston is among the best cities to live in.





next up, a walk in boston commons, a public park.

some statue standing atop a pillar in the center of the park. i don't know who the statue is supposed to represent, or its significance, but it looks cool.

colorful lights! big green trees! my xmas presents were conspicuously missing.

more dazzling lights!

cabbages in the city.are.weird. why cabbages? they're cute anyway.

it seemed like i was being stalked by paparazzi. oh, the pitfalls of being a popular blogger.

the massachusetts state house.

a really interesting and colorful night group shot in boston commons.

the lights, the horses, the carriages, but where was the snow? not that i love the cold (i hate it), but snow would really up the romantic factor a lot. well, it wasn't a huge loss, since there wasn't a person around to romance anyway.