looptopia!

chicago held the country's very first looptopia last friday night, running from 5pm to 5am.

"cultural and artistic spectacle showcasing the vibrancy and excitement of Chicago’s historic Loop neighborhood through musical and theatrical performances, unique shopping and dining opportunities, indoor programs, outdoor exhibitions, architectural tours, artistic installations and mesmerizing light displays." Link.

so a few friends and i decided to check it out...heading out after a quick nap. the streets of downtown chicago were completely packed with the drunk and sober, young and old (kids were out!) going to the museums,art galleries, and exhibits all around downtown.

i must say some of it was exciting. there was a 'peace wall' where people could paint, a station where people could contribute towards a story (a very long one, where each person wrote a sentence, really reminds me of the (somewhat hamsup) story we wrote back in form 3 during the cempaka days!! psst - where is that book?), the silent dance party (where everyone listens to their ipods and dances to their own music, there was a 'noise indicator' that reflected the level of noise in that room), a puppet show (which really seemed (from the spot i was standing) like just puppets hitting each other with baseball bats and shagging) etc.

almost parallel to clubbing at some popular club but with bright lights at some museum and minus the music.

M.I.A.

yup yup i know i've been MIA for a while but hopefully people have been wondering where i am (if not, screw you).

since i've started my project in chicago i've been insanely busy. well not so insane, but whenever i *do* have internet connection i'm busy. other than that it's just been the same...hanging out with friends, movies, sister, etc. oh and yes studying for my gmats as well.

but now as i'm waiting for someone to pick me up (someone who's too busy buying shoes at the moment), with my feet propped up on a coffee table here at the renaissance (i love this hotel!!), i shall attempt to give you some updates on exciting things i've done so far.

habitat for humanity

for those of you who have a chance to do this, i say DO IT. last friday together with my coworkers we volunteered (or rather, the firm paid for our time) at a hfh location in sf. ridiculously fun, esp. for (nerd) guys who were itching to lay their hands on some manly tools. the program builds houses for low income folks, so i got a chance to do some caulking, hammering (together with a tool belt, hammer and nails, and a hard hat!), painting, etc. we were constructing the wall for the second floor of a house so it was quite an experience, esp. since i had always wanted to be a civil engineer like my dad. (hopefully i hammered those nails in solid, or else err,...whoops).

bodyworlds 2

this is a very popular exhibition that displays the inner (and outer) workings of the human body. using real human bodies. like dead ones. people who visit usually are extremely fascinated, or pretty grossed out by what they see. i'm not sure what i felt. a little eww, but all in all, fascinating. (apparently the list of donors for bodyworlds is like 3000 entries long).

aveda

someone like me who constantly wants to get a haircut (and an occasional highlight/tint) should consider student salons. was a tad bit nervous at first (since you do hear horror stories on hair turning orange cuz a student slipped up), but i must say, i'm quite happy with my hair experience. a 3 hour ordeal that costs less than $50.

adam's b'day

yay! i finally got a chance to see adam (AND kenji!) since i-don't-remember-when. riddhi put up a surprise b'day dinner for him at sushi house and i really had a good time. below is a picture: