Detroit Jazz Festival 2008

As mentioned in the earlier entry, the Detroit Jazz festival is a must-go event if you are in town. 3 days of world class free outdoor concert... I mean, come on!

It's a very casual event, more like a fun fair, but all the seriousness when it comes to good jazz. It's all self explanatory, so I will just go ahead and show you what I could take home.

Giant "puppet"



For some reason, there are always people playing chess at the festival. It's weird.



Performing stage with the GM Renaissance Center in the background.











Here's my favorite of all. The Gerald Wilson Big Band. They are one of the biggest shows of the festival and I've seen their performance 3 years in a row. The conductor, Gerald Wilson, is 90 years old. He can't even walk steadily onto the stage, but when the instruments start playing, he's more energetic than a puppy.



His old buddy( sorry can't remember his name) mastering in guitar. This is the first time I've heard a guitarist so good that it literally is the vocal portion of a song. Like my friend said, his didn't need to impress the audience with fast and heavy techniques. It's as clear and precise, yet emotional.



Grand finale!





A special night for Detroit.





This may be the last time I attend the Detroit Jazz festival, but I definitely look forward to come back some day.

ALMS Detroit GP 2008

Detroit is packed with events over the Labor Day weekend as always. Detroit GP that features several races (Indy, SCCA and ALMS) on Belle Isle island as well as the Annual Detroit Jazz festival. Both are my favourites, so naturally, I went to both.



So the Grand Prix first. Well, I am not a huge fan of the American Le Mans series, but I do have my picks. The Audi R10 with its TDI diesel engines have always amazed me. It is also a rare opportunity to see these amazing machines on their limit up close, and so affordable. It's a great experience if you are into cars or racing. Even for people who aren't really into motor racing, it's still worth coming to.

So I was here last year. What's good about this year? Well, I got free tickets!!! We received free tickets from people who can't attend. Grand stand sits, which means we made an intant $120!!!

Lots of pics, here are some to tease:

















Porsche in the Pits



Aston's turn



The Pit Lane



It wasn't very easy to capture these zapping machines. They were going so fast that really put my lens and focusing skills to the test. Here are some lucky shots:





Alright. Of course, the highlight of the day would have to be the checkered flag. I was fortunate enough to be right in front of the start/finish line and captured the precious moment:







Acura won the race, and makes its way to the pits...



to be greeted by the Michelin man



and embraced by his crews



Who's that hot chick in the Audi race suit???



Well, the event is surely action packed, so there's more to be seen. Be sure to check here for the photo album where tons more are waiting for you!

Portland, Oregon

Green, hippie, but I like it!



I got a free trip to Portland... but a hard one.
It was as though there was a strong, very strong force trying prevent me from getting to Portland, but I got there anyways, on the next day. So here's the story:

I was to take a flight from South Bend, Indiana to Chicago, then connect to a flight to Portland. Since it South Bend was in Central Time zone a month ago when I was here, I didn't think otherwise. Turned out that South Bend joined the Eastern Time zone! It's ok, I was at the airport early for the flight anyways, so I was on time. Then I waited and waited.... 4 pm, but there was no announcement for my flight. I checked my boarding pass and the TV display. They both match. So I went to the counter to ask.... "Chicago? Oh, it's leaving now!" So I ran to the gate only to see the door of the plane gradually closing. Why did I miss it when I was right there waiting for it all this while? United Airlines switched my flight around with another without updating both my boarding pass and the TV info. Plus, they didn't even tell me when I checked in!



So I was put on the next flight. Big deal, happens every day on domestic flights. 3 hours later, I boarded the plane and looked for my seat 16A.

"12... 13.... 14.....14..... wait, there's no 16!!!"

So I made my way all the way back to the front and showed the lady my boarding pass.

"You're right, there's no 16 on this plane! It's ok, there are only 26 passengers, you can sit anywhere you like."

Ugh ok.

The plane took off late, so I arrived at Chicago late, plus, the plane sat on the run way for a good 20min before it docked. I hurriedly made my way from one end of a terminal, to the other end of another terminal, only to see the gate to my flight pulling away, FOR THE SECOND TIME!!! WHY!!!

It was late, and there way no other flight to Portland now. They put me in a Hilton and flew me out the next morning. What bothered me was, I wasn't the few who were in similar situation. There were buses of people who had to stay over night just like me, in the Hilton. How is UA surviving at all?



A sandwich and a soda for $28 at the hotel..... but it was good though.


Bad experience aside, let's go to the fun part.



After the interview that I was really here for, I checked into the hotel. Ace Hotel it is. Very unique. Every room is designed by a different artist, therefore each has a different layout, finishing and decoration. Mine was laid out to be like a studio space. Unlike a typical hotel that tries to make you feel comfortable by being bland, I didn't feel like I was away from home being in this room. It's what people would do to their homes, so naturally, it was comfortable... at least for me.





Vinyl player for your entertainment



And a big cat to wake you up... or keep you awake!





My little window to Portland downtown






The Pearl District is where I was at. It's the hip part of the town. Each block is small. The town is rather dense and everything is happening at the same time. It's a big bike town where people commute on bicycles(me likes). So "green" is big here. There are also a big emphasize on organic food, and I didn't see a single fast food restaurant in Portland.

Portlanders loves to bike



Pearl District





West of the Pearl District just beside the Washington Park area, there's the Nob Hill district. This is where the artsy stuffs are at, where you can find both high end commercial art and street art pieces.





Bad Karma news stand



A street pole layered with advs



A tile in the wall



Some chickens running wild



There also seem to be a presence of design consciousness....

"Eames lounge chair" styled barber seat.


More than just Portland

I guess I will never be satisfied with just Portland, so I went to google map to see what's up around the area, and I spotted something VERY interesting...



Twwwenty some miles of twisty road waiting to be conquered!!! Rental Car!!!

So I immediately reserved a rental car, just to thrash around... nah, I'll never do that... right?





opps....

Anyways, it's really a pleasant surprise to me that Portland is this close to the countryside. Cows, horses, trees, farms, ridges, MOUNTAIN ROADS!!!





"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!"

Horse or cow?



Where the fun is.



My famous "one-hand-on-the-wheel-one-on-the-camera" skillz





Over the ridge



Oregon's logging industry



Before we go back to the city, here's a summary of the experience...



Alright, that wasn't exactly an accurate description, but it was great!

Last but not the least... Man I really need to look for a better closing. Anyways, Nike's corporate HQ.



Over all, Portland is a fantastic place for me. Other than the things to do, there are the food to eat. Not having visited Singapore for 3 or more years, it was extremely pleasing and torturous to be having such good South East Asian food. Pleasing... yes, it was great, beyond great. Torturous because my stomach can only take so much, but the menu..... arrrhhhh!!!!!

In the end, I choose to move to Atlanta instead. They better have good food waiting for me!