chicago

Just got back from the first day at work, Wolters Kluwer Riverwoods was awesome, got to meet loads of people that I have only knew from e-mails and phone calls.

I'll get back to work stuff in the next post, now it's all about our trip to downtown Chicago.

I'm staying at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Lincolnshire, Chicago for a couple of days until my apartment in Deerfield got sorted out. The suite was okay, and we were provided free food, so I can't complain much :P

My living room

Hehe, sorry, it was messy.

Aris, Brenda and I left the hotel to Deerfield Apartments around 10am to meet Rajjiv and Nantha there, and from Deerfield we took the train to downtown Chicago which is 40 minutes away, and it only costs us $5 for unlimited rides on the weekend. Quite cheap, and convenient too.

The first thing that I notice about Chicago city is how different it was if its to be compared with, let's say, London. The crowd maybe the same (it was jammed-packed as it was at the peak of summer), but the buildings and architecture are not. Chicago are known for its sprawling skyscrapers, hence the nickname "City of the Big Shoulders". It is also the location of the tallest skyscraper in United States, the Sears Tower, which stands at 442 metres high.

Sears Tower

After walking around snapping pictures and stopping by random shops, we decided to take a break and just chill at this McDonald. The McD was nothing like the ones back home; it looks so traditional and got this vintage feeling to it, with lots of sports memoriblia and collectibles on the walls. And the coke were great too, I know she will LOVE the coke here. :)

inside McD, Chicago downtown

After a large coke and some fries, we head to the Millenium Park, where all Chicagoians come out and play during summer. There were flock of people everywhere from all kind of ages and races, enjoying the day out under the sun. The main attraction here is the various types of architectural excellence which is being displayed for public, such as Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Cloud Gate (or "The Bean"), Crown Fountain, Pavilion Projects and loads more.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion


The infamous Bean

Below the Bean

Seni shot from inside the Pavilion Project

Hot, hot Chicago

Coincidently there was this festival called Taste of Chicago held at the nearby Grant Park, so we went there to see what's going on. The crowd was crazy, it's like sardines-in-can there, and the smell of good food are EVERYWHERE, I bet she gonna drool non-stop if she were there :)

The crowd at the Taste of Chicago

The food there was awesomely yummy, but too bad I can't eat them all :( If I can eat some of the food there, I would pick the barbecued turkey leg, it was HUUUUGGEEE, and it look sooo yummy. I only ate a piece of the infamous deep-dish pizza (all cheese and tomato of course), and it was heavenly cheesy. Heh.

The rats gonna kill me if they ever saw this picture :p

It was 5pm, and I heard from a distance there was a sound check going on at the main stage there, so I checked the flyer to see who's playing, and guess what, Augustana is on!! It was really random, and the show was great, so I can take out my list of bands to see in the States and tick them off. Hehe. Wish she were there with me though :(

Augustana, live!

The show finishes at 6.30pm, and we were really knackered by then...on the way home I took this beautiful picture of downtown Chicago at dusk, thinking of her, wishing she were there with me.

Wish you were here

It was a fun day out, but it'll be much more better if she were there to enjoy it with me. Maybe we'll got the chance to come here again in the future, together..who knows? :)

It was 12.50am, gotta wake up at 6.50am tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now. Sweet dreams <3

x

Fly...

I was dreading for 25th of June ever since my name was officially announced to be one of the three Align members to go to Riverwoods,Chicago for training. It means that I'll be away from her for 2 whole months. sigh. We've never been apart for more than 2 weeks, so this is a big step for us, a big challenge, a big space in between us (literally, as in the Pacific Ocean). She was so happy and excited when I broke the news to her, and deep inside I was thinking, how am I going to survive for 2 months away from her, without being able to see her smile, without being able to touch her, without being able to kiss her, without being able to spoil her?

I miss you so much, and all of this pictures are dedicated for you, my only one.
:)

Now let's get started, shall we?

I think I'm gonna start with my stories in Incheon. The reason I skipped the part where she sent me off in KLIA is because I know how she don't like airports with all the tears and goodbyes, but I don't believe in goodbyes, goodbyes are just...sad. See you later are more like it. :)

The flight to Incheon, Seoul took 6++ hours, and I were dead bored onboard since they doesn't provide those personal screen for entertainment. Lousy Korean Air, lucky the 14 hours flight to Chicago had better entertainment options on-board.

Outside Arrival Halls

The transit duration in Incheon were 3++ hours, so Rajjiv, Nantha and I just wandering around the duty-free area looking for any souvenirs to buy. I didn't bought anything there (but I was really tempted to check out the Coach there for her), only bought a carton of Dunhill Lights. (I know, my bad...sowwy *innocent face* but the box is black, a bit special..heheh). Miskuzi.

Coach boutique in Incheon Int'l Airport
Language barrier

We boarded the flight to O'Hare International Airport, Chicago around 11.30am local time. The flight was loooooooonnnggg...and I can't really sleep, keep thinking about her all the time. The food on-board was passable, got some kind of Middle Eastern style meal as I've requested for Halal meal (but mine was really okay compared to the stuff that Nantha ate..heheh).

After a couple of movies (mainly chick-flicks and romcoms, as there weren't too many choices offered) and idle-ing, I opened the windows to witness the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean skies (and immediately I was thinking of how nice if you were there with me right in my arms to enjoy it with me).

Soon,soon...

ta, tahh!! :)
p/s: sorry for the blurry pictures, the plane's window got some kind of a stain.

An hour or so after lunch on-board, the plane touches down in Chicago (finally!!). Got stuck halfway through immigration (apparently I got a terrorist name, yeay!) and my exit from the terminal was delayed for around 30 minutes or so. By that time I can't wait to go outside the terminal to feel how's the air here like. The weather was quite warm that day as it was going to reach the peak of summer here. The sun was glaring angrily on my skin (I think I'm getting a lot more darker in 2 months), but luckily the wind is quite pleasantly cold so it was really nice to enjoy the sunlight :)

We were picked up by this big, burly man who apparently the limo driver who's going to drive us around that day. When we were told that we will driven around in a limo, we thought it was like the limos in KLIA, those taxi-like cars. But apparently.....

*big eyes*

It's a real limo! I felt like a celebrity when he opened the door and beckoned us in. Heheh.

poserrific :P

Think i'm gonna have to continue this tomorrow, my eyes are freaking heavy and I need sleep..badly.

Owh yeah and today's my birthday, wish I could celebrate my birthday with her, but we're thousands of miles apart, but in reality, she's always gonna be right here with me in my heart :)
Thank you penguin, you've really made my day. Love you loads *kiss*.
.
.
.
.
*snoreesss*

Numero Uno

The first post of X Marks The Spot Version 2.0 (the old one is now officially defunct).
Nothing much to say here, hopefully there'll be more to come.
Watch this space.

x