Here's just some of my Chicago pictures, barely a glimpse into all that happened last weekend.

On Thursday night after leaving work, I came home to make the final preparations for my trip. Even though it would only be for the weekend, the paranoid part of me always has to make sure that all is properly addressed, from tickets and luggage to itinerary and contact info. By the time I went to sleep, it was past 1 and I had only a couple of hours before my friends would be arriving at my house for the morning flight out.

I got up at 4, pretty dang tired. After showering and grabbing my things, I met up with Hombre, Laomedon, and M before heading out to the airport. I have to be honest, it was a little strange standing there in the terminal waiting. The last time I was there, it was eight months ago as I stood there at baggage claim waiting to surprise her from her trip home, ready to give her her birthday gift. Wicked tickets. More on that later. But yeah, it stung a little thinking about how much we've grown apart since then.

After sitting on the runway for what seemed like ages, we took off. Ascending through the clouds as the sun was rising in the horizon was absolutely beautiful. As we flew through the air, I could see my work and my home, and I smiled to myself knowing that this would be a nice little vacation away from it all.

Arriving in O'Hare, the group of us headed for the trains that led into the city and before you know it, we were on our way via metro into the heart of Chicago and the Magnificent Mile. Our first stop, Giordano's, for their legendary deep dish pizza. We all laughed, joking that this was the sole reason for our flight and so we were ready to head home. From there, we enjoyed the cityscape a bit before checking into our hotel and meeting up with the rest of our group.

Victoria was the first to arrive. She made the drive all the way from Indianapolis to meet up with us, despite the fact that she could only stay one day, which I thought was pretty cool of her. She kept saying all her previous trips to Chicago only consisted of eating so she was looking forward to taking in the sights with us. Cute girl company always a bonus =)

A little after that, Harold and Theresa showed up and we were off to explore the streets of Chicago. I have to say that it was gorgeous there. The architecture is so exquisite and detailed, and the sheer variety of buildings was amazing. Not to mention the grandeur of it all. Combine the that with the night lighting and it was it felt like such a change from the quiet that is Irvine. We visited Navy Pier and walked along Lake Shore before heading over to Lawry's to eat come prime rib with Dang and Quynh.

Eating at Lawry's was so funny. M sat there inspecting all the different cuts of prime rib, questioning his the voracity of his appetite and thinking that he should get the lighter "California Cut". We laughed at him, telling him we didn't just come all the way from California just to get a California Cut. Nah he said, and he seemed so sure as one by one, we all got the Lawry cut, which were huge pieces of meat. "Yeah, California is good... California is good... California is good". That's all I heard through through five people ordering. Then the waitress gets to M and asks "What cut would you like sir?" "Lawry Cut please" Hahaha, all the guys started laughing so hard!

Then there was Hombre, who gets drunk with the slightest drink. Needless to say, his inhibitions drop. There we were in the middle of dinner conversing with one another, when all of a sudden he says "Hey, that reminds me of the time Laomedon was planning Playa's bachelor party and said total nude it is!" We all looked at him and laughed, questioning why he would mention that story in front of so many girls. Not that it mattered though. He was so tipsy I doubt he noticed and so he just continued macking on Victoria!

It was a delicious meal, and of course we took pictures of everything we ate, a la Europe. We discussed the potential Asia trip next year, as well as a future getaway to New York. Ah, the finer things in life. Afterwards we took a stroll in the night. Downtown Chicago late at night is still a vibrant place to be and I felt pretty safe. There's no way I'd be walking if that were downtown LA! We ended up at the Hancock Building where we headed up to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor. That's the first picture on the top, overlooking the city. Beautiful isn't it? I lost track of how long we stayed there but we didn't leave until it closed at 1am.

We headed back to the hotel to gather some things. Victoria, who looked beat all night, joked that we should be partying all night with no sleep. Well one thing led to another, and before you know it, we were walking down the streets looking for the nearest bar or club. After asking around random people on the street, and then taking a cab in which we somehow managed to fit seven people, we ended up in the Rush Street District, supposedly one of the more crazy night spots in Chicago. Inside The Loft, which was pretty ghetto, I had my first taste of a purple hooter. Before drinking it, we were told it was light, but man, that definitely burned going down. The tequila shots afterwards seemed like nothing compared to that. And despite having a lot to drink over the course of the evening already, I didn't even feel a slight buzz. It was probably all that food.

We went upstairs where there was a dance floor and proceeded to just enjoy. Theresa and Victoria sure can dance! Each in their own way, Theresa the more energetic dance, and Victoria the more hypnotic one. I'll have to admit, she caught my eye. I wasn't the only one though, as this one guy started talking to her. When Theresa saw that, she asked me "hey, is Victoria single? Cuz if not, I'll cb that guy for her. I'm good at that!" Haha, that totally made me laugh. After talking for a bit, word is, he asked her something and she turned him down, at which point his face was one of complete and utter shock. Disbelief, as if it were impossible for him not to score. All the guys laughed afterwards, mocking the guy and guessing that he had asked her to join him, only to have her say she was already with one of us. The look of disbelief would stem from seeing what type of guys he lost to! =)

There was this older man. I don't even know how to describe him, maybe like a 40 year old balding Napoleon Dynamite. He was there on the stage next to the Go Go poles just dancing by himself. His moves varied from slow mo robot to karate chop and he even ended the night with a slide across the floor. Everyone couldn't help but look and laugh. I mean this is the type of thing you see on youtube. But it was all good, because it was obvious he was enjoying himself, and he actually made all of us enjoy ourselves too. We wondered aloud if he spent every Friday there by himself.

By the time we returned to the hotel, it was 5 and everyone was completely beat. No rest for the weary though because we were up again 7. After booking the architecture boat tours, we headed over to the Field Museum. We saw Soldier Field and the harbor where the Observatory and Aquarium was as well. Not enough time to go into those though, so maybe on a future trip.

Inside the Field, I felt a wave of nostalgia come over me. All of a sudden, I was six again and there I was with my parents, going through the museum and looking at all the exhibits. There was Sue, the huge Tyrannosaur, complete and greeting me as if no time had passed at all. And of course there were the two elephants, the picture that I had always wanted my dad to take and yet it never turned out right. But there I was, twenty years later, and I didn't know what to feel really. Awe that I was back. Nostalgia and reflection. Sadness. Memories of a long time ago when life was so much simpler. And hopeful. Hopeful that one day I might take my own family through those halls as my parents did for me so long ago. I miss you Dad. If anything, this trip was just a way for me to remember you a bit more. I need to save more money so I can bring my parents and sister there now so that they can enjoy it too. Hmm, Vietnam trip next year first.

We spent a good portion of the morning at the Field. Part of the time, I was walking with M, just snapping pictures left and right, sharing my memories with him. Part of the time I was with Hombre as he was doing his comic relief bits. We came across a fossil that said this bone is for you to touch, which of course he had to get a picture with . Haha, we all started laughing at the double entendre of that message. We're sicko's =) For much of the time, I walked with Victoria through the mammal exhibits, and we had a chance to talk a bit about her family and her life. It's so surprising that this was only the third time I've met her but we seemed like old friends conversing. And I also got to looking for the Dinosaur exhibits with Harold. I'm glad Harold and Theresa got to go on the trip with us as well. We grew apart when she was in optometry school, but now that we're all working, hopefully we can catch up. She already has us planning when to go to Disney to catch the fireworks. If there's one person I know who matches my enthusiasm for Disney, it's her! Before leaving, she showed me her honeymoon pictures in the Bahamas. They look amazing and frankly, I'm jealous that I don't have anyone to share such an nice exotic and romantic vacation with.

We had to say good bye to Victoria before the architecture tour because she had to get back to Indiana for a charity even that night. Too bad she lives so far, otherwise we could all hang out more often. I was bummed, but at least I knew her sister Ly, Christie, and Han To were going to meet us later that night for Keng's Birthday at Japonais.

We walked around the streets a bit more and ended up on the north shore where our boat was waiting. Our tour guide was this old gentleman, virtually a walking encyclopedia. He sort of reminded me of Richard Donner in the way he spoke, but there we were just cruising down the river and he was telling us all of this amazing history behind the buildings. I don't even remember the details, and there were words like post modernism and classical and blah blah blah. He was spitting out names left and right. Amazing culture, and I actually felt proud that part of me was from Chicago.

Of course we saw the Sears Tower and the Hancock building, but we also saw all the other obscure ones that I never knew about. Like the building that was's the second largest on Earth, second only to the Pentagon. And the Opera House, which was designed to face away from New York City because the designer's daughter wasn't accepted on Broadway. We saw the Trump Tower being built, and also saw construction of the Chicago Spire, which when complete, will surpass 150 stories and will stand as the tallest building in the western hemisphere. All residential too, with rooms starting at almost a million. For sure I have to go back and see that for myself when it's complete.

After the tour ended, we did a bit of shopping for souvenirs, including hitting up Fox and Obel, this place that my coworker Steph recommended. I stopped by Fannie May and got some truffles for my family and also managed to pick up my customary shot glass. I have a nice collection from every trip now. I need to get a cabinet to display them in some time.

Dinner was at Japonais, supposedly one of the top sushi places in the country as rated by Yahoo. Our group was 20 strong, and I got the chance to see Han To and Christie, as well as their parents. Really nice people, and I managed to talk to the dad a bit over the course of dinner. Ly was there as well, and so was Neil. I'm sure he's a great guy and all, but for some reason, it bugged me when the food came out and he didn't wait for her to get her food before he started eating. Instead, he just dug right in without even offering her. Is that weird for me to be picky about stuff like that?

The food wasn't that bad. Maybe I've had so much sushi though, but I didn't think it was that amazing, especially with the price tag. It was good, don't get me wrong, but maybe I was expecting too much. The most creative dish I ate there was this dish called The Rock. We were served these razor thin slices of raw steak, which we were to cook on the rock itself. The rock was heated to like 500 degrees, so the meat literally sizzled upon touching it. Very weird, very unique. Definitely cool. I can see taking a date there =)

After dinner, we headed over to the theatre district where we were to catch Wicked at the Ford Oriental Theater. Like I mentioned earlier, I had gotten her tickets to Wicked in LA earlier this year, and a huge part of me had wanted to watch it with her. I know, I told her to take her sister so I can't blame her, but I guess part of me was totally disappointed that we didn't watch it together then. Was I expecting too much to think that she would decide to go with me instead? How realistic was I in thinking that? I don't know, but it doesn't really matter. What's done is done.

Though it ended up being a lot later than I planned, there I was, ready to finally see that musical. I hated the book. Not the story per say, but just his writing style. It was so tedious. Full of itself almost. and it was a chore to finish. Luckily, the musical deviates tremendously from the book. For the first half, I only thought it was alright, maybe because I was a bit tired. But after intermission, I felt the story picked up, and even the music got better. And at first, I didn't think the music was all that catchy, but since being back, I've been listening to the soundtrack and some of the songs are really stuck in my head. I've even associated some of them with some of the events and persons in Chicago too!

So the show was really cool. By the time we got out, it was pretty late. Half the group decided to go bar hopping. Me, not being in the mood to drink anymore, hung out with M and Theresa as we tried to find a place to eat at that time of night. Remember the movie Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle? Because of that, I was dying to get my hands on one, but unfortunately there was none in the area, and none of my friends were brave enough to explore the south side of Chicago at midnight haha. So instead, we stayed in my hotel room and just shot the breeze, talking and enjoying each other's company. Before you know it, it was past 2 and so we decided that we needed to start packing. Our flight was early in the morning and we had to leave the hotel at 6:30 at the latest.

Leaving Chicago and seeing the majestic buildings recede into the horizon was quite a bummer. It was so short and I didn't get a chance to see everything. Part of me wanted to go and look for my old home and my old school. To look at the hospital where my dad worked and where my sister was born. Next time.

So yeah, that was my trip. I'm so tired now, and I think that's why I sort of summarized and rambled more at the end than I should have. Don't mind the grammar mistakes as I'm too lazy to proofread. I just figured I needed to finish this entry tonight, as it's been too long. But it's all good. I have the memories in my head and a lot of pictures to remind me of a fun weekend with good friends.

Santa Ana winds are kicking like crazy here and there's tons of brush fires. The air is thick with ash and smoke and all I saw today was an orange horizon. I was driving home last night from my parents and looking up at Santiago Canyon, I could see the line of flames ripping across the mountainside. It actually looked quite beautiful from a distance, but I'm sure it's quite terrifying up close. Anyway, hope you guys are all safe out there.

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Kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight.
I need help believing you're with me tonight.
My wildest dreamings could not forsee,
lying beside you, with you wanting me.

And just for this moment, as long as you're mine,
I've lost all resistance and crossed some border line.
And if it turns out, it's over too fast,
I'll make every last moment last...
As long as you're mine.

~ Wicked Soundtrack ~
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