Well, it's Saturday and time for me to finally start on my Human Genetics and Evolution take-home midterm. Well, before officially devoting myself to that. why not a recap of Friday night? So I was taking the bus 6 downtown to meet my friend for dinner. Since the bus was crowded, of course I was standing all the way in front of the bus, near the fare-paying machine and the driver. As I occasionally glanced back, I managed to see 2 of the Singaporean freshies sitting somewhere behind, but since the bus was so crowded, of course it was not feasible to go back to talk to them. Stop saying that I am dao ah. Then as the bus turned into Michigan Ave, more and more people got off the bus, and I started to hear a familiar high-pitched shrieking voice. I was positive as to who that voice belonged to, so I turned around but could not find who I was looking for. Then halfway through Michigan Ave, the same voice shrilled out "YONGCHUN!!!!!" Confirm now, I know the person has to be in the bus somewhere. So I turned around, and saw Huiying galloping toward me all the way from the back of the bus. Only when did I sit down with her, that I realized that there were actually about 6 year 1s on the bus, all going somewhere to celebrate some Thai friend's birthday. As Huiying and I were talking, this American woman started looking at us, and giggling. No wonder, Huiying's voice is like some natural microphone fitted to a PA system. You put on earplugs still can hear her as if she were beside you. But it was amusing lah .... really nice talking to her. So I got off the bus and made my way to Nordstrom to meet my friend.

We had dinner at Brassiere Jo, a lovely French retaurant in downtown Chicago, just north of the river. Ambience was nice, and since I particularly liked French food, everything about the dinner was nice really, but people, do not read too much into a dinner. If you all jealous, I can have 1 on 1 dinners with you all anytime. So we had escargots and shrimp cocktail for appetizers, and duck and fish for entrees. Simply brilliant food ... makes me wonder how come I only realized this place existed only into my 3rd year here? But yeah, I spent quite long searching for this place on Monday night, so the food had better be good. Enough about the dinner .......

As I was walking back toward Michigan Ave, I was deliberating whether or not to join the others at Fall Formal. Jennie said she wanted to take pics with me when she got back Regents at 1am, but knowing myself, I wasn't gonna not shower and continue wearing my dress clothes till so late at night. So I thought, what the heck, why not just meet them at the Crystal Gardens and take pics there, before I disappear off. The weather was really perfect, a gentle breeze blowing in from the lake, so I thought I might as well just walk to Navy Pier. At most, just a few blocks lah! I must have been crazy, ended up walking like more than 10 blocks to Navy Pier. (Oh yah, she had gone to meet some of her friends, and I thought it was better to go meet up with my other Singaporeans, rather than join her with her friends.) After what seemed like endless trudging along, I finally arrived at the glass walled aptly-named Crystal Gardens. Strangely enough, no one checked if I had tickets, so I managed to get in without purchasing any ticket. Guess they thought I was probably some waiter coming in to clear the food or to refill the drinks. Seeing how different I had dressed from the other guys, this conclusion wouldn't have been strange. So having gone in, I thought I might as well just stay and mingle with the people.

I didn't have my camera with me, so I need to consolidate all the pictures from many many people. Will post them up as soon as I get down to getting them. So here is just 1 picture, taken with Serene's camera. Pls realize ah, that my attire was suited for a French dinner, not some prom function, and my hair had been messed up by the wind over more than 10 blocks of walking, but overall, I think still quite presentable at a formal lah.


YC, here with Wincy, Wanyun and Serene