Finals, FINALly over

In one day, I have accomplished many things I intended to do in Chicago: visit a museum, attend a concert and do marathon shopping!

Ok so I didn't go INto the museum... but I accompanied Sandra to the Oriental Institute suq giftstore, that must count right? They have such cool exotic jewellery and handicrafts like ankh pendants and scarabs too (albeit made in India, hence their relatively low price range). Am definitely^2 gg back for the real thing next quarter.

Then I met up with Isabel, Alex, CS, Bihui and (the late, and I don't mean dead) Wanyun to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall! They are arguably the No. 1 orchestra in US, and I could see why. There was a guest pianist who finished with irritating little flourishes (I kept waiting for his fingers to cramp up, but they didn’t) and a guest conductor; but CSO played 4 movements with such finesse and precision, I could have sworn the bow angles were all the same =P According to Bihui it's super cut-throat to get in too! I counted like 20 women out of 70 musicians and they were mostly Asian. Anyway the interior was beautiful, the atmosphere intense. At times the sheer effort of trying to take in all the music at once left me breathless and I had to close my eyes. Ok I sound like a total melodramatic freak, but yeah it was that good :)
I also observed that pauses in movements are for the sole purpose of letting the audience cough and clear their throats (and for some reason, half the audience at ANY concert always seems to have preliminary bronchitis).

To continue my fascination with gift stores... they really sell the prettiest (if not most useful) things. CSO sells, among other things, earmuffs, real filigreed leaves plated with real gold, toy instruments, beautiful instrument replicas and pins, the most gorgeous music-themed stationery, and wind-up Bach/ Beethoven/ Mozart dolls playing their own music. There was even this little plaque with "Songbird Auditions Welcome" that looked like it belonged on my door. I'm a consumer junkie so sue me

After several agonizing moments I gave in to the inevitable and purchased the most delightful pink object for a friend (and, as it turned out, only the first of several pink items I would buy that day). We then walked down Michigan Ave admiring obscenely-priced kaleidoscopes, ogling at the overcast skies, taking pictures of the Marshall Fields display windows (Wanyun found her hat! Hooray!) and losing each other in Old Navy.

Then we went to the German market and had bratwurst with sauerkraut and spiced wine and cinnamon roasted almonds, while watching glass-blowing and wood-carving... there was some band playing a jolly brogue (oops, that’s Irish, innit?) with dancers in costume too. Felt like I was back in Germany all over again *happy sigh*

So now here I am, alternating between trying to decide what to pack/ bring back, and trying to clean up. The bunch of people not gg home (and hence leaving Chicago for various holiday locations later than me) are ensconced on my couches eating my trail mix, watching my DVDs, and playing taiti. It's like 3 hours til sunrise and I still have laundry to do.

Oh shit. Realised that to catch the omega shuttle from Southside to Midway you have to call 24hrs in advance... the guys convinced me not to take 55 and to call a cab instead.

I’ve found a housemate who's going to Midway in the early morning too, so we can share the cab! CS is tactfully trying to stop me waking the neighbours with Allison’s great noisome Shark while YJ is telling me to vacuum in Jan since dust will accumulate over the hols, and I'll be the first of us 3 back in the room anyway. Verrrry good idea *goes back to packing*