Baby shower

Family here in Maryland decided to throw us a baby shower on Saturday. It was a lot of fun - filled with gifts for the baby, good food, laughter and memorable anecdotes. As we won't be staying till Thanksgiving this year, the party was also kind of an early Thanksgiving celebration. In addition to the usual fare of turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, baby's Nana also got a very nice cake for the occasion:

Opening pressies after dinner:More onesies!!!Bringing home in our suitcases will be burp clothes, bibs, onesies, hooded towels, swaddling blankets, more bibs and soft cuddly toys. Thank you all!

Our week in Virginia

Our week in Virginia has just ended and we traveled up to Baltimore two days ago. As always, it was good to see family and catch up with what we've missed the last year. The only difference is that this year, our luggage is full of baby stuff instead of books and shoes and purses. Below are some random pictures from our time in Virginia.

Otis fooling around:

Home of some yummy bbq sandwiches:Best hotdogs around: Hotdog King

Our footlong hotdogs:

Witnessing history being written in Chicago

Our week in Chicago for meetings is over and I'm presently waiting for my airport pick-up at the hotel lobby. In fact, Brian flew out to his dad's (in Va.) early Monday morning and I join him there today.

Last night was quite a night as I witnessed the victory of Chicago's own homeboy, Obama, soaring against all odds to be the first African-American President of the US. While I disagree with his ideology, I must say that his success only proves that the US is indeed a country that deserves emulation. I cannot imagine how in anyone's lifetime a Chinese would be the Prime Minister of Malaysia. In that respect, in the words of my immediate boss, America is a great country! Both candidates fought hard and McCain conceded so graciously.

iPod vending machine at the JFK airport!

We flew into Chicago last Thursday night and Friday was Halloween. I remember some weeks back a friend asked me what Americans do on Halloween with those huge pumpkins we happened to see on sale in a supermarket in Singapore. Well, the picture below should give you an idea! I saw the two pumpkins on the counter of the coffee shop of our hotel. Apparently one of the hotel staff is a really artistic guy and he carved those faces on the pumpkins - pretty cool.The hotel we're staying at is right on Chicago's Magnificent Mile - Michigan Ave. which is lined with retails shops and brand names; something like Singapore's Orchard Road but more historical.

The Magnificent Mile at dusk:

We also ate much of the famous deep-dish Chicago pizza. Giordano's Pizza, which is two blocks from the hotel, serves up the best pizzas we've ever had! There is so much in the vicinity but we didn't do too much sightseeing as I'm beginning to find walking too long very strenous on my legs. Overall, we had a nice time here in Chicago.