New York is also home of the United Nations headquarters. It is an unassuming building at the east end of 42nd street. But the entire blue glass facade is characteristic of the headquarters. It is also lined with an entire row of flags representing all the countries that are part of this international organisation. The building is mostly cordoned off from visitors but we were let into the lobby to view the exhibits. There was a photo exhibition show casing the different works ranging from nature, war, people and also land scape. It is pretty impressive.

The flags of the 192 member nations that belong to the United Nations!

There were also interesting sculptures outside the headquarters like this one of a cracked globe. The sculpture speaks more than words as it shows how the earth have suffered due to the actions of man. The plundering of the limited natural resources would eventually cause the supply to run out. The countless wars fought over the centuries have also taken a toll on the earth. This is another interesting sculpture showing the call for an end to the ceaseless violence in today's world. It is a sign of the desperate plea of many people who are caught in the wars. If only all the weapons in this world can be destroy and using peaceful negiotiation to settle disputes, the world would be a more peaceful place.

The sight of demonstrations outside the headquarters is quite common. On the way into the building there is a groupd from the china peace & democracy federation putting up posters and banners on the roadside. It was a peaceful demonstration for the UN to recognise the fact that China is clean on the issues of human rights.

Although New York is a concrete jungle, it is not lacking greenery too. This is because there are many parks within the city such as this one near times square. However, the park is extremely crowded just like any other place in New York. People are just sitting and lying on the grass enjoying the warmth of the sun in the chilly spring day. Some are just taking a nap on the grass while others are chatting or reading a book. We had our lunch there and just took a break after a lot of sight seeing.

That's me on top of the Rockerfeller building overlooking the all so famous central park. The park has been a back drop to many movies we have seen. It is really an oasis in this concrete jungle. The park is always crowded with people doing all sorts of things. Some are there just to sit at the benches and watch the world go by. Some take a short boat trip on the many lakes and others just play sports like baseball and football. The park is not only a place for people to relax and enjoy. It is also home to many special things like the strawberry fields which was specially dedicated to John Lennon of the Beetles. He used to live across the street from central park before he was assasinated. It is amazing that there are still people who still continue this tradition of offering flowers to him as a sign of respect. At one of the corner of the park sits the world famous metropolitan musuem of modern art. It is a pretty impressive building by itself. The building has a greek look with all the large columns lining the outside of the musuem. The inside is even more impressive with large glass facade looking out into the park. The exhibits ranges from the contemporary art to historical artefacts. It is really a world class musuem. Every corner of the city is filled with people and the musuem was jam packed with people when we got there in the late afternoon. The wide expanse of the musuem seem to swallow the people and it was not too congested. Young artists admiring the work of art.... and hoping to create their own art by first trying to emulate the great artists. A familiar scene from the movie Thomas Crown Affair?

A little break from all the post about my trip to the US. I have come to enjoy reading some of the good books since I went to the US. The books there are much cheaper and reading is actually quite a common past time for many Americans. I choose to read the book titled 'Memoirs of a Geisha' because I prefer non fiction books. But reading books on topics like finance is too dry for me. This seems like a good book to start with since it is a real story about the life of a geisha in olden day Japan. After travelling around Tokyo for almost a week, I have come to see much of Japanese culture that I didn't know of or only heard about from people. That also made me interested in reading about the life of a Japanese women as a Geisha. A Geisha is an unique work of art. This is because they are the epitome of art and also an expression of creative work. From the very kimono they are wearing to the dances they put up and also the music they play. It seems like these Geisha are multi talented. These skills are acquired throughout their course of becoming a geisha. They go through intensive training in their younger days and are always apprentice to a older geisha before they can become geisha themselves. Much like a apprentice learning kung fu from a master. After becoming a geisha, their main role is in entertaining man and be paid for their company. This is their job! The main character of this story is called Sayuri and through the course of her life, she eventually became one of the most famous Geisha in Japan. This doesn't mean that she had a easy life. This is because many geisha are actually forced into the trade. They are sold into the trade as a child by their parents. The reasons Sayuri became a geisha too. Her life was a turbulent one with many obstacles laid out in her path. As a child she had no direction in life as she was taken into the okiya in Gion, which is the place where geishas stayed. She was unfortunate to have moved into this particular okiya because of a geisha named hatsumoto. Hatsumoto was one of the more popular geishas around Gion and did whatever she could to maintain her status. She had always tried ways and means to obstruct Sayuri from becoming a geisha.

It is hard to imagine how jealousy drives people crazy. Sayuri's life was turn upside down by the mere presence of Hatsumoto. At times, sayuri found it almost impossible to continue living there. Throughout her young life, she only know sadness and evil. From the death of her parents, the ill treatment she received in the okiya, the endless hard labour and also the bad living condition. She almost give up on her life one day when she met a person who would eventually turn her life around. This is because this man gave her hope to continue living by showing her that there is still kindness in this world. This man would be here guiding star in life and from that point on things started to change as she decided to take fate into her own hands and take control of the ship that is sailing her through the vast ocean. A person without direction is just like a powerless ship on the rocky ocean. This is the end of the miserable life but the start of a life of purpose and determination.

New York is a bustling metropolis with people from all countries and all walks of life. There are also many beggars lying on the streets and subway stations across the city. This particular beggar caught my attention when I walked past the salvation army headquarters building in the city. He was lying comfortably there waiting for passerby to give him some small change. It is ironic that he is lying in front of the welfare organisation's building. Apparently there are more people in need of help than people willing to help. It is always said that the world is a small place. A small world indeed because I happened to bump into my roommate from Georgia Tech while I was in the M&M store in NY. It is also a coincidence that my roommate is from Singapore. He is a postgraduate student from NUS and we came and left Georgia Tech at the same time. He is a very friendly and helpful guy. I have learnt a lot about cooking from him too. It was really a pleasant surprise for our paths to cross again in NY. America is a land obsessed with everything extreme. The like their food very salty and sweet. Another great love of Americans is chocolate. The flagship M&M store in NY is a testament to this great obsession. There were so many different M&M of all sort of colours and sizes on offer in the store. The whole wall in the store was lined with columns of M&M chocolate! The time of the day gives the city a different feel. The noon time sun gives an overcast of shadows because of the tall skyscrapers blocking out the sun. The evening sun gives colour to the cloudy sky and brings out the old rustic feeling of some of the buildings. The night sky is a stark contrast to the all white facade of the city hall building.

The school term is finally over now. That means the summer break is on its way. We were all anticipating how exciting it is gonna be. All the road trip that we went on during all the weekend was just a preparation for this great adventure. I had told some of the friends from school the places that I am going to visit. Most of them remarked that it is more than what they have seen of USA themselves. The whole summer trip was a mad rush to see as many places as we could in a month. We affectionately called it the "Amazing Race. The first stop was New York!

New York had a certain vibrancy and energy about it that was not seen anywhere else. It was a congregation of people from many different backgrounds and country. That made it really diverse but everybody was here for the same purpose. To live out the american dream and make it big in a city of opportunity.

The skycrapers rocket skywards and it is a testament to their economic might of the USA and particularly New York. The streets are lined with buidlings and more buidlings. There are also a constant flow of people along the streets from one building to another and to the subways. The roads are always congested with cars, cyclist and pedestrains. It is a mad rush and everybody seems to be rushing somewhere everytime. New York is also the city that never sleeps. It is constantly busstling with life even to the wee hours of the night. Time square is still brightly litted with the flashing neon lights and music coming out from the pubs and restaurants. The energy of the city is exhilirating. New York is also the financial capital of the world. This is where millions are made and lost at an instant. The New York Stock exchange building is one that you wouldn't miss from far. It is characterised by the huge american flag hanging outside the building. What better symbolises new york than lady liberty. The icon of the free world!

It was not all play and no work for us. This was a weekend of charity work for some of us. It was called the Eggs in the Easy. It was an event organised by the Christian Community in school to help the people of New Orleans rebuilt their lives. It has been years since Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans and yet they are still rebuilding their homes and community. It was a meaningful weekend as we helped in this rebuilding effort.

It was early spring when we embarked on this adventure. It was terribly cold of a spring morning but we had spent the night in a half completed school without any heaters. I felt numb after sleeping on the floor through the cold night. In the morning we were greeted by the early cold breeze. Brrrrr.... As we got into action, the cold seem to fade away as the cold give way to sweat when we were hard at work. The sun was shinning down too and we had this warm fuzzy feeling. It was pretty fun working with the rest of the gang, helping out in anyway we could.

There is always time for a break! After spending about 2 hours clearing the street of rubbish. Some of us got tired of working so decided to take a break inside this small house. But not all of us were that lazy! As we worked the streets, we were snooping around people's backyard. They would chase us away because we were doing them a favour by clearing out their streets and homes. We did see some interesting things like this women stuck at the front of this caravan. But of course it ain't real. It sure look real though!

This was one of the houses that was damaged. But I have second thoughts about whether this was man made or caused by the hurricane. There were many looting after the natural disaster and this doesn't look as bad as what a hurricane can do. The inside looks much worse than the outside..... New Orleans really come alive at night... it is a small city but it's night live is really vibrant. Bourbon street is where it all happens and the whole street is lined with pubs and restaurants. The street is in its full glory during the festival called madri gras. It is a night where all hell breaks loose. Guys and gals gather on the streets for a night of fun. It is a tradition that people throw beads to the opposite sex in exchange for a flash of flesh. This festival has found its way to cities across the US. To some it might be just a lousy excuse to see some flesh. What do you think they sell in this shop? The city is not all about sleaze and flashing flesh... it is known for its famous Beignet. It is somewhat like a donut.... it is a French version of a donut. It taste like a donut but he sugary coating is much more than a normal donut. The city is pretty modest with a few skyscrapers here and there but it is relatively small and quite except for the few streets where all the action happens. We spent the rest of the night walking along the waterfront and snapping pictures. It was a nice end to a day of work.

The season is starting to change. The rivers are flowing and waterfalls are in their full glory. The ice in the mountains are just melting and the melting ice bocomes fuel for the waterfall. The crystal clear water streaming down makes for a spectacular backdrop.

This is Brian. He is a rare breed of american who enjoyes spicy food. He likes asian cuisines and enjoyes understanding different cultures. I was really fortunate to meet him in class and come to be good friends with him. I learnt a lot about the americans from what he told me and also what I see in him.

Brian and I enjoyes the great outdoors and that is why we decided to go for a hike. The smoky mountains was a great place to start. But the time was less than perfect. Because it still feels like winter even though it is early spring. There was still snow all over the trail as we ascended the mountains. But is was a great experience trekking through the ice laden path!Too cold for comfort... but when the camera comes on.... everybody smiles! Always have time for a nice picture.... for remembrance sake. There were almost 30 of us together with the international students.

What is the craziest thing you can do? Jump off a bridge? Well... I think jumping out a plane at 13,000 feet sounds crazy enough. Skydiving was the most exciting thing I have ever done in my life. But having done it, I would not mind living the experience again. It is just pure adrenaline rush and the feeling of free falling is like nothing at all. The feeling is still fresh in my mind till now. What a feat!

This is the President of the Skydiving Club at Georgia Tech. It is through him that we got to know about Skydiving in GT and how it is possible to do a jump.

The ride up the plane to the jumping altitude was like no other plane ride before. As you see the earth going further away from you, you start to wonder why am I even doing in this plane. But that is the point of no return and the only way is down.

As the plane continues to climb, you start to have second thoughts. But then the plane levels off and people are getting into position. One by one, they line up at the door and start jumping out. Before I knew it, it was my turn. It is now or never... and off we go into the sky. It was just like floating in air and then you feel like a bird flying.

The view from the sky was just spectacular. I could see the lakes, mountains houses and even planes in the airport. It was just like in the airplane looking out. But the feeling of the air gushing by was like nothing at all. We were falling at speeds of up to 120 mph. Terminal Velocity!

After posing for some shots for the camera... It was time to have fun in the air. We did some fancy maneuvers in the air... it was totally awesome. Spinning in the air and doing dives... it was like superman flying.

After spending about 1 minute in the air, it was time to return to earth. The landing was pretty smooth and it was good to be back on solid ground though I wished it could last a bit longer.

Back at the hanger, friends are waiting for a hi five for a job well done!