Tuesday, January 16, 2007 . 11:27 PM
atlanta: sweet georgia
Greetings from Atlanta, Georgia...
Nickless, don't be dismayed! I'm certain you'll work something out. Never cease praying and your prayer warrior here will remember that in prayer... How's school coming along for you guys? And Weibin, what are you busy with nowadays with so much free time at your disposal??
Day01@Atlanta (12 jan 2007 - friday)
FINALLY got out of Miami and arrived at Jackson-Hartsfield airport of Atlanta around noon time. As I was waiting for my baggage, there was this group of men from the US Army clad in their greyish-green uniform walking pass the baggage claim area towards the departure hall. And as they passed by the crowd, there was a tacit, unorchestrated applause... I suppose these men are on their way to Baghdad since Bush has called for more American forces to that war-torn country... Sighz... God bless them...
Took a train from the airport (which is a plus point for Atlanta - cheap and efficient transport out of the airport - makes it one the most accessible US cities I've been to so far) to Midtown station, and there I met my JC friend, Agnes!!! Thanks so much for finding accomodation for me.... gosh, cannot imagine myself stuck in miami for another week! I'd have gone nuts!!! Anyway, it was great to meet a familiar face again - a good ole friend from JC days - all the way here in the States, and of course the reminiscing of those days in JC and catching up! (oMan, don't be jealous! HAHA :p)
Dinner at Beverly's place - her first attempt in cooking!
Day02@Atlanta (13 jan 2007 - saturday)
With the fun bunch from GT at the foot of Stone Mountain
We spent the day hiking at Stone Mountain... sounds very intimidating right? Stone Mountain is actually the world's largest exposed mountain but I tell you, I thinking climbing up Bukit Timah Hill is more siong! At least the slopes here are pretty gentle and it's only a 1.4mile hike up the summit. From the top, one can have a 360 degree view of Atlanta's surrounding.
We set off early today - what diligent shoppers we are - only to find out that the shops only open at 11am... so we had to hang around for a while. Typical Kiasu singaporeans! Didn't buy alot of stuff, but I did get some homecoming presents along the way... Got myself a GAP hoodie for 18 bucks.... Yay, my first hoodie here in America. The outlet mall was so big we didn't have time for all the shops we wanted to go, but we covered the main stuff.... Timberland, GAP, Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Aeropostale, Adidas etc... And Keith, if you are reading this... I've bought a CK underwear.. haha.. you said you wanted it right. I'm not sure if its cheaper or not (coz I've never been to the CK shop in Singapore) but if the size is not right for you, it shall be MINE! haha... This will be your birthday present this year! HAHA... Now the whole world knows you want a CK underwear!!!!
After a day of shopping - shopped till we dropped!
Finally arrived at 88Tofu House (slightly over 9pm), a shabby hut-looking Korean restaurant at Little Korea... our stomachs have been making howls of protests as we haven't eaten anything since morning. All we did wasSHOP
SHOP
and
SHOP....
Had a gigantic bowl of Kimchi pork rice served in the traditional stone bowl.... Not exactly the most impressive stuff on the menu, but who cares, everything tastes exceptionally good when one is hungry!!
Day04@Atlanta (15 jan 2007 - Mon)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARTIN LUTHER JR KING!
First stop of the day: World of Coca Cola....
But before I could get to World of Coca Cola, I had to walk pass this stretch of underground shopping district called the UNDERGROUND. A very shady place to be in.... in fact, the whole of Five Points are swarmed with Afroamericans. There was one who was going "Yo, yo....", while flailing his arms. Then he put on his shades and did a full spin in front of me and a couple of strangers. Weirdo.... I tried to look in the opposite direction and at times, pretended to act busy on the phone... No wonder Agnes was so freaked out when she first came to Atlanta. FYI, Atlanta is the city that has the 2nd largest Afroamerican population.... yup, imagine yourself walking on the street with people darting their eyes on you like you are some alien. There was one occasion where this coloured men cursed a white policemen.... scary. But I digress....
Lest you didn't know, the world's most popular beverage gave birth here, at Atlanta and its birth was a serendipitous one... Rey should know that very well. The best part of it all was the free sampling of the different Coke beverages.... still prefer the original one. Oh, there's one which originated from Italy. It's called Beverly... Ooo... that's one toxic drink! *PUI*
The prototype of the contour glass coke bottle - curves very much accentuated! 
I LOVE MY COCA COLA!Wait a minute.... While Coke isn't my favourite beverage, but it's certainly the best amongst carbonated drinks. I'm always reminded of that day in Cambodia... the wonders of a can of Coke! (if you don't get what I mean, pls refer to the entry that I posted in July 2006) Coke was a lifesaver back then... hehee
Coke - bridging the barriers
Whatever it is, the influence of Coca Cola is undeniable. It will remain the drink of the universe. Even our impressions of Santa Claus are somewhat shaped by Coke - isn't it?
Took a stroll at the State Capitol, which is just a block away from World of CocaCola... Slightly different from the one at Madison. For one, this has a glistening golden crown and it's also smaller than the one at Madison... I reckon the replica at Madison most resemble the one at D.C... shall see when I get to Washington....
Next stop, the Centennial Olympic Park.... as most of you would know, the Olympics was held here in Atlanta a decade ago in 1996. It coincidentally was the 100th Olympic Games and I guess that's where "centennial" came from. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to catch the Fountain of Rings in action as they it is currently undergoing "exciting improvements and enhancement." Drats... Lucky Rey...
Final stop for the day, CNN Centre.... Went behind the scenes to check out how news is being processed from the making of it, to the delivering of it right in front of our google box. Pretty interesting but I think USD12 for a studio tour is a little steep.
bye bye atlanta.... it's back to cold cold Madison!
dash
