Vegas Baby, Vegas

Vegas was crazy. Two boys of A welcomed me at the baggage carousel and then whisked me off to go buy whiskey. We got hammered and plastered straight away and even managed to drunk-dial a good number of friends back home. The next few days were a blur of chickspotting along the strip and several expensive trips as men-in-slacks.

Somewhere in the middle of my journey through Sin City, TheLC was able to spend a few hours with long-lost family members. It was good to re-connect with aunts and cousins and re-establish blood ties. They will form the core of my support group as I start a new life at school.

When it was finally time to go, I couldn't help but take in those last few moments with my blood brother, the Most Eligible Bachelor in Vegas. It was fitting that he was the last to see me off, as I did for him ages ago.

Last stop: Evanston.

Mother of Exiles

After a grueling flight passing through Nagoya and Detroit, TheLC finally landed in the Big Apple. Although this isn't my first time in the big bad City, I still wandered around like a wild-eyed tourist: gawking at the skyscrapers, getting lost in the subway, scuttling through endless museums and even managing to lose $40 after getting mugged/conned by someone that frighteningly looked like TheAnswer, Allen Iverson. Third Eye Blind once said, "Where's the soul, I want to know. New York City's evil."

But alas, NYC still remains my all-time favorite city. I absolutely heart NY. This is why I made it a point to make this my first stop. The City is so alive and full of promise. They say that if ever you get bored in NYC, then it's entirely your fault. TheLC could learn to live here.

Of course, the ultimate highlight of the trip is my traditional pilgrimage to Liberty Island. This time I also passed by historic Ellis Island, America's Gateway where 12million immigrants entered the land of the free. I feel a certain sense of kinship with these exiles, and share the excitement, elation and anxiety that must have coursed through them as Lady Liberty beckoned them to the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

The Statue of Liberty has been called the Mother of Exiles. While TheLadiesChoice does not consider myself to be such, I will consider this Home of the Brave, my home at least for the next two years.