Washington D.C. & 30th Dec

Wow... It's 01:30 and the pictures are finally loaded! I should really be sleeping today in lieu of the long day ahead... I am also starting to notice a pattern here... Hmm.

Anyway the past day and a half has been so busy that I couldn't blog so I better do it now before tomorrow slams me again.

Wednesday morning, we started out for Washington D.C. in Maryland, three hours away.

The drive was really enjoyable and we prayed before we left for God to keep us safe during the journey. He definitely answered our prayers!

Instead of driving right into the centre of Washington, I parked at a train station thirty minutes away to save money on parking.

Our first view of of the city once we popped out of the underground Federal Triangle Station.

Checking our surroundings out.

Ashley decided to take pictures of the map in case we got lost.

Made our way out to the streets which were either filled with government-looking workers with briefcases or tourists. I'd say the majority of streetwalkers were tourists like us.

Pennsylvania Drive took us in the direction of the first place we were looking for- The White House.

The day was lovely and warmer than usual.

Passed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the way.

I couldn't help but think about all those economics classes where we were just talking about treasury bonds and T-bills.

Passed by another one of those pretty Washingtonian buildings.

It seemed to me that almost every building in Washington was built in stone. Even the walkways were mostly tiled in some sort of stone. The whole place reminded me of the Roman forum or just some large Greek temple ground. It was beautiful but cold... and it wasn't just the weather.

We finally got to the White House.

There were secret service policemen standing around.

And of course lots of tourists taking pictures. And me taking pictures of tourists taking pictures, of course.

There were protest signs just like you see on TV, and a forlorn-looking lady manning her stall.

Off to the side also stood a man holding a loudhailer, reading and rapping scripture to an unperturbed crowd. At first, Khadeen and I had no idea what he was saying because the words sounded all jumbled from further away, so we went to up get a better listen.

He told us that he wouldn't be able to hear what we were saying to him anyway because he had earplugs on, but he wished us blessings in the name of Christ. I shook his hand because it was really encouraging for me to see someone out there reading the Word of God in such a hostile environment. Khadeen said it's not really a good way to reach people but I think someone somewhere sometime heard something he/she was supposed to hear. The man is right, he is simply sowing seeds. You never know where those seeds are going to fall and when they are going to grow!

Afterwards, we wandered off in some other direction and passed yet another lovely building.

Ashley found a great spot for a timed shot.

One of the various shots attempted that were successful!

We laughed and talked and walked and joked on.

Only to wind up on the other side of the White House. It was then we realised that THIS was the front and we were at the back before.

About three hundred metres away was this gigantic pit with a bonfire in it.

We enjoyed the heat so much that no one really wanted to leave.

Playing tag on the way to see the ominous looking obelisk. It really makes me think, don't people find this all very weird? Why is it that there is an egyptian sculpture in the middle of Washington D.C.? And why is it that there are sculptures of Roman or Greek looking gods everywhere?

Even the Abraham Lincoln memorial just looks like a Roman temple dedicated to the deity of Lincoln. It all just looked very weird to me. We didn't go all the way up to it because we were very hungry by the time we were there and it seemed like a long way to walk just to see a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln.

There was just one last place we wanted to see so we took the Metro there instead of walking to save time. The Metro stations really remind me of some sci-fi movies with its spaceship looking designs in the waffle ceilings and the flashing red lights along the sides of the platform.

Got a quick glance and a few nice shots of the Capitol. It was interesting seeing it in real life as opposed to in the movies like Independence Day or Day After Tomorrow.

With our stomachs growling and grumbling, we quickly made our way to Chinatown for some chow.

Went to some Thai restaurant. We were so hungry that we didn't really bother to look at every restaurant before we chose one.

The first appetiser that came was this Kanlaya pork on skewers. In short- it was YUMMY!

Ashley also ordered curry puffs which were close enough to the real thing.

Vegetable rolls.

Unfortunately, none of us truly enjoyed our entrees except maybe Khadeen. It didn't take long before Ashley and I realised that the cook just isn't good at cooking authentic Thai food. But because of our hunger, we were able to relish most of what came on our plates. We gulped it all down before picture opportunities even arose.

Dessert was possibly the best part of the night for me. We had this fried banana fritter with honey and cinnamon sprinkled over it. The banana/honey/cinnamon combination was just right, so that it wasn't too sweet as I anticipated.

The best however, was this mango with sticky rice dish. Soooo delicious!

Because I was the designated driver for the three hour ride home, I decided to take a nap on the thirty minute train ride back to the carpark. The other two girls made plans to talk to me throughout the drive to keep me awake.

This morning didn't dawn bright and early because I chose to sleep until I woke up naturally. That was around 09:30.

After sending Khadeen back to her brother's house, Ashley and I drove to my high school where we jogged for thirty-six minutes.

Feeling high and happy post-run, we got to building a snowman.

Which later turned into a really cute snow duck.

We tried to make dinosaur footprints but failed, so Ashley made up for it by making a snow angel.

Ta-dah! So fluffaly!

For dinner today, we wrapped dumplings with store-bought dumpling skins and filling that my mom made. The end result was so good that I must have downed at least thirty dumplings.

And why is it that it took me so long to load all the pictures and blog?

Because tonight we watched P.S. I Love You after playing a little bit with Alex and Max. By the time I came upstairs, it was almost midnight and I still had to plan our activities for tomorrow and finish the laundry.

I am really tired right now... And I am a bit apprehensive about tomorrow. Honestly, if we did not pray about the Washington D.C. trip in advance, it might have been a disaster for many reasons. We might have been stuck in an eleven hour traffic jam, I might have fallen asleep at the wheel while driving, etc... But because God heard our prayers, we were able to skip the jam and get to D.C. within 3.5 hours; and I was able to stay awake throughout the entire day.

I know that tomorrow will also, no doubt be a disaster if God were not with me. So I just ask Lord, that Your presence will be with and go ahead of me at all times. May You lead my paths and make them straight. Lift up each and every single person that will be with us tomorrow so that we may not come to harm, but always be under your wings of refuge.

He is always there... Immanuel... God with us, so close to us!

Khadeen if you are reading this, don't worry about anything, but bring everything to the Lord in prayer. Before we even ask of Him, He already hears and He will do everything according to His will. It is done in His name! All we have to do is trust and obey, praising God for the good that He has planted in our hearts and will bring it to completion. He is Lord, the Healer! He is the God that healeth thee. He sent His Word and He heals our disease. He is the Lord, our Healer! You are in my prayers tonight... :)