Day 69 (Sat) (Washington DC 2nd Day) **D-DAY**

It's 6.30 am in the morning when the alarm clock rang...JK was the 1st to wake up and he decided to full blast the radio and tv to wake the whole room up...can't blame him for his morning insolence as we needed to shift the car out of the place where we parked last nite since we were parking in a car towing zone...the locals had suggested we shift the car by 7am...but seriously damn hard to wake up until JK full blast the TV...so shiok air con...though we were sleeping on the hard bed...we had let the gals and the driver FX sleep on the soft bed...aiyah at least got bed to sleep...after much struggle got out of the bed...went to take a shower to freshen up and had some tea from the hotel lobby...so at ard 8.30am we check out of the hotel...the plan for today...spend around 2 hours visiting the memorials at the southeastern part of the city...den move on to the central part to visit FBI, Capitol Hill and pick up some souvenirs before saying Adieu to Washington DC...we plan to leave by 1pm as the gals have to report for work at the pier by 5pm...as for the meals plan to pick it up as we move along the way...

a sleepy sight early in the morning...JK took this shot while trying all means to wake us up

morning view of DC from my hotel room

all freshed up after the shower...nb forgot to bring my gel...did'nt know going to stay overnight...everything can dun bring but gel is a must must!!

took another shot with JK juz before checking out

Our 1st stop - the national monument...couldden go up the monument as the tickets were all snapped up...what a waste...

me and half the national monument

people playing soccer at the field next to the national monument!! wah 1st time see people playing soccer and right in the heart of USA!! feels like padang back home

Next stop - the World War II Memorial

embracing the marine corps outside the War Memorial

A solemn message right at the center of the memorial

Group Pic at the World War II Memorial

the names of every state neatly engraved on all the columns

*Sobz Sobz* Byeeee New Jersey...when will i see u again?? *sobz*

D-Day Message - turns out the message might juz be for me...what's going to happen next is indeed the D-Day of my life

Our next stop - the Lincoln Memorial...this lake is known as the reflecting lake as it reflects the Memorial and the National Monument depending where u see it

A Group Pic juz before we start to stroll along this scenic and beautiful lake on our way to Lincoln Memorial

duckie duckie...mother duck and kiddie duck having their morning walkabout

"landmines" everywhere along the xiao jing (small path) beside the xiao he (small river)

Me and the gals at the lincoln end of the reflecting lake

V-shaped outside Lincoln Memorial Hall

the Memorial Hall upclose...damn grand...Americans sure have an excellent way of honouring their past presidents

Abraham Lincoln - one of the most illustrious President in US's history...the statue certainly looks imposing upfront...

Paying my respects to the man

Lincoln and his 3 prodigies

Making our way down the Memorial Hall towards Vietnam War Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

tourists paying tributes to the thousands of names along the Memorial

saw a touching letter on the floor along the vietnam war memorial

after the memorial went down to pick the car and left for the central district of downtown...spent some time taking photos at the FBI Building and bought a few t-shirts to give friens...after which drove down to Capitol Hill...laze around the grass patch in front of Capitol Hill and took more pics...before deciding it's time to leave washington DC for good...without a clue to what's going to happen next...one of the most traumatic, horrifying and near-death experience of my entire life...i will never wanna go thru this feeling of coming so close to losing my loved ones...seriously an experience i will never forget...

outside the FBI Building

mai ga lim beh siao siao ok...i am with the FBI International Organised Crime Unit

Capitol Hill Building...looks like our old supreme court

lazing ard outside the Capitol Hill Building...wah lau whose finger is that???

Give me a 5 high high in the sky

Bought these 3 shirts for friens at DC...anyone wanna make order now??

so at ard 1.30 pm...we set off for wildwood from washington DC...took over the navigation so i sat at the front passenger seat...with FX the driver and the rest sitting behind...route back is somewhat straightforward...figure out my laptop together with JK's one should be enough to last for the whole trip since Ken has expended his one on the way here...stopped by to top up patrol before turning into I295S which will lead us to I95 the highway connecting maryland and new jersey...somehow we could not find I95 on our way...have to stop over at a convenience store and ask for directions before we carry on...

Driver and Navigator...juz an hour before the accident

we finally found our way to I95...it somehow started to pour damn heavily...really raining madness...the raindrops hit us so hard that we thought the windscreen is going to crack anytime...and visibility was poor...it restricts us to barely making out the car ahead...FX was however still travelling at a rather fast speed when repeatedly we asked him to slow down and watch out...because he was tailgating dangerously close to the black sedan in front when driving conditions were so bad...

it was at this fateful moment when FX asked after I95 where do we go next...i checked the navigation and confirm that it's back to I295...and he questioned how come is I295 when we juz passed it...i looked down the laptop and checked again...and the next thing i heard was "Stop Stop Stop STOP STOP!!!!"

it was too late...we had hit the black sedan in front...and to avoid being sandwiched FX swerved to his right and an oncoming lorry hit us heads on or rather where i was sitting heads on...the impact was so strong that it drove us off the roads and we hit the trees on the side of the roads...

the accident scene...the lorry as big as a normal bread delivery lorry...this pic taken while i still trapped in my seat...half conscious...

actually i got no clue to what happen at all...all the details i juz described was gathered from the rest...the whole thing happen too fast...too quick...my mind became a total whizz right after the impact...i have no idea exactly what happen...all i can remember is Ken getting to me and telling me not to worry and that he will be there...i struggled very very hard to keep my eyes open for i know if i close it that might juz be the last time i ever see the world...my family flashed across my mind...i juz kept tinking of them to stay awake...i know i cannot close my eyes...simply cannot close my eyes for them...

ken told me that when he got to me..my face was strewn with blood and broken glass...and he tried lifting my face only to find hs hands covered with my blood...there's a stream of blood flowing profusely down my nostril...kind passer-bys had dropped by to render any help if needed according to him...there was this kind lady who came down and took a look and prayed for everyone in the accident...there was also an off-duty fireman who came down from his car to help out...according to Ken he tried to support my neck fearing i might have suffer a broken neck...i can't remember all these but i hope i can thank them in person if i have the chance...

i was still fighting hard to stay awake...the firemen have arrived...i was trapped in my seat as the lorry had closed off all access to me...according to the rest...they had to drill out the driver's seat to extracate me and i was soon evacuated by a helicopter...in fact they had closed off the whole highway for the helicopter to land...i have bo recollection of the helicopter ride...nb my 1st heli ride actually have to be like that...i only remember asking the paramedics whether i was going to die repeatedly with my Dad, Mum and both sisters only on my mind...i really thought i am going to die...my whole mind was in a daze and i was soon getting tired falling asleep...in fact ken said i was simply going in and out of conciousness and my eyes were flickering...that really shows how much i wanna stay awake...for my family...i really dun wanna to die juz like that...i still have so many things to do...so many unfufilled dreams and ambitions...

i remember waking up on a treatment bed...and surrounding me was all the medical equipment...there was tubes on my right hand and my right shoulder feels a little sore...and i was tied up with all the freaking wristbands...similar to those at the pier and the waterparks...i also saw a yellow ribbon on my left hand and the spooky thing was i remember a dream few days back when there was also a yellow ribbon on my left wrist...i saw ken for the 1st time since regaining consciousness...he looked perfectly fine thogh a bit dazed...i asked him what happen to the rest...and he told me the rest are fine with JK in neck brace now waiting to get X-rayed...and the gals were juz crying and shocked by the accident but were generally fine...and FX only have few cuts on his face...apparently i came off the worst of the lot...bearing the brunt of the impact directly...he told me that he feared for the worst after seeing me evacuate by helicopter and at one time 6 doctors attending to me in the emergency room...but the doc did a cat scan on my brain and still waiting for the results...i asked him why my right shoulder so sore...and he said the nurse had injected a super huge needle into it and apparently he saw me looking at it...and i had no recollection of that either...

slowly but surely he breathed in all the details to me...as i wait for the doc's report...i asked for my stuff back and juz den i realise i am completely naked with only a thin blanket to cover my modesty and heart rate stick pads all over my body...apparently the paramedics had cut up all my shirt, jeans and even my underwear...wah lau that's my fav red undie k...but i slowly realise the extent of my injury...

my cut-up aeropostale shirt...wah lau i juz bought it last week and i like it alot loh

my jeans has served me over the years and this is its xia chang

even my red undie is not spared

i was served turkey bacon and peas and diet pepsi in the emergency room when andie from CIEE called me...asked me about the accident and the people on the car...i was still dazed at that time but i remembered telling her what she wanted...after dinner i was transfered out of the sickening emergency room into another observation ward...i guessed a good sign that nothing was too serious...they gave me a hospital gown to wear before that and put me on a bed with a TV...i watched the last samurai while waiting for the report to be out...one of my fav movies and one of the few i will actually spend time watching twice...a fillipino chinese service assistant came over and started talking to me in chinese...he told me the nurses tot i vietnamese haha...he went on to tell me maybe i have to be kept overnight for observation...

the report finally came...there is nothing serious abt my condition...except they put it as mild head injury...explaining why i feel a painful bump on my head...the cat scan also show no damage but they did add in the scan report that it reveals overexpanded ventricles in the brain for my prestated age of 23 andden the word suggesting early volume loss...i panicked and asked the nurse and she told me it's not becoz of the accident and the doc say it's juz a natural variant...meaning it maybe normal to me but not normal to the rest...wad they trying to say?? my brain bigger den the rest is normal issit?? and what is early volume loss...but the nurse reassured me nothing to worry about...

my medical report

i was able to discharge and JK's X-ray also show nothing was broken and his neck was juz strained by the accident...thanks heavens!! a sigh of relief...seriously when at one stage i thought i was going to die...CIEE had booked a motel with 2 rooms nearby and the hospital staff was kind enough to ask the security to give us a lift...coz they dun wanna a traumatized patient (thats how they label me) to walk...

reached the hotel finally...with my head still feeling very heavy and juz very drowsy...stil not fully aware of what's happen and the extent of the damage...i juz wanna quickly bathe and sleep...still in my flimsy hospital gown apparently...all i know is i almost lost my life today...and i am juz thankful that i am still alive escaping with juz a bump on my head and a light cut below my nose given the extent of the damage...