#15 Exceed Expectations, including your own.

Hi Gang,

Life has been flashing by as fast as a hungry man wolfing down cheeseburgers and I am absolutely, utterly, flat out tired, but having so much fun. The past weekend was spent in Washington attending meetings at the OECD. (click here for the press release.) I would really like to thank God for each and every small step towards becoming a full fledged Economist :)

"Birthday presents" in the mail from the OECD. Almost died reading all of these before the meetings.

Meeting Rooms

Washington Office

Slave worker

It was also my grandma's birthday, so I flew my gramps down with me and they met Mummy & Becky (who flew in from LA). I joined them immediately after my meetings but still missed dinner with them, because they were too hungry to wait (pigs). So they invaded my hotel room and we had a small party in there...

And then all the oldies were really tired so they went back to their hotel to sleep while I went out on a run around D.C. Armed with a map, credit card, a camera and some music, I embarked on one of my most memorable runs ever in the warm Summer night. I ran past the World Bank, the IMF, the White House, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Treasury and so many other cool stuff... I ran and ran on so happily for two hours, I suddenly felt so tired and had to drink some sweet tea from McDonald's (!!!) to replenish my glucose level, while being a loser and walking back to the hotel.

White House

The side of the White House (along 17th St) under construction

Washington Monument

U.S. Treasury

Washington D.C. is basically like one big Shenton Way (Singapore), but even cooler with all the BIG names, and even bigger security guards. When night falls, everything becomes so serene, still and different. The streets are lifeless, but the buildings become alive through the sheer lighting and architecture. It's so much easier to pay attention in the dark and silence. I didn't think about much during the run and just gawked at the magnificence and grandeur. It's quite an amazing feeling running alone up and down Washington, and hogging all the spectacular attractions to myself. I felt like I was left behind in D.C. while everyone disappeared or something.

I was so tired after the run and slept with my hair wet. And then I had a bad hair day the next morning and went to the meetings looking like this #:-)