Sore legs, wet hair, stiff shoulders, and overall fatigue. That's basically what we got after the 2nd Annual DC Rat Race. Well, actually that was not all, there was also the satisfaction and the countless funny stories we got from performing all the tasks that we got. From 1pm to 7 we were all over the district doing all kinds of things from finding a ginkgo leaf to getting a picture of the Seychelles' flag to putting bunny ears on a policeman. It was fun, but I got to be honest, when we realized that we should head to the finish (right in the middle of downpour) was very much a relief. Would I do it again next year? Of course!

Since we only finished 12th, I'm gonna give out our own awards. Here the are...

Most uncanny premonition
Myra for owning a member card for the Library of Congress, which turned out to be one of the task.

Most hilarious (mis)interpretation of a clue
Devmann & I for thinking that we were supposed to find a license plate of a state that begins with a letter 'T' instead of ending with it. We didn't even realize our mistake until when we talked about the tasks at the finish line with Allie. She said, "we got, like, five Connecticuts!" Devmann and I were like, "huh?" and in the back of my mind I was thinking, "So? What is she talking about?" I finally muttered, "Connecticut?" She replied, "Yeah, we have to find one that ends with 'T', right?" Now I know how it feels to be the stupidest person in the room.


Most tricky clue
The flag of Seychelles. The country doesn't even have an office in DC! Smart-ass organizers!

Most easy task yet not that easy to accomplish
A moldy bread. Everybody seems to have one or have just thrown away one... at their respective homes. But what respectable food vendor would keep moldy bread?

The nicest accomplices
The Chinatown Hooters girls! Thumbs up for them! oh and for the manager too! The task was to take a picture of the team with a Hooters waitress/waiter. We went in to the Chinatown branch and basically asked one of the girls point blank, "Would you mind taking a picture with us? No, no, a picture of of us, with you." Then the manager came and tell two more girls in the vincinity to take a picture with us. It was a very nice picture. But as we left the restaurant, we realized that the clue was, "... with a Hooter girl." Singular. We got two too many. There was three of them there. So we got back and told them about it, so they took another one with just one of them. So nice... thanks girls!

The most bizarre un-helper
This female cashier at McDonald's Chinatown. I think she's a cyborg. Truly! I mean I didn't even think that she was rude, I think what I was asking was just not in her software. Imagine this. She was at the cashier looking straight ahead. I came to the cashier, saying, "Hi." She answered in a flat tone "Can I take your order?" All while keep staring at the door no matter which position I tried to put myself in. Believe me, I tried looking straight at her and also blocking her line of sight to the door. Then I said, "Hi, I'm actually in this game, the DC Rat Race, we're supposed to do a list of tasks and one of them was to get an Egg McMuffin wrapper, Could I possibly get a wrapper? Just the wrapper." A full twenty seconds later, she said, "It's past eleven. You can't get Egg McMuffin." "No, no, I just need the wrapper. The paper," I replied. Another twenty seconds went passed by before she pointed me to the side, "Wait a minute." Mind you, she was still looking straight ahead at the door, then she said "May I take your order?" Apparently there was a guy behind me. So he ordered. I was like, "hmm... is my order getting processed? or did it just went to the recycle bin since it was considered as junk-mail?"
Luckily another cashier passed by and I just asked her, then she went to the kitchen and got it for me in less than twenty seconds. All this time, and I'm not exaggerating this — just ask Shierly, that first robot cashier was looking at the door. Man, McDonald's is so high-tech now!

The most embarrassing request for help
It's a tie between finding out which flag at the World Bank is Seychelles' and asking this guy if I could take a picture laying down on his truck's hood.
So Myra & Shierly went into the World Bank only to find this wall of flags and we were dumbfounded. "Which one is it?" After some logical deduction based on alphabetical older, we found it but not before we ticked off the guard for not knowing what we want after they let us into the building.
The other task was to take a picture of a team member laying completely on the hood of a pickup truck. We found a pickup truck on Wisconsin Ave in Georgetown — right in front of the Gap at that crowded throughfare. Luck has it that the driver of the truck came by to put his and his girlfriend's shopping bags. So I asked him if could use his truck. The girlfriend just got this big smile when I asked him, and after explaining what I had to do, they just laughed and said, "sure, sure... just don't screw it or something." Hahaha, on top of that... I'm pretty sure everyone passing the street was looking at this Asian guy in an anorak laying down on the hood of a white pickup truck posing for the camera.

Best photo manipulation
Shierly for managing to take a picture of two green shoes as one green and one yellow. The task was to put on a green and a yellow high-heeled shoes at the same time. Apparently when Shierly & Devmann went into the store, they thought it was just green. So they took this picture. When they got out, I took a look at the picture only to see one green and one yellow. So I didn't say anything. A few hours later, Shierly read the clue again only to realize that she didn't follow the clue correctly. So after discussing it, we ended up taking another picture with a green shoe and an actual yellow one. But seriously, don't you think the left one looks yellowish? Granted it's just the front part.

Most reluctant accomplice(s)
The DC Policemen. Well, actually they had such integrity that we didn't finish the task of taking a picture of a policeman with bunny ears. Devmann was quite adamant on asking each policeman to take a picture with him, but alas, none of them is in the photogenic mood. Allie actually told us that they asked this policeman who was reading magazines at Borders. She said that he was OK with taking a picture but refused to do so after knowing that they were gonna do bunny ears behind him. Such class those policemen have.

Most perseverance
Myra for getting the ticket stub of a basketball game at MCI Center. She kept on waiting in line to speak with a manager even after we told her that it was probably a waste of time to do so since why would they keep the stubs if the game was last night? But, apparently they do or... that manager just went through the garbage. So Myra, good thing you don't listen to your skeptic team-mates!

Most crucial help
The Google guys at their respective workstations. Thank you Henry, Sugih, and John. Without you guys we wouldn't have gone this far.

I've heard from people, I've seen the movies. We all know how the bar scene is pretty much how people meet around here. But I guess I have never fully grasped the concept until the other day, at Bus Boy and Poets.

My friend told me about this place (I don't even know what to call it since in it's description it says: bookstore, café, restaurant, bar, and internet) on U Street. We were thinking of going there this weekend actually, but when I got out of the gym I just felt like I deserve some carbs, so I decided to go give this new player in town a try. Plus, it's on my way home anyway.

When I got there, the place was packed, it was literally packed! Then the hostess told me that it would probably take at least 20 minutes to get a table, so I thought I should just get a pizza to go. To the bar I went and ordered. While waiting for my order, I couldn't think of anything better to do than to stare at the art work behind the bar. It was five panels of matisse-picasso hybrid paintings, the kind where instead of drawing an actual person, there's only the outline with an eye or a heart on it.

So there I was, resting my chin on my palms, staring at the background when suddenly this guy in his 40's (i think.. i'm so bad with age) tapped on my shoulder and asked in a I-gotta-be-right kind of way, "Are you Adam?" Of course at first I was completely stunned, "Huh?" He said, "You're Adam, right?" Still slightly confused, "Uhmm, no, I'm not. Sorry." Then, I turned back to face the bar since I thought, well that was it, he should be looking for Adam. But then he said, "Yeah, I'm looking for Adam. We're supposed to meet here." I was like, "Oh.. ok," I smiled and he went away. I suppose I could have been friendlier, but I kinda felt like he thought that I was lying or something. So, it's safe to say that I was definitely not interested in talking to him. The fact that my order seem to never arrived didn't help either.

Finally I got tired of staring at the liquor bottles and watching the bartenders pouring out drinks. I got up and browsed the bookstore, the very left-leaning bookstore with a quite good selection of fiction. Then I went back to the bar to ask about the status of my order. The bartender that I ordered the food from went back to the kitchen to ask, so there I was, again, pondering at the meaning of the paintings when, again, this guy suddenly appeared beside me, "So... you live around here?" At that moment I was so annoyed already with the fact that my order seemed to have gotten lost somewhere in the kitchen, and now here's a complete stranger asking me where I live.

I guess Adam never showed up. That, or he ran away upon seeing the guy he was supposed to meet. Half-empty or half-full... your pick. After he left (I didn't look, so I'm not sure if he actually left or just walk around the restaurant), I kinda glanced around the bar... when I noticed that I was the only person who was by himself. And I suppose that meant that I was looking? I mean I had no drinks with me... so I had to be waiting for a to-go, or I was just unbelievably cheap that I won't even order until I meet someone. God, how desperate can you be? If you're going to chat someone up at a bar, at least pick the one that are obviously putting on the sign « Please chat me up » in the form of the universal code for being single and available: playing with your drink while looking bored at the bar.

Edit: I feel like I need to make some clarifications, since my readers seem to think that I was in some way play a part in the whole incident. Yes... apparently there are people who read my blog, but they rather comment about it directly to me than on the blog itself LOL. Anyway, mind you, when I went to Bus Boy & Poets, I just got out from the gym, on the way home so I was pretty much un-stylish in any sense... hetero or homo. So, I definitely did not give off any vibes to anyone other than the jeans-and-t-shirt-with-un-gelled-hair vibe.

Over the weekend, my sister-in-law sent me an e-mail about an article on bloomberg by William Pesek, Jr. comparing Google to Indonesia in terms of their market value at the stock exchange. Well the bottom line of his article was basically on how undervalued the Jakarta Stock Exchange (BEJ) and how ridiculous it is that Google's market cap actually surpasses the value of the entire stock market of the world's fourth most populous nation. It's definitely nice to see a somewhat positive view on my country from a business perspective because it's not the same when politicians make positive statements. There's just too much patriotism and political correctness when statements are made by governmental spokepeople while the business community is more blunt and practical, thus rendering it more real.

But earlier today, I received the latest Corruptions Perceptions Index by Transparency International, the Germany-based watchdog. Well, surprise, surprise, Indonesia is rounding up the bottom fifth sharing the 137th spot with Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Iraq, Liberia, and Uzbekistan. I can't believe we're worse off than countries like Sierra Leone (126), the Philippines (13), or even war-torn countries like Serbia & Montenegro (97) and Bosnia & Herzegovina (88).

Well I suppose, when you're at the bottom, there's no other way but up, is there?

is U2's latest single just plain annoying? I just finished listening to Radio 1's Official UK Top 40 Countdown, Bono & Co. went in at number four. I was baffled... I mean don't get me wrong, I like U2. They really are a great band and all but that doesn't mean any composition of tones they make should be a hit! Go head and give yourself a listen to "All Because of You." I suppose now I know how Bono managed to score all that support for his charity works... he must've whined and whined in that tone of voice he uses on the single. Anyone within a block radius would instantly grant his wish as long as he would stop!

Ooh, I just got a premonition: I see U2 fans thrashing my blog...

Still on the UK top 40, the Sugababes managed to withstand Robbie's "Tripping" as Keisha, Heidi, and Mutya hold on at the top for the third consecutive weeks. Pas mal... pas mal du tout!

At number fourteen though... the girl formerly known as "the girl from STEPS, no... not the blonde one, the other one" came in with "Electric." Lisa Scott-Lee finally released her single after the much-publicized MTV show where she famously stated her retirement from the music biz if this single didn't enter the top ten. Well, well... I suppose this is goodbye then. There's nothing to be missed though because there's a line between kitsch-campy cool and just plain campy. "Electric" managed to be the latter fabulously, by the time you got to the chorus you'd be wondering if you were listening to the top 40 in CampyMusickistan, right off the border from UsedToBeInAFamousPopGroupLand.

This what I found while I was blog-hopping today:

Go to Google and type in Failure. Then click on the I'm Feeling Lucky button.

★LOL★

Phew... that felt good. I finally put up the reviews of those movies and the Coldplay concert (which was fantastic!). It's 2 am now, I guess I'd better go to bed. Tomorrow is a federal holiday woo-HOO! Hmm.. actually, that's kinda sad. Look at me, I should be out partying tonight instead of blogging away T_T

Joss Whedon introduced America to a new genre: a drama filled with sarcastic banters between the supernatural-or-futuristic characters. The trademarks of this Whedonesque universe would be: brooding heroes. After Buffy and Angel say hello to Mal (Malcolm is his real name, but Mal sounds more futuristic). Following the reverse turn of events of « Buffy, the Vampire Slayer », « Serenity » begins with a failed TV series.

When Whedon was the man as both Buffy and Angel drew raves from the critics and a legion of loyal fans, Fox ordered an 14-episode season of his latest series, « Firefly », that follows a rag-tag team consisting of outlaws and renegades traveling across the galaxy on a ship (equally ragtag) called Serenity. He called it a space western and it was indeed, complete with the bluegrass-tinged theme song. Both fans and critics loved the series, but it seemed that nobody was watching. Fox cancelled the series after airing just 11 of its 14 episodes. Then the DVD came out and it sold like candy which opens up the door for a movie version: Serenity.



Even though the captain was Mal (Nathan Fillion / Two Guys and a Girl), River (Summer Glau) was the center of it all. It all began as Simon (Sean Maher) saved her sister, River, from the Alliance's government facility with the help of the Serenity crew. Haunted by whatever they did to her at the research facility, River, a psychic, has frightening visions now and then about death and terror in a certain place. Dysfunctional as they may be, the crew, tries to get to the bottom of what it is that River sees while being pursued relentlessly by the Alliance's special agent (Chiwetel Ejiofor / Love Actually).


Well, being a scifi fan, I might be biased here, but Serenity is indeed a fine piece of entertainment. The special effects were just stunning, they truly captured the Firefly universe where everything was either chinatown meets the wild wild west (the outer rims) or star trek sterile (the alliance worlds). And then there's the spaceship crash landing and battle scenes which were such an overload to the visual sensories. Meanwhile, Joss Whedon managed to keep the witty humor in the conversations and the unexpected turn of events right when you're taking a deep breath.

« Flightplan » hinges the whole movie on Jodie Foster's character, Kyle who lost her daughter on a New York-bound flight from Berlin. Her daughter and her left Berlin after her husband's death. The problem is, nobody seemed to have seen her daughter, Julia. Was she hallucinating? or was there something going on?

It was a well-made thriller: plenty of scares, Jodie's right hook now and then, plus the dramatic plight of a mother who just lost her daughter and the sinister remarks made by the flight attendants behind the curtains. Nevertheless, the plot was just not strong enought to carry the movie.

It's a thriller, so surprises are what make it interesting, thus I won't divulge too much information here. But, generally speaking, most of what's happening was just a string of once-in-a-blue-moon coincidences. She must be the unluckiest person on Earth for all these to happen to her.
It's hard not to compare it to a similarly-themed movie a few weeks back, Red Eye which seemed to be packed with much more content, punch, and fun than this one.

Rose (Toni Collette) is a career-driven, black suit-donning, little-time-to-socialize lawyer who somehow manages to have a shoe collection that rivals Karen Walker, while Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is the free-spirited, gorgeous sister that somehow manages to get fired from her job and got drunk on every other day. They get into a huge fight and Rose kicks Maggie out. In desperation Maggie finds out that the grandmother they were told was dead is actually alive. So Maggie goes to Florida, and stayed at the old folk's home. And in the following three-quarter of the movie everyone learns about the other one and about their own mistakes.

Somehow Curtis Hanson and the cast managed to turn this simple plot (albeit a NY Times best-seller book) into such a meaningful and heartfelt flick. This is definitely Cameron Diaz' best role yet, she totally nailed the beautiful-girl-with-a-golden-heart persona that is Maggie. The rest of the cast are just as great too. Toni Collette and Shirley Maclaine are as fabulous as they were in any other movie, even Mark Feuerstein (of the cancelled NBC series Good Morning Miami) was very cute and lovable here.

« In Her Shoes » plays with your emotion and does a damn good job with it. One second you'll be cursing at Maggie, another you'd find that all you want is to hug her and say that everything's gonna be OK. You'll find the movie to be very engaging to the last minute and as the credit title rolls up you'll feel all warm and fuzzy inside as if Maggie was your best friend and you were there when all of this happened.

Event : Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour
Location : Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
Time : 30 September 2005

Hats off to the group of Britons called Coldplay. I went to the last US leg of their Twisted Logic tour and it was definitely the best concert I've ever been to so far.

OK, let's start with what matters most with a concert: the music. And these guys, boy, they're just born to make melancholic, wallowing music you can hold your lighter to. The quality of their performance was top-notch. I was a bit worried actually after hearing the Chris Martin got some sore throat a few weeks before and a date was cancelled. But my worries were without cause, they played excellently.

Chris Martin is a natural-born entertainer. All through the concert he communicated very well with the audience. I suppose the funniest thing was how he said that if there was one city where they wouldn't be able to sell tickets, that would be DC. The reason was because when they just started, they actually played at the HFStival and let's just say they were far from being the most popular band at the festival. He put much of this story and his hello-washington-happy-to-be-here speech in the verses of « Speed of Sound ».

The final touch of the concert was the superb lighting and giant plasma screen background displaying abstract CGI images such as coloured smokes, water bubbles, shifting colors and countdown timer. Plus, for « Yellow », baloons in the aforementioned color were dropped to the audiences and they start bouncing them off. It was quite an interesting sight.

All in all, it was perhaps not a shocking rock concert with a pigeon-chowing scene nor was it a spectacular pop concert with hundreds of dancers and fireworks. Instead it was a somekind of a deep, touching, feel-good concert where everybody was just enjoying the good music, good ambience, and some good shit judging from the wafting air now and then ^_^.