I Hate Hong Kong!!

Just as I was starting to like HK... I get food poisoning! So... I tossed and turned all night last night, got about 2 hours of sleep. Went to the washroom to take a dump about 6-7 times. My body decided it would try something new in the morning... so I end up barfing. All on my mom's birthday. All on my uncles wedding day. Ended up getting worse by the afternoon, so I went to the doctors and he prescribed some pills. Took them... and barfed again! Started feeling somewhat better after the 2nd one... but went home anyways to take a nap. Now I have a fever! And I have to go take the taxi by myself to the banquet... eeep... hope I don't get lost. Hope I don't barf again. Hope I don't get worse. Off to Malaysia tomorrow. Sigh. What a vacation! I HATE HONG KONG!

Off to HK and Malaysia

Well... I'm off to HK and Malaysia tomorrow morning. So, say goodbye to everyone, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! And hello WARM weather! Warm enough for shorts apparently in Malaysia. :P

So glad I ended up purchasing that Nintendo DS, lol. Going to come in REAL handy tomorrow at the airport and the oh so long plane ride. :P I made myself stop playing Final Fantasy 3 a couple days ago... so that I would have more time to play it on the trip. :P And Bomberman will always be fun to play no matter what. So thanks Philip for the games. :P And thanks Jenny for letting me buy Brain Age off of ya... those Sudoku puzzles will come in handy as well, lol!

And when the DS runs out of batteries... I'll have my discman to occupy time. :P And... I'll be bringing 2 textbooks and 9 modules... and I will be studying on the trip. Cause I have to be done those 9 modules by Jan. 8th... and I'll be back in Calgary on the 6th... which means... Jet Lag during class, lol. Great! :P

Later all... and again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! (Please don't trash my house while I'm away... I cleaned up the basement and my room today and I expect it to be just as clean or better when I'm back. :P)

Comedy Central

One of my all-time favorite comedy clips! Whose On First with Abbot and Costello!

Here is a shortened version of it since I know you guys don't like long videos. :P



Why I bring this up now? Because of this second video. Starring Bush and Rice!

D-Day OVER!!

Oh man... it's finally over... for this semester at least,
First off... it's so freaking cold out!
Also... Thank God that I was able to change my flight back from Vancouver to last Thursday. Cause the original flight I was supposed take on Sunday was cancelled and I wouldn't have made it to class today. And if THAT had happened, I would have been booted from the program! So, THANK GOD!

Otherwise... left the house at 7 this morning... got home a bit after 7. Crazy eh? Class started at 8 this morning and class didn't end till 6:30 tonight! Ack. That's 10.5 hours of school. One hour lunch in between. But otherwise... the entire day was on testing. Sheesh. Talk about nerves.

Anyways... to update: Read the BOLDED for important information; ITALICS for description of failures. Everything else is more a recap for myself.
Skills Testing:

• Vital Signs: Pulse (rate, rhythm, quality), Respirations (rate, rhythm, quality), Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose Level, Oxygen Saturation, Pupils (reactivity to light and equality), Skin (Color, Condition and Temperature). To be done all within 5 minutes. PASSED
• Primary Survey: Scene Survey (hazards, BSI , bystander information, explore bystander information, MOI , # of patients and whether or not backup was required), Patient Overview (angulated fractures, deadly bleeding, skin , patient level of distress, patient position) Primary Survey (LOC , A , B , C , Head to Toe Assessment) Transport Decision. PASSED
  
• Oxygen Station (ability to use oxygen tank appropriately, ability to know the indications and contraindications of useage, understanding of which mask to use , understanding of oxygen flow rates for each different mask, understanding of oxygen concentrations for each different mask, ability to bag a patient adequately for over 5 minutes) PASSED
• Basic Airway Management (indications for use of a oropharayngeal airway and proper placement, indications for use of nasopharyngeal airway and proper placement, proper airway patency maneuvers ) PASSED
  
• Suction Station (knowledge of proper suctioning techniques and different equipment) PASSED
• IV Station (understand the technique of setting up an Intravenous Line, aseptic technique, ability to show a good IV insertion, understand the technique and indications for setting up a saline lock instead of an IV, ability to show good saline lock preperation) FAILED Forgot the aceptic technique for saline lock - basically means I forgot to clean the injection port for getting saline. And contaminated fluids are usually not healthy for a patient. Re-test in 2 weeks. Stupid mistake. Should pass on retest easily.
• Medication Station (understand the technique, indications, contraindications and locations for IM injections, understand the technique, indications, contraindications and locations for SQ injections, understand the technique, indications, contraindications and locations for a PO , understand the technique, indications, contraindications and locations for a SL , understand the technique, indications, contraindications and locations for a Inhalant/Nebulizer) FAILED Was unable to properly describe the locations for IM and SQ injections - basically I knew where to do it, how to landmark it, but was unable to use the proper medical terminology for describing it. Re-test in 2 weeks. Easy to learn medical terminology for locations I already understand and know. Just know the proper names from now on.

Finished skill testing around 1130. We were in groups of 6... so, each of us had to do a medical scenario and a trauma scenario. Though when we do a scenario, noone else is allowed to speak or make any indications that they are helping the individual being tested. Got through one scenario before lunch. Breaked for lunch for an hour. And I was UPSET! Retest on skills that I KNOW how to do... but just made stupid mistakes. Sigh... but that's life.
From 1300 straight till 1800 were 11 more scenarios. I almost fell asleep. Sheesh. I had the 6th and the 12th scenarios, so I had to wait for most of mine and it drives you nuts just waiting to do your test cause you just start psyching yourself out.

• Medical Scenario: Pt unconscious and unresponsive. Airway occluded, Bradypnea, Bradycardia. History showed that he had overdosed on dilaton (drugs to control seizures). Nothing much I can do within my scope of practice. Suctioned airway to clear. Inserted OPA to keep airway patent. Initiated Oxygen therapy with a BVM at 15L/min to improve perfusion. Initiated IV access with NS TKVO incase medications are required. However, no drugs are within my scope of practice to give to pts under drug overdose. So, ensured critical interventions were dealt with; proper primary survey to determine other injuries was completed; Load & Go as he was a critical pt; Proper recordings of vitals along with a proper history and understanding of both to diagnose patient properly; Rapid Transport = PASSED 97%
• Trauma Scenario: Pt unconscious and unresponsive after being hit by a motor vehicle while jogging. Airway occluded, Bradypnea with occasional Apnea, Tachycardia, Hypertension. Hematoma found on head. Bubinski Reflex had no response indicating head trauma/spinal trauma. Cleared airway through manual airway management; Inserted OPA to keep airway patent. Initiated O2 Therapy with BVM at 15L/min to improve perfusion; Initiated IV access with NS TKV incase medications were required; Spinal immoabalized patient with c-collar and spine board; Placed patient in a semi-fowlers position to decrease pressure in cranium; Rapid Transport = PASSED 89%

Overall, not a bad day. Way too long though. Was out of the house for 12 hours. Sat through skill testing and scenario testing for 9.5 hours. Was last to do medical scenario out of my group of 6. Was last to do trauma scenario as well. Was last to find out my marks at the end of the day. Screwed up on 2 of my Skills because of stupidity and ignorance. Time for bed.

Oh and 4 more exams. BTLS, Professional Practice, Anatomy and Physiology #4 and Medical Terminology Final. 2 more retests. All EQUALS: HERE I COME PRACTICUM!

D-Day

Monday, November 27th, 2006!

80% or above = pass = continue in EMT-A Program
79% or below = possible retest = booted from EMT-A Program

No longer multiple choice exams... but it's time for the practical exams! Trauma Scenario. Medical Scenario. Skill Testing. Dum Dum Dum! Probably the most nerve wrecking day of the entire semester. The day everyone stresses over. The day everyone loses sleep over. The day everyone pulls their hair out and even the toughest of guys will allow some tears to flow.

Well... figured I havn't blogged in a while and wanted to post a blog under this new beta version... so far everything seems about the same. Also... missed YAC last night cause I was exhausted from studying and practicing scenarios. I have a feeling I'll be missing church tomorrow as well to continue going over my signs and symptoms in order to better diagnose a patient properly in the field. And then Monday Morning... D-Day. 0800-1700.

Well, lets hope I PASS!! Me and my platoon is probably going out to celebrate afterwards, lol. I told them I don't drink, so we'll probably hit up a resteraunt or something instead of the bar! haha, I'm such a party pooper! Otherwise... after Monday (if I pass) it will be clear sailings from there on in till the next D-Day after second semester. One more Anatomy and Physiology Written Exam... One more Medical Terminology Written Exam... One more Professional Practice Written Exam... and then it's time for some CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! And after that... PRACTICUM! Excited... yet Nervous...

anyways... later all. Wish me luck!

EDIT: Apparently my template was not compatible with the new Blogger: Beta. So I've gone back to my original blogger template (with a few minor tweaks). I actually liked my newest blog template but whatever. This will do for now. Now comments should work again. I'll try to figure something out for my better template later... after I'm done studying... which I need to get back to now. Thanks for the distraction PRISCILLA!! :P

Flames Analysis: Forwards

The Calgary Flames have recalled Dustin Boyd and Brandon Prust from their minor league team. The Omaha AkSarBen Knights are currently 8-0-1 and are one of three AHL teams to still be unbeaten in regulation. Boyd is also tied for the AHL scoring lead with 13 pts in 9 games.

The Rookies

Their recall from the minors should light a fire under some of our (a)pathetic veterans such as Amonte, Friesen, Lundmark and Richie!

Boyd is probably a short-term call-up... just cause the expectations of him are a lot higher. He's expected to become a number one centerman for the flames and I believe he needs more time to improve in the minors first. Though, he''s probably quite capable of centering the 4th line regularly for us right now, possibly the 2nd, but not the 1st. And he won't learn to be a number one centerman with the limited ice-time he'll get with the big team. However, that is up in the air. Cause if he does take over the 4th line center position. I believe he could still get quality ice-time to be effective and still work towards becoming the number one center of the future.

Prust should be ready for a long-term stay. He's projected to be a checking-line winger and or energy-line winger with potential for some second-line duty. He's not huge, but he'll fight anyone. He plays like Yelle where he'll sacrifice his body for the play. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and plays all-out every shift which is something we have lacked this year from our forwards. I personally think he is better than Richie and Lundmark. Though, not as skilled offensively as Lundmark, at least he won't disappear for long periods of time like Lundmark does.

Nystrom is also still with the team currently... still hasn't been sent down to the minors from the onset of training camp. However, he's still out with an injury... but is listed as day-to-day. Another hard-working player that plays with his heart on his sleeve. Likened to be the next Yelle with more of a offensive ability (kinda like Nilson). If Nystrom gets healthy and is cleared to play... I think the line of Nystrom - Boyd - Prust would be awesome to watch.

The Veterans
Busts - Not Reaching Expectations - Disappointments
Richie has been useful as a 13th forward due to his ability to play all 3 forward positions, but is expendable due to a lack of skill and size. Lundmark has done nothing to prove to anyone that he isn't anything BUT a first round bust. Friesen is inconsistent but has shown glimpses of excellence (great speed, great work along the boards, great forechecking, great backchecking)... same with Amonte and Huselius. But all three are being paid too much for what they are actually bringing to the team right now and none of them are reaching their expectations. Amonte is not scoring cause he can't seem to keep the puck on his stick long enough to do anything with it, and the times that he seems to be able to actually hold on to the puck... he shoots 5 feet wide or passes 5 feet ahead of the intended teammate. Huselius... what can you say about him? He's always been inconsistent. Too much skill and not enough hockey smarts. He stickhandles as well as anyone in the league and his ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone is awesome to watch... but he rarely shoots and always loses the puck before he can find someone open to pass to (precisely because he is unwilling to shoot regularly - the opposition plays the pass instead of worrying about him shooting). Tanguay falls under the bust category not because his expectations were too high, but because he is simply playing too tentatively out there which leads to inconsitency for someone of his skill calibre. He needs to regain that confidence and start skating and playing with more of an edge. Similar to Huselius where he looks for the pass too often and needs to look towards the net more and crash the net more. All these players listed above need to improve or face the possibility of being benched and replaced by the rookies just called up. Huselius and Tanguay are the only 2 out of that list that I don't see being sat out because they are still producing and creating chances... but just arn't reaching their expectations.

Reaching Expectations
Yelle was playing well before he was injured. Nilson has stepped his game back up from a poor season last year (poor in terms of offense - he still led the team in +/-) and still hasn't gotten the points per say this season, but the chances that he has created this season are akin to when he played with Nemo and Donovon... but Amonte and Friesen as his linemates currently arn't helping any... and McCarty and Lundmark before that didn't help any either. McCarty is playing to expectation as an energy line winger and "heavy-weighter" though he clearly does not belong in that weight class.

Lombardi and Kobasew have been a plus for the team this season... though consistency is still something that is lacking from both of them. They are dominant in 2/3 of the games which is an improvement from the 1/3 of the games from the past season. But they are playing to where most expected them to be this season. They are adding secondary scoring and are using their speed to their advantage in the New NHL... but consistency is the biggest issue.

Langkow has been playing well as far as I can tell. He's a quiet kinda player that doesn't draw too much attention to his play. But he's still getting points and creating chances. In my opinion... he isn't a number one centerman... but until Boyd or Lombardi steps up and proves that they CAN be that number one centerman, Langkow will continue to anchor that position. But I believe he thrives best as the 2nd line centerman. Highly reliable though.

Iginla has been playing well considering he usually has a slow start to the season. Seems to be adapting as the season goes on to the New NHL. Confidence seems to be building and should continue to improve. Especially if the rest of the team gets going and supports Iginla up front.

Trade would be nice... but the players we want to give up or can give up are not worth anyone good. And getting someone good would require us to lose someone we NEED like (Iginla, Regehr, Phaneuf, Kipper) or a prospect (Boyd, Nystrom, Prust, Taratukin, Chucko).

Refused Hockey Tickets!!

Oh wow... the more I think about it... the more I think I'm crazy!! lol. I can't believe I actually refused FLAMES tickets today. Granted... I have an exam tomorrow and I need to study for it. That on its own should make it clear that I'm not totally crazy, cause it means I put my priorities in the proper place. Studies first before Entertainment. But with the game starting in less than an hour... I'm starting to think I should have went, lol. I mean, honestly... Alexander Ovechkin is in town... his only appearance probably for the next 3 years. And probably my best and only chance of going to a hockey game this year. AND the craziest thing of it all... the game is on Sportsnet tonight... and guess what? I'll be watching at home ANYWAYS!! So that led me to wonder... why DID I refuse those tickets? Granted, I was in the process of studying when I was told I could have them and my mind was focused on studying and being prepared for tomorrow... but I had already planned to watch the game on tv anyways... so the time slot was left open for it anyways!!

Perhaps it's because it is just a regular season game... and I'm saying JUST a regular season game only because I've been to a playoff game now. And thinking back to last season... the 2 games I went to in the regular season just wan't as entertaining or interesting as that one playoff game or any of the other regular season games I've been to over the years. Guess my expectations for hockey games have been elevated now... I still watch and listen to most of the Flames games... but watching/listening on my own or with a small group of friends seems to be more of what I want then going to a live game. So, it's not purely on expectation for watching hockey games, cause I still watch them. Just when it comes to live hockey games... maybe it's the environment... you would expect a better crowd and environment. The nose-bleeds have great environment, but horrible view of the actual game itself. And the lower-bowl and second floor (where the tickets were for tonight) are mainly season ticket holders that go to most of the games and seem to hold their A-games for the playoffs or games that truly matter. Maybe that's why?

Either way... I still think I'm crazy!! lol. But I don't regret the decision. Studying is important and even if I watch the game at home, I can still work on studying and do more things during intermissions or what not, whereas at a live game, I'd be unable to do anything else.

Blah.

Depression and Wounds

WARNING: Semi-Long Blog... Highly Negative Blog... Nothing Of Much Interest Blog...

So, over the past few years (since I graduated from HS) I've noticed that every autumn becomes very difficult for me mentally. Possible Seasonal Depression? Even my mom has noticed it and believes it to be the case. Sigh. My mom brings up the point that my first semester grades are always lower than my second semester grades... very interesting, lol. I always figured it was because I'm a slow-starter but looking back over the past few years... I seem to give up easier on things around the autumn compared to spring. I also find that I need a LOT more sleep during this time then I usually do. And no, it isn't from oversleeping... I know the feeling of oversleeping cause I've done that quite often the past year of on-and-off schooling and working and this isn't it. I bring this up now... cause I found myself quitting on studying really quickly these past few weeks. I'm usually slow to motivate myself to begin studying, but usually once I start I'm alright and go along at a decent pace. But this time... once I started... I gave up really quickly and in a really negative way. Is this because of possible seasonal depression? or something else?

The Mens Cell-Group has been going through the book "Wild At Heart" and it speaks of being wounded and losing oneself (the true masculine heart as created by God). This weeks chapter was on needing to acknowledge your wounds first in order to be able to overcome your wounds. As I was thinking about what possible wounds I have hidden away... the thought... FAILURE came to mind. I've always been scared of failure... possibly because of the punishment and the expectations to exceed from family and culture. But I KNOW the reason why I became so lazy in school was because I could simply say this after any result:
If I did well in an exam or a class: "Yeah, I didn't study for this at all (makes me seem smarter then I truly am)"
If I didn't do well in an exam or a class: "Yeah, I didn't study for this at all (gives me an excuse for my failures)"
And I was able to pull this off through JH and HS... but reality sunk in when I went to University. Being requested to withdraw twice in three years... The first time, I blamed it on my English prof. who gave me an F. And it didn't help any when I went from an F to a B+ just from changing English profs, cause it made myself believe it even more that the first time wasn't my fault. But then failing a BioChem midterm even after studying 300X more than I have ever studied for any other exam... wow... that smacked me silly and I never recovered from that failure. So, am I so afraid of failure now that I'm afraid to even try? Or, am I so hurt from past failures that even when I do try... I start to think that it will not matter and just give up? Sigh.

So many times I wish I had learned something different when I was younger. So many times I wish I could go back in time and change who I am. So many times I wish I was somebody else. So many times I wish I was born somewhere else. So many times I wish I wasn't even born. So often do I find myself living my life through my mind, through my fantasies. So often do I find myself caught up playing a video game, watching a movie, tv show, reading a fantasy/sci-fi novel... and so often do I find myself wishing I was in that reality instead of this one. Always living my life as the hero. The one who is filled with honor. The one that saves the world. The one that saves others. And yet... in this life... would I be the hero? or the villain? or possibly just a nobody? The ensign that gets sent on every mission just so that someome could get killed... Maybe my mom was right? The reason why I want to become a paramedic is because it is viewed as a "hero" job - the entire job-description is precisely that... you go out and you save others. Though, we rarely if ever put our own life in risk to do so... which is perhaps why I've been thinking about joining the military... ack... am I doing this paramedic program because of MY OWN WISHES? or because this is who God created me to be? Sigh... so many questions... that always only lead to more questions.

Rev. Kelly Johnson said on Sunday that the more you are alone, the less years you'll live. Sometimes I wish that my limited years would just come to end now.

Wow... did that ever turn into a negative blog! Anyways... FYI: I'm not suicidal and I'm not highly-depressed. Just felt I needed to get some things off my chest in order to acknowledge my wounds and to overcome them. So now... back to studying Medical Terminology (how I loathe thee)... and hopefully with less burden upon my heart that I might be able to focus without feeling the need to quit. :P

Intervenous Access

Man was it ever stressful today at school. We had a full-day purely focusing on Intervenous Access... and it's stressful. It's stressful when you finally do a live trial on your partner cause you really don't want to screw up. I mean, you're sticking a needle into their bloodstream and everything. But... good thing is, I got it on the first try, so I'm qutie happy. But the scariest part of the day was when I had to be sticked by my partner... and it's not so much the fear or needles - cause I've gotten needles all my life without any problems - but it's more a fear of EMT Students that are trying an IV Access for the first time ever on a live person (being ME). Sitting there and waiting for my partner to finish setting up was extremely stressful... just sitting there and waiting... apparently I looked pretty freaked out cause 2 of my instructors were like... "Are you okay? If you're not up for it, you don't have to do it". lol. But it went by alright. Needle in feels like any other needle in... nothing different about it, so that was alright. But most times a needle is poked in and taken out relatively quickly - no longer than half-a-minute... but this time it was left in there for a couple minutes and it feels SOOOO strange having something in your vein... and when it moves around, it feels so weird. Also, my partner didn't put enough pressure on my vein during the procedure so I ended up bleeding quite a bit... all over my hand. Oh well... it was a good leason learned there. Cause when it was my turn, I learned from his mistake and was able to do it without the leakage of blood. :P

A Little Bit Of Nothing

Well... the NHL Season finally started and I know I missed hockey when I watch a Toronto-Ottawa game, lol. The first one, where Ottawa won... not tonights where Toronto won, but yeah... it's strange. I've been so anxious for time to speed up and for the new season to start... but now that the season has started... I'm anxious for playoffs to come along and for us to find out where everyone stands in terms of playoff picture. Who needs to wait 8 months and wait for your favorite team to play 82 games before finding out how they do this season!?! This is why playing NHL on Gamecube is so cool... you can finish a whole season in less than an hour. :P

In other news... the Flames have lost their opening game. But that's alright, one game out of 82. Whoopie-do, lol. But I think their BEST shift the entire night... was that first shift they had, and then after that... nothing. No emotion. No jump. A bunch of missed plays. Edmonton played well though... going to be interesting watching that offense of theirs, very interesting. And when a hockey game has such a lack of emotion... I tend to watch something else. And Remembering the Titans, is actually a pretty good movie. I liked it. I missed Iginla's penaltyshot because of that movie, lol. But then again... Iginla and penalty shots... they just don't mesh. :P

And a couple more videos for your viewing pleasures. This first video pays homage to the last Movie Night at Yee-Poh's theatre (though I was not there). Who knows who that is?



This second one is for all you guys out there... and perhaps as interesting tidbit for all you females out there as well. :P (Warning: Video Length: 9:56

Study Break

Online Gaming!

Man, do I ever enjoy online gaming. Though, not the Counter Strike or WOW or anything major like that. But nice, simple turn-based or... time-based online games. I'm currently playing in 2... I think I'm going to drop the 3rd one because it's getting boring. One of them is a turn-based Mobster game, which is kinda cool. It's getting pretty stupid now because there are so many supporters (those who pay for turns) that us free-rankers (those who play for free) have little-to-no chance of winning (prizes for free-rankers are extra turns). But I think I'll keep playing that game because of my ties to my family in that game, lol. Like all online games, you meet ppl and you become 'friends'... 'friends' that know nothing about each other outside of the game, lol. But it's interesting enough.

The other game I'm currently playing is also a turn-based game, but this is a Combat version. Whereas instead of trying to be the top mobster in networth, you are trying to be the top militia in networth, lol. This one is pretty fun for now because it is relatively new and there are few supporters and it's pretty fair for everyone.

The 3rd one that I am going to drop is also a turn-based mobster game... that just isn't as interesting. But, I guess I'll be replacing that game with a time-based zoo game. This one should probably be the funnest of them all!! Mostly because I'll be playing with ACTUAL friends and not so-called online 'friends', lol. So... I realize that the majority of my blog readers are not into games, but if you wish to find out more and to join and play along... check out http://jackson.chanclan.ca/holepuncherb/blog/ and the BOWZOO game! It will be owned and operated by Jackson Chan and people like ME, Jenny, Sam, Leo and Andrew will be playing. So go and sign up and lets have some FUN!

Well, that's my geek post for this month!

P.S. - Don't forget to check MY PHOTOS for photos from Summer Camp and the last 2 weeks of DVBS '06!

P.P.S. - Don't forget to check MY VIDEOS for videos from YAC: Competition Night!!

P.P.P.S. - Don't forget to check my last blog entry "End of Summer with September Long Weekend" for a most interesting story about Pillows and Lizards and feast your eyes on some videos (not posted at MY VIDEOS)!!!

P.P.P.P.S. - Crap, I'm so not into school mode still!! and it's already been TWO WEEKS! I really need to start cracking down and be more MENTALLY PREPARED! I have an idea for a weekly schedule starting next week... lets see how mentally disciplined I am and whether or not my schedule is actually going to work out. Seems feasible... but will it become reality? I hope so!!

P.P.P.P.P.S. - Friday Night Hockey Starts TONIGHT! Lets see if I remember how to skate, lol!

P.P.P.P.P.P.S. - NHL Training Camp starts next week... so excited!!

P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. - yeah yeah... this P.S. thing is so... like someone else, lol. But this will be the last time I use it, hopefully, lol! It just somehow started and it the wind took it and blew it out of PROPORTION!!

End of Summer with September Long Weekend!

WARNING: LONG BLOG But it has photos and videos throughout to make it lighter-reading material. :P

First off, I would like to apologize for my tardiness to the blogging community, lol. However, I would like to state that the final VBS photos have finally been uploaded as well as the Summer Camp photos. Check the My Photos link for those. Also, the YAC: Competition Night Videos have also been uploaded. Check the My Videos link for those.

Now, on to the blog. This summer went by extremely quick compared to normal, most likely because this was the first year I didn't actually have a summer job since I graduated from High School. However, it was still extremely enjoyable and memorable. DVBS was awesome as always and seeing the youth step into a leadership role makes this year that much cooler. Summer Camp was great, it wasn't a spritual high type of summer camp, but it was just an overall nice and peaceful time of growth. Otherwise, the rest of the summer was spent just relaxing with a bunch of hang-outs, with a TON of BBQs, time spent mingling with South Gate, with a pinch of golfing, tennis and rollerblading and finally Flora and AC's wedding! I hope I havn't missed anything important, lol. But, I think the most memorable part of this summer was watching the Youth grow! :P

Now, on to the September Long Weekend. Started off really interesting with the YAC: Competition Night (reminder: videos have been posted at My Videos link), though I thought it was more passive then what we used to have. I mean, nobody puked at the table this year! :P Then, we went to Chili's for dinner and ended up seeing a HUGE insect (possibly a cockroach)!

Seen here beside Andrew's Shoe!


Seen here beside Sarah Chans Hand!


Saturday started off with a NICE, LONG 12-HOUR sleep for me, lol. Which naturally cancelled all my plans for studying, lol. We then had ALL-You-Can-Eat-Sushi and Korean BBQ where we got to see Emmanuel Yuen for the first time. :P And naturally, got to stuff our faces with sushi, oysters and ofcourse topping it off with a TON of Tapioca Milk! lol. After this, we rushed off to COP to get in some good ol' Mini-Golfing and boy were we rushed, lol... we spent 20 minutes casually going through the first 4 holes... and then spent the last 20 minutes rushing through the last 14 holes before they closed on us, lol.

Hmmm... the quality didn't seem to turn out very good after I uploaded this video to Google Video. Majority of the times, you see us putting nothing!!


We ended Saturday night watching a classic in TWINS at my place, lol. Which leads us to Sunday. After church, and after lunch... we ended up heading over to visit Darren at PTH and then we went 10-Pin Bowling! Great times, but my forearm is still sore, lol. After that, we came back to my place again for BBQ (Steak and Corn, what more could you ask for, lol). We then had a great conversation about things that will not be mentioned, lol. Played Balderdash, Scattergories and Mario Party and then somehow ended up in a MASSIVE PILLOW FIGHT that lasted probably OVER an hour, lol. It's actually kinda funny how Our Lady Peace - Innocent was playing in the background at this moment. "We are, We are all innocent" lol... no we arn't! :P



You'll notice in that video that we had to open the basement door because it got so hot and stuffy in the basement with us sweating to death, lol. HOWEVER, this proved to bring us an interesting turn of events, lol. We were actually all gathered around my computer watching the above video when I felt something moving on my foot and when I looked down... this is what I saw ON MY FOOT!



These next few videos will pretty much sumarize the rest of the event, lol. Though, I clarify now, my reaction when I first saw the Newt on my foot was 'What the Crap!... not a high-pitched girly scream!! :P







And in the end... I checked with my neighbours and it is not theirs. In fact, according to them, they saw a dozen or 2 of them walking on the road near the Hamptons golf course, so now we know that it was in fact a wild one. So, we released it back to the wilds... or... actually... the Hamptons field near the Hamptons school, lol.

Summer Camp "Re:Focus" 2006

WOW, was camp ever awesome this year. I didn't know what to expect going in BUT I was really worried about Social and Devos and whether or not I had everything we needed in equipment. But everything worked out REALLY well! Social was a success, everyone participated without complaining but with eagerness and everyone appeared to have a lot of fun and it seemed like all the youth bonded with even the older ones. The weather was wonderful, PTL, and the Lake time was just awesome (though we do need more water trampolines than just that small little one). Devos... ah devos... according to others and whatnot it seems to have been good as well, though I still wonder about it. I know I did what I could and I just hope I let the Holy Spirit guide me enough throughout. But I sure hope that the kiddies got what they needed out of it and that they were able to bond together more and be willing to open up to one another and become more accountable to one another. And equipment, wow, PTL that I packed some things that we ALMOST didn't bring because it didn't seem like we would need it, lol. Like the Keyboard and the Bass amp... which the chinese side ended up using as they moved to the small chapel for their services!

But yeah, it was such an AWESOME camp. Even though I only got approximately 16 hours of sleep throughout the entire camp I felt refreshed and had the energy to make it through the days, and at times I even had an overabundance of energy! Though, I did crash during the last bit of the Friday morning service, lol, it's the prayer in chinese that did me in, lol. But wow, that Prayer Room was just awesome! Fell asleep there too, lol, almost toppled over while praying in that little tent, lol... luckily Crys was there and woke me up. :P But seeing the youth open up in that prayer room and just seeing their hearts pour out upon the walls and the cries for the lost on the net was just AWESOME!

The sermons were good as well, they weren't as powerful (shall I say) as some of the past camp sermons, but they hit home. They make you think and then they allow you to apply it to your own life. We were CREATED unique and we were CREATED to achieve GREATNESS! Not for failure. We were CHOSEN because of our GREATNESS! Not our failures. Life is a JOURNEY, even though that has been taught so often, it didn't hit home till you realize that we still go by the Point A - Point B thinking and man... it really does constrain you with that type of though pattern. We were CREATED unique with our own GIFTS. Gifts to SERVE GOD with. Do not CHANGE who you are to SERVE HIM, but ALLOW God to ENHANCE your gifts to SERVE HIH better! We need not be PERFECT in the eyes of others, but we need to be in TUNE with Him! So much that I have KNOWN before, but somehow never really took to heart till now. Biggest change this camp... probably the fact that the walls are slowly crumbling down and the gaps and holes are being filled with HIS Love! WOW, camp was AWESOME!

Anyways, blog getting long... so yeah. These are photos of certain spots in the prayer room. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I find it encouraging to look at and I hope it is to you as well. I will upload camp photos at another date later this week.

Quick Update

Since I havn't updated in a while, I thought I would post a video I found. Yes, it's Star Wars based, lol... but here you go. Hopefully, if all things work out... I should have photos uploaded sometime later tonight or tomorrow night for the last 2 weeks of VBS and hopefully on the VBS Volunteer Appreciation Night as well. and SUMMER CAMP is next WEEK!! AWESOME!! It's going to be great!!









How many of you (who watched the video) even realized that there were 2 different commanders in whom were spliced into the video?? The one talking is General Veers and the other one is Admiral Piett. But yeah... I havn't had a geek blog lately, so there it is, lol!

Wedding Photos

I'm reaching my upload limit for the month for Flickr, so I'm going to post the wedding photos here. BEST WISHES TO AC AND FLORA AS THEY START THEIR NEW LIFE TOGETHER!

Fitness Madness

WARNING: LONG POST

So, it appears that most of us at church (at least the guys for sure) are all working towards becoming either healthier or stronger or both. It's great to see everyone trying so hard to improve their lifestyles and to have everyone work towards a similar goal at the same time will only help to keep us all on track and hopefully we'll all reach our goals!!

My goals... cannot be categorized into numbers lost or gained but just an overall healthier lifestyle and an improvement in overall strength. Perhaps that is why I have procastinated from doing so for such a long time because it lacks a concrete goal... but I find that there is no clear-cut end result that I wish. Therefore, I will try to work under a schedule that will focus on gaining new habits for a healthier lifestyle instead of aiming for a number loss/gain. Thus, my objective/schedule will be:

1) DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Water is a liquid that I have detested all my life and have only been able to force myself to drink while exercising in abundance (ex. Playing Hockey Friday nights or working out at the gym at UofA) or during meals at a restaurant. However, water is a necessity and it also means I will be drinking less of everything else. It will also help to cleanse my system of junk. We're supposed to drink up to 8 cups of water a day... and I would have been lucky to have drank 1 cup of water a day before, so time for a change. As I write this, I have just finished a bottle of water... so that is 2 cups right there. :P

2A) EAT LESS MEAT! Meat is... something I just LOVE (possibly an understatement right there) and it will be tough to stop eating it in large quantities, but it is something that needs to be done. This also means more veggies... possibly even, dare I say it, ordering salads when we go out for food!! ACK!!

2B) COOK HEALTHIER! Since my parents are rarely home these days and I am providing my own food for the majority of days... I need to stop with the bbq and start up with the healthy cooking. Which means... time to learn how to cook. I find that I cooked healthier when I was at UofA (but that might be because I bought my own groceries as well...) whereas now I am just cooking with whatever I find at home which is usually not a recipe for healthiness.

3) REGULAR EXERCISE! Something I have lacked since gym class was no longer mandatory! Actually, probably since elementary school as I stayed clear of most sporting activities in Junior High and thereafter. Relying on Hockey every Friday night during fall/winter and relying on sports/rollerblading every Sunday afternoon during spring/summer will not suffice at all. Therefore, I will now utilize the treadmill that sits in our basement gathering dust for ages to come. I will aim to use it at least 3 times a week for a minimum of 40 min. per time (hopefully, perhaps even once a day for a minimum of an hour).

4) STRENGTH TRAINING! Something I probably DON'T need to become healthier but it will benefit my health either way. More muscle, less fat = healthier... I think. Also, more strength = better suited for an occupation as a paramedic! So, time to utilize my bench and weights and possibly even hit the SAIT gym once school starts since I'm paying for it now, lol. Benefits of being back in full-time study!!

5) SLEEP LESS! Okay... I admit... I sleep a TON... and I think I'm making it worse on myself by sleeping so much. It's a vicious cycle that I need to break out of. I sleep a lot... and then I lose sleep because I'm having difficulties falling asleep at night or staying asleep during the night and then I end up being tired in the morning and wish to sleep more... bad habit that I have had since I went to UofA. So... time to work on a sleep schedule. I won't plan on sleeping at a certain time every night or anything like that... but I will make sure that I do not sleep for more than 10 hours ever again and that if I CAN go to sleep earlier then I should instead of staying up till late night doing not so important things like chatting or playing games or watching movies.

6) IMPROVE MY MENTAL CAPACITY! I have poisoned my own brain with useless junk for so many years that I find I have started losing track of who I am. My memory is horrible, my intellect level has fallen drastically and I think even my personality has taken a hit from it. I need to limit the game playing, sleeping, watching TV/movies, etc... and start focusing more on using my mind on such things as studying and doing things that will stimulate my brain such as keeping up with current events or something... any ideas here to help me stimulate my mind better?

7) IMPROVE MY SPIRITUAL WALK! Last, but DEFINITELY not the least is that I need to get out of my downward spiral and find my feet and keep my eye on Jesus once again. I find that I have not been doing devotions as often anymore and have been praying less these days than ever. Can't wait for cell group to start up again: I find that I am lacking lately... though I know that a cell group is to supplement my own spiritual growth and not to maintain it but it definitely helps.

Okay... I think those are my main objectives for this next year, lol. None of them have a end result that will prove that I have reached my objective. BUT I should be able to tell whether or not I have improved or not for all of them.

DVBS Week 2

Well, there's the group photo for week 2. Week 2 photos have also been uploaded to My Photos. So go check it out if you wish.

I'm also working on trying to find a way to post videos... I have the YAC ones from Fear Factor... and some other interesting ones to post. Stay Tuned.

Edit: I have created a MY VIDEOS link to the right... that is where I'll be posting videos (courtesy of Google) so check them out if you wish. YAC: Fear Factor Videos are up!

Otherwise, Stampede is here and photos are underneath, lol. It was too hot at first and we all fell asleep at church. Then we finally went and it rained, lol.

DVBS Week 1

I realize that Week 1 is not over yet... and there is still a chance of me taking more photos tomorrow, but to start us off... here are some photos that have been taken thus far during DVBS.



The rest can be viewed under my links: My Photos (on the right side --->)
Keep checking back (to My Photos page) for new photos as I probably will not post about new photos as the weeks go on and I'll upload as they come...

Also, I mentioned that I would upload a photo of my paramedic uniform once I received it back from alterations and here it is.



And on a sidenote: According to an online test (sent by Yona)...
My ideal girl-type is: THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

Cute, fun, and sweet, your ideal girl is just a stone's throw away - she's the girl next door. She's Sandra Bullock, Billie Piper, and Meg Ryan all rolled up into one. Naturally pretty rather than glamorous, she's unpretentious and generous. She loves animals and children, and is great with both. You're attracted to her strong values and traditional ways. Although she demands great respect, she's not particularly high-maintenance. Her ideal date is more likely to be dinner and a film than heading out for a night on the town. She's careful yet spontaneous - a bit of the guy's girl, a bit of a cover girl (the nice kind), and just a hint of the hippie chick. But she's got an appeal that's all her own, which is why you can't stay away. Her winning smile, bright eyes, and loving nature make you want to hold on tight and never let go.

If you're interested, you can check for yourself as well. And if you even wish, you can leave a comment as to which is your type. :P
http://uk.tickle.com/test/whosyourtypef/select.html

Flames Update II

So... what's new with the Flames since my last post about hockey... Alex Tanguay has signed a 3 year contract for about 5mil per season (so now he's the 2nd highest paid player on the team). We also signed Andrei Zyuzin (a defenseman) to help strengthen the defense after trading Leopold away for Tanguay (2 years at 1.4mil per season). And now we've signed Jeff Friesen as well (1 year 1.8mil). So this is my prediction for what the lineup will most likely look like.

Friesen - Tanguay - Iginla
Huselius - Langkow - Kobasew
Lundmark - Lombardi - Amonte
Nilson - Yelle - McCarty
Richie

Compared to what we had last year, this is a much improved forward combination as we've got a bunch of lines that are capable of scoring (something we have definately lacked in years past).
- Tanguay is an extremely crafty player that is capable of setting up plays and will definately help Iginla out and Friesen has the ability to support that line extremely well with his strong 2-way play and scoring touch as well. Tanguay also has speed that will strongly benefit that line.
- Huselius and Langkow showed great chemistry together last year and that should improve this season and Huselius is skilled enough to set up a pure scorer such as Kobasew (possibly Amonte) and Langkow is a steady 2-way centerman with above-average playmaking skills.
- Lundmark and Lombardi are both young players with potentials that have not been reached yet but have showed steady improvement. Amonte's steady 2-way play and speed and energy should benefit both youngsters as well. Though if Amonte gets bumped up to the 2nd line... Kobasew coming down would make it a "kid" line that would benefit the team as a strong energy line.
- Nilson, Yelle and McCarty showed great chemistry last year and was a formidable checking line before Nilson was moved to center and strengthen an extremely weak 4th line.

Regehr - Phaneuf
Hamrlik - Warrner
Ferrence - Zyuzin
Ri. Regehr

Tough to call how the defense pairings will look like because I don't know what each players strong side is. I'm predicting Robyn Regehr and Phaneuf will play together because Sutter stated that those 2 will get a ton of minutes. Hamrlik will definately be on the 2nd pairing and as long as he stays injury-free this season should rebound nicely. Warrener and Ferrence can be interchanged easily though Ferrence does tend to have weaker seasons compared to his strong play in the playoffs. And Zyuzin is from all I've heard a strong, steady defensemen that will probably be capable of playing on any of the pairings as well. So, it seems our defensive corp will be one of the stronger ones again in the league.

Kipprusoff
Edit: McLennan

I think with the drafting of Irvine in the first round of this years draft shows that Sutter is planning ahead incase the Flames are unable to keep both Iginla and Kipprusoff around when their contracts end... which means that Krahn will likely move up to be Kipprusoff's backup to gain experience. Though, then again... knowing Sutter... if the opportunity arises for the Flames to sign another more experienced backup for cheap, then they will. Edit: Jamie McLennan just signed a 1 year contract worth ~500k.