Flame Out

Playoff Picks
Well... the two teams that I picked for my 'unrealistic' picks are both out in the first round, lol. Those two teams being... the Calgary Flames and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flames was the natural pick and the Penguins, because they are a young and exciting team to watch... and it would have been pretty cool to see them win it all. :P But unfortunately, they both failed to get pass the first round, lol.

However, the two teams that I picked for my 'realistic' picks are both still in the running for the cup this year. Those two teams being... the San Jose Sharks and the Ottawa Senators. San Jose was the team that I picked at the beginning of the season, so I'm going to stick with them.

Calgary Flames
Anyways, back to the Flames. Disappointing season for the Flames. On paper, this is probably the most skilled and promising team we've had since the early 90's. And yet, this team rarely ever played like a team... perhaps it is poor chemistry in the locker room? perhaps it has to do with the coaching staff? I tend to blame the coaching staff more than on locker-room chemistry. The reason being... we were the best team on home ice... so chemistry isn't lacking... motivation is what's lacking.
A strong theory is that the Flames did so well at home this season because the FANS were the motivation... not the coaches. And on the road, we were pathetic... because of the lack of motivation... which the coaches should be preparing the players for... but regardless... changes are going to happen... whether or not Sutter remains loyal to his coaching staff or not is... well... all hypothetical until the start of next season.

Possible changes upcoming...

Goaltending:

Kiprusoff will be back. Guaranteed, lol. This team is nothing without him (as seen in the playoffs).
Mclennan... will most likely NOT be back. With both Brent Krahn and Curtis McElhinney doing extremely well in the minors, I believe one of them should become the backup for next season. Also, Matt Keetly (of the Medicine Hat Tigers) is in his final year as a junior and will be going pro next season and will need a spot in Omaha.

Defence:

Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr, Rhett Warrener, Andrei Zyuzin are all signed for next season. I don't see any trades happening here unless Sutter wants to shake up the roster in a drastic way. Phaneuf is safe. Zyuzin... isn't worth much in the trade market, unfortunately, lol.

Mark Giordano, Richie Regehr and David Hale are all RFA's and I believe all 3 will be resigned for next season. We have limited defenceman in our system, so I think we should keep all 3 because if we run into injuries, we're hooped.

Roman Hamrlik and Brad Stuart are the only UFA's on defence this season. I can see Stuart getting Hamrlik's salary and Hamrlik being let go. Hamrlik was a decent defenceman, but was inconsistent and took stupid penalties and never could step up his game in the playoffs. Stuart continued to improve since he became a Flame and stepped up his game in the playoffs (probably became the best Flames dman during the playoffs).

Forwards:

Iginla, Tanguay, Langkow, Huselius, Conroy, Yelle are all signed for next season. They should all be back next season as well, unless Sutter decides to really shake up the roster with a big trade. Noone is 'safe' if Sutter does decide to do so. Yelle would be the closest to being safe.

Nilson and Lombardi are RFA's and I can see both of them being resigned.
Lombardi showed great improvement this year, though was still quite inconsistent. And Nilson did not perform to standards during the regular season (probably because of his injury earlier in the season) but showed up for the playoffs and is a Sutter player and highly durable and plays all 3 forwards positions, so I can see him coming back.

Amonte, Friesen, Godard, McCarty, Ritchie, Primeau are the UFAs.
Amonte and Friesen could easily be back if they decide to sign for MUCH less than they were paid this season. I wouldn't mind having Friesen back for cheaper because he was great on a line with Yelle and Nilson and was great defensively for us. However, Amonte... his uses are highly limited now. Can't score and is sometimes a liability on defence as well. So, I'm hoping Amonte is not back.
Primeau is probably a good bet to coming back. Dependable and can play all 3 forward positions, is big and defensively sound and probably won't be expensive either.
Ritchie... may be back because he is cheap and versatile as he can also play all 3 forward positions. But he is also limited in what he can do because of size and strength.
Godard may or may not be back... his uses are limited to... fighting only and if we do keep him, it would be for real cheap and he'll be a call-up from the minors like this season.
McCarty, will probably not be back.

In the System:
Omaha were the winners of the West Divion Title and the Western Conference Title this season in the AHL. Currently tied 1-1 in the first round series against Iowa.

Las Vegas was the top team in the ECHL this season (eg. presidents trophy if they were in the NHL). Currently they are up 1-0 in the second round of playoffs.


Goaltending:
Curtis McElhinney was named to the second AHL all-star team. Brent Krahn was injured for parts of the season, but is still within top 10 in goaltending statistics. Both have been in the top-10 in AHL goaltending statistics for the past 2 seasons. Both are probably ready to become a backup goaltender for Kiprusoff and should be capable of playing more games than McLennan ever could.
Matt Keetly (Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL) finished the season ranked first in wins in the WHL. Keetly is in his last junior year and should be going pro next season and needs a spot in Omaha to develop.
Leland Irvine (Calgary's first round draft pick last year) was ranked first in GAA in the WHL this season. Currently with Omaha for their playoff run. Will be back in Juniors next year.

Defence:
Mark Giordano won the battle to become the 7th defenceman for the flames this season, and at times beat out Zyuzin for the 6th position. Will battle for a roster spot again next season. Richie Regehr was leading the AHL in +/- before being recalled by the Flames this season (and then out for the season with a concussion). Has continued to improve and should be back in the minors next season and will likely be the first to be recalled next season again. David Hale came in via trade this season and will likely fight for a roster spot next season along with Giordano and Zyuzin. We start to thin out in defenceman after that. Tim Ramholt in Omaha would be the next one up, but has not improved well enough to play in the NHL yet.

Forwards:
David Moss graduated from the minors and made the big team this year, but still needs to earn it again during training camp next season. Dustin Boyd was tied for team-lead in points in Omaha and played well with stints in Calgary and will fight for a spot next season as well. Andrei Taratuchin took half-a-season to get a hang of the North American style but became red-hot in the second-half and will challenge for a spot next year as well. Carsen Germyn was tied for team-lead in points with Boyd this season and will likely be a call-up for next season. Eric Nystrom was injured for pretty much the entire season with numerous injuries that limited his games played to less than a dozen all season but if healthy will contend for a spot on the Flames roster next season. David Van-der-Gulik was one of the top defensive forwards in the entire AHL in his rookie season and will need more time to develop in the minors. Daniel Ryder in the OHL was in the top-10 in his final season in the juniors and should be going pro next season as well. Not ready for the NHL yet, but like Dustin Boyd should not need too much time in the minors to develop into a NHL calibre player.

Shawshank Redemption

So, I finally watched this movie, and it was great. Not only was it a good movie, but the message is what I needed right now. Hope. Don't ever let go... always have hope.
"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

So, I hope.

I won't let the stress of this world take me down. I won't give up simply because things are not working out. I won't allow what others think or say to stop me from doing what's right.

I will continue on with VBS. I will continue with training these youth (even if it makes my hair go gray by the time they understand). I will continue doing what's right (even if they hate me for it). I will come out of these times stronger than before. I will come out wiser than before. Because I have hope.

Now, to hope I don't lose anymore sleep over this.

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Final Lab Exam

So, last semesters final lab exam went from 0800 to 1830. And considering that we've gone through another semester and have more difficult scenarios to be tested on... we actually finished by 0430 today. So happy, cause long exam days are so stressful. And best of all, I passed all my skills today and all my scenarios, so I don't have to retest on anything! YES!!

Now, to finish some writing assignments and finish my final accumlative written exam and I'm set to go on my Ambulance Practicum! And if I finish all the stated above by Friday... I should be on my ambulance practicum by 2nd week of April! And I believe my Ambulance practicum will be roughly 5 weeks long. Okay folks, that's ALL!

Oh, and I kept waking up last night from dreaming about my exam today, lol. It was creepy, but I kept on waking up thinking I failed!! But yeah, that was all... too bad I had to leave the Newbs party early though. Okay... that's ALL!

Clinical Practicum

Done and done. 5 straight days of 0630-1430 shifts is finally over! No more need to wake up at 0430 and roll out of bed by 0500!! It's funny how I've been slowly getting more tired as the days went on, but I've also been sleeping better than my usual, lol. I'm waking up less in the night and falling asleep quicker. Hopefully, I can keep this up and finally correct my poor sleeping patterns!

The week was fun... and the shifts were actually quite interesting and productive for the most part. I was working at the Rockyview Hospital Day Surgery helping admit patients to the OR and keeping an eye on patients in recovery after their surgeries. So, mostly, I took vital signs, asked about allergies, medications and past medical histories and started IVs and helped the nurses wherever I could. It was quite neat. Talking to the patients before and after surgeries, helping them get prepared for their surgeries or just chatting with them was great. All the nurses were nice and very helpful.

And I did about 30 IVs over the week so I think I'm over the fear of giving IVs now, lol. My technique was good (so I was told) but then again, this is a controlled environment where we have the luxury of equipment and time to find a nice vein to start an IV on. So, if I have good veins, then I can get a good IV start (95% guaranteed... some people have veins that just collapse or a valve might be in the location where we start the IV). However, I've been having difficulties seeing veins that are 'hidden'. Apparently, you're supposed to be able to see a hint of blue where the veins are under the skin... but I can't see it cause of my color deficiency... so... I need to train myself to see what others can see easily.

Next up: Final Exams... so practice, practice, practice tomorrow... Newberrys are here on Sunday, so I guess I'll just relax on Sunday so that I'll be mentally alert and ready on Monday. And after that... Ambulance Driving Course and the Ambulance Practicum.

OR Practicum

So, I finally had my OR Practicum today (as it was cancelled last time because there wasn't any surgeries that were applicable to my training). But now I'm so tired. I woke up at 5... so I could leave the house by 6... to make sure I got to the High River Hospital before 7:30. My feet are so sore and tired as I stood for basically 9 hours straight with perhaps 10-15 minutes of sitting down throughout that entire 9 hours. Mentally, I'm actually awake... but physically drained. As getting up early in the mornings is just something I can't do, lol. And the standing for 9 hours straight hurts. I also didn't get to eat lunch till 4:30... so, I was getting weak by the end of the day.

My purpose in the OR was to practice maintaining a patients airway when they are unconscious (or in this training case: highly sedated). And the thing with that is... it only takes about 5 minutes or so of each individual surgery for me to do as you end up hooking the patient up to a automatic respirator. The rest of the time during the surgeries... I just stand someplace trying to not get in the way and watch the docs do their magic. It probably made for a longer day as there were 2 med students there getting their training in the surgeries as well. But it was interesting... we had 8 surgeries total today for about 9 hours. The first one... was over in like 10 minutes... it was that quick. I don't even really know what the surgery was about... I just know it had to do with gynecology, lol (luckily... I stand at the head of the patient... on the complete opposite side so I don't have to see what they were actually doing). 5 of the other surgeries were to remove hernias... so they weren't overly exciting... just some incisions and some burning away of skin/fat/mucous lining, etc...

The last 2 were the interesting ones. They were also the longest ones, so my feet hurt like crazy trying to stand in one place for an hour without moving around too much. But they were surgeries to remove the gallbladder. It was like watching TLC up-close-and-personal. They had the monitors and tvs up with the camera-view of inside the patients abdomen. And after they cut the gallbladder away from all the surrounding tissue and organs... they actually inserted a bag into the patients abdomen and stuffed the gallbladder into this bag. They then pulled the bag out through one of the small holes that they had cut into the patients abdomen... pretty interesting things to watch. :P

Anyways... Clinical Practicum at Rockyview Monday to Friday of next week... which is going to interesting... exciting... scary... and crappy all together. Crappy because I have to wake up at 4-430 every morning. AND the fact that my final lab/scenario exam is the monday after... so I come home from my shifts next week to study... going to be EXHAUSTED!

Baggage

WARNING: LONG BLOG

Today at church was... interesting. Good, and something the church needed... something we all needed. Testimony time was great but the worship and prayer at the end seemed to clinch it, at least for me.

But the one thing I found out today is that I'm holding a lot more baggage than I realize or care to admit to. Baggage that has been getting heavier and heavier over the years while I've been pushing it away from consciousness. During worship, I found myself thinking about my time at UofA again... something that happens quite often since I've come back. Usually those thoughts are centered around me being a failure, Failure, FAILURE and usually come up when I'm trying to study, practice, or succeed at doing something in my life. But today, it was different... I think God was showing me something that either I've chosen to ignore, or that I've never realized before.

I mean, sure, I didn't do well academically (exept perhaps in 2nd year when I got myself off of academic probation) but does that mean I'm a failure? Perhaps in my own eyes and definately in others eyes, I am. To me, I've always figured that with how I ended up at UofA... it HAD to be God guiding me there for a reason (and I believed it then and I still believe it). During my time there I talked to some people at GGCA and I always brought up the fact that I could never seem to find out my reason for being there... that I didn't feel like I was accomlishing what God wanted me to do there. I felt lost, I felt useless... And then when I started to do poorly in Academics... it felt like I was standing on the road of life watching as a steamroller rolled over me. And I died there... became flat... listless. And to this day... that is who I've been... that has been my life. A flat, listless dead person. Perhaps that is why the song "Dead Man (Carry Me)" by Jars of Clay is the song I start off with pretty much everyday and the chorus is what I sing to myself all the time. (Before this day, I thought I liked this song because I'm going to be a paramedic and that will be a scene I'll likely be seeing on the field... but God showed me today that NO... this song is about YOU)

So, Carry Me
I'm Just A Dead Man
Lying On the Carpet
Can't Find A Heart Beat
Make Me Breath
I Want To Be A New Man
Tired Of The Old One
Out With The Old Plan

What God showed me today was that... the thing with life and the mistakes we as humans make everyday is that... I tried to take control. I KNEW that God sent me up there for a reason... and I ASSUMED that reason would be what I wanted. To be a doctor and that because God helped me make that decision to go to UofA that it would be EASY. But looking back at it and the revelations that God gave me today... my reasons were horrible. Like Darrens testimony today... I had a dream... I had a desire... but it wasn't Gods. I wanted that prestige that being a doctor would give me (so I could go back to school reunions and show to all those who looked down on me that I could succeed), I wanted that wealth, and the reason I've never realized before today... I wanted to beat my sister, who I guess I've been living under her shadow for far too long. If she was going to be a Doctor of Psychology... well, I would be a doctor, doctor.

But when I started to do poorly academically... Instead of looking to God and finding where He wanted me to go. I figured I'll just keep on going on with what I'm doing now and get a degree... any degree because without it... I'd be a total failure. It wasn't until 3rd year University that I started to pray about it... to find what God wanted me to do and where He wanted me to go. And at first, I was scared with the answer that He gave me. He kept on pushing Paramedics onto my heart and I kept on saying "No Way, Lord", are you nuts? It's similar to being a doctor... but I wouldn't be working in a hospital setting with tons of nurses and other doctors to help me and in a controlled environment. I'd be working with one other person out in the cold, rain, snow, sleet, scorching sun in situations that a doctor/nurse would never have to see. I talked to my parents and some friends about it... and the consensus was that I'd be nuts and that this would never work out. But I kept praying and by the end of first semester, I KNEW that I was going to pursue paramedics. I KNEW that was what I was going to do after I finished the next semester coming up (the LAST one ever, and I KNEW it, I ACCEPTED it).

After I accepted my 'fate' and had actually prayed to God to take control and lead me to where He wanted me to be... I felt comforted. I felt safe. Scared for the new task ahead, but at peace. That's when I started going out and talking to the people around me. And I started to change. I was no longer that hugely shy kid that wanted to stay away from everyone becuase of fear, shame or whatnot. I became more confident, more outgoing but less dependent on my friends as I was before I went to UofA. And God showed me today that even though I might not realize it. God DID HAVE A PLAN FOR ME! My time at UofA was NOT a failure (only in my eyes and others eyes because I didn't accomplish MY OWN dreams and desires)... but God changed me in a way that I probably could not have until I finally let go and give Him control.

Strange thing with all this is that... You'd expect me to have realized this immediately upon following His guidance into paramedics and even after all that God has done for me with paramedics and provided me a way to keep moving forward even though it seems like I couldn't, but I didn't. The enemies lies are a powerful weapon. His whispers in my ear told me that sure I changed as a person because of my time at UofA but it doesn't matter one tiny bit because I was still a failure. A failure for life.

And I fell for it. Instead of allowing God to revive my flat, dead person... I allowed the enemies lies to keep me flat and in such a way that I went about life thinking I was fine and this is just who I am. My life has become almost a self-fulfilling prophecy because of this. I kept pushing my studies back... and back... and back... because in my mind... I've already failed, so why bother?

And even now... I've been stuck believing the enemies lies for such a long time that... even with the revelations from God this morning. I KNOW it's going to be a long and hard road before I ever truly get away from these thoughts of failure, from being a flat, dead person. It will be a long time before I stop feeling like I'm living 2 separate lives. But one day... Geo will be alive again... one day.

Trade Deadline

Flames get David Hale (Defenceman) and a 5th rounder for a 3rd rounder from New Jersey. Not a bad trade. Adds depth to our defence for the playoffs and gives competition for Zyuzin and Giordano. He's also a defensive defenceman who is quoted to be very stable and reliable... so maybe this will help stabalize our spotty defence.

But the big news for today comes from up north... from Edmonton... where it seems to have really become Deadmonton after today. Ryan Smyth gone. Captain Canada... off to the Island. Shocker of a trade. Ryan Smyth not an Oiler anymore. However, there is still the possibility that he'll re-sign with the Oilers after this season... and if he does. Then the Oilers basically pick up 3 first round draft picks... BUT it also pretty much means that the Oilers Ownership has pretty much given up on making the playoffs this year. Crappy position to be an Oilers fan right now.

While talking about Deadlines... I'm far behind my own self-appointed deadline for school, lol. WAY behind. So... this means... hardcore studying for the next 2 weeks to catch back up to my deadline that I stated for all my theory to be done and all my exams written.

Otherwise... things to look forward to.

Tony's Bachelor Party this Saturday.
High River OR Practicum next Thursday.
Rockeyview Clinical Practicum in 2 weeks.

Also... I can't get enough of "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman!

Do You Have A Life?

Apparently... I do. :P I have seen 84 of the following movies.

The Test

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 120 of these movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 movies on this list. Copy this list mail, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the movies you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun!


() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
() Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
() Airplane
Total: 3

() The Princess Bride
() AnchorMan
() Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II and 3
() White Noise
() White Oleander
()Anger Management
(x)50 First Dates
() The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 4

() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
(x) Scary Movie 4
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
()American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 8

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 14

(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
() The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
()Robots
Total so far: 17

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
()Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
Total so far: 22

() A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
() Flubber
Total so far: 24

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
()Chicago
()Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 24

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
()Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
()The Grudge 2
(x)The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 27

(x) Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x ) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
() Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 35

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 40

( ) Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
() Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
() Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 46

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
() Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 57

() Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old-virgin
Total so far: 58

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 64

() Baseketball
() Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
() Elf
( ) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 64

() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
() Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 67

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
() Hook
(x) Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x)Waterworld
Total so far: 69

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 72

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 78

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal

Total movies: 84

The Dating Game - YAC

Who are these mysterious looking folks? Why, it's Ruth, Esther, Joshua and King David. Want to learn something interesting about them? Want to learn who picked each of them on a Dating Game? Click on My Videos to the right of this blog post and watch the videos. You can also see some wonderful photos of the Dating Game by clicking on My Photos which is also linked on the right of this blog post.

And Coming Soon to a Video near you...
A brand new GAME with a revolutionary idea that will SHOCK you like only a defibrillator can!

I Heart

How do you play? Follow 4 Simple Steps.
Step 1: Chew Gum in Mouth
Step 2: Take Chewed Gum from Mouth
Step 3: Stick Chewed Gum on Plate
Step 4: Touch Chewed Gum from Other Peoples Mouths and Form into One Unified Heart!

Edit: I Heart Video is NOW UP AND RUNNING! (See My Videos)
And finally... mandarin fellowship is gone! Peace and QUIET finally again. Those mandarin kids are BRATS!!

It's a go Go GO for launch!

3 - I have sharpened my skates 3 times this year (since September) and all 3 times have been FREE! hahaha. Sweet deal eh? First time, it was because I waited 5-10 minutes for someone to sharpen my skates. Second time, I applied for the Sport Swap "Score More Card" and they tossed in a free sharpeneing. And today, because they were having difficulties helping the customer ahead of me at the cashier, they let me go for free because it was taking too long to resolve! :P

2 - I received confirmation today by my optometrist that the contacts are a go for my 2 eyes. There has been no problems thus far and everything looked great. So, it is contacts from here on in... except for those days that I'm too lazy to poke myself in the eyes. :P

1 - My 1 day of Operating Room Practicum was scheduled for tomorrow but because they are not doing any surgeries that require my services (which would be to simply provide oxygen via a Bag-Valve Mask and inserting an Oropharayngeal Airway) I am not required to go in. Which means... I now need to reschedule my 1 day of OR Practicum another day. Good and bad there... I don't need to drive to High River under the weather conditions that have sprung up in Calgary all of a sudden, but I really wanted to get this out of the way. Sigh, oh well, another day.

Now that the countdown is done. BLAST OFF to go practice some more bass and then get back to interpretating some good ol' ECG readings!

Up, Up... and Awake!?!

Sigh... can't sleep. 3:38am. Wide awake. But tired... Listening to Switchfoot: 4:12. Almost there. Thinking too much. This quote came to mind again.

“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. There was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”
- Alfred D. Souza

It seems I keep sitting around and just waiting for something to happen. For things to 'fall into place' as it were. Why am I so lazy? Why am I so apathetic? Why is it so hard to STOP being so lazy... so apathetic?

I wish I was the type of person that reached out and grabbed something... anything by the horns instead of being who I am... which is the type of person that really sits there with his hands open until something falls into it before I grab it. Sigh. Not to mention... my reflexes suck! So... when the opportunity does land... I usually don't notice till it's long gone.

Doubts are back. Doubts about paramedics. I think it's because my Operating Room Practicum is on Thursday. Or the fact that I dropped the ball during class last time when I chose not to do a live IV start. Or the fact that I still don't seem to be thinking of this 'schooling' as my career. I keep thinking of it like I thought of HS or JH or even University. Go through school... pass exams... graduate... get a job then life will start. That's when you start to really work. Well... I wanted something more practical for schooling and I got it... and I'm still thinking the same way. Bad Habits are hard to break.

Contacts... cooler safety goggles. That doesn't make you a paramedic. Your mental state and preparation does. And I'm not ready. I'm scared. Choosing which paramedic program for next year has gotten me to think... do I want to be a paramedic? Or stay as an EMT? As an EMT for the city... I'll usually be paired up with a paramedic... so my job duties will be mostly... Spinal Immobilization, Bag-Valve Mask, Packaging, Driving. Those things I can do... cause the patients life will for the most part be in my partners hands... not mine.

My biggest fear. Is not bugs. It's failure.

Unfortunately... I'm the type of guy that's afraid of failure and doesn't try... that way I can't fail.
I'd rather be the type of guy that's afraid of failure and tries... tries so hard to be perfect to stay away from failure.

Oh Lord: Break these chains! Set this captive free!

Blurry

Boy, it's quite... interesting learning how to wear contacts for the first time. It took me forever just trying to get my contacts on, lol. I think it's because my eyes are too small. :P Took me probably more than half-an-hour the first time trying to put my contacts on. Then it only took me one and four tries respectively per eye the second time. And then it it only took me one try for both eyes the last try. YES! However, taking them out is still difficult. Sigh. Also, because these are 'trial' contacts... they arn't my exact prescription... so things are a bit blurry at a distance and I don't think they have any corrections for my stigmitism so it's kinda funky. However... they are in and they work. I look strange... but hopefully I'll get used to it. You guys should be used to me looking strange already. :P Now, time to see how long I can wear contacts for in a day. So far... almost 2 hours and I'm still fine. :P Lets multiply that by at least 6 and I'll be extremely pleased!

If they do work out... I might look into Oakley Safety Goggles, lol. Cause I find these 'cool' safety goggles (as Tanya calls them) to be a bit on the 'chunky' side. :P Perhaps not Oakleys as those are expensive... but something a bit more stylish. Uvex has some nice ones. :P

Oh, and I keep trying to adjust my non-existent glasses because it is a bit blurry and because of habit. So if you guys see me reach for my eyes for some strange reason or push on the bridge of my nose or something, that's why. :P

Rejuvenated

No... not so much mentally or physcially... or even spiritually unfortunately. But more so... blogging wise, lol. With the youth entering the blogging world, it has added a new element and I guess excitement back to the blogging world. Makes me want to blog more too!

Anyways... I booked my appointment for contacts next week. So... I most likely will be glassesless starting next Wednesday. Wonder how I'll look, lol. Well, either way, I still hope that contacts works out for me and that I can wear them for long durations at a time. Even if I don't look good... I can at least wear it for school and work and not look so horrible with my UGLY safety glasses. :P My classmates say I look like I'm going to go scuba-diving with them on, lol. And my teachers all gave me a strange double-take when I first wore them, lol. So... contacts, PLEASE WORK!!

Also... my mom made me apply for a job, lol. It's a terrible job and one I don't want cause it's telephone research. And really... who wants to be one of those jerks that calls you during dinner time to ask you questions related to the health profession? Sheesh, lol. BUT... it's casual and in the medical field. Hopefully they are flexible, cause I need to be able to work it around my practicums (which I don't have a full schedule for yet). Pay is... decent I guess and extra cash will always come in handy especially if I keep playing hockey every week, lol. Need money! Oh, and eating out every weekend is sucking me dry. :P

Listening to the new Jars of Clay and new Switchfoot... cause I commented on Jen Bongs blog and then realized that I didn't know much about both cds, lol. So far... Switchfoot is better then when I first checked it out at CP last week but I still havn't warmed up to it quite yet. Jars of Clay has been really good but it took a couple listens but still not as good as Skillets. :P

Fatigued...

Decided to work on one of my 'resolutions' for this year and actually work out today. It's been such a long time since I last worked out and my muscles just can't take it anymore, lol. Usually I feel alright when working out and feel sore afterwards, but now it's like the opposite. I don't feel sore at all right now... but when I try to lift again... my muscles just give out, sigh. It's a good thing I bought my own weights, cause it would be embarassing to work out at SAIT in the condition I'm in right now, lol. So, I'll work on getting my muscles toned-up again to get over this muscle fatigue stage and then hit the SAIT gym later this month or starting in February (after all the other people who are hitting the gym because of New Year Resolutions finally give up). That way it won't be AS embarassing (I'm still a weakling though, lol) but yeah... should still hit up the gym later because I can't hit all my muscle groups with what I have at home.

Otherwise... been playing some bass as well. Don't quite know what to do with it anymore. In the sense that I don't know what I can do to improve from where I am currently. I'm thinking I'll go over some of my old piano theory books and maybe practice that way to further establish where everything is on the fret board and to get my knowledge of theory back up to par. That way I can MAYBE transpose again, lol.

And it seems everyone is quitting Junior Church... and I'm leaning on not returning after this year either. Nothing wrong with Junior Church or anything... but I seem to be double-booked all the time on Sunday now. And at this point... I think I prefer to do sound and usher than to teach. Guess we'll see how things turn out after this year.

Oh, and Andrew and Jacklyn got me Need For Speed: Most Wanted for the DS. I got it on Sunday. I'm already done the game. Unlocked all the cars. Suped them all up. :P Finished Final Fantasy 3. Finished everything in Bomberman. Opened everything in Brain Age. Unlocked and Finished everything in Mario Kart. Guess it's time to go back to the Game Cube, lol.

And... probably going to schedule an appointment for contacts stuff next week. Lets hope contacts works out for me. Cause I REALLY REALLY detest (not hate) but detest, hehe, my current safety goggles that I have to wear for Paramedics. And honestly... I bought 2 pairs of safety goggles online that havn't been worn becuase of the stupid inserts not working out!! So yeah... lets hope it works out!!

Final Fantasy 3

FINALLY COMPLETED!! My game file states that I logged 36:27:59 in playing time to complete the game. However, there probably was a couple hours lost from dying and having to go back a couple hours to my save point. So, it was approximately 40 hours. Which was what Philip predicted it to be when he gave me the game. For my first Final Fantasy game ever, it was great. Highly addicting, great game. Don't know how often I'll play it again, but really... 40 hours spent on it already, lol. I probably will play it again... at a later time. Not only because it was such a great game but also because this Final Fantasy game has the option of choosing jobs for each character. And since I only used certain ones... next time I'll try different jobs out and see how that works out. First time around... My favorite combination was Geomancer, Ninja, Sage and Summoner (Enjoyed using Knight as well - which I actually used in place of the Geomancer for the final dungeon and last 4 bosses and final final boss - problem with this combo is that Ninja, Sage and Summoner are in the last group of jobs opened for use, so you can't use them until near the end of the game).

I looked up the Final Fantasy game for the GameCube, but it wasn't rated very high. IGN Review, Press Review or Reader Review. Seems it's a decent Final Fantasy game for single play, but is built more around playing it as a multiplayer. Well... I don't think I'll be purchasing it and asking people to come play with me all the time, what a hassle!! :P

Okay, time for bed. :P

New Year

New Year Resolutions?? I don't think I really came up with any specifically... but I know what I WANT this year.

1) Change my mindset. I really need to get into a proper mindset for paramedics. I need to get away from this Monday-Friday, 8-5 mentality. Also, I need to find a way to get past my irrational fear of needles and sharp objects... especially when they are in my hands. Ever since I stabbed myself in my thumb... I get so freaked out when holding anything sharp... but I need to get past it becuase I need to do IVs. And before you all freak out, I CAN DO IVs PROPERLY. Just when it comes to doing live starts (on an actual person) I start to overthink everything and get really scared and I even avoided doing a live-start during a scenario and my instructor was not happy... and neither was I. I was so disappointed by myself and my confidence level just crashed when I turned down that live-start... and I REALLY need to get past this mindset. Sometimes, I NEED to cause pain to others in order to help them. I CAN, and I WILL do this.

2) Work Out. One of my friends in class weighs about 200lbs and just trying to move him around on a stretcher was difficult. I could do it, but it was not as smooth as it could have been. So, I need to get stronger. I need to get fitter. Going with resolution number 1: I will be going to school to use the gym this semester, but because it's usually busy during the day, I will go during the night. So, getting past this 8-5 mindset, I'll start doing things I normally wouldn't do during the evening (like go to the gym or go to school for studying or tutoring).

3) Play Bass by Camp. Really starting to lean towards taking lessons. If anybody knows someplace good and not expensive... let me know. Or if somebody knows someone who can teach more towards playing Bass for Worship, let me know. lol... I think this was one of my resolutions last year as well. :P Sure didn't work out. Maybe this year. :P

Some other things I've been thinking about include... After I graduate from EMT. I have 3 choices.

1) Work for a year or so (probably with the City as a Basic Life Support Provider).

2) Take the paramedic program through SAITs day program (5 days a week, 8 hours a day) which starts in September (which makes it a lot more difficult to get into considering interviews for that program start NOW and I do not have the proper prerequisites yet as I'm in the EMT course still).

3) Take the paramedic program through SAITs outreach program (1 week on, 1 week off) which starts next January (but is not government funded so is double the tuition of the day program). I'm leaning towards this one right now.

Another thing: I want to get contacts. I'm so used to glasses and I don't mind them. But the safety goggles that I have currently that go over my glasses are UGLY! And the fact that glasses as a paramedic can become somewhat of a hindrance. So, I'm going to test out contacts. See how they work out for me. I know that my eyes are dry and that I probably can't wear them an entire day... but if they work enough for me to wear for a shift... then they'll be worth it.

Results from HK

Shopping:
- Clothes: A bunch (2 Zip-ups, 2 t-shirts, 1 collared t, 2 sweatshirts)
- Souvenir: Sword (only $30 - so cheap)
- Electronics: None... don't think I ever even saw a DS over there... so no Supercard.

Illness:
- Stomach Flu (myself, dad, sister, 1 cousin, 1 aunt, 1 uncle)

Events:
- Christmas Eve
- Uncles Wedding
- Mom's Birthday
- Sidetrip to Malaysia (bought absolutely nothing... oh well... nothing was worth buying)
- New Years
- Sister's Birthday

Accomplishments:
- 6.5 Modules out of 9. (meaning... I'll be studying tomorrow after church)
- Opened all characters for mini-games in Bomberman for DS.
- Almost finished Final Fantasy 3... but there are no save points in the very end chapter... so I died fighting the boss and have to do it all over again. Sigh.
- Applied for and got my Hong Kong Citizenship Card
- Applied for and got some card that allows entry into China for the next 10 years without a VISA

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!