March Madness - And then there were two.

Number 1's against number 2's for the Final Four. I promised Tommy that if Ohio State did not prevail, that I would go for Georgetown all the way. Fortunately for me, Ohio State pulled it off. Unfortunately, UCLA did not.


Going into the weekend, I had a shot at winning some big bucks. Looks like now I will be lucky to just break even.

On a different note...congratulations to Durant on winning AP Player of the Year!

checkmate.

As much as noone ever wants to outwardly admit it, the working atmosphere is run by politics. Where you rank amongst the leaders determines how much respect you receive. Where you stand in your beliefs determines which direction you advance, or if you advance at all.

The past few months have been a game of chess. A game of chess played by politicians. Pieces moving - some left to right, some diagonally. With new positions opening, I had to play the field strategically. What were my moves? I had none; I stayed put.

I was flattered when asked to apply, but I knew it was not smart to move laterally. I have never played a game of chess in my life, but I am slowly learning the moves. Hopefully, I will one day play a role in mastering the game.

passion.

Per a recent conversation...

How would you define passion?


Strong amorous feeling or desire; love; strong sexual desire.



A strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything.

Do you have a passion? What is your passion? Should everyone have a passion in life? Is it possible that the existance of passion makes one whole? What if you do not have one passion, but rather several loves? Are you any less complete?

Apparently blogging requires passion?

March Madness - Final Four.

Down to the final four - Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, and Ohio State.


As much as I wanted the Ducks to win, I knew Florida would prevail in the end. They are just too strong and too big for Porter and Brooks. The Georgetown game was amazing. Too bad we had to leave the bar during the second half to go to the women's game at Reunion. There was no way to predict it was going to go into overtime.

Though the women's games do not compare to the men's, it is always fun to watch. The Purdue/Georgia game was good. It was a competitive 40 minutes. I really only stayed for the second game for one reason. Ivory Latta.




Latta is one of the best point guards in the nation. She is the heart and soul of the Lady Tarheels. And though I may not have picked the most flattering pictures of her, the pictures clearly express how emotional she is. She loves every second of the game. I only wish I could have found a picture of her beating her chest; she likes to beat her fists against her chest when she hits a shot. Yeah, it is definitely a sight to see.

Generation...Y?

Internet use is becoming quite popular. People use it for everything, and one industry being hurt by this is the postal system. Nowadays, people pay their bills online; there is no need for postage. As a result, postal stamps are going up in price. I am now being punished for secretly being 90 years old.

Though I have adapted to this technological world, I by no means am a fan of it. I miss my pen and paper days. The day they introduced scantrons in 6th grade was the day I knew I was going to struggle through the next 50 plus years of my life. Do not make any stray marks on the answer sheet. Fill in each circle/square completely. To change your answer completely erase the mark. Please use a number 2 pencil.Good lord. Using the scantron correctly was a test in itself. Whatever happened to "Circle the correct answer?"

And to think, that was just grade school. The teachers were right though, they were preparing us for the real world. I was just too stubborn to follow through with what was taught.

I live walking distance to my bank, and thank goodness for that. Why? Because I do not do online banking. One of my paychecks is direct deposit, and that is only because I had no choice in the matter - all employees were required to do so. The other job, a physical paycheck in which I hand directly to a bank teller to deposit.

Seems nowadays everyone has a tolltag; everyone except me. Something about the tolltag just does not appeal to me. Instead, I would rather pull up slowly to a toll booth, literally roll down my window (I do not have automatic locks or windows), and throw dimes and quarters into a basket in hopes that they all make it into the basket. When the light turns green, I proceed.

Though not within walking distance, I also live close to a post office. This is also of convenience because I mail all my bills. Checks are written each month, placed in envelopes, and finished off with a 39 (soon to be 41) cent stamp on each. Word on the street is that everyone pays their bills online now. Not me.

The next issue is greatly influenced by my work experience. What is this e-script business? Doctors get paid thousands of dollars to spend 5 minutes with a patient and then cannot even take the time to handwrite a prescription? Prescriptions are now sent electronically via palm or computer by physician assistants. Patients come to the pharmacy expecting their prescription to be all ready for pick up because it was sent through the world of technology - so it must be faster, right? Wrong.

I should have been born 100 years ago when people flushed their own toilets and wiped their own butts.

feel the love.

My sister said this comic reminds her of me...


Just because I do not hug, does not mean I do not love.

Hooked on Phonics...works for me?

English was not my first language. In fact, in first grade, I was almost placed in ESL (English as a Second Language). Now, I can hardly have an elementary conversation in Chinese. So why is it that my English seems to still suck? Case in point - I use the word 'suck' because I cannot think of a better, more profound-sounding word.

A 600 on the verbal section of the SATs. Six hundred. Tell me that is not pathetic. Why would one use a 9 letter word, when a 5 letter word works just as well? Why should I know the antonym of 'obfuscate?' Why are there silent letters in words? What is the point?

Some people find company in misery. I enjoy the company of those who speak my language. Five-letter, easy-to-pronounce-words language. I like it when...

...I know I can butcher the pronounciation of a word and still have the other person know exactly what word I am saying.

...I can make up a word and use it as my own without any questions asked. (And you thought Webster knew it all...)

...I can use a word incorrectly and completely out of context but still get my point across. (To this day, I refuse to revert to the real meaning of 'temperamental.')

...I am at a complete loss for words and yet the person still understands the silence or murmur of 'ums.'

I have accepted the fact that I will never be able to impress an Oxford graduate with magna cum laude. Though I do appreciate a good read, I prefer it come along with an abridged or audio version, along with Cliff Notes to help with interpretation. How is one to enjoy a good read if he or she cannot even get past the first few sentences?

With all that being said, please do not take me as an ignorant fool with no desire to learn. Because many of you know that I am somewhat of a nerd at heart.

March Madness - Day 4.

It is Sweet Sixteen time! I have got 10 out of 16 still in it - not too bad.


Texas did not make it to the next round. I had them going to the Four but, to be honest, that pick alone going so far made for a risky East Region. Too bad I did not get to watch any of the games yesterday because of work. Maybe next year I will save up my vacation time and use it in March.

March Madness - Day 3.

Holy cow - a day filled with close games! Games going down to the final seconds of regulation. Other games going to double overtime. After the third day...


Ohio State barely getting by. A loss there would have ruined everyone's bracket, including mine. Thank goodness they prevailed. Seems, I may have underestimated UNC. Though the game against Michigan State was somewhat close, Hansbrough dominated. Hopefully he burned all his fuel in today's game and will have nothing left for the rest of the tournament.

March Madness - Day 2.

Damn you, Villanova!!! After the first round, it looks like Tommy is in the lead - he picked the most accurate upsets. I was holding my own for the most part...until Villanova lost to Kentucky! Damn you, Villanova. You were supposed to take care of Kansas for me...


Only a round has been completed, and I am already feeling the agony. If you do not get into March Madness, you will never understand the feelings behind it all. The Nevada/Creighton overtime game. Wisconsin only scoring 19 points in the half, only to come back to beat 15th seeded Texas A&M Corpus Christi 77 to 71. Tennessee scoring 121 points. Winthrop pulling the upset over Notre Dame.

Oh, the madness!

March Madness - Day 1.

It is March Madness time - one of my favorite times of the year. In fact, when asked what my favorite holiday is, I sometimes reply "March Madness." 64 NCAA teams given bids to play their heart out in this prestigious tournament. Millions of people trying to predict the outcomes of each of the games. This year, I have myself in 3 different pools, basically playing one bracket. After day 1 of the tournament, my bracket looks like this:


With tip-off times of 11 am to 8 pm, thank goodness for ESPN.com - I compulsively check on scores every 3-5 minutes at work.

Breakdown of day 1...

I gave Bob Knight way too much credit - what was I thinking?

Stanford over Louisville was probably my worst upset pick. They played in Kentucky - I have nothing to justify my pick.

Old Dominion almost stole one. It was a good game, and I do not regret my pick.

Prior to the tournament, I had no idea what VCU stood for. Yet it was still one of my confident picks. Poor Duke.

After listening to the radio, I should have changed my pick to Michigan State.

That damn Xavier. I thought I had one in BYU.

9 for 16 is not bad. Must do better tomorrow!

goodbye, coach.

With much respect for how much women's sports has grown, I know that a large part is due to the organizations and the staff, in addition to the athletes themselves. Jody Conradt has been a staple for Texas Women's basketball. After collecting her 900th victory and coaching 31 years at Texas, we say goodbye to one of the greatest coaches of all time...

Thank you for all that you brought to the women's athletic program. Hook 'em!

dos pulgares arriba.

Minus the Spanish dialogue and English subtitles, I give Pan's Labyrinth two thumbs up. I do not watch movies often, so it is always refreshing when I see a good one.

Beautiful and exhilarating, a fairy tale for grown-ups. - Roger Ebert

Beautiful, it was. Definitely deserved the award for Best Cinematography. It was also beautiful in the sense that it captures bravery, sacrifice, love, and loss all through an eleven-year-old girl. Somewhat dark and gothic, the movie does leave you with your head down, but only because you feel for the little girl and all that she endured.


Exhilarating. Lee-Ting can attest to that - just ask her how many times she jumped during the movie. Though the jumping may have been more fear induced, the movie did keep you entertained. Between the plot and the character designs, the movie had my undivided attention. How could one not give into the likes of a character like this...


Beautiful and exhilarating, indeed. One can only dream up a character like that.

what are their relations?

One of my co-workers calls it a fad or a trend. Though I by no means agree that coming out is a temporary notion or manner of conduct, I do recognize that it is becoming quite popular. But do the numbers lead to it being more socially accepted?

I encounter all types of people every day - the fat and the skinny, the mentally challenged and the gifted, the rude and the complacent, the old and the young, the ill and the healthy, the heterosexuals and the homosexuals.

Yesterday I happened to ask "What is the relation between customer A and customer B?" They both pick up each other's medications, yet never seem to come together so I have never seen the two interact. Both are caucasion females, one 64 years of age and the other 44 years of age. The 64 year old always has two Chinese girls with her.

Answer: The two women are partners who adopted babies from China.

Why do I find this worthy of writing about? It is not because they are lesbians; I am open to everyone's sexual orientation. I think what got me thinking is that there are so many uncharacteristic variables in the equation. Two caucasion women, twenty-years apart (one in her early sixties) adopting and raising two Chinese girls. I believe that a home with these two women is better than no home at all, but I am curious to see how the little girls' lifestyles will differ from the rest of us.

script count: 385.

With Courtney gone, floaters will be regulars in our store the next few weeks...or however long it takes to hire a new assistant pharmacist. As a closer, this impacts me the most because I am forced to spend the latter part of my shift alone with someone unfamiliar with our store. More times than not, it turns out okay but there is always that fear that the evening will be a nightmare.

Tonight was one of the smoothest evenings I have ever experienced. Was it slow? No. It was an average Tuesday with an ending script count of 385. The last few hours consisted of one clerk (until 8 pm), one technician, and one pharmacist. It was perfect - everyone knew their role. I could not have asked for a more organized night, which is an extreme rarity at our store.

I never thought I would admit this, but there are actual times I do enjoy my job. It is almost as if there is a sense of accomplishment at the end of the night. Shh, do not let Dawn know.

satisfied craving.

Back in college, a good 80% of my monthly spendings were on food and alcohol. Now that I do not go out every day of the week and limit my tabs to less than $100, the bulk of my expenses has gone to Starbucks and food. Luckily for me, there is no tab kept open at Starbucks and though I frequent it two to three times a day, I only average $2.40 a coffee.

So that leaves me with food. I love food; it makes me happy. The thought of french fries light up my eyes. With the love for food comes cravings. It seems I am constantly craving something, and I cannot function without satisfying that craving. I crave everything from hamachi to beignets and will go to great lengths to make sure I get my yellowtail and sugar powdered pastries.

It is like an illness with symptoms resembling that of ADHD. I get restless, cannot concentrate, and eventually I get rowdy and rude. Onset is unpredictable and uncontrollable. The only cure - satisfying the craving.

Not many people can relate. After a full blown outbreak of symptoms, which usually takes place if the craving is not satisfied within days, many people will either ask if I am pregant or call me a beast. Recently, Grace sufferred the same weakness and fortunately was able to satisfy her craving...

AzNGUrI: I DID IT!!!
AzNGUrI: hahaha
AzNGUrI: i stole a piece of cake
AzNGUrI: my craving is fulfilled :-D i am whole now

That feeling of being "whole" again is more than satisfying...it is relieving. At least until the next mention of fries.