Wicked! Enough said...
Won the Wicked Lottery...they even had a pin for the winners! My holiday is now complete...
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Update Time
It has been awhile since my last update. I guess through my studying of my last exam, I actually concentrated and studied, and did not take 20-30 minutes out of my studying time to blog. On second thought, I think I was distracted and did other things instead of study, and since I didn't do an all-nighter, I didn't blog.
Nothing new lately. Finished exam on the 19th, and came back right after my exam. Spent the last couple of days out and about, and quite a bit of time at ET. I was very last minute with my "Christmas shopping" this year. Picked up a few things back in Oct at Mitchell's during their Fall sale, but didn't really get anything for gift exchanges/secret Santa/good ol' gifts for friends until the 21/22. It felt weird going to STC on Thursday. I was never much of a shopper, usually I go when I have something I want to get in mind, and I would get it and leave. Once in awhile I would wander around, and see if anything catches my eye. So after not going to a mall for like...months, it felt really awkward. I was not interested in crowding with the mobs, and the sales aren't really "sales" (too much RFD for me), and since I had in mind what I wanted to get before going, I walked through the mall in under 2 hours. I didn't buy anything in that time, just walked through store to store to see what I wanted/needed to get, before going back all at once and get it so I don't have to hold on to bags while wandering around. Saw a few things, but only bought cards/gifts hoping for the things I want to go on sale during boxing week.
Friday came along. Had a good time having breakfast with the dad in the morning. Another good lunch with J-Lau, and had an interesting time at Eatons (details might not be disclosed depending who you are XD). Wicked didn't work out (SORRY Edie!) so ended up going to ET for potluck instead. Hopefully we can catch it next week, keeping fingers crossed.
Really been spending alot of time with ET people in the past few months between summer and now, and now been even going there on a regular basis. I think a really, really, really brief talk that occured on Friday has really got me thinking about a couple of things. I think I'm leaning towards an obvious choice, but I really want this decision to be thought out before making it. Have talked to some people about it, and probably will talk to more, but I hope to be able to make a decision on it in the near future.
Fun time with the ET-ers tonight. Another nice Lumas reunion, a fun time with some short game clips and videos. It was amazing to look back at the first couple of games and see how far some players have come in the few short weeks during the season. Nice time and some interesting moments at gift exchange. Highlight was definitely the service. Been awhile since I had a real intimate time of worship, and really felt it tonight. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with who was leading, but I think it was a snowball effect for many things that has happened leading up to the service tonight. Definitely (am I really using this word alot?) was an eye-opening experience from what I've experienced in the past. Looking forward to seeing some BASICs join the family tomorrow!
Its that time again...TTOW!
P.S. Don't bother guessing what TTOW stands for, because it doesn't stand for anything! Watch season 9 of the Amazing Race (probably the best season for awhile) for the origin of TTOW...and for the explanation, the post-race CBS Morning Show will provide some clues to the answer.
Nothing new lately. Finished exam on the 19th, and came back right after my exam. Spent the last couple of days out and about, and quite a bit of time at ET. I was very last minute with my "Christmas shopping" this year. Picked up a few things back in Oct at Mitchell's during their Fall sale, but didn't really get anything for gift exchanges/secret Santa/good ol' gifts for friends until the 21/22. It felt weird going to STC on Thursday. I was never much of a shopper, usually I go when I have something I want to get in mind, and I would get it and leave. Once in awhile I would wander around, and see if anything catches my eye. So after not going to a mall for like...months, it felt really awkward. I was not interested in crowding with the mobs, and the sales aren't really "sales" (too much RFD for me), and since I had in mind what I wanted to get before going, I walked through the mall in under 2 hours. I didn't buy anything in that time, just walked through store to store to see what I wanted/needed to get, before going back all at once and get it so I don't have to hold on to bags while wandering around. Saw a few things, but only bought cards/gifts hoping for the things I want to go on sale during boxing week.
Friday came along. Had a good time having breakfast with the dad in the morning. Another good lunch with J-Lau, and had an interesting time at Eatons (details might not be disclosed depending who you are XD). Wicked didn't work out (SORRY Edie!) so ended up going to ET for potluck instead. Hopefully we can catch it next week, keeping fingers crossed.
Really been spending alot of time with ET people in the past few months between summer and now, and now been even going there on a regular basis. I think a really, really, really brief talk that occured on Friday has really got me thinking about a couple of things. I think I'm leaning towards an obvious choice, but I really want this decision to be thought out before making it. Have talked to some people about it, and probably will talk to more, but I hope to be able to make a decision on it in the near future.
Fun time with the ET-ers tonight. Another nice Lumas reunion, a fun time with some short game clips and videos. It was amazing to look back at the first couple of games and see how far some players have come in the few short weeks during the season. Nice time and some interesting moments at gift exchange. Highlight was definitely the service. Been awhile since I had a real intimate time of worship, and really felt it tonight. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with who was leading, but I think it was a snowball effect for many things that has happened leading up to the service tonight. Definitely (am I really using this word alot?) was an eye-opening experience from what I've experienced in the past. Looking forward to seeing some BASICs join the family tomorrow!
Its that time again...TTOW!
P.S. Don't bother guessing what TTOW stands for, because it doesn't stand for anything! Watch season 9 of the Amazing Race (probably the best season for awhile) for the origin of TTOW...and for the explanation, the post-race CBS Morning Show will provide some clues to the answer.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Fantasy Sports + Texas Hold 'em
Its time for a sports column, with a bit of poker. Haven't had one for ages, and with this break of mine, I finally have some time to do one =) I promise I'll keep is short and sweet. This can also be a Texas Hold'em 101 for those who are not familiar with the game.
So after a nice night of auction drafting with the guys, it brought back alot of thoughts I've had about fantasy sports in general before I started "working very hard" for school. Fantasy, much like alot of things, depends on luck. A phrase I like to describe the skill and luck factor in poker, applies in fantasy sports as well: "You skill will determine how much you are affected by your bad luck or your opponent's good luck". With that said, here is an poker example. You hold pocket aces preflop, the best starting hand in the game. Your opponent hold AK. This is the best match up you can have with any hand. You are a 91% favourite to win. However, the flop comes 10 J Q. Your opponent flops a straight, and you only have a pair of AA. The only way you can win the hand is if the next two cards give you a full house (lets assume flush is not a possibility). The person with the AK suddenly becomes 85% favourite to win, with the person holding the AA only have approximately 2% to win (with 13% chance of a tie). With that said, your opponent got "lucky", because he/she went from a 9% underdog, to a 85% favourite. Now...good players, could potentially get away from this hand. There are a few hands out there that the opponent could hold that has AA beat (AK, QJ, Q10, 89, J10, K9), while fewer hands that the AA is still ahead of (AQ, AJ, A10, KQ, KJ, K10 - note, even a hand like KQ or KJ is still a favourite to win statistically) [note: assumption is that the opponent will not be betting hard with hands like 77, 88, etc]. There are too many players who get "married" to a hand like AA on such a dangerous flop like this example, and end up losing alot of money. However, certain good players have the ability to read the action, and potentially fold this AA and save him/herself alot of money. Now this is an extreme example, but this example demonstrates the point about skills revolving around luck.
Now moving on to fantasy sports. There are many things that are within your control, yet many things aren't. One move I was totally against, was the Minnesota Twins pushing Francisco Liriano back into the rotation despite not being 100% healthy. He was a highly touted pitcher, whom many experts have said could potentially be better then Johan Santana in the neaf future (#1 starting pitcher in the league). As a manager of a fantasy baseball team that held Liriano, the managers would be delighted. However, the Twins decided to start Liriano despite his health, so they can make a push towards the playoffs. What ended up happening is that Liriano now requires Tommy John Surgery and is out for the entire 2007 season. Not only is he out for a year, this surgery has had major impacts on many pitchers who had a very bright future. So Liriano could potentially never live up to his potential as a result of this injury. So while the fantasy managers were good, and skillful in digging up his potential and drafting/picking up Liriano, their bad luck with how his health was managed in real life will make a big impact towards their team in the future.
That was pretty short and simple I think. Looking forward to another few days off before heading back to loo and "study" for the last few days before my exam. I really don't think I will be starting until the day before, so that will give me two days (since my exam is at night), which is plenty by my standards. So with that said...
TTOW!
So after a nice night of auction drafting with the guys, it brought back alot of thoughts I've had about fantasy sports in general before I started "working very hard" for school. Fantasy, much like alot of things, depends on luck. A phrase I like to describe the skill and luck factor in poker, applies in fantasy sports as well: "You skill will determine how much you are affected by your bad luck or your opponent's good luck". With that said, here is an poker example. You hold pocket aces preflop, the best starting hand in the game. Your opponent hold AK. This is the best match up you can have with any hand. You are a 91% favourite to win. However, the flop comes 10 J Q. Your opponent flops a straight, and you only have a pair of AA. The only way you can win the hand is if the next two cards give you a full house (lets assume flush is not a possibility). The person with the AK suddenly becomes 85% favourite to win, with the person holding the AA only have approximately 2% to win (with 13% chance of a tie). With that said, your opponent got "lucky", because he/she went from a 9% underdog, to a 85% favourite. Now...good players, could potentially get away from this hand. There are a few hands out there that the opponent could hold that has AA beat (AK, QJ, Q10, 89, J10, K9), while fewer hands that the AA is still ahead of (AQ, AJ, A10, KQ, KJ, K10 - note, even a hand like KQ or KJ is still a favourite to win statistically) [note: assumption is that the opponent will not be betting hard with hands like 77, 88, etc]. There are too many players who get "married" to a hand like AA on such a dangerous flop like this example, and end up losing alot of money. However, certain good players have the ability to read the action, and potentially fold this AA and save him/herself alot of money. Now this is an extreme example, but this example demonstrates the point about skills revolving around luck.
Now moving on to fantasy sports. There are many things that are within your control, yet many things aren't. One move I was totally against, was the Minnesota Twins pushing Francisco Liriano back into the rotation despite not being 100% healthy. He was a highly touted pitcher, whom many experts have said could potentially be better then Johan Santana in the neaf future (#1 starting pitcher in the league). As a manager of a fantasy baseball team that held Liriano, the managers would be delighted. However, the Twins decided to start Liriano despite his health, so they can make a push towards the playoffs. What ended up happening is that Liriano now requires Tommy John Surgery and is out for the entire 2007 season. Not only is he out for a year, this surgery has had major impacts on many pitchers who had a very bright future. So Liriano could potentially never live up to his potential as a result of this injury. So while the fantasy managers were good, and skillful in digging up his potential and drafting/picking up Liriano, their bad luck with how his health was managed in real life will make a big impact towards their team in the future.
That was pretty short and simple I think. Looking forward to another few days off before heading back to loo and "study" for the last few days before my exam. I really don't think I will be starting until the day before, so that will give me two days (since my exam is at night), which is plenty by my standards. So with that said...
TTOW!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Rant Post
This is a small rant post about how annoying some people can get, so if you don't like rants, please place your fingers over the button "ALT" and the button "F4", and press them down at the same time. Now that I have the remaining audience, I shall begin.
Its almost 5am, the sun is about to rise in a couple of hours. I'm buried in my books thats piled a mile high.
Location: Student Life Centre 3rd Floor
Purpose: To complete 2 "take home exams"
So as I sit here, working hard, fighting my fatigue to finish my essay, when these two very considerate gentlement showed up. Not only did they bring chips and drinks, they also brought alot of work to do. They began work night by opening their bags of chips, and proceed to chew very loudly, as if warming up their jaws for their work. As they finish their warmup exercise, they began chatting loudly in a room where people are finishing essays and studying for exams. They begin their work by going through pictures on their laptop, discussing how ugly some people are, and how retarded they look. As they completed their work, they moved on to talking about how annoying some people could be, and how much they wish they can beat someone up.
Disclaimer: I hope all the readers detected the use of sarcasm in the previous paragraph....
Enough ranting, back to Sir Wilfred Laurier and Lester B. Pearson...no seriously.
TTOW!
Its almost 5am, the sun is about to rise in a couple of hours. I'm buried in my books thats piled a mile high.
Location: Student Life Centre 3rd Floor
Purpose: To complete 2 "take home exams"
So as I sit here, working hard, fighting my fatigue to finish my essay, when these two very considerate gentlement showed up. Not only did they bring chips and drinks, they also brought alot of work to do. They began work night by opening their bags of chips, and proceed to chew very loudly, as if warming up their jaws for their work. As they finish their warmup exercise, they began chatting loudly in a room where people are finishing essays and studying for exams. They begin their work by going through pictures on their laptop, discussing how ugly some people are, and how retarded they look. As they completed their work, they moved on to talking about how annoying some people could be, and how much they wish they can beat someone up.
Disclaimer: I hope all the readers detected the use of sarcasm in the previous paragraph....
Enough ranting, back to Sir Wilfred Laurier and Lester B. Pearson...no seriously.
TTOW!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Last All-Nighter
As I sit here staring at my history papers with a blank look on my face, I have a feeling tonight is going to be another long night. With 1 history paper completed, I am already sick of writing. Looking ahead to the next 24 hours, I will probably be hidden behind my laptop either at the DC Library, or SLC 2nd/3rd floor. Those who read this and are still up, feel free to distract me on MSN, on the phone, or in person (probably least likely). So with another allnighter coming up, this put the count up to around 10 (I've already lost count). Hopefully this will be the last one until next term, considering I only have 1 exam left! =D (now now people, don't hate). In the mean time, back to work...maybe a longer blog tonight when I decide to procrastinate again.
TTOW!
TTOW!
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Late Night Snacks
It was definitely a fun night, a night just to kick back, relax, and take my mind off things.
Got home at around 2am, and one of my roommates was watching ECW. Got bored of that, so we turned on the Wii and played a few games. Other roommate and his friend came home from the bar, we played more Wii. At 4am, someone made a remark "I'm getting hungry, I dont' mind some Pepi's" (btw, Pepi's is the BEST pizza I've had). So we called them at 4am and ordered 2 pizza. After more Wii-ing, and finishing the pizza, we made popcorn. Not the microwave ones, but we popped popcorn. A couple more hours of Wii-ing, and we called it a night...at 730am. Nothing special, but just some fun with a few guys, and some late night snacks.
Got home at around 2am, and one of my roommates was watching ECW. Got bored of that, so we turned on the Wii and played a few games. Other roommate and his friend came home from the bar, we played more Wii. At 4am, someone made a remark "I'm getting hungry, I dont' mind some Pepi's" (btw, Pepi's is the BEST pizza I've had). So we called them at 4am and ordered 2 pizza. After more Wii-ing, and finishing the pizza, we made popcorn. Not the microwave ones, but we popped popcorn. A couple more hours of Wii-ing, and we called it a night...at 730am. Nothing special, but just some fun with a few guys, and some late night snacks.
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