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May 14, 2007

Survivor: Fiji

(writing this as I watch the season finale of Survivor...)

Noooooooo... Yau-man got voted off! Stupid Dreamz!!! >_<

I really wanted to see him win it all (as I'm sure he would have, if he made it to the final 3)... but can't really blame Dreamz and Earl for what they did though. *sigh*

...Man... that final tribal council had to be the most VICIOUS one I've ever seen! Lots of bitterness there, LOL.

Ahh well... once Yau-man got voted off, I think it was really obvious that Earl was going to win it all, unless Dreamz got sympathy votes... but even then, I think he pissed way too many people off!

...I totally don't buy Dreamz' claim that he knew what he was doing from the beginning! The guy is freaking RANDOM and two-faced! Don't give me that crap about how he PLANNED to betray Yau-man from the onset of the deal when he cries in front of the cameras and talks about being a "man of his word" during his private interviews! He's either lying to himself, or carried the whole "trick everyone plan" to an unnecessary extreme!

I give props to Yau-man for being such a classy and gracious loser, and how he totally encourages Dreamz! I think Yau-man nailed it when he described Dreamz as having "flashes of genius... just really unstructured in his thinking."
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WHOA... next season's Survivor will be based in China??? DEFINITELY must watch!

Wow... so sad that the Amazing Race, Survivor, NHL, and NBA seasons are all ending - what am I going to do until football season?? Hahaha, j/k! ;P

Posted by stevelee at 01:13 AM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2007

Playoff atmospheres: Sharks vs. Warriors

I just came back from tonight's Warriors game, where they knocked off the Mavs to advance to the second round! GO WARRIORS!!! I have to say... I thought the Shark Tank got insane during the playoffs, but that was NOTHING compared to the atmosphere in Oracle Arena tonight! I'm really impressed!!!

So it got me thinking... why is the atmosphere so much more insane than in the Sharks games?

I think it boils down to:
- They play music (mostly hip hop, and/or stuff with a really upbeat beat) throughout the game, which helps the fans stay pumped up. In hockey, they stop playing the music once the puck drops.
- They encourage people to stand and cheer. At the Shark Tank, you pretty much have to sit down and lean back, otherwise you completely block the view of the person behind you. This kinda keeps fans subdued.
- Warriors fans haven't seen the playoffs in 13 years... so they have lots of pent-up excitement!
- It's easier for your average sports fan to get into basketball and understand what's going on. There were LOTS of younger people at the Warriors game! Plus, you saw stars like Jessica Alba, Snoop Dawg, Carlos Santana cheering on the Warriors... no one famous seems to go to Sharks games! =(

To put things into perspective: when Patty Marleau scored his game-clinching goal in round 1 vs. Nashville, the Shark Tank EXPLODED... it was so freaking loud in there that they had to stop play for a few minutes to wait for us fans to settle down! It was like that MOST OF THE WARRIORS GAME tonight!!! People just remained standing for most of the game, yelling and cheering... that was truly an awesome experience!

Even though I paid out the nose for these Warriors tickets, it was completely worth it! In fact, I think I'll have to continue going to Warriors and Sharks games as long as they're still in the playoffs!!!

Man... I think I'm still deaf in both ears... and I don't think I'll be able to talk for a few days! Hahaha. =D

Posted by stevelee at 01:12 AM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2007

Broken people

It's amazing how God can use the most random of moments to speak to us!

I was reading the World of Warcraft forums and came across this snippet:

"...I know he had some issues with his mom always hitting him really hard while he'd try to do instances with us, and it'd make it tough for him to play. Anyway, on Maulgar we had a great pull and suddenly you hear his mom find him on the computer and start screaming at the top of her lungs. He had vent on the whole time and we could hear her just beating the ever loving crap out of him! You could hear him crying as she was calling him an "UGLY CROSS EYED FAT PIECE OF !#!!" and slapping the hell out of his face..."

Inexplicably, as I read that... I couldn't help but choke up as I envisioned the brokenness of that family... of an overweight guy struggling with self-image and self-esteem, vainly trying to escape a depressing reality through video games... only to be beat down - both physically and mentally - by someone who should be trying to build him up.

Perhaps I'm over-reacting, but it's hard not to when I used to be that kid... a lonely, depressed, suicidal kid just crying out for a light in the darkness! I constantly praise God for sending dear friends who loved me and never gave up on me - neither did they allow me to give up on myself. Through them, God gave me hope and promise of a new life...

I think this is part of why I have such a soft spot for the youth... when I think back on all the stupid things I've done, I know that God wants me to use these experiences to empathize with others who struggle, and encourage them to a healthier life.

I spent the rest of the evening praying for that family, and all the other broken families around the world...

Thank you God for your love and the example you give us in Christ Jesus! I pray that you constantly remind me of what a broken person I am, and how much more of you I need in my life!

Posted by stevelee at 12:15 AM | Comments (0)