Happy Belated Birthday Frank!

February 17 was the birthday of my good friend Frank, who writes on A Frank Angle. I was very busy on my job assignment, and wasn't online much as a result. Frank and I have known each other online for about three years and both of us at one time contributed blog entries to Sporting News, too.

As anyone knows that has read his blog, he's one of the most intelligent writers you'll find around. He has a great sense of understanding on many subjects, but he posts a lot about his Cincinnati sports teams, politics, and wines. Frank might very well be the most objective writer I know that can see both sides of an argument. But he's good at backing up his opinions on a subject though many of them are short in nature. Above all us, he's one of the good guys that you'll ever meet who doesn't judge anyone regardless of who you are or where you're from.

The day before his birthday, a newspaper syndicate was shown printing off headlines of his big day as well as delivery of those papers:

Though it is a few days late, I hope your birthday was a great one, Frank!

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Museum of York County Pics!

The last place I was sent to for work was in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The assignment itself was a very busy one, but I did get a chance to go to the Museum of York County early in my stay there.

The Museum of York County opened in 1950 as the Children's Nature Museum of Rock Hill. The museum has a nice collection of local, Catawba Indian, African, and other arts. It also has a Planetarium as well.

Here are some of the pics I took at the museum:




































Thanks for viewing the pics!

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Green Bay Packers Win Super Bowl XLV

Super Bowl XLV is now in the books, and the Green Bay Packers won their 13th NFL Championship in their storied history by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

The Packers defense came away with three turnovers and converted them all into 21 points in the Super Bowl. One of them was on a Nick Collins interception that was returned 37 yards for a touchdown after picking off Ben Roethlisberger. Teams in the Super Bowl that had an interception return touchdown are now 11-0 in those games. Teams are also now 31-4 in games where they had at least a +3 in turnover margin.

Overall, I was pleased with the game itself, but not the city of Dallas. I'm appalled at the fact that many fans who came to Dallas could not get into Cowboys Stadium to watch the game. I can't imagine the anger those fans felt. Christina Aguilera botched the National Anthem, too. I didn't get into the commercials too much. I was tuned in to watch the game, and see the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl.

I'm going to look back at my three keys to victory, and how I did with them:

Pittsburgh Steelers:
1. The offensive line must protect Ben Roethlisberger. Though Big Ben's awareness and ability to escape pressure in the pocket is as good as it gets, their line has been troublesome at times. Also, they've been hurt upfront and are gonna be without center Maurkice Pouncey in this game. Green Bay finished second in the NFL in sacks and interceptions this year, so this is an area to watch in this game.
A: Roethlisberger was only sacked once, but it was pressure in his face on the interception by Collins that forced a bad throw resulting in a touchdown. He made a couple of good runs, but his throws were off and he had two interceptions in the game.

2. The defense must contain Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers finished second in the NFL amongst quarterbacks in rushing yards, and we all know he can throw the ball as accurately as anyone. Both defenses run the 3-4, so neither one of them is any stranger to that set. The Packers will have a tough time running the ball against Pittsburgh's top ranked rush defense(only 62.8 rush yards per game in the regular season), so the emphasis on containing Rodgers and the Packers passing game is a priority. It helps they led the league in sacks with 48 though.
A: The Steelers sacked Rodgers three times, but couldn't do much at all from him throwing the ball well all night. I think he seriously could have challenged the record for completion percentage if not for all the drops by his receivers especially Jordy Nelson. But Nelson made huge plays for his quarterback in the game, too.

3. Rashard Mendenhall. Pittsburgh has shown balance on offense especially in the NFL Playoffs, and if Mendehhall has a big game, Green Bay won't be winning the Super Bowl. The running game is to Steelers advantage, and Mendenhall is capable of having a big game even with a banged up offensive line in front of him.
A: Mendenhall did rush for one touchdown and 63 yards on 14 carries. However, he had a costly turnover in the game that took away the Steelers momentum when they were down 21-17 which resulted in the Packers getting their third touchdown off Pittsburgh turnovers.

Green Bay Packers:
1. The Packers must be able to run the ball. I don't expect Green Bay to get a lot of yards on the ground, but they have to find some way to run the ball on Pittsburgh. They've been able to run the ball better with James Starks doing a good job, but they haven't seen a run defense like Pittsburgh, who again finished first in rushing yards allowed.
A: The Packers only ran the ball 13 times in the game for a net of 50 yards. Starks ran for 52 yards on 11 carries for a 4.7 average.

2. They must protect Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has done a great job in the NFL Playoffs avoiding the rush and blitzes that teams have thrown at the Packers. The Steelers will bring pressure on Rodgers especially if the Packers can't get any kind of running game going. The offensive line did show some confusion in the playoffs picking up blitzes, and that can't happen against the Steelers. Plus, Rodgers has suffered concussions this season, so it is definitely a priority to protect him from being hit in this game.
A: The Steelers were able to get to Rodgers as expected, but he made great throws throughout the game for the Packers. The Steelers had trouble in coverage, and Rodgers made them pay for it with his passing in this game. He ended up 24-for-39 for 304 yards, but that line is very misleading because of the many drops by Packers receivers in the game.

3. The defense must sack Ben Roethlisberger. Not only do the Packers have to get to Big Ben, they must sack him when they have the chance which is not easy to do against a the big quarterback as seen before in games. The Steelers are used to seeing a 3-4 since their defense runs that scheme. But the Steelers offensive line is hurting, and this may give the Packers a shot to win in this area of the game. They have a defense that's made big plays all year as a result of bringing pressure from anywhere at any time.
A: They only sacked Big Ben once, and he had time to throw ball on many occasions in the game. But Big Ben was hit on the Collins interception return touchdown that put the Packers ahead 14-0 as they never relinquished the lead in the game. The Steelers didn't do a real bad job considering their injury issues on the offensive line as well as missing Pouncey for this game.

The Packers were a No. 6 seed and won the Super Bowl despite the vast number of players they had on IR for the season. It was about a month ago that many questioned whether they would make the playoffs, and now they are Super Bowl Champions. The Green Bay Packers brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Title Town. As Rodgers did with the championship belt at the end of the game, they are the champions until next year. Well, if there is a next year for the NFL with the labor talks. Nonetheless, coming from a rival Chicago Bears fan, congrats again to the Green Bay Packers for winning Super Bowl XLV!

Photo courtesy of PosterRevolution where you can buy that poster at by clicking the link!

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Our Stories Starring Caroline May Ling & Eric Lee!

Note: This is NOT to be taken seriously, and is only for fun. Please check the credits to see the bloggers I listed on the poster. You can click the poster for a better look.


Our Stories
Starring Caroline May Ling & Eric Lee
Cameo appearances by Mariuca Nor, Merryn, Saucer, Witch, Erika Toh & Grey
Director/Writer: David Funk
Chief Editor: Lady Java
Studio Coordinator: Shemah
Wardrobe: Monica Yong
Emoticon Design: Mariuca Nor
Music: Foong PC
Comment Manager: Haaziq Zahar
Foong PC did NOT sign on to appear in the movie. He wanted to wear a Panda head throughout the movie, but producers declined. So instead, Foong was hired to handle music for the film. NOTE: I understand why Foong, but had to throw that in to make sense!

Narrator: Caroline and Eric share stories of their lives in a documentary highlighting the two's path to their relationship as well as where they've been. Caroline talks about her path to blogging as does Eric.

Caroline: I'm looking forward until tomorrow to meet some of my dearies from blogging!

Eric: Yeah, that's gonna be cool!

Narrator: Their chance to meet fellow bloggers in real-life happens for the couple!

(The next scene shows group hugs amongst many bloggers after first seeing each other)
(Next scene shows a group photo of bloggers)

Narrator: Come along for the journey as Eric and Caroline share stories that you'll never forget including when bloggers meet!

Caroline May Ling and Eric Lee make their film debuts in Our Stories! Coming to theaters on February 28!

The future DVD will be available in Malay language as well as customizable options for other languages. Also, Foong PC(with his face hidden) gives detailed reasons as to why he declined appearing in the film. And, he's asked about rumors that he took pictures on the set, too.

Previous Blogger Movie Posters:
Double Standard Starring LAINY
Seismic Blogging Starring Monica
Hit Me! Starring Dhemz
WOAFS Starring Mariuca
Bionic Blogger Starring Stacey Tee
SPAMMERS starring Mileka
Pynk Candy starring Sharon Chong
I Love/Hate America Starring Bingkee
Lady Java The Movie
Hideaway starring Chuchie
LOL! starring Cacai Miller
Lester's Legends starring Ryan Lester
Walking Newspaper Starring Gagay
Disconnected Starring Elai
Blogging With Children Starring Shydub

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Pics From Palatka, Florida

Two weeks ago, I went to Palatka, Florida on job assignment. I stayed there until last Wednesday. There isn't a whole lot to do in Palatka, but the hotel I stayed at had some nice views from outside our building. The closest city to Palatka that has some venues or things to check out is in St. Augustine.

Here are a few pics I took one day from our hotel:

This is along the St. John's River outside my hotel room.

This is Memorial Bridge that we crossed going to and from work everyday.

Sunset over the St. John's River not along after arriving back from work to my hotel.

This is the boathouse along the river.

Overall, they had piers we could walk around on, but the weather was unseasonably cold for the state of Florida during that stay there. The hotel had a nice bar, and I had some Buffalo-flavored shrimp for dinner one night which is really great. Many of us co-workers went to that bar while there.

Thanks for viewing!

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Blogger Survey From Lainy!

I received this from my very good friend Lainy of Lainy's Musings, and I've decided to go ahead and post it. So here are my questions and answers:

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

I don't have any pets.

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

Retiring early so I can do what I want to do anytime I want to do it. I'm working on that.

3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

Racists. I'll live the rest of my life never understanding why this exists. Out of all things that make up the human body, it is skin color that is used to judge others and show how ignorant those types of people are. Then again, they're not born that way, and it comes from how they grow up.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

I would save the vast majority of it, but I would definitely retire to travel the world for long periods of time, too. That's easy to say now until you actually have it in your possession though.

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

To get out and go to an event or show. But nothing takes my mind off things like going to a sporting event.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

Really difficult to answer. I do believe it is better to give than receive. However, you can't force or control anyone to love or how they think, so it's always a good feeling to get love in return.

7. What is your bedtime routine?

That varies because of my work schedule. Normally, I usually don't stay up past midnight.

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?

Not applicable to me.

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

I would love to see someone turn into an Incredible Hulk-like creature since I wished before that I could do that because of having green eyes. In the TV series, it was Dr. David Banner that could transform into The Incredible Hulk, so I have the right first name, too! LOL!

10. What kinds of books do you read?

Non-fiction, biographies, astronomy, and books from places I've been though I don't read them that often at all.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?

First off, we should be grateful to be alive for another ten years should that happen because tomorrow is not promised to anyone. I would like to be retired or close to it with being able to do what I want to do. I would like to be married by then, too.

12. What’s your fear?

Dying without doing what you wanted to accomplish in life. Death is indeed inevitable, but I hope to do all the things I want before that happens.

13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?

I don't eat much junk food anyway, so that wouldn't be a hard decision to say yes to. I'd love the one chance to go visit outer space.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?

I aspire to be free, so I would rather be single and rich in regards to what choice I have. Being married and poor is because the couple chooses to be that way just as the person who is single chooses to be without someone. That doesn't mean I don't want to be married - it just means I don't want to EVER be poor. It sucks not having any money, and I've been there before as it was my fault as to why that happened. As Bill Gates has said: "If you're born poor, it's not your fault. But if you die poor, it is YOUR fault." I do feel for those that die young, innocently in poverty, but I have no reasons myself to hold me back from being broke when I die.

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Eat some kind of breakfast. It's hard for me to function(or FUNKtion) in the morning without it.

16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?

Not applicable to me at this time.

17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?


I've been called by so many: D, Mr. D, The Funk, etc. I like the Free Agent name ever since I bought the shirt(pictured above) that said that last year. It seems to describe my creative writing style and my vision of doing what I want to do.

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

I can forgive, but I don't forget even though I don't hold grudges. I just move on from them. However, I can forgive anyone only if they are truly remorseful first. Everyone should have accountability, but not everyone does.

19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

That's tough. I don't know if I could live without Subway sandwiches. LOL!

Since Lainy passed this to four bloggers, I'll do the same and give to four as well:

1. Bill V. of My Piece of Paradise
2. Mariuca of Wishing on a Falling Star
3. Bella of Bella Enveeus
4. Foongpc of My Very First Blog

Anyone else that is on My Blog Roll to the right of this post can grab this if they want, too. All you have to do is copy and paste the questions and answer them. Thanks for viewing!

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Super Bowl XLV Preview & Prediction

Super Bowl XLV is coming this Sunday as Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas hosts the big event with the Pittsburgh Steelers facing the Green Bay Packers. Even though my favorite team, the Chicago Bears, lost to the Packers, I would love to be there in Arlington for this game. That's because of the tour of Cowboys Stadium I took in October 2009, and that I think it's the best sports facility I've seen. It's a great location for the biggest sporting event! I will say these are two legendary franchises that are facing each other for the first time in a Super Bowl!

The Pittsburgh Steelers won against the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs before stopping the New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game. They've already won a record six Super Bowls and are going for their seventh this Sunday.

The Green Bay Packers had to win three road games at Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago to reach the Super Bowl as a No. 6 seed. Oddly, the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl and won it as a No. 6 seed five years ago.

I'm going to provide my three keys to victory for each team in this game. These are based on the three factors that each team must do in order to win. I'll check how accurate I was when the game is over. Anyway, on to my three keys to victory:

Pittsburgh Steelers:
1. The offensive line must protect Ben Roethlisberger. Though Big Ben's awareness and ability to escape pressure in the pocket is as good as it gets, their line has been troublesome at times. Also, they've been hurt upfront and are gonna be without center Maurkice Pouncey in this game. Green Bay finished second in the NFL in sacks and interceptions this year, so this is an area to watch in this game.

2. The defense must contain Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers finished second in the NFL amongst quarterbacks in rushing yards, and we all know he can throw the ball as accurately as anyone. Both defenses run the 3-4, so neither one of them is any stranger to that set. The Packers will have a tough time running the ball against Pittsburgh's top ranked rush defense(only 62.8 rush yards per game in the regular season), so the emphasis on containing Rodgers and the Packers passing game is a priority. It helps they led the league in sacks with 48 though.

3. Rashard Mendenhall. Pittsburgh has shown balance on offense especially in the NFL Playoffs, and if Mendehhall has a big game, Green Bay won't be winning the Super Bowl. The running game is to Steelers advantage, and Mendenhall is capable of having a big game even with a banged up offensive line in front of him.

Green Bay Packers:
1. The Packers must be able to run the ball. I don't expect Green Bay to get a lot of yards on the ground, but they have to find some way to run the ball on Pittsburgh. They've been able to run the ball better with James Starks doing a good job, but they haven't seen a run defense like Pittsburgh, who again finished first in rushing yards allowed.

2. They must protect Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has done a great job in the NFL Playoffs avoiding the rush and blitzes that teams have thrown at the Packers. The Steelers will bring pressure on Rodgers especially if the Packers can't get any kind of running game going. The offensive line did show some confusion in the playoffs picking up blitzes, and that can't happen against the Steelers. Plus, Rodgers has suffered concussions this season, so it is definitely a priority to protect him from being hit in this game.

3. The defense must sack Ben Roethlisberger. Not only do the Packers have to get to Big Ben, they must sack him when they have the chance which is not easy to do against a the big quarterback as seen before in games. The Steelers are used to seeing a 3-4 since their defense runs that scheme. But the Steelers offensive line is hurting, and this may give the Packers a shot to win in this area of the game. They have a defense that's made big plays all year as a result of bringing pressure from anywhere at any time.

Overall, these are the top defenses in the NFL and both run out of the same 3-4 scheme. Both quarterbacks have the ability to take over a game and we all know how clutch Big Ben has been in Super Bowls. I like the Steelers balance on offense better than Green Bay since the Packers have struggled much of the time running the ball this year. Plus, Pittsburgh is the toughest team to run on, and it will be up to Rodgers to play outstanding(which he's capable of doing) for the Packers to win. I'll take Pittsburgh to win Super Bowl XLV.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Green Bay Packers 24

Photo courtesy of Dallas Cowboys Sports Tours. Thanks for viewing!

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Monica Wins FCSB for January 2011!

The first month of 2011 is now over, and the red-hot Monica of Turn-U-Off had the most points on the FCSB(First Commenter Scoreboard) for January. Monica's birthday was on the 28th, and this is the second time she has won the FCSB for the month of January having done so in 2010, too. So with that, her very pretty face will occupy a spot on this site's slider, and she'll receive 1,000 EC credits, too.

For those that don't know about the FCSB, I award a point to the first three commenters on an entry for that given month. The one with the most points at month's end will be featured on this site's slider and receive ad space or EC credits. Also, anyone that receives a point on the FCSB for a given month will have their site linked when the announcement for the winner is revealed as is the case with this entry.

Here are the complete FCSB standings for January 2011:
Monica- 5
Mariuca- 4
Bill V- 2
Bluedreamer27- 2
Caroline May Ling- 2
Fanofreds- 1
Foongpc- 1
Gagay- 1
Georyl- 1
Genny- 1
Jenny- 1
Lainy- 1
Lulu- 1
Shydub- 1

Those are the standings. Hopefully, I'll see many of you make the list for February. Thanks to you all for the comments!

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