Frerotte To Lead the Charge

I have been following the Minnesota Vikings in their quest for victory for the National Football Leauge (NFL) of 2008.  Unfortunately, they have been unsuccessful on their first two games against the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts.

Last Sunday’s game against the Colts has left an unsettling feeling.  They have started well with a 15 point lead and an incredibly strong field position.  But not until Peyton Manning (Colts’ QB) picked up his momentum and find his rhythm at the right time… yes shortly after the half-time.  Then things began to turn sour with the Vikings.  They kept kicking field goals (and missed some) when they have a strong field position.  They were able to run everywhere but inside the 20. Having this kind of performance, we have very little reason to think that they can squeeze out victory against the opponents that they have to beat if they are serious in competing at the Divisional not to mention the Conference, Championship.

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The Minnesota State Fair ’08 popularly known as the Great Minnesota Get-Together has culminated last Labor Day Monday.  My first experience of being in such a huge event was in no doubt stupendous.  The State Fair hosts a lot of activities for fun and enjoyment for people of all ages.

Travis and I left home at around 9am and drove to the Co. Rd. 73 Park and Ride (Transit Center).  From there we took the bus that brought us in the front gate of the Fairgrounds.  We started to explore what the Fair has to offer and we sat down for awhile in the Rodeo Arena watching people showing off their calves and cows for judging. While I was there, all I could think of is how tasty their meat must be.  I was hungry and before I turned crazy, we decided to leave the arena.

I got a message from Travis today saying that he already bought tickets for the Minnesota State Fair this Saturday.  Of course I was ecstatic since this is going to be my first state fair ever!  I have always heard a lot of interesting stories about it… from performing arts, to popular concerts, adventure rides and out of this world foods, this is an occasion that brings everything and everyone together.

Minnesota State Fair is considered as the largest state fair of the nation in terms of average daily attendance though the Texas State Fair runs twice as long and has the largest annual attendance.  The Minnesota State Fair is held in the Fairgrounds located in Falcon Heights, MN which is adjacent to the capital city of St. Paul.  This even is known as “The Great Minnesota Get-Together”.  Many people from different regions come together to take part in the different activities.  Some participate in exhibits and showing off  their livestock, talents and skills.  There are also activities that gets you involved in arts and cooking.  But it is the food (usually on a stick) that draws the crowd above anything else.

Travis and I spent last weekend in Fergus Falls.  It is our way to get out of the busy life of the metro area.  It has also been awhile since we last visited Grandpa and Grandma in the farm.  And both of us missed Grandma’s cooking. We expected to see more family last weekend.  And sure enough, Travis’ uncles and their families were there.  They are even new faces as some of them brought friends along to camp.  We did not put up our tent and decided to sleep in the camper.  We went tubing since the weather was just perfect for it and of course, we went fishing.

Instead of keeping our catch and cooking it, Travis and I decided to simply catch and release.  Fishing has become popular and it lead to the problem of having too many people and too few fish.  In some places, catch and release fishing has been implemented.  So why catch and release?  Catch and release offers a way of prolonging the fishing trip after you have reached the reasonable or legal catch limit.  So it helps you make the most out of your trip.  Secondly, several studies show that as anglers get expertise on a particular fishery or fishing method, they develop and interest in “limiting their kill instead of killing their limit”.  

Beijing has finally welcomed the world to the Games of the 29th Olympiad with an Opening Ceremony which took place at the Beijing National Stadium which is affectionately known as the Bird’s Nest.  To the eyes of the Chinese, the omens were good.   The ceremony started at 8pm on the 8th of the 8th month of the year 2008 – auspicious in a country where eight is the luckiest number.

A splendid fireworks display burst forth from the Bird’s Nest and lit up the night sky with brilliant colors.  It was witnessed by the maximum capacity of 91,000 people in the stadium with another 4 billion potential spectators worldwide.  It was thought to be as the largest, costliest extravaganza in Olympic history, bookended by barrages of some 30,000 fireworks.

To the beat of sparkling explosions, the crowd counted down the final seconds before the show began.  A sea of drummers—2,008 in all—pounded out rhythms with their hands, then acrobats on wires gently wafted down into the stadium as rockets shot up into the night sky from its rim.

Chinese people believe that the number 8 is the luckiest number.  This could be enough luck for a family in Fergus Falls who is welcoming a baby girl born on the 8th day of the 8th month of the year 2008 at exactly 8:08 am at Lake Region Hospital.

And it just gets interesting when they weighed Hailey Jo Hauer.  And you’re not going to believe what she weighed.  Yes!  She weighs 8 pounds and 8 ounces!

It is indeed a one in a million chance.  Many think it was just mere coincidence or sheer luck and several hospital staff resolved to buy lottery tickets later that day.  Would you?

I have always been a Harry Potter book and movie fan.  I have been following Harry’s adventure in every flip of the books’ pages.  It was fun and I can’t wait to see this next sequel.

The teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has debuted online, and offers a glimpse at what’s in store for everyone’s favourite boy wizard.

The first look at author J.K. Rowling’s sixth installment in the Potter saga arrives ahead of the film’s November release.

Minnesota has been known as The Land of 10,000 Lakes and that is no exaggeration. In fact, Minnesota for real has 11,842 lakes over 10 acres in size. In warmer months like this, outdoor recreation often involves water. Weekends and summer vacations to family cabins in the numerous Minnesota lakes are a way of life for many residents. These activities involves water sports like water skiing, boating, canoeing and fishing. More than 36% of Minnesotans fish.

Last weekend, I made my first attempt to discover why a lot of people get hooked with this hobby called fishing. Travis and I bought a combination Angling license (husband and wife) online for only $26. Individual license will cost you $18 for residents.  Licenses are also available to purchase for non-residents.  Here are the different types of fishing license and its corresponding fees: LICENSES and FEES

Yesterday, after a bitter lost against Russia during the Quarterfinals of Euro 2008 (Football Tournament), the most capped Dutch player of all-time took his sad final bow. The 37-year old Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar made his final appearance on the International Football League after the Russians took away Van der Sar’s chances of ending his career gracefully by winning the finals. He made a number of vital saves at St. Jakob-Park on yesterday’s game but was powerless to keep Russia at bay as Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin scored in the last eight minutes of extra time.

The announcement of his retirement was made before the game. Many fans including myself was sad to hear about it and many of us will surely miss that beautiful face by the goal. Although Van der Sar ended his international career, he will continue to play one more season with the Manchester United until March of 2009. So, it won’t be a long farewell ‘coz we will continue to see that talent and beauty of course until he will make his final wave.

Yesterday afternoon I was introduced by Atzel (my aunt-in-law’s son) to this interactive game called Guitar Hero II. Since I got here, I have seen him spending time playing with this guitar-shaped peripheral pressing colored buttons and doing acts of strumming in response to what was shown on TV. It’s kinda like the Dance Revolution of which goal is to step on the correct arrow direction at a proper timing. I first thought it was crazy and I was definitely struggling to press the correct colored buttons while strumming the switch in the guitar’s body following the timing of the music played. When I get the hang of it, such game improved my sensitivity towards music. Since the genre of all the songs are rock, I began to appreciate that beauty of it behind the hard drums, striking electric guitars or screaming vocals.