Tis’ the Season to be Jolly

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

I love the sounds. I love the smells.

I love giving. I love receiving. I love the love.

There is honestly only one downside to the holiday season for me. Anyone else who works in retail knows exactly what I’m talking about…

The Christmas rush.

The stores are flooded with frustrated, agitated parents… often accompanied by sniveling, screaming, whiney children, who leave their shopping to the last minute and get angry and wonder why the products are no longer in stock.

HELLO! It’s the third week of December, what do you expect!?

So, shoppers… for future reference:

We’re retail workers, not your personal slaves. We’re paid low wages, work crazy hours and get little usable time off. We don’t need your attitude on top of all of that.

You’re not special. Nothing about you warrants any type of special discount or deal not advertised for the rest of the city. Don’t get mad when we turn down your crazy pleas to save a little money.

When you pick up an item and then decide you don’t want it, don’t just throw it in some random place. Just like you want to find the gifts you’re looking for, so does everyone else… so when you ditch that product, it’s just another gift someone else can’t find. Oh yeah, AND WE HAVE TO CLEAN IT UP.

Speaking of cleaning, it is absolutely disgusting to leave your Tim Horton’s/Starbucks coffee cups around the store. And what makes you think anyone wants to pick up that nasty tissue you blew your nose with? That’s disgusting.

And on the topic of disgusting, when I come to work in the morning the washrooms are clean and smell nice. As the day go on, it’s a completely different story. CUSTOMERS are the reason the washrooms are a mess, so instead of complaining, how about not throwing your used paper towels all over the floor, not urinating on the floor or the toilet seat and what about flushing the toilet when you’re done using it. I seriously doubt any of you act this way at home, and if you do, I’m thankful I’ll never have to use your washroom.

The list could go on and on.

So, when you’re not greeted with a smile or a friendly voice in your local toy/electronic/department store, don’t be surprised. There is a reason why retail workers get put into such bad moods during the holiday season.

Be nice to your retail workers! Our job sucks.

A Year in Review

Aaaand, I’m back.

I completely forgot about blogging this entire year. I know, awful… but I am going to do my best in 2011 to keep up with my writing, even in small spurts.

So, to start things off, let’s review my year on a month-by-month basis.

January/February: These months are a bit of a blur. Nothing really stands out to me.

March: Ah, the beginning of my many health problems this year and the first visit to the ER for problems with my jerk of a liver.

April: Full of lovely, painful gallbladder attacks and a doctor telling me there was nothing wrong with me.

May: Had my first MRI, dealt with a liver specialist and was passed onto a surgeon who made the decision to finally fix my problem – or so he thought!

June: Doctors finally decide to fix me, and my gallbladder is removed.

July: Lots of fun softball practices with the Best Buy guys and gals. We ended up coming in third in our tournament, but ask anyone… we should have been first!

August: Met the greatest guy I’ve met in a long, long time and had the best week of my entire year. You can’t go wrong with fun, sun, drinks and great company.

September: A month full of partying, enough that an average person might consider our Sunday night drinks at BP a problem.. the waitresses sure didn’t.

October: Had a great birthday with great people. Another party-filled month, leading to a not-so-party-filled month.

November: Enjoyed a week-long hospital stay, fully equipped with painful procedures, way too many blood tests and a very not-so-friendly night nurse.

December: Tons of awesome Christmas-y goodness. Great friends, great family, great time… couldn’t ask for more.

I guess you could say my year wasn’t terrible. Aside from health issues, I met and got closer with a lot of amazing people. I’m thankful for everyone and everything I have in my life… looking forward to 2011 with all of you!

Stopping system abuse

Due to the current economic conditions, we’re seeing an increase in the number of people on government assistance, a.k.a welfare. In a lot of cases people are actually in need of financial assistance, but it is becoming alarmingly more common to see people entirely capable of working who choose not to, and instead collect.

Welfare should be a temporary situation in someone’s life when they are experiencing the worst of the worst. Meaning, if a person loses their job, becomes sick or injured, etc; they can claim welfare until they are able to find/go back to work. It’s a sad day in the world when a student, struggling to make ends meet, cannot receive financial assistants because their parents ‘make too much money,’ but able-bodied individuals can collect welfare, just ’cause.

Welfare should not be a lifestyle choice.

More oversight is obviously needed, will cost the government more money – probably one of the reasons it has not taken place yet – but will ultimately save money in the future. Anyone who claims they have specific dietary needs, permanent mental or physical disability, or lack of work should be able to produce documentation to prove it.

In addition, it would be beneficial to have periodic, random visits to those who claim to be ‘single.’ There are many people who are ultimately screwing welfare – and themselves – by claiming to be single, but living in a home with multiple people/children. During these visits, if anyone is suspected of living at the residence, welfare should be denied.

On a side note: If you’re on welfare, there should be rules implemented about giving birth to additional children. While children are important to today’s society, it’s more important for them to be raised by responsible parents. Children raised without proper parenting often go down the wrong roads.

Having children while on welfare, knowing you cannot afford, nor support them is anything but responsible parenting, and those people really deserve to have their heads given a shake.

I also believe, without a doubt, that welfare should be limited to people who have been Canadian residents for at least one full year. There is no reason for people to move to a new country, only to collect welfare because of language barriers or whatever else. If they have not paid into our tax system, they should not receive the benefits that people are already taking advantage of.

During the time able-bodied individuals are on welfare, they should be expected – even required – to do some sort of volunteer work for 40 hours a week or legitimately looking for work. The average person working a part-time or full-time jobs works between 30 and 40 hours a week, so there is no reason for an able-bodied individual to be paid to sit at home and use the computer or watch TV all day long.

The current welfare system is easy to abuse, so people will continue to abuse it. New rules and regulations should be implemented to ensure taxpayers are not aiding these individuals unnecessarily, and those who are caught abusing the system should be forced to repay the money they have taken from the government (be it for one year, or 10) and possibly face jail time. It would definitely limit the amount of fraud, and hopefully, give people the motivation they currently lack to join the rest of us in the working world.

12 days of Hockey

Eager and excited for the holiday season, I decided to put a new, updated spin on an old hockey classic. Some lines remain the same, others are fresh. Enjoy!

On the first day of hockey Dan Bylsma gave to me the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the second day of hockey Kerry Fraser gave to me two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the third day of hockey Esposito dealt to me three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the fourth day of hockey Souray gave to me four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the fifth day of hockey Gary Bettman gave to me five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the sixth day of hockey Evgeni gave to me six super setups, five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the seventh day of hockey Don Cherry gave to me seven silky suits, six super setups, five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the eighth day of hockey the league gave to me eight games suspended, seven silky suits, six super setups, five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the ninth day of hockey Brodeur gave to me nine shutout wins, eight games suspended, seven silky suits, six super setups, five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the tenth day of hockey John Tortorella gave to me ten temper tantrums, nine shutout wins, eight games suspended, seven silky suits, six super setups, five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the eleventh day of hockey Vesa gave to me eleven goals unanswered, ten temper tantrums, nine shutout wins, eight games suspended, seven silky suits, six super setups, five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

On the twelfth day of hockey Ovechkin gave to me twelve toothless grins, eleven goals unanswered, ten temper tantrums, nine shutout wins, eight games suspended, seven silky suits, six super setups, five Stanley cups, four blazing bullets, three draft picks, two minor minutes and the chance to play with Sidney Crosby.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hockey!!!

Our fallen soldiers

One week, two friends lost, hundreds hurting…

As today passes, two of our friends have been laid to rest in the past seven days, and they’ve been some of the worst days I’ve ever experienced in my life.

They say you go through stages; I know I have. I was at my cottage when I heard the news and I was in denial. I couldn’t believe that something so terrible could have happened to two people with the purest of hearts, who genuinely thought the best of everyone and faced the world honestly, proudly and without pretence.

Then, as I got to thinking, I got angry. Why were they driving so fast? Why would they put three people in a two-seater car? What did they do wrong? Why did they suffer? Why did it have to happen to them, of all people?

It wasn’t until I returned to Toronto two days later did it start to sink in. I saw all of my elementary, high school and work friends gathering to pay respects to Geetesh at his viewing.

My anger quickly turned to sadness. I’ve had trouble sleeping; I can’t get them out of my head. When I finally do fall asleep, I see them in my dreams, thinking about their last moments and the pain they felt and it hurts me more than words can explain. I take comfort in knowing they were taken because God needed their help, because their time on earth had come to an end, but I will never, ever understand.

To Gee and Adam: Thank you so much for being the amazing men you were. Despite being taken far too soon, you gave us years of laughter and love. You were many different things; you were courageous, you were funny, you were intelligent, you were immensely talented. But most of all, the both of you were great company and as good and true of a friend as anyone could ever ask for.

Gee, I miss you like crazy. I can’t stop thinking about all of the hilarious times we’ve had in middle school, high school and even at Future Shop. I will never forget those days and I’ll cherish the memories always. Being at your house, seeing the outpour of love from your friends and family, it just broke my heart that you couldn’t be there with us. You were a great friend, I will love and miss you forever.

Adam, I was at your house the other day, as I have been the past few days, and in listening to stories about you, and just sitting in your room and seeing what you were about, I am so sorry we didn’t get a chance to hang out after high school. I will regret that for the rest of my life. Next time I see you, we’re finally going to get that chance. All of us are there for your family, as you know, we’ve been there for hours on end. You will forever live on in all of us… your smile has been etched in my mind. Don’t ever stop smiling and enjoy your hungry man dinners and Gatorade in the sky, love you.

We decorated Kiefer’s truck with Trini flags, guys. You would have loved it and been so proud. (Especially of all the white folks showing pride!) We took a great picture with all of us surrounding it and gave it to your parents. Every time we see these photos we will think of how great you guys were and how much it sucks that you’re not with us. You have impacted our lives so much and we will miss you until we meet again.

To Roma & Charles, Annie & Shri: You raised two of the most respectful, and amazing men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They were one of a kind, which is odd, because they were so alike, such free spirits. Both of your boys lived their lives to the fullest, with each day filled with love and laughs. Every single person who had the pleasure of spending even one minute with Gee or Adam are better people because of them today.

For all my friends who are hurting, the families who’ve been affected by this and anyone who is reading right now, I want you to remember one thing: The time you spent with your friend, brother, son or nephew is never lost because it forever lives on inside of you.

So, to end… in the words of Rupee: “Please remember those who left us when you take your wine, cause it could have been you who didn’t make it through, please bear that in mind. And those who have gone, your soul still lives on in the band show and fete and for the contribution you made to the earth, we will never forget.”

I hope everyone finds a way to keep in contact with each other to ensure the next time we all come together will not be because another one of our friends have passed. Take a minute out of your day to say hello to someone you miss speaking with. Send a quick note to anyone you’re close to at least once a week. Do anything you can to not lose touch, because if you do, you may never see them again. I have so much more I could say, but I’d be writing for days. I’ll never stop thinking about you guys, I’m sure you will cross my mind at least once each day and I know this won’t be the last time I write to you.

Rest in peace Geetesh and Adam, you will be missed forever and never forgotten. Save a place for us up there and don’t have too much fun without us. It’s not goodbye, we’ll see you later.

A short poem in memory of Geetesh Singh and Adam Bhagiratti

We sit around and wonder as the days go by,

All we have is pictures… why did you have to die?

It’s time to let you go; your spirits now are free,

But you’ll never really be gone; you’ll live inside of us.

So though we had to leave you at your resting place,

We will always remember your smiling, beautiful face.

This is not a goodbye; we will not weep anymore,

You’re in a better place than you ever were before.

Even though we will miss you and think about you every day,

You’ll never leave our hearts; your love is here to stay.

RIP Geetesh Singh

As you’ve read, myself and many friends lost to men dear to us in a tragic car accident on the night of July 6, and we miss them dearly.

And despite the terrible circumstances, you guys will finally be treated to a piece written by someone other than myself:

We live in a world today, where tomorrow can never come
Where we could go to sleep tonight, not knowing it’s our last one
A world that’s so corrupt, that god knows it’s not meant for us
And so he takes us all to a better place, starting with the best of us.
Geetesh, was an amazing person, filled with life’s greatest attributes
Personable, Smart, talented and a “live life to the fullest” attitude
He’s the life at every party, someone who could always make you smile
Always made you feel like a night out with him was more than worthwhile
Geetesh has touched us all, as a friend, as a brother, and as even more
The way he made us always smile, we will always adore
The way he made problems in life disappear, we will never forget
And the chances I’ve blown to spend time with him, I will always regret
Though he may not be with us now, the memories he’s given us will always remain
And one day, god knows that in another place, we will all meet again,
And until that day, we must remember that Geetesh never really left anywhere
He’ll always live on through the memories, inside of us, everywhere
Through every picture on facebook to every cell phone video
To every silly little thing he used to do that we can’t stop thinking of
To all the times he’s picked us up and made our lives feel at ease
Geetesh – we’ll miss you dearly, may your soul rest in peace,
And to his family, auntie and uncle, my deepest condolences
And please know that a part of Geetesh will always live on inside of all of us.

Sincerely,
Karthik Mattaparthy.

Gone, but never, ever forgotten

I’ve sat down a few times today trying to put together some words in memory of two of the most kindhearted people I know, but it was a struggle and still is…

Two completely different men, one horrifically tragic end: on July 6, the world lost two incredible individuals.

Those two who once made us all ‘bust a gut’ laughing now have us hunched over in tears; that’s not how they would want to see us. Instead of mourning their deaths, we should be remembering their existence and the greatness they brought to our lives.

Easier said than done, right? Whenever someone passes away, especially at such a young age or so suddenly, this is what we’re told. I suppose those people have not yet been affected in such a way, because there is no one way to grieve. Some grieve by remembering the good, some by mourning for a period of time; either way, there is no wrong way.

I personally will remember all of the fun times I had with Gee the, unfortunately very few, with Adam. While I am sad, if I wallow, it will only make it harder for myself.

Geetesh, you were easily one of the most kindhearted, caring and funny guys I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I heard the news this morning as I was just waking up and I thought it was a terrible dream I’d be able to wake up from… it wasn’t. I’ll never forget our talks about school, work problems and our futures. I most definitely will not forget my totally lame (but awesome at the time, we thought) birthday parties and sending you home with half a pizza because no one else ate the vegetarian, or always eating your tangerines at lunch time in Clairlea (and totally baiting you out to your mom about it, too!) But most of all, I will never forget that big, beautiful smile of yours. There are just so many great things… I would have to sit here for hours, typing until my fingers hurt, to be able to list them all. I hope you are watching down on all of us who love you with a great big smile, with some soca blaring in your ears, Gee. I love you, I’ll miss you, but I will never forget you.

Adam, we never really got a chance to get to know each other all that well, but you were a part of a crowd that included a bunch of amazing guys, and you were clearly no short of amazing yourself. The times we really got to talk were when I shared the locker with Mark and we’d stop by each other in the hallways and I’d always be laughing; you were such a joker. I really regret not getting to know you better because, with the outpour of love from so many people, you obviously grew to be a great guy. I hope you and Gee are having a good time up there and save a vodka-seven for me. It’s a shame the world will be void of your big, beautiful smile and your bright eyes. Look over those who love you, they will need you more than ever now. You’re gone, but never forgotten. xo.

Rest in peace.

Geetesh Singh: September 23, 1988 – July 6, 2009

Adam Bhagiratti: January 6, 1988 – July 6, 2009

The Game of the Year

Snicker. Giggle. Snort.

If you’ve been paying attention to my blog as of late, you’d know which team I was rooting for to win the Cup. I’ll give you a hint: It wasn’t the Red Wings.

In a thrilling Game 7, the Pittsburgh Penguins walked away with the Stanley Cup after a 2-1 victory in the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Suffice to say, I went nuts last night. My intern buddies, however, who came over to enjoy the game – and are also Wings fans – went from extremely loud to utterly meek.

But no matter which team you were rooting for, which side you’re on, as a hockey fan you have to appreciate a good game, and a good series. And that is what the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins offered.

The Wings looked strong starting the first period – this is when the yelling began from my confidants – but started looking shaky after Maxim Talbot, assisted by Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin, scored his first of two goals.

And in his broken English, Malkin explained his excitement.

“Big day in my life. My parents, my friends are happy, I’m happy,” Malkin said. “It big deal because Detroit is very good team, but we have 20 people, 22 players, it’s the best players, big day tonight.”

But even after Talbot netted a second one, the Wings weren’t about to give up. Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 saves, including the save of his life with one second left. He dove in front of a rebound by Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom, a goal that would have taken the intense Game 7 to overtime. Despite their efforts, only Jonathan Ericsson was able to get one by Fleury in the third.

I have to give Talbot as much credit as Fleury – he was as big of a star.

“I always like to get up every day and say: ‘Today is the best day of my life.’ Well, today really is the best day of my life,” said Talbot. “When (Ericsson scored to make it 2-1) I told (Fleury) that I still had the winning goal, so I just wanted to make sure he would do it for me.”

Remembering a little something his teammate Geno said the other day, Talbot laughed.

“Hey, I still have bad hands,” said Talbot. “These two goals don’t improve my stickhandling skills. Like Geno said, I still have to work on it during the summer.”

Well, Talbot, you may have bad hands, but you’re a huge part of the reason the Pens are the Cup champions.

And so, with the huge save by Fleury, Talbot still had the game winning goal, and the Pittsburgh Penguins became the 2009 Stanley Cup champions. Even an injury to his left knee wasn’t going to stop the 21-year-old captain Sidney Crosby from hoisting the Cup above his head.

“I can’t recommend to anyone watching the final minutes of the seventh game of the Stanley Cup from the bench,” Crosby said with a smile. “But to get to lift that Cup means so much. It’s a lot heavier than I thought, but it sure was a great feeling. It’s a dream come true. Everything you can imagine and more.”

With that, here are a few highlights and facts about your Stanley Cup champs:

• Pittsburgh became the first ever team to overcome a pair of two-game deficits in one post-season. (They rallied back against Washington in the second round and Detroit in the final round after losing the first two games.)
• The last – and only other time – a road team won the Cup after the home team won the first six games of the series was in 1971.
• Since 1967, the Penguins have won three Stanley Cups.
• In the history of the NHL, only nine players have scored two goals in a Stanley Cup final game – Maxim Talbot being one of them.
• 20,066 fans were in attendance at the Joe Louis Arena for Game 7.
• Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby both finished the post-season with more than 30 points. Malkin (36) and Crosby (31) were the first teammates to get more than 30 points in a playoff year since Brian Leetch (34) and Mark Messier (30) did it for the New York Rangers in 1994.
• A knee-on-knee collision kept the Penguins captain off the ice for most of the third period. (He took one  32-second shift in the third following the injury. He played a total of 9:59.)
• Malkin, who led all playoff scorers with 36 points in 24 games and his teammates to the Stanley Cup, was named winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.
• On top of that, Malkin was the first Russian to ever win the Conn Smythe.
• Malkin had the most points in a playoff season since Wayne Gretzky got 40 in 1993.
• Sidney Crosby is the youngest captain to ever win a Stanley Cup.

Missing anything important? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to add it in!

Reborn

The Pittsburgh Penguins live to see another day.

One more to be exact: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

Intense.

Last night’s game was likely the best we’ve seen from both teams this series and is up there as one of the best games of the 2009 post-season.

Surprisingly though, superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were nearly non-existent – unless you include Geno’s crosschecking penalty halfway through the third period.

(And actually, instead of Zetterberg chasing around Crosby and stopping his every move, the roles switched Staal hounded Zetterberg instead, completely shutting down the big left-winger)

Jordan Staal opened up the scoring in the first period on a pass from Tyler Kennedy, who went on to score the second and final Pittsburgh goal. So really, who were the superstars? I’d say the Staals and Kennedys.

So, what will it take for a Pittsburgh win in Game 7… at the Joe?

Prayers, a dedicated Pens team, tremendous goaltending by Marc-Andre Fleury and lackluster play by Wings vet Chris Osgood.

- Will Sid the Kid come out big?

- Will Geno get enough points to lead the Pens to the Cup and beat Gretzky’s record of 40 points in a single post-season?

- Will the Detroit dynasty prove to be too strong for the young Pittsburgh squad?

All of these questions will be answered in the near future.

I’m tellin’ ya, if you miss Game 7 on Friday night, you’ll be missing history in the making.

Do or Die

Tonight could end two ways: Good or bad.

Good would be with the Pittsburgh Penguins hanging tough and pushing a Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. (I will come to work happy, gloating)

Bad would be seeing the Stanley Cup final end the exact same way it did last year: A Game 6 win by the Detroit Red Wings. (I will not come to work and, instead, wallow in self pity.)

And sadly, it’s not looking too hot for the Pens, either. Although he hasn’t been a huge difference maker, having Pavel Datsyuk (1 goal, 9 points) on the ice just makes the Wings more confident and energized – as proven by their 5-0 Game 5 win.

After missing seven games with a foot injury, Datsyuk returned to the Wings line up, still kind of wobbly, and set up two goals – the first of which was the only one needed.

If the Pens want to see another game, they’re going to have to break the Wings’ confidence like they did in Games 3 and 4 at home; Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will have to go on another tear; and Marc-Andre Fleury will have to be top notch.

If the Pens can’t work out their kinks at home tonight, captain Niklas Lidstrom will hoist the chalice for the fifth time in his career.