Debate 'Shang' Workshop

So of course it had to come and pass.

I arrived at the English room at about 8 and found the room in a healthy tangle of cables and laptops and papers and people. (The tangle meant that these random objects were thrown together, not that the people were tangled around each other).


Ben was watching Heroes on Tay's laptop. Tay was playing minesweeper on the desktop, with the projector for a screen. Tay's ipod was hanging from a speaker, blaring out a Nicholas Teo tune (I requested ... Must. Stop. Noise. Pollution ... ). The rest of us were doing whatever it was that mattered to us.

SMSing, for instance.

Or reading debate books.

Or just plain posing.

We started late, with Cikgu Orlinda's Powerbook (Stupid Macs! - she says, waving her hands) failing to connect to the projector and forcing Tay to resort to creative measures to get everything up and running. Shang is forced to fight for time for the rest of the workshop, forever asking us:

"Am I going too fast?"

"Do I have to elaborate this slide?"

"Oh gosh, we don't have enough time, do you want me to do the 2nd example?"

And of course we all nod our heads (or shake them) allowing him to speed along at a just-slow-enough pace. Which means fast lah, for those of you who can't catch.

Ravin was pissed by the end of the workshop, though. He thought that the younger students just didn't understand what Shang was doing for us - by actually taking the time and coming over and teaching. I don't think you can blame them, really - the brilliance of what he talks about is only apparent in its entirety with some basic debate experience.


But what amazed me most was Shang's passion for the sport - it's like something I'd do ... but for Judo. I never regarded debate as something I'd blog and shout and talk about ... it was always something that yes, I was in, and no, I couldn't get out of.

So maybe it did teach me a lot about critical thinking ... but not at the level Shang operates. His passion takes him out and away, reading books I've never even heard of and expressing complex concepts in a few sentences - in words that just seem to fit together. That's one skill I think we can all do with - what we've got is a lot of brilliant minds in the Thomian debating team; the only problem? We can't seem to express the ideas that pop up in simple enough English.

Urm, what that means is ... the Thomian debating team sucks.

And it's true. A major flaw in the 2006 team was the lack of intra-team communication - rebuttals are solely by my ability, as is recording the opponent's cases (and almost anything and everything else, really, like input during the writing of the speeches, or going over them). Things were a lot easier when Aaron was around - he'd delegate and we'd operate, and the components would just click together.

No idea how he does it.

Okay, okay, better stop on the analysis. We had a demo debate, with unexpected results. (Read: terrible).


I think it's the worst debate among all those workshops Shang has conducted.

Okay, maybe the worst debate Shang has ever seen.

No, make that the worst debate to ever grace the English room (and that's saying something, considering its history).

Motion: 'The house would abolish the death penalty.' I was gov, with Samuel as first speaker. He was new and he just about broke every first speaker rule there was. No stand, vague definition, no case allocation, and 6 blaardy points of information that was absolutely amazing to watch.

Amazing means laugh out loud funny.



Amazing also means desperately awaiting divine intervention.


Then Jacob came up. If Sam made us laugh (and die inside), then Jacob made us die of laughter outside. He walked up to our table in the middle of his speech and asked,

"Actually I'm waiting for more POIs. Got any or not? Mr Bong?"

*

Thing pretty much went downhill after that. No formal time keeping, no formal adjudication panel, and we were losing the audience like the disciples had Jesus. The only good thing out of it were the comments (which also weren't very good because we weren't very good to start off with). But Shang was really nice about it, and the only speaker who was anywhere near a competent level was Joash. I made my speech fizzle out, and I was shaking (something which hadn't happened since my first debate).

I am officially losing it.

What did I take out of this whole experience? Hrmm. Shang said that overall the 3rd speakers were okay, but that's just him being nice. There were the major points of contention of the debate, which we failed to address in our speeches and there is this whole Government case which we thought was smart, but turned out too smart to be on the verge of stupidity.

Okay I have officially lost it.

What I've learned today will probably fill a booklet. This worskhop was great ... it showed me that there is good yet in this sport. That there are whole levels of thinking out there - whole vistas of clash and reasoning and doubt.

And that there are individuals completely crazy about travelling the world ... and disagreeing with everyone they meet.

Thank you, Shang, thank you.


Oops wrong picture ... there.

Clean Slate

I was cleaning up my room and came over some old Form 3 math papers. And realized I wasn't at all good at it at that period of time.


And there was this file, this whole stack of form 3 stuff I haven't looked at for years. I opened it, blew off the dust and stared. Some F1 memorabilia from my days as a Square assistant editor (with sigs!) and a book Astrea gave me. I didn't pay for it.

My desk sans lots and lots of stuff:



It was so easy to clear up the clutter! And then I turned around and realized where everything went:

Urgh.

Will Be Back

Modem is fried and I'm typing this from a cybercafe in KL. It's too loud. Way too loud. And that C&C Tiberium Wars icon is singing to me from its desktop perch.

Will be back (soon, with cookies and chocolate).

With Open Eyes

The afternoon sun glared down on us as we traipsed through the school. Now, was the sun as hot as this when I brought the (then) lower six out for a tour? I remembered my coat, which was stiffling.

I also remember saying: "This is the main block, which is the oldest building in the school. It is also the easiest to burn down. Burned down twice, if fact. So if you're angry with the principal you know what to do ..."

Exora was laughing so hard behind me her photos were blurred.

No such quips today. My guide was fast and efficient, but not fast enough to prevent me from soaking in the differences in the school.

The grass is brown, in unhealthy tufts. Shrubs are bunched here and there, overgrowned and spilling over into ditches and walkways. The once glorious arches near the Junior block, then filled with blooming flowers that explode in vivid colour ... they are now dead, wilting. Even the trees are greener, fingers sticking in the sky, revolting against the structured beauty of the school.

It was as if nature had taken over; had truimphed against the control of man.

And it is that slip of control that matters so much to me. The symptoms outside are an indication of the maladies within.


I am in L6S4, with Tay. And I am sad.

PS: With the school lah, not Tay!

The First Day Of School (Apathy)

Unbearably boring.

Scene 1: Crowd of milling students. Did you know Fiona got into form 6 after making a decision last night? I thought she was in Sedaya, happily surviving A levels. Hrmm. Now if only Garrick was here to see this ...

Scene 2: Collect forms. I mark the Fiziks package.

Scene 3: Wong gives us a speech in which he tells us that St Thomas is a premier school with a focus on speaking English. After which the counselors spoke BM for the rest of the day. Oh, and he says speaking English is important for the jock market. Plenty of jockless graduates out there.

Indeedy.

Scene 4: Ms Sylvia gives us a speech. Divides us to groups and tells us to introduce and create a cheer. Was in the same group as Fion and Justin (Stinny) and a few others I'm delighted to meet. Okay, so maybe my feelings were packaged into a little ball and thrown out of the window - I felt nothing. It was weird.

Scene 5: We go for a break. I direct a few hapless (and near exploding) Kuching Highians to a toilet.

Scene 6: We get back, and we do a terrible personality quiz. I find out I have an Inquisitive Mind, which about the same as telling a shark it has teeth.

Scene 7: Cikgu Elaine gives us an overview of MUET. 4 papers of English! I squeal like a child does, having found a stash of candy.

Scene 8: An overview of Pengagian Am.

Scene 9: Counselor gives a speech nobody pays attention to. I sing Kazakhstan National Anthem (the fictional one - lifted from Borat) with Tay.

Scene 10: I go back. Tang's accepted to St Thom, with some help from close friends. I finish We Need To Talk About Kevin.

I didn't feel anything. The high, overly social, funny, witty (just let me go on, will you) boy wasn't there.

He was bored out of my mind.

Back In Black

(Spoiler alert! Do not read this before watching the movie!)


Spiderman 3 was a disappointment.

As a self professed writer (and nerd *stares at Vivian*) my spider sense was tingling throughout the entire movie. And I can only blame one person.

No, not Tay

Venom.

Yeah, Venom was cool, the whole Spiderman in black thing was cool, but it was the one plot element that destroyed the film's possible claim to greatness.

Why? We'll get to that in a minute.

What Rocked

Sandman was a great character - I loved the scene between him and his daughter, and the connection he had with Parker and with the audience was nothing short of brilliant. He grew on me, and by the end of the film I found myself understanding and liking Flint Marko. I'd say he was a worthy villian on his own - he was on par with Doc Ock and the Goblin - both had a relationship with Parker, and both were embittered, torn souls that had to fight against him.

The friendship between Peter and Harry was another highlight. Green Goblin junior losing his memory and starting anew was nice to see on the screen, as was him regaining it and plotting revenge. If the film had left just Sandman and Harry as villians it would've been rock solid, as well as allowing the more hyperactive of us to get out of the cinema and into the toilet.

But of course the studios had to bring Venom in.

What Didn't

I've always regarded Venom with a kind of respect. Pit Venom against Spidey and it'll be a nail-biting experience to watch - Venom is really Spidey x 2, plus a really cool look to boot. And add in Carnage and you've got a movie to beat all movies.

But it was ultimately unwise to add in the symbiote factor. There wasn't enough exposition on the black goo and there wasn't a significant emotional connection between Brock and Parker. So what if the two of them were rival photographers? Do you expect me to care? Do you really expect me to believe a meteor hit a park where Parker and MJ just happened to be smooching? I didn't give a bliddy damn about Brock, nor his conscience (which develops later on in the comics, but never the film) nor his hate for Spiderman.

Oh, and by the way, Venom only appears 3/4 into the movie. To encapsulate it in a word: lame.

Another thing that irked the storyteller in me (hey, we all have one, don't we?) was the frequent taking off of the mask. In the first movie this was almost never done - Peter Parker was this dork, this nerd who was only liberated when he put a facade and turned into this confident persona called Spiderman. The third movie tries to merge Spidey and Parker as one, but it doesn't quite pull it off. Instead it serves to lose whatever charm Parker's insecurities as himself gave in the first two movies.

Spiderman 3 has its great moments, that I'd admit. But like a book riddled with silverfish a movie having some great moments just isn't enough. Take away Gwen, Venom and dark Peter and we'd have ourselves an epic - a conclusion to an amazing series. Throw them in and we have ourselves another Xmen 3: overblown commercial fare with stilted emotional impact.

Black isn't always the new black. Green should be brought into the fray once in awhile, to throw everything into a life less orderly.

Hrmmph. Now that you've mentioned it I fear bodily for Shrek 3.

Let's begin praying.

Postscript

Black in black has another meaning: I'm now with a spanking new buzzcut. Gone with the green hair! In with prisonbreak the soldier!


*mumbles* Boy I can't wait for it to grow back. *mumbles*

The Crossroads In Life

In the poem The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost writes about a time in his life where he has to pick between two roads.

One is worn and trodden, travelled by many.

The other is empty and wild. Beautiful, but more uncertain.

He made a choice, and now looking back he tells us he 'should be telling things with a sigh'. His choice - his road in life - has been transversed and weighted out with the benefit of hindsight: 'it has made all the difference'.


I am at that fork in the woods. In a week's time Form 6 will come, sweeping me up in a discordant wraft of sound and fury, activities and friendships, love and hate. In those two years I have to make up my mind about where I want to go - what I want to do. I am supposed to pick a career I am most passionate about - a career that is an ideal fit to my strengths and weaknesses.

In two years I am to decide my life.

Amazing considering I've no bliddy ambition. At 6 I proudly proclaimed I wanted to be a scientist. Then I realized that scientists didn't make much money - they stooped over bar charts and graphs and chunks of data that tell stories of their own. Terribly boring job, unless I somehow get employed by North Korea to create the next Taepodong. *evil grin*


At 10 I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I still do, though I believe my Ultimate Business Plan of selling pirated copies of Windows will fail ... eventually. Vista is a tough nut to crack, as well as the syndicates in China. Maybe if I demand protection money from some of their factories ...

At 15 I wanted to be a computer programmer. Then I found out the India had the largest software market in the world, and that they produced 16-year-old Microsoft Certified Software Engineers. My God! I screamed, Explain to me why these Indians know C++ at age 13?!!

I'm still interested in programming, and I'm sure I want to do something related to computers. But ...

"Play to your strengths, you must." Ms Chong says, lightly waving the lightsaber in my face, "Cut your *insert imaginative word* off I will, if humiliation you bring to your school."

So ...

What Am I Passionate About?

1. People. I love working with them. Talking to them. Looking at a crowd and knowing behind each face is a collection of yearnings and hopes and dreams. Getting to know them one by one, understanding what makes them tick. Why they do the things they do, why they say the things they say.

2. Computers. Back in St Thom Kenny, Tay and I managed to troubleshoot most of the class's computer problems. Each of us were good in different areas, and if Tay couldn't solve something it was likely either Kenny or I could. Incidentally, 3 of us were sent on any computer related competitions Cikgu Yusof could get his hands on. Great times, those.

3. Debate. I see a case line and immediately I see many things. I see a rebuttal and I subconsciously reword it to maximum effect. I love POIs. Am proud of my track record of making people look stupid. Am not so proud of my early aggression.

4. Writing. Been writing since I was 7 years old. Gotten better with each manuscript. Last one I did I made Paul addicted for 3 whole days. He tells me I should publish. I think I've yet to create believable characters worthy of attention. At least now I no longer write anticlimaxes.

5. Art. Music, books, mostly. Can't for the life of me understand the true beauty of Picasso's work. But I know what I want in books, and I feel good when I'm savouring and digesting the themes a particularly good novel presents me. I'm still addicted to concertos and symphonies from the Baroque period. Yeah - go on and blame my taste, I'll take my time before I succumb to the Romantics.

You can tell I'm messed up from the above list. I should be a lawyer, but I hate debate (in addition to loving it), plus I don't want to argue for the rest of my life.

I want to work with people, but I also want to work with computers. These two are mutually exclusive, aren't they?

I want to be a writer ... how many Malaysian writers besides Tash Aw and Rani Manicka have made it big internationally? Kankenai. But what would it take to push me off the edge and make me refuse to go into a 'proper' career?

Art is more of a hobby. Don't expect anything to come from it, though maybe a review here ... a review there ...

The Culmination

I face myself in the mirror. "Admit it: there are so many things you want to do."

My reflection is silent, brooding. Then it nods.

"And there are many things you're passionate about."

He looks back at me. We both know the answer.

"What are you afraid of?" I ask again. I begin to tap my fingers on the marble tabletop.

The room is still. The boy in the mirror is introspective, uncomfortable. Out of the depths of his soul he replies ... his arms are crossed, his eyes are dark, worried - he replies:

"Mediocrity."

Jung

Just took a Jung personality test online. So many friggin questions. I've given it to Paul and Tay, and am now waiting to see what they scored. I'm a ENFJ ... or a Teacher Idealist.

Score being:

E - 44
N-50
F-12
J-22

I agree with the Idealist part. And am wondering if what they say about me is true.

Go take the test and tell me what you are.

[Update: Paul's an INTJ. Tay's an INFP]

Meet Osotogari

Alright, an explanation - this is a competition variation of Osotogari, but I don't think I managed to make it score. My leg didn't hook his, so I couldn't drive him to the ground.

I'm pissed.

Another Bet - Form 6

Just had this conversation in MSN. Oh good lord, it was hilarious.

Dienasty says:
you're going to be a BIG hit, i tell you
a BIG hit
i'm betting you in a relationship before the year is over

Tim says:
don talk shit
sia soi me
get hit i think got la

Dienasty says:
still
bet
bet
bet?
a drink in coffee bean
cool??

Tim says:
can

Dienasty says:
good

Tim says:
extra large
bet on u too
1 relationship
1 cup
2 relationships
2 cup

Dienasty says:
i think we can work something out

Tim says:
deal?

Dienasty says:
*does calculations in head to wonder who to dump first*

Tim says:
*does calculation how to con a girl*

Dienasty says:
ish
okay
but just normal size drinks

Tim says:
ya ya
de normal one la

Dienasty says:
extra large might be a bit over the top

Tim says:
cheap one is small
normal is biggest

Dienasty says:
coz normally we have to chia to girl as well
=)

Tim says:
triple shot
with cream

Dienasty says:
urgh
stop dreaming

Tim says:
er
i talking about the drink

Form 6 will be very interesting.

Badminton Gathering Photolog

Ada Makan Nasi Ke?

Tak ade. Macam maner?

Enoch is really heavy to move around. About all my foot sweeps failed, and I was stiff as a block of cardboard. He threw me for a koka, and then pinned me down for a yuko ... or was it the other way around? Well I forget.

Somewhere in the middle of the match he started an arm breaking technique. I gritted my teeth, knowing fully well there was only one chance to escape - and I had to wait for just the right moment. His feet was over my chest, with good, tight contact ...

The pain was unbearable.

Injury. Leg Throw.

And I swept my feet up and over my head, rolling out and into safety.

A few seconds later I brought him down for yuko with Osotogari. Clifford managed to snap a shot of the throw with Alvin's DSLR. I want to study it like I do the bible.

I lost by koka.

Koka.

Tiniest point ever.

What is wrong with me?