Gadget FreakI am, without a doubt, a gadget freak. I must have gadgets as part of my 'minimalist design' decor - half of which are virtually useless and serve no other purpose except for a twisted sense of retail therapy-related satisfaction. And so, it was to my delight that today's Independent came with a supplement that advertised 'The 50 best pocket-sized gadgets'. And out of the fifty, here are which made in onto my wanted list.
1. Olympus MJU 300 Digital Camera
Because: Digital cameras are a must. The Konica conventional camera that I have has a knack for misjudging the lighting, and thus gives me dark pictures, despite the use of the flash. I do have an SLR back home in Malaysia, but that is mostly for family use these days rather than my personal camera. And so, if I were to upgrade, it makes sense that I upgrade to a digital. This particular model has 3.2 megapixels ; just the right standard for me.
Cost: £350
Why I will never end up buying it: Because I can't afford it.
2. Gameboy Advance SP
Because: It is way better than the Gameboy Advance which I have back home in Malaysia - it has it's own backlight, for one - which allows the playing of darker-themed games - and I don't mean in concept, but in graphical and colour usage. It also folds, just like the first Nintendo Game and Watch series in the 1980's [I had a Donkey Kong one]; and it's backward compatible, meaning it can play all the previous Game Boy edition games.
Cost: £90
Why I will never end up buying it: Because at the end of the day, the only game I religiously play on these handheld consoles is Tetris. And rather than splurging and paying £90 for what will technically be my Brick Game console, I might as well buy one for £1 at our local Poundland shop.
3. Victorinox Cybertool 34.
Because: Check this: A multi-bladed pocket knife, with can openers, cork-screw, screwdriver, bit wrench, hex socket, write stripper and tweezers. Not only can I repair my computer with it, I can also work on my eyebrows. Brilliant! Men would read: macho gadget. I read: all-in-one defence system for those nights walking back from the office all alone. Imagine the damage that can be done using a corkscrew AND a penknife used at once. Future stalkers, beware!
Cost: £49.95
Why I will never end up buying it: Because I will be adding it to my birthday wishlist.
4. Sony NW-MS70 Network Walkman
Because: It is small, weighs only 54g but stores 256MB of music; approximately 11 albums worth of sound; and space for another 256MB via memory sticks. The ultimate portable music machine.
Cost: £280
Why I will never end up buying it: Because, at this point, I don't know whether it can play mp3s or not. And I don't have a very good history with small gadgets that are light and reside in pockets. The term 'toilet bowl' comes to mind. Oh, and MD players are cheaper than this.
5. Thinking Putty
Because: It looks cute. It is allegedly therapeutic. It makes no sense. It can be 'snapped, stretched and moulded'. Perfect as a stress reliever - during the three years that is my PhD, it will probably be squeezed out of proportion.
Cost: £8.95
Why I will never end up buying it: Oh I will. I so will be buying this one!
6. MP3 Key Drive
Because: It is a USB storage gadget and an MP3 player all in one. Comes in two variants - 64Mb, which can hold about one CD's worth of tracks, or 128Mb, which logically holds twice as much. And it's the size of a keychain. Cool, huh?
Cost: 64Mb: £59.99; 128Mb: £89.99
Why I will never end up buying it: Because I'll end up owning an MD player which can do all of that and more.
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/29/2003 06:55:56 PM// Your Say. . .
How the Iraqi crisis should be settled: the musings and thoughts of an idealistic dreamerFriday, March 28The role of disciplining Saddam Hussein should be left to the OIC, not the US, UK or UN. Okay, so maybe the UN can play an oversight role, but really, the OIC should have more say in this. Iraq is a Muslim country, and therefore Saddam should be disciplined according to the Islamic methods of disciplining a cruel ruler [pemimpin yang zalim]. There is an argument among the Muslim community that Saddam could have committed the sins of mass destruction in the past, and now, he may have repented and therefore as Muslims, we should support the Iraqi fight against invasion and leave the judgment of Saddam's past deeds to Allah s.w.t. The thing is, if he used chemical weapons upon Iran and the Kurdish people in the 1980's, why was there no stepping in by the OIC to punish the evil deeds of this man?
Why this solution will never work: The OIC is no more than a silent organisation, with hardly any voice on the international front. What a sad situation for an organisation that calls itself the association of 56 Islamic states promoting Muslim solidarity in economic, social, and political affairs. There seems to be no solidarity for a member nation currently in anguish. The OIC goes on to describe itself as "an inter-governmental organization grouping fifty-six States. These States decided to pool their resources together, combine their efforts and speak with one voice to safeguard the interest and ensure the progress and well-being of their peoples and those of other Muslims in the world over." The only part of that they have seemed to realise is 'speak'. No action has been taken.
I find that somewhat atrocious. Among the member states are Saudi Arabia and Brunei - two of the richest nations in the world. In these days where money speaks loudest, it seems abhorrent that they, Saudi Arabia especially, have kept mostly silent about all this. Indeed where is the solidarity that they proclaim, when member nations such as Kuwait and Turkey allow US troops access to Iraq. Countries like Egypt tread on careful ground when it comes to the anti-war stance : they receive approximately US$2bn in aid from the United States annually. Indeed, it was US aid that was used to bribe Turkey into allowing the US troops to be based there - to their credit Turkey rejected this, but still allow overfly rights. In virtually any other situation, we call offering money to sway a decision bribery. Only the Americans and Israelis can get away with calling it 'aid'.
If there was true solidarity, as it should be, then Iraq should also be able to amass a coalition troop of their own - to fight against the invasion that uses the pretext of liberalisation but even an idiot knows it's about oil. But Iraq can't even gather support from its neighbours ; perhaps from the sins of the past - it waged war with Iran and then with Kuwait, both of whom with which Iraq shares borders. And while vocal condemnation can be heard loud and clear; it will not win Iraq the war. In fact, the possibility of such a coalition would not have figured into American plans; because they know it would not happen, and because financially, they have these nations under their thumbs, financially at least. Imagine the 'shock and awe' faced by the coalition troops if that did happen.
Perhaps some Muslim states argue that they cannot fight for Iraq because of the man that is Saddam Hussein; I say, help your fellow brother oust the Western invasion. Then settle the score with Saddam.
But of course, this will never happen. The only place where it does is inside my head, which is doing too much thinking anyway.
Oh, and, by the way, another British soldier killed by friendly fire. It is so common now, it shouldn't even be news, should it?
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/29/2003 03:22:55 PM// Your Say. . .
The carnage that was..."It was an outrage, an obscenity. The severed hand on the metal door, the swamp of blood and mud across the road, the human brains inside a garage, the incinerated, skeletal remains of an Iraqi mother and her three small children in their still-smouldering car". The words of journalist Robert Fisk, reporter for the Independent, describing the carnage that was once a busy market street in Baghdad. You can read the rest of this article here.
Reading through the newspaper today [being a traditionalist, I still buy the print version despite having everything online], some quotes from Bush and Blair tended towards the nonsensical. Today we'll have a bit of fun and browse through a few good ones.
"The Iraqi people have got to know that they will be liberated and Saddam Hussein will be removed, no matter how long it takes" - George W. Bush
Quite hard to convince the Iraqi people you have their best interests at heart when you drop random bombs on them, first denying it, then accepting categorical responsibility, and then saying the Iraqis launched the missile onto themselves. Brig. General Vince Brooks denied it was an American missile by saying that all our bombs hit their intended targets. Funny that he did not say anything about whether the market was or was not a target. If it was, well then, his words are not a lie, are they?"It is beyond the comprehension of anyone with an ounce of humanity in their souls" - Tony Blair, describing the 'execution' of two British soldiers by Iraqis, a claim denied by the British Army. Listen to them, Mr. Blair - your troops are closer to the war than you are. I find it somewhat darkly funny that he goes on and on about the death of these two soldiers, but has not said much about the British deaths due to friendly fire - which, to me, is really a lot more painful and embarassing than being killed by the opposition. Neither has he acknowledged the deaths of the Iraqi civilians - plants from his seedlings, no less - so much as to have had journalists question - isn't a British life just as valuable as an Iraqi life, after all?
"The enemy we're fighting is different from the one we'd wargamed against" - Lt.Gen William Wallace, US Army V-Corps commander, describing the surprise his troops faced when the so-called expected Iraqi uprising did not materialise. All I can say is that someone, somewhere, came up with the idea that the Iraqi people wanted liberation, and that given their oppressive lives over the past 12 years, would greet the American and British troops with open arms. Whoever that person was managed to sell this half-baked theory to the troops and certain world leaders, legitimising an illegitimate war. And when reality struck, the troops were unprepared.
Did the troops think that the war would have been fought on their terms, on their rules, hence the decrying of the usage of guerilla tactics? Really, honestly.. you walk into someone's country uninvited, with your arms and weapons and bombs, and then cry foul because they use tactics you weren't prepared for? Tsk tsk tsk.. shame on you.
Maybe a psychological profile of the Arab people would have helped. Arabs, if nothing else, are very proud people. Did you really think that they would allow invasion of their homeland? Because they know what the whole attack is about. They know there is no proof of weapons of mass distruction, because they live there.
Messrs Powell, Bush, Rumsfeld and Blair have not gone into Iraq to inspect the weapons themselves, and when the person they do send in gives them a report, they ignore it. They relied on so-called intelligence pictures - the same military intelligence responsible for the misguided missiles and friendly firing, one wonders? Arabs - of whom the people of Iraq are - will not sit down and see themselves be trodden upon a coalition pretending to want to liberate them, but actually are only after their oil.
Open your eyes. Look at the facts. I am just stating the bare bone arguments of the layman on the street, without resorting to history or strategic / political sources. What plans have been made to rebuild Iraq? Even today, Britain and the US are arguing over the contract to manage the port of Umm Qasr. It doesn't make sense.
If they really did expect this to be a short war, you would think the blueprint of the plan of Iraq post-Saddam would have been tabled, signed and the ink dried. And still, Britain has one idea, Bush has another, and the UN wants a share of the pie too. Who should be responsible? The OIC, if you ask me, led by ultra-rich Saudi Arabia and Brunei.
Yes, I know - for over a week now, I've been talking about the injustices of this war. Well, over the same period of time, I've sort of been thinking about how there could be a diplomatic solution to all this, in an ideal, dream-like, non-existent world. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, or whenever I get round to updating this next.
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/28/2003 03:47:36 PM// Your Say. . .
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -ConfuciusThursday, March 27
The weekend is here - again. The first weekend in three weeks that I haven't had some sort of sporting activity on the cards - 3 weeks ago it was the Sheffield Games, with the Women's Inter-College Football the following weekend, and the Warwick Games last Saturday. I am somewhat looking forward to just staying in bed on the Saturday morning, watching either SM.tv or the Saturday Show on the telly, oblivious to the dump that is my room. [There will be ample time to clean things up later during the day]. I suppose I'd be spending a larger part of the day at the office again.. it is not that I don't have a computer in my room; but somehow or other, I prefer the one here in my office.
My latest DVD purchase on Ebay arrived today - A.I. starring Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law. It was never on my wishlist but the RRP on the DVD was £24.99; HMV had it on sale for £9.99 and I managed to get it on Ebay for £8.50. I now have 4 DVDs which need watching: A.I., The Negotiator [Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson], A River Runs Through It [Brad Pitt] and Grosse Pointe Blank [John Cusack and Minnie Driver]. The good thing about purchasing DVDs, videos and really, most things, in the UK is that if you decide that it's not a keeper, then there is a market to sell it off. Ebay has grown from strength to strength as the market leader in auctions, especially with the demise of Yahoo! Auctions last year.
There is also an art when Ebaying. Looking at the reputation of the seller goes without saying.
1. First of all, if you are looking to purchase a common product, i.e. something that is being sold in abundance, it may pay to add the items to your watchlist and leave it there until bidding ends. Then use the closing prices to guide you in making a bid for the product, so that you don't make an overexcessive bid. Of course, if what you are bidding for is a rare item, then you can't afford this luxury.
2. Secondly, always be aware of what the market price of the product is. Websites like Kelkoo or Dealtime can give you an indication of what the cheapest market price is for the product.
3. Thirdly, if you're really up for it, wait until the last few minutes of the auction to make a bid, and be vigilant just in case someone else employs the same tactics. If someone counterbids, then bid again - and if luck and time are on your side, you may just be able to win the auction.
4. And lastly, always look at the postage rates. Some Ebayers tend to start the bidding price at a low level, but make up for it by charging excessive postage.
OK, time for some real work now. Will be back with more anti-war rhetoric later! [You didn't really think I'd be able to go through today without yet another anti-war statement, did you?]
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/28/2003 01:37:46 PM// Your Say. . .
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." -William FeatherAmidst all the war talk, this blog has seen the absence of some of the personal anecdotes I put up. The war does get in the way, somewhat. I find myself turning on the television and watching the news more than any other programme. It gets more and more depressing as more and more bombs are being dropped and people killed; at the same time, in a twisted way - the viewing is more compelling than ever, and you find yourself glued despite the sombre and morose mood.
On a personal basis some other things HAVE happened this week. We returned from Warwick on the Sunday, and I spent Monday morning in the office. The weather was lovely [again] that day; so I took the afternoon off and went into town for some light retail therapy. Went out with Zieha, but found out soon enough that Helmi and Nizam, Hisham, Yani and Arshad, and Ana and Wan also had the same general idea: nice day = traipse into town. Before you are overawed though, Lancaster is a small town with city status. And I mean, small!
Tuesday morning - the plan was to go down to Manchester: me, Zieha, Mas, Ana and Wan. But the unavailability of a car at Ann Helme meant the idea needed to be revised; we ended up getting a car to Preston. The plan was - go to Preston, buy some chicken, shop a bit and come back. The car was due back at Lancaster before 3pm because Kak Eda needed it to make a trip to the railway station [or else we would have gone all the way to Manchester in the first place].
It was therefore a lucky break that we did decide to go to Preston - because the car broke down due to a hydraulic fluid leakage, which rendered it useless because the brakes were inoperable.The result: since we set out for a shopping trip, there were things that needed to be bought. Dragging plastic bags of fresh chicken, each weighing approximately a kilo each, sometimes more - we got down to some serious shopping. After scouring half of Preston for the ever elusive item Zieha was looking for, the chicken seemed to start weighing twice more than what they originally did. [It could have had something to do with the melting of some of the items which were initally frozen when we bought them.]
Back row: Adniz, Khalid, Bong
Middle: Stef, Mei Chin, Nizam, Iman, Helmi, Zieha, Syitah, Ana, Yana [behind Ana], Kak Eda, Wan [behind Kak Eda], Ilham
Front row & sitting: Rai, Idlan, Jiden, MasWhy did we need massive amounts of chicken? Well, on the Wednesday we had a mini barbecue of sorts. It was mostly to celebrate the success of the netball team in Sheffield and Warwick; and to thank the people who directly supported us and helped us train. Yours truly was unceremoniously appointed the BBQ Secretariat : a one-woman team, because any delegation seemed to be delegated back to me.. hehhe.
I was banking on the good weather we were having thus far to maintain its steady presence ; and Alhamdulillah it did. It was quite foggy earlier on, but soon the day turned clear and blue skies were to be seen above Lancaster. The BBQ went along without a major hitch during the BBQ itself; although an episode involving Syed - [pictured on your left, pre-swim] -, a football and kicking resulted in a short, afternoon wade in the famous Lancaster duck pond. For Syed, that is. Not for me.
Are you busy?
When I work in my room [office], I tend to keep both my Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger on. The former for people from out of Lancaster to talk to me, the latter for fellow Lancastrians. Sometimes I am pretty tied up with work; and thus I put the 'busy' sign on. Which really, really means I am busy or at the very least, very much occupied with something. It does not mean 'I am up for a chat' like many people believe - and to date has resulted in me having to entertain random people explaining to them that I REALLY am busy, and no, I am NOT up for a chat.
Of course a viable alternative would be to turn off both instant messaging systems; but I need them on because my parents and my family back home talk to me occassionally using it; and with MSN Messenger, a change in the name would be sufficient to tell the rest of the community where I am and where I can be reached if they need to. This has proven to be effective more times that not. But truly, honestly.. when the status indicates that I am busy - it does mean I would love to chat; but can't afford to at the moment. And no, no one barring my mum or my dad is important enough for me to drop whatever I am doing for idle chitchat. Genuine emergencies are, of course, an entirely different story.
Work work work
The real crux of my PhD work is beginning. The endless literature reviews - mindless reading for hours on end, compiling the bibliography and scouring obscure journals for that seminal paper [if the paper was so seminal, how come it was published in an obscure journal? Most probably because the idea was so radical at the time that no mainstream, top journal with referees and editors well set in their ways would take a gamble on a new and innovative idea]. I'm also doing some self-study on econometrics.
It does not help that the undergraduates are on their Easter break and can afford to slack off a bit, where as for moi, this is the best time to focus on work because there are minimal distractions. I do so want to hang out and let loose; in fact it seems so easy to just let go because there isn't much to hold us back. My supervisor is pretty much lenient and he knows that during this time of literature reviews and reading, there isn't much in terms of reporting to him that needs to be done. It would be so easy to just stop working and enjoy the sunshine; sadly I've afforded all I can for that this week, what with half of Monday, all of Tuesday and 3/4 of Wednesday doing exactly just that - and while the lambs friskily skip in the fields and salute the arrival of Spring - I have to work!
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/27/2003 03:49:15 PM// Your Say. . .
"Whenever men take the law into their own hands, the loser is the law. And when the law loses, freedom languishes." -Robert Francis KennedyMonday, March 24Last update - 24/3. Today it is already 27/3. Nothing much has changed. The war is still on. More British troops being killed by their own comrades. Even more Iraqi civilians killed by bombs.
I have never intended this website to be one that spews anti-American rhetoric. Because this website is a representation of who I am and my thoughts as a person; and in my thoughts I have never held sentiments of racism; be it towards people of colour or people of a certain race or nation. Even when it comes to the people who are Jews; I am careful to differentiate between the Zionists and the average believer in the Judaism faith.
Not all Jews are out to kill all Muslims, and vice versa, as the general sentiment suggests. I have been friends with, and have been taught by people of the Jewish tradition - and under no circumstances have I been treated any different, despite my blatant Muslim status. Not all Jews are for the use of force in settling of the Middle East conflict either - Jews against the Occupation [JATO] is one such example. Arguably one could say non-Zionist Jews are a minority - I don't however have the statistics to back that up.
It is getting harder and harder for me not to criticise and feel some animosity towards America. I don't mean this on a personal, human level.. the anger and disgust I feel is mostly directed towards the administration, the [non]leadership and their arrogance. The idea that they can get away with what they do because they are American; the feeling that what they are doing is justified and right just because they are the American government; the sentiment that they are heroes and all other people who oppose them are not worthy of their time.
If you are American and you are reading this - please don't take any of this personally. Because it isn't you I am having issues with at the moment - it is your leader. Funny, that - me, a 25 year old nobody having issues with a man who holds the most power in the world at the moment and doesn't give a toss as to who I am; but there you go.
And so, I launch into my anti-war / anti-American rhetoric once again:
* Reports indicate that the Coalition Forces' missiles hit a busy market area in Baghdad. 15 civilians were killed. Before the war, London and Washington stressed that they were not going after the civilians. This was a war against Saddam, they said - and that they came to liberate Iraq, not destroy it. Perhaps the lack of celebrations that greeted the advancement of the troops into Iraq was starting to get on their nerves; perhaps they were just plain stupid; any reason could be plausible because we don't know the reasons behind the attack. What we do know was that an area that was not a military or strategic target was bombed, and the carnage that resulted meant 15 people who were neither armed nor military, lost their lives. Another mistake to add to the list of 'bloopers' the coalition forces have managed to commit. When will they realise this is not a computer game? And how can they convince the people of Iraq they are really here to liberate, and not to kill?
* If one had fears that the whole exercise was one of American imperialism, it seems that those fears weren't as unfounded as you would have thought. While Blair wanted the UN to help rebuild Iraq, as he stated in his address to the nation at the beginning of the war, America wants its corporations in there to take charge of the so-called restructuring. American corporations - hmm.. how long would it take for the average business student to unravel the tangled web of share ownership and board directorships, to discover which politician's interests will be best served and pockets best filled once these corporations make the most of Iraq's prized asset - oil? Let's face it - there will be no fund to help Iraqis build their lives; there will be no money set aside to help the Iraqis regain the 12 years they have lost after the first Gulf War. All that money will be conveniently syphoned out of Iraq into the pockets of, I believe none other than, Bush himself. Unless, of course, the UN can intervene. Yeah, right. Fat chance. Overpaid diplomats, conveniently silenced.
Oh, and by the way, this is a snapshot of the guy who is leading this war. I have no idea whether they were doctored or are original copies. Wouldn't be surprised if they were original.
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/27/2003 11:41:19 AM// Your Say. . .
Confused.."While you were sleeping
I was listening to the radio
And wondering what you're dreaming when
It came to mind that I didn't careSo I thought - hell if it's over
I had better end it quick
Or I could lose my nerve
Are you listening - can you hear me
Have you forgotten?"... Matchbox 20: Rest Stop
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/24/2003 09:28:40 PM// Your Say. . .
"I want President Bush to get a good look at this, really good look here. This is the only son I had, only son" - Michael Waters-Bey showing a picture of his son Marine Staff Sergeant Kendall Waters-Bey, shortly after receiving news of his deathSunday, March 23New day, new week. Same old idiots, same old war. Justify it in any way that you will, but to me war is and always will be senseless - especially when there are other ways to deal with issues.
Top of the list of the weekend's war related news was the US Prisoner of War visuals shown on Iraqi television and al-Jazeera. The Iraqis captured these Americans, and then went on to broadcast videos of them confirming their identities and their subsequent interrogation. Visuals of their dead comrades were also shown. Bush and Blair were quick on the draw to cry out the Iraqi defiance of the Geneva Convention in broadcasting the POWs.
What utter farce. First you defy the UN and go to war despite international protests; and then when you are stuck in rut, you quote the principles of the body you defied in the first place? It's like playing in a football match where you beat up the referee, and then call upon him to give the opposing team a red card.
So Bush urges the Iraqis to treat the POWs humanely, just as 'we treat our Prisoners of War'. Which ones, Mr. President? The ones at Guantanamo Bay?
And Blair calls the action 'despicable'. How despicable, Mr. Prime Minister, compared to your illegal bombings of civilians?
The Coalition Forces also are quite surprised with the resistance that they are meeting in their advance to Baghdad. It seems as if they were fed with too much rhetoric about how they were going to liberate Iraq; apparently it doesn't seem as if the Iraqis want the liberation. What were they expecting? Schoolchildren lined up on the side of the roads, waving the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes, greeting their tanks? A marching band?
The US troops have also caused fatal bloopers this weekend - first they shoot down a British RAF jet, killing both servicemen in the fighter plane. Then they fired at a civilian bus full of Syrians fleeing from Iraq, killing 5. And today it transpired that Terry Lloyd, ITN news reporter who was killed in Iraq this weekend, and his colleagues, came under fire from Coalition, possibly American, fire while being chased by Iraqi vehicles; despite driving in vans clearly marked 'TV'.
How much more stupid can the Americans get? And how utterly careless. It is as if they are playing on game consoles, instead of dealing with real people and real lives. One wonders what they are going to say about all this? 'Oops?' perhaps?
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/24/2003 12:05:10 PM// Your Say. . .
Taking a break from the war..Just got back from Warwick - in fact I have yet to make it back to my room. But I thought I'd update the events of the weekend and get it out of my system. Then it's back to my room, and straight to bed.
I thought the blog could take a brief breather from the war issues I've been dealing with and do a [brief] report on the Warwick Games netball tournament. What a luxury - I can afford to stop talking about the war for a day or two and think nothing has happened; where as in reality - for the Iraqis faced with all this terror; they will never know when it will all end.
Anyways, the Warwick Games netball report. We set off for Coventry on Friday afternoon, arriving at a little past dark that evening. Stayed at Adniz's and Fani's place; soon got to know the rest of their housemates : Timah, Sal and Nila - another ex-STFian.
There were 3 groups of 3 at the games, and were grouped with Warwick B and Loughborough. Little Nipper made an apperance, but played with Royal Holloway, thereby avoiding us all the way through.
Lancaster Team Pix
Back row: Zieha, Mas, Ana, Mas Ayu, Dy
Front row: Syitah, Idlan, Jas
Lancaster vs Warwick BQuite a worrying game for me personally, because I know for a fact that I don't start performing my best until I've had a game or two under my belt. Warwick were also known as a netball superpower, and I did not have any pre-match jitters - which in itself is bad because my pre-match jitters means I have excess energy waiting to be unleashed on the netball court. Anyways, despite some of their team members trying to teach the referees how the game was to be played, we managed to pull clear and beat them, with no goals scored on their part.
Final score: 3-0
Lancaster vs Loughborough
This was technically a walkover, because we were playing against the children of the postgraduates rather than university students. The youngest in their team was a mere 12 years old. So even though the game was played minutes after we'd finished our Warwick game, we managed another whitewash and were through to the quarterfinals.
Final score: 8-0
Lancaster vs Cardiff
During the same weekend that there were games at Sheffield, Cardiff too held the Cardiff Games. And reputedly, they sent their team who were champions of that tournament. Evidently we were a bit edgy, and my pre-match jitters were coming back in full swing. I had to keep reminding myself that we too, were a good team; and we were technically winners at Sheffield.
The long break between our previous game and this one didn't affect us, though, and neither did our superstitions about our bibs - we had to wear a different colour bib due to colour clashes. We ran out winners.
Final score: 4-0 (it could have been 4-1)
Lancaster and Warwick Netball Teams
Back row: Zieha, Jas, Ana, Adniz, Eliza, Syitah, Mas Ayu
Front row: Dy, Timah, Mas, Idlan, Fani, Sal
Lancaster vs UCL (Akmatys)This was the first time we had a real game on our hands. Akmatys - the KMYS alumni team, comprised of the best players they could find willing to play for them and had played with the same team for quite a while. Our ad-hoc team, without the defensive expertise of Claire and Jun, both out to injury, bowed out at this point.
Final score: 1-6
3rd/4th placing: Lancaster vs Leicester
This was an old grudge match; even though we were most friendly about it. For us, it we could beat these guys; we could always claim that we were really good enough to have beaten them at Sheffield for the second time; and made ourselves undisputed champions of the Sheffield Games.
Again we found ourselves down 1-0 at half time. But we had done this before. We had come from behind to win before, and we were not going to let our loss to UCL dampen our spirits. The team rallied for the second half, and finally victory was on our side. Not that we ever doubted ourselves, of course.
Final score: 4-3
Other Issues
STF Reunion
There was a small STF reunion during the games; I stayed with Nila and Fani at Adniz's place - and Zil, from Bath, who was in Fani's batch, joined us there as well. Another junior, Iezza, who was at STF after I left, made it 5. We were continously getting ribbed because we were talking about school quite a lot; but I took it in good humour. It had been ages since I've seen anyone from STF, and it was good to reminisce.
STF Mini Reunion
L-R: Iezza, Nila, Fani, Idlan, ZilAll in all, it was enjoyable. I thought I'd never see the day when coming in third felt more satisfying than coming in second; but when a team that won all their games get placed second, I suppose anything was possible.
posted by Prof_Sadin 3/23/2003 05:38:46 PM// Your Say. . .
