February 21, 2007
-
Everyday Combat!
I was drunk last night and nearly made this update “under the influence”, which just wasn’t as fun as it might sound! So I went and ditched that plan and return now, for sober and coherent updating. Well, as coherent as I usually am.
What’s new? Not that much. I feel the constant pressure of Japanese study, dissertation work and various projects for my other classes looming over me 24/7! I’ve finally got my drawing groove back but feel guilty everytime I draw… “You could be working!” says this nagging little voice in my head. Stupid voice in my head. They’ve always been a pain! Tuesday just gone was Shrove Tuesday so after fencing we headed round to Paul’s for pancakes, ably made by Sabre Dave. And I’m not kidding. He’s got a real gift for pancakes! They were freakin’ awesome and he even flipped them in the frying pan and everything. It suddenly occurs to me, do other countries have “Shrove Tuesday” (or “Pancake Day”?) As in, the first day of Lent where you’re meant to eat up all the fatty stuff in the house; translated: make, and pig out on, pancakes! There was also abundant alcohol, which led to my erstwhile inebriation!
So the big news from yesterday, and which I mainly want to talk about, is our inter-league play-off match against Cambridge. Basically, all the 2nd and 3rd place teams from the various regional leagues across the country now have the opportunity to achieve league promotion by playing off against each other. Keele, who finished 3rd in our league (we finished 2nd!) lost to Oxford around the same time we faced and defeated Cambridge in our first “promotion league” play off. I’m sure most people across the globe are at least aware that Cambridge and Oxford Universities are basically the Big 2 British universities. These are where only our best and brightest (slash, “richest”) go, so defeating them has been a pretty sweet experience! For the Americans out there, think how you’d feel if your University’s (insert a sport) team beat the team from Harvard or Yale! And you were on that team too! Hopefully, it’s next stop: Oxford! To fight and beat both the Oxbridge Universities would be so freakin’ awesome!I’ll stick up the results in an edit as soon as I get them! Watch this space! I said “WATCH IIIIIIIIT!!!“
UCLan VS CambridgeUCLan 135 Cambridge 106
Laters! (insert song lyrics here!)
Comments (13)
First Comment! Yes, truly we have a challenging couple of months ahead of us work-wise, a subject which leads me to bring up Dave’s and my new made-up word: choubaru! In those times when ganbaru’ing just isn’t enough, you need to push it to the max and choubaru. So we will be choubaru’ing through our respective dissertations and presentations this semester…
… I forgot about pancake day
I don’t know about “pancake day”–here in the US, there is of course Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) the day before lent begins. It is mostly celebrated in the state of Louisiana–where there are a lot of people who are of french-creole descent. I never really got “into” the whole lent thing. I guess mainly because I’m protestant, and the churches I have gone to throughout my life didn’t really focus on it much. Also, even after I learned more about it (especially during college) I guess I just feel that I try to have self-control generally in my life anyway, so making some “extra special” sacrifice just didn’t seem that important–I mean, it’s still really nothing compared to Christ dying on the cross. I think it’s more important to just try to have self-control ALL the time rather than focusing on it only during a particular time. Sorry–guess I went off on a bit of a tangent there–chasing rabbits as some of professors used to say….
it is so very difficult for me to imagine that mardi gras has anything whatsoever to do with christianity! many people look for any opportunity/excuse for bawdiness and naughtiness. the TRUE christian life beats mardi gras or any other celebration hands down absolutely no contest…and dave…NO HANGOVER! my protestant background gave me no clue about lent either….but, i guess it seems like a “nice” idea. i guess the proof is in how much it actually effects us deep inside as to our character. the best change comes from the inside out.
“constant pressure of Japanese study, dissertation work and various projects for my other classes looming over me 24/7″ SOUNDS AWFUL!!!. take small bites….you will get there. do a little on the serious stuff. reward yourself with drawing time….rinse and repeat!
I know what it’s like being “in the groove” with one thing and having to do another…I’m learning CSS, and doing some really neat things with that, and I wanna play around with it right now, but I have to study for a Virology quiz. Bah!!! >.< Oh well.. That’s really awesome about defeating Cambridge, congrats! Also, every country should have Pancake Day!
Im watching im watching
congrats on the big win and good luck with the next! as a wise teacher once said to someone who asked a question about a question on a japanese test………. “ganbatte”
same goes for all your dissertation stuff as well!
how are you doing?! I’d like to talk again soon.
Thanks. I agree it is hard to see te light. but i am trying.. I guess that is all that can matter now.
Keep up the good work!
I always assumed Mardi Gras was a Louisiana thing.
But the fact that theres a Christian holiday like that isn’t surprising to me.
After all, most modern Christian holidays are just a continuation of old pagan holidays pre-dating it, or are at least heavily influenced by them.
The old Solstice and Equinox holidays are a blatant example:
Sumer Solstice = St. John’s Eve (Midsummner)
Winter Solstice = Christmas (Pagan new year)
Spring Equinox = Easter (I wonder why the kept the name?)
Autumn Equinox = Michaelmas (Never really got popular)
So yeah.. Mardi Gras.. It could have a link with the old roman carnival holiday “Lupercalia”, but I’m not sure on that…
we should chat again soon.
you never bother me, silly! don’t ever think that! i love talkin to you!
choubatte ne… ! >_<”
Yeah I have no idea where everyone went! Maybe it is exam period in the rest of the world or something??