hilarious movie of the 90s

the fencing club shares the sports hall with badminton, although the shuttlers start training earlier than us so we usually get to watch them play around while waiting for our drills. i dont usually notice them, but i felt that today a few of them were aware the fencers were idly gazing in their direction and so seemed to be more enthusiastic about fancy swings and serves.

i dont think any of us wanted to return the favour by fencing more extravagantly, but at least i actually won two of my matches today.

which reminds me that im rather proud to declare in my CV that i (really) was a member of the novice school team for sabre. that and i won my first team match. very happy about that

sakura

its not my SOP to post new entry within two days of my last, but i logged into facebook to find two vastly different but successive entries on my news feed by unrelated people. one is a devout christian who is full enough of himself to post religious things and posters, and the other is pretty much his equal and opposite- a hardcore atheist who also regularly puts up humanist quotes and posters. besides that nothing much, i just appreciate the dichotomy when their contributions are presented one after another

i still maintain my hands-off approach to religious issues. personally i think most of us shouldnt be too worried about such things if you have more pressing concerns to attend to, like making a fucking living. and also maybe stopping mankind from obliterating itself in the near future

power

whaddya know im graduating in 5 months time. and i still havent firmed up a job offer.

which is logical considering i havent applied for any yet. also because i look to my peers for inspiration on careers, and everyone just seems set on regular day jobs in an office. doesnt matter if you're in investment banking or doing taxes in ministry HQ, i just dont see myself being a desk jockey.

maybe it runs in the family. my dad wont go anywhere near a desk. my mum gave up after a few years. my brother doesnt look like he gives a fuck..

a desk job is safe and all, and if its the correctly high paying kind you can actually even be interested in making money off it, but i absolutely hate routine. with the only non-routine desk jobs available to me beyond my experience and ability, i am thus still bumming around

the day the world went away

being high up in the upper hemisphere i belatedly noticed that the skies over london get into a nice overcast orange starting from around 3 in the morning. which is also a sign that spring is coming, and that is good since my pathetic 10 dollar heater isnt going to keep me alive much longer.

i felt i needed a proper sport so i took up fencing, figuring that i could at least be interested in fighting someone

sadly for me i found out the rules always made sure the bout was civilised. a few exchanges and you score a touch or a foul and you start from the same place again, so the fighting always gets interrupted before it gets fun. but its hard work, and their agility drills come straight out of the sprinter's training manual.

i would say that im not exactly a fish out of the water in there actually; in a free bout i generally can stand toe to toe with whoever i was sparring with (except some fella twice my height) since my speed makes up for lack of discipline and skill. so its in the practice drills where i get found out and the coach picks me up for it

i won't forget my first competition either. after a few half-fuck training sessions, they sent me in with a faulty conducting jacket, a glove 2 sizes too big, a non-regulation helmet, and a hand-me-down foil.

i also liked the supplied trousers. they were like 6 sizes too big for me and i was issued them so late the referee gave me like 30 seconds to put it on and secure it somehow. thanks to my expensive imperial education i picked up a dud vest lying around and fashioned a 3-point suspender-belt system out of it. after which i promptly got pwned

i didnt know any of the rules of the game, and the only fencing trick i learned up to that point is the 'disengage'. i also got a yellow card for wasting too much time hunting for a working jacket. needless to say i finished 56/64?