Econvergence (a.k.a. long time no post, a.k.a. tempus fugit)

Quotable Quotes:

Cat: "Shame!"
DR: "I'm not ashamed!"
Kate: "Shame nonetheless!!!"
- from last Thursday's practice

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Now, the debate climaxes."
- from DR's whip speech last Thursday

Me: "And Lord, if they win, please don't let it go to their heads."
Ma'am Paz: "Yes, please don't."
- from the prayer before the debate finals yesterday

"Force equals mass times acceleration!!!!"
- me, on the Atenean leader of the opposition's speech that questioned August's definition of force, from the deabte finals yesterday

"The range of these snails is rapidly increasing, at a rate of one kilometer per year."
- from the field bio film last Thursday

"Hindi siya mukhang major, di ba?"
- while working on the STR presentation with Airah, last Saturday

---

I may as well tell you what happened to me yesterday. With my type of luck, I ended up the first speaker.

So I went up the stage, and tapped the mic. Then I said "good morning". Then I tapped the mic again.

I defined globalization in one sentence. Stopped speaking for a while, for lack of things to say.

I said two more sentences, and then stopped again.

Then I found my mind, and was able to speak for about two minutes straight.

The microphone broke.

The judges told me to just keep on talking, so I did. Then the mic turned on.

So I tapped it again.

Hey, at least I tied for last place.

---

But either way, it was a wonderful experience. People always say it's not the winning that counts but the experience, and now I find that I can believe them. But there has to be a different word for it, because I feel like we're referring to two different things. Because experience usually doesn't refer to the laughter and the nerves and the getting locked out of the debate room only to figure out that the room wasn't locked to begin with after the debate had finished.

(DR opened the door and found me there, seated right outside the room, listening and working on my Pinoy play.)

Seriously now, I'm proud of them, and I figure out not for the first time how easily I get attached to people, and that I never learn. 

---

Things I noticed:
- the Atenean leader of the opposition said "really really" about six times.
- the Atenean deputy leader of the opposition said "at the end of the day" six times in his reply speech and two times in his constructive speech, and said "basically" five times in his constructive speech.
- the Atenean opposition whip said "at the end of the day" nine times. in seven minutes. you have to give him credit for that.
- the deputy leader also said "opposition" fourteen times, and "government" twelve times, but I don't think that counts.
- at least the closest the Pisay team gets to a catchphrase is "um".
- and yes, I am biased, but at least I have never once used the phrase "at the end of the day".
- because you can't have at the end of the day more than once in one day
- literally.

Econvergence (a.k.a. long time no post, a.k.a. tempus fugit)

Quotable Quotes:

Cat: "Shame!"
DR: "I'm not ashamed!"
Kate: "Shame nonetheless!!!"
- from last Thursday's practice

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Now, the debate climaxes."
- from DR's whip speech last Thursday

Me: "And Lord, if they win, please don't let it go to their heads."
Ma'am Paz: "Yes, please don't."
- from the prayer before the debate finals yesterday

"Force equals mass times acceleration!!!!"
- me, on the Atenean leader of the opposition's speech that questioned August's definition of force, from the deabte finals yesterday

"The range of these snails is rapidly increasing, at a rate of one kilometer per year."
- from the field bio film last Thursday

"Hindi siya mukhang major, di ba?"
- while working on the STR presentation with Airah, last Saturday

---

I may as well tell you what happened to me yesterday. With my type of luck, I ended up the first speaker.

So I went up the stage, and tapped the mic. Then I said "good morning". Then I tapped the mic again.

I defined globalization in one sentence. Stopped speaking for a while, for lack of things to say.

I said two more sentences, and then stopped again.

Then I found my mind, and was able to speak for about two minutes straight.

The microphone broke.

The judges told me to just keep on talking, so I did. Then the mic turned on.

So I tapped it again.

Hey, at least I tied for last place.

---

But either way, it was a wonderful experience. People always say it's not the winning that counts but the experience, and now I find that I can believe them. But there has to be a different word for it, because I feel like we're referring to two different things. Because experience usually doesn't refer to the laughter and the nerves and the getting locked out of the debate room only to figure out that the room wasn't locked to begin with after the debate had finished.

(DR opened the door and found me there, seated right outside the room, listening and working on my Pinoy play.)

Seriously now, I'm proud of them, and I figure out not for the first time how easily I get attached to people, and that I never learn. 

---

Things I noticed:
- the Atenean leader of the opposition said "really really" about six times.
- the Atenean deputy leader of the opposition said "at the end of the day" six times in his reply speech and two times in his constructive speech, and said "basically" five times in his constructive speech.
- the Atenean opposition whip said "at the end of the day" nine times. in seven minutes. you have to give him credit for that.
- the deputy leader also said "opposition" fourteen times, and "government" twelve times, but I don't think that counts.
- at least the closest the Pisay team gets to a catchphrase is "um".
- and yes, I am biased, but at least I have never once used the phrase "at the end of the day".
- because you can't have at the end of the day more than once in one day
- literally.