I thought the disappointment and pain would be over by now.
But it still hasn't subsided.
I think I'll write about the Yayasan Sarawak Debate Championships when they're actually over. The final is still on Wednesday (13th October 2010), so I'll hold off whatever it is I have to say until then, about it.
On to lighter news and happenings.
Socialising during a debate tournament is always fun. Granted, of course, that the company is suitably agreeable and voluntary in terms of participation. As it is, and thankfully so, many were during this tournament. I know that this sounds quite elitist, but there is nothing that incentivises conversation more than the promise that it will be intelligent, humourous and far-reaching. And that is more often than not more likely to occur during a debate tournament.
Naturally, nobody at a debate tournament is going to be a an idiot. They ARE in a debating environment after all. The laws of natural selection (well, debater selection committees, at least) dictate that a higher quality of conversationist is bound to make it through to the celebrated circle of interaction that forms during tournaments.
I have had the fortune of meeting some truly interesting people, and getting to know people whom I thought I knew, even better. Win-win all round, eh? More so than the debating, this is probably the best part of any tournament. Going somewhere with your friends, and coming away with new ones. Bonding with those that you have shared experiences with. Sharing collective anger when things are definitely stacked against you (more on this later).
May these new friendships last, and the old ones get better :)
Showing posts with label debate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debate. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Presenting to you, the gist of my existence.
Not really.
I have a presentation today. I actually love doing presentations. What I hate though, is preparing for them. Making slides, condensing reports into point form, trying to keep in mind time limits. It's like debating, in a way, minus the freedom of interpretation and the relative lack of pressure. Although having said that, having weeks to prepare beforehand doesn't really help. Inevitably, the slides will only be prepared the night before.
Or in today's case, a couple of hours before.
I feel spiffy though. Hair's a mess, but I must say, I look awesome in a collared shirt and tie, with my blazer. Rawr. Okay, narcissism aside, it IS a requirement to get all dressed up for these things. You get marks for 'presentation & delivery' you know. :)
I can't believe how much debating has helped me with all of this presentation lark. The ability to think on your feet, to compromise your words to ensure you stay on time, being able to respond quickly, accurately and confidently during the Q&As. All these aspects have been improved by my participation in debating. I am finally aware of how much I owe to an activity that most of the general public considers to be a talking shop that wastes a colossal amount of time not really achieving anything.
Thanks, Swinburne Debate Club.
I have a presentation today. I actually love doing presentations. What I hate though, is preparing for them. Making slides, condensing reports into point form, trying to keep in mind time limits. It's like debating, in a way, minus the freedom of interpretation and the relative lack of pressure. Although having said that, having weeks to prepare beforehand doesn't really help. Inevitably, the slides will only be prepared the night before.
Or in today's case, a couple of hours before.
I feel spiffy though. Hair's a mess, but I must say, I look awesome in a collared shirt and tie, with my blazer. Rawr. Okay, narcissism aside, it IS a requirement to get all dressed up for these things. You get marks for 'presentation & delivery' you know. :)
I can't believe how much debating has helped me with all of this presentation lark. The ability to think on your feet, to compromise your words to ensure you stay on time, being able to respond quickly, accurately and confidently during the Q&As. All these aspects have been improved by my participation in debating. I am finally aware of how much I owe to an activity that most of the general public considers to be a talking shop that wastes a colossal amount of time not really achieving anything.
Thanks, Swinburne Debate Club.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Kenyalang Debate Open .
I actually had more to say, but I drew a blank just as the page loaded.
How was the tournament? I had two junior newbies with me. And hey, we broke and made it to the quarters. I was happy with the level of adjudication in some debates, thought I was royally pissed off by the result in one of the prelims, when I just could not accept the loss being given to us, even though we were government, opp had failed to engage us, etc etc... It's not that I had a personal issue with the adjudicator in question (she was considered one of the best after all), it's just that I could not coincide the fact that she might have had a bad round too, with me having a very average one, resulting in a decision that I just could not accept with the justification given.
I ended up somewhere in the top 20 for speakers based on scores, and I even managed to get through to the Public Speaking final, but only got third, which again ticked me off. However, the less I say about it the better. I knew I could have done better, and that's that.
I am extremely proud of my two juniors. They fought hard and fought well, with one of them breaking the 8 minute barrier, in only her 6th ever debate! She will forever be known as Miss 8 Minutes, and it is a label she can wear with pride. Heck, even I've never gone to 8 minutes, and I'm supposedly the senior one with tonnes more to say :)
A debate tournament would not be a tournament without the socialising. And it was actually pretty alright, as we had not really expected much due to it being a local tournament. With the West Malaysia teams there, it turned out pretty okay. Props go out to the SMART (Seremban Matriculation Association for Reformed Transvestites, although one of them is actually from UiTM Shah Alam), who won the whole damn thing and who provided a lot of comedic gold, as well as UiTM Sarawak for organising it, specifically the convener Paul Racha! Shoutouts goto UiTM Sabah 2, as well as UiTM Kedah, and a special mention for the UPM teams, who were always good company. I don't really know who else to thank, as the list is long, but suffice to say, thanks to all of you for a wonderful time :)
As to how the debates themselves unfolded, I have to face the very real possibility that I just do not belong as first speaker. There were times when I tried to pre-empt government cases as Opp Leader, and ended up getting jumped, or having the points I had formulated with my teammates rendered irrelevant. I felt bad as I badly let down my two juniors in our three losses throughout the tournament, although one was due to an adjudicating disagreement that I have subsequently gotten over, and one loss was due to... the other team having better English than us? (I'm sorry SMART, but you supposedly won with ONE substansive, and we had three which you couldn't take down! *raspberry*)
So am I not 1st Speaker material? I just think I need more practise with it, and more experience to boot. However, should it be proven that I am unable to properly formulate cases and think quickly on the fly to re-align our stances, then perhaps I just need to move back to 2nd speaker, or maybe 3rd. It was particularly galling for me though, that we could have, and should have, gotten to the semifinals. I'm determined more than ever to debate better, and the past few tournaments has just proven to me that I at the very least, still have some more potential to maximise.
So the debate season for this semester is over. But hey, bi-weekly training sessions are still there to be looked forward to :) And I still have the training sessions with Lodge to oversee. So it's not like I'm going to abandon debate entirely till British Parliamentary season starts in August. After this it's all exams and assignments, and the dull grind that is real life. More thoughts on that later, when I am not so depressed thinking about it.
How was the tournament? I had two junior newbies with me. And hey, we broke and made it to the quarters. I was happy with the level of adjudication in some debates, thought I was royally pissed off by the result in one of the prelims, when I just could not accept the loss being given to us, even though we were government, opp had failed to engage us, etc etc... It's not that I had a personal issue with the adjudicator in question (she was considered one of the best after all), it's just that I could not coincide the fact that she might have had a bad round too, with me having a very average one, resulting in a decision that I just could not accept with the justification given.
I ended up somewhere in the top 20 for speakers based on scores, and I even managed to get through to the Public Speaking final, but only got third, which again ticked me off. However, the less I say about it the better. I knew I could have done better, and that's that.
I am extremely proud of my two juniors. They fought hard and fought well, with one of them breaking the 8 minute barrier, in only her 6th ever debate! She will forever be known as Miss 8 Minutes, and it is a label she can wear with pride. Heck, even I've never gone to 8 minutes, and I'm supposedly the senior one with tonnes more to say :)
A debate tournament would not be a tournament without the socialising. And it was actually pretty alright, as we had not really expected much due to it being a local tournament. With the West Malaysia teams there, it turned out pretty okay. Props go out to the SMART (Seremban Matriculation Association for Reformed Transvestites, although one of them is actually from UiTM Shah Alam), who won the whole damn thing and who provided a lot of comedic gold, as well as UiTM Sarawak for organising it, specifically the convener Paul Racha! Shoutouts goto UiTM Sabah 2, as well as UiTM Kedah, and a special mention for the UPM teams, who were always good company. I don't really know who else to thank, as the list is long, but suffice to say, thanks to all of you for a wonderful time :)
As to how the debates themselves unfolded, I have to face the very real possibility that I just do not belong as first speaker. There were times when I tried to pre-empt government cases as Opp Leader, and ended up getting jumped, or having the points I had formulated with my teammates rendered irrelevant. I felt bad as I badly let down my two juniors in our three losses throughout the tournament, although one was due to an adjudicating disagreement that I have subsequently gotten over, and one loss was due to... the other team having better English than us? (I'm sorry SMART, but you supposedly won with ONE substansive, and we had three which you couldn't take down! *raspberry*)
So am I not 1st Speaker material? I just think I need more practise with it, and more experience to boot. However, should it be proven that I am unable to properly formulate cases and think quickly on the fly to re-align our stances, then perhaps I just need to move back to 2nd speaker, or maybe 3rd. It was particularly galling for me though, that we could have, and should have, gotten to the semifinals. I'm determined more than ever to debate better, and the past few tournaments has just proven to me that I at the very least, still have some more potential to maximise.
So the debate season for this semester is over. But hey, bi-weekly training sessions are still there to be looked forward to :) And I still have the training sessions with Lodge to oversee. So it's not like I'm going to abandon debate entirely till British Parliamentary season starts in August. After this it's all exams and assignments, and the dull grind that is real life. More thoughts on that later, when I am not so depressed thinking about it.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
UKM IV - Debate we did, adjudicate we shall.
In all honesty, I did not retain any high hopes for how this tournament would go for me. First major tournament I'd be adjudicating, first major tournament in West Malaysia I'd be adjudicating, first major tournament since 2008 (not counting our own WSDC).. Well, you get the idea.
However, I should be pleasantly surprised at how I was able to keep up with the level required to be a relative success at the tournament. In truth, I felt I was heavily penalised by the adjudicator core, simply because I was too generous with how I awarded marks.This resulted in me not breaking into the knockout rounds as an adjudicator. It irked me a lot, simply because I was pretty confident that I had provided better feedback than the Chair Adjus in my rooms, and that I had demonstrated far more empathy in giving oral adjudications.
Someone hinted to me that it was for political reasons that I was not allowed to break, although that would detract from what was, in truth, a good tournament, if one with no frills, pomp or circumstance. It's not easy analysing debates, and trying to get a feel for how everything has developed. I believe though, it is something I do bloody well, which I felt was borne out to me when I felt that I developed far better bonds with the debaters in my rooms than my chair adjus did. Although this is, of course, debatable. :) *boom boom and indeed, boom*
Apart from that particular adjudicating sorepoint, Swinburne did not do well. 4 teams, only 1 in the knockout rounds, one team suffering 4 losses and only one win. It was by far one of our worst performances as an Institution in any tournament, and hints at the fact that we have a lot of work to do to correct the weaknesses that have been identified as being the causes for our downfall.
Team compositions need to be re-evaluated, team dynamics need to be re-examined, training methods will require re-examination, and training sessions will need to be re-tinkered with. It is beyond any doubt that our teams have a good English-speaking base to build from, but somewhere between making the step from being good at arguing to being good at debating, errors have been made. It is immensely frustrating to see the potential that our teams possess, and not see it fulfilled.
Being on the sidelines, as it were, for this tournament, allowed me to see it played out in a manner far easier to dissect. I regularly fielded questions as to 'why aren't you debating', with the reality being that I was just being rotated as a senior to adjudicate, and the others get to debate. But at the very least I feel that I have grown as a debater in this tournament, because I know now, far better than before, what it takes to convince adjudicators that you should win.
So how was the social aspect of UKM IV? In one word, memorable :) Staying up till 3 a.m in the common lounge with SMKDJ, CBN and the other Swinburners, was a highlight for me, as well as the various philosophical, personal and emotional discussions being held throughout the final day. Tragic first love stories aside, there was a good social mix to the tournament, although due to its shortness (only 3 days), there really wasn't enough time get to know everyone else a bit more.
My memories go out chiefly to the CBN-ners and the SMKDJ gang for enlivening up the days, and providing ample ammunition for excuses to make fun of other people. As someone dared to point out to me, your sarcasm is a self-defense mechanism, and you use your humour as a shield. It's a genuine, and pleasant surprise, for someone to get through to me for a change. Thank you :)
Kenyalang Debate Open next! It starts tonight! Let's get it on!
However, I should be pleasantly surprised at how I was able to keep up with the level required to be a relative success at the tournament. In truth, I felt I was heavily penalised by the adjudicator core, simply because I was too generous with how I awarded marks.This resulted in me not breaking into the knockout rounds as an adjudicator. It irked me a lot, simply because I was pretty confident that I had provided better feedback than the Chair Adjus in my rooms, and that I had demonstrated far more empathy in giving oral adjudications.
Someone hinted to me that it was for political reasons that I was not allowed to break, although that would detract from what was, in truth, a good tournament, if one with no frills, pomp or circumstance. It's not easy analysing debates, and trying to get a feel for how everything has developed. I believe though, it is something I do bloody well, which I felt was borne out to me when I felt that I developed far better bonds with the debaters in my rooms than my chair adjus did. Although this is, of course, debatable. :) *boom boom and indeed, boom*
Apart from that particular adjudicating sorepoint, Swinburne did not do well. 4 teams, only 1 in the knockout rounds, one team suffering 4 losses and only one win. It was by far one of our worst performances as an Institution in any tournament, and hints at the fact that we have a lot of work to do to correct the weaknesses that have been identified as being the causes for our downfall.
Team compositions need to be re-evaluated, team dynamics need to be re-examined, training methods will require re-examination, and training sessions will need to be re-tinkered with. It is beyond any doubt that our teams have a good English-speaking base to build from, but somewhere between making the step from being good at arguing to being good at debating, errors have been made. It is immensely frustrating to see the potential that our teams possess, and not see it fulfilled.
Being on the sidelines, as it were, for this tournament, allowed me to see it played out in a manner far easier to dissect. I regularly fielded questions as to 'why aren't you debating', with the reality being that I was just being rotated as a senior to adjudicate, and the others get to debate. But at the very least I feel that I have grown as a debater in this tournament, because I know now, far better than before, what it takes to convince adjudicators that you should win.
So how was the social aspect of UKM IV? In one word, memorable :) Staying up till 3 a.m in the common lounge with SMKDJ, CBN and the other Swinburners, was a highlight for me, as well as the various philosophical, personal and emotional discussions being held throughout the final day. Tragic first love stories aside, there was a good social mix to the tournament, although due to its shortness (only 3 days), there really wasn't enough time get to know everyone else a bit more.
My memories go out chiefly to the CBN-ners and the SMKDJ gang for enlivening up the days, and providing ample ammunition for excuses to make fun of other people. As someone dared to point out to me, your sarcasm is a self-defense mechanism, and you use your humour as a shield. It's a genuine, and pleasant surprise, for someone to get through to me for a change. Thank you :)
Kenyalang Debate Open next! It starts tonight! Let's get it on!
Monday, May 3, 2010
5th Swinburne World Schools Debate Championships.
Did you know that you can swallow a litre of your own blood before you start feeling sick?
Curiously enough, I haven't actually blogged in a while. Why? I don't know really. I would ordinarily consider myself to be sufficiently egotistical to actually want to see my name up in lights on a regular basis. However, I have not felt that particular inclination much, lately. Perhaps it is because I have actually been busy with real life.
The past week was supposed to be a holiday, but I happily sacrificed it along with most of the Swinburne Debate Club to become a part of a very special occasion : The 5th Swinburne World Schools Debating Championships. Tears were shed, smiles were shared, and all of us were greatly enriched by the experience that it brought into our lives.
I was an adjudicator during the tournament. Which is basically a judge, with added justifications. (Okay, debater's joke done and dusted). It was amazing for me, as I had never adjudicated before in any official tournaments. I was even named favourite adjudicator by a few teams, which obviously made me very proud of what I had managed to achieve in the tournament. I did what I could so that every team that spoke to me could do as well as they possibly could, and I'm happy with how it all turned out.
My old school won in both categories :) Although to put on my unbiased hat on for a moment, they really could have, and should have, done better. I would dearly love to help them, but it is up to them if they really want my assistance, since I am willing to sacrifice the time necessary to make them not just good, but mind-blastingly awesome. School-level at least. At national and International level, I am still pretty much a n00b.
The overall vibe from the tournament has renewed my faith in the youth of today, and how they are progressing. I have met intensely fascinating characters, real personalities, intriguing walking mysteries, and of course, plenty of rather attractive looking members of the opposite gender. I'm happy, that those that I have met have re-affirmed my faith for the future. Thank you debaters. :)
Curiously enough, I haven't actually blogged in a while. Why? I don't know really. I would ordinarily consider myself to be sufficiently egotistical to actually want to see my name up in lights on a regular basis. However, I have not felt that particular inclination much, lately. Perhaps it is because I have actually been busy with real life.
The past week was supposed to be a holiday, but I happily sacrificed it along with most of the Swinburne Debate Club to become a part of a very special occasion : The 5th Swinburne World Schools Debating Championships. Tears were shed, smiles were shared, and all of us were greatly enriched by the experience that it brought into our lives.
I was an adjudicator during the tournament. Which is basically a judge, with added justifications. (Okay, debater's joke done and dusted). It was amazing for me, as I had never adjudicated before in any official tournaments. I was even named favourite adjudicator by a few teams, which obviously made me very proud of what I had managed to achieve in the tournament. I did what I could so that every team that spoke to me could do as well as they possibly could, and I'm happy with how it all turned out.
My old school won in both categories :) Although to put on my unbiased hat on for a moment, they really could have, and should have, done better. I would dearly love to help them, but it is up to them if they really want my assistance, since I am willing to sacrifice the time necessary to make them not just good, but mind-blastingly awesome. School-level at least. At national and International level, I am still pretty much a n00b.
The overall vibe from the tournament has renewed my faith in the youth of today, and how they are progressing. I have met intensely fascinating characters, real personalities, intriguing walking mysteries, and of course, plenty of rather attractive looking members of the opposite gender. I'm happy, that those that I have met have re-affirmed my faith for the future. Thank you debaters. :)
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