Revamp

Well.

Blogger seems to have revamped their everything since I've last checked; I admit that I find it rather irritating to not have the old controls. Sure, maybe it's sleeker and more interesting, but I don't quite like having to hunt all over the place for the "edit whole blog in HTML format" (I still haven't found it). As a consequence this blog is hereby condemned to live with the scrappy HTML formatting that I did for it years ago until such a time where I decide to change the template.

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If there's one thing I've learnt though the past couple of months, it's to never take anything for granted. Everyday I am reminded anew of the surprising strength that belies some people.

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As of late, I've recently become more irritable, to the point where it's visible even to me. ...I suppose it's due to the stress; perhaps I should start to be more organised.

It's probably been a subconscious tendency for quite a while, but now I'm consciously channeling most of my held-back anger or impatience into a reserve of fire to use when debating (if and when the situation calls for it/I feel like it).

I've always loved doing Thirds because by then in most debates I'm sufficiently fired up to declare every single one on the opposing team a misguided idiot. On a logical level, I do agree it was for the better for the team and myself that I was eventually rotated out of that. Even now, when I do Thirds, I have to constantly remind myself, to keep myself on a leash.

On a lower, baser level, though, I love Thirds simply because of the sheer destructive potential. To me it's a strange "bloodlust" of sorts: to dismember an opposing argument beyond the point of saving. Even these civilised words don't seem to do what I mean justice: I'm talking about the likes of the legendary Seventeen-Tiered Rebuttal, razing an argument down to the ground from multiple perspectives; the kind of kick you might just get if your neighbour came up to you and self-righteously declared some stupid statement, the kind of argument that is just begging to be dismantled; the sheer malicious Schadenfreude, to destroy.

...honestly, I'm torn between behaving properly this Hammers or just letting myself go.

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Have started a proper (hopefully) game of chess by tag with Darion, I intend to see it to completion. At a rate of a move or two a week maybe I'll even clear my army stint before it's all over.

...nah, who am I kidding?

Just so to make me update more constantly and also to try to regain some command of English, I shall chronicle this exciting match as it unfolds every week.

1. e4
The starting horn blares, and I trudge across the field. I keep my head down and walk, listening to the trudging of my unwilling feet across mud and sand and who-cares-what-else in this forsaken land. Misery loves company, though, and at the very least I have plenty of both. At the very least, I have those whom I can count upon to back me up, to fall back upon, to -

Silence.

I turn aroud, only to see no one else.

I stand alone in the middle of a blistering nowhere, watching dark clouds slowly swirl together overhead.