Manchester City made a point today

NITED got what it deserved today. It lost the match.

United failed to win a home match against just 10 men, not 11.

As Enzo (not Fernandes, who hit the post; not the one Fernandes who kicked Foden, either) put it: “So keep believing we can win the game. Believe, stay in the game and we can win this game.”

Just because you’re smaller does not mean you cannot win.

A lot of the game is “in the mind”. Believe in yourself, fight on. Don’t lessen the effort and do not let helplessness or defeatism take over.

Time to come back

passed by the Depot twice today and it looks like the gardening work at the front end or entrance is more or less finished (sans the fencing).

I hope the birds will return there. They used to hang around there and we fed them there before the work on the new coffee shop and garden began. Now the birds have apparently migrated elsewhere.

For the birds, this garden will be vastly better than the gravel that used to be there. At one point we saw a crow eating a dead pigeon there.

Fernandes should be reprimanded by his own coach

hat terrible leadership from captain Fernandes. Usually I don’t mind who wins the derby, but when you kick a player when he’s down, it should be an instant red card.

Foden was bullied; he hit back.

The FA should punish Fernandes.

Derby ongoing

‘ve just published Part 181 of a long series about what we went through. I gave some background information for uninitiated readers.

In my experience, the bullying tactics have involved throwing disinformation our way; or a variant: throw some baits our way, see if we eat them.

This is a pattern of attacks on media in the UK (and elsewhere), so we need to do something about this whole phenomenon.

Don’t capitulate, fight back.

Consider the SLAPP industry in the UK. We’ll need see which one gets fish (business of SLAPP), then study the fish and talk about it. We’ll see what triggers the SLAPP companies, then focus more on that. We’ll get warmer and closer to their “skeletons in the closet” over time.

I reckon I can spent another decade dealing with this problem.

Water is life

ast month our government formally advised people to prepare for climate problems (natural or man-made disasters) and/or war. I think it meant the latter, but officials tried to avoid causing panic or panic-buying. It basically urged stockpiling, focusing on things like water, canned food, maybe essential (life-sustaining) medicine.

Putting aside food and the NHS, let’s focus on water today.

In the UK, rain-catching barrels (or very large plastic containers) are unlawful. I didn’t check why, but I think it’s for sanitary reasons (people drinking from it, getting ill, asking NHS to intervene, i.e. becoming a burden on the state’s capacity/budget).

Suppose a war broke out, water supplies got disrupted, and people here would rather die than recycle and drink urine (a feasible survival strategy by the way).

In a country like ours, for two adults, you can assume 1) no tap water, no sewer, but waste can be managed another way/s (liquid absorbed by soil if you’re not in a high-floor apartment); 2) about 5 litres per day for a couple or 150 litres consumed per month; 3) water is preferable (over other liquids); 4) insulation needed (for all liquids). Boiling not an option if power is out.

For a typical household, water usually runs out first; food is less critical than water because we’re about 80% water. People tend to underestimate how much water they consume (digested, not washing/bathing related usage) and people can consume their own muscle and fats (the body metabolise its own mass). It’s all OK, except for water…

No doubt water is essential.

I am not saying we’ll 1) have a war soon and 2) it will disrupt the water supply.

I am only describing a scenario where people stockpile the wrong thing/s. Or prioritise (weight-wise) what’s more expensive and less critical.

First season for both in their repsective teams

hree hours from now the derby commences (kick-off 4:30PM) and so far I’ve seen only United jerseys in town, no City shirts/gear/scarves. We spent several hours there and came back.

“There are many things that Manchester City and Manchester United have in common,” BBC says, “but one thing decisively separates them this season.”

I never particularly liked the derby as I want neither club to lose. That made me mostly uninterested or apathetic.

City must win (by 2 goals) to stay top.

Time flies

can’t believe it’s almost mid-September (in a month with 30 days 15 is halfway). We’ll be in 2027 within 3+ months and it already feels cold.

2026 was exceptionally productive for me – probably most productive since I was a teenager.

The other day, on the way back home, I recalled all the many activities I did when I was 15. I can’t believe I managed to squeeze in TV, computer games, tennis etc. into my day/s. It’s not that these recreational activities were “gainful” (probably a waste of time more than anything else), it’s just that I didn’t let school and homework take over my life. I did that in moderation. I even used to work out in school (with the facilities available). Towards the end I swam there.

I think my efficiency is peaking right now.