The Y’s Tripe G.

It’s been a while, and a lot has changed. Last time I blogged I had just been elected to the position of Opposition Leader of the YMCA’s NSW Youth Parliament. Since then I have taken part in the week long residential camp in which we debated 12 Bills, 3 Matters of Public Importance, 2 Petitions and allowed for each member of Parliament to give a Private Member Statement.  It was a truly amazing experience and one I will hold dear to my heart for the years to come. 

Some of the highlights from my perspective were for one the casual battle I had with the Premier Josh Favalouro or as I like to refer him to as, the Hon. JFaboulous Member for Latte Sippers across the state.  To set the scene for those who weren’t present, after a hotly contested campaign for Premier myself and JFab went to lead our respective parties in parliament. The rivalry started on the first day, with calls of Latte Sippers and when I coined the phrase ‘ JFabulous’.

Another highlight in general was the hysterical banter that circulated the chamber at any given time, whether if it was a call of ‘Farmers, Farmers, Farmers’ or ‘Communists’ it all added to the emotion driven debate that went on during the week.  If anyone wants to test themselves as a public speaker, NSW Parliament House, in the middle of a Youth Parliament session is definitely a good testing ground. You have to think on your feet, be witty yet logical and have powerful control of rhetoric so naturally I failed :P, but the rest of my esteemed youth parliamentarians rose to occasion.

To my delight, my Citizenship bill passed through with an overwhelming majority and was very hotly debated with highlights shown in the video attached.  The amounts of memorable personalities from the experience are countless, whether it be the Member for Barwon and his ‘Social Marxist’ or the Member for Sydney and his..... everything. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQFhPSi9PrA 

Finally, I have been elected to the position of NSW Youth Governor which is most probably the highest honour I have received. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I look forward to give it my all and represent the YMCA and the Youth Members for another year.  To keep track of my journey, follow me on my Youth Govenor Twitter @NSWYouthGov and keep an eye out for some promotional video material.

YP2012’ <3

Geeth Geeganage Youth Governor 

Opposition Leader....... Does that mean I oppose everything?

 I recently was told I was elected to the position of opposition leader in the YMCA’s NSW Youth Parliament.  I am entirely grateful to the people who voted for me, and even more grateful to the organisers for giving me this opportunity; by facilitating a program like YP. Giving youth a platform.  Being the youth member for Blacktown was a big enough honour but the position of Opposition Leader is the icing on the cake. 

I would like to congratulate Josh Favaloro for being democratically elected the Youth Premier of NSW. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be a great YPremier and can’t wait to battle it out come July across the bear pit.   

An interesting fact that I came across the other day, was that now. Both the Youth Opposition Leader (ME!) and the Opposition Leader of NSW (John Robertson) are members for Blacktown. Hopefully I can get some tips of my local member and I can grow as a leader as well.  I was also thinking, now that I’m an opposition leader; is my job just to oppose everything?

NO! In the YMCA NSW Youth Parliament the job of the Opposition is not to oppose or strike down bills completely, rather look to strengthen bills and at times change them a bit to make the best possible bill and to be honest none of the bills I read, I would have been able to oppose 100% anyways!  I look forward to the challenge and new experience.

...I look forward to working with everyone, especially those in the opposition ;), to put through some (if not all) great bills and will hopefully get a good looking at by the ministers at the state level. =] Inbox me on facebook, email me on g.geeganage@gmail.com or tweet me on @GGeeganage on twitter if you want to talk about the bills or anything really. =]




Lets make Youth Parliament  2012; the best one yet =] WOOOO =]

Geeth Geeganage 
Youth Member for Blacktown and Leader of the Opposition.

One mans rubbish, is another mans Treasure.  

The below listed side put together with people who are coming off contract (optional included) for 2012.

I went for a side with a mix between youth and experience with players with special abilities in different positions. A few I want to highlight are first , Matt Ballin. I rate him as a hooker, he is underrated would definitely would be a household name if he didn’t have that pesky Cameron Smith above him on the pecking order for the Maroons.  I think the only 'must have' would be Tony Williams, one for his versatility and two for his impact on a footy game. Furthermore, some great finishes out wide, and impact of the bench to cover up for an in experienced and under-strengthed halves paring. With potential growth hoped for from youngsters, Dale Finucane, Darcu Lussick, Dean Whare and Sam Kasiano. 

Here is my side filled only with players only who have not finalised their contracts for next year

1.  Tim Moltzen

2. Lote Tuqiri

3. Colin Best

      4. Ben Pomeroy 

      5. Dean Whare

      6. Kris Keating

      7. Jordan Rankin

      8. Sam Kasiano

      9. Matt Ballin

     10. Fuifui Moimoi

     11. Tony Williams

     12. Michael Crocker (C)

     13.  Anthony Tupou

Interchange

     14.  Sika Manu,

     15.  Aaron Payne

     16.  Dale Finucane

     17.   Darcy Lussick

Now, I challenge all you footy fans out there to make your own team with the list of off contract players listed here ; http://www.zerotackle.com.au/rugby-league/nrl/players/off-contract-2012/by-position-2012/.  Mix it up, I know there will be some picks that left you scratching your head, so go out there and try it yourself , and then post your side in the comment section below!


Geeth Geeganage,
GM of FakeSportsTeams. 

Rugby League, how I love you so.

Disclaimer: Granted, soccer is the World sport. I am not contesting that, I am simply expressing the reason why I love the game of Rugby League.

Rugby league is a sport where tactics, brute strength and pure skill are showcased within a 80 minute fast paced game. The fans cheer, the players give it their all and the roots of NRL in this great state of ours are profound, with 10 of the 16 NRL sides situated within NSW. 

The game of NRL never ceases to amaze me, last weekend I sat watching in amazement as the Dragons came back from behind to clinch a win in the dying moments against the Rosters. If that wasn’t enough, the luckless Parramatta Eels side came from 31- nil down to score 30 points in the last 13 minutes to nearly cause the most dramatic comeback in the history of the game.  In the NRL there always seems to be amazing games, a definite every week, never any nil- all draws.   

The drama filled games get fans heavily involved with the annual New South Whales vs Queensland Origin one of the most passionate and eventful series on the Australian sporting calendar.  Fans are passionate; the players give it their all and with the roots of NRL firmly in the soil of NSW, NRL is here to stay whilst other sports might not.

Furthermore, the implementation of a salary cap in the NRL, allows for a legitimate spread of talent unlike what happens in the English Premier League, where big money leads to big success. As demonstrated in the meteoric ascendance of Manchester City after being bought out by oil tycoons.

I love the NRL, I love the passion, I love the Skill, I Love the Brutality, I love the tactics.... and even love the legal arguments raised at the judiciary hearings. It is a sport where everything goes on the line and no-one fakes injuries. Sometimes when watching other sports it feels like I’m watching the diving event in Beijing.  But none the less, sport itself is a great thing and it allows for a great feeling of community and pride.

I would just like to leave you with this, Enjoy =D Clear indication of where my heart lies :Phttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7S98XB1240

Geeth Geeganage 

NRL FAN

City vs Country Origin; A tale of two towns.

The City V Country Origin clash this year was brought the country town of Mudgee where locals filled the ground to capacity with 8 thousand fans of the game coming out to watch the country and city boys go head to head. With recent talks of the fixture getting scrapped the fixture had a whole new meaning to it, which would hold the cup for the next of eternity...

The interesting, and attack orientated game, ended with a score line for 24-22 with the city boys narrowly getting over the line, after leading 24-0 at one stage. Standout performances from Carney and Pearce could put them at the front of the pack for the Blue halves spot but it is too far out to tell. A notable underperformance was from the eel’s superstar Jarred Hayne who looked out of sorts and moved to the wing late in the game, as he was playing in the unfamiliar position of five-eight.  I really hope they still keep Hayne in the origin side somewhere, whether it be at fullback or on the wing, he is a dynamic player and can be a game changer and as the Blues come up against a Maroons side that have won 6 in row, they will need all the stars they can get.

The City vs Country Origin game is vital to NSW Nrl, for two reasons.
1. It brings the game out to rural areas, to further develop and intrigue that fan base. We only have to look at where QLD’s stars come from to note that rural areas are gold mine for talent.

2. It allows young and upcoming players to get rewarded for their good form, even though they most probably make the NSW side, it shows them that they are on the right track.

Furthermore, in key positional match ups it can be a good test, for coaches to view what certain players do in certain situations. At least now, we know that Hayne shouldn’t play at Five-Eight for NSW.  To say that this fixture is useless and that it should be scrapped is asinine. 

Lets face it NSW, we need all the opportunities we can get to sort out our squad with a QLD side full of guns. Working out if certain combinations would work well together is also a great reason why this clash is vital.

Lets just hope, the Lockyear-Less Maroons are going to take some time to recover. But his replacement Cronk isn’t too bad either. 

Geeth Geeganage 

Footy Fan 

YMCA NSW YOUTH PARLIAMENT  -    'The Training Camp'

 Over the weekend that just past I attended the YMCA’s Youth Parliament training camp, this camp was designed to get the youth members up to speed with parliamentary protocol, meet with other members , instigate bill development and most of all have fun. I attended this camp as Youth Member for Blacktown and I enjoyed breaking down the stereotypes that many uninformed people have about the heart of Western Sydney.  1. I do not fear my life, when I walk around in Blacktown. 2 All my friends are not uneducated and 3. I have never been stabbed/raped or abused in Blacktown.....or anywhere for that matter.

I attended the camp on Saturday and walked into a seminar about parliamentary etiquette and just in time for lunch. As soon as the break was upon us, it was amazing the feeling of welcomeness I got from people I had just met. Introductions were coming left, right and centre and I loved it!

I am in the Citizenship committee and am currently working on a bill that puts in a logical and coherent system to recognise the qualifications of skilled migrants. This is a topic I hold very dear to my heart and can’t wait to nut out the nitty gritty of system.

One of the most interesting parts of the camp for me, was my opportunity to participate in a real life QandA. This after being a big fan of the ABC's QandA. As I will be putting my name in the barrel for the position of Youth Premier, I thought I should take any opportunity to make myself known to group. Hopefully through my ‘long....large....’ passion for leadership, I left a lasting imprint in everyone’s minds [=D]

Overall the camp was great! I learnt a lot and the 12 v 12 debate on the final day of camp really left me yearning for more. More debate, more policy discussion and more YOUTH PARLIAMENT! I will be eagerly awaiting the residential camp, to suit up, and step into the cauldron that is NSW parliament house!!!

Geeth Geeganage

Youth Member for Blacktown

P.S.  Big shoutout to the YMCA, they do a lot of great things for youth across Australia and indeed across the world.  Youth Parliament is just one of their many programs aimed to help make the world a better place. For more information see, ww.ymcasydney.org. 

The Gossip Girl complex

Gossip girl a TV series that has been running for 5 seasons with more to come, it has been very popular and successfully launched the career of many of its cast.  But for some reason if a male enjoys and follows gossip girl they are intrinsically less manly than those who brazenly dismiss it as a ‘chicks’ show.  Please explain?

I think;
1.  These people who are passing judgement have not watched or seen more than 20 minutes of the show.

And,

2. They need to show me, where in the 5 seasons that have been released has there been a episode that has only appealed to women.

Gossip Girl has had an amazing first 5 seasons, there is a cast of both men and females, with a mix of drama and comical moments. Of course there have been some dull/low points in the storyline but most fans will agree the season 5 has been one of great interest.

Geeth Geeganage 

Gossip Girl Fan