Crunch Time
Well, its here again, the crunch time that comes around every 6 months; the choosing of modules and of course, the planning of my timetable for the coming semester. I did as I expected, if not, a bit better for the University examinations. I got a B+ for the module that I intended to major in; a huge jump from my mid term grade of C. I am satisfied with what I have gotten for this term and I only seek for higher grades the next coming term.
Now that I have more or less accustomed myself with the pace of University life, I feel that I can achieve more, reach higher than last semester. Well, not without the support of my friends though. I am grateful for the company that you all have offered to me; and I want them to last forever more! : )
I guess I will be spending the rest of this week, before Friday, which is the start of the modules bidding exercise, to carefully plan out the timetable for the coming semester. I will still reserve some time for my friends and the activities that I enjoy doing; this will continue even when school term starts, although I might just be that little bit busier.
I wish all of you readers a very happy holiday and all the best for the coming 2005 new year! Achieve what you must; you can, if you try hard enough. Nothing can stop us from reaching the stars...nothing.
"Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day." ~Polish Proverb
Friends
There are basically put, 2 types of friends in this world. The "true" and the "untrue"; the former, needless to say, is hard to come by while the latter can be found anywhere, anytime. The problem here is with the differentiating of these 2 very different types. Similar by the word "friend", these 2 types vary drastically in feeling and the way they present themselves to us. I am sure deep down inside, everyone will have their own unique way of differentiating true friends from untrue ones; although the methods and ways used to portray such feelings by each individual are vastly different.
I am happy to say that I have several of these hard to come by friends who have walked into my life in different stages during the past 21 years; I am grateful for the friendships forged and the feelings shared; I will try my best to hold onto these reins of friendship and I hope they will do the same too. (You know who you are.) As said by my father, true friendships are extremely hard to come by, know and treasure those that have already made a presence in your life and let not the feelings of regret grip you by the ends when you near the twilight years. I will remember that... and I am sure you will remember it too... my dear friends.
Lemme Fly!
I will be departing Singapore for Taiwan tomorrow morning, 11am. I am armed with information on where to go to fully enjoy my trip there; thanks to Paul and the Taiwan Tourism Board webbie.
I have been to taiwan roughly about 4 years ago on a family trip; that trip was not what I hoped it turned out to be; 50% of the time we were in the bus travelling to destinations all over Taiwan. This time, my dad personally saw to it that we will not be doing it again, he's the one who planned the schedules; no more fixed trips from the travel agencies anymore. My last 2 days will be at Taipei Simending, I have a feeling that I will be shopping till I drop over there... heee.....
Oh wel, I will make another post here about my trip over at Taiwan when I return on the 12th (Sunday)
Till then, take care people!
MMORPGs...the dark side
Oh well, MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) are not branded as "evil" on first sight, they are played almost across the entire globe with titles such as World Of Warcraft (WOW), Ragnarok Online, Planeshift... It is only when the player is fully absorbed into the game that one can brand it as "evil", a life sucker.
MMORPGs allow for the players to immerse themselves in a totally new and fun world away from the mundane chores of reality. Players get to detach themselves momentarily from the society for a limited period of time as they role play as the characters they want to be in the virtual world. All that comes to an end when the computer is shut down and the user returns to the real world; very much like the matrix. However, one can be so absorbed into the game that there will be withdrawal symptoms whenever one stops playing for an extended period of time; the real world is now exchanged with the virtual one, the latter becoming more important than the former. This is when the "evil" part comes in; in a bid to earn maximum cash, companies have come up with new and fun ways to entertain their virtual customers online by creating "events" and giving away prizes to the winners. This will cause the players to be even more devoted to the cause; prolonging the hours they stay online.
When things get out of hand, they start to get really ugly. The player no longer wants to return to the real world. Everything that has anything to do with the real world will have no effects on the doings of the individual; he simply does not care anymore. The virtual world has already fully absorbed him into its realm. This was what happened to my brother in the past 30 days; he has been playing non stop, 14 to 16 hours straight everyday, nothing can make him move from his seat, not even going downstairs to get some magazines... He wakes up at 11am, starts playing at 11.10am together with brunch, continues all the way till the wee hours of the morning, say 2.30am, then goes to bed and the whole cycle begins the very next day.
There seems to be no way to break this vicious cycle; the more he plays, the more attached he is to the virtual world. His friends all become virtual friends, with the real friends becoming more of a nuisance as they call when he is playing. (It does not matter when they call, he will always be playing. It has become his way of life...) Even getting him out for lunch and dinner can be a big problem as sometimes, events that are happening online prevents him from eating; as a result he suffers from irregular mealtimes, increasing his risk of acquiring gastric problems.
Often, the affected individual can become so immersed in their games that they may actually relate game events as daily happenings to their kins; they speak of killing demons with much emphasis as a normal person would normally place on real life events; the importance and seriousness they place in their speech of their virtual endeavours is really frightening; sometimes I wonder if he is still living...
I am currently seeking a way to pull the plug on this virtual reality blackhole; the blackhole that sucks all human existance away from a player... If you know of any, do not hesitate to post it here. I would be very happy to receive the comments of the readers from this blog.
