... of losing

"Losing's a bitch."

Damn right, Donald Trump. Nobody takes a liking to losing. Never have I've seen anyone who cared for a game so much, lost, and still be able to keep cool. Let's see...

Donald Trump? That's right, let's take the boardroom for our first example. How is it that a team that has been winning constantly have not much qualms about anything turn so suddenly and eager to bite at the point of losing? Threat of elimination the cause - why not? But they lost. As simple as that.

The opening phrase was quoted from Mr Trump himself, which brings us to our second example. In the corporate world, people who work absolutely well with each other will start to blame each other in the event of failure, and I quote again, "all the time".

Local settings... local settings...

LAN gaming. Everyone loves a good game now and then. Of course, with good there's always the bad, and people just can't seem to accept it. It's a rosy world where everyone's a winner, isn't it? HA! What used to be infuriating, it now turns amusing and sad to see people starting to curse and swear at the weaker teammates, believing that their cause of loss is not themselves. Amusing because their illogical statements, like a silly character in a comedy to amuse the viewer; sad because how many new players have turned against the culture, and losing so many potential experts.

Soceer is also, how you say... wierd. How is it that classmates can talk to each other well in class, fight and threaten each other at soceer because they think they've lost pride in a game or when they lose, then go back to class, pretending nothing has happened? By all that is good, I have nothing better to describe these people but wierd. THAT'S RIGHT, class of 2B. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, wierdos.

Are these people bad? Only for the 2B guys, yes. You see, anger is an important emotion, and losing oft sparks it off. Dissatisfaction, fustration, sense of imcompetency, loss of pride, and maybe sometimes loss of tangible goods. My, these are surprising just few of the things we can lose just by losing! Can we pull ourselves back and say, "Woah! Better control myself before I do anything stupid!"? Nope, 4-letters words are already happily flying from your mouth like Teletubbies hopping around in La La Land.

Trust me, if you find people who can not lose it, those may be worthy friends. And for those who does lose their cool? Forgive them. Like you would of Teletubbies or Spongebob Squarepants.

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DAMN YOU SPONGEBOB! There, I said my piece. Sue me.

... of hand held gaming

If you are oblivious to what is going on in the world of gaming, in particular the world of hand-held gamin, I say it's about time to wake up to the New World.

In retrospective, it was not too long ago that the Game Boy was introduced by Nintendo. Starting out in 1989, it revolutionized the hand-held industry for being the first portable game system with interchangable game cards (compared to the bulky cartridges that Sega and NES uses). It remained a technological innovation, with no worthy competitiors matching its model, and retaining its success, with product improvements such as GB Color and GB Advance. Till 2004 that is.

It was not till mid-2004 when competitor Sony entered the market with its own version of hand held - the Playstation Portable (PSP). It is also about the same time Nintendo defended its kingdom with the introduction of Nintendo DS. It is futile to compare they successes right now, since not only are these products in their growth stage, they are susceptible to changes in the future (eg. PSP's online updates)

What are the fundamental differences between PSP and DS?

Upon physical inspection, PSP has the expected screen of 16:9, while DS offers a dual screen. More equates better? That's for you to decide.

PSP has well-designed, comfortable-to-use buttons, while DS includes a stylus (as advertised "Touch!", an attempt to create the word association in consumers). In fact, DS has risen itself to a higher level: direct interaction with the screen.

PSP reads its data through UMD (Universal Media Discs), while the DS retains its old method of game cards. PSP's motive is clear. UMDs are like mini-DVDs, able to store up to 1.8 Gig of data, including music, photos and movies. What this means is that PSP to moving itself towards being a portable entertainment system. Of course, DS chooses not to follow the same path, since it will mean that the price of the DS would shoot beyond what its customers are willing to pay for.

What I mean to "wake up to the New World" of hand held is the essence here. Sony and Nintendo has brought this industry to another level in terms of interactivity. DS's Touch has involved th stylus in chatting, organising and even gaming. Offering wireless connection, both consoles allows up to 16 connections with other PSP/DS users.

Perhaps the most distinctive high-tech feature within the DS is the microphone. Some games involve voice recognition, eg Nintendogs, where you, as the user, will be able to train the dog with your voice. Another amusement comes when you are required to blow (yes, literally) towards the DS to activate certain features of the game.

Did anyone saw this coming to hand held gaming? Perhaps what this suggests is that with today's advancement of technology, the gaming industy can really push itself beyond any gamer's imagination. And all we can really do is ask "What's next?"

fake wings

Shine bright morning light
Now in the air the spring is coming
Sweet blowing wind
Singing down the hills and valleys
Keep your eyes on me
Now we're on the edge of hell
Dear my love, sweet morning light
Wait for me, you've gone much farther, too far.

- Fake Wings

riddle of the mysterion

What lies beyond the furthest reaches of the sky?
That which leads the lost child back into its mother's arms;
Exile.

The waves that stain the land in gold;
The breath of blessings that nurtures life;
The land of wheat.

The path upon which the angels walk;
Thou art the path of great winds;
The Grand Stream.

What lies beyond the furthest reaches of memory?
Where everything is born and to where everything returns;
The blue star.<

- Last Exile

... of Anime

Anime - A style of animation developed in Japan characterized by stylised art. Comparative to art, it is able to relate experiences that have comed to pass, emotions that are, and feelings that could be.

Ah yes, the subtle difference between cartoon and anime has finally been cleared up. Or is it?

It is an unfortunate situation that anime has been undermined by many. Mistaken views of what exactly anime is about is a major hindrance to the actual development of anime in multiple regions. Anger grabs the passionate, who catches the wisp of saying “Anime is just a Japanese word for Cartoon”.

Ignorance is at hand here, folks. Had I been a better player in theatres, it would have been drowned by Shakespeareans curses. Or perhaps if I turned out to love insult comics, it would have been drowned by ‘Poop’. (For the curious, I’m referring to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.) Yet I don’t. Once again, the reason for that is ignorance. (Don’t mistake what I say, for ignorance is neither a good nor bad thing. It happens.)

What? Is the bochup attitude at hand here? Then how is it that the anime culture is able to better penetrate Singapore society rather than other societies?

Being exposed to large number of influences, it seems Singaporeans will be blind to many influences, including the anime culture. You can’t expect a person to love Vietnam movies, Chinese songs, Japanese anime, French poems, Mongolian folk songs and perhaps another 10 different countries’ influence.

And no! I’m not defending these people from passionates. Being ignorant is not a bad thing, but it does not approve the right to negative comments. Learn, and stop your excuse of being ignorant. The anime culture is no longer just a simple influence that will die out soon. It has proven itself to be a considerable impact on multiple cultures (including Singapore, of course). Once again, our all power counterpart, the US has it own worry of the anime industry affecting it’s own animation industry. Look at Disney, and you’ll understand. Underestimating it, and don’t be surprised when it comes as a blow to the head. Emulation upon the anime has started. Emulation of style, of story, of values leading the way of the cultures.

... of dreams

At what point in life does a person decide that he should stop dreaming?

Try this. The next time you’re on the train, or perhaps even the lecture hall, look at the person to the left, and look at the person at the right. I am willing to bet that only 1 of you have a dream. 1 in 3! Heck, the statistics may show less than that… Sad.

And when I mean a Dream, I’m not talking about getting a degree and a stable job. I’m talking about the real stuff, like traveling the world, making a change in someone’s life. It need not be a sacrifice. It doesn’t have to take a lot of money to achieve. Outrageous would be closer, but that is called a dream.

And yet, when you actually think about it, it is nobody’s fault that people are deprived of dreams. Reality, is a cruel word. It is more likely that people are forced under circumstances. How can an orphan dream of having a happy family? How can a starving child dream of having all the riches in the world? Any nuance of dreams, they are snapped back by pain on the emotional and physical level. Dream too long, they are condemned doomed.

Ah? Those are the worst-case scenarios, you say? Come, let’s take an example closer to us - Singapore. How many students can dream big? I mean really big. Going to the moon? Not exciting. Travelling the world? No point. Creating a really big business? Too much risk. Picky, or just altered not to?

What’s in a dream, but hopelessness to many? Since it comes to the point where we do not get what we dream. It is true, and that’s why we are often knocked down by others. “It is futile.” “Don’t waste your time.” And yet eventually, they do not realize that it is in the adventure that we dreamers seek out for. Can you understand the excitement we have for life? Can you understand the romance in this pursuit? Then you will understand why we always get back to our beaten-off path.

What romance are you going for today?

it's only a fairy tale

Who are those little girls in pain
Just trapped in castle of dark side of moon,
Twelve of them shining bright in vain
Like flowers that blossom just once in years.

They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love
Just dreaming of a place where they're free as dove,
They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage
It's only the fairy tale they believe.

- Alyssa Searrs

... of "banzai!"

Ee ja nai ka!

"What the hell?" I said. Not to be taking a sudden interest in Japanese, but taking a big response to a mindless game show that Central actually aired every Monday 9:30pm. (Ironically I know the details so well.)

"Banzai!", for those who is clueless about what I'm refering to, is hosted by Japanese "fun-wanna-be"s, and it proposes both everyday and unusual situations to the viewers, and offers different guesses to what the meaningless outcome would be. Why would anyone guess how much this guy is going to sell his chicken pattie? Why would anyone try to predict how long can this guy shake the artiste's hands? And I ain't gonna deduce how long the biscuit can be dipped into a cup of coffee before it breaks off!

This show, originally aired in UK in 2003 (which FOX will buy over in a year later in Feb), was targetting these English families and/or friends to come together to wager against each other, and supposedly having created fun. Perhaps it has allowed television to reach a new level of interaction. Perhaps, I say, since the more subtle reason is providing what they need - interaction. Pessimistic way of seeing things, or simply just biased? Maybe, but I sure ain't biased. (2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 mouth. Yup! We're the same!)

For those who wants to know, here's the real reason for such a show, or so I say. Know that the Japanese has gambling as a big part of their lives. No, not 4-D or Toto, dumb dumb. I'm talking Pachinko, a slot like machine available throughout Japan. Very popular among the working class, many believing it as a form of 'stress removal'. The attempt to translate this gambling habit into a game show results in "Banzai!". Or so I say.

This is no advertisement to deter anyone from watching it. Freedom of right and choice. But take my advice, don't watch it alone. I should know.

HEY! I AIN'T JUDGING YOU!

rozen maiden

Unto me bind the necklace of rose,
I'll hold the silver chain in my mouth.
Yet another will perish tonight,I despise you.
Kneel down and lick the bitter drops of love,
My mischievous servant.

In the days and months of myself,
My heart still beats.
Moonlight shines on torn wings,
As they shake to life again.
Solitude is more frightening than darkness.
Let's prove our promises before the Cross,
With our desire.

Remove the manacles of rose,
Put them on our white wrists.
It is the miracle of touching each other.
I adore you.
Kneel down and offer yourself.
The painful words of love are
Absorbed into the gauze of the new arabeque.

- Rozen Maiden