Author: Wilfrid

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

The Night Circus By Erin Morgenstern – A Truly Magical Read Like No Others

Do you dig magic?  Do you dig love?  In a circus setting?  If yes, look no further.  Grab a copy of The Night Circus and start reading.  Like now.  You won’t find anything quite like this one.  You see, I have joined millions others to Take Earth Back, writing my own galactic story based on my decisions and actions.  To be able to distract me away from the highly anticipated video game Mass Effect 3, this book has got to be good.  Real good.

Well, it is.

I will not go beyond telling you what the excerpt says.  Because I want it to be a magical read to you, as it was to me.  In 1886, a mysterious traveling circus pops out from nowhere.  Tangled within this circus are two young magicians locked in a competition.  Celia is the enchanter’s daughter and Marco is the sorcerer’s apprentice.  Where does the circus come from?  What is the competition about?  What is at stake?  Where does magic come from?  What does magic do?  In retrospect, the answers hardly matter.  Because there is so much details on the journey itself, one could easily lose oneself devouring every single image, every little scent.  Every tent in the circus, every magical moment, the author turns words into something so surreal that you feel as though you are inside those tents, experiencing the shows in a time before you were born.

Majority of the materials are narrated in present tense.  Each snippet starts with a date and a location.  And the snippets are not arranged in a chronological order.  The time dimension plays a part in the story telling.  It may seem messy and disorienting initially.  But it works amazingly well going back and forth in time, juxtaposing the snippets and bringing out the essence of cause and effect.  Underlying to the story is a simple message: everything in life has its time and place.  If I am to read this book again, I would make a catalog of time and location of each chapter.  I would then attempt to read the story in a chronological order and see how a different experience it would be, reading the story from a different perspective so as to speak.

A small part of the book is written is second person, ‘you’.  It is unusual and rare.  It works well.  If you love magic like I do, chances are, you will be drawn into the story, materializing the circus inside the boundary of your imagination.  When that happens, you know the author has done something remarkable.  The Night Circus will capture your imagination.  Be fascinated.  Go ahead and try it out today.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

A Separation – An Iranian Movie

Every country has her unique ways to resolve conflicts and day-to-day issues.  Take Singapore as an example.  If a motor incident involves two cars – front and back, the claim process is straightforward.  The car at the back picks up the bill.  If a motor incident involves three cars in a chain collision – which in my case, it is unfortunately fortunate that I am car #1, the claim process is somewhat tedious.  Car #2 would dispute my claim saying car #3 was the culprit.  Car #3 has no physical contact with car #1 – my car that is – and cares less about picking up my repair bill.  Therefore, as the driver and owner of car #1, I have to make a claim against my insurance policy as though it was my fault, temporarily eating the non-claim bonus as well as the impeding increase in my premium until this rather tedious case is administratively resolved in nine months to more than a year.  All because of a silly incident at the highway during last Friday’s rush hours, when the cars in front of me were stationary, when my car was stationary, even the car behind me was stationary.  Someone else must have fallen asleep or taken her eyes off the wheel and banged onto the car in front, which in turn banged onto mine.  When the officer at the reporting center informed me that although in this case is no fault of mine, I will need to eat the liability first and be compensated later.  Much, much later.  That is how the motor claim framework works uniquely here, in Singapore.  He was half-expecting me to go into flame, raging into a flow blown complaint mode like a true blue Singaporean or a discerning foreigner often does.  My reaction to him was claim and submissive: Can you repair my car asap?

I had no idea on the credentials that come with this Iranian film “A Separation”.  OK.  Now that I read the paper today, I do vaguely remember one Iranian movie has won the Oscar this year, in the category of best foreign film.  I did not know that “A Separation” is the one.  Cynthia chose the title, reminding TK and I that Persepolis that we enjoyed watching is also a movie about Iran.  So the concept should not be too foreign to us.  In retrospect, while Persepolis is a movie about Iran, it is not an Iranian movie.  In any case, I enjoy watching unfamiliar cultures and peoples on a big screen.  So, I watched “A Separation” with a curious mind.

Every country has her unique ways to resolve conflicts and day-to-day issues.  Iran is no different.  This story begins in an Iranian court that resembles an office.  A woman is divorcing her husband in the presence of a judge.  There are no lawyers representing them, just two persons arguing their case in front of an official.  Peeled underneath this truly ordinary divorce case is a husband who devoutly takes care of his father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, even though his father no longer seems to recognize him, or to speak.  A wife who wants to emigrate with her husband and their daughter.  And a 11-year old daughter who gets caught in her parents’ separation.

It takes a while for me to adjust to the fact that this family is considered as well-to-do family in Iran standard.  Their apartment is comparably larger and they can afford to have cars when some need to spend hours in order commute to work.  The contrast with the scene of the street is striking.  Soon, there is a clash between the two classes.  Conflict gets escalated and the film’s characters spend much time arguing in and out of the courtroom.  Witnesses are being called in and cases are reconstructed at the actual scene.  Everything in Iran seems to be chaotic.  Everyone seems to have different motives.  In this emotional torn environment, truth is hardly black and white.  If the system is not perfect, what does doing the right thing mean?  How far can one pushes the envelop of conscience, especially in a community that is governed by religion?

However way you look into this story, there are different layers to it.  These are real problems with real people.  No one is perfect, neither is the system (or philosophically speaking, neither is the world).  People make do with whatever situation and system they are in and trying to live a life, making the best out from it.  In the end, we the audience are gently reminded by the filmmaker that these are private matters.  As an observer, we have a glimpse into what goes on with the ordinary folks in Iran.  The rest is private.  I love this movie.  Possibly a masterpiece.

Categories
Book Reviews Non-Fiction

What Matters Now By Gary Hamel

“What Matters Now” calls for a deep reflection on where your organization is, and to be.  And as a leader, what you should do now.  This book is divided into five sections: value matters now, innovation matters now, adaptability matters now, passion matters now, and ideology matters now.  Each section contains five articles that offer different perspectives under the same topic.  Each article is packed with relevant case studies to illustrate where the pain points and pitfalls are, the success stories, and how organizations can do better.  Some ideas are so bold that it may require a drastic change in the entire organization in order to make it happens.  It is as though the author is challenging us to aim higher.  Perhaps Hamel is right.  In today’s world, there is no place for an average performing organization.  Our organization has to beat the market or our competitors so as to survive and thrive.

Using the bankers, legislators, and regulators as a case study and recounting the major events happened during recent financial crisis, the author highlights that when a leader sacrifices long term goals with quick payout, people would not see them as trustworthy.  The author appears to feel strongly against corporation’s erosion of moral.  Hamel uses farmers as an example to contrast these highly paid leaders.  Here is the “Farmer’s Creed” for sharing.

I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming.  I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character.  I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this earth …

Would you trust your life with a company’s CEO or would you trust the nurses or the farmers instead?  The author suggests that it is a high time for leaders to regain moral high ground and to embrace what Socrates called the good, the just, and the beautiful.  In short, value matters now.

When it comes to innovation, it should come as no surprise that Apple is used as a case study.  The author examines how Apple becomes one of the most profitable companies in the world today.  Hamel makes a detail listing of Apple’s success, from design innovation to passion within the organization.  Does your company often analysis the trade-offs and compromise?  Or is your organization as unreasonable as Apple so as to transcend trade-offs?

On adaptability, are we changing as fast as the world does?  Under the section of “Adaptability Matters Now”, there is a chapter on how decline can be diagnosed and another chapter on how your company can be future-proofed.  To make a company adaptable, the author has outlined six critical factors: anticipation, intellectual flexibility, strategic variety, strategic flexibility, structural flexibility, and resilience-friendly values.  In my opinion, to achieve this is no easy feat.  It depends on how entrenched your organization are with the existing processes and policies.  The paragraph below sums up the concept.  Ask yourself one question: how close is your organization to the following dream state?

We can dream of organizations that are forever looking forward and jump at every opportunity to better the human condition.  We can dream of organizations where the enthusiasm for change is palpable and pervasive, where individuals, ennobled by a sense of mission and unencumbered by bureaucracy, rush out eagerly to meet the future.  We can dream of organizations where the fearless renegades always trump the fearful reactionaries, where the constituency for the future always outguns the constituency for the past.  We can dream of organizations where the drama of renewal occurs without the trauma of a turnaround.  And, if we’re daring and inventive and determined, we can build these organizations.  That’s what matters now.

On passion, Hamel looks inside the Facebook generation for inspiration.  On how we as a community interact in an online environment where the hierarchy does not exist.  Everyone can contribute, anyone can lead.  No one can dictate or kill a good idea.  Ideas built upon ideas and excellence usually wins.  The author also brings up Christian community as an example, that the Church’s followers are on a decline nowadays.  Lesser and lesser people visit a Church these days.  But does that mean people do not believe in God?  The question is, how to bring these people back to the rhythm of visiting a Church?  The solution lies in the ignition of passion within the community.  When left without formal control and discipline and given a freedom to pursue their goals, people do rise up to the occasion and leaders do emerge.  Smaller groups can be formed and everyone contributes in accordance to their strength.

The last section “Ideology Matters Now” is, for lack of a better word, radical.  If not for the case studies of W. L. Gore, Morning Star, and HCLT, I would not be convinced that self-management works.  Imagine a company that has a flat organization chart.  Imagine the only way to lead is to gather enough supporters around you.  Imagine there is no top down authority, and there are no defined roles.  Imagine everyone is accountable for the decisions they are empowered to make, that anyone can be a decision maker.  Can your organization escape the management tax?  This book spells out the things we should do in order to reach the goal of self-management.  While this model may have its challenges, it has made organizations successful.  I guess, that is all that matters.

What matters now, more than ever, is that you question your assumptions, surrender your conceits, rethink your principles, and raise your sights – and that your challenge others to do the same.  We know broadly what must be done to create organizations that are fit for the future.  The only question is, “Who’s going to lead and who’s going to follow?”  How you answer that question matters most of all.

ISBN-10: 1118120825
ISBN-13: 978-1118120828

Categories
For the Geeks

Nokia Lumia 800 – First 7 Days

Nokia passes me a review unit and wants to hear what I think of the Lumia 800 Windows phone.  Sure.  Especially some of you have expressed your interest on this phone.  As always, I am not going to rate a product because what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.  I am not technically inclined so I am going to type out what I observe from a everyday user’s perspective.  To my new readers, I have done a fair bit of review work on Symbian phones and have now moved onto the Android platform.  I am aware of such a thing called iPhone, though our paths have yet to cross.  And here I am, reviewing a Windows phone.  Throughout this review period, it is also fortunate for me to hear feedback from friends who have used different platforms.  In a way, I hope this article is as objective as it can be.

Love that Shape

Looking at form factor, no doubt, Nokia Lumia 800 is a winner.  Arguably the most beautiful phone made today.  This phone feels solid.  It is slim and  sleek.  And it features a fully enclosed design.  No longer are you able to have physical access to the battery and its internal components through the back of a phone.  The only opening is a tiny latch at the top that elegantly conceals the USB outlet.  It can be popped open with the right touch at the right spot (hmm).  If you peep deep inside, you may find the only screw you can find in the entire phone.  Once the latch is opened, you may slide the MicroSIM holder out and change your card.  The entire operation does not require an external tool.  Screen lock button is placed by the side of the phone.  It is naturally positioned at where the index finder is, rather than on top like most phones do (or if you are a left-handed, your thumb).  When I switch back to my old phone, I begin to realize how uncomfortable it is to lock the screen using a button at the top.

It is hard to describe the glass screen in words.  You have to see for it and feel it yourself.  The glass appears to curve towards the edge, so smooth that you can glide your finger through the surface.  And the glass design flows through the sides of the phone.  The screen size is 3.7”.  Those who find that the smart phones are getting too big these days may like the size of Lumia 800.  The screen appears as pitch black when viewed directly above.  But it turns dark grey when viewed from a side angle.  New phones these days manage to remain black throughout the different viewing angles.  I prefer my screen to stay black.  If this does not bother you, it probably means nothing to you.

Unlike some other brands, the Nokia logo remains subtle.  So are the three touch screen buttons at the bottom of the phone.  All in all, an elegant form factor Lumia 800 has delivered.

User Interface, Touch Screen, and Responsiveness

When you first interact with Nokia Lumia 800, the first thing you would notice, from the user interface point of view, is how sleek and economically simplistic it is.  The background remains black and the contents stands out in white.  The first page consists of a list of tiles that are of a color theme of your choice.  Some of the tiles appear very much “alive”, constantly updated with relevant information.  Such as the number of incoming messages you have, your friends’ latest activities, and the latest notifications from that social network.  Swipe to the second page presents you a list of applications.  Hold the back button at the bottom and you can scroll through a list of applications currently running in the background.  Hold the home button and you can activate the voice command.  The third button connects you to Bing, Microsoft’s very own search engine.  No, you can’t configure that to other search engines, the best I know.

I am not a fan of virtual keyboard on smart phones.  Nokia Lumia 800’s virtual keyboard has changed my perception.  It is accurate and utterly responsive, even on such a small real estate.  Its auto-correct function is intelligent enough to correct my typos while leaving some of the words that are not in the dictionary alone.  To be honest, I am surprised that I could type that well on a virtual keyboard.  Cynthia concurs with me as well and she is now holding onto the phone, tight.  Words with spelling errors are highlighted, very much like what Microsoft Office does.

This phone is powered by a single core 1.4GHz processor.  Depends on the experience with your current phone, you may be thrilled or you may not.  During the review period, looking at the standard out-of-the-box features, the phone is responsive.   Some third party apps though, could be quite slow to start up.  I will cover that in later section.  Lumia 800 has a screen resolution of 800×480.  It is comparable with some Android phones but is slightly behind iPhone.  The difference is noticeable to some.  Weighed at 142g, it is as heavy as iPhone, much heavier than my Android phone.  I suppose that is the price to pay for a metal casing rather than a plastic one.

Lumia 800 has an internal storage of 16GB.  Like iPhone, that cannot be expanded.  I am using a 8GB Android phone and I am struggling with space.  Personally I would prefer a larger storage.  Like 32GB or 64GB.

On voice command as well as search by voice, my friend Jason and I have tried out different scenarios.  The results could be quite hopelessly hilarious.  In general, the “call” command seems to work well.  You could say, “Call Wilfrid” and the phone would call my number immediately.  Or you could say, “Call Jason” – which by the way I have a few Jason entries in my address book – and a list of Jason is displayed for the picking.  We have tried the “find” command and could not quite get that to work.  We have tried the voice searching and voice typing function in a rather noisy environment.  The results did not seem to be consistent.  How often do you use the voice command?  Pretty seldom for me.  So, next.

It is All about Contacts

One major headache when you switch to a different brand is what to do with your current address book.  Different manufacturers provide different ways for you to overcome that hurdle.  With Android, so long as you can extract your phone book in a CSV format, you can upload it to Google Contacts.  With Nokia Windows phones, so long as you can pair your device with your old phone via Bluetooth, you could extract the numbers into your new phone.  I have tried pairing Lumia 800 with my Android phone.  That works.  I have yet to make it work for iPhone because iPhone somehow refuses the Bluetooth connection.  I don’t know.  Perhaps Apple is a jealous lover who wants you for life.

You could also link your Facebook, Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft Live, Twitter, LinkedIn, Nokia Mail, and Outlook accounts into Lumia 800.   This has a few interesting consequences.  First, MSN Messenger and Facebook Chat are integrated with SMS.  So communicating with your friends through these channels becomes seamless.  Now, why doesn’t Lumia 800 include Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk?  I do not know.  Second, you can have a quasi-holistic view of your friends’ social network activities.  By that, I mean Facebook, Live, and Twitter.  What about Google+?  You guess right.  It is not there.  Third, contacts from Facebook and Live are synchronized with your phone book.  In fact, all the phone contacts imported from your old phone are now automatically added onto your Live account.  Depending on how many friends you have in Facebook, this can be overwhelming.  I don’t recall seeing my contacts from Yahoo! or Google.  Then again, perhaps that gets integrated into my old phone book that is used as an import for my new phone book.  Nokia Lumia 800 will attempt to link similar contacts and these contacts can also be linked manually.  That linkage knowledge resides with the phone.  One advantage of registering these accounts with Lumia 800 is that photos of your friends are now displayed in your phone book.  For reasons beyond my comprehension, I am unable to find the search contact function in Lumia 800.  But tapping onto the alphabet heading (as Cynthia has discovered), allows you to jump to a new alphabet heading of your choice.  Unavailable ones are smartly grayed out.  You could of course create groups to better organize your contacts.

Once you have added your accounts to Lumia 800, you can directly share a photo or a link onto the registered social network sites, exclude Google+ of course.

Who cares about MSN Messenger or Facebook Chat these days when you have Whatsapp?  The good news is that there exists a Whatsapp app on Windows platform.  First year is free.  Subsequent years cost $0.99.  The bad news is that as of today, it is a poor port.  Way too basic compares to my Android version.  It takes 5 to 10 seconds to start up.  I am not entirely convinced that the push technology works all the time.  You cannot mute a certain channel.  The emoticons are not presented graphically.  You can’t tell if someone is typing.  In short, usable but leaving much to desire.

When you register your Google, Yahoo!, and Live accounts with the phone, three mailboxes are created.  These mailboxes are functional.  You can read your emails and you can reply your emails with it.  Unfortunately, these mailboxes do not seem to replicate the delete command to the actual mailboxes in the web space.  So you may need to go back to the web version and delete those read messages again.  You can do what I do.  Have those mailboxes appear as tiles on front page so that you are notified when there is a new message.  Use the mobile web version to operate your emails.  I do that even with my Android phone.

The standard calendar app though not visually pleasing is highly functional.  It gives you a consolidated view of your Facebook, Live, and Google calendars, color-coded according to where the items originate from.  When you create a calendar item, you can choose to create it as a Google item, or as a Facebook invite.  I think it is one of the best out-of-the-box features.

Note: I have not tried Nokia Mail, LinkedIn, and Outlook integration during this review process.

The Web Browsing Experience

This is where the diversity of opinions kicks in.  I have talked to my friends.  Some are happy browsing with their tiny 3.5” iPhone.  I wish that my 4.2” Android has an even bigger screen.  The 3.7” Lumia 800, for me, is too tiny for browsing in portrait mode.  I find that browsing in landscape mode a much better option, although I am not used to such orientation.  It takes about 5 seconds for the Nokia phone to detect and switch orientation.  I find it a bit slow compares to my Android’s sub-second response time.  You may be fine with it and argue that other platforms are too sensitive.

Web pages on average load at a decent speed.  Scrolling and page pinching is silky smooth.  I do however encounter scripting errors in some sites, as well as videos that are unable to be played.  Those videos and  links work fine with my Android phone.  So I gather perhaps that has to do with the browser’s compatibility.  Is it a short term or a long time issue or a one-off problem?  I cannot tell.  Also, I have yet to figure out how to perform a mouse-over action on the Windows phone.  And there is no menu function for selecting text.  You have to “highlight” the word but pressing it.  Sometimes, for some particular sites, that does not work for me.

That Lovely Home Screen

Of the few things that grow on me, the home screen is one.  When you tap the phone by the side and unlock the screen, you are greeted by a home screen.  You slide it up (not from the bottom you Android users but from the middle!) and you have access to the phone.  That home screen has useful information such as date and time, number of unread emails or messages, your next agenda item, alarms if any, and on top of the screen, if you are listening to music, the mini-player is right there.  You can fast forward a track, go backward, and what have you.  You can put your favorite photo as wallpaper.  In the absence of a notification light (duh!), this home screen is the next best thing to provide a summary of activities and more.  Keep tapping, and keep checking.  I wish they have a notification light though.

There is no pattern screen password like the Android phones.  However, you may set up a numeric password of more than 4 digits.

Oh, you can select ringing option on that lovely home screen too.  You can set to ring, vibrate, or ring + vibrate.  What about total silence?  Lumia 800 does not seem to have that option.

Please Fix the Music / Sound Playback!

Of the few things that I wish this phone could better, an improved music playing experience is on top of my wish-list.  Why?  There seems to be some annoying flaws with the whole sound package, however insignificant they seem.  First, plugging a headphone onto the phone triggers a rather sharp clicking sound.  Much louder than any recent phones I have tried.  Invoking any menu items that involves sound also triggers the clicking sound, and some short background noise thereafter.  During the playback of music, at the end of each song, there is a noticeable clicking sound.  Like the sound you hear when you turn off a microphone.  If there is an incoming message notification while you are listening to music, there is a small chance that the volume of the music would suddenly go up (come to think of it, this happens to my Windows laptop as well).  There is no equalizer setting option.  Having said that, the playback quality is not too bad comparing to other phones.  I feel that in general, there is a lacking of a punch so as to speak.  And yes, you can repeat a single song (as a Android user, I drool).

Perhaps I have an unrealistically high expectation due to the Nokia brand.  Nokia used to make high quality hardware, yes?  Or is it a software issue?  Point to note, Cynthia does not seem to pick up these flaws though.  I guess it all depends on how critical you are, when it comes to music.

Oh, That Camera

While you are not going to throw away your DSLR or your mirror-less camera because of this phone, Lumia 800 does have a better white balancing than some of other phones I have tried.  It takes picture fast.  You can even tap the screen once and fire a shot.  There are quite a few camera options you can play around with, including effects and scene recognition.  My sister has tried out the video function.  The only comment she has is that you can’t trim the video from within the phone, unlike her iPhone.  I suppose that would be a good feature to have.  Lumia 800 comes with an 8MB Carl Zeiss camera.  You and I know that megapixel means little for a phone camera.

(Oh, have you read that rumor about that next Nokia’s phone that has a gigantic megapixel camera?)

Other Goodies such as Office, Nokia Drive, Nokia Map, and Nokia Music

When you sign up for a Windows phone, it should come as no surprise that you have access to the Office apps – Words, Excel, and PowerPoint.  You can even create those documents using the phone.  Jason and I have tried out Nokia Drive – a voice guided GPS navigator.  It acquired the signal fast, though it did not seem to accept postal code as a destination input.  Nokia Map is like the good old map.  You can pre-download maps of any country, free.  To use it, you must have a data connection.

Nokia Music allows you to play back music and video contents.  It also has a store that enables you to purchase DRM-free music online.

Let’s Talk about OS

For iPhone, the OS and hardware are both created by Apple.  It is a closed system.  If anything goes wrong, you can always point your finger at Apple.  For Android, the OS is created by Google and each manufacturer creates the hardware, most elect to customize the OS.  You have the manufacture to turn to when things go wrong.  It is a model that may create inconsistent experience among the community because some manufacturers may take a while, if at all, to customize any new OS version.

As for Windows OS, my limited experience tells me that it is like the PC model.  Phone update is done directly with Microsoft Zune.  You don’t need to wait for the manufacturers to tweak and test the new OS version.  Manufacturers then create apps that sit on top of the OS.  The only consideration for this model is that when things go wrong, you have to do some troubleshooting before you can decide who to talk to.  Microsoft?  Or Nokia?

Each model has its pros and cons.  You may have already made up your mind.  To the least, I thought you should know.

What about Ecosystem?

When you buy a phone, it is no longer just a phone.  You are buying into the entire ecosystem.  I am in touch with the gaming scene.  I know that iOS’s games often top the rating chart.  Also, Apple has a lot more cool apps than any ecosystem out there.  Apple App Store is reaching its 25 billion downloads very soon as we speak.

Android ecosystem is not a bad one.  Sure, there are junks inside.  But the top apps are usually nicely done.  Also, Google products are best to be run in Android platform.  When switched to Windows platform, what I miss the most are the Google G+ app, YouTube app, and Google Translate.

As for Windows ecosystem, it does not seem vast though there are some interesting apps.  Many well-known ports are not even good, if at all present in Windows platform.  Whatsapp and EverNote both have a Windows version.  They are just not as good as other platform’s equivalents.

Oh yes, I miss Blizzard’s WoW Armory app.  It took a while for Blizzard to venture into Android platform.  In that sense, as and when Blizzard creates a Windows version of the WoW Armory app, it is a good indication that Windows’ ecosystem has matured to be a worthy competitor of iOS and Android.

The Power of Zune

To update your Windows phone, you must do it via Zune.  To download photos and videos from the phone, you must do it via Zune.  To upload music and podcast to the phone, you must also do it via Zune.  Unless you hack the phone, there is no way to access the phone’s contents using anything but Zune.

Having used Zune, I am impressed by the design.  It must have been created with a touchscreen monitor in mind.  It is user friendly and it is a joy to use.

Now, if for reasons that you are unable to connect your phone to Zune, you are pretty much stuck with a dead phone.  That happened to us on Feb 29.  After some heavy investigation, it seems that Zune had ran into some digital certification problem on that day.  We spent hours trying to troubleshoot.  The good news is, the next Feb 29 will not come until 4 years later.

What Other Reviewers May Not Talk About

Don’t count on the battery life of Nokia Lumia 800.  After some intensive comparative testing, this phone consumes more than double amount of battery with a similar level of activity with, say, my Android phone.  Bring your charger.  Even better, keep your portable charger with you at all time.

Note: I suppose Lumia 800’s battery consumption is comparable to iPhone because my Android phone often beats iPhone on that department by a good margin.

During my 7 days review period, this phone hang twice.  Once was right after a call.  Another time was during web browsing.  Holding the switch for 8 to 10 seconds restarts the phone.  Well, at least there is a way out.

In order to charge the phone, it must be switched on.  I have no idea why it has to be so.

In Summary

I now can see why Nokia is going Windows, instead of Android.  It is a sleek platform, with tons of potential.  I like its simplicity a lot.  No longer do we need to go through some of the mind blowing and technically challenging settings in order to tweak the system.  You don’t even need to figure out if an app should reside on the phone memory or on the SD card.  The entire phone is now a closed system – from external design to internal setup.  The only way to manage the phone’s contents is via Zune – a user-friendly Windows PC application.  For the Nokia fans, it is a joy to see that the company has finally moved away from Symbian OS.  For the Android users, Lumia 800 has the design – both inside and out – that is refreshing.  For the iPhone users, you may feel that Nokia and Microsoft could have done a better job in utilizing the real estate of the user interface.  Or could have made the phone runs faster.  You may even miss a lot of your apps.  Whichever the case is, Nokia Lumia 800 is a phone worth checking out.

My boss’s boss once shared with me over a dinner table that in the not so distant future, iOS will still be there and Windows will rise.  He is not too optimistic about Android.  I am not too sure why.  Perhaps the next time I meet him, I shall casually wave the new Windows phone in front of him and see what he has to say about that.

Categories
Concert

Evanescence Live In Singapore

While our friends were changing diapers, feeding toddlers, and making babies, Cynthia and I watched yet another rock concert in Singapore.  I wonder how many of you can spell Evanescence correctly.  I surely can’t.  We were seated at row 13.  In front of us was a small pool of standing crowd.  So, in effect, we were at the front row.  The last time I was seated so close to the stage was in UK, a Pink Floyd concert.  We were grateful, even though we paid S$323 for a pair of tickets.  Never trust the auto seat selection by Sistic.com.sg.  I am glad that I picked the seats instead.

To be honest, I struggled quite a bit, to watch or not to watch.  Amy Lee does not come across to me as someone who can sing live well.  I think she did OK on tonight’s show.  Some songs, especially the old ones, she did really well.  Some songs, I am not too sure.  BUT, taking all in, including the new band setup and that exceptionally energetic drummer, tonight’s show was awesome.  The songs are good, with so much raw power.  Evanescence‘s third album is easily my favorite out of the three.  For the past 2 months, Cynthia and I have listened to nothing but Evanescence.  That pays off.  Amy Lee worked her magic, played the piano, and the crowd was pretty hot.  Looking back, this one hour long concert might have been better if staged at Fort Canning Park.  Half of the Indoor Stadium was sealed off.  Even so, it was only half full.  I was mildly surprised that it was not a full house.  Maybe because today is a Monday.  Some may still be at work.

I wish that the concert lasted more than an hour, and the music arrangement was different from the album.  Somehow, that seems to be the norm.  To keep the music scene alive here in Singapore, I think the bands – International or not – need to give more.

Categories
Foreign Movie Reviews Romance

Love, A Chinese Movie

Here in Singapore – or it could well be anywhere in the world – we are suffering from a severe movie dry season.  There are just not enough movies these days that entice the Movie Review Squad to get out of our homes and do something.  For close to two months, three of us would have our weekly meeting over Whatsapp going through the agenda items of (1) are there any good movies to watch this weekend, (2) are there any good movies to look forward to the week after?  No and no.  We, at the virtual headquarter of MRS begins to wonder: has piracy finally killed off the entire movie industry?  Or is it the decline of our Singapore film distributors not willing to bring in quality films from other countries?  What happen to the Japanese or Korean movies?  European movies?  Or these markets too suffer from the same dry spell?  No idea.  We are sad pandas indeed.

Now comes the Chinese movie LOVE, staring a bunch of well known actors including Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao.  There are a multitude of characters all consciously or subconsciously looking for love, embracing love.  Each character comes with an individual story – a story that is weaved into an overarching  story of … you guessed right, love.  There is a little boy who has not met his father since birth.  A real estate agent who appears to prioritize supporting her family over anything else.  A woman who has never had a job in her life, always receives financial support from men.  A business executive who does not know what is love. Two girls, best friends of each other, and one of them is pregnant.  A young man whose dream is about to be shattered by one mistake he has made.  An old man who is rich beyond imagination but he is not always happy.  And finally, a young man whose stuttering affects his physical outlook, but well compensated by his kindheartedness and childlike attitude to life.  The story is tight, a quality piece of script writing.  The acting is good too.  There are scenes that tickle.  And there are scenes that move.

I do not know how to classify LOVE.  It is a tragedy, yet a comedy.  It is romance, yet drama.  I think it is best described as a movie about finding love through the extraordinarily unexpected.

Categories
Diary

Anything Else Was, Well, Anything Else

It sucks to be away from my family for three days.  But it is best to stay positive.  So I have decided to discard an entry drafted during my business trip and replace it with this shiny, happy one.

Malaysians are the friendly bunch.  That naturally includes those who are soaked in Malaysia for quite some time.  It was good to catch up with old friends during my trip – those whom I have known since school days and those whom I have met at various junctures of my career.  One, I presumed, saw me leaving the office.  He took the effort to chase me down the building and down the street.  Turn left, turn right?  He took the right turn.  So did I half a minute or so before him.  On my way back to the hotel, I was busy concentrating on walking among some of the most hideously maintained roads in Petaling Jaya.  I leaped from one platform to another, dodging low hanging trees and cables and avoiding suspicious looking objects on the ground.  Suddenly, I heard someone called my name.  I turned and it took me some time to recognize who he was.  “It is [me]!” he exclaimed.  “It is you!” I exclaimed, doubled his enthusiasm.  Marriage must have done him good.  This Indian buddy of mine seems to have gained some weight – a sign of prosperity and happiness as we Chinese believe.  He was wearing a pair of trendy spectacles.  Perhaps that slowed down the face matching algorithm running inside my brain.  His wife is expecting.  That is good news.  I invited him over to the hotel I was staying for a drink in the evening – like I have for everyone I have talked to – “Meet me at Uncle Chilli’s. You can find me there every night.”  He did not turn up that evening.  I suppose a husband with a pregnant wife at home has certain priorities that must be respected.  I do not know for sure.  But that much I can imagine.

There are only two reasons why I camped at the hotel’s pub Uncle Chilli’s on every evening.  OK, maybe three.  First, that is the only location in PJ Hilton that provides free Wi-Fi.  I missed my Internet access, to catch up with my friends on Whatsapp and to catch up with news from all fronts.  Second, the Filipino band was good.  Really good.  Third, I don’t mind having some cold beer after a long day at work.  Only on the last day of my stay have I spotted a lineup of girls who appeared to be Filipinos at the back of the bar.  Maybe they were legitimate customers.  I do not know.  Looking at the human interactions that took place in the dark, I sensed a great disturbance.  But hey, I was there for the free Internet, great music, and overpriced crap beer.  Anything else was, well, anything else.

Filipinos are the musically talented bunch.  I am not sure if this extends to those who are soaked in Philippines.  The band that captivated my attention for three straight nights has four vocalists – Muscle Man, Bad Boy, Sexy Goddess, and Singing Queen.  Their dance moves were tightly choreographed.  It doesn’t matter what size, gender, age, and sexual orientation you are, there bounds to be one whom you would fancy.  My buddies unanimously worshiped the Sexy Goddess.  I pointed out that the good looking decently shaped Singing Queen sang so much better, and she danced with so much fluidity.  Unless you have an inclination towards tiny, demure, young, and cute girls, Singing Queen has got to be the one who owned the stage.  They shrugged and said, “Who cares”, further sealed the argument by pointing out that Singing Queen’s black dress and blue stocking did not match.

But, who cares?  Besides, I have not seen anyone attacked Whitney’s I Will Always Love You with such bravery, confidence, and improvisation without deviating too much from the original legendary delivery.  Singing Queen has my vote.

One Western buddy with me that night has worked in Singapore for quite a few years.  He observed that while girls in Singapore may look pretty and cute, they are lacking of that something.  He then looked up to the smoked filled ceiling desperately searching for the missing words.  I could see that he was drawing inspiration from that Sexy Goddess of whom he fancied.  In my heightened sense of cognitive intelligence thanks to glasses after glasses of bad beer, I offered my explanation, pinpointing what the girls in Singapore may be lacking of.  That appeared to hit him hard.  And he went, “Ah ha, that is it!”  Alcohol is a wonderful drug.  We so easily concur with one another under its influence.  In my opinion, it is not what’s on the surface that makes a girl looks sexy.  It is what radiates from within.  And that something is …

OK, next topic.

For two consecutive evenings, my buddy Kah Lok took me out for dinner.  I am grateful that he and his lovely and happy wife took the trouble to accompany this lonely man.  22 years we have known each other.  He too is under the spell of prosperity and happiness.  “I have grown fat,” he said with a distained look.  “Well, friend, this is a happy sign,” I replied.  On day one, before we parted after our Malay meal, he promised he would take me to eat the “All In” clay pot chicken rice tomorrow.  He emphasized the word “All In”.  He described the content with vivid details.  He even drove pass where he would take me the day after.  The food in Malaysia is good.  I could not wait to taste the “All In” clay pot chicken rice.  I literally dreamed about it.  And I thought of it the whole day.  My mouth watered when we finally arrived at the open food center the next day.  Rows of stoves filled with red hot coal ready to turn rice, chicken, Chinese sausage, salted fish, condiments, and sauces into “All In” clay pot chicken rice.  The chef behind the stoves perpetually has a burning cigarette dangling at the corner of his mouth.  I was too far to examine closely if any of that long ashes mixed with the “All In” product by accident.  Ignorance is bliss.

For those who have previously stayed in PJ Hilton, you may wish to know that the hotel has undergone a major renovation.  It is about time.  Now, the room looks modern.  There is a wall mounted flat panel television.  The old stinky carpet and curtain are gone.  Part of the bathroom wall is now replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass, tastefully shaded by the blinds.  The bathroom now comes with open compartments that store different kinds of towels.  There is no door separating the shower area and the dry area.  Only a partial glass wall.  What I love most is the “rain shower jet”.  The water jet is a big disc mounted up onto the ceiling.  I hate to waste precious water. But the gentle caress of the rain shower at full blast gives forth a unique experience that I am Tarzan and here is Congo.  I used to tease my friend in Singapore why such rain shower facility is at all desired.  Now I know that I am wrong and she is right.  Mounted on the walls at either side of the bed are two reading light.  There is even a pillow menu that provides five different types of pillows for different needs.  There is still no free Wi-Fi inside the hotel room.  Otherwise, it would have been perfect with me playing Tarzan underneath the rain shower while watching National Geography clips on YouTube.

The three days business trip seems to have come and gone.  So are the 22 years, come to think of it.  Kah Lok insisted that he is two years younger than what he really is.  “Look friend,” I said, “This is 2012.  It is 2010 no more.”

“Even an obvious fabrication is some comfort when you have few others.” – Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

Categories
Diary

Distorted Hideously Beautiful Aliens

I seldom celebrate anything in a big way these days.  Why is it so?  Perhaps novelty wears off after years of the same motion.  Last Tuesday, attending our weekly Spanish class was a bunch of married people.  The singles, we presumed, were out celebrating Valentine’s Days.  I wanted to do something special.  But work lately has been hectic.  It zapped all my juice away.  The best thing to do is to chill at home.  Last evening, Cynthia asked if I wish to celebrate my Ex-O birthday in a big way (don’t ask what ex is!)  Gee, no thanks.  It will be on a Tuesday.  If we have not given up learning Spanish by then, we would be celebrating my big Ex-O birthday with our Spanish classmates and teacher.  That is a big if.

Learning Spanish has been a rough journey lately.  To me, it is like scaling Mount Everest.  The lack of coursework and the absence of an end-of-the-course examination seem to have put me onto an auto pilot mode.  That means, doing nothing.  Spanish grammar is confusing.  Subjunctive – a mood that expresses how one feels about the action – brings me down to my knees.  It is like taking the already confusing Spanish grammar – indicative in different tenses – and doubled it up.  For every conjugation that exists in the mood of indicative, there is an evil twin that has the label called subjunctive.  These distorted hideously beautiful aliens multiplies, and soon making me unlearned all that I have come to know.  Oh dearest subjunctive, why must you be so mean?

Year 2012 turns out to be a golden year of video gaming.  It is like having the top ten world renowned writers suddenly decide to publish a book this year.  It may take you eight to twenty hours to read a book.  Games these days may take up to 100 hours to consume.  If I spend two hours a day playing video games, it would take fifty days to finish one game.  Possibly seven games a year, top.  For now, if my favorite games are to be released on time, I am likely to have Final Fantasy XIII-2, Kingdoms of Amalur, Mass Effect 3, Diablo 3, Guild War 2, another Blizzard game, and BioShock: Infinite to complete the top seven spots.  Oh yes. I suppose I will see you next year instead.

What do a bunch of technologists talk about over a dinning table?  Technology.  Given a choice, I would rather talk about the latest Hollywood gossips.  Or even better, the upcoming F1 season that is due to start in less than a month’s time.  Or Japanese hornets raiding the honey bees.  Or any bizarre videos I have viewed lately in YouTube.  Even the new Nikon DSLR camera could be well qualified as a mouthwatering dinner topic among a bunch of business associates.  No, we talked about software bugs.  Now, before you yawn and dose off, that evening, there was something profound I have come to reflect upon.  You see, I was once a Bug Whisperer™.  I have devoted the early part of my career in squishing bugs.  I can see the bug’s roots like no other can.  For the bugs that can be surgically removed, I weed them out without hesitation.  For the bugs that are too entrenched into the scheme of work like tumor cells, I quarantine them and render them ineffective.  Back then, I pictured myself as a surgeon, dealing with some of the ugliest things hidden underneath a file name.  I took pride in what I did, believing that I was on a mission to make this world a better place.

My question is: Why do we see bugs as acceptable features?  You buy a car and do not expect it to come with any defeats.  You buy a kettle and expect it to boil water every time you press that button.  It is almost impossible to see defeat free software application, or a bug free game.  We have patches after patches to fix the problems.  We have a big team of technicians solving issues and testing fixes.  We build an economy whereby people’s livelihoods depend on the very existence of bugs.  And hence contributing to the resilience of the bug nation.  Software is unlike machinery.  A bug free piece of code could last for eternity.  Perhaps building bug free software is as impossible as crafting a machine that runs forever.  It is time that wears down the latter; it is the lacking of that plagued the former.

The happiest moments of my day are two.  I wake up seeing that someone is still sleeping; I travel to town and pick that someone up after work.  My friend’s wife once commented that Cynthia is like my pet.  Wherever I go, she is there.  Whatever I do, she is also there.  The more I think of it, the more I am convinced that I am her pet instead.  That’s right.  No dogs in the house please.  I don’t want my role to be made redundant.

Kupo?

Categories
For the Geeks

Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning – The First Eight Hours

“My name is Cara.  I was dead and am resurrected at the Well of Souls.  I am reborn with no destiny, thanks to the gnomes.  I am the fateless one.  And I choose my destiny.  I cannot remember my past, nor do I know what my future will bring.  Where is the Well of Souls?  Destroyed, perhaps.  I could be the last mortal in Amalur who has cheated death.  You may say all things happen for a reason.  Why does this happen to me?  I honestly do not know.”

Finally, Kingdoms of Amalar (KoA) is out.  I have started playing the minute the game is live and have clocked in eight hours of play time so far.  I reckon the first eight hours into a game gives us a good feel as in whether or not we shall continue investing our time into playing it.  Hence, I am starting a new First Eight Hours series in my website.  If time permits, I shall write a first forty hours follow-up and post it here.

I doubt KoA would satisfy all the role playing gamers out there.  Even Skyrim – recently awarded Game of the Year by AIAS – may have drawn a fair share of criticism that may or may not work for some.  Below are my observations.  Does KoA work for you?  Only you can decide.

Engaging Combat System

My take after playing the demo is still valid.  I have not seen a combat system quite like KoA in any role playing game.  Using a gamepad for the PC platform is highly recommended.  Because of the flexible character development, you can possibly find a balance that suits your play style.  Special moves can be unlocked.  With the dodging and blocking, charging and slashing, very soon, you may find that you are playing an arcade game.  Yes, all combats happen in real time.  There is no pausing and re-positioning.  You roll, you hack, you slash, and you loot.

Open World, Vast but not that Vast

Some say KoA is an open world.  Some say it is merely zones connected by narrow tunnels.  However you see it, KoA does require a fair bit of walking and exploration.  If you feel that walking is too inefficient, you could sprint.  If you feel that sprinting is not good enough, you could open up the world map and perform a fast travel.

The zones are not that vast.  You do not need to comb through a huge area to look for that something.  It is less likely that you will get lost.  It does not feel too empty like some other open world role playing games I have played.  There are always packs of enemies lurking somewhere, guarding some treasure chests.  Some enemies may spawn from nowhere and charge onto you.  There are herbs to collect, and other mini-games to play such as lock picking and dispel.  Enemies seem to respawn at a regular interval.   So there is no shortage of loots and gold, experience points and action.

“Ah, the great outdoor!”

Artwork has a Cartonish Feel

Some despise gaming environment that is too cartoonish, say it is too dated.  Some dig it.  I happen to love how the fantasy world is painted in KoA, as I am a big fan of World of Warcraft.  Since I have only played the game for eight hours, there are two towns I have seen.  One is colorful and shiny like the picture above.  The other is gloomy and dark, full of spider webs.  I can understand why some may prefer artwork to have more realism.  While I am on the topic of graphics, the retail version has a much higher quality than the demo version.

A Game for the Casuals?

Should games be hard?  As hard as, say, Demon’s Souls or Dark Souls?  Some enjoy dying a million times before seeing the ending.  A true test of skill and concentration.  Some prefer playing a game to relax.  The normal mode of KoA is accessible.  My character has yet to die once.  There were some hair rising moments, including a curse that indefinitely zapped my mana and rendered my character incapable of casting any spell until she visited a healer.  But with a bit of dodging and a bit of potion drinking, my character seems to do fine.  Some gamers find the normal mode too easy.  And they find the hard mode too easy too.  If you are one of those, there are always ways to make such a game very challenging.  Inspiration can be drawn from here.

Questing and Questing, Wait, Where is the Main Story?

Coming from the background of a massively multiplayer online game, I find the questing structure of KoA perfectly acceptable.  Each town is a questing hub.  You get to talk to the town folks, learn the town history from different perspectives.  Some may need help from you.  You may ignore and continue pursuing your main quest.  Or you should spend time doing some side quests.  Of the eight hours I have poured in, ignoring the beginning bit that is more like a tutorial, the time I get to experience the main story is very minimal.  There seems to be so much to do.  It take a quality assurance game tester 200 hours to test out all the quests on easy mode, skipping all the dialogues.  It would probably take more than 300 hours to complete everything, if I so choose to.

I have not completed many quests so far, just a handful because it does take time even to tackle one.  Some do have memorable stories provided that you have the patience to listen through the scripts.  I do.  Because I want to know what I am doing, why I am doing things.  For those who prefer to skip through the audio dialogue, these quests would likely be reduced to the common tpes of kill and collect, collect and kill, FedEx, and escort.

Also, because this game encourages open questing, the main story may not seem as tight as those that are scripted linearly.  Pros and cons, for either approach.  I enjoy both extreme.

“OK then, let’s talk.”

PC Version or Console?

I don’t really have a choice.  Because KoA and FF13-2 are released in the same time period, I play FF13-2 on PS3 when Cynthia is not watching TV and I play KoA on PC when she is.  PC provides a higher resolution but requires you to be seated quite near to the monitor, unlike playing console games on a large flat panel TV.  I play KoA through Origin and my progress is saved onto the cloud online.  You can also take screenshot on a PC.  For trophy lovers, you can more easily brag about your achievements on a console platform, or if you play via Steam.  On PC, the switch between keyboard + mouse and gamepad is seamless.  I don’t think playing KoA using only keyboard + mouse is a wise decision.

I am inclined to say that for some, the console version may be slightly better.  Field of View and Level of Detail – both are hot topics on the forum, a concern for the PC gamers.  KoA may be more tuned to console gaming, from the graphics point of view.  Playing KoA on a PC may cause motion sickness.  I would strongly advised you to play as far from the screen as you can.  And yes, a gamepad would help.  KoA is not a first-person-shooter.  You don’t need to spin your view that fast.

Fancy a Re-spec?

I have not tried the re-spec function yet.  But I read that it is possible to reset all your point allocation and potentially play the game in a completely different way.  If stealth is not your cup of tea, no problem, try out a magic caster, or a strong melee.  If you don’t like your skill specialization, reset it!  If you don’t like a hybrid class and want to try out a pure class, pay some gold and get it done!

For my first play through, I have picked a three-way hybrid class.  She is certainly not the most powerful being in Amalur.  What to wear has always been a struggle (armors are itemized to the pure classes).  But I enjoy a bit of flexibility.  Because I cannot decide.

Did I Mention Player’s Housing?

Without giving away too much spoiler, yes, you can have a house of your own.  You can even pay someone to upgrade your home by stages.  There is a stash that store your hard earned loots.  A mirror that allows you to change your appearance.  Your home is going to be very functional too.  You will see.

“Welcome to my home in Amalur!  There is a bedroom upstairs and a basement below too.”

Categories
Snippet of My Life

Snippet Of My Life Episode 34 – Love And Obsession

It is time of the year, when love is in the air.  Valentine’s Day is round the corner, and I have a little something for you towards the end of this entry.  I hope though, you have the patience to read through this.

1. Friendship Matrix

Some say no man is an island.  We are social species that feed on relationship.  We require constant interaction with one another in order to survive and thrive.  Is that so?  Here is a little exercise for you.  First, take out a piece of paper and draw a table of four columns.  Then, go through the following steps.

  1. On the first column, list out your friends, love ones, and the significant few whom you have met in the last one to three years.  You may extend to five.  My memory does not seem to go that far.  Yours may.
  2. On the second column, put a tick to those who would go out of their ways to catch up with you or proactively set up an appointment with you.  For example, I have friends who would drive all the way to where I live and meet me.  Or overseas friends who would make a detour in their traveling plan to order to catch up with me.  Or we would meet somewhere midway, away from our work places or default habitats.
  3. On the third column, put a tick to those whom you would go out of your way to meet them or proactively set up appointments with them.
  4. On the fourth column, put a cross to those whom you have not met in the last six months.

It is a good self reflection exercise.  It should come as no surprise that friends who would go out of their way to meet you and you to them are the precious ones, even though you two may not have met in recent days.  What happens to those crossed entries with one tick?  In my opinion, reciprocation sustains relationship.  There is only that many times someone would go out of his or her way to meet you, to bug you for a catch up session.

Or it could be a sign whereby you are not that hot on their matrix, or they not in yours.

Who knows?

2. Free Time

Last week, I lunched with my friend who works in the same area as I do, who brought along two of his colleagues.  Jolly good.  I love meeting new people.  One looks so young and she is a mother of two.  Woah.  I did not ask but she told me that her first child was born when she was 25.  I envy her for starting young.  She envies me for having so much free time.  It is true.  Almost every young parent I have met pours his or her entire life essence and every breathing moment onto his or her children.  One friend of mine has indefinitely retired from the computer gaming scene.  Every time when I hear someone telling me that having a child is a joyful experience and that I should have one.  Inevitably, at the back of my head, I keep wondering if it is a conspiracy theory among parents who want to get more onto the same boat like they do.

One friend recently asked how my free time is allocated.  I don’t have a kid.  So my free time besides eat, pee, and sheep is basically spent on video gamming, blogging, reading, watching TV (because Cynthia loves it), playing music, and studying Spanish – in that order.  I consider my free time utilization pretty much balanced between active and passive activities.  I suppose in another time dimension, of a different me, I might have traded these for raising a kid.  Perhaps, looking from ten thousand meter above ground, it does not matter how we spend our free time.  So long as we are not killing each other, it is OK.

3. Escapism

I seldom meet her these days.  Maybe she is busy, maybe I am busy, or maybe our friendship matrix has fallen apart (which I hope not).  One day, she told me that in her opinion, gamers who indulge in video gaming are not happy with their work, their life, or with both.  Playing video games is a form of escapism, to hide away from real life, she said.

She is not wrong.  Recently, there is a study showing that among all the gaming genres, first-person-shoot and role-playing-game – especially online type – are the most addictive ones.  I can’t shoot for my life.  But I enjoy role playing.  Role playing is a form of escapism.  What about reading a fantasy book?  Or watching a fantasy TV series or a movie?  We want to be taken to that magical place once in a while.  We want to be that Viking who rides on a Night Fury and defeats the most fearsome dragon that terrorizes the land.  We want to know … how to train our dragon.

Unlike a TV program or a movie, video gaming is an active entertainment.  You don’t sit back and watch the story unfolds.  You participate as the story is being told making tons of little tiny decisions along the way.  In as much as there are studies against it, there are studies for it.  It is a hobby with a divided view.  A taboo in most work environment.

4. “No Makeup” Makeup

When we are not playing an online game together, Cynthia spends time on YouTube and on TV.  I don’t get it.  Almost every episode of Dog Whisperer we see Cesar Millan, his well mannered dogs including Daddy, one or more problematic dogs, and their respective human victims.  Almost every makeup video in YouTube starts with a stunning end result, a shockingly plain looking girl applying makeup, and after what appears as an eternity, she arrives at the end result as foretold.  Deep inside, I don’t mind peeping onto those YouTube videos playing in Cynthia’s computer occasionally – like I peep onto Dog Whisperer.  Because some of these girls are quite pretty.  I often say to Cynthia, to master the application of makeup, one must start with the very fundamental – learn to paint and learn to work with colors.  If you cannot paint on paper, how then can you paint your face?

Cynthia and I recently have two hot debate topics.  One is “no makeup” makeup.  Another one is those-are-natural those-are-not.  Let’s start with “no makeup” makeup.

Cynthia insists that there is such a thing called “no makeup” makeup.  It may take hours to achieve such end result that starts from no makeup and finishes with “no makeup”.  You can even Google “no makeup” makeup.  To me, it is a myth.  But it seems to exist.  “No makeup” makeup baffles me.  When I watched YUI’s concert recording or alan’s music video – both are young Japanese – I swear I cannot see any makeup.  I would scream “See, there is no makeup!”  Cynthia would reply “Look, that is ‘no makeup’ makeup!  The makeup is so thick!”  She would ask me to pay attention to the eyelashes, the contour, the light and shadow around here and there, the concealer, the eye shadow, and that there is not a single drop of sweat on YUI’s face under bright flood light.

Nope.  I still don’t get it.  I say it is good genes with good skin.  Like those naturally gifted ones who possess visually pleasing physical profiles, from head to toe.  She would say, “Those are fake!”.  And I would say, “Those are not!”

I am a man.  I know what is fake and what is not.

I think.

5. Love and Obsession

Remember those who drove you crazily in love?  Remember those moments that seemed so magical back then, moments that were not orchestrated but happened out of the blue?  Remember those days when you felt so hopelessly obsessed, your poor mind was kneaded like a dough?  What is love and obsession?  Where does it come from and where has it gone?  Are you missing that little sparkle in your relationship?  Well my friends, little do you know that you could gain some insights by playing an online video game.  Fortunately you do not need to play one to gain some.  Here is my observation for sharing.

In that game, there are routines that a group of random people meet regularly to achieve a common objective.  The routines have become such a chore that most would go through the journey in silence, do their job for the hope of a reward.  Within the community, it is joked that we are like married couples having sex.  Why then are people so obsessed with the routines?

For this aspect of the game, two kinds of rewards are given.  Three if you count the “no reward” reward.  One is like a paid wages.  You do a lot, you earn a little every time you do it.  There is no surprise as in how much you will get.  If you are the persistence type, over time, you will be rewarded accordingly.  Not handsomely, but accordingly.  The second type of reward is a surprise payout.  You know what you are after.  But there is no guarantee that you are getting it, or when you are getting it.  Think of your first kiss, or the first time you hold that someone’s hand.  You go through the journey in hope for a non-guaranteed reward that you know exactly what it is that you want.  It is constantly bouncing in your mind and your hope over time is high.  When you are rewarded with that something you have been dreaming for so long, you experience an emotional spike (and I hope that you partner does too).  Then you ask, what’s next?  Such obsession only terminates when there is nothing more to hope for or when you lose that hunger of that yearning inner desire.

If you stop and think about it, this is similar to being in a relationship.  Are you creating those moments of impromptu rewards of significance for your partner?  Do you still have that hunger to desire that loving feeling from your partner?  Have you played a part in putting back the sparkle in your relationship?  Have you played a part in creating the opportunity for such to happen?  Even though life may seem like a chore at times, aplenty [manmade] rewards are just round the corners ready to be unlocked.  That is how I see it anyway.

Now, before I forget, I shall drop a note to my friend’s wife telling her that my buddy is secretly hoping to receive a boxer shorts gift from her.