Categories
For the Geeks Game Reviews

Dragon Age: Origin – What A Journey!

90 hours, I have poured into this game.  This has to go into my personal record of one of the longest enduring gaming journey in the category of anything-but-world-of-warcraft.  I seldom complete games these days.  50 odd hours into Mass Effect 2, I thought I was obsessive.  90 hours into Dragon Age: Origin, I reckon I could have read Iliad or Odyssey perhaps once.

You know how I am like when I get excited about something.  Of many whom I have talked to – strangers and friends alike – some are into role-playing games (better still, Baldur’s Gate), just like Dragon Age: Origin, waiting for that one final push to jump down the cliff.  Yes buddy, think no more.  I’ve jumped.  Now it’s your turn.  Some have no clue what this game is about.  Like my mother.  One evening she tapped onto my shoulder and asked, “Is this a game?  It looks like a movie.”  I took off my headset and replied, “Yes mom.  Computer gaming has certainly progressed since the day you and dad got me that Apple machine when I was a teen.”  Some come from the world of Mass Effect and ponder if they would too love this franchise.  And some have completed the game, like I do, and are eying on the expansion Dragon Age: Awakening, like I do.

In Short …

… Dragon Age: Origin sets in the fantasy backdrop of human and elves, dwarves and golems, dragons and dark magic.  The beauty of gaming versus reading or watching a fantasy story is that you get to shape the story the way you want it to be, within the framework provided.  You decide the beginning: a noble or a commoner.  You decide the role you want to play: front-liner or supporter.  You decide how the world should be explored, how to influence the people around you.  There are sub-plots that keep on distracting you, that you may choose to ignore.  And finally, a multitude of endings that you have to decide based on the little things you have done along your journey.  Some gamers may prefer a clinical approach in researching online prior to what is to come in order to shape an outcome that they want.  As for me, I prefer to shape my story according to my own decisions, even if there are sacrifices to be made along the way.  Bearing and living with the consequences is part of the game.

Game Play

Coming from the action role-playing game background (like Mass Effect franchise), I was apprehensive if I would find the frequent game pausing to issue commands to four party members a turn off.  Neverwinter Night turned me off.  Curiously, this game does not.  Though, when I showed it to Cynthia, she went “eeeewwww” because she swears by the real time game play of World of Warcraft.  I guess the reason is that not every encounter requires us to pause and strategize.  And if we do pause, it has to be something extraordinary that can turn the game to our advantage.

Another thing that took me a short while to get used to is that the conversation options chosen by the main character (a.k.a. you) are not read-out-loud.  Like Mass Effect.  Some say Mass Effect is an exception.  I could also loop in The Witcher (by the way, the sequel is in the making) to argue my case.  In any case, the conversation in Dragon Age: Origin has much depth and in a way, I am glad to click my options through.

The Things I Love Most

Character development is one.  It is memorable and you get to hate and love certain characters, love and even more in love with others.  Both the indoor and outdoor scenes are beautiful to look at.  The control is smooth (not sure how the console players can live with only two sticks and that many buttons on the controller though) mapped nicely to recent popular games of similar genre.  The learning curve is steep but one can persevere by trying out different strategies.  The game mechanic appears simple with three distinct classes – warrior, rogue, and mage.  But with different deployment of skill set and specialization, a rogue can play like a hunter and a mage can play like a priest or a warlock.  Lots of reading within the game of course, in the form of codex.

What’s Next?

From my research, Dragon Age: Awakening is the largest DLC (downloadable content) to date.  Despite the price tag that is comparable to the original game, it will likely to take nowhere near to 90 hours to complete.  Much faster.  But if you are already a fan, shouldn’t you dive into Awakening right now?  It turns out that for the PC gamers, you may be better off to wait for a bit due to reported game crashes caused by the latest patch 1.03 that you must apply in order to play the expansion.  Some gamers suffer more than their fellow PC gamers.  And for the console gamers, there are still in-game issues that may worth the wait to see if the developer BioWare is going to do something about them.  When in doubt, check the BioWare forums.

Personally, I wish the experience was as epic as the one with Mass Effect 2.  Unfortunately the experience was somewhat ruined due to the bad patch I have applied towards the end of the journey (if you are still playing the original game and if you could, stop at patch 1.02a).  Game modding is a powerful tool, given to the community.  But to rely on the community to fix some of the game issues using mods is just too strange for me to accept.

So what’s next?  When all fails – and if BioWare doesn’t get the game fixed – we can always look forward to Diablo 3, can’t we?

Categories
Action & Thriller

Green Zone – Far Fetched Or Being Honest?

It is Matt Damon, again in uniform, not as a super soldier but as a Chief Warrant Officer looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.  If the Americans and their allies could not find WMD after the Iraq War, could Matt Damon do the impossible?  No!  That is the bit on being honest.

When the Iraq War started, I suppose there were two groups of people.  One who supported the war and another one did not.  In fact, make it three: those who disliked the notion of war but eager to see a swift closure to the situation.  Imagine a war spinning out of control that may have a widespread implication – socially and economically in a global scale.  The question remains: If the reason of going into war was to dismantle WMD in Iraq and if none can be found after the invasion, what have the Americans and their allies achieved?  How would those who supported the war feel?  Perhaps that is why “Green Zone” is seen as anti-American or anti-war by some, an honest production by others.

Personally, my deeper query is as such: Did America go to war because of bad intelligence that WMD may exist or they went to war knowing that WMD does not exist?  “Green Zone” has made some strong claims.  And I am not certain to what extend does being faithful to historical facts lie.

Nor would I know if a Chief Warrant Officer on the ground be given such a great autonomy to pursue his personal objectives without having to notify the command center and his superior, able to reassign his people out of his team on the fly, able to initiate a personal transfer of unit also on the fly, and to embark on a solo life-threatening mission with zero intelligence and little military backup.  I am not even talking about how a local Iraqi can walk in and out of a military prison by simply following an American in uniform.

But if one can overlook these incredible scripts and claims, the filming of “Green Zone” looks authentic.  The Iraqi backdrop and the intense battle scenes, the partnership of Matt Damon and the director Paul Greengrass (Bourne series) – I would say “Green Zone” is an entertaining film.  That is if you do not think about the scripts too much.

Categories
I See I Write

So This Is Our Casino 1 Of 2? A Visit To Resorts World Sentosa Singapore

One evening, seated opposite me inside a Japanese restaurant at Wheelock Place, my sister in her supreme cuteness and child like innocence squeezed her fists hard, gesturing in annoyance and said to Cynthia who was sitting next to me, “Does he always play with his phone at the dining table?  Do you feel like grabbing his phone and throw it away?”  For a moment, I thought my little sister meant business.

I was innocence, of course.  I was planning to bring my mother from Hong Kong to visit Resorts World Sentosa tomorrow.  No, the tickets to Universal Studios Singapore were sold out, as the website on my phone said so.  Deep inside, I agree with my sister.  I have spent way too much time on my phone.  Perhaps, in the not so distant future, most of us will be road hazard to one another.  We walk with our eyes on the phone, we drive with our eyes on the phone.

*     *     *     *     *

Even as a non-gambler, I am curious.  Our very first casino branded under the concept of integrated resort.  Followed the rather cheap looking sign “Casino”, we walked down the dark tunnel.  I heard a futuristic musical tune that reminds me of the game Mass Effect 2.  Strange!  Looking at the entrance of the casino (see picture above), imagine masking out the word “casino”, I thought I was inside a Cathedral.  Quite the opposite, of course.

As a Singapore Citizen (or Permanent Resident), we need to pay a S$100 levy per entry (24 hours).  Or S$2,000 for an annual pass.  What a joke that I had to stand outside waiting while sending off my mother (as a foreigner) into the casino.  I wish I could accompany her.  But spending S$100 in order to tour the casino does not worth my hard earned money.  At the entrance, I took out a S$50 note, passed it to my mother and said, “Mom, take you time inside the casino.  Try out the slot machines and win some money for me!”.  I waved to her as she went past the security checkpoint, just like what I used to do when I send her off the airport, which I will tomorrow.

*     *     *     *     *

What a disappointment, which I was not surprised.  At the exit, my mother said to me, “I won S$50 by not gambling it away!”.  As it turns out, the slot machines are too high-tech for her.  What happens to the good old days of putting a coin inside the machine, pull the lever, and if you win, you hear the coins falling onto the tray underneath?  Well, mom, if you visit me this July, just when you think that you can on the television and watch F1, mioTV will need at least 5 minutes to ‘boot-up’.  That is technology for you.

Besides, the machines are in English and she can only read Chinese.  How come I am not surprised?  Not long ago, I was at the station topping up my ezLink Card.  One Chinese girl approached me and asked if I could help her to top up her card because she could not read English.  I tried to teach her on how to top up the card and I gave up halfway.  Too many steps, too many inputs.  No way she could remember what to do.  This is Singapore for you.

*     *     *     *     *

Resorts World Sentosa does not look grand, I must say.  I could not find a seat to read my book while waiting for my mother to tour the casino.  There were house flies inside the toilet.  For a mere 3 hours parking, I had to pay S$10 (on top of S$6 entrance fee to Sentosa).  Peeping at the Universal Studios from the entrance, it does not seem to have the extraordinary feel of, say, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.  Elsewhere in the world, casinos do their best to attract people to visit.  Free and frequent bus rides, free or cheap food and drink, free souvenirs, and tons of entertainment.  What does our casino 1 of 2 have?

Very beautiful cars for sure (and there is a Victoria’s Secret inside!).

Categories
Jamming Session

This Is How We Jam

People often have a preconception on what a home studio should look like.  Spacious, sound proofing, glass partitions, and a mixer that runs from one end of the room to another.  Just like the movies, or the MTV clips.  I am a pragmatic perfectionist.  That is to say, I aspire to attain perfection within my means.  I have a home studio, but a humble one.  Good enough to record our band’s jamming materials.  Good enough to record a demo tape, I reckon.  Above is a photo taken by our band manager Selrol using her brand new film camera that comes with a fisheye lens.  It is amazing what a cute little camera can do.  I said to her: Keep the film rolling and we shall have a montage of jamming photos for our upcoming album.  Last week, I have designed a logo for our band.  My band-mates Jason and Cynthia seem to like the design.  It bears our band name wrapped with a guitar in abstract form.  Jason said to me: What about some candy colours for our logo?  What colours are the candies these days?  I can’t remember when was the last time I ate one.  I am a pragmatist.  What are the benefits in chewing candies?  I like Jason’s idea.
 
Have you heard the b-side song “Do You Believe in Me” performed by the Welsh band Catatonia?  Many ask: What does the music of [your band] No Eye Candy sound like?  It is dark.  But what is dark?  “Do You Believe in Me” is a good example.  During our jamming break last weekend, between our practice session one and two, I said to Jason: I want to write some songs, just like that.  We listened to the song in detail and Jason commented that this is the type of songs to be written by the band, as a whole.  And not I alone, which is the case today.  Fair enough.  We shall have some song writing sessions.  Perhaps after we are done with our practice sessions, perhaps after we are done with our recording sessions.  Our long list of to-do items.  Our multi-year project.
 
In our next gig, there should not be a constraint on our play time.  And since it is an indoor dinning and drinking setting, we have reintroduced the slow song “Feather” into our playlist.  What can I say?  The legacy of our ex-drummer lives on, even after she has [temporarily] moved on.  The song does not have the same level of impact without Wieke’s highly challenging arrangement.  No effort, no risk, hence no glory.  Maybe we shall dedicate this song to her from now on, whenever we perform “Feather” live.  Our band manager loves the song “Jealousy”.  And that too, has been added into our playlist.  The original song lasted close to half an hour during the early No Eye Candy years.  Since then, we have attempted to trim down the song into now a ten minutes long song.  We change the song title to “(A Glimpse of) Jealousy”.  No surprise.
 
We have not jammed “(A Glimpse of) Jealousy” for a long time.  A song that starts with Cynthia’s steady bass line.  Then Jason’s surreal, heart wrenching guitar sound tears the veil of our reality apart, sucking us into the dark void.  Moments later, I join in with my rhythm guitar filling the air with an ambient of that repeated familiarity.  Dramatic as it may sound, last weekend, as we jammed this song, the dark cloud broke open halfway through the song.  And then the heavy rain poured.

Jealousy.  Potent as it’s meant to be.  It is a pretty dark thing, I kid you not.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Up In The Air – What’s The Point?

Being someone who had spent quite a good number of years traveling overseas for work, I can relate to the feeling of frequently going through the airport security, the ‘good’ life of living on travel expenses clocking in mileages and points, living on a suitcase for most part of the year, not having a home called home, the at times loneliness, and etc.  I too have a similar observation using suitcase as a metaphor, similar to George Clooney’s main character’s thought on a backpack.  Except, mine is realer than his.  Back then, my belongings at ‘home’ were constantly on a move, from one friend’s storeroom to another.  It was a hassle, painfully tedious to relocate my belongings.  At some point, I had to hire a mid size lorry to move my stuffs.  At that time, I had this concept of how good it would be to have only one suitcase to house all that I need.  In a way, I did.  Inside my suitcase, there was a pair of mini-speakers, my CD player, and a few of my favorite CDs (now I would just need a phone that comes with thousands of tracks!), a few good books to read again and again (“If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler” and “Romeo and Juliet” anyone?), my swimming gears, basic clothing and necessities, a camera, a diary, and that was all I need.

I often think that it is hard to make a film out of corporate life.  Because it is not as entertaining compares to the career of a cop or a doctor or a lawyer.  In that sense, I think “Up In the Air” has done a pretty good job on portraying a glimpse of what corporate life is like (“I type with a purpose” is perhaps one of the best lines).  The few frames of image on the process flowchart was enough to give some of us a really good laugh.  Some of the technicalities of downsizing companies, in my opinion, add more depth to the drama.  I wish there are more gems like these moments.  But like I said, corporate life is really not that entertaining to watch.  Neither is loneliness.

Running in parallel of the main storyline is the story of romance and family.  The film could have been more intense in terms of the exploration of how living alone affects family and love life.  Then again, “Up In The Air” is light enough to entertain, yet giving some pointers for self-reflection.  I enjoy watching the acting of the three main characters.  And George Clooney?  Well, I have always been a fan.

To borrow a line from the movie to close this entry: What’s the point?  Looking back, what’s the point with the frequent traveling, living up in the air?

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Alice In Wonderland

3D or not 3D?  I say 3D, and go for the experience.  Pleasantly surprised I was, the overall 3D effect seems to have better clarity than Avatar.  I wonder why.

It must have been a long time since I last read the book “Alice In Wonderland”.  All I remember were the rabbit hole, the potions, the card soldiers, and the little girl called Alice.  I wonder what makes this story lasts through the century.  There have been films made in the name of Alice, believe it or not, since a century ago.

Pleasantly surprised I was, with the film’s adaptation as the story is more like an extension to the original series.  Tim Burton’s Alice is now a teenager revisiting the “Underland”.  While the storyline can be predictably simplistic, the graphical effect is very pretty to look at, magical in some scenes.  Figures are artistically distorted – be it as the overall size, or the enlarged head or eyes.  The line of realism and illusion has blurred so much these days on the big screen.  How technology has progressed.

Cynthia seems to love the film.  My mother too, even though there is no subtitle for her.  I am thrilled by the 3D experience, more than anything else.

Now, why is a raven like a writing desk?  It is a riddle in the original story.  And I still don’t quite get it in this movie.  Looks like I have to watch it again!

Categories
Music Journal My Music

Rumor Has It That “No Eye Candy” Is Performing Again …

Latest Update (10/3/2010) – Our band will not be performing for this event due to differences in terms.  However, please stay tuned as we shall be getting another gig some time this month or next.

And it is a rumor because our band has yet to receive a confirmation on our preferred time slot.  Tentatively, we will perform at Tiong Bahru Plaza on March xx evening.  Try to be there, please?  It’s for charity.  In the coming days, I will write more about our music, the event, and more.

About a year ago, we seem to have overdone a bit for the Music for Hope charity event, in terms of preparation.  With Wieke’s help, we had rewritten the song arrangement.  We drove all the way up to Malaysia just to add a few extra practice sessions with our band member.  We looped in quite a few of our friends from different locations for improvement pointers.  There were a few unknowns too.  Our guitarist Jason was unsure if he could be there due to national commitment, Wieke was unsure if she could be there due to work commitment; I was unsure about how performing live would be like; we were unsure if we could put together something decent in time.

But we did it.

This time is the complete opposite.  The request came in like less than 2 weeks before the event.  I picked up my guitar on the evening our band manager Selrol asked if we are interested.  Surprisingly, the songs are still in my head, both lyrics and chords, after months of inactivity.  Cynthia seems to remember her bass line too.  This Saturday three of us will get together, for one practice session.  That’s probably the only session we have before the gig.

*     *     *     *     *

Looking back, the intense preparation of the previous gig may have worn us out, worn me out.  Our band “No Eye Candy” has been in hiatus since then; I have not written many songs since then.  I wonder if these events relate.

Latest update?  Our drummer Wieke has left Singapore for good.  Left our band for now, I would say?  Knowing what she pursues, I am happy for Wieke.  And here we are, back to a 3-piece band.  Jason, Cynthia, and I.  More than 6 years we have been jamming together.  Hope to see more years to come.  As for now, my eyes are on the March 13.

*     *     *     *     *

Calling volunteers for band tour bus, photography team, videography team, and groupie “logistic” handling team.

Categories
For the Geeks Game Reviews

Of The Three Add-Ons Of Dragon Age: Origins

While I am still far from completing the game Dragon Age: Origins (20% progress on 35 played hours), last evening, I have completed the three add-ons of this epic dark fantasy – a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate.  If you are interested to find out if any of these add-ons worth your money, when the ideal time to begin these quests is and in which order, you have come to the right place.

Depending on the edition of your copy, the game may come with one or even all of these premium contents.  For me, one is free and I have to purchase the other two.  At present, I do not know if there are means to reinstall these paid contents in the future (like Mass Effect 2).  I surely hope so.  Some gamers comment that the add-ons are too short taking only a couple of hours to complete.  Considering how lengthy the original game is and how much these add-ons cost, I can understand the general sentiment.  However, since the price of each add-on is similar to a movie ticket or two, I have no qualm.

“The Stone Prisoner” (USD 15), that comes with the newer game edition, should be the first one to tackle as soon as you are comfortable with some basic combat techniques and crowd control mechanism.  You should complete this add-on at the early stage of the game so as to gain access to a new companion.  Shale is a golem and he (or it?) hits hard, works well as a tank too.  “The Stone Prisoner” probably ranks high on puzzle solving but not too much on story and combat.  The area is rather small and it does not take long to finish.  The most tangible reward from this add-on?  Shale of course.  His dialogs can be hilarious at times too.

“Warden’s Keep” (USD 7) is perhaps the best Dragon Age add-on I have seen.  It is rich in story and combat.  And you get to unlock a new class specialization as well as abilities.  On top of that, you have access to a party stash if you wish to extend your inventory space.  That stash is the only place in the game – officially of course – you can stash your items (for a free stash made by one BioWare developer, click here for my forum post).  Some complain that you have to travel to the castle to interact with your stash.  But it is merely a click on the world map and so far, I have not been held back from any random encounter while travelling to the castle.  The stash is right outside the castle some more.  What’s there to complain really?  As in when it is a good time to visit the castle, I would suggest visiting it when your warrior (or if you are not, one of your companions) has a buffed strength of 30.  You will then be able to use the set item (massive gear).  One word of advice: pay attention to all the details, including the Codex.  If not, you may miss some great loot!

I have a mixed feeling towards “Return to Ostagar” (USD 5).  The area is large, as it is a revisit to the original starting area that is locked after you have completed the prelude.  The combat is not particularly hard (maybe by then I have one of the best tanking gears in Dragon Age?).  Not too much on the story or puzzle solving.  The cut scenes are not as fascinating as “Warden’s Keep”.  But, you get to recover the King’s armours and weapons and more, recruit the dog if you have missed that out during the prelude, and perhaps seek some closure of where the prelude has ended.  You will need a buffed strength of 36 in order to wear the King’s set (another massive gear).  And if I have that buffed strength, wouldn’t I wish to equip the Juggernaut set (require 38 strength to equip) found in the Brecilian Forest instead?  Personally, I wish there is a set item for the rogue or mage class instead, from any of these add-ons.

Looking back, because I have started to collect the Juggernaut set as early as when my warrior reached level 9, the armour reward of the add-ons does not seem to be that attractive.  If I am going to reroll another character, I would dive into these add-ons as soon as I can.

Categories
For the Geeks

Experiencing Free Navigation And More

When my mother first saw how my phone assisted me to navigate from Wheelock Place to The Big Splash on the road, she couldn’t believe her eyes.  Hearing that all we need is the free satellite signal from above us even in the absent of mobile signal is enough to add that into her list of fascination on how technology has advanced.  From my new rice cooker that has the options to select the type of rice and how soon we want to eat, to the TV system that … think about it, what happens to those good old days when you select what you want with a click of a button?  Or two?  I can only imagine how fascinated I would be in the not so distant future.

Recently, it was announced that Nokia’s Maps – branded as OVI Maps – would come with free navigation for selected phone model.  You can also plan your trip on your PC and synchronize the bookmarks with your phone.  I am happy to hear that N97 is one of them.  Yesterday, I gave it a try, mainly because I had a genuine need.  The first thing I have noticed is the new menu (see below).  It took me a brief moment to download the guide (I chose British female voice!) and to log onto OVI Maps using my Nokia ID (not mandatory but it is nice, as you will read later).  And it was good to go.

The map is on 3D and it rotates as I navigate (see above).  In theory, there is no need for me to see the screen.  But because at times the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is lost, I may miss a turn (and the phone is smart enough to do re-routing almost instantly).  So for best result, I reckon it is good to mount the phone somewhere at the windscreen and see where is your next turn, which is what drivers do for their GPS devices.

So, why is there a need to log onto OVI Maps?  For the simple reason that you can now synchronize your bookmarks with your OVI account in the Internet.  This is powerful.  Because I may discover a new eatery place or a place of interest anywhere in the world, save the GPS data onto my phone for future use, and I can synchronize with my OVI account and continue to access this location for my future Nokia phones.  Or I can share my locations on Facebook, via OVI Maps.

Another powerful feature is the ability to plan my trip using the computer.  I have used Google Maps.  And I am surprised by the user interface of OVI Maps.  The transition is smooth.  And overlay onto the different map modes (such as landmark etc.) is the real time traffic condition.  At one glance, I can tell where are the areas that I shall avoid, if so I wish.

Route planning in OVI Maps is a breeze.  Alternative routes are displayed and can be selected with a click of a button.  I have no complain about OVI Maps for now, except that there are locations that I cannot find using OVI Maps in the Internet but able to find via my phone.  To be fair, I can’t find these locations in Google Maps neither.  Below is a screenshot of how, in theory, I can plan my route from my home to the Botanic Gardens.  The deeper purple route from A to B is the optimized route.  The red thin line along the highway CTE indicates that heavy traffic at that segment is expected.  And the route in light purple is an alternate route via the highway.  There is a third one also in light purple overlaid with the highlighted one for the shortest route in case if you wonder why the routing near the destination is a bit confusing.  Selecting different mode – shortest route, fastest route, and optimized route – will highlight the route accordingly in deep purple.

In summary, despite the occasion lost of GPS signal during my first navigation experience, as a free service that bundled with selected Nokia phones, it is certainly one feature that Nokia users should cheer about.  Imagine no more getting lost when you are overseas and in town.  Looking at how far the maps function has progressed since the early days of Nokia putting maps onto their phones, I am keen to see what the near future will bring.

PS. I may try to mount the phone to the windscreen to see if the GPS signal strength can be improved.

Categories
Diary

Can You Steal A Parking Lot?

When resource becomes scarce is when our true color reveals, true or false?  One can talk about the beauty of humanity when people are getting what the majority are having.  But strange behaviors emerge when we have to compete, especially when the rules are not well established.  What am I talking about?  The stealing of parking lots.

Stealing?!

I first read that phrase on the front page of our national newspaper.  Someone was stomped, accused of parking lot stealing, and has his or her face / car photographed and published on the Internet.  What is Stomp?  Quote unquote: Asia’s leading citizen-journalism website with user-generated material.  The website can be found in here.  Personally, I am not that into Stomp, as I have yet to be convinced that citizen-journalism has a consistent high quality that I can value when it comes to news reading.  And if bloggers can be sued in Singapore for defamation, would stompers face the same risk?  Or they have gained immunity because the pictures are hosted with our national newspaper in the Internet space?  Whichever, I would rather not see my face featured in Stomp.  That brings forth the second part of this entry.

*     *     *     *     *

Over the years, the shopping mall Thompson Plaza has retained its popularity, amongst the dwellers of the neighborhood, including my family.  Over the years, car ownership in Singapore has increased.  How I wish we could be like our neighboring country Malaysia that when the demand is up, a new mall can be built right next to the old one.  Double the capacity, double the parking lots.

Parking in Thompson Plaza has become increasingly time consuming, especially during peak hours.  Rather than going round and round inside the car park basement hoping to find an empty slot, I often wait patiently in one area for one.  At times, there could be two or even three cars waiting in the same area.  There is no first-come-first-serve when it comes to which of the cars in waiting get the first available lot.  There is no clear demarcation of which are the lots belongs to which ‘waiting bay’.  For me, I often give way to those who have come first, or those who are closer to the empty lot.  Seldom do I confront other drivers unless it is an act of bully, which I have encountered several times in the past.  I do not get out of the car and scream at other drivers like some do.  I make sure that I drive into the lot before it is taken, if I feel that I have waited for my turn.

One fine day, as I was heading to my usual waiting area, inside the Thompson Plaza car park, I was stuck in a peculiar situation.  Behind my car, one car was leaving the lot.  In front of me, there was a car in waiting blocking my way.  All that car needed to do was to move forward a little bit, let me pass, and take up the parking lot.  My intend was to wait for another lot since someone was here before me.

All of a sudden, the car in front sped away, disappeared.  And I was presented with an empty parking lot.  I looked in front and there was no car waiting.  I looked at the back and there was no car behind.  I waited a bit, nothing happened.  Naturally, I drove into the lot, and parked.

Out of nowhere, someone was honking furiously.  I looked through the windscreen and saw a lady driver furiously screaming at me, rudely gesturing at me.  Wow, what’s going on?  It turns out that she was the driver in front of me and had – I suppose – decided to drive one big round through the car park in order to let me pass.  I was not pleased with her attitude but surrendering the lot to her seemed like the right thing to do.  And so I drove out of the parking lot and waited for another one.

Looking at the rear mirror, I could tell that she was still angry at me.  A few days later, when I read the headline on the newspapers, I secretly hoped that it was not I who was stomped.  If so, I may consider suing someone for defamation – for the fun of it since it seems like the in-thing to do in Singapore these days.

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Near my home, there is a food center.  At times, the parking lots can be fully occupied.  One time, a small lorry drove past me who was in the waiting, did a U-turn, and there we were, facing each other, eying on the same set of lots.  And I wondered: How is it going to be?  Me or him?

As the story turned out, a lot became available near to the lorry.  And I was expecting it to be taken, even though I had been waiting for quite a while.  Just my luck.  Some days you have it, some days don’t.  Contrary to my expectation, the lorry driver hand-signalled me to take the lot instead.  I was in gratitude, surprised – or rather grateful – that there is still beauty in humanity when resource seems scarce.