The world through my eyes

I could have done much better in certain subjects such as English and Home Economics. However, I feel satisfied over my results.

Being in the top 10 positions in class is something astonishing, I have not been in such a position before. However, I should not slack just because I got in the top 10, but I should study to get better. If I were to slack, my marks may surely fall.

How can I get better? I would analyze my mistakes and figure out what was wrong. In this way, I believe that I can understand questions better than other people telling me the correct answer as I would understand it better in my own view. I still think asking my friends or teachers for help is still a great way to learn, especially when I am in doubt.
I should also set a target for every subject to get myself to continue studying.
Though staying up late or waking up in the wee hours of the morning to study could be a good idea, I still think I’m making myself much more prone to being ill because of the lack of rest.

I should not do an ending for my English compositions without much information shown in the whole composition. Reading good books like novels or award-winning books may be a good way to improve my grammar and writing skills. I should also pick up reading Malay books to also improve my writing skills, my language in Malay compositions are just pulling my marks down.

         Ever played any bloody, first-person shooter games and you seem to enjoy guts flying over your head? Or have you freaked out tons of times while playing a horror game? Or maybe your eyes and mind kept getting sharper while playing a mind-challenging strategy game?

      These games totally have magical powers! For me, I sometimes laugh like a sadist when one gets defeated in a humililating way while playing first-person shooters. I move left and right while playing a high-speed racing game. I also thought that I am on the pilot’s seat while playing a flight simulator. 
 
     One of games’ well-known power is addiction. The main cause of getting addicted to a game is your determination to beat it or upgrade your character up the ranks. However, after beating the game, or everything just seemed to be getting too easy, you will start to lose interest in it. Well, in my own words, I will play a game extensively after I just installed it on my computer. In the middle of the road, however, the duration I play it decreases as either I kept doing the same thing or there are lesser things to anticipate. These often happend when I am playing flight simulators where what I do is just taxi, take off, fly to destination and land. At times, I would play flight simulators for 2 hours in an online server. It depends on the number of players and the atmosphere in it.

     Just a little tip on how to fight off your addiction in certain games.  When you are allowed to use the computer, do not play the game. If the tempting and irresistable feeling to play it comes up, counter it by listening to music that you enjoy. By chance, you will forget about playing it after two days or so.
  

     Have you tried studying straight away after you played a computer game? Does it seem hard to concentrate and you seem to be thinking so much about the game? It often happens to me. The reason for it? No idea. The solution, yes, I have one. It is simple to say out, but it may be hard. Just forget about it.

        If I ask you one question, “Are there any games that you know that challenges your mind?”. What would first come out?(Post it on the comments please, thanks) Those are, again, flight simulators. Let’s put that aside first, shall we?
Strategy games such as Starcraft and Warcraft also challenges your mind. You must predict your enemy’s armies move and their reactions when you attack their base. Tactics can be anything, good and bad. It is better to retreat when you are losing in an assault than fighting to death.
     For flight simulators, you sometimes really have to get your whole head on the game. You have to multi-task as well, keeping the plane stable, at the correct altitude the Air Traffic Controller told you and checking your compass. Actually, you also have to be a little disciplined and patient, especially when you are playing online. You mess up the whole airport, making everyone angry, the host of the server may kick you out, depending on their complaints. Formation flying with your friends really requires a huge bunch of patience and concentration. You have to align your plane that is parallel to where your friend’s direction, through the magnetic headings with the compass(something like the compass bearings thing that you learn on map-reading skills in Geography). A straight formation flight is simple, enough, doing aerobatics like a loop together is really challenging. 
These simulations give me a feel of how to do these things in real-life and an opportunity to try out things without harming myself. They make me a little more prepared for the real thing.

      I also play violent games(and I enjoy it if there is blood). That blood thirsty side of me is not serious, I’d rather kill in games. To me, it is a vital source of stress-relief as I do not really have to use my head. One of the reasons that I play games that involve killing is that: There is no way you can kill in real-life, without the law catching you and doing a terrible sin. I play a whole lot of violent games, Halo, Half-Life, Oni, Unreal Tournament 2004, Soldat and a few more. I play them just to de-stress myself and not extensively. 

    Have you ever wonder how some of your friends(or even you?) and people in the public get their vulgarities from? They are probably influenced by the community of an MMORPG. It is either their online friends keep saying vulgarities and they soon follow them or they saw someone who typed it out, thinking that the word is cool and decides to use it every now and then.  I have to admit, I also say out vulgarities to express my anger, surprise or just to express something thats ‘over the line’.    

   I know some games that I can reccomend to you. Those pilot-wannabes out there, yes, try out some flight simulators, YsFlight Simulator is good for those starters and it is totally free. Flight Simulator X is one which concentrates on realism and also the graphics. You need an almost high-end computer to get all the eye-candy details. However, most computers used today still can run it, but with lower detail graphics. I cannot find them in the stores, though, I just wanna know the price of it.
   

     Yet another simulator, this time its a driving simulator! Rigs of Rods totally depends on physics. It is still on its testing phase, though, there is no main objective. Just enjoy driving around the highways or go off-road. It also requires a fast computer to get the nice effects such as textured shadows and stuff.      

    I reccomend you trying out Sudoku online, it boosts your IQ. Puzzle Pirates may look like it is a game for kids but there are adults playing it. Everyone in the ship must work together to get to their destination, to win a sea battle and a sword fight through puzzles. Not the jigsaw type, though. Myst is a mystery-solving game where you only have to click and use your head to solve puzzles. There is an online demo on the Myst IV- Revelation website. Myst is strangely addictive, I must say, it had me procrastinating this work when I tried the online demo.

    In the end, gaming addiction is not a disorder. It is truly natural for all of us. You can fight off addiction at times if you do certain methods that really make you forget about the game. Playing violent games extensively can really change your behaviour, after a few years or so. Simulators give you a little more knowledge over something and those tycoon games(such as Lemonade Tycoon) puts your business skills to the test.

     Ever wonder if there is a computer application out there that you can use to talk to your friends or relatives overseas and see them at the same time and it is free of charge?

                                                                  Skype, it is. 

     Skype  is a peer-to-peer Internet telephony network founded by entreprenuers Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, whom are also the founders of Kazaa, a file-sharing application. It started its Beta Testing(Public test) on August 29, 2003. It was, then, bought off by eBay on the 14th of October 2005 for a big bag of cold,hard cash(stock were also included, though) : €1.9 billion. An additional €1.5 billion will be rewarded to them if their goals are met by 2008.

     Are your huge mobile phone bills hogged up by 3G Video Calling and conference calling? Ever wished that these features are fully free of charge?

   Skype offers the feature which is called ’Video calling’, similiar to the feature of video calling in your mobile phone. It is free!. With this feature, I could just talk to my friends and relatives overseas who does not have a 3G phone and we could see each other through our webcam.
   It also offers a free-of-charge Conference calling  as well! It is similiar as what you can do in your mobile, you can make a conference with up to 5 people or 10 people if you have an Intel Duo Core Processor installed in your PC.  I totally want to reccomend this! It is like the conference call feature that you can do in your handphones but it is free! One thing, however, everyone must have a microphone so that you can hear everyone on it.
You can also dial ordinary phone numbers(including handphones) starting approximately $0.02 per minute. You can also get yourself a Skype phone number! It offers convinience for contacts who does not have a Skype account. For $30 per year, you gain the ‘SkypeIn’ phone number with an area code of choice that will allow contacts outside the Skype network to call directly into Skype.
You can also set up Skype Voicemail so that people can leave you messages, in their voices, of course, when you are not around. I think this is something really vital especially for those people who are busy with their job or studies. Sometimes, we tend to ignore any messages from friends when we are in a tight schedule. With this feature, we can be updated to what is happening, and stuff, during our free time.

This program is under competition against existing open VoIP protocols such as SIP, IAX, and H.323.   The program was acquired by eBay in October 2005 and is headquarted in Luxemburg, with offices in London, Prague and Tallinn. 

   Skype has gotten a rapid growth of popular usage and software development ever since its launch, both of its free and paid services. It has the ability to use peer-to-peer technology to overcome common fire wall and Net Adress Translation problems.

      As what Dr Balakrishnan said on the newspaper(Straits Times Monday 29-1-07), “The key thing is that the biggies are all from small groups of individuals with a bright idea.” The thing to develop the next ‘big thing’ which is better than YouTube or Skype(and has some similiarities) is to get a group of individuals not just with ideas, but bright ideas. You know, ideas can be anything, an idea that can totally make the whole thing accelerate up the ranks in months or another one that can totally destroy the whole thing.
With half a chance given onto the person’s hands, he could have the ability to change the world. If it is a success, the new technology can attract Multi-National Companies to settle their shops and build their factories here in Singapore. In this way, they must invest money to Singapore. Not only that, it will also provide the unemployed and us, in the future, with jobs.

      Well, I have never used Skype before but I heard my friend from a YSFlight forum mentioning about it as there was a little problem with one’s TeamSpeak application(We talked to each other through our microphones). TeamSpeak is program that has a similiar function like Skype’s Conference calling. However, no one needs to register for an account and only have to go servers via I.P address. Stalkers, murderers, rapists, you name it, may be found in one of the TeamSpeak Servers. These threats can also be found in Skype, as well. 

      So, are there any Skype users here? Or have you even heard of it? If you are a user of it, tell us what you think about it. If not, what do you think it would like if you try it(or why not just try it with your classmates?).

       Oh yeah, the person who holds the ‘power’ to develop the big-thing could be ANYONE. Yes, you read it right. Any ideas? Feel free to post it in the comments~!

   Ever heard of a guy named Lance Armstrong? What about those eye-catching yellow wristbands you see people wearing? You know, he did not became a famous person easily, he faced many problems which is far more complicated than what we face in our daily lives. Thinking your life is hard, with all the homework, nagging and ‘gaming-blues’, think again, buddy.

         Lance Armstrong, an exceptional person who showed great determination to strive on, even on under life-threatening experiences.

    He was a true prodigy when he proved himself by winning the Iron Kids Thriathlon at the age of 13. He  became a professional when he was just 16 years old. He trained with the U.S Olympic cycling developmental team in Colorado Springs during his senior years in high school(secondary school). He then embarked his journey to become a bike racer.

     He got on top of the hill in the amateur ranks effortlessly. He qualified for the junior world championships that is held in Moscow in 1989. Two years later, he was the U.S National Amateur Champion and soon after turned professional. He soon proved himself by getting the USPRO Championship title, winning stage victories in the Tour De France and multiple victories at the Tour du Point, a No. 1 world ranking. He also gained a spot on the U.S Olympic team. He was the No. 1 cyclist in the world at the year 1996 and competed as a member of the U.S Cycling team in the Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. He also signed a contract with a french-based racing team, Confidis.

    Even though he seemed to be “immortal” and immune to any diseases, he was diagnosed for stage three testicular cancer that had also infected his brain and lungs in early October 1996. He was forced off his bike when he felt the excruciating pain. The disaster changed his life forever. He has less than 50% to survive the cancer and he was frightened by the news of it. However, he still held on even though he was holding on to a barbed wire. He started off with an aggressive form of chemotherapy. With the advice of specialists, he tried a full course of treatment that gave him a chance for full recovery with a smaller risk of losing lung capacity, as a side effect, which could dramatically disrupt his carreer. The chemotherapy worked and he gradually put his thoughts back to bike racing. Even though he recovered from the terrible thing, the cancer left him with scars physically and emotionally. He now maintains it and he said that it was the best thing that happened to him. He extended his focus to the cancer community and he formed the Lance Armstrong Foundation within months of his diagnosis to help others with their struggle to cure cancer.

     His complete recovery from cancer seemed miraculous. However, he was left teamless after departing from Confidis. He was, until the United States Postal Service. If he never had turned another pedal, his life story would be an inspirational one. However, he still strived on to prove himself in the ranks of the professional elites. He started again, but this time, he turned to a rocky road. In the Early season racing in 1998 nearly ended his carreer again in the Paris-Nice race. He pulled off at the side of a road and declared that he is quitting. Many thought that it was the end for his bike racing carreer. However, they were wrong when Armstrong admitted that he was learning how to live again. He went back to Boone, North California where he was coached by long-time coach and friend, Chris Carmichael for a week of stress-free training. There, he learnt how to love his bike again and he built up enough courage to make another attempt. His first race on his bike was a reason to celebrate as he won the Lance Armstrong Foundation Downtown Criterium in his hometown in Austin, Texas. His new focus on life and training really paid-off when he got in the top-five finishes in the Tour of Spain and World Championships. He set a goal to win the Tour De France championship in 1999. It was already a win for Lance Armstrong, himself, and cancer survivors in the world, but it just did not seem to be enough when you just show up. He got through the prologue stage and eventually, he won his first Tour.  He became an international hero.

However, Lance did not stop there, he won six more Tour De France titles and been awarded with every sports honour there is, virtually. He became the symbol of hope and inspiration. He also continued to become a leader and activist for the cancer survivors around the world.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation has become one of the most influential organizations of its kind and provides practical information and tools people need on turning the tides on cancer and to live strong.
He has retired, but there is one thing that stays firm. “No matter what his path, he will travel with it with sure knowledge that everyday is precious and every step matters”.

     Personally, getting to win the Iron Kids Triathlon at the age of 13 and becoming a professional only at the age of 16 is the most exceptional as young teens at that age may find it hard to reach that kind of level.

His success to get back to bike racing after his recovery from cancer and the miserable failure in the Paris-Nice competition. It tells us that everytime you start something or continue something that you did not do for a long time would always make you begin at the bottom. His determination to get back to racing really bring the whole thing back on the road. 

“If he never turned another pedal, the story would be an inspirational one. But it wasn’t enough for Lance. He needed to prove himself in the ranks of the professional elite.” Really has a poweful meaning to me. Even though your life is scarred, physically and emotionally, by cancer, you still remain undeterred to achieve your dreams.

“Lance didn’t stop there. He has added six more Tour de France titles to his list, has been awarded every sports honour there is.” Shows that he really needs more than just a title on the Tour de France to prove himself as a professional elite.
“He also continues to be a leader and activist on behalf of cancer survivors around the world” tells us that he supports cancer survivors to live on with their lives.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation supports cancer survivors by helping them with topics regarding their physical, emotional and diagnosis and treatments of cancer types questions.

The word, LiveStrong, has a powerful meaing to me. It means that you must not back down when you are diagnosed for cancer, in such great pain and the life after recovery.

What I admire most about him and makes him an exceptional person is because of his determination to achieve his dream as he knows that one title from a major competition is not enough to be the ones on the top.

    His life story also tells us that ‘Failure is also a pillar of success’. He did fail on trying to complete the 1998 Paris-Nice race. It is an experience that gives you an opportunity to improve yourself to suceed. 

      ”Knowledge is power, Attitude is Everything” is probably one of the greatest quotes that I have ever heard. Even though you have the knowledge about something, your attitude towards it will give you a higher lift to success. You may know almost the whole thing about something but if you are just like a lazy kid thinking that it is not worth it to use it, then you may not succeed.

   I am a gamer and I play a wide range of games from first-person shooters to simulations.
   
       To me, online gaming(or just gaming) is either worth the while or a total waste of time depends. For games like flight simulators are really great games, especially for the pilot-to-be. Playing games such as those first-person shooters, MMORPGs and other games that lead you nowhere to success is only good for your leisure time. It is totally a waste of time if you play these games for two or more hours non-stop.
       What causes games to be addictive is because of; the difficulty of the game, the rewards you get(in the game, of course), its gameplay and graphics. A game that is too easy to beat makes it really boring as there is no challenge, it is as if everything is done like a blink of an eye. Nothing is better than getting a pleasurable reward after completing quests and stuff. It is also based on it’s gameplay, whether it is realistic, has much more different and unique features than other games. Although the gameplay could be really great, it is never complete with good graphics where it is appealing to the eye.

    I am an online gamer and I play MMORPGs like, RuneScape, A3, Puzzle Pirates, MapleStory,  DarkSpace, Project Entropia and Voyage Century Online. Nowadays, I usually play these games when I am stressed or there is nothing else better to do. Games such as Puzzle Pirates really requires your mind and it could boost your IQ, where you play puzzles while on a voyage(yes, you work in a ship, either controlled by players or non-players) to different islands. You must do well in the puzzles to get a higher pay. Being a carpenter of the ship requires you to cover the holes in an almost perfect manner, not many overlaps, whereas being the one who controls the sails must play a tetris form of game. Being a bilger(sp?) is a game similiar in “Jewels” found in the MSN Messenger. Being the cannoneer of the ship is one of the most essensial in a middle of a sea battle where you have to load the cannons in an orderly manner. It also depends on the community(the players) in the game. Almost all(or maybe ALL) games have a bad group of people who may spoil people with their vulgarities and rude talking. My best guess is that, kids and young teens say out vulgarities because they saw the word in the chat box and thought that it seemed cool, so he/she decides to use it often.

     For the pilot-wannabe or just an aviation enthusiast, I reccomend you to buy the game, Flight Simulator X or Flight Simulator 2004(as it is cheaper now) because of its realism and you are really can get the feel of flying. If you really do not have the money, try games such as YSFlight, even though the default planes seemed to be ‘overpowered’ and the graphics looks plain, add-ons from tech-savvy people are found when you just search in google.com .   You can also try FlightGear, it is free and you can download the whole world map for either a price or for free(I am not sure of it). You can also take a step further by playing Space Flight Simulators such as Orbiter. It is free as well and has a very, I mean VERY, steep learning curve where it is totally realistic and you may need a whole lot of knowledge in physics and science. I am still learning how to do a higher orbit around the Earth as I could only do very low orbits which has, like, a 99% chance of doing a re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

   For violent(and bloody?) games such as Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament 2004 can really spoil one’s mind. In the Philippines, kids as young as 8 years old plays Counter-Strike(and does headshots) may not be an uncommon sight in my town. Teens take it to the next level by using pellet guns which pain could be just a slight pinch or can cause a bleeding injury. I tried using a pellet pistol before but I did not shoot at my cousins, but at a cup. To me, playing these violent games is not really worth your time, unless you want to make a living out of it by taking part in tournaments.

Update! 26-1-07, Friday

    Games that make me really addicted is by its unique gameplay. Last night, I played from 8pm to 11pm just to beat the online game, Swords and Sandals. I did not succeed though, I’d always get killed. I also played Warcraft III:The Frozen Throne a few days ago and I played it over and over again because my mind was full of ideas on how to blow up the enemy’s base.

Out of ideas, again.. Be right back, hehe.