The Boston Chapters: Over Troubled Waters

The bridge has always held a significant value to me. Sure, it stretches across an extremely peaceful river with the most tranquil of sights - sail boats gently gliding on the water's surface as the sun's rays reflected off of the dancing waves of the river. But then again, it has never really been about the sights of what one would see on the bridge, as much as it sure does help; it's the very act of crossing the bridge that counts more.

Geographically, walking across the bridge takes one to "the other side", or a whole new realm we all know as Boston. I remember the first time I crossed the bridge, I felt a slight rush of excitement as I made a mental note of the "new frontier" in which I was about to set foot upon.

Over the course of the 2 months, as much as the feelings of excitement and adventure peeled off with the weathering of time, I still always make it an effort to walk across the bridge every time I want to head down to the all-too-familiar comic shop or Prudential Tower on the other side.

As much as it would make more comfortable sense to ride the bus instead, there was just something about crossing the bridge on foot that meant something, something that felt "right" or refreshing; especially so during the times that I walked alone, with only the hymns of Mother Nature ringing through my ears. Somehow, walking across the bridge had unknowingly become my little quiet spot and reflection time for the duration in which I've been here.

I'm sure the sights and sounds played a part in attributing to the creation of this little emotional and mental refuge for me; but thinking deeper about it, I figured that maybe its because it holds a significant metaphorical meaning to me as a person as well.

The entire experience of this 2 months could very well be likened to, you guessed it, a bridge in my life; a bridge over the turbulent and troubled waters of uncertainty. And just like the little bridge, these entire experience is also set to lead me into new frontiers; a new chance, a new job, a new hope, maybe. No one really knows what really lies on the other side, but I'm sure that this bridge is leading me somewhere.

But just as or perhaps even more important than the eventual destination, the bridge in itself, is a journey or part of THE journey as well. While the main purpose of it was or is to bring one to the other side, I cannot deny that making this crossing has yielded its own share of intangible rewards as well.

In summary, these 2 months habr been magical to say the least (minus the debacle of "Black Tuesday"), and not only have I learned and grown as a Game Designer with the project and under the guidance of the people that have been helping me out along the way; more importantly, I've learned and grown as a person, learning important lessons from the experiences of almost-utter freedom and independence, and I would be lying to say that I didn't almost enjoy every single minute of it. And the best part is, I managed to do all this while joining a team of talented (and some less-talented people) in creating something special.

While not THE most polished or complete of games, Muzaic is definitely something that I'm more than happy with the way it turned out. Sure, we had our hard times, we crunched blood and sweat out of the last fortnight, and we worked our asses off to get all that we wanted in; but through all the buggy mess that was / is often out of our control, the bottomline is: Muzaic is a game that I'm proud to call my own, no matter what anyone or everyone thinks about it, I will always feel that magic was made while I made this little crossing in my life's path, and in many many more aspects than one.

I looked at the iconic pointed-top of the Prudential Tower get bigger and bigger as I drew closer to it. The length of the pathway behind me getting longer with each subsequent step I took. Sail boats glided across the surface like every other good-weathered day. The waves rippled under my feet as I looked at the shimmering image of the sun on the water's surface.

And turned around, and stared long and hard through the intense light at the scene that surrounded me. Today, I crossed the bridge for the last time...

........... See you on the Other Side