2007: Requiem of Retrospection

12... The deafening sound of the clock tower strikes to mark the end of the day.

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11... But the significance of the moment lies in much more than the end of the day, for the end of this day also represents the end of this year.

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10... As the clock strikes 12 this midnight, what will you see? What will you hear?

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9... Will you be able to hear beyond the sounds of the crowd counting, the whistles, the cheers and the chimes of the clock tower? Will you be able to look beyond youths jumping, people smiling and children laughing?

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8... Will you be able to see the events of the year that has past before your very eyes, the life that you have lived in the last 365 days and the memories that you have made in the given hours?

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7... Will you be able to look back at the year, and ask yourself, "What did the last year, 2007, mean to me as a person and to my soul?"

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6...When you have a Millenia to live, Retrospection plays an important part as your moments are defined not so much by the time that has passed, but more so by the moments that are made. Listen carefully, beyond the sounds of the bells and the whistles, and maybe, just maybe, like me; you'll be able to hear the sweet sounds of the Requiem of Retrospection.

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#5... To Drink the Wine from the Winner's Cup

I've been a hardcore gamer for the last 19 years, "hardcore" in every sense of the word, beyond a shadow of a doubt. But sadly, this assurance remains largely in the confines of my own mind, and in the loss of translation to another, the begging question would always be, "Really, how hardcore is hardcore?"

In 2007, this point, title and identity has been resoundingly proven, albeit to a measly crowd of 30 people, but still, it is a point proven to some others, and most importantly, to myself. I practiced, I played and I won - by a landslide - in an small-scale competition, mincing through the biting Performance Anxiety, and showed that, when it really came down to it, I could step up the the pedestal and prove that I am indeed the meanest son-of-a-gun this side of the square in Geometry Wars (and many other games too).

While Pride makes the most of the cake, the icing on top of it comes in the form of the Prize, a spanking new Nintendo Wii to continue relishing the sweet taste of victory; and relish I will, as I continue to pummel deeper down into the spirals of Passion with the new-found prize.

Maniacal, I know.

Related Post(s): The Prize of Passion

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#4... Our Hearts Draw a Dream

2007 has also been a more than optimistic year where affairs of the heart are concerned.

After teasing me with light sprinkles of the possibilities of Romance in the earlier half of the year, Destiny went into full swing in the latter half of the year.

Sending to my doorstep a gift of starking differences and a tinge of nostalgic similarity, Destiny literally baited the experiential in me to take a blind shot at the impossible. And from that first shot onwards, Destiny played the role of the guiding hand to the raging whirlwinds of Romance, whistling in harmony with my Dark Charisma and Vampiric Charm.

A couple of months later.... and then there was 5.

Reflection of Impossibility

Related Post(s):
Conversational Chemistry, Al Dante Trattoria: Love for the Lighter Taste of Love, Top of the M: Curtain Call
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#3... Big Trouble in Little Tokyo

2007 marked a fruitful year for travel as well. Even though there was only 1 trip made the entire year, it would be safe to say that it probably ranked in my Top 3 vacations in my entire lifetime (and that is saying a little something, I would guess).

I remember the feeling of the wind on my face on Mount Fuji, I remember the sounds of the soothing Kegon Waterfall at Nikko, I remember the taste of Kobe Beef, I remember the breathtaking night scene from Tokyo Tower and I sure as hell remember the laughter that rang through the rooms, the hallways and the buses with the company that I went with.

But ironically, if there is 1 thing, 1 moment, 1 experience that I would REALLY remember Japan for, it would be the night that I got lost on the streets of Tokyo alone. I can still vividly replay the memories in my head.

Walking through the quiet streets with my jacket fully-zipped up to battle the chilly night wind. I remember using my broken Japanese to find my way around after the whole debacle. I can remember the mental struggle I had; whether to settle down somewhere safe to wait the night away, or to embrace the adventurer in me to continue exploring the new frontier.

I'm glad I chose the latter, for I'm glad that I penned a story to tell for the ages and made a memory that would last a lifetime.

Yes, I am THAT damn cool.

Related Post(s):
Vampire in Japan: Day 10 /11 - Beautiful Disaster, Vampire in Japan Series
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#2... Moment of Glory

2007 is... the year that marked the end of my academia after a gruelling 25 years.

As I stood at the foot of the steps to the stage, I could feel it, the flipping of the last page of the Academic Chapter in my life, after a total time of 16 years hitting the books, it was finally time to bid a sordid farewell to the hurried flipping of pages the night before the exam, days of sitting in front of the monitor to rush a project deadline, trying to make one's presence felt in tutorial classes just to have your name remembered to get a little more favour from the tutors (which sometimes mean a little more points as well)... things that will surely not be missed.

But this particular close also stubbed the flames of leisure that fuelled the given-and-not-earned long vacations, it marked the end of the carefree life of juggling your own free time as you deem fit (most of which I saw fit to spend on gaming), and most importantly, the end of the official reasons to be sitting in the same room with the friends that I've made over the years. These are the times... that will surely be missed.

But as I took a deep breath with my retarded-looking hat in my hand, I knew that this day would eventually come, and in 2007, this was the year in which the day came that I cut the reins of Academia to embrace the full-fledged freedom thereafter.

Curtain Call

Related Post(s): Graduation: Moment of Glory

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#1... Live the Dream

"I wanna be a fireman."

"I wanna be an astronaut."

Dreams... we all have them. And when we were younger and less jaded, our dreams seemed a lot closer to reality. But with the Sands of Time, the harshness of reality slowly chews away at the lucidness of these dreams and we can do nothing about it except to see it fade away and slip out of our grasp.

I remember the day, when I was 18, sitting at a nearby MacDonald's with my then-girlfriend, and I told her, "I want to be a Game Designer, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get there." I felt an extremely strong conviction then, and I guess it must have showed in my eyes, as I saw a slightly startled look in her's when she saw it; probably a stark contrast to the usual glint of non-chalance I cast.

Fast-forward 6 years of my lifetime, 4 years of Tertiary education, 25 job-applications and 100s of games played later... despite all adversity and doubt, despite the torrent tides of influence of the people around me, despite the shadows of doubt cast by Practicality on the colours of my dream, here I am... finally... Living the Dream, in 2007.

True, the road is still shaky, as uncertainty paves the way of the future, while material temptations sometimes serve to detract me from my cause. But despite all this, to be able to realize an Ideal, to be able to March to the beat of your own Drum, to be able to live a Life of Passion; is a surreal fact in itself, especially given the circumstances around me.

And no matter what the years to come may shape this base of realized-ideals into, whether the dream will stand or stumble, regardless of how long it'll last, 2007 will be remembered as the year that...

...I Lived my Dream...

With my Back on my Future

Related Post(s): The Price of Passion, The Perks of Passion




..... and I am not Ready to Wake from my Dream just yet...