A Tad More Frustrated Than Usual

The world we live in is highly inefficient.

I made a few alterations to the site and hopefully fixed all the bugs I could find. I'm also strongly considering a change of server.

Only one more week..

Reason Enough

Today marked the end of my November exams. I’ll only be done for the year after the third of December, but I feel this little milestone is reason enough to push my chest out a bit and smile a little. I wouldn’t say I over worked, and the consequences show it. Applied Maths (again with the Applied Maths!) didn’t go too well. Really, it didn’t. Read between the lines. Anyway, c’est la vie. I can’t cry about what’s in the past. Can only look forward and occupy myself with the present.

Respect to my brother who also ended his year of studying and anticipation. Best of luck for the future! And good luck to J for tomorrow! Everything will be fine. There’s reason enough to believe so. :-)

On Friday there will be reason enough to remember my grandfather. No man is untouchable or unbreakable. Rest peacefully.

Running a Simulation

Half way into the exam and I’m not feeling too bad. Physics was easy and I feel okay about Maths; only Applied Mathematics (Friday) still causes some concern. This time next Wednesday I’ll be done. I still have another Physics paper on, I think, the second, but I’m not going to loose too much sleep about that.

So it’s true: I’m playing The Sims 2. I never played the original Sims, mainly because of what it was: a game in which the player is doing something he or she is suppose to be doing in real life, be it cooking, talking on the telephone or going to work. Still, something about the legacy of the series compelled me to try this game. On my part, this was a mistake, especially considering the fact that I was suppose to study for Maths. The game is thoroughly enjoyably, even if it short lived (something which is not uncommon in modern day computer games). I’m proud of the little home I built and the family I have, even if the private school headmaster is a jackass sometimes.

The Sims was the major success of a long line of simulation games from Maxis. It had the appeal of SimCity, but without the complexity. The game struck accord with everyone: not only children or computer gamers, but with everyone. Teachers, parents, elderly people, housewives, busy career people, teenagers who would normally not occupy themselves with games and many, many more different people. I don’t think another game has draw attention from a larger audience (apart, maybe, from Pac Man).

When you have grown tired of playing with one family, you expand to the rest of the neighborhood. Eventually the game becomes an interactive soap opera and you are the puppet master (instead of commercials you have loading times). Its entertainment, but I am still amazed by the games success. Why do so many people withdraw into this game on time or another? I don’t mean to say that people who play this game are asocial, but on the other hand what is the real appeal for a simplified model of what we live everyday? There is no set ultimate goal to play for. Is it merely entertainment like watching a soap, is it the enjoyment of screwing with virtual people’s lives or is it perhaps an out let for a secret longing for a life you cannot have [at this stage]? The perfect idealization?

Something amazing happened Monday: I went for a jog and it didn’t incapacitate me for the rest of the week (I’ve only jogged three times since February)! Sure, the distance was shorter than usual, but it has to be baby steps at this stage. I also didn’t get another singeing pain in my chest like the previous time (that was scary, to say the least). When I’m studying and I feel overwhelmed or fed up I like to go for a jog in the morning or a walk at night. What can I say, fresh air and deep breaths work. Its not for fitness or anything like that, just relaxation.

It’s amazing how an election that was “too close to call” was over long before the Texas votes were in... I won’t go on my flaws-of-democracy trip today though.