Fireworks

A firework explodes
a dazzling array of light and color
then the moment fades
all is dark once more

Happy Joker Day!

This year hasn't been good to me so far. My first week back in LB gave me some "bad news". We lost a major Dota tournament. A rat bit my left foot. A giant centipede (around 6 inches) bit my left foot (poor foot!). My computer broke down just before the fair started, forcing me to lose a day fixing it and spend the rest of the week catching up on work (I missed my first fair in years!). A nice valentine I received turned out to be a hoax (meh!). So yeah.

Strangely enough, I'm happy. I feel that something wonderful is going to happen this year. Maybe because it's a leap year.

So enjoy today. It happens only once every 4 years. XD

Work and Play

Coding and gaming competitively is such a demanding lifestyle. The days are packed and exhausting. It does have its advantages - when I have a bad game, I can cheer myself up by looking at some of the things I've written at work; Likewise, when I feel I'm not doing a very good job, I can recall some games where my team played exceptionally well.

Yesterday we lost against AE. Looking back at the replay, I think we initially played with confidence, and attempted a few ganks, but there were errors in execution that caused a few deaths on our side instead. As the game progressed, I could sense that we became a lot more hesitant to move around the map due to our initial mistakes. In the end, we lost due to being outleveled and outfarmed.

Last night's game was supposed to be preparation for today's tournament. The game was a mixed blessing: it showed us our errors, so that we could learn from them and apply them in the games to come; but it also showed us the meaning of fear.

The competition in the tourney will most definitely be tougher - Mark will be bringing his Manila team. A tournament win will not be very likely for us, but I'm still hoping to aim for second place. Let's see what will happen... XD

The Arc in the Sky

I was walking across the airport tarmac to where the plane awaited, when I saw the rainbow. It was not an incomplete rainbow of the ordinary sort, but a Real rainbow - bow-shaped, just like the kind you find in children's drawings. What made this one extra special though, were the scattered puddles of water on the ground. The puddles were positioned such that the rainbow's reflection on the puddles joined with the real rainbow to form a perfect circle. It was one of the most moving scenes I have seen in my life.

Now I regret not choosing to get a camera (phone or digital). The ability to take [and show] pictures on demand means that more stories can be told, and the experience gained from having richer conversations may well be worth the price of one camera.

New Year's Resolutions

I like New Year's Resolutions because it implies a desire to become better.

Year's End

This was a year of many firsts. It was a good year for me. I'm enjoying my time here in Zamboanga, spending time with family. I don't get to be on the pc as much, but its a good contrast to the rest of the year - where work consists of sitting in front of a computer, play consists of sitting in front of a computer, and "going out" is taking a short walk to a nearby computer shop. ;))

Chase

I still don't know what I'm supposed to be chasing...