Communication

For the myriad of communication tools we have at our disposal, it should be easy to stay in touch with friends. Apart from being one of the nation's with the highest penetration of handphones, internet access thereby spanning options like e-mail, MSN messager, Yahoo messager and the like, everyday we seem to be losing touch with old friends. As I was scrolling down my phone book the other day, I realise my most frequently dialled numbers are colleagues, customers and a handful of friends that I see virtually every week, oh and my mum of course. Yet some of the have-not-been-dialled-since-half-a-million-years are some of my closest friends, or at least have been. Is it really so hard to keep in touch with friends these days?

Sometimes we claim we are busy, busy with work, dating, family commitments and the like, but I think it just boils down to plain laziness. I think nobody ever has time for others, they make time. Work does consume most of our waking hours but surely not all. Otherwise television stations would not really get much ratings even for the top blockbusters. Or neither will our cafes be flooded with aimless people sitting around complaining that life in Singapore is boring.

The thing about true friends though, is that you could have met each other for the first time in months or even years and the conversation still flows, as though you are in contact with each other everyday. Just now I had dinner with an old friend whom I have not met for maybe 2 years. Yet it was as though the clock had turned back 4 years during the times when we met every week, talked on the phone all the time. Still totally comfortable with each other and talking about anything under the sun and she reminded me of some of my old crappy jokes that I never considered worthly of retention. As though nothing had changed, except we were both working adults as opposed to individuals living off our parents.

Maybe I should resolve to meet up with one old friend a week for the next 2 months. Hmm, sounds kinda familiar, I think I made this resolve before. Strange sense of deja vu. Maybe I am in the habit of losing friends. Am I? If I have not met up with you for sometime, drop me a line or a mail.

Cheers

Next Gen console wars

This generation's 'console war' is fast shaping up to be the most exciting and closely fought yet. For the first time since possibly the NES 64, Nintendo is providing a compelling offering. No longer contend to service merely the Pikachu/Mario/Link fanboys, Nintendo's latest console, the oddly named Wii is surprisingly generation possibly the most interest with its unique motion sensing TV remote look-alike controller. At the recent E3, Nintendo scored a definitely one-up over Sony and Microsoft. Of course it is still early days yet.

Microsoft fired the first salvo with their X-Box 360 in hope of gaining a head start over perennial rivals Sony in the belieft that despite their technical superior product the previous generation, X-Box lost primarily because of the one year advantage the PS2 had. Interestingly enough, Microsoft launched the X-Box 360 without their definitive franchise Halo or any other big name X-Box exclusive franchise. Then again, besides Halo, X-Box did not have any big name exclusive franchise except perhaps the Tecmo games. Riding on the success of X-Box Live, online gaming remains the cornerstone of Microsoft's gaming strategy. A key coup for Microsoft in capturing the elusive Japanese gaming market is getting Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to throw in his lot for the X-Box camp with 2 exclusive games. Other than that, Microsoft continues to churn out games that look equally at home on your PC.

Nintendo also seems to be coming on strong. Personally, I think my first next generation console could well be a Wii given its innovative design and fresh take on gaming. With Nintendo, you are guaranteed the genius of Shigeru Miyamato, possibly the greatest game designer ever. Having his firm endorsement on the Wii, fans are assured that new games will take full advantage of the innovative controller. Just like the Nintendo DS, Nintendo continues to prove that they remain the cutting edge pioneers in game innovation and design. Also with the long awaiting latest Zelda instalment at launch, the Nintendo offering is getting harder to resist.

Then what about Sony? Sony dropped a bomb with its latest announcement that the PS3 will cost USD 600 (or more accurately USD 599) for the console alone. This is by far the priciest console with the Wii reportedly debuting at less than USD 250. Sony on the otherhand made no apologies for the price stating that for its state of the art technology, the PS3 is in fact under-priced. Although its true that the PS3 is undoubtably the most technologically advanced console with the most impressive features, this price tag is definitely prohibitive to the masses. Then, as reports on the latest instalments of Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy surface, seeing the gorgeous CG videos, I started to think of areas where I can cut down to save up for the PS3. Surely I can survive with just 2 meals a day, surely I do not need new clothes for the next three years, surely I can walk to a lot of places........ The PS3 proposition in spite of Sony's talk of Blu-ray drive and free online is simple: Sony has the best exclusive franchises. Period.

Excuse me, now I have to start looking for part time work to save up.

Festivities

I am most definitely looking forward to the Festival of the Hungry Ghost also known as the seventh month of the Lunar calender. No, it's not because I have some macabre fascination with the dead/undead, nor do I sell incense and paper ingots. Neither am I a part-time 'getai' singer or a restless spirit for that matter. Stop speculating, the truth is actually much simpler than that. At least that would be one month when I will be free from the fear of receiving wedding invitations.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I am a killjoy, just because my time has yet come to partake of the glorious institution of marriage, my ability to share in other's joy is not compromised. It is not because I am a stingy Hakka man and the thought of having to part with my hard earned cash hurts me that deeply although there is some truth in that argument. Nor is it a case of bitterness engrained in envy even though it is an undeniable fact that the balance of singles and married couples among my peers is swinging and I am firmly caught on the wrong side. Like most things related to me, the explanation is really simple, simplistic if you like. It's really a drag.

Not the most politically correct thing to say I know but really don't you feel that wedding dinners are such a drag. Especially if you are not part of the 'brother/sister' entourage, i.e. close friends of the couple. You are slotted in with equally reluctant attendees and you struggle to make small talk throughout the dinner whilst plotting the most appropriate time to make what you can only hope is a gracious exit. Especially if the either the bride or the groom are descendants of traditional Chinese businessman, oh the excitement of seeing some old folk present some golden double happiness pendant to the parent or the pure elation of seeing the parent share their joy by making a public donation to their 'huay guan'. Wow, how exciting, I wish the night would never end, although it certainly feels that way doesn't it?

Sometimes, the best man or the maid of honor would chose to add their input to the night's fun by narrating how the blissful couple met and all. There should be some committtee to screen the storyline before approving it for public broadcast. Some of these stories are really boring if you would excuse my penchant for understatement. I do not doubt that each love story is sweet to the protaganist but my doctor warned me to watch my sugar intake so please kindly spare me. You can leave these stories to your grandchildren during Chinese New Year, for the coveted 'ang pow', those little tykes should grant you an audience. As for me, I will just clap when you walk in and yam seng when everyone else is doing the same.