Blogging block....

Surreal... that's the word for today. After 2 weeks of on and off from school, and with a week more of such existence, that's the feel for now. And hence the blogging block.... 8)

There were times when I'd look forward to going to school. But this time around, ambivalence is more like it. There'll be lots of loose ends to pick when I go back... there always are. Dealing with kids, this is one of those things. Leave them too long, you have to 'whip' them back into the routine before. It's not just the kids who are like that. I think us adults are not much different.

Had an interesting conversation with my fellow comrade-in-arms about the pervasiveness of FaceBook. She was telling me about the Games Apps which she's currently playing. There are many games apps on FB such as Farmville, Scrabble, Pets, Hotel City, etc, etc.... So if you add that to the virtual everything (from hugs to cards to cakes and what have you nots), I guess FB has invaded most of our lives.

She was gushing about how about how interesting it is to be able to build her own city.... A few weeks ago, I had a similar conversation with my banker. Hers was farming... how exciting it was to watch over her farm, harvest the fruits of her labour (labour here is actually clicking your mouse. LOL!). If you sit down to listen and didn't know better, you'd think that these people are talking about real things. And they're hooked to those apps!

All you need to do is just listen to the excitement in their voices, the frustrations when their crops lay to waste or even their indignance when thieves come in and steal their produce... and these are digitally generated stuff, made up of programming codes and graphics. You'd think they're going to starve to death the way they talk about their loss of their crops. Or how one of them said she kept checking her computer to make sure that no one comes and steal her crops as she did her housework. I had such a good laugh imagining her mopping a section of her house and running back to the computer to check on her digital farm.... I think we're all going nuts! And now we have a couple abandoning their real baby (the Korean case) who died while attending to their virtual baby. Virtual took precedence over the real one! Feels like the digital world evokes a greater intensity of feelings...

When asked why the addiction to such games? The usual answer? They have nothing to do. I think most of us have things to do... it's just that, this sort of games has hit on our need to build, achieve, strive, own... very gratifying when the results are quite instantenous. A city in a few days. A farm that is constantly growing. The more you click, the more you spend time at the computer, the more of everything... there seems to be a reward waiting for you for all that 'effort'.... even though it's only pseudo effort it seems. We're being suckered for sure.... by the makers of such apps.

Used to be mostly kids who will be glued to the computer games. These days, adults with gray hair, failing eyesight are congregating and willing themselves glued to the screen too... Do I play any of these? Nah! Not yet! For now, the call of the real world is still more 'powderful' and alluring. LOL!