Flash back 2 years. There were only 2 things I wanted to do: (1) Auditing, and (2) Business Consulting. 5 months in my current job, I think I have made the right choice, not that there was much to begin with.

Forming an opinion on how far I can go is pointless, for there are too many things which I do not yet know and have not yet experienced. But work so far has been extremely encouraging. Appraisals from seniors and managers have been favourable; and more so are the ones from fellow peers- some had, quite earnestly, told me that I seem to have what it takes to be in the line.

Audit isn’t easy. It is, if definable, one of the toughest profession I can think of (at least within the Finance Industry). I think I have seen enough of it to pass such an opinion.

An important decision would have to be made a few months down the road- one that would possibly impact the rest of my working life. I need to make the best out of my first audit peak.

So far so good. I don’t dread going to work each day, nor do I look forward only to the pay day of each month. Yes I’ve got to admit, however fleeting it may be, I quite enjoy my job.

When judged by the natural order of the realities, reservists too often become meaningless, us all the unwilling parties. One that has been conditioned by the vicious routines of life is plucked and placed in an utterly familiar environment, but for each day we have been away from it, entirely foreign as well.

Detestable, yes; but is that all there is to it? Jokes that never seem to get old, time that abruptly stops, and new stories to be discovered by the same old pasts- military life is perhaps just a different creature, one we ought not to tame with our seasoned selves.

Sometimes the grind and tow of the days bury a feeling so deep you didn’t know it even existed. Yesterday that feeling was survived.

I meant the anxiety, fear and excitement. Then the dread. And when all is done, the extreme sadness that things just aren’t the same anymore.

Meeting the exchange students who are to tread what I walked almost made me feel like I am doing it all over again. But it wouldn’t have been fair to them. The adventure is to be experienced, not told.

Of all things I missed Edmonton the most, it was the air. I could still smell the air. It never left.

“The bad news is, your father’s got cancer”

And the good news is, sensing the ominous moods, “It isn’t as aggressive as we thought.”

To us, it was all good news. At least for the time being.

Cancer isn’t exactly foreign to my family. My uncle was recently diagnosed with it; my aunt was killed by it; my grandfathers were allegedly victims of it; and now my dad’s got it. Could it be me one day? I wouldn’t put a bet against it.

I have always known myself as the lynchpin of my family. This past week merely gave me the opportunity to prove it.

However important are what have been said and done, what hasn’t- the nonchalance, the indifference- is suitably more meaningful. But subtlety, alas, is a bridge only when both parties understand the unsaid.

Toma, the Adventurer “If I don’t return, come to my grave and pour this on my headstone.”

The group arrives, some 400 years later, on an unnamed isle at the West Cape. There was a sole gravestone.

“The Great Adventurer, Toma Levine rests here… 3/6/634″

The group took out the pop and honoured the man the way he wished. A shining soul rose to the sky, pointing them the direction to the Giant’s Claw. It was where the Rainbow Shell was kept, his last adventure.

It is romantic sequences like this which makes Chrono Trigger such a wonderful and emotionally-charged video game, but not before long the depressing after thoughts that they just don’t make games like this anymore.

Red. Customised. Mailed to order. Mine.

One thing about being in my profession, at least in our infancy years, is that our income rarely supports any luxury spendings. It thus took me quite a substantial effort to justify the decision. My iPod Mini, ever so reliable for the 4+ years, is finally due for retirement.

When it comes to gadgets, I go by a golden rule of thumb- Premium- because it’s always worth it. Apple, in particular, the 5th Generation of iPod Nano fits the bill well. It looks good (or at least, decent), is reliable, uses a familiar interface, has a radio function, contains a pedometer, and is packed with 16GB of memory.

And music, may I add, is quite essential in the near horizon, when I will spend my nights off making sure that the Trial Balances balances.

That always helps.

To what makes competition desirable (to consumers) are 2 main reasons. First, better pricing. And second, better quality and/or variety. It is therefore amusing to see Singtel’s repeated assurance to the public that their foray in the Paid TV territory should be celebrated. This is despite their inability to satisfy any of the aforementioned.

While the statement “Content is king” is true to most businesses (and perhaps more so for the Media Industry), the bidding war between Starhub and Singtel for exclusive screening rights for the English Premier League football matches is at best cannibalising. Cannibalising the public, that is.

It would serve the Media Development of Singapore good to realise as soon as possible that sports content, in particular, football matches are a different animal to tame altogether. A little good-natured and well thought out regulation is never too much, nor late for anyone.

Society, unwillingly it may, can but be described as one giant funnel of ruthlessness. You see that everywhere- in school, in work, in life. The weak gets weeded out, the strong moves on. They arrive at the next echelon; the process repeats.

Sometimes I need to wonder if I am a mere victim.

Or just a self-righteous participant.

Platform: Game Boy Advance

Genre: Strategy Role Playing

The Good: A lot of characters to choose from.

The Bad: Too many characters to choose from.

Axes: Are effective against lances, but weak against swords

Strategy Role Playing (SRPG) games are not a prominent feature in today’s gaming menus for good reasons. Most are slow, require too much planning, and too prone to trial and error- enough reasons to turn away for most. Perhaps because of the sheer lack of alternatives, the Fire Emblem series managed to shrug off the shackles of the aforementioned- its simple yet polished game play a difficult invitation to decline.

The Sacred Stones is the second Fire Emblem game that made it to the now defunct Game Boy Advance.

Fans of the series will find Sacred Stones right up their alley. The convenient excuse of terming rock-paper-scissors game play as strategic options are your usual made-to-order, while the much celebrated “If characters die, they are gone for good” feature needs no introduction. Bold, italic, and underlined.

Sacred Stones, though, could help with a little better balance. For a title that is supposedly heavy on strategies game play, there are too many battles, too many enemy units and too many expendable allies to focus on; while the lack of variety in characters, graphics and music undermined its production values. Yet for the starved, The Sacred Stones remains one of the better ones around.

Bad game? No. But I seem to have played better ones. [7.5]