Travian, the highly addictive MMORPG

MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role playing games) have always been cursed by parents for being highly addictive. They have full rights to do so. These games steal the bulk of your time without you even realising it!

Of late, I am into such an MMORPG called Travian. As an ardent AoE player, I quickly got to learn the intricacies of the game and have become quite a bit experienced in it, after playing on 4 servers. Well, you initially tend to get bored, given the slow speed of the game, but then considering that each game server lasts for about a year and the facility of appointing sitters, you can actually take short breaks.

Leaving aside the addictive part, such games are a good place to extend your social circle. I have made quite a few friends from different parts of the world thanks to Travian. This is definitely a game to be tried by all strategy game lovers!

Dealing with change

Change is the only thing in the world which is permanent! Whether you like it or not, change is inevitable. And for most people like me, who are too lazy to work hard towards their goal, the goals revolve around the new roles assigned to them by change. I can still recount how my goals have kept changing since childhood. And I don't remember which was the last goal achieved (if any), be it regarding personal, career or relationships. Some people measure success in life with the number of goals achieved. I would rather measure success in the way people adapt to changes. There are times when I've found myself clueless, often when fate shows an unexpected number on the dice. One of such situations took me more than a year to react. And by the time I did react, I had already missed the train! That was one of the biggest lessons learnt in life. Never delay your actions. Opportunities do come knocking at your door. It might not be your priority at that instant, but might suddenly become your top priority. And before you realise it, its gone... So the point is, always be receptive to change. Never ignore things in life, no matter how small they are, even though they might be not related to your current goal in any way.

Back on track!!!

Its been a month now since I quit my job! The break has worked like a miracle! I finally feel that I've regrouped myself!End of the quarter life crisis, end of frustrating times!!! The start of a new beginning! My confidence is back and the diminishing goals have started expanding again! Now, once again, the brain doesn't seem to depend on the heart for answers :) Well, I've accepted a job offer and am really feeling excited about it. The change though welcome, is still very mysterious. A few months back, I was like a rudderless ship in turbulent waters. I still remember the sleepless nights, the depression, the lack of confidence and the push-over attitude as a result. Though psychologists find it to be perfectly normal, its still hard to believe how a person can deviate so much from one's own self during the transition from early adulthood to maturity! You start questioning about your existence, your mind starts getting pulled in different directions, you lose track of your priorities in life, in short, you lose focus completely! The longer the struggle, the more frustrating it is! Luckily for me, the struggle has ended quickly. The attitude has changed and I'm no longer a push-over! Well, I'll enjoy a week long vacation at home starting tomorrow, before joining work :)

Quarter life crisis???

Well, there's been a lot happening in the last few days. I came back from Goa at the start of this month after my sis' wedding. Got back to work immediately, just found myself too disturbed and out of place! Although, I'd worked hard in office before, I just did not feel like continuing. I remember, there have been times when I've stayed in office due to work for 3-4 days without going home, and still enjoyed work. And all of a sudden, I feel I've lost focus and am heading nowhere. I was feeling totally exhausted and drained out, to a point where I thought I could no longer continue. So one fine monday morning, I tell my boss that I want to quit. Well, to be frank, the decision wasn't taken in a spur of a moment. I was long contemplating it, but had no concrete alternative plans (I still don't have any). I thought that would give me some peace of mind. But peace of mind still remains elusive...

I answered a couple of interviews after quitting. In one of them, did not match the interviewer's expectations (mind you answering 3 gruelling interviews in that frame of mind was really difficult), in the other, the company could not match my expected salary. I've already made up my mind to take up a job only if the work to salary ratio is proportional. I've attracted a lot of criticism from friends and family members alike, for resigning from my job. Though, they may have good intentions, I'd still do what I feel is right. If I don't find a job I expect, then I'm probably incompetent in my current field and should explore a different career option. Ofcourse, I'm actually fed up of the IT industry and don't intend remaining in this industry for long. But if not this then what? I've started feeling increasingly uncertain about my future and yet adventurous. Is this what people call "Quarter life crisis"?

Games memories play!!!

Nothing is permanent in life, the only permanent thing is change!!! I certainly do believe in this statement! In addition, you also have some memories, which remain permanently hidden in some unknown location of your subconscious mind. However hard you might try, you can never get them out of their place! The strangest thing however about memories and me, is that its the bad memories I would always want to remember, but would want to forget the good ones! Not that I don't cherish the good memories, but as soon as I come back to the present, I start yearning for those old days, hoping that history will repeat, making my present sad and gloomy!!! Bad memories, though traumatic experiences, make you learn from mistakes, leaving you with a good chance of making the best out of the present! How nice it would have been, if I was able to selectively keep memories in my mind, getting rid of those which affect my present!!!