Is this Home....truly?

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOUR ARE A POLITICALLY SENSITIVE PERSON ;)
DISCLAIMER: This is no political thesis, just the writer's opinion on world affairs

What is a home? A place to rest? A place to eat? A place to welcome friends and relatives for reunions? A safe haven?

As I recover from diarrhea this National Day, I am forced to watch the National Day Parade whilst I lay on the sofa in my living room, unable to reach for the TV remote to off the loud noise that disturbs my sleep. Surprisingly, after watching for half an hour, the parade became a much needed distraction to take my mind off my physical aliment. Raising thoughts of patriotism and doing my part for my country....

I realised that Singapore is unlike many countries. We are very small, but in our smallness there lies a certain understanding amongst our forebears that that if we are not united in some way, we will fall. Their resilience and unity paved the way for today's Singapore but in our race to become a nation that can compete economically with the rest of the world, we have also sidelined the development of many things that make a nation livable for its citizens. I can't help but wonder, have we become a city state that favours productivity and positive results over long run profitability? We try to create things that are left to develop on its own in other nations and have so far been unsuccessful. Things like culture and national identity cannot be 'constructed' the way toy vehicles and buildings are constructed with the use of LEGO blocks. LEGO constructs, especially the really high end ones look impressive and almost like the real thing but inside, they are just dense blocks of plastic without soul, without the engines that real vehicles have, without the pipelines and structural supports that real buildings have.

Culture and its subset called 'National Identity' is the structural support of a nation. While such supports can be guided and built by man during the construction process, culture on the other hand, involves a more subtle and organic approach. I admit, I am no expert in this issue but if even a lowly peon like me can feel this, I bet those above me can too and are actively trying to resolve this problem. This probably explains the gradual change from authoritarian/technocratic rule to a more democratic government that we have today, where politicians take a more active role to understand the pains of the people, to lend a listening ear and attempt to solve their problems when they are able to. Sometimes, even educating the general public about new policies or to dispel old, negative views of the old way of governance.

Many countries have criticized Singapore for being run like a business corporation, where its 'unproductive' citizens are sidelined and left behind whilst the rest of the nation progresses ahead. That we lack the safety net that many countries have for their 'native' citizens. But the fact remains that if they were not so big and full of natural resources, they will not be enjoying such 'luxuries' that we native Singaporeans lack.

DISCLAIMER: This is no political thesis, just the writer's opinion on world affairs

Alpha Protocol (Game Review)

ALPHA PROTOCOL REVIEW

Imagine being immersed in the world of international espionage, facing betrayal around every corner and even backstabbing others on occasion. Welcome to the web of intrigue that is the heart of Alpha Protocol. From game developer Obsidian, whose short but impressive portfolio includes “Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords” and “Neverwinter Nights 2”. Both are role playing games set in the galaxies and fantasy worlds that are far far away from the world we live in. However, Obsidian has always succeeded in immersing gamers into their games with interesting stories and fantastic character interaction and Alpha Protocol is no different.

Alpha Protocol takes place in the semi-fictional present world of international espionage and terrorism. With you playing a pivotal character in the power struggles between the multitude of powerful clandestine organisations that shape world events behind a veil of secrecy. As Agent Micael Thorton, you are tasked to use whatever resources at your disposal to uncover and stop a devious plot to destabilise world politics. Though it sounds simple enough, the myriad of twists and turns in the story, plus the need to forge or break alliances with the various organisations and the people running them can lead to different consequences that may aid or hinder your progress. Aiding the players to guage how their relations with other parties fare is a Relationship scale from intense hatred (-1) to friendship (10), with ''0'' denoting a character with neutral disposition.

Of course, all spy thrillers also require intense gunfights, wooing pretty, capable and dangerous women, and Alpha Protocol also attempts to fulfill these two prerequisites. Unfortunately, in its haste to produce the game, Obsidian created an incomplete product riddled with software bugs that causes game ending events to occur, like getting stuck in walls while seeking cover in a firefight, causing your character to literally die standing or worst, not being able to proceed to the next portion of the game; forcing players to reload a previous save game and replay entire portions of the game. Firefights, especially the larger ones are prone to occasional jerkiness and game slowdowns, even on powerful game rigs, further reducing the impact of the immersive spy thriller storyline that Alpha Protocol boasts.

Alpha Protocol is indeed a decent game with an excellent story that rivals some of Tom Clancy's best action/political thrillers but inconsistent gameplay led to poor sales that may have ended a potentially enjoyable and lucrative interactive spy thriller that the gaming industry currently lacks.

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, supposedly the direct sequel of Operation Flashpoint 1, probably the first all round war game simulator has absolutely nothing in common with its predecessor. It covers a fictional near future conflict between the United States of America (USA) and The Peoples' Republic of China (PRC).

Decent graphics and authentic weaponry aside, the Artificial Intelligence of the enemy and allied soldiers have no brains and mindlessly shoot at each other 300 meters from each other on full automatic fire. For those unaware, any weapon on full automatic fire will fire continously once you squeeze the weapon's trigger; the resulting recoil will make it impossible to hit your intended target at any range other than at point blank. This means the player will most likely have to kill most of the enemies encountered while your squad merely serves you as human shields who occasionally hit their targets. The same goes for the enemy but they are so numerous and have a tendency to always target you once you are in sight makes it necessary to take cover and take carefully aimed return fire or flank (attacking the enemy's from the side or rear) them.

Criticism aside, the refreshing take on China's new advanced army is realistic and believable. despite the apparent ease the Americans boot them off the battlefield. In fact, due to the long ranged combat most often encountered in the game, some of the Chinese soldiers are better equipped than the US Marines who wield the standard issue US M16 rifles which comes without a zoom scope, making it a necessity to loot Chinese rifles from dead enemies; which makes it perplexing how the Chinese could lose in the first place. However, such illogical inconsistencies are most likely due to the developer's ineptness or lack of time to produce a campaign that can match or come close to the original's gripping tale of a deadly skirmish between US and Soviet forces in the 1980s that almost escalated to a full scale war.

Verdict: Either wait for it to go to the bargain bin or borrow from a friend but play for pure fun (it is satisfying to catch enemies unawares and blow up a few heads; plus taking out deadly enemy tanks with rocket launchers that take forever to set up is a commendable acheivement) and much silliness during combat situations (for all its problems, it is still much easier than the original, almost feels like an arcade game shooter). Serious, hardcore war gamers beware, it may whet your appetite for awhile but may frustrate you as the simplicity of the campaign is gradually revealed.

Exams and Beyond

Just finished my first paper (International Monetary Economics)...was much easier than the past year papers we practiced on. Even heard that some people managed to get friends of theirs in Melbourne to send them a sample of today's paper (cos the paper is taken earlier in Australia). Damn if that is not cheating i dunno wat it is. Makes you wonder about the quality of our degree.....sigh* Well...guess that is what professional certifications and masters are for... Besides, ultimately, we got to remember and apply what we have learnt or else it don't matter how well we do in school. Its how well we perform in the working world that matters :D

1)Need to complete my resume + various cover letters for various jobs
2) Complete backpacking through Thailand,Cambodia, Vietnam (1month journey of self discovery)
3) Give away/throw all the junk in my home before it really turns into a junk yard ( now its a warehouse)

FREEDOM FIGHTERS

I have just finished replaying Freedom Fighters, a third person squad based shooter from 2002. By the makers of the popular Hitman game franchise, IOI interactive. Its a darn good game. Some may consider the story cliched, I did too when I first saw it on the shelves. This shows that actively generating hype and aggressive marketing and advertising is an important factor in selling games too. For Freedom fighters didn't sell well despite universal acclaim by game critics. Hell, I initially thought it sucked when I saw the cliche sounding title and crappy box art of a few people wearing tattered and torn clothes and posing with some Kalashnikov assault rifles. I tried playing in only after seeing its 9.3 out of 10 rating on Gamespot and boy was I impressed.

Taking place circa the late 90s where the Soviet Union is still going strong and have invaded an apparently unprepared America. Playing a plumber turned freedom fighter, to fight the Reds and gather fellow fighters under your command and repel the Red invasion. Sounds like serious fun BUT there is no blood and gore( surprisingly) and the graphics resemble more of an animated movie than the more real life graphics of the Hitman series. It is a minor gripe though for the game play is superb.

There is something about such games that appeals to me, its the illusion of you, the player, overcoming seemingly overwhelming odds not through run and gun shooting (especially on harder difficulties) but via tactics and planning, which is easier to do than it sounds in this game, thus making it superior to other more technically complex squad combat games in the genre like Ghost Recon and Swat. Recruited fighters follow you around till you specify a location for them to scout ahead or defend. Its that simple, the rest is up to the AI, which is fairly competent at firing at enemies and retreating to cover when suppressed by enemy fire.

As you perform heroic deeds like rescuing injured civilians and destroying Soviet heavy weapons and equipment to cripple their war machine, more people start to believe in your fight. This is reflected by a Charisma meter, that represents your commanding presence and increases as you perform heroic deeds. Oddly enough, the rebel base is in the sewers of New York city and apparently, its so damn huge that the Soviets don't even bother to go down there to root you out, which of course isn't entirely true.

The Reds are no pushovers too, having superior firepower and numbers forces you to think strategically. IOI makes games that encourages you to think hard, not necessarily out of the box but in a realistic manner similar to real life and solving such puzzles are rewards on their own. Many a times i have faced in-game puzzles that are so other worldly that i have to rely on online walkthroughs that reveal to me the absurd method gamers have to implement to solve said puzzle(s). For example: If there is a attack helicopter blasting you to smithereens, its time to head back to the sewers for cover (and to save your game) and crawling all the way to the helicopter refueling station (usually located elsewhere on the combat map) and blowing it up, ending the threat of the flying menace. Tons of soldiers guarding key points? Either take the high ground and rain hot lead, grenades and my personal favourite, molotov cocktails down on them or flank(attacking the sides or rear of an enemy) them and gun them down. Like real life,unless you have superior firepower and numbers, head on assaults are deadly.

When I first played it 3 years ago in 2006 at the normal difficulty level, it was fairly easy, for enemies are less alert and I could 'Rambo' my way through annoying choke points albeit incurring massive casualties. Recently, having played on the toughest difficulty, I was rudely surprised by a sudden burst of fire that left me dead right at the start of one of the game's early missions that required some stealth to complete. The toughest, "Revolutionary" difficulty plays more like a squad combat and tactics game than the easier difficulty levels, which allows more brainless trigger happy game play. This was also a pleasant surprise for me as my computer is not too hi-tech to play many of the latest graphic intensive games. Moreover, many games nowadays seem more like bits of various good games combined together. Not that its a bad thing but they somehow lack the imagination and brilliant execution of prior games.

No doubt that the premise of Freedom Fighters is a tad dated ( the Cold War ended like 20 plus years ago and with it, the threat of a Soviet world wide invasion) but, it captured the feel of fighting a desperate fight with your fellow freedom fighters. At its core, it is something we all may feel at some point in our lives when we encounter difficult situations and feel despair and fear proceeding with our lives despite knowing that its do or die, either we make it or break it. However, when we persevere and work hard and smart to overcome our problems, we emerge stronger and feel immense satisfaction for a job well done. Freedom Fighters captures this aspect of life spot on. Furthermore, I have come to realise that with human civilization becoming so advanced not only technologically but also in the literary arts, it can be said that all modern story tellers merely borrow the stuff made great by the authors of the classics and many are contemptuously labeled as cliched and unimaginative. However, history always repeats itself, so stories will also repeat. It is how the story is told and how its creators weave a believable and immersive world that draws the readers/gamers into it and Freedom Fighters does just that. A clear story which focuses on people fighting a desperate fight to survive. There are occasional twists but they only serve to enhance the plot plus, providing you with some Metal Gear Solid and Rambo moments of stealth and gun play.

Yes you will' die' many times in the game till you condition yourself to think strategically, using the soldiers under your command to scout ahead and defend key vantage points when the Soviets counter attack a recently captured position. But once you realise how to move from cover to cover, to send soldiers ahead to clear enemy infested areas, rather than blindly charging in guns blazing, you will not only survive but live to fight another day. Indeed, once I figured out that this is no ordinary action game where the protagonist is the most bad-ass guy around who can take a million bullets without flinching, I became more appreciative of such a game play style.

You are human, a normal guy in the game, a man who becomes a legendary urban guerrilla fighter not because you are tough as nails or deadly accurate with guns but because you have to think and act like one. To attack where the enemy is weak and divide his strength when he is strong, or die trying till you figure it out. This makes your character all the more extraordinarily superhuman, for he is human (i.e. you can take as much damage as just about all the other characters in the game) and by accomplishing so much (i.e. destroying a larger, tyrannical force) in his shoes only serves to heighten ones sense of personal satisfaction and self worth.

Grandma

Visited my maternal grandma recently. She seems so frail and shriveled up now, a far cry from the Grandma who used to hit me and hurl me out of the house years ago when I was naughty. She used to be so fierce and fiery, I guess old age mellows even the worst of tempers. At least she is more reasonable and forgiving to the people around her. Unfortunately her memory seems to have gone down the drain...she barely remembers things nowadays, especially those memories that are trivial or too recent for her to recall. Lucky for me she remembers me. From curses and beatings to lectures and more lectures I did not have much good memories of her.

But seeing her so weak and happy to see me after all these years made me feel sad. Though it was amusing to see her forget that she has eaten lunch but still remember that 'face is everything!' That I must always remember my illustrious roots and have the inner strength to work hard and attain high 'social status'.

She was a lady of determination, to ensure her family's survival she worked hard and demanded much from her children. Its no wonder that she wanted to discipline me so badly when I constantly misbehaved during my youth. She always said that the most important thing in life is the impression you project to others, that we should always strive to keep up appearances. There is truth in her words, that regardless of character, people do tend to rely on their 1st impressions to judge others. However, to have your life revolve around keeping appearances can be taxing and unrewarding.

To have 'face' to 'save face' to always fear that others might think little of you can transform a perfectly normal person into a neurotic. At least that is what I initially thought but my grandma feeds on praise and niceties from the mouths of others. It has been a double edged sword for without her determination to be seen as a capable person, she may not live to the ripe old age of 94; on the other hand, she may have been overly generous to sweet talkers over the years who in my opinion don't deserve the gifts they received from her.

After so many years, it feels good to finally reconcile with her, to see her begin to realize her past mistakes and try to make up for it while struggling with dementia and old age gives me hope that perhaps I too can strive to be a better person.

Its A Long Road...The Reel and Real Rambo

For those who haven't read First Blood by David Morrell but only saw Rambo as portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, you do not know the real Rambo. Morrell's Rambo is a young man barely out of his teenage years, brash, immature, pyschologically scarred but a highly skilled individual. Stallone's Rambo has both the latter traits but is older and perhaps more understanding than Morrell's version. Like Morrell wrote in the foreword of the 1994 reprint of First Blood, both Rambos are like similarly made trains, just headed in two different directions, leading to shocking conclusions.

Personally, I found Morrell's Rambo too brutal and unforgiving for a highly skilled warrior who only wanted to give the local sherriff layabouts a lesson or two about respecting people regardless of how they look. He was vicious and lethal, cutting through the sherriff's posse like a hot knife through butter without remorse except maybe a litte regret towards the end of the novel. However, one noteworthy thing is that the book does not villify the local authorities especially sheffif Teasel. The reel Teasel was a real pain in the behind, full of prejudice and pride that the audience would most likely want to see Rambo gut him open like what Morrell's Rambo did to some of the sherriff's deputies in the book.

Regardless of the differences between the book and the film, it was fortunate that the film makers decided to mellow down Rambo's character, for it made the audience sympathise with him more so than if it 100% done like the book. Morrell's purpose was to write an entertaining thriller that also served as a critical analysis of the physical and psychological trauma faced by returning war veterans who become increasing billigerent to many situations back in their daily lives. This is embedded in the personalities of both Teasel and Rambo, both veterans of different wars, namely Korea and Vietnam respectively. Both had a general distrust of each other which escalated into full fledge guerilla warfare. One can't help but feel that if both men communicated and negotiated with each other rather than take an outright confrontational approach, their misunderstanding could be resolved.

The film removes this aspect of the book in favour of an even faster paced action packed story (not that the book is not action oriented), reducing Teasel to an overconfident commander who is itching to get his hands dirty. Fortunately, due to such changes, Rambo's superior officer, Trautman, played by Richard Crenna had an even bigger role to play as Rambo's mentor, counsellor and even bailing him out from the trouble he was in. Like the book, Trautman's character description was nearly the same, except due to the differences of both Rambos' actions the book's Trautman had to save Rambo in a very different way.

In the end, the film made Rambo a successful multi-million dollar cash cow, even having its own dictionary reference for the word Rambo which has since become a descriptive word for incredible skill and hot blooded temprement.