salamangkero

I hope you guys are familiar with the Butterfly effect but, for the benefit of those who don't, I offer the following short statement: Now, I can't remember where Tahiti is (is it in the Pacific?) but the point is that even the smallest action we do can have catastrophic results. So, if this guy we're talking about were to be punished for indirectly causing the deaths of those people who were too stupid to look at the radar (Heck, even the windshield is there for a reason!) then it would only sanely follow that you'd have to arrest anyone who sneezed before Hurricane Katrina. Or maybe arrest those who jumped before the Taiwan quake. Really, the guy is clearly at fault, but only for stealing the car. I think those who want to hold him responsible have some other ulterior motives like diverting the attention of the public to the guy instead of onto the incompetence of their chopper pilots, perhaps? After all, if the bad guy gets punished who wouldn't want a "happy", if not unreasonable, ending?

Oookay, so we have a statue of a dog that has not yet been neutered being placed on public property in a state that "outlaws" non-neutering.First off, no laws have been broken, right? I mean, it's not even a live dog, for crying out loud! Neutered or not, it should have no effect on the canine population. Now, we have here a bunch of people with tunnel vision claiming that it is inappropriate. Granted, they have a right to their opinion, but it is no more than that, an opinion, not a law.They say it's a bad image. If it was, then it only shows that there is something wrong with the person perceiving the image as "bad", not with the statue itself.Y'know, I think, this time, I can really stick to my convictions when I say that is one of the most ridiculous issues (sic) I have ever heard of.In any case, in the event that they'd hack the thing off, they should be held liable. Whatever the cause, it's still vandalism and they should be punished. Suppose we'll take it a bit further: I, for example, happened to believe that this Person A is evil, so I kill him (or worse, hack his "appendage" off). See, it's just the same; I believed something was wrong and I rectified (castrated) it in a manner outside the confines of the law. Even if the courts do end up ordering a castration, I, or that dimwit wielding a saw, should be punished.Gah! What are people thinking of nowadays? What next, the statue of David getting castrated too?

There was a book, with a very long title: "A Devastatingly Brilliant Expos? of Almost Everything" Arthur Mullins was a beta male who worked for the government as a maintenance personnel. He was so low-profile people felt that their secrets will be safe with him. Ever and anon, they'd vent to him the pressure they feel in doing their job, like raising unemployment or keeping "dirty, dangerous money" in their bank accounts, for the safety of the taxpayers. Hell, they even moan to him about their fake Rembrandts or the affair their wives (or they themselves) had been having. All through it, Mullins listened patiently, soothing their egos and applying healing salves upon their wounded pride. They would go to work the next day, feeling a whole lot better now that they have vented their frustrations upon someone they could trust. Well, I can't spoil it for you but suffice to say that Mullins had on hand a lot of information that could put him in a position of utmost power. Not necessarily as a Prime Minister or, heaven forbid, the Queen (God, help the Queen ) but as something higher than that. He could have used the information to threaten or blackmail just about anyone in power in that blessed country. In any case, my point is that when people rant and vent, they usually end up saying something they don't really mean. Now, it may or may not be immediately useful but it's something that should not be shrugged off so easily. Other clich?s include: Patience is a virtue. Good things come to those who wait. God, please give me patience... right now. And, probably, the best one that entered my mind, a quote from Cinderella's stepmother: "Girls, girls... above all, self-control..." *knock on door* "WHAT?!?"

I was just wondering... being compensated for your, ahem, contributions with three bottles of sunblock...What if their sunblock does not work? I mean, it does not protect your skin from jellyfish stings? Would it have been a less appealing compensation to those volunteers?

Edit: Oh shoot, it was just ASCII. And here I thought it'd be something... arcane or, at least, cryptographic XD

Being conspiracy theorist/hobbyist, I have a hunch...I suspect that Google will, as much as possible, rip off their customers. If there is a blatant/glaring "proof" that someone was cheating AdSense, they'd descend like furious furies and rip the 3@||s off the "cheater", like what they did to unys. Not that I'm saying he's a cheater 'coz, as he explained, his server generated automated clicks on his ads.On the other hand, if you are like 9block, who have been cautious around AdSense, they'd probably let it go on. As a matter of fact, if I were Google, I'd let them earn up to $90 or so. Finally, when the unsuspecting user jiggles with anticipation of his/her first hundred dollars, AsSense will close their account for due to some "evidence" they have already gathered early on. In other words, they'd close down the account only shortly before a hundred dollars when they could have already done so in the first few twenties or thirties. In effect, they'd be advertising on the poor guy's (or gal's) site for free!Then again, that's just my suspicious nature manifesting itself. I'm not willing to bet on something like that (unless it was against Tsunade-sama ) but I do believe Google is taking advantage of its AdSense publishers just. like. that.What do you guys think?

Hey, that's an interesting take on the matter. I mean, we have always thought we existed. Indeed, what if we were actually no more than programs to be implanted later on into some empty shell? Lovely idea

Wow, everyone's got nice points on the topic. Allow me, however, to play the Devil's advocate.1. Buy a map at a local store - that is, of course, assuming all the cities in the world have convenience stores that actually sell maps. I could only wonder if someone gets lost in a "non-mainstream tourist spot"2. GPS - can't think of anything3. Get drunk, wait for the police - In some places, drunk people tend to be robbed first before the police gets to them, that is IF the police gets to them. Over here, for example, a peerless intoxicated person could very well wake up the next day in an alley, in the same chair he/she sat on or, worse, in a motel with... *shudder, shudder*4. Ask the concierge - again, not all cities have hotels. Rural areas that can't even boast pristine white beaches or uber-spectacular views don't usually have hotels, or motels, for that matter so people who do the approach #3 could also wake up in the middle of a rice field :P5. Ask someone - People sometimes have a tendency to play pranks, especially on people who are of the "wrong color" or don't speak the same tongue as they do :PAdmittedly, they're all wrong but I suppose the fifth approach would be okay. Only, one has to choose which person he/she asks. People with responsibilities to customers, such as security guards, concierges, street cleaners and, to a degree, peddlers, can often be quick and reliable sources of directions.Of course, the first approach would still be the best or the second one, if you can afford it. After all, in this age of Google Maps or Wikimapia, what kind of person in his right mind would enter an unfamiliar city unarmed, so to speak? (That is, armed with knowledge, not weaponry)

A, kababayan! Actually I prefer the term "sorcerer" instead of "magician" I just realized a few things about the two approaches to art, mostly concerned with the concept of death, yaoi-shipping and a certain sword-and-sorcery genre book and/or movie released recently. For the explosive legend, I suppose it will leave a lot of people in awe and, to a degree, those who have witnessed it first-hand could contaminate those who haven't into thinking or feeling they have missed something so shattering. However, as these people, Trekkies or whatnot, if you will, live on, age and die, so does the "art" form slowly erode into nothingness. The aging classic, on the other hand, starts out small and slowly gains support. Might I also note that, should the author of the "art" form die, support for his works tends to increase dramatically. Should it happen to reach critical mass, they would snowball into the future generations like an infinitely driven Katamari. If, however, it fails to gather enough followers, I think it'd just die and, practically speaking, be no more than an explosive legend, only, not as explosive in its fadeout. So, basically, I suppose, it is all a matter of scale. The explosive legend starts out like so and ends like this... ...while the aging classic starts small and ends up growing like this. On a side note, I wonder how JK Rowling's "art" work will be classified? Do you think images of a certain young wizard will live on far into the future? Or will the memories of a certain school for witchcraft and wizardry slowly be suffocated by the more prevalent myths, I mean, religion that our grandchildren will listen to us harp about, a certain "Mr. Potter" very much like our grandparents sigh about a certain "war"? In any case, do humor me and vote what you are more inclined to favor. Of course, virtually no one can really say which art one absolutely prefers so, like I asked earlier, "Which Art Form Would You Like Better?"

I can't quite grasp the exact meaning of those equations but I think I do get the gist of it, depending heavily on context cues I hope no one takes offense as I take the liberty of expounding this... I do agree that cloning just one turtle will not be enough. Even if we created a million clones, it's not a matter of how many we make but how many we start out with. This is the very same reason why (heterosexual) incest or inbreeding is not considered a wise idea. By mating people from the same gene pool, we create future generations that have the same or similar traits. While it may be desirable to ensure that positive traits like superior strength, Sharingan or Byakugan, inbreeding also has a side effect, in which a gene-based weakness to certain types of pathogens, say, a certain strain of virus, perhaps, will render the entire clan susceptible to the same threat. This is quite opposite the desired effect of sexual breeding, which is to introduce variety into the gene pool, ensuring better chances for survival for the species. Now, breeding a severely limited number of clones is a lot like inbreeding. In order to, at least, buffer the severe effects of matig between clones, a person (yeah right) or an organization has to have several sources of genetic material, in other words, clone more individuals, not create more copies

Awh, this is too bad. And not just because I wasn't able to participate, mind you I'd like to point out that, perhaps, like me, a lot of people are not aware of this event being held. I, for example, check out only the threads under What is...?, My Ideas, Theories, Possiblities, Innovation, Debates, The Vent and the 10 most recent topics/threads shown at the bottom of every page. It is quite possible that, lacking regular "bumping" your thread has been subsequently buried under that heap and, as a result, not too many people are informed of your site's existence. I've always been enamored by the notion of creating challenges, puzzles or tests of wit and smarm. Of course, that excludes the trivial "Which Character/Color/Pairing are You?" quizzes in Quizilla. What I meant was that it is my dream to, one day, create "The Ultimate Puzzle" or at least a close approximation, like the Lament/Leviathan Configuration perhaps? In any case, I would really like to see your site up. Actually, more than participating in tackling the challenges, I also have a mind to lend a hand in creating the challenges themselves Please do message me should you happen to change your mind Oh yeah, lest I forget, advanced Happy Birthday

Hi guys. I was inspired by something I've read about Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori. Suppose you were presented two forms of art. (Let's limit ourselves first to visual art and aural art, that is, music) One is an acutely awe-inspiring vision or song that you'll never see or hear ever again for the rest of your life. Needless to say, it is something you will treasure in your memory as long as you live. It is meant to die so soon, only to live on as a legend. It is something like war, for example, the way veteran soldiers would recline in their chair and recount stories of such fatal dance. Or, for those of us living here in the Philippines, it is a lot like Star Trek; it exists only as a legend, for the younger generations have had no idea of the glory of "putting 'er into Warp 3" or the Vulcan salute, "Live long and prosper." The other one is, initially, a peasant, vulgar, common, lowly kind of art. It is something so commonplace but, as time goes by, it's beauty slowly shows. For example, you see a painting of roses but it is only after viewing it so many times do you notice that it has a tulip hidden in there somewhere. Or only after listening to a loud and violent rock song will you distinguish that, somewhere in the background, there is a violin playing one of Tchaikovsky's pieces. In other words, this form of art is meant to last forever, brewing and fermenting into maturity the longer it stays in a person's memory. Now, I'm quite aware that both are entirely different things and that neither can provide everything the other offers. What I'm asking, however, is this: if you were to be made to choose between the two, which would weigh much more heavily in your heart? Which one will pull your heartstrings more forcefully? Is it the legend that suddenly booms and fades away just as quickly? Or is it the pedestrian piece that, like wine, matures into full bloom as time goes by? For a side note: Deidara is an explosives specialist. He creates clay sculptures that he can imbue with life-like attributes (locomotion); these sculptures, however, detonate upon command. Sasori-sama, on the other hand, creates battle puppets whose beauty is preserved throughout the ages.

I, too, agree that cloning is just part of the solution. For one, it is still an imperfect art in the making; just because we have successfully cloned a few species does not necessarily mean we can do all of 'em. Also, I will only consent to cloning only if conducted under the strictest regulating mechanisms, that is, implementing the most stringent measures not to impact the environment too significantly to cause irreversible imbalance. I think, if cloning were to be conducted, it would be a prudent idea never to allow clones to be integrated into the ecosystem. Now, I am not quite familiar with the mating habits of the leatherback turtles or where they lay their eggs but a quick browse through trusty Wikipedia revealed to me that, like all their other reptilian kin, they also lay eggs in beaches. The problem I'm getting at is that clones have always been shown to have weaknesses associated with aging. Dolly, the first cloned sheep exhibited symptoms of old-age disorders at a very young age. The fact still remains that we are not cloning "new babies" but simply creating copies of "withering grandmas" (My apologies for all persons of advanced age or female sex) In other words, if those turtles were to be cloned, they would be more susceptible to illnesses and diseases, which could, in turn, decimate the remaining leatherback sea turtle population, should a contagion come up. It is my humble opinion that these clones be kept under captivity for the rest of their lives; their sole purpose would be to repopulate the seas with their kind. Let us allow them to lay eggs in captivity. Then we transfer the eggs into a protected beach. These little ones will then hatch and begin life on their own. They don't need their mum and dad for that, right? Also, I don't think this would be suitable as a sustained effort. For one, the sheer cost would have a lot of people griping about misappropriated government funds. Another thing is that we cannot be too sure of its impact on the environment; for all we know, the consequences of our actions might manifest a decade or so later. In any case, I believe this is something that, if done, should be more of a wait-and-see thing. I'm sure, though, that lots of animal rights movement groups would gripe when they hear of these "breeders" in captivity. They'd clamor about rights to freedom, and so on, not knowing that the freedom of these clones could mean the devastation of the entire specie. Not that I'm saying all animal rights activist groups are idiots who can't do their research but, yeah, I am saying that some of them are. Anyway, I'm not here to ridicule or insult groups. What I'm saying is that I believe cloning is part of the solution and it should be conducted under the strictest conditions

Hello Alex. Actually, the first thing I did with your name was invert it, yielding me skale, which doesn't mean much. Then, when I read your post, you said something about anagrams so I cam up with the following words: leaks, lakes and slake Anyway, welcome to Xisto If you haven't done so yet, please check out the Xisto Readme. We will eagerly look forward to your content portal. Anyway, welcome once again to Xisto. Enjoy your stay

If my memory serves correct, there is (or are) some games like that. I personally have encountered Impression's Pharaoh but there are other similar games in different cultures such as Caesar III (Roman) and Empire (or Dynasty or Emperor, I forgot the exact title. This one's in China)Anyway, the game is just that: city-building, military training, economic engineering, trade relations, etc. You are also prone to natural disasters. In Pharaoh, trade relations get cut off by shifting dunes or high winds, something dark lurks in or contaminates the waters, a drought deprives your farmers of much-needed irrigation, fire burns your granaries, your gold mines collapse, etc.You are also ruled by gods (five of them) and incurring the wrath of any of them could destroy an aspect of your city. Ra ups or lowers your political and economic relations with other cities. Osiris deals with agriculture (if you're devout, you can have a full Nile flood in the middle of a drought!)For battles, you can be invaded by the Nubians, Libyans or any other tribes in the Mediterranean. You can pray to the war god, Seth, and he might give you an instant victory in just a snap of a finger. No flashy magic tricks though; enemy soldiers just drop down dead. Kinda Death Note-ish :PAside from keeping a healthy bank account, you also need to keep a healthy city. Your Nile-bound state is threatened by malaria and plague; you have to take measures that these isolated cases do not escalate into a contagion, as a matter of fact, do not let them happen in the first place.Only thing is that these things are not as graphic as Sims or Generals, but if you're just after the concept, why not give it a try? :POh yeah, I also heard of an SNES game called Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I've tried it once, long, long ago. I think it's the same here but it's a bit more... militaristic than SimCity (and a lot less graphic than even Pharaoh, might I add)

True. I was about to recommend that. It doesn't have to be eBay. I once had a friend who I forgot to add in my Christmas list. Come Christmas, I went up to her, scratching my head apologetically, saying that I had one custom-made for her but the crafters had it delayed. Very soon, afterwards, I did have something custom-made for her and I was able to hand it in by the New Year, which, coincidentally, is her birthday too Anyway, she gushed. I guess girls really like to receive something no other girl owns. (No, I'm not being sexist; I must admit, that's what I would want too ) Only, just don't be too much of a cheapskate and give her something crappy and hand-made XD There's a difference between recycled and custom-made However, if time does not allow it, you could just grab a bouquet from a nearby florist, that is, nearest your place and the farthest possible from your mom's. Moms like to receive flowers, well, except mine 'coz she'd rather have cake since cakes can be eaten, do not wilt, theoretically last forever and, most importantly, become a part of you for life >_< Good luck remembering your mom's birthday next year

I understand, to a certain degree, where you're coming from. However, we cannot always eradicate the glaring differences and pretend it's not there. Racism is wrong, yeah. It is awful to promote someone simply because he's American/German/French/English while other people get left behind because they're American/Mexican/Chinese/Japanese/Indian. However, you can't make a black school girl act in a play and wear a costume like some Korean in Miss Saigon. You can't ask a German to wear a turban and pose as an Arab. It'd be inhuman to make a woman from a short race walk down the runway with long flowing robes or togas obviously meant for a much taller model! In the same way, would you, as a person, seriously ask a woman to serve as one of the ship's crew, considering that majority of the crew is composed of "filthy, lustful, barbaric males"? Would you just assume that that woman can defend herself from sexual assault as well as any male can? Similarly, would you trust a male salesman of female Avon products? (Uh, I'm not sure but does Avon have any male products?) Would you buy bras and panties recommended by a male sales personnel? I that respect, you can never achieve absolute equality, however, just because two things are not equal does not mean one is higher than the other. I think, what it means, is that there are things each can do better than the other. Seriously now, what's the deal with this competition? What on earth is the point of comparing two completely different things? It's like asking if carrot cake tastes better than Pepsi. Oh yeah, for ace5, it's not feminist nor is it chauvinist. It's pointless, that's all

This is, as I perceive, not a spiritual question, much less a scientific one. I remember my philosophy teacher asking us these words:"What if the universe was created just 10 seconds ago? These things you call memories were no more than illusions until 10 seconds ago. These fossils you dig up were just placed there 10 seconds ago. These buildings, these ruins, these evidences of human habitation, just programmed into being 10 seconds ago?"When we rose in indignant yet respectable uproar, he quelled us with, "Alright, who can prove otherwise?"Seriously, I can't remember what he was trying to teach us back then. A lot of memories has eroded from my brain, unless, of course, the universe really was created 10 seconds ago :PIn a way, yeah, it is a Matrix-kinda thing so, for truefusion, it's not about the consistency of the laws of physics (birth vs instantaneously popping into being) but about the possibility that the laws may actually be inconsistent, perhaps in one of the wackiest sorta ways

Someone, apparently, hasn't been reading my post (and got my name all wrong) >_< I did not, repeat, did not, ever, ever agree that auto-lifting toilet seats is a sign of laziness and/or stupidity. As a matter of fact, things are quite opposite. Augh! Here we go again. "But you have perfectly healthy arms/hands!" "Aren't you macho enough to lift up one puny toilet seat?" People, please! I enjoin ye all to read before ye react, 'ayt?

I was initially tempted to scoff and say, "Someone watches too much TV," but, upon further reading, I realized you're right. Isn't the analysis of the crime scene also part of forensics? Like where could the bullet be if it ricocheted off this wall and passed through so-and-so target? After all, you can't bag-'em and tag-'em everything in the crime scene, much less, the crime scene itself

I am a Filipino. If you don't know what that is... it's a person from the Republic of the Philippines.I usually talk easily using either English or Filipino so I suppose you could say it's a second language to me, in the sense that it's not my native language and I'm using it.However, when it comes to writing, I use the English language more than Filipino.

I've read a lot of comments that, apparently, imply that the idea is a sign of either stupidity or laziness or both. One actually was quite insensitive enough to make the very racist claim that the originator of the idea is probably American since it just strikes someone as lazy.Allow me to clarify that, despite the apparent stupidity of the idea, it makes a lot of sense. Consider this... sure, you have perfectly healthy hands that are capable enough to lift the toilet seat but what kind of healthy person would actually lift or pull down a toilet seat with his bare hands? It is a given that toilet seats are quite dirty by nature (despite a local advertisement claiming that the kitchen counter is actually much dirtier than the toilet seat)Also, it has been raised that it has been a point of conflict in a lot of households when men leave the seat up. Apparently, some women expect that it is the responsibility of the man to both lift the seat up and pull it down. However, like moldboy said, it is only fair that that both should do their parts. In an email I once received called "10 Things Women Should Know About Men" it was mentioned that women "should learn to work the toilet seat. You want it down, we want it up."Anyway, however, I don't quite agree with the toilet-seat opener patterned after the dustbin openers. It would certainly be icky, especially to those who happened to be wearing brand-new shoes, to step on that pedal but, come to think of it, isn't it just a lot like stepping on the equally dirty toilet floor? In any case, I don't think it'd be a good idea to put the pedal near the bottom of the bowl. I was, initially, inclined to suggest a wall button but I also realized that you can't quite tell where those hands have been.Nonetheless, I think that a toilet seat opener is quite a good idea. I'm mulling over employing a motion detector to automatically open and close the seat but, with the energy situation right now, maybe that's going overboard already

Oh dear, you are quite in a predicament, aren't you? My heart reaches out to you; I seriously feel sorry for you. Oh yeah, not that I'm insinuating anything or being extremely judgmental but are you a guy or a girl? You have a forum name that is not indicative of any gender, your profile gender is not set and, well, you don't have any pics either so I really have no idea... In any case, I really feel sorry for you because I do think your best friend is a bit of a jerk. At the very least, you have an insensitive guy on your plate. I mean, what kind of sensible guy would just say that to a girl and not do anything about it? In other words, why should he tell you how he feels if he has no intention, or at least, no courage of his conviction to follow through and ask you out? It is perfectly normal for best friends to feel attached to one another and when it really comes down to it, I really think he loves you (No, I'm not psychic; I'm just saying that if the two of you were really close friends, there is a high chance he has a place for you in his heart) If I might be audacious enough, it is easy to imagine that he loves you even more than that girl of his. However, it does seem that your best friend is being extra-cautious. Sorta like testing the waters; maybe if you said yes, he'd jump ship (ditch his girl and ask you out) I'm assuming you haven't told him how you feel. I know it looks greedy, and even rude, but, practically speaking, it is a wise decision on his part (only that it's beneficial to him alone) The heart, after all, is a very precious investment; you'd be better off knowing first what you're getting into. It may look like he's keeping you as a reserve, or a safety net, just in case things don't work out with his girlfriend but have you ever considered that he might be keeping her as the backup and that he's really after you? Again, I'm not saying anything is real; I'm just saying that there are some things worth considering. Okay, I know I'm also bing insensitive, thinking aloud when what you asked for is an advice, right? So on to the advice... I strongly suggest you tell him how you feel. Tell him, with all honesty, that you are in love with him. Now, I know this looks like a very selfish move on your part for it will put him into hot water, appearing to make him choose between his girl and you but, if you look at it carefully, he started it. He most probably won't tell you he loves you out of pure honesty, hell, he's probably telling you that because he is hoping you feel the same way too! Now, ideally, you can tell him that, even though you love him, you're not seeking to ruin his current relationship and that you wish for his happiness even though it does not include you. However, I would not want to ask you to do that if you don't really feel that way; it will come off as cheap trick and a quite too histrionic one too if you pull i off without meaning it. Humanly speaking, the moment his girl find out about your confession, she'd be pissed off and there'd be a confrontation. Whatever you do, don't antagonize her or tell your best friend to ditch that slutty 3!+(# he's dating, despite any urge you may or may not feel. Of course, things may or may not go as I have said but, whatever happens, stick to the truth. It was well that you didn't answer his question, rather than lie and say, "No, I'm not in love with you." Don't try any offhand techniques, cheap trick or dirty magic; it won't help the least bit and will most probably complicate the situation. If he asks for the truth, tell him the truth; don't lie. Tell him how you feel, that you are in love with him and that you feel like he's being selfish and that you think he's keeping you as a reserve broad. From here on, you'll probably get a lot of other advices. (Well, duh, you asked for it ) Anyway, just to show that I'm not pulling this stuff from thin air, let me tell you a story... I have gone through your... situation. Twice. The first one was my best friend in high school. In our first few years in college, we grew closer together despite the fact that we're in different universities. Anyway, to cut the long cheese short, I admitted what I felt for him. Three months after, things went awry between us; we were expecting more from each other since we're already together and there was friction because, when it comes down to it, we were trying to change each other to suit our tastes perfectly. We broke up and lost contact with each other for four years. When we finally met again, we were, at first, awkward but we rekindled our friendship gradually. We were, initially, just civil with each other, then warm, then we shared an open friendship. I know we can never be romantically involved with each other ever again but I'm glad I took that leap. More than ever, I think we gained a deeper understanding of each other. Now we know what we can ask/request and what we'd be better off keeping mum about. We lead different lives now and we rarely meet offline but we share an intimate camaraderie and a better degree of respect for each other than when we were just best friends. The second guy was my senpai in my college days. It was quite an accident that I fell in love with him. Anyway, we were academically busy with school requirements that I vowed to myself never to say a word about it until after graduation; I don't want any possible friction between us to affect some projects we're working on together. Well, things didn't go quite well on my part so he graduated and I, on the other hand, had to stay for another year. (As a side note, I didn't tell him that and put him off track with white lies, just so he won't worry about me) I confessed how I felt and, quite unfortunately, he didn't like me that way, at least, not as a romantic partner. He does respect my... preferences, just that he's not one of "us". Things were awkward for the months that followed; we suddenly ran out of topics to IM to each other. I seriously thought that he feels uneasy around me so I started online conversations with him less frequently than before. He got himself a girlfriend during that time, though he didn't tell me; I found it out from another person. Still, I know that trust is not something so easily given, especially after I have hidden some things from him all that time. After some time, however, we soon fell back to the easy talk and light banter we often exchanged in our college days. Soon, we have regained mutual trust in each other. I trust him not to "out" me to our other (homophobic) friends and he trusts me not to, well, rape him or stuff. Falling in love with your best friend is always tricky stuff but, as someone once told me before, it is better to say it and take the chance rather than keep silent and let it poison your friendship ^_^v Oh yeah, and about what BuffaloHELP-san said, I'd like to point out that you (bluefrostii, not BuffaloHELP) yourself didn't recognize it as well until he told you Again, don't jump to conclusions and say he's keeping you as a spare tire. It could very well be the other way around

Well, I'm sleeping in the exact room where my grandpa died and I'm having no problems with it. Actually, even in the absence of unusual happenings, the supposed "ghost" of my grandpa makes it a bit more fun to live in. Whenever things get lost and someone hollers, "Who took my <insert object here>?!?" Someone would always reply, "Grandpa!" We'd also joke around each other and, whenever we hear stories about clanking chains or a pair of phantom footsteps in the attic, we'd tell the story about our house where the footsteps always come in threes, not twos (my grandpa used a cane in his later years) Lessee... well, there's a large crucifix in my grandpa's room before but, being the non-practicing (and non-believing) Catholic I am, I moved it elsewhere in the house. He also had an old radio, what we called his "boombox" and, now, my (evil) sister's using it. My younger bro sleeps (peacefully, albeit ) on the bed my grandpa died in. His cane, well, my youngest bro sometimes plays with it (he's still a kid) I must admit, though, it is one thing if you personally know who any such ghost might be and quite another to live in a house haunted by someone you do not know. If you're as weird as my family, though, you'd be happy to live in such a cool house as yours

The main selling point of an MMORPG is the social interactions possible. Unlike single-player RPG's, virtually anything can happen due to the human factor. Things can get quite unpredictable, which is a good thing for a lot of gamers. Also, for a good MMORPG, the game could very well never end, with admins and the development team working on releasing new maps, monsters, weapons, items, quests or spells all the time. You can join a clan, raid a tower, go PKing, make new friends, heck, even some games allow you to marry online! The main advantage of a single-player RPG is that you don't have to pay to play it. Sure, you'd shell out cash initially but, after that, you can play all you want without spending for anything more than electricity. Now, it might not be a big thing for broadband users like a lot of people but for dialup users like me (Don't ask why I'm still on dialup; it's a long story) it can be a bother. Also, many a person so immersed into an MMORPG has cursed at the fatal effects of network problems. One minute, you're charging up the ultimate spell, a fluke and a few moments later, your character is dead, surrounded by the loot you've taken quite a while to collect. Frustrating, isn't it? In any case, both have their pros and cons. I don't think any of the two, RPG's and MMORPG's are bound to be phased out anytime soon