Day: December 31, 2004

Almost forgot the resolutions! First the usual stuff (which really doesn’t count because everyone says it), lose weight, spend less money, yadda yadda yadda… Now for the real deal!

1. Finish coding at least one game under development. This has been a bug in my butt for a long time now! 2005 will be the year!
2. Cut down on the mindless nocturnal web surfing that eats into the time needed to accomplish item 1.
3. Learn enough Chinese and Japanese to impress my Hong Kong inlaws and fanboys at anime conventions! Seriously, my Cantonese could be much much better if only I would study. And as for Japanese, I want to learn enough to play import games (including RPGs and ren ai), get the gist of most J-Pop songs, and read background text and sound effects in manga.

I think these are all reachable goals and something positive to aspire to. Not only that, I think the effort will be a lot of fun! 🙂

As 2004 winds down, I feel compelled to write something. I’m still feeling rather overwhelmed by the news of the Indian Ocean tsunami (津波) that claimed so many lives on Dec 26. Like many, I just wonder why things like this have to happen.

Then I remember so many disasters that humankind has created on its own. So many of us die for such useless, preventable reasons at our own hands that maybe we shouldn’t be so amazed when an act of nature claims us en masse. But I think the real wonder and heartache such a great natural tragedy is that it feels like God no longer loves us and has chosen to smack us down just to show us who’s boss. I remember growing up that the worst thing that could happen was getting on the wrong side of daddy, which is something I try to remember when I get mad at my own kids.

Well, I believe that God still loves us, because if He really didn’t, none of us would escape destruction. So with that faith I’ll lift my glass and welcome the new year. Besides, what else can I do?

Oh, I did give money to Unicef, click here and you can too!