211th post...

Alright, guys. Sorry I haven't been updating my blog lately.
I was, ummm, kinda busy...
When was the last time I updated my blog? Uhhh, let me check...
Wow! 11th June? That means that I haven't been updating my blog for a whole week already!

Anyway, ever since the events of my last post, nothing interesting has happened at all.
I've just been stuck at home, bored to death...

Well, because of that, I guess its a good thing that my English teacher assigned me to write an article about anything regarding "teenagers", right?
I'm not sure how I got myself into writing this article. And I myself clearly know that I don't want to do this. And it's true - I don't want to do it! Once again, another responsibility that I am unwilling to undertake has been thrust upon me...
Oh, how I wish I could just say "no"!

It all started last, last Friday, which is the day just before the beginning of the school holidays. I was standing at the back of my classroom, 4 Beta, trying to pass the time by watching a game of "Congkak". Suddenly, my English teacher called me from the front of the classroom.
When I finally managed to make my way to the front of the classroom ( Trust me, it's not easy, coz' there are a lot of inconsiderate people blocking the way who refuse to budge! ), the teacher praised me about my essay in the mid-term examination ( something about being the sole survivor of a horrific plane crash, if I'm not mistaken... ). Then she asked if I was interested in writing a 400-500 word article for the school magazine.
I was very, very tempted to just say "no". But she was a teacher, and knowing me, I dare not reject her offer, especially since I was standing right in front of her!
So, I tried to delay my answer by asking what I should write about. The teacher replied that I can write about anything, preferably about "teenagers". After that, I was in a dilemma, and in the end, I had no choice but to just nod my head and say "Yeah, sure. No problem, teacher...".

Oh well, at least it's an English article, and not a BM article ( I don't think any of the teachers would select me to write a BM article for the school magazine any time soon! ).
And the best part is that I get to use the computer to type my article! Yes! Thank goodness that I don't have to write it all on paper! ( Remember the essay questions during my Mid-Term Examination? )
So yeah, how hard could it be to write a 400-500 word essay about anything regarding teenagers? Shouldn't be much of a problem, right?
Like I always say, I'll just grit my teeth and do it!
[ sigh ] But not now. Maybe after lunch...

Okay, besides that, I started playing two games on Facebook.
The first one is a game called "Fishville". Yeah, I know. Sounds a bit silly for a guy like me playing a game like "Fishville", right?
Well, when I started playing this game, I realised that "Fishville" is mainly about long-term gameplay. Point being that its not fast-paced.
It's all about buying fish, waiting for them to grow, and then selling them for money and XP ( Experience points ). And the thing that makes the game long-term is the fact that the fish take a very long time to grow, with an average growth time of one day to just level up. And a fish only reaches its "Adult stage" at Level 4. So technically, it will take four full days for your fish to reach its "Adult Stage". And remember, I used the term "average growth time", which means that some fish can even take almost 8 whole days to reach the Adult Stage.
Other than that, "Fishville" players can spend their money on decorations, new fish, new tanks, etc...
XP, on the other hand, is used to increase your overall Level. With a higher level, more variety of fish will be available to you, plus a whole lot of new decorations, and the ability to own more than one tank.

Right now, I'm only at Level 14, and my tank can only hold a maximum number of 25 fish.
As compared to my other friends, Sehran ( Level 39 ), Hazwan ( Level 39 ), and Jaslyn ( Level 40 ), all of whom already have more than one tank, each brimming with more than 30+ fish!
I DID say that I wasn't very good when it comes to long-term games such as "Fishville"...
The fish take such a LONG time to grow!
Oh well...

Soon after I started playing "Fishville", my brother discovered another game on Facebook.
It's called "Ninja Saga". And in many respects, I prefer playing this game more than "Fishville", primarily because it involves combat-based gameplay.
Basically, we all start out as first-tier "Genins" from the 5 main elements: Wind, Fire, Thunder, Water, and Earth. Then, at Level 20, we have to take the "Chunin Exam". After doing so, you'll get a certificate and the official ranking of "Chunin". After that, according to my brother, you'll become a "Jounin" if you manage to reach Level 40 and successfully pass the "Jounin Exam"...

Well, right now, I'm a Level 34 pure Fire Chunin. But I can't take all the credit for this - My brother has taken a very strong interest in this game as well, and he's been using my Facebook account to train my pure Fire Chunin extensively. And I guess he's more knowledgeable about this game than me as well.
He's the one who taught me that each element provides unique bonuses to their respective users.
Wind Element: Allows for quicker reflexes, therefore often allowing a Wind Practitioner to attack first, as well as dodge enemy attacks more frequently.
Fire Element: Fire-based abilities deal much more damage compared to their counterparts from the other elements. The damage of fire-based attacks is further augmented by the "Combustion" stat, which greatly boosts fire-based damage.
Thunder Element: Critical Strikes are dealt more frequently with this element. Many Thunder-based attacks deal very high damage ( not as much as Fire, though ), and some have the capability of paralysing the enemy.
Water Element: Practitioners of the Water Element have higher CP ( Chakra Points* ) as compared to practitioners of other elements. They also have the ability to effectively heal themselves using the "Refresh" abililty.
Earth Element: Practitioners of the Earth Element have higher HP ( Health Points ) as compared to practitioners of other elements. Many of the Earth-based abilities serve to increase an Earth practitioners defensive capabilities, making them notoriously difficult to defeat.
[ *CP ( Chakra Points ) are used to use abilities during combat. Each ability requires a specific amount of Chakra to use. For example, the Fire-based "Piercing Fire Dance" costs 250 CP. If your Chakra Points reaches 0, then you would be unable to use any abilities during combat. CP can be replenished during combat using the "Recharge" ability. Doing so effectively misses a turn, however, and would allow the enemy to inflict damage. ]

In addition to elemental abilities, there are also the Taijitsu and Genjutsu combat abilities that can be learned.
Taijitsu basically involves melee attacks, very much similar to martial arts. Taijitsu attacks are extremely powerful and can deal very high damage at the cost of very little CP. However, every Taijitsu attack used drains 5% of HP...
There are only three Genjutsu abilities available, two of which can only be purchased using tokens. The first two Genjutsu abilities can stun the opponent for 2 and 3 turns respectively. The third Genjutsu ability incorporates hypnosis, putting the enemy to sleep for 3 turns. These Genjutsu abilities are extremely useful, despite the fact that they do not deal any damage...

Well, I think I've said enough about "Ninja Saga".
If you want to find out more about the game, you can go and check it out yourself on Facebook.
But personally, I find this game quite enjoyable.
In fact, it reminds me very much of a flash game called "Sonny", and its sequel "Sonny 2".
The graphics are almost the same, and the turn-based gameplay is all to similar...
Hmmm...

Well, I think I've rambled enough for now.
I think I'm going to start typing my article about teenagers now.
Wish me luck!

May the Force be with you...