Leap On!

Once upon a time, I got my hands on PlayStation One (yes, it was ages ago). The first console I ever played instantly absorbed me to a world of fun and delight. It was captivating, unforgettable, almost transcendental. (By the way, the game I strongly associated with these feelings was Final Fantasy IX by what was once known as Square.)

Then a streak of thought crossed me: "Shouldn't it be even more fun to create games, rather than merely play it?"

[dramatic pause]

That sudden realization changed everything. It was my childhood dream, the one I pursue with passion. I started programming (and to a certain extent, learned Photoshop and some design) because of this dream. I managed to accrue enough flight hours in programming to enter competitions, because I cared enough to make this dream come true. I also think that the whole ordeal of software development pre-university strangely helped me to enter NUS through some kind of twist of fate, even though the major is not related to it in any way.

It was that streak of thought that time that carried me this far today.

Of course, time went by and dreams came forgotten. Pharmacy, web development, various activities around campus... they are all (very!) interesting in their own ways. But they are not childhood dreams. They are adult dreams, tainted with adult thinking such as how to best boost your resume or how to squeeze out money out of people.

And here I am now, taking CS3216 and developing a game. Fulfilling the dream Randy Pausch-style? I hope so.

(PS: I sort of ran through different versions of I Dreamed a Dream the song by various artists while writing this post. :))