Life

Have you ever been in the position where you’re waiting together with someone and the other person starts talking to you? What do you start the conversation with? Most of the time a simple chat like that is just idle conversation, but sometimes really amazing things can stem from a conversation with someone you don’t know. I recently found myself at the local job centre in search of a job. Browsing around, I was just minding my own business until this guy starts walking up to me. I didn’t give it much thought and continued looking at the openings, but the guy had other intentions. Before I knew it I was talking with him about his entire life story. How he had joined the army and did several studies, but he still couldn’t find a job and had been looking for over three years now. The one thing that really surprised me however, was the fact that he could tell what sort of personality I have. He could tell I’m more introverted, he could tell that I wasn’t sure on what to do with my life.

The guy told me he was the same. This makes me wonder if I’ll ever end up like that. The chances of something like that happening aren’t even as small as you’d think they’d be. Currently I’m doing an HBO study in the Netherlands, which is a Bachelor’s Degree in a specific field. No, it’s not the general BA or BSc, but rather a Bachelor of Business Administration for example, and other degrees like that. If you want to get a BA or BSc you have to go to a University over here. Admission into a University in the Netherlands is not as easy as it is in some other countries, because of the fact that all the Universities are state-owned here. That means they all have a specific set of quality guidelines they have to uphold. Personally, I’m not made to go to a University, although some people seem to believe I should go. I don’t know. I think that HBO studies have an advantage over the WO studies, they not only teach you the scientific part, but they also teach you how it’ll go when you actually get a job later in life.

I don’t worry about something like that. I’m someone that would rather work than study. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I don’t really feel the need to get a higher degree. Although there is one side of me that’s sort of tempting… It’s telling me to give it a shot anyway, but then I realize that I’m no intellectual. I could probably finish it if I tried, but then I’d have to change my attitude and actually really start studying… Ah well, it’s not like the degree you have means that much. Sure, it makes things in life easier, but you can still get along fine with a lesser degree. I just want to do something that’s fun to do, and not something that’s not-so fun to do but makes you a lot of money. That reminds me of the other time I was sitting on my flight back to Netherlands from the US. Once again I found myself talking with someone who was also waiting. Apparently the guy was supposed to be promoted and get his PhD when he was younger, but he couldn’t do it. However! He’s living the life he wants to do now, and that’s something that really inspired me. Of course I would be nowhere qualified enough to get a PhD in the first place (but one can dream! ), but it’s something to think about.

To be completely honest? I’ll just go wherever life takes me. If life decides I belong on the back of a garbage truck… so be it. If life decides I should attend a University… so be it. Either way I just want to be happy in the end; that’s all that matters to me.

I find myself writing this post with mixed feelings. On one hand I totally love video games and everything else around them. On the other hand I know that video games are a big part of my expenses and social life. What good have video games ever done to anyone? Why do I find myelf wondering this?

My parents had no idea when they bought an NES back in the day of course. It was meant for my sister, but something happened. A little Akiranon saw his sister play Super Mario Bros. He saw her jumping over pits and defeating enemies. He saw her being the hero that rescues the princess. He saw her… having fun. Something happened that would change my life forever at that moment in time. Everything fell into place as I picked up the controller. Not knowing what the controls were, I walked Mario straight into a pit. I did it again, and again, and again, until I started to notice that the A button made Mario jump. Could it be? What if I did this at the right time when I saw one of those pits? I still see it front of me. Mario, a pit… I walk… and… Jump! What was that? What did I do? Mario was alive and waiting for me to tell him what to do. I was in control and loving it.

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