The Game of Life

Tuesday, March 27, 2007
2:19 PM

It's the end of the semester and everyone is all stressed about the coming finals. Though the finals is just 13 days more to go as I type this, there's still a bunch of ppl getting hyped about all the wrong things.. Eg: busy trying to find a house to move in next sem.

All this moving business started since Jan and till now it hasn't finalised. And the root of the problem? The uni's attractive offer of hostels had cause a major low demand of rooms by the students. Hence, many are forced to move into the many apartments out there. So few choices, too many considerations. In the end, it all boils down to one ultimate question:

To move or not to move?

Or is it really that simple?

Let me break it down and tell you how the game's played…

LIFE

1. The housemates.
   You'll be living under one roof with this other group of 6-7 or more people for a year or two. So no matter what, try your best to find the perfect one whom you like and likes you back just as well. A one sided relationship ain't gonna work. Trust me. This process is crucial for later.
2. The house
   The house you'll be living in for a year. The house you'll sleep, work, play etc etc etc in for the next year is the reason you wanna move out. It has to be better than the hostel (or else why move?) and if possible, better than your own home. Somehow, you'll have to find the perfect one that suits each and everyone of your housemates' needs. It’s easy as ABC...
3. The room
   Once you've found the ideal house, then comes the stage of deciding who gets which room. Do you like sharing your space? How much space you'd share? Would you want a small room all for yourself or a big one to share with everyone else? Or if you’re desperate, a small room to share with 1 or more. Not forgetting, would you like a personal bath room too?
4. The rent
   You've obtained the rights to your favourite room, time to sit down and talk business. How do you divide the house rent? How much does one pay for the space he lives in? Should the ppl in the big shared room + attached bathroom pay more? Or the selfish fellow who has the whole small room to himself? OR be generous and split the rent equally! As the saying goes, money is the root of all evil. Or rather, the lack of money is the root of all evil. When you talk money with students like us who depend on the never-enough gov loan, the ugly side comes out like mushrooms after rain.
   CAUTION:
   It will be like treading on a mine field at this point. One wrong step and you could just blow the whole relocation up! If you have made the right choice in Step1, you could just breeze thru this process. Or else, there's nothing much you can do but to give in at some point whether you like it or not, that is IF you are seriously bent on moving out. Otherwise, just end the game now and accept the hostel offer to save you the trouble.
   Failure at this point however, means you'll have to restart all over from Step1.
5. The Devil's Deal
   Congrats! You managed to stay in the game. Proceed on to the next vital step... Placing your John Hancock on the contract. And do it fast. The longer you delay, the more susceptible this game is to end terribly. After making the deal, all you have to do now, is wait for the right time n move your junk into your newly rented house! There will be another game (The Sims) waiting to be played once you've moved in. Good Luck!!!
   Note: If your game ends abruptly before the deal is officially made, it ends. No returning to Step1, unless you obtained the Fast Forward card to complete all the steps above in 13 days.

..o0o..

That was what happened to my game. It ended when we're about to sign the contract. Aargh!!! Two idiots backed out and ruined all our plans. Had problems finding the right ppl to take their place. The rooms had to be reassigned. I had to move from the smallest to the biggest! Almost 22% rent hike! Can't afford it so I backed out. Sigh… Dashed are my hopes to enjoy unlimited internet, polish my cooking skills, experience living freely outside campus with all the apartment facilities etc etc etc… Sad sad...

But now that I've set my mind to stay in the campus next sem, I'm relieve I don't have to worry bout moving and all. On the other hand, when I think about the fantabulous internet connection in my room and the countless bottles of filtered water I have to buy from the café, I have a desperate urge to play the game all over again! Hehehe… ^o^