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Farmville Mania

Farmville Mania

By: Laforteza, Wilbert C.

One morning, I barged-in at the library to tend at my usual task, which is reading a newspaper. Upon entering, I noticed several students huddled on two computers at the IMS Section…hearing some saying the words: eggplant, cow, harvest and wheat. Disregarding the noise, I continued until few minutes later, while reading the Inquirer, I was bothered seeing the restless students…some noisily couch and cheer while the rest stand firmly but with all eyes on the computers. Annoyed but alacrity of knowing what’s going on, I approached the group and took a glance on the monitor then I read the word “Farmville” and saw on the background plots teeming with crops. I sighed, “Oh! It’s a farmers’ game.”

Since I’m a farmer and belongs to a family of farmers, too, I turned interested with Farmville so I got the nerve to research about it thru the net at home, one evening. Before searching, I logged in my account at Facebook then begun surfing. I was surprised to know that it’s simply imbedded at the Facebook’s applications. I’ve been maintaining my FB accounts for more than a year but it was then my firs time to open a game in it. Eager to explore Farmville though still unknown to the mechanics, I tried and experienced the ever first time in my life “virtual farming”…’twas a funny start.

When I scavenged informations and dug up the Farmville’s story, I learned that it’s a social game developed by the Zynga Company and they launched it last June 19, 2009. Since it’s launched, it rapidly gained millions of client users. I was surprised to know that today, Farmville user enormously increasing by a million per week. Wow! It is amazing that so many people patronize this virtual game. This social game is now a world’s giant online game serving several millions of users. Really, the population is huge within the Farmville community…the rapid increase is so astonishing!

There’s a cash flow in the Farmville game, there’s income on every harvest and there are bonus amounts from such visit to neighbors’ farm. I wonder if these dollar pennies can be converted or enchased into real cold cash. Hmm…that could be a good and opportunity for all who are fond of Farmville to earn real cashes. On the other hand, I could not wait that one time; the virtual money accumulated may be used to trade or purchase desired actual products. That would be an easy way to linger a market life via online transactions. It will mean a convenient way to access financial resoureces in just clicks.

Repeatedly, I played Farmville…it lures me to check the game frequently or else the crops planted may wither if they’re not harvested a lengthy time.

Now, something I learned from Farmville; just like in real farming, crops need to be tended and harvested within certain time or else they’ll wither or left unbeneficial. Endeavor, time, capital and labor are of waste if the crops are left unattended in long time or they are abandoned. Abandoning crops, fowls and livestock means loosing a farming livelihood…and losing will let you weep in misery.

Care for crops, animals as well your whole farm; Farmville players…all have the swelling amusement in this game, happy virtual farming! I hope you could be convinced to love farming in real life…farming is a dignifying occupation because you have the opportunity to procure food for everyone who’re waiting for something to devour.


{I wrote this last August 2009}

Despondence

DESPONDENCE

by: Wilbert C. Laforteza

An importunate fate stormed my dusky pathway
All in a sudden, gathered hope…all blown away!
Was badly hurt, I strove, and I struggled for life
But the untimely storm kept pressing me down, rife!

Yes, I did my best not to blunder and squander
Yet the world seems so rugged, there’s much to ponder
Impunity strafed! I’m wounded…covered with gloom
Crawled begging help from anyone, even from a hoodlum

Guts, slowly sucked by the mighty quicksand of traverse
Captured each leaf of dreams…blurred life, slowly perverse
Alas! My future’s nightmare seems unstoppable
Pesky predicament’s fruit, it’s abominable!

Cold breeze of misery whirled vastly and staggered me
But I cringed ardently like a dauntless army
Rain of tribulations spattered on everywhere
Oh! I’m hit, I’m blinded…now drifting to nowhere

Life’s strait gate, sieves the entrant who bravely aspire
Dress-up with a coat of courage, then, transpire
I can bear this boldly although hope had faded…
But with courage and zeal, I’ll rise and be lauded!

Mysteries of Two Paper Planes

Mysteries of Two Paper Planes

By: Wilbert C. Laforteza

Two folded papers, two sheets of a Grade – 1 pad turned into paper planes. They are simple things but they made priceless stories that worth to treasure. Truly, paper planes are simple objects but they worth lot for a person who once toyed with them during childhood. Toying with these little things means letting oneself go carefree. A personal experience, I once made two paper planes, each made a single flight but with different fate. Their flight made mysterious interpretations that remained unveiled within fourteen (14) years.

When our class dismissed on the cold afternoon, Monday of January 24, 1994, I made a paper plane just before I left the room. When I reached outside, I launched the paper plane for its maiden flight. It soared smoothly and gently landed on the ground. Unluckily, an envied classmate, Reymard, took it quickly and sped away. Oh! my paper plane it’s captured! I have to save it so ran after Reymard in hope I can get it back. The chase started from school going to plaza until we reached Reymard’s home, which is a kilometer away, and it’s in the next by Barangay.

Realizing that the rescue doomed to be futile, I started to walk homeward…it was drizzling and cold! While walking, I felt a strange thing inside me…I was bothered for unknown reason. People on the way were looking at me sadly, none of them smiled but they murmured. I heard few words that puzzled me, “here comes the son…”

I know that on the dawn of the same day (Jan 24), my mother was hospitalized but I wasn’t aware of her condition during the whole day because I was at school.

As I drew nearer at home, things grew more and more strange. I was uneasy to see many people now walking with me on the same direction…we’re all walking towards in our house. Few meters away from our gate, my instinct seems cleared…something was wrong. There were people coming in carrying bunch of flowers tied with ribbons with written “Condolence.”

Soon as I reached the gate, my father met and quickly hugged me and said, “Your mama is gone.” Really, she’s gone because when I entered in the house, I saw her lifeless, laid in a coffin.

Several days after the tragedy, I returned to school. Again, I made another paper plane during the windy recess time. This paper plane is better than the first one and it’s the best paper plane I knew in the history. I launched it in our playground. It was awesome; it swiftly soared until the strong wind took command on its flight. The winds maneuvered it.

From the playground site, the paper plane’s flight went further and further…it was drifted away until it reached the nearby forest, then the nearby hill and furthermore. Ten minutes later, were still tailing the paper plane just to witness its awesome flight. We crossed the meadow, forest, and hill just not to miss watching it until we reached the fenced cemetery. Later, the paper plane finally landed at the perimeter of the cemetery…it’s almost half kilometer away from our school playground!

After those incidents, the mysterious message remained unknown for fourteen years. Just last year, 2008, I realized that the paper planes’ flight cradled lessons long unveiled. The lesson to value good things whether they’re small or big things in life. And when time trials come, learn to struggle. Don’t be afraid to fail because success means not by never failing, success means rising from every failure. First failure doesn’t mean it’s enough but try again. Short flight of the paper plane means a challenge to struggle to achieve a longer flight…a flight towards prosperity in life. Another lesson is that in order to achieve personal tranquility, learn to let go when necessary. A paper plane can’t make a good flight if it is kept handled by the hand, you have to release it! Move on!