Disembodied spirit? Malevolent spectre? Actually it's just my son Aaron, proving that a digital camera, Adobe Photoshop, and a flashlight up one's nose can turn out to be quite a remedy for boredom. :-)
For almost two days now, RAN Online, and the rest of the other e-Games titles, portals and forum pages remain down.
Any attempt to log on RAN Online simply results in the following message being displayed:
Logging on any e-Games website only generates a browser time out error and a blank page, as if e-Games simply did not exist on the web.
What gives?
I have always been critical of the shoddy service e-Games has been giving its customers lately (see previous posts here and here), but this recent development takes the cake.
Without any advisory or warning, e-Games' web presence has mysteriously disappeared, just like that.
It reeks of unprofessionalism and incompetence, and to my mind, simply unacceptable and definitely a perfect example of the wrong way to run a business.
I also find it a bit disturbing that most newspaper and magazine articles I read about local MMORPGs are filled with little more than hyperbole and unending praise, with nary a mention of the "dark side" of online gaming, that is, the issue of technical problems and shoddy customer support. Perhaps some of these gaming journalists who purport to be "objective" are on the take? Can anyone spell P-A-Y-O-L-A? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
Think about it. While I'm not in any way suggesting that all gaming journalists are like that, truth be told, I have yet to read an article in any reputable local newspaper or magazine, even those publications solely dedicated to gaming, or local gaming websites which really criticize the proprietors of some online games for not giving their customers the quality of service and support that they deserve.
RAN Online is the country's third most popular MMORPG. I can only surmise that it got to No. 3 because of the tremendous player support, and not because of e-Games' less than stellar capabilities in supporting the title.
Clearly, e-Games has to get its act together, before waning player support shuts it down...permanently.
And the way things are, I wouldn't be really surprised if that actually happened.
If you're my age you may just remember a song by Bruce Springsteen way back in the early 90s with the same title as this blog post. More or less, this phrase happens to be an apt description of my life at the moment.
Things happening (or not happening) all over the place...but nothing really of import taking place in my life.
I guess that explains why I haven't been blogging again for the longest time. Just the same old things to blog about, day in, day out, month in, month out, year in and year out.
And coincidentally, I now know what Bruce Springsteen was talking about in that song of his. Have you checked out SkyCable lately? How may times have you found yourself flipping aimlessly through what seems to be hundreds of channels, and not be able to find anything worth watching? It's been happening to me more often than not lately. Either I just developed a case of adult attention-deficit disorder or the quality of cable TV programming has gone down the drain. I guess I must have watched more than my fair share of TV, since to me cable appears to be nothing more than a vast collection of reruns. Come to think of it, my life feels like an old rerun as well. Haven't I been on this path before?
Probably.
I dunno. Maybe I'm finally getting a real mid-life crisis.
Maybe I'll get the urge to update this blog more often in the next few days. I've been blogging for the past three years now, it would seem to be a real shame if I just threw this thing down the drain.
Thanks to the people who keep visiting even though I haven't updated.
And in case I don't get another chance to post again, advance happy 11th birthday to my son Aaron, who'll be celebrating his natal day tomorrow. Eleven years. My my. Time really does fly.
Whether you're having fun or not.
Note:
Turn off the background audio first at the bottom of the page before clicking the play button.
Makes Me Wonder
Maroon 5
I wake up with blood-shot eyes
Struggled to memorize
The way it felt between your thighs
Pleasure that made you cry
Feels so good to be bad
Not worth the aftermath, after that
After that, try to get you back
I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a fuck about you
Give me something to believe in
'Cause I don't believe in you anymore, anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to try, yeah
So this is goodbye
God damn I'm standing here
Decisions that made my bed
Now I must lay in it
And deal with things I left unsaid
I want to dive into you
Forget what you're going through
I get behind, make your move
Forget about the truth
I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a fuck about you
Give me something to believe in
'Cause I don't believe in you anymore, anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference
It even makes a difference to try
And it's over, heard the feeling
But I don't believe it's true anymore, anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry
(Oh no)
So this is goodbye
I've been here before
One day I'll wake up
And it won't hurt anymore
You caught me in a lie
I have no alibi
The words you say don't have a meaning
Cause I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a fuck about you
and I...and so this is goodbye
Give me something to believe in
Cause I don't believe in you anymore, anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference
It even makes a difference to try
And it's over, heard the feeling
But I don't believe it's true anymore, anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry
(Oh no)
So this is goodbye
(Oh no)
Yeah, so this is goodbye
(Oh no)
Yeah, so this is goodbye
(Oh no)
Yeah, so this is goodbye
