Mumbai visit - I

I was in Mumbai the week before last. It had been nearly 5 months since I visited Mumbai last time in April. And because of some constraints at work front meant I had to go two weeks before diwali, when I'd have got the chance to many friends.

But nevertheless, I had a good time there, even though most of the time I was just playing Age of Empires, Caesar III and Roadrash on my PC! Actually, it is unable to play anything else with its current capacity. Pentium II 350 MHz and 128 MB RAM, it's configurations are. But it has been a very good machine over past 4-5 years.

I remember we had ordered it before my IV semester PL*. I had C++ programming as one subject and I wanted to copy and practise some programs on my new machine! But because of some constraints from the assembler who had to go outstation just at that very moment, I got the PC during my exams, on the eve of C++ exam! I never got to do any serious programming on it! And continuing that, I never did anything else than playing endless reruns of hardest mode of Battle of Kadesh and Fall of Mitanni, where they all seem to favor my brother more, thrashing me mercilessly with the Chariots, Stone Throwers, War Galleys, Priests (and even one time Villagers, but not after that!) the first time I played, even to date. We save some enemy villagers till the very end, and keep them giving tributes, when of course we are winning. The red one in Battle of Kadesh indeed then becomes Re-Builder!

Then there is Caesar III. The game of which I am master till it is upto Clerk level. After that I never seem to have figured out why the heck people are leaving my city, why my Denaris keep diminishing, why the emperor is angry with me, why he is asking me of 25 furniture, where I cannot build timber land and I have not opened trade route to import timber. But when my bro takes it over, all I hear is "This city is wonderful place" or "Will that be a shave or a trim citizen? Life here is alright, isn't it?"

And I don't even want to talk about Roadrash or Need for Speed III or any other such racing games. I am a bad driver in real life and when my digital self takes over the steering wheel of a Nissan or a Ferrari, things aren't much better. I bang into each and every corner as a religious belief and mostly end up at last place. We even tried playing in reverse gear, but I was caught by the cop.

But nevertheless, I enjoy playing games very much and can go on and on and on.

signing off,

*PL: Preparatory Leave