text:
Three-Act Structure is one of the most common tools in setting up a successful narrative. It is used heavily in cinema. However its usefulness in game writing is still under dispute. In this article I will have a look at the basic concepts of this approach and discuss its usefulness in regard to game design. I will first outline what is meant with Three-Act Structure and how it is commonly applied in mainstream cinema. Later on I will take a look at the structure of classical arcade games to draw some conclusions.
Three-Act Structure: An Introduction
Mainstream cinema typically makes use of the three-act structure in narrative design. This is the classical notion of a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Another typical feature of mainstream cinema is a standard used in proportioning these three acts: The content will often be presented in four quarters of which one is allotted to the first act (beginning, or introducution), one to the third act (end, or final), and two to the second act (middle). Expressed through a diagram, the three-act structure built around four quarters looks like this:
The two quarters in the middle act are usually reserved for two secondary lines of action which are causally connected to the main plotline and gradually carry the story to the final act.
An example would be James Cameron's feature film Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991):
Quarter 1 (First Act): Set up of the plot, introduction of characters, planting of middle acts.
Quarter 2 (Second Act): The first of middle acts, in which the goal is to free Sarah Connor from the clinic in which she is being held.
Quarter 3 (Second Act): The second of the middle acts, in which the goal is to destroy Skynet and its infobase.
Quarter 4 (Third Act): Build-up to the climax, resolution and denouement.
We can speak of a variety of goals for each of the acts (and quarters). See the diagram below:
The first quarter aims at catching the attention of the audience. A very common method for this is to use a teaser. This quarter's main goal is to set up a conflict and lock it onto the protagonist. This will put her in a position where she has no other chance than dealing with the problem. Another important task for the narrative designer is to create identificiation between the protagonist and the audience.
The middle act with its two quarters functions like a bridge between the set-up and the final act. The main goal is to increase the initial tension by carrying forward the plot, meanwhile putting the character through a series of tests. Each of the two quarters end with an important moment for the character; first a deep crisis (low point) , then usually an awakening (peripetie, or turning point).
The final act is reserved for the climax. The way to the final enounter with the enemy is paved. The climax brings a resolution to the conflict. This is followed by the story wrap-up or denouement.
A more detailed picture of the dramatic structure of a typical movie would look like this then:
In this diagram, plot-related scenes/sequences are colored green, character-related scenes/sequences are beige, and secondary plotline related scenes/sequences are blue.
A typical thing in this kind of story structure is that an important turning point in the plot is always followed by an evaluation and reassessment of the new situation by the characters that have been infuenced. During reassessment the character will try to understand his current situation and then decide on a new course of action. We have usually three such moments of reassessment, plus a denouement at the end of the story, which will see us the protagonist state what she has learned from all this and how she's going to spend her life from that point on.
It's also important to note that the first two reassessments will usually lead to courses of action that will launch the secondary storylines (quarter 2 and 3) that make up the second act of the story.
Three Dynamics: Plot, Character and Secondary Storylines
While the diagram above list a number of functions and tasks for the narrative designer to deal with, it would be helpful to group these tasks around three intertwined dynamics that cut across and develop along the whole narrative structure. These are
1) Plot
2) Character
3) Secondary plotlines (middle acts)
Let's have a look at them seperately.
Plot development requires us to do some heavy work in the first quarter. The problem must be thrown up, interest for it must be created, later on it must be intensified and finally turned into a conflict (an inescapable fact that the protagonist must deal with).
The second and third quarters develop the plot further via secondary storylines, but it is crucial that at the end of each of the middle quarters important milestones are reached in regard to plot. Quarter 2 usually ends with a low point: the protagonist loses his status, gets injured, cheated etc. His first attempt to overcome the conflict put him into even worse conditions. Quarter 3 usually ends with a turning point which will open a door to the build up of the climax. Once more the protagonist was in an attempt to overcome the problem, and once more she failed, but this time she makes a discovery that might bring things closer to a resolution.
The fourth quarter usually consists of a build-up to the climax. The plot development reaches its end with the culmination of the climax.
Character development often takes place as the character reacts to change in her situation. This is a reciprocal process: The plot influences the character and forces her the reconsider her situation. The character then decides on a new course of action which will turn into plot.
Usually we come across three moments of reassessment of which all three come after the important turning points in plot development. The final stage of this change in character is the denouement, where the character draws a general conclusion for herself on what it meant to go through this plot and how life would be for her from now on.
Quarter 1 lays the character foundations. We find out about the traits and motifs of the characters and we are provided with the reasons to identify with the protagonist.
The first reassessment comes at the beginning of quarter 2, when the conflict is established and locked onto the character. The character must face a dramatic change in her situation and decide on a new course of action. Her decision will provide the bulk of action that makes up the first of the middle acts.
The second reassessment comes at the beginning of quarter 3, when she failed miserably in her first attempt to overcome the conflict and is now in even deeper trouble. Again she must make a decision to change her situation and the course of action she decides to take will form the bulk of the second of the middle acts.
The third reassessment comes at the beginning of quarter 4, when she failed once more in her attempt to overcome the conflict but has disovered something that might be useful in her next attempt. The course of action she decides for after her evaluation of the situation will usually pave the way to the ultimate encounter with the enemy, the climax.
The final reassessment is the Denouement. Since the plot has culminated in a climax and a resolution has been reached, the characters will state what they have learned from this experience. They will decide on a new course of action, one that reflects their learning, and then go on their way.
Secondary Plotlines
The secondary plotlines make up the middle acts of the story. Usually each of the quarters that make up the middle will deal with one central issue.
Quarter 1 lays the foundation for the two middle acts. We call this planting, since the seeds that will lead to those acts are places into the story structure early on.
In quarter 2 and 3 each one of the seeds will grow and form the bulk of significant action.
Quarter 4 will often result in the secondary plotlines being connected to the climax.
It's the narrative designer's task to intertwine all these three dynamics in a proportioned way that creates pace and rhythm. Further important concepts here are unity and increasing tension.
Structure and Dynamics in Classical Arcade Games
Despite many people arguing that games aren't stories (or narratives), we see that game designers deal with issues in structure and dynamics similar to that in three-act structure. However, the medium as well as the business model might cause certain changes in the game designer's approach.
Let's have a look at the typical structure of a classical coin-op arcade game:
Most of the time we are tempted to see game levels as the basic dramatic units. This might hold true for certain genres. However a closer look at coin-op arcade games reveals that what really counts iin these games is "life".
A player can go through several levels with a life. This means that levels can be regarded as secondary goals to the primary goal: to achieve the best with the lives at our disposal. Each one of the lives can be regarded as an attempt to overcome the conflict (similar to the attempts that shape the quarters in the three-act structure). As our attempts fail and our lives run out, we come closer to the climax, the final act of the game. The last remaining life is usually perceived as the final act of the gameplay session. The pressure we experience here can be regarded as the equivalent of the climax in the three-act structure. The middle act of the game will often be prolongued by extra lives that we earn during our struggle. This makes it rather difficult to speak of a proportioning of the narrative around quarters. Yet it is not so useless to see a structure of three acts in this.
After each loss of life, a reassessment will follow. Often this will be an evaluation of the player performance: Calculation of kills, combos, bonuses, clean streaks, sector records and other progress indicators. Such reassessments between lives create rhythm and pare a way of pacing the game.
The acts and reassessment intervals are enveloped by a Demo and a High Scores screen. While the High Scores screen will function similar to the denouement of a movie, the Demo screen performs a lot of functions similar to that of the first act in a feature film: It will try to catch our attention, introduce characters and settings, foreshadow part of the gameplay action etc.
Another difference here is in regard to planting middle acts. Oftentimes such games make repeated use of the same game mechanisms. In other words it is difficult to speak of sequences specifically scripted to reach low points or peripeties. For example a game like Centipede or Asteroids! doesn't have specifically designed middle acts. It's basically the same type of system that revolves around us, just faster, or with new enemy types replacing others as the game proceeds. In other words, the need for planting as it is necessary in feature films does not exist here. We would rather encounter a demo screen that hints at the various types of enemies we will face during gameplay.
A major difference between feature films and video games is the need to introduce the player to the player vocabulary and allow her to adapt to controls. This is were the interaction element in games creates a task that narrative designers might not be acquainted with. This also brings with it the problem to get the player locked into the conflict without putting too much pressure on her since she needs her time to get used to the interaction requirements. A teaser in a feature film can push up the tension quite early and put the protagonist under big amounts of pressure right at the beginning of the story. Game designers must be much more careful when they push the player into the conflict. The task of the demo is often to show gameplay sequences in order to give the player a glimpse of what needs to be done. The first few levels will often be designed in a way that enable the player to learn to carry out the basic actions that the game demands to be played thoroughly. These are all tasks that are rather foreign to a narrative designer.
In this article I compared feature films and classical coin-op arcade games in regard to plot development, character growth and the planting of middle acts. I tried to understand in how far three-act structure as being used in feature films is useful in the design of video games.
In the context of the classical arcade coin-op game we found out that we can speak of a three act structure consisting of a cycle of acts and reassessments build around "lives". However, the interactive nature of the medium as well as the use of the game system make it difficult to speak of proportioning build around quarters. The middle act, depending on the players performance might differ significantly. Further, we cannot really speak of scripted middle acts that culminate into carefully planned low points or peripeties. Often the game system will care for increasing tension by using the same mechanics in ways that are more difficult to cope with.
Also most of the functions and tasks that we see in three-act structure are distributed among video game-specific elements such as the Demo and the High Scores screen.
The most important difference however, especially in regard to the first act, is the need for an introduction of the player vocabulary. The player must be introduced to the affordances provided to her and given space to adapt to the interaction requirements of the game. This is a task that narrative designers with a background in film and TV writing will probably not be familiar with if it is their first game writing project.
|Altug Isigan
Just a little reminder: I don't want anyone to think that all feature films are structured exactly in the way I have diagrammed it here. You should read this "formula" with a degree of flexibility ;)
|Mark Venturelli
An interesting breakdown of the hero's journey model, but frankly the bridge to video games felt very forced and a little pointless.
|Altug Isigan
Hi Mark,
I think that one of the goals of this article is to understand whether a bridge to video games can be established at all. I believe that there are certain connection points and I tried to illustrate them. But I also tried to put the differences.
I'm glad you liked the breakdown of three-act structure. But I feel a bit sad that the second part seems to have failed to deliver the goods.
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment :)
|Matthew Anderson
idk, I feel like there have been successful integrations of the 2 structures. Maybe not in classic arcade games per se, but there are of plenty of games that present the narrative prologue or intro as a training sequence that allows the player to learn the controls. And i'm sure i've played a few games where the final boss shows up early and throws a wrench in the protags progress.. Maybe the new Ninja Gaiden's.....or Metroid Prime (doesn't Ridley like...eff with you a few times before the final battle)
But yeah i think the important thing is to integrate the games structure/devices and narrative. The easiest example being like...leveling up or getting the better weapons, or the classic low point of having your inventory taken away. Again these examples are trite and overused, but the game designers had the right idea.
|Altug Isigan
I believe that many functions and tasks of the classical three-act structure are counting in video games as well. However, differences in medium, business models, and mode of production result in these functions and tasks being carried out differently.
In this article I started with coin-op arcade games, but I'm planning on other articles that will focus on other game genres.
Thanks for reading and the comment, Matthew :)
|Alan Jack
This is a really great breakdown of narrative structure, and a good lesson for anyone who hasn't heard of it before.
I think where it feels like you're forcing the game analogy a little too much is the focus on "lives" - themselves something of an outdated concept in my opinion.
Edit: On reflection, a lot of what you discuss here is, I think, a result of old-school gaming phenomena that aren't really conscious design choices at all, rather than just "the way things were done back then" - demo screens, high score tables, lives, and back-to-the-start failure are all things that I feel were perhaps implemented as a result of technology restraints, or a lack of understanding of how to develop video games. Even puzzle games tend to allow you to tackle a stage at a time, rather than attack one after the other until you fail and have to start over.
I've always viewed the analogy between classic narrative structure and game structure as something a little more basic.
A basic platform game, for example, will give the player a simple jump or two to make on the first level. Ideally, these aren't death-trap jumps, but are perhaps done for some kind of bonus, or to avoid a hindrance to the player.
Super Mario Bros, to some degree, did this well - your first couple of jumps are just to collect coins and a mushroom. Then enemies are introduced: easy to to jump over, but with the optional incentive to stomp them, requiring greater control and precision. This all acts as foreshadowing for the later task of jumping to and from moving platforms. The player doesn't realise this, in the same way that Scott Pilgrim doesn't realise that defeating Ramona's evil exes might, in fact, lead him to overcome his own insecurities.
Everything, right down to my go-to analogy of Tetris, follows the same pattern. At the start of a game of Tetris, you have a nice, clear field that you can easily experiment a little with. By the time the game nears the end, you don't have the time or the space to play around. Even if you clear the playing field, the tone has changed, because you know now what lies ahead.
The problem in marrying this with a cinematic narrative is in the halting of progression until the player has learned the appropriate lessons. If Super Mario Bros had stronger characters, dialog, and a real sense of urgency to find the princess, the player might not see the necessity to perfect their jumping technique at all, and suddenly the repetitious task of gameplay becomes a hindrance to the player's experience. Clint Hocking described something similar with the term "ludo-narrative dissonance", which I think fits pretty well.
My favourite cinematic trick is when you don't see the denouement coming - the central character seems unable to surmount his dilemma and instead engages in actions that seem fruitless and empty, and only in the final stanza is it all brought together, and we see the real lesson he has learned from his actions.
I am curious as to whether this can be done in a game at all, or if perhaps the ideal trick with games is to do the opposite - give the player a series of seemingly meaningful actions, and in the end have them learn something that might originally have seemed unrelated.
An example of a game that very nearly did this was the second-to-last Prince of Persia. Had the game ended the way I wanted (and expected) it to, I would have spent the whole thing trying to save the Princess and learn to be a great hero, only to leave her behind and return to chasing my donkey across the desert, having learned the value of a simple life.
|Altug Isigan
Hi Alan,
I'm glad you liked the part on narrative structure in feature films.
I think it would have been wiser if I would have only left it with that part for now, as sort of an introduction for a series of articles. However, I thought that leaving it that way would have resulted in the "game" element missing. That's why I decided to add my observations on classical coin-op arcade games as the second part of the article. I studied other genres as well, but I hadn't diagrammed my findings yet, hence I decided to use what I have. If I would have used an analyses of an FPS such as Medal of Honor, the connection wouldn't be looking that much forced.
I've learned my lesson from this mistake.
You share some nice ideas in your comment btw and I'm happy to see that my concern in regard to introduction of player vocabulary as a main difference in game narrative is being understood.
Thank you very much for reading and sharing your thoughts!
|Jonathan Lawn
I think it's important that you took that "step to far". No point in giving this forum the education on film unless you establish where you think the link to games might be, even if it may be a stretch!
As for my take on that link, I think the problem is pacing. The three-act structure is "ideal" because it suits film viewers well. It happens that three lives suits arcade games well. Threes are good for lots of things. However, I'm not sure arcade games have the same idea of narrative (though I liked your ideas about the demo and high score table) and I'm not sure that the AAA FPS has this sort of pacing, even when it's just trying to provide 10h play for a primarily multiplayer game, let alone when it's a proper 20h story.
What does seem useful is an awareness of the pattern of assessment,action,crisis/peripetie though. Using that more could provide a better feel of character development to games that otherwise feel like just a series of events. I suspect the AAA FPS would want a lot more than two parts to its middle act though.
|Rob Solomon
The narrative breakdown is excellent, one of the better summations I've read. I even learned a new term today (peripetie) and I've read quite a bit on cinema.
I have to agree that the arcade comparison is a little forced... the time when games moved to a "quest" model where you had to put in additional quarters to continue (rather than starting from the beginning) might be a better starting point for this approach. One might look at the Continue? countdown screen as the crisis for the player and the completion of each stage as the peripete. :-)
But never mind this nit-picking... this post brings up some very interesting ideas in my brain, so I thank you for that.
|Xavier Antoviaque
Hi Altug,
Nice article - very interesting explanation and comparison. It makes me want to learn more about the way mainstream cinema structures the scenario and movie. Do you have any interesting links or books on this subject?
|Rayna Anderson
This reminds me a lot of Story by Robert McKee that I'm reading right now. I think that a lot of games could learn by taking a more technical approach to building stories. With the right foundation a lot of games could be a lot stronger, story-driven or not.
|Kirill Yarovoy
Thats what i call "Cliche thinking" or "Cliche design"...
Also, whats the point to compare feature films with coin-op arcade games ???
How many coin-op arcade games have had something that could be called acts or something that could be called a script and could be compared to film script?
Can you name any?))) Pac-man, anyone? Tekken 3? House of the Dead? Mortal Kombat 3? LOL
Arcade games in most cases (like 9 of 10) are about absolutely pointless action, they all about quick and intensive gameplay and high scores, there is no place for narrative touch... even if it exist it just a quick briefing in beginning and some pathetic conclusion in the end.
Should i remind you that people cant play arcade games (especially coin-on) 5 - 20 hour, and usually gaming sessions limited 30-60 minutes and mostly there is no save-games, so what the point to compare narrative structure of movie to non norative gameplay and ui structure of ancient arcade games?
Until you will clearly explain me "what the point", i will consider this article as most pointless gamedev article i ever saw!
This comparison sounds same as comparison of Car blueprints and Horse anatomy "because they both moves, and people can ride them" could sounds like if someone would ever try to do such an odd comparison :-)


text:
6:30 AM PST -- Now we know what allegedly happened. We're told Sean was standing near the entrance of the Governors Ball, taking pictures with friends when security guards realized she didn't have a ticket so they asked her to leave. We're told Sean left but came back shortly thereafter, and when security asked her to leave again, a guard may have placed his hand on her arm when Sean allegedly slapped him. She was then placed under citizen's arrest for battery.
6:10 AM PST -- We just got video of Sean leaving the LAPD Hollywood substation, where she blamed her arrest on the Academy's lawyer.
1:45 AM PST -- We just spotted Sean Young leaving the police station. She claims she was waiting with friends to enter the Governors Ball when an Oscar official suggested security make a citizen's arrest. She did not say why the official made that suggestion ... or mention any physical encounter with the security guard.
And the handcuffs go to ... Sean Young -- who was busted by police at the official Oscar after party for allegedly getting physical with a security guard ... TMZ has learned.
Sources tell us ... Young was attending the Governors Ball -- the annual schmancy Oscar party thrown by the Academy itself -- when she allegedly got into a dispute with a security guard and made contact.
We're told the "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" star was placed under citizen's arrest by security -- until LAPD arrived to take her into custody. Young was booked for misdemeanor battery.
In the hours before her arrest, Young was taking pictures with some of the biggest stars in the world ... including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock.
The way the comments go is so hypocritical. If this was a black entertainer, people would make snide smart@$$ racist comments. Crazy ass Sean Young gets a pass. She's so crazy Tim Burton thinks she's crazy.
I would still grope for trout in Sean's peculiar river.
Its obviously the powers of those behind the Academy Awards have blackballed if not actually blacklisted Sean Young. Or otherwise known as: "someone up there sure doesn't like me". In that sense, I can understand Young's frustration. She knows that she's on the OUTS with the whole industry. And that can be so terrible for someone who so terribly wanted to be a bonafide movie star. Shows how the Academy and the industry as a whole can treat someone horribly while sucking up to others sickeningly. They don't care about the general welfare of anyone. And she wasn't doing anything but adding to the photo ops OUTSIDE of a party anyway. To strong-arm her and treat her like unwanted garbage was totally unnecessarily humiliated I would have to think. What crummy behavior when they KNOW who she is (unlike tossing out an unknown crasher). The Academy ought to apologize to Young for treating someone so shabbily rather than have their security press charges. And I'm not even a Young fan other than in the spirit of human dignity.
In defense of Sean --- i'd have done same thing if some dumb-**** rent-a-cop grabbed my arm . Guaranteed. And most of you would do the same. I don't understand why they didn't just let her hang ... She was in Blade Runner, for ****'s sake !
Sean's apparently off her psych meds again. Everyone in Hollywood knows you don't show up without a ticket. Only a looney would do that, and then stand on the red carpet taking photos with starts like a tourist! She wasn't fully lucid but didn't appear drunk. Prescription meds maybe? Someone needs to reign this poor girl in and get her help. She's still a legend in her own mind!
She has not been relevant in the entertainment industry for a long time. How did she get invited or get into to any of these parties?
What a sad sack of a loser. Look at her still trying to be relevant, leaning in to those photos that she obviously begged for. Nobody looks like they're welcoming her in the shots. You're a has-been, Sean. Go away.
She really should be medicated for her own good.
Screw those hippies! What a dishonorable thing they did
Isn't Sean Young getting to be a bit old for the episodes....and she wonders why her careers tanked?hhhmmm
Sean Young is a fg waste of space. Just die already you stupid biatch.
I'm surprised she was even at the Oscars. And a $20,000 bail?
Cue Eric Clapton's "Cocaine".
Ira Black...step away from the keyboard and take your medication.
Sean Young is a good actress - they should treat her with respect, not throw her out of the party. She is not the first actress to have issues, so how about some support from her colleagues. Give her a part in a good movie, give her a break. She is an orignal. We love her in Canada!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Exactly! Actually when I first got Blast it was 16/2 for $62.95 then for some reason it went down to $58.95, then we got upgraded to D3, 25/4 provisioned. So if in February I get an increase, I don't think it will be that painful.
DSL in your area is pitiful. I just checked the Windstream offerings and have the following:3Mbps - 47.99 w/phone - 49.996Mbps - 49.99 w/phone - 51.9912Mbps - 52.99 w/phone - 54.99Not so bad.
A 9.0% increase on my bill this month...ROFL. Just hung up from CS and told them to pull the plug(cable cut) on the TV side....that's just to start with.


text:
One here, the other one there. And we're done. Photo by Dan Crosby.
You will also like: one blind spot.
Mar 8, 2013
7 notes
Bar Refaeli Launches Her New Men's Underwear Collection - Full Version (by UnderMeApparel)
Jun 21, 2012
1 note
one blind spot. And it's all because of you. Believe it.
you want to see: some Candice.
Apr 26, 2012
31 notes
Zoe Saldana
Aug 30, 2010
2 notes
Subscribe to our cool and new (not quite monthly) Newsletter, and receive cool links and posts in your e-mail


text:
Written by:
When you're down I'll hold you
Until you feel better,
I'll never let you go even if
The world crashes around us.
You are my calm in the storm,
You are my balance,
The very air I breathe,
You are my universe.
Nothing can outshine you,
Neither stars nor moon,
I'll always be here for you,
Just tell me I'm needed. <3


text:
Service Program PEG 2 Expo
Canon Lounge was filled with students sharing their Peg 2 service experiences on Tuesday. This portion of the service requirement emphasizes an understanding of complex issues.
Ranging from race and immigration, food security, the environment, housing and homelessness, and youth and education, Peg 2 allows students to dig deeper into the issue area of their choice.
Alternative break trips and intensive workshops are a few ways to gain a greater understanding of the concept and move forward on committing to community engagement.
Story and photography by Lily Paz y Miño


text:
Celebrity Central / Top 25 Celebs
Credit: FameFlynet
Published: Monday April 07, 2014 06:00 AM EDT
More from PEOPLE
See More News
3 of 401
Love is in the air – or at least it's about to be! Mary-Kate Olsen lets her fiancé Olivier Sarkozy do all the heavy lifting while catching a flight out of Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on Sunday.
Copyright © 2014 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


text:
22 July 2014
14 July 2014
14th July 2014
This isn't anything too emotional.
Ramadan started after the semester ended and at times there were some days where I stayed back. Previously I had never felt this way before but it's somewhat a pain having to wake up for sahur alone at campus.
Two Ramadans back a group of us hostel students would gather round and have sahur together. Some of us would rotate days when one of us wakes up and call the other person 'til their ringtones managed to pull them away from slumber. While others decided to pull an all nighter, cos what's student life without someone staying up. Or in our case playing fire crackers as well. Yeah, in the campus compound.
It was the first and, questionably, the last time when they provided sahur meal for us. To be frank they were much better than the usual breakfast food you'd get on normal mornings. Everyday it was a different kind of meal. They'll rotate the lauk between chicken, fish and beef. One time they even served us teppanyaki chicken I think with rice. Well it was defintiely teppanyaki for sure. There were also some Chinese guys who stayed up as well for Dota and ended up nabbing the extra sahur food from the hostel lobby. They've probably heard the word that the sahur meal beats the mundane breakfast the food court serve everyday. Eventually when the food ran out, some unlucky people who woke up a wee late have nothing to eat for their sahur.
We'll usually eat outside of the hostel lobby. The stretch of steps were enough for a group of us to sit or even lie down. To be frank, the combination of all of us doesn't make us a big clique, but somehow Ramadan brought us together in that kind of sense. Like a unity. I believe even some students who lives off campus came around for sahur there too, cos their friends were there.
The smokers would spend those extra minutes puffing their cigs before Subuh comes along. I recalled this one time where there were more or less 10 of us eating together, a few of them with their nicotine sticks between their fingers. Some of them were undeniably charismatic during that time of the morning, pulling a dirty joke among themselve. This one girl who was puffing along with them pulled a more dirtier response to the joke. Eventually the guy told her that despite the fact that Subuh haven't came along yet(fasting period havent started yet) her fasting for that day has gone null thanks to her statement. Almost everybody laughed and she kept quite, probably embarrassed. I felt sorry for her.
Aside from that I had the experience of walking around with a few others at the empty parking area in my pyjama dress. Hah. And there was also the other time where this hostel dude snap a selfie of himself and a guard sleeping off during his duty. It ended up on Facebook.
Call me nostalgic, but honestly I miss that atmosphere in Limkokwing. Both Ramadan and non fasting months. Sure, we're not a group of bffs or Dota buddies but compared to the rest the whole lot of us are definitely something. That's what I felt at least. As time progresses most people have graduated/disappeared from the scene and there aren't many common faces around anymore. Even if that person isn't technically your best friend it really feels more comforting to see a familiar face, I admit that.
Which is why episodes of Family Guy doesn't seem to fill up the void during this Ramadan's sahur.
30 June 2014
Did I mention that finals are over with? Oh nope? Yeah it just ended. The past few days before and after finals had been a distraction. There's a few types of distractions that I can see so far. The first is the stressful kind of distraction like assignments(that has a probability of disrupting your emotional and energy level). The second kind however involves your friends and spending the whole day with them. Before finals truly ended I've experienced the second since my close friend wanted to have a photoshoot session with me. It was truly fun for the both of us, as she loved doing the makeup and shooting photos while I got the chance to update my profile pictures on those multiple social media platforms after a while. I think I've got enough pictures to add on into my portfolio, just for fun. :)
Even way before finals ended I had been thinking of my options after this. Safe to say that I had finally made my decision. Seriously, like finally. I've spend the past few semesters weighing between a few or a couple of options. It's an "Either this or that" kind of situation if you know what I mean.
Also I've bought this Japanese self-learning book on Kana and Kanji with my leftover book vouchers. That was before I got over our other final presentation, so today I finally got around practicing and memorising some Hiragana. I find it fascinating how different Japanese letters are compared to our usual alphabets. They have a few types as well. It means that a single letter could be represented in a few different symbols. When I think about it just now, it's like comparing the same word in jawi and modern Malay. Both are very much the same, with an exception of the way you write it out.
At this point I'm not sure if classes would be possible, but hey self-learning helps a lot as well rather than none, so why not?
Here's another thing. The news about The Sims 4 have been circulating around the internet as of late, so that somehow had drive me into playing Sims 3 again after God knows how long. To my surprise my old sims family are still there, dusting itself away on the menu page. Haha. Since creating a new family robs away some time I replayed the old family again. It's a family of two witches and two vampires, and somehow I manage to catch up :)
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
The Opinion Zone
Tag: Utah
Will Florida ever repeal the same-sex marriage ban?
- 11:59 pm Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 by Opinion Staff
In a recent story, The Post reported that gay-rights advocates believe the Legislature has become more receptive to their issues. Among other things, the Legislature might recognize domestic partnerships.
Those advocates, though, see no hope of the Legislature placing on the ballot an amendment to repeal the same-sex marriage ban voters imposed in 2008. A petition drive to place repeal on the ballot pretty much went nowhere.
Nationally, though, the trend is in the other direction. Seventeen states now allow same-sex marriage, up from one roughly a decade ago. Thirty-three prohibit it. The latest court case is from Utah. A federal judge [More]
Create a Florida "green card"?
- 4:26 pm Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 by Opinion Staff
U.S. Rep Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, has introduced a bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security to be more diligent about deporting immigrants convicted of serious crimes.
The bill basically requires federal and state prison officials to give DHS fingerprints of all felons serving at least three years. Then immigration officials are supposed to show up when the felons complete their sentences, take the now-deportable immigrants into custody and make sure they get deported. If the feds fail to show up, under Rep. Rooney's bill, prison officials actually can keep the inmates in custody for up to 14 extra days until they can be taken into custody for deportation.


text:
Inc. Magazine, a publication for business owners and entrepreneurs, announced its list of 5000 fastest growing companies, which included Christmas Central for the third year in a row.
Kooky costumes, crazy decorations, and sugary sweets — Halloween has it all! If you're as batty about this hair-raising holiday as we are, follow our Halloween Pinterest board for all things spook-tacular!


text:
Norwich Cycling Campaign is a
group of cyclists who lobby for better cycle facilities in Norwich
more use of bikes for the good of all.
Hopefully this website will give you an idea about our work and
interests. The Campaign was formed in 1990 and is affiliated to the
National Cycling Campaign Network (CycleNation).
Contact Numbers 01603
411954 or 07931766491
Cycling Delivery Plan Consultation
Tombland &
Palace Street Consultation
the Pedalways update July 2014
ESE Direct - Cycle Parking Racks
ESE Direct - Cycle parking shelters
NDR NSIP Representation May 2014
Cycle Cafe Blog
handbook of cycle friendly design
Space for cycling - guide for local decision makers
Get Cycling for Health and Fitness!
Free weekly cycle rides in and around Norwich
Bicycle Repair Coop Ltd
Push the Pedalways
Push the Pedalways - Update 26/02/14
Cycle Infrastructure Design
Infrastructure Toolkit for Cycling Towns
Forthcoming meetings:
Held at the Charing Cross
Centre, St John Maddermarket, Charing Cross, NR2 1DN. 7:30 pm
to 09:30 pm
Committee Meetings - minutes
Site last updated: