Saturday, January 10, 2009

Computer Graphics, Birthdays and Milestones....

So this morning, hubby was telling me about his "Boys' Nite" outing yesterday. Definition of "Boys' Nite" - A bunch of daddies get together a couple of times a month on weekend nites to race and crash cars or shoot and destroy enemies....all from the comfort of a couch, surrounding by junk food and drinks AND thanks to machines like the XBOX 360. :P

Anyway, hubby was talking about the amazing computer graphics on this racing game last night and reminisced about his first game ever. Where there used to be simple lines to show your racing course and ticking sounds to indicate your "engine" was working, now there are multiple views of the course including one from above (from a helicopter!! Haha) that can even show your driver leaning as you swerve or the driver shifting gears and all sorts of almost real stuff.

Why am I talking about this? I don't even like computer games.... I know, I'm forever the one outside of the crowd. It just got me thinking about birthdays and milestones. This week, a brother and a friend celebrated birthdays. One was my "baby" brother who is not a baby anymore...made me realize I'm not so young anymore. (Thanks 'Dric!)....the other is an old friend who thankfully is older than I am, pshew!! LOL!

Back to subject at hand...I digress way too much. Must work on fixing that! I got to think about the birthday cards I received last year for my milestone birthday and how they made me smile. So, here's sharing with you excerpts from one particular card, wording courtesy of Carlton (give credit where it is due) .... and if you understand any of these, that means you have have hit or are close to the big 4-0 !! By the way, some of these may be culture specific....but hope you can relate.

Do you realize that 40 years ago....
  • Call waiting referred to a line outside of a phone booth.

  • A flat screen was something you put in your windows to keep the insects out...

  • An airbag was someone who talked too much.

  • Spam * was found only in the kitchen.

  • A cell phone was what you used to make your one call from jail...

  • Guys only got pierced ears from going to a really loud concert.

  • High-speed access was an on-ramp to the highway...

  • ... and a birthday was something you actually looked forward to!
So - dear family and friends, here's wishing you lovely celebrations throughout the year as you reach your special days. May you be surrounded by people who love you and who are there to celebrate YOU!

A very special THANKS to MY people who surprised me last October by celebrating me in such a BIG way. Love you!

Will explore a bit about how men and women handle their milestone birthdays in a future blog.

A.

* spam - known as luncheon meat in M'sia.

5 comments:

  1. Oh, so that's what Luncheon meat is.... SPAM! Somehow, luncheon meat sounds more dignified than spam. I know I had my fair share of it growing up! Amy is going ewww!!

    I love the words of the card that you shared. It's true how much the world has changed in just a few decades. Computer games and cell phones are just the tip of it! I shudder to imagine what the next 10 years will be like.

    Whatever it is, I'm feeling the age gap widening with every year I play Ultimate on the fields. Kids who are coming out on Saturdays to play pickup are born in the 90s. Sigh... But I like the challenge of keeping up with them. Do you think I'm in denial?

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are TOTALLY in denial! Hahahahaha! But.. age is really a matter of the mind. Keep thinking young, playing young...even though eventually, the body will slow you down...so my doctor friends say :) No need to grow old too quickly, I say! Hey, I actually like spam...yep.. forever the one outside the crowd. FYI - Hawaii has spam sushi. Yum! That was just for Amy. :D Thanks for following my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Luncheon meat sounds a lot more dignified than Spam. No regrets. I still know friends who love luncheon meat.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Playing young with an aging body cost me. Tore my Anterior Talo Fibular Ligament in my ankle 2 weeks ago. Now need 6-8 weeks of non-action! Sigh.... What am I to do for exercise? Swim and gym. But that's soooo boring!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Think young dear boy! And think outside the box! Surely you can figure out how to jazz up swim-gym. :)

    ReplyDelete