...

"What's with you and those cards? What's with you and those cards?"

"What the BLOODY HELL is with you and those cards?"


What the bloody hell is with everyone asking me this? Granted, it's a little odd to see someone holding a deck of cards 75% of the time, but what's with the same question over and over again?

Well, here's what. I felt bored. I didn't like sitting around at home doing absolutely nothing. I found staring into blank space an utter waste of time. I also found that computer games are, though relaxing, rarely aid in any form of development. I felt dissatisfied with how things were going.

Wake up. Go to school. Study. School ends. Return home. Mad gaming. Homework. Revision. Mad gaming. Sleep.

Is that... really meaningful? School is a necessary part of life. It's the basic building block of development that everybody should possess. I thank my lucky stars that I'm born in a place where the people are able to have a strong, solid, first-class education. And all of you should too. But is that really all that you want?

I mean, okay. Let's take a look at ambition. Don't try and drag Macbeth into this; being the king is not an option here. How many of you here actually have a firm grasp of who you want to be, and what you want to do when you grow up? How many of you have even attempted to find your niche in life?

Academics are not going to get you everywhere. Like I said, it is the basic building block; pretty much everyone will have it. If you don't have it, you might be able to get a job still. If you do, not much use either, because anyone who is worth his salt has a diploma. So what IS it that you need here?

Elementary, my dear Watson. It is a SKILL. Mm, yes, a skill. And what skill? Any skill that can get you employment. Is that not simple at all? Sitting on your ass doing nothing is a waste of time. And no, when I say "sitting on your ass", I don't mean it literally. You can be very active for all I care and the same phrase can still apply to you. Flouncing around in shopping malls and wasting time window shopping in Orchard Road means you're wasting your life away.

And how come? Because that amount of time can be used to develop and specialize in a skill that you may never hope to get when you grow older. Firstly, what makes you think you'll have the time to undergo personal development when you're older? You'll be too busy struggling to get a basic job for your own survival. I'm not saying you absolutely need to have a skill to survive in the future, but sheesh, just observe, will you? People who are highly specialized in their field, no matter what field, are not only in massive demand; they also face little to no competition at all. They hold a monopoly in their field.

Let's take ethical hacking as an example. Few people are specialized ethical hackers. And fewer even know who they are. For your information they're just people who corporations hire to test their network security, and even security in terms of personnel. And their pay is immensely high, simply because there are far far too few people who know anything about network security.

In these cases the old adage "demand creates its supply" is not applicable. That's because humans are lazy inactive assholes who can't be bothered. That is in general, though, not applicable to some people in the world. And these people are the people who make it big in the world.

Now some may understand a little more about why I have stepped into card manipulation. Personally I am giving it a go because it is a fantastic challenge. It trains and hones your dexterity. It also is something that can truly increase your self-esteem, and it gives a sense of self-satisfaction. It is a distant relation to pen spinning, but I suspect only a rare few can make the connection.

...

Nevermind. I will make the connection for you. Both are forms of contact juggling and require an intense amount of coordination. In order to master both, a great deal of dedication and hard work is necessary.

Card manipulation, if nothing else, is a possible career path. And no, this is not the only skill I'm developing. A simple quick glance at the left on my profile would already tell you what skills I am trying out or are already developing.

Upon reading this, I'm guessing the majority would laugh. You would laugh at how lame what I have said is. You would laugh at how stupid card manipulation appears.

Until, of course, you realize that card manipulation is a career path that pays well. And until, of course, you realize, that every second that you sit at home or utilize to dance around Orchard Road to go "waaaahahahaha nice leh!", is draining your usefulness to society, bit by bit, piece by piece.

Until, of course, you realize that learning anything is better than learning nothing. Like what a lot of you are probably doing now. Because learning nothing at all...

... renders you a needless burden on society.

If you already have cultivated a certain skill for self-enrichment, good for you. If not...