Pokemon Go - FOR GOODNESS SAKE

POKEMON GO.

The highly-raved game has been the talk of the town for the longest time ever, with everyone anticipating the release.

Everywhere I went, it was Pokemon here, Pokemon there.

When I first installed the game, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia as the interface reminded me of my Gameboy which I used to play when I was a young kid. For a moment, my brainwaves time-traveled.

Pokemon was a hit back then, with many different version releases and I have to admit I was hooked.

In the new century, the game has now evolved cleverly.

It has made use of GPS technology which requires the gamer to catch pokemons in real life by PHYSICALLY going to places instead of a virtual walk-through.

(So you can imagine the sight of people holding their phones and walking around like wandering souls trying to search for virtual pokemons)

Talk about taking the game to another level huh.

And now comes the part that I would like to complain.

As much as I think this game is an enjoyable one for the young and old, THIS IS SUCH A ROAD HAZARD.

I don't think it is of any use that gamers were urged to be careful when playing it because I am pretty there will still be reckless people who WILL NOT LOOK OUT FOR THEIR SURROUNDINGS.

Yes, I have met a guy who was so engrossed on the phone that he did NOT lift his head for even a second and literally WALKED right into me.

And guess what?

He stared at me as though I had killed his family and had the cheek to let out a loud "TSK", clearly indicating that I was the one at fault.

Tsk what Tsk? 我没有 TSK 你，你就应该偷笑了!

*Fuming*

Hello, do you expect people to give way to you because you are busy catching pokemons on your phone?

How about doing that on the road, make sure you don't lift your head and focus on your phone so your pokemon won't run away?

And when you collide with a car, blame it on the driver because he should have known better. 

(I don't think you are even alive by that time to blame the driver anyway)

Honestly, I won't be surprised if accident rates are higher after the release of Pokemon Go.

Not that I am trying to curse people out there, but it is the truth.

Even without Pokemon Go, youngsters were already engrossed in their phones while texting, etc.

So please, PLEASE... Lift your head and look out for what is in front of you. Lifting your head only takes a mere 1 second or less (unless your head is so heavy that you can't lift it).

And to small kids out there, please do not wander around at night with the reason to catch Pokemons.

There are weird uncles aka 怪伯伯 out there waiting to pounce on you.

Your intention is to catch Pokemons, but their intention is to catch you.

No, I am not trying to scare you... But this is a likely scenario that will happen.

And when it does, it will be too late.

I don't know why I am beginning to sound like a typical naggy mother here, but I just hope that you guys will not compromise on your personal safety while playing the game. 

I know how it feels to be engrossed, and it can get pretty scary when safety is neglected.

Do not wait until something bad to happen then regret it. 

OK??????!!

A MUST-visit place once in a LIFETIME - Pripyat!

So I came across a random article online the other day on some of the many abandoned places in the world - and I got so fascinated that I think I am OBSESSED.

Don't get me wrong, I am NEVER an adventurous person, let alone the travelling kind. 

BUT GOODNESS KNOWS WHY I am so DEEPLY intrigued by this particular city called "Pripyat", a city in northern Ukraine. I got so excited that I told my bf, momo, that I WANT to go there with him someday.  *yells*

(And too bad, I did not give him the chance to say "NO". Ha!)

So I went into a heavy research about the place, and found some information about it - alongside with AMAZING OH-MY-GOD photographs that will make you feel as though you are there.

Ok ok, I figured some of you may not know what I am talking about - So here is some background info about Pripyat (if it does interest you in any way. LOL)

According to Wikipedia:

"Named for the nearby Pripyat River, Pripyat was founded on 4 February 1970, the ninth nuclear city in the Soviet Union, for theChernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.^[2] It was officially proclaimed a city in 1979, and had grown to a population of 49,360^[3] before being evacuated a few days after the 26 April 1986 Chernobyl disaster."

Technically speaking, the WHOLE freaking city had humans all emptied out. It is a whole city by itself, damaged, abandoned and left as it was after their citizens were asked to evacuate the place due to the overwhelming level of radioactivity. It is no longer a place where humans can inhabit anymore.

However, reports have it that the level of radioactivity has decreased rapidly over the years, and there were people who actually went there to visit the city!

(I am sure you can sense my excitement as I am typing this entry. *hands trembling*)

Just to let you have a "feel" of the reason for my excitement, let me find some photographs of Pripyat - with credits, of course.

(In fact, if you would like to see more.. Just GOOGLE it and you'll be able to find alot of results!)

Okay, this series of photos below were grabbed from: http://blog.vornaskotti.com/2010/07/15/into-the-zone-chernobyl-pripyat/ ) Fascinating adventure, I would say!

This is part of Pripyat:

(Can you imagine? The city actually looks quite developed - and I can't believe it's a Ghost Town!)

A gigantic ferris wheel

*imagining children of that era who were sitting happily on there*

An olympic-sized swimming pool - looks kinda' haunting:

I suppose this is a fish farm, as described:

*screams* AND THERE ARE STILL SPECIMEN JARS LEFT ON THE SHELVES!!

I am SO going to open those sealed jars and let my momo sniff them if we ever get the chance to be physically there. OMG.

And guess what - This is a shot from the Pripyat Hospital

Medical supplies - Imagine consuming them! LOL.

And here's an old and abandoned piano that the author said was still USABLE just by plucking the strings! *closes eyes and imagines who the previous owner was*

Stepping into a house:

(Imagine if you were once the owner of the house and you finally get to return to it - It must have been a weird sensation- seeing everything again once more like you have just left it yesterday! I'm HIGHLY positive that there will be a strong sense of deja vu.)

An abandoned bus:

Gosh, this author has SO MANY more photographs that are too precious not to be mentioned here: (There is even  photo of a mummified dog found at a high storey!)

Visit his FLICKR page here (CLICK)

You know, one of the reasons why I AM so intrigued by places and things of the past is because I feel like they are a piece of living history.

It's like time travel, only in another form. When you step into the place physically, you will find yourself in a HISTORY zone. That exact spot you are standing was once stood by people of the past; which they never knew you would be eventually there and witnessing the aftermath of their lives.

My imagination tends to run wild A HELL LOT when it comes to such things - Call me crazy, but I could actually stare at a piece of history and just go blank while letting my mind rewind like a memory tape, imagining how those places used to look like during its happier times; and the people who were using the particular object that has since became an artifact before my eyes.

That is why I spend alot of time in museums - and damn it - I LOVE museums.  

Somehow, I regretted being not that interested in history during my secondary school days. Turn back the time now and I am sure I will be one of those crazy history students.

Gosh, the temptation to visit Pripyat is so strong - but I'm worried about the radioactivity.

(Of course, I don't want to contract any health problem after visiting the city!)

P/S: My momo told me that Pripyat actually appeared in a game called "CALL OF DUTY". I am sure you gamers out there would have heard of it. Gosh, I am not a gamer but I SURE am interested to know how this game works.

Right.. I'm going to stop typing now as I'll be off to watch some documentaries on Pripyat.

*Pastes "DO NOT DISTURB" signboard*