things i need to know i learned from kuya ferdie's word challenge

One: You need to 'start' before anything can happen.

Two: You can play 'solo' and still have fun but life gets more exciting when there are multiple players ('multiplayer'). (No puns intended here).

Three: When you cannot see into your present view, 'rotate' and shift your focus.

Four: Don't let the 'claps' intimidate you. They're only distractions. In this life, there will never be a dearth of these.

Five: Some players will annoy you. Just keep your cool and concentrate on the game. Patience will always be a good virtue.

Six: Don't feel small when you cannot find words. Ponder on item #3. Maybe, this is not your thing. How about mastering soduku? Blogging can be fun too.

Seven: Sometimes, when you are not certain about some words, gamble. Good 'points' may come out of it. A former co-worker puts it aptly: the reckless may not live long but the cautious may not live at all.

Eight: Keep on the game even if the 'tiles' that come out are a bit odd. Great things can come out from nothing. Look at that guy Edison. It's never a waste of time making sense out of a garble. Later you'll realize that it will make you an expert at squinting those eyes which you may find useful in the next 'rounds'.

Nine: Winning while checking on a dictionary is less honorable. In any game, cheating is one bad cheetah. At any instance, avoid it. When you've been lured once, don't make it double. That's already bad-assery.

Ten: After a 'round', check on those words that come out that you don't know. It pays to learn something new each time. In the future, when in want of words, they can come out handy.

Eleven: Don't be devastated if you lose. In every game, somebody wins. It may be you in the next round.

Twelve: Don't pound that chest after winning a 'round'. I read somewhere that only insecure people brag about their little accomplishments. Surely, you are not one. And I may add, it feels better to think of your accomplishments, no matter how grand they are as little. There's some goodwill in this.

Thirteen: More than the winning, it is the learning that matters.

Lastly: More than the learning should be the relationships.

Here's another last. I've been nudging Kuya Ferdie to register the stuff and sell it. I'd be happy to help in marketing (with the commission, of course). He declined smilingly. Now, I am not that magnanimous.

('Word Challenge' is a game which is essentially like boggle, only digitized and customized with options like having multiple players via network connection (bluetooth is very handy here). The view shifts at set intervals but you can click on the 'rotate' button if you want another view. Minimum number of letters can also be set (we play at a minimum of 5, that's before you add the 's' but my sister insists on the additional points for finding the longest word). For words with at least 7 letters, you'll hear a very encouraging clap. After every round, you can search for words that the computer finds based on its embedded dictionary so prepare to be dismayed as there can be a lot too many. Recently, I played the GameHouse version of it but I'd say that Word Challenge is a lot better. Looks like the perfect lazy Sunday diversion to me. Want to install one on your PC now? Just give me your USB. We'll talk about the charge later.)