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Many days and weeks went by without a post. I don't want a month to go by without one.
The past couple of months have been quite hectic.
On Nov. 13, we drove to my home town in Kerala. There was some house-related work to be attended to that required me to be there for two or three weeks.
I could do that because we now have the option of working from home, almost unheard of just three years ago!
It was after many years that we were travelling to Kerala by car. A distance of around 625 km. The highways are quite good. In fact, many cities have been getting connected by good roads over the past few years.
We got back to Bengaluru on Dec. 7.
A year-end tends to be more of work rather than a holiday for me. There are usually too many people on leave, which makes it difficult for me to take leave. Planning to take the accumulated compensatory offs next month.
PLAYABLES ON YOUTUBE
Sometime earlier this month, I got a notification on YouTube about "Playables". They are a set of games that can be played on YouTube.
I decided to check them out and promptly got hooked on a few of them, like Element Blocks, Stack Bounce, Jewels Planet, Words of Wonders, Collect Em All, and Carrom Clash.
The last time I played games on a computer was more than 20 years ago when I got a desktop. But I lost interest gradually, mainly because of lack of time, the hassles of downloading them and, on the mobile, the intrusion of ads.
One advantage of playing on YouTube is there is no need to download the games. These games, in spite of all the flak they tend to get, do help in sharpening our cognitive skills.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
What plans for New Year's Eve?
Tomorrow is a Sunday, and I will be able to take my weekly off. We might take the metro to the CBD, stroll around a while, grab a bit or two, see the lighting, and get back home before it's too late.
Cheers to a New Year full of possibilities!
Wishing you Advance Happy New Year. I don't think I want another reason to be glued to my phone - in fact, I want a reason to be away from screens. So am not checking out playables!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rajesh. It's a good idea to resolve to stay away from screens as much as possible in the new year.
DeleteHappy New Year to you and your family. I usually stay home on new year eve because of so many drunk drivers in the streets
ReplyDelete.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoy puzzles and match games... but I see Playables is only rolled out 'beta' and that too, only to Premium paid up members. I lose half a day to puzzles as it is, so best I don't go any further!!! I wish you and yours a very fine 2024 and that it brings happiness and peace your way. YAM xx
Hi Yamini - Thank you, so much for your wishes. I wish you and your family too a fabulous 2024.
DeleteYes, you are right, Playables is being rolled out for Premium members. It was good fun playing some of the games. After the initial enthusiasm, I am a bit irregular now. All these games are good distractions!
Happy 2024.
ReplyDeleteI feel it would be better to spend money on railway systems than roads, that seem to only ever temporarily solve traffic problems.
I think it was in the early 2000s when I had Tetris on my phone and played it often. I couldn't find the same game I knew when I bought my next phone and I've never played anything on a device since. Someone my age is not a target market for online games.
Hi Andrew,
DeleteThank you. Wish you too a Happy New Year.
Yes, trains are always a better option. India has quite a big railway network, thanks to the British. It's constantly being expanded and improved.
The only advantage of going by car, unlike public transport, is the flexibility to move around as and when needed.
Hi Pradeep - I couldn't get into Playables (probably a good thing) I already do the daily Wordle and Connections from the NY Times, and I play Candy Crush and some card games too. You can tell I'm retired and have some spare time on my hands! Happy New Year from Down Under - glad to see you fitted in one last blog post for the year :)
ReplyDeleteHi Leanne - Thank you. I used to play Wordle. Discontinued after many months. May be I will resume one of these days. I used to play Candy Crush as well. Yes, when one is retired one has more time for oneself. I hope to have that luxury next year. :-)
DeleteI'm so glad you're doing well. :D You've been missed. Enjoy your time off when you finally get it. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteOops. It's Darla M Sands. I forgot I was commenting under anonymous. ~shakes head~ I have been struggling with leaving comments.
DeleteHi Darla - Thank you so much for your good wishes. And wish you and family too a Happy New Year!
DeleteYes, when I comment too, I realise that the Blogger website does not automatically log me in, even when I am going my logged-in Gmail.
Happy New Year. (I think it likely this will be Jan 1st for you, but it's still the 31st for me.) I like the games on my phone, but it's so easy to get sucked into them.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liz :-) O, yes, the games are really addictive.
DeleteThe last thing I need right now is more games to play! 😅 Have a great New Year!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeanne. I wish you and your family too a Happy 2024.
DeleteHappy New Year Pradeep! Bonne et heureuse année, mes meilleurs voeux pour 2024 ;) Enjoy your days off, and I hope you will have opportunity to rest and relax from work. Enjoy the games too ;))
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup, Frédérique, pour vos vœux de nouvelle année. Je vous souhaite une bonne année. Je prévois prendre des jours congé ce mois-ci. Je aussi espère que je pourrai écrire plus en Française cette année.
DeleteHappy new year :) I normally don’t go out on new year or a day before new year . I was happy at home
ReplyDeleteHi Shilpa - Thank you! Wish you and everyone near and dear to you a Happy 2024. We just went out to M.G. Road in the evening. Travelled by Metro. Had a look at the lightings. Had dinner and were back home by 10. It's almost 10 years since I last went to M.G. Road on a NYE.
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