Sunday, August 30, 2015

Taking chances



“Meow! My name’s MiSi and I’m Silo’s new companion! We met by fate at the arcade when she fought her way through the masses of airy, rubbery objects just to save me from my demise. What a heroic feat of determination and concentration! Among all the prisoners hanging in front of her, she chose to save me. ME! That was a day I will never forget! I will be a loyal and fun companion to her forever!”


Thank you for that introduction, MiSi! I am touched by how you see that chance encounter. MiSi here is my first (and hopefully not the last) toy I got from an arcade game. Her name is derived from mini Silo since I see her as a mini me due to her wide, all teeth smile and happy eyes which resemble me.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to win a toy (preferably a plushy) from arcade games. This desire intensified when I see guys winning games and giving their prizes to their girls. I admit, I am envious of such scenes and truth be told, nobody played a game to win a prize for me (hahahuhu). I tell myself I don’t need someone to win something for me, I will win prizes for myself. Since then, I tried arcade games, UFO catchers and other similar contraptions to win a prize. To my dismay, I never won. I look longingly at people who play and got meters of tickets flowing from the game they’re playing… like how on Earth do you do that?!

Finally, I’ve given up on UFO catchers since they’re expensive and tricky. Lately, I’ve been trying my hand with games related to throwing/darts. Last Sunday, as I was exiting the restroom, I spotted the pop balloons game inside the arcade near the restroom. To my delight, they refilled the balloons so there’s a bigger chance of hitting them. I was having second thoughts on whether I should go for it or nah since I was in a hurry but for some reason, something was pulling me towards the arcade. Something was telling me that I should give it a go plus I don’t get to have this chance everyday. So I bought a ticket for the game. I was so nervous, my palms all cold and sweaty and slightly shaking. I only have 3 tries and that’s it. So I threw the darts with the concentration and determination I can muster under such nerve-racking circumstances. Lo and behold! The person-in-charge said I can choose a stuffed toy for a prize! I was so delighted by this new experience that I took my time choosing a prize. I want it to be worthwhile, something that I really like and not just choose for the heck of it. I scanned the plushies hanged around the play area and spotted a grey happy cat with a red bell collar. There were other similar plushies like it but they were in Barney-purple so NO. It was the only one left of its color so I pointed it to the person-in-charge. He unhooked it from the rail and handed it to me which I received gratefully, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. YES! SUCCESS! I finally won an arcade prize! 

I can’t stop reveling at what happened. The “bitterness” inside receded a bit and a faint hope bloomed inside me like sunflowers on a cloudy day. I know this may seem trivial, childish and nonsense to most but this little victory means a lot to me. I had almost given up hope that I would ever win at such games and here is MiSi, evidence that I did it. Hopefully there will be more similar games/instances where I can win prizes not only for myself but also for people I care about.

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