Rewind [I'm Happy I Met You]

She said, "I'm happy I met you. Truly".
I feel the same way and even more.
When did we actually meet? And how did we actually crossed paths in life? Who was responsible for such a
coincidental event? Why? And what could've been instead if we didn't actually found each other? And who am I supposed to thank for meeting such a wonderful person? These are just a handful of questions that came to mind while I lay there in bed reading the messages we've sent each other. I thought. And I thought more. I could just thank God right off the bat and call it quits now. But I want to dig in deeper. Go back further. And really see where it all began. I went back a year. Another year. And that's when I thought I found the beginning. But in the end, I realized that it was still not where it all began. I went back further. Further, to a time when I was another person. To a time when the changes started happening. And to a time when I thought I found love but sadly thought wrong.

It was clear in the beginning that we wouldn't have met if it wasn't for PyroTech. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met her at all. But at the same time, they say if things were meant to happen, it will happen regardless of what you do. But that's a possibility I didn't end up getting. And in the end, I got the event where I met her by being introduced to her. And I am totally happy with that. I wouldn't have it any other way. I thank Pyro for introducing me to her.
But how did I meet him? And how did I end up being one of the guys he knows that regularly chills with him and his other friends? How did I end up knowing him? And that takes me back a year or two.

Call of Duty: Black Ops finally came out. I enjoyed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 quite a bit and it became a game that I just really got into. I liked the fact that I could act and make decisions that simulated aspects of what soldiers would probably go through. Or at least, in a semi-realistic way. But we all know Call of Duty is very arcade-oriented and in no way simulates a realistic shooter scenario. With that aside, I was excited for it and was anticipating the release of a new game from the same series I've just recently started enjoying.
November finally came and it was released. I woke up that morning filled with grief (recent break up), got ready and went out first thing in the morning to get Call of Duty: Black Ops at Carrefour Angrignon. I purchased the prestige edition that came with the RC-XD  and hurriedly made my way home so I can play. It was quite an experience and shortly after I made friends with a few people. And the only guy on my friends list that actually played the game was InTeL. I knew him back then as Glenn. We went to English class together. And after we found out that we played Call of Duty, we decided to add each other on PSN. Weeks and maybe a month later, I was introduced to Aimbot, Scout, Soulja and the rest of the SoW members and oCt members I play games nowadays. And that's how I met Pyro.
So in a way, I could thank InTeL as well. Because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met Aimbot, who had Scout on his friends list on PSN. And Scout had Pyro. We all ended up in a clan which was called SoW back then and it is still SoW today. We didn't even have call-signs back then.
It was because I added InTeL on PSN. I have him to thank as well. But who made me play Call of Duty anyway?

I got a Playstation 3 and didn't really enjoy it much since I played on a really small TV. But I've had my console for quite some time already and played quite a bunch of games on it. I thought that since I didn't play much PC games anymore, I'd go back to my console gaming days and this time, really immerse myself better by buying a decent television set. So I set out to Best Buy one day and got myself a 32" Samsung which is still the same TV I have today. I had to walk around carrying it since I didn't have a vehicle. Then I later called a taxi to have it transported to my place. Long story short, I setup my TV and hooked my console up to it. And I was impressed by the quality of gaming and movies that it offered compared to the experience I've come to get used to with my smaller and extremely inferior TV.
Weeks later, I was at the back of the store I used to work at. Two of my co-workers, Shane and Eric, were talking about this game they were playing. And it was called Modern Warfare 2. They were so amazed by it and they recommended that I get it as well. I was reluctant at first because I found FPS games to be stupid on consoles. I always thought it was a genre that was more suited to be on the PC platform. Unless you have a mouse or a gun controller for your console. But they were so persuasive and I thought that since I have a decent TV and I've connected my PS3 to the internet, sure.
So I got Modern Warfare 2. I got it and a classmate from school also played it. We added each other and that guy was Glenn.
I could also thank Shane and Eric for being persuasive enough to get me into buying the game. The game that seems to have been the reason to why we met. It's because of them that I added InTeL on PSN. And ultimately led to me meeting Pyro for the first time. And in the end, it was because of my friendship with him that I have been introduced to this really nice girl.

This part is as far back as I can go. Pushing back further from this point wouldn't make much sense anymore. Sometimes, I'd like to think that things happen for a reason. And it's nice to believe in it sometimes. But of course, there are those other times when you ask yourself if there was really a good reason for things to have ended the way they did. And the answers I get are just either depressing or unjust.
The mental journey towards tracing back the reasons and causes for both of us to have crossed paths was both quite a delight and a rewarding reflection of my past. It's clear to me that it was all because of our passion for gaming. It's a factor that was constant in all of the sections I have gone back to. But at the same time, a little bit of luck and coincidence also played a significant role in everything.
If I had not bought a new TV, I probably wouldn't have even considered looking up the game. And if I didn't get the game, I probably wouldn't have added Glenn on PSN since I might be playing offline games anyway. And if I didn't meet Pyro, I most likely wouldn't have met her. If I did, it was probably just because I was paying for a bag that I purchased... In a way, things were so connected yet so disconnected at the same time.

The past is the past. It happened and I'm glad that things turned out the way they did. Things do seem to happen for a reason, if you look at it with positivity. But from what I've learned, the past can really drag you down and snare you down. It could keep you from moving forward and enjoying life if approached in a sorrowful or regretful way. But the past is also capable of reminding us to be stronger, better and make us remember what kind of person we are. The past helps us in ways that may surprise us. But at the same time, we cannot always live in the past. I have and it resulted to nothing but tears and time wasted drowning in it.
It's good to remember the past, but living in the present and looking forward to the future is what life is all about.