If this day is going to be remembered for anything, it's my discovery of HBO's new show, True Detective. It reminds me of Fincher. It's pretty good, and Rust is quickly become a cult hero, a voice of reason in a society ruled by religion. Doesn't make his bullshit any less bullshit though.
I played some Borderlands 2 with by buddies again, and my laptop is seriously showing its weakness. Even with everything on low, the game is a stuttering mess. I bet even your most basic desktop and blow this game out of the water.
I decided to look deep inside and pulled out another alter-ego to enrich the KH universe with. Starting from the ground up again. It's kind of exciting. I can't wait to pull the fandom into my twisted roller coaster of nightmares.
/eventlog
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Event Log: 1/29/14
It really speaks to how uneventful today was when I can't think of a single thing to write about. I had terrible stomach troubles the whole time. Kind of weird, knowing that my baby niece was just born, but here I am, stuck in the bathroom praying for relief. It was torture, I tell you. Torture!
It prevented me from doing much of anything really. I just wanted sit back and watch the reviews roll in for my last update of Hotel Hearts. Technically not my last, but with the amount of effort I'm going to put into my epilogue, it might as well be--not to say that it's going to suck, but the story's finished. Don't get your hopes up for any crazy developments.
With another finished story under my belt, the question is: where do I go from here? Easy: finish my other ones. I wish I didn't start so many stories. But I gotta do what I gotta do.
/eventlog
It prevented me from doing much of anything really. I just wanted sit back and watch the reviews roll in for my last update of Hotel Hearts. Technically not my last, but with the amount of effort I'm going to put into my epilogue, it might as well be--not to say that it's going to suck, but the story's finished. Don't get your hopes up for any crazy developments.
With another finished story under my belt, the question is: where do I go from here? Easy: finish my other ones. I wish I didn't start so many stories. But I gotta do what I gotta do.
/eventlog
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Event Log: 1/28/14
I remember less of the day and more of the night, simply because I was unable to fall a fucking sleep. There's nothing I hate more than being unable to do what I want to do when it's the only I can do. It figures that in the midst of my nightmare, my niece is officially born. Happy Birthday, niece!
I blame my lack of sleep on the last chapter of Hotel Hearts. I posted that thing dead in the morning in the middle of the week--probably the worst time I can update a story, but whatever. I update whenever I want.
Lakers lost against the Pacers today, which is good. The tank is on. Let's not win any games for the rest of the season, please. And thank god, 2K finally fixed the broken ass app. I can get VC for the Pick and Win, finally.
/eventlog
I blame my lack of sleep on the last chapter of Hotel Hearts. I posted that thing dead in the morning in the middle of the week--probably the worst time I can update a story, but whatever. I update whenever I want.
Lakers lost against the Pacers today, which is good. The tank is on. Let's not win any games for the rest of the season, please. And thank god, 2K finally fixed the broken ass app. I can get VC for the Pick and Win, finally.
/eventlog
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Event Log: 1/27/14
Consider me surprised. I actually called it in early last night, and not only that, I fell asleep on the dot. The last time that happened was...last year? It was still pretty late by normal standards, but 2 o'clock in the morning is definitely a lot earlier than 8. I'll take it every time. Even though I slept earlier, I got up at 2 anyways. Maybe I'm trying to make up for weeks of lost sleep. I hope this is a turning point in my sleep schedule. Lord knows I can use it.
I jumped back into Borderlands 2 with my friends. My laptop really struggles to run the game, even with everything on low. My PS3 could probably run it better, and that's just sad. I didn't get this laptop for gaming though. It's purely for production, and I've been taking full advantage of it if my recent uptick in writing is any indication. I don't regret not going balls out with the specs, because let's face it, in terms of value proposition, a desktop will beat out a laptop every single time. Until the consumer version of Oculus Rift comes out, there's no reason for me to go crazy on the specs anyways. I got patience.
As for the rest of the day, I've been hammering away at my keyboard answering old Tumblr questions. I feel honored that people would seek my opinion on such trifling matters. Does this mean I hold somewhat of an authority or sway over people's minds? Probably not, but 102 followers ain't nothing sneeze at!
/eventlog
I jumped back into Borderlands 2 with my friends. My laptop really struggles to run the game, even with everything on low. My PS3 could probably run it better, and that's just sad. I didn't get this laptop for gaming though. It's purely for production, and I've been taking full advantage of it if my recent uptick in writing is any indication. I don't regret not going balls out with the specs, because let's face it, in terms of value proposition, a desktop will beat out a laptop every single time. Until the consumer version of Oculus Rift comes out, there's no reason for me to go crazy on the specs anyways. I got patience.
As for the rest of the day, I've been hammering away at my keyboard answering old Tumblr questions. I feel honored that people would seek my opinion on such trifling matters. Does this mean I hold somewhat of an authority or sway over people's minds? Probably not, but 102 followers ain't nothing sneeze at!
/eventlog
Monday, January 27, 2014
Event Log: 1/26/14
Every so often, it's important to remind myself why I do what I do in order to renew my enthusiasm for life, among other things. There's no doubt that writing is my passion, but I don't know if I can embody it, to dedicate every second, minute, and hour to this one thing I love. I realize, if I am realize my ambitions, this is something I must do, regardless of how I feel.
As for how my day went, I spent the morning eating leftovers from our Tet party. Always nice to have fried rice, egg rolls, Korean BBQ meat, and some shredded chicken lettuce for breakfast. On TNT, I watched one of the classics again: Terminator 2. Such a good movie and it holds up very well today. Hell, the chase sequence at the end puts the Fast and Furious to shame (rest in peace, Walker).
I watched a couple NBA games (Sac-Den and GS-Portland) to remind myself of what actual basketball looks like. Playing too much 2K tends to distort the perspective.
At the end of my day and well into the morning, I watched a bunch of Hall of Fame acceptance speeches by great athletes. It takes a lot of charisma to accept such an honor, but to do so with class and honesty, which Curtis Martin carries in spades, is rare and refreshing. There's a basic template that everybody follows, but every so often, you get one that shatters expectations. Before watching his HoF speech, I had no idea who he was, but in the span of 25 minutes, I was moved to tears. If that's not charisma, I don't know what is.
Despite all my writings, I don't think I can ever manage to capture that kind of emotion and reduce readers to tears. It feels like I would have to encounter exceptional challenges and obstacles to even have an idea of what that feels like. Yet, despite all their accomplishments, the only thing I can think is this:
I am so glad I'm not him.
In the most fatalist of all views, we're all just disposable meat bags in the grand scheme of things.
As for how my day went, I spent the morning eating leftovers from our Tet party. Always nice to have fried rice, egg rolls, Korean BBQ meat, and some shredded chicken lettuce for breakfast. On TNT, I watched one of the classics again: Terminator 2. Such a good movie and it holds up very well today. Hell, the chase sequence at the end puts the Fast and Furious to shame (rest in peace, Walker).
I watched a couple NBA games (Sac-Den and GS-Portland) to remind myself of what actual basketball looks like. Playing too much 2K tends to distort the perspective.
At the end of my day and well into the morning, I watched a bunch of Hall of Fame acceptance speeches by great athletes. It takes a lot of charisma to accept such an honor, but to do so with class and honesty, which Curtis Martin carries in spades, is rare and refreshing. There's a basic template that everybody follows, but every so often, you get one that shatters expectations. Before watching his HoF speech, I had no idea who he was, but in the span of 25 minutes, I was moved to tears. If that's not charisma, I don't know what is.
Despite all my writings, I don't think I can ever manage to capture that kind of emotion and reduce readers to tears. It feels like I would have to encounter exceptional challenges and obstacles to even have an idea of what that feels like. Yet, despite all their accomplishments, the only thing I can think is this:
I am so glad I'm not him.
In the most fatalist of all views, we're all just disposable meat bags in the grand scheme of things.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Event Log: 1/25/14
Today was our annual Tet party where there was much food, laughter, and gambling. I didn't gamble, of course, because I'm risk-adverse to a fault. It just ain't in my blood. It's always amusing to watch little kids, all my cousins and second cousins, get excited over one dollar wins. It's a game with 6 pictures and 3 dice, and all you do is bet on a picture and if it comes up on the dice, then bam! Double your cash.
The remainder of the day was spent on My Career mode as a center. The rebounding is fucking broken. I'm tired of watching the ball phase through my hands and into a smaller player's. It doesn't make sense. I also hate how the opposing player can magically get in front of you for the offensive rebound. Changing the stats doesn't do jack. This isn't anything new to the series. People have been rightly criticizing 2K for this for years. The more things change...
Now, I'm just farming VC through My GM. Fuck VC in the ass, seriously.
The remainder of the day was spent on My Career mode as a center. The rebounding is fucking broken. I'm tired of watching the ball phase through my hands and into a smaller player's. It doesn't make sense. I also hate how the opposing player can magically get in front of you for the offensive rebound. Changing the stats doesn't do jack. This isn't anything new to the series. People have been rightly criticizing 2K for this for years. The more things change...
Now, I'm just farming VC through My GM. Fuck VC in the ass, seriously.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Event Log: 1/22-1/24/14
Some days just get sucked into a vortex. When I get into something, I get into it hardcore. For example, if I find a really good show, I'll marathon it for a week straight if I have to. This is usually a good thing if what I'm addicted to is something productive, but if not, then I'll abandon every task aside from basic living necessities such as eating and sleeping.
If I were to sum up the last three days in one phrase, it would simply be: NBA 2K14. The first two days, it was MyGM mode, and for the third day, it was MyCareer. I now have three active MyCareer players and two MyGM franchises. I'm running both the Lakers and the Knicks.
Out of 6 years as the Knicks GM, I got 3 championships. Not bad. The secret? Get LeBron on your team. I was somehow able to get both Carmelo and LeBron, and despite getting a playoff berth every year, I always manage to get a lotto pick. With my tenacious scouting, I get a draft steal every time.
My success is based on exploiting the game's broken mechanics and logic. It seems every team is content to trade as long as the value and salaries match. I wished the game actually put team needs into account. And the VC implementation pisses me off. It puts a damper on everything.
I'll have more to say about this game next time around. I'm too busy playing.
/eventlog
If I were to sum up the last three days in one phrase, it would simply be: NBA 2K14. The first two days, it was MyGM mode, and for the third day, it was MyCareer. I now have three active MyCareer players and two MyGM franchises. I'm running both the Lakers and the Knicks.
Out of 6 years as the Knicks GM, I got 3 championships. Not bad. The secret? Get LeBron on your team. I was somehow able to get both Carmelo and LeBron, and despite getting a playoff berth every year, I always manage to get a lotto pick. With my tenacious scouting, I get a draft steal every time.
My success is based on exploiting the game's broken mechanics and logic. It seems every team is content to trade as long as the value and salaries match. I wished the game actually put team needs into account. And the VC implementation pisses me off. It puts a damper on everything.
I'll have more to say about this game next time around. I'm too busy playing.
/eventlog
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Event Log: 1/21/14
Today was NBA 2K14 day. I played one My Career game and four My GM games. I'm really digging the intricacies of running a NBA franchise. Setting prices, managing staff, and of course, trading players. Gotta bring in that trophy.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Mornings: 1/21/14
Always great to start out a day with spam from a friend. I shot him a text to let him know that his email account may be compromised. That fulfills my generosity quota for the day. As you can see, my standards are quite low when it comes to this particular aspect of life. Every little bit counts, right?
It's another late day, a little earlier than yesterday, but still late. Hopefully, I can pull it together and I manage to make some real leaps in progress.
Event Log: 1/20/14
Sometimes, I forget it's 2014 even though I write it down every time I post a new Event Log. The beginning of the year always seems to have that effect on people. I still remember, as a kid, thinking to myself, "Man, I can't believe it's the year 2000." That was 14 years ago. Time sure does fly.
I do think kids have it easier these days. It almost takes no effort to leave a digital trace with Facebook and social networking. I would've killed to see what I thought ten years ago. I would be fourteen then, and the only thing I remember was watching Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was freshman year and I'm sure there were all sorts of funny moments that are forever lost because my memory ain't what it used to be. One of the perks of getting older is laughing at your dumbass younger self.
I've been making really slow progress through the last chapter of Hotel Hearts. I'm basically working on it one scene at a time, and there quite a few scenes. I've pumped up the word count to around 8k, so it's getting there.
I've also found a solution for my persistent tinnitus, and that's to listen to music really loudly. I figure if I'm gonna have to live the rest of my life with an annoying low pitch, there's not much more damage I can do to my ear drums. Turn that shit up to 11.
I closed out the day by watching a bunch of NBA2K My Career videos. It's pretty interesting to see how other people play. I jumped in and barely won against the Magic. It's pretty dumb since I blew out the Heat by 30 points last game, but here, I had to fight tooth and nail for the victory. I can never get the game winning shot, but I always get the game winning assist. At least I got my triple-dub.
It's always nice when I find a new song to listen to. I've been listening to The Mother We Share on repeat for the entire day. Wanna take bets on how long it'll take before I get bored of it?
/eventlog
I do think kids have it easier these days. It almost takes no effort to leave a digital trace with Facebook and social networking. I would've killed to see what I thought ten years ago. I would be fourteen then, and the only thing I remember was watching Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was freshman year and I'm sure there were all sorts of funny moments that are forever lost because my memory ain't what it used to be. One of the perks of getting older is laughing at your dumbass younger self.
I've been making really slow progress through the last chapter of Hotel Hearts. I'm basically working on it one scene at a time, and there quite a few scenes. I've pumped up the word count to around 8k, so it's getting there.
I've also found a solution for my persistent tinnitus, and that's to listen to music really loudly. I figure if I'm gonna have to live the rest of my life with an annoying low pitch, there's not much more damage I can do to my ear drums. Turn that shit up to 11.
I closed out the day by watching a bunch of NBA2K My Career videos. It's pretty interesting to see how other people play. I jumped in and barely won against the Magic. It's pretty dumb since I blew out the Heat by 30 points last game, but here, I had to fight tooth and nail for the victory. I can never get the game winning shot, but I always get the game winning assist. At least I got my triple-dub.
It's always nice when I find a new song to listen to. I've been listening to The Mother We Share on repeat for the entire day. Wanna take bets on how long it'll take before I get bored of it?
/eventlog
Monday, January 20, 2014
Mornings: 1/20/14
What's worse than sleeping late? When you sleep late and it's a shallow one. Barely feels like I slept at all. So when I wake up, I have to sleep some more just to get the proper feeling, except it eats up my afternoon. This is probably the latest I've woken up in a long time.
And in other news, my friend's daughter was just born. Say what? Crazy. I can now say my friend is a father. I feel old.
And in other news, my friend's daughter was just born. Say what? Crazy. I can now say my friend is a father. I feel old.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Event Log: 1/19/14
I continued to hammer away at my final chapter of Hotel Hearts. You know why it's called a rough draft? Because it's the roughest part of the writing process. If I had rough drafts of all my stories completed, it would be so easier to pump these things out. But my rough drafts bear little to no resemblance to the final product. At most, they share several lines of dialogue. I get pretty crazy in the revision stage. It's why I don't show off my rough drafts. It's like they're written by different people.
In the meantime, I watched both the AFC and NFC championship games. It always nice to see New England get owned for no other reason than schadenfreude. I was disappointed that the Seahawks won. Despite getting jobbed by the refs, Kaepernick choked when it counted most. I found Booker T's--I mean, Sherman's post-game interview to be terrible. He's excused, since he was probably hyped up on adrenaline for pulling off the play of the game, an acrobatic deflection that led to a game-winning turnover, but I can't ignore his disrespectful remarks about Crabtree. I'm sure he knows what he's doing and that Denver probably got his number circled.
What I find abhorrent is the reaction to his interview, which some have celebrated as entertaining. Look, there's nothing redeeming or anything positive about being an asshole. Our seeming acceptance or even celebration of asshole behavior, I think, is the biggest problem with our culture. Some people think it's dumb to expect "class" from a sport where grown men violently tackle each other all day, but so what? I expect class everywhere I go, whether it's a random encounter on the street or when I'm taking a shit. Class is what makes us better. If we drop our expectations in accordance with our preconceived notions, then we'd never move forward as a civilization. Have faith in your fellow man, brothers and sisters.
Have faith.
/eventlog
In the meantime, I watched both the AFC and NFC championship games. It always nice to see New England get owned for no other reason than schadenfreude. I was disappointed that the Seahawks won. Despite getting jobbed by the refs, Kaepernick choked when it counted most. I found Booker T's--I mean, Sherman's post-game interview to be terrible. He's excused, since he was probably hyped up on adrenaline for pulling off the play of the game, an acrobatic deflection that led to a game-winning turnover, but I can't ignore his disrespectful remarks about Crabtree. I'm sure he knows what he's doing and that Denver probably got his number circled.
What I find abhorrent is the reaction to his interview, which some have celebrated as entertaining. Look, there's nothing redeeming or anything positive about being an asshole. Our seeming acceptance or even celebration of asshole behavior, I think, is the biggest problem with our culture. Some people think it's dumb to expect "class" from a sport where grown men violently tackle each other all day, but so what? I expect class everywhere I go, whether it's a random encounter on the street or when I'm taking a shit. Class is what makes us better. If we drop our expectations in accordance with our preconceived notions, then we'd never move forward as a civilization. Have faith in your fellow man, brothers and sisters.
Have faith.
/eventlog
Mornings: 1/19/14
Sunday mornings mean I gotta get up early for church. I dreamt of In the First Time in Forever.
Event Log: 1/18/14
I'm gonna go ahead and write this one well before my usual posting time. I don't expect my evening to get any crazier that it already hasn't. I picked up NBA 2K14 after taking a break and collecting 20k VC. I spent most of it on two signature skills: on-court coach and lock-down defender.
Since I'm a shooting guard, I can't call plays without on-court coach. I also hate it when players get by me, hence, lock-down defender. I was a little rusty at first but I was able to get the win, and this was after switching it to Hall of Fame from Superstar. It was a pretty close one against the Charlotte Bobcats. I don't know who it was, either Walker, Kidd Gilchrist, or Gordon, but I dropped him with a mean ankle breaker and dunked on his teammate. Racked up a triple double too. With all my VC, I maxed out my Post Fadeaway, Strength, and Quickness. I'm a 94, second only to (who I presume) LeBron James. I'm gunning for your MVP, LeBron! It was also time to pick an endorsement brand: Nike or Jordan. I went with Jordan for the extra VC.
Other than that quick game, I spent the entire day working on the final chapter of Hotel Hearts. Yes, it's actually ending next chapter. I made a lot of progress but there's still lots of work to be done. My hope is to get it around 9k words (it's 4500 right now). That way, my story would be a nice 100k words total.
/eventlog
Since I'm a shooting guard, I can't call plays without on-court coach. I also hate it when players get by me, hence, lock-down defender. I was a little rusty at first but I was able to get the win, and this was after switching it to Hall of Fame from Superstar. It was a pretty close one against the Charlotte Bobcats. I don't know who it was, either Walker, Kidd Gilchrist, or Gordon, but I dropped him with a mean ankle breaker and dunked on his teammate. Racked up a triple double too. With all my VC, I maxed out my Post Fadeaway, Strength, and Quickness. I'm a 94, second only to (who I presume) LeBron James. I'm gunning for your MVP, LeBron! It was also time to pick an endorsement brand: Nike or Jordan. I went with Jordan for the extra VC.
Other than that quick game, I spent the entire day working on the final chapter of Hotel Hearts. Yes, it's actually ending next chapter. I made a lot of progress but there's still lots of work to be done. My hope is to get it around 9k words (it's 4500 right now). That way, my story would be a nice 100k words total.
/eventlog
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Mornings: 1/18/14
Should I really be calling this series "Mornings" when I wake up in the afternoon most of the time? Consecutive mornings like this can't mean good things for my health. It's a sleeping vortex. Once you get stuck, you can't get out.
Today, I didn't wake up to anything interesting. Only the faint fragments of a wild dream linger in my mind. I say faint because the only thing I remember is that it's wild. Oh yeah, now I remember. I visited the DICE offices in Sweden and asked them what the hell is up with this 0% health nonsense? In Battlefield 4, the game shows you how much health the guy who killed you has and it's pretty infuriating when the screen shows 0%. Why is this asshole not dead? Whatever.
I hope today is more productive.
Today, I didn't wake up to anything interesting. Only the faint fragments of a wild dream linger in my mind. I say faint because the only thing I remember is that it's wild. Oh yeah, now I remember. I visited the DICE offices in Sweden and asked them what the hell is up with this 0% health nonsense? In Battlefield 4, the game shows you how much health the guy who killed you has and it's pretty infuriating when the screen shows 0%. Why is this asshole not dead? Whatever.
I hope today is more productive.
Event Log: 1/17/14
It's been hot lately. I'm sweating just sitting here. I thought this was supposed to be winter? Today was pretty interesting. Out of nowhere, I get this mysterious message for my online dating profile.
"I got to log now, but if you want to talk sms me @ (xxx)xxxxxxx"
No portrait. The profile says this:
I am a 34 year old,single mom,looking for my companion in life...blah blah blah, for privacy concerns, I omitted the rest.
I'm pretty open minded, but a decade older than me? I can't see us having that much in common, unless she's a Battlefield virtuoso.
I also got reply for a job application I applied for directly one month ago. I was supposed to do an exercise and I totally didn't do it. Yikes. For all my chest thumping, I'm still a slacker. Gotta work on that.
On a positive note, I hit 100 followers on tumblr! That's amazing. I know there are people who have thousands, but man, it's a special benchmark for me. Thank you for all the support.
I posted a one-shot on fanfiction. Only two reviews? Damn, Jomatto's slipping. The fandom ain't what it used to be. There is a caveat, it's an M-rated story. At least my fans enjoy it. Now I really have to concentrate on my existing stories.
"I got to log now, but if you want to talk sms me @ (xxx)xxxxxxx"
No portrait. The profile says this:
I am a 34 year old,single mom,looking for my companion in life...blah blah blah, for privacy concerns, I omitted the rest.
I'm pretty open minded, but a decade older than me? I can't see us having that much in common, unless she's a Battlefield virtuoso.
I also got reply for a job application I applied for directly one month ago. I was supposed to do an exercise and I totally didn't do it. Yikes. For all my chest thumping, I'm still a slacker. Gotta work on that.
On a positive note, I hit 100 followers on tumblr! That's amazing. I know there are people who have thousands, but man, it's a special benchmark for me. Thank you for all the support.
I posted a one-shot on fanfiction. Only two reviews? Damn, Jomatto's slipping. The fandom ain't what it used to be. There is a caveat, it's an M-rated story. At least my fans enjoy it. Now I really have to concentrate on my existing stories.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Mornings: 1/17/14
I'm thinking this should be a dream diary, because I dreamt that my mom was borrowing my car and when she returned home, she was driving backwards on the sidewalk hitting all kinds of shit like fences, running over lawns and rolling in the air until it landed on our driveway, totally totaled. I was pissed, but she offered me her molars to make up for it. Apparently, there's a website called sellyourmolars.com where they'll buy teeth provided there's silver and gold in them. Yeah, I don't even know. My brain's just...fairy dust.
This morning was a rare instance of being unable to sleep after waking up. Or it required a lot more effort than usual.
It figures that the interesting things happens after I post my Event Log. While I'm in the middle of bed, I get a sudden message from my online dating profile. That's the first message in months, and considering how initiative is unfairly skewed towards males, that's a pretty remarkable occurrence.
It took me all but three messages to stun her into silence. When I chat, I go in strong. No restraint. When all I got is nothing but time, you've got to expect fast and furious messaging, with essay-length replies dropped at a moment's notice. If I don't go all the way, I wouldn't be me. The hell with gradients; I'm solid all the time.
When I checked my phone this morning, she sent another message back saying she fell asleep. And here I was. thinking I scared her off. Maybe it'd be better if I actually did. Why do you build me up, buttercup, just to waste my time? I've got better things to do!
I got an answer from a job application I applied for a month ago--exactly one month ago. I don't know if I got it in me to write about fancy headphones. Worth a shot.
This morning was a rare instance of being unable to sleep after waking up. Or it required a lot more effort than usual.
It figures that the interesting things happens after I post my Event Log. While I'm in the middle of bed, I get a sudden message from my online dating profile. That's the first message in months, and considering how initiative is unfairly skewed towards males, that's a pretty remarkable occurrence.
It took me all but three messages to stun her into silence. When I chat, I go in strong. No restraint. When all I got is nothing but time, you've got to expect fast and furious messaging, with essay-length replies dropped at a moment's notice. If I don't go all the way, I wouldn't be me. The hell with gradients; I'm solid all the time.
When I checked my phone this morning, she sent another message back saying she fell asleep. And here I was. thinking I scared her off. Maybe it'd be better if I actually did. Why do you build me up, buttercup, just to waste my time? I've got better things to do!
I got an answer from a job application I applied for a month ago--exactly one month ago. I don't know if I got it in me to write about fancy headphones. Worth a shot.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Event Log: 1/16/14
This Event Log thing has really become a slog. It's like I can't go to bed without typing something first. Mission accomplished. I did set out to establish good habits this year, and this is a pretty good one. But I think my standards are too high. I feel compelled to say something meaningful, to take away an important lesson from my day, but most times, my day is just a day, and nothing of real consequence really happens. Maybe a little something is just enough.
I'm exhausted. I spent the whole afternoon moving boxes from the garage to the shed my brother-in-law built in the backyard (my dad built most of it though). I have no idea where all this junk comes from. It's like boxes filled with papers, movies, and pure stuff. Think about the word stuff. It encompasses anything and everything. I open a box, look inside, and it's just stuff. It doesn't stand out. It's like vanilla; it blends with everything. Before we cleared it out, our garage could've passed for an episode of Hoarders.
Funny little incident, as my brother-in-law was backing out of the garage, he hit our green waste bin. Dude was in such a rush, he didn't even see it. But what makes it better is that he was using a loaner since his car is in the shop. Luckily, when he came back, a buffer emerged from the mess in the garage and he used it to the clear the scratches out.
I didn't think we could do it in one day, but we managed to cram every box into the shed, with most of it in the "attic" space. I have to admit, it does feel good to use up so much energy for a good cause. It should make it easier for me to sleep. If it weren't for the headaches, then I'd be able to write ahead full steam. Instead, I gotta take it easy, and restore myself for tomorrow.
With the Tet party coming up soon, I'm getting a little excited. My sister is due anytime too, and I'll have a chance to meet my darling niece. That reminds me, I want to write a series called "To My Niece" where I basically write a letter every month to her once she's born. I'll collect it all and finally give it to her when she's eighteen. Or maybe sixteen. I'd have to write 216 letters over the courses of 18 years. Shit, by then, I'll be 42. I'll probably be in the middle of my "Letters to my Daughter" series at that point.
/eventlog
I'm exhausted. I spent the whole afternoon moving boxes from the garage to the shed my brother-in-law built in the backyard (my dad built most of it though). I have no idea where all this junk comes from. It's like boxes filled with papers, movies, and pure stuff. Think about the word stuff. It encompasses anything and everything. I open a box, look inside, and it's just stuff. It doesn't stand out. It's like vanilla; it blends with everything. Before we cleared it out, our garage could've passed for an episode of Hoarders.
Funny little incident, as my brother-in-law was backing out of the garage, he hit our green waste bin. Dude was in such a rush, he didn't even see it. But what makes it better is that he was using a loaner since his car is in the shop. Luckily, when he came back, a buffer emerged from the mess in the garage and he used it to the clear the scratches out.
I didn't think we could do it in one day, but we managed to cram every box into the shed, with most of it in the "attic" space. I have to admit, it does feel good to use up so much energy for a good cause. It should make it easier for me to sleep. If it weren't for the headaches, then I'd be able to write ahead full steam. Instead, I gotta take it easy, and restore myself for tomorrow.
With the Tet party coming up soon, I'm getting a little excited. My sister is due anytime too, and I'll have a chance to meet my darling niece. That reminds me, I want to write a series called "To My Niece" where I basically write a letter every month to her once she's born. I'll collect it all and finally give it to her when she's eighteen. Or maybe sixteen. I'd have to write 216 letters over the courses of 18 years. Shit, by then, I'll be 42. I'll probably be in the middle of my "Letters to my Daughter" series at that point.
/eventlog
Mornings: 1/16/14
It's odd for me to sleep that late without playing Battlefield 4, but when I'm struck by weird ideas throughout the night, I have to get up, wake up my laptop, and type it up. I've already established the formula: go to bed late, get up late, and some of those dreams are like WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? I am legitimately crushed that some of that shit isn't real. Like the job opportunity, oh man, that would've been nice.
My first thought this morning was: Is this the effect of 20-pound dumbbells? I test drove those babies for the first time yesterday. It was a struggle. I have to work my way up to my usual rep numbers. To be a noob again, it's not a bad feeling. My biceps will thank me for it later.
And now I have go help by brother-in-law clear out the garage and carry stuff into the newly built shed. The Lunar New Year is coming. You know what means?
Red envelopes and ka-ching!
My first thought this morning was: Is this the effect of 20-pound dumbbells? I test drove those babies for the first time yesterday. It was a struggle. I have to work my way up to my usual rep numbers. To be a noob again, it's not a bad feeling. My biceps will thank me for it later.
And now I have go help by brother-in-law clear out the garage and carry stuff into the newly built shed. The Lunar New Year is coming. You know what means?
Red envelopes and ka-ching!
Event Log: 1/15/14
It's almost rewarding to spend your entire day dedicated to one task--but only if you finish it. Otherwise, it just feels like a waste. Who cares if I made significant strides? I spent the entire day on one thing and I have nothing to show for it. My next story will be up in a month. It's just a matter of kicking back and relaxing (it still requires a snip here and there).
As for my other stories, well, that is the question, isn't it? I'm thinking I should settle down, put on my headphones, and stare at the screen for hours until something pops up. Shut it down, shut it down, and shut it down. I can't avoid distractions. Put my head low and pump it out, baby.
Self-motivational mantras aside, I just went through an insane amount of bullshit in BF4. When it reaches a point where I physically hurt myself out of pure rage, that's when it's time to stop.
I had a healthy chat with my buddies online. That'll probably be the most amount of human interaction I'll have all week. Is that sad? That's not sad, right?
/eventlog
As for my other stories, well, that is the question, isn't it? I'm thinking I should settle down, put on my headphones, and stare at the screen for hours until something pops up. Shut it down, shut it down, and shut it down. I can't avoid distractions. Put my head low and pump it out, baby.
Self-motivational mantras aside, I just went through an insane amount of bullshit in BF4. When it reaches a point where I physically hurt myself out of pure rage, that's when it's time to stop.
I had a healthy chat with my buddies online. That'll probably be the most amount of human interaction I'll have all week. Is that sad? That's not sad, right?
/eventlog
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Mornings: 1/15/14
It would've been a victory to wake up before noon. I missed the mark by nineteen minutes. Does it count if I actually woke up earlier but went back to sleep again? Guess not.
Event Log: 1/14/14
I'd almost forgotten the joy of song and dance. Leave it to Disney to make musicals relevant again. I thought Frozen was a fine addition to the stable, but I like Tangled better. I haven't watched too many musicals but it did remind me of the Happiness of the Katakuris, which is one of my favorite films. Something about bursting out in song during the macabre makes me laugh. Horror and comedy are best friends.
I made exceptional headway in a side story I'm working on. It's actually publish-ready, but since I have plenty of time, I'm going to take full advantage and bring it to the next level. Your first idea will never be your best. It's good to sleep on it because it can always be improved.
My two 20 pound dumbbells came in today. I won't have a chance to test them until tomorrow. It's about time I bulk up. 15 pounds just doesn't cut it anymore.
I can't call today a total waste; completing a draft is a pretty big deal. I just wished it didn't require an entire day to finish. It'll take another day to whip it into shape, and even then, there will always be little kinks to iron out. That's what it means to be a writer: to revise until your fingers bleed raw. You can't come into this line of work without dedication.
/eventlog
I made exceptional headway in a side story I'm working on. It's actually publish-ready, but since I have plenty of time, I'm going to take full advantage and bring it to the next level. Your first idea will never be your best. It's good to sleep on it because it can always be improved.
My two 20 pound dumbbells came in today. I won't have a chance to test them until tomorrow. It's about time I bulk up. 15 pounds just doesn't cut it anymore.
I can't call today a total waste; completing a draft is a pretty big deal. I just wished it didn't require an entire day to finish. It'll take another day to whip it into shape, and even then, there will always be little kinks to iron out. That's what it means to be a writer: to revise until your fingers bleed raw. You can't come into this line of work without dedication.
/eventlog
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Mornings: 1/14/14
I did the old wake up, go back to sleep, wake up, and go back to sleep trick. Best way to fast forward through a morning, but it certainly subtracts a few hours from my day. It can get a little excessive and I might go overboard sometimes, but I gotta wake up at the right time, not just any time. Who am I kidding? I'm just being lazy. Research has shown that those who oversleep are at risk of dying earlier than those who wake up early. I guess it makes sense. Rushing to sleep will only bring us closer to eternal slumber.
Event Log: 1/13/14
There are a ton of movies this year based on real life events. They include Wolf of Wall Street, Rush, Captain Phillips, 12 Years a Slave, Lone Survivor, Saving Mr. Banks, and probably a bunch more I can't remember. Hollywood's always made movies out of real stories, but it seems rampant this year. They're all really good too.
I spent most of today watching movies again. I like to go on marathons. Once I watch one, I gotta watch another. After I've watched too many, it's like, "okay, I gotta start living again." As much as I enjoy watching movies, I can't help but feel empty afterwards. Our lives are never as glamorous as these on-screen depictions. I know it's just a fantasy, but I always feel disappointed.
The majority of my day was devoted to writing, and unless I show my hand and tell you exactly what I was writing about, I think I'll just leave it at that.
/eventlog
I spent most of today watching movies again. I like to go on marathons. Once I watch one, I gotta watch another. After I've watched too many, it's like, "okay, I gotta start living again." As much as I enjoy watching movies, I can't help but feel empty afterwards. Our lives are never as glamorous as these on-screen depictions. I know it's just a fantasy, but I always feel disappointed.
The majority of my day was devoted to writing, and unless I show my hand and tell you exactly what I was writing about, I think I'll just leave it at that.
/eventlog
Monday, January 13, 2014
Mornings: 1/13/14
Another late night with a less than stellar awakening. I noticed that the later I go to sleep, the deeper my slumber is, and when I wake up, I'm pretty much coming back to life. If I go to sleep earlier, however, it is very turbulent and shallow. I probably wake up two or three times and it feels like I'm lying on a bed as time flies by. If there was some way to combine the two together, an early sleep with a deep slumber, then I'll be set for life.
It probably doesn't help when the balcony door to my room screeches with the wind doing its best trying to break in. For some reason, my brother-in-law removed the door bolts because he was going to replace them, but that was fucking months ago, and ever since, when the days become windy, the doors bend inwards like that one scene from The Haunting. The doors make this terrible scratching noise and it just pisses me off that he would leave it like that. In the meantime, what does he do? Building a fucking shed in the backyard. Fix my doors first, you shitty landlord.
It probably doesn't help when the balcony door to my room screeches with the wind doing its best trying to break in. For some reason, my brother-in-law removed the door bolts because he was going to replace them, but that was fucking months ago, and ever since, when the days become windy, the doors bend inwards like that one scene from The Haunting. The doors make this terrible scratching noise and it just pisses me off that he would leave it like that. In the meantime, what does he do? Building a fucking shed in the backyard. Fix my doors first, you shitty landlord.
Event Log: 1/12/14
Nothing special to report today. It can all be summed up with the phrase, "doing shit on the computer." My late night Battlefield escapades really caught up to me, forcing me to take a nice ten-minute nap. The funny thing about naps is the time distortion. Sometimes, ten minutes go by in a flash, and other times, it feels like a freakin' eternity. I probably lived an entire second life by the time I got up.
After that, I tidied up an old story idea and published it. I'll probably never write it out fully, but putting out ideas in some form is a good way of purging my system. Then I watched Captain Phillips and Lone Survivor. They both mirror each other in that the main character has to go through a harrowing situation and the audience feels a collective relief and uplifting of spirits once they reach safety. The only difference? In Captain Phillips, the antagonists are actual people while the Taliban might as well be faceless goons pulled from 80's action movies in Lone Survivor. Don't get me wrong, I like both movies, but I can't help but catch the "Murrica, fuck yeah!" vibe. It's weird, because when the operation turns sideways, it turns into a fucking nightmare, but when it's time for them to die, they do so gloriously in slow motion against the sunlight with sad music playing in the background. If you want to see a movie that wipes all trace of sentimentality, look no further than 12 Years a Slave. That's how you play it straight.
I admit, I teared up at the end of all three movies, but 12 Years almost had me sobbing, along with the rest of the theater. It's been a pretty strong stretch for movies in the last few months. You got American Hustle, Her, and Wolf of Wall Street, all great contenders for movie of the year. My choice for best picture? 12 Years a Slave. It's the safe bet.
I also had a short chat with my co-conspirators, of which one of whom has recently adopted a new identity. If you can figure it out, then you have absolutely no life considering you're reading this entry on some random blog in the darkest corner of the internet. I merely ate dinner and watched them chat back and forth. I feel like I'm a half generation ahead. I can follow their conversations easily, but is it really necessary to pump your words chock full of memes and netslang? Then again, even among my peers, I hold an unnatural inclination towards class and classy behavior.
Just call me a gentleman.
/eventlog
After that, I tidied up an old story idea and published it. I'll probably never write it out fully, but putting out ideas in some form is a good way of purging my system. Then I watched Captain Phillips and Lone Survivor. They both mirror each other in that the main character has to go through a harrowing situation and the audience feels a collective relief and uplifting of spirits once they reach safety. The only difference? In Captain Phillips, the antagonists are actual people while the Taliban might as well be faceless goons pulled from 80's action movies in Lone Survivor. Don't get me wrong, I like both movies, but I can't help but catch the "Murrica, fuck yeah!" vibe. It's weird, because when the operation turns sideways, it turns into a fucking nightmare, but when it's time for them to die, they do so gloriously in slow motion against the sunlight with sad music playing in the background. If you want to see a movie that wipes all trace of sentimentality, look no further than 12 Years a Slave. That's how you play it straight.
I admit, I teared up at the end of all three movies, but 12 Years almost had me sobbing, along with the rest of the theater. It's been a pretty strong stretch for movies in the last few months. You got American Hustle, Her, and Wolf of Wall Street, all great contenders for movie of the year. My choice for best picture? 12 Years a Slave. It's the safe bet.
I also had a short chat with my co-conspirators, of which one of whom has recently adopted a new identity. If you can figure it out, then you have absolutely no life considering you're reading this entry on some random blog in the darkest corner of the internet. I merely ate dinner and watched them chat back and forth. I feel like I'm a half generation ahead. I can follow their conversations easily, but is it really necessary to pump your words chock full of memes and netslang? Then again, even among my peers, I hold an unnatural inclination towards class and classy behavior.
Just call me a gentleman.
/eventlog
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Event Log: 1/11/14
It would suck to forget the second day of event logs right after establishing this series; luckily, I remembered before nodding off. This typically happens when my friend and I establish a good rhythm in Battlefield 4. When I'm on a roll, we roll until we can't roll no more. Playing until 4 in the morning? It happens more often than it should, but when I'm on a crazy winning streak, I gotta ride it until it ends--which it did. At least we ended it on a good note--a decent performance, but not the best.
Things of note that happened today: the Saints lost. I should be more disappointed but I checked out of the NFL a long time ago. Same with the Lakers. If we ain't winning, then I don't care. I know this totally fits the definition of fairweather fan, but I've got too many things to worry about, like AGDQ 2014 raising over a million dollars for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. That is an impressive achievement that the gaming community should be proud about. Now that the marathon is over, I can resume my normal schedule, at least until something else catches my attention.
Man, talk about an uneventful day. I forgot to collect my VC from the NBA 2K app, so that's kind of annoying. The battery on my Vita finally ran out. I've been keeping tabs on it and it's lasted about a couple weeks before finally dying. That is impressive battery life. I also realized that 3g on my phone is borked. If I ever find myself in a situation where I need internet, it won't be available to me. It screwed me over one time, so hopefully, I can avoid getting into such situations in the future.
In hindsight, I definitely should've done more today. Well, there's always a next time.
/eventlog
Things of note that happened today: the Saints lost. I should be more disappointed but I checked out of the NFL a long time ago. Same with the Lakers. If we ain't winning, then I don't care. I know this totally fits the definition of fairweather fan, but I've got too many things to worry about, like AGDQ 2014 raising over a million dollars for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. That is an impressive achievement that the gaming community should be proud about. Now that the marathon is over, I can resume my normal schedule, at least until something else catches my attention.
Man, talk about an uneventful day. I forgot to collect my VC from the NBA 2K app, so that's kind of annoying. The battery on my Vita finally ran out. I've been keeping tabs on it and it's lasted about a couple weeks before finally dying. That is impressive battery life. I also realized that 3g on my phone is borked. If I ever find myself in a situation where I need internet, it won't be available to me. It screwed me over one time, so hopefully, I can avoid getting into such situations in the future.
In hindsight, I definitely should've done more today. Well, there's always a next time.
/eventlog
Saturday, January 11, 2014
People and Progress
12 Years a Slave is a movie that'll stick with you. It's one of those rare film that I constantly revisit in my mind, and it only grows greater in esteem the more I think about it. The last movie that did this to me was Inglorious Basterds, and I consider that to be Tarantino's masterpiece.
Watching 12 Years a Slave in theaters was an interesting experience. There was a woman beside me who found it difficult to watch and she visibly squirmed at some of the harsher sequences. A steady diet of horror films has numbed me to such on-screen atrocities, but what I found more horrifying was the thought behind the act. I've seen torture plenty of times but this was in an era when such acts were not only legal, but institutionalized. The true horror was how such depravity was accepted because it was simply the way they lived. If that's the rationalization for every injustice in this world, can you imagine how fucked up we can get? It's a surprise we haven't succumbed to the depths of despair yet. Either that's a credit to "progress" or maybe our civilization really does operate on inherent "goodness."
Those views have changed and culturally, we see everybody as human now. But there are those who sadly cling to ideals rooted in prejudice and hate for no other reason than because that was how they were raised. I still remember the first time I learned about Martin Luther King in third grade. I had no concept of how far we've gone because his "dream" seemed like the most obvious thing in the world. It made no sense, but that's the innocence of childhood at work. Just as how the concept of a racially diverse world seemed totally obvious, the opposite could also be true for another kid growing up--and that's the unknown tragedy.
I consider myself a fairly progressive guy. I think gay marriage should be legalized because denying them that right makes them second-class citizens, which is a totally foreign idea in a supposedly "modern" world. I take issue with laws where its intended purpose has been perverted for the sake of suppressing minorities (or that was the original intent all along). There are many injustices in this society, and I'd like to think that I recognize them, but I can't help but wonder if progress would soon outdate my ideas.
What if, one day, the future looks back on the views I held and find me culpable for holding back progress in some issue I couldn't even conceive of at the time? What if it turned out that plants are conscious living beings and all those times we mowed our lawns amounted to massacre? It's a ridiculous example, but it's not without precedent. There was a time when it was accepted that the world was flat. Science is not absolute, it's only goes as far as we can prove it. This is a particularly salient point since "science" has been used to justify certain views, such as homosexuality as an "aberration." The point is that issues exist even when we can't see them, and even when we do, we can't pretend not to.
Even in gaming, a hobby I hold dear to my heart, there are issues dealing with sex. Announcing yourself as female in certain gaming communities is akin to painting a big red target on your back for harassment. And I need not mention the prevalence of sexist remarks or racial slurs in not only online gaming, but even on things like Twitch chat. The standard excuse is that the "internet is going to internet" but that's fucking goddamned cop-out.
Funnily enough, I see Google and Facebook moving towards a more personally-identifiable future (probably because it's more profitable to market to actual people instead of online personalities), but as a side effect, it might introduce accountability for the things people say online. If Facebook and Twitter is tied to every account, it's much easier to track who said what in the seemingly anonymous web space. With kids growing up with social networking as a fact of life, I think we will see a greater acceptance and integration between real and digital life, and I sincerely hope this will change the way we interface with each other. Maybe one day, the kid who screams insults online will be held accountable when players can click his name, go straight to his Facebook page, and flag his parents. Maybe.
We still have a long way to go, and there will always be people who wish to say controversial things. On the flip side, we may even accept that people have ugly sides to them, sides that seek to scream and yell out terrible things if only because that's all it'll amount to. Maybe the things we say aren't a part of who we really are, and that by stating them, we can better find ourselves. It's a strange idea, but I think there's merit to it. There's a reason why so many people continue to misrepresent themselves online, why they roleplay, and become entirely different entities. Like with the rest of humanity, you gotta take the good with the bad.
I can't believe I just wrote a whole freakin' essay. All I wanted to say is that 12 Years a Slave is a movie that everybody should watch.
Mornings: 1/11/14
It only seems fitting that I write something right after waking up if I do so right before sleeping. I won't do something as lavish as a dream diary, but a record of how I feel each morning might be pretty funny.
This morning, I woke up at around 1:00PM and I feel particularly devastated, especially after a strange dream about a two-player version of Killzone where I narrowly escaped a giant tidal wave by hanging onto a rope attached to an aircraft. It was an exhilarating ride and I have no idea what prompted it.
I credit my fatigue to working out before going to sleep last night. Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays are my exercise days. My friend's birthday yesterday interrupted my routine, so I had to go through it right before sleeping. Now my body is paying the price.
One of the first things I do when I wake up is check my phone. I've garnered an additional follower on tumblr, which is always good. It seems my work is paying off. Consistent updates and great topic selection has gotten the ball rolling for me lately.
With the Event Log and Morning series for this blog, I'm steadily beginning to narrow my topics better. Hopefully, I can manage to sustain momentum.
This morning, I woke up at around 1:00PM and I feel particularly devastated, especially after a strange dream about a two-player version of Killzone where I narrowly escaped a giant tidal wave by hanging onto a rope attached to an aircraft. It was an exhilarating ride and I have no idea what prompted it.
I credit my fatigue to working out before going to sleep last night. Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays are my exercise days. My friend's birthday yesterday interrupted my routine, so I had to go through it right before sleeping. Now my body is paying the price.
One of the first things I do when I wake up is check my phone. I've garnered an additional follower on tumblr, which is always good. It seems my work is paying off. Consistent updates and great topic selection has gotten the ball rolling for me lately.
With the Event Log and Morning series for this blog, I'm steadily beginning to narrow my topics better. Hopefully, I can manage to sustain momentum.
Event Log: 1/10/14
I'm going to assert total dominance over the term: Event Log. It is presently under jurisdiction of Windows, so here's hoping I can change that, even by just a little. And if you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, it's just a little SEO thing. Never you mind.
For my first Event Log, I would like to explain how I'm going to run things. I won't start my event logs until the day after. Although I'm writing this on the eleventh, it's going to be about the tenth. I can't write about a day until I've completed it. I'm still going to refer to "today" as "yesterday" because it might as well be. It ain't tomorrow until I sleep. With that said, here are the sordid details of my day:
Today was a friend's birthday. Let's call him P. We went out to watch The Wolf of Wall Street and ate at Oggi's. My friend expressed mock disgust at the scene in the movie when Belfort describes how to screw people out of their money. Having watched Wall Street and Boiler Room, I was not surprised at the exceptional level of sleaze present in the 80's era of excess. The movie entertaining through to the end. Not the most important film I've seen (that honor goes to 12 Years a Slave), but certainly one of the most fun.
At Oggi's, we conversed about how awesome it is to live in Orange County and how people throughout the world know of our reputation. My friend's anecdotal support of this global reputation is gleaned from their online interaction with gaming buddies, and birthday boy used the same argument for Orange County's prestige to shit on Texas. "I have not heard good things about Texas."
Then we talked about places we would like to visit. My friend R commented that there's a "smell" in NYC. The topic of conversation went to cabs and we remarked on the differences between California and New York. R brought up an interesting app that connects drivers with people who need rides, and called the whole enterprise "sketchy." Apparently, taxi companies are pushing for regulation because they don't need more competitors.
Since we were on the subject of traveling, I brought up the idea of Vegas like I always do. Even though we've been 21 and older for the last three years, we still have not, to this day, gone to Vegas together, which I find to be a total travesty. There's really no excuse for this state of present affairs. Okay, so some of us have been in school, broke, with no job, or a combination of all three, but that's no excuse! We still haven't had our definitive Vegas trip.
P easily gets addicted to gambling and he talked about some of the losses his bad habit sustained. They numbered in the thousands. I'm risk adverse, and I feel more pain than pleasure gambling, so it's not really a concern for me. R has never gone to Vegas with friends, so he has to give gambling a shot just because that's what you do when you're in Vegas. For me, I just want to visit the Mandarin Bar, which is quite possibly the classiest bar on this side of the country.
This might be the year. I'm feeling it. It could be the set-up for the most legendary weekend of our lives.
Maybe.
But before R and I went out with the birthday boy to watch Wolf of Wall Street, I witnessed an amazing blindfolded run of Mike Tyson's Punchout and Super Punchout on Awesome Games Done Quick 2014. Definitely a highlight of an amazing charity run. Watch it, people. It's for a great cause. They've already raised over $500,000 for the prevention of cancer, and they did this by just playing games. Who says you can't achieve anything by playing games all day?
There's a little more that happened today but anything I do online might as well be grouped under the umbrella of "doing shit on the computer." I don't need to tell you that I made a post on tumblr because you probably already read it. I originally intended to make another post, but this one seized me because I remember reading a writer say in his author's notes how hard it was to write a character smarter than himself, which I call absolute bullshit on because that's impossible for reasons stated in my tumblr post. Have some faith in yourself, son.
At night, I watched the latest of Chris Smoove's NBA 2K14 videos. They were entertaining as always. It reminded me to check in on the NBA 2K14 app. I haven't played the game on the PS4 for a while, so I've built up about 13K in VC. I don't know where I'm going to allocate those points, but it doesn't really matter since my character, Jo Matto, is easily the best player in the game having scored 80+ points in back-to-back games. I'd like to see you break that record, Kobe.
I'll finish out this day by watching some more AGDQ2014. Right now, it's four guys playing some GoldeneEye multiplayer.
/eventlog
For my first Event Log, I would like to explain how I'm going to run things. I won't start my event logs until the day after. Although I'm writing this on the eleventh, it's going to be about the tenth. I can't write about a day until I've completed it. I'm still going to refer to "today" as "yesterday" because it might as well be. It ain't tomorrow until I sleep. With that said, here are the sordid details of my day:
Today was a friend's birthday. Let's call him P. We went out to watch The Wolf of Wall Street and ate at Oggi's. My friend expressed mock disgust at the scene in the movie when Belfort describes how to screw people out of their money. Having watched Wall Street and Boiler Room, I was not surprised at the exceptional level of sleaze present in the 80's era of excess. The movie entertaining through to the end. Not the most important film I've seen (that honor goes to 12 Years a Slave), but certainly one of the most fun.
At Oggi's, we conversed about how awesome it is to live in Orange County and how people throughout the world know of our reputation. My friend's anecdotal support of this global reputation is gleaned from their online interaction with gaming buddies, and birthday boy used the same argument for Orange County's prestige to shit on Texas. "I have not heard good things about Texas."
Then we talked about places we would like to visit. My friend R commented that there's a "smell" in NYC. The topic of conversation went to cabs and we remarked on the differences between California and New York. R brought up an interesting app that connects drivers with people who need rides, and called the whole enterprise "sketchy." Apparently, taxi companies are pushing for regulation because they don't need more competitors.
Since we were on the subject of traveling, I brought up the idea of Vegas like I always do. Even though we've been 21 and older for the last three years, we still have not, to this day, gone to Vegas together, which I find to be a total travesty. There's really no excuse for this state of present affairs. Okay, so some of us have been in school, broke, with no job, or a combination of all three, but that's no excuse! We still haven't had our definitive Vegas trip.
P easily gets addicted to gambling and he talked about some of the losses his bad habit sustained. They numbered in the thousands. I'm risk adverse, and I feel more pain than pleasure gambling, so it's not really a concern for me. R has never gone to Vegas with friends, so he has to give gambling a shot just because that's what you do when you're in Vegas. For me, I just want to visit the Mandarin Bar, which is quite possibly the classiest bar on this side of the country.
This might be the year. I'm feeling it. It could be the set-up for the most legendary weekend of our lives.
Maybe.
But before R and I went out with the birthday boy to watch Wolf of Wall Street, I witnessed an amazing blindfolded run of Mike Tyson's Punchout and Super Punchout on Awesome Games Done Quick 2014. Definitely a highlight of an amazing charity run. Watch it, people. It's for a great cause. They've already raised over $500,000 for the prevention of cancer, and they did this by just playing games. Who says you can't achieve anything by playing games all day?
There's a little more that happened today but anything I do online might as well be grouped under the umbrella of "doing shit on the computer." I don't need to tell you that I made a post on tumblr because you probably already read it. I originally intended to make another post, but this one seized me because I remember reading a writer say in his author's notes how hard it was to write a character smarter than himself, which I call absolute bullshit on because that's impossible for reasons stated in my tumblr post. Have some faith in yourself, son.
At night, I watched the latest of Chris Smoove's NBA 2K14 videos. They were entertaining as always. It reminded me to check in on the NBA 2K14 app. I haven't played the game on the PS4 for a while, so I've built up about 13K in VC. I don't know where I'm going to allocate those points, but it doesn't really matter since my character, Jo Matto, is easily the best player in the game having scored 80+ points in back-to-back games. I'd like to see you break that record, Kobe.
I'll finish out this day by watching some more AGDQ2014. Right now, it's four guys playing some GoldeneEye multiplayer.
/eventlog
Friday, January 10, 2014
The Run
A couple years ago, I was able to manage a great run of consecutive posts titled, "Event Log." I made detailed journal entries about what I did for every day from October 5th to November 11th. It probably remains, to this day, the most comprehensive record of personal activities in my life. I can read any entry from that period and relive each day in its full glory, and re-experience every emotion and thought in that moment of time.
I don't have any particular attachment to the past. What I remember is what I remember. But there's something special about knowing, without a single doubt, exactly what happened on a specific date. If everybody kept such detailed records about their lives, can you imagine what insights we, as a civilization, can unearth? Underneath the gargantuan task of living has to be some profound universal thread that ties us all together, and if not, at least I know what I had for breakfast that day.
I always wondered if I should do it again. It definitely consumed a lot of energy to produce every night, but because of that, I'm able to look back on it today and say: Yup, that's what I did.
The hell with it, it's to herald the return of Event Logs!
The run starts now.
I don't have any particular attachment to the past. What I remember is what I remember. But there's something special about knowing, without a single doubt, exactly what happened on a specific date. If everybody kept such detailed records about their lives, can you imagine what insights we, as a civilization, can unearth? Underneath the gargantuan task of living has to be some profound universal thread that ties us all together, and if not, at least I know what I had for breakfast that day.
I always wondered if I should do it again. It definitely consumed a lot of energy to produce every night, but because of that, I'm able to look back on it today and say: Yup, that's what I did.
The hell with it, it's to herald the return of Event Logs!
The run starts now.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Anywhere
When I look at where I am, I realize that I can pretty much go wherever I want. I have no debts, no lingering attachments, and if I really wanted to, I can leave everything behind in a heartbeat. I have enough money to survive and if I don't, I have faith in my skills. I live light and I'm by no means a hoarder. Give me a phone, my wallet, and laptop, and I'm good. So what's preventing me from going nomad?
Easy: me. It's just not in my personality. I'm afraid to roam too far from known territory. I'm a creature of habit, and if I don't get my three square meals a day or go to sleep in my bed, I won't be in rhythm. When I'm out in the world, I feel trepidation. I hate that feeling of being lost, of being unable to return to what's familiar. I recognize that I've been shackled by this feeling as many times as I've been saved by it. Being able to find your way back is just as important as being able to lose yourself.
Chances in life don't line up easily. They often wander in no set pattern and appear random, which makes that one opportunity feel almost...predestined. Fate is only coincidence, but when we can defy the odds, it makes risks worth taking, even if it means straying far from the beaten path. What awaits us outside our comfort zone? That's an answer that can only be found by searching.
Easy: me. It's just not in my personality. I'm afraid to roam too far from known territory. I'm a creature of habit, and if I don't get my three square meals a day or go to sleep in my bed, I won't be in rhythm. When I'm out in the world, I feel trepidation. I hate that feeling of being lost, of being unable to return to what's familiar. I recognize that I've been shackled by this feeling as many times as I've been saved by it. Being able to find your way back is just as important as being able to lose yourself.
Chances in life don't line up easily. They often wander in no set pattern and appear random, which makes that one opportunity feel almost...predestined. Fate is only coincidence, but when we can defy the odds, it makes risks worth taking, even if it means straying far from the beaten path. What awaits us outside our comfort zone? That's an answer that can only be found by searching.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Something New
It's challenging to keep coming up with new ideas every day. It's an unsustainable venture. The mind will eventually buckle and demand rest. Imagination works in cycles. There are times when you rule the world and there are times when you're stuck in the desert. The key is to take advantage of peak creative activity.
When inspiration strikes, that's the best time to start planning. The ideas flow easily and you should ride it all the way to the end. If you don't, you will inevitably reach a stopping point, and you'll be wracking your head over a problem you could've solved from the start. You'll also never know when a new strike of inspiration will come, which can render your old strikes useless if you come up with something better. Basically, there should never be a situation in which you don't know what happens next.
Always be ready to ride the thunder. You'll never know when it'll strike.
When inspiration strikes, that's the best time to start planning. The ideas flow easily and you should ride it all the way to the end. If you don't, you will inevitably reach a stopping point, and you'll be wracking your head over a problem you could've solved from the start. You'll also never know when a new strike of inspiration will come, which can render your old strikes useless if you come up with something better. Basically, there should never be a situation in which you don't know what happens next.
Always be ready to ride the thunder. You'll never know when it'll strike.
Monday, January 6, 2014
JomattoStyle: A Market Approach
In It for the Glory
Alright, let's push aside all that fancy fluff about improving your writing. At this point, you know whether or not you've got it. You're not looking to transcend your limits or some other new-age bullshit, you just want one thing: the glory.
Fortunately, the marketplace determines success not by quality, but by popularity. You don't have to be the best; you just have to be good enough. If you're looking for a shortcut to the top, I present to you: A Market Approach to Writing.
I'd imagine most writers these days try their hands at fanfiction before blossoming into original authors. I can hardly think of any site broader and more inclusive, which makes it an ideal representation of the marketplace.
FF.net's low barrier to entry, large readership, and feedback system form a somewhat competitive environment for writers. There are winners and there are losers. Money may not be involved, but time is—which is equally as valuable. The promise of validation, praise, and reviews is reward enough to lure in aspiring writers. For them, there's nothing more important than finding an audience.
Unfortunately, without the pressures of the market to weed out the trash, a lot of garbage remains on the shelf. That's why competition breeds quality. If there's an incentive to be better, then everybody would step up their game.
Keep in mind that what I say are assumptions derived from personal experience. Take it all with a grain of salt.
Measures of Success
What makes an activity worth doing? Recognition, and on FF.net, recognition comes in reviews. The goal is to get as many reviews as possible. It feels good to have dozens of people tell you how great your story is, but you’d be remiss to see that as the sole determinant of success. It’s the total feedback that counts, the combination of reviews, favorites, and follows, against the amount of effort you put in, the total number of words or chapters you publish. A 1000 chapter story with 1000 reviews is an embarrassment compared to a 10 chapter story with 100 reviews. You want legitimate glory, not fake glory. So forget about those inflationary tactics, writing “drabbles” so you can update with paltry word counts, holding chapters ransom, or threatening readers unless they “pay up.”
But you’re better than that. You know you got the stuff; it’s just a matter of luck, skill, and strategy.
Identifying Your Market
Alright, let's push aside all that fancy fluff about improving your writing. At this point, you know whether or not you've got it. You're not looking to transcend your limits or some other new-age bullshit, you just want one thing: the glory.
Fortunately, the marketplace determines success not by quality, but by popularity. You don't have to be the best; you just have to be good enough. If you're looking for a shortcut to the top, I present to you: A Market Approach to Writing.
I'd imagine most writers these days try their hands at fanfiction before blossoming into original authors. I can hardly think of any site broader and more inclusive, which makes it an ideal representation of the marketplace.
FF.net's low barrier to entry, large readership, and feedback system form a somewhat competitive environment for writers. There are winners and there are losers. Money may not be involved, but time is—which is equally as valuable. The promise of validation, praise, and reviews is reward enough to lure in aspiring writers. For them, there's nothing more important than finding an audience.
Unfortunately, without the pressures of the market to weed out the trash, a lot of garbage remains on the shelf. That's why competition breeds quality. If there's an incentive to be better, then everybody would step up their game.
Keep in mind that what I say are assumptions derived from personal experience. Take it all with a grain of salt.
Measures of Success
What makes an activity worth doing? Recognition, and on FF.net, recognition comes in reviews. The goal is to get as many reviews as possible. It feels good to have dozens of people tell you how great your story is, but you’d be remiss to see that as the sole determinant of success. It’s the total feedback that counts, the combination of reviews, favorites, and follows, against the amount of effort you put in, the total number of words or chapters you publish. A 1000 chapter story with 1000 reviews is an embarrassment compared to a 10 chapter story with 100 reviews. You want legitimate glory, not fake glory. So forget about those inflationary tactics, writing “drabbles” so you can update with paltry word counts, holding chapters ransom, or threatening readers unless they “pay up.”
But you’re better than that. You know you got the stuff; it’s just a matter of luck, skill, and strategy.
Identifying Your Market
You have to determine your target audience. FF.net has broad categories and it falls on you, the writer, to narrow it down as much as you can. The natural choice is to choose the property you're most familiar with. Alternatively, you can choose one with the most potential, based on the number of total stories and how successful the top ones are.
I wanted to write character-based and relationship-driven stories aimed at teenagers and young adults, so I chose Kingdom Hearts because it was the best match for my material, and it was the most popular section under Games. My goals and target demographic were a solid match.
Popularity is not without its perils though. KH is crowded. A newly posted story will stay on the front page for an hour at most. Further division is necessary. I needed to target a specific niche. In non-yaoi, the most popular pairing was Sora and Kairi. Thus, my two principal characters were selected.
Try not to gauge your success against the entirety of a fandom, but against competitors within your niche. The next step is to examine market conditions: the size of the market, the competition, and the pace.
Size of the Market
Each category is limited by the size of its readership. One category might max out at 100 reviews while another can go as high as 1000. You want to know just how high you could go. Having identified Sora-Kairi as my main segment, the ceiling I was looking at was well past the 1k mark.
Competition
I wanted to write character-based and relationship-driven stories aimed at teenagers and young adults, so I chose Kingdom Hearts because it was the best match for my material, and it was the most popular section under Games. My goals and target demographic were a solid match.
Popularity is not without its perils though. KH is crowded. A newly posted story will stay on the front page for an hour at most. Further division is necessary. I needed to target a specific niche. In non-yaoi, the most popular pairing was Sora and Kairi. Thus, my two principal characters were selected.
Try not to gauge your success against the entirety of a fandom, but against competitors within your niche. The next step is to examine market conditions: the size of the market, the competition, and the pace.
Size of the Market
Each category is limited by the size of its readership. One category might max out at 100 reviews while another can go as high as 1000. You want to know just how high you could go. Having identified Sora-Kairi as my main segment, the ceiling I was looking at was well past the 1k mark.
Competition
Before I wrote a single word, I had determined the best category and pairing for my stories and how much success was achievable given the limits of my segment's readership. It was time for a little research.
Since reviews are the golden commodity, I looked at many of them, analyzed their contents, and the writers who wrote them. Reviewers ranged from 12 to 20 years old, and gender was skewed depending on the genre. The two most popular genres are adventure and romance. Male authors tend to read and write adventure, while females do the same for romance. The market had been neatly divided into two distinct categories: adventure and romance.
There are two options here: do something different from the norm or execute the norm better than anyone else.
Once you've started your story, I'd suggest using the competition as benchmarks for your own success. It might put your success (or lack thereof) in better context.
Market Pace
Kingdom Hearts has dozens of stories being published and updated daily. Front page status does not last very long, and for most stories, it may be their only source of exposure. Depending on how rapid a fandom moves, you must adjust your pace accordingly. Speed, perhaps second to quality, is one of the most crucial determinants of success. You'll want to keep feeding the fire until it's able to sustain itself. Writers who can regularly publish updates with little to no loss in quality inspire confidence in readers who want a regular drip-feed of content. This is how a following is created. You'll make fans, and these are the people who, more than anyone, will validate your ventures as an author.
The Cool Kid's Corner
Although not necessary, a little networking never hurt anyone. Try to become friends with authors who are already successful, listen to their advice, and ride off their coattails. If you write something good enough, they'll give you an endorsement, and that could mean all the difference in the world. Never throw away free marketing. But networking requires effort. It's not just a simple "pls read my story and review, thnx," You need to show genuine eagerness and a desire to improve. You gotta put in that work and impress the ones you look up to. Everything is earned and rarely given.
Know When to Give Up
If this is truly a market approach, then you must know when to exit as well. Sometimes, the best laid plans get laid to waste. Nothing you can do about it. Either the market has changed beyond expectations or the competition is just too tough. There's no shame in admitting defeat. The important thing is that you recognize this and bail out while you still have your dignity. Don't continue to invest more time into a project with no return. You're better off allocating your resources elsewhere. If you're really that adamant about it, you can always try again later, but with a newer strategy. Cut your losses and start over. Hopefully, you'll be more experienced and wiser this time.
Since reviews are the golden commodity, I looked at many of them, analyzed their contents, and the writers who wrote them. Reviewers ranged from 12 to 20 years old, and gender was skewed depending on the genre. The two most popular genres are adventure and romance. Male authors tend to read and write adventure, while females do the same for romance. The market had been neatly divided into two distinct categories: adventure and romance.
There are two options here: do something different from the norm or execute the norm better than anyone else.
Once you've started your story, I'd suggest using the competition as benchmarks for your own success. It might put your success (or lack thereof) in better context.
Market Pace
Kingdom Hearts has dozens of stories being published and updated daily. Front page status does not last very long, and for most stories, it may be their only source of exposure. Depending on how rapid a fandom moves, you must adjust your pace accordingly. Speed, perhaps second to quality, is one of the most crucial determinants of success. You'll want to keep feeding the fire until it's able to sustain itself. Writers who can regularly publish updates with little to no loss in quality inspire confidence in readers who want a regular drip-feed of content. This is how a following is created. You'll make fans, and these are the people who, more than anyone, will validate your ventures as an author.
The Cool Kid's Corner
Although not necessary, a little networking never hurt anyone. Try to become friends with authors who are already successful, listen to their advice, and ride off their coattails. If you write something good enough, they'll give you an endorsement, and that could mean all the difference in the world. Never throw away free marketing. But networking requires effort. It's not just a simple "pls read my story and review, thnx," You need to show genuine eagerness and a desire to improve. You gotta put in that work and impress the ones you look up to. Everything is earned and rarely given.
Know When to Give Up
If this is truly a market approach, then you must know when to exit as well. Sometimes, the best laid plans get laid to waste. Nothing you can do about it. Either the market has changed beyond expectations or the competition is just too tough. There's no shame in admitting defeat. The important thing is that you recognize this and bail out while you still have your dignity. Don't continue to invest more time into a project with no return. You're better off allocating your resources elsewhere. If you're really that adamant about it, you can always try again later, but with a newer strategy. Cut your losses and start over. Hopefully, you'll be more experienced and wiser this time.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
And on the Seventh Day...
Sundays will be my do-nothing day. It's important to have a designated rest point because no human can work at max efficiency all the time. Anyone who's ever ran a schedule will understand this. It's rare that everything happens on time. Slack is a natural accumulation, and if you want a foolproof schedule, then you must pencil in rest periods.
This doesn't mean I won't do anything for today. It just means I'm not locked into any one particular activity. I'm free to spend as much time doing whatever whenever.
This doesn't mean I won't do anything for today. It just means I'm not locked into any one particular activity. I'm free to spend as much time doing whatever whenever.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Work that Money
My financial mindset was born from experience — not mine, but my siblings. I’ve seen them run their credit up and sink in debt. One of my brothers can’t even hold a checking account — he puts it all in his wallet. Fortunately, he's found a job now thanks to me.
I’ve always been frugal to begin with. The concept of an allowance was as foreign to me as hedging risk with futures contracts. My only income was Chinese New Year’s handouts, and I had to make that last for an entire year ($150).
My family hails from a culture that values cold hard work. It’s the reason why colleges are brimming with Asians. They stress the importance of economy and saving, but I say to hell with that!
I've been thinking about this real hard, and I think I'm gonna have to go for it. I'm gonna start trading. Instead working for money, I'm gonna make my money work for me. My background is journalism, and I think if I put my mind to it, I can be successful. It's all about luck and hard research. If anyone can do it, it's me.
With the position I'm in, I've got nothing to lose — well, except for all my money anyways. I'm crossing my fingers!
Planning for Twilight
With full social security benefits projected to run out sometime in 2033, long before I (and many of you) retire, I’ve been scrambling to get a hold of an uncertain future.
I don’t know how it works in other countries, but social security is a US program designed to help people out in retirement. Over the course of your working life, the government takes a piece of your paycheck, reserving a portion for social security.
Once you hit 65, congratulations, you can start collecting your benefits in the form of an annual payout of about $15,000 (current average) in your twilight years. It’s more supplementary than something to rely on. The rest of your expenses should be covered by your own personal nest egg, and unlike social security, your nest egg is something you can grow as big as you want — if you’re savvy enough.
I’ve been spending the last two weeks reading about 401(k)’s, IRA’s, real-estate, stocks, and investment opportunities—just your run of the mill financial basics. My sister and her husband just bought a new house, and I wondered if home ownership was everything it was cracked up to be.
Long story short, it’s not worth it for me — but it got me thinking about the future. In my ideal retirement plan, I’d be sitting around, playing video games, and traveling the world. It’s never too early to start planning for retirement.
The earlier you start, the better.
Discrete
With the dawn of a new year, I decided to take stock and reevaluate things. I know I'm not alone in this. It's an annual tradition for the world. I've been busy compartmentalizing every aspect of my life into discrete areas. Too many things were jumbled up before. Now that everything is organized, I feel like I can finally see the way forward.
This blog was a weird mishmash of professional and enthusiastic topics. I think it's best to keep the two separate. It's liberating, in a way. I don't have to worry about keeping face. I like to indulge heavily in my passions, and keeping it contained because the wrong person out there might be paying attention is no way to live. If I'm going to go all out, I can't worry about that noise. Besides, it's not like any professional contacts are looking at this blog right now (famous last words).
So what is this blog really about? Everything and nothing. It's my personal blog. I'm not here to dwell in a niche or become an expert in some esoteric subject, because the only subject that matters here is me. I write what I want and when I want, and if somebody sees that, that's cool, but if not, then the status quo is maintained. It's no skin off my back.
I have a place for every piece of writing I can come up with. If I've got a clever one-sentence quip, then it's going on Twitter. If I'm feeling professional, then it's going up on JOMATTO | Pro. If I got something I want to say about fanfiction, then I'll post it on Jomatto:Insight, and for everything else, it'll be right here on JomattoBlog.
Here's to a new year of writing.
This blog was a weird mishmash of professional and enthusiastic topics. I think it's best to keep the two separate. It's liberating, in a way. I don't have to worry about keeping face. I like to indulge heavily in my passions, and keeping it contained because the wrong person out there might be paying attention is no way to live. If I'm going to go all out, I can't worry about that noise. Besides, it's not like any professional contacts are looking at this blog right now (famous last words).
So what is this blog really about? Everything and nothing. It's my personal blog. I'm not here to dwell in a niche or become an expert in some esoteric subject, because the only subject that matters here is me. I write what I want and when I want, and if somebody sees that, that's cool, but if not, then the status quo is maintained. It's no skin off my back.
I have a place for every piece of writing I can come up with. If I've got a clever one-sentence quip, then it's going on Twitter. If I'm feeling professional, then it's going up on JOMATTO | Pro. If I got something I want to say about fanfiction, then I'll post it on Jomatto:Insight, and for everything else, it'll be right here on JomattoBlog.
Here's to a new year of writing.
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