I don't think today deserves an Event Log. I continued my horror kick from last night and remembered a manga about zombies on a cruise ship. It's called Cradle of Monsters. I read it a long time ago but never finished it. To my surprise, it is now completed. So I read the whole thing. Ending sucks. Then I started Tokyo Ghoul again. It's straight up shounen now. Okay, the whole torture sequence is very unshounen, but the result (massive upgrade) is conceptually shounen-esque. It's about time he turned into a badass. And that's really all that has to be said about Sunday.
I also downloaded the GroupMe app. I wonder if this could better organize outings with my friends. We'll see.
/eventlog
Monday, June 30, 2014
Event Log: 6/28/14 - Movie Marathon
The better the movie, the more critical I become. If it's something lowbrow like Transformers, I can magically enjoy it on a primal lizard brain level. I don't think too hard about it. There's no potential to be squandered because the ceiling is the worst expectation. Surprisingly, I think Age of Extinction is the best one since the first one. Revenge of the Fallen was horrendously insulting and offensive whereas Dark of the Moon was just dreadfully boring. Age of Extinction is not only tolerable, but somewhat enjoyable. A bit long in the tooth though.
When I got home, I watched the Raid 2. I liked it a lot more than the first. I felt the hits were more brutal and gruesome, and the fights more tightly choreographed. The first one was overrated. But the more I think about the Raid 2, the less I like it. It's one of those movies that fall apart on further thought. It's beautifully directed but the script is flat-out bad. The movie goes nowhere until the awesome final act. And given the plot's simplicity, there's no reason for the movie to be as long as it is.
There's no question Gareth Evans is the best action director (at least for hand-to-hand combat) right now, but he might wanna pull away from writing duties. He wanted to shoehorn a crime epic into an action movie. You can't do that. Action is best served with a straightforward plot and strong characterization. There's a twenty minute stretch in the middle of the movie when Rama doesn't show up at all. It's the lack of focus that weaken the entire movie. The assassins in this movie are all terrible at their jobs. A good assassin never walks, no matter how badass you're trying to look.
Then I watched Neighbors. It was really average. I expected better. I think I'm getting tired of the Apatow brand of comedy where two characters just keep talking on and on about something dumb, a technique that's been pervasive in the modern age. I wouldn't mind if the dialogue was a bit sharper, but it was really weak this time. Maybe I gotta see 22 Jump Street for some real comedy. And is it a stipulation in Seth Rogan's contract that he has to be blazed in every freakin' movie he's in? It's obnoxious. You ain't no Snoop Dogg, bro.
To end the night, I just read a bunch of horror manga. A couple trips to the bathroom were unsettling. Damn my overactive imagination.
/eventlog
When I got home, I watched the Raid 2. I liked it a lot more than the first. I felt the hits were more brutal and gruesome, and the fights more tightly choreographed. The first one was overrated. But the more I think about the Raid 2, the less I like it. It's one of those movies that fall apart on further thought. It's beautifully directed but the script is flat-out bad. The movie goes nowhere until the awesome final act. And given the plot's simplicity, there's no reason for the movie to be as long as it is.
There's no question Gareth Evans is the best action director (at least for hand-to-hand combat) right now, but he might wanna pull away from writing duties. He wanted to shoehorn a crime epic into an action movie. You can't do that. Action is best served with a straightforward plot and strong characterization. There's a twenty minute stretch in the middle of the movie when Rama doesn't show up at all. It's the lack of focus that weaken the entire movie. The assassins in this movie are all terrible at their jobs. A good assassin never walks, no matter how badass you're trying to look.
Then I watched Neighbors. It was really average. I expected better. I think I'm getting tired of the Apatow brand of comedy where two characters just keep talking on and on about something dumb, a technique that's been pervasive in the modern age. I wouldn't mind if the dialogue was a bit sharper, but it was really weak this time. Maybe I gotta see 22 Jump Street for some real comedy. And is it a stipulation in Seth Rogan's contract that he has to be blazed in every freakin' movie he's in? It's obnoxious. You ain't no Snoop Dogg, bro.
To end the night, I just read a bunch of horror manga. A couple trips to the bathroom were unsettling. Damn my overactive imagination.
/eventlog
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Event Log: 6/27/14 - Beat the Heat
The temperature is rising. Is summer about to assert its dominance? I sure hope not. It's been a cool one so far. The heat waves earlier in the year were definitely hotter than right now. Maintain, mother nature. Let's not get crazy now. My body was still reeling from yesterday's attempt at a run. I felt sore all over. It was a struggle to remain upright. I got halfway through Chapter 3 of Tales From Monkey Island. I had to stop. I just couldn't take it anymore. I might have to FAQ the rest of the chapters. My heart's just not in it. It might be a combination of heat or fatigue or maybe adventure games aren't my cup of tea at the moment. You know how these things go. It comes in cycles.
I shot off a couple more blanks in the job hunt shooting range. Lord knows if I'll hit anything, but I got a phone interview penciled in for next Thursday. Hooray! Another opportunity to fail. Then I did something unusual for me. I listened to music in bed. It didn't help me sleep, but it did give me some time to think up a new story that I'd never write. I call it Sick Love, an ironic take on my existing story. It has nothing to do with Love Sick other than the title inversion. It's filled with drama, about a couple that's drifting apart and where there was once love, there is only resentment. People cheat, people lie, and it's all about coming to terms with change. People are jigsaw pieces. They might fit together one day, but people grow up and change. Pieces might stay together, but sometimes, that shit'll break.
/eventlog
I shot off a couple more blanks in the job hunt shooting range. Lord knows if I'll hit anything, but I got a phone interview penciled in for next Thursday. Hooray! Another opportunity to fail. Then I did something unusual for me. I listened to music in bed. It didn't help me sleep, but it did give me some time to think up a new story that I'd never write. I call it Sick Love, an ironic take on my existing story. It has nothing to do with Love Sick other than the title inversion. It's filled with drama, about a couple that's drifting apart and where there was once love, there is only resentment. People cheat, people lie, and it's all about coming to terms with change. People are jigsaw pieces. They might fit together one day, but people grow up and change. Pieces might stay together, but sometimes, that shit'll break.
/eventlog
Friday, June 27, 2014
Event Log: 6/26/14 - Only Room for One Thanh and One Le
Sleep late and wake early. Not the greatest combination, but I somehow got up in time to meet up with an old friend who has the same first and last name as me. Yes, that's the only reason we became friends, but many relationships have been forged on much less.
I drove over, picked her up, and we had a nice chat over a cup of coffee--or more accurately, a Styrofoam cup cappuccino. I should have requested no cream. Ah well, lesson for next time. The contents of the conversation aren't that important. Just a combination of catching up and joking around. Even though it's been four years (give or take) since our last meeting, we haven't changed a bit. The pulse and temperature of our conversation was eerily similar to memory. Deja vu.
The essence of hanging out is talking, so we talked for a long time. She's the type of girl friend who doesn't have many girl friends. Popular with the guys but with distaste for manufactured "drama," which girls love to do, apparently. Her words, not mine--even though we share the same name. That's something I can never understand. My ex was the same way. I wonder if there are any guys who have lots of girl friends but hardly any guy friends like Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man.
I dropped her off, went home, watched a SGDQ run, and went out for an real run. I think deep breathing works. The cramps didn't arrive until much later than usual, and even then, it was mild. My lingering cough cropped up here and there, but it wasn't too bad. It was a weird run. I didn't feel tired but I didn't feel energetic either. My body felt light, like I was filled with air. It's a weird sort of emptiness. I pushed on anyways. I stopped a lot to walk, but when I ran, I ran. It was tough.
The night ended on a series of runs. I was hoping they could lull me to sleep but they were too interesting. The games were Rayman Legends, Dishonored, Fallout 3, Bubble Bobble, the Castlevanias, and the Ninja Gaidens. It was around 6 in morning before I shut it off. For reference, I was watching on my phone in bed.
I totally forgot about the NBA draft. I don't know how I feel about Julius Randle, but from what everybody says, it seems like he's a good pick. This means I'll have to buy NBA 2K15, because this is the first time since MyPlayer/Career mode was created that I can be drafted by the Lakers. Step aside, Randle, I'm gonna be seventh!
/eventlog
I drove over, picked her up, and we had a nice chat over a cup of coffee--or more accurately, a Styrofoam cup cappuccino. I should have requested no cream. Ah well, lesson for next time. The contents of the conversation aren't that important. Just a combination of catching up and joking around. Even though it's been four years (give or take) since our last meeting, we haven't changed a bit. The pulse and temperature of our conversation was eerily similar to memory. Deja vu.
The essence of hanging out is talking, so we talked for a long time. She's the type of girl friend who doesn't have many girl friends. Popular with the guys but with distaste for manufactured "drama," which girls love to do, apparently. Her words, not mine--even though we share the same name. That's something I can never understand. My ex was the same way. I wonder if there are any guys who have lots of girl friends but hardly any guy friends like Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man.
I dropped her off, went home, watched a SGDQ run, and went out for an real run. I think deep breathing works. The cramps didn't arrive until much later than usual, and even then, it was mild. My lingering cough cropped up here and there, but it wasn't too bad. It was a weird run. I didn't feel tired but I didn't feel energetic either. My body felt light, like I was filled with air. It's a weird sort of emptiness. I pushed on anyways. I stopped a lot to walk, but when I ran, I ran. It was tough.
The night ended on a series of runs. I was hoping they could lull me to sleep but they were too interesting. The games were Rayman Legends, Dishonored, Fallout 3, Bubble Bobble, the Castlevanias, and the Ninja Gaidens. It was around 6 in morning before I shut it off. For reference, I was watching on my phone in bed.
I totally forgot about the NBA draft. I don't know how I feel about Julius Randle, but from what everybody says, it seems like he's a good pick. This means I'll have to buy NBA 2K15, because this is the first time since MyPlayer/Career mode was created that I can be drafted by the Lakers. Step aside, Randle, I'm gonna be seventh!
/eventlog
Event Log: 6/25/14 - Gaming On Schedule
SGDQ has put my life on schedule. I woke up in time to see a Double Dragon Advance hardlock, which accelerated the schedule by leaps and bounds. Everything is earlier by an hour or more. Just extra time to squeeze in donation incentives!
Afterward, I caught the TMNT race, Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and the all-weapon Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts run. I didn't care for Lost Viking so I beat Max Payne 3 in the meantime. I watched some videos to see how other people played it. Tetra Ninja, since it was his first time around, played it in the most boring but efficient way possible. I saw another series where the guy shoot dodges everywhere, which is a little more entertaining, but still rote. I debated whether to keep it around in my harddrive but deleted it in the end. Fifteen gigs is premium real estate, and I can't reserve it for a repeat playthough plagued by unskippable cutscenes.
I jumped back on stream to catch the Octodad race and GRILL sighting. I saw a couple more runs, including Noitu Love 2, GTA2, Trials Fusion, and the Tony Hawk Pro Skater block. I stayed up until 6-ish playing Golden Sun Dark Dawn. That's kind of bad since I planned a date tomorrow with an old friend, and I promised to wake up earlier than usual. Oh well, that's a problem for next morning.
/eventlog
Afterward, I caught the TMNT race, Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and the all-weapon Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts run. I didn't care for Lost Viking so I beat Max Payne 3 in the meantime. I watched some videos to see how other people played it. Tetra Ninja, since it was his first time around, played it in the most boring but efficient way possible. I saw another series where the guy shoot dodges everywhere, which is a little more entertaining, but still rote. I debated whether to keep it around in my harddrive but deleted it in the end. Fifteen gigs is premium real estate, and I can't reserve it for a repeat playthough plagued by unskippable cutscenes.
I jumped back on stream to catch the Octodad race and GRILL sighting. I saw a couple more runs, including Noitu Love 2, GTA2, Trials Fusion, and the Tony Hawk Pro Skater block. I stayed up until 6-ish playing Golden Sun Dark Dawn. That's kind of bad since I planned a date tomorrow with an old friend, and I promised to wake up earlier than usual. Oh well, that's a problem for next morning.
/eventlog
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Event Log: 6/24/14 - Payne to the Max
I caught the Castlevania block on SGDQ before it turned into an indie paradise. I can't say I'm too interested in runs of indie games. Speaking of runs, I went out for a walk for the first time since getting sick. I did some light jogging but I was coughing all over the place. Guess I'm not completely recovered yet.
I was trying to practice deep breathing. I've surmised that shallow breathing is the root of my cramping problems. Of course, with a lingering cough, deep breathing training turned into a mess for me. It was also hot outside. I was walking, coughing, and sweating. Perfect. It wasn't the return to form I wanted, but it was good to get back out there.
I started up Max Payne 3 late at night. My game comes before someone else's game, so I didn't pay too much attention to the SGDQ stream. I kept playing until 4 in the morning. The only thing that stopped me was a hardlock. That's the PS3's way of telling me that enough is enough. I felt like I was in the homestretch though. I ate some leftover Vietnamese fruitcake before conking out.
I played enough of Max Payne 3 to form a solid opinion. It's a good game marred by some bad design decisions. Although I don't mind the cutscenes because it's my first play through, I don't think I'll ever replay the game again. Even arcade mode, which allows you to "skip" cutscenes, is plagued by "Still Loading" segments. It's the reason I only played MGS4 once. The thought of re-installing chapters totally kills my mood.
The next biggest problem is the enemy spawns. A degree of memorization is essential to getting through the game unscathed. It's probably the worst in the favela when you have bastards spawning on rooftops and all around you. It's annoying because enemies deal massive damage, which necessitates the use of cover.
Which brings me to my next issue. It feels like the game doesn't know whether to be a shoot dodge simulator or a cover-based shooter. Cover mechanics slow the game down. If you're good, you can probably shoot dodge everywhere but not on your first time around since you need to know the enemy spawns. Cluttered level design forces a more deliberate use of shoot dodge, which is annoying since I'm used to endless shoot dodge loops in the first two games.
The most optimal strategy is the activate bullet time from cover. It reduces the game to a shooting gallery, but it really is the most efficient way. While shoot dodge gives you style points, the exposure to enemy fire is usually not worth it. This made the game very boring for me. And every time I tried to liven things up, I got punished for it. I guess style is reserved only for those who know the game inside out.
/eventlog
I was trying to practice deep breathing. I've surmised that shallow breathing is the root of my cramping problems. Of course, with a lingering cough, deep breathing training turned into a mess for me. It was also hot outside. I was walking, coughing, and sweating. Perfect. It wasn't the return to form I wanted, but it was good to get back out there.
I started up Max Payne 3 late at night. My game comes before someone else's game, so I didn't pay too much attention to the SGDQ stream. I kept playing until 4 in the morning. The only thing that stopped me was a hardlock. That's the PS3's way of telling me that enough is enough. I felt like I was in the homestretch though. I ate some leftover Vietnamese fruitcake before conking out.
I played enough of Max Payne 3 to form a solid opinion. It's a good game marred by some bad design decisions. Although I don't mind the cutscenes because it's my first play through, I don't think I'll ever replay the game again. Even arcade mode, which allows you to "skip" cutscenes, is plagued by "Still Loading" segments. It's the reason I only played MGS4 once. The thought of re-installing chapters totally kills my mood.
The next biggest problem is the enemy spawns. A degree of memorization is essential to getting through the game unscathed. It's probably the worst in the favela when you have bastards spawning on rooftops and all around you. It's annoying because enemies deal massive damage, which necessitates the use of cover.
Which brings me to my next issue. It feels like the game doesn't know whether to be a shoot dodge simulator or a cover-based shooter. Cover mechanics slow the game down. If you're good, you can probably shoot dodge everywhere but not on your first time around since you need to know the enemy spawns. Cluttered level design forces a more deliberate use of shoot dodge, which is annoying since I'm used to endless shoot dodge loops in the first two games.
The most optimal strategy is the activate bullet time from cover. It reduces the game to a shooting gallery, but it really is the most efficient way. While shoot dodge gives you style points, the exposure to enemy fire is usually not worth it. This made the game very boring for me. And every time I tried to liven things up, I got punished for it. I guess style is reserved only for those who know the game inside out.
/eventlog
Event Log: 6/23/14 - What A Thrill
I went ahead and beat MGS3 again. My first run was 11 hours and my second run was 4 hours. That shows just how much time the cutscenes eat up. I forgot to collect The Fury's fire camo the first time around so I snagged that on the second run. Other than that, I went for the straight kill on all the bosses. For the Boss, I just ran around with a M63 machine gun. Much faster than sneaking around in the flower field. I just barely beat her the first time around. I also got the gun with the bullet at the end when facing off against Ocelot. Having beaten it twice, I decided to delete it to make room for Max Payne 3, which is an enormous 15 gigs. I started the download in the afternoon and it didn't finish until late evening. Ridiculous.
With the PS3 stuck in download mode, I whittled away the rest of the day with SGDQ. I watched most of the Mega Man block. I also saw the Resident Evil 2 run, which was derailed by an alpaca doll. Get serious, guys. I kept watching the stream until late in the night, catching the Deus Ex, Sly Cooper, and Blasto runs. Nothing like beating games while other people beat games as fast as they can on stream.
/eventlog
With the PS3 stuck in download mode, I whittled away the rest of the day with SGDQ. I watched most of the Mega Man block. I also saw the Resident Evil 2 run, which was derailed by an alpaca doll. Get serious, guys. I kept watching the stream until late in the night, catching the Deus Ex, Sly Cooper, and Blasto runs. Nothing like beating games while other people beat games as fast as they can on stream.
/eventlog
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Event Log: 6/22/14 - Solid
SGDQ started today but none of the games interested me. Too much classic Nintendo. That's an era I missed out on. Give me some PSX classics and I'll tune in for sure.
I left the stream running in the background and beat MGS3 again. I really like the game, but all the issues that bothered me the first time around still bother me now. It's the small things like The End's dentures popping out before exploding, Ocelot's yowls, or Volgin conveniently explaining everything about the Philosopher's Legacy when trying to find out exactly how much Snake knows about it. Nice going there, Colonel.
Some of the exposition is just so transparent and I think The Boss's VA is pretty bad. Some of her lines are delivered much too quickly, as if Lori Alan was trying to match the Japanese lip sync--not to mention, her writing is overloaded with exposition. We get it. The times dictate the battlefield.
The most noticeable thing about the conversion to 60 fps is the fluttering clothes effect in the final cutscenes. It pretty much ruins my favorite cinematic in the game, when Ocelot jumps in the Wig for one last showdown. The clothes fluttering was keyframed at 30fps and looked quite natural in the original, but in 60fps, it looks like their clothes are dancing. It looks awful, but I'm sure there was nothing Bluepoint could do about it. I also noticed the fire effects running at 30fps too, among other particle effects like the flower petals in the final battleground. That, in addition to the fps plummeting whenever lightning shows up in Volgin's cutscenes, are the only flaws in an otherwise impeccable presentation. I was also able to create ultra slowdown during an alert phase in Groznyj Grad, but those are rare spots of performance drag.
Of course, what else do I do but replay the game after beating it? I stopped at the torture scene and then watched a Foxhound Rank European Extreme playthrough on YouTube. It took me about 11 hours to beat the game so it's deflating to see someone else do it in one hour and a half on the hardest difficulty. I spotted some crazy tricks in the video. Afterward, I watched about an hour of a MGS2 Extreme run. I stopped because it was way too late and I wanted to shut off all my electronics. The city of Anaheim is turning off power for whatever reason so I don't want any my devices to get short-circuited.
Even though I consider MGS one of my favorite franchises, I never dug into the game hardcore. I never beat any of the MGS's on the hardest difficulty even though I regularly do it for other games I like--Uncharted, God of War, Resident Evil 4, etc. Maybe I should do it before The Phantom Pain comes out!
/eventlog
I left the stream running in the background and beat MGS3 again. I really like the game, but all the issues that bothered me the first time around still bother me now. It's the small things like The End's dentures popping out before exploding, Ocelot's yowls, or Volgin conveniently explaining everything about the Philosopher's Legacy when trying to find out exactly how much Snake knows about it. Nice going there, Colonel.
Some of the exposition is just so transparent and I think The Boss's VA is pretty bad. Some of her lines are delivered much too quickly, as if Lori Alan was trying to match the Japanese lip sync--not to mention, her writing is overloaded with exposition. We get it. The times dictate the battlefield.
The most noticeable thing about the conversion to 60 fps is the fluttering clothes effect in the final cutscenes. It pretty much ruins my favorite cinematic in the game, when Ocelot jumps in the Wig for one last showdown. The clothes fluttering was keyframed at 30fps and looked quite natural in the original, but in 60fps, it looks like their clothes are dancing. It looks awful, but I'm sure there was nothing Bluepoint could do about it. I also noticed the fire effects running at 30fps too, among other particle effects like the flower petals in the final battleground. That, in addition to the fps plummeting whenever lightning shows up in Volgin's cutscenes, are the only flaws in an otherwise impeccable presentation. I was also able to create ultra slowdown during an alert phase in Groznyj Grad, but those are rare spots of performance drag.
Of course, what else do I do but replay the game after beating it? I stopped at the torture scene and then watched a Foxhound Rank European Extreme playthrough on YouTube. It took me about 11 hours to beat the game so it's deflating to see someone else do it in one hour and a half on the hardest difficulty. I spotted some crazy tricks in the video. Afterward, I watched about an hour of a MGS2 Extreme run. I stopped because it was way too late and I wanted to shut off all my electronics. The city of Anaheim is turning off power for whatever reason so I don't want any my devices to get short-circuited.
Even though I consider MGS one of my favorite franchises, I never dug into the game hardcore. I never beat any of the MGS's on the hardest difficulty even though I regularly do it for other games I like--Uncharted, God of War, Resident Evil 4, etc. Maybe I should do it before The Phantom Pain comes out!
/eventlog
Monday, June 23, 2014
Event Log: 6/21/14 - Downturn Doldrums
I was woken up this morning by a phone call. My friend wanted to get lunch together so we went out and got In N Out. Haven't had that in awhile so that was nice. Lunchtime on a Saturday meant the place was packed. It didn't matter because the heart of eating out is conversation. A good talk does wonders for speeding up time. I got a cheeseburger with fries. We talked about stuff and went back to my house where we hung out in my room.
He told me about his experience with Mesa, a restaurant lounge in Costa Mesa. I said I was down to go tonight, but a late celebration of my mom's birthday put a rain check on that idea. My sister came over from San Diego with spring rolls and the whole family had them for dinner with a slice of tiramisu cake. The spring rolls were great, if a little filling. There was something crunchy inside that gave it great texture.
After dinner was served, I hopped online with my other friend in BF4. We played the OG maps and provided more wins for our team concept. I'm telling you, teamwork...WORKS. After we called it a night, I decided to play some MGS3.
It's funny that I've bought MGS3 a grand total of four times. First was Snake Eater, then the special edition of Subsistence, then the MGS Collection, and finally the HD Collection. I can finally watch these cutscenes in silky smooth 60fps, barring ones with heavy lightning effects it seems. I made it as far as Sokolov in Groznyj Grad. For some reason, I had a helluva time fighting against the Fury. I recalled that I beat him easily the first time around, then again, I wasn't going for stamina kills. And hunting down The End without thermogogs was a pain.
By the time I stopped, it was six in the morning. Yikes.
/eventlog
He told me about his experience with Mesa, a restaurant lounge in Costa Mesa. I said I was down to go tonight, but a late celebration of my mom's birthday put a rain check on that idea. My sister came over from San Diego with spring rolls and the whole family had them for dinner with a slice of tiramisu cake. The spring rolls were great, if a little filling. There was something crunchy inside that gave it great texture.
After dinner was served, I hopped online with my other friend in BF4. We played the OG maps and provided more wins for our team concept. I'm telling you, teamwork...WORKS. After we called it a night, I decided to play some MGS3.
It's funny that I've bought MGS3 a grand total of four times. First was Snake Eater, then the special edition of Subsistence, then the MGS Collection, and finally the HD Collection. I can finally watch these cutscenes in silky smooth 60fps, barring ones with heavy lightning effects it seems. I made it as far as Sokolov in Groznyj Grad. For some reason, I had a helluva time fighting against the Fury. I recalled that I beat him easily the first time around, then again, I wasn't going for stamina kills. And hunting down The End without thermogogs was a pain.
By the time I stopped, it was six in the morning. Yikes.
/eventlog
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Event Log: 6/20/14 - Rebound
When I go out of my way to do something productive, I have to balance it out with something equally as unproductive. I don't know why. It's in my nature. Or maybe slacking off is only as rewarding as the work I've escaped from. The best time to do nothing is right after doing something. It's all about balance. So I've been putting more effort into my job search, and by that, I mean putting together better cover letters than using old templates. I'll stop being a volume shooter and pick my spots carefully. I'll only shoot when I know what the score is, and right now, I'm way behind in the game.
I'm still trying to decide whether to galvanize myself for a position or allow a position to galvanize me. Somehow, one way or another, I'm gonna have to level up and advance to my next form.
My friend has finally found a job, and while it's not ideal, he can't afford to slack off when he's got bills to pay and wives to bring home. Since he has to get up early for orientation, we dabbled in some midday Battlefield. We moved away from China Rising and went OG into the classic maps. I gotta say, the team concept is definitely working. 4-1 ain't a bad record, especially when I was team MVP for the last match.
At night, I whittled away at Is the Order a Rabbit? The anime is so light and fluffy, I can just kick back and sink into warm feelings of moe. Don't look at me like I'm weird. I just enjoy a story with low stakes. Anyways, to balance out the fluffiness, I started the anime adaptation of The Irregular at Magic High School. I was so into it, I pretty much watched ten episodes straight. I really like stories with extremely competent--or perhaps overpowered--protagonists. I'm the type of guy who enjoys watching a professional work, although there's an odd charm about a noob stumbling his way through, but I admire skill above all.
To be a consummate professional is my aspiration. I can't think of anything classier.
/eventlog
I'm still trying to decide whether to galvanize myself for a position or allow a position to galvanize me. Somehow, one way or another, I'm gonna have to level up and advance to my next form.
My friend has finally found a job, and while it's not ideal, he can't afford to slack off when he's got bills to pay and wives to bring home. Since he has to get up early for orientation, we dabbled in some midday Battlefield. We moved away from China Rising and went OG into the classic maps. I gotta say, the team concept is definitely working. 4-1 ain't a bad record, especially when I was team MVP for the last match.
At night, I whittled away at Is the Order a Rabbit? The anime is so light and fluffy, I can just kick back and sink into warm feelings of moe. Don't look at me like I'm weird. I just enjoy a story with low stakes. Anyways, to balance out the fluffiness, I started the anime adaptation of The Irregular at Magic High School. I was so into it, I pretty much watched ten episodes straight. I really like stories with extremely competent--or perhaps overpowered--protagonists. I'm the type of guy who enjoys watching a professional work, although there's an odd charm about a noob stumbling his way through, but I admire skill above all.
To be a consummate professional is my aspiration. I can't think of anything classier.
/eventlog
Friday, June 20, 2014
Event Log: 6/19/14 - Small Victories
It feels good to set a goal for the day and accomplish it. It's meaningful progress. I applied for another job. It's best I don't rest on my laurels. Hope for the best and expect the worst. Gotta write everything off as a loss so I can do better next time.
I slept late and woke up late. Half the day gone in a flash. My cold's getting better but I've been dry coughing for awhile. I'm just trying to get as much sleep as I can. It's a premium, and every minute I get is one step closer to finishing off this cold. It's gonna be two weeks in a row that I skip my run. My body still aches from yesterday. It's gonna be tough getting back into the running spirit.
I'm now a proud member of DestinyGAF. I wonder if I'll get much burn with my clan brothers come beta July 17th. My friend who I game with all the time in BF doesn't seem enamored with it, so it looks like I'm gonna have to make new friends.
We played some Mercenary Kings and the game is grindy as hell. There's no reason why this simple side-scroller should have hundreds of missions when they're all mechanically uninteresting. Talk about filler to pad all pads. There was this mission that we couldn't complete because we had to shed weight in order to make a jump. Of course, the game had to be dicks about it and make respawning enemies that respawn only when you get across, thus, knocking us off when we've finally made it. Shit design, I tell you.
I finally beat Mikakunin de Shinkoukei. Benio is hilarious. She's my favorite. Reminds me of another sister in Yuri Yuri.
We went on to Battlefield and although we lost our first game, we reeled off 8 straight wins afterward, ending the night on an epic 40-16 ratio. My friend got 38-16. We was straight up beasting and feasting. There might be something to this new team concept of ours, or maybe we're just getting lucky. Who knows?
/eventlog
I slept late and woke up late. Half the day gone in a flash. My cold's getting better but I've been dry coughing for awhile. I'm just trying to get as much sleep as I can. It's a premium, and every minute I get is one step closer to finishing off this cold. It's gonna be two weeks in a row that I skip my run. My body still aches from yesterday. It's gonna be tough getting back into the running spirit.
I'm now a proud member of DestinyGAF. I wonder if I'll get much burn with my clan brothers come beta July 17th. My friend who I game with all the time in BF doesn't seem enamored with it, so it looks like I'm gonna have to make new friends.
We played some Mercenary Kings and the game is grindy as hell. There's no reason why this simple side-scroller should have hundreds of missions when they're all mechanically uninteresting. Talk about filler to pad all pads. There was this mission that we couldn't complete because we had to shed weight in order to make a jump. Of course, the game had to be dicks about it and make respawning enemies that respawn only when you get across, thus, knocking us off when we've finally made it. Shit design, I tell you.
I finally beat Mikakunin de Shinkoukei. Benio is hilarious. She's my favorite. Reminds me of another sister in Yuri Yuri.
We went on to Battlefield and although we lost our first game, we reeled off 8 straight wins afterward, ending the night on an epic 40-16 ratio. My friend got 38-16. We was straight up beasting and feasting. There might be something to this new team concept of ours, or maybe we're just getting lucky. Who knows?
/eventlog
Event Log: 6/18/14 - Getting Back Into the Groove
Ever since I felt the inklings of disease one week ago, I've had but one goal for each day since: recover. That goal hasn't changed for an entire week and a half. Fortunately, I felt well enough today to go back to my routine. Stopping all activity for one week is killer on the body. If there's anything important about exercise, it's consistency.
I don't know if it's my imagination, but my body was feeling softer than usual. It's weird. When I look at supermodels, that's how I gain the motivation to work out--and I don't mean male models. Who's got time to look at that nonsense? Nah, when I look at beautiful women, it makes me want to do better. I hope that's not a sexist sentiment. Keeping in shape is the least I can do. Either that or study "the game" intensely and become the sleazy sort to prey on the weak.
I spent the bulk of today catching up on old stuff, namely, Chris Smoove's Watchdogs Let's Play. After that, I watched his NBA vids, and then I put myself within striking distance to finish off Mikakunin de Shinkoukei. Only one more episode!
/eventlog
I don't know if it's my imagination, but my body was feeling softer than usual. It's weird. When I look at supermodels, that's how I gain the motivation to work out--and I don't mean male models. Who's got time to look at that nonsense? Nah, when I look at beautiful women, it makes me want to do better. I hope that's not a sexist sentiment. Keeping in shape is the least I can do. Either that or study "the game" intensely and become the sleazy sort to prey on the weak.
I spent the bulk of today catching up on old stuff, namely, Chris Smoove's Watchdogs Let's Play. After that, I watched his NBA vids, and then I put myself within striking distance to finish off Mikakunin de Shinkoukei. Only one more episode!
/eventlog
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Event Log: 6/17/14 - Interviewed
I felt really drowsy last night. I guess the lack of sleep finally caught up with me. I haven't had that feeling in ages. It was nice to have it. Of course, I just had to wake up at 6:30 in the morning.
Since my interview was at 1:00, I watched some past streams of Destiny to pass the time. Then I napped for an hour and prepared myself. It was a terrible drive only because I couldn't stop coughing. When I was waiting in the lobby, I used all my willpower to not cough. Funny thing, once I got into it with the interviewers, I only coughed once. I was the first one they interviewed for the position and it seemed like they're in a rush to fill it.
Unfortunately, I'm going to assume worst case scenario and write it off as a loss. Last time I got excited about my chances, I got slapped in the face with a rejection. This cold ain't doing me any favors either, but I don't blame it. It's been awhile since my last interview so I wasn't as prepared. Hell, most of the time, I just wing it. Better luck, next time.
Once I got home, I got something to eat and then napped again. I know I'm screwing up my sleep schedule but getting rest in this fashion is critical in helping me recover. It's starting to taper off a bit, but it seems like a few more days before I'm completely clear. At least I don't need a cough drop in my mouth all the time. I was getting sick of having a blue tongue.
Once night descended, my friend and I attacked the enemy in Battlefield 4. Ever since the Destiny alpha, I made a conscious decision to stick with my friend. Usually, we split up and try to cover more ground--save a base or attack a lone one. But since the alpha, I wanted to try better cooperative play since the ability to spawn each other is something unique. In Destiny, there are random spawns so it's hard to coordinate when we're on opposite sides of the map. I don't know if this focus on teamplay helped us win more games, but it did wonders for my K/D ratio. We took a break from Naval Strike and played Second Assault and China Rising. We won the majority of our games, which is rare these days. I recall more ragequitting than winning. I guess it's just one of those days.
/eventlog
Since my interview was at 1:00, I watched some past streams of Destiny to pass the time. Then I napped for an hour and prepared myself. It was a terrible drive only because I couldn't stop coughing. When I was waiting in the lobby, I used all my willpower to not cough. Funny thing, once I got into it with the interviewers, I only coughed once. I was the first one they interviewed for the position and it seemed like they're in a rush to fill it.
Unfortunately, I'm going to assume worst case scenario and write it off as a loss. Last time I got excited about my chances, I got slapped in the face with a rejection. This cold ain't doing me any favors either, but I don't blame it. It's been awhile since my last interview so I wasn't as prepared. Hell, most of the time, I just wing it. Better luck, next time.
Once I got home, I got something to eat and then napped again. I know I'm screwing up my sleep schedule but getting rest in this fashion is critical in helping me recover. It's starting to taper off a bit, but it seems like a few more days before I'm completely clear. At least I don't need a cough drop in my mouth all the time. I was getting sick of having a blue tongue.
Once night descended, my friend and I attacked the enemy in Battlefield 4. Ever since the Destiny alpha, I made a conscious decision to stick with my friend. Usually, we split up and try to cover more ground--save a base or attack a lone one. But since the alpha, I wanted to try better cooperative play since the ability to spawn each other is something unique. In Destiny, there are random spawns so it's hard to coordinate when we're on opposite sides of the map. I don't know if this focus on teamplay helped us win more games, but it did wonders for my K/D ratio. We took a break from Naval Strike and played Second Assault and China Rising. We won the majority of our games, which is rare these days. I recall more ragequitting than winning. I guess it's just one of those days.
/eventlog
Event Log: 6/16/14 - Holding On To Scraps
I hate being woken up by a phone call, especially for something important like setting up an interview. It's in the morning that my coughs are the worst. It's all pent up for one frustrating outburst when I'm finally conscious enough to feel that tickle in my throat. It takes me twenty minutes to settle down. Anyways, over the phone, they wanted to see me tomorrow morning for an interview, but considering how late I've been sleeping, I was able to push it to the afternoon. I don't know if it'll be a worthwhile venture, but I'll give it my best shot, even with this sickness pulling me down.
With the alpha closed, I completed a few side missions in Mercenary Kings. It feels so stale and boring. I need Destiny in my life, pronto!
There's a void in my heart but nothing to fill it with. I'm so empty without you. It's gonna be a long summer.
/eventlog
Monday, June 16, 2014
Event Log: 6/15/14 - End To All Good Things
The Destiny Alpha is no more. I'm sad. It sucks because watching the Spurs manhandle the Heat took a significant chunk of time, and considering how late I get my sleep these days, that meant I hardly had any time to play--not to mention, my friend wanted to play anything not called Destiny (yeah, I know, what's his problem?), and that means my Strike runs end tonight.
Wait, the Alpha lives? An extension? Awesome! In that case, I'm gonna have to squeeze as much playtime as I can before knocking out. Even though I've done the Strike dozens of times, I like doing it with different teams. Playing with different players gives it a different feeling. Even if my strategy is the same, things are always slightly altered. I get the feeling I'm carrying most of the time though, as evidenced by my triple digit kill counts. It's rare I'm thrown in with a competent team. The only times I'm beaten out on kills is because I got thrown into a game halfway.
As far as my sickness goes, it's still got me on lockdown. Hopefully, my road to recovery starts now.
/eventlog
Wait, the Alpha lives? An extension? Awesome! In that case, I'm gonna have to squeeze as much playtime as I can before knocking out. Even though I've done the Strike dozens of times, I like doing it with different teams. Playing with different players gives it a different feeling. Even if my strategy is the same, things are always slightly altered. I get the feeling I'm carrying most of the time though, as evidenced by my triple digit kill counts. It's rare I'm thrown in with a competent team. The only times I'm beaten out on kills is because I got thrown into a game halfway.
As far as my sickness goes, it's still got me on lockdown. Hopefully, my road to recovery starts now.
/eventlog
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Event Log: 6/12-6/14/14 - I Want To Die
This has been the worst week of my life. For seven straight days, I haven't gotten a good night's sleep. The only time I get any is when it's already tomorrow morning, and even then, it's only for a few measly hours. It ain't much sleep going from 12 noon to 4 afternoon. Yeah, it's that bad.
I hate this cold. Life sucks. I just wanna die.
The only good thing about these last three days is my Alpha access to Destiny. When I'm not coughing my guts out, I've been playing this year's surefire killer app. I've already got all three of my characters at level cap with nice gear.
I spent Thursday on the Story Mission and Explore mode. The map is truly huge and it feels like an open-world first-person shooter. The maps are so big you need a personal speeder that can be summoned on command to zip around.
Friday was dedicated to PVP. It's a nice change of pace from Battlefield even if the aim assist is the stickiest thing since popped bubblegum. There are some balance issues that need to be sorted out though. Shotguns are way too powerful. I feel their ammo needs to be better restricted. Vehicles on the moon map are OP. And it feels like the auto rifle is the only viable primary. I trust in Bungie.
On Saturday, it was all about the Strikes. I've done it so many times I could do it with my eyes closed. Even with level 8 uncommon gear, I'll have to agree with the criticisms that the bosses are way too bullet spongy. It also hurts when I'm paired up with noobs who don't know how to do anything.
I've probably sank more time in this Alpha than I do in entire games I've paid for. Destiny is going to be huge this fall. It'll probably be the system seller. The white PS4 bundle is sexy as hell. I can't wait for the beta in July!
/eventlog
I hate this cold. Life sucks. I just wanna die.
The only good thing about these last three days is my Alpha access to Destiny. When I'm not coughing my guts out, I've been playing this year's surefire killer app. I've already got all three of my characters at level cap with nice gear.
I spent Thursday on the Story Mission and Explore mode. The map is truly huge and it feels like an open-world first-person shooter. The maps are so big you need a personal speeder that can be summoned on command to zip around.
Friday was dedicated to PVP. It's a nice change of pace from Battlefield even if the aim assist is the stickiest thing since popped bubblegum. There are some balance issues that need to be sorted out though. Shotguns are way too powerful. I feel their ammo needs to be better restricted. Vehicles on the moon map are OP. And it feels like the auto rifle is the only viable primary. I trust in Bungie.
On Saturday, it was all about the Strikes. I've done it so many times I could do it with my eyes closed. Even with level 8 uncommon gear, I'll have to agree with the criticisms that the bosses are way too bullet spongy. It also hurts when I'm paired up with noobs who don't know how to do anything.
I've probably sank more time in this Alpha than I do in entire games I've paid for. Destiny is going to be huge this fall. It'll probably be the system seller. The white PS4 bundle is sexy as hell. I can't wait for the beta in July!
/eventlog
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Event Log: 6/11/14 - Morass of Pain and Agony
If I were to write this yesterday, it would be a string of incomprehensible gibberish and expletives. It's too eerie how my sickness followed the track my little brother laid out. First are the headaches, then the rapid temperature changes, then the throat, the runny nose, and the coughing. It's not a mild cough. It's a "I'm bent over and my entire body is writhing in pain from the spasms" kind of a cough. My greatest condolences to those with chronic lung problems. Nobody should be forced to live with such a shitty quality of life. For the briefest of moments, I contemplated suicide. Being sick sucks.
I filled the day with sessions of Mercenary Kings. I feel the design is super padded. I beat five missions in a row and barely have enough materials to forge a better gun. I'm still using one of the beginner guns despite sinking in a couple hours already. Progression is too slow. For something "free," I can't complain though. My friend doesn't seem to be keen on the nuances of the game though. We'll probably play it until we beat, but it doesn't beg for much else.
It was, once again, another sleepless night. If I can't sleep, it's just going to get worse and worse...
/eventlog
I filled the day with sessions of Mercenary Kings. I feel the design is super padded. I beat five missions in a row and barely have enough materials to forge a better gun. I'm still using one of the beginner guns despite sinking in a couple hours already. Progression is too slow. For something "free," I can't complain though. My friend doesn't seem to be keen on the nuances of the game though. We'll probably play it until we beat, but it doesn't beg for much else.
It was, once again, another sleepless night. If I can't sleep, it's just going to get worse and worse...
/eventlog
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Event Log: 6/10/14 - Sick Days
I woke up this morning drenched in sweat. My clothes were literally dripping. This sickness has been dogging me the whole day. I've shaken off the headaches and rapid temperature changes, but my throat has gotten way worse. I can barely talk. I had to resort to cough drops to soothe my throat. I even had to hassle my little brother to get me a fresh bag. I don't know if it's gonna last me. I probably popped twenty for today alone.
The thing I hate most about being sick? It's not just the physical part, it's the mental part. I cannot, for the love of me, fall asleep. In my delirium, I have no control over my thoughts. It's zips and zooms around all manner of illogical thought processes. It's partly my fault, since I stayed up a bit to play the Hardline beta, but I barely got any sleep. I'm not doing myself any favors.
I put all intense physical activities on hold and I'm starting to feel it. My stomach's a little flabby. I wonder if I can make up for it later?
Whereas last night where all I did was win on the beta, today, all I did was lose. I was trying to level up the sniper class but I wasn't really contributing to the team. Once I decided to play for the win, we still lost. And since loading takes forever, it gave me enough time to think "screw this" and do something productive.
Nintendo did their little thing today and I think they had quite an impressive showing. I won't be buying a Wii U anytime soon but maybe down the line when I've cleared out my backlog (ha!) and gotten a steady income stream.
Today has really been the redemption of Destiny. My hype was wavering due to incessant negativity online but that has been washed away by the positive impressions of the alpha. I didn't care too much about the competitive MP but watching Ninja's stream has really piqued my interest. I always viewed MP shooters on two extremes: Call of Duty and Halo.
In the former, I die way too fast, and in the latter, it takes forever to kill someone, so it's nice to see Destiny reach a Battlefield-like balance between the two. Then again, all the supers and power weapons might screw up that delicate health balance, but we'll see how it shakes up. For now, Destiny is the only game that's looking to be a sure buy coming this fall.
In Bungie, I trust.
/eventlog
The thing I hate most about being sick? It's not just the physical part, it's the mental part. I cannot, for the love of me, fall asleep. In my delirium, I have no control over my thoughts. It's zips and zooms around all manner of illogical thought processes. It's partly my fault, since I stayed up a bit to play the Hardline beta, but I barely got any sleep. I'm not doing myself any favors.
I put all intense physical activities on hold and I'm starting to feel it. My stomach's a little flabby. I wonder if I can make up for it later?
Whereas last night where all I did was win on the beta, today, all I did was lose. I was trying to level up the sniper class but I wasn't really contributing to the team. Once I decided to play for the win, we still lost. And since loading takes forever, it gave me enough time to think "screw this" and do something productive.
Nintendo did their little thing today and I think they had quite an impressive showing. I won't be buying a Wii U anytime soon but maybe down the line when I've cleared out my backlog (ha!) and gotten a steady income stream.
Today has really been the redemption of Destiny. My hype was wavering due to incessant negativity online but that has been washed away by the positive impressions of the alpha. I didn't care too much about the competitive MP but watching Ninja's stream has really piqued my interest. I always viewed MP shooters on two extremes: Call of Duty and Halo.
In the former, I die way too fast, and in the latter, it takes forever to kill someone, so it's nice to see Destiny reach a Battlefield-like balance between the two. Then again, all the supers and power weapons might screw up that delicate health balance, but we'll see how it shakes up. For now, Destiny is the only game that's looking to be a sure buy coming this fall.
In Bungie, I trust.
/eventlog
Monday, June 9, 2014
Event Log: 6/9/14 - E3 Report
It was hard to enjoy E3 when it felt like I was gulping down razors every time I swallowed. A couple tabs of Tylenol warded off the worse of the headaches but my throat is shredded. I have to grimace preemptively before I swallow back my saliva. And my body temperature is erratic as hell. I keep feeling super cold or super hot and I'm constantly putting on or putting off my jacket. I had to skip my workout because I'm in no condition for exercise.
As for E3, I'd imagine the majority of gamers would have found it disappointing. We're in a new age where everything is leaked months beforehand and surprises don't exist. In terms of presentation, Microsoft beat Sony by far. The pacing and presentation was top notch. In terms of content, I believe Sony wins, but you'd have to fish it out of their awkward delivery. In either case, both manufacturers preached to the faithful, made current owners more or less satisfied, but I'd guess not many fence sitters were swayed. There's only so much you can do in a conference though. The real test is seeing how the games demo on the show floor and what kind of details journalists can wring out of developers.
Things don't look so grim for Sony though. They always have a strong presence at Gamescom, so I'd expect some of the suspiciously absent studios to make an appearance there. If not, well, there's always TGS!
If there's one thing I liked about this E3, it's Hardline beta. I'm getting my ass kicked though. Just wait until I unlock the scopes...
/eventlog
As for E3, I'd imagine the majority of gamers would have found it disappointing. We're in a new age where everything is leaked months beforehand and surprises don't exist. In terms of presentation, Microsoft beat Sony by far. The pacing and presentation was top notch. In terms of content, I believe Sony wins, but you'd have to fish it out of their awkward delivery. In either case, both manufacturers preached to the faithful, made current owners more or less satisfied, but I'd guess not many fence sitters were swayed. There's only so much you can do in a conference though. The real test is seeing how the games demo on the show floor and what kind of details journalists can wring out of developers.
Things don't look so grim for Sony though. They always have a strong presence at Gamescom, so I'd expect some of the suspiciously absent studios to make an appearance there. If not, well, there's always TGS!
If there's one thing I liked about this E3, it's Hardline beta. I'm getting my ass kicked though. Just wait until I unlock the scopes...
/eventlog
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Event Log: 6/8/14 - Laid Out
That was quick. I went from almost fine to laid out like a sucker on my bed in just a couple hours. Late last night, I noticed a little scratchiness in my throat. I thought a good night's sleep would counter it. Instead, my condition worsened, and it got harder and harder to swallow. I watched a bunch of episodes of Love Live! and I can't shake off the resemblances to K-On. Throughout he day, it felt like somebody was sticking needles in my brain. By the time I got back from church, it was game over. I started shivering from the cold even when it wasn't cold. Damn bug caught me right before E3. I guess this is what happens when I stay up too late every night. Sucks because the Spurs lost too. I'm no fan of the Spurs, I'm just a bigger non-fan of the Heat. Hopefully two tabs of Tylenol and a couple apples could fix me up. My throat always feels a lot nicer than before. My brain's still a pincushion though.
/eventlog
/eventlog
Event Log: 6/7/14 - Repeat That Again
I won't get another chance to write this down. I feel sick, barely hanging on to consciousness, so let's get this done with. I started the day by watching Edge of Tomorrow with my friend. The movie wasn't straight up amazing but it was good film and entertaining. I'm sad the Cruise missile is going to be beaten out by a cancer love story. I don't got anything against Young Adult fiction, but the world needs more original sci-fi.
Since I liked the concept, I watched Groundhog Day. It was different from what I expected but still a good watch. Then, during a massive thread in which The Last Guardian was supposedly canceled, I Google image searched several avatars, which led me to Is the Order a Rabbit?, Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, and Love Live! It's a moe triple triad. I watched the first episode of each with no shame. I'm just that kinda guy. So cute!
/eventlog
Since I liked the concept, I watched Groundhog Day. It was different from what I expected but still a good watch. Then, during a massive thread in which The Last Guardian was supposedly canceled, I Google image searched several avatars, which led me to Is the Order a Rabbit?, Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, and Love Live! It's a moe triple triad. I watched the first episode of each with no shame. I'm just that kinda guy. So cute!
/eventlog
Event Log: 6/6/14 - A Productive Day?
I've tried a bunch of strategies to sort out my erratic attention span but none of them stick. I think I'm making it too complicated. Simple is best and that's what I'm gonna roll with. Limit myself to one or two goals and complete the shit out of them. Spreading things out long term may be more efficient, but I need to get myself used to doing things on a moment's notice. I have to destroy the spirit of procrastination that dwells deep in my soul.
I watched a trio of inspirational coaching movies: Miracle, Any Given Sunday, and Hoosiers--hockey, football, and basketball. That many movies in one day eat up a large chunk of time. I enjoyed them all. There's something about sports movies that are very formulaic, yet comfortable. I know what happens, but I'm still on the edge of my seat. There's always a chance the director throws a curveball at the audience, at least for the fictional stories. For the ones based on real events, well, no room for creative license there.
I don't know. After doing something productive, I felt like watching something to stoke the fires inside. Gotta stay on it. Can't just be satisfied with one day.
/eventlog
I watched a trio of inspirational coaching movies: Miracle, Any Given Sunday, and Hoosiers--hockey, football, and basketball. That many movies in one day eat up a large chunk of time. I enjoyed them all. There's something about sports movies that are very formulaic, yet comfortable. I know what happens, but I'm still on the edge of my seat. There's always a chance the director throws a curveball at the audience, at least for the fictional stories. For the ones based on real events, well, no room for creative license there.
I don't know. After doing something productive, I felt like watching something to stoke the fires inside. Gotta stay on it. Can't just be satisfied with one day.
/eventlog
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Event Log: 6/5/14 - Altered Trajectories
A person is like a cosmic object barreling through space. The older we get, the harder it is to change directions. If we collide with an insurmountable obstacle, then and only then will we be forced to change course. This analogy is just a fancy way of saying that people are stubborn to a fault. Change rarely comes from within. It takes a foreign object, an outside force, to push us into new directions.
At the halfway point of this year, I reviewed my New Year's resolution and so far, I'm failing harder than LeBron's body in Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals. In only one respect, am I satisfied with my progress, and that's this--Event Logs. I resolved myself, "one piece at a time," and these Event Logs exemplify that philosophy to a T.
Each day of 2014 (except for the first few ones) have been cataloged in my pristine voice. All of a sudden, my most neglected online space became my most active. It's not all roses though. Event Logs are produced at the expense of my Tumblr. Still, I feel like I'm in a better position than I was before, because I've laid the groundwork for the future.
Another successful addition to my routine is running. I added an outdoor endeavor to my exercise regimen and I've stuck to it religiously. It proves that I can incorporate good habits. Now, the challenge is, can I correct my bad ones?
My fatal kryptonite is procrastination. It is the bane of my existence, and I wonder how many opportunities were lost because of it. I keep telling myself not to start anything new until I've finished my old tasks, but I've long since realized that "completing everything" will always lie on the edge of tomorrow. In other words, I will never run out of things to complete before starting something new because I'm always starting something new. Instead of concentrating on the things that matter, I've been extending my never-ending date of return to reality. If I persist on this course, I see only a cataclysmic collision at the end.
To avoid the worst case scenario, I must train my mind, reshape it, pound it into submission, and rework my entire attitude towards everything. It will be a most painful experience, and the only way I can achieve this, is through measures of forced desperation, artificial stress, and accountability the likes of which rival actual metal shackles on my wrists.
So why now? It's because I want to watch Edge of Tomorrow. It's been very hard to watch movies with my friend ever since he got a job. He works all the damn time, and even though I've watched movies alone before, I wanted to see if I could wrangle someone to watch it with me before resigning to loner status. So I reached out to long dormant contacts on my phone, and with sudden contact, come the routine pleasantries asking what I've been up to, which has been, of course, nothing.
Though their texts were simple, it was enough to nudge my trajectory slightly. And so I decided. It's time to slay this weakness of mine once and for all.
/eventlog
At the halfway point of this year, I reviewed my New Year's resolution and so far, I'm failing harder than LeBron's body in Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals. In only one respect, am I satisfied with my progress, and that's this--Event Logs. I resolved myself, "one piece at a time," and these Event Logs exemplify that philosophy to a T.
Each day of 2014 (except for the first few ones) have been cataloged in my pristine voice. All of a sudden, my most neglected online space became my most active. It's not all roses though. Event Logs are produced at the expense of my Tumblr. Still, I feel like I'm in a better position than I was before, because I've laid the groundwork for the future.
Another successful addition to my routine is running. I added an outdoor endeavor to my exercise regimen and I've stuck to it religiously. It proves that I can incorporate good habits. Now, the challenge is, can I correct my bad ones?
My fatal kryptonite is procrastination. It is the bane of my existence, and I wonder how many opportunities were lost because of it. I keep telling myself not to start anything new until I've finished my old tasks, but I've long since realized that "completing everything" will always lie on the edge of tomorrow. In other words, I will never run out of things to complete before starting something new because I'm always starting something new. Instead of concentrating on the things that matter, I've been extending my never-ending date of return to reality. If I persist on this course, I see only a cataclysmic collision at the end.
To avoid the worst case scenario, I must train my mind, reshape it, pound it into submission, and rework my entire attitude towards everything. It will be a most painful experience, and the only way I can achieve this, is through measures of forced desperation, artificial stress, and accountability the likes of which rival actual metal shackles on my wrists.
So why now? It's because I want to watch Edge of Tomorrow. It's been very hard to watch movies with my friend ever since he got a job. He works all the damn time, and even though I've watched movies alone before, I wanted to see if I could wrangle someone to watch it with me before resigning to loner status. So I reached out to long dormant contacts on my phone, and with sudden contact, come the routine pleasantries asking what I've been up to, which has been, of course, nothing.
Though their texts were simple, it was enough to nudge my trajectory slightly. And so I decided. It's time to slay this weakness of mine once and for all.
/eventlog
Event Log: 6/4/14 - Hype Rising
My life has been a series of delayed expectations. I'm just biding my time for the right moment to return...and then put it off. Procrastination is a deadly disease. I keep telling myself I'll get my ass in gear after E3, but thanks to the manga I've been reading, I'm starting to get hyped for life.
I read 3.3.7 Byooshi and it's inspired me somewhat. If we all had personal cheerleaders, who knows how much we could accomplish? You can't underestimate the effect of verbal support. Even something as simple as "I believe in you" could mean all the difference in the world. Knowing that people are out there struggling for their dreams means I should do the same. The only difference is effort. I gotta try.
The problem is I know I don't have to. As long as there's wiggle room, I know I don't have to try hard or at all. That's my biggest problem. I can't manufacture urgency. My dreams alone are not sufficient enough to motivate me. I can only hope that in all this wasted time, my mind has been unknowingly sharpened, honed, and prepared for the unexpected trials and tribulations ahead. I need effort. Not one-sided indulgence. But the practice of putting my all into a single task.
/eventlog
I read 3.3.7 Byooshi and it's inspired me somewhat. If we all had personal cheerleaders, who knows how much we could accomplish? You can't underestimate the effect of verbal support. Even something as simple as "I believe in you" could mean all the difference in the world. Knowing that people are out there struggling for their dreams means I should do the same. The only difference is effort. I gotta try.
The problem is I know I don't have to. As long as there's wiggle room, I know I don't have to try hard or at all. That's my biggest problem. I can't manufacture urgency. My dreams alone are not sufficient enough to motivate me. I can only hope that in all this wasted time, my mind has been unknowingly sharpened, honed, and prepared for the unexpected trials and tribulations ahead. I need effort. Not one-sided indulgence. But the practice of putting my all into a single task.
/eventlog
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Event Log: 6/3/14 - Warm Walks
The sun was beating on my back this afternoon. It was too warm for a relaxing stroll, but I pressed on despite the sweat on my back. Usually on my walks, the music occupies my attention but my thoughts were elsewhere this time thanks to a question on Tumblr. I essentially plotted out the entirety of my KH Western fic, tentatively titled, "Destined Western." Sounds like a motel.
You can say this is both my favorite and worst part of the plotting process. Everybody loves to entertain the potential, but when it comes to realizing it, the ideas become watered down by necessities of time, effort, and inspiration. It's sad to have all these grand ideas only for them to never see the light of day. At best, I'll write notes for future reference but diving headfirst would be irresponsible to my existing slate. I know myself too well. I'll get passionate but cool off a couple days later and now I'm burdened with finishing something I started on a whim. It's best not to get caught up in the moment. I've been burned too many times like this.
I'm still reading manga and well... That's pretty much it.
/eventlog
You can say this is both my favorite and worst part of the plotting process. Everybody loves to entertain the potential, but when it comes to realizing it, the ideas become watered down by necessities of time, effort, and inspiration. It's sad to have all these grand ideas only for them to never see the light of day. At best, I'll write notes for future reference but diving headfirst would be irresponsible to my existing slate. I know myself too well. I'll get passionate but cool off a couple days later and now I'm burdened with finishing something I started on a whim. It's best not to get caught up in the moment. I've been burned too many times like this.
I'm still reading manga and well... That's pretty much it.
/eventlog
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Event Log: 6/2/14 - Reading Tear
It's one of those nights. I didn't get to bed until 6 because I was busy running through Sumomomo Momomo. It stretched the "normal guy in crazy circumstances" premise to its absolute limit. When you bias the world towards a certain aspect too much, it's only a matter of time before the protag has to embed himself in it. In this case, martial arts serves too much utility in the story for it to be ignored. It's a shame. At least his ultimate power makes great sense in context. Sooner or later, in "normal guy in crazy circumstances" stories, the normal guy has to become "extraordinary" to justify his existence. You can't pretend forever.
/eventlog
/eventlog
Monday, June 2, 2014
Event Log: 6/1/14 - Halfway There
Crap. It's already been half a year? I haven't done a damn thing so far. I hope I can turn things around before 2015.
I spent an inordinate amount of time on GAF even though the topics were less than stellar. There used to be an old meme called "Weekend GAF." The quality of discussion takes a nosedive on weekends because there's nothing to talk about with the news cycle on break. Posters take it upon themselves to regurgitate tired old topics. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people call Drake a murdering psychopath. Same retread and no new insight. Talk about beating a dead horse.
I filled in today's gaps with Chris Smoove's Watch Dog videos. Since I've watched the same missions being played three times already, I'm familiar with the content, but I'm impressed by his approach. It also demonstrates the flexibility of the mission design. That it allows for multiple approaches is cool. His playthrough is definitely the "smoothest" one I've seen so far.
Mario Kart 8 just came out and there's a lot of chatter about it. I don't care. I've never been a fan. I've never had memories of local MP steeped in nostalgia. Maybe if I had a more close knit group of friends, I'd change my tune, but my last experience with MK for the Wii was dismal, to say the least. It's one of those series that has zero pull for me.
I saw the latest episode of Game of Thrones and HOLY FU--(string of expletives)--IT!
I revisited a manga about a kid who can travel back in time and has to do it to save a girl he once knew and solve a murder in the present. I don't remember when I read it, but I was disappointed to see it advance so little with a couple chapters. It feels like ages since I read it.
Going with the time travel theme, I checked out another manga where the main character has to stay a virgin or he'll get killed by his friend in the future/present. He got killed and is sent back in time. But it's completely understandable why his friend would want to kill him. He's a smooth operator. A one-stop shop for ladies. When he gets close to girls, he is besieged by visions of death, not unlike Sora's violent reactions in Love Sick. Every once in a while, I come across resemblances like these and I'm reminded that my concept is in no way shape or form completely unique from all else.
But there's only 15 chapters so far and the last update was in March. Damn it! I'll let it rot in the meantime until a miracle comeback several months down the line.
/eventlog
I spent an inordinate amount of time on GAF even though the topics were less than stellar. There used to be an old meme called "Weekend GAF." The quality of discussion takes a nosedive on weekends because there's nothing to talk about with the news cycle on break. Posters take it upon themselves to regurgitate tired old topics. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people call Drake a murdering psychopath. Same retread and no new insight. Talk about beating a dead horse.
I filled in today's gaps with Chris Smoove's Watch Dog videos. Since I've watched the same missions being played three times already, I'm familiar with the content, but I'm impressed by his approach. It also demonstrates the flexibility of the mission design. That it allows for multiple approaches is cool. His playthrough is definitely the "smoothest" one I've seen so far.
Mario Kart 8 just came out and there's a lot of chatter about it. I don't care. I've never been a fan. I've never had memories of local MP steeped in nostalgia. Maybe if I had a more close knit group of friends, I'd change my tune, but my last experience with MK for the Wii was dismal, to say the least. It's one of those series that has zero pull for me.
I saw the latest episode of Game of Thrones and HOLY FU--(string of expletives)--IT!
I revisited a manga about a kid who can travel back in time and has to do it to save a girl he once knew and solve a murder in the present. I don't remember when I read it, but I was disappointed to see it advance so little with a couple chapters. It feels like ages since I read it.
Going with the time travel theme, I checked out another manga where the main character has to stay a virgin or he'll get killed by his friend in the future/present. He got killed and is sent back in time. But it's completely understandable why his friend would want to kill him. He's a smooth operator. A one-stop shop for ladies. When he gets close to girls, he is besieged by visions of death, not unlike Sora's violent reactions in Love Sick. Every once in a while, I come across resemblances like these and I'm reminded that my concept is in no way shape or form completely unique from all else.
But there's only 15 chapters so far and the last update was in March. Damn it! I'll let it rot in the meantime until a miracle comeback several months down the line.
/eventlog
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Event Log: 5/31/14 - PS Flashback
I finished off the Tenchu LP. It's a shame Troppus stopped making videos. I quite enjoyed his commentary. I looked up other LP's for the sequels but they don't hold a candle to his style. Watching it gave me a lot of backseat game design ideas. In a world with perfect AI, man... I would make the meanest stealth game ever. I'd imagine the reason why AI hasn't advanced beyond what we've already see in MGS2 is because there's no profit in it. Call of Duty shows you only need dummies in the campaign with lots of flash to make bucket loads of cash. What a shame.
I devoted a lot of time to shining up my latest update of Love Sick. I think it came out alright. I feel like the KH FF community is on Sudoku watch. No new games (aside from 2.5) and interest is dying. The lack of quality is catching up to output and there's a sense of fatigue I can't shake off. Maybe it's just me. I'm trying my best but the fish ain't biting. I'm swimming with the skeletons, man.
Trying to get DS4Tool to work was the dumbest thing I've had to do in the longest time. (Very long string of expletives). Finally got it to work. Had to re-install DirectX. That was an amazing pain in the ass. I checked my Visual Runtime, the Microsoft .NET framework, and 360 controller driver installation, and restarted my laptop twice before I finally found the solution online.
I wanted to use my PS4 controller with the PSX emulator. Watching someone play Tenchu and playing it for myself are two completely different experiences. The draw distance is killer. I'm constantly spotted by invisible guards and the camera system is really bad. I'm not sure I want to play it all the way through.
/eventlog
I devoted a lot of time to shining up my latest update of Love Sick. I think it came out alright. I feel like the KH FF community is on Sudoku watch. No new games (aside from 2.5) and interest is dying. The lack of quality is catching up to output and there's a sense of fatigue I can't shake off. Maybe it's just me. I'm trying my best but the fish ain't biting. I'm swimming with the skeletons, man.
Trying to get DS4Tool to work was the dumbest thing I've had to do in the longest time. (Very long string of expletives). Finally got it to work. Had to re-install DirectX. That was an amazing pain in the ass. I checked my Visual Runtime, the Microsoft .NET framework, and 360 controller driver installation, and restarted my laptop twice before I finally found the solution online.
I wanted to use my PS4 controller with the PSX emulator. Watching someone play Tenchu and playing it for myself are two completely different experiences. The draw distance is killer. I'm constantly spotted by invisible guards and the camera system is really bad. I'm not sure I want to play it all the way through.
/eventlog
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