The Phantom Pain

I am in love with this game. This is the MGS I've always imagined ever since playing MGS2, which blew me away back in the day. The difference between MGS and MGS2 was staggering, and I believe a similar shift just happened with MGSV.

As great as MGS3 and MGS4 were, they were fundamentally rooted in the template laid out by 2. Hell, you could say the entire series up until this point was anchored by the design principles of Metal Gear 2 on the MSX2.

MGSV completely rewrites the rules. This ain't no evolution, this is revolution. MGSV is the culmination of all the design elements from past entries. Simply put, this is the ultimate Metal Gear game.

If you're not enjoying MGSV, you're doing it wrong. The game is what you make of it. It's all about options, and not even the most optimal ones. Take joy in experimentation. Don't play how you think it should be played, play in every way possible. Think outside the box, or in the box, and with every box, because MGSV is the ultimate sandbox. 

The Phantom Platinum

It's a long and tough road to 100%. I've already sank in a hundred hours and I'm not even halfway done. I've halted progression in the campaign to set myself up for the finish line. I've completed all available side ops and I'm trying to S rank my previous missions and complete all tasks. Even though I'm only on Mission 24, I'm already seeing S rank soldiers in the field and I'm pulling them from completing main story missions. I haven't even broken 200k heroism. 

Right now, I'm in the process of farming materials. I've got a severe shortage of fuel and common metals, even with a FOB. I'm going to farm as many materials as I can and see how far I can S rank missions without hitting a development wall. The only thing stopping me right now are specialist skills that I'll have to pick up during the campaign. 

Once I get the ball rolling, I should cruise pass the 100% mark comfortably. I'm confident it won't take another 100 hours to get there. Once I research the highest levels of equipment, I should be able to break the game at my leisure. The only thing that worries me is capturing animals. Everything else I can brute force. Capturing animals is pretty RNG, and I'm getting terrible flashbacks to Peace Walker where I had to grind AI pods to make the perfect Metal Gear.

The things I do for gaming...

Late Night Drama

I need to get more sleep. Seriously. I shouldn't be starting J-dramas out of the blue on regular weeknights. I didn't get to bed until 5 in the morning, and I usually wake up at 7:40, so I'm running on less than three hours of sleep. That can't be healthy. I know what I have to do once I get home: hit the bed and forget everything. I can't afford to not sleep. I'm might die at this rate.

I've been on a tear lately. I've watched Last Cinderella, Partners by Blood, Tokyo Dogs, and I'm currently on Rich Man, Poor Woman. The reason I started watching was to get familiar with Japan before heading over there next year. It's cool seeing all the landmarks I'll be visiting like the Waco building, Nihonbashi bridge, and Tokyo Tower. One day, I can say to myself, "I was there."

I watch J-dramas for the cool guys and the cute girls. Japan pumps out shows like a well oiled machine. If there's an actor I like, there's a lot to see from them. Actors and actresses are pretty prolific and I see the same faces a lot. Right now, I like Shun Oguri, but the female lead in Rich Man, Poor Woman is gorgeous. Her character is annoying though. She's super passive but that's like 50% of all female characters in J-dramas. 

Ultimately, I watch something if the plot summary sounds interesting enough. It's funny how my taste has changed. I wanted to watch something with a strong female lead so I started with Last Cinderella. Then I felt like watching Tokyo detectives in action, hence Partners by Blood and Tokyo Dogs. I'll have to say that the most interesting aspect of Rich Man, Poor Woman is the business intrigue. It's certainly giving me more ideas for Mister Cinderella--I should probably start working on that soon.

The thing about these dramas is that they make me cry. I'm a sucker for the predictable emotional tugs, but what really gets me are those inspirational moments, not the sad ones. It's scenes like when the main character has all but given up but an ally comes out of nowhere to save the day. Friendship, family, and love--it just makes me think, "I wish I had someone like that."

Newer Is Not Always Better

Windows 10 is garbage. I wasted a whole day trying to undo the damage that the OS did on its own. Who on earth thought it was a good idea to force driver updates without any option to disable them individually? Thanks to this nonsense, my touchpad functionality and audio got screwed up, and no matter how many times I uninstall the drivers, Windows 10 brings it back like it's in style.

I don't need this BS. And since I "Reset," wiping out the Windows 8 installation I had previously, I'm gonna have to go back to factory reset. Worst OS ever. What the hell was Microsoft thinking?

Money

The past two weeks have been tumultuous for the stock market, to say the least. The extent of my involvement with that mess is limited to my Roth IRA. All my money is in an index fund, which means volatility won't affect me in the long run.

However, I dropped decent money to capitalize on the moment. I wasn't able to make the most efficient play, but we'll see how prices look three months from now. I'm already up way more than if I had stashed that cash into savings.

Kinda wish I did this when I had student loan money. I got into college when the economy bottomed out. If I had invested back then, my earnings would probably outpace interest.

If my recent planning frenzy about Japan has taught me anything, it's that enthusiasm can drive us to do great things. If I focused my energy into playing the stock market or finding a new job, I might reap some surprising results. Then again, my aversion to loss is borderline endemic. That's why I never gamble in Vegas.

While my usual effort may be average, I'm finding out that I'm nearly unstoppable when inspired. My current state of inspiration has been inspiring in of itself. I feel like I can do anything.

The important thing is to not get too high. I want to maintain velocity but if I overreach, I may end up crashing instead. You gotta play that delicate balance between ambition and ability. Despite my vigor, there is still much room for improvement.