It's the last day of the month when I regularly take stock of my achievements, accomplishments, and--no, not really. It's a day like any other, well, that's not true either. It's a Thursday, and I generally dislike Thursdays because these are the days I go running. Anticipation is always much worse than the actual event, because every time I finish my run, I feel pretty damn good--invincible even. The only time I feel like this is when I'm trying to sleep. It's like all my inhibitions break down and the only thing left is wild ambition. Maybe I should start running all over the place or sleep everywhere to maintain this endorphin drip.
Perhaps it's because the only thing I can do in these situations is think. Anything to keep the mind off the body. When my brain wanders, strange things begin to happen. That conscious barrier that prevents us from acting because of embarrassment or any other illusive social obstacle, evaporates from the sheer heat of my intense thought. On the way home, I called out to a stranger below me when I was crossing a bridge. "Hey!" And I waved. He waved back. I don't do random stuff like that, but because I was high on the moment, I went ahead and did it. I skipped past the hesitation and Nike'd it--just do it, baby.
When you think about it--what is there to lose? What is the price of embarrassment? Nothing. Maybe it's a bad memory, but it'll fade, because nobody will remember it, and even if they do, you'll just be a fragment in someone's else's imagination. With the world laid bare under my post-run euphoria, all the things we get hung up on become ridiculous and trivial. If I could capture that feeling for all the moments that mattered, I'll be a beast of outlandish proportions. There's no limit to what I can achieve.
Maybe that's why when I got home, I cranked up my production. I shot off a few job applications and finally finished my post about my time at ImagingBiz on my professional website. Then I uploaded a bunch of old work, including all my stories from college. I have to be proud of them. I have to be willing to show it off because it's evidence of my skill. There's still more I have to do, but I know I can do it. That's the kind of guy I am. Slowly but surely, I'm getting to where I want to be.
Once I let go of the idea that everything I do has to be meaningful or successful, I was liberated from my own expectations. I do what I do because I want to and because I have to, not because I'm forced to. There's a distinction there, an important one.
As to the actual activities of my day, I continued watching A-Channel. I started it last night on my phone. It's a breezy little anime that follows in the vein of Yuri Yuri. Just a slice of life for a bunch of schoolgirls. It's a perfected formula at this point. There's always a dark-haired, sensible, and easily embarrassed girl in these shows/manga. I'd say more but I'd be exposing myself to scrutiny I'd rather avoid. It's not like I have a whole collection of figurines in my closet or anything, I swear!
I'm in a lull right now. I'm not in any particular cycle. Usually, I'm either:
1. In a manga kick
2. An anime addiction
3. A TV show marathon
4. A movie run
5. Deep in gaming
I think I just started a new cycle:
6. Oozing productivity
Benchmark Alert: This is my 400th post! Go me.
/eventlog
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Event Log: 7/30/14 - Boot Scan
Every once in a while, it's a good idea to run a boot scan on your system. You never know when something nasty is hiding in your system folders. The reason I initiated one was because my browser was hijacked by those sites that refuse to let you escape with an endless loop of prompt windows that pop up again and again. Whoever created this technology deserves to be punched in the face repeatedly. This kind of cyber terrorism is truly heinous in my mind. I can't think of anything more sinister, aside from those viruses that hold your harddrive ransom for bitcoins. That stuff is next level villainy, I swear.
With my laptop out of commission, I was forced to improvise. I started up Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse on PS3. I beat the tutorial mission and discovered that I didn't have the unlock key. So I downloaded it and was forced to replay the tutorial mission again. What a hassle. I don't know if it's the heat, but Telltale games do not agree with me. Maybe I've been playing too much Destiny where the only thing I had to think about was how to shoot things in the face. Knowing I have another four chapters like this waiting doesn't make things any easier. I tried my best to advance but ended up hitting a wall. I saved and turned it off.
Luckily, my boot scan completed and I could use the computer again. I decided to watch this anime called Kasimasi - Girl Meets Girl, about a guy who turns into a girl. An alien ship accidentally barrels into him and they reconstruct his body with one slight side effect--the sex change. Even though it sounds like a hilarious shounen set up, it's actually a fairly dramatic and serious shoujo ai. At this point, I'm just watching it because I already started it, not because it's incredibly compelling or anything like that. My completionist streak takes me to a lot of places I wish I hadn't looked at.
In the evening, I went to Hometown Buffet with family and relatives. Buffets are definitely not my thing. My current diet is based on frequent meals but smaller portions. It's like feeding a small furnace. You can't put a whole lot in at once, but I burn hot and fast. In a buffet though? We'll have what's called a "logjam." Your standard America-sized portion in any restaurant far exceeds my capacity. That's why when I go out, I rarely clean up my plate. I think I'll exclusively order appetizers from now on. Those actually fill me up.
I enjoyed my food. It's not stellar, but I'm no foodie. My palate isn't sophisticated enough to appreciate fine cuisine. I've been to several expensive restaurants before, and all I can say is that I'd rather have eaten something cheap and filling instead. I know what I like, but what I like sometimes ain't worth the cost of admission.
Tabletop conversation mostly revolved around washing cars since my two brothers got new cars of their own. It's kind of annoying since I don't care about my car's appearance. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. There's actually a lot I don't care about that I probably should start caring about, like my wardrobe. I think I've got my priorities straight. I shouldn't really care about it since I can't afford to. I should be trying to, you know, get a job first.
/eventlog
With my laptop out of commission, I was forced to improvise. I started up Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse on PS3. I beat the tutorial mission and discovered that I didn't have the unlock key. So I downloaded it and was forced to replay the tutorial mission again. What a hassle. I don't know if it's the heat, but Telltale games do not agree with me. Maybe I've been playing too much Destiny where the only thing I had to think about was how to shoot things in the face. Knowing I have another four chapters like this waiting doesn't make things any easier. I tried my best to advance but ended up hitting a wall. I saved and turned it off.
Luckily, my boot scan completed and I could use the computer again. I decided to watch this anime called Kasimasi - Girl Meets Girl, about a guy who turns into a girl. An alien ship accidentally barrels into him and they reconstruct his body with one slight side effect--the sex change. Even though it sounds like a hilarious shounen set up, it's actually a fairly dramatic and serious shoujo ai. At this point, I'm just watching it because I already started it, not because it's incredibly compelling or anything like that. My completionist streak takes me to a lot of places I wish I hadn't looked at.
In the evening, I went to Hometown Buffet with family and relatives. Buffets are definitely not my thing. My current diet is based on frequent meals but smaller portions. It's like feeding a small furnace. You can't put a whole lot in at once, but I burn hot and fast. In a buffet though? We'll have what's called a "logjam." Your standard America-sized portion in any restaurant far exceeds my capacity. That's why when I go out, I rarely clean up my plate. I think I'll exclusively order appetizers from now on. Those actually fill me up.
I enjoyed my food. It's not stellar, but I'm no foodie. My palate isn't sophisticated enough to appreciate fine cuisine. I've been to several expensive restaurants before, and all I can say is that I'd rather have eaten something cheap and filling instead. I know what I like, but what I like sometimes ain't worth the cost of admission.
Tabletop conversation mostly revolved around washing cars since my two brothers got new cars of their own. It's kind of annoying since I don't care about my car's appearance. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. There's actually a lot I don't care about that I probably should start caring about, like my wardrobe. I think I've got my priorities straight. I shouldn't really care about it since I can't afford to. I should be trying to, you know, get a job first.
/eventlog
Event Log: 7/29/14 - Fudged
I woke up a lot earlier than usual to help my dad out with a delivery. I was supposed to drive in my own car, but my brothers were blocking the driveway. I hitched a ride with my oldest brother who regularly helps out at the shop. Considering I've been going to bed at around 4 these nights, I wasn't in the best of condition. We were delivering a table top and metal base to San Clemente. Riding in the back of a pickup, tired and hungry, with bad seating was a killer combination. The nausea gained on me quickly. When we arrived at the house, it was pretty spectacular. Just see for yourself.
The view behind the house was even better. It was a balcony that overlooked a deep valley. There were a line of homes on the other side. It was a gorgeous, luscious, green ravine. Damn rich people. The customer works in Hollywood. Guess that explains it.
 |
| That's the ocean in the horizon. |
It was a simple task. Carry the stuff in. The only difficult part was the weight, but with three people, we were able to handle it. The job was finished in less than twenty minutes.
I got home in time to catch an email from a prospective employer. He wanted a phone interview at 3. I tried to cram in as much knowledge as I could, but when the time came, I knew I wasn't prepared. I wish I could take back that interview. Phones are just not my thing. I need a stage to show off my best. It's hard to get a read when I all have is a disembodied voice.
If I'm lucky, I secured an additional interview for next week, but after that dreadful performance, I'm not so sure. I've already thought up a storm of things I can literally bring to the table, but I need to know whether or not I should work on something to show off. If I get a polite rejection letter, then that's that. No effort wasted. But if I get another chance, then I'm gonna have to work overtime. Let's see how things will turn out. I'm not going to put all my eggs in one basket. That's just irresponsible.
I went out to run because there was hazy cloud cover. It was still hot as hell outside, but it could've been a lot worse. I might as well take advantage of it. I was a little out of sync. Near the end of my walk, I really had to hold it in. I made it eventually.
I tried to lull myself to sleep via a stream of The Last of Us Remastered on Grounded difficulty, the hardest mode in the game. I really wanted to get it but I'm waiting on a good deal. I've already played it on PS3, so I can afford to be patient. I just want to maximize my Target Gift card.
/eventlog
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Event Log: 7/28/14 - SHAREfactory
I would normally write off today as a loss since I didn't do anything conducive to getting a job, but I can't say I wasn't productive. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I powered up my PS4 and checked out SHAREfactory for the first time. Behold, the results of my work:
And there's more where that came from. I went through my archive from NBA2K and made videos of that too. I spent a lot of time familiarizing myself with the tools. It's a surprisingly robust editor with intuitive controls. I thought it would suck using the PS4 controller to edit, trim, and operate other functions, but it works well.
I watched my work over a dozen times already. I haven't edited videos in a long time, so I haven't felt this satisfaction in a while. Videos are the content of choice of these days. People make a living off of Youtube. For a writer like me, I feel outclassed. This experience reaffirms to me the importance of quality from the source. Despite all the fancy transitions and effects SHAREfactory offers, the most compelling part of the package is the video content itself.
I take pride in my work because it offers a little bit of everything. You got infantry action, grenades, vehicles, shotguns, killing sprees, and great snipes. The first kill you see in the video is actually my first kill ever in BF4. Can't think of a better way to kick off my reign of terror. Everything is cleanly edited, seamless, and it goes well with the music. This is my style. Too often, amateur auteurs get caught up in filters and useless effects. I always keep it simple. It's the best way to do things.
I also wrote a lot of stuff for Tumblr. It's been a famine of Likes lately, so I wanted to increase my content production. I don't know how long I can keep it up, but as long as I get an interesting idea, I'll post it.
/eventlog
And there's more where that came from. I went through my archive from NBA2K and made videos of that too. I spent a lot of time familiarizing myself with the tools. It's a surprisingly robust editor with intuitive controls. I thought it would suck using the PS4 controller to edit, trim, and operate other functions, but it works well.
I watched my work over a dozen times already. I haven't edited videos in a long time, so I haven't felt this satisfaction in a while. Videos are the content of choice of these days. People make a living off of Youtube. For a writer like me, I feel outclassed. This experience reaffirms to me the importance of quality from the source. Despite all the fancy transitions and effects SHAREfactory offers, the most compelling part of the package is the video content itself.
I take pride in my work because it offers a little bit of everything. You got infantry action, grenades, vehicles, shotguns, killing sprees, and great snipes. The first kill you see in the video is actually my first kill ever in BF4. Can't think of a better way to kick off my reign of terror. Everything is cleanly edited, seamless, and it goes well with the music. This is my style. Too often, amateur auteurs get caught up in filters and useless effects. I always keep it simple. It's the best way to do things.
I also wrote a lot of stuff for Tumblr. It's been a famine of Likes lately, so I wanted to increase my content production. I don't know how long I can keep it up, but as long as I get an interesting idea, I'll post it.
/eventlog
Event Log: 7/27/14 - Au Revoir
All good things must come to an end. The Destiny beta is officially over. I put in about 46 hours. For something I downloaded for free, that's some quality playtime. It's a foregone conclusion that I'm buying the full release. I haven't bought anything from Activision in years, but I'm gonna have to shell out for Destiny. The game is just that good. Not only that, but I'm gonna spring for the Digital Guardian Edition, which costs almost $100. I paid a bit more for BF4 and Premium and I almost got 200 hours out of it, so I'm not worried about the dollar to hour ratio. If I get a job in time, it's all moot anyways.
Fortunately, I was able to squeeze in some last minute gameplay before the servers went kaput. I was in the middle of a three-kill streak. Not a bad way to go, especially after shotgunning someone in the face. Good times. I almost burned myself out on the beta, so this break is definitely welcomed. Hopefully, I'll be able to cross out a few games in my backlog before September 9th.
With Destiny out of the picture, I hit up my friend for some Dragon's Teeth gnashing action. It was weird. Aside from the first game, we won everything. All the matches were really close though. I would call them uncomfortable wins. I mean, yeah, we got the "W," but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. They weren't satisfying. I was more stressed than anything. I was also playing out of character, trying to do things I normally wouldn't like sniping or using the shotgun. Sometimes, you gotta fall back on old reliable. I did criminally average. By the end, I unlocked the bulldog assault rifle that I keep getting killed by. Not today, but soon enough, I'll be able to see what this bad boy is capable of.
I watched a past broadcast of Ninja's stream to wean myself off. There are still traces of Destiny flowing through my veins. Gotta get purged.
/eventlog
Fortunately, I was able to squeeze in some last minute gameplay before the servers went kaput. I was in the middle of a three-kill streak. Not a bad way to go, especially after shotgunning someone in the face. Good times. I almost burned myself out on the beta, so this break is definitely welcomed. Hopefully, I'll be able to cross out a few games in my backlog before September 9th.
With Destiny out of the picture, I hit up my friend for some Dragon's Teeth gnashing action. It was weird. Aside from the first game, we won everything. All the matches were really close though. I would call them uncomfortable wins. I mean, yeah, we got the "W," but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. They weren't satisfying. I was more stressed than anything. I was also playing out of character, trying to do things I normally wouldn't like sniping or using the shotgun. Sometimes, you gotta fall back on old reliable. I did criminally average. By the end, I unlocked the bulldog assault rifle that I keep getting killed by. Not today, but soon enough, I'll be able to see what this bad boy is capable of.
I watched a past broadcast of Ninja's stream to wean myself off. There are still traces of Destiny flowing through my veins. Gotta get purged.
/eventlog
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Event Log: 7/26/14 - It's All Connected
It has come to my attention that my Event Logs may be reaching more people than I anticipated. I mean, sure, Blogger has tools that tell me how many views each post has, but I've always attributed those numbers to crawlers. I'm just occupying my own little pocket in this vast online universe. I don't know how to feel about that.
One of the reasons I have no problems spelling out the little details of my insignificant life is because I know that nobody's paying attention. If that's the case, you're probably wondering why I don't keep this private. That's because I'd like to leave something for someone to discover off the beaten path, and let me tell you, you'd have to stray pretty damn far to find me.
Unfortunately, it's all connected. That's the thing about using Google; it shoves all of its services down your throat. All my accounts are linked together. I throw a pebble in the pond and it'll make some tree five miles away fall down because of that butterfly effect. Imagine my surprise when my friend, having gotten his new phone and now fully invested in the Android ecosystem, has full access to my Event Logs because of that Google+ connection.
On to my actual day, I can't really say much. There was a special event in the Destiny Beta. A story mission on the moon was opened up for our pleasure. Logging in during this time period also rewarded me with a special emblem for use in the full retail version. I don't put too much stock in these trinkets. I'll probably replace it with something cooler in the real game anyways. I spent some time exploring the moon map after beating the mission a couple times. I didn't want to dig too deep. Gotta save some of it for the real thing.
Then I watched Ninja's stream of Destiny to pass the time until my friends and I could go hit some pizza place in Fullerton. They sure took their sweet time. I almost fell asleep waiting for them. So we went out and ate the pizza. Thing cost me twenty bucks. It was good, but I think I'd rather KBBQ that twenty bucks instead. I made an impromptu decision to get ramen for my birthday. I've been looking up this Shinsengumi place and I like what I see. Anyone who's ever seen Rurouni Kenshin knows who the Shinsengumi are.
Slay. All. Evil.
Afterwards, we went to a friend's place and drank and then watched YouTube videos on the horrible interface that is the Xbox One. It was slightly more fun than it actually sounds. Then again, anything's more fun when you're drunk. I tried my best to convince my friends to throw caution into the wind and dive into the definitive Vegas trip that we're all holding our breaths for. Don't think about it too much, man. Just do it.
When I got home, I played a couple matches in Destiny. My winning percentage wasn't that bad, considering I was playing with randoms. You lose some, you win some, but in all cases, I carried my team. It's frustrating when you're the best one. Like I said earlier, my comfortable spot is in second place, because it means that there's someone much better than me, and since I carry most times, me plus one other professional might be enough to ensure victory.
The Destiny Beta will be ending soon. When it does, it'll finally be time to get back into business. I'm gonna go crazy next week. No time for dawdling. I'm pulling out all the stops. The world best prepare itself, because I'm not gonna back down.
/eventlog
One of the reasons I have no problems spelling out the little details of my insignificant life is because I know that nobody's paying attention. If that's the case, you're probably wondering why I don't keep this private. That's because I'd like to leave something for someone to discover off the beaten path, and let me tell you, you'd have to stray pretty damn far to find me.
Unfortunately, it's all connected. That's the thing about using Google; it shoves all of its services down your throat. All my accounts are linked together. I throw a pebble in the pond and it'll make some tree five miles away fall down because of that butterfly effect. Imagine my surprise when my friend, having gotten his new phone and now fully invested in the Android ecosystem, has full access to my Event Logs because of that Google+ connection.
On to my actual day, I can't really say much. There was a special event in the Destiny Beta. A story mission on the moon was opened up for our pleasure. Logging in during this time period also rewarded me with a special emblem for use in the full retail version. I don't put too much stock in these trinkets. I'll probably replace it with something cooler in the real game anyways. I spent some time exploring the moon map after beating the mission a couple times. I didn't want to dig too deep. Gotta save some of it for the real thing.
Then I watched Ninja's stream of Destiny to pass the time until my friends and I could go hit some pizza place in Fullerton. They sure took their sweet time. I almost fell asleep waiting for them. So we went out and ate the pizza. Thing cost me twenty bucks. It was good, but I think I'd rather KBBQ that twenty bucks instead. I made an impromptu decision to get ramen for my birthday. I've been looking up this Shinsengumi place and I like what I see. Anyone who's ever seen Rurouni Kenshin knows who the Shinsengumi are.
Slay. All. Evil.
Afterwards, we went to a friend's place and drank and then watched YouTube videos on the horrible interface that is the Xbox One. It was slightly more fun than it actually sounds. Then again, anything's more fun when you're drunk. I tried my best to convince my friends to throw caution into the wind and dive into the definitive Vegas trip that we're all holding our breaths for. Don't think about it too much, man. Just do it.
When I got home, I played a couple matches in Destiny. My winning percentage wasn't that bad, considering I was playing with randoms. You lose some, you win some, but in all cases, I carried my team. It's frustrating when you're the best one. Like I said earlier, my comfortable spot is in second place, because it means that there's someone much better than me, and since I carry most times, me plus one other professional might be enough to ensure victory.
The Destiny Beta will be ending soon. When it does, it'll finally be time to get back into business. I'm gonna go crazy next week. No time for dawdling. I'm pulling out all the stops. The world best prepare itself, because I'm not gonna back down.
/eventlog
Event Log: 7/25/14 - The Deadliest Zones
The Dead Zone marathon.
I damn near completed the entire second season today. It takes a lot to disrupt my activity cycles. For a moment there, I thought I was gonna dive back into my manga kick, but no. The Dead Zone won out above all. I like the show, but it's probably because I like the premise more than the actual content.
You know when you watch something and the idea is amazing but the execution is just a few steps shy of greatness? It's like The Walking Dead. The raw material is there, but rarely does everything come together the way you want it to. Even if it falls short of true greatness, it's still a worthy watch. It's just too bad the series ended on an inconclusive note. I hate ate cliffhanger series finales. I suppose I'll just use the movie as a substitute ending. That was where things were trending anyways.
I have, if nothing else, a grand imagination. So even if things are left unresolved, my mind will take care of the rest.
/eventlog
I damn near completed the entire second season today. It takes a lot to disrupt my activity cycles. For a moment there, I thought I was gonna dive back into my manga kick, but no. The Dead Zone won out above all. I like the show, but it's probably because I like the premise more than the actual content.
You know when you watch something and the idea is amazing but the execution is just a few steps shy of greatness? It's like The Walking Dead. The raw material is there, but rarely does everything come together the way you want it to. Even if it falls short of true greatness, it's still a worthy watch. It's just too bad the series ended on an inconclusive note. I hate ate cliffhanger series finales. I suppose I'll just use the movie as a substitute ending. That was where things were trending anyways.
I have, if nothing else, a grand imagination. So even if things are left unresolved, my mind will take care of the rest.
/eventlog
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