Two Months Down...

When I looked at today's date, I realized that it's officially been two months since I started this little blog of mine.
And then it hit me - I've posted something on this thing once each day for the past two months.

Awesome. I've been keeping tabs with my New Year's resolution. Two months down; ten to go!



Well, I'm still getting over my sickness (all that's left is an annoyingly lingering cough), so I probably won't type much else on here.

However, I think it's safe to say that things will be looking up come next month... between Spring Break coming up soon (seriously, this early...?) a potentially deadly game of Assassin I'll have to be moderating soon, and some other random cool stuff, it'll be fun.

Don't you think?

Sleep

There is nothing so great in the world as sleep.

You can just relax and all of life's problems and nuances go away.

I've been testing this theory all day, and I'm enjoying it.

Now let me go enjoy it some more...

Ditty

I think it's becoming habit that I do a last-second ditty like this one before I go to work.

I think that habit also needs to stop.

But in other news, I have the Assassin rules pretty much lined up for completion by tomorrow. I'm excited.

Anyway, off to work I go!

Listing the Optimism

It's a sad day when I wake up and totally forget it's a pay day for me.
By all accounts, that usually means that a good 90%+ of it is going straight to bills because the hours on the thing weren't enough.

But that's okay - first quarter of the year's usually like that for the retail world, and after getting over all that jazz (both first quarter and my frighteningly horribly sickness), I foresee a better change coming up in March.



I think it's changing for the better for a few reasons:

1. Groundhog Day (early spring, woot)
2. Five Guys for lunch (because any day I eat Five Guys burgers has to be a good day)
3. I'm not reading a negative vibe from me or the city yet* (...what?)
4. We're not dead yet (woot - thank your chosen entity here)
5. ...what was five?

Well, weird reasons, but hey - if it's keeping me upbeat, then it's gotta be good.
And speaking of good, I hope y'all have a good day as well!



* = "'Reading a negative vibe?' Uhm, Josh, what the hell are you smoking?" Nothing. It seems weird, but I usually feel a connection in the air that I can gauge emotions off of. You know how people say they can read the energy coming off from another person... how they can read "vibes" or something like that? Well, as crazy as it sounds, I think I have it a little bit. Granted, it's not the most finely-tuned ability in my arsenal, but I'm usually spot-on when I'm focused enough.

Coughing Omens

I'm just about done with my sickness! I'm SO happy!

However, all I have is a violent cough that shows up like every five minutes.

Either it's a sign that the worst is about to be over... or something foreboding is to come.

We'll see, right? *coughs violently*

Hungry Goals

I really wish I had all the time in the world... I have so much stuff I want done and yet I have such little time.

Sometimes I think I'm a bit of an overachiever. (Okay, I'll be frank: I am an overachiever.)
All these things I want done... and I set a highly-ridiculous bar for myself that I can never reach.
And then I don't finish, and I collapse emotionally, and I start thrashing all over the place, and...



...and... ...and I want food.
I'm hungry.



(This is a public service announcement encouraging you readers out there - if you even exist - to eat. Hunger pangs will make you rant in all sorts of depressing manners.)

The Source of The Sickness

As I recovered from my sudden flu-like illness, my mind began to function like it usually does.
And with normal brain function comes simple conclusions as to the source of my ailing.

And no... not that Sickness. That's a whole different kind of Sickness...
(And if you haven't figured out that that was a Disturbed reference, either you're dense or you don't like them. =P)



So Friday night I ended up helping out in the Electronics department for a while.
After clocking out, I headed out and got into my car.
I was about to take off when I noticed that I still had some store electronic keys on me.
So I got out and walked over to the team member entrance and tried ringing the bell.
Took like ten minutes* for someone to respond.
In-between that, I got rained on. Hard. It was stormy all weekend, and getting caught in the open rain just sucked.

* = Five, really, but ten seems like a better-sounding story.



So, for those of you whose parents warn to not get caught in the rain... heed my story and do NOT let yourself get caught in the rain (unless you like that sort of thing). It'll do your health well.

Sickness: Day Three

Day three... and I'm still feeling like crap.
Fortunately, I'm not in a condition where I'm forced to be bedridden or motionless 85%+ of the time.

Hopefully, work doesn't aggravate my condition...

Day Two

Day two of being sick, and I'm feeling miserable.
I can't eat; I can barely drink anything, ibuprofen's effects are delayed in my body.
My eyes hurt; my body aches; and no matter how hard I try, I can't sleep.

*sigh* I just need to get over this...

SICK!?

Being sick sucks.
Between a high fever and a headache, I'm not sure if I can focus on anything.

Besides, it sucks. *cough*

I don't wanna be sick!

All-Caps Public Service Announcement

I DON'T WANNA GO TO WORK! 


That is all, everyone. Oh, well. Work will probably be fun, anyways, right? =D

On another note:
FIVE GUYS = TEH AWESOME

A Beached Entry

(Author's Note: This was composed earlier today while I was at the beach. As I couldn't think of anything to put here on today's entry, I figured I'd slap this on. =D)



There's something invigorating about relaxing at the beachfront on a (mostly) sunny day.
A soft breeze peppered with the scent of ocean salt cooling you while the heat of the sun bathes you with just the right amount of its radiance.
The rolling roar of the tides, constantly pushing and pulling against the sands.

The feeling of calm and serenity enveloping you and melting away all of life, leaving only the beachfront and your soul.



I love trips to the beachfront. Not only do you get to experience the sensations I listed above, but it also grants you a gift of time.
Of course, how one spends their time can and will vary.
Some will want to invite their friends and call it a "beach day."
Some will go along with the tide line and take a walk (friends and pets optional).
Some will just find something nice and dry to sit on and meditate as they stare off into the sparkling water.
Some will practice balance and crane kicks as the sun slowly sets.
Granted, very few of us will actually go to the beach and try to act like Mister Miyagi from The Karate Kid, but I'm certain 90%+* of anyone that goes to the beach will go for the other three activities.

* = Heaven forbid you're part of the 10%- who are there for OTHER reasons... including (but not limited to) photo opportunities, a shipwreck, getting a nice pair of cement shoes, disposing a corpse, and staging an amphibious beach landing akin to Normandy 1944.



Personally, I'm a fan of staying sand-side. I both respect and fear its icy charms - I love water's metaphorical cleansing and renewal properties, but I hate the fact that I'm aquaphobic.
Despite that, a beach trip puts my mind at ease whenever I stare off into the aquatic beyond.



So, if you're lucky enough to live relatively close to a beachfront (and if you haven't gone in a while), I suggest taking some time to go there and just walk around (or do what I did and stand on a rock looking into the ocean). It'll do you wonders - especially if you're not having a good day.

However, if you don't live near a beachfront... MOVE TO SOMEPLACE THAT DOES. Heh

Not So Daft Now, Eh, Punks?

I'll be honest - today's entry has nothing to do with the title. I just thought it was snazzy and stupidly silly enough to warrant its usage.
It's due to the fact that as I was trying to figure out what to type, Daft Punk started playing.

(Kudos to anyone who saw the reference before I had to explain it.



Current Music:
Daft Punk - "Around the World"
Homework

See?

But anyway, it's such a mellow and laid-back song. Kinda like how today was.
Hence, it was fitting.





Lazy days are sometimes some of the best things that can happen to anyone.
The strife that life burdens you with just go away for that moment and for a while, peace is instilled in your heart and mind.

Music helps a lot.

For me, it wasn't just listening to music that got me in a calm and serene mood today - it was also the process of sorting it.
I have a bunch of music on me, and I can never seem to bring myself to sort it all.
Granted, it's a rather large project - one that could take me weeks (I'm serious.) - so I'm in no rush or drive to finish any of it all any time soon.



But today... oh, I don't know. Today feels good. Back to more feel-good stuffs and music-sorting!

Round 21... FIGHT!

After a long and interestingly entertaining day... I for some reason have this urge to go play old games I haven't touched in a while.

It's like those feelings of nostalgia you get when you try something new.

Case in point: I was at my local GameStop today and I tried out Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.
It's a really great game from what I felt of it, and if I had an XBox 360 or a PlayStation 3, I'd totally have my hands on it right now.
Seeing as how I don't, I instead marveled at its awesomeness as I tore people up*.

It got me thinking and reminiscing on my old fighting games I used to play - Soulcalibur III (mained as Cassandra), Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (Jax all the way), and others.
So here I am, dusting off the PS2 and enjoying them like old times.

I miss those days. Hehehe. Guess I shouldn't have wished to grow up so fast, huh?



* = I toyed around with characters, and so far my team looks like Ryu, Morrigan, and Wolverine. Yeah, I know - shoto, seductive, super-cheap - but I was doing rather well. If they toss in more characters in the DLC (here's hoping Cammy, Zangief and Gambit make it in), then I'm sold.

February 14 - Is It Just Another Day?

I look at the calendar today and take a deep breath, for the floodgates of chaos have opened.

February 14 - the day most countries regard as "Valentine's Day."

A day some others (the singles' crowd, more often than not) instead refer to it as "Singles' Awareness Day."

A day that the apathetic ignore and go about their lives as normal. (I envy them sometimes.)

A day some very few people have the (un)fortunate luck of being born on.

A day that has been over-glorified as THE day to celebrate love. (It isn't.)

A day now capitalized and corrupted by the greeting card, jewelry, confectionery and (in some circles,) lingerie companies that bend the sheep of the world into thinking that shoving pretty-in-pink/red/(insert-in-between-colors-here) crap into the hands of their significant others signifies love.

A day that the more materialistic of these sheep believe in the formula:
"February 14 + Chocolates/Jewelry (anything else, really, but it's usually these two) + Super-Cliché Declaration of (Real) Love = Celebratory Sex"

A day that takes the above formula, discombobulates the order, strips out the "love" factor entirely, and shortens it down to:
"Valentine's-Themed Crap = Sex on February 14"

A day that chivalry, eloquence and honor usually cite as ending dates on their tombstones.

A day where normal people turn into the most vile and diseased of assholes when they stampede their way across their living zones and leave a wake of destruction in search of "that perfect gift" for their significant other. (Retail workers: you can vouch for this.)

A day where "that perfect gift" is completely unnecessary (due to it being give-able on just about any other day of the year) and yet we've been driven into believing "your significant other HAS to get something 'perfect' on this day OR ELSE."

A day retail workers (well, anyone, really, but retail workers get front-row seats) laugh at others who "forgot" to get their significant other "that perfect gift" and turn February 14 into "Winter Holidays: the Sequel" when their aggression rises after realizing they can't get that (insert overstuffed description of some Valentine's-themed object here) and act like those jackass holiday shoppers in response.

A day that sometimes acts as a test to love - a "pass or fail" moment where a relationship (existing, blossoming or potential) is either strengthened or proven to be star-crossed.

A day where the rebellious few who not only celebrate "Valentine's" but actually know what the mythical term "true love" is sneer upon the perceived "sellouts" that subscribe to the two formulas listed above and keep the myth of a dimly-lit torch alive in these morally dark times.

A day where those who view it as "Singles' Awareness Day" flag their true colors - why they choose to follow this alternate path of celebration.

A day where the more vengeful (due to a bitter romance, a recent break-up, immaturity, emotional incompetence, inability to score with anyone, or any antagonistic views on love) of "Singles' Awareness" celebrants treat February 14 akin to a fraternity/sorority party and go on their day blinding themselves from the truth.

A day that the more vengeful who aren't blind amplify their negativity - where levels cynicism and hatred run abnormally high as envy courses its way through their veins as they (openly) express their loathing of this day.

A day that the very few (hopeless) romantics that celebrate "Singles' Awareness" just want others to realize that those whining about relationships and panicking over February 14 have it lucky compared to the genuinely hurt, lost and lonely souls that know the hidden meaning behind today.

A day that said romantics put on a brave face for their friends and family and act completely jovial while the romantic escapades of those around them torture their souls in an incomprehensible way, ripping voids in their hearts and leaving them depressed in the dark.



A day where I...



*sigh* I can't finish that sentence. As much as I want to take my own mask of happiness and put in on for the sake of not destroying everyone else's day, I know that this day is taxing on the psyche.

By finishing that sentence, I think it would just leave me... vulner...able...

*snaps fingers* That's it!



A day where I... ...am vulnerable.

Going Nowhere is Going Somewhere

Have you ever had one of those projects (school-related or otherwise) where no matter how much effort you put into it, it doesn't feel complete... or even right?
To the artistic types out there who read this, you know the feeling - that missing something that seems to constantly elude us to the point of leaving us wondering if this something is mere myth.

I currently have one of those projects on my plate.

It's an old poem I started writing for a Creative Writing class I took a few years back.
Technically, it's finished, but it lacks focus... lacks the emotion-inducing feeling I want it to instill into the reader.
Layman's terms: I don't think it has substance.

Of course, a good portion of the reason behind me feeling this way is the age-old "artist's curse" - how we are our own worst critics.
While this is true, something else is my mind is nagging me that there is something missing...



...and unfortunately, I don't know what.



All afternoon and evening at work it's been driving me nuts... and while I've gotten nowhere with the project, I think I'm one step closer to finishing it, even though it looks as though I've gone nowhere.

Quite an odd feeling, isn't it?

Literary Meditation

Some days I wake up and stare at an empty piece of paper or an empty word processing document and find myself unable to come with a single thing to write about.
It's an agonizing feeling writers have - that fine line between "I want to write" and "I'm writing something" that we just can't cross sometimes for unknown reasons.
While some may claim writer's block* or lack of muse and just leave to do something else (usually to find inspiration), most others end up having a staring contest with the paper or computer screen... and lose.

Today's one of those days.

On a day like this, I would probably be yelling at myself or pulling out my hair... but today I'm remaining calm about it.
It's a rare time when a writer who would normally freak out or just leave the area decides to just meditate on the issue at hand and realize that maybe today doesn't have it all yet.
By that, I mean that we may not have an idea in our heads yet, but at the same time we'll just let whatever flows into our mind flow into our fingertips as we write or type.

Letting the world flow through you... to let it guide your hands and help you mold a literary piece of art... it's a pretty rewarding feeling when the piece is finally finished.

Thus far, I've probably had these kinds of moments... I'd say about thrice before today. Granted, that may not seem like a lot, but when you factor in the fact that I've been writing since middle school... that's a looooong while.



So, world... let's see what you can offer to me and my muses... *closes eyes and adopts a meditative stance*

A Delicious Discovery

So today I hung out with some of my friends and we went to get food.
And not just any food... but Five Guys.

To those of you who live under a rock that rivals my own, Five Guys is a fast casual restaurant chain that serves burgers and hot dogs.

I'm going to be honest: I've never been to a Five Guys before, and frankly, I regret that.
Yeah, go ahead and make fun of me and my rock. Eh. I just think that discovering something new is always a good thing.

So when I went inside, after being told it was a delicious burger joint, I was prepared for a good burger.
I looked around and saw bags of potatoes and boxes of peanuts and peanut oil stacked in a faux line barricade... found that to be clever.
I checked the wall decor and found lots of magazine and newspaper articles and reviews listing Five Guys and their reputation which somehow eluded me for the past 21.5 years.
I ordered my meal* and sat down, chewing on peanuts and chatting with my buddies.
I thought this was gonna be a pretty tasty meal.

But Five Guys blew my initial perception out of the water and presented me with what could possibly be the best burger I've had so far.
I'm not kidding - when something hits you with a terrific torrent of delectable taste for the first time in your life, you can't help but react appropriately.
Some people make the loudest "MMM!" sound they've made all year; some stare at their food wide-eyed in amazement; some others hound their food down with great joy and gusto only to sink sadly in their chair when they're at their last bite.

My friends who were there can verify that I performed all three. Trust me when I say "It's THAT good." *nods*

(* = For those of you wondering what I got for my very first Five Guys meal: bacon cheeseburger, all the way minus pickles. WOW.)





If there's a lesson to be learned in all this, I present it to you now:
Eat a Five Guys burger. Unless you're a pent-up vegan/vegetarian*, you won't regret it.





(* = You a vegan/vegetarian? Don't worry; they serve burgers without the burger mean. Sounds redundant, but trust me - it's still going to taste deliciously awesome.)

Not "Sparky Sparky Boom Man" Material

I wonder sometimes with all these days off... when I get them, I end up losing track of time and dates.
I swear, last Saturday, when I came back after having six days off... I swore it was a Tuesday.

I don't know... maybe I'm off-balanced or something.
Maybe we all are and I'm in sync.
Or it's the other way around and I don't even know.

Either way... it's confusing, and not even sleep can get rid of it.



So I figured that watching Avatar: The Last Airbender would do the trick.
Love that series, and I thought to myself, "Gee, I haven't seen it in a while. I should watch it again."

And I have been intermittently since I've been off. Awesome stuff.

Smashing Anger

I often ask myself sometimes if I overthink too much.
Now, my friends usually realize that any sentence bearing any similarity to the previous one usually means I start a huge, pent-up monologue that snowballs its way into some sort of depressing... eh.



NO. There's no need for that contrived talk. Not yet, at least.



For now, I'll just take out my complicated emotions on AI fighters. Gotta love training on a new character* on Super Smash Bros. Brawl before I head out to meet with friends tonight.



* = In case you're wondering, it's Zelda. Sheik's been one of my best characters since the Melee days, but... I think Zelda's new-found power in Brawl (along with her infamous stiletto heel) won me over for some training sessions.

Game Day Burning Strategy

"Game Day" doesn't just mean "Super Bowl."



CURRENT MUSIC:
Frank Klepacki - "Destroy"
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Original Soundtrack

Strategy games just love giving you music that does one of two things: instills a sense of role-play in that the music heard emulates the feel of your current faction, or just sounds badass and has a musical beat you can build a massive army along with.

For the former, I'll cite the music of StarCraft and StarCraft II.
Depending on what race you're playing as, the music will vary.
The nomadic Terran sports an orchestrated feel that sounds... almost machinated, if you will. (With II, they also added some southern flair to it to highlight their "deep South" feel - nice move, in my opinion).
The ravenous Zerg make use of sounds that creep you out almost as much as they do.
And as for the psionic Protoss? Theirs has a distant, melancholic ambiance to it, highlighting their endangerment and dwindling numbers.

Now for the latter reason, I'll go ahead and cite Red Alert 2.
Both the Allies and the Soviets make use of the same music whenever you play. It doesn't really matter, though - the game's soundtrack does a wonderful job of drilling into you a sense of "Beat those other bastards up!"


Muse - "Feeling Good (Nina Simone Cover)"
Origin of Symmetry

Ever since I first listened to Muse extensively, I've had them on my top artists' list.
Sure, it's only recently that I became a fan, but that's a story for another day.

Anyway, "Feeling Good" has that mellow sound I enjoy when I don't really have to do anything for the day.
I just lie there, relax, have Winamp play me a mellow set of music, and this pops on.
If this doesn't get you in a calm mood, then I don't know what will.



Hitoshi Sakimoto - "Battle"
Valkyria Chronicles Original Soundtrack

This piece from Valkyria Chronicles constitutes one-quarter of the meaning behind today's entry's title.
The orchestra performs the sound of this epic in such an admirable fashion that knowledge of the game* isn't even necessary to enjoy this piece.
Simply close your eyes and picture yourself and some friends in a battlefield. It doesn't even matter what kind - beach landing, trench combat, city rubble - the track just totes out a consistent dramatic tone and instills in you a sense of heroism.

And since Valkyria Chronicles is a strategy game, the soundtrack seemed fitting for today's entry as well.

(* = By the way: "The Game." You're welcome. =P)



"I have something here for you. ... Your father's lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

As I finished writing today's entry, this quote came to mind. I think you'll see why as you read.





One of the genres of video games I enjoy are strategy games.
Such games take the primal, gung-ho nature commonly seen in shooters and expand it so that an entire army is at your disposal rather than one simple guy with an AK-74 mindlessly spamming his GP-25 grenade launcher.

Hah. Amateur gamers.

Anyway, after getting off class I ventured over to my storage unit to clean it out some more.
With spring almost around the corner (if you think I'm crazy, I'm not - Punxsutauney Phil didn't see a shadow this year), that means a plethora of new releases and crazy gadgets are as well.
I figured that I'd have a few games I don't touch just lying in boxes that I could use as in-store credit somewhere, and sure enough... I did.

But while I was rifling through my junk, I came across an old favorite of mine: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for the Nintendo Gamecube.
A tactical role-playing game (I argue that it can also be called a fantasy turn-based strategy), Path of Radiance focuses on the story of a mercenary company commander named Ike and his journey to take back his recently invaded country of Crimea. This was my first foray into the Fire Emblem franchise - and I loved it since.

I thought to myself after finding it and said, "Wow, Josh. You're going to have so much fun with this game tonight, aren't you?"
"Why, yes, I am. Why don't you just find the memory... card..." and then silence as I realize I lost it somewhere months ago.

So I procured a new memory card, hooked up my Wii to my TV, and loaded the game up.
It's just as fun as I remembered it years ago, and despite its age it still has me thinking whenever I play.

That's the beauty of tactical and strategy games - it isn't just some mindless frag-fest (unless your army's slicing and dicing whoever's in their way).
While I'm sure the shooter community can throw out a few legitimate counters, they're just too primal and uncivilized - especially when you consider the primary playing market for shooter games.





I'll just hush up on my opinions and just continue playing Fire Emblem... Ike won't be able to retake Crimea by himself!

Mission Complete... Things Are How They Are...

After some tinkering around, my desk looks... somewhat like it used to about a month ago.
Granted, to those who've seen my room before, they won't notice a thing if they visit, but... I had some changes.



Recently I acquired an LCD monitor that I tried hooking up to my laptop.
My desk currently is a small little thing that can only handle two big electronic devices, and before getting said LCD monitor, I had a laptop (which apparently never moved) and a CRT television set.
I experimented with removing the TV and placing the monitor in its place.
It was great - there was a huge influx of room I gained, and I had a secondary monitor for my laptop!

Of course, there was one problem: the monitor.
For some reason the monitor's preset refresh rate wasn't cooperating with the settings I had (the damn thing flickered like every six seconds), and even after an hour and a half of tinkering with various settings and troubleshooting the issue on the Internet, I couldn't figure it out.

So I decided to take down the monitor and put the TV back up in its old spot.
It looks as though nothing was accomplished, but hey - I know better.

Anyway, I got my mission plan completed - the place is looking cleaner. =)
Who knows - maybe one day if I can figure out how to troubleshoot this stupid monitor, and at the same time get a bigger desk or figure out an insanely awesome desk layout, I might just have an awesome "workstation" where zero work will be done.



Because that's what workstations are for: anything but work.

A Mission of... Space?

So I have a mission tomorrow - to figure out how to cram a bunch of things onto my desk.
I cleared off my TV, and there's a bunch of room to work on stuff.

However... there's other things I want on it, and I want to figure out if I can make it work.

Of course, I know I can - I'm Filipino. We have the ability to pack boxes and other storage things to at least triple (or in some cases, quadruple) capacity.

Just take a look at my storage unit. Which I'll also be visiting tomorrow.
Muahahahahah...

Signs Today's a Good Day

1.) I woke up not tired and in a good mood. Awesome.

2.) I'm in a GOOD MOOD. Most people can attest that this is a good thing... although I think it's a bad thing because my mood for some reason tends to be on the opposite spectrum in terms of how most everyone's feeling... but that's a story for another day.

3.) My tax returns kicked in. Keep in mind that I filed them NOT TEN DAYS AGO. Wai~!



Aaaaaaaaand now I'm off to spread this chaotic joy of mine at work. Later, everyone.

A Review of my Days Off

Days Off:
6 (144 hours)

Time Spent Working on Personal Projects:
roughly 18 hours

Time Spent Sleeping:
roughly 44 hours

Time Spent Hanging Out With Friends:
roughly 36 hours

Time Spent Doing Misc. Stuff
roughly 46 hours

Was it worth it?
Oh, hell, yes.

Do NOT Call It Valentine's Day (in my face)

To those who don't know me, February 14 is not Valentine's Day. Not in my book it isn't.
No, it's something much worse: Singles' Awareness Day (known to some others as SAD).

I refer to Va- Singles' Awareness Day as this because I absolutely LOATHE it.
I have my reasons, but rather that toss them at you and force you to carry my burdens, I'll hold on to them and save you from the wrath.

Needless to say... this holiday is amongst the top tiers of my recently-created "Whitey's Hate List" - a document I will end up revealing over time.

But don't start thinking I'm just going to thrust myself into a depressive state. I've been far too good with morale so far this year to start doing that, so unless something horrible happens, we're all safe.

Plus, I'm in a decent mood right now, too.



So, today's lesson? It's called "Singles' Awareness Day" whenever you're around me (and I will berate and correct you if you fail to mention it as anything but).



And now I'm off to play Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 and watch Cars with a few friends who haven't seen it yet. (insert shocked face here)

I See Things Sometimes...

...and I can't explain it.

Mind you, I'm not seeing visions or hallucinations or anything like that. (I'm not heavily depressed for that yet. =P)

But every once in a while, a realization pops into your mind and you want to act on it somehow.
It triggers something in your head... gets the cogs grinding.

Sometimes... this is interesting...

32 For 32!

32 for 32!



Current Music:
Hideyuku Fukasawa - "Cruise Ship Stern Stage"
Street Fighter IV Original Soundtrack

In my experience, I've usually found it quite entertaining to work with fast-paced, semi-aggressive music when a deadline is imminent*.
This enables me to work faster, concentrate on the job at hand and make the work grind seem less arduous.
Music from fighting games usually ends up being a top choice for me when I need it, since it gets the mind pumped and ready to kick some ass.

And by "ass," I mean "whatever project is standing between me and my freedom to not do anything productive."

Anyway, Street Fighter IV's music really gets the brain cells shocked into work mode, and this track does the job especially well. (The fact that the Cruise Ship is my favorite stage to fight on helps, too. Hehehe.)

* = An "imminent" deadline for me usually is extended to about one week. A nice thing to note is that my frantic nature amplifies in power if the deadline is any shorter.


Keiki Kobayashi - "Rendezvous"
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Original Soundtrack

Namco's famed Ace Combat series also has a way to fuel me up when I need it. However, The Unsung War's primarily-orchestrated sound gives it a different edge than the electronic sound that some games spout.
Listening to this soundtrack usually makes me feel as if I'm in a movie and some crazy battle or something is going on. And if you're in some kind of battle, wouldn't your adrenaline naturally pump you up, anyway?

Of course it would. I mean, if this music makes the job "defend your aircraft carriers from high-speed attack planes" sound more tenuous, then I'm sure this ought to make "finish writing that paper" seem just as intense.





Hello, everyone! Wow, has it really been 32 days in a row since I started this?
Amazing how the time can fly so fast when you're too busy living life and what not.