Hallowed Drumming

Happy Halloween! Or, if you're in a more traditional mood, Happy Hallow's Eve! Or, if you play World of Warcraft, Happy Hallow's End!

Regardless of whatever you feel like bestowing upon others on this fright of a night, please remember that yesterday's post was my treat to you - not today's. I have... other things to take care of. ...yeaaaaah.





CURRENT MUSIC:
Bear McCreary - "Fight Night"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 Original Soundtrack

While I've been (in)famous for throwing up battle music that fits large-scale battles, I've rarely thrown anything that captures the intensity of some kind of (controlled) ring fight. We're changing that today, and we're going to do it with style. And drums. Sexy drums that make your feet want to shuffle and your head sway and dodge as you trade fisticuffs with some other person.

Opening with the most amazing pulse of taiko I've heard from Battlestar Galactica's soundtracks (apart from "Prelude to War's" taiko lines), Bear McCreary set the rhythm of this piece so that it has a more natural feel as opposed to the almost-militaristic sound the percussion gave in the previous two soundtracks. After the drums finish surging the listener full with adrenaline, they go into the background as Chinese membrane flutes (I think they're Chinese membrane flutes) take the lead. As a result, "Fight Night" definitely possesses both a rhythm to spar with and an ethnic sound that screams "Chinese/Japanese flair."

So, the next time you're hosting a large boxing tournament or feel like sparring to something different, give "Fight Night" a try. Though it clocks in at a short 2:30, it definitely should give your fight a much more interesting feel - not to mention pump your adrenaline with taiko.



"Bongo Bongo is my favorite Zelda boss. The other bosses? You fight them in an arena or on a stage. Bongo? You fight him on HIS OWN GODDAMN DRUM."
- YouTube user "TwoScrewsLoose" regarding The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

I felt that today was going to be one of those days where I wanted something silly and to-the-point. As I've got "Fight Night" on heavy rotation right now while I work on some things, I figured, "Let's find a quote involving drums." I found this.





Well, well, well... it's that time of year - the time where people go to other people's houses and beg for candy by politely saying "Trick or treat!" Oh, and they're dressed up in varying outfits. Some people wear cute costumes. Some decide to just cosplay altogether. Some dress up due to an unwilling dare. Some "dress up" because - as Barney Stinson oh-so-(un)tastefully put it - "It's the one night of the year chicks use to unleash their inner ho-bag."

Regardless of a person's reasons for dressing up (or not dressing up), I sadly will not be joining in either the trick-or-treating or the parties. I have work tonight. Yay. *sigh* As such, I figured I'd get some things taken care of before I head in tonight. For those of you expecting a long entry today: nope. Not typing one - I already told you that yesterday's entry was the treat. Got some writing to take care of and what not.

I'll see y'all next month. Stay safe as you go out and have fun, y'all hear?

Carving the Books of the World

initializing startup... done.
accessing rogue protocols... done.
establishing mainframe connection... done.
running command firewall lines... done.
starting up defensive system...

Welcome to the WeißeRitter Defense Mainframe
Powered by Gründer Industries
user:
> wkc8942
pass:
> ********
code:
> angels ten

...authenticating...

Good afternoon, White Knight! Query?
> run "blogPublic"
initializing... done.
BLOG of the PUBLIC... open. Query?
> code "masteraccess"
> upload "20111030"
...I'm sorry, we do not have a file "20111030" in the servers. Query?
> code "TSleak"
please provide security confirmation:
> code "backdoor021903"
command authorized. upload and download of top secret data is authorized
> create "20111030"
creating new file "20111030"... done:

Sometimes, Ctrl+Z is NOT Your Friend

I hate it when I finish a blog's rough draft and accidentally close the browser window before saving a copy of it. This just happened right now, and before I explode from sheer "FUUUUUUUUUU" madness, I'm going to post this meager thing now and re-type everything I oh-so-meticulously crafted. AGAIN. Augh.

The moral of the story? Don't expect that "redo" button to save your scrawny hides if you accidentally "Ctrl+Z" one too many times.

*types furiously*

Short Friday

Today's going to be one of those short entry days because I have lots of things to do. Okay, that's a farce. I don't have all that much, but I do have plans that do take up a good portion of the day, and my mind's been focused on said plans. Okay, that's a lie, too. I'm just not interested in slapping something interesting on here today.

...well, that's the truth at least. Anyway, this is probably the first Friday off I've had in ages that I didn't ask for off. I was just given the Friday. Weird, huh? I almost don't know what to do with myself. But thank goodness I have plans for today.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a world to save. Fun overload begins now.

Non Sequitur 7: The 300 Milestones

Oh, geez, I slapped the "non sequitur" tag on here. I think we all know what that means...

Yes, I get to sort through multiples of these boxes all the time at work.
Why else would I be so cool? </narcissism>

...and if your guess involved the term "More Win," then you're absolutely wrong right.

Mental Insurrection

This post is NOT silly. I don't care what the tags above stipulate; this is a SERIOUS entry. I'm dead serious. That "silly" tag is lying to you, okay? It's lying! This is a very serious matter I'm dealing with here! So serious, in fact, that it's frakking silly! =P





CURRENT MUSIC:
Bear McCreary - "Storming New Caprica"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 Original Soundtrack

Are you fed up with how things are going? Ready to start some kind of insurrection against your oppressors that have been making your life hell for months or years? Feel like it's time to put a bunch of your bosses, skin job toasters, Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht, the Holy Britannian Empire, Galactic Empire personnel, or Redcoats in their places by whatever methods you can resort to?

If you answered "yes" to any one of the above questions, then allow me (and by extension, Bear McCreary) to supply you with music to amplify the effect of your rebellion. "Storming New Caprica" is a battle piece that screams bloody insurrection and uprising throughout the almost-eight minutes it plays for. A percussion-heavy piece (God, those taiko drums are amazing!) backed occasionally by bagpipes and strings, this track will definitely get your pulse pumping as you lead your personal uprising against... well, whatever force it is that previously had you on the defensive.

Of course, with the description I used (and more notably: with the title of this piece), this is bound to be a spoiler to anyone who has yet to see Battlestar Galactica. However, I can't help it - this is such an awesome track to work and drive to. The next time you have to resort to fisticuffs or rebellions to solve your problems, consider having this play in the background. I'm sure the several thousand humans who died while under the leadership of President Gaius Baltar and the Cylon overseers would appreciate it.



"The writer is a spiritual anarchist, as in the depth of his soul every man is. He is discontented with everything and everybody. The writer is everybody's best friend and only true enemy – the good and great enemy. He neither walks with the multitude nor cheers with them. The writer who is a writer is a rebel who never stops."
- William Saroyan

Yes; quite. This could allude to why I'm such an asshole at times - because I both agree and disagree with everything everyone does. I fight for what I want, for what I believe to be right and just and awesome.

The Fifty Skies of Emotional History

Evening, everybody. Let's go ahead and make yourselves comfortable as you read this. First things first, though - we gotta have the pre-blog stuff waste your precious time entertain your mind as I prep up.

*cough*





CURRENT MUSIC:
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan Cover)"
Electric Ladyland

Often associated with Vietnam-based media (or anything related to the end of the '60s), Jimi Hendrix's famous cover of "All Along the Watchtower" is one of those great songs you just can't really get tired of listening to. It's so good of a cover that even Bob Dylan himself feels as if it's a tribute to Hendrix.

Part of the reason I'm listening to this is because Battlestar Galactica used a cover of its own at the end of the third season. It varied greatly in style but it still got the job done. While it's a great cover of its own, it obviously is out-trumped by this variant.


KCE Japan Sound Team - "REX's Lair"
Metal Gear Solid Original Game Soundtrack

Ah, the music of Metal Gear Solid. It takes me back to the days where I spent countless hours playing one of my favorite video game franchises to both enjoy the cinematic quality and master the sense behind the complex plots.

"REX's Lair" plays in the maintenance facility that houses the superweapon known as Metal Gear REX (just in case the title didn't tell you anything). An ominous-sounding piece, the somber choir (and the electronic accompaniment) puts a heart-stopping chill in your bones as you navigate your way around the area. If anything, the music aurally represents the doom that could be launched from REX if you don't take it out in time.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots featured a re-done version of "REX's Lair" as Snake revisits Shadow Moses Island in Act IV. While the piece is no longer reliant on the ominous-sounding chorus, it still manages to get the same chilling feeling you got from the first game as you sneak your way through the area once more.

I'm going to admit that when I was younger (read: "more depressed in the past"), I had this on heavy rotation on WinAmp. Frankly, this track amplifies any depression held within a person's heart, and the more this plays, the more that depression exponentially grows. Try not to listen to this if you're not in a happy place, mm'kay? =D


Bear McCreary - "Roslin Confesses"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 Original Soundtrack

With the weather being how it is today, I felt that this was an excellent track to help me convey the mood the overcast skies was throwing out at us here in my part of California. A string-dominant piece, "Roslin Confesses" feels like one of those musical interludes that definitely fit some kind of heart-to-heart scenario you'd see in film or television (gee, I wonder how I figured that one out). Strings slowly reveal the drama and close with a snippet of the "Roslin and Adama" leitmotif.

Maybe I have something to confess today. Maybe I don't. You'll just have to read on and on, I suppose. All I can say is that this is a nice song to have in the background if you have something important to say.


Yoko Shimomura - "The Edge of Green"
Radiant Historia Original Soundtrack

One of the tracks from the Nintendo DS RPG Radiant Historia, "The Edge of Green" does its job in elevating the tension one would normally get when in a stronger fight. While this music pretty much goes for fights that aren't so crazy, when this plays, you know you're in for something interesting.

It's a pretty good soundtrack - and the fact that Yoko Shimomura (famed for her work in Super Mario RPG and the Kingdom Hearts franchise) composed it makes it even better.



"The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go."
- Martha Washington

The day is indeed what we make of it. Now here's a question for you. It's an overcast day outside. Do you let it aid the day in mucking up your mood, or do you fight the skies and yell "Screw you and your depression" and flip off the clouds?

I'll let you decide what I chose as you read today's entry.

Another Entry, Another Poem

If someone wanted to tell me I was a coward
would I believe them?
That such a lie of truth be allowed
to float throughout my mind
to brandish doubt so openly, so confidently
and test my spirit within?

I can say that I don't believe them at all
that strength and courage exist in me
and while I don't display it like other brash fools
I hold it within, use it when necessary
infuse myself with the power to destroy and create worlds
when necessary, when desired, when I'm ready

But sometimes Fate decides to alter the plans;
we're tested and heavily tried
when we're not at our peaks, but at our lowest points
it's the actions we perform that decide
our chances of survival, our chances for success
and the worlds we form from the ashes

Harmony! The Music of Sunday

"Music happens to be an art form that transcends language."
- Herbie Hancock

'Nuff said, really.





If you haven't taken the time to dedicate yourself to nothing but music, then maybe you should make today that day. Matter-of-fact: I order you to do it. By this, I don't mean that you should just sit back, tell every other task you have to perform to frak off, and listen to music - you can do that, too. Instead, pay attention to the music itself - the beats, the rhythms, the words, the whole thing in general.

And if you feel it necessary: rock out to it, too.

Today's one of those musical days, I think. Better that I just flush the music out of my system and onto you, methinks. Who knows? You just might find something interesting to listen to today. This is by no means a crappy attempt of making a "blog" blog - matter of fact, it's a nice thing to just listen to the music and see what everyone else is listening to. Makes for an interesting day, I think.

So sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in music - be it the many musical selections I've made today and in days past... or anything from your own personal library.

And for those of you who're about to ask: yes, today's entry title looks like a translated title card from a Japanese anime.

A Halloween Outfoxed

It's almost Halloween!? Mein Gott!





CURRENT MUSIC:
Shouji Meguro - "Battle for Everyone's Souls"
Persona 3 Original Soundtrack

One of the final battle pieces heard in-game, "Battle for Everyone's Souls" musically introduces to us the tension and fear brought on by what could be one of the most arduous boss fights ever. Your party deals with a boss called the Avatar of Nyx, who proves to be one combatant that truly tests the player. There are fourteen phases to the fight (yes, I said "fourteen" - far more than even the most complicated World of Warcraft bosses) - each corresponding to the first fourteen Major Arcana found in traditional tarot card decks. What's worse is that while each phase is tough-as-nails to begin with (it's a final boss; what else would you expect?), its final phase is where the Avatar of Nyx decides it's time to stop toying with you and actually lay down the law (yes, you were being toyed with the first thirteen phases).

This piece particularly grabbed my attention when I first heard it years ago because it assimilated three types of typical boss fight music in a method I had never heard of (at the time):

• a rock base consisting of the drums and a rhythm guitar acting as bass
• a classical section with a piano lead and some strings support, and
• a mezzosoprano (I think) belting out a somewhat-chilling melody.

This combination makes an already-interesting fight even more interesting than it already was. It engaged you in what you knew to be something that would test your skills, your strength, and - more importantly - your endurance. Persona 3 players run an average of one hour when it comes to the time spent slaying the Avatar of Nyx. *nods sagely*

You want something that will aurally demand that you put your all in? Something that will drive you to kick ass, take names, feed the cat, and finish your term paper all within a limited time span? Something that just screams "final battle tension" and "ultimate pressure?" Play this track. It oughta do the job well.



"I suppose every child has a world of his own – and every man, too, for the matter of that. I wonder if that's the cause for all the misunderstanding there is in life?"
- Lewis Carroll

That could very well be the case. Everyone's personal world is different. Events that play out identically may hold different reactionary outcomes for different people. The codes of conduct two people may have can be the same in written form but hold different interpretations. Tried-and-true concepts may not have a firm grim on someone as opposed to another.

So if this is the case, then why don't we realize that? Why do we assume everyone will adhere to the same rules, the same metaphysical laws, the same styles of self-governing? Why do we assume that someone we've just met will cast their ideals into the wind and readily accept ours?

I don't know the answer to that. I don't think anyone will for a good time being.

Skedaddle

Sometimes I hate how I could be so busy sometimes. There's that chance that I want to type something big (like I "normally" do, according to my work friends who read my blog), but time constraints prioritize other tasks and activities before the whole typing process. Knowing my luck, it'll be something I want to smack my laptop keyboard keys and construct words for until I'm done opening a vein, but I'll have no time to even consider turning the thing on. As today's one of those busy days for me, I regret to inform you that I once again will be leaving you with naught but a small entry today. *shruggles* Sorry, y'all.

If it's any consolation, I'm going to post something pretty good tomorrow, so yay on that. So, on a lighter note, here's a joke announcement: "The fiddler on the roof has shingles." Ciao.

*skedaddles off*

Cryptic Heptameter

Chaos beckons for my life
and tells me: "Capitulate."
I said, "No, my life's my own!" -
now tell me: who can relate?

Stepped Out

Today is one of those days where I'm dedicating my free time to video gaming. As such, I'll be getting myself back into the rhythm game known as StepMania before I go in to work tonight.

Yeah, a short entry, but... hey, it's a fun game. Now if only I had a USB dance pad...

The Top Ten: (Epic) Battle Music

Sometimes in life, there are those moments where tensions are high. It's at the point where if your life was a metaphorical war, guns would be sounding off all over the place, people would be slain left and right, and chaos is your only friend (aside from the guy in your foxhole). Now, fortunately very few of us have actually been exposed to a real-life war, so we naturally have no idea what to feel.

That's where music comes in. Hollywood studios and amateur filmographers alike have long since portrayed combat in film. Most times the scenes of battle have been accompanied with situationally-fitting music to heighten the mood and help immerse the viewing audience in the visuals. Sometimes it's classically orchestrated and denotes a climatic assault. Other times it's fast-paced electronica meant to stress to the listener that it's a highly-tenuous attack against a large amount of enemies. Of course, there are many ways to present a musical theme when in combat not limited to these two examples. Some make use of a tragic sound, while others make it a high-strung rock rhythm meant to get you in a "kick ass and chew bubble gum" mood.

And sometimes, the music itself kicks ass and chews bubble gum.

Regardless of what the type of music is, when used properly it can make any barbaric display of bloodshed into something surprisingly eloquent. As such, I decided that I'd go through some of the music I have and sort out which of these were battle-tested and capable of representing a combat scene. Of the mass list I created, I had to pick ten, and so below are the ones that I believe held the essence of war in their melodies.

Now, notice carefully how I said "(Epic) Battle Music." While some songs out there are fully capable of use in a combat setting (be it a tavern brawl or a full-scale battle), I decided to stick with just musical pieces (that is, music that doesn't technically fit the modern "definition" of a song with lyrics). Also, a welcome surprise to some of you who still have a negative disposition towards video game music: it's not all video game music on this list.

So sit back, grab something to eat, and listen along if you wish to choose (each entrant has a YouTube link to the piece in question). Enjoy reading!

As Foretold By Josh

Today's a day where I'd rather sit back, relax, and do nothing for the whole day. Of course, life never gives us a solid opportunity to do any of that, so we'll have to settle for the times when doing nothing is actually possible.

Of course, I can't do that today - work calls, and duty calls. I know, I know - two short entries in a row? Damn, Josh, you getting lazy? Maybe. Or maybe I got caught up writing something else that I only had time to write this little ditty?

*shrugs* We'll see, won't we? I think we'll see tomorrow. Yes. Yes, we'll see tomorrow. Oh, and uh: I'll have a very interesting post for you tomorrow. I think you'll enjoy it very much. =D

A Weekend Summarized

So what of today? Well, it's been quite hectic. Between work chewing me up and spitting out fatigue (it's finally that time where it's heavily crowded at work), the fact that I need some kind of rest break so I can cleanse my mind yet again (because I like a clear head to write with), and the season three ending of Battlestar Galactica (I didn't see half of that coming!), it's been quite an interesting weekend.

Despite all that, I'd say it was a pretty decent two days. Work was killer, yes - but at the same time I wasn't all that stressed out. *shrugs*

I'd type more, but I'm exhausted. Maybe I'll make up for this tomorrow before I go in to work. Maybe I won't. Alls I know is this: a nice, cold beer helps at the end of the night. That, some snacks, and some decent movies or shows. Or maybe a leveling session with my Rogue. Eh. We'll see. Night's still young, and so am I (sort of).

*takes a sip and starts season four of Battlestar Galactica*

The Call

So on a random whim, I typed up something to alleviate me from some mythical "artist's block" I think I may have. (It's probably all in me head, anyway.) I felt that we are presented with various situations each day that we have to get through, but not many of us actually rise to the occasion. Hence, this poem I spontaneously whipped up.

Forgive me for rhyming - I'm not particularly fond of that style of poetry, but it seemed to work at the time. (If anything, those of you who can't stand "actual" poetry that doesn't rhyme can finally read something with ease. *shakes head*)

Enjoy it.

Sorting Madness from Cylon

A second "life stream" - an entry where I just type what comes to mind and fight every urge to second-guess what I typed on here. It works a lot better if I have alcohol in my system, but seeing as how I have work in a few hours (and more importantly: seeing as how I'm out of beer), I'm going to need to stay sober for this.

*shakes violently* Frak; this is a lot harder to do sober.

Okay, okay... I can get through this. I'm not going to second-guess anything I type here today. I'm just going to type it up and leave it as is (minus the post-typing grammar/spelling check, of course). I don't think I'm going to censor myself.

Part of me wants to do this so that if a psychologist or someone of the sort stumbles upon this when seeing me as a client/patient/money pot, they might be able to understand me a bit more (sort of).

*clears throat* Okay... time to get started. Let's see what my mind churns up...

Sometimes, Breakfast is All You Need

I was going to give you this waffle.      (>'_')>#
But then I thought:                               (>'#'<)
"I'm hungry."                                        (>'_'<)
So I ate it.                                            (>^_^<)

Short-Axed Entry

Today's entry is a bit of a cop-out. I didn't feel like doing anything special, and I have lots of work to do tonight. As such, I didn't feel like posting anything on here other than these sentences that basically mean that I met my quota for today. Woo, quotas.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to eat some awesome-tastic Mexican food before I head in to work. And maybe an episode of Battlestar Galactica. And some light reading. And my axe. *shrugs*

Writing Parks

Lots of music! Lots of text! Lots of silly things interspersed throughout!





CURRENT MUSIC:
Apocalyptica - "Master of Puppets (Metallica Cover)"
Plays Metallica by Four Cellos

For those of you who don't know who Apocalyptica are, they are a Finnish cello metal band - that is, they primarily use cellos. They originally started out by covering Metallica songs (which is what Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, their debut album, consists of) and eventually began making their own music that rocked out just as well.

I personally love this rendition of "Master of Puppets" - for some reason, I think this actually had a stronger tone than the actual song did. The guitar solo/interlude in the middle of the song... oh, maaaaaan, it just sounds amazing.


Russell Brower, Derek Duke and Matt Uelmen - "Silvermoon City"
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Soundtrack

A good majority of the Horde players know this music piece as the primary anthem that plays when entering Silvermoon City. I say this because the majority race of Horde players seems to be the sin'dorei (the Blood Elves). That, or they're roleplayers sent to delegate something in Silvermoon.

I'm digressing. The brass and percussion announce your arrival in Silvermoon territory with a loud fanfare before giving way to a bit where a cello and choir aurally lament the loss and suffering the sin'dorei and Silvermoon had to endure. The brass switches in for the cello and repeats the same line the stringed instrument sounded off. It then goes through a different melody completely yet retains the same melancholic sound throughout the rest of the piece.

Now, that's not to say that by listening to this, I'm assumed to be in a depressed mood. No, I'm actually in a fine one. I just love the instrumentation and elegance this piece has. Don't get me wrong - the other anthems and interludes for the other Horde cities are great as well, but Silvermoon... man. The emotion just matches the city well.


Hideki Sakamoto - "prime #7"
Echochrome Original Soundtrack

The crazy mind-bending puzzle game for the PlayStation 3 has quite the interesting little soundtrack. Consisting primarily of nothing but a string quartet, the music just radiates with elegance and calming emotions... a perfect way to aurally clear your mind and get you focused on hand. The fact that the track names have no "real" track names help as well - they're all just prime numbers, forcing more of your focus on concentrating on the music rather than the name.

This piece (along with the rest of the soundtrack) helped immensely while I composed this entry.



"The easiest thing to do on earth is not write."
- William Goldman

This is a very true statement here. I honestly could not write anything anymore on this blog and not have to worry constantly about making a daily deadline or anything of the sort. I could very well stop posting here and would never have to worry about anything related to this site ever again. That would be a wonderful feeling, right? Not having to force myself to compose something? Not having to deal with self-induced pressure?

Wrong. I relish this site. It's probably one of the few things I have going for me right now, and by continually posting I allow myself to endure and embrace the hardships that rocket my way. Mind you, this site offers me no hardships whatsoever, but I like to think that so long as this site exists - as long as I keep writing - anything I do isn't completely for naught.

So, I will not take the easy road and tarry off, never to be seen again. I will write. I will write until my conscious self no longer exists. I will write for the sake of everyone who decided against taking the easy road and busied themselves with some kind of written task. I will write because I can write - because not many else will heed the call - because I love it.

This is Not a Post

Today's Monday! Let's start your day off with a happy smile, because I'm happy today, and you should be, too! =D

Smile, dammit! *laughs*





CURRENT MUSIC:
Robin Beanland - "Rock Solid"
Conker's Bad Fur Day Soundtrack

Conker's Bad Fur Day, for those of you not video game savvy, was a Nintendo 64 game released in mid-2001, roughly half a year before the Nintendo GameCube hit stores worldwide. Despite scarce advertising and the fact that the Nintendo 64 was to be phased out that year, reviewers lauded the game for its witty (and dirty) humor, graphics that pushed the aging console's limits to the edge, and excellent audio work.

"Rock Solid" has that club sound you'd expect to hear only in clubs and not in video games, and that's one of the reasons why I love this track.


Bear McCreary - "Martial Law"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 Original Soundtrack

A track of despair, fear, and anger, "Martial Law" supplies the listener with the correct aural tones necessary to convey the induction of martial law. It's a relatively short piece, but it's okay - it matches the swift destitution of freedom a declaration of martial law would bring.

This morose track seems quite fitting for today's agenda. "But Josh, didn't you say you were happy today?" Yes, I am. Still, though... something doesn't feel right in the air, so I'm on guard. I have this playing in my head because I know something's up and ready to declare a state of metaphorical martial law somewhere.


Tiësto - "Adagio for Strings"
Just Be

Tiësto's sophomore album is perhaps one of his best-known. Many of his most well-known songs are from this album, including his cover of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings."

I first heard this song years back at a friend's house - he showed me one of Tiësto's live performances where he opened up with this. Amazing.



"I try to make everyone's day a little more surreal."
- Bill Watterson

Everyone knows Bill Watterson. You don't? Well, you must not read Calvin and Hobbes, then, because if you did, this quote would make a lot more sense. After all, Calvin and Hobbes is pretty surreal to begin with. *reads some comics*

Into the Frying Pan

Yes, that's a metaphor. As to what it means? I can't tell you.

Apologies for being brief, but... I have to be. Errands.

*flies away*

Sonata of the High Noon

I don't know what it is about today in particular, but I found it very hard for me to wake up and get myself woken up. So, to prepare me to haul ass for tonight at work, I figured I'd get this mid-morning and early afternoon cranked out by listening to music that'll slowly get me primed and ready.

Yeah, this is gonna be one of those aurally-inclined entries loaded with a bunch of music, but hey - I like the stuff. =)





CURRENT MUSIC:
Bear McCreary - "Pegasus"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 Original Soundtrack

This is the first music piece I listened to today. I'd say it fits, as it begins slowly and peacefully. As time progresses, the calm feeling slowly begins to crescendo and then peaks at the end, all the while maintaining a calm and even hopeful tone.

It fits quite well with where it was used in the series. As an unknown ship jumps into DRADIS range, Galactica and the civilian fleet prepare to jump, but the moment that this unknown ship begins pinging Colonial transponders, Adama orders the fleet to hold position. "Pegasus" begins to play as Adama attempts to communicate with the ship, which claims to be the Battlestar Pegasus. The music continues and rises as Pegasus code-confirms what it really is, and Apollo, sent to investigate in his Viper, visually confirms the claim ("It's like a dream...!").

With that in context, I'd say this is perfect background music for those of you looking for a bit of calm music that builds up and gets you ready to begin the day. For those of you looking for background music for your home projects: if you have a scene involving a reunion of people long thought to be dead, "Pegasus" might just work.


Reel Big Fish - "241"
Turn the Radio Off

A bit of an interlude, "241" (which lasts 2 minutes and 41 seconds, by the way) is just perfect for those moments when the music needs to kill time somehow. Or if you felt like aurally announcing that you are so bored, watching paint dry seems like something you'd like to see.

Regardless of your boredom status, "241" is a pretty fun piece to listen to. All the elements of ska without the lyrics and it still feels like a fun way to use up almost three minutes. Heh.


Sugar Ray - "Someday"
14:59

Mellow, relaxing, and old-school. Helps get me up if I hear it. Of course, I don't listen to this often unless I need something silly in that moment of my life.

How is this song silly, exactly? Well, those of you familiar with my "Songs Inappropriate for the Zombie Apocalypse" playlist know what's up. For those of you who don't: picture a scene where zombies are being slaughtered en masse... or a scene where humans are being consumed by zombies en masse. Bet you couldn't picture either scene without breaking out into some sort of laughter, right?


Uniting Nations - "Ai No Corrida (f. Laura More) (Chaz Jankel Cover)"
One World

Pretty catchy song to dance to. Those of you familiar with the silly randomness of Japanese culture (and those of you who know who Danny Choo is) may have already heard this song without knowing it. A remix version was used in that "Toyko Dance Trooper" video on YouTube.

Listening to this song makes me want to get Stormtrooper armor even more every time this plays. The fact that I once had this on repeat for... like, an hour... probably means that I need to get my own plastic mold injection kit now. And lots of plastic. And time to make it all. Just imagine if I were to walk around my city with this armor. Man, it'd be silly.





Well, that's it for now. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Same site, same silliness, same... uh... mindless humor.

Josh Blanco and the Curry Desert

Less talk; more rolling!





CURRENT MUSIC:
Masayuki Tanaka - "Katamari on the Rocks (Main Theme)"
Katamari Fortissimo Damacy

When I think of the Katamari games, this song instantly pops up in mind. Possessing a tempo suitable for speed-working and a bunch of silliness to counteract the seriousness of work, this song's just perfect for your crunch times - whether it be writing a term paper due in two days that you just started, cleaning up after all the guests who just wrecked your store with a 45 minute time limit, or rolling up a katamari for your father to blow up into the moon and a bunch of broken constellations because "We broke it."

There's a reason why this is on here, and it's not just because of me having to work all hard on a time crunch or anything.


Matt Uelmen - "Mountains of Thunder"
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Soundtrack

Starting back up in World of Warcraft let me re-immerse myself in the music that helped make me love this game. As I've probably stated before, the two things that pull me into a game are the story and the music. WoW already has plenty of lore within its game history, and as for the music, it possesses that in spades.

"Mountains of Thunder" contains music heard predominantly in the Northrend zone known as the Storm Peaks. As the name would suggest, it is a cold and desolate mountainous area, and navigating to the key parts of this area requires that you be licensed to fly in Northrend. The music emulates the chilly, lonely wind one would encounter when trekking an arctic and majestic territory such as the Storm Peaks. Maybe that's why I like this place so much - back when Wrath of the Lich King was the latest expansion, I would farm all across Northrend, but a majority of my farming was spent here because of the music.



"It is not your fault. It is Our fault for believing in you."
- The King of All Cosmos
(Katamari Damacy)

Leave it to the King of All Cosmos to degrade your work, even when you tried oh-so-hard.





Evening, everybody! Welcome to today's not-so-silly entry, where I hope you'll enjoy -

So much for a silent alarm...

...aw, frak me. Let me just deal with this for one sec-

- SYSLINK TERMINATED -

A Short Debt Owed

I told myself today that I'd be working on some things. Sure enough, I have - though I must admit that I've been distracted. Between re-starting the process of running dailies on my mains in World of Warcraft, cooking up a hearty lunch of spamsilog, and starting up the third season of Battlestar Galactica, it's safe to say that I have a lot on my plate.

Same goes with tomorrow, though not so much of it is as hampering as it will be more... fun.

I believe I owe y'all a short entry as I've been throwing loads of words at you all last month, so here. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Gotta keep watching Galactica. Hehe.

It Rains Beer and Games

*looks outside and notices the rain*

Yaaaaaay. >_< (Please imagine that "Yaaaaaay" being said with the most unenthusiastic voice possible.)

*groggy yawn* Afternoon, all. Don't mind the yawning - I could barely get any sleep last night. Between a combination of a wrongly-set alarm clock, caffeine from a bunch of tea I drank, the events I witnessed on Battlestar Galactica's second season finale, the desire to get Gefallen to 85 as soon as possible, a few trips to the bathroom (thanks a lot, tea), and this feeling in the back of my head that something was coming. I'm not sure what this feeling was - darkness or light, I couldn't tell - but I know that it should make the day interesting.

At least... that's what I thought when I woke up at 0800... and then I noticed that it was raining.

Now, normally, rainy days depress me. They carry with them an air of melancholy and darken the skies to make it look as though hope will never break through. Driving through it will be a royal pain, because drivers who're too overconfident with their driving will end up careening out of control and crash because of the reduced traction. Plus, there's the whole "it's wet everywhere" factor. Oh, and let's not forget this weird phenomenon that occurs at work where if it rains, people will shop. It makes no sense. And it making no sense when I want it to make sense depresses me.





But I don't know... I feel good about today for some reason. Heh. Maybe because I went to sleep telling myself "I want something interesting to happen today." Well, I know that today's a GREAT day. Hell, it's going to get even better. How do I know this? Well, I found this math formula:

Alcohol + Gaming = Fun?

I think I did the math right. Either way, I said "it's right," and proceeded to log on to World of Warcraft. As today is the last day of the World of Warcraft festival known as "Brewfest" (analogous to the real-life Oktoberfest), I figured, "What the hell; it's Brewfest. Let's get some silly drinking fun down for old time's sake." Little did I know that I would have a field day with this...

*bleating noise*

Gamers who play WoW will immediately recognize this as the Brewfest Ram, one of two rare mounts that can be obtained during the Brewfest event. I remember all my friends trying in vain to get a mount like this. They kept farming the same guy day after day, hoping for one of these rams to show up only to not see it. And yet here I am - not even caring and I randomly get it. Wow. Must be my lucky day.





Well, I'm going to go. Got work tonight, and I need to eat some food before I do. Later.

Catastrophic Cataclysm

Day four of five! I'm so close to that mystical myth we know as "days off," I can almost taste it.





CURRENT MUSIC:
Bear McCreary - "Battle on the Asteroid"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 Original Soundtrack

I'm honestly hooked on Battlestar Galactica's music. Something about McCreary's work here just makes it stand out amongst other soundtracks from other similar series. There's a reason for this: McCreary was asked not to make the score have a "gleaming, brassy sound" that the original Battlestar Galactica (and most other sci-fi shows, for that matter) possessed. And so Bear McCreary delivered by using instruments atypical of contemporary Western orchestras such as erhus, taiko drums, and dizis, and by only pulling in an orchestra when something big was to happen in an episode. Despite this supposed lack of instrumentation, the aural support was still there, heightening the tension, drama, and whatever other emotion the scene called for.

This particular piece comes from an episode where the Galactica launches an assault on a Cylon ore refinery in order to capture it for humanity. The opening establishes the cold reaches of space the strike teams fly through before they're thrust into combat 30 seconds in. I'd try to identify the instruments, but I know virtually nothing about those kinds of ethnic sounds... other than the fact that they sound awesome.


Nobuo Uematsu - "SeeD"
Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack

"SeeD" is best heard as background music for any sort of mission briefing, debate, game plan or that idle time between discussing the course of action and actually executing said course of action. Despite the militaristic sound it has (that repeated drum melody coupled with the woodwinds gives it that sound, you know?), it works in virtually any kind of meeting where a "what next" discussion occurs. Whether you're making a plan to hijack a train carrying a tyrannical leader, mapping out your next fly-by route through a star system controlled by an evil empire, or debating the pros and cons between eating waffles or pancakes for breakfast, it fits perfectly with all stages of planning.

(If you got déjà vu reading that, then good - you probably saw the above paragraph twice now.)

I for some reason had the urge to listen to music that made it sound like I was giving or receiving some kind of (military) briefing. "SeeD" does the job so well I figured I'd have it loop for some time while I typed this entry out.

A Virtual Silver Lining

Day three of five - and like I mentioned yesterday, all coincidentally falling on the third of the month.

After a God-knows-how-long hiatus in playing, I began to play World of Warcraft again. After about an hour of fiddling around on my Rogue and pulling off quests, I realized that I've practically forgotten how to play. I died twice on the same exact boss creature (partially because I'm still undergeared, and mostly because I never did enjoy Rogue PvE all that much), almost got ganked by a Tauren Druid, and got lost in a quest zone for about ten minutes because the map was inaccurate.

It wasn't a total loss, though - I got my Herbalism maxed out from 462 to 525 (yay for a Sunday night/Monday morning drought in players).



Well, I'm going to take off and sort some music on my iPod before I have to go to work. I'll catch y'all later.

Two on Two

I find it highly coincidental that today is October 2. No, there's nothing special about this day, but it does seem to match my work schedule in the fact that today is day two of five days I'm going to spend working.

Now, I've done plenty of shifts where I've worked consecutive days in a row and I'm used to it. I'm not complaining here. I'm just noting how weird it is for the calendar dates and these shifts to actually coincide with one another on their respective days. Huh.

I guess life is good. Not too shabby and not too glamorous, but it does the job well. It's most certainly not boring. Hehe.



Anyway, on to news that "matters." I'm going to be working on some of the pages on here, and maybe even a bit on the layout. I've been making subtle tweaks here and there, and I'm fairly certain that I'll finish with all of these minor and cosmetic changes by Friday.

Now, as to what these changes will be? I'm not quite sure myself. I have a few ideas churning in my head and some things that should be fixed, but I'm willing to bet the majority of these tweaks will be performed on Thursday - my first day off for the month.



Wow... it feels almost good to compose a short entry like this one. In a weird way, it feels a bit nice to take a break from typing a whole lot of text. I still got a post out, got something from my life on here, announced a few things that will be occurring on this blog (hence the new "Announcements" tag) and have begun work already. Good things sometimes come in small packages.

Well, until the 'morrow, everyone. I'll bid you adieu for work. =)

Your Wake-Up Call

Okay, ladies and gentlemen: rest time is over! You asked me to wake you up when September ends, and I am your wake-up call! What you learned and knew in the past thirty days is no longer valid! It is time for action! It is time for war! Gear up and meet back in the ready room in five!

(Author's Note: The above paragraph is best read when you imagine me getting super-serious to the point of yelling. Like, "drill instructor who's going to frak your life over for the next few months" super-serious. Don't ask me why I want you to think like that - I'm just wanting some dynamic "change." Hehe.)





CURRENT MUSIC:
Bear McCreary - "Prelude to War"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 Original Soundtrack

Honestly, I'm beginning to think this is my favorite music piece from Battlestar Galactica. When I first listened to this four months ago I remember wondering how "Prelude to War" would be used in the TV show. Now that I've actually heard it in action in the series, I have to say that it's definitely done its job in increasing tension to the point of combat... and then it did a finer job when applied in combat. (Hence, the "Prelude to War.")

Those drums are just mesmerizing. Hell, this entire piece is mesmerizing. Mesmerizing enough to warrant its transcription to piano (which, in this video, is performed by McCreary himself).