About Me

The "Official" Biography Page of:
Josh D. "Whitey" Blanco

(Version 3.0 - Last Updated: Friday, December 09, 2011)

What I look like in the morning. What I also looked like when I typed this up.
Well, I think it's about fair time that I introduce myself to you. And by "introduce myself," I mean "toss so much textual information about myself that you'll suffocate with all the data you received by the end of this whole spiel. (Hey, it beats backtracking to that "biography" of a third post and dealing with something so disorganized, right?)





Too Long; Didn't Read
(Or: "The Abridged 'Biography' That I Don't Count as an Actual Biography")

Let's face it - you're probably on this page for one of three potential reasons:
  1. You're stalking me for some (possibly) weird/creepy reason, have stumbled across this autobiographical page, and are now using its vast array of information to assist whatever twisted endeavor you're partaking in.
  2. You actually want to know more about me. Honored as I am, there's other more-famous people out there that you should pay attention to. No? You still want to know about me? *blushes* Well, uh... read on, I guess?
  3. There's another motive on your mind that doesn't fit the above reasons. Internet website roulette (or Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" button) brought you here. You want inspiration for your own "About Me" page. You're getting me a birthday/holiday/"just 'cause" present for me and you want ideas. Dark forces have forced you to read this page in order to live. You're hunting for Cylons and someone mentioned a ludicrous theory that I might be a skinjob toaster. *shrugs* I'm just guessing.
Regardless of your motives for visiting here, I think it's time we get that summary here so you can get out (or continue reading if Reason #2 is your reason for being here).

My name is Josh Blanco. On this blog, I operate under the "alias" of "White Knight" and post about anything and potentially everything - from the intricacies of the world to the minutiae of daily life. I am an avid dreamer caught adrift in this swampy cesspool we call modern society. I am a great many things - and I can be so much more.





...and now that that's out of the way, allow me to go ahead and actually prattle on about myself in a self-glorifying manner. <narcisissm>

DISCLAIMER:
The White Knight is not responsible for neither all the rampant self-praise you will encounter on this page or your petty opinions about said self-praise.





The Basics (Among Other Things)
("It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions! Who are you‌? And what do you want‌?")

I am Josh D. Blanco, and I am a (great) man of many things.

I have a varied amount of nicknames, but the most commonly-heard ones are:
  • Whitey (my high school nickname)
  • jduran89 (my old online gaming handle)
  • The White Knight ("christened" by both this blog and a friend's opinion on my true personality)
Just as long as you don't use my full name (or that name), we'll get along swimmingly when introductions are made.

I am a 22-year-old questionably-sane Filipino-American struggling to make it as someone in this topsy-turvy world we call "Earth." I live in Southern California and work the front lines of the retail world as an Electronics/Hardlines Team Member/Trainer at my local Target store.

I am a dreamer. Oftentimes one will find that these dreams somehow manifest themselves into reality. I have a very vivid imagination - almost at the point where I could be considered "eccentric" (my friends say I apparently need to be rich to be considered eccentric). I swear that unless I'm sleeping, incapacitated, turned into a vegetable, or dead, I will continue to be an endless fountain of ideas and silly neuroses. So many ideas pass through my mind that I could probably fill every library in the western United States with books about each idea if I had the chance...

I am an artist who paints the murals of the page with prose - a writer. Or, that's what I'd like to say. I've had countless projects started and of those works, I could count the ones I completed with one hand. But who cares about that statistic when all that really matters is the fact that writing is a fun hobby of mine that I thoroughly enjoy? Who can honestly say that not finishing those works was all bad? I got to write - to express myself with the lay of the language in a timeless medium that has the potential to survive through the ages?

I am a man of hypocrisy and imperfection - as well as a man who understands his own fallacies. I have my own set of vices and my fair share of burdening skeletons I keep hidden in my closet. I also have a few sets of moral codes that I'll break on occasion. I know my vices and I know that I employ double standards, but at the same time I do what I can not to act on them like most other ignorant fools I run into. Should I actually act on them, then I'll own up to my actions. (You just don't see "responsibility" that often in the 21st century these days... kinda disheartening.)

I can be meekly shy and flamboyantly boisterous - somehow at the same time. People just getting to know me will observe that I will be quiet. Like a disciplined child, I won't speak out of turn, won't perk up in conversation unless asked something, and will patiently hang out there absorbing the conversation and getting a read on the people I'm meeting. To the people I do know (or in those moments where I just simply don't care), I'll just go ahead and be myself - say random things, crack off dry and sarcastic observations/jokes, drive people up a wall, talk about minutiae as if it were the coolest thing ever, and maybe even act shy anyway.

I talk. A LOT. I'm a bit of a chatterbox when I'm engaged in a conversation with people. Eventually I end up going on a ridiculous and fantastical tangent - and usually it doesn't augment the current conversation. I mean, how can it? Sometimes it's just mindless banter... but sometimes it isn't. Speaking of which: "I NEED SCISSORS! 61!" Oh, and uh... "Who lit Toph on fire?" But enough random non sequiturs and conversation derailments... *cough*

I am a man of stubborn pride. As the adage goes: "old habits die hard" - and so will my judgments and opinions on things I feel the need to stand up for (even if they're not so correct). That's not to say that I'm open to reason - I'm just going to defend my side to the last man.

I am a pessimist-turned-realist-slash-optimist. A botched childhood and years of psychological torment once jaded my outlook on life. It took its toll: a mostly-permanent scowl is etched on my face and I tend to be introverted in situations where I should be otherwise. However, at the start of 2011, I set sail for a land of happiness and have been doing my best to stay more upbeat and cheerful - though I've been certain to make sure I don't overdo it. Since then I've been a lot friendlier and generally more awesome, and that's made life much better than it used to be. (There are claims that I'm still a bit pessimistic. I still have my days, but they're not as numerous as they once were.)

I am an asshole. Well, not really - I'm just mean for the laughs. The pessimism I once was fueling myself by became a sardonic sense of humor once I began turning myself around, and I've been brandishing it almost constantly ever since. (Possibly one of the bigger examples of me being a Grade-S jerk would be my meticulous Grammar Nazism and my "this sucks; let me make it better for you" modes - just ask any of my friends who ask for my help with (school)work.) The general consensus is that I'm only a jerk for one of two reasons:
  1. I'm a huge fan of schadenfreude.
  2. I'm using it as a shield.
What I am a jerk for will vary in opinion from person to person, so don't take their words at face value until you meet me. Then make your opinion. That's smart.

I am too nice (for my own good). It could be why I act like a complete and utter jerk at times. I 'unno. While I'm dry and sarcastic at times, I've been known to be selfless and altruistic. I'm all for being honorably noble and wearing my heart on my sleeve - even if it means I'm looking like I'm fake or naïve. Oftentimes I will act as the voice of reason or the go-to guy for people to vent their frustrations at - mostly because I actually listen, I actually give a damn, and - if it's a secret - I won't tell (barring immediately life-threatening ones). Hell, sometimes I'm too nice. It gets to the point where I make a metaphorical martyr out of myself for the betterment of someone or some group...

(Here's the thing, though: even though the previous paragraph is on here, I'm going to fiercely deny tooth and nail that I am nice, no matter how much evidence is there to convict me of my niceties. For some reason I don't know why I can't live with knowing that I really am a nice guy all along...)

I am a hopeless romantic. I am a white knight who fights by a code of chivalry, honor, and courtship that the 21st century has deemed as "almost extinct." I've had (day)dreams of developing a fierce, steadfast, unwavering, and loyal romance with a woman, getting married and having a family, growing old, and just living a good life... more often than any normal guy would care to admit. (Oh, who am I kidding? No normal guy would admit to that. Then again, I never recall saying I was normal to begin with.) I "supposedly" sing love songs by myself to help my lonely heart deal with the solitude. Occasionally my writing will focus on the romantic aspects of life. There's even rumors that I read some sweet, romantic fan-fiction. (*shifty eyes* I, uh... *beat* ...I-I don't do any of those things!)

I am so much more than the words on this page...





The Things I Like... and Zoidberg
(Because if I liked nothing, I'd be more boring than I already am.)

There's lots of things out there. So much, in fact, that listing every single thing on here would be a travesty to both the Internet and my bandwidth (despite the fact that Blogger is free...). So for the sake of simplicity, I'm going to simplify it so that you can see the most awesome simplified LEGENDARY few of the myriad of things that I oh-so-enjoy.


Music:
Some people say that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul. I wholly subscribe to that idea (because people can have entire conversations with mere eye contact), but I also support a different theory: that eyes aren't the only doors inside. In my experience, music has been more than just aural entertainment - it's been a way to see someone's true self, regardless if the random/shuffle option is on or not.

Anyway, enough digression on soul-identification. *clears throat*

I'll listen to anything at least once, and I mean anything. If you want a list of examples, here's a sample (in no particular order):
  • alternative rock (Muse)
  • Japanese rock (L'Arc~en~Ciel)
  • psychedelic trance (Infected Mushroom)
  • video game music (e.g.: Kondo, Uematsu, Gregson-Williams, Shimomura)
  • Neue Deutsche Härte (Rammstein)
  • classical fusion (Vitamin String Quartet)
  • French pop (Alizée)
  • alternative hip hop (Flipsyde)
  • movie/television scores (e.g.: Beauty and the Beast, Battlestar Galactica)
  • symphonic metal (Within Temptation)
  • hard rock (Halestorm)
  • Korean pop (Girls' Generation)
Obviously, the list goes on and on ad infinitum (or ad nauseam, depending on how you want to look at it).

As can be deduced from the above list, my answer to the age-old "rock vs. rap" debate clearly leans towards "rock," but as can be deduced from the above list as well, that doesn't mean I won't listen to rap. Narrowing down that rock list, it seems that I prefer an alternative/progressive sound with occasional bits of hardcore rocking.

But scores from movies, television, and video games? Oh, maaaaaan, that's a whole other story. If I loved the original media format, I'll probably show just as much love for its respective score. (This is especially true of Battlestar Galactica and Metal Gear Solid.) More often than not you'll find me blaring some movie/television/game score from my car or room, so don't be surprised if the nostalgic 8-bit sound of the Super Mario Brothers overworld theme start chirping off in my room or if the heavy pulses of Battlestar Galactica's taiko pound away from my Yaris' speakers.


Movies & Television:
With the rise of the Internet, not much actual television- or movie-watching is done on my end these days. Let's face it: these days, most movies/shows watched are done via Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, or some other video site. With my lifestyle and preferred forms of entertainment, it almost seems negligible - I don't really watch television or go to the movies anyway.

However, that doesn't mean I'll refuse watching anything if presented the chance.

From what I can see, I'm a guy that prefers the following genres of visual media (again in no particular order):
  • space opera
  • comedy
  • (military) science fiction
  • mecha
  • romance (usually a sub-genre for me)
  • drama
  • animated (don't take this to necessarily mean "anime")
  • parody/satire
Of course, that could mean anything. If you want a more specific list of examples of things that I'll watch over and over again because I love them so much, here's a list. Maybe it'll give you a better read on my tastes. (List is in alphabetical order barring the word "the.")
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender
  • Battlestar Galactica (reimagined series)
  • Burn Notice
  • Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
  • Fullmetal Alchemist
  • Hot Fuzz
  • How I Met Your Mother
  • The Leet World
  • Lucky Star
  • The Matrix
  • The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
  • Monty Python
  • Sailor Moon
  • Scrubs
  • Shaun of the Dead
  • Star Wars (the original trilogy, mind you)
  • Tropic Thunder
  • Up
There are others that I could list, and still others that I either want to watch or totally forgot to list here. That being said, I could watch almost anything.

Except horror-based stuff. DO NOT WANT. (Zombie flicks excluded.)


Books & Other Reading Material:
I'm going to be honest: like most Americans, I don't read much - but I will enjoy a good read if I ever get an opportunity presented to me. More likely than not, if I'm caught reading a book, it'll be something non-fictional. Of course, I could be reading something other than historical works - if it's amusing and/or gripping enough, I'll pick it up and give it a read-over.

Webcomics, on the other hand, usually have my attention - probably because it takes less than a minute to go through each one and leaves me (somewhat) bemused. Hehehehe.


Video Games:
I'm a huge fan of video games. They're the greatest drugs invented since drugs were invented. *inhales deeply*

*coughs* Anyway, while I will play things that interest me, I'll generally venture into any genre and give it a shot if it piques my interests. But like all gamers, there's a few games/franchises that I'm a huge sucker fanboy extremely devoted fan for. (N-No! I'm no rabid fanboy! *glances around nervously*) I will know the plot, the characters, the gameplay tricks, the shortcuts, and the intricate ins and outs of the whole game so well that it will make this biography seem uninformative. I'm that big of a dorky nerd. =D

So, some examples of games/franchises that I like and play often and/or have a soft spot for? (List is in alphabetical order.)
  • Counter-Strike 1.6 (Galil/P228 combo for me.)
  • Halo franchise (The original trilogy, at least.)
  • Legend of Zelda franchise (Need I say more?)
  • Mario franchise (I don't need to say more here, either.)
  • Mario Kart series (Wii: Princess Daisy & Mach Bike FTW)
  • Metal Gear Solid franchise ("Metal Gear!?")
  • Pokémon franchise (resident expert where I live)
  • StarCraft (Terran player right here)
  • StepMania (PC Dance Dance Revolution? Joy!)
  • Street Fighter series (Zangief main right here, Comrade!)
  • World of Warcraft (FOR THE ALLIANCE!)
There's so many more I could list... but for the sake of brevity, I won't.





There is so much more that I could drone on and on about, but because I don't feel like boring you any longer (and because I don't know what else to slap on her for the time being), I'll leave it at this for now.

I hope you enjoyed reading this little biography of mine, and I certainly hope you learned a little more about me! Ciao for now!
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