Submersion

Have you ever felt like something suddenly decided to hold you under? Under pressure, underwater, under the spotlight... under something that made you wonder how things were going to go in the next few moments?

I have. Today's probably the first time this year where I've felt like this.





CURRENT MUSIC:
Namie Amuro - "Hide & Seek"
Play

The opening track to Play definitely captures the feeling that opening tracks should have. It sets the mood and pace and introduces you to what the majority of the album will be like. In this case, "Hide & Seek" opens with a triumphant fanfare and a sound akin to a marching band.

While it's a perfectly danceable song (expect to hear this if I'm in one of those dancing moods at work), it surprisingly makes good usage in a combat sequence. You may notice that there's no link to "Hide & Seek" where I'd normally put one. The World of Warcraft machinima video I've embedded below is the reason why.



See? See how well it works in combat scenarios? (See why Rogues kick ass? =P)


David Arkenstone and Derek Duke - "Depths of Vashj'ir"
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Soundtrack

I found it strange to wake up and look outside... and then without warning, feel as if some idiot just dunked me in a tank full of reality. As that happened, I felt one word could describe my mind's current state of being: underwater.

As that slowly became the primary topic for today's entry, I clashed with WinAmp to find a musical piece that would serve to aurally bring this state of mind to life. My quest of musical accompaniment came to an end once I came across the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Soundtrack.

"Depths of Vashj'ir" is a compilation of the ambient music heard throughout the underwater zone of Vashj'ir. Storywise, you're on a ship en route to a new set of islands that emerged after the Cataclysm when out of nowhere the ship and its crew are practically destroyed as you're knocked unconscious. When you come to, you find yourself underwater in the shipwrecked remains of the boat that was carrying you, where some fellow survivors give you an underwater breathing enchantment and enlist your help in a journey to rescue any other survivors and somehow get rescued.

As you struggle to fend off the many dangers of the oceanic depths, the music heard in this three-plus minute track sounds off. It captures the feeling of an underwater quest quite well - almost as if we were being dragged to various underwater bases of villains and rogue government organizations alike. Cinematographers will find the music in this quite fitting for any underwater segment they may be filming, and those wanting ambient music may find that this matches the feeling of submersion that I'm going through right now.



"For most of my life, one of the persons most baffled by my own work was myself."
- Benoît Mandelbrot

To be honest, I've confused myself more than I confuse others. Half the time I say I get myself, I'm lying. I don't get myself. I don't know why I do what I do nor why I even question why I do what I do, but I do it anyway. I guess I like having fun, and I like working on whatever I like working on (assuming it's something I like working on).

And we wonder where the insanity and the chaos comes from. If I'm confused as to its origins, then maybe we should worry some, eh?





Afternoon, everyone. Welcome to 2012's fourteenth entry of the year.

What it looks like where I'm at right now.

Right now there's a mostly-overcast sky where I'm at. Though it may be dark enough to not get visually stung by the sun, it's bright enough so that you can still look outside and gander if it's going to be a great day.

Normally, an overcast sky like this causes me great discomfort in life. Rain just rains depression down on my mood (both figuratively and literally) while sunshine bolsters my mood with a great amount of sunny optimism. As I look at this sky, however, I can't help but get absorbed in how it seems to be providing neither depression nor happiness. It's as if I woke up and looked outside my window and noticed that I was submerged in some kind of middle emotion.

Yeah, I'm aware that the previous paragraph probably didn't make sense, but to me, it does, and that's all that matters. Maybe it's just the simple fact that my mood's easily swayed by outside factors beyond my control. On sunny days, I feel mentally stronger - that whole "the world is my oyster" mentality becomes the dominant persona. On rainy days, my mental status diminishes greatly - according to my readings: "life sucks." Overcast days don't force my mind down the drain as much, but the fact that there's no beams of light shining down upon us just makes the day seem somewhat glum.

It's weather like this that oftentimes force us to choose how our days are going to be. Like the cliché goes: "Life is what you make it" - and so, too, are the days in each of our lives. So right now, I've had to make a decision as to what Saturday, January 14 will be for me. In the event that you're also asking yourself if it's going to be a great day, then listen to me when I say:

"Yes. Yes, it will be a great day."