Wander, My Friend

Today's been one of those days where I decided to take a look at a lot of things. While I focus on things going on around the world, I had to take a look at myself, because I realized something. Despite some good times and things, the rest of my life... well, haven't been so great. Things have forced me to take a left turn into the middle of nowhere (quite literally, might I add).

Maybe I'm a little frustrated a tad over my head with all this frustration. Said frustration stems from how some things in my life are going. That's normal for a lot of people - myself included. Between the sudden spike in gas prices last month (yay for California's ineptness involving the distribution of winter-blend gasoline), the notion that things seem to be falling apart for some people, and the most stable of situations seem to be imploding upon themselves, it's hard to disagree if someone says they're (somewhat) frazzled.

I say all this because in the journey of life we've been traveling, we've all lost our way somehow. For some, they've recovered and they're out there doing something. As for me... well, I don't know where I am or where I'm going. I've deviated from the path I originally had mapped out - and now, I'm lost in a forest of illusions (and I'm not talking about World 5 from Super Mario World). October was a pretty sure sign that I got myself confused and wandering around... but I think now's the time for me to find my way out.

You know it's a bad sign when you receive a list of tasks to finish that's taller than you.

Now before you leave in disgust and think, "Oh, great; this entry's going to be some lame-o one where Josh rants on and on forever about how (some) things in his life suck," let me tell you that it's NOT. (Okay, let me rephrase: "it's not going to be over 25% should I start ranting about my life.") Yes, I'm a tad over my head with some of my stress, but life isn't 100% down the crapper right now. (I mean, do you even see a "flash vent" tag up there? ... ...oh, yeah. that "flash vent" tag. Surprisingly, this is not why it's up there.) Besides, I've found things that have made this otherwise trite life of mine somewhat bearable, and to me, that's worth a lot.

However, if you're going to leave because you're under the impression that this entry's going to be a long one: then I have to say you suck, you illiterate doof you're completely correct. I have to make up for the crap-fest of "entries" that was October, so as such... expect a long and (hopefully) good entry for once. I'm kind of overdue for one, no?





CURRENT MUSIC:
Bear McCreary - "Worthy of Survival"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 Original Soundtrack

The title for today's entry was partly inspired by Bear McCreary's work on Battlestar Galactica (and for those of you who love the score as much as I do, you probably already know where today's entry title got its inspiration). But while I wanted to listen to something cheerful and optimistic, it didn't match with today's overall mood.

I surprisingly found myself asking one very important question when I woke up: am I worthy of living? A good portion of my current life is basically circling the drain, and with each passing minute I'm finding myself slowly becoming more distraught (even if I'm not showing it). It's just amazing how I'm able to survive for this long, and one can only wonder how long it'll be before I finally plunge into the deep end. (Before you start thinking that I'm traveling down a path of self-destruction, I'm not.)

I don't worry about that dive - I have people around me who I know will pull me out. I'm more so worried about the fact that I can't answer that question. I don't know if I am. And maybe that's why I find my life slowly deteriorating from the inside out. But I digress.

"Worthy of Survival" is a recurring theme present in Battlestar Galactica - not just by music, but by the show itself. There were many interpretations and allusions to what can be considered "worthy" - and the characters of the show (as well as the music) showcased these many answers. However, I find myself quoting William Adama by saying "It's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving." And as I wonder if I'm worthy, I'll play this - it seems to match the tone of my thinking quite well.


Lindsey Stirling - "Crystallize"
Lindsey Stirling

But enough on melancholic rambling. Let's move on to something else - something more upbeat and... well, amazing. Let's pluck these new-found strings and see where they take us. *hits random on WinAmp* And here we go!

Anyone who's frequented the Internet (read: watched a gazillion YouTube videos) and/or watched those television talent shows (back when they were good, at least) has probably heard of Lindsey Stirling at least once. Since her appearance on America's Got Talent back in 2010, she's showcased her unique blend of classical crossover (she was referred to on the show as a "hip hop violinist") to the world with great results and fanfare. While she's known amongst the general Internet community for her covers and medleys of famous music, she's delved into her own original works.

"Crystallize" - bone-chillingly beautiful, just like the ice castles the music video was filmed in.

Said original works are actually something I just recently discovered. One of my co-workers was playing music and "Crystallize" popped up. It grabbed my attention immediately (there's just something about the violin that gets me... almost as much as the piano) and I found myself intrigued to find out who this was. He mentioned Lindsey Stirling, and my memories drew a blank... until I remembered her unique and particular style from one of her prior performances (yay for The Legend of Zelda!). He said something about getting her self-titled debut album and listening to it like crazy and told me to listen to it whenever I had a shot.

So when I finally had a chance to listen to "Crystallize" at home that night on my own time (y'know, when I wasn't distracted by work at work), I found myself mesmerized. Released as a single earlier this year, the piece proves to exemplify a modern form of classical crossover. Last I checked, the words "violin" and "dubstep" didn't really fit into the same sentence properly. That view's changed with this piece. Consider myself blown away and considering Lindsey Stirling to be my next album purchase.


Masakazu Sugimori - "Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001"
Gyakuten Saiban + Gyakuten Saiban 2 Original Soundtrack

I'm going to be frank with you. Originally, I was going to type up some lame entry that was short (much like how the majority of my entries of late have been). I was interrupted by WinAmp when it began to randomly cycle through some of my video game music. After getting some kind of inspiration to hit me, I settled on writing for a majority of the afternoon.

And why did I suddenly decide to write?

*slams hands on the table* Because the prosecution accused me of being a whiny suck-ass. (And also because von Karma is one scary bastard...)

Anyway, for those of you wondering what this track is from, it's a musical piece from the courtroom-based video game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Playing as rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright, your objective throughout the game is to go through various court cases and absolve your client of whatever crime they're accused of performing. (For some reason, it's always murder...)

Hearing this track makes me want to press on for the truth behind things. Whether it be the truth behind the fog of corporate corruption or that darned mystery involving your stolen bag of cookies, "Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001" is a piece that just begs you to ask one very important question: "What is the truth?"





Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's entry. Today is Thursday, November 1, 2012 (as if you didn't know that already), and it's my much-deserved day off from work. (Well, it would've been had I not get so distracted.) It's Friday, November 2, 2012 - meaning that it's the beginning of the end of 2012 (and depending on if this supposed apocalypse happens or not, the end of us as well). This also means that it's a week before Pacific Media Expo 2012! Whoo. *throws confetti*

Some of you looked like this yesterday - I'm sure of it.

I sure hope your Halloween was better than mine - mine was spent on the cold streets of life, where I woke up the next morning nauseated from the fear of writing too little (as well as some old candy I had the mistake of eating).

Now, remember how earlier in the beginning of this entry I said that this entry was going to be up to 25% consisting of ranting? No? Well, okay, I didn't word it like that, but yeah - up to 25%. Guess what? It's already been done! Notice carefully how the introduction and the Current Music section contained some rants. It's done and over with now!

So, what does that mean in terms of topic discussion? How about instead of me telling you, we just look at them? Mwahahaha!





A Great(er) Disturbance in the Force
(Yes, it's worse than this.)

In case y'all haven't heard by now, this just happened back on Tuesday: Disney acquired Lucasfilm. Oh, and they also plan on making Star Wars: Episode VII.

WHAT. THE. FRAK!?

George, oh, George... what have you done? I can understand how you wish "to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next" - as a man who wishes to become a father and a famous writer some day, I get it. We want to leave some kind of legacy from us to the future, and I see what you're doing with that.

With Disney... I... guess that's possible. But as a company that's rarely turned up anything awesome in the past decade or so, was selling the entirety of LucasFilm to them a good idea? The only things produced by the media franchise that seemed to hold any success seem to either be any Pixar movie (where success is well-deserved) or any of its ridiculous live-action shows (where success is... wait; how'd they succeed in the first place?). I can't see how this move was necessary to achieve some kind of legacy.

So, what? Luke Skywalker's an honorary Mouseketeer and King Mickey's keyblade's gonna be a lightsaber?

Oh, wait. I forgot how much you and the rest of the higher-ups at LucasFilm have been milking your cash cow franchise for your own greedy profits. If I was a corrupt and greedy executive of a highly-valued company, I'm pretty sure four billion dollars' worth of "legacies" (with one half of the worth dished out by cash; the other by about forty million shares of Disney) could count... y'know, if I was in it for the green alone.

Now Star Wars fans like me (y'know... the ones who appreciate the cinematography and tightly-woven story that was the original trilogy) can share the same anxiety and fears that Marvel fans once had when Disney acquired them. Of course, this is the Internet, and my voice - along with the many other fans who also have expressed some kind of worry - have fallen upon deaf ears. (Get those Benjamins out of your eardrums.)

With this revelation, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."

(Author's Note: Now you see why the "flash vent" tag's here.)





Wandering Through the Mists
(My most recent adventures in Azeroth.)

Back in the middle of October I was finally able to get World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. After getting my account reactivated and settled, I began trekking around Azeroth in an attempt to get things in order. Many things happened, and I needed to get myself resynchronized with it all.

But first things first! I need to talk about Mists of Pandaria and the new things the expansion has to offer and all the random silly things I do on it!

Most WoW players will agree on this statement: Cataclysm was the weakest expansion out there. Sure, we got to see drastic changes occur to once-beloved areas where we leveled eons ago. (In particular, the razing of Stormwind City, the escalation of Defias activity in Westfall, and the loss of Southshore and Auberdine got me to well up a bit.) We got interesting changes and new talents. The story advanced and we got to slay Neltharion Deathwing.

However, a lot of things were nitpicked here and there, and on average the overall reaction to everything Cataclysm had to offer seemed to be all "meh." The reworking of the talent trees had hybrid-specced characters from the Wrath of the Lich King days (myself included) in an uproar. Most of the endgame content seemed to be rushed. Deathwing was available to kill faster than Arthas Menethil the Lich King was. When you think about it, almost made it seem like Blizzard hated Cataclysm as well.

Overall, I'd say that Cataclysm didn't grab players well enough.

When I crossed this bridge and was greeted by this sight, I was shocked.

So when Mists of Pandaria launched, some players were skeptical. Other people (WoW-bashers and neutral humans alike) shared some concern as well - and if you heard that the next WoW expansion was to feature kung fu pandas, you'd be skeptical as well. (Fantasy and martial arts? Sounds weird at first, right?) Personally, I was afraid it was going to be boring like how I thought Cataclysm was.

Then I crossed the bridge, paid for the remainder of my collector's edition of the game, installed the latest patches, and decided to see just how interesting the Pandaren experience was. I remember thinking: "How can Blizzard hope to combine their famed MMORPG with Chinese architecture and martial arts?" I logged on and decided to find out for myself by creating two new Pandaren: my monk Saltbrew and my warrior Sugarcleaver.

Aysa Cloudsinger had about the same look as I did when I first loaded up the game.

Whoa.

I was genuinely surprised. Not only were they able to successfully get the Pandaren lore fused with the rest of Azeroth, but I think they were able to do so in a way that didn't really seem to clash with the rest of the world. (Keep in mind that the Pandaren were introduced long before World of Warcraft was even released.)

Not only that, but the whole Pandaren starting experience was just amazing. Set on the back of a giant turtle named Shen-zin Su, new pandaren players begin their journies on the aptly-named "Wandering Isle." As an adventurer-to-be completing your training, you go on a quest to discover what exactly is wrong with your home. Events culminate in the introduction of the Alliance and the Horde on the Isle, and both yourself and the other pandaren have to decide what side to fight for.

This was both an amazing and sad moment in the questline. Sugarcleaver takes the time here to pay her respects to the recently-passed on Master Shang Xi.

To me, the entirety of Pandaren lore and the gameplay I've experienced seems to carry a wuxia-esque feel to it. Indeed, the whole experience - from the journey to the monk class to the music and atmosphere (dear Lords; the music) - felt like a Chinese martial arts serial. It felt heroic... dramatic... amazing.

In short: expect me to continue trekking on with my Pandaren. While Monks are cool and all, they lack the range I would like to have (which seems ironic coming from someone whose first main was a Rogue). This means Sugarcleaver gets leveling priority after I get Gef, Chari, and Erfie up to 90.





Well, I'm going to go off and explore... and that means I have to continue my journey of life. So until the 'morrow, everyone. Wander safely, my friends.