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.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, February 7, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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...
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...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, February 4, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
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)
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)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
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...
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...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)