BLOG -- EARLY Recap of March

There weren't many changes this week to handle the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, so I figured I might as well do my end-of-month blog a bit early. I don't imagine myself experiencing anything new in the next couple days since I've been in a "clean-my-room" mode recently. My room is still very messy, but it's getting cleaner little by little!

About the COVID-19 pandemic, though... I personally wish more was being done to enforce the social distancing. The number of infected have risen and according to the news, not everybody is actually practicing social distancing. This will likely lengthen the virus spread and get more and more people infected. That would also mean many places will stay closed for a longer time...  

Outings / Events in March:

- Hung out with friends overall x0.

- Bought a second computer monitor to work from home more efficiently. I really need a bigger desk to accommodate two monitors...

- Monday March 16 was the last day I ventured downtown. After that I've only left the house to throw out trash.

- Karaoked by myself x1. Finally, after so many months of not being able to go!

- Stayed over at my sister's place x0.


- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: 
-I did the Little Ladies Day event, but not much else.

Exposures:

- (Food place): Hattendo -- This place specializes in Japanese cream buns and melon buns. The buns are a bit pricey, but I've enjoyed what I've tried so far!

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): The Invisible Man -- There were several things I had questions / issues about, but overall it was entertaining.

- (TV show): Six Feet Under -- This series made me feel and think about so many different things. I thought the first two seasons were the strongest. The final episode was really good, too. Claire and Brenda were my favourites.

- (Anime): Happy Sugar Life -- I'll hold my thoughts about this series for now...

- (Anime): Scum's Wish -- Quite mature, but pretty good. There were some really intense relatable moments.

- (Anime): Persona 5 the Animation -- I enjoyed this, but that is likely because I played the video game. It felt a bit rushed, though.

- (Anime Special): Persona 5: Dark Sun... -- This also felt rushed.

- (Anime Special): Persona 5: Stars and Ours -- This one, too.

Playing:

- (3DS): Culdcept Revolt -- I reached the first ending so I'm counting it. I'm sure I'll continue playing it sometime in the future.

- (PS4): Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls -- Still one of the most twisted games I've ever played so far.

Reading:

- Nothing this month.

Currently... 

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): Dark Cloud
- (PS4): Kingdom Hearts Final Remix (from Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix)
- (PS4): iDOLM@STER: Platinum Stars (STOPPED -- I wanted to get one of my idols to top rank before stopping this game, but -- it's just so much grinding, and I don't want to buy extra songs nor costumes for this game... I personally prefer spending money on iDOLM@STER 2. I think that game is way more fleshed out)
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (PS2): Drakengard
- (3DS): Tomodachi Life
- (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition   
- (Wii): Fortune Street 
- (PC): UnEpic  
- (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend
- (PC): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)

Watching:

- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 7 - Episode 7)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 15)
- (TV Show): The Strain (Season 3)
- (TV Show): Galavant (Season 1 - Episode 5)
- (TV Show): The Office (Season 8)
- (TV Show): The Goldbergs (Season 3 - Episode 15)
- (TV Show): Huff (Season 1 - Episode 10)
- (TV Show): Legend of Korra (Season 3)
- (TV Show): Nodame Cantabile Live-Action (Episode 7)
- (Anime): Log Horizon (Season 3?)
- (Anime): Attack on Titan (Season 4?)
- (Anime): Food Wars (Season 4)
- (Anime): Pyscho-Pass (Season 3)
- (Anime): Carole & Tuesday (Part 1 - Episode 5)
- (YouTube): StephenVlogs (Day 850)

Reading:

- (Comic): Bodie Troll by Jay Fosgitt
- (Manga): One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (Volume 80 -- Chapter 806)
- (Manga): Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Volume 2)


That's it for March. Here are a couple pics I took this month plus a YouTube video. I didn't really take too many pics this month, for obvious reasons, hahaha.

One of the cream buns I had from Hattendo. My last treat for myself before 
"holing" myself up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new unit I got from Magia Record.
Thankfully I didn't have to whale for her.

"Good Morning Kids" from Ellegarden.
I like the bittersweet lyrics.

Thanks for reading!

As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free. :)

Unless anything major happens, I think I'll start blogging about different things next week.

Take care, stay safe, and next time! :)

BLOG (PERSONAL) -- What's Going on in Toronto (Journal #2)

Well, here are more things that have been happening in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic. We're not on lock down yet... but it already feels like one... but that could be because I've stayed home almost everyday this week. Again, this is more for myself, so this may not be very interesting for you.

Again, if I miss listing anything, my apologies.

- Since Monday, Canadian borders were closed to everybody except for Canadian citizens, trading / exporting of goods, diplomats, and US citizens. One day later, I believe Canadian borders were closed to US citizens.

- Monday night, restaurants and bars would be closed, only offering take-out or delivery. This was passed just before St. Patrick's Day, which I thought was good timing. I really hope the small businesses will survive through this, though! For sure this has already resulted in some being laid off...

- Public gatherings of 50 or more are not allowed.

- On Wednesday, a "$27 billion aid package and up to $55 billion in tax deferrals" was laid out. Initially, I didn't know what that meant, but it seemed to include support for various situations. More info about it could be read here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/economic-aid-package-coronavirus-1.5501037 

- Practicing social distance is encouraged, but not enforced.

- Some internet providers are waiving data overage fees to accommodate those working from home, which is really nice.


For myself, I've been working from home since last Friday. Over the weekend, I bought a second monitor so I could do my work a bit more efficiently. Unfortunately, my desk space is pretty tight so the monitors are set up a little weirdly (I might show a pic of it in later weeks).

I left the house on Monday to buy a lotto ticket. The closest kiosk to me was closed due to the pandemic so I travelled downtown. When I did find an open kiosk, I bought my ticket. For lotto tickets in Canada, you can buy tickets for up to 26 weeks' worth of future draws. I was very amused at the kiosk person's reaction when she scanned in my ticket (which was marked for 26 weeks) and the total ticket cost came out to over $200. Now I'm set for pretty much the next six months. If I don't win anything between now and then... hahaha...

After that Monday, I don't really intend to leave the house anymore except to throw out garbage, but I will be expecting a package in about two weeks (Persona 5 Royal, squeeeee! <3 <3 <3). Fingers crossed it won't be delayed.

About the line-up that happened outside an EBGames store to pick up Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom: Eternal... I'm not surprised. I can't comment on Doom: Eternal, but I know that Animal Crossing is still a really popular game, and one that could offer a lot of fun and escape during this rough time. If I had a Switch, I would have gotten the game as well, though I'd have it delivered, since I don't shop at EBGames that often anymore.

During my downtime (which hasn't been much since I'd been working a lot this week), I've been watching this old-ish TV show called Six Feet Under. So far, it's very good. Very morbid and quirky -- but very good. It makes me think about so many different things.


That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading!

If anybody would like me to blog about something else, feel free to leave suggestions in the Comments or to send a message via the Contact Form.

Stay safe, take care, and until next time! :)

BLOG (PERSONAL) -- What's Going on in Toronto (Journal #1)

Well, since my life is about to change somewhat and I want to remember this time more accurately than relying just on my memory, I figured I might as well keep a record of it.

Each week for a while, I'll be summarizing pretty much what's going on in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic -- any changes, thoughts, activities, whatever. This is more for myself than for anybody else, so this may not be very interesting for you, especially if you live in Toronto and already know about these things.

I think I mentioned this before, but my general, personal thoughts regarding COVID-19 are this: I do not see the COVID-19 pandemic ending anytime soon. Because the virus can spread while those infected are asymptomatic, there is no sure-fire way to keep yourself safe if you are outside in a crowded area. 

I think one of the only ways the pandemic can end sooner, aside from various countries taking measures to limit spreading (lockdowns, event cancellations, etc.), is if the virus mutates into something that is easier to treat / develop a vaccine for. So... until the pandemic ends, I really hope that the mass panic that's been going on will eventually die down. We'll likely be in this for the long haul, so let's get through it together.

Anywho... so things that are happening in Toronto. Please note that this won't be crazy extensive. There's a good chance that I'll miss listing some things, so my apologies about that.

Well, in the beginning (way back in January), there were only extra signage in the airport. Then there were some flight cancellations. Now, with March break starting tomorrow, major changes have started happening.

- All public schools will be closed for two weeks AFTER March break is over. For parents who work during the day and can't bring their kids to their workplace, what will they do?

- Various events are either getting cancelled or postponed. I know this is also happening all over the world (E3 getting cancelled, etc). Notable event cancellations / postponement (at least notable for me) are Toronto Comicon (cancelled), the One of a Kind Show (postponed), and the Hatsune Miku Expo 2020 USA & Canada tour (postponed).

- Closures to major public places, like the Toronto Public Library (all branches), Science Centre, ROM, AGO, Toronto Zoo, CN Tower for the next three weeks (or until further notice). For those on March break, what are they going to do?

- Reduced shopping hours for some major malls like Fairview and Eaton Centre, opening 11 AM and closing 7 PM (or earlier if it normally closes earlier).

All these closures, cancellations, and postponements feel so disheartening, but it's understandable. This is the start of what needs to happen to try limiting the virus spread. 

For myself, a mandatory work-from-home policy will be implemented for the next three weeks, starting tomorrow. While I will relish not having to commute everyday (my main unknown variable for possibly catching COVID-19), I know I will miss seeing and interacting with some of my co-workers. Also, my home is not the optimal work environment since I currently only have one computer monitor (at work we use two monitors).

With the extra time I will save from not commuting to work, and with me prioritizing to stay at home during this time, I'm going to make the most of it and get farther with my New Year's Resolutions. I really want to clean my room...


That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading!

I really hope you all are faring okay, wherever you are. *virtual hug*

If anybody would like me to blog about something else, feel free to leave suggestions in the Comments or to send a message via the Contact Form.

Stay safe, and until next time! :)

Weekly Thoughts #8 -- Cleaning My Room; Beating Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls

Since I lost an hour today due to daylight savings time, I'm gonna try to keep this week's blog short and sweet. As I usually say in my Weekly Thoughts blog, this may not be very interesting for you!

Cleaning My Room
Cleaning my room is one of my New Year's Resolutions (with the aim of half of the floor being bare), and I already know that this will be one of my more difficult resolutions to accomplish.

I hate to say it, but my room is very, very, very messy. I think part of it is because I tend to have interests across multiple genres and in multiple formats and platforms. For example, I like playing video games for various consoles / handhelds; I like reading manga, novels, graphic novels; I like watching anime, movies, TV shows; I like character figures and other fan-made / official random things. As a result, I've amassed a very... varied collection... and unfortunately my room is not large enough for me to display everything. 

A couple solutions I've thought about involve either playing "Tetris" better in my room (stack more boxes and line them up better) or ... throwing out some of my stuff. I actually don't mind doing the latter as long as I know I'm fine with letting it go. I've mentioned this before in earlier blogs that I have a lot of stuff I haven't experienced yet, so most times I don't know if it's something I'm fine with throwing out (hence my resolution to spend at 750 hours going through my media collection).

If you are in a similar situation as me, how do you go about cleaning your room? :3 

Beating Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
I just beat and platinumed this game last night on the PS4 (yes! I can finally get to playing Danganronpa V3!), and I gotta say... that was quite a ride. I generally like things a bit twisted (I don't know why -- I guess I'm just weird), but in all my years of playing video games (that I can recall), Ultra Despair Girls is probably THE MOST twisted game I've ever played. 

Being a spin-off of the Danganronpa series, a video game series with already a twisted premise, I had expected some level of shock and rawness when I started Ultra Despair Girls. I just never thought it'd be that extreme. It's not particularly a bad thing... but it was very surprising for me. 

In a nutshell, the premise for Ultra Despair Girls is this:

Kids have unleashed deadly mechanical robots to kill adults on an island city. You play a teenage girl who ends up fighting the robots and trying to beat the kid ringleaders. 

On the surface, it seems clear-cut that it's a "Good vs. Evil" scenario, but as you play through the game and learn more about each character and their situation, it's not so black and white anymore. This game can possibly make you question what would be the "right" thing -- maybe even to suggest there is no absolute "right" thing. And all the while, the extremities of the situation are shown in "all its glory" wherever you go...

All in all, I enjoyed Ultra Despair Girls and would recommend this game... but ONLY if you think you can handle all the twistiness -- and if you've played the first Danganronpa game and enjoyed it. If I feel I need to say more about this game, I might do a spoiler blog for it.

I won't start Danganronpa V3 right away, but I'll be excited whenever I get to it!


That's it for this blog. Thank you for reading!! If you have any questions or comments about anything, feel free. You can also send me a message via the Contact Form. Just note that if I respond, I would do so through my alternate e-mail address.

Stay safe, take care, and until next time! :)

BLOG (PERSONAL) -- What I Would Do IF I Won the Lottery...

Well... a couple days ago, I had a slightly heated debate with a co-worker about what I would do if I won the lottery. He claimed I would change and would spend a lot of money. I claimed that I wouldn't change and would be pretty conservative with my money-spending. Instead of going back and forth with him on the matter (though we did do that for about 30 minutes the day we talked about it), I'm going to just lay out what I would do if I won the lottery. I've thought about it many times, and I don't see myself veering away from it.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before in any earlier blogs, but I'll mention it here: I've never been one to seek and own expensive things. It's not because I couldn't afford them (though I guess that is true to an extent); it's because expensive, high-end things have never really interested me. To me, a high price tag doesn't always equate to a high quality product -- AND it rarely ever equates to something I actually want. That is why I don't really see myself spending a lot of money even if I had it.

So... this is what I would do if I won the lottery:

ASSESS MY WINNINGS

First thing before anything, I would see how much I actually won. Then I would look into if any of it could be taken away in the form of taxes and whatnot. Once I know the final amount of my winnings, I would calculate to see how long I'd be able to sustain myself on just those winnings (ahhh, the joys of budgeting!). If I could see myself living for at least 20+ years, then I would do the next thing. If not, then my plan stops here and my life will go on as is, for the most part.

DON'T WORK ANYMORE

This is the most important thing, and generally why I play the lottery -- buying back my own precious Time.

My co-worker said I'd travel to Japan more often and do more travelling in general, but I would disagree to an extent. I could possibly travel to Japan more often... but it would be more likely that I'd travel to Japan and stay there for a longer period of time. The plane ticket alone to Japan and back is so costly, that I'd likely not want to travel there multiple times a year. 

My co-worker also said that I'd buy a place in Japan, but I would highly disagree. I don't think it'd really be worth it since I'd have to have somebody take care of things while I'm not there. Plus I'd likely have to pay taxes or something. Also, in order to maintain my status of "not working anymore", I'd have to spend within my budget. Owning a place in Japan could possibly threaten that status. 

Besides... many of the things I want to do (going through my media backlog, trying to create games and such) involve me staying home or indoors. Of course I would still leave the house every now and then -- just not as often as some may expect from a lottery winner.

Some small quality of life spending I might do is subscribe to more streaming services.

MOVE OUT

If after calculating that I could sustain myself for at least 20+ years and I had enough money left over, I would do this.

Now... I would NOT buy some fancy house that would cost millions a month / year to maintain (that's one way to lose your money fast). It would likely be a small-ish place that is hopefully decently priced. I'd only do this step if I could outright buy the place instead of mortgaging.

OFFER SUPPORT

If I had any money leftover after the above two points, then I can think of doing things for other people. I am actually still figuring out what to do here. Even though I tend to like helping others, I'm not a doormat, and would most likely NOT satisfy a monetary plea from somebody who appears after 20+ years of not talking to me or such or from somebody who treats me like garbage and then all of a sudden changes their tune. It just wouldn't make sense to me.


That's it for this blog! Thanks for reading.

Just from looking at my plan, it doesn't look like my lifestyle would change very much, save for possibly having more free time to do the things I strive to do currently.

If you won the lottery, what would you do? :)

If you have any comments, feel free! You can also contact me via the Contact Form, but note that if I respond, it would be through my alternate e-mail address.

Take care, stay warm, and until next time! :)