BLOG -- Recap of January

January was a movie-filled month as I was making the most of my accidental Amazon Prime subscription. In total I watched 13 movies and Season 3 of an anime series. The slightly nutty thing is that I watched all those movies / shows on the weekends only (I'm hooked up to my work computer during the weekdays, so no Amazon Prime access at those times). 

I also did my best to rest my wrists since they were aching a lot in December (probably 'cuz I was crazily finishing up my resolutions and working a lot). I ended up working overtime every week this month, though, so I'm not sure how well I did in resting my wrists... >_>

"Outings" / Events in January:

- Had a LINE voice chat with my friends. It was fun. We talked a lot about Western-made live-action adaptations and live-action adaptations in general.

- I finished one of my "resolutions" for the year: reading 12 volumes' worth of manga using my Shonen Jump subscription. :) 

- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: 
-My subscription's still expired.

Exposures:

- (video game): Mon Amour -- You press only one button in this game, but it's pretty tough to master.

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): Noriko's Dinner Table -- I think this was better than Suicide Club theme-wise, but it's as extreme and disturbing. Maybe even a little more extreme. Not for impressionable minds.

- (Movie): This is England -- It was rough watching some parts of it.

- (Movie): mother! -- What a crazy movie, but it was really good. I don't know why, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the movie. It felt like my eyes were glued. That guy did not deserve her love at all.

- (Movie): Waves -- Not my kind of movie, but it was well done.

- (Movie): Caché -- I don't know how I feel about this movie. I hate the main character.

- (Movie): Minority Report -- The concept is really interesting.

- (Movie): Catch Me If You Can -- Very, very fun and entertaining.

- (Movie): Tropic Thunder -- It was okay.

- (Movie): The Green Inferno -- Why do I do this to myself? Hahaha. It's just okay, but it's pretty disturbing.

- (Movie): Chaos Walking -- It's a funny movie, but not in a good way.

- (Movie): The Crow -- Very nice atmosphere, and nice emotion at certain scenes. RIP Brandon Lee.

- (Movie): Ginger Snaps -- I don't know how I feel about this movie. It's crazy and neat.

- (Movie): The VelociPastor -- It's one of those so-bad-that-it's-good movies. It did a decent job.

- (Movie): Snowpiercer -- This was interesting.

- (Anime - Movie): Liz and the Blue Bird -- It's slow-paced, but has good emotion. I can empathize with Mizore.

- (Anime - Movie): Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System - Case 1: Crime and Punishment -- This was okay.

- (Anime - Movie): Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System - Case 2: First Guardian -- I liked this more than case 1.

- (Anime - Movie): Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System - Case 3: In the Realm Beyond Is ___ -- I'm just glad I got to see him again. Who, you ask? Watch it to find out, haha. ;)

- (Anime): Psycho-Pass: I have a feeling that there will be more seasons, but I just wanna say that Psycho-Pass is a great series, with so many thought-provoking themes / concepts. Whenever the next thing comes along, I just hope I have access to it.

- (Anime): Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma -- I could do without all the ecchi... other than that, it was a really fun series. I liked the creativity in the dishes and I enjoyed watching the characters grow. Megumi is still my favourite. Eishi is a close second.

- (Anime): Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma OVAs -- I'm just lumping all the OVAs here. They were okay. I enjoyed Takumi's episode the most.

Playing:

- (PS4): Genius Minesweeper -- I do enjoy playing Minesweeper and solving puzzles (most of the time). I'll still be playing it a bit in February to get the rest of the trophies.

Reading:

- (Picture book) Ravina the Witch? by Junko Mizuno -- This was okay.

Currently... 

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): Dark Cloud 2

- (PS4): Skyrim
- (PS4): Yakuza 5 Remastered
- (PS4): Trine 2 (co-oping this only, lol)
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (PSP): Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure

- (3DS): Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies
- (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 8)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 15)
- (TV Show): The Strain (Season 3)
- (TV Show): The Office (Season 8)
- (TV Show): The Goldbergs (Season 5)
- (TV Show): Huff (Season 1 - Episode 10)
- (Anime): Log Horizon (Season 3)
- (Anime): Attack on Titan (Season 4)
- (Anime): Pyscho-Pass (Season 4?)
- (Anime): Carole & Tuesday (Part 1 - Episode 5)

- (Anime): Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls (Episode 2)

- (Anime): Gintama (Episode 13)
- (YouTube): StephenVlogs (Day 1042)

Reading:

- (Manga): One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (Volume ?? -- Chapter 1036)
- (Manga): Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Volume 2)
- (Manga): Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui (Volume 13)


That's it for January. Here are some pics / screenshots I took this month plus a YouTube video.

I organized a wishlist gift-giving thing with my LINE friends. It was originally for Christmas,
but things got busy so we delayed it to January. These were the gifts I received
(they were among a bunch of things on my wishlist). The cupcakes are already eaten,
and the Monaco cookies are 2/3rds done. If you're wondering why
I had a Cookbook "for Men" on my wishlist, well -- I was curious
what sort of recipes it would have, hahaha. :3

My calendar for 2022. Oh how I miss sushi... ;__;

The top 5 PS4 games I spent the most time on in 2020. I spent 1788 hours in total...
meaning that only 180 hours are not counted here (a lot of that probably
went into Yakuza 3 Remastered). May the PS4 continue logging my
Genshin time in 2021, hahaha XD

A screenshot of an "intermission / break" part of the Valentine event in SINoALICE.
It'd be great if they formatted all their events this way.

What happened when I pressed the "Save" at the bottom, hahaha.

It's an old class in SINoALICE, but I finally got her. I bought her hammer months ago
and was waiting to be able to select it in the LB grimoire.
This was my strategy of getting this class, hahaha.

"The Discipline of Finishing: Conor Neill at TEDxUniversidaddeNavarra" 

This is a pretty inspiring TED talk.
I wonder how I'd do in that Marshmallow Test at the age of 3...

Thanks for reading!

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

To those celebrating Lunar New Year in a couple days, Happy Lunar New Year!!! XD Remember to wash your hair before the actual day (it's a big superstition / taboo)! 

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

BLOG (PERSONAL) -- Perspectives/Memories in 2021, Top Whatevers, Top Exposures, and New Year's Resolutions

 Well, here is the long blog I do every year -- taking an overall look at the previous year.

A shot of Hatsune Miku's concert stream.

She is singing Romeo and Cinderella.

First thing is a review of my New Year's Resolutions in 2021 and how I did with them:

(REVIEW) New Year's Resolutions for 2021
- Spend at least 100 hours on learning anything related to programming or game-making -- DONE (12.5 hours were spent on learning python; 3 hours on learning Tabletop simulator [which I've completely forgotten at this point]. I counted the rest as I was creating my game.)

- Spend at least 100 hours on learning Japanese -- DONE (I don't know how much of the learning will stick with me, but I can recognize certain vocabulary more easily)

- Create at least two games using any of the platforms / engines I have -- DONE (I created ONE game using Ren'py, BUT -- I created 5 different playthroughs for that game, with the text  sometimes varying depending on the choices made and in what order. I think that's enough time and effort to count as two games) 

- Create at least 1 story (short story, play, whatever) -- DONE (I'd say the stories in my game counted here)

- Spend a total of 750 hours going through ANY of my media collection that I haven't experienced yet (watching DVDs / Blu-Ray, playing video games, reading books). Playing MMOs / never-ending phone games don't count -- DONE (I ended up spending 756.25 hours. Here is a breakdown of where all my hours went:)

Video games - Completed at least once (about 446.5 hours total spent)

-Yakuza 3 Remastered

-Yakuza 4 Remastered

-Touhou: Genso Rondo Bullet Battle

-Patchwork Heroes

-The Walking Dead: New Frontier

-Shantae: Risky's Revenge

-Cafeteria Nipponica

-To the Moon

-Trine 1

-Secret of Mana

Video games - Tried out for the first time (about 115 hours total spent)

-Gurmin: A Monstrous Adventure

-Yakuza 5 Remastered

-Million Onion Hotel

-Skyrim

-Beat Saber

-Kizuna ai

-Tokyo Chronos
-Trine 2

-Minesweeper Genius

-Other games I've started before and am still playing

Movies / TV series (about 29.5 hours spent)

-Bill & Ted: Face the Music

-Synecdoche, New York

-Persona Super Live P-Sound Street 2019

-Bring it On: Fight to the Finish

-Legend of Korra (Season 3)

-Legend of Korra (Season 4)
-Pride & Prejudice (BBC show)

-Antiviral

Books / Manga (3846 total pages read - about 65 hours spent)

-The Walking Dead: Compendium 4

-No Longer Human (Junji Ito manga)

-The Garden of Words
-She and Her Cat
-Bodie Troll
-Voices of a Distant Star
-Ask Iwata!

-Street Fighter (Volume 4-6)

-Steins; Gate (all 3 volumes)

-Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Favourite Rabbit: Volume 1

- Get all caught up in One Piece -- DONE (Yes!)

- Watch at least 100 episodes' worth of anime / dramas on Crunchyroll -- DONE (I watched about 102 episodes' worth, and they break down like this [also just to say that I watched the complete series for only some that are mentioned]:)

-Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story
-Demon Slayer
-Gintama
-Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
-Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls
-Fate/Grand Order -First Order
-Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia

- Sort through 2 years' worth of personal photos / videos -- DONE (Yes, I did this)

- Catalogue all the games I own physically -- DONE (I'm very surprised with how many physical video games I own. I own... 494 physical video games!!!! There are 494 video games in my room >_>''' So... if anybody ever wondered why my resolutions have mainly focused on me going through my collection, this is why, hahaha. Here's how it breaks down:)

Sony Consoles/Handhelds (Total: 337 [68%])
PS1: 18
PS2: 101
PS3: 97
PS4: 68
PSP: 35
PSVita: 18

Nintendo Consoles/Handhelds (Total: 138 [28%])
GameCube: 16
Wii: 23
Wii U (I don't even own a Wii U): 4
Switch: 2
GBA: 4
DS: 53
3DS: 36

Others (Total: 19 [4%])
Xbox360: 2
PC: 16
Dreamcast (I don't even own a Dreamcast): 1

- Clean my room. At least half of the floor should be bare -- DONE (I took a pic of my room and sent it to my sister to confirm)

To sum up: I did it!!!!!! XD In the past 10 years of me trying to finish all my resolutions, I finally did it!!!!!! XD

I get to treat myself to some fancy food at Miku. When I'll actually go will be another question... I just hope it'll still be open by then. 

In terms of how I was able to finish all my resolutions this time... part of it was probably my unused vacation from last year and that I worked less overtime. To go in more detail:

I had 16 unused vacation days carried over from 2020, and I was forced to use them all up before June. So... after I did that, I still had all the vacation days for the current year to use up. I didn't get to use up all my vacation days, but in 2021, I used a total of 27 vacation days... while you may think 'That's not fair! That's so many vacation days in one year!', please keep in mind that 16 of those vacation days were vacation days I should have used in 2020. That means in 2020, I barely took any vacations for myself (even though I wanted to).

With my overtime, I worked about 320 hours beyond my contracted hours in 2020. In 2021, I worked about 146 hours beyond my contracted hours (only about 55 of those hours were paid out as overtime). I think it's still a lot of overtime, but it's progress. What I fought for in 2020 is still affecting me positively.

Below are my resolutions for 2022:

New Year's Resolutions for 2022
- Using my Crunchyroll subscription, watch at least 100 episodes' worth of anime / dramas (movies would count as 1 episode per 30 minutes of runtime)

- Using my Shounen Jump subscription, read at least 12 volumes' worth of manga (for series that aren't split into volumes, 10 chapters is a volume)

- NO MORE RESOLUTIONS AFTER THAT!!

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I would give myself another reward for completing my resolutions. Well, this is it! Aside from making sure I get my money's worth for my subscriptions, I have noooooo resolutions this year.

This does not mean I will become ultra lazy and do nothing for an entire year (I know myself -- my strong value of time would NEVER let that happen) -- it just means I won't stress as much. At least, that's my hope.

I'm also hoping to be able to live in the moment more. You see... I think so much about my past, and I worry so much about the future that I'm barely in the present. I want to change that. I want to be able to fret over the past, future, AND experience the present as it happens. Is that even possible?

I will still keep track of the things I usually keep track of (time spent on my collection and whatnot) -- I'm very curious if my behaviour would shift at all by having no real resolutions. Will I read more? Will I watch more anime? Will I discover something new and dive into a completely new thing? And again I'm wondering about the future, hahahaha XD

2021 in Review
To be honest... when I think of 2021, I don't want to think about it. 2021 was a very extreme year for me. I went through extreme highs and I went through extreme lows... all the while making a lot of mistakes with a couple friends (I considered them good friends), and then questioning my reason for living, questioning my reason for doing the things I was doing. That kind of self-reflection with all my harsh criticisms on myself led me to a very dark place, and I was very sad at times.

Another side of myself also came out last year -- the side of myself I don't really like. If we were in the world of Persona 4 Golden, I'd call her the Other Me. She's insecure, which usually leads her to come to the wrong conclusions and makes not-the-best decisions based off those conclusions. And she regrets her decisions soon after. She only shows herself to specific people (if you read the paragraph above, you may be able to guess how many). Unlike in Persona 4 Golden, though, I do not want to embrace and accept this Other Me as she is right now...  instead, I'd like to take her hand and help her grow into somebody who's not that insecure. I know she deserves it.

A couple positives that came from 2021 was my discovery of minimalism and Frank James. While I will never be able to achieve true minimalism (I will never be able to part with some of my physical collections in favour of digital), I do believe that having less can offload extra stresses and help me to focus on the more important things. And for Frank James... I'm just glad I'm not the only alien in this world... and that there are many others out there just as weird and strange as I am. I don't really know how it helps, but it's comforting. 

Another thing that I consider a positive in 2021 was... well, I think I will keep that one to myself. No promises if I would ever talk about it here. Ultimately, I think another possibility for my future has opened up. It's a future I never would have considered an option, but now... it's an option. Whether or not I actually take that path will be up to me... but it's an option. :) It tells me that the future I worry about so much still has that capacity for change -- so I should not stress so much about if I'm "on course" for my future. 

Last but not least, connecting with my friends on LINE or via text messages and having monthly LINE voice calls have kept me sane (well, more sane than I would have been). Sometimes it just takes bouncing ideas off another person to get into fun and ridiculous conversations. And to share different perspectives and grow.

The next thing in my Life should be moving out, but I think that will still be put on hold for now. Ideally I'd want the pandemic to be over before I move out, but let's see just how long the pandemic will last. 

My "theme song" is one I've mentioned a couple years ago: "Poison" from GTO Live-Action (1998 version). I think I've settled and will not look for any other "theme songs" in the future -- I keep coming back to this song that I think it best expresses what I aspire to be: living how I want, and living without deceiving myself.

"Poison" from GTO Live-Action (1998 version).
This was the only video I could find that had English lyric translations. You can check
my blog a couple years ago if you want to listen to my poor karaoke attempt. :)

Notable/Significant Memories/Events in 2021
The pandemic that's still going on: I'm just noting this here because it's still going on... I'll also say that I miss going outside freely and I can't wait to get out of my "cage". My trip to Japan is also very long overdue!

Had the worst headaches of my life: Even though I had a theory back then, it is still a mystery why I experienced those really bad headaches everyday from mid-February to early March. To illustrate how bad they were, there were days where I'd wake up in the middle of the night  and could not go back to sleep. And when it throbbed during the day, it hurt so much that I could not work. It felt like my brain was stinging.

Attended three concert streams online (Phoenix Wright Orchestra, Hatsune Miku, Genshin Impact): These were really fun concerts.

Going karaoking: The one day where I went downtown since over a year ago. It was a great time.

Did that "30-Day Minimalism Game" and succeeded: I ended up switching some items with others, but my room is nearly 500 items lighter.

Finished ALL my resolutions this year: I know I already mentioned it, but -- it's such an achievement that I gotta mention it here as well! :)

Had monthly LINE voice chats with friends: These were nice and fun. The cooking and game activities were also really fun.


Top Whatevers in 2021
This is my top list of what was released in 2021 that I experienced, which sadly wasn't very much. Also, just to mention: Evangelion: 3.01+1.01 was the only anime I watched that was released this year, and I didn't think it was good enough to list. Sorry! ^^;

(Movie): A Quiet Place, Part II
This was the only movie I watched that was released in 2021. It was good enough to make the cut. A Quiet Place, Part II was more of the first movie, and the first movie was pretty good.

(Book): Ask Iwata!, edited by Hobonichi

It was nice to take a peek into some of Iwata's values and to see how some others (like Miyamoto) took to Iwata. It still saddens me that Iwata is gone, but I think his legacy is still going strong.

(Song - Remix): Friday Night but it's Yakuza Ishin ft. Daniel Welch by Claus
I got exposed to this song via the Yakuzagames subreddit. From there I delved into a channel of nicely done Yakuza song remixes. It's really cool how creative people can be sometimes with their fandom. XD

I would love to play Yakuza Ishin one day (please bring it over!).

"Friday Night but it's Yakuza Ishin ft. Daniel Welch" by Claus.

It's a fun remix to an already fun song.

Top Exposures in 2021
This is my top list of what I was exposed to this year, regardless of what year it really came out in. Any titles with two years indicate the original release date, then the English release date. If I list here the same thing from my "Top Whatevers", I will also mention a runner-up.

(Anime): Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia- (2019-2020)
It was great seeing Gilgamesh in a different light. I have no care for pure chaotic characters, but chaotic characters with humanity -- I like. Overall, this series has the quality of the recent Fate series, with good plot and characters. It also has the same unforgiving nature (you never really know which character is safe...). I don't think you have to have played the Fate/Grand Order phone game in order to enjoy this.

Also, to make good on something I said to a friend (Angel) many months ago:

Gilgamesh! In my opinion, he is way better in this series than
in the other Fate series I've watched.

(Movie): Requiem for a Dream (2000)
It's not a movie I can recommend (quite disturbing and very depressing at times), but it was really well done. The music was great, too. Even now I think back to certain scenes and characters. If you ever decide to try it out, be prepared for a dark ride.

(Manga): Voices of a Distant Star by Makoto Shinkai (art by Mizu Sahara) (2004/2006)
I think this is a good supplement to the movie. There's a bit more detail, and I like how it ends.

(Video Game): To the Moon [PC] (2011)
While I can't agree with all the decisions the characters made, this game left an emotional impression on me. I highly recommend. I will likely blog about it one day.

(Song - English): Jealous by Labrinth (2014)

This is heartache personified. I tend to like sad songs and this one can make me cry. The lyrics and the emotion really hit me. This is my top song for 2021 because I can't ignore how good this is -- in my opinion, anyway.

"Jealous" by Labrinth.

To those in pain like in this song... *e-hug* (>'.')>

(Song - Japanese): MachineGun Kiss from Yakuza 5 (2012)
There's just something about this song that draws me in. When I listen to it, I hear passion, a bit of danger, and... something wild. If somebody ever wanted to try melting my heart, singing this song could be a start. ;)

"MachineGun Kiss" from Yakuza 5.

It's a song that tells me "I want you" in an edgy way. <3

-----------------------------------

And that's that for my review of 2021.

In my last entry, I noted a few things I wanted to do in 2021:

-Start playing the Nier video game series (This didn't happen)
-Stay on top of the ones I want to keep following and supporting (I tuned in to some every now and then. For others I need to find more time)

-Spend less in SINoALICE and other gacha games (I think I spent more this year ;__;)

For 2022, below are some things I'd like to do:

-Start playing the Nier video game series (Come on, Me -- get on this!! Hahaha)
-Finish up playing the main Yakuza games (only 5, 6, and Like a Dragon left! Then hopefully I'll get to playing Dead Souls for the PS3)
-Re-hook my PS3 (I've still been using my Xbox 360 as a glorified DVD player)
-Spend less in SINoALICE (Can I do this???)
-Blog more (I really want to do this)

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! Below is a % breakdown of my spending in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020. This breakdown excludes necessities like my cell phone plan, transportation expenses, etc. Click on the image to enlarge it.

It is alarmingly scary just how high my spending was for my phone games this year (almost 100% of that spending was on SINoALICE). Every other category (except for Streaming Stuffs) went down. What does this mean? I think it means I gotta stop spending so much on my phone games!

Thanks again for reading! I wish you all good health -- wonderful memories (as wonderful as they can be) -- and meaningful wealth. And... I wish you all the strength to live. *hug* 

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