The days are much busier for some reason. I find that I don't have enough time to do everything that I want. Hopefully my schedule can get more ironed out in May.
"Outings" / Events in April:
- I went to a concert for Radwimps. I should be blogging about that next week.
- Had a board game day with my sister, her husband, and a friend. It was a really fun time!
- I spent one day roaming about downtown. I passed by some places I hadn't seen since I was a kid. It was really fun and nostalgic.
Exposures:
- (Restaurant): Pizza Saint Tropez -- This is a Japanese pizza place. It's a small place and easy to miss but the pizza selection is different from the typical pizza menu.
- (Restaurant): Pizza Maru -- This is a Korean pizza place. The menu here is also different from the typical pizza menu. The boneless chicken is overpriced, in my opinion.
- (Restaurant): Poop Cafe -- I checked this out for fun. The food I had wasn't really good (bubble tea and a Vietnamese sub), so only check it out for the novelty.
Finished...
Watching:
- (Movie): The Girl on the Train -- Not bad. - (Movie): Suzume -- I enjoyed it. The animation is beautiful and the music is great.
- (Movie): John Wick 4 -- There were a mix of good and not-so-good action scenes. Donny Yen's character was fun to watch.
- (Movie): Molly's Game -- I really enjoyed this movie. The acting (especially Jessica Chastain) and script was just amazing. It's also pretty amazing that much of it is based off real events. I'll have to read the book sometime.
- (Movie): The Da Vinci Code -- It was okay. A bit too long.
- (Movie): 1917 -- I was engaged for the most part.
- (Movie): Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance -- So bad that it's good.
- (Movie): Blood Diamond -- It was okay.
Playing:
- (Mobile): Alter Ego -- I had this downloaded on my phone for a long time and I finally decided to go through it. There are some interesting concepts but so grindy if you want to get to the end quickly.
- (PS4): Slay the Spire -- I'm still playing it but I did beat the game with one character so I'm counting it. This is too addictive!
Reading:
- Nothing this month.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS4): Dark Cloud 2
- (PS4): Skyrim - (PS4): Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered - (PS4): Moon: Remix RPG Adventure - (PS4): Yakuza 6: Song of Life
- (PS4): Baldur's Gate I: Enhanced Edition
- (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): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
- (Manga): One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (Volume ?? -- Chapter 1057) - (Manga): Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Volume 2)
That's it for April. Here are a few pics / screenshots I took this month plus a YouTube video.
My pizza order from Pizza Saint Tropez: Chicken teriyaki. It's pretty good! I especially like the potato topping.
Dalgona candy. Can I get the outline cleanly?
Oh... >_>''
The inside of the Poop Cafe.
This was a good movie.
The line-up to get into the Radwimps concert. This was maybe just a 4th or 5th of the whole line.
This is still a fun game.
A pic of my room when it was still messy (December 2022).
Some personal items are greyed out.
A pic of my room which is now cleaned.
Some personal items are greyed out.
Finally!!! I get Arjuna Alter. My saint quartz is now free to pull for any other characters I want.
"Zepla's Quick First Impression of Genshin Impact" by ZepLIVE.
When I came across this video I checked Zepla's old Twitch streams just to see the beginnings of her getting interested and trying out the game. It was very amusing.
I don't get to spend enough time on Genshin, but I still enjoy it a lot.
Thanks for reading!
As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free.
Despite finding myself with more free time in March, things were still very busy. Usually I'd stick to a general schedule but often I found myself planning by the day or week.
Also... just to say I still have access to Netflix. >_>
"Outings" / Events in March:
- My room is more or less finally cleaned. I'll show some pics of it in my next end-of-month blog.
- Had a board game day with my sister, her husband, and a friend. It was a really fun time!
- I've been spending more time learning python. Hoping that I will learn much more than before.
- Had meet ups with a few other friends I haven't seen for a while.
- I spent almost 15 hours one day trying to beat a 3DS game just so I could access its DLC before Nintendo's 3DS eshop closed down. I will blog about the 3DS at some point in the future.
- I finally got my hair cut. It was getting so long that I was sitting on it at times. Now my hair is above my shoulders (so I can give it a couple years to grow long again).
- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: -My subscription has expired. I think with this, I'll be taking a longer break -- not sure when I would re-subscribe (and catch up on everything I've missed). I'll remove this section in next month's recap blog.
Exposures:
- (Board Game): Pandemic -- This is an intense and stressful co-op game.
Finished...
Watching:
- (Movie): Yes, God, Yes -- I watched this for Natalia Dyer (Nancy from Stranger Things). This movie was pretty meh for me. - (Movie): The Karate Kid (1984) -- It was okay.
- (Movie): The Karate Kid Part II -- I had no idea that "Glory of Love" was this movie's theme song.
- (Movie): The Karate Kid Part III -- I've come to notice these similarities in the three Karate Kid movies: tournament, a new main girl character, bullying, Miyagi kicking butt, dancing.
- (Movie): The Next Karate Kid -- The main character was annoying at times. All the scenes with Miyagi are the best parts.
- (Movie): Judas and the Black Messiah -- It's horrible to think this could be based off true events.
- (Movie): Pride & Prejudice -- No offense to Matthew Macfayden (the guy who plays Mr. Darcy), but he holds no candle to Colin Firth. Between this and the BBC TV show, I prefer the TV show, though the movie was okay, too.
- (Movie): Scary Movie 2 -- Not my kind of humour.
- (Movie): Scream (2022) -- Just call it Scream 5, haha. It was a good movie, though RIP to the one who didn't make it.
- (Movie): Ip Man -- Quite nice action scenes.
- (Movie): Ip Man 2 -- Ditto here.
- (Movie): Ip Man 3 -- The stakes didn't feel as high as in the first two movies.
- (Movie): Ip Man 4 -- Kinda similar to Ip Man 3.
- (Movie): Gantz: 0 -- The script was pretty cheesy.
- (Movie): RRR -- Very fun. I'd watch it again! :)
- (Movie): The Mummy (2017) -- Does not hold a candle to the version with Brendan Fraser.
- (Movie): Godzilla (1998) -- Not that good.
- (Movie): A Walk Among the Tombstones -- Liam Neeson was great. Everything else was okay
- (Movie): Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves -- This was pretty fun! If you enjoy a fun fantasy adventure movie, check this one out. :)
- (Movie): Warcraft -- It was okay, though I didn't like the ending. I've never played World of Warcraft so I don't know how faithful the movie is to the MMO.
- (Show): The Walking Dead -- Finally I reach the end of the TV show. It was interesting to watch for characters who didn't make it or didn't exist in the graphic novels. Daryl and Carol were my favourites. I also liked Princess way more in the show compared to the graphic novels.
- (Show): Alice in Borderland -- I don't know how I feel about the ending but I'm glad I watched it. My favourites are Kuina, Ann, and Chishiya.
Playing:
- Nothing this month.
Reading:
- Nothing this month.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS4): Dark Cloud 2
- (PS4): Skyrim - (PS4): Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered - (PS4): Moon: Remix RPG Adventure - (PS4): Yakuza 6: Song of Life
- (PS4): Baldur's Gate I: Enhanced Edition
- (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): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
February was full of surprises -- good and bad -- hitting each other at almost the same times. Despite all the craziness, though, there were still a lot of good days, so I will appreciate those as I keep moving forward.
Also... I still have access to Netflix. I guess it's taking a while for Netflix to handle every account. So if you are account-sharing and think you are already blocked, double-check if you really are blocked or not.
Also also -- I'm still coughing a little every now and then (will it ever stop?). ._.
"Outings" / Events in February:
- A friend helped me build three bookshelves. They were needed to change the look of my room (I'm still cleaning my room).
- I spent Valentine's Day with somebody (for once)! XD
- Something bad happened to me that I can't really talk about here.
- Had a team dinner. It was really nice to see them again.
- Had a LINE voice chat. It was fun and much needed. :)
- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: -I didn't do anything this month.
Exposures:
- (Board Game): Gizmos -- This is a pretty fun game involving resource-gathering and invention-building.
Finished...
Watching:
- (Movie): Top Gun: Maverick -- I enjoyed parts of it. - (Movie): Bodies Bodies Bodies -- The atmosphere was pretty good but it didn't click with me very much.
- (Show): Black Mirror -- Overall I enjoyed the series, despite its usual dark tone. My favourite episode is probably San Junipero.
- (Show): Snack vs Chef -- Some of the challenges were interesting.
- (Show): The Boys -- I just had to say that I finished watching Season 3 and I can't wait for Season 4.
- (Anime): Monster -- I've watched this many years ago but when it got added to Netflix I had the series running as I did other things (so Netflix would know people are watching this). This is a really great series so check it out if you haven't yet.
Playing:
- Nothing this month.
Reading:
- Nothing this month.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS4): Dark Cloud 2
- (PS4): Skyrim - (PS4): Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered - (PS4): Moon: Remix RPG Adventure - (PS4): Yakuza 6: Song of Life
- (PS4): Baldur's Gate I: Enhanced Edition
- (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): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
Watching:
- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 11 - Episode 11) - (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 15) - (TV Show): The Strain (Season 3) - (TV Show): The Goldbergs (Season 5) - (TV Show): Huff (Season 1 - Episode 10) - (TV Show): Stranger Things (Season 5)
- (Manga): One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (Volume ?? -- Chapter 1057) - (Manga): Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Volume 2)
That's it for February. Here are a few pics / screenshots I took this month plus a YouTube video.
What I had for my team dinner. Taquitos!
The chocolates (and gummies) I gave for Valentine's Day.
What I ate for Valentine's Day. It was very yummy x3
SINoALICE recently had a collab event with Fullmetal Alchemist characters. I've still yet to watch the series but that didn't stop me from spending lots of $$$ to get them. It's probably the last time I impulsively splurge unless another collab I care about springs up unexpectedly.
Yayy, we made it to Top 8 for SIN Colo. xD
We surpassed Top 10 for this month's GC, yayyy!
"When a card game uses too many dice" by Pro ZD.
This is poking fun at Genshin Impact's card game. I actually find the game pretty fun, especially when you tape up the dice to form a bigger one (I'm joking -- that doesn't exist in the actual card game).
Thanks for reading!
As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free.
I'm a bit late to this but I want to share my thoughts anyway. Recently Netflix has started cracking down on account-sharing. I don't know if this is happening worldwide, but it is happening in Canada and I think in the US. Initially, I thought that Netflix would deal with account-sharing by charging an extra fee to the primary account (since this was done as a test-run in other regions). While the latter would have been a much easier transition (if the extra fee was reasonable enough), I think both approaches are wrong if the end goal is to gain more account users.
For a long time account-sharing has been going on for Netflix and nothing has been done about it. Yes, this goes against Netflix's terms of service, but if Netflix wanted to do something about it, it should have been dealt with long ago -- back when this would have set a precedent and get everybody used to the idea that account-sharing is discouraged. But now that it's been going on for so long, I believe that has affected many people's perceptions of Netflix's value. Why would somebody start paying for a service when they've already spent many years paying $0 for it (or splitting the cost like what I've been doing)?
Another thing is that I believe Netflix subscription models encourage account-sharing in a way (please note that I can only talk about the subscription models offered in Canada -- subscription models in other regions / countries could be different). Why is the only subscription model that offers 4K video quality the most expensive one and is the model that allows for 4 simultaneous devices to be used? Does that mean only households with multiple people are worthy of watching Netflix in the best video quality? Why isn't 4K offered to the cheaper subscription models that would fit households with less people? For anybody who prefers watching shows / movies in higher resolution, they are encouraged to subscribe to the most expensive model, even if they are living on their own. What is somebody who's living on their own going to do with a subscription that allows for 4 simultaneous devices to be used?
I think if Netflix wanted more account users, there should be more variety for the subscription models -- maybe offer 4K quality as some kind of an add-on so that customers aren't forced to subscribe to the most expensive one.
For myself, I've been account-sharing with my sister and her husband's subscription (the most expensive one for the 4K [$20.99/month]). My sister's husband received noticed about needing to confirm the primary location. We decided that instead of confirming which of us is the primary location, to let Netflix figure it out (whoever gets it will have access till the subscription runs out in April). Afterwards, my sister and her husband won't re-subscribe. I will only subscribe sporadically for a month or two to catch up on some shows (only the basic plan at $9.99/month). This change has resulted in Netflix losing my sister and her husband as a customer.
Hopefully Netflix will make some changes in the future that will attract some of the customers they've lost. Offering more subscription options would be a start.
Thanks for reading!
If you were affected by Netflix's cracking down on account-sharing, what are you doing about it?
January was a pretty good month. If this momentum could keep going through the year, I'd be super happy.
Unfortunately I'm still coughing for a little bit.
"Outings" / Events in January:
- Had a board game day with my sister, her husband, and a friend. It was really fun and I stayed over (for the first time in a long time).
- I watched a movie in theatres with a couple co-worker friends.
- I signed up for a free month trial of Amazon Prime. I'm going to use this trial to finally try out The Boys.
- I spent a couple weeks cleaning my room (including having my sister and her husband coming by one weekend to help vacuum my room) so I could invite a friend over.
- No details but I had two really great days this month :D
- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: -I didn't do anything this month.
Exposures:
- (Board Game): Clank! -- This is a very fun board game where your play area gets customized every time. The explorer side of me really loves this concept! <3
Finished...
Watching:
- (Movie): The Green Mile -- Long but good. - (Movie): Tenet -- This is the most confusing movie I've watched so far.
- (Movie): The Menu -- Entertaining, funny, and thought-provoking in a most twisted way. I highly recommend it. :)
- (Movie): Limitless -- The premise was interesting but I think the way it explored the concept could have been more... limitless.
- (Movie): The Huntsman: Winter's War -- Some of the visuals were interesting but overall it's ehh...
- (Movie): Bad Boys II -- A couple amusing moments but I was tuned out for most of the movie.
- (Movie): Bad Boys For Life -- Better than the first two movies in my opinion.
- (Movie): Battleship -- Bad.
- (Movie): Wonder Woman 1984 -- It was okay.
Playing:
- (PS4): Wattam -- This is a really strange but entertaining game.
Reading:
- Nothing this month.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS4): Dark Cloud 2
- (PS4): Skyrim - (PS4): Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered - (PS4): Moon: Remix RPG Adventure - (PS4): Yakuza 6: Song of Life
- (PS4): Baldur's Gate I: Enhanced Edition
- (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): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
Watching:
- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 11) - (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 15) - (TV Show): The Strain (Season 3) - (TV Show): The Goldbergs (Season 5) - (TV Show): Huff (Season 1 - Episode 10) - (TV Show): Stranger Things (Season 5)
Well, here is the long blog I do every year -- taking an overall look at the previous year.
The best dessert I've had this year.
First thing is a review of my New Year's Resolutions in 2022 and how I did with them: (REVIEW) 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) -- DONE(I watched about 238 episodes' worth, and they break down like this [also just to say that I watched the complete series for only some that are mentioned]:)
-Food Wars! -Non Non Biyori -Log Horizon -GTO - The Animation -Tokyo Revengers -86 -Chihayafuru
-Gurren Lagann
- 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) -- DONE(I read 24 volumes' worth and they break down like this:)
-Assassination Classroom -School Judgement: Gakkyu Hotel
I knew that I'd be able to finish my resolutions in 2022 since I gave myself only two. Despite that, I still kept track of the time I spent going through my media collection. I was curious what I would naturally do if I didn't have many resolutions to guide me. It turned out I mainly played video games. ^-^; In total, I spent 575.25 hours going through my collection and it breaks down below.
Video games - Completed at least once (about 522.5 hours total spent)
-Yakuza 5 Remastered
-King's Bounty: The Legend
-Cat's Quest
-Cat's Quest II
-Katamari Damacy Reroll
-March to a Million
-The Ramen Sensei
-PictoQuest
-Trine 2
-LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
-Vampire Survivors
Video games - Tried out for the first time (about 43.75 hours total spent)
-Idol Manager
-Yakuza 6: Song of Life
-Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered
-Moon: Remix RPG Adventure
-Ord
-Trine 3
-Wattam
-Other games I've started before and am still playing
Books / Manga (1346 total pages read - about 9 hours spent)... >_>''
-Ravina the Witch?
-Rumple Buttercup
-Rust and Water -Carciphona (Volume 1-3) -86 (Volume 1-3)
When I started sharing a Netflix subscription in February, I kept track of that as well (mainly to make sure I was watching my money's worth [I share the subscription so I figure I should share the cost as well]). In total, I spent about 497 hours watching Netflix. That comes to about 45 hours per month (o.o!). I definitely watched more than my money's worth. Here's how it breaks down.
Movies: 86 (that works out to about 7 movies a month >->!)
Shows (1 season counts as 1): 28
Anime (1 season counts as 1): 14
Documentaries: 2
K-Dramas: 2
J-Dramas: 3
Extras (any behind the scenes / extra footage): 1
Having barely any resolutions this year was nice. I got to stress less but I still ran into the same problems I had in previous years: there wasn't enough time to do everything that I wanted! :(
I wanted to learn more things... I wanted to create more... I wanted to blog more... I wanted to play more Yakuza games... Either I have to place less expectations for myself (because maybe I'm not being realistic) or I have to learn to re-direct more of my time to those things.
Below are my resolutions for 2023:
New Year's Resolutions for 2023 - 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)
- Spend at least 100 hours watching Netflix (for things I haven't yet watched)
- Learn something
- Create something
For this year, I still want to stay more "free" with my Time. I realize now that when I created so many resolutions in the past, I pre-planned almost all my Time for the year. It left very little room to deviate (even if I wanted to) and left me with feelings of disappointment when I couldn't finish them all. I think I'm done with all that. Of course, that won't stop me from forming other short goals through the year.
All the subscription-related resolutions are just to ensure I'm experiencing my money's worth. Why should I stay "subscribed" to something if I'm not going to use it? For anybody who stays subscribed to a service so that somebody else can use it, that's fine -- so long as it's being used.
The "learn something" and "create something" resolutions are things I missed doing last year. I'm leaving them super vague so I have free rein to accomplish them however I wish. There are so many things I want to learn (Python, Japanese, other programming languages, cooking, etc)... and there are so many different things I'd like to create (writing, games, etc).
I actually have another resolution, but I'm going to keep it to myself at this time. If I accomplish it, I'll share what it is in my year-end blog for 2023. :)
2022 in Review 2022 was the year where I decided, 'Okay -- it's time to go outside a bit more.' I was hoping to stay indoors as much as possible until COVID went away. But -- that's just not going to happen. Sadly, COVID is here to stay in some form or another. I either Live or let Life pass me by. That doesn't mean I went out all the time. It means I was more open to meeting up with friends and occasionally going out by myself if there was something I wanted to do. I still stayed cautious, wearing a face mask and keeping some distance if I could. It was really nice seeing some friends I haven't seen in a really long time.
Aside from going out a bit more, my life didn't really change much in 2022. I still kept myself busy, playing video games, watching YouTube videos, watching Twitch streams, and also watching things on Netflix since I started sharing a subscription. I actually think that I watched too many things on Netflix... >_>''
Some other thing also happened in 2022 but I can't talk about it (it's not my story to tell. Don't ask -- I won't tell you). I was there to give support when I could.
I already mentioned in past blogs that I got COVID and that it was pretty much the worst thing that happened to me in 2022. I hated that I took so much care to prevent getting it but I still got it. I hated that I missed a long-anticipated meet-up with old friends because of it (I took a day off just for it and I told my boss multiple times that I really needed that day off). I hate that I'm still coughing.
Then... with two weeks left in the year... just after recovering from COVID but still coughing... I hung out with a new friend... and something in me shifted a bit. Maybe it was the alcohol affecting my mood (I was not drunk, but I did drink). Maybe it was that I got to experience a couple firsts (which were exciting for me despite them probably being super normal activities to others). I don't know. I just know I was happy and felt inspired. And really comfortable. It left me thinking that maybe there is still more Life out there to experience. :)
For 2023, there are several things I'd like to do or get started on. Right now I'm keeping them a secret! Moving out will likely take a backseat again this year. I just don't think I have enough funds for it now (have you seen the housing costs in Toronto? .__.). I have been playing with other alternatives, but... I don't know...
This year I'd also like to take some time to do more self-reflection. With how I was in 2021... I know I have more growing to do. How do I face my shortcomings and overcome them?
Notable/Significant Memories/Events in 2022 Getting COVID: This was really bad for me. Unfortunately I was hit with the more unpleasant symptoms so I'm not gonna be forgetting this experience anytime soon. And I'm still coughing lightly, which constantly reminds me that I had COVID. I don't know what I could have done better to prevent getting it, so it was just bad luck.
Saying good-bye to a team mate: I'm really bad with good-byes and I often think of my team as a family. I'll always remember playing One Night Werewolf and other games during the Board Game Nights at work, and that day I asked him to get me some burgers for lunch (I gave him the money for it) and he bought the wrong ones and tried to cover it up, hahaha. He's also a One Piece fan so... I'm never gonna forget him. :') Having my wisdom teeth removed: My first time going to the dentist since the lockdown happened, and now a couple of my teeth are gone.
Having more hang outs with friends: I don't get enough of this.
Tuning into the Extra Life stream with Stephen, Mal, and friends: This was a super fun day. It's just nice watching awesome people play video games for a good cause <3 Going to Miku for my birthday: This was my reward for myself for completing my resolutions last year -- and then one of my friends paid for me! D: Hahaha... It was a really good time.
Having the monthly LINE voice chats with friends: Having these chats are always nice. <3
Wrap-ups, Replays, etc. in 2022
Here's a new section for all those year-end wrap-ups, replays, etc. from various places. I wasn't expecting so many this year o_O Some of these links will likely not be accessible after a certain time so check them out while you can if you like.
Summary of my PS Wrap-up. It amazes me how many hours I spent in Genshin. >_>!
Summary of my Steam Replay. I'm not surprised with these numbers. I rarely play on Steam.
I wish it would list the actual amount of hours spent on each game.
My top 4 Twitch streamers. I've been subscribed to StephenGeorg for quite a long time now.
Summary of the Twitch Recap. It doesn't say here but I gifted 95 subscriptions this year (a lot more than I thought!).
I guess this is the kind of listener I am on Spotify.
I wish Spotify would tell me how many times I listened to Voices of the Chord on September 8. Considering that I finished watching 86 in September and the Spotify wrapped-up became available start of December, that comes to a monthly listen of about 328 times. XD
I love music -- can't deny that. :)
I do enjoy my pop music as well as video game music and anime music.
Top Whatevers in 2022
This is my top list of what was released in 2022 that I experienced, which sadly wasn't very much.
(Movie): Everything Everywhere All At Once
When I watched this crazy movie for the first time, I knew it was gonna be my top movie for the year. And here it is. There was no other movie that reached out and touched my soul (and senses!) the way Everything Everywhere All At Once did. A technical marvel with lots of heart. <3
I love this series so much. <3 <3 The bleak world and the characters' struggles drew me in and struck a deep chord. "I won't forget..." ~~
A review will be coming in the future. :)
(Video Game):Vampire Survivors
This is a really fun and addictive game. If you haven't tried it out yet, what are you waiting for? :)
(Song): Voices of the Chord by Hiroyuki Sawano It's gotta be here if I listened to it 985 times on Spotify, hahaha. It's played during a really powerful scene in 86. Just typing it makes me want to re-watch the scene... *goes to re-watch the scene for the 20th+ time*
Usually I would share the track but I'd rather you hear it in the series first. So if you haven't watched 86 yet, please do so! :)
Top Exposures in 2022 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): 86 Runner-up would be Non Non Biyori (2013, 2015, 2021). I enjoy the cuteness and its relaxing nature. If Tokyo Revengers ended season 1 on a more definitive note, it would have been a runner-up as well. (Movie): Everything Everywhere All At Once Runner-up would be Erin Brockovich (2000). I keep thinking back to this movie from time to time. It's well-acted and the whole story is really amazing (in a good and sad way). I really admire her fighting spirit. (Video Game): King's Bounty: The Legend [PC] (2008) This was so fun and addictive for me. If a game can make me lose track of time, it's doing something right, haha... :)
For a pretty old show, I think this still holds up well as a romantic drama. The music is fantastic, too. (Song - English): Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Kate Bush (1985)
Hearing this in Stranger Things season 4 was super effective in showcasing the song's emotion and intensity. Every now and then I still think back to this song and that scene. It takes my breath away.
"Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush.
Love the emotion.
(Song - Japanese): KONNAN janai from Yakuza 5 (2012) I love the song's brightness. Just hearing it makes me want to sing and dance along with it :)
I have to call these two out for providing lots of entertainment and critical thinking through the year. Aside from wishing they would stream more frequently and consistently (I do forgive them, though!), they are funny and intelligent, chaotic-neutral guys. I often feel smarter after watching their videos and I enjoy the energy I get from their Twitch streams.
Josh's videos about Diablo Immortal has spurred me to re-evaluate my own behaviours with gacha games (I was already aware of some things but not everything his video covered). I hope I get to meet Josh and Callum at a convention one day (and that I have the courage to actually say hi) :)
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And that's that for my review of 2022. In my last entry, I noted a few things I wanted to do in 2022: -Start playing the Nier video game series (This didn't happen) -Finish up playing the main Yakuza games (I'm currently on 6 -- still a long way to go)
-Re-hook my PS3 (Yes, I did this! Does anybody want an Xbox 360? Lol... ^^)
-Spend less in SINoALICE (Success!)
-Blog more (Looking at my archive, I blogged 2 more entries than in 2021, so I technically succeeded? It doesn't feel like it, though)
For 2023, below are some things I'd like to do: -Start playing the Nier video game series (I did beat Drakengard and saw the alternate ending so nothing should be stopping me...) -Finish up playing the main Yakuza games (I'd like to get this done before Yakuza 8 comes out) -Play Mother 3 (I've held off for too long. I was kinda hoping it'd get localized eventually) -Blog more (I really want to do this)
-"Live" more (^_^)
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! Below is a % breakdown of my spending in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2020. This breakdown excludes necessities like my cell phone plan, transportation expenses, etc. Click on the image to enlarge it.
I'm happy to say that my spending for phone games has gone down a lot! My spending for streaming things (mainly gifting Twitch subscriptions), video games (both digital and physical), gift items, and miscellaneous have gone up, which isn't really a problem for me. I mean -- I gotta treat myself a bit sometimes, right? I think for 2023 I will list only the top 10 spending categories so this chart would look less squished. Also, I'm hoping to bring down my phone game spending even more. That will be my own financial (and discipline) challenge for myself.
Thanks again for reading! May 2023 treat you all with kindness and compassion. *hug* Take care, stay safe, and until next time! :)
