I finally got my new computer. Don't ask for specs. I wouldn't know them off the top of my head anyways. To give you an idea of how much of an improvement it is over my previous one, here's the example I use all the time. The last project I did (which I will show towards the end of this entry) took 2 hours to export after I completed the editing. With the same project on the new computer, it only took 11 minutes to export. Such a great and significant difference.
I'll be able to produce more videos as they come and I'll be able to catch up on projects I've put to the side. Even though I've had the new computer for a couple weeks now, I haven't tried to make any videos because I just wanted to make sure it functions well and that I transferred/installed the things I needed from the older one. Once I'm ready, I will format the old one and give it to my parents to do whatever with it.
=====Work=====
This was probably the busiest work month I've had that I can remember. There were so many things I HAD to do. Other than the normal things like capturing videos, making DVDs, checking documents, making full-length previews, and a few other things, I had other things dumped on me. I had to correct all of these Q&A programs that we had another company put for us online. ALL of them were messed up and most of them consisted of spacing errors. For example:
B. Confined spaces (correct)
B.Confined Spaces (incorrect)
All because of that missing space and the capitalized "S" is what made the second B incorrect even though the words are the same. So I had the task of fixing all of those errors. I was supposed to get help, but others were busy with other projects to help. I was peeved about that at first because it was a lot to do. Then and now I have to input the Q&A myself since we told the company we're working with that they've been screwing up too much on such a simple task.
We also had a meeting recently to discuss our money issues...again. We laid off an editor and we're all taking hour/pay cuts...again. I got mad during the meeting and actually yelled and cussed about things that are still a constant problem that never gets fixed or gets pushed aside even though others agree it's a problem. I really dislike our meetings. I feel too many jokes are being made during a serious situation and too many people interrupt or throw in their 2 cents while other people are trying to make a point. It's...ridiculous.
Anyways, we all have to take a day off every week. Again, I'll use this as an opportunity to take care of stuff or just to relax. I'll only worry about the company situation if we get rid of anyone else from here on. Everyone is pretty much important now to get rid of.
This was a slow month of games for me. The next few months will be as well. I beat No More Heroes 2 and the WiiWare version of the first Phoenix Wright (will probably review all 3 together). I've been playing the Miles Edgeworth game, but I've had to really find time to put into it. I'm only on the third case since it came out. Mega Man 10 will be out in the beginning of March and that will put the Edgeworth game to the side since Mega Man 10 would be less time consuming. Expect that for the next review.
The next main game time frame I have is in May when Mario Galaxy 2 comes out. Trauma Team also comes out, but I might have to drop that title. The third Phoenix Wright title will also be released on WiiWare and I'll get that and put that to the side just like I'm doing now with the second one.
Before I had mentioned about trying to do reviews for GoNintendo. Silly me realized that they have always had reader submitted reviews and that I could've just done that instead of sending a long winded email. I guess I was thinking my reviews would serve as features on the site rather than just normal reader submitted ones. Oh well.
=====2010 Formal=====
More things are shaping up. Music is being taken care of, we know the deal for the food, decorations and tables are being worked on, activities are being tweeked...
We'll be making a couple of trips to the studio to make sure of things and test things out as we move closer and closer to the date.
=====Video Projects=====
The Music Video & Photo Shoot project is still having details hammered out. The estimated date to do this is April 3rd and it will probably happen at my house. Not having a place to do this is what will kill this project. Otherwise, I'm pretty much ready for it to happen. The song we ended up picking is m-flo's "Miss You."
Another video project that will happen is actually for a contest. Pink Martini is asking for fans to make a music video for them using a select song from their latest album. Right now I have a simple music video idea in mind, but I'll have to run it by who I will ask to participate. Details in the following link.
With the new computer, I will eventually get to the projects I've put to the side. There's "Good Work," "Media Trip 2," XMAS Bash Quiz Show, and the Super Bowl Flag Football video. I was thinking to do the quiz show first, but my mind kept thinking and wanted to do more than just cut to different angles. I'll have to think more before starting that. If anything, I might do the Media Trip video first since it's not a long video. Then there's any other events that come up that I can put to video etc etc etc.
=====SNSD=====
Yay.
Okay. So I like being on Soshified. I've been watching "You Are My Destiny" from there and I'm a little over 50 episodes in. I've also reached the quota of posts to start downloading their subtitled videos. It's great to have high quality videos. So I'm downloading those and replacing my ripped videos. It's good. I received the pins I ordered and have been wearing them whenever I go out.
I finally got my copy of "Oh!" I forgot that it came with a random photocard. Mine came with Sunny. Such a nice surprise.
=====Ending=====
I'm thinking to maybe get some people together to watch Wrestlemania this year. The card is shaping up to be really good. HBK vs Undertaker: The Rematch - Career vs The Streak...that is more than enough. Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon is also more than enough. Edge vs Jericho for the World Title is just the icing on the cake. Those 3 matches are plenty of reason for me to want to watch the event.
Went to a bridal expo. Even though we would like to have had been able to get some work, it was mainly to see how other places price their services. One personal positive is that I was able to figure out what and where to rent what I'll be wearing to the Formal.
Been taking Salsa classes over at SoundBox for the past month. It's pretty fun. It's also a nice stress reliever in the middle of the week. I look forward to those classes every week.
Still waiting for my copy of BoA's 7th album to come in. I ordered her 2009 XMAS DVD so I'll have that coming in also.
Earlier this month, I saw an old performance from CSJH. They were singing their debut song "Too Good." I couldn't help but smile the whole time I was watching it. It had just been a while since I had seen anything from them since they haven't been doing work as a group. It was one of those "everything is alright" moments and it reminded me of how much I love that group. I do miss them and I wish they performed together again. Unfortunately, I can't find that video anymore, but I'll at least post the music video of it. It still is one of my favorite songs to this day.
And now to end this entry with videos like I have been doing for a while now.
1 month has passed already in 2010. Let’s see what I can recall.
======New Things=====
I ordered the m-flo Cosmicolor concert DVD. It was from 2007, but I never saw it. Seeing clips from it made me want to see it more. So I got that as a Christmas gift for myself and it came in. It was such a fun concert. I was watching it while I was a little ill and it perked me up in no time.
I also ordered some magic stuff from an online shop in Europe. I’d like to get more, but some of the cooler things are a little expensive. Maybe later on. But one of the things I got was an illusion ring. So now I have bling on my hand.
Another thing I got was a camera. Not another HD, just a standard one. It’s…not a conventional one, but I’ll keep that a secret for now. I did get these 3 orders all on the same day. 3 orders from three different countries coming at the same time was pretty cool though.
I also got myself an EdgeRated-R leather cuff. Another late Christmas present for myself. I’ve only worn it once so far. Unfortunately, it’s a little big for my wrist. I guess I’ll only be wearing it sparingly.
I finally ordered a new PC. Was suggested to get this one machine through Gateway. It was a good machine for a good price. Unfortunately, it was sold out. Even the next model up was sold out. The next one up was a few extra hundred dollars and didn’t seem worth it. I was shown a similar machine through Dell and I checked it out. Placed an order for it and it should be here the day after Valentine’s Day/Chinese New Year. Can’t wait for that to come in.
=====Work=====
I got really mad during a couple work days. I apologized to those I yelled and cussed at. It was misdirected anger (still work anger) plus my body wasn’t feeling all too great so I was just in a blah mood during that time.
We had an all staff meeting recently. They were trying to reinforce some ground rules. All I have to say is if they don’t enforce it OR they don’t hold the rules the same for everyone, then that’s messed up. Most of the ground rules were directed towards the younger generation of workers though. I’m pretty sure we’re going to keep doing the same things anyways.
I think they’re giving me more responsibilities now. Either that or they’re depending on me more for things especially since management and the owner realize what an asset I am. That’s not to be braggadocios, but the work I do there is spoken highly of and almost never criticized. Might have backed myself into a wall with that if I ever screw up on something. We all make mistakes so I’m entitled to make a few.
I also beat “No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle” earlier today. I’ll write that review this coming week and posted up on Rated CBAM!
Last entry I mentioned trying to get my reviews shown on GoNintendo. I wrote an email to the main guy there giving him my background on my reviews and what I’ve done. I haven’t received any type of reply from him since then. If I don’t hear anything in a month’s time, I’ll email him again. If nothing comes from that, that’s it. At least I tried.
By the way, the upcoming No More Heroes 2 review will be my 92nd review. Can’t believe I’ve done that many. My first review was “Donkey Konga” and that was in 2004. I actually have some extra down time at work since I can automate all my machines, so I went through and read all of my reviews before I started Rated CBAM! Man, my style changed over time. I think it’s for the better. A good evolution.
=====2010 Formal=====
I think this topic will come in all my posts until it actually happens. The date has been set and place has been found. July 10th at SoundBox Studios. It was fun going to check out some places. Some day, we will rent out that awesome $45,000 ballroom to use for our crazy friends, ha. Seriously, I am very glad we decided on a place. Thank you to Wyldstyl for letting us use your studio for the event. They gave us an unbeatable price with no restrictions on what we can do. That was probably the best part of the deal since other places had rules and regulations. Now, we are free to decorate the place as we please and we don’t have to have mandatory catering. All we need to do now is figure out the details of the event and then start spreading the word to our friends. I can’t wait.
=====Music Video and Photo Shoot Project=====
Doing a project with friends. I won’t get into all the boring details, but we’re basically going to shoot a simple music video and have a photo shoot going on for it as if it was for an album jacket. And to get to the point, we’re going to mimic this video with whatever song we end up choosing.
The projected date to do this is early March. We’ll see how it progresses.
By the way, we had a Media Trip recently. I have footage from that, but I haven’t made a video from the footage and photos taken that day. When I get the new PC, that might be one of the first things I work on.
=====SNSD=====
I know I said in previous posts that I’m finding less to say about this group. That WAS true. Now that they’re second album is out and they’re promoting it, I think I’ll have stuff to say and share about them.
They’re new album is titled “Oh!” The album came out at the end of January as well as the music video. They had their comeback stage for it already and it was great. The title song is not bad. At first I wasn’t too high on it, but I think watching the MV and seeing the comeback stage helped. I need to see the song sometimes to like it I suppose.
I did pre-order the album along with BoA’s latest Japanese album (which comes out in February). I have mentioned the largest international fan site for SNSD, Soshified, in previous entries. Well, guess who is part of Soshified now? The day I saw my copy of their second album shipped, something in me made me go check out Soshified and I ended up becoming a member. I don’t know if I’ll be active, but if anything, I might participate in some of their bigger benefits and plans they do for the group. The latest benefit they’re doing is in honor of SooYoung’s upcoming birthday. They’re gathering donations for the Haiti disaster and are donating the funds to the Red Cross in her name. I’ll have to read more about it so I can help out. But yeah, I’m officially part of Soshified now.
Another SNSD related thing, I’ve started to watch the drama Yoona was in, “You Are My Destiny.” I’ve never really sat down and watched a drama before, but this one is not bad. Each episode is around half an hour and I think that helps. I think I lose interest with the ones that are an hour long. This came from me watching a lot of “We Got Married” the last few months. Once I watched all the couples I wanted to (or could find videos for), I felt like I needed to keep watching something. So that’s when I started watching “You Are My Destiny.” I’m only at episode 15 or 178. Thankfully Soshified has all the episodes because I was having trouble finding places that had all of them available. I did skip a few episodes when I couldn’t find them anywhere, but now I’m filling in those holes thanks to Soshified.
Oh yeah, I did actually buy some stuff from Soshified, pins. I bought 9, one with a quote from each member. I just figure it would be a nice extra accessory to wear when I feel like it.
By the way…there’s a 3rd. She came in out of nowhere. She’s “berry good, yo.” But yeah…Sunny has made it up the ranks as my 3rd favorite. It’s weird, my initial ranking for these girls has changed over a year. Sunny was at the bottom 3rd and now she’s in the top 3rd, ha. I also find it weird/coincidental that my top 3 have similar favorite numbers; 12 (Sunny), 22 (Jessica), and 32 (HyoYeon).
=====Ending=====
I think that’s it. I always feel like I forget to mention something every time I make a post. Oh well. Here are a few things I’m anticipating for next month:
Getting my new PC. Can’t wait to see it in action and work on some bigger videos.
Trying out the new camera for the first time. Hope it turns out well.
SNSD’s activities for their 2nd album.
BoA’s 7th Japanese single. That girl never disappoints me.
More Formal plans to be hammered out.
More video project and photo shoot plans to be hammered out.
I just read that Edge returned at the Royal Rumble and won the rumble match! Whoo!
And on that happy note, I’ll bring things to a close. The following videos are:
Obviously this is late. It was late last year also. My apologies. It has been a busy end of the year and things have been slowing down and have been…well, somewhat boring. It’s not that I miss the stress of some of things going on brought. It was just kind of nice HAVING to do stuff as opposed to trying to do something because I’m bored. Anyways, I’ll give a nice summary of 2009 as well as what happened during December. Prepare for a ton of text to read.
=====Beginning of 2009===== This was a very trying time. I could not remember another time I was emotional on edge for things happening. Yes, I’m still not revealing it online because it is very personal. The few that know it know that things are better now and that there hasn’t been anything to worry about for a while. I still worry because in my head…I don’t think it would take much for this to happen again. Here’s hoping it doesn’t.
Despite being very busy the latter part of 2009, it seems I was able to find some break time to play all these games and beat them. Sure, the last 2 happened in early January, but that’s still 2 games at the beginning of the new year already. Phoenix Wright is coming out for WiiWare (1st game on the 11th) and that will hold me over until No More Heroes 2 is out. This will be my 3rd time playing through the Phoenix Wright games (as the other 2 titles come out over the next few months) and I know I won’t remember everything to do or that happens and that’s fine with me. That’s how it was the 2nd time around so it should be the same the 3rd time.
Last year I contemplated shutting down my game review blog. It’s still open. It’s odd. Most of my friends don’t play or own a Wii and I know that some have DSs, but I know they’re more into their PC games or PS3s. So I always feel odd reviewing a game that I know not that many people I know will be playing. I don’t even get many readers on the review blog itself. I have thought maybe to submit my reviews to GoNintendo. I’ve been following them for at least 2 years now and I think my reviews could be featured there. I do wonder how they would feel about a lurker all of a sudden becoming a contributor. The current reviewers they have I’m sure are at least members of the forum, but I haven’t signed up for it. I feel a little bad about that since they’re my main source for Nintendo news. I emailed RMC on the 11th so I’m just waiting for a response and see how they handle it from there.
=====Work===== I have minimal complaints about work. 2009’s work year wasn’t that bad. Layoffs and cutbacks did suck, but that was the nature of the beast and it happened all over the country. We’re at a comfortable position, but I do wonder why we aren’t doing any better. I would hope that we start getting more work this year. I don’t mind it being stagnant and stable though. It could be worse. I could be out of a job. I would be okay with that for a while, but I know I’d like to start working before I get really bored.
I do wish that things changed though. Management can still have sticks up themselves and it just seems petty and ridiculous now. We’re having an all employee meeting at the end of the month and if the little things are being pecked at, I won’t be too worried to speak my mind about it. At this point, why should small things be the issue? Something like being on the internet for a few minutes shouldn’t be the big problem when we’re not getting new project deals or sales are low. They just don’t correlate. Feeding the birds outside definitely isn’t bringing more money to the company, but I digress.
I’ve been more introverted at work in 2009. There are a few reasons. My dad started making my lunches so I just stay in and eat. That saves me money and I get good food. Not only that, I can catch up on videos during my lunch hour instead of at home where I can do other things. And I was honestly getting tired of hearing myself and coworkers complain about work during lunch. Nothing ever came from it and things have come up multiple times. It felt like an unnecessary strain to be having the same conversations over and over again and we have them over and over again because nothing changes. I’ve also been talking less to people in the office in general. It’s mostly for the same reasons of not going out to lunch anymore. More complaints, more of the same thing, nothing changing. I’ll talk every now and then, but once the same complaints come up, I’ll start to remove myself and just listen to music in my office all day. I’ll still go to lunch with the guys sometimes, but after a few years of going to the same places that are around, I’ve gotten bored of the food around here. I don’t mind going to them once in a while now or even on a non-work day because it’s been a while, but I can’t go back to going to the same places on a weekly basis.
=====Wrestling===== This is my main sport interest. Other people have football, basketball, baseball…I have wrestling. I don’t have many people I can talk to about wrestling. Friends that used to watch wrestling don’t watch anymore. Yes, the product is not the same and some new faces are lame, but then I’ve heard complaints such as “So-and-so is still wrestling?! He’s so old. He needs to quit.” So where is the middle ground in a conversation like that? Yes, it’s fake, but so are movies and games and other forms of entertainment. So…I really don’t talk about wrestling to anyone unless it’s about wrestling’s past or something that is actually really good going on right now. You can add wrestling to the list of things I’m interested that my friends aren’t. I have no problem with that. Just don’t bash my stuff when you don’t affiliate or keep up with and are just giving a one-sided uniformed opinion about it. I don’t bash your stuff that makes you happy. You’re welcome.
Going to Wrestlemania was awesome. Wrestlemania being my first live wrestling event was great. Going to my second live event to see ECW and Smackdown was awesome. Being able to sit so close to the ring for being seat fillers was awesome. Going to another live show would be awesome.
*I feel like I’m complaining a lot so far. I’ll touch on that later.*
=====Middle of 2009===== Things had started to calm down. The emotional wreck at the beginning of the year tapered off and was turning in a positive direction, which I was thankful for. I bought my HD camera during this time and have enjoyed using it throughout the year. The last half of the year served as a big “getting used to the camera” time frame. I didn’t want to get too creative with any of my ideas without knowing what I could do with the camera and my limited editing skills. It might have been during this time of the year that I started to complain less and became more introverted at work.
=====XMAS Bash 2009===== The 7th Annual XMAS Bash was fun. It always is. The main feature was the game show that Christiana and I put together for people to play. Unfortunately she couldn’t be there due to a scheduling conflict. It would’ve been less stressful had she been there in terms of set up and such. Regardless, the game show worked well and people had a great time. The originally thought of 1-hour show went on for 90 minutes and that 90 minutes flew by. A lot of great moments happened that were very memorable. I’ll edit the footage once I upgrade my PC so it can perform better.
Giving people my gifts to them felt nice. Everyone that got something from me got a lego shirt that you can put legos on and make any design with it. I personalized everyone’s and that took a good 3 hours. I couldn’t believe it. Good thing I didn’t film it like I originally planned although that would’ve been a nice touch.
Good Work was finally released to the masses. The cryptic “I’m very busy this last part of the year” is now completed and out there. Christiana and Michael did photoshoots with some of our friends and composed a magazine complete with interviews. I was a part of all of it being the first subject/model and for filming all the behind the scenes footage of the shoots. That also won’t be completed until I get my PC upgraded. Anyways, good work on Good Work, everyone. It was a fun experience that I wouldn’t mind being a part of again.
=====New Year’s Eve===== Mm, a great success as well. This year I invited friends to come over and watch over the clips I’ve filmed throughout the last half of the year. It did exactly what I wanted; it got people remembering and reminiscing about what they did and laughing at each other again. It showed those that weren’t there for events what they missed out on and hopefully encouraged them to try and make it out to more of our little gatherings. Seeing the fully produced Tempura Cook-Off was funny. Wilson did a great job with it (except for misspelling my last name, ahem). Watching back on the videos I produced was also nice. Not all the clips taken that year were in HD so watching some of my SD videos brought back memories for everyone. The last 2 videos were the videos I produced were to highlight the year. Thank you to Ada who provided the opening graphic for “HEY MY FRIEND” and thank you to Yvonne who provided the opening graphic for “Lotta Love.” “HEY MY FRIEND” by Tommy Heavenly6 was a mellow song that showcased more of the laid back clips or more of the aww-inducing ones. “Lotta Love” featured a lot of the silly and stupid things that we did that were caught on film. Both were labors of love with “HEY MY FRIEND” being easier to produce since I didn’t do too many fancy things or use as many clips for it. “Lotta Love…” that was a chore. It was a 7-minute song for one thing. I also used a ton of clips for this and a lot of pictures also. The first minute of the video consisted of 50-60 photos. I think I used 70-80 images for that whole video. Not only that, but it would take forever to export. In the end, it would take 7 hours for the final (beginning to end) to export out. The second to last time I exported it, there were 4 minor mistakes. 4! It took only a couple minutes to smooth out the 4 video issues, but it took another 7 hours to export again. Man…I was really pushing my PC heavily for that video. Again, it was a labor of love and I loved how both videos turned out as well as everyone else.
Fireworks afterwards was nice. It was VERY cold. Barry put on a great show. I always enjoy someone doing something for the group especially if it’s something you don’t expect out of them.
Didn’t set any resolutions for this year. I know I said I didn’t make any last year, but I did and I kept it. It was a silly one, but I put some effort into keeping it. I’m also continuing it, but I’m more open to breaking it if/when an opportunity comes.
=====2010 Formal===== The Formal is finally starting to be planned out. The first Formal happened in 2005 and now it’s 5 years later. I’m anticipating how this will turn out. We now have a 6-person committee (3 of which were part of the first Formal committee) to handle things. Getting the committee together was the first step and that is done. The next step is finding a venue to hold the Formal. I think once we find the place, everything else will fall into place and be easier to figure out. The only thing that has been voiced that we’re worried about is the amount of people that will attend. We’re shooting for 30-40 with probably 50 at the max. The estimated date is July.
I do like putting these things together. This, the game show, the Roast…all fun, all different, all out of the norm. I’m very glad people have been receiving these events well and enjoy being a part of it.
=====Negative/Positive===== I mentioned earlier how I felt I was complaining a lot. I didn’t like how I that was coming out. In 2009, I’ve adopted to be more positive and less negative. I try to find positives out of anything, but I know that not everything can have a positive spin. I also try saying more positive things (even sometimes I feel it sounds corny and “not like me” at times). Positive feedback is something that anyone can benefit from. Negative feedback can be okay depending on how it is broadcasted. There’s negative feedback that is pushing towards an improvement and there’s negative feedback that is just negative to be negative.
I shared how I deal with things at work. A lot of that deals with that I feel too many things were just putting out a negative feel. It always killed my mood. I remember one instance where I was just walking to get out of my office for a minute and stretch. I went to say “hi” to a coworker and she totally dumped on how it was a Monday and how she hates being at work on Mondays and that so-and-so isn’t working etc. And those few minutes really ruined whatever upbeat mood I was feeling. I actually came back to my office and wondered why everything she talks about is always something that is the worst thing in the world to happen ever. So for instances like that and others is why I’ve kept to myself more at work.
The concept of having to vent is understandable. We all have to. Bottling up how we feel about anything isn’t a good practice and we could how an unfortunate outburst because of that. I don’t mind venting or listening to others vent as long as it is in doses. I don’t like it if every conversation I have with someone is always because something sucks or that life sucks. The bigger problems in our lives need to be voiced and vented about and need feedback in case those issues are too big to handle. I have no problem with that. Those are times when you need to turn to your family/friends and get help with or just someone you could voice yourself to. It’s the little complaints that get to me. Not that I don’t complain about little things, but I don’t harp on them as much as I used to.
I chalk it up to the fact that people are used to talking about things a certain way. “I hate when I get calls from telemarketers.” “This video game doesn’t control well. It sucks.” “It’s Monday.” “I hate hearing this song on the radio all the time.” “That guy cut me off.” None of these signal the end of the world, but sometimes people make it seem that way. Not only that, but sometimes they’ll go on about it or bring it up again. I don’t understand bringing it up again. Why talk about something you don’t like if all it’s going to do is make your emotions boil? And in the case of these small complaints, do something about it or let it go. If you hate getting calls from telemarketers, find a way to block your number from them (there are ways) or just don’t pick up these unknown numbers. If it’s really from someone you know and it’s important, they’ll try reaching you again. If the game’s controls suck, it could be one of two things. Either you don’t know how to properly utilize the controls or the controls are really messed up. I find that people don’t like the Wii because of motion controls and “I don’t like flailing my arms to play games” etc. Those usually come from people that don’t grasp it entirely or want to spend the time to figure it out. Watch, when Sony’s motion controls come out, it’s going to be “the most awesome thing in the world and the Wii’s motion controls suck.” That’s another discussion in itself. Back on track; Mondays are coming. You can’t avoid them. So why not grab Monday by the throat and get the most out of it rather than cower from it? It’s just another day of the week. If you don’t like the songs on the radio, change the station or use a different music player (ipod, mp3 player, cds). Whenever I’m listening to my ipod, there’s never a song I feel is overplayed and there will never be a song I don’t like hearing because I have control over what I get to listen to. If someone cuts you off in the road, is it that big a deal? You weren’t forced over to another lane because of it, you weren’t hit, and you’re still heading towards your destination. You’re fine. The other driver is obviously in more of a hurry than you for reasons you don’t know. Yes, there are bad drivers out there, but you can’t control them. Just make sure you get yourself to where you’re going safely.
This feels long-winded. I’d rather actually discuss this type of thing in person. But I’ll touch on a few other things before moving on. Don’t make fun of other peoples’ interest. It is what makes them happy. Don’t you want your friends/family to be happy? Only if they’re doing something questionable is when you should question it. How would you feel in that type of situation? An example would be that you just listened to your favorite song from your favorite artist. Someone that doesn’t like the song tells you that it sucks. Fine, we all have different tastes. Then that person says that the artist is an idiot and writes the dumbest lyrics. Okay…that’s their opinion. You defend your favorite song and artist now and it falls on deaf ears. Now let’s repeat that a few times and you find out the person doesn’t really even know the artist or the song. Now…what did that accomplish? You tried to defend why you like something to someone who doesn’t care in the first place and you allowed them to talk bad about them. All that does was probably made you feel bad. What was the point of the other person? Were they trying to prove a point? Were they saying you were wrong for having such interests? Or did they just want to tell you why they believe what they believe is right? Things like this, to me, are a waste of time. Just let people like what they like. You can be playful and tease them about it, but don’t say their stupid for liking it and voice why you don’t like it. That’s their thing.
There is something I’ve tried with a few people or have said to a few people before. For every negative thing you say, I hope there is something positive in your life you can tell me about no matter how small it is. I don’t think that anyone I know constantly has problems and only has negative things happening around them. Sometimes we just forget to think about those small things that make us happy. It could be something small like playing a game, watching your favorite show/movie, playing with a pet, anything. I remember talking to a friend about some relationship issues that person was having. After all that, I asked that person to tell me something that their partner does that always brings a smile to their face. From that point on, the rest of our conversation was upbeat and we moved on to a different subject. Sometimes it does take a reminder to let people know that we have good things in our lives.
Yeah…I’ve lost a few other points I’ve wanted to make about this, but that’s okay. Like I said, this feels long-winded and I’d rather talk about it in person. Bottom line is that we can all benefit from being more positive towards ourselves and others. People are wired a certain way and it’s hard to change that especially if they’re a negative person. Those are probably the ones that could benefit the most from positive feedback. Just be more mindful of others and try help bring them up instead of bring them down.
And I apologize for this section being long. I just feel strongly about it.
=====Magic===== I started learning magic tricks early 2009. I haven’t learned too many over the year and haven’t performed them that much. I remember wanting to perform a show for my friends, but most of the tricks I learned are more one-on-one tricks. Thanks go out to Brian Brushwood. Thanks to TRS, thanks to diggnation, thanks to all of revision3.
=====HD Camera===== I love the HD camera I bought. I’m glad I have 2 (thanks to Tony damaging his and selling it at a low low price). This year was a great try out with the camera and I’m hoping to produce some better stuff in 2010. One big thing I would still like to try with some friends is to make a music video. I’ve thought about writing out scenes and such, but I think I’ll wait till the spring to actually put things down in writing and then see who is available to help me out. But here’s to more HD camera fun in 2010.
=====Royal Flush Media===== So…I’ve started a business. This was actually something that was starting to get legs a couple years ago. A few of us got together to try and sell photos on photo sharing sites you pay for. We didn’t meet those requirements and kind of put the idea down for a while to hone our skills. I actually dropped my photo skills for video skills. I’ve shared my videos with friends and that was what we watched during New Year’s Eve. Well, 2009 was the birth/rebirth of Royal Flush Media. We provide photos and videos for whatever the customer may want. We have temporary business cards and I’ve been handing some out. We have a logo and a site is being created. Hopefully we’ll get a decent amount of work that’s RFM related and start to spread our name out more. So if you know anyone that needs some photos or videos done, let us know. I’ll update more on RFM as it grows.
=====Music===== I miss Cheon Sang Ji Hee. I did read that Stephanie got into a ballet school, so that’s cool. Nice to see she’s doing okay since her back injury. Sunday recently did some performances alongside another singer (forgot his name). Haven’t heard anything about Dana. Lina supposedly owns/manages a mall or something. I forget. But I would love to see them come back as a group and rock the stage. With all these Korean idol groups, I still think they’re very underrated and the most talented in terms of vocals as a group.
BoA is coming out with her 7th Japanese album early 2010. Of course that’s going to be ordered. I miss seeing her also. I’m glad she did alright in the American scene, but it would’ve been great had she got more exposure. Business. Oh well. She’s always going to be successful in Asia.
SNSD…so they’ve filled my music gap for 2009. It’s…odd. I remember not wanting to like this group when I first saw them because there were 9 of them. Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. They came at the right time for me. Like I’ve stated earlier, 2009 didn’t start off well for me. That’s when SNSD started their Gee promotions and it was always the bright part of my day seeing them perform. I did get bummed when I heard their Gee promotions were going to end, but then they did Genie. That and extra Gee performances just made it a good year for them and kept me happy throughout 2009.
I’ve ended every post in 2009 with a comment on SNSD. That’s how important they were to me in 2009. If people make fun of me because my “image” doesn’t match theirs, whatever. They make me happy and I’m quite fond of them. An example would be one of my photoshoots for Good Work. One of my themes was dancing/performing and I chose 3 songs for that shoot. One of them was Himnae (Way To Go) and those pictures were actually used more than any others from that particular shoot.
Each member of SNSD is great in their own way, but 2 had managed to capture my attention the most. 2…I know…greedy. It started with HyoYeon because she was the only one I really knew when they first debuted. Then Jessica slowly made her way in. They’re both my favorite for different reasons and I’ve often wondered which I liked more. In the end…Jessica has a small edge on that. Sorry, HyoYeon. At least she can claim to be first, ha.
I’ve said a lot about SNSD over the year so I won’t gush too much over them now. So to the music in my life and mainly CSJH, BoA, and SNSD, thank you all for making me happy. I love you all very much.
=====Thoughts on 2010===== Let’s see what I can jinx right now, ha. Kidding.
- I hope Royal Flush Media gets some business. I would be really crushed if we got nothing in 2010.
- I’m anticipating the 2010 Formal. I predict a great success. I’ll be more sure of that once we procure a venue to hold the event at.
- I feel like I’ll be playing fewer games in 2010. I do have a list of games I want to play when they come out, but the majority of them have no exact release date. We’ll see what happens there. Oh, I’m also curious as to what my 100th review will be. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers was my 90th review. Hard to believe. I started reviewing games in 2004 and now I’m up to 90 reviews. Amazing.
- I know I’ll enjoy BoA’s 7th Japanese album as well as SNSD’s 2nd full album when they’re released early 2010.
And I think that is it. This was a long and lengthy post and I’ve said that a few times already. I’ll be leaving you all with the 2 videos I made and showed during New Year’s Eve as well as SNSD’s Genie MV with subtitles produced by Soshified. To those that read this, congratulations on making it to the end and thank you very much. I’m hoping for a positive 2010 for myself and the people around me. Be good, be safe, eat fruit (which I should do more of), and bye to 2009.
I kind of find it hard to believe that November went by so quickly. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been busy or maybe that time really is going faster than ever. I think when 2010 arrives, I’ll see a slowdown in time. And because of November going by, I really can’t recall that much that went on.
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Work
I’m having very little to complain about work lately. And saying/typing that might break that streak. I just find it unbelievable. The only thing I can think of is that we didn’t get our annual Thanksgiving gift card to buy food. Yeah, we’re not making that much money like before, but I think the gift card was still something that everyone was expecting. Oh well.
On a plus, I found out I still have 6 days of vacation time. I know I will use 2 days next week by taking off Monday and Tuesday. I still need to figure out how to spread out the remaining 4 days.
Other than the new Mario game, I also bought Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. I’m trying to finish that before The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories come out (another reason for taking off 2 days the following week). Out of those 2, I think I’ll try to finish Silent Hill first. I am thinking to bring Zelda to work and play that at least during my break time. That’s an hour of play there if I don’t eat…so it’ll be more like 50 minutes of play. I don’t like juggling games, but I have to do something to run through these games. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers comes out at the end of the year also. I’m actually going to be busy till the year ends so I’m hoping to at least beat one of the 2 games before Crystal Bearers comes out.
And speaking of Final Fantasy, I didn’t beat the one on Virtual Console. IF there was time, sure I’ll play it and try to beat it, but otherwise I’m just collecting it.
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Thanksgiving
Didn’t do anything. Technically, I did do something. I went to work to do a favor for a coworker. I did get paid for my time there. All I did was set up a wedding to be captured and made sure it finished. Then I put it to DVD and made sure it finished. During that time I was playing the new Mario game.
Actually, I also got all of my Christmas shopping done that day, too. Online shopping only. There is one element I have to buy still to complete the gifts, but I’ll wait until those come in.
I also bought myself a little cheap tripod from Walmart. It’s not bad, but does feel like it would break easily. It’s cheap so it feels cheap. I was trying to get the exact tripod I already have, but no Best Buy had it in stock when I was checking earlier in the week. By the way, I did pass by a Best Buy just to see if it was open. People had already started camping out for Black Friday and it was 4PM. I guess some people just skip Thanksgiving altogether and just get ready to shop.
Thanksgiving is not really a holiday I like. I just have a few bad memories of past Thanksgivings. I don’t mind going to see family, but if I do nothing on Thanksgiving then I’ll be okay with that also.
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Miscellaneous
Happy November birthdays. NSREMBTDWC was fun to play with others. And Spot Light was fun. Saw a few people I had not seen in a while and just had a good time in general.
Forgot to show the video I made for the 2nd KT Anniversary.
I recently bought a wireless microphone for my HD cameras. I was worried about how it would turn out since it was fairly cheap. Not only that, it did send a lot of static when listening to the audio being recorded while filming. Thankfully I was able to try it out and it turned out better than I expected. The static I heard during the time of recording was pretty much non-existent after exporting the video. Good stuff. I still do wish for a better one. The kinds that you see used on TV are the ones I want and those can run about $500 depending on the brand. They are good though. They definitely have a better looking/feeling mic on them.
It has been busy lately. The final month of December will be no different. Still have a few things that are hush-hush. One of them does involve the upcoming XMAS Bash. Big plans for that and I’ll be bringing a lot of stuff that night (games, gifts, etc).
I’d like to congratulate Andrew and Wyldstyl at the soft opening of their new studio. It was a fun time there seeingthem perform along with others. Good luck in all your future endeavors and I hope to see a lot more from all of you.
Yay for SNSD. I did mention last month that I’m finding it harder to find things to say about them and it’s still true. I just enjoy them and have been enjoying them for all of this year. They can always bring a smile to my face and make me forget any troubles.
That is something I will talk about though. I am all about needing to vent about frustrations, but I’ve been changing how I feel about how to go about it. I honestly haven’t vented too much lately about anything mostly because I’ve been letting things go. Usually they’re small and I don’t see why it would be beneficial for me to vent about all the little things that are bothering me. If they were bigger issues, then I’d need to say something or do something about it. I don’t see what complaining about small things accomplishes. You waste your breath and your time and possibly someone else’s time.I want to say that I’ve been thinking this way for a better part of the year and I think that’s why I don’t have much to complain about. I’ve told people before that if you have something to complain about (big or small), I would hope to at least hear about something good happening in your life (big or small). If all you have in your life are complaints and negativity then you probably should do something to fix that. I don’t like being around negativity all the time and always being negative is not a healthy way of expression either.
Anyways, I’m not going to ramble too much about it, but I hope I think I’ve been clear. It’s easier to explain in actual discussion (so feel free to ask me about it if you want to know more) and it makes it sound less like complaining. But this does tie in with SNSD. They are that constant positive I’ve had in my life throughout the year. I don’t get to see my friends and some family every day, but these 9 girls are always there whether it be the videos I watch of them or the music they sing that I listen to daily. There have been other musicians in my life over the years that had done the same thing that SNSD is doing for me now (BoA, CSJH, BabyVoX, etc), but SNSD is in my present and I can count on them to make me feel happy or forget the things that are bothering me and I am thankful for them and the others in life that bring anything positive in my life.
Please enjoy the following clips from a new Korean variety show, Strong Heart. In these clips, Yoona is (jokingly and against her will) involved in a 4-Way Love Square. I found it to be hilarious.
And also enjoy this other clip from the same show. Also very hilarious.
