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.
=====Video Games=====
Latest reviews (not including January):
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles - click
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - click
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - click
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.
HEY MY FRIEND
Lotta Love
SNSD – Genie – MV (subtitles)
Take care.
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