Monday, April 2, 2018

March 2018 Entry

March 2018 Entry

Things happened in March. Lots of things.

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- I started to remove posters from my walls this month. I first took down Vampy and SNSD posters (16, 03.01). Next was video game and anime posters and scrolls (10, 03.04). And then the rest of the Kpop posters (BabyVoX, BoA, etc) came down (14, 03.16). That's a total of 40 posters that went up over the last 18-20 years. It was crazy to see the walls so empty. The only posters up are BoA (Kiss My Lips) and Vampy (Psylocke). I also took a Justice League print I won that is signed and hung it up on one of the bare walls. That is surrounded by the 4 Asuka masks I have.

Other than the posters coming down, I threw away a lot of junk I was holding on to and moved a few things around to have more space to walk around.

- Asuka debuted a new mask so I had to have it. Bought some Alexa Bliss and Finn Balor stuff I had my eyes on. I was excited to get those in the mail (03.04).


- New BoA albums (03.08). 2 different versions of her latest Japanese album and her (believe it or not) first Korean mini-album. When these arrived, I also rearranged items on my computer shelves. The row that had all the BoA stuff was actually full so I needed to swap spots with another row.


- Have you ever tried Rebanadas (03.10)? They're very good. They do create a lot of crumbs. I also thought it was a different snack I had as a kid when Agent Incognito originally described it to me.


- Random karaoke night (03.13). My close friend that always holds these karaoke events invited me last minute to join him and some of his connect group. I went after work. Tried to get coworkers to come, but they couldn't. It was alright. I sang 2 songs on stage (NSYNC, Bon Jovi). I sang with my friend both times (I never go solo). Something odd I noticed was that the others we were with would high-five him, but not me. I wasn't going for the high-fives like he was, but I assumed they would be complimentary since we were in close proximity. Anyways. As I was leaving, a pretty girl complimented me on my performances on stage. I did get her name and told her she was pretty. I don't know why I didn't think to stay and follow-up on the scenario though. Missed opportunity.


- Along with all the poster removing and other changes to the room, I decided to arrange my box of memories (03.18). Over the years, I had just been throwing stuff in there. While I added a few other items in there and threw some things away, I tried to organize things as best as I could. Wrestling and other event tickets are together, wedding photos and invites, letters, and other items are now together. 

- Daniel Bryan is now cleared to wrestle again (03.20). Yes! Yes! Yes!


- DEATH BATTLE Jotaro VS Kenshiro (03.21).


- My week off happened (03.25). I was planning to visit my best friend in Buffalo. The plan was to take a train from here to there. It would have taken 2 days going there and 2 days coming back. So I only would have had been in the city for 2 days at best. It was also last minute planning between us so it would have cost more and there were too many variables. Maybe later in the year.

I did help my dad clean the gutters on the first day (03.25). Oddly, I just take a shower and got into fresh clothes when he asked and I immediately got dirty again. A couple hours later, I visited my friends from high school and their kids. It was good catching up with them and playing with their kids (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). They told me how the kids remember me and were excited knowing I was coming over. Tentative plans to hang out again during the summer when the kids are out of school.

The next day I helped my dad with repainting our house (03.26). Unfortunately, the neighborhood association sent us a letter about how our house isn't in the best condition. They weren't wrong, but it just wasn't apparent until actually looking at things up close. Not a fan of our new color (gold-ish), but at least the house is starting to look better. I did this for about 3 hours as it was getting hotter and hotter. We did get one side of the house done and some other parts started on. There was one part where the bucket of paint my dad hooked to his ladder fell off from the second story. Paint splattered everywhere. Luckily none of it went over the fence into our neighbor's driveway where their car was parked. We were planning to paint the next couple of days, but the pending rainy weather stopped us.

Despite the heavy rain on Wednesday (03.28), another close friend and I met for dinner at La Olla (yum) to catch up. I then went to his place to finally meet his son. His wife almost immediately gave me the baby, which is only the second time that has ever happened to me. But the little guy is super cute and chubby. It was great seeing the entire family so happy.

Painted more of the house the next day (03.29). We were doing the part of the house where my windows were so I would go in and out to help from my window. But for some reason, the bugs were out in force that day. I got bit all over s many times. As I took a shower, I was still itchy. That was so weird. After that, I noticed I had 3 big bites on my forehead and I don't even remember those happening. Funny thing, my dad didn't get bit at all and he was doing this longer and was dirtier after everything.

On Friday, I got a new hair cut (03.30). Yes, a new hair cut. I let it grow for over a year so this was a good time to try something new (a style a few have suggested). A good amount of hair got cut off. Despite my hair not being in the best condition in general, it turned out pretty well. Part of me wishes I did this the next day, but it still holds up. The rest of the day, other than playing a game (read about that later), I spent time getting some other preparations done for the wedding. I thought I had everything ready, but this made me realize I should really go buy a new outfit for the next formal event. Whenever that does happen, I'm looking forward to it. But only a few things needed to be done for this one. 

The end of the month was spent at my dear friend's wedding (03.31). I asked a friend from high school to be my +1. She drove in from Austin the day of and we carpooled to the wedding. She was worried about knowing nobody there, but she did know some from many years back. I only knew a small handful more than she did. It was cool seeing faces I haven't seen in 5-10 years. The ceremony itself was nice, small, and short. Seeing my friend's dogs also being part of the ceremony was something I have never witnessed in person at a wedding before. She looked beautiful in her dress. Once that was over, there was picture taking and mingling for an hour before they opened up the doors to the reception. We sat in one of the corner tables. I knew the majority of those we were sitting with so it was cool and not awkward. In the end, we were the loud table, ha. All 4 of the guys at the table are wrestling fans too so we got the table to agree to do Daniel Bryan "Yes" chants when the couple came to our table. It wasn't the only time we "Yes" chanted either and eventually others started to join us, awesome. At some point, I did make it a point to talk to my friend and congratulating her on finally becoming a bride. We even talked about needing to catch up soon now that the wedding planning is over. And it was great seeing her dance the night away. She pulled almost everyone she could to dance with her and I enjoyed grooving along with her and being silly. Fantastic night.

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- Happy Birthday, Nintendo Switch (03.03). 


- Finished Bayonetta 2 (03.04). So fun. It was easier due to the amiibo integration allowing me to buy everything and have tons of healing items at my disposal.


- There was great stuff in the latest Nintendo Direct (03.08). Below is a list of what I'm interested in. 
WarioWare Gold (3DS, reserved)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Story (3DS, maybe)
Luigi's Mansion (3DS, no release date yet)
Okami HD (Switch, will download)
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (Switch, no release date yet)
Dark Souls amiibo (trying to reserve)
Undertale (Switch, maybe)
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (Switch, reserved)
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Switch, reserved)
Super Smash Bros (Switch, no release date yet)
I also decided I won't reserve a game until a release date is announced. That's why I haven't reserved Smash Bros yet even though I have some games on reserve that don't have an official date yet (did those prior to my new way of reserving).


- Finally got around to playing and finishing BYE-BYE BOX BOY! (03.12). I had it downloaded for a while, but kept putting it off even though I planned to beat all 3 in the trilogy in the same year last year. Just like the other games, I did as much as I could and then looked up any parts I was stuck on. Out of the trilogy, I think this is ranked second (first game being first). For anyone that is into puzzle games, I do suggest giving the BOX BOY series a try. 


- Saw some videos and previews for Danmaku Unlimited 3 and decided to download the game when it came out (03.18). I enjoy the occasional bullet hell shooter and it has been a while since I played one. This was rough. I had to play on the easiest setting in order to beat the game. Even then, it took me almost a week to even reach the final level. The picture posted here is from the final boss rather than the last image like I normally post. It definitely gives an idea of the craziness you go through in the game. I did watch a play through on the toughest difficulty and geez. Like bullet hell shooters, give this one a try. 


- There was a short Nindies Showcase video that aired on YouTube (03.20). Just like the Nintendo Direct, below is a list of what I'm interested in. It's different from my original listing (first and second game switched from maybe or not).

Mark of the Ninja Remastered (Switch, maybe)
Just Shapes and Beats (Switch, no release date yet)
Lumines Remastered (Switch, no release date yet)
The Messenger (Switch, maybe)

- There was a brief announcement that Shantae and the Pirate's Curse was coming out on Switch the week before it did (03.20). I really enjoyed playing it on the Wii U. And it unofficially is my favorite of the Shantae series. It definitely is the first Shantae game I ever played. Got a free code from the OverBlood group and enjoyed it and now I own and completed every Shantae game (except I haven't beaten the original, it is tough). Did another one run completion playthrough and beat my previous record by about an hour. If you haven't played a Shantae game, this is a good one to start with. Don't worry about missing too much lore as it's not the deepest storyline continuing from the previous games.


- During my week off from work, I needed more games to play. I did contemplate buying new games, but then went through what I currently own to see if there were any I haven't played or if any were just sitting. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows was one of them (03.26). While I did play and finish it on the Wii U, I did not 100% complete it. So that was the goal and that's what I did (with 3 less deaths and half an hour less of time). I still say this is the tougher of all the Shovel Knight games.


And since I still needed something to play, I decided to 100% complete Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (03.27). I was only 7% off so I continued from my original game file (added 32 deaths and about an hour to the time). Now I can say I have completed all of the Shovel Knight games.


- I backed an item on Indiegogo for the first time some time last year, the Switch Charge. They reached their goal, but it took a long time in production and shipping to finally arrive (03.29). It is as advertised, a unit to add battery life to your switch with a better stand and a compartment to hold extra games. I do recommend it for anyone that does play their Switch a lot undocked.


- Congratulations to my buddy, G To The Next Level, for reaching 1000 subscribers on YouTube (03.29). I was also surprised to see a screenshot of one of my comments make in in the video. Here's to more good YouTube stuff for you in the future.


- I heard that Arcade Archives: Punch-Out!! was coming out. I never played the arcade Punch-Out before so I was anticipating downloading the game. For some weird reason, the game released everywhere on the 29th, but in the US a day later (03.30). Wow, this game is tough. Of course, it's an arcade game so it was meant to eat quarters and tokens. I could not even beat Glass Joe. I bumped the difficulty down and was able to beat the game once (losing multiple times to each boxer). But the next set of rematches...wow. Glass Joe whooped me and I was done. Crazy knowing that there was at least one more round of difficulty after that circuit. Hard to recommend this one even if you are a Punch-Out fan. Definitely try it out though if you're curious.


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- We ran 3 different campaigns during the month and dubbed it March Madness (03.01). One was for 2 tickets to the Rodeo to see Brad Paisley perform (answer a rodeo riddle on site). The other was for 4 winners to win 1 free ticket to HER (turn in and correctly guess the NCAA Final Four bracket). And the last one ran all month; win $200 (team with the fastest time for ER2 only on Tuesdays/Wednesdays). The Rodeo Riddle Raffle was highly successful, Final Four was a bust, and there wasn't as much excitement for winning $200 as I would have guessed.


- Pictures from March's company meeting (03.06). Special thanks to Agent X for giving me a shout out during our "proud table" portion of the meeting. Everyone has been mentioned multiple times for the half year (or more) we have been doing this, but this was the first time I was ever mentioned by anyone.


- Stupid stuff happened (03.09). I got written up. Blah blah blah.

- This was the first week having our new later hours. We now close at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays (03.10). So on these days, I get home at 1AM and to eat dinner and sleep around 2AM. I do feel very tired the following morning as I still wake up around the same time.

- As part of me not being Personnel Manager anymore, I was also asked to take a week vacation (03.25). I chose this week of time as it would tie in with the wedding I originally requested off for the month.

- And our March blog was electronically typed by Agent Ocean who gives a special announcement to the HER Community (03.31). Go check it out.


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- Shinhwa - All Your Dreams (2018 MV)


Shinhwa - All Your Dreams (2000 MV)


I thought it was cool that they recreated the original video. They did an awesome job with every detail. I do think the original song is still better though.

- Tiffany Young - Remember Me (MV)


It's awesome to see Tiffany back in action and all over social media. Made sure to follow her on everything.

That night, I actually had a series of dreams that involved her. They all linked together, but were done out of order. There were a lot of weird little things that happened in each portion. In the correct order:

1. Went to a packed theater to watch a movie she starred in. I was one of the last people to come in that they had to give the last few of us folding chairs to sit in.
2. Got to meet her after the movie. A few of us were the last few in line as she was passing by to leave. She shook my hand, but greeted me as if she already knew who I was.
3. Had to help her run away from people chasing her. At some point, I had to give her a piggy-back ride. Ended up evading the pursuers in a playground. That's where she thanked me and gave me a hug.

Her Facebook Live stream was cool to catch up. Nice to see her on her own and speaking to her fans. Hopefully she does more them in the future. 


- That's it for March 2018. Thank you for reading.


"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits."

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Saturday, March 10, 2018

February 2018 Entry

February 2018 Entry  

Thanks for tuning in to the next installment of this blog. Apologies for the change in text size and font (don't know why it's happening). 

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- Don't know what possessed me to do so, but I tried 4 songs at 2x speed (02.04). It reminded me when I used to do dances on a daily basis and sweat it out. Felt great, but my body sure isn't like it used to be.  

SHINee - Sherlock https://youtu.be/MkSpLO3e5N4 
Shinhwa - Wild Eyes https://youtu.be/askghfiyH3E 
Super Junior - Sorry Sorry https://youtu.be/Nz59S-2qGwc 

- Found time to sit down and watch TWICELAND - The Opening (02.04). That was a fun concert. Sang and danced along the entire time like I do when I watch other concerts. 
 

- Batman: Gotham By Gaslight is a great movie (02.11). There were a good number of key moments I really enjoyed. Definitely recommend this animated movie to anyone.  


- Had dinner with a friend I haven't seen since our trip to Marfa a couple years ago (02.11). We first went to an Asian restaurant to get soup dumplings. First time I've ever had them. They were good, but not enough for the price they were selling them for. So we quickly made plans to eat more at Kura Revolving Sushi. It was my second time there and her first. Among all the eating at both places, we caught up on a lot of things. In the end, we had some brutal honesty going back and forth. Some of the suggestions she made, I took to heart and am considering (or have already started doing), but I definitely didn't agree with everything. Still, it was great to catch up with her. 

- I was suggested to check out It's Just Lunch by a friend who saw an in-flight ad on a recent trip. I made a phone call to speak with someone and it took a while for them to reach back to me. But someone finally called me back (02.19). Everything sounded okay until she mentioned the price, $2700 per year. I tried to back away, but was convinced to come in for the interview at least. It was on off day and had nothing planned, so I went. The interview was...underwhelming. The questions were typical of what other dating apps would ask. The matchmaker did give more insight on things and asked more in depth stuff though that did make me think. Even with all the guarantees and shine she went on about, I could not say "yes" right then and there. So I left and texted a few friends and my best friend suggested I check out reviews. I'm so glad she did. The reviews were terrible. I don't know why I didn't bother checking beforehand. This solidified my choice of not paying that much money for this. Geez.  

- H.O.T. reunited after 17 years (02.25). Thanks to Infinity Challenge, they came together and trained to hold a concert. It was fantastic. To see this group perform in their 40s after so long, wow. Similar to watching TWICELAND, I sang, danced, cheered, and cried along with everyone. The outpouring of support from long time fans and to see the emotions on their face as well as the from the group...fantastic.  


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- New amiibo (02.07). Target was having an insane buy-1-get-3-free deal going on. The list was limited and I had a good amount of them. So I went for the Animal Crossing amiibo, but only ones that were on the Gamecube version as that is the only one I played. But this brings my amiibo count to 108.


- Double-dipped on Bayonetta 2 (02.16). I really enjoyed it on the Wii U so I wanted to continue supporting it on the Switch. For some reason, I decided to play through both 1+2 a chapter at a time as opposed to running through as much as possible. I would finish a chapter, post up a screen shot online, and then take at least a 10 minute break (watch a video, catch up on online stuff, etc). It was funny as I forgot that some chapters are only a boss fight making them very short. But I did beat the first one (02.20), started the second one (02.25), and beat the second game (03.04). It was great to be back in that crazy world with Bayonetta.  



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- Another company meeting in the books (02.06). This one was special as we had our activity before the meeting. We had a guest speaker come in and talk to us about character development and marketing. She was fantastic and everyone took something away from it. We will most likely invite her again in the future.  


- HER had a nice article posted on Voyage Houston (02.07). Take a look.  


- Conducted our yearly evaluations this month (02.13). I do enjoy championing everyone and the raises they deserve. This was also a date I was I had deadlined for myself. This was the time I knew was appropriate for me to resign from being Personnel Manager. I had been thinking about it for a while, but figured it was now or never. At the end of my evaluation, which went better than I thought it would, was when I brought it up. I had a speech I went over in my head (forgot a few things) with my reasons as to why (frustrations, how I miss facilitating, not being satisfied with my managerial performance, etc). I did the managerial position for a year and it wasn't for me. I can still be important to the company in my former capacity. On this day, a friend on Facebook posted an image that said "Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It's about one life influencing another." 

I was officially no longer Personnel Manager at the end of the month (02.27). I am now a Senior Facilitator again with my big responsibilities being hiring, training, and onboarding. Slowly over time, my permissions and abilities that I had as a manager have been removed and transferred. I do feel less pressure and a lot better coming in to work now.  

- This month's blog was written by Agent Incognito (02.28). 


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- BoA - One Shot, Two Shot (MV) 


- Red Velvet - Look (dance practice) 


- Red Velvet - I Just (MV) 


- TWICE - Brand New Girl (MV) 


- That night I met up with a friend, an unfortunate incident happened after we split (02.12). I ended up going down Beltway 8 from Bellaire towards Beechnut, which I normally don't do. I just happened to be in the left turn lane and had to turn. I ended up being close to the truck that was also turning. That truck then started keeping pace with me down the road and I thought they were trying to yell at me for almost hitting them. I ignored them for a while, but saw they were still side by side with me. So I figured to make eye contact, take the tongue lashing, and continue. But they informed me that my back right tire looked wobbly and offered to let me pull over to check it. So I did. The guy pointed out what he claimed and suggested we go to a gas station where it is lit and safe. I was actually worried as I had changed that tire not too long ago after getting a flat. 

We went to a nearby gas station and he and a friend started inspecting the tire. I waved at his family the truck and offered to get them snacks and drinks from the gas station. But then they hooked up a cable from their truck to my tire and I got a bad feeling. I then remembered stories and news reports of people scamming others in a situation like this to extort money. And that's was going on. When they were "done," the guy spoke about how much money he saved me from going to a mechanic. I thanked him and then he asked for compensation. I told him I had nothing. He started being aggressive about how he used his gear that's worth thousands and kept bargaining with how much he would take. It went from thousands to hundreds. I started to play off being panicked and stressed, but it was true. I said how I just came from a club and spent a lot of money so I couldn't get money from an ATM since I maxed out my spendings, started raising my voice, and also was playing a more pathetic character. He stopped being as aggressive and said he would take anything I could give. I knew how much cash I had on me, I just didn't want to give him anything. So I took my wallet from the passenger side, showed him all the cash I had, and gave him $100 out of $101 I had saying that I need to go home with something. He then started speaking a language I wasn't familiar with to his friend and said to undo the cable. I threw my wallet back in the passenger seat and he said I should start my car. As I went around to the driver side and opened the door, I saw him open the passenger side and take my wallet. I called him out on it and he denied it as he passed it off to his friend. They then quickly hopped in their truck and sped off. 

Things that were in my wallet included my driver's license, my credit card, business credit card, $1, insurance cards, discount cards, social security card, a gift card (had $32, but I still had the number on me so I put $30 of it into my eShop account), business cards, and some novelty items. All replaceable. 

It was around 1AM at night. I screamed. The gas station was actually closed so there was no one there to help or talk to. I called my dad and I was frantic. I asked him to stay on the phone with me as I drove home. There was a small part where I called the police to ask what to do. I didn't want to stay where I was as it was late and cold and I wanted to go home so I planned to file a report the next morning. When I got home, I immediately called the owner of HER to let him know what happened and to cancel my business card since it was in my wallet that was stolen. After that, I called my bank to cancel my credit card too. My mom eventually joined my dad and me to help calm me down. We hugged and I went to my room to do calm down. My dad gave me some Zzzquil to help me sleep better too. 

The next day, I texted some friends about the situation and to be careful. My dad drove me around that day. We went to file a police report first. The officer was very helpful and narrowed a few things down as the story is not new to them. So they had some sort of idea who they need to look out for. We then went to the DMV to get a new driver's license. Unfortunately, I didn't have any documents that were necessary to get a new one so we wasted time and had to return and wait again. That night, I also bought some Identity Protection insurance. Thankfully, nothing has happened since then to worry about. 

This incident has made me incredibly paranoid. I did avoid that street for about a week and I am instantly triggered when I see a white truck drive near me. Plus I knew those people had all my information including my home address and work address and could easily find me or do something to those around me. I've been less paranoid over time, but it is definitely still there. 

2018 has been very crappy so far (and still as of typing this 03.10). I am glad that nothing worse happened in this situation. I was ready to be assaulted and defend myself, but that didn't happen thankfully. Thanks to one of my dear friends who made himself available to meet up a few days after the incident to be a pillar of support (02.15). Everyone else that had kind words and advice, thank you. To everyone, be safe.   

That's it for February 2018. Thank you for reading. 


"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits." 

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Sunday, February 11, 2018

January 2018 Entry

January 2018 Entry 

Happy New Year. 

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- A humbling reminder that 2018 did not start well. 

- Continued my purchase of snacks every month and I got Rice Krispies Treats (01.04). All 3 flavors were great. The best part was there was an extra 3-4 packed in the box.  



- Had some time to watch the Ranma 1/2 blu-ray I got with the movies and OVAs. Saw the movies on back to back days (01.07, 01.08). It took a while to get through the OVAs, but I finished them all (01.19). It was great to go back to one of my first and favorite anime series. 
- And this is another reminder of a date that was supposed to happen (01.14) and then finally being unfriended (01.18). That same day, I met someone else, but there was a catch to it. Oh well.   

- Finally got to order and eat a sushi boat with coworkers (01.28). We got through at least 80-85% of it. I wanted to at least finish my portion of the order, but I tapped out after eating the majority of it.  


- Caught up on NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia (01.27) and that was fantastic. Continuing the trend of each TakeOver having incredible matches. The next day was the Royal Rumble (01.28). I was invited to go to a friend's place to watch with some of their friends. Both rumble matches were so fun. We were going nuts. One of the highlights was all of us getting into a group hug and cheering after Nakamura won. We were so tired too, ha. The women's rumble match was equally great. All I have to say is that my prediction for both rumble matches were correct. I've never guessed the rumble winner correctly and here I get 2 in the same night. Yay for all Japanese winners.  


=========================  

- The OverBlood Facebook group I'm a part of was doing this last year so I decided to do it for myself in 2017. I kept track of all the games I beat that year. It would have been nice to hit an even 20, but 2017 was a busy year. Considering that Zelda and Mario were among those games, I am surprised I had time to beat as many as I did. 




- I started the year by playing the Breath of the Wild DLC known as the Champions' Ballad (01.01). It took one week to beat it (01.07). That was well done DLC. I even spent some time afterwards upgrading some gear. Having the motorcycle made it easy to go after Star Fragments when they landed. 





- We had a Nintendo Direct Mini (01.11). There was a lot of good stuff mentioned, but I only had 2 games from it that I reserved (The World Ends With You: Final Remix and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition). Finally get to play The World Ends With You (skipped it when it was originally released) and I don't mind jumping back into Hyrule Warriros as it was so much fun. I did consider also reserving Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. While it's a good game, I remember not enjoying it as much as Returns. If they bundled both together, I would have reconsidered.  


- Continuing with more DLC, the first game I actually completed for 2018 was Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero: Friends to the End (01.15). Just like previous Shantae games, I was able to 100% it within a few hours. Not a bad campaign, but it definitely was weaker than the main game and Pirate's Conquest (to me).  




 
- Friends got me swag from their time at PAX South (01.20). They were all items from three of my favorite game series; No More Heroes, Ace Attorney, and Shovel Knight. Super cool of them to get me things.  




- Got a good deal for a Joy-Con Pro Controller charging dock (01.22). At first, I was only looking for a charging dock that holds 2 sets of Joy-Cons, but once I saw there was one for a Pro Controller and one set of Joy-Cons, that was the one I seeked. Yay for good eBay deals. The only downside to it is that the lights that show your controllers are charged stay on so I have to unplug it. Still a good deal.  




=========================  

- We tasked a few of the Agents with creating a Puzzle Flyer in December. Agent Raynor and I then chose one to print and make a contest out of (01.01). The final puzzle and design was created by Agent Blue-Heeler. She did great. Anyone that solved it got a free shirt from us. Unfortunately, the turn out was fairly low, but we will most likely revisit it to unload the rest of the shirts.  


- First Company Meeting of the year (01.02). It was crazy as Agent Blue fell ill. I and a few others helped him out while the others continued with the meeting. He ended up being fine, but it definitely wasn't something any of us forecasted to happen. 


- Agent Majordomo's last day has come and gone (01.04). Had a nice talk with him on his last day. He mentioned that he will miss having our talks, but I assured him that we can still have them. He'll be successful no matter what he does and will be missed. 

- The weather was really cold in Houston for a couple of days. We had to cancel work until it was safe again for Houstonians (01.16, 01.17). I still did some work from home such as listening to an Audible book I was tasked to read as well as some other things I could do out of the office. 

- It has been a while since we had any wedding proposals and then we have two on the same day (01.21). I wasn't going to be part of these originally as I am off on Sundays, but I met with one of the proposers the day before and he requested I be there to make sure things ran smoothly. So that made it easy for me decide to come in on an off day. 

The first one was conducted by Agent X. The team was on the J100 side doing ER1 while I was ushering in friends and family to surprise the proposee in J120. It was great seeing friends and family be equally nervous about every little bit as I kept them updated on what was happening. And then the payoff with the proposee coming in and being surprised and exclaiming, ha. She of course said "yes" and we all celebrated. 

The second one was conducted by Agent Blue-Heeler in ER5. This one was a little different as those of there did not do any of the planning. But we were able to pull the proposer to the side before his session claiming a "payment issue." Blue-Heeler and I took him to the room, showed him where the ring would be, and walked him through the scenario of how it would play out. That greatly relieved as he seemed very worried. I let him know I would not be there for the result, but that everything will be fine. It was great to hear that his proposal was also successful. 

I definitely enjoy doing these. I wish we did more.  


- More marketing. We bring you the Couples Challenge (01.25). For the month of February, teams of 2/4/6 can compete for the fastest time in ER5. The team with the fastest escape time gets board games and 3D printed trophies. As of typing this (02.11), we have had a few challengers and more that have signed up. Hopefully more will.  


- And the first blog of 2018 was written by Agent PQ (01.31).  


=========================  

- Amber X Luna - Lower (MV) 


- TWICE - Candy Pop (MV) 


- Siedah Garrett X BoA - Man in the Mirror 


- BoA - Watashi Kono Mama De Iino  Kana (MV) 


- Yuri X Raiden - Always Find You (MV) 


- Red Velvet - Bad Boy (MV) 


- BoA - NEGA DOLA (MV) 


- BoA - Weekly Idol Ep 340 


NEGA DOLA and her appearance on Weekly Idol was a kind reminder of how much I love BoA. 

That's it for January 2018. Thank you for reading. 


"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits." 

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Sunday, January 7, 2018

December 2017 Entry

December 2017 Entry 

Hello. 2018 has begun.

========================= 

- Ninja Batman, I'm excited. 


- It doesn't snow often in Houston, but when it does, we all talk about it (12.07). Got to drive home while the snow was coming down and it was cool to witness. I think that's the fourth or fifth time I have seen it snow in Houston.  

- Met up with some old high school friends. It had been over a year since the last time I saw them was at their brother's wedding. Got to catch up and play games with their eldest son (he's more communicative now). 

Later on in the night, I met up with a coworker. He was going through some woes and I took him out to talk and have dinner. Good day of bonding with people. Unfortunately the night ended with a flat tire. Luckily I was not too far away from home, but it was still a lame way for the night to end. 

- Went to the dentist (12.13). I actually thought it was the day before so I lost some sleep since I woke up early that day. Got an old crown fixed. The process took about an hour. They started a movie for me to watch and I don't remember what it is now. It featured Nicole Kidman and she was adopting children from a third world country and the story centered around one of the kids. My dental work was done after they fast-forwarded 10 years (I think). 
 
I was told the numbness would go away after an hour. 3 hours later, it finally did. It sure was weird attempting to eat lunch while my mouth was numb, ha.  

- One of my younger cousins go married (12.15). Originally I was going to go to the wedding, but there was a last minute change of plans on her end so I just had the day off. But I did go to the reception the next day at her new home (12.16). They've got a nice place in Conroe. Great to see the family and enjoy their company. 

- Every time I'm not at home for RAW, something memorable happens. One time was when Daniel Bryan retired. The other time was when Shane McMahon returned. This time it was the announcement of the first ever Women's Royal Rumble (12.18). We knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but it is awesome that they made it official. Can't wait to see it. 
 

- I had no idea that they were releasing the OVAs and movies for Ranma 1/2 in a set. Once I found out, I knew it would be my Christmas Present to myself. It came a few days later (12.28). Now I can officially say I have the entire Ranma 1/2 anime series on blu-ray. I'll need to make time to rewatch all of these. 
 

========================= 

- Mega Man's 30th Anniversary happened (12.04). I happened to catch the livestream and witnessed all the announcements. I'm definitely going to buy the Legacy Collections and the X Collection (never played any after X4) for Switch. And of course I am excited to play Mega Man 11. 


- My second Black Friday purchase arrived (12.07). They are a pair of neon red joy-cons. I technically have 7 controllers now for my Switch. I haven't mixed and matched any colors yet, but I definitely have more options now. 
 

- The last DLC for Breath of the Wild, The Champion's Ballad (12.07) was released. I have not touched it yet unfortunately. Been very busy. But I do plan to play it early 2018 before the next game I want comes out. 
 

- And that next game could be the re-release of Bayonetta 1 & 2. I enjoyed planing them on the Wii U so I'm considering double dipping for them. But I am definitely going to play Bayonetta 3 when that comes out. That was awesome for them to announce all of those titles at the same time (12.07). 
 

- I picked up Floor Kids when it came out (12.10). I was intrigued by what I had seen. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I had hoped. I went through the story and stopped there (12.11). I think it's worth a try especially if you like rhythm games. 
 

- Another gaming anniversary announcement; Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (12.10). Looking forward to playing through all of them again, especially the Alpha series since those are my favorite Street Fighter games. 
 

- The newest (and last I think) DLC for Shantae: 1/2 Genie hero was released; Friends to the End (12.21). Downloaded it for the Wii U, but have not had a chance to play it either. I'm planning to make it the first game I beat in 2018. I am heavily leaning towards double dipping on Shantae when the physical version comes out on Switch. 
 

- Sephiroth VS Vergil (12.20) 


========================= 

- Our final company meeting of the year (12.05). 
 

- Trying new stuff on social media with our first Boomerang (12.10). 
 

- Another blog from Agent Majordomo (12.15). Try out some of the puzzles he created. 
 

- I took the reigns again for this year's Company Christmas Party (12.18). Agent Widdershins helped with decorations, food, and White Elephant. Agent Blue Heeler helped me with the game show "The Scarlet Spy" and was my cohost. Overall, it was a fun party. It as great to see Agents from the past join us in the craziness. And everyone walked away with something as this is the first time we implemented company gifts for years of service. At the end of the night, I was extremely exhausted and my body hurt, but it was worth it to see everyone enjoying themselves.  

- We tasked a few staff members to participate in the creation of our first Puzzle Flyer. Those that participated made some great stuff and we'll most likely use the rest in the future. Along with choosing her puzzle, Agent Blue Heeler also designed the shirt and the social media images. We teased the upcoming venture towards the end of the month (12.29). 
 

- We brought on a new Agent In Training on the 7th of the month. She previously worked at another escape room. She kept complimenting on how organized we are about everything. Her training was okay. I did need to ask for an extension in her training by one extra week as I knew she was on the cusp of being qualified. But after that was over, we officially welcomed Agent Ingenue to the team (12.29).  

- And our last HER blog of the year was written by Agent Widdershins (12.31). The photo he took was really good. It doesn't include everyone that was at the party, but it was still a good mix. 
 

========================= 

- TWICE - Heart Shaker (MV) 


- TWICE - Merry & Happy (MV) 


- BoA - Jazzclub (MV) 


- It was a shock to read about Jonghyun from SHINee passing away (12.18). While I am not the biggest fan of the group, I enjoyed some of their songs. Coincidentally, Jonghyun was my favorite member. It's crazy that he committed suicide. Reading responses from other Kpop celebrities and fans was sad. It really did get to me. I didn't cry about it, but it really did make me think a lot. Rest In Peace, Jonghyun. 



- My dad had an accident with a table saw (12.23). From what I was told, his thumb was hanging on by skin. My mom told me about it the next morning (she didn't want me to worry while I was at work and there was nothing I could have done). While the surgery to reattach his thumb was successful, I took a few moments to just assess everything that was going on. I went outside to see the trails of blood in our backyard. I noticed the bandages and gauze laid out on one of our tables. And I had a moment to myself where I just couldn't handle that my parents were both in the hospital this year. 

I went to the hospital (Memorial Hermann again) on Christmas Eve and spent time with him. Too my mom home that day so she can rest since she was at the hospital the night before with him. Originally, I had plans to meet with friends, but we pushed it back to the night. This could not have come at a better time because I finally got to vent to them about work frustrations and about my parents going to the hospital this year. 

Spent Christmas day at the hospital as well. I was informed that we were actually going to have Christmas at our house so some of my cousins actually visited us in the hospital. It was good having them around. 

One more visit the day after. But we all agreed that it was fine not to visit on Wednesday as dad would be getting released the following day. Took the day off as his release time was still up in the air. He actually got moved to another room. Once things were settled, we went home. It didn't take long for him to get back to trying to do things on his own again. Literally, the next day he was cooking and driving with one arm. 

- I had been talking to someone I met on a dating app for a good portion of December (12.10). We had a few things in common and eventually started talking via Facebook. During that time, I stopped using all of the dating apps I was on. Unfortunately she lost interest towards the end of the year (12.29). I won't disclose why, but I was very disappointed by it. I did make my case for having another chance, but she did not respond. This was actually the first time in a long time since using dating apps that I didn't ask for help from anyone. And I was very excited that we were actually progressing well and were planning to meet up. 

I have been at a loss since then. I did start using my dating apps again and downloaded a bunch more. Some were really horrible and some are passive. I'm tired of being alone, plain and simple. 

- 2017...was rough. I won't disregard the fun and positive times I had such as the awesome games I played on the Switch (Breath of the Wild, Odyssey, etc) and especially all the wrestling moments that happened (Royal Rumble, 4 straight days of wrestling, etc). But the negative times were...too much...both parents going to the hospital, wanting to quit the best job I've ever had...and plenty of small things that kept snowballing even until the very last day of the year...I don't know. I've mentioned to someone that I need to look back on past entries to see when was the last time I wanted a year to end because of how bad it was...but I kind of don't want to. I know that not every year is perfect, but 2017 was the toughest year in a while. 

I used to set resolutions. I used to set goals. This time, I did not set anything. I want changes for the better. That's all. 

Thank you for reading. Here's to a prosperous 2018. 



"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits." 

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