Written: Thursday. July 2, 2020.
I will be following the format of the prior entry on this one, since I feel like that’s a more cohesive and organized style, unlike for the older entries, where it’s just mostly the spur-of-the-moment topics. Here we go. There’s a lot to discuss.
So I moved my laptop on a smaller bed-side table.
I only did this because of the problems I’m facing with my desk table. It seems that the internet can only go so far up, that it doesn’t reach my desk table… It wasn’t like that before, but somehow, it now is. Thus, I decided to place my laptop on top of the bed-side table that I have here in our room. There was a period when I didn’t use this table. It was just gathering dust under the bed. So I propped it back up again, and also there’s space enough for this thing, so…
The internet is fine on this end. Haven’t experienced any disconnections at all. The only main problem that I face is my posture. I basically cannot perform using this laptop while managing to have good posture. It’s sort of a devil’s bargain situation that I’m in right now. But whatever. I’m getting more work done for the price of my physical condition.
Right now, I realized that my desk table is now literally the one just gathering dust at this moment. The wooden over-head rig that I have surrounding the top of the table is really a bother. It decreased a portion of space to what is essentially my work-space, so…
I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it just yet. I don’t really wanna go back and put my laptop on it and risk having the same problems as before. I’ll probably use it for traditional drawing sessions. Though I doubt that it’ll happen.
Books I’m currently reading: The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan & The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
Here’s a follow up on my position towards The War of the Worlds: It’s not that I didn’t see it coming, but I’m disappointed with the fact that I really cannot seem to enjoy classic sci-fi.
The evidence shows that out of all the science fiction books I’ve read, the only actual ones that I enjoyed reading were titles like the Ender’s Saga (which I’m still not done reading yet, since I haven’t read Children of the Mind), Little Fuzzy (you don’t know what that is, do you?), Frankenstein (which I’ll be re-reading soon enough cause I found a different version of it from Pengiun Classics), and Alan Dean Foster novels (Glory Lane, Codgerspace, and Slipt)
I own copies of Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein (which I hated cause it jumped the shark mid-way through the story), owned a copy of Foundation by Isaac Asimov (which I didn’t like it’s writing-style, so I gave it to a friend), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (which I was able to finish, but couldn’t for the life of me ever be able to retell what happened in the story if I was tasked to do so, cause it read like Moby Dick).
There are other obscure books that I own that fall in the sci-fi genre, but I could sum up the experience as “how come the classic titles were bad, and the soft sci-fi ones were better to read?”
The only classic (and high-grade) title that I’ve read and enjoyed reading was 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, but he too fell in the same lane with the others, with his other novel titled The Songs of Distant Earth, which I have a copy of. I’m still gonna want to read the sequels to 2001, though. Soon.
Twilight Zone (2019) Season 2 is finally here. And I wanna talk about the first three episodes.
The first episode (Meet in the Middle): my first impressions on it were negative. I didn’t like the fact that the plot twist was that Annie had a completely different motive for meeting Phil. They should have gotten together in the end…would be my initial thought on it.
But from further analyzing the story and the characters, Phil wasn’t really a good guy in this scenario. He was bummed with his date because she had curly hair instead of straight, which is very petty. He was also willing to drop everything for the voice of a girl who suddenly found her way into his head. Phil and Annie never meet until the very end, but Phil has somewhat already obsessed over Annie.
So when he meets her for the first time, his expectation of her was very narrow-minded. Then it turns out that that’s exactly what Annie wanted him to think, so that she could get away from her husband (which we don’t really know if the husband was actually a bad guy or not, we are just left to assume).
So long-story-short, the ending was actually justified. They should not have ended up together. Phil’s character is a study on man’s prejudice, or the innateness of building an image or model of someone, when in reality, they’re much different.
The second episode (Downtime), felt more like a Black Mirror episode, which is a red flag, considering that Black Mirror was inspired by shows like The Twilight Zone. So, what, the new series turned itself back around on itself, and fell for the style of a series it supposedly inspired? I dunno if that’s wrong or invalid. To me, it just felt like Jordan Peele didn’t try to at least make this one pack a meaningful punch to its message. So, what was the story trying to say? Virtual Avatars are also people? That’s Black Mirror.
I’m sort of out of it now. I did a test on myself to see if I would cry when I play the soundtrack of Grave of the Fireflies. But man, did I cry like a bitch when I watched it. I started bawling my eyes out in the middle part, but I already felt a lump in my throat when Seita and Setsuko’s mom passed away, and they were at the playground and Setsuko just starts crying, cause I think she knew that her mom wasn’t coming back to them. And then later on, she reveals to Seita that the toxic aunt had already told her (as she was making a grave for the fireflies). Seita cries, and I cry. The both of them are shown having fun together, I cry. Because I knew that these were the most precious moments of the film; of this entire story.
I don’t exactly know what my connection is to this story. It might be because of the corona pandemic. We don’t really get to see the victims of the virus, but this movie sort of made me see that, in a way. It also probably makes me fearful for the day when my brother and I become orphans once our parents pass away. I don’t think of when that day comes, but I wont lie to you and say that I don’t see that happening everyday. It makes me cautious of right now. Of the hours of today. The moments when everything is still where it should be. I don’t want it all to go away, but I’m also wise enough to understand that it will all be gone too, hopefully still in the far future. Hopefully.
Yeah man, this is the best movie I never want to watch again. But will probably do so in the future.
I’ve finished re-watching Attack on Titan Season 1.
Such a bad-ass series on the first go. Like, all throughout the season, Eren was such a fucking GOAT. I loved every screaming moment he had. His sheer determination is something I aspire to have in my own self. He’s the embodiment of mankind’s rage.
It’s about time that I did, honestly. It’s definitely an improvement from Combattler V, which was mostly episodic. Voltes V sort of gives way for continuity and progression in the story. I like how it delves deep on the enemies backgrounds, and how it breadcrumbs some foreshadowing elements I’ll probably get to see in the latter parts of the series. Yeah, definitely an improved story this time around.
I just don’t like the one-dimensional main characters. Kenichi is too hard-headed and seems to be pissed off all the time with his brothers and the other teammates. I hope that their characters gain some dimension to them within the latter parts of the series.
But overall so far, the episodes have improved.
Cleaned up my bookshelves.
Nothing much to say there, only that it’s a tradition I’ll be doing every month or so, to decrease the risk of my books being eaten by micro-insects, and also just to get rid of the dust its gathering.
But I did feel a tad bit bored mid-way through. I think, as my collection grows, the amount of time I’ll spend cleaning all of my books will increase as well.
* * *
So I moved my laptop on a smaller bed-side table.
I only did this because of the problems I’m facing with my desk table. It seems that the internet can only go so far up, that it doesn’t reach my desk table… It wasn’t like that before, but somehow, it now is. Thus, I decided to place my laptop on top of the bed-side table that I have here in our room. There was a period when I didn’t use this table. It was just gathering dust under the bed. So I propped it back up again, and also there’s space enough for this thing, so…
The internet is fine on this end. Haven’t experienced any disconnections at all. The only main problem that I face is my posture. I basically cannot perform using this laptop while managing to have good posture. It’s sort of a devil’s bargain situation that I’m in right now. But whatever. I’m getting more work done for the price of my physical condition.
Right now, I realized that my desk table is now literally the one just gathering dust at this moment. The wooden over-head rig that I have surrounding the top of the table is really a bother. It decreased a portion of space to what is essentially my work-space, so…
I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it just yet. I don’t really wanna go back and put my laptop on it and risk having the same problems as before. I’ll probably use it for traditional drawing sessions. Though I doubt that it’ll happen.
* * *
Books I’m currently reading: The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan & The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
Here’s a follow up on my position towards The War of the Worlds: It’s not that I didn’t see it coming, but I’m disappointed with the fact that I really cannot seem to enjoy classic sci-fi.
The evidence shows that out of all the science fiction books I’ve read, the only actual ones that I enjoyed reading were titles like the Ender’s Saga (which I’m still not done reading yet, since I haven’t read Children of the Mind), Little Fuzzy (you don’t know what that is, do you?), Frankenstein (which I’ll be re-reading soon enough cause I found a different version of it from Pengiun Classics), and Alan Dean Foster novels (Glory Lane, Codgerspace, and Slipt)
I own copies of Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein (which I hated cause it jumped the shark mid-way through the story), owned a copy of Foundation by Isaac Asimov (which I didn’t like it’s writing-style, so I gave it to a friend), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (which I was able to finish, but couldn’t for the life of me ever be able to retell what happened in the story if I was tasked to do so, cause it read like Moby Dick).
There are other obscure books that I own that fall in the sci-fi genre, but I could sum up the experience as “how come the classic titles were bad, and the soft sci-fi ones were better to read?”
The only classic (and high-grade) title that I’ve read and enjoyed reading was 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, but he too fell in the same lane with the others, with his other novel titled The Songs of Distant Earth, which I have a copy of. I’m still gonna want to read the sequels to 2001, though. Soon.
* * *
Twilight Zone (2019) Season 2 is finally here. And I wanna talk about the first three episodes.
 |
The first episode (Meet in the Middle): my first impressions on it were negative. I didn’t like the fact that the plot twist was that Annie had a completely different motive for meeting Phil. They should have gotten together in the end…would be my initial thought on it.
 |
But from further analyzing the story and the characters, Phil wasn’t really a good guy in this scenario. He was bummed with his date because she had curly hair instead of straight, which is very petty. He was also willing to drop everything for the voice of a girl who suddenly found her way into his head. Phil and Annie never meet until the very end, but Phil has somewhat already obsessed over Annie.
So when he meets her for the first time, his expectation of her was very narrow-minded. Then it turns out that that’s exactly what Annie wanted him to think, so that she could get away from her husband (which we don’t really know if the husband was actually a bad guy or not, we are just left to assume).
So long-story-short, the ending was actually justified. They should not have ended up together. Phil’s character is a study on man’s prejudice, or the innateness of building an image or model of someone, when in reality, they’re much different.
* * *
 |
The second episode (Downtime), felt more like a Black Mirror episode, which is a red flag, considering that Black Mirror was inspired by shows like The Twilight Zone. So, what, the new series turned itself back around on itself, and fell for the style of a series it supposedly inspired? I dunno if that’s wrong or invalid. To me, it just felt like Jordan Peele didn’t try to at least make this one pack a meaningful punch to its message. So, what was the story trying to say? Virtual Avatars are also people? That’s Black Mirror.
 |
The third episode (The Who of You) was something I didn’t expect to like. I was glued to the edge of my seat (or bed, since I was lying down whilst watching) the whole episode. I didn’t know where it would end, the plot twist was properly bread-crumbed throughout the episode, so the landing hit pretty well when it happened. It almost felt like a The Flash 2014 episode. Like the main character is a meta-human, and this is a journey through the life of a meta-human discovering that he could shift bodies with people he makes eye-contact with. I liked it. It wasn’t perfect, but it’s better than the whole of season 1 and the two prior episodes I just mentioned.
I ultimately wasted my time trying to figure out how to properly design my Wordpress website.
So, a few things: One, I’m sort of on the verge of figuring out how to live my life. Specifically, the next 9 years. I have this 10-year long plan. It’s still being laid out. It’s still on its infancy. But to keep this one short, creating a website for myself is one option that could potentially get me closer to my goals. It would definitely help me along the way. But Wordpress was a let down. My God, I just cannot with that thing. I can’t seem to get what I want pop up right in front of me. It’s a website that allows you to make your own website. There are free layout designs to choose from. But how you get it to work is a completely different monster to deal with.
My main gripe with it is it’s difficulty to understand just how to fucking get shit done with those editing options. I’m of course just talking about the Wordpress.com version. Haven’t tried the .org version yet.
I might try out Google Sites after writing this journal entry.
I can’t recall if it can actually get the job done. But we’ll see, and I’ll let you know in the next entry.
The main reason why I got inspired to make a website of my own is because of this one site called “That’s All Games” which ran on Wordpress, and seemed to have an okay enough design. That’s why I tested it out to see if I could reach that level of design…but nope.
Movie I watched last Saturday: Grave of the Fireflies.
I hope that the quality of the next episodes live up to this one.
* * *
So, a few things: One, I’m sort of on the verge of figuring out how to live my life. Specifically, the next 9 years. I have this 10-year long plan. It’s still being laid out. It’s still on its infancy. But to keep this one short, creating a website for myself is one option that could potentially get me closer to my goals. It would definitely help me along the way. But Wordpress was a let down. My God, I just cannot with that thing. I can’t seem to get what I want pop up right in front of me. It’s a website that allows you to make your own website. There are free layout designs to choose from. But how you get it to work is a completely different monster to deal with.
My main gripe with it is it’s difficulty to understand just how to fucking get shit done with those editing options. I’m of course just talking about the Wordpress.com version. Haven’t tried the .org version yet.
I might try out Google Sites after writing this journal entry.
I can’t recall if it can actually get the job done. But we’ll see, and I’ll let you know in the next entry.
The main reason why I got inspired to make a website of my own is because of this one site called “That’s All Games” which ran on Wordpress, and seemed to have an okay enough design. That’s why I tested it out to see if I could reach that level of design…but nope.
* * *
Movie I watched last Saturday: Grave of the Fireflies.
 |
I’m sort of out of it now. I did a test on myself to see if I would cry when I play the soundtrack of Grave of the Fireflies. But man, did I cry like a bitch when I watched it. I started bawling my eyes out in the middle part, but I already felt a lump in my throat when Seita and Setsuko’s mom passed away, and they were at the playground and Setsuko just starts crying, cause I think she knew that her mom wasn’t coming back to them. And then later on, she reveals to Seita that the toxic aunt had already told her (as she was making a grave for the fireflies). Seita cries, and I cry. The both of them are shown having fun together, I cry. Because I knew that these were the most precious moments of the film; of this entire story.
I don’t exactly know what my connection is to this story. It might be because of the corona pandemic. We don’t really get to see the victims of the virus, but this movie sort of made me see that, in a way. It also probably makes me fearful for the day when my brother and I become orphans once our parents pass away. I don’t think of when that day comes, but I wont lie to you and say that I don’t see that happening everyday. It makes me cautious of right now. Of the hours of today. The moments when everything is still where it should be. I don’t want it all to go away, but I’m also wise enough to understand that it will all be gone too, hopefully still in the far future. Hopefully.
Yeah man, this is the best movie I never want to watch again. But will probably do so in the future.
* * *
I’ve finished re-watching Attack on Titan Season 1.
 |
Such a bad-ass series on the first go. Like, all throughout the season, Eren was such a fucking GOAT. I loved every screaming moment he had. His sheer determination is something I aspire to have in my own self. He’s the embodiment of mankind’s rage.
*I’m honestly out of words at this point, lol. Been editing past entries the whole day, that my mind is equal to jelly.*I’m also, on the side, watching episodes from Voltes V.
 |
It’s about time that I did, honestly. It’s definitely an improvement from Combattler V, which was mostly episodic. Voltes V sort of gives way for continuity and progression in the story. I like how it delves deep on the enemies backgrounds, and how it breadcrumbs some foreshadowing elements I’ll probably get to see in the latter parts of the series. Yeah, definitely an improved story this time around.
I just don’t like the one-dimensional main characters. Kenichi is too hard-headed and seems to be pissed off all the time with his brothers and the other teammates. I hope that their characters gain some dimension to them within the latter parts of the series.
But overall so far, the episodes have improved.
* * *
Cleaned up my bookshelves.
Nothing much to say there, only that it’s a tradition I’ll be doing every month or so, to decrease the risk of my books being eaten by micro-insects, and also just to get rid of the dust its gathering.
But I did feel a tad bit bored mid-way through. I think, as my collection grows, the amount of time I’ll spend cleaning all of my books will increase as well.
* * *
Wow. This entry ended up being longer than expected.
* * *
* * *
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