Creativity

Or Getting Back Into the Rhythm of Life

It’s been a few years since my last post. I’m back.

I think much of what has happened in the last few years, particularly with the pandemic and a change in careers is that I’ve been regressing into a more reclusive state. I wake up, go to work, go home, entertain myself for a few hours, go to sleep, and repeat.

I did that for two years with little contact with the outside world, lost interest in many creative pursuits, and just stopped caring after a while. It got to the point where I even began to lose interest in all forms of entertainment, and all I wanted to do was just lay in bed and sleep.

Things changed a couple weeks ago. My schedule has changed to a 3 day, 12 hour shift on the weekends. It’s hard work on those days, but I get four days off during the week when nobody is at home. This has rejuvenated a lot of my desire to get into a more creative mindset again.

To start with, I changed out Mid-Tier gaming PC for a far more simple iMac. While I lose some of my ability to play games (particularly strategy games), it’s not a substantial loss. Most of my library is on console where I don’t have to worry about driver updates, keeping up with the latest PC build, tweaking software/hardware settings, etc. I just boot up the PS5/XSX/Switch and play.

The switch to a Mac was to address a need in keeping things simple and consistent; one ecosystem at home for all my creative/entertainment endeavors. The Mac also keeps me focused on creative pursuits. It’s hard to open a document to write or draw something when I have a bunch of unfinished games sitting on the desktop.

I’ve basically divided up my creative passions into different groups. Each day I’m going to try to fill up my time in some way on achieving small goals in many of these areas.

Music

I have a piano and an acoustic and electric guitar. My hope is to become proficient in something with these instruments. I’m focusing mainly on guitar right now, though I’m open to getting back into piano assuming I can keep up a daily commitment to playing.

Art

I haven’t quite come up with a plan for this just yet. I have the tools however to get back into art. I have a physical sketchbook, pencils, and erasers to start with. I also have an iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil and the Procreate app to start doing some work as well. I also have access to many creative tools on the Mac and an Wacom Intuos for editing and other work.

Writing

This is where I’m in my comfort zone. However, to be a good writer, I must also read. I’ve been going back into books the last month and my passion for writing is growing ever stronger.

However, it’s one thing to write in personal journals and blogs. It’s another to write fiction. I have a few writing tools to help me get started and a few ideas. I’m just going to have to figure out a plan for what I’m going to write.

Other Hobbies

Language

I’ve been studying Japanese on and off for a few years. The last two years have been particularly hard keeping a consistent daily schedule. I’d like to somehow get back into that.

Tabletop Games

I’d like to get back into board games and roleplaying games. This may help my narrative when I’m creating new ideas for my writings, and they are just fun to play.

LEGO/Model Kits

I have a lot of unbuilt LEGO and model kits sitting around. I’d like to get back into these some day.

Great!

So there you have it, an outline of what I’d like to focus on in the next few months. There’s a lot to focus on, so I’ll have to break it down day-by-day.

New Horizons

Just when I’m about to settle on where I’m going, a something huge pops up.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading. Switched out my Kindle Paperwhite for a Paper Oasis, and it’s so much better. Reading three books at the moment: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Halo: Fall of Reach, and Wheel of Time Book 1. Also reading the Darth Vader comic series.

With gaming, I’ve been focusing on Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 and Halo 2 on Xbox One.

TV, not really watching anything (don’t have the time).

It was supposed to be a pretty chill weekend, however, on Friday a buddy of mine was looking to get rid of his 8 month old PC. I coincidentally am in the market for a new PC. I ended up buying it from him for a good deal. Here are the specs: Intel i7-9700, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, 2TB SSD (plus 5TB HDD that I added). Pretty nice!

Going forward with gaming, I can go back to the PC and not be tied down to the console. Most likely will pick up AC Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077 for PC.

I’m reinstalling a lot of stuff, but gosh, it’s worth it :).

Thoughts this Week

So, I have been taking a “break” from gaming for the last couple weeks. (By break I mean I’m just focusing on one or two games on the side; Assassin’s Creed III and F1 2020).

Much of my attention has been on Japanese light novels and manga. So far in the last few weeks I’ve read:

Light Novels:

  • Kizumonogatari
  • Bakemonogatari Part I
  • Sword Art Online, Volumes I-IV
  • Overlord, Volume I

Manga:

  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part III, Stardust Crusaders, Volume VII to X
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part IV, Diamond is Unbreakable, Volume I to II
  • Kaguya-Sama Love is War, Volume I to IV
  • Sailor Moon, Volume I
  • Rosario + Vampire, Volume I
  • One Piece, Volume 63
  • Granblue Fantasy Volume I and II

Currently Reading

  • The Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime, Volume I (Light Novel)
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part IV, Diamond is Unbreakable, Volume III (Manga)
  • Spice and Wolf, Volume I (Light Novel)

That’s a lot of reading for two-three weeks, that’s not including some other side novels. I’ve always been an avid reader, even as a kid…though I have been taking a break for the last 5 years or so. There’s much catching up to do.

At the same time, there’s a lot of anime I want to watch, and JRPGs and other games I’d love to play. Yet there’s always a shortage of time it seems.

The Manga Argument

I recently picked up a Kindle Paperwhite to read some light novels (Overlord, Sword Art Online, etc). While I’ve been enjoying this greatly, I decided to get back into some manga so I may read the source material of many of the anime shows I enjoy, and try to quickly catch up in a series. However, this is where things get a bit complicated.

First of all, I don’t pirate stuff, so going through those avenues is out of the question. Next, there’s the excellent Viz/Shounen Jump app which is a good value ($3 a month), but it doesn’t include some of the manga I want to read and its UI is terrible, particularly if I’m trying to look for a particular volume. The other option is to simply buy the volumes (which is usually at a 40% discount on Amazon). But even then, the cost of say…20 volumes of One Piece is approximately $120.

It makes me question if I should even go into reading manga. Given most anime covers roughly 90% of the manga content (and more, including filler material), and all it costs is a Crunchyroll or Funimation subscription. Maybe I should just give up on manga altogether and save some money?

But at the same time, there’s nothing better than sitting next to a window, listening to relaxing music, and reading a good manga, which often has beautiful artwork and speeds along a 25 minute anime episode into just 5-10 minutes of reading one chapter. This is especially desired in anime such as One Piece where I have hundreds of episodes to watch…and no time to watch all of them.

So that’s where I’m at. Simply put, it’s Cost versus Time.

More Thoughts on PC Gaming

A few weeks ago I talked a bit about setting the PC as the primary gaming setup. Since then, I found going back is more difficult than I’d like it to be.

When doing the costs for a modern upgrade, I ran into difficulties. The issue right now is while my PC was a powerhouse 4 years ago, nowadays it’s simply average. To upgrade it, I’d need a new processor and motherboard, I’d also like a new case with more fans to cool it. In order to get all of that, I also need a new power supply. Also my current RAM is not compatible with the desired motherboard, so I need more memory as well. Adding up all the costs, it ends up being somewhere over $1000. Add in a new video card and I’ll have to put down another $600. Even worse, with the pandemic, I can’t even order many of the the parts because of shipment delays.

Do I necessarily need the upgrade right now? Not really. An overwhelming majority of my PC games are strategy games, simulators, MMORPGS, multiplayer games, and CRPGs. Most of those don’t need a PC powerhouse, and run well at 45-60+ FPS.

But at the same time, when it comes to games like Assassins Creed, Ghost Recon, Modern Warfare, Far Cry, or Doom, I feel frustrated when my PS4 Pro and Xbox One X both outperform my PC in 4K HDR for less than half the cost. When the PS5 and Xbox Series X come out, they will both blow my PC out of the water.

So when it comes to new games like Cyberpunk 2077, what platform do I pick it up for? Do I get it for the PC where I can crank up the graphics and play it as the developers intended at an enormous cost, or do I pick it up for the current consoles (and next gen of consoles), and enjoy it without the fuss over PC upgrades?

Tough decisions.

Back to the PC

It’s been a good few months on console. Finished Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which was incredible (and full of nostalgia).

I’m back to PC gaming again, albeit not in the most ideal of conditions. Since the Coronavirus pandemic has put a pause on my personal office/gaming room project, I’ve had to do most of my work in a crowded room filled with cardboard boxes.

Eventually, however, I plan on cleaning it up. I’d like to move most of my old Japanese figures into some storage compartments, move out the old bed and have an open space in the middle of the room (perfect for VR room-scale gaming), and ultimately upgrade my PC.

The only thing holding me back, however is that most of my friends are console gamers. If I want to play The Division 2, for instance, I need a copy of the Division 2 for the PS4, instead of having it already on PC.

On PC, I get better graphics, mouse and keyboard support, Discord chat. Also, with gaming services (EA Access, Game Pass, and UPlay), I don’t have to spend much on gaming other than a monthly fee.

So in that regard, I’m considering keeping PC as my primary gaming device and sticking to consoles for just exclusives.

With that said, hopefully we’ll get out of this pandemic soon so we can go back to normal life.

New Stuff

Well, this week I picked up a large Subwoofer for my new room entertainment center. I also picked up an Xbox One X since there are exclusive games I’d love to play on console: Forza, Sea of Thieves, Halo, Gears of War, etc.

I’m enjoying the Xbox greatly. I’m suprised at how much value Gamepass is, considering the exclusive titles I want are given “freely”. Definitely worth it. Though my backlog on the other hand may say otherwise.

Also weaving myself into multiplayer games: Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Fortnite, and Apex Legends. Being able to meet new people, coordinate, and have fun over voice is an experience I’ve been missing from the single player games I’ve been playing. Though I have to say…CoD multiplayer isn’t quite the “experience” that is all made out to be.

Not much else going on. Happy Sunday.

Busy Week!

I’m off today. I’ve done so much in the last week it’s nice to have a day off to just lay back and relax.

What have I been up to? I’m undergoing a major house reorganization. My grandmother recently decided to move out. My room at the moment is packed with too much stuff, so I’m now able to spread out without having to move out to a new apartment.

Basically her room is my new bedroom, and my old room is going to be an office/gaming room.

To make the bedroom more “livable”, I picked up a 55 inch Samsung QLED TV with a matching soundbar and moved my Switch and PS4 there. I also replaced all the old broken down 80’s-era wooden furniture for modern furniture. I also have a subwoofer on the way in the mail (assuming Amazon doesn’t “lose” my delivery like they did several times last month).

At the moment, however. My old bedroom is a mess. It has much of my grandmothers stuff still boxed up, and the bed will have to be moved to another room (with that bed + mattress needing to be replaced). The boxed up stuff will have to be placed into the outside closet, and the outside closet will need a majority of the stuff trashed/donated.

The bathroom needs renovation as well.

While I love PC gaming, there’s nothing like laying down in a bed and playing a game on the console on a large 4K HDR display with a great sound system. I’ve decided to leave PC gaming to just strategy games, CRPGs, MMORPGs, and simulators, and console for the rest.

So what am I playing?

Black Desert Online. I try to find some time on the PC to play it, though with the week as it has been (and a cold and cluttered room), I’ve been avoiding playing it.

Horizon Zero Dawn on PS4. I’ve missed out playing this game a few years ago (came in around the time of Breath of the Wild). Playing it now, it’s a lot of fun, and such a beautiful game too. I’m looking forward to spending more time on this.

Other than that, watching One Piece and some shows on Netflix. Nothing much else.

Busy

A lot of work to do over the next few weeks. Here’s what’s up.

I’ve been doing a lot of D&D lately. Every Sunday I alternate between Eberron and the Star Wars RPG. It’s a lot of fun and a great opportunity to be social. I also have a few board games that I plan on introducing, when I have the chance to do so.

On PC, I’ve been playing Black Desert Online and a little FFXIV. With BDO I get an open sandbox, almost like a single player game with others doing the same thing. However, I’m not a huge fan of the armor progression system, and it sucks to have to spend real money (like $30) or tons of in-game silver to get a cool looking outfit.

Still, I gotta say it looks fantastic, and is a bit refreshing to look badass right from the get-go without having to progress 80 hours to look somewhat decent.

My main character.
My alternate character.

On mobile, I’m playing Black Desert Mobile which is a bit more automated, but equally as fun.

Still, with FFXIV, I get the satisfaction of conquering dungeons with parties and some more traditional MMORPG gameplay. Unfortunately, time is always a constraint so I can only afford to play one MMO a day.

The other big project is room reorganization. My grandmother recently moved out, so I have the challenge of room cleanup. This is good, because it allows me to have a separate bedroom, and one “game room”, which consists of my PC, my guitar, and my figures so far. There’s a lot of old stuff that both me and my grandmother have accumulated, so there’s going to be a lot of trips to the thrift store and the dump.

The bedroom however, is where my bed, dresser, consoles, and a new 55″ Samsung 4K HDR QLED TV with a Samsung sound bar. It’s pretty damn awesome.

Speaking of console, only playing one game at the moment: Steins;Gate Elite. I was afraid it would be an inferior version of the original game with some stock images from the anime, but it’s actually quite good. They got rid of the cellphone mechanic unfortunately (it’s mostly automated with some clickable options), but the rest of the game is intact, and the animation is fluid. I’m enjoying it a lot.

That’s it for this update. I’ll try to post again next week.