It's fair to say that I'm a bit of a fan of RPGs. In fact that's quite an understatement, I'm a huge fan of RPGs. Console RPGs to be specific. I have been for a very long time. It started, if I recall correctly, with Final Fantasy II(IV) way back in grade school. That means I've been playing these games since around 1991-92. That's 18 years! It started with that game but it built up from there. I've played hundreds (probably, I'm not counting) of RPGs since that first one.
There were golden ages of RPGs for certain. Late era SNES and PS1 games were some of the best the genre ever produced. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III/VI, Final Fantasy 7, Suikoden 1 & 2, Earthbound, Lufia 2, Star Ocean 2, Wild Arms, SaGa Frontier (vastly misunderstood), and so many more. It's absolutely nostalgic just to look that list over. It was a genre on the boom for the genre in the 1990s-early '00s. Take a look at that list and tell me what they have in common. Give up? These games are all Japanese developments. At the time that was how it went. The consoles were primarily Japanese to begin with so why shouldn't all of the best games come out of that country? It was the Japanese mentality and style that turned this genre into what the powerhouse that it was at the time.
Over time there were fewer and fewer RPGs coming out, and the quality started to dip noticeably. The PS2 era (since the XBOX and Gamecube entirely abandoned the RPG) did give us some notable additions. The fantastic Final Fantasy X, Suikoden V, and Rogue Galaxy. Let us not forget Persona 4, quite possibly the finest game on the system. However, the tide had clearly turned. The few RPGs coming out were geared towards the anime crowd (the Disgaea series in particular). The numbers and the quality just weren't there anymore. The games focused on increasingly boring cliches. JRPGs were new and exciting ten years ago, but failed to change and wore out its welcome.
That brings us to the current generation. So how is the genre faring now? Pretty damn good. The reason? BioWare and western RPGs. The rise of the western RPG has led to the downfall of the Japanese RPG on console systems. Dragon Age: Origins, Oblivion, Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2 and Fallout 3. These amazing, open world games have destroyed the paltry entries by eastern companies. While Lost Odyssey was okay (mostly due to the "memories" and not the game itself), the remaining RPGs on offer were uninspired at best. The Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, and Star Ocean 4 were all miserable. These games tried to be something different, but in the end it simply didn't work.
What we have now are amazing entries from European and American developers. Dragon Age was one of the best games of 2009, and Fallout 3 was by far the best game of 2008. These games basically present you with epic scale adventures that are yours to pursue in any manner you desire. It's your world and it's your story. Some may say this weakens the narrative, but you play through Dragon Age and tell me that amazing story is hurt by your decisions. Fun and innovative gameplay, brilliant visuals and a sense of adventure in these games has brought new life to a tired genre. The sun has set on the Japanese RPG and I'm a convert to the western style.
Yes I'm aware that most of these games are really just PC-RPGs on console systems. I don't care. They're amazing, and if this is the new direction of the genre than I say it's for the best. I never played such PC classics as Baldur's Gate or Planescape: Torment. I know that what I'm playing now are their spiritual successors.
I'm sure that Final Fantasy XIII will be breathtaking. I'm sure that I'll love it from start to finish. There's really no doubt about that since each game is pure dynamite. Final Fantasy is always the exception to the rule. Hell, I'm positive that Final Fantasy 7 converted casuals and shooters into RPG fans. That game has a budget that dwarfs most movie productions so it damn well better be good! I know it will be a classic style RPG. I really, really wish that Japanese developers would take lessons from American developers. The best of both worlds would be fantastic. I know it won't happen. JRPG teams make games for the Japanese public, and I don't have much to say about that group.
Here's to RPGs, and here's to many more years with the genre. East or west, I respect quality. I'm not begging for the death of JRPGs. I loved them. I spent far too much of my youth playing them. It would be nice if there could be new titles of great quality on the consoles. There's always the DS, but that's another topic entirely...
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Passing of a Good Guy
So today I was shocked to learn that the infinitely entertaining and informative Rodger Swan aka Tokyo Swan aka Iwate Swan passed away. To say shocked would be putting it lightly. His series of youtube videos has recently come a part of my routine.
Swan was probably one of the best J-vloggers on the internet. His videos were all great peeks at living a life in Japan and his comments on the foreign world in which he lived. I discovered these videos maybe two months ago and it didn't take me long to watch all the videos he uploaded. From his early Tokyo Swan videos up to his most recent Iwate Swan posts.
He was a gamer, which probably drew my interest. In fact, in one of his videos he goes to Yokosuka to relive Shenmue! He literally went to Ryo Hazuki's hometown. I loved it! The other thing that drew viewers to him was his personality. I didn't know this guy at all, but his personality came out very strongly in his vlogs. Swan was clearly one of the good guys, one of the few truly deep down good guys in this world. He was always smiling in his videos, he was always excited about what he was doing. He clearly had passion, for Japan and for his life.
Which is why I teared up when I found out he passed away. I've only very, very rarely teared up at the passing of a complete stranger. I think Eddie Guerrero was the only other time. Rodger Swan was clearly a beloved figure evidenced by the outpouring of condolences on his Youtube page. Check out this heartfelt video from TokyoCooney to see how Swan touched people's lives.
Swan was only 23 years old. Three years younger than me and he was much more together than I am now. Not only that but he was living my dream. He was not only living in Japan, but spoke and could read/write Japanese with ease it seemed.
Go check out his stuff. It's really pretty cool.
Iwate Swan
Rodger Swan
1986-2010
Swan was probably one of the best J-vloggers on the internet. His videos were all great peeks at living a life in Japan and his comments on the foreign world in which he lived. I discovered these videos maybe two months ago and it didn't take me long to watch all the videos he uploaded. From his early Tokyo Swan videos up to his most recent Iwate Swan posts.
He was a gamer, which probably drew my interest. In fact, in one of his videos he goes to Yokosuka to relive Shenmue! He literally went to Ryo Hazuki's hometown. I loved it! The other thing that drew viewers to him was his personality. I didn't know this guy at all, but his personality came out very strongly in his vlogs. Swan was clearly one of the good guys, one of the few truly deep down good guys in this world. He was always smiling in his videos, he was always excited about what he was doing. He clearly had passion, for Japan and for his life.
Which is why I teared up when I found out he passed away. I've only very, very rarely teared up at the passing of a complete stranger. I think Eddie Guerrero was the only other time. Rodger Swan was clearly a beloved figure evidenced by the outpouring of condolences on his Youtube page. Check out this heartfelt video from TokyoCooney to see how Swan touched people's lives.
Swan was only 23 years old. Three years younger than me and he was much more together than I am now. Not only that but he was living my dream. He was not only living in Japan, but spoke and could read/write Japanese with ease it seemed.
Go check out his stuff. It's really pretty cool.
Iwate Swan
Rodger Swan
1986-2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Well...
I said I'd do five blog posts in January. It was one of my goals damnit! Well the month isn't over and I've got plenty of time left! Quite a bit more than plenty, in fact, I've got all the time in the world.
I've got a few ideas that I'm going ahead and turn into posts. Here they are.
- BioWare games changing the face of RPGS, and the death of JRPGs (at least for me).
- Ill fated attempts at doing something with my hair lately.
- My attempt to actually cook something (using a DS cooking helper).
I will write these I swear. I just spend most of my time looking for a job, trying to find out how to write a good resume, and watching Youtube videos about Japan and South Korea. I like vlogs. I like them so much that I plan on having one someday. For now my Youtube account is just subscriptions to other vlogs and a favorites list full of Lonely Island and puroresu.
Expect something tomorrow.
I've got a few ideas that I'm going ahead and turn into posts. Here they are.
- BioWare games changing the face of RPGS, and the death of JRPGs (at least for me).
- Ill fated attempts at doing something with my hair lately.
- My attempt to actually cook something (using a DS cooking helper).
I will write these I swear. I just spend most of my time looking for a job, trying to find out how to write a good resume, and watching Youtube videos about Japan and South Korea. I like vlogs. I like them so much that I plan on having one someday. For now my Youtube account is just subscriptions to other vlogs and a favorites list full of Lonely Island and puroresu.
Expect something tomorrow.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
FI-RED
I was going to write up a big post about what happened to me a week ago. I was. Now I don't want to write that post. There's really nothing to say.
I was fired from my job. Laid off, as they put it, due to a lack of hours. Some forty people lost their jobs.
Now I'm unemployed. I'm not good at being unemployed. I filed for unemployment... I became a burden on society. I don't think I've ever felt worse. I had bright eyes and hope back in 2007 when I was jobless for several months.
Now I just don't know.
It's only been a week and I'm not really doing well. I've applied to quite a few jobs and hope to pick one of those up to pass the time. I'm holding out for Korea!
That's what I'm holding out for in general. That's what my life needs to take off!
I've been approached by a friend at the BDN and given a contact that might help me get some freelance jobs. I'm also looking at some other writing stuff. Gotta get on that.
What do I spend my time doing? Mostly Youtube, 360, job search, television. Wasting time really. I don't know, I'm pretty unfocused at the moment.
I wish I had readers because I want people to talk to damnit.
Well cheers friends! Here's to Korea and the future.
I was fired from my job. Laid off, as they put it, due to a lack of hours. Some forty people lost their jobs.
Now I'm unemployed. I'm not good at being unemployed. I filed for unemployment... I became a burden on society. I don't think I've ever felt worse. I had bright eyes and hope back in 2007 when I was jobless for several months.
Now I just don't know.
It's only been a week and I'm not really doing well. I've applied to quite a few jobs and hope to pick one of those up to pass the time. I'm holding out for Korea!
That's what I'm holding out for in general. That's what my life needs to take off!
I've been approached by a friend at the BDN and given a contact that might help me get some freelance jobs. I'm also looking at some other writing stuff. Gotta get on that.
What do I spend my time doing? Mostly Youtube, 360, job search, television. Wasting time really. I don't know, I'm pretty unfocused at the moment.
I wish I had readers because I want people to talk to damnit.
Well cheers friends! Here's to Korea and the future.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
2009 Awards... Late, Yes Yes
Here are my 2009 Awards. I understand that January is practically over, but up until last Thursday I didn't really have the time to update. I was working constantly.
Now I'm laid off. I have plenty of time. I've been spending it fairly improperly, though I've filled out some apps.
Well here are my awards for 2009.
Movie of the Year - Ponyo
Runners Up - Up, Harry Potter 6 or 9 or 39 or whichever it was, The Hangover
Wrestler of the Year - CM Punk
Runners Up - Go Shiozaki, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura
Game of the Year - Assassin's Creed II
Runners Up - Dragon Age: Origins, Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor, Football Manager 2010
Now I'm laid off. I have plenty of time. I've been spending it fairly improperly, though I've filled out some apps.
Well here are my awards for 2009.
Movie of the Year - Ponyo
Runners Up - Up, Harry Potter 6 or 9 or 39 or whichever it was, The Hangover
Wrestler of the Year - CM Punk
Runners Up - Go Shiozaki, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura
Game of the Year - Assassin's Creed II
Runners Up - Dragon Age: Origins, Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor, Football Manager 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Simpsons Top XX
Simpsons is celebrating it's twentieth year on television this year. Well, technically last year. I guess they're not counting the first episode as a true episode. The series truly started broadcasting regular episodes in 1990, so if that's the timeline they're going with I'll follow suit. Last Sunday there was a special 20th anniversary special and a new episode, which of course was preempted by a pointless NFL game. As always. I really, really hate American football. Thank god we have Hulu! I can now catch the most recent Simpsons episodes at any time online. Imagine twenty years ago and trying to tell someone about Hulu. They'd accuse you of voodoo and send the anti-Witch brigade at you, with their stakes and torches. Hell, The Ashes is barely older than this series! There are probably few television shows to have had as crater-tastic an impact on popular culture as The Simpsons. Hardly a comedy writer or cartoonist can't claim to have been in some way inspired by Matt Groening's creation. I know that if I had the chance I'd model my humorist writings on the Simpsons model.
An unexpected consequence of the 20th anniversary celebration was the release of Season 20 on DVD. That is the most recent season of the Simpsons and it's already out! Episodes from 2008 and 2009. Skipping eight seasons and releasing this was unexpected, but a nice surprise. It also features the first HD episodes and the new opening. Very awesome surprise. It was also available on Blu-Ray, but I'm not quite that hip yet.
I've been watching this series for almost as many years as I can remember. I honestly remember watching some episodes in the early '90s. Mostly I remember watching it with my oldest brother and repeating quotes at each other. The series has retained it's amazing humor. I'm not going to lie, Homer Simpson has had a huge impact on my personality.
So I've decided to list what I believe are the best/my favorite episodes of this long running treasure. I am not going to put them in numerical order because it's simply impossible. A top XX is appropriate if only because of the annivesary. Every episode had a brilliant joke that still holds to this day and after 20-30 viewings. It's just that some entries into the series were of a much higher caliber. A different level. Here they are.
XX
22 Short Films About Springfield
- Comedy gold, short films featuring many of the side characters in Springfield
A Tale of Two Springfields
- The town gets split in half and Homer becomes mayor, PINBALL WIZARD!
Bart the Daredevil
- Homer jumps the gorge is constantly referenced in and out of the series
Flaming Moe's
- First Moe-centric episode sees his business boom, featuring Aerosmith
Homer's Enemy
- Frank Grimes is all that need be said
Homer and Apu
- Apu loses his job and moves in with the Simpsons, plus James Woods
Homie the Clown
- Homer goes to clown college to become Krusty and manages to run afoul of the mob
Homer the Vigilante
- A cat burglar puts the town on alert, and Homer blunders as a vigilante leader
Homer to the Max
- Homer changes his name and finds a new life as Max Power
"There's the right way, the wrong way, and the Max Power way"
"Isn't that the wrong way?"
"Yeah, but faster!"
I Am Furious Yellow
- Bart starts up an internet cartoon called Angry Dad
Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show
- The childrens cartoon show adds a new character who happens to be voiced by Homer
King Size Homer
- Homer gains massive amounts of weight to get on disability and work at home
Lisa's Wedding
- The best of the "look into the future" episodes looks at Lisa's engagement to a Briton
Lost Our Lisa
- Lisa attempts to see an Egyptian exhibit but gets lost prompting Homer to save her
Marge vs The Monorail
- Classic episode featuring an ill-fated monorail and Leonard Nimoy
Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming
- The best of the villainous Bob's guest spots see's him attempt to nuke the city
The City of New York vs Homer Simpson
- Nothing goes right for Homer while attempting to retrieve his car from the World Trade Center
Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo
- The best Simpsons travel episode. The family goes to Japan.
Treehouse of Horror VI
- Giant ad icons come to life, a Nightmare on Elm Street parody, and Homer in 3D!
You Only Move Twice
- Quite possibly the best episode ever, the Simpsons move and Homer starts working for a Bond-esque villain.
An unexpected consequence of the 20th anniversary celebration was the release of Season 20 on DVD. That is the most recent season of the Simpsons and it's already out! Episodes from 2008 and 2009. Skipping eight seasons and releasing this was unexpected, but a nice surprise. It also features the first HD episodes and the new opening. Very awesome surprise. It was also available on Blu-Ray, but I'm not quite that hip yet.
I've been watching this series for almost as many years as I can remember. I honestly remember watching some episodes in the early '90s. Mostly I remember watching it with my oldest brother and repeating quotes at each other. The series has retained it's amazing humor. I'm not going to lie, Homer Simpson has had a huge impact on my personality.
So I've decided to list what I believe are the best/my favorite episodes of this long running treasure. I am not going to put them in numerical order because it's simply impossible. A top XX is appropriate if only because of the annivesary. Every episode had a brilliant joke that still holds to this day and after 20-30 viewings. It's just that some entries into the series were of a much higher caliber. A different level. Here they are.
XX
22 Short Films About Springfield
- Comedy gold, short films featuring many of the side characters in Springfield
A Tale of Two Springfields
- The town gets split in half and Homer becomes mayor, PINBALL WIZARD!
Bart the Daredevil
- Homer jumps the gorge is constantly referenced in and out of the series
Flaming Moe's
- First Moe-centric episode sees his business boom, featuring Aerosmith
Homer's Enemy
- Frank Grimes is all that need be said
Homer and Apu
- Apu loses his job and moves in with the Simpsons, plus James Woods
Homie the Clown
- Homer goes to clown college to become Krusty and manages to run afoul of the mob
Homer the Vigilante
- A cat burglar puts the town on alert, and Homer blunders as a vigilante leader
Homer to the Max
- Homer changes his name and finds a new life as Max Power
"There's the right way, the wrong way, and the Max Power way"
"Isn't that the wrong way?"
"Yeah, but faster!"
I Am Furious Yellow
- Bart starts up an internet cartoon called Angry Dad
Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show
- The childrens cartoon show adds a new character who happens to be voiced by Homer
King Size Homer
- Homer gains massive amounts of weight to get on disability and work at home
Lisa's Wedding
- The best of the "look into the future" episodes looks at Lisa's engagement to a Briton
Lost Our Lisa
- Lisa attempts to see an Egyptian exhibit but gets lost prompting Homer to save her
Marge vs The Monorail
- Classic episode featuring an ill-fated monorail and Leonard Nimoy
Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming
- The best of the villainous Bob's guest spots see's him attempt to nuke the city
The City of New York vs Homer Simpson
- Nothing goes right for Homer while attempting to retrieve his car from the World Trade Center
Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo
- The best Simpsons travel episode. The family goes to Japan.
Treehouse of Horror VI
- Giant ad icons come to life, a Nightmare on Elm Street parody, and Homer in 3D!
You Only Move Twice
- Quite possibly the best episode ever, the Simpsons move and Homer starts working for a Bond-esque villain.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Monthly Goals: January
Fresh for the new year it's time for my first set of monthly goals. I'm going to start this off slow with simple but necessary goals. These will be designed to keep my mind active and force me to be productive. Not to beat around the bush, or around the Irish immigrant trying to find work, here are my January 2010 goals.
- Write an article
- Write something else
- Post at least 5 blogs
- Stop being a hermit
- Finish reading The Witcher
- Write an article
- Write something else
- Post at least 5 blogs
- Stop being a hermit
- Finish reading The Witcher
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010 Hatsumode
HAPPY 2010!
One of the Japanese New Year traditions that I've grown to love since following expat blogs, and of course since playing Shenmue some 10 years ago, is the first trip to the shrine. It is part of the national identity of Japan and the Shinto religion. It's a highly formal part of the New Year over there. For women it is one of the days of the year that provides an opportunity to wear the kimono. Hatsumode is both religious but also cultural. Whether the Japanese are devout (which, I gather, is hard to find) or not they still attend this event. I guess crazy long lines are also part of the tradition, or maybe that's only if you try and go to the major shrines.
The only direct contact I've had with this event was in video games. In fact that's where I first found out about Hatsumode. Shenmue (if you fart around long enough) and Persona 4 in particular. Both of those games tried very hard to replicate the regular life in Japan. School, friends, chores, fighting gangsters, demons and gods. Y'know, everyday stuff.
Hatsumode is only part of the New Year festivities in Japan. I don't really know that much more than what Wikipedia can tell me on the subject. Like I said before I don't live in Japan and I'm not a student of their culture. I may look into the entire festival culture of Japan one day, if I ever find myself living in that country. Hey you never know what could happen. I'll never rule out going there y'know.
It's not something that I would have any first hand knowledge about, being that I don't live in Japan nor is there a large Japanese community nearby. The internet is a wonderful tool when it comes to these sorts of situations. You discover and learn about anything in the world. Hatsumode is a tradition in a foreign culture that I find fascinating and through other people's experience I have learned what it is and what it means.
Here's some links to blogs by foreigners living in Japan and their posts for New Years 2010. They don't all deal with hatsumode, but they do follow the common New Year theme. These are some of my favorite bloggers so I highly advise you to check out these links.
DannyChoo
Michael John Grist
Tokyo Kawaii
Tokyo Times
HaikuGirl
One of the Japanese New Year traditions that I've grown to love since following expat blogs, and of course since playing Shenmue some 10 years ago, is the first trip to the shrine. It is part of the national identity of Japan and the Shinto religion. It's a highly formal part of the New Year over there. For women it is one of the days of the year that provides an opportunity to wear the kimono. Hatsumode is both religious but also cultural. Whether the Japanese are devout (which, I gather, is hard to find) or not they still attend this event. I guess crazy long lines are also part of the tradition, or maybe that's only if you try and go to the major shrines.
The only direct contact I've had with this event was in video games. In fact that's where I first found out about Hatsumode. Shenmue (if you fart around long enough) and Persona 4 in particular. Both of those games tried very hard to replicate the regular life in Japan. School, friends, chores, fighting gangsters, demons and gods. Y'know, everyday stuff.
Hatsumode is only part of the New Year festivities in Japan. I don't really know that much more than what Wikipedia can tell me on the subject. Like I said before I don't live in Japan and I'm not a student of their culture. I may look into the entire festival culture of Japan one day, if I ever find myself living in that country. Hey you never know what could happen. I'll never rule out going there y'know.
It's not something that I would have any first hand knowledge about, being that I don't live in Japan nor is there a large Japanese community nearby. The internet is a wonderful tool when it comes to these sorts of situations. You discover and learn about anything in the world. Hatsumode is a tradition in a foreign culture that I find fascinating and through other people's experience I have learned what it is and what it means.
Here's some links to blogs by foreigners living in Japan and their posts for New Years 2010. They don't all deal with hatsumode, but they do follow the common New Year theme. These are some of my favorite bloggers so I highly advise you to check out these links.
DannyChoo
Michael John Grist
Tokyo Kawaii
Tokyo Times
HaikuGirl
New Year 2010! 初詣!
It's 2010!
A new year! A World Cup year! A year of upheaval with any luck.
So we welcome the year of the tiger with a roar and a slap on the ass for good luck.
What can be said for 2009? Quite a lot. Some positive, some negative. Let's not think about that right now. Let's think about 2010.
I've got to make an effort to better myself this year. Make a tiger out of an elephant. I have a few ideas, like setting monthly goals and updating the blog more often. My priority is setting long term goals, with short term goals to achieve them. This is something that is going to be a positive influence on my state of mind and my state of well being. I'll start off slow, but as I get going I'm going to start pushing myself harder.
Collaborative efforts are hard to get started if everybody isn't motivated the same. If one person is hyper motivated but others are only a little bit into a project then it's doomed to failure. I'm going to try and find people that I can motivate into helping me with some of my ideas for collaborative projects. The Zombie Blog, podcasts, video comedy skits, a local blog of some sort, whatever comes to mind. I'll see what I can think up and who I could motivate to help. I also need to seriously look into doing more writing and publishing my content.
This year the World Cup is going to be won by England. They've got it all to prove. Their manager, Fabio Cappello, is the man with the ability to take hold of the trophy. Spain are favored due to their recent domination on the international scene and their Euro 2008 victory. They've got an amazing team, certainly, with Villa and Torres up front and a solid backfield. England aren't the strongest team, they aren't the most talented team so why do I think England will win the tournament? It lies in their bad luck streak. They've gone from weakness to weakness for years, and stumbled right at the crucial moment. It's on them to make their own luck. To fight for every inch of the field. To hammer home the goals and not succumb to the big match atmosphere. They will win. Cappello will inspire the squad to win. Whatever happens I'm going to be watching the beejesus out of this competition come the summer. 64 games on display, every single one of them televised. It'll be a month of soccer madness!
Most importantly this will be the year that, finally, my dream of living abroad comes true. It won't be an easy road to get started heading down. The goal is South Korea. It doesn't matter where. Anywhere is fine since I'll be living in an entirely foreign culture. The excitement of living in a foreign country that is culturally quite different from America is already feeding my dreams. It's not a guarantee that we'll get accepted and there are a lot of steps in the application process, but I'm confident in our ability. I know Ashes and I can make a good impression on the recruiters. I'm not going to have my dream shattered again like I did three years ago.
This post wasn't a traditional "here are my resolutions" statement. It wasn't "this is what I'm changing". It was more of a series of big picture goals and dreams. It was a short list of what I am going to demand of myself. Improvement. Self discipline. I resolve nothing. I demand it!
Here's to 2010!
The Year of the Tiger!
The Year of Self Dynamism!
2010, hurrah!
A new year! A World Cup year! A year of upheaval with any luck.
So we welcome the year of the tiger with a roar and a slap on the ass for good luck.
What can be said for 2009? Quite a lot. Some positive, some negative. Let's not think about that right now. Let's think about 2010.
I've got to make an effort to better myself this year. Make a tiger out of an elephant. I have a few ideas, like setting monthly goals and updating the blog more often. My priority is setting long term goals, with short term goals to achieve them. This is something that is going to be a positive influence on my state of mind and my state of well being. I'll start off slow, but as I get going I'm going to start pushing myself harder.
Collaborative efforts are hard to get started if everybody isn't motivated the same. If one person is hyper motivated but others are only a little bit into a project then it's doomed to failure. I'm going to try and find people that I can motivate into helping me with some of my ideas for collaborative projects. The Zombie Blog, podcasts, video comedy skits, a local blog of some sort, whatever comes to mind. I'll see what I can think up and who I could motivate to help. I also need to seriously look into doing more writing and publishing my content.
This year the World Cup is going to be won by England. They've got it all to prove. Their manager, Fabio Cappello, is the man with the ability to take hold of the trophy. Spain are favored due to their recent domination on the international scene and their Euro 2008 victory. They've got an amazing team, certainly, with Villa and Torres up front and a solid backfield. England aren't the strongest team, they aren't the most talented team so why do I think England will win the tournament? It lies in their bad luck streak. They've gone from weakness to weakness for years, and stumbled right at the crucial moment. It's on them to make their own luck. To fight for every inch of the field. To hammer home the goals and not succumb to the big match atmosphere. They will win. Cappello will inspire the squad to win. Whatever happens I'm going to be watching the beejesus out of this competition come the summer. 64 games on display, every single one of them televised. It'll be a month of soccer madness!
Most importantly this will be the year that, finally, my dream of living abroad comes true. It won't be an easy road to get started heading down. The goal is South Korea. It doesn't matter where. Anywhere is fine since I'll be living in an entirely foreign culture. The excitement of living in a foreign country that is culturally quite different from America is already feeding my dreams. It's not a guarantee that we'll get accepted and there are a lot of steps in the application process, but I'm confident in our ability. I know Ashes and I can make a good impression on the recruiters. I'm not going to have my dream shattered again like I did three years ago.
This post wasn't a traditional "here are my resolutions" statement. It wasn't "this is what I'm changing". It was more of a series of big picture goals and dreams. It was a short list of what I am going to demand of myself. Improvement. Self discipline. I resolve nothing. I demand it!
Here's to 2010!
The Year of the Tiger!
The Year of Self Dynamism!
2010, hurrah!
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