Blog
This is not the way
Warning, sausy Gabz content.
Reader discretion is advised...
We all have done it (or keep doing it), where we find this YouTube video (or Podcast radio show), "MY SUPER AWESOME PRODUCTIVE DISTRACTION FREE SETUP", and we watch it (them). Then we are like,
"OMG, this guy is a genius, I am a monster of a mess, and I must emulate this!"
STOP IT!
You know exactly what I am talking about. The super minimalistic, no distraction, almost nonexistent home screen setups where everything is hidden. And then here I am spending about half an hour moving things around my home screen because according to this video (or PodShow).
But, apparently, "This is the Way"
Making sacrifices and compromises, hiding away apps that I might have a legit use for, hiding widgets that I probably will forget about. Creating more friction for me to use my stuff than fixing a problem now I think I have.
But,
"This is the way, Gabz."
Is it though?
No, it isn't! It is all majestic bullshit!
Maybe for some of these people yes, it is a thing and in their minds, it helps, but for me it is just majestic bullpoop.
"But Gabz, the notifications, pings, and all the buzzes, all the distractions".
Then, my friend, that sounds more like a personal problem. I know, I have struggled with the same problem and more and more I am convinced that is a personal problem. It is an addiction and we blame it on pings and buzzes. Just put down your phone, do some work, type a letter, grill something, or have sex. That is what I tell myself every day, at least.
I would say though if you want a clean setup because this "helps" with "distractions" go for it, by all means. I have seen many setups out there that are clean, and functional and not this romanticized fantasy I keep getting across with these days,
I would also say if you want to vomit every single app and plaster them all over your home screen (or home screens), go for it! Why not? Your phone, your decision!
Now, to be fair, it is not their fault, we are all suckers for setups and all they are doing is feeding the masses, me included. I guess I am just done with all of it and constantly making changes based on someone else's use case. This, is also, a personal problem 😜.
Now that I am done with my rant...
I think I will take this opportunity to think and re-evaluate my personal relationship and habits with my devices and what I want out of them and go from there. And if anything, I find more useful, videos or talks about the tools some other people use, than setups, since those can help me discover something I didn't know about and add some real value, and there are many people that do that, and they do it very well.
Just my unprofessional, not humble opinion.
Dungeons Not Disturbed
Between 6am and noon is arguably my most precious / important / valuable time of the day for getting things done.
That’s why I keep all of my devices in Do Not Disturb until noon.
This way I am free from any and all notifications, pings, buzzes, until the morning is over and it’s time for a lunch break.
Sounds romantic...
An informal presentation.
Today I had the privilege (or misfortune 😜) to present in front of the managers. It was a very random request. They asked some of us to do a short presentation about what is that we do within the company and whatnot. It was very informal, I talked and presented from my sit (phew!). That was this morning. It is almost time to go home and I still find myself opening the presentation, finding little things here and there, and editing...
Some wrong dates, differences, or inconsistencies in the usage of fonts, spaces, etc.
Thank the gods that I had sent it to two people for review and that it was informal.
🎮 A game I have been playing
HARDCORE MECHA on the Nintendo Switch
Mercenary Tarethur O’Connell, an ACE pilot of Hardcore Defense Corp, was drawn into a conspiracy rebellion during a mission. Facing continuous battles and overwhelming conflicts, Tarethur starts to re-think about what he is fighting for..
This game was released on October 15, 2020, and I remember showing up, and immediately I was drawn to it. I mean, the word MECHA is in the title. And as you can see by the art, it looks very Anime-ish. I downloaded the Free Demo, and played a bit but, like many other titles, it fizzled away, and I never looked at it again, until recently. I have played at least six missions, and these are not very long. It usually requires you to eliminate all enemies in one area to move to the next and then there's a boss fight. Simple and sweet, not too complicated, easy play.
Hardcore Mecha is a mecha-themed action sidescroller you play as a mech pilot named, Tarethur (that's a catchy name) who works for this mercenary group, and you're hired to find a captive officer referred to as "A", who has gone missing on Mars.
Controls are simple, you have a main gun, a chest-mounted gun (rapid fire low damage), and melee attacks. The melee attacks use cooldowns so is not like can melee-away. You can dash, jump, and hold the jump button to move around in midair until your boost gauge runs out.
The visuals are pretty sweet, it's got this chibi art style, which is kind of cool, and I very much enjoy it. The mechs, enemies, and animations are highly detailed and they look good. A lot of the conversations are carried out in a visual novel style.
Overall this is a very simple and enjoyable game, one that you can pick up at any point and just play through it. I am playing on easy mode, I am not here for a challenge, I am here to have fun and enjoy.
So far so good
It is Friday! Yay!
It es 8:50 am MST about 72℉ with a nice cool breeze going on. My office's in a trailer so we have opened the doors to let the semi-cool air refresh it. We've got pastries and coffee. So far the day looks to be a chill one. Litsdening to DJ Nelson's new album, De Camino A Palomino, Vol. 1. In fact, probably listening to this album it's what got me in a good positive mood.
I don't know what's in store for the rest of the day, so I am making a note that at least so far, life seems to be good.
🎵Out of My Mind
> I was in a forest when the fire came > > Now I know I will never be the same > > I’m trying to find time > > To make a deal with a devil > > But the devil don’t care about me > > I’ve been going out of mind > > Out of my mind > > I’ve been going out of my mind > > Runaway train > > Crawl under my skin > > You know, the wrong kind of medicine > > Will make a man sick > > And I hope I find my way > > backup from the bottom of the well > > from the bottom of the well > > no rest, no sleep, no gods, no dreams > > …
Vulnerability hangover
Source: Anti-Blog Feelings - Hypertext Monster
I knew I had a similar feeling, I just did have a word for it, and now I do.
Thank you, Cheri!
A vulnerability hangover is what happens when you regret sharing too much of yourself online.
Yup, in fact, it happened yesterday.
I suppose that’s the essence of my issue. I don’t want strangers reading my diary. Yet despite my best intentions, my blogging becomes diary-adjacent.
I can connect to this sentiment on a spiritual level, as they say. I treat my blog as an online journal and post things that normally I wouldn't necessarily mind other people reading. That being said, there have been many times when I would compose something and sit on it for hours before I decide to hit publish. and very few others, in which I just delete the whole thing.
I have said it (written) many times before, 99% of the time I am an impulsive writer, in fact, I think I am impulsive in a lot of things. Something gets in my mind and I just need to purge it out, type it away and publish it right after. And then I ask myself, was that really necessary to put out there? Was it too much information? What have I done?
I know I can always come back and delete the post, and in fact, I have before but it's rare. Usually, when something has been published and discussed upon, there's no turning back and there is no deleting it at that point.
Damaged Goods?
This is the word, label, term that has been running through my head since this morning. Things haven’t been great, I mean, I thought they were, or so I was telling myself. I have struggled or been battling with my mental and emotional health for about 4 years now, well medicated, struggling, probably more. But for the past few months, or who knows if even more, things have gotten a little off, or out of wack.
But how could things be bad, I have been taking medication and bleh, bleh-bleh?
Clearly, something ain’t working!
Either way, all aspects of my life, are being affected by whatever shenanigans are currently happening in my head. Of course, there are a thousand things I could blame them on, all you have to do is open your favorite social media or a news app to see everything is fucked-up. We have more than enough reasons to be sad and angry, and depressed. My mind it’s scattered, I can’t focus, I can’t sleep, and hard to find joy in things I used to do for fun, and I drink far too much these days.
Yesterday, I had a talk with the dude, also known as “a professional”, and he called it. I am still, damaged. Well, he said depressed. But the moment he called it, the moment he alluded to it, everything started to make sense. It became clearer that, yes, I am unhappy most of the time, and it is affecting every aspect of my life. It really hit me hard, more than I thought it would. Now, I am back where I was 4 years ago, and I don’t like it, feeling like I am broken, asking myself why or how did I let it get to this point.
Am I the problem?
Am I weak?
Defeated?
I have gone through all of this once already, and it sucks. I also know that with help, which I am getting, it will — or should — get better. Not only that, but I just wished I had seen the signs sooner, as this can affect (and is affecting) others around me, and not just me.
Just for the Reels...
Instagram’s transformation into QVC is now complete and absolute. Instagram is dead — or at least the Instagram I knew and loved is dead. It is no longer part of my photographic journey.
Instagram is dead - Om Malik
I came to this realization ever since I closed my previous Instagram account which should be a little over a year now. My current account (probably my 5th account by now), it's more like a place where I post stories for shits and giggles, watch Steve Harvey's Family Feud Reels, find kettlebell workouts, and keep in touch with friends and family. And that is what Instagram is for me these days. I may post a few pictures here and there, but again, they are for my mom, dad, and friends.
That being said, I still wrestle with my feelings regarding Instagram. At least once every other week, I close it, just to re-open it the next morning. I dislike how much time I waste on this app most of the time, and I dislike what the app has become.
When it comes to my photography, I host all my pictures in two places, my blog, and Glass.
Something new.
I have got a new toy! Well, it is more like we got new toys.
Annie wanted to upgrade her iPhone 12 Mini to the 13 Mini, so while doing the upgrade, I set myself up for a Purple iPad Air 256 GB, cellular. And she got a green 128 GB iPhone 13 mini.
Why did I get an iPad Air?
I currently own a 2018 11” iPad Pro, nothing wrong with it, in fact, it will still be rocking around the house, most likely by the girls. My only complaint about it was the storage, I think it is 64 GB. I would find myself constantly deleting things or just restoring the iPad completely whenever I ran out of storage, mostly pictures.
The iPad, is my main “computing” device. A lot of my writing is done on the iPad, and 90 percent of my photo managing and editing is also done on the iPad. This and storage are the main reasons I wanted to get a new device. I really did not care for another Pro device, I just wanted an iPad with lots of storage.
So far, I am liking the Air, its design is very similar to the 11” iPad Pro, so I can’t really tell any noticeable differences. I am sure there are numerous technical differences between the two, but I really don’t care.
Touch ID, it’s both cool and weird at the same time, but it doesn’t bother me either. The old Smart-keyboard from the iPad Pro works on the Air, so I am set. I believe the Apple Pencil works as well, but I rarely ever use it, so it doesn’t matter to me much.
Where I'm at with my To-dos
Recently I watched a Youtube video by Van Neistat called My To-Do List Philosophy.
And my favorite quote;
To-do lists are for pussies
That made me both chuckle and think.
To-do lists and To-do apps, give me anxiety, I have tried different apps and different systems over the years only to be dropped and forgotten about. That being said, I am the kind of individual that would greatly benefit from having a robust system.
Why?
I am forgetful. I procrastinate. I am, sometimes lazy and unorganized. Having a system, in theory, should keep me sane, and help me keep my job in the process.
Here is where I'm at right now. I have been trying to build up a system based on functionality rather than what is the hot app of the moment. I believe this has always been my biggest mistake, trying to fit my necessities in a system or app simply because a YouTuber or Podcaster said it was the best (to them, in their defense). So I have been trying to use what causes less friction and anxiety.
For work, I have been using TickTick and in fact, 99% of its use is using the quick entry window by clicking Ctrl + Shift + A. I enter the task, assign time and date (many times not even a time), and done. I don't even open the app, whatever I need to get done will appear on a floating widget on my desktop. Although I have it installed on my phone, it is not even on my main screen, it's in a folder somewhere in case I may need to reference something. I have tried to use it for personal stuff but there's when things get a little angsty.
For Personal stuff, I have been trying to rely more on Reminders, simply because I can talk to my watch or Machintosh cellular device or even my HomePod (when it works) and add things that way. I still dabble with Things 3, it's nice looking but I find it a little cumbersome at times trying to add things or remember how to do things properly, but that's more on me I guess.
For now, this is my system, it is not perfect or super-organized but somewhat works. The most hectic part of my life is work and that's where I need a system the most, and for now, TickTick is doing the thing.
That'd be all.
Cheers!
🎮 Games, I’ve been re-buying.
Recently, I have gotten an itch for buying indie games, that I already own digitally on the Nintendo Switch, physically. And these are the games that I really liked and enjoyed. Moreover, I kind of don’t trust Nintendo very much when it comes to safeguarding my purchase library, I don’t know, maybe I’m just paranoid.
I have purchased 4 games so far, one still on its way, and I’m sure there will be more to come. The thing I was not expecting, though, was the extras. Not only I got the physical copies of the games dearest to me, but they came with goodies that made the purchase even more valuable, to me.
First, I got Blasphemous
And this one came with stickers and a poster!
As well, with a code for the DLC, which I already owned anyway.
Then I got Death’s Gambit: Afterlife.
This one also came with a poster and stickers!
How cool is that, right?
Today, I received Huntdown.
If you haven’t played this game, do yourself a favor and play it. It is so much fun, the graphics, the music, it is so 80s.
This did not come with stickers, but pins or buttons.
On its way, I got ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights. This one a did blogged about a while ago, and I loved it so much I had to order the physical copy as well.
I have a few in mind I want to get, hopefully these three didn’t spoil me much that now I’ll be expecting cool stuff every time.
A Movie I liked, vol 1
I am pretty sure, I am incredibly late to this party but better late than never (as they say). Yesterday, for the first time since its release back in 2014, 8 years later, I watched,
An ordinary LEGO construction worker, thought to be the prophesied as "special", is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis.
We often have dinner just sitting in the living room and 9 out 10 times, the girls (mL) would pick a movie. Last night I picked. I have had this movie in my catalog for years, or whenever the Movies Everywhere service came about and I got this and Doom (2005) for free. I have watched Doom countless times but I have been neglecting the Lego movie all these years.
How was it? Well, I did enjoy it very much! I thought it was going to be the dumbest movie I'd ever watched, and yes it is still "dumb", but fun-dumb. I believe the girls liked it too, especially Marley, not sure about Luna.
I hear there is a second one, and I may check it out, but for now, I want to watch The Lego Batman Movie (2017) which I haven't watched either.
That'd be all.
OlliOlli World
Today I was browsing the PlayStation Store, as you do, and noticed that the was a trial for OlliOlli World as part of the PlayStation Plus Premium Plus-Plus thingamajigger sub. It is a one-hour trial and I played about 30 minutes of it. That is basically the first 5 or six stages that serve as a tutorial for the game.
>OlliOlli World is a bold new skateboarding action-platformer that’s bursting with personality. > >Traverse a delightful and weird world as you take on missions, and challenges and make new friends along the way. > >Experience the accessibility, depth, and player freedom as you dive into the signature flow state >gameplay of OlliOlli World. > >OlliOlli World marks the third entry in the critically-acclaimed OlliOlli series from Roll7, the BAFTA and multi-award-winning independent studio. >
The art alone in this game is what got me, I have had this game on my Nintendo Switch's wishlist for a while, it had been on sale and still passed on it. Hence why I wanted to check it out. I mean, it is fun, and the character creation is fun, I kinda liked that there is no gender selection for the character, it all depends on how you dress the character up.
The music is pretty awesome, and the stages look and feel amazing. Given the style, the music, and the vibes this game gives, it'd suggest an easy relaxing game. Well, I guess that depends, if you have played games like Alto's Odyssey, well there's a lot of that. I am always expecting the next obstacle to come so that, at least to me, is cause for some stress. I guess because of the control mechanics, I am not entirely used to it. then again, only 30 mins, I would assume it will become more natural as you go.
I might end up purchasing this game and definitely, it'll be on the Nintendo Switch. Now, the question is, do I wait until is up for sale again, or not?
For the mini!
> The truth is, the iPhone mini is just too good a product–and a size–for Apple to ignore completely. I’m . still sad that it’s apparently not popular enough to merit a new version every year, but I can’t believe it’s gone for good. In the meantime, I’ll be holding on to my iPhone 13 mini–and waiting on the mini’s inevitable return.
I truly love my iPhone 13 mini and although I am always skeptical about rumors, it is a possibility that there won’t be a 14 mini.
🎮 A Game I have been playing.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes on the Nintendo Switch.
Step into the shoes of Shez as they join Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, and other Fire Emblem™: Three Houses characters and fight for the future of Fódlan. Align with a leader to build and command an army in strategic 1-vs.-1,000-style battles. The house you choose will bring you through one of three compelling stories, each with a different outcome.
Welcome to another episode of, what game I have been playing?!
I am still trying to wrap my feelings around this game. I am about 4 to 5 hours in this game at the time of this typewriting. I have been anticipating this game, mainly for two reasons. One, I love Musou hack and slash action role-playing games, the OG's for me being Dynasty Warriors and the Samurai Warriors game franchises. And two, I like the Fire Emblem Franchise as well. FE's Warriors series replaces its tactical role-playing kind of game with musou hack and slash while maintaining the essence of what makes Fire Emblem a great series. I played the heck out of Fire Emblem Warriors, I have almost 50 hours easily. I unlocked every scenario, played all the DLCs, unlocked every weapon, etc. So getting into Three Hopes was expected.
I never really got too far into playing Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which this game is basically based on. I also felt like FE Warriors was a lot simpler, as far as the game mechanics and the quality of life in general. Whereas FE: Three Hopes, seems more complicated in some regards, you have a world (or war) map, in which you can pick between main missions and side quests. You also have a camp, where you have Item stores, blacksmiths, armorers, training facilities, and anything and everything you'd expect to find in your typical RPG game. There's much more to it than just hacking and slashing your way. There is also much more strategy involved in battles, sending the right units to certain spots in order to seize the battle. In fact, I am currently stuck on a mission because I keep failing at defending and keeping alive three different people, sorry guys, I am as bad of a strategist as I am as a friend, I will let you die!
Dialog, good-god there's a lot of dialogue in this game, the story overall compared to FE: Warriors is far more complicated and elaborated. It is also like watching Game of Thorne minus the titties, but there are dragons! Again, it is a more robust story in this game.
Again, I am only about 5 hours in and I am sure I will discover more things but for whatever reason, even though my character is level 25 or something like that, at this point in the game, I still feel under power. There is something I am sure I should be doing that I haven't done yet. Going back to FE Warriors, I was always, overpowered. I am sure I'll get to God-level but it is taking me more time. That or I am just extremely impatient.
There is a Demo available for the game in case you are on the fence about getting this game. I do hope I'll stick with it and don't get bored, or discouraged in some way.
We shall see, stay tuned, same Gabz-time, same Gabz-channel.
🎮 A Game I have been playing.
I should probably start giving these "Volumes" again.
Asura's Wrath on the Play Station 5 via PlayStation Plus
This game was released back on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 days, back in 2012 to be exact. This game had always been under my radar, I mean, this game hits all the correct stokes for me: mythology, Hindu and Buddhist mythologies in this case, ridiculous over-the-top fights, and a completing story. If you have played games like Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta, this game, is right up there. I cannot remember why I never played it back then but I am glad I have finally got to it.
I have recently signed up for Play Station Plus Premium, just to try it and see if it's something it might stick to or not, and this game is included. It is a stream to play which I don't know how I feel about that, I much rather download it and have it available this way, but, oh well.
The story is presented in the format of an episodic Anime series (very Anime-like), including opening and closing credits, recaps, and previews of the next episode. The game follows Asura a demigod seeking revenge on other demigods who betrayed him. The story so far has been very compelling and it's doing a good job and keeping me engaged in what's going on and where it's going.
The graphics on this game do hold up pretty well, I mean it's a 2012 game. As I had mentioned before, this game is very over-the-top, the fights are ridiculously crazy, and there is a very few hacks and slash fight sequences, it is all about big fights and there are different stages to them! I mean, your first boss battle starts as a regular fight then your take on his one gigantic finger going down to earth to smash you. If you have played games like God of War, well every fight is kinda like that, pressing the right buttons and the right time, sequences, and such in order to completely decimate your enemy.
Personally, as someone that is a sucker for the ridiculous, I'm having a blast playing this game and cannot wait to see what the story unfolds.
What is my process or workflow?
The are many good podcasts out there but one that excels over all the others is, the mythical, the legendary show, Hemispheric Views. Please subscribe, and while you're at it, subscribe to One Prime Plus for extra content and stuff. As members of One Prime Plus, one of its benefits, is to suggest topics that they can discuss on the show. A few weeks ago, in their super-secret discord channel, I had suggested or rather asked about what was their process when blogging in their own respective blogs. If you want to hear all about that, go subscribe to One Prime Plus.
Now, it was really interesting to hear how they go about managing their creative process, the behind-the-scenes of each of their blogs, etc. And it made me think a lot about my own process, and, without spoiling anything from the episode I feel like my process these days can relate to most of theirs. I think like for a lot of us, these processes may change over time and very frequently, and also gives us the perfect excuse to try things around and see what sticks.
What is my process or workflow? Well, let's find out because I am not even sure anymore. Especially when I change hosting sites (I know, that's another post). Right now I host things in two different places, Micro.blog and Ghost. The move to Ghost has been very recently and the process to import most of my things was a pain in the buttness (that alone is another post). Short posts and things that need some kind of "logging" go to Micro.blog, Mb is like a second brain.
My main text editor, currently and for the last two years, has been Ulysses, and mostly on iOS and iPadOS, very little on the Mac. And that is the extent of my Apple ecosystem toolbox for blogging. However, I spend most of my day on a Windows PC, so no Ulysses.
I have always considered myself an impulsive, lazy, writer (or blogger). A lot of times my ideas come while I am at work, so it is very easy to open another window tab and start writing. For Micro.blog I use Quill web text editor, simple and yet very powerful. It is almost like using Ghost's web text editor. The best part of using a web editor, for me, is the fact that I have Grammarly's extension installed (I use Chrome, sorry) and that helps with my spelling and grammatical errors. Once anything has been composed, it gets published, and forget about it. Of course, this means no "in-app" record or backup of that post other than its final place.
For posts in Ghost, it is a very similar process, I always have a tab open with Ghost's Control Panel, I go to a "new post" and start typing. At least there is some "in-web-app" record, or backup for these posts.
Tools are nice, apps are nice, but ultimately I really don't care much where I type things. As long as I have the ability to do it from anywhere, my work computer, my iPhone, iPad, etc. And to be honest, once it's published, I care very little about keeping a post in a specific app or folder. Whether I am hosting everything in Micro.blog or Ghost, at the end of the day, to me, blogging, is just another form of journaling. Where I published stories and anything that I find like talking about, even if no one reads it.
Editor's note: This post was originally composed and posted on 2/29/2022 around 8:20 am MST. By 1:06 pm-ish, everything changed.