According to Wiggle

Happy Winter Holidays, Everybody!!

OH MY MY MY, 2011 is just about over and we’re all still here! woo hoo! take that apocalypse-preaching doody-heads! >:D

looking back, it was a pretty big and eventful year—and i’m sure some website will wrap all of those things up in a nice+neat article so i’ll leave that to them—but for me personally, 2011 has been a bit of a revelation-y year for me. but here’s a tangent before the break..for anyone who doesn’t know, this is what $70~ worth of comic books looks like:

yeah, that was my haul this afternoon from Paradox Comics..something like 20 issues + 1 tpb. because of Christmas i cut out my weekly trip last Wednesday and this is what i get. it’s funny because i was planning to go get an eye exam this week and splurge on new eye glasses…(insert stupid joke here). anyway, i’m SO glad that i’m off tomorrow (Thursday).

so to continue with my earlier thought, 2011 has been a bit of a revelation-y year..so much so that i’m starting to believe again. in a lot of things actually. [do tell, unusually vague Wiggle! u_u]  i feel as though all of these simple, mundane and obvious things started to come into focus for me this year; what i’m doing with my life and how to get there and to be entirely more vague, how to make myself happy…

let us start at the beginning!

[01] Writing. a lot. that picture is actually pretty old and not at all very revealing but i wanted a visual representation! anyway, i’ve been writing so much this year and though i may have only (barely) finished one story, i think getting down anything i can at all helps me in the long run. i find much solace in writing that i’d like to find a magical watch to stop time when sitting in a coffee shop just to lock some of my obligations out of my mind and continue writing. i admit that it’s frustrating and stressful at times but getting to that other side is something else, it’s damn near euphoric (as i exaggerate my ass off). lol. but seriously, happiness.

[02] Reading. or Books, which ever you prefer (btw, shameless plug for The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; my ‘Best Read of 2011’ pick). i can honestly say that my commute to and from work has been absolutely saved by the fact that i can read—if i had to drive to get to work, i’d be eternally sad. for 2011, i elected to read 25 books and according to my Goodreads account, i’ve read 55 so far and depending on how good Akira Vol.03 is, it might be 56 by year’s end.—i’m pretty sure i bought a PSP and DS Lite this year and maybe used them for a month a piece?—it is a blessing and a curse to be working at a bookstore. oh and don’t even get me started on comics+manga…my libraries for both practically doubled this year, respectively.

[03] StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. My Life For Aiur. damn this game is good! i only started really playing this game around May-June and with that statement all i can conclude is January-April were simply wasted months. lol. but no, SC2 is kinda the best game created by man, to date. it’s so easy to get into but so incredibly hard to master. and i like that aspect a lot. too often you’ll play a multiplayer game and in a matter of months you can just be top tier, no problem..highly unlikely in the case of SC2. i constantly find new and innovative things to do playing as Protoss and that’s only 1/3 of the multiplayer experience. (btw, there’s a pretty kick-ass single-player campaign too!). can’t wait for Heart of the Swarm!

[04] Day[9]. Be A Better Gamer. indeed. while trying to achieve greatness in SC2, i was directed to watch the Day[9] Daily. former pro-gamer turned pro-shoutcaster, Sean Plott, hosts his own webcast where he elevates gamers to the next level with in-depth SC2 analysis and strategies. Sean is probably the most entertaining and charismatic person on the interwebs (not an understatement by any means, dude made the Forbes top 30 under 30 list for 2011). SC2 analysis aside, his show is very friendly and inviting for new viewers, while quite familiar and homely for veteran gamers. my favorite Daily isn’t even about SC2, it’s Day[9] Daily #342 - Ask Me Anything! if you’re in the mood, check it out. to finish my thoughts: while e-sports is still in it’s awkward puberty years, it’s in good hands with people like Day[9] to raise it up right nice. yeah! (sidenote: Sean playing Amnesia = WIN)

[05] Blue Sky Black Death. the proverbial ‘music to my ears’ is referring to this producing duo. i’m almost speechless at how good their music is. alright, so these two guys make instrumentals that i want to drown in. often times, they’ll collaborate with artists to make that music better. these guys are like my new M-Flo. the month of November was keeping NOIR on loop while i sit and write in various coffee shops. right now, i can’t get enough of Slow Burning Lights (in my personal universe, “Come Inside” is the theme song for The Night Circus). incredible. props to Day[9] for introducing them to me.

and the list of things that make me happy goes on and on…obviously there are things that make me happy that need not be mentioned: family, friends, food, job, etc (yes, i enjoy my job..everyone should. :p). in a nutshell i’ve a lot to be thankful for and hopefully don’t take for granted. i simply wanted to sorta plop my thoughts down. as 2012 rolls in, i’m looking forward to finding new things that make me happy (the slue of RuroKen love in the works, Diablo III, SC2:HotS, to name a few). shoot, if i’m doing it right, i’ll be spreading that happiness to all of you beautiful people.

not sure what the new year will bring for me but there’s chance in anything and that excites me. :D -J.A

P.S. <3s to all the readers, followers, rebloggers and like-rs! i love posting these articles for me but i’d like to believe that i’m really posting for you. THANK YOU! have a Happy and safe New Year!