Quesada's Swan

Delayed again!

I'm not going to start with apologies this time around, since it's already too late for that. Also, repetitive apologia for failure time and again will not convince anyone anyway. I admit, on purpose, I've been ignoring updates on this blogsite for too long, but for good reasons.

For starters, I got a new job last March!

Another is that I'm still pre-occupied with all the JRPGs and video game franchise anniversaries that have been coming along these past few months! It's quite the whirlwind! There's also a backlog of games I have to play through after spending some of my salary on since last January when I posted here. No joke, it's a huge backlog, and there's more on my list. Thank goodness I've been shelving a couple of months' worth of salary from my new job so far...

Currently, since it's past 10 years since my first Alundra playthrough, to celebrate, I'm powering through that intense (both emotionally and gameplay-wise), but compelling Action RPG again. Another on the "currently playing" list would be Dragon Quest VII, the original version, not the remake yet, on an emulator via Raspberry Pi! Dragon Quest I HD, which I'm near the finish line for, and Trails In the Sky 1st Chapter remake, which I'm on the third chapter, are also on my priority of games to finish. If I have the time and emotional calm, I'll get through the latter two. Since I've pre-ordered the 2nd Chapter already (though its release date, Halloween, is a way's away), I must do that soon.

As for Dragon Quest I HD, I'm doing a no-death run, pray for me.

In other news, the postings for my Tales of Arise, Terranigma, and other playthroughs I've planned are going to be placed on an indefinite hiatus. I have also not watched the new season of Natsume's Book of Friends yet. One reason why is the SSL security certificate for this website was labeled invalid. Multiple redirects, with other issues, were also a concern. For now, after inspecting the repository housing the site, I'll have to revoke the SSL certificate for now. This means the https address header will not be active and will be in http. Another given, but also important, is the upcoming payment for the upkeep of this site's domain, since it's valid up till August of this year.

Aside from games and website issues, other things that have been keeping me away from updates here were walking my two dogs, and taking up a regular exercise routine. Though I started it back in September 2024, not counting some strength training on October 2023, after adding in a certain "lazy killer" exercise to the mix last Christmas season, I started to see better results. Though my love of eating was starting to pushing back on those improvements. Hence why I kept, and will continue to keep, a consistent approach to exercise, since that's the best way of reaching the results that I want. I also can't deny exercise was a helper to my well-being overall. Benefits from such a routine included more energy to do stuff, helping me get through the rigors of daily labor, both around the house and at work, with near-regular coffee breaks as a second motivator. Exercise also gave my body, for lack of a better explanation, a more movable feeling in me. Walking the dogs helped (though I've done that for years now!), but adding in the routine took it to another level. A confidence boost was a benefit too.

Speaking of confidence, my new job also helped me flesh that out, since I was required, until recently, to attend these meetings to give out daily updates for what I've worked on so far, which improved my verbal communication in some aspects. However, I felt I need to lean in to more tonal control before I can feel sure of myself at this point.

So far, if anyone's noticed, my own character development is still ongoing, and even I'm a tiny bit amazed at how far I've changed. If this were a few years ago, I wouldn't have been more open with I had to write. In fact, I would've been a bit more polite and sanitized about how I had to address things on this site. I attribute that to all of the events going on from this and last year, the knowledge I've acquired, and the inputs I've picked up on from my media consumption.

Without divulging into details, many events are happening, one after another, both great and terrifying. The only thing I can say at this point, for certain, is that it's an exciting time to be alive, provided it doesn't "take care" of me first, and life is always desiring to "take care" of everyone.

Will things improve? I don't know. Though, for my take, better to expect the worst, and hope for better things to come, I suppose.

I had a lot more to write about at this point, but after letting those thoughts simmer for the past few days, as well as the fatigue of adding more content to this post, I'm stopping.

Best wishes and safety first!