As Good As Alive

Small little plug for a friend's CD release, because my photo got featured on the cover (and their credits points to this site). It was taken a few years ago at a backpacking trip in Lake Chelan. Just goes to show that you never know when your photos will come in handy. Check them out below!

Something regular again, maybe

Blog died. But in a weird attempt at its revival, I will try to post a monthly splat of random "Things I have learned"

So

Things I have learned in January (yes I know it's late)
- Similar interests and activities with a person on paper does not mean relationship match
- I am intolerant of dismissive commentary, even though I am guilty of such remarks myself
- Having done a solo hike during a windy and snowy day, I now know I should not be so afraid of hiking (as long as I am prepared and have researched well)
- Alternative facts is apparently more viable than the truth
- I still hate politics and the media

Final Fantasy XV

(spoiler free. might be some hints of things in my screen caps that would come in trailers too)

I finally finished playing the Final Fantasy XV storyline. Wow. What a beautiful mess. Enjoyed it overall, but it could have been so much more...

For those who do not know, FFXV has been hyped for literally 10 years (fka FF XIII Versus in 2006). The final (rushed) product is a combination of a beautiful open world that consumed 5/6 of my playing time, with a messy story told in the short "second half" that felt extremely rushed and disjointed. That last part had so much potential, and after reading some forums, it sounds like a bunch good (and arguably necessary) story/character development and explorable areas got cut in favor of deadlines.

(On a side note, it's interesting to think about how game development and their deadlines parallels my own work environment. Like, the frustrations one feels when a bug goes through, or working with bad engine design, or dealing with new project directors)

Anyway. This game has consumed a ton of my social life in December. So, because I can, here are some of my favorite screen grabs from the game.

Group shot. Just one of many that the game prodded you to take. This was one aspect I rather enjoyed - it really felt like a road trip with your friends

Resting after a long day of riding a chocobo. Aww, now I want one...

The in-game snapshot mechanism grabs some interesting fights too

Altissia - fantasy worlds are rendered quite beautifully. I seriously want to visit this place

Beautiful cut scenes that they could have used a lot more of...

Again, this game was a beautiful mess

So eh, this is actually a glitch in chpt 12 - I fell off the train platform during a fight and couldn't get back up, so I wandered around a bit. Turns out this area was originally designed to be an exploratory area but got cut down to just the train platform fight. Shows how much potential that second half of the story had (especially in chpt 14 - really? no exploring at all??? sadness)

Now the music will be stuck in my head for weeks. Wheeeee this is why I stopped playing video games, because it takes over my life lol. But, I had fun with it. What am I saying, I'm still having fun with it.

Photo-a-day 2016.12.31 (fin)

Fireworks

New Year's fireworks from the Space Needle in Seattle, WA

Technically, taken from my new Sony a6000 camera (instead of the Sony RX-100 III of all the other photo-a-day pics), and technically taken after 12/31. Oh well.

Also, an announcement:  This will be my final photo-a-day picture. 

I have decided to close this project so I can focus my energies on other goals. This project is always fruitful because I can look back on the year and know generally what I was up to throughout the year. So while I will miss having that for 2017, I still have plan to keep up my photography skills, especially since I am still learning how to use my new mirrorless camera =)

Happy new year everyone!

Photo-a-day 2016.12.30

Lunchbox Laboratory

Custom burger at Lunchbox Laboratory. This is the vegan black bean patty with pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, fried egg, and avocado

Photo-a-day 2016.12.29

Christmas tree reflection

From the lobby in my office building

Photo-a-day 2016.12.28

5th Ave lighting

Holiday lights are still up on 5th Ave in Seattle, WA

Photo-a-day 2016.12.27

Greetings from Austin

Greetings from my hometown

Photo-a-day 2016.12.26

Amaebi

Amaebi from Keepers Sushi in Sugar Land, TX

Photo-a-day 2016.12.25

Peking duck

Peking duck for Christmas Day dinner, from Jade Garden in Sugar Land, TX