The Beggining
21st September 2023
Hi there,Welcome to my webpage...blog perhaps? I'm not really sure. I wanted this to be like a diary discussing items I've been interested in recently, while having the freedom to include types of content I'd like to without the restriction of a pre-existing website.Here you'll find content related to/regarding my youtube channel; HiddenAbstracts, which discusses video games in a holistic context, including aspects such as their history and development.You'll also find content discussing some of my other hobbies including music and electronics, most of which will also be uploaded to my aforementioned youtube channel.
My desk companion
If you're interested, I decided to make a website so that I can share my thoughts on the things I enjoy. I usually write my thoughts down after I've experienced them to help me remember how I felt, if I ever do look back. I've never shared that information publicly however.I think it's nice to be able to remember the moments we had, which might be harder than you think.
Video Games
Music
Electronics
Miscellaneous
Xenoblade Chronicles X
"Boiler plate" originally referred to the rolled steel used to make boilers to heat water.[1][2] Metal printing plates (type metal) used in hot metal typesetting of prepared text such as advertisements or syndicated columns were distributed to small, local newspapers, and became known as 'boilerplates' by analogy. One large supplier to newspapers of this kind of boilerplate was the Western Newspaper Union, which supplied "ready-to-print stories [which] contained national or international news" to papers with smaller geographic footprints, which could include advertisements pre-printed next to the conventional content.
"Boiler plate" originally referred to the rolled steel used to make boilers to heat water.[1][2] Metal printing plates (type metal) used in hot metal typesetting of prepared text such as advertisements or syndicated columns were distributed to small, local newspapers, and became known as 'boilerplates' by analogy. One large supplier to newspapers of this kind of boilerplate was the Western Newspaper Union, which supplied "ready-to-print stories [which] contained national or international news" to papers with smaller geographic footprints, which could include advertisements pre-printed next to the conventional content.
Baten Kaitos Origins
21st September 2023
I missed Guillo's antics
The remaster of this game came out about a week ago. I guess for most people this wouldn't really be anything important. A monolith soft "B" game series from the mid 2000's, kind of a niche game, even compared to monolith's other titles from the same time period (Xenosaga).When I was a kid, I used to get a bunch of games from my Aunt for my gamecube, it was generally the only way I used to get games. The games I got were imports of American games; generally ones other people didn't want. So, as you can imagine, Baten Kaitos Origins ended up being one of these.Seeing this actually turn up as a remaster was shocking considering the original game only sold around 100,000 units. But playing it again was something else. I still remember the dungeons, the plot, and I remember how the amazing combat works. The dialogue is certainly dated, but the story is charming, and it genuinely puts a smile on my face reliving some of these memories from my past.When I make a full retrospective on this topic, I hope to discuss in further detail the legacy of this game. But for now, it's just been refreshing playing something familliar, instead of fighting the uphill battle of learning something new with my increasingly overcommitted schedule.
Final Fantasy XVI
7th July 2023
I hope we continue to get faces of the main protagonist as steelbook art in the future too
When I tell people I buy 2-3 copies of this game whenever a new mainline entry releases, I get audible laughs and responses like "who does that?". Of course, in my head it is stupid, "companies aren't your friends" and the rest of the drivel that the algorithm feeds me does make me feel guilty.That being said, I think final fantasy in the modern era, has always done something special. It's not impressive just because it's a game, but it's impressive on several artistic levels. The art itself is usually something special - I can't find it any other media. Likewise, the music is also special, timeless pieces that I can listen to thousands of times and not get bored by. The music and art is so phenomenal they've spawned their own seperate industries with Yoshitaka Amano's artwork selling for several thousand dollars, and the distant worlds orchestral pieces playing worldwide.And I think all of this coming from a video game is what impresses me the most. But then, how is the video game itself? I'd say this is where the contention almost always lies for final fantasy. No one ever says the music is bad. No one ever says the art direction is bad. No one really ever even says the gameplay is bad. But then, what causes the contention? It's usually the story, and how well finished the game is.Regardless, short blog posts here are too short to talk about topics like this.While it might be too early to take a retrospective on this game. I do want to examine Final Fantasy XVI, and more generally, the final fantasy franchise in the near future in some capacity.
Final Audio Piano Forte X
18th September 2023
I used to play in Orchestra, definitely reminds me of the brass section.
I got this set of "IEMs" on discount from a spanish retailer. I was pretty intruiged by this set in general partially due to their unconventional look, but moreso because I heard the sound was really special.I wouldn't say the sound is special in general, it's special for IEM's though. IEM's generally sound highly resolving with a small soundstage. These in comparison sound more musical, with a larger soundstage. The closest thing I can compare them to would be something like the STAX X9000s or 007s, with less detail.Similarly to electrostatics, these work best with orchestral music, but they provide a decent performance for genres such as rock. I think it's the closest an IEM can come to a live performance. I found especially good performance on airy vocals (What was I made for - Billie Eilish).Probably the most fascinating set of audio equipment they've had. Hopefully I can update this with some example music soon to display their excellent properties.
New Year 2024
1st January 2024
The new year passed, and as I did my reflections, I felt like I didn't achieve too much in the past year.Despite being achievement driven for most of my life, this felt okay. I think this was the first year I really got to pursue career in a healthy way while also maintaining a healthy amount of personal interests.While I didn't develop any specific skills, or achieve anything significant, especially outside of career, I felt like I tried enough aspirations I've been wanting to try in order to have a better feeling of what I want to do in the upcoming year.Surprisingly, one of the things I wrote down as a great achievement was starting this website. Even if people aren't here to read this, it's nice to be able to get my thoughts out somewhere public where I can revisit them in the future.Bye for now, hopefully an update will be coming soon.
日本語の日記 ー 1回目
2023 年、12月、6日
これは私の最初の日記です。長い間日本語を書いていない。来年の9月に日本に行くので、今からもう一度勉強しようと思っています。じゃ また。