Cultured Individual's First Half Recap of 2019

Let's have a drink and reminisce, shall we?

It is the month of July, and because I have been maintaining an overall consistent schedule of one blog post a week, I thought I would do a recap post on some of my memorable blog posts between January and June of 2019. It is similar to the end-of-the-year post I created for my 2018 blog posts. I did think about waiting until December to do a full look-back on everything from 2019, but I decided to split it into two parts, so I can squeeze more content out of my blog. How shameful of me. In the first half of 2019, I achieved some of the goals that I set out for myself in my 'Best of 2018' post, and I will share some things that I would still like to do for the rest of 2019.

I have wrote my share of video game reviews in the first half of 2019, but I would like to highlight my reviews of Shenmue I and Shenmue II. Both games (and in particular, Shenmue II) were examples of games I remember fondly in my youth, but turned out to be completely dull and boring when playing the games now. I also highlight these reviews because I would like to talk about the upcoming Shenmue 3 game. As of right now, November 2019 is now the approximate release date for Shenmue 3, and I am okay with that. The developers need to be given the time to make this game a satisfactory experience for Shenmue-starved gamers. I do not feel any sense of impatience, but I would also love to get my hands on a copy of the game so I can give it a proper review.

I have not been watching many Toronto FC games this season, but that did not stop me from writing about some of the off-season stories surrounding the club. I wrote two posts about the departure of Sebastian Giovinco: one post about the transfer itself and the other post about his impact on the club and the supporters. I have also wrote about TFC's replacement designated player signing of Alejandro Pozuelo. Toronto FC have had a rocky first half of the MLS season, and have been barely keeping themselves in a playoff place in the standings. Sub-par defence and international call-ups have hurt the squad in the standings, but the new player additions of Omar Gonzalez and Erickson Gallardo will bolster the squad for the more-important second half of the season. I have also heard rumors of Giovinco coming back to Toronto FC, but I would imagine that it would be difficult to pull off due to MLS's complicated player acquisition rules.

Just as I said in my 'Best of 2018' post, I was able to go on two separate vacations within a month of each other. I went on a cruise on the MSC Seaside in May, and then went down to Jamaica to stay at the Grand Bahia Principe resort in Runaway Bay. On both vacations, my excursions away from both facilities proved to be much better than the facilities themselves. Regardless, the mere fact that I was able to go on two vacations this year is a blessed feeling for me. I feel lucky that I am able to have the resources to do these things and write about them in my blog. I cannot take this for granted.

The post that gave me the most global critical acclaim over the past six months was my co-worker microwave story. The incident involving my co-worker and the department microwave made for outstanding blog content, but what set the blog post apart was my comparison between my microwave and myself. Before I wrote that post, I did a Google search to see if anyone actually did a comparison between a human and a microwave, and no one actually did. I believe I am the first person in the world to write a comparison between a human and a microwave, which is a proud achievement, in my opinion.

I also wrote a number of lifestyle posts that I have accompanied with a personal experience. My highlights of my lifestyle include why I do not get drunk around co-workers, the therapeutic excellence of strip clubs, and my thoughts on toxicity in conversation.

Other blog posts that I would like to highlight include my personally crafted review of the anime Your Lie In April, and my highlights post of the MSC Seaside.

For the second half of 2019, I will continue to post about my time in Jamaica, as well as try to go to more Toronto-based events and spots for experiences and reviews. I have been reading more books recently, and I will try to incorporate some of my reads into my future blog posts. Finally, I am hoping to go to Trinidad in November, and if I do end up going, I will try to drum up some blog content over there.

I am hoping for continued success for the rest of 2019 for the Cultured Individual blog!