Cultured Individual's Second-Half Recap of 2020 (And What To Expect For 2021)

My feeling towards 2020. RIP The Legend.

It is that bi-annual time of year again where I look at the posts I have written over the past six months. I was able to go on a mini-vacation, but I wrote about the usual things (such as video games) as well. Here are my highlights from the past six months.

Quick Nintendo Switch Game Reviews

Over the course of the last six months, I have played a number of games for the Nintendo Switch. I do not want to create a dedicated post for each game, so I have a list of Switch games I have played recently, and I will give my thoughts about each game in a paragraph or two. Without further ado, here we go...

December 2020 Blog Update

With COVID-19 happening and the world going back into lockdown (at least until vaccines are widely distributed), I have not been doing much these days other than working. It has been increasingly difficult to continue posting on the blog every Monday. I have decided to stop with my scheduled posts for now, and just post when I feel like. I also want to use this post to talk about what's been going on in my life and how I am feeling.

Greg Vanney Back-Handed Appreciation Post

USA Today Sports Images

Vanney oversaw the successful period of Toronto FC's history, guiding the team to accomplishments such as winning the 2017 MLS Cup, the 2017 Supporters Shield, and making the CONCACAF Champions League Final in 2018. He was also the MLS Coach of the Year in 2017. When I heard the news, one question was spinning in my head. How much did Greg Vanney really contribute to Toronto FC's success over his tenure?

Borderlands 3: Almost Exactly Like Borderlands 2

I have been playing Borderlands 3, and this game feels more like a continuation of Borderlands 2 rather than being a stand-alone game, because little has changed between 2 and 3. Borderlands 3 is by no means a bad game, but I would have liked to see some major improvements for this game. In fact, Borderlands 3 is even worse than Borderlands 2 in two major ways.

Changing Jobs And Suppressing Lingering Feelings

I initially did not want to create a third blog post about changing my job, but there were unaddressed feelings that I could not stop thinking about. I talked about my old company's lack of action of making me feeling important, as well as keeping in contact with my friends in the midst of a pandemic. However, I did not talk about what leaving my old company meant for my co-workers, especially in my old department. I realized that in order for me to move forward in my life and in my career, I might have to hurt the people I care for.

All Or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur Review

Since I finally have Amazon Prime, I have wanted to watch the "All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur" documentary, and I am glad I did. This documentary chronicles Spurs' rather entertaining 2019-2020 season, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This documentary bears a number of striking similarities to the Matchday: FC Barcelona documentary I have reviewed earlier this year in its quality production and matchday camera work.

Super Mario Galaxy: The Masterpiece

I saved the best game on Super Mario 3D All Stars for last, and that is Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Galaxy came out in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii to universal acclaim, for which I will explain further in this post. Super Mario Galaxy differs from the other two Mario games in the bundle. The focus of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy is on open-world exploration and collecting, whereas the focus of Super Mario Galaxy is on completing linear challenges. Super Mario Galaxy feels similar to many of the older 2D Mario platformers in its game design.

Secord Forest Media Gallery

On a random Sunday not too long ago, I went for a walk in Secord Forest, which is just south of Goodwood, Ontario. I went for this walk for two reasons. The first reason is that because I am working from home on a semi-permanent basis, I need to find the time to be more active. The second reason is that I want to enjoy the nature around me as much as possible before the weather gets colder.

Super Mario Sunshine AKA Slime Cleaning Simulator

Continuing on playing all of the games from Super Mario 3D All Stars, the second game I play is Super Mario Sunshine, released on the GameCube back in 2002. This was the only game I have not actually played prior to my purchase of this compilation of Mario games for the Switch. I am happy to say that I enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine and the game deserves its place as a celebrated Mario 3D platformer, despite its noted criticisms. Just as an FYI, I beat the main game of Sunshine, but I did not get every single Shine Sprite.

Evergreen Brick Works Media Gallery + New Phone!

On one random Saturday, I went to the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto to walk around and take in some nature within the city. Before I go any further, I want to tell you all that I have a new phone now, and I have been using it for the last couple of months. I am now the owner of a OnePlus 8 Pro, which replaced my previous OnePlus 5T. I like the idea of having flagship-level performance at a lower cost than high-end Samsung and Apple phones. This means that this will be the first post where I will be posting pictures and video from the new OnePlus 8 Pro camera. With all that said, I may go into an in-depth review of my new phone in the near future.

Is Super Mario 64 Still Fun To Play?

I recently purchased Super Mario 3D All Stars for the Nintendo Switch, which includes Super Mario 64 (from the Nintendo 64), Super Mario Sunshine (from the Nintendo GameCube), and Super Mario Galaxy (from the Nintendo Wii). Three full-length games for the price of one regular-priced Switch is a good value. In addition, I wanted to relive the nostalgia of playing through Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy again (I did not play Super Mario Sunshine). For the purposes of this post, I will talk about Super Mario 64. I will talk about my experiences with the game, and then talk about if the game still holds up today.

Changing Jobs And Keeping In Touch

As I have recently switched employers in my career, I have wrote about the negative aspects of working at my old company as it pertains to my life and at the current stage of my career. Switching employers is currently looking like a good move for me, but that is not to say that I miss certain things about my old company. I want to talk about the biggest challenge that I am going to face about leaving my old company.

Parliament Hill Night Walk

On my last night in Ottawa, I went for a long walk around Parliament Hill so I can see what our country's main government building looks like at night. Also, according to Google Maps, The Library of Parliament is open 24 hours, so I thought the library would be worth checking out.

Changing Jobs And Trying To Realize My Value

If anyone has seen some of my posts from late last year and early this year, I talk about my struggles in working at the company I was working for at that time. Around that time, I was working evenings and weekends without any financial compensation and I was suffering from job burnout. Well, I have some good news! At the time of writing this post, I have accepted a new position at a new company and the previous week was my last week at my old company. There is no doubt that I am excited for this new challenge and opportunity. This post is going to sound like I am complaining about my previous job, but honestly; I do not care if this is how the post sounds. During my job search and my subsequent job offer, I have been thinking about why I wanted to leave my current job, as well as what I have learned about myself and what I want to do in my career path.

Spending A Rainy Day On The Rideau Canal

As a part of staying a couple of nights in Ottawa, I went for a boat ride on the Rideau Canal, which was certainly a unique experience. Right of the bat, I have to say that during the duration of the boat ride, there was heavy rain coming down from the sky. Thankfully, there is a covering over the boat, so I did not get too wet (except if you were sitting right at the side of the boat). The rain did not worsen the experience in any way, but rather made the experience more interesting.

Diefenbunker Museum Media Gallery

After my couple of nights at Mont-Tremblant, I went over to Ottawa to spend a couple of nights there as well. Before I was due to check in, I went to the Diefenbunker Museum for a tour. The Diefenbunker Museum is an underground bunker built in the early 1960s due to rising tensions stemming from the Cold War. In the event of a nuclear attack, the bunker can house key government officials (such as the Prime Minister) where they can continue to execute their duties. If the bunker is under lockdown, there is enough food to feed a staff of 535 people for 30 days.

Mont-Tremblant: The Rest Of The Highlights

I have written my posts about going up to the summit to Mont-Tremblant, as well as experiencing Tonga Lumina. However, this is my post about the other things that were going on while staying at Mont-Tremblant. I stayed two nights at the 'Place St-Bernard' hotel in the middle of the Mont-Tremblant village.

Searching For The Giant At Tonga Lumina

One of the major summer attractions during my stay at Mont-Tremblant was the Tonga Lumina walk held every night at the mountain. Tonga Lumina is a walk that is self-described as a 'sensory experience', in which you walk down a path with various lighting and sound effects. Tickets are $27.99 plus tax for an adult.

Catching My Breath Atop The Summit Of Mont-Tremblant

Over the August long weekend, I had the privilege of staying a couple of nights at Mont-Tremblant in Quebec. Mont-Tremblant is a town in Quebec just north of Montreal, but its biggest attraction is the mountain overlooking the town, as well as the resort at the foot of the mountain. Most people know Mont-Tremblant for its skiing and other winter activities in the winter season, but the area is just as lively in the summer season. On one early morning, I used the gondola ticket that came with my hotel reservation and jetted myself up to the top of the mountain.

Restaurant Review: Eggstatic Artisian Breakfast and Brunch

Eggstatic (1568 Bayview Avenue, Toronto) is a restaurant that serves breakfast and brunch with a Middle-Eastern twist at reasonable prices.

I ordered the Spinach and Mushroom Benedict, and it had guacamole on it, which was an interesting choice. This was something I have not seen before. My meal also came with home fries, salad, and some fruit. I have to say that Eggstatic served an excellent breakfast. My only gripe with the meal was that there was too much balsamic vinegar in the salad, which made the inside of my mouth feel oily. The home fries had a satisfying crunch and had a thorough cooking. For the Spinach and Mushroom Benedict, the guacamole and the Hollandaise sauce made each bite incredibly creamy, with the right amount of substance from the English muffin.

This restaurant is an easy recommend. Great food with solid service.

COVID-19 Update: Travelling (Under Unusual Circumstances)

The year 2020 may be a write-off to many due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am determined to try to make the most of it. There has been a significant reduction in daily cases in many provinces due to protective measures taken by various municipal and provincial governments across Canada. If it is unsafe to travel in the United States, then what better thing to do than to see more of the country I live in.

My Favorite Grand Theft Auto Promotional Websites

I have already expressed years ago on the blog that the Grand Theft Auto series is my favorite video game series ever. I remember going onto sites such as GTAForums where I went to learn about everything there is about the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Years after playing Vice City and San Andreas, I found out that Rockstar Games created promotional websites that displayed some of the services from the GTAIII-era of games. I remembered going through all of these promotional sites for hours and just laughing at what I saw, while also imagining if these things could actually exist in real life. Imagine if Ammu-Nation existed, and you can buy all your illegal weapons with the click of a mouse.

Building Confidence Through Self-Promotion

The first course that caught my eye on Google's Digital Garage is 'Building Confidence with Self-Promotion'. The course explains how speaking about your successes and achievements can help increase your confidence. This course can also help with your ability to persuade others, whether it is trying to land that dream job, or for some other reason.

Interesting Sites To Share - Part 1

I am going to try something different on this blog. I like to travel to the furthest corners of the internet to find the most interesting sites, quizzes, and oddities, and it is something that I would like to share with you. I'll stick with sharing 4 or 5 sites at a time with my brief thoughts about each, and I am sure that more posts like these will be on the way. I have to find ways to keep this blog going regardless, so I believe that this will be a great way to drum up some new content.

Quick Thoughts - Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

nintendo.com

I have been playing Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch, and I have an immediate confession to make. I started playing Tales of Vesperia right after playing the FFVII Remake, and the comparison between these games is like night and day. To go from one of the most beautifully presented games to a re-release of a game that came out in 2008 is a massive downgrade.

Cultured Individual's First-Half Recap of 2020

It is safe to say that this unexpected first half of 2020 did not go anyone's way, especially for me. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing global protests against systemic racism is creating a period of unrest in the world. However, I continued to write and create some pieces that I would like to revisit for this compilation post, as well as to see what I can do to salvage the second half of the year.

Maradona in Mexico: Profiling A Man In The Rawest Form

Continuing on the trend of watching football documentaries, I want to offer my thoughts on watching 'Maradona in Mexico'. This documentary profiles Diego Maradona's tenure as the coach of Mexican second division side Dorados, in the city of Culiacan at the heart of the province of Sinaloa. Before I talk about the documentary itself, I want to talk about Maradona, the man, in my viewpoint.

I Was On The Raptors 1-Year Anniversary Documentary!

Last Saturday was the one-year anniversary of the Toronto Raptors winning their first NBA title, beating the Golden State Warriors in six games. I happened to be in Jamaica during that time last year for a friend's wedding. The day/evening of my friend's wedding happened to be on the same evening as game six of the NBA Finals. Apparently I was tweeting about this strange coincidence last year, and a producer for the Toronto Raptors DMd me on Instagram about wanting to share my story about the experience I had in Jamaica about going to a wedding and watching the Raptors game. After doing my own vetting, I agreed to share my story and do an interview.

I have shared the documentary with you, so you can see my story, along with the amazing stories of other fans and figures within the Raptors landscape. Admittedly, I could have put on a better shirt, but I looked presentable enough.

I am happy with how the documentary came out and it is surreal to see myself on a documentary that is on the Raptors social media channels and on television (on TSN). There were so many texts and mentions from friends and family about how they saw me when they were watching the documentary. From someone that is normally shy with this kind of thing, I am glad that I took a step forward, showed myself for everyone to see, and to share my experience.

Please enjoy!

My Experiences Living With The Color Of My Skin

The car that attracted police attention, apparently.

The year 2020 continues to be a difficult year for the world. Along with the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of a black man by the name of George Floyd by the knee of a power-hungry white police officer continues to fuel worldwide protests calling for an end to police brutality and institutionalized racism within police forces. I initially did not want to talk about the protests as I felt like there are better people that can talk about this. However, I have a platform where I can talk about my experiences living as a person of color, stemming from my black and Indian background. As I continue to see videos of the protests and the heavy-handed response from the US government, I realized that it is important for me to speak out about my experiences living as a person of color and to talk about how different life is for myself compared to a white person.

Final Fantasy VII Remake: The Game Dreams Are Made From

Final Fantasy VII Remake is the long-awaited and much-delayed release from Square Enix, which is a re-telling of the classic Final Fantasy VII released on the PS1 back in 1997. Before I get into my review of the remake, I will give some context on what made the original FF7 so special in the eyes of many gamers, including myself.

So, what made the original FF7 so special?

COVID-19 Update: Amplifying The Stagnation

COVID-19 is unfortunately still a thing. Although businesses and other services are slowly starting to open up to the public, there is the risk that opening up things too early will create a second wave of the virus. As the weather is getting warmer for the summer, many people feel anxious and want to enjoy the good weather, even if it means circumventing general social distancing guidelines.

Matchday: FC Barcelona - Great Production, Awkward Narration

I watched the new 'Matchday: FC Barcelona' documentary on Netflix, simply because I watched the Sunderland documentary and needed another football documentary to compare to. However, both documentaries achieve different objectives. While "Sunderland Til' I Die" covers all the aspects of the city and community of the club and the city, the FC Barcelona documentary focuses largely on the first team and the coaching staff during the second half of their 2018-2019 season.

COVID-19 Update: Explaining My Thought Processes

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to wreak havoc on what we understand to be modern society. No one has truly been able to enjoy their life the way they want to. As for myself, as I am not able to go anywhere and experience certain things, I feel like my writing has become quite bare. I cannot travel anywhere at this moment, so I cannot write anything in regards to travel. The only things I can write about these days are reviews on video games/TV shows/movies, or about myself. When I write about myself, it will be about either my experiences, or explaining something about what I am doing in the present. When I write about myself, I also try to intertwine my experiences with my feelings to create a complete piece about myself.

Celeste: If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again

Celeste is a 2-D retro-styled platforming indie game that I had the pleasure of purchasing on sale on the Nintendo Switch. I had all the time in the world during the COVID-19 lock-down, so I dove right into playing this title immediately. Celeste has all of the makings of a sensational platforming game with the added depth of a journey exploring one's mental health. First, I am going to talk about the gameplay itself, and then I will talk about the mental health angle of the game.

Titanfall 2 (Campaign Mode) - Needs More Respect

Whenever I hear about 'Titanfall 2' nowadays, I think about the bargain bin at my local video game store where are there are a large number of copies of the game selling for $5. Even my local dollar store had copies of Titanfall 2 selling for $4. My copy of the game was a free download on the PSN store where it was free for a month. I am only getting to play the game now as I am working through my video game backlog during the COVID-19 lock down. It is a small shame that Titanfall 2 is considered a 'bargain bin' game when compared to similar first-person shooter games such as Halo, Battlefield, and Call of Duty, as Titanfall 2 is just as good as the games I have listed.

Sunderland 'Til I Die: The Perfect Storm

I finished watching both seasons of Sunderland 'Til I Die on Netflix, and I have been itching to write about this documentary, and to write a football post in general this year. I will write about my thoughts on the documentary, but I will also compare and contrast Sunderland's overall community (from the owners to the local supporters) to my days on going to Toronto FC matches. When I was watching this documentary there were instances where I felt like I was back in BMO Field, and there were things that Sunderland do that I wish Toronto FC could replicate.

Reminiscing On N64 Super Smash Bros + Quick Thoughts on Smash Ultimate

As the self-isolation takes hold on me, I have been taking measures to decrease my boredom while I am staying home. I purchased 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' for the Nintendo Switch, and the purchase got me thinking about my fond memories playing the original 'Super Smash Bros' for the Nintendo 64.

COVID-19 Update: Stuck In Quarantine

As of last Tuesday, I have been experiencing symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus, such as having a sore throat, dry cough, and a mild fever. I remember being in a couple of specific stores where days previously, there was an employee in each store that tested positive for the virus, and so both stores were closed so that deep cleaning can take place. On that Tuesday when I was first experiencing symptoms was when I found out about one of the stores closing, so I immediately feared the worst. I entered into a 14-day quarantine at home in order to monitor my symptoms. I also let my boss know that I will be working from home indefinitely.

Shenmue III: Was The 18-Year Hiatus Worth It?

After purchasing 'Shenmue I and II' on a nostalgic impulse buy, as well as learning that Shenmue III was in development as a result of a Kickstarter crowdfunding initiative, I could not wait to get my hands on the next chapter of this simplistic, but legendary story. I thought that I was only one of a handful of admirers of the Shenmue series, but the money raised for the Kickstarter completely blew me away. Despite the branding of Shenmue I and II as being 'commercial flops', there was no question that there was something special about the series when it came to the story and characters.

COVID-19 and Self-Isolation

As the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus (also known as the 'coronavirus') continues to spread across the world, health professionals are continuing to urge people to take certain precautions, such as washing your hands, and only going outside your residence for essentials. In addition to these efforts, health professionals are recommending a practice of social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. In basic terms, do not hang around other people if you do not have to.

Feminist Art Fest 2020

Right off the bat, I want to say that I have never been to an event quite like this before. One of my goals for the blog this year is to go to more events in Toronto and the surrounding area. The Feminist Art Festival came up in conversation to go check it out was because a friend of mine was displaying an art piece at the festival. I thought it would be a good idea to go support her and the organizers of this festival by attending, as well as to better understand women's/trans/indigenous issues in the larger society.

Pokemon Sword and Shield: What It Says About The Pokemon Franchise

I finally played Pokémon Sword for the Nintendo Switch. Pokémon Sword and Shield were supposed to be the long-touted revolutionary main console adventure after being on strictly handheld consoles for so many years. Did the games live up to general expectations? More importantly, did the games live up to my expectations?

The Symptoms of Job Burnout

I have touched upon my mental health issues due to my current exhaustion from my work in one of my previous posts. I want to explore these issues in this post.

Allan Gardens Conservatory Media Gallery

On one random day that I had a day off work, I ventured into Downtown Toronto to take care of some errands. While wasting time between these errands, I went to the Allan Gardens Conservatory (160 Gerrard Street East, Toronto) to look at some exotic plants inside of a warm greenhouse on a chilly winter day. I needed a distraction from the current pressures in my life. In addition, entry to this conservatory is free, so why would I not want to go.

Judgment: The 'Yakuza' Spinoff With A Dash Of 'L.A. Noire'

Judgment is the newest game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (and also developed and published by Sega) that is a direct spin-off of the Yakuza series. Now, I am a huge fan of the Yakuza series and I wanted to see how similar Judgment would be to the Yakuza series. As it would turn out, Judgment plays almost exactly like the Yakuza games. Many of the points that I make in my Yakuza blog post apply with Judgment as well, but I want to talk about the differences that set Judgment apart from the Yakuza games.

The Dangers Of An Imbalanced Work-Life Balance

I have been working at the same position for some time now. While my boss is a big proponent of having a life outside of work, it feels like lately, I have been having to work after-hours and on the weekends on a semi-normal basis. I want my work-life balance back.

Trying To Fix An Old Nintendo (And Somehow Succeeding)

My co-worker was trying to get rid of her old Nintendo Entertainment System, with multiple classic NES games (including Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt, Super Mario Bros 3, and The Legend of Zelda) and different kinds of controllers. Being a sucker for old nostalgic electronics, as well as having an old analog TV in our house, I decided to take the goods off her hands. She informed me that the console does not work, but I figured I would try to make it work regardless.

Super Mario Odyssey: An All-Ages Game For The Ages

Before I get into a proper review of Super Mario Odyssey, I would like to share the moment I fell in love with this game.

Pokemon Let's Go Eevee: The Easiest Pokemon Game Yet

I just finished playing Pokemon Let's Go Eevee. While the game was an enjoyable re-creation of Pokemon Yellow on the old Game Boy Color with some questionable mechanics fit for the Nintendo Switch, the easy difficulty surprised me. In fact, Pokemon Let's Go Eevee is the easiest Pokemon game I have ever played. You can beat every trainer in this game with minimal amounts of grinding for experience, and the game is a great exposure to the world of Pokemon for younger gamers.

My Writing Ideas for 2020

Here we are in 2020. It is a new year (and a new decade), but I am hoping that I can take part in some fun things in this year as I did in 2019. Here are some of my upcoming plans, trips, and ideas I have for 'Cultured Individual' for 2020.