My 'Best-Of 2022' Post And General Chatter For 2023

When I was a more active user on Twitter many years ago, at the end of every year, I would write a few tweets about my year-to-date and my hopes for the next year. This continued in a similar fashion with my "best-of" blog posts at the end of the year. It is that time of the year for me to reflect on what went on in my life in 2022, and to think about what 2023 will look like for me as well. I think 2022 was overall a good year for me. It had the highlighted hallmarks for me in a year: the big job changes and the big vacation. There were also other memorable moments for me in 2022 that I have also highlighted in my blog. I will talk about all of that and more on this post.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - Lots To Unpack Here

I do not know why I did this, but I purchased Pokémon Violet on the day of its release. I have not been kind to the previous main-line Pokémon games, but maybe, just maybe, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet could be decent. I am a jaded Pokémon fan who just wants to play a universally decent Pokémon game. As of writing this post, I have finished playing Pokémon Violet, and I have some thoughts about this latest entry.

More World Cup 2022 Musings and Hot Takes

As of the writing of this post, the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup have concluded, and these matches have been the most memorable quarter-final matches in some time. I have another collection of random thoughts on my mind while watching these matches, and here they are:

World Cup 2022 Musings + A Weekend in Tampa Bay

I just got back from an extended weekend in the Tampa Bay area to attend a wedding, and I got to say I had a wonderful time while I was away, and I am not talking about the warm weather. This is going to be a bit of a mishmash blog with my collection of thoughts I had during my time on the west coast of Florida where I feel like I am going to touch on everything. I feel like my mind is being more active, and I am bursting to get these thoughts on this blog post, so let us do this.

My World Cup 2022 Bracket

The World Cup is finally on the horizon, and there has been much expected buzz on the tournament. However, I would argue that there is as much negative press about the tournament (and in particular, the country hosting the World Cup) as there is hype and expectation. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been dogged by scandal. It is no secret that Qatar was able to host the World Cup through bribery, corruption, and shady backroom deals with the horrifically corrupt FIFA and other officials. It is also important to mention that many migrant workers coming to Qatar to build the important World Cup infrastructure experienced poor working conditions, illness, and even death. Throughout this tournament, we cannot ignore these things, and this has led to some people actively saying that they will not watch a single minute of this World Cup (aka "boycotting" watching the tournament).

The Suite Experience At Scotiabank Arena

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see Kevin Hart in concert at Scotiabank Arena, and I was lucky enough to purchase a discounted ticket for a suite. Right off the bat, I want to apologize for the lack of pictures and videos of this experience. As this is a comedy event, video and audio recordings are strictly prohibited. In fact, in order to enter the arena with our tickets, we had to place our electronic devices (smartphones, smart watches, etc.) inside a pouch, which is locked when you enter the arena and unlocked when you exit the arena (you keep the pouch with you).

Stray - You Play As A Cat

Copyright: Annapurna Interactive

I played Stray not too long ago (which is an indie adventure/puzzle/platformer) and I have some thoughts about the game. Stray was the second recent video game I remember getting some publicity in gaming circles where you play as an animal since Untitled Goose Game. The whole gimmick of this game is that you play as a cat, which leads to some interesting gameplay mechanics and content that was briefly refreshing to see, even if these mechanics got boring quickly.

Labor Shortage?!?

I want to use this blog post to talk about an experience I had while looking for a job earlier this year, but before I do that, I need to add some context to this experience.

I hear talk from experts saying that Canada is currently facing a labor shortage, meaning that companies are having a hard time filling job positions as there are either not enough people applying to these roles, or job candidates are not able to match the qualifications of the job itself. From my observations, it seems like most of these job openings are low-paying job openings from the service industry. As awful as the COVID-19 pandemic is, there is a strange positive that came out of it. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a positive shift in how we work in our jobs and the overall work culture (such as working from home). I also find that more people are better able to gauge their overall worth to an employer, and it led to another shift of people leaving their current jobs and finding better-paying jobs and more convenient job environments.

Horizon: Forbidden West Review

I finally have a PlayStation 5, and the first game I purchased with the console is Horizon: Forbidden West developed by Guerilla Games. Horizon: Forbidden West is an action RPG, and is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Horizon: Zero Dawn released in 2017. I have played the first Horizon game a while back but never wrote a review for it, so I hope to make this up by writing a review for the second one. Horizon: Forbidden West is basically like the first game, but with a few new bells and whistles.

Tales of Arise - Quick Thoughts

Tales of Arise is the latest entry in the Tales series of JRPGs from Bandai Namco and the second Tales game I have ever played after Tales of Vesperia. If you have played any Tales game, then Tales of Arise is not particularly different to any of its predecessors. In fact, many of the things I have said in my thoughts of Tales of Vesperia apply to Tales of Arise. Tales of Arise felt like your standard, cookie-cutter JRPG. Nothing amazing, but nothing outright mediocre either.

The Bob Marley One Love Experience

This summer, the Lighthouse Artspace in Toronto was hosting an exhibit dedicated to the life of Bob Marley called the Bob Marley One Love Experience. This exhibit features a collection of various photos and memorabilia for viewing, as well as taking you through the life and music of the late great Bob Marley. Tickets ranged from about $25-$50 depending on when you went and the level of ticket you purchased (whether it is a basic ticket or a VIP ticket).

The Oahu Blog - Everything I Missed

Here is my blog on all of the other things I did while on the island of Oahu. Oahu is the most populous Hawaiian island and is the busiest island, mostly due to the capital of Honolulu being on this island. There were so many more things to do on Oahu than in Maui, and the city of Honolulu (and in particular, the area of Waikiki Beach) felt more lively with commotion and entertainment. I enjoyed my stay right beside the ocean in Waikiki Beach and there were a number of things I want to showcase during my stay in Oahu.

The Maui "Everything Else" Blog

I talked about all of the significant attractions on my trip to Hawaii, so now I want to spend this blog and the next blog talking about all of the other things while I was in Maui and Oahu. This blog will focus on Maui, but I want to talk about an observation I had visiting Hawaii in general.

It was no surprise to me that Hawaii is an expensive place to live, but I did not realize how expensive buying food was. In one grocery store, a standard loaf of bread can cost as much as $10 USD, which is crazy to me. You have to remember that Hawaii does not have industrialized food production to feed its citizens and the millions of tourists that visit. Most food has to be imported from elsewhere, which explains its high cost.

Pearl Harbor Media Gallery

One morning in Oahu, I went to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Park. This was the site of the terrible 1941 attack on the US military by Japanese armed forces which brought the involvement of the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor was also the setting of the equally terrible 2001 movie of the same name. Admission into the park itself is free, and you can visit the USS Arizona Memorial for free as well, but you need a reservation (which I did not have). There are other things you can experience on the Memorial grounds as well, for an admission fee.

The Road To Hana - A Scenic Drive Unlike Any Other

There is one attraction that tourists recommend to do when staying on the island of Maui. This attraction is the Road to Hana. The Road to Hana is a scenic drive along the north, east, and south coasts of Maui, with many winding curves, one-lane roads, and cliffside driving. There are many parks and other areas to stop and see all the waterfalls and the other numerous sights on this drive. Tourists recommend spending two days (with a night in the town of Hana) to see all the different attractions on the road, but you can do the drive and plan out the most important attractions you want to see in one full day. Tourists also recommend getting up early and hitting the highway by around 7am to avoid the morning rush.

Haleakala National Park: Above The Clouds

I am going to shift gears from what I did in Oahu and instead talk about what I did in Maui while on my Hawaii trip. This blog post and the next one will highlight the two major attractions on the island of Maui, and the first one I will talk about is Haleakala National Park. Haleakala National Park is a national park that consists of the dormant volcano of Haleakala and the surrounding wilderness area. This area is best known for watching sunrises and/or sunsets (though you must book a reservation to see the sunrise from the top of Haleakala National Park). I was not able to obtain one of the very few reservations available on the morning that we were going up, but this was not going to stop me from going after the reservation time.

Diamond Head: Breathtaking Views of Honolulu

While in Oahu, I spent a morning at Diamond Head State Monument, which is a crater formed by volcanic activity hundreds of thousands of years ago. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the island of Oahu and in the State of Hawaii. These days, most people go to this state park to hike up to the top of the crater lip to catch a glimpse of the views of Honolulu and the surrounding area.

Dole Plantation: A Hawaii Tourist Trap

Here is the first of my Hawaii blog posts, and I guess I will start off with the worst attraction of the trip, which was the Dole Plantation in Oahu. I did not have a bad time at the Dole Plantation, but I was surprised of the overall tackiness of the attraction. Going to the Dole Plantation was like going to one of the overpriced, tacky shops in Niagara Falls.

June 2022 Update

It has been a couple of weeks since I returned home from my trip to Hawaii, and the days immediately since my return have been a whirlwind. I started a new job, and battled an illness (thankfully not COVID-related) but I have been feeling out of sorts. I needed some time to collect myself and heal from the recent events, as well as to recover from the insane jetlag from the trip.

My sleep schedule has been all out of order, and I have been struggling to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. I found myself getting up at 12pm on weekends (probably the jetlag) and being extremely tired when getting up in the morning to go to work two levels down in my basement. The sleep schedule has slowly been getting better but I must force myself to go to bed earlier than usual.

The Hawaii trip itself was amazing, and the trip was well needed considering the pandemic and all that. I got to see many things around the islands of Maui and Oahu, and I am going to start writing the Hawaii blog posts to show you what I saw and experienced. Look out for the blog posts to start showing up on this blog in the coming days and weeks.

So, for now, it is back to reality with a steady work life and hopefully try to enjoy this upcoming summer here in the city.

Changing Jobs (Again) And Trying To Fit In

FYI: Post was written last week, during my last week at my previous job.

I cannot believe that I am going to write another entry in my "Changing Jobs" series of blog posts. So, as of writing this post, I am changing jobs yet again. I will be joining a new company that is offering even more money, with better benefits and increased vacation time. All of that is fantastic, but I want to talk about my time at this current job (at the time of writing) and how I ended up leaving this company after around 20 months of employment.

May 2022 Update

I have been posting nothing but video game reviews for the past while (and not terribly often), so here is a life update.

So, as of writing this post, I am currently between jobs. I left my previous job last week (and you will hear all about it in a future post) and I am going to start my new job at the end of this month. I have a couple of weeks to relax and catch up on things that I did not have time for while I was still working. I'm excited for my new job, as I feel like I am finally going to work in my field for a large company, and the terms of my employment met and even exceeded my expectations. I'm looking forward to starting in my new role and I feel like I am ready for this new challenge.

Before that, I will be travelling to Hawaii in less than a week. I am excited about the trip, and will be meandering around on the islands of Maui and Oahu for the next nine days. Expect a few posts about what I did while I was in Hawaii with lots of pictures. I still have to shop for clothes and pack my suitcase, so maybe I should get on doing that.

I can say that right now, things are going extremely well with minimal stress. This week, I am able to reach out to old friends and I finally have the time to go see them and spend time with them. I do not want to think about any challenges I may have to face in the near future. I am perfectly happy living in the now.

Exciting times ahead!

Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Good, Wholesome Gaming

I do not believe I ever mentioned talking about the Kirby franchise on this blog before, and with the release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land on the Nintendo Switch, this seems a perfect time as any to talk about the pink puffball and my experiences with playing Kirby games.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Genre-Defining

I have been thinking about my reviews of Breath of the Wild and Skyward Sword and I decided to go through the gauntlet of playing the classic mainline 3D Legend of Zelda games. Where better to start than the iconic Ocarina of Time. I have talked about the legacy and importance of games such as Super Mario 64 and Final Fantasy VII, but Ocarina of Time is also one of the most important video games in video game history. Ocarina of Time is the book of Genesis of the open-world, action-adventure game, and the plethora of action-adventure games released since Ocarina of Time can trace its roots to this game.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus - Is This A Good Game?

When I first heard about Pokémon Legends: Arceus, I could not believe that Game Freak was going to move away from the formula that they have always used to create their mainline Pokémon games and sell millions of copies, despite their fleeting quality. I was critical of Pokémon Sword and Shield, and I thought that because Game Freak was still making huge profits off terrible Pokémon games and the overall Pokémon marketing machine, they would have no reason to innovate. Imagine my surprise when Game Freak announced this new game which is going to be a brand-new Pokémon experience, where the focus is on discovering all the Pokémon in the Hisui region, rather than win a bunch of gym badges and challenge a region's Elite Four and Champion. I still had low expectations, and the lack of marketing told me that Game Freak was not sure how the audience was going to receive this game upon its release.

Cyberpunk 2077: This Could Have Been an Excellent Game

I have good news! I finally have a gaming PC so I can play even more video games. I picked up Cyberpunk 2077 during a Steam sale in the holiday season so that I can experience one of the most discussed games in recent memory. I remember how much hype this game had prior to its release in late-2020. The developers, CD Projekt Red achieved great success with the release of The Witcher III, and it would be interesting to see how the developers would follow this up. The revelation that Keanu Reeves would have a significant voice-acting role furthered the already-massive hype for Cyberpunk 2077. This was going to be one of the best games of 2020, right?

My Top 5 Games I Have Played In 2021

I am going to write some more cheap filler content and briefly talk about my ranking of the best five games I have played in 2021. These were games that I played for the first time in 2021, not necessarily released on 2021. I expected some certain games to be on my list, but there was a surprise on the list as well. Before I go through the list, I have some honorable mentions that just missed my list.