Change of Plans

Hi,

It's been a while since I've written on this blog again. I've written stuff to make my own commitments public and pressure myself at least to do them. As much as I would love to reach my previous goals, I must steer my energy somewhere due to sudden circumstances. 

Last July/September, my laptop borked and refused to boot itself up. My dad did some fixing and figured that the motherboard wasn't working -- making the entire device useless. Due to that, I can only use the Linux-based family computer whenever it is available. There's only so much that I can do with my given state. 

For now, I can write and draw. In my spare time, I have gone back to reading books. It's an act I have taken for granted and didn't bother enjoying ever since I was stuck with reading assignments at the university. It brings me a bit of joy that I can appreciate and analyze pieces of literature and the news without the time constraint and find which word combination will meet the evaluator's criteria. By the time I published this entry, I had finished reading three books. I'm not confident enough to write out my thoughts about these books, I've yet to reread them to see if I have overlooked certain parts. I look forward to writing book reviews (or any sort of media review). I've never taken the time to "review" things. (Except for one of my best friends that insisted on making me review "Heartstopper". It was enjoyable content, but I was not able to appreciate it well as he was. So it warrants rereading.) 

I've been doing art, though I haven't been making a lot of content. I want to opt for a more expressive and simple art style. Not much to say, really. I'm hoping art prompts will get me by. I've been considering offering an art commission sometime soon since I'll start working next year. Y'know, something to get me and my family by. But I'll try making more artwork that might be worthwhile. 

Aside from chasing my creative endeavors, I've been learning Spanish. I'm glad I have the time to learn it now. It's not difficult to learn (except for the verbs), but I have so many false friends to watch out for since the Philippines loaned a lot of words from Spain in the 1800s. Not gonna lie, I do end up switching to Filipino when I can't find the appropriate Spanish word. And I may or may not have been obsessing over Narcos and using it as an excuse to fangirl over Horacio Carillo (Maurice Compte) and fan over Pedro Pascal's acting and drip. So far, I'm having a great time learning on my own. I've met some language buddies that are helpful and pleasant to talk with. 

Since I'm stuck with the family computer, will I stop making games or participating in game development? No, I can draw and intend to share that skill, hoping it bolsters the user experience. 

Next update? Maybe Spooktober postmortem (even though we aren't able to submit the game in the end)? Or a book review? I'll try to write again soon.