Spewings-Forth, Volume 1

I know that in my last newsletter I said I was mainly going to be writing exclusively about games. That's still true, but I'm in the middle of playing a long-ish game that I'm not ready to write about yet. So instead, this week's newsletter is going to be a Spewings-Forth, which is my way of writing about random things or doing "brain dumps" in order to keep myself writing.

I've been going to therapy the last couple of months and I've learned a lot about myself through that process. It was honestly long overdue. I had neglected my mental health for a long time (my entire life). As I approached the point of burnout recently, I wasn't engaging in any of my hobbies or doing any of the things I used to enjoy doing. And one of the things my therapist suggested for getting into a better mindset is to start engaging with them again. And so here are a few things I've been enjoying recently.

Metroid Prime 4 - I finally started playing this game after owning it for months. Which should go to show you how bad my mental health has been. Normally the moment I get a Metroid game, I am playing it within seconds. I guess it's better late than never and I'm really enjoying my time with it. I'll have a lot more to say about it when I am done, especially how the Volt Forge section of the game is one of the coolest, most fun video game experiences I've ever had. You can expect a full length newsletter with my thoughts at some point! It might take a while though, I play games slowly these days.

Futurama - One of my favorite TV shows of all time. I've been binge-watching the entire series up to and including the new Hulu seasons. I may write a newsletter about this too, actually. But I've found that not only does the humor hold up really well, the series has a lot of really deep, philosophical, and emotional moments. I'm not gonna lie, it made me cry more than once which is not something you'd expect from a show like this. Every time it happens it takes me by surprise, coming from out of nowhere.

Shelby Oaks - I was looking for a creepy movie to watch recently and I felt like something in the realm of found footage. Found footage is a really hit-or-miss genre. When it's done well it can be amazing. When it's done poorly it tends to be very boring. Shelby Oaks is done really well. Actually a mix of found footage and traditional film, the story centers around a paranormal investigator who goes missing during the filming of an episode of her YouTube show and her sister who attempts to locate her. It ticked every box for me in terms of horror movies. It's creepy and even terrifying at moments, it has great characters, an interesting story, a fantastic and unpredictable plot twist, and a fascinating villain. It's worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet.

2nd Gen Synthetics - This is a book I started reading last year with the intent of writing a review for my cyberpunk blog but never finished. I've picked it back up again and I'm enjoying it a lot. It's a cyberpunk novel by Carmel Ilustrisimo that takes place in a near-future Manila, Phillipines. Its story is about "Synthetics" or androids that are sentient and their struggles to fit into a society that looks down on them, though they are supposed to have rights just like human beings. It's a great story so far and Ilustrisimo's writing is so good it's kind of heart-breaking that she isn't more well-known.

So that's it, that is some of the stuff that I've been engaging with recently. It's been helping me a lot to enjoy things again. And I'm grateful that there is so much amazing work out there for me to consume and experience. It's amazing to me that human beings are capable of such amazing creative works in order to tell each other stories, get each other to think or even re-think how they view the world. Or maybe even just help them feel better about life.

I hope you're doing well this week. If you're struggling right now, please don't ignore your mental health like I did. Your life has incredible value even if it doesn't feel like it. Please enjoy a game, a movie, an album, or a book. Do something creative. Go for a walk and enjoy some trees. Whatever it is, just please take care of yourself. You are worth it.

Until next time!