Resident Evil 0 is one of my favorite games in the Resident Evil franchise–for a variety of reasons. I love the grittiness of its atmosphere the protagonist Rebecca Chambers and Billy Cohen traverse through. Of course as they unveil the Umbrella Corporation's secrets, while fighting zombies and mutated monsters. Nonetheless, naturally, I love the music as well.
I also love the game because of Rebecca's unassuming nature, and how strong of a character she was. The game puts Rebecca through hell–and number of times. She's a survivor. The homely bad-ass.
The list goes on. I have so many great memories of the game when it initially released on the GameCube in 2002. The night I bought it, me and some friends were heading to Birmingham. We stopped to get oil at Wal-Mart and bought the game there, toting it down the highway in pure excitement.
So I'm glad Capcom released the game in HD. Between the two, I would actually take Resident Evil 0 as opposed to the original's remake.
Anyway, enough babbling. I'm Live Stream in the game on the PS4 via my gaming channel.
A new year brings a new visit to the metaphysics gift shop to freshen up Life's pages. Okay. Well, something like that. You all know what I mean. Anyway, I do this just about every January, so I'm back again with another Dreammaker haul to share.
The first thing I asked when I stepped in the shop Saturday was whether the proprietors had anything new. New crystals. Incense. Gemstones. Anything worth a try for the upcoming year. It's been a year since I last stepped in the place, and because I like trying new New Thought items, I had to see what was new. Experimenting with different powders and such, but not so ritualistically. If you will.
I ran out of my Anna Riva powdered incense from two years ago, so I decided to head in this direction for 2016. There's so many to choose from, though. I went back and forth during my visit. You have the incense powder you burn for attracting love, finding success, and meditation. There's even a powder as specific as winning a court case! (I pray I never have to indulge myself in that specific blend.)
I decided to get the incense blend for better business and healing–both self-explanatory on their purpose. But outside of their function, I really love the actual aroma of each. The better business has the same lemon/lime scent as Anna Riva's money powder. (In parts, it smells like money.) And the healing powder has a peppermint and spicy vanilla scent. According to Anna Riva's website, this particular powdered incense is best burned on Sunday's. As a purifying and protective fragrance lingers throughout your home.
That's right. Quick money herbal spell mix. I had to grab this one. Especially after getting off the phone with a student loan company the day before. As well as standing for eight hours at work previous to my Dreammaker trip. A grueling and mind-numbing eight hours I must add. Anyway, I've never had a herbal spell bag before. And it was new so why not? I dropped a pinch or two into my crystals/gemstone pouch and'll burn the rest. You know. To see what cracks and crevices of life some little money will seep through.
(Note: this stuff doesn't burn well. But let's be clear: anything I buy from a metaphysics and New Thought gift shop is hardly used in its traditional sense. It's usually about fun and experimentation. So I wouldn't count on me to understand the exact purpose of this mix.)
I was long overdue for a new smudge stick. My previous one is just that: STICKS. So I finally got a new one for cleansing and purifying space, body and mind. Oh, and crystals/gemstones.
But check this. I read an article not long ago that linked burning white sage to clearing bacteria out of the air. So the Native Americans continued to have it right.
Well, that's all I got for. Here's to 2016. More progress. More growth. Evolving with good people and better opportunities. Remember to visit the Dreammaker website for your own New Thought gifts.
I decided to open 2016 going after my bigger books. This includes omnibus editions containing a set of series entries of some sort. Which is exactly where Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 lies. Containing a total of three books, I recently wrapped up the first entry. And have yet the precise words to describe the experience. I don’t think there any concrete words. Yet, not to suggest I didn’t enjoy the experience–because I did. And a lot more than my previous–and introductory–reading of Murakami’s Dance Dance Dance.
I just don’t know exactly how to put the experience into words. So perhaps a quick summary would get my thinking juices flowing. Or one could hope.
So here’s what 1Q84 is about. Which is only right for me to walk you through this summary alongside myself. The little synopsis/premise I collected previous to picking the book (over a year ago) were kind of misty on its direction. The book itself throws all these terms at you to describe your approaching experience. Romance. Mystery. Fantasy. All to name a few. And it’s all those descriptions–in some gradient of each over another. But I found those descriptions useless, for those grappling with engaging with the book. To me, the book is a surreal reading experience. One you have to take in without–I guess you could say–a concrete overture to rely on. Funny how many Japanese writers put me in this frame of mind after venturing through their books.
The story alternates between two third-person narratives. Of course they'll eventually float into the same literary space of Tokyo, 1984.
First, I gotta wonder how long I’ll be able to keep this “joke” up. Because I’m always changing my mind about something. Secondly, of course I’ll never stop a year reading only 17 books. I'm not that HIGH!
What’s up, visitors/friends/neighbors/etc? I’d like to share what I set myself up for in 2016, about Goodreads' yearly book consumption challenge. Now I know reading and keeping track of your finished books is not a big deal to some. But, personally, I like keeping track. It speaks to the OCD and book lover nature in me. The Goodreads' platform containing various thumbnail images of my book conquests puts a touch of joy in my bookworm spirit. Or something like that. Anyway, unfortunately, I think I got a little too OCD and personal with my reading last year. Last year what should’ve been a relaxed stroll through books turned slightly into a grind-feast. And it had a lot to do with increased work hours and just general personal life distractions.
You know how it goes.
So I played around with the thought of just skipping out on the challenge this year. I told myself I was going to let it go and take my time reading. But that’s just no damn fun to me! I love a challenge. I love being a witness to progress. Hell, I love books and the hours I spend soaked in them.
So I decided to soup up my favorite number–17–and stick it in the blank box as my goal. That’s it. 17. From 2015’s 60 to only 17. That number will eventually morph and transform into something bigger. But only after I’ve hit it.
Now on to fill in the goal!
So what's your 2016 Goodreads reading goals? What number do you have in mind?
Let’s try to talk about New Year’s Resolutions once more. Actually, let’s not. Commitments, obligations, and resolutions just ain’t my thing. Something about the three breed my tendency to over-think. Over-strategize. Get stuck in achieving a goal that needs a relaxed and elastic approach. So I prefer keeping things simple. Really, you have to sometimes. Simplicity opens you up to many possibilities for generating the changes you seek. And with only so many psychological burdens to get in the way when you decide to let go of the "wheel." Or one could hope, anyway.
Personally, I think I stand in a prayer for evolving answers for each year–which a general direction in mind. So any resolutions surround walking the new year in faith. Coupled with taking action on inspired thoughts along the way. And by inspired thoughts I mean those moments when an exciting idea hits you. When the Universe/God is calling you to take some kind of action. Some kind of execution of an idea you trust will keep you on your blossoming path. Even the smallest of daily actions lead to big changes. You just have to execute and let the Universe/God do the rest of the work with the space you’ve provided. Yet, it’s important not to find ourselves stuck in the end-goal. But still uphold the necessity of perseverance.
And that’s why I wanted to write a post on some positive ideas and tools you can use to help usher in your New Year. It’s not necessarily a list. It’s not necessarily an action plan. Just… some ideas.
It's Okay to Self-Help
Don't be afraid to get to know yourself through self-help and personal transformation books. I’ve found they can do a world of wonder for a discouraged or troubled spirit who needs a little reassurance and self-actualization. Believe me on this. There are moments when I open up A Course in Miracles for a quick passage, and immediately find relief in its lucidity. Over the years, I've found many inner and outer conflicts come into perspective instantaneously through this book. So I keep it next to my bed like some sort of cognitive-steering emergency pill.
And that's why it irritates me when people sort of disdain or rebut the validity of self-help books. Or activate the ever present stigma how these books are “useless” or “for the pathetic soul.” Okay, okay. That was a bit of an exaggeration. Nonetheless, my immediate thought for the naysayers is they just haven't found the right book for themselves yet. Either that or lack the patience to explore any given book's methods for creating positive life changes.
Taking the time to work on yourself gives you permission to be who you long to be in this world. The time you take to look inside to find what does and doesn't work for your life is truly a gift to yourself. Especially when you go through life carrying baggage (we all do) or a past you can’t let go of. We live with so many thoughts, pains, and misconceptions generated from within and through forces outside. Why not find some relief from them? I’ve gotten tons of perspectives and personal realizations by traveling through various self-help books. It's a journey that will take all my life–and yours. Learning and working on yourself takes work after all. Work that’s worth it through each step, but never ends.
The six books in the image are ones I revisit (besides my favorite Louise Hay books) off and on over the years. Nathaniel Branden’s Honoring the Self speaks about how self-esteem plays with our behavior and character. Furthermore, how the two elements come about in our decision-making. Wayne Dyer’s The Shift is about leaving the demands of the ego aside to reach our ambitions. Something extremely difficult to do in world where everyone wants to feel present and accounted for. Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser needs more attention from me these days. As the title suggests, writing your aspirations is the first step to achieving them. And she’ll show you how. The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer has been on my bedside for years. I love the book because it’s about releasing limiting thoughts and inner aggravations. Julia Cameron’s Walking in This World speaks about accessing creativity and, in turn, our life purpose.
I would throw a couple of Tony Robbins and Dale Carnegie in there as well. Do you have a favorite self-help/transformation book you tote around or sleep next to? Which is it and why do you love it?
Create a Vision Board
In August of 2011 I was watching The Secret for the umpteenth time when John Assaraf shared his vision board story. Before I knew it I'd gathered my writing, lifestyle, traveling, and gaming magazines. It took me no time to clip out images left and right. Whichever image spoke to my vision, I glued them onto my own vision board then stuck the thing on the back of my door.
Now let’s be real, since then I’ve spent more time flying out the door with a glance at it. And no, I can’t say anything from it has manifested. But that’s all right. It all takes time and, fact is, I’m on the road to each as closely as I write this sentence. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, it’s a visual tool. A reminder of two things: what I need and how far I’ve come along since its creation.
So that’s the next idea for the New Year. Create yourself a vision board. You don’t have to burden yourself studying it every day with a potato-fist’ed prayer. Actually, I would suggest not doing that. But instead put it somewhere out in the open for a simple glance here or there. Or a minute or two lingering over it before taking an inspired action–which would get you closer to those desires. Let your board act as a beacon. A whistle. A target. A reset button after a long day in the world outside of your vision. Or see it as a playground for the Universe/God to play in. Because you don't always know how your vision will come to pass, only that it's coming and will often be a surprise.
Record Yourself!
Familiar with your computer’s Sound Recorder program? Well, get familiar with it for a moment. My next idea is to suggest recording yourself speaking your desires, aspirations and wishes. It’s sort of like the audio vision board–if you will. However, record your message as if your vision has already happened. I have about two recordings of myself doing such. I keep them on my computer and cell phone. I would listen to a recording at least once a day, usually on my way to work at five in the morning. Before dawn, driving down the highway trying to get my mind prepped for the chaos I know I’ll escape one day.
You don’t need a fancy recording mic or anything. Speak into your computer’s speakers. Make one recording short for a burst of inspiration. Make one long and meditative. Just remind yourself through yourself of who you are and where you want to take this life you're given.
Record Life With a Journal
My last idea is to lead the New Year with a journal. And yes, I’m showing a picture of one of my journals from my Zazzle shop. It’s only right, considering I started blogging because I wanted to start a business selling journals. Right? Right? (^_^) Anyway, the idea to create journals hit me years ago when I was struggling to find a journal I liked, and would move me to write. I didn’t want the usual Siamese or Pug journal cover. Or the roses and wild flowers. Seascapes and meadows–definitely a no. So I created my own journals featuring my cast of cute (but crazy) imaginary friends.
I’ll freely admit blogging has gotten in the way of my journaling. But just a touch. Yet, hear me when I say it's one in itself. Nevertheless, I can’t express the importance of journaling as a daily activity. I’ve been journaling since the second semester of my senior year in high school. So I have about six or seven notebooks filled with material and stories from my life. Just imagine that for yourself for a moment. Books. Pages. Filled with your life. Your story. Your character. Your identity. Your triumphs and mistakes. All expressed, documented and accessible without conjuring up memories which one day may not be conjurable.
Give yourself life-long access to your journey. Start 2016 writing your life down.
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And that, ladies and gentleman, are my ideas for starting off the New Year. Of course in whatever direction you wish to take the twelve months given. There’s more out there to share, but four from me will suffice. If you have any more to add, please place them in the comments section below.
I was thinking about New Year's resolutions when I realized I have a small aversion to space-less tasks and obligations. Especially those ridged and timed, as opposed to flexible. I think it has a lot to do with my mother trying to raise me. To mold me into a strung and responsible person (her own secreted concerns included). However, I grew responsible at the cost of keeping everything–including my feelings/emotions–walled to myself. And responsible in the sense that during my 20's, I had a hard time saying no to unwanted commitments.
So as a child I suffered a little; unable to just be me because of someone else’s idea of how I should be. And the same came true as I grew and became angry at myself, people, and my stifling environment. I’ve gotten better at being who I am and sharing it. Especially in the past three years. I came from a wearer place, so the second I hit thirty, I didn’t have emotional space for the baggage from myself and most certainly others. There were things I needed to do and express. Things I needed to achieve for myself. Things I needed to reach in others. No more emotional drainage.
