So, twenty-ten. What did it all mean to me?
- I discovered that I still don't care for the Olympics, even if they're happening in my home province. I guess I'm kinda glad we won the gold medal for hockey, which is rather cliche given my nationality, but aside from that... I didn't watch any coverage. Just a web recording of the last 5mins of the game.
- Finished the first year of my degree. It was a bit of a shock to be back at school, and the fact that it was an art school certainly put a... unique spin on things. I think the toughest part was the work load - the year of general studies I took at another institution was an absolute cakewalk by comparison. Which isn't exactly what you'd expect from an art school. Well, I suppose things would have been drastically different had I pursued fine arts.
- Alas, I got accepted into the Visual Communication Design program. It seemed like such a hurdle at the time - a massive weight on my shoulders, and I really could not figure out which was I wanted the decision to go. It's nice to know that, to some degree, I was deemed by instructors to have sufficient skill to go further. But at the same time, it's so easy to speculate where I could be right now if I had been rejected and no longer went to school. A world of possibilities would lay before me, but I can't deny I've grown substantially in the mean time...
- It was undoubtedly my greatest year of artistic development, particularly for drawing. Now, I haven't really done a proper post-mortem on the Fall 2010 semester, and being so late in the winter break there probably won't be one. But for the sake of drawing, the last three assignments in my illustration class went a lil' like this: The best graphite drawing I've ever done got a decent grade, followed by the best ink drawing I've ever done got a pretty good grade, and then finally the best digital piece I've ever done got a pretty awesome grade. How's that for progression? Going into it, I knew that each piece was the best I'd done for the respective medium, and then I received the grades that backed up my theory. Compare it to crap like this, and, well... There ain't much left to say. I'm no illustrator genius by any stretch of the imagination, and those three pieces above were nothing short of painful to make. But I don't think I would have ever imagined being as good as I am now. Alas, that was the last drawing/illustration class I'll have to take for the program, so maybe I'll plateau here. My one big regret is that I never developed my own visual style. But hopefully I can keep drawing a bit in my spare time (watch this space for the untriumphant return of sketch-a-day once the summer rolls around), and make some more (albeit minor) progressions.
- This is the first year that my savings account has had a severe thrashing. On the plus side, I spent a record low for entertainment on myself over the past twelve months. My essential expenditures, however, are somewhat... Staggering. Well, ok, that isn't too much of an issue. I think it was my inability to work during this fall semester that created the problem. It's rather alarming, even though my calculations/estimates were fairly close and I saw it coming. Knowing that my savings are rapidly evaporating sets off certain alarms in my head. All of the sudden every single cost feels double, and every price tag looks bigger than it should be. THAT'S GOT TO BE INFLATION, RIGHT? No, it's just me becoming poorer.
- All things considered, workload-wise, it's probably been my most intense year to date. With the exception of two months in the summer at 60hrs/wk, the rest of the time I've been clocking between 60-80hrs on work and school. I remember getting my knickers in a twist a few years ago where I had to work ten hours a day for a couple weeks during the Christmas rush. That's peanuts in comparison to what I'm doing now.
- I celebrated the 5th anniversary of employment at my current job. I've moved up in the ranks from washing the floor and packing shipments to doing graphic design, managing web content, and running a $20,000 piece of machinery. I think I've even doubled my hourly wage, which is pretty nice.
- I discovered that I am, in fact, a mortal being. I went to a family reunion in the summer, and seeing all the old faces and watching as my grandmother cleared out to sell the house my father grew up in... It struck home. My grandmother is an old lady who can't take care of a big house. My father is an older man who can't stay awake in a theater. The hair on my mom's head is starting to thin out. If they're getting old... I'm getting old too. Heck, I couldn't even remember what my age was when my birthday rolled around.
- In fact, I thought I was turning a year older than I actually was. I think that on some level I was hoping this slightly older age would provide a legitimate reason for the distance in between me and my classmates. Instead... The truth is that I'm just more mature, I guess. I roll my eyes at the lewd jokes, don't understand how the stories of getting absolutely drunk are told so joyfully, and the thought of going to a party completely uninterests me. It kinda sucks, in a way, because I feel so detached from everyone around me. Classmates go for a round of beer after class, and I... Skip supper and stay on campus until midnight doing homework. And, of course, they relentlessly make fun of me for being the way I am. I never hear the end of it for being 'on top' of things. Who knows, maybe I'm mature or maybe I'm just a loser. Some days, in that setting, I really can't tell the difference.
- I made my largest technological purchase - a laptop. I hate it. Well, not the laptop itself, but the concept of it. I'd much be at my desktop, where I am now, to do my work. But it's a necessary
eviltool, so I stick it out. - I've rediscovered the Beatles. Particularly their later works. This happened after spending a lot of time with a classmate who absolutely loves their last albums. It's like seeing something very old through a new set of eyes - my perspective has been turned on its head. I thought they were just weird songs (and, indeed, some of them are). But given the context, it completely reaffirms to me the talent of the four musicians. If you haven't recently, listen to the entirety of Abbey Road in the track order that was intended. Maybe it'll completely underwhelm you. But for me, like I'm listening to it now... It's total magic and a testiment to musical genius.
Favourite Album of 2010: Circle by Scala and the Kolacny Brothers
It has a great selection of tracks, all wonderfully arranged with powerful delivery. See Champagne Supernova for a prime example. A runner-up for favourite album released this year might be the Inception soundtrack produced by Hans Zimmer. Ok Go's Of the Blue Colour of the Sky was alright, with a small handful of catchy tunes. The Barenaked Ladies' All in Good Time... Broke my heart. It's a good musical effort, with good writing and performances, but it just isn't the same without Steven Page. Kudos to the band for still pluggin', though. (Disclaimer: These four albums are the only ones I have in my music library for 2010)
Favourite Film of 2010: Inception
Blew. My. Mind. I've never been riveted to the edge of my seat like that before - I couldn't believe how intense and weird and utterly engrossing the movie was all the way through. I don't know enough about cinematography to make an informed statement, but I love Christopher Nolan's films, and this was one of his best. They're certainly different than the rest of the crap usually churned out by Hollywood. Aside from that... Toy Story 3 was very well made. It was hilarious and sensitive to its origins. Tron Legacy was a solid sci-fi flick, and its visuals were certainly striking. The original Tron was a little bit before my time, though, so I didn't quite have that emotional connection. But the sequel was a good movie on its own. Except for CGI Jeff Bridges. The 'C' in 'CGI' must stand for 'crap'. Aaand what else? Oh, Iron Man 2. The plot was a bit of a mess, and the characters didn't really develop at all. The whole movie seemed like a cheap excuse to string some action scenes together. (Disclaimer: these are all the films I've seen that were released in 2010)
Favourite Television Show of 2010: Top Gear
I mean, common, like you even had to ask. (Disclaimer: It's the only TV show that aired in 2010 that I've watched more than two episodes of)
Favourite Game of 2010: Battlefield Bad Company 2
The single player was pretty... Generic. It wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly lacked that certain something to make it notable. The multiplayer, however, is incredible. The infantry and vehicle balance is spot-on, the action is focused (I'm especially partial towards Rush mode), the visuals are gorgeous, and the environment damage is FANTASTIC. I've probably written about it before, but it bears repeating. It changes how you view the, uh, battlefield and plan your tactics. I think it's my favourite multiplayer game since TF2, being worth the price of admission even without the singleplayer. The closest contender for top spot is Assassin's Creed II, for it's wonderful story and fun gameplay mechanics. The visuals and presentation are pretty nice too. But I got totally sucked in with the plot, compelling environment and enjoyable gameplay. I also played Splinter Cell Conviction, which felt like a slightly more shallow modern equivalent of AC2. But fun nonetheless. And, had Ubisoft not bundled these with atrocious and useless DRM that I can't bring myself to support, I would have purchased these two titles in a heartbeat. You know, like I did with Bad Company 2.
But moving on, Dirt 2 would be another runner up. Like Grid, Codemasters excels at capturing the excitement of the experience. I don't really have any other way to describe it, really. The graphics and gameplay are solid. I don't think there are any mechanics that make me go "WOW!!", but it's simply one of the most exhilarating racing games I've ever played. Batman Arkham Asylum comes next. It's just a fantastic brawler that really makes you feel like the Dark Knight - the detective, the predator, and warrior. (Disclaimer: These last two were technically released in 2009, but I bought/played them in 2010, so I figured I'd just throw them in to pad my list)
And what of the next year? Twenty-eleven, is it?
I'll get more than half way through my degree. And I will, uh, uhm... That's all I got, really. That's the only noteable thing I can forsee for the upcoming year.
If I were the kind to make New Year's resolutions, I'd say that this year I'd like to play my instruments more. And read more. And make sure I post here more, write in my journal more, go for more walks, do more chores around the house, do more sketches, call my family more, play more games with my friend and brother... And who wouldn't want to do these things? It's funny, because I've come to this divide where the limiting factor isn't a lack of motivation or discipline or money, but a lack of time. Maybe I'll make some headway with these when the summer rolls around, but until then it's all about school and work. I guess that's a goal for every year - do okay in school, don't go broke. And those two seem to override everything else. I feel really bad about not playing my instruments, though. I think that one will get bumped up to the next position in the priority list, if the occasion presents itself. But I really should write more too... Argh.
I can't remember why, but I know that 2009 sucked. But you, 2010: You were pretty unremarkable. You'll go down in my memory as... Nothing I'll have strong or significant feelings for. That is, until I wander through my blog archives to this post, and get a better idea of what actually happened. And to 2011: I really have no idea what you have in store. It looks like it'll be another bland year of getting work done and getting poorer. Too far from the beginning and too far from the end of school to be of note. Please, give me a little bit of personal time here and there - I'll take whatever I can get. Please don't let my car crap out on me - repairs are expensive and such a hassle. If my iPod finally bites the dust, let me find a cheap (yet decent) replacement so that I can still take my music with me. Please bless me with a wider perception of the world and understanding for how I'm supposed to fit into all this mess. Please give me patience and clarity and wisdom and kindness. And a lil' money wouldn't hurt here and there, if it isn't too much of a hassle. I just wanna get through to the other side and still make ends meet. Please.
-Cril
Hans Zimmer - Time
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