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Edible
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It’s been a while and I totally take the blame for that! I’ll make up for it by indulging you in current life events.
Covid had a resurgency here in Vietnam but nothing that has required an isolation procedure rivaling that of the initial wave.
Since the start of this second wave (and a bit before) I have started hiking! I’d recently become a fan of thru-hiking after ingesting gorgeous photos of a trekker tackling the PCT.
Needless to say, I was hooked. I’ve done a couple of solo trips, and after this coming Friday (10/23), a couple of small group (3-4 people) camping trips!
Prior to this, I had been camping all of one time. It was during a rainstorm, in the midst of a very.. odd time in my life and overall, extremely unenjoyable. My shelter of choice has been a tarp, and the more I learn and use it, the more exCITED I GET!
My skill with tarp tying with trees is… a C-, but I have improved each time! Next month my goal is to attempt setting up a shelter with trekking poles. Not exactly similar to what’s above, but in the same vein.
I say all this because two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go on my first 2 day hike. I didn’t camp for two days but I camped for one. It was through one of Vietnam’s many national forests and, if I’m not mistaken, the FIRST national forest ordained in Vietnam, Cúc Phương.
The first night we camped, our porter grilled what was deemed ‘the best pork I’ve ever had’ (by my companion since I don’t eat meat), along with banana leaf salad that was SCAVENGED FROM THE TREES IN THE FOREST.
That’s not it, though. The second night we stayed in a Muong Village.
A picture my friend took during our trip.
We had the pleasure of (accidentally) scaring the cutest buffalo and getting serenaded by the cockiest of roosters… continuosly.. all day.. and night..
Herd of buffalo we passed. They make the CUTEST meeping sounds. It’s ridiculous.
What could be better than the view, you don’t ask?
The food.
What does it taste like, you fail to inquire?
SImple yet SO DANG DELICIOUS.
I have had tofu and tomatoes countless times while in Vietnam but this… THIS? Unparalleled. I don’t know what they put in it, but there’s a 90% it’s illegal.
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Arrangements
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PAST
Phew. Where to start.
GIGABUSTER is practically ready to ship (in OST terms). I decided to re-record a few pieces that used acoustic guitar (5 or 6). Everything else is on bandcamp waiting to be ingested by the masses!
My new work schedule has been immensely helpful. I have plenty of time to devote to writing and ensuring that my teaching work is attended to without taking away from my rest days. It’s a beautiful thing.
BIG PROJECT - It has been an arduous road but the main theme for a particular aspect of the game has been accepted! I spent the past weeks getting a battle theme demo approved.
SEASIDE CAFE - My long-term pals from Studio Namaapa convinced me to work with them on this title (not that it took much). This is the game that I wanted to create a WWISE music system for. Due to time constraints, I was unable to get the desired results via music programming, although the game will still function as it is intended (musically). Right now, about 90% of the music has been mapped out! I spent most of my previous time editing parts and prepping for recording sessions.
PERSONAL - I have launched my Composing FUNdamentals composing challenge series on Youtube! Traction is slow (which is expected), but my focus is on consistency. It should be a lot easier for me to maintain that with my schedule revamp!
PRESENT
GIGABUSTER - Mixing and mastering the cut scenes that were rerecorded.
SEASIDE CAFE - Rerecording all of the placeholder guitar/bass parts, and mixing everything down!
BIG P - Get the current battle theme finished within the next week.
PERSONAL - Create one COFU video a week and start streaming a personal project.
I realize that I don’t… “flex”, or have the opportunity to show what I really can do. I decided that I will stream a personal project I am working on once a week. Otherwise, if I get the go-ahead on any new projects, I’ll switch gears and stream those. I believe showing my compositional acuity is important.
FUTURE
Gigabuster - Be completely finished with GIGABUSTER by the end of October.
Seaside - Must be completed by October 25th.
BIG P - Have all the battle themes finished by the end of November.
Personal - Have a job or two lined up that will replace Seaside and GIGA.
RUMINATIONS
Visibility. This is a huge issue for me. The more I chat with others, the more I realize two things in the composition/film/vg industry -
It’s who you know.
Proximity has a lot to do with that.
If you struggle with either of those, how do you shine? This is one of the main reasons why I started my composition challenge series.
The truth is, I don’t like spotlight. I try to avoid social media as much as I can. I’m using Facebook a LOT more than I want to while here in Vietnam but the truth is, society is literally tethered to it. If I didn’t have it, I could still meet people and make friends, but it wouldn’t be as convenient.
When I take into account how much I work, that convenience is highly appreciated.
That being said, if I want people to know who I am and what I do, I need to make myself seen. Right now, Composing FUNdamentals feels like an authentic way for me to overcome my distaste for conspicuousness.
Helping people, being vulnerable - I like that. Maintaining an untottered footing while showing my faults with ease.
Here’s hoping that it leads somewhere, haha.
This job is all about planting seeds with a dollop of trial and error.