Edible Arrangements: Mam Tom and Personal Goals

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Edible

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I consider myself an outgoing introvert. I have no issue sifting through crowds and personalities when my social meter is on F. I often, when back in the U.S., would find a festival or a social event to go to. It enabled me to be around people and open up if a situation allowed it.

One thing about Vietnam is a lack of such spaces. It’s frustrating and motivating at the same time - a lot of activities push for spending time with friends or in groups. It’s a headache when I want to be out by myself but it makes for a great time when you have friends to share moments with!

This weekend I had the opportunity to try Mam Tom (not spelled with the correct phonetics). A co-worker of mine is a huge fan and I took him up on his offer to go out and try it. We ended up linking with a mutual friend of ours and made our way to a grade A ‘hole in the wall’.

Not sure if it’s like this in other countries, but there is a belief in the U.S. that the dankest, grungiest restaurants tend to have the BEST food.

This place was no exception:

Mam Tom is fermented fish paste (i.e. a dipping sauce). It’s the bubbly/oily stuff in the white bowl. Mama-slappin’ goodness that was only made better by the tofu, spring rolls, and random assortment of foods on the wicker plate.

It was FAN.TAS.TIC!

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Arrangements

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PAST and PRESENT

MAN. OH. MAN.

If you didn’t know, I have been knee deep in a personal (name change) OST Challenge titled ‘Journey to the Sun’. It’s only been two weeks, but I have learned SO MUCH. Here’s a rundown of my top personal epiphanies.

1. I am capable

So, one thing that I was worried about was meeting my finished-minutes-of-music quota. Honestly, it wasn’t simply fretting over writing enough, it was about writing quality material!

Now, music is subjective, but I.. I think I’ve written some pretty solid pieces in my allotted time frame. Not just that, but I’ve actually gone above and beyond my quote of finished music! I’m going to have well over 45 minutes of music by the time I’m done with this whole shin-dig.

2. Time manage, time manage, time manage

I had been doing a decent job of this thus far, but this past week has gotten the better of me. I am new to juggling outings with friends! I have had a (warmly welcomed) increase in quality time with people. and this resulted in falling behind in my day job work.

This domino effect toppled over into my writing which resulted in a dizzying amount of unpreparedness in both areas of my life!

I’ve recently caught back up with myself so to speak, but it has resulted in me rearranging how I manage my time! Making time for friends is pretty… it’s pretty nice, haha.

I’ve found ways to make sure I attend to varies aspects of a clean/well-kept home and mind. A couple of tricks -

• Lesson planning in total silence (works for me)

• Setting aside 20 minutes to clean/tidy the house.

• Being flexible and truly understanding the breadth of my schedule.

Next week isn’t going to be like this past week, that’s for sure!

3. Practice before you .. play? Eh.

Before starting this project, I started warm-up streams for a couple of weeks in order to get into the swing of streaming.

I am SO glad I did.

Even with a week or two of practice with prepping video and audio, I still had technical difficulties the FIRST day of the stream. I’ve had one major technical difficulty since then, but I can only imagine how frustrating it would have been to just.. jump into streaming. It’s not easy. There are a lot of things I need to focus on/upgrade, but that will come in due time.

4. No viewers, no problems.

I am ultimately doing this to test my capabilities as a composer, as well as have a visual catalog of me completing a project of this caliber for future clients/partners.

The idea of having people watching me is great, but I went into this not expecting people to view me live. The reasons being:

Time Zones

Time Zones

..Time zones, and..

Oh yeah! Time zones.

I’ve had.. maybe 5 or 6 people (humans) drop into my stream. Luckily I’m not into this for the viewership. If I was, I’d be devastated by the lack thereof.

Right now, the idea of these videos having relevance in the future is super exciting! Right now, I’m infatuated with the process, despite how tired I am or have been.

I’m pretty focused on completing and not getting holed up by what I write, but man, I’ve been listening through the soundtrack and I have to say that I’m pretty darn happy thus far.

FUTURE

This one’s pretty easy. Finish the first half of Journey to the Sun by the end of the month, and prepare for an upcoming soundtrack release.

Aside from my personal project, I need to get things ready to end up on Spotify.

I’m still a bit skeptical of putting things on Spotify. I kind of want to keep my work on Bandcamp due to meager sales on Spotify’s platform.

I keep grappling with this idea and I need to get it figured the crap out and do something.

…

I’m going to do it because: visibility.

..I don’t like it, though.

RUMINATIONS

None!

Well, I hope that this personal project yields future work in some way shape or form.

I hope that my recent projects are well received when they are released.

You know, the usual composer woes.

If anything, I have personal projects I can do to test my mettle, keep me preoccupied, and push my limits and skillset as a composer.

“Thanks for reading!
Here’s to doing good things, making things happen, and being good people.”

Arrangements 3: Journey to the Sun - Track List

Track-List

Come to this post if you want to stay up to date on where I am in the challenge!

I had planned enough relevant pieces for the “anime” to fulfill the necessary length for the original challenge (90 minutes of music). I went through, picked out the pieces that would be the most pertinent to the story, and cut the track list down by about 20 pieces.

The track names are subject to change. I plan on crossing out/bolding track titles upon their completion! I have descriptions (more in-depth to what is posted there), but I am thinking of also grabbing a few images to give viewers an idea of what is going on in my mind as well!

Journey to the Sun OST

• 1. Kaej

  (Theme that represent's Kaej's forwardness, perseverance, and persistence)

• 2. Kingdom made of Stone

  (Piece that would represent the heart of The Mountain Kingdom. The character that best exudes Mountain pride would be Kuma. Think large, encompassing, strong, impregnable. Noble/honest.)

• 3. Yulesad

  (A piece that would play during nostalgic scenes. Peaceful but reminiscent of a happy past.)

• 4. Festival of Sons

  (Joy, excitement.)

• 5. Conflict

  (Should play when tensions run high, and are emotionally charged)

• 6. The interview

  (Pensive. Should seem poignant. Think of old news bulletins. It's the beginning of a story detailing lost history. Neutral tone)

• 7. Broken*

  (Would play during deeply sad scenes. Makes you feel sorry for the person)

• 8. Riddle

  (Would play during questioning scenes. Monologues, trying to figure things out. Overcoming a mental hurdle)

• 9. The chase

• (Would play during light fight and urgent scenes. High energy)

• 10. Irritation*

  (Agitation and frustration. A theme for a curmudgeon)

• 11. Growing

  (Would play as two characters gain a family fondness for one another over the months.)

• 12. Tay

  (Playful and sassy)

• 13. Song of Sanction

  (Song sung to commemorate a woman being married and the pilgrimage that ensues)

• 14. Skirmish

  (Serious, but not overly so. Think.. mid boss battle level of importance)

• 15. Aizu

  (Something that signifies I am meant to be here. Purpose, almost pompous to a degree)

• 16 Blood

  (Extremely tense. It's not anger, but almost exasperation? Would play during emotionally surprising scenes)/emotional and powerful

• 17. Jare's theme

  (Hopeful, eager, over achiever, people pleaser. Honestly, just make music for a sweetheart)

• 18. Norim

  (Soft, stern)

• 19. Buan

  (Unfaultering. Epitome of tradition)

• 20. Altaica

  (Big, serious battle piece. A momentous battle.)

• 21. Kingdom in the Trees

• (Calm, settled. Visual, think the Eruyt Village, FF12)

• 22. Kingdom on the Lake

  (Representative of water, would play as the group is walking along the path leading to the kingdom. Think majestic, Venice)

• 23. Awakening

  (Plays during a light ritual, from the Kingdom in the Plains)

• 24. Truth

  (Strong and emotional turning point in the present.)

• 25. Second Pilgrimage

  (Starting over, rehashed version of the Song of Sanction- should contain elements of the southern continent)

• 26. New Beginnings

  (bonding between Kaej and his mother)

• 27. Waiting

  (Extreme longing, but not overbearingly so.)

• 28. Forgotten

  (A bittersweet ending. Everyone is happy, but everyone loses something.)

Goal - 1:30 minutes of finished music a day

twitch.tv/perennialsound

Arrangements 2: Journey to the Sun - Preparation

Preparation

I love interviews.

Any opportunity to know the inner workings of someone’s creative process is an instant delight. I have tried to find interviews for composers I admire or respect, a few of them having work in the anime sector. These small glimpses into the creative process of an Anime soundtrack has helped give me an idea of what mindset to roleplay in when thinking of how to approach Journey to the Sun.

I have had the opportunity to write for games and a film. Based on my experience, a big factor that differentiates anime (television programming) from games/film is:

1. Writing without a final/rough product

2. Writing music that can be re-used

I won’t have the opportunity to feel my piece in game, or sync my piece up to a moving picture. I’m literally going to be given a prompt, with maybe a manga to reference or concept sketches, and perhaps musical/mood audio references.

Here are a few interviews from anime composers that gave me a bit on insight:

• https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2017-10-04/interview-made-in-abyss-composer-kevin-penkin/.122246

• https://myanimelist.net/news/58353510

• https://atmafunomena.wordpress.com/2018/06/18/violet-evergarden-composer-interview-evan-call-from-berklee-to-leidenschaftlich/

• https://comicbook.com/anime/2018/07/27/my-hero-academia-composer-yuki-hayashi-interview-sdcc-anime/#2

I’ll be taking an approach similar to what many of the aforementioned composers mention. I’m not scoring to picture, but I will have descriptions, outlines, and “concept” images to spurn creativity.

Edible Arrangements: Bingsu and Rounding the Bend

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Edible

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Another couple of weeks, another day! One thing I’ve grown to really love (but may have to give up due to a change in diet) is Bingsu! I’ve never been a huge fan of icecream, but Bingsu is something else.

Tea is extremely popular here in Vietnam - not just as a hot drink, but a flavored drink. There are literally tea shops (think Boba-esque tea) EVERYWHERE.

Bingsu isn’t anywhere near as abundant as Vietnam tea shops being a Korean dish, but there happens to be an awesome Korean dessert bar a short bike ride away from my apartment.

My first Bingsu experience was with a red bean medley. I knew at once that we were meant to be and we were united in 3 - 4 swift minutes.

My second experience (same city, same street, different shop) was of mango. This one happened to have cake chunks nestled in the milk, icecream, ice, and mango chunks.

SO. DANG. GOORT!

(the cake was a’ight)

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Arrangements

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PAST

The past few weeks has been me buckling down to finish work for Gigabuster. Right now, everything is falling in place:

• Guitar sheet music (guitar is finished, bass will be finished this week)

• OST prep

• Extended Soundtrack Guitar/Bass Recordings

Aside from that, I have been spending time getting my live streams up, running, and consistent.

I must admit, I was a bit scared about exposing my compositional process, but now, I realize I actually enjoy it. No one really watches at the moment, but the purpose is to have an outlet that people can view my work through. An imperfect outlet. In a world were the prime and primped versions of everyone tends to be on display, I enjoy throwing a bit of fumble into the mix.

FUTURE

FINISHING UP OSTS!

The next two weeks will be me focusing on 2 things:

1. Giga mixing (EP) and mastering (FULL OST/EP)

The EP for Giga is smaller than I expected, but the original soundtrack only consists of 20 - 21 pieces.

Unlike Ciel, a lot of the extended Gigabuster OST consists of pieces I created to help get me in the proper headspace for pieces that truly melded into Gigabuster’s world. So, despite these additional compositions straying from what I believe is the true Gigabuster feel, I am proud of them and am eager to have people listen to them.

2. Getting Ciel Fledge and Gigabuster ready for streaming services.

I am super excited for these two projects, and they will be my first set of works to find their ways on a professional streaming platform.

I want to be honest, though -

I don’t want to use Spotify.

I am trying to think of alternatives (outside of Bandcamp), but the main reason for putting these albums on Spotify is visibility.

Doesn’t change the fact that residuals are meager.

RUMINATIONS

I think a lot of my ruminations this month have revolved around self-confidence and feeling comfortable making myself visible as a composer.

I’m not sure how other composers view their music, but I have moments were I really, really enjoy what I create, and days where I feel as thought I’m immersed in mental fecal matter

I have to remind myself that I am a good composer, but also remember not to compare myself to other composer’s careers, or become hyper focused on how my voice (or lack thereof) may be prohibiting me from ascending in this profession.

I tend to over-exaggerate my short comings and undervalue my strengths. It’s one reason why I am hesitant to be consistently visible. I have to remind myself that musical waves of gold will not always waft out of my laptop speakers. I have to remind myself that being imperfect is human, and the more I put those imperfections on display (looking at you live stream) the more bold I become!

That is why I have decided to embark on a big personal project - one that I will use to prove that I am a great composer, one that will involve me writing for myself (something I haven’t done for years), and will also help give me visibility in this digital age, in a way that is authentic for me:

Album Documentary

45 MINUTES OF MUSIC IN 7 WEEKS.

I have put a lot of thought into this, and have created a separate blog post to talk more about it.

I plan to announce it on twitter later this week or early next week.

For those interested in learning more about the challenge, check out a separate post:

Arrangements 1: Journey to the Sun/Album Documentary

Arrangements 1: Journey to the Sun/ Album Documentary

The Challenge

Write 45 minutes of music in 7 weeks

This idea ultimately came from researching the works of Kevin Penkin.

Kevin Penkin has written for games, visual novels, and t.v. broadcasted Japanese animation. I believe people hire him to write as himself (which is fantastic) and I absolutely adore his work, What has impressed me and awed me is seeing his career blossom. I can’t, and won’t, try to pinpoint which project catapulted his career, but one of his accolades is creating the music for a Japanese anime called Norn9 in 4 weeks.

90 minutes of music.

My goal was to replicate that feat, but the oncoming train that is work and the precedence of finishing current obligations made a replica of the journey impossible.

So, I have taken into account my current life parameters and come up with a way to create a set amount of music that would be expected following Kevin’s timeline and output.

First thing is first:

• I am assuming that Kevin basically went ALL IN in these 4 weeks. A lot of prior prep before sitting down and seriously curating melodies, harmonies, etc. I have done this.

• Since it is a month, I decided to assume that Kevin spent, at the most, 15 hours a day writing. It’s a lot and extensive, but I could see someone putting up with it if it’s only going to be for a month.

• I do not believe Kevin literally say at his computer and wrote for 15 hours straight. I believe that he had:

  including breaks, eating, clearing his head, listening, breaking away from work to re-inspire,

  about 15 hours to get SOMETHING onto his canvas before he crashed to rest in preparation for the next day.

• I believe that Kevin’s success in this task came from having a strong team backing him up. I will be working with an extremely talented mixing/mastering engineer by the name of James C Hoffman to help streamline the process. He works with Materia Collective and has a puppy. ‘Nuff said.

• I believe that Kevin Penkin did not include time spent recording live musicians and the mixing/mastering process, so I am not including that, either.

Album Logistics

So, here’s the math.

Penkin Parameters

15 hours a day x 28 days (4 weeks) = 420 (h)ours

420 (h) / 90 (minutes of music) = 4.6

(one minute of FINISHED music every 4.6 hours)

Jasmine Jarameters

My parameters are a little weird, because I work in the evenings Mon - Friday (excluding Wednesday and Thursday off), but work a split schedule on Saturday and Sunday.

Long story short, I can only work 5 days out of the week. On one of those days, I lose an hour of work. Essentially, my hours are -

6, 6, 6, 6, 5 or 29 hours a week

29 x 7 (weeks, working 5 of 7 days each week) = 203 (h)

203 (h) / 4.6 (hours it took for Kevin to produce 1 minute of music) =

45 minutes

This is going to be HARD.

The silver lining - I get to take a trip with a college friend of mine to Japan and take 7 - 11 days off (writing AND working) to rest and re-couperate.

I’m slightly terrified.

I’m largely exposing my work load and opening myself up to scrutiny, but I think letting someone in on the process can also be freaking fantastic.

If I make something good, that is.

Which I will, because [lies]there is no pressure[lies] and I’m writing for me,

*phew*

fans self

The pressure is on!

One thing to note:

• I don’t have an anime budget, so I am pretending I am working for a company that is on a shoe-string fiscal pay out. They have enough to pay me fairly, but not enough for me to pull out all the stops (i.e. hire an orchestra, live musicians).

• I have personally taken a hit, financially, for the greater good of a soundtrack. Since this is self-funded challenge taking place soon after a self-imposed investment into a soundtrack, I am going to be a bit more lenient. I still plan to invest in J2tS, but it won’t be at the rate of my last two projects (Ciel Fledge/Gigabuster).

• Personal note: Don’t beat yourself up, Jasmine. You tend to compare the quality of your work to others (which is necessary), but this is NOT going to sound exactly the same as someone creating an anime score on a studio budget. If you had the resources, you’d make it happen.

Now, for those interested in what the album/story is going to be about, read below!

SUBJECT LOGISTICS

I mentioned in my very first post that my natural artistic penchant is for the pen. I don’t consider myself a story teller, but I really enjoy writing stories. I almost entered into a writing competition once when I was young, but I stopped writing due to a disliking for my work.

Thankfully, I was constantly inspired through anime.

Like many kids born in the early 90s, I grew up on Toonami, which catapulted me into the world of anime. Although my anime-show watching days have tapered off, I still take time out to watch animated shows (Love, Sex, and Robots), and animated movies (Your Name, Colorful, Paprika, Jin-Roh, Metropolis), because I love the medium.

One anime I did take time out to watch was Serei No Moribito. The anime captivated me because:

• The main character was a strong female lead.

• and the music was baller (mother f’in Kenji Kawai).

This anime lead me to create the story that I plan to use as my inspiration for this challenge.

No one is hiring me to write for their animation (YET!), and I need a focal point. I decided to use a story I had been chewing on since back in university

—-

Synopsis:

Kaej, second prince of the Mountain Kingdom, has nearly completed his apprenticeship - a rigorous internship that one must finish before being ordained as a castle scholar. The last rite, the final step for novices eager to join the prestigous Scholars of the Mountain Kingdom, is actually the easiest part of the process - go out into the community and write about an undiscovered piece of history. The default idea for many scholars is to interview a native of the Kingdom. Their story will be written down into the tomes and will become an extension of the Kingdom’s complex historical tapestry, thus weaving the novice into the ordinances of the Mountain Scholars.

Kaej is ambitious and decides that he wants to find more than a story. He wants to unhinge a narrative that will shake the pillars of the Mountain Kingdom to its core.

Surprisingly enough, he does, and it’s about someone in the royal family.

Main Characters

• Unbar (Prince//King)

• Norim (King’s Guard Squire//Exile)

• Kaej ( ——//Second Born)

• Kuma II (——//First Born)

• Kuma I (Mountain King // Late King)

• Buan (Head Scholar//Head Scholar)

• Aizu (Princess//Queen)

• Tay (Servant//Hostess)

• Jare (Squire//Host)

• Roi (King’s Guard//Drunk, Pariah)

• Yulesad (King’s Confidant, Guard//Confidant to Aizu)

The story, were it in written form, would take place in the present and the past. I denoted each character’s position in life with // (past // present).

If had to describe this story, it would be a dramatic mystery. Kaej is a main character, but he isn’t the main character. My hope was, as you read the story, you’d care more about the mysterious hidden figure and Kaej’s ability to access more information about said person.

—-

I have decided that I will give bits of information about the subject. Aside from the synopsis and the main characters involved in the story, I am going to see if people can get a semblance of the story through the emotions evoked and obscure track titles.

I’m eager to see what people may make of it!

Edible Arrangements: Com Rang and marketing

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Edible

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There are numerous places to eat at in Vietnam. So far I’ve had Bun Cha (it’s pork, I caved to peer pressure, leave me alone), Bun Ca (SO, SO good), veggie Pho, veggie Cuon, Cha Ca, this amazing fish skillet thing with dark savory sauce at the mall down the street from my apartment…

The best part? All of it was delicious, high-quality, more than reasonably priced local food!

I went to Thailand a few weeks ago, and it left a dour taste in my mouth to see expats and/or tourists eating at fast food restaurants or places meant to mimic western cuisine. Like..

..you can eat that at home, sir.

Anyway, of all the local places I have eaten, my FAVORITE spot of all has to be Com Rang.

From a local’s perspective, I can see talk of Com Rang inciting a shoulder shrug. When my mother came to visit, there was actually a Com Rang shop down the street from our hostess’s house.

Every day and every night that we passed said restaurant, my neck would careen more and more in its direction, eager to appease my curiosity. Sadly, Mother wasn’t daring enough. I vowed on her exit that I’d make it my mission to eat there before I left to my home city (Bac Ninh).

A molecular fusion of taste and tongue happened on July 10th (or 11th), 2019.

Since then, I’ve had it a few times. I try to make it my mission to eat at new places, but the thing about Com Rang is, the quality, and the vittles (as I strongly believe people still say in the southern part of the US), depends on the shop. The gist is this:

• You get a plate of rice.

• You choose from a buffet table of meats/veggies to accompany said plate of rice.

I have currently found a Com Rang shop that I have dubbed my favorite. They have AWESOME veggie options. I still need to try others, especially since this one is on the OTHER side of the city, but it has my vote.

This picture is from my most recent excursion, and it’s special because I decided to be a bit daring with one of the items I added to my plate:

Those little brown cylinders are COOKED SILK WORM PUPAE!

I saw’em and was like,

“Ya’ know what,

LESS DO DIS.”

And do dis I did. The verdict..

They weren’t bad at all! There weren’t any..

[trigger warning]

squishies

[trigger warning]

..and I’m not going to lie, I’d be down for trying the fried, crunchy, coated in cinnamon alternative.

You good, silk worm. You pretty good.

Oh, and they were accompanied by tofu, stuffed tofu, mini shrimps/prawns, scrumptious greens, and soup.

21/10, would devour again.

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Arrangements

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I am going to break arrangements down into Past (2 weeks), Future (2 weeks/month), Ruminations, and Announcements!

Past

Recordings/Mixing Tracks for Gigabuster OST

The final 4 I shall call them, have been doubled-tracked, single-tracked, and sung into oblivion.

• Double tracking - Recording a guitar part twice to make it sound beefy/full,

• Single tracking - recording a part once.

• Sung into oblivion - Massacring your vocal chords.

I have gone through about 3 or 4 mixing passes with the entire MAIN album, and I can proudly say that I can add the last 4 tracks of the OST to the mixture.

Finalizing Sheet Music and Helping final preparations for Ciel Fledge

Making connections in the creative world is paramount to success. I am fortunate enough to know and be friends with beautifully talented people, and I know that I can go to them (with a fee in the front pocket) and ask for their expertise on my work to ensure that people who enjoy it get it at the highest quality.

Once I send the final sheet music out the door, my heart can rest a tad bit easier.

Final preparations for Ciel has been cleaning up odd tracks (mislooping) and sound effects.

Future

Quite a bit. The most important for the next two weeks (honestly, month) is:

• Gigabuster OST (finished/mixed/mastered)

• Gigabuster Extended OST (finished/mixed/mastered)

• Giga guitar tabs (finished)

Can it be done?!

Yes.

I already have a personal plan in place that I know is more than do-able, and I am making it my job to actually push past it. Working for yourself is essentially about adhering to parameters and goals you set for yourself. It’s a learning process, but I believe I am getting better at it and will soon master it (which is really learning to master myself and how I manage my time).

RUMINATIONS

One cool, yet terrifying thing about composing, is the idea of you being in charge of getting projects (gigs, clients, etc). There are multiple ways to put yourself in ear-shot of the many developers/directors who exist, but at the end of the day, success in your craft boils down to one simple thing: Marketing.

I am not going to say that I am horrible at marketing. I feel as though marketing is a mindset. I believe that I have a stubbornness in me that has been preventing me from creating multiple avenues to make my voice, or musicality, noticeable.

Marketing (moreso networking) is a requirement to making it in this profession. There were a few steps I took initially that I felt would easily (chuckle) propel me into work:

• First step - Create a website and upload my content to streaming services.

• Second step - Promote my services via threads on game developer forums.

• Third step - Create a Twitter account.

• Fourth (gigantic) step - Go to GDC.

• Fifth (current) step - Create a blog.

• ???

• Profit

Step one helped me network with game developers via step two, which resulted in work with repeat partners over the past 5 to 6 years.

Even with that, it still hasn’t been enough to live off on.

That is NOT at the fault of developers out in the world. The lack of traction is still, ultimately, my fault and includes MULTIPLE facets. One thing I believe I can change, that is effecting an influx of prospective work, is a lack of consistency.

I think that when your network is small, you have to make it your goal to steadily water and nurture relationships. I think this is great, because I am HORRIBLE at this in my personal life.

I love how personal skills I am not strong in need to be strengthened in my profession of choice! In many ways, it is going to make me an overall better person.

Anyway, consistency is key. Consistently checking in with colleagues, consistently following up with older devs you admire, albeit maybe not having a chance to work with, following up with older devs you work with/have worked with, consistently putting work out into the ether to show that you are honing your abilities and your skill set..

These are things I believe I have to do because my network is small and I need to make it grow.

I need to make myself visible.

My issue is doing it in a way that is organic to me.

I have picked up my consistency, albeit not in a way that would be orthodox -

1. I am posting more on Twitter. It’s a low bar, ha, but it is being raised! I primarily post to support other devs/composers, their work, and how their work inspires me, but I’m POSTING.

2. I have currently updated my website (and my ‘company’) so that it better reflects my current skill set.

3. I am keeping in contact with colleagues in the profession and strengthening relationships with great people who love doing what I do.

I think this is great, because I am becoming more active, but I also think it’s not enough, because it’s not showcasing MY capabilities. I have to show the world me, but how do I successfully do that in a way that sits squarely with my mores?

!Announcements!

ANNOUNCEMENT 1: Warm-up Live Streams

I do warm-ups nearly every day that I write music. It’s really fun for me because it is experimental and, most importantly, it shows an less glamorous side to music composition.

There probably won’t be a final product. I’m probably going to make a lot of non-bops, or anti-bangers. The goal, really, is to see someone in the profession being imperfect, and working hard to tone those imperfections.

That’s one thing that I have no problem broadcasting.

The schedule:

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM (Vietnam)/9:00 PM - 10:00 PM (Est time, US)

It’s going to be RAW, AND UNADULTERATED CONTENT that is rated pg-13.

It won’t be bad or anything like that. There will be themes for each week, and I’ll be uploading the content to Youtube and Bitchute!

It doesn’t feel invasive because I do it anyway, it’s only for an hour, and it will be practicing fun!

(Disclaimer: Still working on getting an USB microphone, so you’ll be hearing me from either the left or right said of your head)

ANNOUNCEMENT 2 Documenting the creation of an Album

I love challenges. Especially ones that take me out of my comfort zone and force me to truly test what my capabilities are.

I have primarily written for videogames, but the truth is, I want to write for all kinds of media. I’m a huge fan of dramatic television (Handmaid’s Tale, I’m looking at you), horror films, drama films, and mature content animations. Disney (I know), anime (I KNOW) and most importantly, The Animatrix (I KNOW!), instilled a deep love of the animated medium in me, and a current viewing of Love, Death, and Robots has ignited it passionately.

That being said, jobs like that don’t grow on trees. A lot of it is (ding) 1. Networking and 2. Being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you don’t have those things going for you. So, what do you do if there is a job you want, but no jobs available to gain experience?

YOU MAKE IT YOURSELF.

The goal -Write 50 minutes of music in 8 weeks.

This “personal documentary” is a combination of proving to myself I have what it takes, showing to future partners I have what it takes, and putting myself in a faux environment of compressed stress similar to something I may encounter.

I see myself as a fairly versatile composer who has NO issue writing in different styles. That has been the majority of my career.

I have also been extremely fortunate to work with a host of devs who ask me to write in a style, but not like a person. They are open to my interpretation of their desired emotion, and I love it.

I want to continue exploring my voice, and really pushing my capabilities as a composer. Writing for anime/telveision is a different beast as well, so it will be a new mindset for me. Writing to an emotion and a work that isn’t necessarily there yet (knowing that the piece I write could be used for multiple scenes) is very interesting!

I won’t be able to enjoy it in that capacity, but I can imagine it.

I will be making a post that goes in depth about this project very soon!

“Thanks for reading!
Here’s to doing good things, making things happen, and being good people.”

Edible Arrangements : Kickoff

Hello, hello!

Peer pressure has won out. At the behest of family and a few good friends, I decided to start a blog. I have recently relocated to Vietnam in an effort to put more focus on music. Ideally, this blog was supposed to be centered around food, but I figured, why not make it a combination of my two passions:

• Putting things in my face circle (EDIBLE)

• Writing music (ARRANGEMENTS)

I absolutely love writing music, but it’s not a medium that I naturally unveil emotions through. I enjoy coming up with melodies and jingles, but writing has always been a form of expression that flowed naturally from me. I thought about doing a vlog, but it doesn’t mesh well with my personality.

I know, I know, I should evolve with the times. I wish I wasn’t so stoic on certain aspects, but there is something about rambling off free form, without worrying about presentation, lighting, video editing, or vocal recordings that just..

..fills my heart with unbridled happiness.

This is more organic for me, it rests well with my soul, it’s happenin’.

So, I’ll be making bi-weekly or twice a month (EDIT, October 2nd) blog posts about music work that has been done/is being done, my thoughts on where I am in the profession and my thoughts on the composition profession in general, and my experiences travelling and eating in SE Asia!

So, let’s jump into it!

_-

EDIBLE

-_

I love food. Actually, it’s a love hate relationship that is slowly veering into a more grounded sense of love, but I find solace in food. When I decided to move to Vietnam, I was ecstatic about the culture, but most importantly, THE FOOD.

A lot has gone into relocating. There are a few strands that rest frayed and unkempt in my transition, many of which I realize now should have been remedied back in the U.S., but that’s okay! Food makes everything better. That’s what my stomach tells me, anyway.

My first week in Vietnam, which was in Hanoi, my Mom came along. I definitely wanted to go on my own (because I am a masochist who enjoys making her life harder), but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t grateful that my Mom shouldered the weight of the transition with me. I tend to take for granted the beauty that stems from experiencing life with someone by your side, especially when they deeply care for you.

Walking through my new home city, Bac Ninh.

We ate a ton of food. Sadly, I ended up losing (?!) the photos of food we had during our first week. We ate Pho, had dinner at a fantastic restaurant called Lau 43 (I believe), consumed multiple versions of Banh My, and made it our mission to frequent a tasty french bakery inspired cafe called Paris Baguette.

What I will do, is start you off at the earliest part of my edible journey - life in Vietnam while on my own!

SWEETS are my kryptonite. I should have taken more pictures of these scrumptious cakes, but after the first picture, I literally lost all sense of time and went to town.

The apartment that I live in sits in front of a series of city roads littered with local shops and eateries. There are also four, count’em, FOUR bakeries within walking distance. As of now, I have sampled desserts from three. I’m slowly rounding the bend, like the glutton I am. The picture above is a select group of pastries from Nguyen Linh Bakery.

The green cake is matcha (very common here). I’m not a fan of matcha, and I should have known that would be the flavor being green and all but I.. wasn’t thinking. It was green, and green cake is unfamiliar to me, therefore I wanted it.

The filling was practically whipped cream, which works for me, because I LOVE whipped cream.

The orange creamy cake was DIVINE. The nutty dessert I don’t quite remember. I definitely enjoyed it, though.

I will leave you with a photo from my apartment building, 21st floor!

-_

ARRANGEMENTS

_-

Phew. With this being my first post, I decided to focus on the why of my move. Why did I relocate to Vietnam? Why did I choose Vietnam?

Why did I relocate to Vietnam?

Back in the U.S., I taught music. I went to university for music education and had my doubts about it leading into my junior year. I had dabbled in composition a bit and was starting to realize that I thoroughly enjoyed it. More importantly, I yearned to master it. This is one thing that sticks out to me about composing - No matter what, I have always wanted to top my own work. I never want to settle, and I have yet to find a profession that stirs a similar desire in me.

Well.. I do it in teaching, but I do it out of obligation. Staying stagnant as an educator effects my students and I, morally, can’t abide by anything that hinders progress.

Fast forward to 2019, I’m in my 5th year of teaching and am now balancing work as a public school teacher split between two schools, while also trying to maintain my health, write music for 3-4 projects (totally my fault), and maintain a sense of togetherness ON TOP OF a social life.

I was failing miserably, and it was starting to negatively effect my mental health.

I was at a point where I felt bitterness creep in, a seed that I didn’t want digging its roots into my heart, and a sourness that was slowly seeping into my work as a teacher. My kids didn’t deserve that, and I felt something had to change.

My end goal is to make writing music my career. I want it with every fiber in me, and I know there are a plethora of other people who can relate.

Hustle culture is a thing in the U.S., and I really don’t enjoy it. I don’t want to work 3 jobs, I don’t want to work 40+ hours Monday through Friday and spend 5 or 6 working my side job on the weekend, and yet that was my reality.

Meeting people with multiple jobs is insanely common. I feel like a petulant and entitled child, but I feel as though people shouldn’t have to slave away for a chance at contentedness. Granted, even here in Vietnam, I work on average about 14 - 15 hours a day, but I get 2 unadulterated days off. It’s insane that this is the upside, but it is!

There were a few options on the table, but when I took into account what I would need to thrive switching into this profession (i.e. financial stability), coupled with a desire to experience life in a new country, this felt like a no-brainer.

I had planned to come to Vietnam regardless, but I made it my mission to try and at least find a job before relocating here. The criteria -

• Work no more than 20 hours a week (more time spent writing)

• Make sure those 20 hours cover all my expenses (money from writing goes to savings and business)

• Mornings free (most effective time of writing for me)

No matter what, music comes first. The fact that I made it a criteria in my job search is mind-blowing. I felt as though I was slowly making progress.

That was enhanced when I found a job that actually matched with my criteria and I’ve been working that job for the past 3 weeks. Balancing profession and career has been interesting and I will save that post for another day.

Just so you know - 10 times better already.

Why Vietnam?

I love a good underdog story, and that’s how I felt when I researched Vietnam.

My sister calls me a hipster. I’ll admit, I tend to gravitate towards things people tend to overlook. China, Korea, and Japan were all options, but I felt as though those are countries that everyone wants to go to. Vietnam felt charming with an aura of beauty that is easily appreciated but isn’t taken into account because of a lack of modernity.

I’ll be honest, Vietnam felt like me. There are so many great things to be found, you just have to give it a chance and dig beneath the surface.

So far, I haven’t been disappointed. Not in the least.

Projects

Musically, I have spent my time finishing up work for Ciel Fledge. As I type this, I can say that all music work is COMPLETE! The last little bit is sprucing up the Kickstarter sheet music and prepping for streaming services.

Majority of September will be spent trying to get Gigabuster cleaned up and ready to go. I have a bunch of live recordings coming in that I can’t wait to replace VST samples with. The last 3 pieces need to be mixed (FINAL BATTLE, YEAH) , and then it’ll be on to the Kickstarter backer extended soundtrack and guitar tabs!

There is a huge personal project that I am planning to start, and once I finish Gigabuster, I can mobilize and begin working on it. More information on that, soon.

I also plan on streaming! I do morning warm-ups 3 times out of the week. I’ll make an announcement on Twitter when that starts, but it’s nothing serious. It’s me practicing skills/techniques that I feel need refining, along with making it my mission to consistently create as much as possible and put myself out there in a way that is authentic for me.

It also doesn’t hurt to let people look into my horrendous work-flow.

Having all of this time is invigorating, and my appetite is voracious! I am so, so hopeful for the future. Here’s to working hard in the right way!

“Thank you for taking time out to catch up on me.
Here’s to doing good things, making things happen, and being good people.
”

— Jasmine