I love Simcity 4 soundtrack!

Video game music has come a long way. From its 8 bits nostalgic glory to the fully orchestrated, Hollywoodish soundtracks of most AAA titles nowadays. Video game music is mostly cherished in a way, but artistically under appreciated outside the hardcore-gamer sphere. It can be like pop music, wildly popular and liked at times (who can't remember that classy Super Mario Bros tune?) but hardly anyone would celebrate it as art. As an avid gamer (gamer-wise, I'm just a shadow of what I used to be now that I joined the Augustinian order) and as a fan of music, I have always been of the opinion that Video game music is heavily under appreciated. Sadly, this is due to the general idea that Video games, are just, well, games. Toys. Something to play with. Or even worse, something for kids. This is partly due to the name of this entertainment medium, as its second name "game" sells itself too short, and can't possibly do justice to this wonderful, interactive expression of art. Yes, I've just called Video games art. For this reason, many in the industry have pushed and called for a new name for this entertainment medium. But enough of that. My main point is that there is much more to Video games than that which its name reveals.

And one big, important part of Video game is the music. I've been recently addicted to a game: Simcity 4. One of the things that I love about this game is the music. From playing other Maxis' video games (like the Sims), I know that Maxis takes good care of the music for its video games. Jerry Martin and Andy Brick used a 70 piece orchestra to record and compose parts of the songs for the game (specifically with its Expansion pack,, Rush Hour) in the Czech Republic. One of my favorite pieces of this is called "Wheels of Progress".I absolutely love this piece, it starts slowly with an almost haunting and barely audible harp melody, a beat set by what seems to be a bass trumpet of sorts (sorry I'm not an expert in identifying these numerous instruments), slowly the violins (possibly the viola) joins with trumpets and strings setting the main, carefree, and apparently disorganized melody; a flute introduces a second melody, quickly contrasted with the first melody by the strings, the orchestra mildly and slowly exploding into a third melody that can act as the "chorus" of the piece, returning with the quiet and calming harp and bass trumpet (or whatever instruments set the beat), and then proceding with different variations of the melodies. There is an interesting article on the New York Times about Andy Brick, the composer of this beautiful piece http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/09/nyregion/a-composer-gives-video-games-a-musical-life.html?scp=1&sq="andy%20brick"&st=cse

Even better, you can download the whole Simcity Rush Hour soundtrack in the Simcity 4 website http://simcity.ea.com/coolstuff/rh_music/index.php. Other favorites of the Soundtrack are "Morning Commute" and "Metropolis". Check it out, its free. Give video game music a chance.

End of Week 1 Weight Loss Challenge.

I was supposed to post this on Monday, but I was too busy playing Simcity 4 that I forgot to weigh myself. I did so yesterday, and returning from a visit from parents, I decided to finally post it. So there you go, that's my excuse.

So this the result of the end of Week 1:

Starting Weight: 316.

Ending Weight: 314.

Pounds lost this Week: 2.

Total Pounds lost: 2.

So there you have it! I know that 2 pounds is not too much, but I want to lose weight in a healthy manner, unlike my last time I did so. For this week I reduced my serving portions. I did some exercising (walking) but not as much as I would like, and so I'm going to try to step it up this week. See you next week!

The start of my weight loss challenge -Week 1.

As part of my New Year's resolution, I finally decided to start losing weight (in contrast to just deciding to lose weight). As a way to keep myself motivated, and possibly motivate others to do the same, I will start posting weekly weigh-ins, and if I lost any weight, say how I did it. I am a busy student. I'm also living in the Augustinian community as a pre-novitiate candidate. I have many obligations that can make this weight loss journey difficult. But if I can do it, lazy and busy as I am, then indeed anyone can do it. And I know I will do it. I had done it before. When I was living in my native country, Nicaragua, I was 70 lbs. overweight. I decided to make a change. I lost the 70 lbs in just three months. Unfortunately, the weight loss was too rapid to be healthy, and after one year of maintaining my weight, I regained it all back, and then some.

My Goals: But no need to cry over spilled milk. The future is always before me, if God grants me the grace to do so. My goals will be to lose between 1 and no more than 4 lbs. a week. To attain this goal I will do the following:

-Reduce my meals portions.

-Never miss breakfast.

-Have small snacks (no more than 100 cals.) between meals.

-Exercise a minimum of 3 days a week, and if my schedule permits, 5 days a week.

-Try, as much as my class schedule permits, to never have dinner after 6pm.

About the exercise: I am fully conscious that exercising a minimum of 3 days a week is not enough for me to lose weight. I will try to exercise more days. Unfortunately, I am a very busy student (with tons-load of homework) that leave me little time to exercise. The odds seem to be against me, but I know I will do it. At the beggining, my exercise will be simply to walk. Later I will try running. Gym will not be my primary way of exercising, not only because I have limited gym access, but I know many people have limited gym access. Gym is not neccesary to lose weight.

My first weight in: I weighed myself this morning. My starting weight is: 316 lbs.

If you want to know how I look with this weight, just look at my profile picture. I have not changed much since I took that picture.

See you all next week! God bless!

Favorites Music Albums of 2009

Musically, 2009 was a great year for me. I came upon some great albums, some of them I came surprised that I ended up liking. There were a few disappointments (Skillet's Awake was incredibly inferior to their past efforts), but in the end, there were some great highlights.

2009 Favorites (In chronological order) :

Viva La Vida by Coldplay: This is the first album I ever bought from Coldplay. They never been my favorite, as they appeared to me a little, um... cheesy (for lack of a better word). But I had heard and read great things about this album, and Viva la Vida is a beautiful song that stuck to me by the end of 2008. And so I decided to buy this album very early in January, and it did not disappoint. The atmospheric and relaxing ambient sounds of Coldplay seem to mature to create this memorable album. "Lost!" is one of my favorite songs in the album, Chris Martin singing in the chorus "you thought you might be a ghost, you didn't get to heaven but you made it close." Another hightlight (and probably my favorite song of the album) is Death and all His Friends", with Martin's soothing piano guiding the melody and ambiance, then slowly, the guitar takes control, with the piano following closely. At this point the song ups the tempo, turning into a happy and sunny tune, but quickly erupting into a sad tune, with crying guitars and Martin's voice singing "I don't want to cycle or recycle revenge, I don't want to follow death and all his friends".

Dance or Die by Family Force 5: When this album arrived to my mailbox as part of my monthly recommendation of Christian Rock from BMG music club, I was sort of dissapointed, as I thought, this isn't Rock. It is an odd combination of alternative, rock and dance. The end result is a shiny, candy colored (if such thing is possible) dance-rock. A little bit wacky, pop-ish, but fun. The song "Dance or Die" is instantly likable and catchy, and unlike most catchy pop songs, it has a lasting appeal, as there is more depth to it than initially thought of. The whole album is a fun electric ride, which is not a bad thing.

Working on a Dream by Bruce Springsteen: I never thought I would like this album, at least not to the extent that I do. Reading the good reviews, I decided to give it a try. At first, it was hard to get into it. Not that I didn't like it, but alien to what I'm used to. But then, and almost suddenly, the songs started to grow on me, to an almost magical extent. I listened to this album as I was reading "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the songs are filled with this magical realism the book is famous for, but in their own romantic way. The songs that most express this sense of magical realism for me are "This Life" and "Kingdom of Days".

No Line on the Horizon by U2: My first U2 album. I liked U2, but not as much as to buy an album from them. This album changed my perspective on U2 and now they are one of my favorite bands. This is definitely one of my favorite album. And as Rolling Stones put it, this is U2's masterpiece. I'm surprised and puzzled that the album didn't sell as well as it was expected (and that Magnificent wasn't a radio hit!), but then again, many great albums are unappreciated. From the majestic and serene happiness of "Magnificent"and the devotion of "Moment of Surrender", continuing with the military and yet soulful commands on "Unkown Caller" and the gray-winter atmospheric feel of "FEZ-Being born" to The Edge's crunching and hopeful guitar in "Breathe", this album is quite an experience from beginning to end. There is a raw feel to the whole album, which is more apparent when you read about the recording process. Certainly one album you cannot miss.

Elephant by The White Stripes: Another masterpiece. Certainly an acquired taste. I already wrote briefly about this album in another post (Music I've been listening lately), but my taste of it has somewhat matured since I wrote that post. White's guitar playing is easier for me to appreciate now. His crying (no, more like whining) guitar can be hard to like, but once I did, it really grew on me. I discovered the passion behind it, and how the guitars simply overflows with emotion. Now my favorite song is "Ball and Biscuit" , one that I previously didn't like, but one song that it expresses White's passion about Blues. Definitely recommended if you want to expand your music tastes.

Forget and Not Slow Down by Relient K: Probably my favorite album of the year. I also wrote about this album in my post "Music I've been listening lately". Since that post, one song (well the last two songs can be combined to form one) has really grown on me. "This is the end" and "(If You Want It)" is truly a Relient K masterpiece in itself. It starts with Thiesen's moody and ambient piano filling the beginning of the song, quiclky interrupted by the band in a loud punk-rock style. The lyrics talk of a possible end of a relationship and the hurt associated with it. The second part of the song slows the tempo, the piano guiding the song, the guitar subtly following by the half the song as Thiessien sings "I met the devil and I stared her in the eyes...I took the fire escape and made it out alive, yeah I still burn from time to time but I've a healing hand against my side". It finally slows down, Thiessen tenderly singing: "Blisters on my feet I crawled back home, Frozen from the sleet burned sand and stones, Nourished back to life by life alone, With one shake of the main regain the thrones". There's no better way to end a record.

Hello Hurricane by Switchfoot: And finally I ended the year with Switchfoot's Hello Hurricane. This is a departure from Switchfoot's previous releases. With a change of label and more artistic freedom comes one of the best of Switchfoot's album, and that's saying a lot. It has a more rough and harsh sound to it. "Mess of Me" is a great single, and talks of how we can be led astray by our sins. This album has a more atmospheric and yet harsh sound to it, mixing the electric guitar with synthesizers. This is more evident in "Sing it out", my favorite song of the album. It starts slow, with a synthesized sound following Foreman's voice, the guitar is subtle at the beginning, letting the strings and synthesizers leading the atmospheric sound, but all that changes by the end of the song, with the guitar and the band kicking in and finishing the song. I really recommend this album, although it takes some time to appreciate and adjust to the new sound of Switchfoot, specially if you are a fan of their previous releases.

Dethroning the god of Consumerism in Advent.

Listening to the Catholic podcast In Between Sunday (http://www.sqpn.com), they talked about Affluenza, which some of you may know, is a critique of consumerism, advocating for simple living. It made me reflect on things I hardly noticed before, and how this consumerist culture can harm us physically, mentally and spiritually, perhaps without us noticing it.

Advent, the Church says, is a time of longing, waiting and preparing for the Lord's return. This is in direct contrast with the ambiance felt at this time, a time when consumerism takes its festive robes and charms us to a point where overconsumption is tolerated, where months before seemed unwise to do so. It seems to me we are all affected by it, I was certainly affected by it. And the effects of this overconsumption can affect us beyond Christmass, and the way we spend our money.

I don't remember the time when I was a day without a meal, when I suffered hunger by mere necessity, or when my basics needs were not covered. I assume that many in the U.S. and the rest of the developed world share my experience. If you are like me, then all we can do is acknowledge the great privilege that we have, and best of all, do our best to not abuse it and share it with others. Every time we overspend in things we don't really need, let us remember those that are struggling to fill their stomachs, or heal their wounds. We live in a culture where cars and cellphones are looked as necessities while they live in one where food and medicine haunts and taunts them as a luxury.

Reflecting over my symptoms of overconsumption, I could clearly see the effects of it in my daily life. One need not to be wealthy in order to binge on materialism, for there is an easy way to do it for every budget. Before living with the Augustinian, when I worked, I certainly wasn't. I was making $8.75 an hour, working 32 hours a week. I can still remember the thrill of the payday. What I usually did on those days was to wake up, pick up my check, and drive to whatever store and buy whatever item(s), and then finish it off with a lunch in a restaurant. It feel good, too good. Indeed, an addiction. And this went on for many years. Why is that? As a Catholic I certainly knew that money and material possessions would not offer me happiness. And what I felt was not happiness, rather an influx of short-lived energy followed by guilt and emptiness. Indeed, an addiction.

On months that I didn't have much money left after paying the bills, I thought and maybe even said (and I heard many express the same when found in similar situation.) "this is a bad month". A bad month? I had my basic needs covered, food on my table, water, heck even cable t.v. and internet, and I said that it was a bad month?! What right did I have to say that it was bad when millions around the world consider me lucky for having my basic needs covered and much more?How could I possibly face God in my prayers to tell Him that I had a bad month just because I couldn't buy me a new unnecessary item, eat unnecessary and unhealthy amount of food, after watching cable t.v that afternoon and checking the internet before going to bed? How could I miss the obvious, that is, that the sole deciding factor on those occasions, when I felt that money was short, on whether I had a bad month or not was the ability to indulge in unnecessary consumption? Indeed, an addiction.

Living now in the community has helped me see this addiction. As Augustinians we have to make vow of poverty. I get not much money every month, enough to cover my needs. At first I thought "this sucks" (that is, receiving little money), but now I'm learning to appreciate the simple life. And may we all learn from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, "Live simply that others may simply live". Let us make this goal for advent. Our little gift to our family, and most importantly, to Jesus. Amen.

The Monastic Squad of Mp3 Awesomeness!!!

file:///F:/06-Sha%20La%20La.MP3 (right click to listen the rad awesomeness)

The Monastic Squad of MP3 Awesomeness!!!

I find it intriguing how funny random things appear in life. The stories of these disturbing pictures began with an e-bay transaction gone wrong. Not so long ago, I decided to look on e-bay for a small mouse for my new laptop. Something cheap but useful. I found one from a buyer from China at almost $3.00. These are the kind of things you buy on e-bay, things that don't concern so much the quality of the product but the almost immediate satisfaction of a vane need. Whatever works when you are not concerned with the brand tag but more with the price tag. The mouse arrived two weeks later, and it works wonderfully. And so I decided to buy another for someone else. After all, it's just $3.00 right?

What I wasn't expecting is this : Sunglasses MP3 Player!!! Apparently, whoever sold the mouse to me, got himself or herself so utterly confused that they sent me an mp3 player instead of a mouse. When I first received this rad and cool-wannabe glasses, with its ridiculously cheap-looking plastic, but best of all, with awesome "flip up lens" and "Extended Binaural earphones with stereo sound"(not kidding) I thought: WTH? Why in the world would I want this? I thought it was some sort of practical joke from my parents, since I asked them for an ipod nano for Christmas. Yeah they probably are having a good laugh about it, and saying"oh, so you wanna be cool and hip with an iPod?, why don't you try this rad awesomeness instead?". But the box came from China, and maybe my e-bay seller ran out of mouses and thought the sunglasses would be a pretty cool replacement. As part of the product features it says: "This product employs imported lenses, with trendy appearance...it shields UV, glare and diffused light, allowing you to enjoy music in the sun without disturbance". Yes, if by trying to look trendy but failing miserably into dorkyness does not disturb you, then the claim is perfectly logical. And so I brought the glasses to the Augustinian community where I live, and we had a good laugh about it. My vocational director told me something like "those look like someone trying to be cool but failing". My pre-novitiate brother, who we will call "Joe"(pictured in the second disturbing picture), tried them. The vocational director then said "Yes, you look dorky" Indeed. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing this, and just entertaining the thought of wearing it to school robs me of every possible self-dignity. And since we were playing poker while we tried them on (and oddly enough, danced with them on) we entertained the idea that the loser would have to lose his self-dignity by wearing it one day to school, but the prospects of losing being so great, we abandoned the idea completely.

Worse of all, it came pre-loaded with songs. 3 actually. Two pop songs in Chinese, and the best, a song called "Sha La la" that is just laughable with its synthesized audio vomit. "Sha-la la la la, Sha la la la in the morning, sha la la la la, sha la la la in the sunrise" (I uploaded the song as a file, right click to listen, preferably while you read this). The song is now stuck to my head. And unfortunately I'm now stuck with this product, as the possibilities of me returning it seems unlikely, for whatever reasons.

Ugliest College around: City College of San Francisco.

By the end of my Critical Thinking class, our teacher was making comments on the ugliness of the buildings at CCSF. Everyone in unison agreed as he mentioned each building. First he mentioned the Architect who designed these buildings, oddly enough a famous and good one (I can't remember the name). He then mentioned the Science Hall, which was the most acceptably designed building. It has some interesting designs, but overall is very uninteresting and dull. The mosaics on the walls are beautiful, but they are idiotically blocked with some huge pillars in front of them. Here is a link to the photo of the building at flicker:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sivart13/2413204062/

Then comes the worst architectural nightmare at CCSF, the Cloud building. A bended rectangular block covered with some depressing windows. The design screams of the 60s or 70s, and when I pass by it, it looks like some abandoned hospital in some forgotten and cold part of Eastern Europe. When the teacher mentioned this building, all of the student expressed their disgust with a simple and weirdly passionate "ugh!", coming out in a rush as if it was a restrained passion, just waiting for the right opportunity to make its expression. Here is the link to the photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/puppyboysukk/458204526/

The other abomination comes in the form of a "cracker box" as my teacher said. The horribly dull Batmale Hall. Truckloads of cement diarrhea dumped in a blocky mold, to later stick on windows that tried to mirror balconies but end up being fake ones, probably for the sake of teasing. This building is so horrible that photographs of it are scarce, probably because everyone tries to avoid the hellish images it conjures up:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emanistan/1316998592/

Here is another I found:http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/ESL/oce.html

There are many other abominations, like the horrible bungalows that tries to mirror the worst classrooms of third world countries to a point that it insults them, to the Spanish-ish designs of the building next to the Health Center, that looks like modern architectural yellowish vomit that was slightly molded to a design. But there is one building under construction. Perhaps a promising one! And it doesn't look that bad. But it is dull, modern, and simply bizarre. The good thing is that is being built as very green and efficient building. But there is worse, the color is Orange. Yes Orange! A good color could have saved this building and give it an acceptable design. But no, that would be too good for CCSF. The link:

http://www.jetsongreen.com/2008/10/sf-performing-a.html