One of the things I enjoy the most in my life is playing fighting games. I don’t know what it is but it just been a fascination and past time of mine since childhood. I remember while playing these games with other people there was always someone that constantly held the block button. The block button kept you protected from attacks but if you held it all day it would stall the flow of the fight. I’ve realized life can be like holding the block button. We keep up this shield of defense where cant be hurt/damaged and thinks that is helping us. By constantly doing this we go through life not experience any punches which leads to no growth.
However when we declared that we would just fight without blocking as much, the fights were much more enjoyable and we played twice as many matches. When you remove the block button from your life, you open yourself up to experience more and it doesn’t matter how much you get bruised you still continue to fight. It took me years to figure out vulnerability and not perfection is what really matters, hopefully it doesn’t take you that long. So remember a strong defense is an even stronger offense stay on the attack, take a few hits and get ready for the next battle.
More often than not there will be days in our lives when we will feel defeated and overwhelmed. During those states most of us becomes unsure and doubtful about what’s to come in the near future. What people tend to do is focus on the problem and not the solution. They rag all day on what’s wrong without considering what to do about it. However if you know like I know there is something you can always do about it.
When we see football and basketball players lose games you will always hear the players speak on watching film and trying to come up with a better strategy. Film in everyday life is simply analyzing the problem at hand and seeing clearly what went wrong and coming up with a way to fix it. If you’re overweight, can’t get that break you seek, or simply can’t get pass a certain level in a video game; if you just sit in the locker room(being your mental state of peace) you can begin to let the problem process and a solution will begin to formulate.
On the flip side, athletes are also known to watch film to analyze the strategies of their opponents…that is something you will NOT do. Film in your case is strictly focusing and zoning in on yourself. There isn’t enough time in the day to worry about others and yourself, you’re going to end up leaning towards one or the other. Studying your bad habits and shortcomings will lead to you knowing yourself and then learning to control yourself which will give you the ultimate power. So sure life is filled with tough games and blowouts and we can never get the time back to correct those mistakes, only the memory reel that will prevent those mistakes from happening again.
For the past two years I’ve been making huge transitions in my life. None of which would be possible without my strong support system. Last night I thought about all the people who are coming together for my cause and it made me think of when Goku uses the spirit bomb. Now Goku hisself is the strongest character amongst his group but sometimes even he needs help. You may feel as though you are very competent on your own but trust me every task can’t be handled by you alone.
When an enemy becomes too much to bear Goku starts an attack called the “Spirit Bomb”, in which he gathers energy from every living thing on the planet (human, plants, animals,etc.) and merge it into a big ball of energy and thrust it towards his opponent. When it is time for you to tackle a big task you have to draw in assistance from everything/everyone you can think of. No matter how big or small their contribution it all adds to the big ball of energy which is your success! The next time you may feel overwhelm call upon others , I’m sure they’ll have no problem helping you try not to destroy the planet in the process!
Two of my favorite video games are the Final Fantasy and the Kingdom Hearts series. They are part of a popular video game genre known as RPG (role playing game).
One of the key elements of a RPG is something known as a party. A party is a group of characters that goes on an adventure in the game. That concept is very much analogous to life being which we too are on a journey and many people are along for the ride. However a crucial point to a party in a RPG is that you can’t go through the entire game with the same party.
Different scenarios requires a different combination of characters. You may need a character that can open a door to a certain level, one of them may posses a key battle element, or simply one character may be cooler to have around than the other. In any case, life requires a slot swap just like a RPG because certain situations cause for certain people. It may be someone holding the group back so they have to get swap out or it may be someone who has the extra push you needed so they must get swapped in. An alternation is always required because life is a multi layered experience constantly increasing in difficulty.
Another key element for a party is a synchronization bonus. Meaning that a specific character combination causes a significant power increase that greatly benefit the player. Life’s synchronization bonus is most associated with people who come together that is on the same frequency/mission. When you have the extra support of knowing everyone around you shares the same mindset , it gives you (the player) an increased boost in ability to conquer uncharted territory.
Just like a RPG life has many roles for us to fulfill. It doesn’t matter the role we take as long as it is the right one for us and may we fulfill that role alongside the right people.
Growing up my one of my favorite video games was Super Mario 64. The previous entries were always fun but when the open world element came into play and the better graphics (at that time) showed Mario in his full glory I was hooked. However I never thought a game from my childhood would come back and teach me a valuable lesson about a virtuous Trait.
You can always come back to it. I revisited Super Mario 64 last year and before then it was YEARS before I played the game. A lot of games came and went but I always remembered how I didn’t beat it and I told myself when I got the chance to play the game again I would with no hesitation. Similar to life whatever you seek to accomplish there is going to be at least one more time when you can come back to it. Whether it is finishing school, joining a sports team, or entering some type of competition if it’s in your spirit to finish it , it will get done.
You won’t get everything on your first try. Super Mario 64 came out in 96' and I probably didn’t play it till 98'. In either case, I wasn’t even ten yet so I was surprised I got as far as I did in the game. It wasn’t possible to beat the game at my age then, all the concepts was for too much for me to grasp. Again in life some things can’t accomplish until you’ve reached a coming of age and a certain maturity. Your lack of experience/knowledge blinds you to certain things happening to your environment and it is only when time has passed that you can see what was hidden in the dark clear as daylight now.
The journey really is the fun part. After reaching a point when I can come back and finish my initial goal to finally beat the game I found myself enjoying the game like never before. I was still amazed at the creativity that went into the levels, I deeply immersed myself into the universe of the game, and I saw Super Mario from a whole new perspective. When I finally beat the game I felt satisfied knowing I was given a full experience. Many people (including myself) want to skip to the part of life where the game is beaten and you can enjoy the fruits of your labor all day long. If you did that you would miss out on the happenings that surrounds you, the rush that comes with completing tasks that further your goals, and the various places that you end up along the way. Like Super Mario 64, life is a one player game where you decide everything you do just don’t decide to give up.
My introduction to video games came from my mother. Our first game system that I can remember was the SEGA GENESIS and the games I loved the most were anything that had SONIC THE HEDGEHOG on it. My earliest memory serve me with feelings of excitement, thrill, and joy. The first few SONIC’s were basic side scrolling games but it was that simplicity that made it fun. And with the addition of bonus stages it made the game that much more compelling to complete.
My next encounter with the great SONIC franchise would be on SEGA’s last console, the DREAMCAST. With the introduction of SONIC ADVENTURE. This franchise is what brought the series to its peak and combined the simplicity of the old series with expanded features that should’ve been kept in future installments.
Now it’s time to get to the nitty gritty, this is why SEGA can’t get SONIC right. SONIC ADVENTURE brought something new to the series actually it brought multiple things which includes; open-world gameplay, character upgrades,large playable cast, and mini games. SONIC ADVENTURE had a key element most people could not appreciate and that is character depth. It showed TAILS forging his own path to get out of SONIC’s shadow, KNUCKLES coming to terms with his life’s purpose, and even AMY learns how to become independent and not a Damsel in distress.
In the most recent installments of SONIC it seems that it had just been diluted to a children’s series and its legacy is only used to sell merchandise. The only redeeming thing about SONIC in the recent years has been his addition to the SUPER SMASH BROS. franchise and arguably “SONIC HEROES”. SONIC turning into a werewolf, KNUCKLES turning into The Terminator, and even having the characters subjected to hover boards showed a disrespect to the legacy which is SONIC.
If SEGA hopes to redeem SONIC and not just thrive off its nostalgia then the main focus shouldn’t be how much money can be made ( hard concept for publicly held corporations ) but how can they get the gamers to care about its characters and what would immense the players deeper into the world of SONIC. My eyes may never see SONIC returned to its former glory so I’ll just apply the JAY Z logic of “Niggas want my old shit buy my old albums”. *Turns on SONIC ADVENTURE*
Gucci was founded in 1921 and I’ve been aware of the brand probably since 98/99(I was born in 92) and ever since then I knew it was a signal of luxury. My mother has always carried purses but I always noticed the ones she favored most was those which bear the famous double g monogram. It was in that monogram in which she probably found the symbol of luxury and in my life time I learned only but a few brands (Burberry’s pattern, Louis Vuitton’s monogram, and Ralph Lauren’s pony…just to name a few) would be able to capture the power of luxury thru a world recognizable logo.
I listen to a lot of rap actually it’s my favorite genre and Gucci is definitely one of the most spoke about brands in the genre (hell a person even made a legendary career off its name, s/o Guwop). But for a while it seems like Gucci was just a name to be glorified and revered than actually to be respected and worn because of its design/quality.
But something magical happened to Gucci in Jan 2015. It appointed it’s new Creative Director, Alessandro Michele. He isn’t new to brand by any means as he worked over 12 years inside the Gucci design studio. However when he was appointed Creative Director his vision was truly able to come to life and we now have the Gucci that we have today.
What does that mean exactly? Well in my personal opinion it means that people are looking at Gucci for something they didn’t see in a long time and that is, innovation. That’s right from the embroidered pieces of animals to unique floral prints , Gucci is capturing an Eclectic energy that I believe no other brand at the moment is capable of. So in 2016, when I put on Gucci I won’t be thinking “oh this is good product because Gucci name is stitched in it and I paid $2000 for it”. No not all, instead I’ll say “Wow this is proof of fine labor and I’m glad I’m able to even to wear such a piece, oh and it’s by Gucci”. And that ladies and gentlemen is what the resurgence of Gucci means to me.
