2021 – Turning the page on 2020

Firstly, belated Happy New Year greetings to all my readers!!!

#one piece from •Anime is my World•

Shortly after my previous post at the end of November, I embarked on a PC building mission that I had been planning for nearly a year. After eight years of usage, my lovely laptop (a Lenovo G505s) deserved a break. It was also time that I switched gears to a PC to accommodate my personal aspirations in digital art and writing. The occasional gaming came as a bonus.

Being a complete amateur to building a PC, I spent much of November reading up on the parts required to build a system while planning my budget for the subsequent purchases. Though it seemed intimidating in the beginning, once the individual parts began to arrive, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

As Edmonton edged toward another Covid-19 lockdown mid-December, I bundled up all the parts onto my office space in my apartment and began building the PC. I was determined to finish the process over the course of a day, and I was mighty proud that I was able to. Reading up on the process as well as watching multiple Youtube videos of others’ mistakes beforehand really made a world of a difference.

I would succeed in completing the build by the afternoon and following a nerve wracking few minutes while turning on the power supply, I was elated to find that my efforts paid off in a fully functioning PC that is now geared with my favorite games, and digital art software.

livememe.com - Success Kid

Unfortunately, thanks to a sensitive nose and a sudden drop in temperatures the same day, I would end up falling sick the following day. It wouldn’t be until late December that my circadian rhythm would right itself amid the change in weather, setting me off on my path to recovery, and finally being able to use my PC.

Over the last week, I’ve enjoyed the near silent workspace environment of my PC amidst some much-needed gaming and writing to cap off 2020. The next four months will be important as I round up my doctoral studies, and even more importantly, as my wife and I expect the newest member of our family.  

2020 has been a tough year for many around the world. I’m thankful to the enduring support of my friends and family who have been so positive through it all. I’m also thankful to my loving wife who has been my strength and inspiration throughout this period. Stepping foot into 2021, I can’t wait to embark on a new journey with you and our little one. As a father-to-be, I intend to put to good use the sleepless nights that are to follow working on the final and most grueling phase of my graphic novel: drawing it all out. I also look forward to fully committing to a career in writing and animation following the completion of my doctoral studies.

As opposed to what may have been a very static 2020, I hope and wish 2021 will be a year of promising, and exciting transitions for everyone. I look forward to seeing you all in my follow up post where I shall detail my PC building process for those who are interested in building your very own PC from scratch.

2019: The year in review

2019 was a roller-coaster ride, and it is now time to turn the page toward a new year. The ups and downs of 2019 have served to motivate my goals and aspirations, both of which share a common origin in the personal progress my life has witnessed thus far. The ride as a whole stabilized around November, providing me a chance to catch my breath, and get set for what I hope will be a much smoother 2020.

2019 arrived at a crossroads in various facets of my life involving my family, friends, and my career aspirations. Moving into 2020, I have about 1.5 years to go in completing my doctoral degree. 2020 also marks the continuation of a personal and introspective dialogue that has helped me come to terms with who I am as an individual, and who I wish to become in the future. 

Looking back, 2019 taught me an important lesson in being careful to not spread myself too thin in my efforts.  I had to set aside my “pen” and give myself time to contemplate in solitude. For so long, I had perceived said course of action to be foolish and of no use. 2019 and Yoda proved me wrong.

Image result for yoda patience

I needed to be patient enough to first settle my doubts and misgivings before jumping on the irresistible bandwagon that included my lofty dreams and aspirations. I needed to ground myself in reality, and be a little more practical in my approach lest I go crazy with stress. More so, I had to learn to avoid being overly critical of myself which on many occasions led to frustrating results in my writing, and just about everything else, along with a veritable lack of confidence.

The last few months have served as personal rehabilitation. I took a step back, and relaxed. Occasional road-trips helped as well. Altogether, I let life sink in, and every now and then, pondered over the nagging doubts, slowly overcoming my insecurities while solidifying my personal vision for my future. With 2020 at my doorstep, I spent much of December gradually organizing the blue-print for a committed, productive, and practical schedule in my full-time pursuit of a career in writing.

I find writing to be a dynamic activity, and one that is heavily influenced by the writer’s state of mind and day-to-day experiences. What I needed to find was balance in my personal life (as well as share and help my family understand the ensuing changes, the toughest part of it all)  and 2019 has been a resounding success in that measure. So, having accomplished this, what exactly do I have in mind for 2020?

I love writing but I’m also too stubborn to give up my love for science. My efforts will thus take me toward a serious pursuit of a career “sun-lighting” as a science writer, and “moon-lighting” as  an aspiring author/comic-book artist. The Pensive Reverie  has provided me the chance to share my thoughts and opinions with my friends and followers around the world on a variety of topics. I hope to expand that empire of mine while focusing The Pensive Reverie as a hub where I can discuss my interests as an aspiring author/comic-book artist: comic books, book reviews, writing, poetry, anime, art and animation.

Meanwhile, I intend to gradually build a separate audience for The Procrastinating Scientist which will cover my interests as a science writer. While it doesn’t seem like much in the outset, there is a lot involved on both these fronts and I will do my best to post regular updates while fencing with my doctoral studies. With that being said, I wish everyone and all a very…