Media Archives

Veteran Artists Don’t Quit When They Should

Art, Life and Philosophy, Opinion, Productivity | 23 October 2024

A major issue I had to deal with in 2024 is the myriad reasons I’ve been told to quit whatever I’m doing for the sake of whatever I’m being told is more important and urgent — taking care of my mother, getting married and settling down, and the futility of what I do. I was told these things by people who know barely anything about how I live and what I do. I can’t ignore their advice for I have two functioning ears and a brain that retains information too well. However, what I can do is review what makes me resolute in pursuing my endeavors and my way of life. (more…)

I Strongly Dislike StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

by: Sonny Go

Essays, Video Games | 25 July 2024

Kerrigan from StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

StarCraft II still makes me nostalgic for what were the last few worry-free years of my life. I quite like the Wings of Liberty campaign, from following the struggles of Jim Raynor and the crew of the Hyperion, the antics of Tychus Findlay, and the gameplay progression with the unlockable units and upgrades. You get the sense of the revolution against Arcturus Mengsk being bootstrapped with scraps and held together by a thread. I replayed its campaign so much that I completed all the achievements. On the other hand, Heart of the Swarm gives me a really bad fuzzy feeling that it almost makes me physically nauseous. (more…)

Colby Covington: When a Bad Guy is No Longer Believable

by: Sonny Go

Analysis, Mixed Martial Arts, Pro Wrestling | 20 December 2023

I’ll keep this short since there’s not much analysis to be had here. It’s just a short note on the current predicament of Colby Covington, the one-time interim UFC Welterweight Champion and now three-time title challenger. He lost all three title shots, and he’ll not likely get a fourth at the age of 35. How he carried himself and insulted his opponent Leon Edwards before the fight, handled his decision loss to the champion, and how fans reacted to his apparent lack of self-awareness is a case study for anyone looking to use antagonism for their own public image. (more…)

Cassette Tapes and the Texture of Music in Physical Media

by: Sonny Go

Audio, Music, Opinion | 29 November 2023

Whenever you have disposable cash in this day and age, you’ll likely find yourself browsing online stores on your phone at 2AM out of boredom. You’re looking for something that can momentarily spark your soul and give you something to look forward to in the meantime. When the package arrives, you get excited and unbox the thing; maybe you even record it on video for posterity. Perhaps you end up being disappointed because it didn’t live up to your expectations. But sometimes, your impulsive purchase ends up opening a whole new door in your life. The latter was what happened to me when I bought a cassette tape player on a whim. (more…)

There’s No Weight Behind Your Attacks, Demon Girl

by: Sonny Go

Analysis, Anime / Manga, Combat | 27 November 2023

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End — Stark vs. Linie

My anime of the year for 2023 is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. I don’t watch much anime these days, but I had been looking out for this anime adaptation of one of the best manga I’ve read in recent years. Not only does it have a compelling premise, but it also has lots of juicy ideas in it. The writing of Kanehito Yamada and the animation of Madhouse combined make for one of the best anime series for even non-weebs. For my first post on this show, I’d like to talk about a specific episode that briefly gets into an important martial arts concept. (more…)

Orks in Space, Chinese Folk Religion, and the Power of Belief

by: Sonny Go

Essays, Religion, Tabletop Games | 26 November 2023

Orks from Warhammer 40,000 and Chinese Folk Religion

No, seriously. Before you turn away and call me a loon or a bigot, do take note that I’m Chinese who was raised on this stuff. I grew up with this hodge-podge compendium of beliefs and superstitions that forms this syncretic religion. However, what I experienced may be a distilled version of it since we live in the Philippines. Our take on it may not be similar to that of Taiwan and mainland China, but I know enough to make connections with other things that may be like it. I also know enough about Warhammer 40,000 to write about wild green men in space. This has to be the most deranged blog post I’ll ever write in 2023, so let’s go for a ride. (more…)

I Dare You to Watch This Six-Hour Video on EVE Online

by: Sonny Go

Features, Video Games, YouTube | 16 November 2023

If you have a life and don’t have time to give time to such a long-ass documentary on nerd shit, then it’s completely understandable. You don’t need to whine about it like this dweeb on my blog post on fighting game controls. It’s not like you’re violating the Geneva Convention for not doing as I say. But if you do care about nerd shit like me, then you should watch the result of two whole years of work by Fredrik Knudsen, who is known online for his Down the Rabbit Hole documentary series. It’s six hours long, so you’ll have to either hunker down or watch in multiple sittings. If you’re curious about EVE Online, it’s worth watching because it digs insanely deep. (more…)

Diamonds Shine, Hearts Love, Spades Dig, Clubs Kill

by: Sonny Go

Features, Video Games | 27 October 2023

I’ve been binging on recent videos by Dan Olson from his Folding Ideas channel on YouTube and previously wrote about his video on WallStreetBets. After finishing that blog post, I watched this video on World of Warcraft, which didn’t seem as serious as a 2.5 hour documentary on a cult of gambling addicts playing the US stock market. However, I then saw a Reddit comment that piqued my interest so much that I had to write something about it. While it’s somewhat related to the video, this is less about toxic neckbeards yelling at strangers for being bad at playing WoW and more about different kinds of gamers and what they gravitate to. (more…)

Get Out of Your Own Way

by: Sonny Go

Life and Philosophy, Mixed Martial Arts, Opinion, Pro Wrestling | 08 September 2023

After the recent news of a particular individual being given the boot out of a certain company, I had to write about not only that situation, but also what I think is the cause. It wasn’t just an organizational problem, but also a personal one. I’ve wanted to write about ego and how it can affect a person’s judgment and their ability to work well with others. The greatest trick your ego can pull is to convince you that you’re one and the same and that you need that ego to be who you are. That’s a path of self-destruction, and many never learn to get out of their own way. (more…)

My Diablo IV Frost Lightning Sorcerer Build Guide

by: Sonny Go

Guides, Video Games | 07 August 2023

This still isn’t much of a guide as Diablo IV is still pretty young and I don’t intend to play it past a season or two. The only thing that truly interested me about it is the story, while the aesthetics aren’t exactly to my liking. However, the gameplay is still pretty good, so it interests me enough to make me want to explore different character builds. While this isn’t the Archon Wizard build I enjoyed in Diablo III, I’ve been enjoying clearing dungeons with this build so far. I’d like to share it with everyone else, whether it’s truly awesome or very much suboptimal. (more…)

Diablo IV Game Review

by: Sonny Go

Reviews, Video Games | 07 August 2023

When Blizzard started having its controversies, one of the only titles left that could give the now-embattled company hope for salvaging its once-stellar reputation was Diablo. However, Diablo III was a disappointment due to an incohesive and insensible storyline, as well as gameplay that tries a lot of new things and misses on a lot of them. Also, that launch was a complete disaster, from what I can remember. It looks like they’ve done the opposite with Diablo IV — the last game I’ll likely ever buy from the undead remnants of Blizzard Entertainment. (more…)

Kayfabe in Politics and Media Manipulation

by: Sonny Go

Essays, Life and Philosophy, Politics, Pro Wrestling | 18 July 2023

After getting word of videos about Eric Weinstein’s interpretation of kayfabe on Twitter, I found Frame Problems after a brief search and gave these three videos a watch. I found them interesting as they stretched the application of kayfabe to politics, economics, and mainstream media as far as they possibly can. I had always been interested in Eric Weinstein’s opinion of kayfabe being a crucial component of the cognitive toolbox. As a part of the pro wrestling industry, I wanted to take a closer look at this take on kayfabe and how understanding it can enhance how one interprets mainstream media and public consciousness. (more…)