On the eve of Monday, 22 May 2023, smoke billowed from the basement of the Manila Central Post Office in Lawton, Manila. Shortly after, the flame that made the smoke became fire. The fire then spread and crawled its way up the building. Paper, wood, and other materials in the post office served as kindling to feed the fire, which grew it into a roaring blaze. For the next 30 hours, one of Manila’s great landmarks stayed alight, to the horror of eyewitnesses and the citizens of Manila. (more…)
Even after the rebranding, I’ve been struggling to write more on this blog because I still couldn’t figure out what Avoider.net should be about. It has always been about my interests, but most of those interests seem banal now, especially now that I’m entering my late 30s. I want to write things that will be helpful and relevant even after many years, and I’ve already done that with some of the posts here. However, I know I can do more, so I’ll take this chance to figure out what this thing should really be about. (more…)
This online thing I have has been going on for more than ten years now. It’s a hobby at best and I just like having it around to focus on whenever I don’t have anything else going on. While I haven’t gotten any significant traction throughout the years, that wasn’t the point of this whole thing. However, as time passes and I get more weighed down by responsibilities, catching more eyeballs becomes more imperative. After all, since I spend quality time pouring my soul into this thing at my leisure, perhaps it’s time I consider doing it seriously for once. (more…)
The thing about existing in this universe while housed in these squidgy mortal vessels is that illness can come at you when you least expect it. You could be born to go on as an invincible hobo who subsists on moonshine and sewer rats, or you could be born as a Habsburg. While modern medicine can help extend your lifespan, that depends on the affliction. But the x-factor when it comes to the wonders of modern medicine is that it’s hella expensive. I was reminded of that recently, adding to my regret that I haven’t gotten proper health insurance yet (I’ve been planning to get one sometime in 2023). (more…)
Let me preface this by admitting to not being any good at games like this. As I’ve mentioned in my first blog post on Elden Ring, this is the first game by FromSoftware that I actually got into (that is not Ninja Blade). But since this is such a big event in my life, finally being able to appreciate a game in this franchise, I wanted to express how much I appreciate the best open-world game I’ve played since Skyrim by detailing how I got through my first few bosses. (more…)
NVIDIA Broadcast is great, for the most part. You can remove noise from your microphone and speakers like magic and remove the background on your webcam like you’re living in a green screen void. But now that I actually have an RTX card to use it with, I’ve been somewhat disappointed with it. It’s good at what it does, but perhaps it’s too good. Let me explain. (more…)
I’ve had this blog on this domain for around ten years now. I originally put this up to keep sharp both my writing and web design skills. Nowadays, I’m not sure anymore why I still keep it up since I haven’t been able to make anything out of it for a whole decade. However, I’m not ready to give up on it just yet, but I do have to start whittling it down to the bare essentials so I can actually do more with it for less and without being overwhelmed. (more…)
While I’m figuring out what I want to focus on as 2022 approaches and the world is cautiously opening back up, I looked for a new game that I could grind. I tried Valorant, but it only makes me anxious and regret not having played more CounterStrike. I thought about Final Fantasy XIV, but the onboarding process is so complicated that it discouraged me. Then, I went back to a genre that I used to enjoy and found myself enjoying it again. (more…)
After five months since initial release, I finally got to play Valheim, thanks to being given a copy by a friend. I didn’t want it to go to waste, especially since I heard about the hype back in February. I’ve had some survival crafting experience in Minecraft, but not enough to be proficient at the genre, so here’s my chance to really get into it. (more…)
It’s that time once again to have at least two particular tabs open on my browser—my bank account and the computer store website. After a good bit of pondering and perusing, I’ve come to my final list for what PC upgrades I shall introduce into my life. Hopefully, the major components will be procured as early as the start of July (EDIT: I may delay it to August or September), just in time for my birthday. (more…)
This whole Avoiderdragon thing has been kept alive to give me a reason to exist. I have to pay for domain and hosting every year, and I barely publish blog posts here. I can keep justifying it with various excuses, but the only good way to truly make it worth the effort and expense is to actually become prolific with content creation. This is how I will do it. (more…)
Becoming a Better Commentator
Anyone who has given commentary a try, whether it’s talking over MMA fights and pro wrestling matches alone in your room (like I did) or recording boring let’s play videos or game replays that you then upload on YouTube for no one to watch, would know how hard it can be. You have to be able to talk fast, maintain high energy, and be both informative and entertaining at the same time. This is something I would like to get better at in 2022. (more…)