Have you ever played with a prism in science class? I was always fascinated how you could see things in a completely different perspective; the world changes entirely when looking through a prism. The same goes for life. When you look at life from a new perspective, the world can change drastically.
For the past several weeks, my friend Yumerri has been helping me learn how to write better. One strategy we came up with was to read more: more articles, more books, whatever! I just have to be exposed to as much proper writing as possible. One book Yumerri recommended to me was No-No Boy by John Okada. The story follows a Japanese-American man named Ichiro was is returning back home from prison following the aftermath of World War II after refusing to join the army. Although I haven’t read much, I’m enjoying No-No Boy.
I learned two things while reading No-No Boy, first was that I am not well read at all. I was embarrassed when I realized this. The second thing was that the book would offer something I always valued: perspective. I knew very little point of views regarding WWII. I have always primarily viewed the war from an Anglo-American one. This will effectively be the first time I will read from the perspective of someone like Ichiro, someone who’s between two world, neither fully Japanese nor fully American.
Perspective is a valuable tool to comprehend the world around us and the people who inhabit it. Without it, we risk being ignorant and unable to empathize with others. Life is already boring as it is. Just like looking at the same scene through a prism, don’t you think things would be more interesting if you just looked at it differently?
This week, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom! Not only that, it started raining a lot more as well. Just like clockwork, WA state seems to follow this cycle every year: have a good streak of nice weather, cherry blossoms come out in full bloom, and then the rain comes in to knock it all down. It’s honestly disheartening every time, but I’ve also grown to become accustomed to it. Cherry blossoms really do represent the fleeting nature of life very well. Maybe that’s why so many people can’t help but love cherry blossoms so much?
Cherry blossoms aside, I’ve had a nice reprieve from Caffeine: Victoria’s Legacy due to CthulhuSeeker’s absence. Instead, I’ve been playing Spiritfarer on stream. Its themes align perfectly with the type of story I tend to enjoy — a journey to round up lost spirits, listen to their stories, and help them eventually cross over to the final part of their journey. Due to its themes, I found myself surprisingly vulnerable and open while I was streaming. I’m conflicted on how I feel about that, but it’s a really nice outlet to speak my mind on matters regarding death and moving forward from that point. Though that’s all going to get thrown out the window next week as I dive right back into Caffeine: Victoria’s Legacy again. God have mercy on my soul.
It’s not all doom and gloom though! Monster Hunter: Rise also just recently came out. My friends, Jeebsi and Leyzee, invited me to a BBQ at their place. They also invited Tommy, a mutual friend of ours, to join as well. It had been a really long time since we all had a chance to just sit down and hang out with each other. Not only that, we all played Monster Hunter: Rise together in the same room too. It had a very nostalgic vibe to it that I missed. Some of us had commented how it felt like old times when that’s what we used to do before internet gaming was easily accessible. “It feels… illegal! Especially at our age!” With all of us being in our 30s (two of which also being parents), it did feel slightly strange to feel as though we were sent back into the past. That unsettling feeling left just as quickly as it arrived however, as we went right back into playing Monster Hunter: Rise.
I feel rather fortunate knowing that I have effectively immortalized this moment by writing it down in this post. Such a small moment, but another cherished moment nonetheless. I hope they too felt the same as I did.
