Achieving Our Goals

04 September 2016 Progress Report #3: Goal 1) I was able to finish seven draft routes out of my 10 targets for our game. I only have to refine and be more specific of how the routes/branches/dialogues would go. The overall design of our game universe needs to be cleared and finalized, too. We want our game to cater to a worldwide audience, but we have to make sure that certain elements of our heritage (Philippine and Chinese) are also incorporated into it. The characters I created have received final approval from the whole team and our artist is now finishing up and working on their sprite versions as well. Everything's going smoothly on the game developing front. I may start programming this coming week if no other urgent matters arise. Goal 2) I had the initial talk with my parents. As expected, they weren't very thrilled with the idea. I think the one-month deadline I set to clear the air between myself and my loved ones regarding South Sudan is a really good approximation. My mentors (my previous bosses and theses advisers and panelists) are very supportive, however. I have scheduled a Skype discussion with my uncle and his girlfriend who now works in Liberia and Malawi, respectively, for 'Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF)' aka 'Doctors without Borders'. They know full well how the international development and humanitarian communities work in conflict-ridden areas of the world and I couldn't wait to learn from their experiences, especially since my organization works closely with people from MSF. From my ex-colleagues and former classmates from graduate school who are now working in some African and Middle Eastern countries, what I gathered as a major pro is this -- the international development and humanitarian communities in these regions are some of the most inspiring, dedicated, knowledgeable, experienced, and brilliant people working in their respective fields. Being part of this is an experience not everyone would ever get a chance to do in their lives. You learn a lot, you experience a lot, and you meet a lot of different people (similar to what I already have in my current line of work). You 'might' be under duress most of the time, but you have this wonderful community of people to support you and share all your triumphs and challenges. To sum up my current pros and cons list: PROS -- people, experience, knowledge, prestige CONS -- security and health risks, NO SWIMMING AND DIVING, possibly no internet Things may change as the whole month goes by.

160903 - Progress Report 3: ACT 1 is 99% COMPLETE!!! I'm so glad I gave it a one-two week break cause now it flows much better and adds even more structure. The final dialogue was completely reworked and I gotta give myself a pat on the back cause *pat pat* IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! It's funnier, flows like agua (#WOMP), and coincidentally... MAKES MORE SENSE!! Next week I hope to confirm ACT 1's completion! Yattah!! ACT 2 on the other hand... is still in shambles! It introduces two main characters but their dialogue is proving difficult. It's supposed to be funny and yet I want to make it believable, like it's their thoughts and not mine. That is to say, I gotta give it my all... like that one Mariah Carey song! (*nod nod*). Yeah... Week 3: SUCCESS!!! Things to Improve: Wouldn't you know it, I COMPLETELY GUNG-HOED IT AGAIN!!! (#WOMP) Not sure why I keep doing this to myself... it's already September! I have less than 30 days to finish, and I can't give myself another break since I've pretty much been doing that the whole time (#WOMP) I gotta give it... MY ALL!!! Kawaii Girl #1: https://i.imgur.com/rsWHiCG.png Quite kawaii I must say~ I was lazy and didn't want to add manga-font or proper speech bubbles. It looks better without them but I kinda like the dialogue. For context, I've been playing "Style Savvy Fashion Forward" for 3DS which made me realize different clothing options. It's actually expanding my fashion sense! Anyways, you basically choose outfits for your clients and sometimes they look horrible but the customer still likes it （っ＾ω＾ｃ） So I actually like this outfit but sometimes you get those feisty customers who say "UGH WHY DID I EVEN TRY THIS ON?!?!" and I'm here thinking "GET THE FUCK OUT MY STORE!!!" (except you can't actually say that but if you get a customer's order wrong, they'll tell you... and you lose the sale ;_;) Liking My Own Progress Report: COMPLETE!!!

I guess the only goal I won't be dropping is the vegetable curry one. I ate keema curry this week! That's about as much as I got on that. I will be dropping my research paper goal, but it isn't a permanent drop. I'll pounce at it the next chance I get. I'll be moving to Hong Kong at the end of this semester, and if things play out the way they're supposed to (which they usually do not) I don't expect to be back in the states until February at the earliest, almost a full month past the second part of my application. Needless to say, even though I finished my second rough draft on Sunday, I won't be applying for that internship since I won't be here when the second stage is announced/assigned.

I'm a little late to this but I started my goal back in April. I've been cosplaying for years and always had a good time with it. I got my Saitama cosplay and it was really tight and uncomfortable on me. At that point I knew I had to slim down. I decided next year, I'm going to cosplay as something that will force me into shape. I've never been in shape...ever. I was overweight in high school and had bouts with it my entire life thus far. I've been working since then, running every day, not being quite Saitama but running, pushups, sit ups, squats and random p90. I've lost roughly 10 pounds each month, I'm down about 60 pounds since April and feel much better. I"m still not quite where I want to be but I've made great strides. I think the biggest part of it was telling myself I have to do it. There's no choice, exercise and getting down to business is just as important as going to work every day. Initial Weight 243 Current Weight 184 Goal Weight 174 Target time June (Akon) Target Cosplay: Goldov from Rokka and possibly other things

(LATE) GAME REPORT 3 - 9/5/2016 I'm late for my own report it seems. Oh well, my focus was to actually finish something so being late is sorta okay, though I need to be more on time with multiple things. Anyway, I finished the puzzle. It's basic and plain as the dirt on the ground. But I finished it nonetheless. I'm really angry with myself, though. I made a goal that had a time limit of two weeks and then extended it by another week for something that I spent 3-4 hours on in total work time. This is something that annoys me the most about myself, I can do it easily if I focus, but the focus just isn't there. I really need to break this procrastination of mine. Well that is the point of this after all. I don't have time now, but later on this week I'll link the game for those that want to play it. Maybe I'll add some nice effects to make it look better. NEW GOAL Good news, I'm getting my work computer fixed. Now I'll be able to continue projects that are on that computer. It should be fixed within a couple of days, but I don't fully know when I'll be able to get it. Until then, I'll be working on making the rest and finishing the story of a game of mine that I actually love quite a lot. Making up a lot of stuff for this game is fun. Not only will I be working on the story and background stories for the game, I'll try and make some character art as well. Probably won't be uploading them, though. Well actually, I might. I need to use that deviantART account I made purely for my game work. And for those that want to know what the game is, here's the trailer I made. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLPlBsQUpLg Note to self: Need something better than Windows Movie Maker. Here's a link to the game itself if you want to play it. http://gamejolt.com/games/polar-roller/67936# I don't know exactly how much I'll have or fully want for this game (aside from three main titles and two spinoffs), so I'll just go by a month by month thing with my overall progress. My due date will be by October 1st. I'll see if I want to continue on this or just rotate to working on another game project since I have like a lot.

Side Note: I will get around to updating the goals list for everyone, but I'll have to do it at a later time. Also, I will respond to everyone's progress reports as well when I update the list. But for now, congratulations, good luck, and keep up the effort!

Will now be replying to people in the following order. This may turn out big so just look for your name if that's all you care about. @Khadrian I'm not really one for drawing, but I do like making character designs every once in a while. Since I can't really draw that well, I generally use a base as I'll just make the clothing and hairstyle. To me, character references don't have to be a masterpiece. As long as you can clearly show what goes where, how many of this and that are on them, and so on, it'll be good enough for anyone else to use. Your design seems quite nice and to be going well. And I also like how her design is simple, too. Keep up the good work. Your second goal has been added. @Ringo Bingo It seems that your game development is running along quite smoothly. Hopefully it'll keep going smoothly during the programming phase. I've had times to were I planed out a lot, but couldn't program things the way I wanted to at first. I eventually got it, but the process was rather annoying. I'm sure you already know this, but be sure to program each route piece by piece so that you can fix any problem that happens at that point. Personally, I find that easier than programming the whole thing and then digging through all of the code to fix anything wrong. During the programming, I suggest you have something that can easily relax you for that might be needed. A once in a life time experience is quite important, but at the same time, is it really worth it? If you are fine and content with your standing in life and career, then I personally think that it's fine to not go. But if you want to advance in your career, then go for the experience. Though there is the possibility of being able to advance your career at a later time by taking a safer route and not something that's so risky. Yes, anything in life is risky in general, but it all boils down to how big of a risk are you willing to take. But the risk isn't just about your well being and safety in that area, though. As from what you listed in your cons, you risk losing things that give you real enjoyment and relaxation. Though those risk can be worth it to improve overall as a person and in your career. This probably isn't helping much since I'm just going back and forth on it. XD Also, I know about Doctor's Without Borders somewhat. A speedrun marathon charity stream called Awesome Games Done Quick (Summer Games Done Quick during the summer) donates to them quite often at times. @Shy I always find roleplaying to be helpful with getting characters worked out in a way that they say what they would natural say themselves but still be the way that you would want. I also tend to daydream different kinds of ways to how they would handle certain things. To hep with getting your Act 2 to be more believable, try taking a moment to come up with different scenarios for your characters. That will help get their personalities to flow a little better and might make it easier for your Act 2 writing. And don't think too hard on how they will act in those scenarios. Just let your mind wonder and just let it play out. It's quite fun at times. "EW yo dress is ATROCIOUS!!!!" "Yeah, I guess you're right..." "You should take it off right now!" "Sure..." Finished the rest of your dialogue in your drawing. X3 But really though, it's quite good. Fashion games, and any fashion related site in general, are pretty good at coming up with new clothing designs for characters. @Sunbae I removed it. Do you plan to make curry with almost every kind of vegetable? I hope everything works out with your research paper in the end, though. @reigami It's been added to the list. Also, congratulations on the weight you lost already! I think you'll be at your target weight way before June. But I guess it's more so to maintain that weight until June, right?

08 September 2016 Progress Report #4: I'll be posting my progress update for this week two days earlier due to future schedule constraints. I won't be able to update on these coming Saturdays because I'll be busy wrapping up work-related stuff and preparing for my marine science workshop at the end of the month. I'll be flying to California for this and maybe, hopefully, going to a different place (with different people) that is much closer to my current field of expertise would clear my head space and make deciding what to do much more efficient (not necessarily easier) for me. Goal 1) For me personally, being part of a tight-knit and immensely close family means that you (and your generation) are raised by a village. So it's not really a surprise for me when my cousins, who are also my game developing team mates, found out about my career dilemmas. They are being very considerate by telling me to not think about the programming for now, since I already delivered what I promised earlier than our new deadline. My maternal cousins convinced me to talk to my parents and aunts and uncles (and second aunts and uncles) about my decisions regarding South Sudan and to lay off the project until I settled everything with the rest of our family. It's sweet that I have all these people behind me, but I know I'm bound to disappoint a few of them if I make the 'wrong' decision. I'll focus on trying to make the right decision regarding my second goal now, since it has become intertwined with my first goal. To sum up, I have completed eight out of 10 game routes, but zero progress yet in my planned 1/8th of the whole game programming. I will hold off on this until I settle my second goal by the end of September 2016. Goal 2) Aside from interviewing people who actually worked in similar countries, I did my own news research on current atrocities toward international development and humanitarian workers in the country. Needless to say, some of the stories freaked me out. I know already how some of these news would go and I wasn't expecting anything nice or five-star level of standard of living there, but I still got a bit dumbfounded. It didn't help that my parents did their own research and read the same news headlines that I did. These recent news stories were just two of the ones that shocked me: "UN peacekeepers in South Sudan 'ignored rape and assault of aid workers'" -- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/15/south-sudan-aid-worker-rape-attack-united-nations-un "South Sudan spells out unresolved U.N. protection force issues" -- http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southsudan-security-un-idUSKCN11B22H However, when I talked to my uncle and his girlfriend, statements like, "It's not as bad as the international media make it out to be," and, "Those are isolated cases of violence," got thrown around a lot. I know they're just encouraging me to look on the positive side of things, but all I was left with is more confusion and a very haphazard pros and cons list for this week. One thing they both agree on, though, regardless of where in the world you are deployed, is this -- violence against development and humanitarian workers have increased in the past years. Kind of a bit disconcerting, especially for someone like me who loves being in control of tough situations and who thrives in intensive planning and execution during stressful and difficult scenarios. Now that I'm close to my deadline of deciding, all the fears become more legitimate and I'm now unsure whether I even want to consider going. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt fear over something that I'm not even sure if I'm going to do just yet. The feeling when I did freediving for the first time in the middle of the ocean on a single breath hold for 30 meters or deeper doesn't even come close. I don't think this (half) week has been productive for me on the career decision-making front. I am now second guessing myself and what used to be 70%-30% in favor of going to South Sudan has shifted to 51%-49% in favor of staying in Papua New Guinea. Three more weeks to go before I finalize things, I guess. I'm also revising my list method. I will not look at the items listed in terms of quantity, but on how much weight and value I'm putting on each item on the list. PROS -- ??? CONS -- ??? On the plus side, there seems to be internet in Juba, South Sudan's capital, so there's that.

@Ringo Bingo I don't have much to say about your game progress except that it's good to hold off on it for the moment. Stepping away from it for a while will give you a little extra breathing room for the choice you have with your job. With the information you listed about of what happened, it reminded of something that I should of said, even if it's far fetched of not. You are going into a warring country, and as it seems, you'll be joining in on that war. Even though you are not a soldier, you will have equal, if not greater, danger because civilians and third party members suffer the most at times. When thinking about if you should go or not, ask yourself these questions. Is it worth putting your life that close to danger? Is it worth the risk? What reason do you have to do so? Why go? To better your career? To be apart of something that could stop the fighting? To help other people? What will be valuable enough for you to risk your life? Not to this degree, but I asked myself these kind of question before I went to the city where I was at for college. I've been in cities before, but never have lived in one. It the first I was on my own because I was fresh out of high school. I went to college three months after finishing high school, so I was going to have to face a lot of new things on my own. My two biggest concerns were getting lost and getting robbed. I asked myself if I would actually be able to handle either one. I was prepare to figure my way back home if I ever got lost. I wasn't sure on what I would do if I got robbed. Luckily I never got lost in the city, or at least not fully lost, everywhere I went was simple straight shots 90% of the time. And though I was the victim of two robberies at my apartment, the first one was a failure as the guy ran off the second he saw me at the window and the successful one happened while I was out of town. So I was basically lucky for that and didn't get hurt. This story doesn't compare to what you have to go through if you do go there. The point of it is, to what reason would make you go through that. Normally I hate going to new places, but on my first day on my own, I was fine. I wasn't scared, I wasn't worried. Because the reason why I went was because of my love of games and wanting to make them because it felt like the only thing I could do and that I wanted to be able to help my family. With those reasons, I was able to handle my time at college very easily. So basically my point is just to ask yourself what reason is there for you to go. What reason are you willing to risk your life for? I know that's probably what your pros and cons list is for, but since you're going by value, I believe for this you should value things compared to how much you value your own life. And one last thing. Right now, I'm not talking to you as a friend. I'm talking to you as one person to another. As a friend, I will worry about your safety over there and would try to stop you in some way. But as a person, I wouldn't care either way. So to try and be as unbiased as possible, I'm not telling you these things out of worry. I'm telling you to find a reason to go, something that you're willing to risk your life for. What has happened there is more than likely to happen again, with or without you. So what reason can you find that will put you at a risk like that? Okay. I think I rambled on long enough. And most likely repeated the same thing over in different ways. Also, sorry in advance for what I said. But this is a general thing that I figured that happens normally anyway. So no point in sugarcoating it.

I'm about to sound like a huge jerk. Whatever, I am for the most part anyway! I'm going to go ahead and reinstate my goal for the research paper that is due on the 29th. I thought I would be considerate by not competing and possibly stealing the spot that another person, who could've completed the entire process, would've gotten. But honestly, fuck it. Quitting halfway isn't like me and it seems that I am still too immature to be considerate! I mean, if I don't get it, then I know I have to improve. If I DO get it and ultimately deny the spot of another person, well, what can I say? Sucks to suck. Get good, you know? I need to know where I stand after all.