Time is a rare commodity in our current day and sage. With so many things seeking our attention, I’ve often felt as if I’m being stretched thin just trying to cram all the things I want to do into a day. There’s work for one. Then there’s the need to eat food, drink water and sleep. All of which takes a good chunk of the day and already most of what little time I have is gone. That is, of course, not taking into consideration my time-heavy hobbies. I’ve often found it a juggling act trying to designate what precious few hours of my spare time to writing, reading, playing video games and binge watching Netflix shows.

How anyone manages to follow their favourite Twitch Streamers every week is beyond me. And that’s also not factoring in my involvement at conventions or going out for drinks with friends/ family.

I know that it’s quite terrible of me but I’ve had, on occasion, resented the fact that I promised to head out to dinner when I could have spent that time towards finishing a particular video game or wrapping up a chapter for the story I’m currently writing. In saying that, though, constantly living inside my own head has its downsides as well. Over the years, I fear it has become a systematic problem. One I hope to overcome as I learn to be more welcoming to suggestions that I take a step back and take a breather. 

In any case, it’s one of the many reasons why my gaming impressions have been a little more sporadic. Trying to keep on top of everything pop culture is a tiring feat and not quite possible for someone who does not work in the industry. Particularly with movie after movie coming out. I’m looking at you John Wick, Aladdin, Toy Story 4, Godzilla, Spider-Man Far From Home, Men in Black and Dark Phoenix! As of the time that I’m writing this post, I’m still two-third into Days Gone. It won’t be long until Judgement releases and then Fire Emblem: Three Houses. 

That said, I somehow or other managed to cram in a trip to Supanova again this year. There weren’t many celebrities that caught my eye (and I didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of Elijah Wood), but I thought it would be an experience simply to appreciate identifying characters from shows and making glib comments about a certain franchise. 

Also posters, keychains and things to clutter my desk with. Yet despite earning a steady income, I’ve found myself becoming much more miserly with my spending. Over the last two Supanova events, I’ve found myself gravitating towards the seminars and panels that are also held during these events. They’re not as grandiose as the ones in America and often there’s quite a few seats up for grabs but I’ve begun to truly enjoy these little tete a tete with authors, voice actors and well-renowned icons. 

During this year’s Supanova, Bleachpanda and I sat in on a panel about writing fight scenes in novels. Though the authors came from a wide range of genres, they were all able to provide some tips and tricks on how to elevate a story. It served to be an eye-opening experience and I hope to perhaps emulate them in my own endeavours. 

But perhaps I should stop focusing on the newest and latest. Yes, it can be frustrating to see so many others start and finish a new game just days from release but perhaps their life-situation is different. Perhaps they’ve cut out other things from their life so that they can squeeze in just one more episode of Umbrella Academy.

I can’t help the fact that so many things tickle my fancy and that I feel compelled to consume so much media. At the very least, though, I can give each and every one that does interest me the love it deserve.