And just like that, we’re nearing the end of the first quarter of 2022! As you could see from my annual goal reflections 2022 has been a good year for me so far. I really feel that I’ve upped my game in several aspects and finally coming around to getting into the write groove. The weather’s also been lovely, which really helps to get into a happy and creative mood after such a dreary winter.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

Yesterday I finally managed to beat this game and I’m going to write an in-depth review for this game, but it’s not going to be a standard review. What I want to do is compare how well the creators managed to capture the essence of their source material (namely the Wonder Boy series from SEGA) and how well they did from a more standardized game design perspective. For those who can’t be arsed to read my review: I liked the game, but I have to admit that it can’t possibly beat my beloved classic Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. There, I just saved you at least ten minutes of reading my ramblings about this game.

The Spring Vibes are strong with this one

Last Friday Bren and I spent our entire afternoon going for a walk and although I thought it wasn’t going to be that long, we ended up walking about 10 kilometres. The forest and heath lands are starting to go into bloom and everything is starting to look much greener. It was such a lovely time out there. One of the best things about Spring is that it’s a great time to start something new. During Ostara I planted some red chilli pepper seeds and I can’t wait for them to grow and to actually use them during cooking. Overall I’m just really getting good vibes from this beautiful Spring weather we’ve enjoyed here in the Netherlands. Here’s a picture Bren took during our walk, on our way to the heath land in Hilversum.

Nearly Forty-one (and little wiser for it)

This Wednesday I’m turning 41 and although I don’t really care to celebrate with a big party, I did take the day off and intend to make it a fun day. I don’t know if it’s because of the pandemic, or maybe I’m just getting old, but I don’t really care about throwing a big ‘ol party for my birthday. I’ll just keep it small and celebrate with a few people, but won’t be doing anything grand. I’ll save that for some other time and when I’ve grown accustomed to everything getting back to normal and remembering how to properly socialize with people again after we’ve been living like a couple of hermits for so long.

More on mindfulness practices

This week I’m going to write a new article about my personal mindfulness practices. One of the main changes I made recently was during my smartphone change. Ever since I’ve gotten my new phone I also changed my relationship with smartphones and after finishing Lost Focus by Johann Hari, I am certain that my (social) media consumption should be as low as possible, for multiple reasons.

Happy Monday!

Jeffrey