The Stratagem’s Archive

Author: Stratagem’s Archive

  • Too Focused To Notice The Time

    Which activities make you lose track of time?

    The activities that make me lose track of time are:

    • Daydreaming
    • Playing Video games

    I’ve gotten accustomed to my own company that my mind will wander often. I would entertain the thought of what it would be like to be wealthy and then I could plan my way to wealth; I could imagine being someone of little importance, yet be so well connected that I could have spies everywhere. Just a snap of my fingers and an elite squad of trained mercenaries answering my call.

    Or I’d wonder what it would be like to pick locks, steal something, working with computers, opening electronics up and putting them back together again, repurposed or for it’s intended purpose, just being highly skilled at something useful and hiding it away from the world. More for my entertainment than anything. Although, most of these skills I could learn, so it’s not too far from being only in imagination.

    This is what happens when someone watches too many movies and doesn’t interact with enough people often.

    Then there’s the video games – a past time I got from my dad and one I kept because it’s a solitary activity – the thing that always distracted me. I’ve gotten better at managing how long I play, but when I was younger, you’d have to fight me tooth and nail to get me to turn off my gaming systems.

    I’d wanted to level up my fictional character that I never wanted, until recently, to level myself up in real life. I’ve changed my tune, although, I am making up for the years I spent staring at screens. Though I could say that my personal stats are pretty decent. Especially if I use D&D stats to represent how I’m doing, then I could say:

    • Strength: 4
    • Wisdom: 4
    • Charisma: 3
    • Intelligence: 5
    • Constitution: 5
    • Dexterity: 4

    I could improve my own stats, but at least my personal stats aren’t 1’s anymore, so that’s an improvement!

  • Travel Solo or Gift Away

    If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?

    If I won 2 free plane tickets, I’m traveling solo and both tickets could be used for two separate locations, then I would fly to Texas to visit family and get to see what farm life is like, a real life “Harvest Moon” experience. From there, I could visit that bookstore, The Painted Porch, in Bastrop, Texas, if I could drive there. If it’s far from my aunty’s farm, then I could experience a roadtrip too.

    Then my next stop would be a coin toss between Tennessee or Minnesota for the Titanic tours I could attend and cross off my travel list from a different prompt answer Leveling Up Exploration Skill IRL:. I don’t care if I could come out more depressed than going in, I want to see the Titanic in real life, even if it’s a replica. It won’t be the same as the real deal, but it’s a history lesson I want to experience.

    Why settle on drinking, drugs, or screen addictions when I could have an existential awakening from witnessing tragedy second hand and then, realize how fragile everything is, do something with myself?

    Otherwise, if I could do anything with these plane tickets, especially if the tickets are valid for traveling anywhere in the world, then I would gift these tickets to my parents. My mom enjoys traveling, so her and my dad could continue traveling, enjoying mini-vacations, while they can before they get swamped or stuck at work. A change in scenery would be nice every now and again, and I’m certain that my parents have more places to visit.

    Better to let them enjoy traveling abroad than me. I could explore at home and have my own adventures outside, no plane ticket required: visit shops I’ve never heard of, volunteer, or go to every library and bookstore that’s open and browse. Yeah, that would be quite the adventure there.

  • When You Think Your Car Was Stolen (It Wasn’t) and What to Do Next Time Around:

    Deep Breaths Before Freaking Out:

    Welcome, Co-conspirators, to The Stratagem’s Archives, and it is open for perusing. Recently, I, your humble narrator and purveyor of meticulous plans, was taught a lesson – a valuable one – and, thankfully, it ended up being the best case scenario because the worst case would have sent me into a spiral of despair.

    My part-time rage room had pitted me against my ultimate nemesis: parking. In a downtown area where parking is horrendous, customers and employees are allowed to park in another business’s parking garage until spots open up. It’s a 5 minute walk, including the stoplights and the walk up to the garage, a small inconvenience for a mastermind in the making like myself.

    The Moment I Crumbled

    When there was a lull in the chaos at work, I mentioned to my boss and coworker that I was going to retrieve my car, and headed over. As I ascended towards the parking garage, I walked towards the back corner of the lot, and my worst fear unlocked: my car stall was empty.

    My first impulse had always been to contact my parents, my first points of contact for anything, but they weren’t answering my calls. I panicked, then called my boss because I didn’t know what to do or who else to call. Bless his heart because he walked over to where I was to help as I struggled to maintain my composure. My boss, ever the pragmatist, spoke to the security guard on my behalf.

    The security guard, a surprising font of wisdom, mentioned that patrons often misplace their vehicles in this labyrinthine garage. They hadn’t towed anyone in months, he reassured us, despite the downtown area’s reputation for vehicular heists. I managed a shaky nod, agreeing to take “one more look.”

    A Villain’s Humiliation, A Hero’s Resolve

    I swear, in that moment, I’d never wanted to slap myself so hard in my life until that night. While I waited, my amazing Aunty appeared, dispatched by my now-reachable parents who were mobilizing other family members. She sat with me, a calm presence amidst my unraveling. My boss, having confirmed with the security guard that all was well, headed back to his work.

    My aunty, a seasoned veteran of downtown skirmishes, then delivered a surprisingly profound message. She herself had faced the predatory tactics of local towing companies – notorious for being petty thieves who can charge exorbitant fees, vehicle theft, and unhelpful interactions with the police. “I’m glad this happened,” she said, “because now you’ve experienced what this area is really like.” She emphasized the importance of documentation, of relying on evidence rather than my “fallible memory” in a district known for vehicular thefts. Her wisdom resonated deeply.

    And so, with renewed resolve, I took that “one more look.” I walked up one more floor and there it was, my trusty vehicle, precisely where I had left it. I had been diligently searching the second floor, when my car had been patiently waiting for me on the third floor all along. Upon returning to work, and later, when I arrived home, I made sure to take pictures of my car, just as my aunty advised.

    I took her advice to heart, immediately snapping photos of my car when I returned to work and again when I finally got home. I also had to issue a series of apologies to my boss and all the family members I had unnecessarily alarmed. Despite my embarrassment—being 28, I truly felt I should have “known better,” reacting impulsively instead of proactively assessing the situation—everyone reassured me that such mishaps are common. I thanked them all for their invaluable support, vowing to do better next time.

    A New Stratagem: The Deep Breath & Documentation Protocol

    This misadventure, my co-conspirators, taught me a crucial lesson. Even the most cunning among us can be blindsided by our own panicked assumptions. My villainous tendencies, in this instance, led me to prematurely declare defeat and, worse, to neglect the power of proactive measures.

    My commitment to you, and to my own continued reign of… well, whatever it is I’m reigning over, is this: Next time, when the unexpected strikes, I will implement the Deep Breath & Documentation Protocol. Before succumbing to the urge to declare immediate catastrophe, I will take a moment, survey the scene with a clear mind, and double-check my initial assumptions. Furthermore, I will ensure I have a visual record, a digital alibi, to counter any potential memory lapses or external threats. I will not repeat this mistake, and I hope those who read my blog can learn from my temporary lapse in judgment.

    For those of you, my equally neurotic co-conspirators, who might also find yourselves teetering on the edge of a freak-out, remember my ignominious tale. Before you unleash your inner panic monster, take a deep breath. Seriously. Just one. Then, maybe, another. And if circumstances allow, snap a quick photo. Often, the solution is much simpler (and far less catastrophic) than your racing mind leads you to believe, and a little evidence can save you a lot of grief.

    What minor misstep has sent your carefully constructed plans into a temporary tailspin? Let me know in the comments below and I will see you all again when the archives open!

    Enjoyed this post?

    I write about creativity, coding, art, and personal growth.

    Subscribe to follow my journey and get new posts when they drop!

  • Canines Over Felines

    Dogs or cats?

    I’ve preferred dogs over cats, even though I like them too, having dogs around meant security: literally and physically. The area I grew up in is considered “ghetto” by our standards and where I lived is usually where a lot of activities tended to be.

    Cops, ambulances, and fire fighters would always show up for something. Not at our property, but rather the properties across from us. It could be in the dead of night and you’d see their colors flashing through the curtains. Having dogs around allowed us to be alerted when someone came near our flimsy fence, whether walking by, walking their pets, stray dogs causing trouble, or people were possibly up to no good. It was better safe than sorry.

    Even with security cameras installed outside, I had furry companions to keep me and my family company. My parents, my dad’s older brother, and I lived with my grandma in a 3 generation home. Even though I moved out to experience what living on my own was like, rather out of necessity, I hate myself for leaving because my grandma is over 80. She’s sound of mind and mobile, but my dogs: an older adopted female red nose pit bull mix and one female and one male, both runts of their respective litters, XXL pure blue nose pit bulls, keep her company and watch the property.

    Dogs always gave nothing but love: they want to play with you, cause trouble, protect you, even when they rely on us, they have no ulterior motives. Even when my dad and I adopted my old lady dog from the humane society years ago, she used to be a stray and was wild. She would scratch and bite me, but I didn’t care, she was scared.

    Even when we brought her home to our other adopted female red nose pit bull mix, they constantly fought until we saw blood. I didn’t want to take her back because Bianca, my old lady’s name, would have been put down, even though she was very difficult to handle. It took her time to get adjusted, then she calmed down, and she would take care of our other dog, Minnie, as she got older in age.

    Bianca still waits by the front yard for Minnie because my parents took her to the vet to be put down because she suffered a stroke: couldn’t eat or drink without help, she couldn’t move her lower body nor sit up, and it was a very difficult decision for us to make. She was suffering and Bianca saw us put Minnie in the truck, I stayed behind because I couldn’t watch her go like that, as Bianca tried to break through the fence to follow.

    So, when I come home, even before moving out, Bianca waits by the fence, she’ll sleep there or in front of our house door, all of our dogs become outside dogs after a certain age, until we all come home. She takes care of our newer dogs; our girl blue nose, Ka’ena, is much bigger than Bianca, but, once Bianca growls or puts her paw on Ka’ena’s head, she immediately listens, then goes into zooming mode. Bianca isn’t young anymore, but she keeps the younger dogs in line.

    The boy, Kainalu, gives Bianca trouble. We don’t know why these two fight if we let them out together to play, but they would growl at each other and they have attacked each other a few times where blood was drawn. However, when I saw them out together when I let Kainalu out to use the bathroom and to play while I washed my car, Bianca pushed her way out of her kennel and the two were egging each other on.

    I had to put Kainalu back in his house because he doesn’t know how to pop the lock or can push through his gate, yet, like Bianca. Bianca has more freedoms than the other dogs because she’s older and manages herself better than they do.

    All of our dogs are knuckleheads, but they’re our knuckleheads, and I love them very much. I feel less lonely with them, even with family, and they tell you what they want by going in their house for food and water, they sit or wander by us for attention, and they play to get energy out to sleep. People are different and tough to read, but dogs are more honest and trustworthy.

  • Implementing Structure in Chaos

    What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?

    Well-being and Well Practiced:

    The strategies I use to maintain my health and well-being vary by the situation. Not every strategy, I’ve come to believe, is a one size fits all and I’m a kinesthetic kind of person. I usually experience things physically and I would need physical outlets to expel as much energy as I can. For example:

    • I’m feeling excited: I have to differentiate which feeling of excitement I’m experiencing. If its anger, then it’ll manifest as my mind slowly latching on to a perceived problem, my shoulders will tense, a brick will drop in my stomach, my hands will ball into fists, and I’ll have the strong urge to want to break something (or someone).

    If I’m working at my warehouse job, then I’ll use it as strength to move more freight than usual, but I won’t be pleasant to be around. But if I’m working at my rage room job, then I can experience controlled chaos vicariously through the customers visiting because I can hype them up.

    Otherwise, when I’m at home, I’ll take a walk around the neighborhood, I’ll use my kettlebell and perform: goblet squats, KB swings, KB halo casts, suitcase carry, or Turkish get-ups throughout the day as incidental training sets. I’ll do calisthenics, practice boxing and kicking in my apartment since I can’t practice my wrestling or BJJ without disturbing my downstairs neighbors with my sandbag. I’ll do what I can to keep myself active and fit with the small gym I made in my studio.

    Else, if it’s not anger, then I’m feeling ecstatic: it’ll manifest as excessive energy has been injected into my legs. I can’t sit or stand still, I’ll be bouncing on my feet or rocking back in forth in place on my heels to my toes, and I’ll be a human equivalent to a dog that has the zoomies.

    This is where I need to do something. If I’m at home, then this could mean anything: I want to watch a movie that looks interesting, I get to work on a personal project, I finally have enough money to attend a gym or an event I REALLY wanted to check out, try out a new skill, I want to explore an idea and I have it written down so I remember it, I get to hang out with somebody, or I’m going on vacation and I have my time for myself.

    Although, when my energy is lower than usual, my mind is blank, and I’m not obsessing over something to the point where I think something is wrong, I revel in my slow days too. On these days, I take advantage of not having the compulsion to do something, and I can sit with my other, non-physical interests:

    • Read a book for 5-15 minutes and get through my huge backlog.
    • Meditate for between 1-5 minutes a day, at least.
    • Box breathing with a 4-4-6 cadence for 1-5 minutes throughout the day.
    • Work on a few sketches: line art, learn to blend color, add lighting, work on backgrounds, etc.
    • Listen to a daily Alux lesson and contemplate how to incorporate it into my life or how it already has before the lesson.
    • Journaling what’s interesting, what I liked, what I wished was better, and what steps I’m taking to make and be better.
    • Playing video games for an hour or 2.
    • Watch YouTube videos, revisit my online learning experiences, and apply it.

    I have a lot of activities that has me doing something; whether it’s physical or mental challenges, I take in the very rare moments where I simply stare at my ceiling – I’m not thinking or dreading, I don’t feel compelled or depressed, I don’t have to feel the need to strive or put myself down – and I simply exist and I’m, finally, albeit briefly, content.

    I also enjoy talking stories with certain people, my grandma especially, or I just listen to her talk. If anyone does something for their well-being that is different and interesting, I would love to know what it is that you do to keep yourself sane amidst the noise and chaos. Might inspire something new to explore and try out for fun.

  • Leveling Up Exploration Skill IRL:

    What are your future travel plans?

    My future travel plans are simple and could be silly to some people, but I don’t care if it’s silly. It’s where I want to go because I want to increase my exploration skill in-real life! Below are the places I want to go just because I want to go there:

    • Iceland (between August and September): I want to participate in the Puffling patrol; you find baby Puffins (birds native to Iceland) in the city, rescue them to the nearest sea cliff, and throw them over. It is said that they live close to the sea and they get lost following the city lights, mistaking them for moonlight, which is how they navigate to the ocean.
    • Greece (May-June & September-October): I’ve always been fascinated by Greek mythology, later lessons from a YouTuber, AMO Pankration, about Hellenistic practices regarding training, health, and their history. I am also a fan of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, so I wanted to experience one of the main hubs, the architecture, presence, and culture, that shaped the modern world into what it is today. From Athens, to Laconia, to Mykonos, I want to visit the places in-game protagonists, Kassandra and Alexios, lived in.
    • Belgium (April-May & September-October): I wanted to visit Belgium mainly to eat authentic Belgian chocolate. Although, I would love to experience what the country has to offer: Gravensteen Castle, Belfry of Bruges, Basilica of The Holy Blood, Bruges, Ghent’s Old Town, museums, and food I’ve never tried before. Walking tours sound amazing as well.
    • Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge, TN and Branson, MO): I came across this by chance on a YouTube short: visitors could explore a replica of The Titanic. What got my attention the most was when people could experience the water temperature the passengers felt as The Titanic sank. That was said to be one of the last things they felt before they died; chilling, icy cold water, that burned every fiber of your being. As morbid as it is, tragedy reminds us to not take what we have for granted, and sometimes we need to physically experience those reminders. I might walk out more depressed than when I walked in, but I am willing to go through with it!

    This is not the entire list of places I want to go, even though going is inspired by a video game, the places are real. I collect foreign currency because they are reminders of places I’ve been to or came into my possession by chance. I want to broaden my horizons and increase my exploration EXP to the next level.

    If anyone has been to places that are:

    • Decently known, not as widely known.
    • That has great sights, good food, is safe for tourists to explore.
    • Something new to offer: exhibits, hiking, or is interactive and has great gift shops (authentic memorabilia and craftsmanship).

    Please let me know where any of you have been, why, and what the experience was like. I would love to expand my list of places to explore and visit while I have the chance.

  • The Hum and Grind of Metal and Rubber

    What do you listen to while you work?

    I listen to the sound of a conveyor belt, it’s machination thrumming in the background, moving the freight we have to sort through at work. It often squeals, like agitated birds, whenever the belt is overloaded with more weight than it can move and abruptly halts. It resumes once we’re able to reduce the weight on the conveyor belt down, then we resume work too.

    Music had been banned in the warehouse; I don’t know why, though it’s a blessing and a curse, because we used to have someone repeat the same three Māoli songs: “Shoot Down”, “I Would Look Good on You”, and “Every Night Every Morning.”

    It got to the point where, if I heard either of those songs, I would get a visceral reaction: a brick dropping in my stomach, my body would shudder with anger and irritation, and I would use ear plugs to reduce listening to those songs. I would prefer giving in to hitting my head against the wall than listen to these songs. It’s gotten better, I don’t react as strongly as before, and I’ve grown numb instead. The songs start playing, no reaction, though I still would change it to something else.

    Somehow, along the way, we weren’t allowed to play music, even songs most of us grew up listening to. So, my coworkers and I have conversations, have our own little karaoke sessions, and do what we can to stave off boredom at work.

  • I Am One of Those Kinds of Gamers.

    What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?

    My favorite games vary on the situation; if I’m playing with family, then I like to bring my Left, Right, Center game because it can get intense when we play for money. Nothing too crazy; either quarters or dollar bills and we keep the money if we win. Nothing too crazy, no harm, no foul, and we become an ATM if we want to keep playing and we can break larger bills from our wins. More money for us! And standard family fun.

    For the PS4, then I’m obsessed with From Software’s games, “Elden Ring and Bloodborne”. These games are fun, challenging, and engaging because, unlike other video games, you can’t change the difficulty level and you have to get resourceful when trying to get through a game that doesn’t tell you what to do, where to go, except your objective. The storylines are engaging and it forces you to rethink your current play through in order to beat a low level enemy or a main boss.

    Although, my favorite XBOX360 video game has been “Final Fantasy 13” from Square Enix. When FF13 was released in 2010-2011, I was blown away by the graphics, the character designs, and the storyline as a teen. Much like the movie, “Eragon”, Final Fantasy 13’s graphics look better than some current video games and it holds a special place in my heart.

    I reminisce about replaying Final Fantasy 13 and get nostalgic when I watch the cutscenes on YouTube. Now that I got a new controller, I’ll be able to see if my XBOX360 still works. Otherwise, if it’s too old to function anymore, then I’ll take my system to my rage room job and sell it for $10-$20. I won’t be able to watch memories be destroyed by strangers and I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to destroy my gaming system!

    Else, if it’s on my phone, then I enjoy reading games where your choices affect the story. I happened upon a text based game company called, “Choice of Games LLC” and their child company, I’m not sure if that’s what it is, called, “Hosted Games LLC” back in high school. Give or take 2010 or 2011, when I first played “Zombie Exodus” in class and getting scared because of how the story was written and I wanted to make sure everyone in the game survived.

    I got a lot of the survivors killed because I wasn’t paying attention to my resources or the integrity of our stronghold and majority of the support was destroyed by the sheer force of the undead. My mismanagement led to a lot of survivors I liked to die horribly. I had to retry so many times because I didn’t want to accept that their deaths were final or canonically unchanging, despite everything I did.

    I enjoy the games on Hosted Games LLC because they were written by fans of text based games. They use the company’s source code, create a story, and can produce it as their own, like a partnership in a way. I am waiting for the next chapters of “Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven”, “Fallen Hero”, “Wayhaven Chronicles”, “The Golden Rose”, “I, the Forgotten One”, “The Fernweh Saga”, “Samurai of Hyuga”, and “The Soul Stone Wars.” I’m not promoting these games or stories, but I am waiting patiently for the next books to release so I can know how the story progresses and ends.

  • Why Not A Secured Adventure?

    Are you seeking security or adventure?

    Picking between security and adventure can be difficult. Though, even if we were to define what security and adventure looks like for us as individuals, wouldn’t it be a fun thought experiment to claim we are seeking both?

    I can understand the need to feel secure: in a home, relationship, in a career, with our finances, our life in general. Although, being able to have stories to tell, share, and recall would require we break out of our comfort zone. And, to break out of comfort zone, we have to do something that scares us. On the bright side, for the adrenaline averse, it doesn’t require jumping out of a plane, running from bulls, or street racing.

    For myself, I’ve been socially averse and anxious throughout most of my life, so getting a part time job at a rage room pushed me out of my comfort zone; It’s interactive customer service, providing safety procedures, a new experience, and it lets me work on several personal skills:

    • Customer service
    • Adaptability
    • Attention to detail
    • Sales
    • Social skills

    It’s a social job that I thoroughly enjoy. Compared to the customer service jobs I held prior, I like interacting with customers. I get to help them get excited to break things. It’s a different experience, we’ve been conditioned to take care of our things, and most people struggled to break their items because it goes against what we were taught not to do.

    It’s understandable, it’s an adventure of itself, and no one has to worry about being arrested for vandalism and destructing of property! Unless customers choose to do that after we go over safety, then that statement goes out the window.

    Where Does Security Appear?

    My part time job offers a steady paycheck every two weeks. This helps me, on top of my full time warehouse job, build my financial buffers. I won’t have to worry about not affording something because I have extra money coming in. And I can plan for my future self while having my own kind of fun in the present. It’s a win-win, even though I’m working two jobs.

    The app my part time job uses, Gusto, is amazing because I’m able to save 15% of my paycheck and have it moved into a rainy day fund, rather than a set dollar amount. Saving a percentage is better in my opinion because the number always adjusts to the total.

    Say, for example, you have to work less hours due to an injury, illness, or taking care of a loved one. With a set percentage, the amount of money being moved could be adjusted to what you earn. Same if you worked over time and that number increases. You could be saving more in that rainy day fund over time than if you set it for $20, $30, $40. You get the picture, but how you allocate your funds is ultimately up to you.

  • Seeing The Fruits of My Labor Bloom

    What are you most excited about for the future?

    The thing that I’m most excited about for in the future is seeing how much I’ve grown and how far I’ve walked from the person I used to be. My past self used to be someone I would describe as being very fortunate people put up with her. If I was a stranger interacting with my past self, then I would have ‘noped’ out and away from her.

    I could recognize, in hindsight, that I was toxic; although, I’ve gotten better at communicating, associating most feelings with words, and admitting I’m wrong. It still comes out snarky sometimes, but that’s a defense mechanism I’m working on dismantling.

    Another thing I’m excited about is getting out of debt. I have just shy of $16,000 left to pay off: $4,000 in credit card debt and $12,000 from a personal loan, but I’m paying them down aggressively so I can save more, invest more, and be more generous with my money. If I’m able to build up enough of a buffer, I’d like to be able to take time off from work and pursue opportunities I’ve never considered before.

    I’m getting bored with just working, going home, and repeat these days. I do visit my family as often as I can or I call them if I can’t, though I hadn’t volunteered since high school and that was for promoting science to elementary school children. Might as well give this a go, see what happens, and learn from people taking charge and making a difference. Who knows what kind of stories I’ll be able to tell when the time comes!