Category: Updates

We’ll call this one, “Audio Journal #1”

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Hello from my side of the mic!

I’m John and thank you for pushing the play button (that’s if you pushed it).

If this is your first time here, don’t worry! You’re in good company, friend. And if you’ve been with me for a while, “Thank You” for always checking in on the site. It’s nice to comeback here and surround myself with creatives and life adventurers from all parts of the world!

As with any update entry, here’s what I’ve been up to and what’s coming.

If you’ve been keeping up with my adventures, I recently moved back to my childhood home on the island of Guam. After almost 4 months, and a few extra pounds, I am once again traveling back to Ohio.

This is one of the many perks I love about what I do—more on that later.

Due to my ex’s schedule for the upcoming months and possibly into next year, we decided that it would be in Kai’s best interest for me to go back and hold down the fort for a while. After my parents and I talked about it (mainly about their child leaving the island for another decade or so…again), they fully support my responsibilities as a dad and how important it is to their grandson.

It was fun to forget about being an adult for a while and enjoying what the island has to offer.

Family.

Warm weather, even on rainy days.

FOOD! Well, you kind of figured that one out!

Just in case you’re a cat fanatic like I am, the Pride is doing well!

Paws getting the rest she needs away from her kids

Mama Paws has acclimated to life indoors and helps keep her kids in check when they get a little too excited. There were a few times where I catch her acting like a kitten and it’s so heart-warming, you know? A stray who survived outdoors doing what she can to provide for her litter finally has a home to call her own with so many people to love her and her kids. It hits pretty close to home with us doing what we can in our day to day lives.

Speaking of kittens…

One of Silver’s routines: Get locked in my room and meow for help

Silver…he’s still adventurous as he was when I first saw him. Of the three of them, he’s the one that gets in the most trouble. From getting locked in a room he snuck into to hanging upside down on a curtain, he keeps us on our toes with his antics. I love it!

Diva was fixated on this cat game for 10 minutes!

Diva is still a bit skittish but loves meal and snack times! OH! So last Wednesday, right, she was sad that her brothers didn’t want to play with her. Being a big softy, I stopped reading my tablet in the middle of a LitRPG and downloaded a cat game—just to see what would happen. She absolutely loved it! I was able to take a few pictures and a video of her just having a BLAST!

Tiger just being Tiger

And finally, Tiger. He’s the biggest one of the batch. If I didn’t have four cats back in Ohio, I would’ve definitely packed him up and take him with me. He used to be a big cry baby, meowing everywhere, but now he stops and thinks. You can tell he’s thinking about something because he scrunches his nose. After so many failed attempts of trying to get a picture of him “scrunching”, I still have hope I’ll snap a shot before I leave.

Image from Pinterest

Work has been pretty steady. I am currently working on an eLearning course and auditioning for roles outside of my comfort zone when time permits like animations, audio dramas, and videogames—more character work.

One thing that I know that I’ll be tackling when I get back to Ohio is upgrading my recording space. I can’t wait to share some pics with you, the before and after.

OH!

There was a project a couple of weeks ago that I did and is by far my favorite one I’ve done throughout my 3 years of doing Voiceover.

The request was very simple,

“I’d like someone to read/record what I wrote but I’m embarrassed about it…please don’t laugh or make fun of me.”

I was just as confused as you are after reading that.

So, I messaged the person and they were so hesitant about sharing what they wrote. Eventually, they shared it and said if I don’t want to read it then I don’t have to if it’s too cringey. All I wrote back was, “Give me a couple of minutes 😊”

It was a poem about self-empowerment. The fact that it was their first time ever writing something like it was what they were embarrassed about. After recording it and polishing it up, I sent it and the message I got back is why I love doing what I do.

“😭 It sounds great and I am grateful that someone took the time to do this for me. Thank you!”

For as simple as this was, it taught me two important things:

  1. Someone in this world wants to read what you write and
  2. Someone in this world wants to hear you

Again, by far my favorite project I have ever done.

Well friend, that’s all I got! Thanks again for hanging out with me!

If you like this and you’re new to the site, consider Following! I’ll have more updates as they come in. And if you have been Following, Thank you from the Middle part of my heart.

In case you visit the site, I will be updating a few things before the site’s 1 Year Blogiversary. Yeah! It’s almost a year!

Anyway, I hope you have a great day and a great week ahead.

Take care!

Projects and New Family Members!

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Hello from my side of the mic!

First and foremost, I hope this finds you well and healthy! A lot has been going on and I can’t wait to share them with you! So, without further ado, let’s get to it!!!

New Family Members!

Let’s start with the good stuff first, right?!

Since moving back to Guam, I have been missing my cats back in Ohio…just as much as my son (you know who I miss more *wink). But to my surprise, my parents “adopted” an outdoor cat that imprinted herself to my dad. At the time, she was pregnant but I didn’t think too much of it. The more she came around, the more I started to get attached to her. Needless to say, I melted into those cute eyes!

You probably remember her from the last entry. This is Paws (isn’t she adorable?!)

Some time after, while recording and collaborating with ArcDreamer on “Not Mine to Love“, I stepped outside and saw what was a blur at the corner of my eye. Passing it off as strain on my eyes, I took my break and massaged my head and eyes.

That’s when this thing popped up out of nowhere!

Stunned by this majestic creature from the kingdom of “Adorableness“, it took everything I had to not scare it while taking a picture. I shared it with my parents who were anxiously waiting to see Paws’ kitten.

Well…then this happened.

Then there were 3! THREE! *yes, I screamed while writing this part

My house sits by the main road and there are a lot of stray dogs, mean birds, and kids who don’t care who’s property they’re on when trying to catch something 😒 After sharing that there were 3, my dad and I set-up a simple trap to catch all of them (keep in mind, Paws was going in and out of the house prior).

On the 10th of July, when everything was dark and after a quick shower, I stepped into the kitchen and noticed that the cage had a shadowed blob inside of it. Squinting and holding my breath, I confirmed that all 3 of them were in the cage. Very carefully, I tightened the fishing line rigged to the cage door that ran in the kitchen and *CLICK!

Since the little ones have been outdoors for a good month after birth, it wasn’t shocking to see them go crazy when I approached them.

From the left: Silver, Diva, and Tiger

We had a few rough days afterwards, but they have adapted to the house and they can use the litter boxes! Paws and her babies were welcomed with open-arms and are now part of the family!

And it all started with a “Blur”

VO Projects

Now that we had our dose of, “Awwww…”, it’s time to update you on what I’ve been doing behind the microphone.

I worked on another audiobook for Jason Browne. This time it was about Hypnotism (at the time of this writing, it’s still going through Quality Control before distribution). I was never a big fan of Hypnotism but it was an interesting read nonetheless.

Since most of my work comes from audiobooks, I took a chance and joined a forum to record things for free and get my feet wet with voice acting.

My first role was reading a 4 line poem (thank goodness for Another Inner Monologue!)

I am also happy to say that I landed my second role as an extra character for an audio drama, “Behind the Masks”.

There’s another audition I am working on to narrow down on the character I’m going for (another audio drama).

And finally, I sent my Character Demo to a director of an animation. Fingers-crossed for good news!

Thank you so much for reading!

If you would like to hear the 5 episodes uploaded from Another Inner Monologue, click on one these to bring you there:

Spotify

Anchor

Amazon Music

Take care and set the example like an awesome pineapple!

30 Days & Some Change

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A very “Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening” to you from my side of the mic!

I normally have an outline sitting on my left so I don’t get sidetracked when I write but I should be okay without one today. Before I dive into the post, I hope that “You” are well, safe, and staying creative/imaginative! And now, onto the entry!

9 Nights

For the next few days, I will be stepping away from writing and recording to attend my grandmother’s first anniversary since her passing. If you’re familiar with Catholicism, then you know what I’m talking about. However, if you’re not, I’ll give the very simple version.

The family attends a “Rosary” for 9 nights, praying for the family member who has passed on. Each day is a specific prayer (normally around 30 minutes long) at our local church which is then followed by Evening Mass (another 30 minutes to an hour long). On the 9th evening, after prayers and church, we gather together to celebrate their new life—kind of like a joyous wake where we share memories and catch up with each other.

As simple as it is, there are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes like: prep work for the home that will be hosting the final night, a lot of cooking, and setting up canopies and then weaving coconut leave branches together to act as a wind barrier. Needless to say, that’s what I’ll be helping with.

Upcoming Projects

Although it has been slow on my end, I do have an upcoming audiobook project from Jason Browne that I’m looking forward to! There’s a specific book he wrote that I’m hoping to narrate next (fingers-crossed).

After that, I’ll be focusing my efforts on my podcast: Another Inner Monologue.

There are 3 episodes out and are available to listen to on Spotify, Anchor, and Amazon Music. I do have the next entry drafted up and I’m doing some final touches for the audio version of it. Hopefully, I can squeeze in some time to work on it in between what I’m doing. I won’t be releasing the next episode until July 9th (audio version) and July 10th (written version). Just as a teaser, the next piece is called, “Not mine to Love“.

If you would like to listen or read the entries thus far, here is the link to the site: anotherinnermonologue.wordpress.com

And finally, a friend of mine asked if I would like to collaborate on a poetry chapbook! You know, as well as I do, that I love working with independent writers/creators! More on this as we make progress.

Bits of Home

Now that you’re all caught up, I want to thank you for reading! As a bonus, here are a few pictures I took that I hope you enjoy. Please take care of yourself and may your week be filled with happiness and creativity! Until next time! ~John

One of many tourist attractions
The perfect spot for paddle boarding and surfing!
Yes…another cat. Her name is Paws
Dragon fruit! So good
Scenic shot from the southern part of Guam
My favorite flight of stairs
An island with its own island (Cocos Island in the distance)
Pineapple from the yard
My mom’s favorite flower (Plumeria)
This orchid just blossomed yesterday!

Life: Take 2

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Good morning from my side of the…world?!

Yes, I have finally settled back home on Guam and I can sit down to write. Before I update you with everything, I want to say, “Thank you!” for being patient with me while I get things organized. So, here’s what has happened…

Flying forward into a Time Capsule

The trip itself from Ohio to Guam took a little over 19-hours. While in transit from Texas to Hawaii, the flight was almost subjected to an investigation due to someone smoking in the restroom. Luckily, the flight attendants located the individual and we were able to connect to our departing flights without any hassle.

Once my body recovered from being jet-lagged, I drove around with my sister and was surprised that not much has changed! There are a few new buildings but for the most part, everything is still the same as it was when I left back in 2003.

Honestly, I’m happy being home and I’m also able to talk to my son on a daily basis—making him jealous by having his favorite drinks and snacks!

Some fun facts:

  • They just wrapped up filming for a Japanese Reality show that’s going to be aired some time in June…I think.
  • I applied for a Radio Announcer job but declined the offer due to it being a part-time position.
  • Didn’t realize my dad had a “pet” coconut crab in a cage until the 4th day being here.
  • It’s reassuring to know that the sun rises at 5:30 am every morning and doesn’t set until 6:30-6:45 pm. (I love routine!)

Forgetting that I had an Accent!

During the first week of being home and having my circadian rhythm catch back up with the island’s natural vibes of taking things easy, I had to prepare an area for recording a new audiobook project. Thankfully, my room was the perfect spot in the whole house to build a quick blanket fort.

Here are the pics:

Before

Now

*Note: This may be cringey to a “Professional Voice Over” but when your noise floor is -60 dB after Gain Staging, I think it does the trick!

So, as usual, I recorded and spent most of the time editing the audio and to my surprise, I heard that my accent came back! I was happy but also upset that I had to rerecord a couple of pages due to the unnatural narration.

It may not be a big deal to some but when I’ve hid it for almost 20 years, yeah…it’ll take you by surprise!

The audiobooks are now available on Audible and if one catches your interest, message me and I’ll give you a promo code to claim your free copy!!!

Remember that podcast idea?

As of 5/28, I am doing the final touches on a new Spoken-Word poem that will be the first post for my new site “Another Inner Monologue“. The podcast will be linked in that post. The plan is pretty simple:

  1. All Spoken-Word Creative writing/poetry will be housed on Another Inner Monologue
  2. This site will be for my journal and updates on voice over projects

I’m not going to delete the old audio pieces on this site until I rerecord them and add them to the podcast & website.

If creative writing or poetry interests you, definitely give the site a glance over. I’ll be posting once a week. As for the first post on Another Inner Monologue, I’m looking at 6/5 around 8:30 am (Chamorro Standard Time UTC+10).

When the sun sets, a sunrise is not too far behind

Well my friend, you are all caught up—for the most part. I’ll link the new website in another post once everything is prepped and ready. As for this blog and some thoughtful input by readers, I’ll be sharing more than voice over projects and long posts like this.

I’m on the hunt for one more thing to make sharing my island with you fun for both you and me! But that will be for a future post!

Thank your so much for reading! I hope that when the sun sets here, your sun rise will not be too far behind. Take care!

~John

Here’s another Update

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A very “Good Morning!” from my side of the mic. I hope this finds you well and that you’re in good spirits. This will be my last entry until I get things settled back home on Guam. Continuing from last week’s entry, here are a few things that I’ve been wracking my brain with and would love to share with you.

From “Spoken Word” to “Another Inner Monologue”

As you may already know, most of my posts consist of journal entries, updates, and what I call Spoken Word—keep in mind, I’m a poetry enthusiast okay? 😁 One of the changes that I’ll be making to the site is having a dedicated page for my poetry/creative writing called “Another Inner Monologue“. My plan is to have the audio linked from a podcast that will have all the audio entries. It will make things more convenient for anyone who would like to listen to everything that has been written and recorded already in one place. As for the podcast itself, it’ll be one of the projects I’ll be working on when I get my recording area set up.

A draft of the Podcast cover art

Reconstructing the Website

Since there will be a page dedicated to poetry/creative writing, I might as well update everything with the site! There were a few site templates I would love to try out before making one official. I like having things organized and I hope it’ll be easy for you to navigate. The “About Me” page will be updated, there will be a page dedicated to all things Voiceover, and of course a “Journal” page for entries that help break up the monotony of things.

All right, Question time!

Your thoughts and opinions matter to me. I would also like you to know that I am a very easy-going person and will do my best to accommodate you as a reader/listener the best I can. If you’re not comfortable sharing your thoughts in the Comments section, you can always email me via the Contact page. There’s even a disclaimer that any messages exchanged through there will not be shared with anyone or shared on the site without consent/approval from both parties.

Since I’m not big on social media, this site has been my go-to for everything! Just keep that in mind as you read through the questions I have laid out.

1) Are the posts balanced enough or is there something you would like to see more of? Would you like more Poetry/Creative writing? Perhaps life on the island? Or did you have something on your mind you would like to read/listen to?

2) How would you feel about collaborations? I’ve done a few spoken word collabs on my old poetry blog and thought maybe you’d like to hear someone different other than me—even I get tired of hearing myself talk! 🤣 If you’re answer is yes, I’ll be more than happy to reach out to some of the poetry writers I know and ask if they’ll work with me again.

3) If you’re familiar with my work, I mainly write about love and loss. Would you like something more upbeat? Or something out of the ordinary that pertains to poetry?




4) I’m a big fan of background music in my audio entries. I do all the editing (in-house) and it may distract some listeners from what’s being spoken. Do you like the music or are they overwhelming?




5) And finally, do you have any personal thoughts or opinions that you would like to add?


Take your time answering the questions. It’s not a MUST ANSWER NOW kind of thing. Plus, it will give me a lot of time to brew my thoughts a little more and I’ll be ready to incorporate your ideas when they come in.


That does it for me my friend. I’ll be spending the rest of the week with my son before I leave this Saturday. Wherever you are, I wish you the best and I hope that you have a great week and month ahead of you! Until next time…

Yours truly,
John




An upcoming audiobook

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I am so happy to share an upcoming audiobook from an author who I have worked with throughout my 3-years as a voice over. Jason never ceases to amaze me with his journey into the human mind.

Once the audiobook clears ACX’s Quality Control, I’ll be able to share some promotional codes if you’re an Audible user.

*Note: US and UK codes are normally distributed. I apologize if this doesn’t cover your country.

As a head’s up, next week’s post will be another journal entry and I have a lot of things to share with you! From new project ideas that will alter this site to asking for your opinions on what you would like to see more of 😊

I hope that you have a great week ahead! Take care of yourself my friend.

~John

The Road Ahead…

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Awesome pic from Pinterest

As baby buds begin to sprout, I too would like to wish you a warm Spring morning.

What went on behind the mic

February was a very busy month filled with auditions and a lot of homeschool work for Kai. It was definitely a change of pace and with the weather changing constantly, it wasn’t surprising to find myself sick for the first part of March. Now that I feel a bit better, I can sit and write to my heart’s content without my mind fogging up—not bad considering I had to stop drinking coffee!

WHAT?!

YEAH!

I had to stop this 24-year-old habit of mine and switch to Green Tea due to intermittent pains I felt in my stomach. Since the change, I feel so much better and look forward to my mornings again.

It was great knowing you coffee

Back to my Roots

If I’m not posting as frequently, please forgive me. I am getting things in order before I leave Ohio to return back to the island of Guam. The logistics are pretty straightforward; however, one major hurdle is leaving Kai behind (his mom has full custody of him). We had a long heart-to-heart, and he understands—for the most part.

Between you and me, when I left in 2003 to serve in the U.S. military, I didn’t have any plans on returning. I wanted to build my life in a different place and settle down. After 19 years of being away, with an occasional visit here and there, my heartstrings are pulling me back. It could be that my parents are getting older or perhaps it’s something deep down in my soul that had me make this decision. Whatever it is, my heart is telling me it’s something I need to do.

This will be another International Dateline crossing…again

Going Forward

I hope this gives you a better idea of where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to as of late. There is one audio piece I have been working on for two weeks and I hope to get it published by next Sunday—this was one of my more challenging works so far.

On this first day of Spring, I wish you the best wherever you are and may the blossoms of strength, courage, and perseverance sprout brilliantly in your life.

Take care!

~John

Update No. dah, dah, dah

Published on by J A Reyes6 Comments

Good morning from my side of the mic!

I hope this finds you in Good Health and that you’re doing well. My week has been busy, to say the least, but here are few things that happened:

  • Worked on and finally finished my Character Reel (currently reworking the site, so it has its own little home here)
  • I kept myself entertained during the heavy snowfall with my sore throat (I love raspy voices)
  • My Best friend made her voice acting debut in a Virtual Reality Game! (I think she was nymph or something)
  • I auditioned for my first animation project! It was definitely a lot of fun trying something new. (Fingers-crossed for the best)

I’ll keep this post short since I have a lot of reading to catch-up with.

Stay warm, stay safe, and have a great week!

~John

Little Snippet

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Now that we have “Officially” stepped into 2022, I would like to wish you the best for the New Year!

It would also be a good time to finally do a proper introduction—don’t you think? Don’t worry, I’ll keep things simple.

I’m John. I love reading poetry, life and experiences in other countries, and listening to spoken word. I am originally from the island of Guam, but I live in the Midwest with my son and two demanding cats. When I’m not helping with homeschool, I’m in my makeshift booth auditioning or working on projects as a voice over artist.

I write poetry to get my creative fulfillment and I record spoken word to try different reading styles and to sharpen my audio editing skills. These are the reasons I have this site (as well as to escape to) for you to stop by and browse around!

Step into my thought process for this site

After coming back to WordPress from a long break, I had some time to reflect on my other poetry blogs and came to the conclusion that I like a mix of written and spoken word as well as personal updates. Here are a few things I would like to let you in on:

  • First and foremost, if I post anything that offends you, please email me via the Contact page so we can discuss the matter and resolve it.
  • I know not everything I write will appease everyone. If you like it, cool. If you don’t, that’s cool too. It won’t hurt my feelings and I’ll respect you more for being honest.
  • Posting once a week makes things easier on my schedule. Since it’s convenient for me, I would like to share that with everyone who read my post(s).
  • I don’t like talking about my poetry and that’s why I have the Comments Section disabled. It’s more of a preference. For posts like this one or any other Updates, I’ll definitely have them turned on.

See?! I told you that I like to keep things simple!

Thank you so much for reading. I look forward to reading and writing more posts this year and I hope that you do the same.

Until next week, take care!