celes' space

Dream Rangefinders

2009-10-18T01:10:00.004+08:00

nuninuninu

Cryptography

2009-10-08T13:10:00.003+08:00

Salvador Dali's Signature

This is interesting.. a person's signature tells a lot about his or her personality.

http://www.annakoren.com/signature1.html

..and doodles too!

http://www.annakoren.com/doodles.html

it doesn't take a genius to find out what's on this person's mind

The Little Prince

2009-09-29T22:35:00.004+08:00

In my deepest thoughts I always remember the best book ever - The Little Prince.

1. Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

2. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.

3. Only children know what they are looking for.

4. What makes the desert beautiful, is that somewhere it hides a well.

5. If some one loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that’s enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars. He tells himself, “My flower’s up there somewhere. . . .” But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it’s as if, suddenly, all the stars went out. And that isn’t important?

6. One loves the sunset, when one is so sad. "Were you sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?" But the Little Prince made no reply.

May Araw Din Kayo

2009-09-28T18:26:00.006+08:00

From http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090817-220654/May-araw-din-kayo

I just love De Quiros. Below is his rant from his Inquirer section "There's the Rub".

Here's the full article:

Tatagalugin ko na nang makuha n’yo. Kahit na lingwaheng kanto lang ang alam kong Tagalog.

Tutal Buwan ng Wika naman ang Agosto. Baka sakali ’yung paboritong wika ni Balagtas ay makatulong sa pag-unawa n’yo dahil mukhang ’yung paboritong wika ni Shakespeare ay lampas sa IQ n’yo. Kung sa bagay, ang pinakamahirap gisingin ay ’yung nagtutulug-tulugan. Ang pinakamahirap padinggin ay ’yung nagbibingi-bingihan. Ang pinakamahirap paintindihin ay ’yung nagmamaangmaangan. Bueno, mahirap din paintindihin ’yung likas na tanga. Pero bahala na.

Sabi mo, Cerge Remonde, alangan naman pakanin ng hotdog ang amo mo. Bakit alangan? Hindi naman vegetarian ’yon. At public service nga ’yon, makakatulong dagdagan ng cholesterol at salitre ang dugong dumadaloy papuntang puso n’ya. Kung meron man s’yang dugo, kung meron man s’yang puso.

Bakit alangan? Malamang di ka nagbabasa ng balita, o di lang talaga nagbabasa, kung hindi ay nalaman mo ’yung ginawa ni Barack Obama at Joe Biden nitong nakaraang Mayo. Galing silang White House patungong Virginia nang magtakam sila pareho ng hamburger. Pina detour nila ang motorcade at tumuloy sa unang hamburgerang nakita nila. Ito ang Ray’s Hell Burger, isang maliit at independienteng hamburger joint.

Tumungo ang dalawa sa counter at sila mismo ang nag-order, hindi mga aides. Nagbayad sila ng cash na galing sa sariling bulsa at kagaya ng ibang customers ay pumila para sa turno nila.

Ito ay presidente at bise presidente ng pinakamakapangyarihang bansa sa buong mundo. Kung sa bagay, ’yung amo n’yo ay hindi naman talaga presidente. Di lang makita ang pagkakaiba ni Garci kay God kaya nasabing “God put me here.” Pekeng presidente, pekeng asal presidente.

Sabi mo, Anthony Golez, maliit lang ang P1 million dinner kumpara sa bilyon-bilyong pisong dinala ng amo mo sa bansa.

Ay kayo lang naman ang nagsasabing may inambag ang amo n’yo na bilyong-bilyong piso sa kaban ng bayan. Ni anino noon wala kaming nakita. Ang nakita lang namin ay yung bilyon-bilyong piso—o borjer, ayon nga sa inyong dating kakosa na si Benjamin Abalos—na inaswang ng amo n’yo sa kaban ng bayan. Executive privilege daw ang hindi n’ya sagutin ito. Kailan pa naging pribilehiyo ng isang opisyal ang di managot sa taumbayan? Kailan pa naging pribilehiyo ng isang opisyal ang magnakaw?

Maliit lang pala ang P1 million, ay bakit hindi n’yo na lang ibigay sa nagugutom? O doon sa mga sundalo sa Mindanao? Tama si Archbishop Oscar Cruz. Isipin n’yo kung gaano karaming botas man lang ang mabibili ng P1 million at karagdagang P750,000 na nilamon ng amo n’yo at mga taga bitbit ng kanyang maleta sa isa pang restawran sa New York.

Maliit lang pala ang P1 million (at P750,000), bakit hindi n’yo na lang ibigay doon sa pamilya ng mga sundalong namatay sa Mindanao? Magkano ’yung gusto n’yong ibigay sa bawat isa? P20,000? Sa halagang iyan 50 sundalo na ang maaabuluyan n’yo sa $20,000. Pasalu-saludo pa ’yang amo n’yo sa mga namatay na kala mo ay talagang may malasakit. Bumenta na ’yang dramang ’yan. At pasabi-sabi pa ng “Annihilate the Abus!” Di ba noon pa n’ya ’yan pinangako? Mahilig lang talagang mangako ’yang amo n’yo.

Bukod pa d’yan, saan ba nanggaling ’yung limpak-limpak na salapi ng mga kongresista na pinansisindi nila ng tabako? Di ba sa amin din? Tanong n’yo muna kung ayos lang na i-blowout namin ng wine at caviar ang amo n’yo habang kami ay nagdidildil ng asin—’yung magaspang na klase ha, ’di yung iodized. Ang tindi n’yo, mga p’re.

At ikaw naman, Romulo Macalintal, tapang ng apog mo. Maiisip mo tuloy na sundin na lang ang mungkahi ni Dick the Butcher sa “Henry VI” ni Shakespeare: “First thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Pa ethics-ethics ka pa, pasalamat ka di nasunog ang bibig mo sa pagbigkas ng katagang ’yon.

Marami mang sugapa rin sa aming mga taga media, di naman kasing sugapa n’yo. At di naman kami sineswelduhan ng taumbayan. Wala naman kaming problemang sumakay sa PAL at kailangan pang bumili ng P1.2 billion jet. Anong sabi n’yo, kailangan ng amo n’yo sa pabyahe-byahe? E sino naman ang may sabing magbabyahe s’ya? Ngayon pang paalis na s’ya—malinaw na ayaw n’yang umalis. Bakit hindi na lang s’ya bumili ng Matchbox na eroplano? Kasya naman s’ya ro’n.

Lalo kayong nagpupumiglas, lalo lang kayong lumulubog sa kumunoy. Di n’yo malulusutan ang bulilyasong ginawa n’yo. Para n’yo na ring inagaw ang isinusubong kanin ng isang batang nagugutom. Tama si Obama at Biden: Sa panahon ng recession, kung saan nakalugmok ang mga Amerikano sa hirap, dapat makiramay ang mga pinuno sa taumbayan, di nagpapakapariwara. Sa panahon ng kagutuman, na matagal nang kalagayan ng Pinoy, at lalo pang tumindi sa paghagupit ng Typhoon Gloria, dapat siguro uminom na lang kayo ng insecticide. Gawin n’yo ’yan at mapapawi kaagad ang kagutuman ng bayan.

Sa bandang huli, buti na rin lang at ginawa n’yo ’yung magpasasa sa P1 million dinner habang lupaypay ang bayan sa kagutuman—di lang sa kawalan ng pagkain kundi sa iba pang bagay—at pagdadalamhati sa yumaong Ina ng Bayan. Binigyan n’yo ng mukha ang katakawan. Katakawang walang kabusugan. Mukhang di nakita ng masa sa usaping NBN, mukhang di nakikita ng masa sa usaping SAL. Mukhang nakita lang ng masa dito sa ginawa n’yong ito. Sa pagpapabondat sa New York habang naghihinagpis ang bayan.

At buti na rin lang mayroon tayong sariling wika. Di sapat ang Inggles para iparamdam sa inyo ang suklam na nararamdaman namin sa inyo. Di sapat ang Inggles para ipakita sa inyo ang pagkamuhi na nararamdaman namin sa inyo. Di maarok ng Inggles ang lalim ng poot na nararamdaman namin sa inyo.

Isinusuka na kayo ng taumbayan, mahirap man sumuka ang gutom.

May araw din kayo.

Smokey the Cat

2009-09-23T11:36:00.006+08:00

Some sick f*ck tried to shoot this cat 13 times in the head. Luckily the cat survived. I hope the one who shot him won't be as lucky.

Things We Forget

2009-09-16T09:44:00.003+08:00

http://thingsweforget.blogspot.com/

need to recharge mine. but before i could do that i have to drain it fully first.

The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

2009-09-14T13:37:00.004+08:00

http://www.osorhan.com/bigo/

3D Over(drive)

2009-09-03T01:00:00.005+08:00

Once in a while there comes an endeavour that is iconic, challenging, and a benchmark of an individual or a group's resolve. It may not hold a candle to the numerous spectacular CG projects out in the market but this one has become very personal - in many ways it has reawakened me to the very essence of why I do what I do and why I love doing it despite the odds. Iconic because of what it represents - speed - in a rapidly evolving CG industry the only way for us to compete is to gain such. Challenging - because time was not in our favor, yet what we tried to achieve within that we have done, and more. A Benchmark - as team members' individual resolves were put to the test, indeed only in adversity will one's character emerge.

I have come to realize that CG is not a justification of artistry rather more, as in any profession, a discipline. Quality doesn't demand just time - it demands passion first and foremost. With this in mind - time becomes relative.

To the team that made this possible - and to a large extent the people I respect within the industry - we can all say we've pulled this off quite well. The handshakes, smiles and applause of the ones who gave us this opportunity - the clients - make it all worthwhile.

The Fountainheadache

2009-07-28T12:56:00.003+08:00

"I don't intend to build in order to have clients; I intend to have clients in order to build."
[Howard Roark- "The Fountainhead"]

..or, what's the point in designing it, when it will never be built?

Movie Review : Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen

2009-07-07T00:33:00.004+08:00

Hohum. Slept through half of the movie. Sure, ILM is still the dominant force in mind blowing special effects, but that's about it. Michael Bay is losing his touch. This sequel doesn't match up to the impact of the first movie.

Megan Fox looks like every part of her assets (including her lips) has got hemorrhoids.

Whack A Kitty

2009-06-20T13:58:00.001+08:00

LOL!

Movie Review :: Coraline (2009)

2009-06-15T01:20:00.005+08:00

I'm a sucker for movies that give you that wow factor. Which, in an age of stunning 3D movies and eye candy anime, seem to be a rarity.

Then you get Coraline, an instant animation classic. A combination of stop-motion animation and CG enhanced effects (though approximately 95% of it is still stop-motion). The magic of its technical approach is enough to engage you for 2 hours, but the real treat is the story itself. Nay a dull moment, the script was brilliantly written, the color palette is simply awesome (while other animations use a pack of 12 crayolas, Coraline seems to be using the whole 133 set), and the sheer creative imagination of the author is refreshing. The whole movie just ascends to one magnificent visual frame after the other as the story progresses. If I were to list my top 10 animation movies of all time, Coraline would probably be at the top 3.

Autodesk Seminar!

2009-06-13T11:54:00.003+08:00

link to the details of this seminar here.

One of the many positive things happening in my life at the moment. :) I was caught by surprise.

Cat Serial Killer on the Loose - and He's in UP Diliman

2009-05-07T14:25:00.004+08:00

This really reached my boiling point. If I was half as the sick fuck that this guy is, I'd do exactly to him what he did to the poor cat and feel no remorse as well.

Sunnyvale

2009-04-15T12:10:00.014+08:00

A collaborative project between Mushroom and Zum.

Etch Us Reloaded

2009-03-23T11:51:00.003+08:00

Interiors from the Masters

2009-02-27T21:51:00.003+08:00

Inspiring.. from 3D Titans Alex and Norvs..

Cat in the Rain

2009-02-21T20:03:00.001+08:00

Cat in the Rain
Originally uploaded by celes

more cat pics in http://www.flickr.com/photos/celes/

CG Group Dynamics

2009-02-19T10:07:00.011+08:00

It is interesting to watch how a collective group of individuals in a CG-related forum interact.

For one, a long discussion can actually be an eye opener. You get to know the minds of the members and thereby become basis for determining their levels of intellect and passion in their work. It doesn't mean that opposing views mean an opponent in the truest sense, rather the reverse - the ones that raise the most meaningful arguments are the ones that do it in a manner which is entirely subjective but recognizably valid. You get to respect the personalities behind them.

However, the skill inevitably should come first. It is a prerequisite in a demanding industry where preset evermotion 3d models and settings are the norm.

I do recognize that in a public forum, being free, expectations are not as high as running a team working on a specific goal. But is a good platform to determine the upcoming shakers and movers in the industry.

In the end skill alone is not enough, attitude is most definitely a major determinant. The only way to see that online is not only through the quality of their jpegs but the sense of their words.

Harukken!

2009-02-16T10:21:00.001+08:00

Mir's Munchkin(s)

2009-02-11T11:51:00.002+08:00

Ramir is now a cat person

Lucky Dumpling!

2009-02-11T10:17:00.002+08:00

burning my speakers nowadays

SNAFU

2009-02-04T22:45:00.002+08:00

It really sucks when your client has a different sense of aesthetics..

Datu's Tribe

2009-01-28T18:05:00.002+08:00

Hehehe.. remember this album? If you're 30 and below probably not.

Blue Eyes

2009-01-27T16:18:00.001+08:00

Cat
Originally uploaded by celes

Chinatown - CNY 2009

2009-01-24T23:42:00.008+08:00

Chinatown - CNY 2009
Originally uploaded by celes

Monks Praying

2009-01-24T23:42:00.005+08:00

Monks Praying
Originally uploaded by celes

Dragon Fabric

2009-01-24T23:42:00.003+08:00

Dragon Fabric
Originally uploaded by celes

Buddhas

2009-01-24T23:42:00.001+08:00

Buddhas
Originally uploaded by celes

Monks

2009-01-24T23:40:00.002+08:00

Monks
Originally uploaded by celes

Stray Cats of Singapore

2009-01-12T10:23:00.003+08:00

A kindred spirit.. Check out his blog here. (Incidentally, he also uses a Nikon :D)

Enzoti's Day Out

2009-01-05T10:19:00.007+08:00

Goofing after fixing his shoelace

New Year's Eve Cat

2009-01-02T11:30:00.006+08:00

Enzo's only cat friend :)

Chicken Rice

2008-12-31T17:18:00.005+08:00

Tembeling Road

2008-12-29T11:11:00.002+08:00

ISO 3200, 50mm, f/2.2, 1/15 sec.

Test Drive D90

2008-12-28T15:23:00.008+08:00

The D90, Nikon's latest amateur DSLR. This gizmo is great.. wouldn't bother with getting the D300 anymore since the image processing and quality is practically the same, if not better (and for S$1000 more? no way). The D3? Out of my (pocket) league.

Funny thing though, color comparisons with the images between this and my D40 made me realize that - I prefer the output of the D40.. Although in high ISOs, the D90 delivers great images. Plus now, I can autofocus with my 50mm 1.8f/d lens. What's more the D90 has Live View and a great 3.0" screen. And did I mention the D90 can already record movies?

For now, I still need to play with the color modes. One thing's for sure - The D90 is gonna kick some serious SLR butt.

Mushroom Toys

2008-12-27T17:07:00.001+08:00

Ryan's:

Eng's:

Celes':

ISO 3200

2008-12-27T02:35:00.006+08:00

ISO 3200 images are generally noisy and unusable. So what makes these images still printable? :D

..And Christmas For All

2008-12-23T11:52:00.006+08:00

A lot of stuff has happened this year.. It was definitely a roller coaster ride.. extreme highs, extreme lows.. but in the end it was a great year, so, in the words of Nols,

Merry fuckin-metalli-christmas-death-magnetic-new-fuckin-year!!!

Enzoti Takes an Early Vacation :)

2008-12-04T17:44:00.001+08:00

Jograd Farewell

2008-11-29T16:11:00.005+08:00

the MM Hagibis, fr left to right (Munky "web god" Abella, Jorel "the preferred 3d artist" Martinez, Jograd, Ryan "to the left" Gallinera, Eng "autobot maker" Cadavero)

The Dog in the Manger

2008-11-28T11:29:00.009+08:00

.
I stumbled upon this old fable and it strikes a chord.

A Dog looking out for its afternoon nap jumped into the Manger of an Ox and lay there cosily upon the straw. But soon the Ox, returning from its afternoon work, came up to the Manger and wanted to eat some of the straw. The Dog in a rage, being awakened from its slumber, stood up and barked at the Ox, and whenever it came near attempted to bite it. At last the Ox had to give up the hope of getting at the straw, and went away muttering:

"Ah, people often grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves."

Sounds familiar?

This is a variant of that Filipino genetic anomaly called -

crab mentality. :p

3D Walkthru in Progress

2008-11-04T01:13:00.011+08:00

Here's a shopping mall we are currently working on, to be built somewhere in Europe. For the first time I made full use of Vray Sun, which is quite easy to use. Also used extensive After Effects for the screenshots (these were lifted from the rendered frame sequences)..

Will be posting the walkthru when it's done. :D

AUTODESK3DSMAXSUCKS

2008-10-30T16:46:00.002+08:00

But I guess everyone knows this already.

If you wanna know why, talk to me personally. It sucks so bad I don't even have the energy to blog about why it does. If I were you skip this stupid upgrade and stick to Max 9 instead.

Just take it from me -

It SUCKS.

My Apocalypse! I Kick You in The Nutss!!

2008-10-16T22:31:00.002+08:00

South Park Metallica

2008-10-09T20:09:00.006+08:00

.

ei!! what don't kill ya make ya more strong! -eric cartman

Enzo's First F1

2008-10-01T13:59:00.015+08:00

It was a night of many firsts: it was the first ever F1 Grand Prix night race in Singapore, and also Enzo's first F1 Grand Prix experience :)

Death Magnetic

2008-09-13T21:12:00.008+08:00

..kicks ass!!

..here are my reasons why, track by track:

1. That Was Just Your Life starts off like Battery + noticeable difference in James' vocals apparent.. he's back to growling rather than singing + infectious groove all throughout the song + some middle riffs reminiscent of The Four Horsemen + Yes! Kirk's doing a solo again!

2. The End of the Line catchy riff at the beginning + great riff shift at 1:00.. enters a Master of Puppets / Creeping Death style structure + there goes Kirk again.. unleashed + the guitar and drum punches are back + song enters a Load-style section but what the heck.. + only two songs so far and that's it.. this record already rocks!

(by this time, it's safe to max out the volume!)

3. Broken, Beat & Scarred this wouldve probably been a song off the Justice album.. + great riffs , great lyrics + best James vocals in this song

4. The Day that Never Comes by now, I'm a bit deaf.! time for a slower track..without the sissy attitude of Load and St. Anger.. and this One-type fits well + this is a definitive Metallica slow song of old.. not as good as Fade to Black or Sanitarium but close.. perhaps after 50 playbacks, it will become a classic +"love is a four-letter word"?

5. All Nightmare Long interesting Middle eastern intro.. then transcends to one of the album's great riffs + this one is pure thrash.. reminiscent of Whiplash and Ride the Lightning + my favorite track in the album!!

6. Cyanide this has been my the subject of my LSS for the past few days + it gets better and better

7. Unforgiven III WTF.. ill pass this one for the title. + anyway still sounds ok. no hints from the horn intro of the first Unforgiven-s + well.. not the best track in the album.. but Ride the Lightning had Escape right?

8. The Judas Kiss after a meh song, a redeeming one! + this is the album's version of Leper Messiah

9. Suicide and Redemption the 10 minute instrumental song is back!

10. My Apocalypse .. and so is the sonic end song like Dyer's Eve or Damage Inc. + pure pure pure Metallica

all in all.. album is fast awesome and listenable for another 3 years.. on a daily basis.. and best played LOUDDD..

Footallica

Long Haired Blog

2008-09-06T14:47:00.001+08:00

Nice blog

Enzo Turns 7

2008-08-22T14:59:00.008+08:00

.
Happy Birthday Enzo!!

Good Luck Kelly!

2008-08-22T00:20:00.004+08:00

Mushroom Kelly says goodbye..

Cyanide and Happiness

2008-08-21T23:00:00.008+08:00

1. Cyanide..

The new Metallica single "The Day That Never Comes" is due out any hour soon, but I heard em play a new song off the Death Magnetic album, "Cyanide". Wow.. Sept. 12 for the release of the new album.. can't wait! :D

Hmm.. it could mean the new album might, just might, kick ass.. It sounds closer to Justice, without the softness of the last 3 albums with Newsted, and without the meh-ness of St. Anger. . But the drum tracks, guitars and solos, vocals and the bass lines are all solid, old school stuff. Damn, they really are into going back to their roots.

One thing they can never reverse though is.. impending baldness?

.. and 2. Happiness.

Photo of the Day

2008-08-19T10:38:00.005+08:00

Caught a glimpse of this photo in flickr, and I kinda like its composition. It was even published on my birthday. :)

Coraline

2008-08-16T17:30:00.004+08:00

There is still nothing, not even advanced 3D animation techniques, that will hold a candle to traditional stuff such as stop motion animation.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight (2008)

2008-07-20T23:37:00.011+08:00

This is by far the BEST Batman movie in my books. Storyline is solid, the plot and subplots twist like fine opera. The most cerebral of all the Batman movies. Very little fun here, but a lot of excitement.

It wasn't called "dark" for nothing. The PG-13 rating in the film should read: DON'T bring any kid below 13. There are too many graphic scenes, though not as grotesque as those weird horror movies. It is the nature of the Joker character, the pure evil persona that will haunt you. Ironically Gotham here is mostly shot in daylight, yet the mood of the story is the darkest ever in the franchise.

Heath Ledger's performance was electrifying.. I won't be surprised if he gets an award for his role here. He upstages everyone, despite the fact that Bale, Caine, Oldman and even Eckhart gave great performances too. He really makes a terrifying Joker. The music score only darkened the mood further, with all those creepy sirens blaring whenever he is around.

It reaches a satisfying climax with a "social experiment". A test that blurs the boundaries of morality and self preservation. A defining moment which explains why Batman IS the superhero in the film and not anyone else.

I could go on and on why this is my favorite Batman movie for now, but I won't spoil the fine details for those who haven't watched it. Just go go go, see it, twice, thrice, but remember not to linger with it. It is meant to give nightmares. It is not "Spiderman" nor "Iron Man". More like "A Clockwork Orange".

The Joker puts it plainly: "Hit me!"

And this movie did.

Another Attempt..

2008-07-18T16:18:00.003+08:00

.. of winning me, the old fan, back. Of me, getting to buy their latest album (I skipped St. Anger). From the demos I've heard so far, it's still gonna be a disappointment. We will never ever get to hear James Hetfield and the gang rock again. Ever. Again. Face it, Cliff is dead, Jason left.

At least, they brought back their pre-Load logo. Plus the concept art for the next album is quite interesting.. a magnetic coffin. I heard they were gonna package it like a coffin too. I just hope I don't bury it after listening to it.

For now i'll keep this as a wallpaper.

MM Gets a Tag!!!

2008-07-09T22:35:00.007+08:00

www.mushroommultimedia.com gets a

(drumroll)

Super pick of the world?? A bit blechhh.. but hey, it's still something! :D

3D Rant II

2008-06-29T14:59:00.008+08:00

Here's an update -

The renegade 3D file that opens in 30 minutes just bloated to bizarre proportions. Cannot merge or save selected geometry because it maintains that same large file size even if it only contains 1 spline or 1 camera. I tried running the gc() utility (garbage collector) which used to work on 3ds Max 7 for bloated files.

Didn't work.

Installed the new Max 2009 just in case it could actually fix the problem.

Ended up waiting for 1 hour, and the file refuses to give in. To give you an idea of the extent of the project, the image below is only 10% of the stuff we are working on:

Our suspicion for the file bloat was when we started importing Cad files. The client gave us an update, we merged the new plan into the scene. It occurred with everyone in the team who's involved in the project, and most of them were doing portions of the whole development while I handled the overall site. Previous to this 3D quagmire I had thousands of trees and a poly count of millions, and I can still edit those quite ok. But so many revisions have already been incorporated. So now, I'm in a 3D hellhole.

Against my will I have SOS'd in Autodesk's AREA to see if there is a remedy to it.

Oh well.. Best (or worst) way to deal with this waiting thing is to have a cigarette while the computers are busy loading and saving. :p

..or blog. Something which I haven't been doing for some time.. :D

3D Rant!!!

2008-06-27T01:35:00.002+08:00

If it wasn't bad enough that you can't open a previous version of a 3D file in newer max versions, here comes the latest monster - 3DS Max 2008.

If you are planning to upgrade, stick to 3DS Max 9.0. This 2008 version s*cks big time, and is causing me sleepless nights and nervous breakdowns. Deadline is fast approaching and the new version isn't performing optimally like the previous versions.

Hell.. Waaaaa

Arnis Comes to Singapore

2008-06-22T13:06:00.008+08:00

They don't call this Filipino martial art deadly and "lightning" for nothing.

Imp Tall

2008-06-20T14:20:00.002+08:00

I'm Tall-ish :D

VRAY RT

2008-06-20T00:53:00.001+08:00

Yeah.

An interactive version of Vray will be coming soon..

Can't wait can't wait can't wait can't wait can't wait can't wait

MMRF

2008-06-13T12:36:00.001+08:00

Wooohooo animations here we goooo

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

2008-06-09T11:03:00.004+08:00

Panda kicks butt!!

Movie Review: Speed Racer (2008)

2008-05-26T17:42:00.003+08:00

When a classic Japanese anime show jumps to a Hollywood version, the way to do it is - none of those overdone CG stuff trying ruthlessly to reconstruct realism, but to create a stylized and (more) visually appealing stuff. Something that the Wachowski brothers are known for. Something that Speed Racer has done.

Some folks may find it dragging though, and a bit over the top. Personally, I will be adding this to my DVD collection..

Mushrooms Sprouting!

2008-05-14T10:54:00.005+08:00

Indeed.. we're getting busy, projects slowly pouring in, and the office is slowly building its team.. and it'll be a good team :D

::buttrock::

www.mushroommultimedia.com

Nick Fury

2008-05-12T16:05:00.001+08:00

..sometimes there is a surprise at every spectacular movie ending.

If you are just about to watch Iron Man, stay until the end credits. :)

(Thanks Gabo!)

Movie Review: Iron Man (2008)

2008-05-05T11:26:00.003+08:00

When will Hollywood studios allow us struggling CG groups to catch up??

Watch this dudes.. twice if you can :D

Everything You Know is in 3D

2008-05-02T11:42:00.002+08:00

...according to U2.

GDT Extravaganza

2008-04-25T18:14:00.003+08:00

First, there's the upcoming Hellboy 2 movie.. :D

..and finally - GDT gets to direct "The Hobbit"..

yeah yeah!

Enzo and Daddy

2008-04-25T12:59:00.003+08:00

Manila - April 2008

2008-04-25T12:03:00.004+08:00

3D Arthritis

2008-03-23T02:42:00.008+08:00

some new 3d stuff i have been working on and have been the causes of my back aches:

..nowadays i sport a bengay menthol eu de toilette a.k.a. muscle painkiller..

damn i'm old. i need good renderers real quick..

DVD Reviews: Phone Booth and The Iron Giant

2008-03-16T22:01:00.007+08:00

My back hurts today from too much work. So i decided to stay in my couch for a while and run two unplayed DVDs from my collection -

First, Phone Booth. After finishing Batman Forever I decided not to see any Joel Schumacher movies for the time being. But this movie redeems himself, totally. It reminded me of that Johnny Depp movie a few years back, Nick of Time. That was one great pacing.. Colin Farrell and Kiefer Sutherland gave great performances in this one. How does a film stay watchable even if it runs for 90 minutes in only one location? Watch this and find out :D

Second, The Iron Giant. This movie isn't as big as any of Pixar's blockbusters, and you'd probably ask: why the hell not??? Animation junkies, if you haven't seen this yet drop that Spongebob VCD and grab this instead. This film is probably one of the best combos of traditional and digital animation. Vray toon lovers will get a fix with this.

Time to work again, and my back is still breaking..

FEM

2008-03-16T04:28:00.011+08:00

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They, I think, are the spokespersons of this generation. Their movie is highly artistic, talented, original and honest. Go see it. As I will - when the DVD comes out.

From 3D to 4D

2008-03-12T03:56:00.006+08:00

So February was officially the time we moved into the new office, Mushroom. If you followed this blog you'll know that Mushroom does (and will continue to do) a lot of 3D stuff.

But it jumped into 4D sooner than we expected.

4D which stands for "four digits", a lottery in Singapore whereby you get to choose, obviously, four digits and pray to the heavens for that combination to hit the jackpot. One of our colleagues decided to bet using the new office address and voila - she WON.

Now THAT's a good start for a business.

Cats Who Need a New Home

2008-03-05T15:09:00.009+08:00

i hate camera flash

bounced out

These cats are up for adoption.. too bad I can't cos Enzo has got breathing problems.

i think his name is t-rex cos he's got short front limbs

snuggle snuggle

lazy one

lazy too

..some shots taken using Albert's brand new D40 :D

Drop a comment if anyone out there is keen, as long as they live in Singapore.

New Place New Face

2008-02-23T17:09:00.004+08:00

New place : Mushroom Office
New face: Great Mazinger

"I am your brother, your best friend forever"

Welcome the Year of the Rat!

2008-02-21T23:37:00.004+08:00

The current trends (fears of a US recession, down markets, high property costs, blah blah) plus the predictions for the Year of the Rat being a year of hardships and belt tightening.. piss me off. So I say -

-This year's gonna be good.. for one, it IS the Year of the Rat (my year!).. got 8 in 2008 mah.. (8 is supposed to be a lucky number in Chinese numerology, it being one of only two numbers that is written in an upward stroke, plus it supposedly resembles 2 coins :D) Dunno how true leh.. Whatever it is, this blog has also hit the jackpot.. 008888 on the hit meter! Kachink kachink..

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

On the POEA Memo Crap..

2008-02-17T10:23:00.002+08:00

This is what I've been waiting for.

Japanese

2008-02-16T12:27:00.012+08:00

Last Day - Shinsaibashi

2008-02-15T14:38:00.010+08:00

Before leaving for Kansai Airport, we did a last minute tour of the city. By this time I'm already sore from taking too many photos..

hohum

Kids in Japan

2008-02-14T10:59:00.005+08:00

..are so adorable

Pure Forms

2008-02-13T14:43:00.014+08:00

In the realm of architecture, no one tops the Japanese. Not even the new structures anywhere in the world can compare with what they have already built. And I have only seen a fraction of it. I would need to see more of Japan to fully appreciate its cultural obsession for design. Sure, European, Asian and Middle East cities boast of new developments each year, but the Japanese have always been steps ahead. Everywhere you look there is purity in form, stark contrasts and a near-perfect sense of proportion.

Night Two - Shinsaibashi Osaka

2008-02-13T10:10:00.002+08:00

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(shot taken using Canon EOS 400D)

After Kyoto, the group took the bullet train to Osaka. If we took the tour bus we'd travel for 1.5 hours; taking the bullet train only took us 15 minutes. It was still freezing in Osaka but the snow has subsided.

We had dinner at Shinsaibashi, Osaka's version of Orchard Road or Manila's Malate. Lots and lots of shops and food joints here.. Think of it as a preview to what Tokyo would be at night.

Good thing I brought my 50mm lens, managed to shoot quick night shots here without too much grain.

Day Two - Kyoto

2008-02-12T18:53:00.000+08:00

.batman probably began on the Kiyomizu Temple

Kiyomizu Temple fortune documents ready for collection

My D40 was put to the test when snow started to fall.. At one point the camera didn't detect the lens! But the camera survived somehow (I was patient enough to wipe the lens and the camera body every two shots or so) and produced some really nice shots during our second day of the tour, in Kyoto. In the middle of the snow storm I decided to set the camera in high ISO to capture the snow itslef instead of the snow trails, and optimized most of the images in black and white to highlight the contrasts.

Kyoto being the old capital (?) is sprawling with traditional style houses and ancient castles and temples.. Being first timers of course, we visited the postcard-friendly ones..

entrance to the Kiyomizu Temple

dragon drool for everyone

snow..

..snow

..and more snow

..won't stop this guy from taking pics

..and won't stop tourists either

scene from the gutter

a real cat and her kitten.. not

Japanese schoolgirls (the real ones)

opening shop

Kyoto street scenes

footprints in the snow

and bike trails too

spot the golden pavilion?

umbrella party

entrance to the pavilion

my snow-capped umbrella

bell shrine

cat no. 3: "present ma'am"

:p

Day One - Kobe

2008-02-12T02:08:00.000+08:00

The company holiday bonus was a 4-day trip covering Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka.

Too short.

You arrive in Japan and you would be wanting to stay another day despite the cold winter. It hit -3 degrees when we were there.

Kobe was the first stop, and the tour only covered the Sake Factory and the Hanshin Earthquake Institution. At least we did get to spend time in the city with some urban sightseeing and coffee. It was probably better to visit Kobe in October when the Kobe Jazz Street Festival was on.

As much as Kobe is well known for its beef, we didn't get to sample any..

a Shinto street arc

typical Kobe street scenes

the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution

the view from the hotel room - the massively busy Kobe port can be hinted in the horizon

typical Kobe street scenes

Japan Prologue

2008-02-12T00:54:00.000+08:00

Just got back! - here's a preview from my recent Japan trip:

kyoto

osaka

kyoto

..photos will overflow soon.. :)

Worshippers 2

2008-02-07T03:04:00.000+08:00

Nununu I Got Some Apples..

2008-02-03T14:54:00.000+08:00

Just got this today from Nikon Club Singapore :)

Dear Celes Geronimo,

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your image (Street blues) and (Worshippers) has been selected by our editors and it will be displayed in the Editor’s Choice Gallery. We have also rewarded you with 300 points!

To view your image in Hot Shots, please click on the link below:

http://www.nikonclub.com.sg/pages/gallery.asp?page=1

Keep up the good work and we hope to see more of your images being displayed in the Editor’s Choice Gallery (and hopefully you will leave our editors dumbfounded too)!

Yours truly,
Nikon Club Singapore

Hu da lally! :) The images selected were:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/celes/2229181072/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/celes/2237940441/

Fell

2008-02-02T19:11:00.000+08:00

Rarindra Prakarsa

2008-02-02T19:06:00.000+08:00

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Great lighting photography by Rarindra Prakarsa :)
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Telok Blangah

2008-02-02T12:25:00.000+08:00

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cat guards in the temple

more here.

MC-04

2008-02-01T11:31:00.000+08:00

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POEA SUCKS.

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Chinatown Random Shots

2008-02-01T02:23:00.001+08:00

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colorful chinatown

How to Do Exposure Bracketing..

2008-01-30T00:20:00.000+08:00

.. with a camera that doesn't have any?

Answer:

1. A good tripod
2. and tips from this site.

light frame: (note the overexposed gate area)

dark frame:

blended result:

..and a few more shots:

detail closeup (no post editing)

Ok.. the last 2 images weren't blended, it's just a single shot, but still with the tripod :) Just wanted to see how sharp the results are..

I am quite satisfied with the stability (of the tripod).. even while shifting exposures manually there is minimal shifting in the images.

Nikon D60

2008-01-29T12:57:00.001+08:00

Yup it was announced already.. the new sibling of D40, the D60, which I was anticipating to fill in what the D40 SHOULD have - a built-in AF motor, and an AE bracketing feature. It could stay with 6MP for all I care -

Disappointingly none of these made it to the D60. In fact there is no difference at all, if there is, very subtle.. an anti-dust system, 10MP, and some other features which I don't give a shit about.

They even look exactly the same.

A real letdown.. dunno if that new EXPEED (same as the D3 and D300) processor makes a difference though.. We'll see.

I think Canon's leap from EOS 400D to 450D was more significant.

For now - zero excitement about this "update". If you can call it that. For D40 users, a significant upgrade is still the D80 or the D300 (if you've got the money to throw away).

Similarly when the D40x came shortly after the D40, I'd keep my fingers crossed for a possible D60x.

Stacked Cats

2008-01-28T23:23:00.000+08:00

from oddplanet:

Enzo's Bike (Quad-ike)

2008-01-27T22:06:00.001+08:00

Time for first times - this time, Enzo's first bike :)

Nikkor AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm

2008-01-26T23:36:00.000+08:00

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Travelling with several lenses can be annoying - it is too cumbersome to be carrying and changing different types of lens for every situation - landscapes, closeups, portraits, etc. What's more, those repeated changing of lenses will only increase the amount of dust in the camera sensor. Which is why I got this:

It is the Nikkor AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm, a perfect replacement for my 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses. The only setback is that it lacks VR (vibration reduction) which is important for focal lengths reaching 135mm (if the camera zooms to a very far subject, camera shake is more visible). Otherwise use a tripod. Which I did - paid for it - so might as well use it eh?

The other option I had was the 18-200mm, which has VR, but steeply priced at SGD1200 (it was SGD1800 last year). The 18-135mm is priced at SGD650 - but I got it for only SGD400, with a free UV filter thrown in by David of Alanphoto. Why the price cut? The 18-135mm is the kit lens for the D80, and while at the shop, a customer wanted to buy a D80 camera body only, but the store only had the D80 kits. So I offered to get the kit lens and the other customer can have his D80. On camera kits there is usually a price difference, in this case SGD150, and that's what I got. :) I just love good deals.

So from Funan, on to Padang, where the CNY festive lanterns are on display:)

Osaka and Kyoto, here I come :)