Alvin's blog

Internship is finally over!

Monday, 11 October 2010

Yay! SIP is finally over! Though I cannot really relax just yet, I still have SIP report to do during this 2 week break. Also, after the break is our FYP period, and I have yet to come up with a story idea to do for the project.

It is not that I have not come up with a story idea, but the current problem I am facing is how to balance story with the technical things and also all the things that I would like to put inside. To make it simpler, I would need a proper 'story', something like a moral or something to make the audience 'feel', and balance that out with things that I would like the lecturer (or whoever is marking) to take note of and then base my grades on. Also there is also the problem of whether I like it or not, I'd rather do something I like rather than something I don't, common sense yes? *Sigh* I'm currently at idea x and I'm still churning out more in hopes of getting the perfect blend. It seems that there are some people that already got their story ideas... It just makes everything seem so hopeless. So far all my ideas are heavy on just one side, and I'm having some problems coming up with new ideas. Though I do not really have to have a 'story', it's just a plus to have one, maybe if all else fails I'll just stick to the technical side (which I am not exactly strong at...)

Tomorrow I have to go back to school for some NAPFA training to prepare me for the actual NAPFA. I hope to get some money out of that $ $ but chances are slim. Apparently the sit-and-reach is still there and I suck at that. My pull-ups have also dropped from 3 to somewhere around 1. Sucks. I hope that this training will help. If not, then I'll be back to complain on how I could've spent better time watching Anime than going for the stupid training. Well, until then! (Or sometime sooner...)

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 21:15

and the cycle repeats itself...

Sunday, 26 September 2010

Long time no blog again... *sigh* I'm getting sick of it myself.

Lots of things happening right now, or has happened already, thus making me feel the urge to put them down... One main thing that has happened, I went to Comex and got a Wacom tablet! Woohoo! Finally! I got an Intuos4 small wacom tablet which truthfully, I did not like very much at first because it was hard to use. I guess I am too used to the school's Wacom which is either a large or extra large... Anyway, the Wacom looks like this!

I'm loving my Wacom tablet now, it allows me to do work at home or elsewhere. Which reminds me, I'm currently having SIP! The Design school SIP spans a period of 3 months, and we're currently at the last 2 months of SIP, how time flies... Before we got into any company, we'd need to go for interviews, which I have been through... ALOT I might add.

It says something, either that my work is not that good that I have to go for so many interviews or just that the type of work that I do is not what companies are looking for. Both aren't really good things... - - Anyway, here's a list of companies that I have been to interview for: GAMBIT game lab, Creative Halo, Singapore YOG media team(not really a company but...), MICA (Ministry of Informations Communications and the Arts) and Oak3 Films.

Within the list, I have been working at YOG first, for a month and 2 weeks, since after the YOG we'd have nothing to do... then we went back to school and waited for another possible interview, then finally after 2 weeks, I got into Oak3 Films and I'm currently having an internship there doing mostly illustrations and storyboards for new media stuff, and this it is when I was at Oak3 that my new Wacom tablet came into handy. I really love it now. I'm also currently working on some personal stuff, don't want to say more because I believe in all the "losing its magic once said" saying, if there is that kind of saying...

Despite being rather busy with SIP and stuff I still make time for my Anime. Can't live without it! Currently watching Clannad with my sisters, and this will make it the third time I have watched it. It's really nice I really recommend it, especially After Story. Before I go all Otaku-ish which I declare I AM NOT! I will stop here and once I have more stuff to write and note about I will be back. Oh yes, suddenly remembered something, You all should go to youtube to watch the Pokemon Apocalypse trailer, though it looks a little erm... but it looks pretty cool at the same time. I'm actually quite looking forward to a real movie, though I doubt there will be.

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 10:16

What's happening now

Saturday, 5 June 2010

I'll add in more things that happened during the time I was M.I.A next time (if I have the time) but what exactly is going on now?

"Project 3 is all the rage right now with many students busting their butts to meet the deadline on the 10th of June. I have gotten into this as well and I have to say, it is pretty exciting stuff."

Not! Well, it IS project 3 now but it is hell all over again. Everyday is 9am to 9pm for me, with no lunch for most days, and the thing is... I'm not even half complete! In case you didn't notice, the deadline is next Thursday. So... what am I going to do? Whatever I can. I'm going to finish as many scenes as I can today and chart exposure sheets at home tomorrow. Monday would be finishing my Animation 2 assignment which is the opening titles and Tuesday and Wednesday would be the SFX and editing. Thursday, deadline.

I was planning to do well for this year to try to get 'something' before I leave school, you know, an award or something... But I'm not that sure if I can do that now. But! I am looking forward to my FYP (final year project) and I have listed a whole lot of things NOT to put inside my project... (At least I'll try not to).

Let me list them down:

1. Not too realistic. (realistic is a pain in the butt to do but I have a story that I would like to do and is probably pretty realistic...)

2. Voice. (Again, the story I have in mind probably needs that, but I'll try not to put that in)

3. Horror. (Man, I really should've learnt my lesson the last time... When was the last time again?)

The list would be edited and added on whenever I think of new things.
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Well, as I was browsing the net just now I saw this:

Real cute flies.
With that I end, I have to do my work... >.> It probably is more accurate to say that I should've been doing work.

Edit: Probably going to change my blog, name and background and all. Just a reminder for myself.

Image gotten from: thefrustratedteacher.com

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 10:06

Long time no post ^n

Woah! Would you look at that? When was the last time I posted something? July 2009! Now it's 5th June 2010, it has almost been a year since... A lot of things have happened in that time frame, my uncle whom my family had bad experience with (refer January 2009) during Chinese new year was less of a *ahem* than the last time we met him.

What happened was that my mum decided to bring my siblings to visit him and my grandma a while back (my eldest sister used the excuse to study to not go). Well, I wasn't informed and I had project 2 the last time (I think) so I came home rather late. BUT! I met my mum and my siblings as they made their way to the bus stop, so I decided to tag along.

Skipping all the things that happened in the middle ~~they are not too exciting~~, my uncle came back home and well... at first he ignored us but then he sat down and well, had a chat with my mum and us, asking about things, you know, studies and stuff.

Oh, he had also wanted to give us a bunny since they had more than enough and was planning to sell them away. My younger sisters were looking at my mum and me with sparkles in their eyes, but we refused the bunny. We had hamsters the last time and I was the one doing all the changing of bedding and stuff... *rant* *rant* if only they helped* rant*

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 09:50

Bad block

Thursday, 23 July 2009

Long time no blog. Why? Because I was busy, well, add in a tad bit of laziness... OK, maybe a lot more than just a little... But seriously, Consumer Lifestyle Research is just horrible. Horrid horrid. It is because of this module that I have ventured into the world of 'past-midnight'. I have had several occasions of sleeping at 2++ am. And now, it's almost 4.00am already and I haven't even gotten my sleep. It's partly because this module has loads of group work. Schedules between group members clash and well.. horrible planning of time, loads of AFK moments and time wasted on meaningless chatter. Graghh! (I feel like scolding vulgarities...pointing the finger)

Even now, I'm waiting for a file to be sent via Msn chat... and it's taking forever... which is why I have time to blog. To try to make time fly, though it is very much futile... No matter how time passes, I'm not getting my sleep back. The only good news is, this module ends on Friday.

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 03:57

School week

Monday, 29 June 2009

Great... school's back. >.> Oh, as to why I am blogging at this time when I normally would be in school is simple, I don't have lessons today. When school is back tomorrow, I would have to stay in school for 3 extra hours everyday again. So my schedule is as such, 9am to 12noon is Consumer lifestyle research and from 12 to 3pm... nothing, waste time, then finally 3pm to 6pm would then be Professional Communicating Design Ideas. Man... they should really plan timetables better, I hate it when there's 3hours of nothing to do. This semester especially, I've got loads of 'waste time' on my hands and have to think of ways to entertain myself.

I've got a new drawing up by the side. Looks good, if I do say so myself again. When I was done with the drawing, I realised that the girl in the drawing somewhat looks similar to a character in an anime I've watched recently. Hmm... Anyway, I'm proud of myself for a job well done. It's probably one of the better drawing out there that I've done. =3 Oh yes, the lines weren't supposed to be this dark, I've edited the picture in some photoshop-like thingy or else it would be a rather light shade of grey, since it's drawn using pencil.

Oh well, I guess I must go back to my anime again as I wouldn't have that much time for them anymore when I go back to school for lessons tomorrow onwards.

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 08:13

Censor..?

Thursday, 25 June 2009

I have been using the laptop for most of the time at home as usual. Anime anime anime. That is especially true for the past three days as all of my sisters are not home until late afternoon or evening. My eldest sister has... work, my younger sister has some workshop to attend to (Adam Khoo's, since she's sec 4 already), and my youngest sister has Chinese dance. Now that I think back, it doesn't feel like it's Thursday already.

Re-watched some anime that I watched before and noted something... It's some censor thing that could be found in some anime. An example would be the one found at the bottom.

That lady looks as though she's lying in a pool of ~~shit water~~ liquid waste but it's actually blood. Yes, black blood. I don't understand much point in that since it makes the blood look... shitty. But I guess it does 'desaturate' the bright red into a less... contrasting colour thus making the scene less disturbing.

There are many other types of censoring that could be found in anime including some very very unique ones. If I come across those, I'll have to remember to blog it in. Which also reminds me, my previous post on the dead ~~loli~~ girl, the crows also act as a kind of censor don't they? So, it's one unique way of censoring down.

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 16:15

Sunday, 21 June 2009

On Friday, 19 June 2009, I was unable to use the internet until about 12pm. Maybe it's because of not paying the fees or something, but the cable TV seemed to be cut as well. So, I informed my mum about it for her to tell my dad and then, I waited... It was a long boring wait. No internet... no cable TV, terrible terrible. What's worse, there is a subject selection thing opening at 10am, which meant by the time I got to use the laptop, I was already 2 hours plus late. Luckily it did not drag on any longer and I was able to continue reading my manga online.

I have watched before some anime with pretty bloody scenes. I guess I have became more 'used to' watching the blood fly all over the place, but it does still make me feel uncomfortable, even though it is 'animation'.

A scene from the anime I watched recently. Pretty horrifying I must say. Adding the fact that the one dead is a ~~loli~~ kid... That said it's still anime, I doubt I'll be able to 'adapt' if it is 'live-action'.

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 17:37

What to do...

Thursday, 18 June 2009

There was APEL 2 yesterday from 1 to 5pm, talked about stuff... quite a lot of information since it was a 2 session combined to one. One of the more interesting topics was the "Love Language" thing. It is said that we have different ways of showing affection to others and receiving affection from people. It is also said that there are 5 Love Languages, namely: Quality time, Physical Touch, Service, Words of affirmation and Gifts.

Just a brief explanation for each so that it won't be so long winded.

Quality time, obviously is spending time with either loved ones or friends, shopping... or just spending time together.
Physical touch, is people who like to touch others to show affection (in a healthy sort of way), either, a pat on the back, hugs, holding hands etc.
Service, doing things for the one you love. Be it chores or stuff like that.
Words of affirmation, encouraging words.
Gifts. Says it all.

I'm more of a Words of affirmation person, so I expect Words of affirmation from others to show affection. That is for the giving part, one may have difference when giving but I am also someone who gives Words of affirmation to show that I care.

Anyway, that part pretty much sums up what I remember from APEL. So, after APEL, my dad came to fetch me home. When he was 'unloading' stuff to bring home, I saw a lot of durians at the back and I went "Wow! That's a lot of durians!"

My dad unloaded all the durians, 5 bags of them. Five big red plastic bag-ful of them. It's a bit exaggerating to have so many bags of durian, no matter how much we like durian, we can't finish THAT much. But after my dad went out, my mum said to my siblings and I that my dad probably got some of the durian for others. But because of my hollering... he had no choice but to unload all so that my mum would not be... 'upset'.

So... Now that the fridge smells of durian, and that we have bagful of durians at home is... my fault? *sigh* So, what to do with all the durian?

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 07:47

5th week!...?

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Sunday being the first day of the week... so today is officially the first day of week 5 of the holiday? *sigh*

My PSP is now officially back in action! After going to Sim Lim on Friday and walking around for hours and hours, I finally got to a shop on the ground floor and asked whether they know how to do the stuff. And they did, so... yeah! It's not 'free' though, they charged me $35 for the 'downgrade', an 'upgrade' and a screen protector. Kaya's guess on the value for fixing my PSP was $40 so it's $5 cheaper!

The trip to Sim Lim on Friday left me an urge to buy a console... a PS3. But the money!!$$ *sigh* Though I have the money to buy one... But the money!...

Yesterday evening, dark clouds covered the skies and fierce winds howled. I had noticed a rather 'light' distribution of clouds so I had guessed that there wouldn't be any rain... AND! I really forgot if it rained at all that evening... But earlier that afternoon, there was some rain activity and that air-conditioned the place. This morning... for once, I am using the laptop without turning the fan on. Instead, I am feeling rather cold... But this is definitely a nice change.

[[ L-vin Tay ]]
at 07:51