And the debate continues. As a 3D Artist I encountered an endless debate with a friend of mine who is a Graphic Designer about which system reins supreme. I know this topic of discussion is probably well over drawn and has seemed to cause a divide in the world of computer users. I find the topic more relative then anything, there really isn’t a winner in this case. Each system seems to serve its purpose depending on your needs and wants in your specific industry. So lets put this discussion to a close and call it a DRAW!
Looking up at the clock and watching the second hand make its’ strides toward the 60th second, I realized 4am was quickly approaching and I had a queen size bed waiting.
So I decided to check my email and end the night with a hope of a message from a friend or anyone out there.
As another disappointment loomed I was suddenly awakened by an instant message.
Long lost friends wanted. Age is not a factor; please have the same social qualities as me. Must be willing to try new spontaneous things and must love coffee! Just looking for someone to hang out with and exchange ideas and views in life. Feel free to contact me if you are interested.
I scrolled over to the message and it was a greeting from my friend.
“Hiiiii!” the message read.
You know that feeling you get when you are about to open gifts on Christmas morning? Well I took those feelings and threw them out the window and replaced them with these ones.
I haven’t talked to my long lost friend in a long time and seeing the messages flow out of my instant messenger window as we caught up on life was quite the refreshing sight.
It’s hard to find friends as you get older. It seems as if people become more cautious on whom they should let in to their lives.
It’s hard to meet a friend that can understand you. It seems as if marriage is taking precedence over friendships.
It’s hard to just trust anyone. It seems as if walking on egg shells is mandatory in order to avoid a let down.
To this day I have lost friends and many of them have come and gone in my life. Not knowing if they would stay for an extended visit, I gave them all a chance and welcomed everyone with open arms. I refused to let them leave without saying goodbye but I have no control of that.
Some disappear.
Some take a…………… vacation and decide to POP up back into your life.
In the end, I’ve realized one thing, true friends will be there for you no matter where they are in this world, and they will always find their way back.
I would just like to take this time to greet everyone a Merry Christmas.
May all your stomachs be full of food, your clothes smelling of relatives perfume, your greetings be packed with stories and gossip, and your coffee mugs filled with your favorite fair trade coffee!
Enjoy the company of family and friends, don’t drink and drive, and “Yes little Timmy, there is a Santa Claus”
After a morning filled with numerous cups of coffee, and back breaking snow removal, it was nice to finally be at the mountain relaxing and taking a deep breath of fresh cold air. My friends and I snapped on our gear and went for a few runs on some fresh powder snow. It was definitely a well planned spontaneous trip.
As the night fell upon us we decided to stick out the weekend at a friends cottage about a 15 minute drive on top of the mountain. We planned to leave the next morning but mother nature had plans to change that. The late night winds began to blow and boy was it loud. I walked over to the window to take a look after a late dinner, and I saw nothing but white. It was a blizzard like no other, the conditions were so shocking due to the fact the weather reports did call for snow, but not this much. Lets just let this picture sum up my experience.
Just saw this light with some remnants of winter hanging from it. I thought it would make a great composition.
So to handle our sanity during this weather situation we were in, we all agreed that a NHL ‘09 tournament would be the best way to past time. House rules included quick release of the puck once if it was smothered by the goalie, 7 min periods, Superstar mode, and random team select. Random team select consisted of a push of the X button on our Xbox 360 three times with the third choice being the team you would be forced to play with. It was an ingenious approach to fair team picking but I found it boring at times. I would have much preferred selecting the same teams just to keep the tourney fair. As the games came to an end so did my consciousness. I ended up passed out on the couch with dreams of Crosby skating circles around my team. And if you are all curious who won the tourney, it was definitely not my team.
Waking up in the morning seemed like another day. 6:30am hit and the alarm went off. It was Saturday morning, the weekend before Christmas and everything seemed normal. As I walked up the stairs I did seem to be blinded by the light seeping through the blinds. I wondered, wow must be a nice sunny day out.
Up went the blinds and to my surprise there was SNOW! And lots of it too!
This was the shot from my window in the morning. So what did I decide to do when I saw the snow? I picked up my phone and made a call to friends! And now we are headed to the hills to catch some fresh powder. It was such late notice to all but it didnt seem to bother anyone, we all had free time after being hit by a snowstorm over night.
Ever get one of those cravings where your just working away and decide to stop to pop a treat in to your mouth? During one of my work sessions I was in the mood for a rare treat (thanks to one of my friends who decided to bring up a conversation about them) Yan Yan’s!
I know alot of you are probably wondering what I am talking about. Its a sweet biscuit stick with your choice of dipping sauce like chocolate. These treats are available at your local asian supermarket or may also be found at some convenience stores. I get my rare fix just a 5 min walk from my house. Oh what a well deserved walk it was, after being rewarded with this tasty Japanese treat. YUM!
On a regular basis I do tend to eat more healthy snack alternatives such as Bananas! The Dole brand seems to be my choice of brain food.
On other odd occasions I do have my fill of various other snackie regulars.
Mmmm Chuppa Chups! Whats your favorite flavor?
I love Gummy’s! With Green and Yellow being my least favorite flavor of choice I do tend to attack those first and then save delicious Red’s and Orange’s for last.
It was a sight to see Jack Black in a squatting position dropping mocap balls from his behind, after a killer fatality.
The show itself was not much of a spectacle but more of a self promotion by the major publishers. In comparison to the previous years shows this one seemed to be lacking many features. The trimmed down awards categories were the most evident, but so were the lack of crowd support visible throughout the event.
A few positives I did like about the show apart from the supermodel guest appearances, was the cinematic trailer release of “Fight Night: Round 4“. As you all know Mike Tyson and Mohammad Ali are legends of our time in the sport of boxing and to be able to combine them both in a video game was an exciting thing to see. This looks to be Mike Tyson’s first return to video games since his classic NES title “Mike Tyson’s Punch Out”.
Walking in to my grandparents house to visit always brings me back to my early childhood.
“Come and eat!” says my Grandmother.
With food always ready for me and hugs and kisses all around, it brings a compelling warmth that just seems to fill me up like an empty coffee mug screaming for that first pour in the morning. (mmmm Coffee) hehehe.
Well besides my love for the java, Grandparents are the ones that tend to give you unwarranted insight on life. Just sitting there listening to stories of the past ranging from the early 60’s – 80’s seemed to put everything in perspective. How lucky am I to be in a position that I am in now? The hardships of the early 60’s and the wars that were fought to change the course of history so that I could be here to write in my blog, are just a few of the examples they lived through.
As I sat there eating a nice home cooked meal, I glanced over to the seat next to me and noticed a stack of albums.
“Can I look at these?” I asked my Grandparents.
“oh yes, you are in there, you should look” said my Grandmother.
To my surprise, I was not only in this album, but so was my mother who was in her early 20’s at the time of the pictures. Also the black and white photos of childhood memories as well as early coloured ones taken of trips, friends, and relatives from the past sure brought me back.
It really makes you think and appreciate the simple things in life. For me it was more inspiring then anything. Looking at the change in times and the styles that were present whether it be fashion, architecture, or just the change in age of people in the shots.
As I closed the final album I felt a sense of accomplishment. A sense of gratitude to my Grandparents for all the hard work they put forth during our lives. I took a sip of water and said my farewells. Walking to the door I slipped on my shoes looked at my Grandparents and said “Thank you”. Short and simple, meaningful and sweet, that was a Thank you they deserved.
Hard work, focus, and long hours in front of 3 monitors, deserves a physical break.
So I strapped on my new Running shoes the “Saucony Pro Grid Triumph 5’s”
Threw on my long sleeve shirt, hoody sweater, jogging pants with shorts underneath, and popped in my headphones. Did a few stretches and out the door I flew in to the snow and cold crisp air. I have to admit it wasnt the most pleasant feeling for my lungs especially that I have a mild case of Asthma. A puff of the good old inhaler and i was good to go. It was only a 20 min jog at a brisk pace, but it sure did work up a drenching sweat.
I love my shoes, had really great grip in slippery conditions while still providing me with the comfort that I needed outdoors.
I recommend these shoes to anyone who has an itch to hit the roads for a jog in any weather condition.
As an Artist using a medium such as computing power and digital vector graphics I find it hard to push the envelope of creativity. There seems to be a sense of struggle when it comes to creating outside your comfort zone.
“Wait this should go here, but then there is no sense of unity”
“Oh NO! I dont like it maybe this needs to change to this colour”
“ahhhh ok I like this lets move on to this part.”
Those are only a few of the many battles my mind has when it comes to creating the piece you like. And satisfaction never seems to come easily. I usually tend to go with feelings more then having that piece visually correct to my liking.
If it gives me that gratification of accomplishment and provides me with that emotion that I wanted the piece to convey then I leave it as is. Its almost similar to having that first sip of coffee in the morning when its brewed just riiiight!
