What a difference a year makes.
Current mood: happy
Category: Blogging

Really.  Just one year ago, I was contemplating what I am going to do upon my imminant failure at my go in San Francisco.  But here I am now with a really great job, wonderful girlfriend, and a great new place to live.  Live is actually pretty good for me at this moment.

I can't say how much I feel that my job is really what I want to be right now.  So much so.  I have always wanted to be involved in film making and videogames.  I tried to get into 3D because I thought that that was the way I wanted to enter the videogame industry.  Then I discovered film and video.  ORIGIN happened and the rest is history.  It took believing in this film until I was almost penniless but now it's helped me get into a much better position.  Now I can start the real work on this picture.

In the coming year, I intend to try to fine tune my production skills.  Since I started working at GS, I've fumbled and fell my way into a place where I'm pretty functional in terms of getting the shot and making it look good.  Great? Not yet.  I think I know what cool shots look like.  When we're working out in the field, though, some times the best camera move or some aesthetic thing is not the priority.  When something is happening in front of your eyes, you have to make sure to capture it on film.  This needs to look cool as well as report what's happening.  I'll have to keep that in mind this year.  We'll see next year.

Healthier living is also something I really should get into.  I really need to get more exercise.  I wonder if they'd let me take my punching bag to work with me.  Who knows, knowing Ryan he might just be down as long as we're not shooting and we keep the grunting to a minimum.  I guess I'll just settle for bouncing the yoga ball around like everybody else.  We should just put a huge goal somewhere in the studio.

This job has caused a resurgence in my obsession with videogames.  The great part is that it just makes me better at what I do.  Up until this job,I was almost shunning videogames.  I told myself, "I really need to get serious about my life and my career." and a year later, here I am playing videogames every chance I get.  It's almost like I need to stay current with all the trends and make sure to play all the good games released.  Is that really right?  I have to play videogames to get better at my job.  Take that!  Now I never have to grow up.

Currently playing : Call of Duty 3 Release date: 07 November, 2006

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New Year, Renewed Focus
Current mood: optimistic

So I've been thinking a lot on this trip out to Hawaii.  I, as well as my folks, are planning for some big things this year.  Actually, for me, if I don't drastically change my situation out in the Bay, I may have no choice but to consider moving back home... and that would be really, really, really bad.

This year, I need to make sure I finish strong on the production of ORIGIN and to make sure I properly promote the thing.  Also I have to refocus my efforts on securing a job in the industry that can support me while I bust my ass to put ORIGIN in front of every man, woman, and child.  There's just so many things that has to happen before we even get to that point and I've realized that for the next year, I need to make sure the past 2 years that I've been slaving over getting this movie made doesn't all go down the drain.  Also, I have to make sure I can made ends meet to be able to stay out here for at least until the end of the year and be stable enough to be able to really go out there and promote the film.  This past week, I've had some time to think and really put my priorities in order.

One of the things that I've really been conflicted over is 9 Red Sun.  While it really pains me to even consider, I have to consider what the effect of pulling away from the band will be.  Don't get me wrong, this is something that's been keeping me up at night because I really do enjoy being in the band...  and I really do see some sort of future for the band.  But for myself, I need to make sure that ORIGIN is successfull.  I've tried everything in the past year to try to delegate and get people onto the project to lessen my load but it is just so hard to find people dedicated and committed enough to come in and do that.  Like with everything else, Sheldon and I will have to take control and do it ourself if we want it done in time and to our standards.  Another thing is that I just can't afford to keep taking these cross country trips, what with the airfare and hotel and all the other related expenses no matter how hard I work, it seems that my debts just seem to get bigger and bigger.  Now I realize I haven't exactly been living the down and out life but this is another thing I will have to put in check this year if I am to ensure that I can stay.  So while it really hurts me to say this, I believe I have no other choice but to pull away from the band and refocus my efforts into my job and ORIGIN.  I am so dreading what the band's reaction is going to be.  It is just very bad timing for me to be doing this to them but I really need to at this point.  I really resisted emailing the band about this because I didn't want this to be inpersonal.  I wanted to do it in person.  So why am I blogging it?  Well I need to let it out somehow.  This blog is basically my brain on display and so if they get wind of this via this blog, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to be so inpersonal...  but a brother's got a vent sometime.  I hope they are understanding.  I really really do. 

Currently listening : Basking in the Shade By 9 Red Sun

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Hawaii. One more week to go. Back to ORIGIN
Current mood: content

One more week to go and can you believe I haven't been out to the beach yet?  I've gotta get off my ass and get myself out there.  It's just that Waikiki is so crowded and it's so hard to find parking and where am I gonna put my stuff and what the hell, I should stop bitching and just go.  I'm in paradise.  and the clock is ticking.  Hope all my Cali people are keeping warm and staying dry.  I'll be home soon.  Time to start thinking about ORIGIN again.  Once I get home I've got to start assembling my visual effects army.  We've got a whole lot of shots planned for post and we'll need to start cranking them out.  So come on all you artists.  We want you.  Now.

Currently listening : Los Angeles By Brilliant Green Release date: 28 February, 2001

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Happy New Year!
Current mood: Chillin

Hope everyone had a great New Year's. I sure did. Hung out with a bunch of guys from the Bike Factory and other riders including Nate Wessel. Great people all around. When the stroke of midnight came, we toasted with Habu Shu ... This was a freaky shot of clear Japanese rice alcohol with a snake coiled up inside the bottle. Damn that thing burned all the way down but the party was on after that. The food was great too. Big Duane, my band mate from back in the days of Bob's Pet Rock, was cooking up some brats in PBR. This man cooks everything with Pabst and to my pleasure, it all came out freakin ono. It was great hanging with my boy Duane. It's been too long. He's talking about going back and recording some of our old songs. I'll be looking forward to that. Time to put a bit of metal back into good ole Tigger.

Went to see Memoirs of a Geisha today. I'm still not sure how to feel about this movie. I mean, I don't mean to be racist of over sensitive but am I wrong to be a bit bothered by their use of Chinese people to play Japanese. When taken as just a story, not particulary a Japanese story, I thought it was entertaining. But whenever I saw sets that looked more Chinese then Japanese, the violin solos (which I thought were not suggestive of any Japanese music I've ever heard), and Xing Ziyi's Chinese accent, it just took me right out of the story. It was distracting. Please don't get me wrong, I really don't have anything against Chinese people but it just felt like they were reinforcing the stereotype of... awww all y'all asians are the same anyway. My mom's cousin, Mako, and his wife Shizuko was also in the movie so I've got to give them props but you know I can't stay quiet when something bothers me like this. What do you all think? Am I over reacting? All in all, it was great hanging with the folks.

I'm definitely happy Ito be here in sunny Hawaii instead of back in wet and flooded Cali. Hope all my peeps are doing well. I'm starting to miss you all. I need to hit the beach to get over it.

aloha.

Currently watching : Law & Order Criminal Intent - The Third Year (2003-04 Season) Release date: 14 September, 2004

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Hawaii Nei

Ahhh..  So after waiting in the rain to catch the bus to bart, then bart to SFO, a 2 hour delay at SFO due to the rain, I am finally here in Hawaii where it's 75 degrees at 11 pm.  no, I'm not complaing.  not at all.

It's been 2 years since I've been back so it should be good.  All I'm planning on is to chill on a beach somewhere, work on my tan, and maybe get some after Christmas shopping in.  Can't beat that 4.5% tax boy.

The 9 red sun video project is yet to begin preproduction.  This concerns me very much.  I have an ORIGIN shoot coming up in February and so I was trying to get the planning phase done by the time I left.  Obviously that didn't happen.  It's so hard to get things going during the holidays.  I'm really not going to be able to work on it much once I get back because I will be busting my rump to get prepped for the ORIGIN shoot.  Oh well, I tried.  I guess the music video will have to wait.

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the state of the world today
Current mood: irritated

>>sigh<<

The state of our world today is distressing me today.  How the hell can they get away with cutting education and health care for a capital gains tax that can only benefit the rich.  and in Christmas too?  bah humbug.  Then a friend of mine tells me that since he benefits from the tax cut, he can't be against it.  Now what kind of bullshit is that?  Without education and good health, our people are left sick and stupid.  No wonder we're losing to China and India.

and then there's the NSA spying on Americans, the torture ban exception for the CIA, and did you hear the President is taking responsibility for sending us into war under false intellegence...  Why isn't anyone doing anything about this?  The Republicans try to impeach Clinton for getting his rocks on in the oval office but no one even flinches on this?  No one's even talking about anymore.  It's days like this when defecting to Canada actually starts sounding like a good idea.  Grrrr...

Currently listening : Evil Empire By Rage Against the Machine Release date: 16 April, 1996

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Party Bus
Current mood: calm

Well, everybody.  I had a great time this weekend.  My roommate's cousins chartered a bus and we went out on in SF Saturday night.  about 30 of us piled into this huge assed tour bus and we were ready to roll.  The night started at about 9:30, check it 10pm once everyone got ready to go and we were off.

This is the update I guess.  I know y'all've been seeing this post up all this time and couldn't wait to read it.  Yeah, sure.  Anyway, the weekend was awesome.  There's something nice about Saturday night, 12 am, drunk off my ass, rollin on the bus.  We should do this again sometime...  soon.

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T minus 3 days. Karate Tournament for Kimochi
Current mood: mellow

We're going to be shooting a Fundraiser Karate Competition this Sunday at the Konko Buddhist Church in SF Japantown.  This event is raising funds for Kimochi, which is a nonprofit organization that provides a program of culturally sensitive care for senior citizens, primarily serving the Japanese American community.  This is our first sporting event project.  This should be interesting.  If any of you people out there are into full contact karate, you should come out and check out some live action... and support the local community at the same time.

Tech Alert! 
I'm about to geek out on some film stuff so be warned.
I need to study up a bit on how exactly people shoot these things.  Anyone out there got any input?  We're shooting one on a tripod and another will be handheld.  Tripod will be kept pretty wide and handheld would go in tighter..  but how tight.  Go in too tight and you might miss something.  not too bad because the other camera will hopefully have caught it, but it would be nice to have a closer shot of the contact.  I can keep it wider to a full shot of the 2 fighters.  It would end up looking like a videogame.  But that would be pretty cool too.  Having standardized camera movement for each fight could minimize unpredictability.  I'll have to let that marinate a bit longer.  so like I said.  I geeked out.  booyao.  so what.

Currently listening : Live Mixtape V.2 By Breakestra Release date: 24 January, 2001

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Holiday Stress
Current mood: stressed

Don't you hate it when you complain that nothing is going on and you're completely bored out of your mind and then a few days later all hell breaks loose and a million different things just fall into your lap?  Exactly the position I'm in right now.  Not that I'm ever against anything dropping into my lap but timing is everything.  I tend to get restless and get involved in things I shouldn't when I become too idle.  3 separate people coming at me with different things.  I'm almost regretting planning a 2 week trip to Hawaii right in the middle of this. almost...  Speaking of which, anyone out there want to come out and hang with me in Hawaii?  I'm sure I'd be bored out of my mind and appreciate the company.  Anyhow, I'm putting it out there so hit me up if you want.  I plan to sit on the beach and drink cocktails all day long.  Come on down!

Currently playing : Call of Duty 2 Release date: 25 October, 2005

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Are you GAME?
Current mood: cold
Category: freezing my ass off! Games

So this weekend, I attended GAME, the Game and Music Experience, at the Moscone Center so I thought I'd write my review of it. 

For their first event, I think Gamespot did a good job.  The event itself, though, fell a bit short of my expectations.

The venue was divided into game genres (sports, military, urban, etc) and consoles and PCs were set up so people could just walk up and start playing.  They even had a retro console area where all your favorite old games from super mario bros to bomberman were represented.  Mocked up living rooms were set up with huge flat screen TVs, ergonomic bucket seats, and Xbox 360s were set up.  This was a cool experience as long as you didn't mind sitting in line for a good amount of time.

They also had a stage, a huge stage worthy of Woodstock, set up for live acts to play during the event.  Various bands featured in various game soundtracks were to play in the evenings.  Friday night ended with soulful funk from the Bay Area's Lyrics Born.  The music was great.  They had 2 huge screens bookending the stage with 2 cameras capturing the whole event.  It was a good opportunity to peep out how they covered and edited live events and since I'm prepping to produce a music video for 9 Red Sun, I was especially curious.  It was rather bright on stage for my taste (I like moody, emotional lighting) but it looked great on the screen. 

I also saw a Taiko troupe playing, which was really cool, but unfortunately they were playing in virtual darkness.  They had an area cleared out for them to play but I guess they spent all their money on the main stage, there were no lights nor was there a stage to speak of.  Just a cleared out area in the convention center.  They even had game play areas just 20ft away that were flooded with light but these performers had to play in the dark.  That was a bit sad to see.

Noticably missing were the game developer booths which game makers spend bucks to show you their best wares in the coolest most entertaining ways.  I guess I expected many of the major developers represented all with their own humongous and extravagant displays, furry game character mascots, and lots and lots of schwag.  You know, the bag full of t-shirts and other cool promotional items they give you at say... Macworld Expo.  I wanted to see and feel all the cool games coming out in the coming year in a visually stimulating way.  GAME felt like a huge arcade or digital playground of some sort.

Also, the consoles were on a time limit and it would cut out at intervals which pretty much made it impossible to really get into any game.  Once you start getting used to playing, it cuts you off.  This was done to keep the lines managable, I'm sure, but it makes for an erratic gameplay experience.

So all in all I enjoyed my first GAME.  Perhaps one day, it can grow up to be just like E3.  One can only hope.

Currently playing : Vampire: Bloodlines Release date: 16 November, 2004

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