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Four weeks in Tokyo
Sunday 16 March 2008
Hibiya at night. I know the picture is blurry.
But it looks like a painting innit?
Updating my site is not as easy as I thought. Initially, I would think that there are dozens of new things to talk about everyday. But then, this lifestyle doesn't feel like a holiday as opposed to, say, my university life in Portsmouth. Work occupies a hefty chunk of my time (and I enjoy it!) so I barely have any left to think of what to write on my site.
Today is lazy Sunday afternoon though (my ideal Sunday), so I think it's time I write a little bit about my experience here (with pictures to boot). To start off, here's a photo of the area I'm living in.
This is how I walk to the train station every morning.
The neighbourhood is very quiet which makes walking very much a pleasant experience.
And this is how I walk back every night.
I keep thinking of Ju-on.
It's really not that bad if you're not superstitious and stuff. I'm just paranoid that some punk might just jump on me out of nowhere. I'll probably shit myself on the spot if that happens. But all that is relatively tame compared to the horror that is below.
For the route I take to my workplace, I have the unfortunate circumstance of
having to walk pass this billboard every morning.
Somehow it pisses me off.
Can you imagine seeing this bloke's face EVERYDAY?
yech~
Anyway, I'm half kidding.
As stated in my previous entry, work life has been really great. You see a collective of great talents working together and that motivates you to work harder as well. And it's really exciting to see the scope of project people are working on. It makes you go, "Wow, it's awesome to be involved in this." Wonderful place. :)
I grew close to my neighbouring colleagues; Fumi-san behind me, Tomo-san on my right, and Watanabe-san on my... uh.. diagonal back right. They're the ones I get to goof off a bit, and more importantly, to practice my Japanese speak (arigato gozaimasu!). It must be tiring for them to endure my bad Japanese talk everyday wahahaha.
This is the only decent picture of us 3... and it's blurry!
(from L-R) Fumi-san, Tomo-san and myself.
So that is the story of my Japan life thus far. I'm going to work very hard now, because I am a firm believer that when a huge opportunity is given to you, you do your damn best to not screw it up. Ganbarimasu. 8-)
Oh wait, some fun little bits.
Mind-blowing discovery
Doraemon is pronounced "doe-rai-mon". Now I find this funny because this is exactly how it is pronounced in the theme song, but for some reason us Malaysians have been pronouncing it as "doe-ray-mon" for the longest time. Why are we so stubborn? XD
Observation of the day
You're more likely to see a Japanese girl wearing masks than glasses. I wonder how the market for spectacles is like?
My most frequently used phrase
Kore wa butaniku desu ka.
( Is this pork? )
Before I end this, I just want to fill you in that I'm currently working on a piece for Udon's Street Fighter Tribute contest. Winner will get his work included into the artbook. How awesome is that? So if you're a fan of Street Fighter and can draw, show your love and start drawing that Chun-li hentai now! (deadline is 31st March 2008) I just hope I can finish mine in time.
Oh speaking of Chun-li, new SF4 cinematic is out.
Chun-li vs Crimson Viper
[direct download] - [youtube]
As always, being an animation enthusiast, I urge you to download the high quality video to experience the true beauty of the clip. Try pausing it at anytime... looks like a watercolour painting doesn't it? Yummy.
Alright then! Gonna grab some takoyaki.
Signing out~
Oh and....
sup.
Konnichiwa from Japan!
~ awesome annoucement? I think so! ~
Tuesday 19 February 2008
Yes, I'm in Japan now. :)
Recently I got an offer to work here, and honestly speaking I would be crazy to pass it on. So here I am typing this up in my little room in Tokyo.
This is my third day in Japan and I'm really loving the place. People dress funky, they speak pleasantly, politeness overload, cheap food, cool weather! Ok maybe too cool but it's a nice change from hotty Malaysia. Best part is? I get to wear my beanie back. :)
What has happened in the past 3 days? I'll keep it short.
- I was greeted at the airport by the company employee, Miura-san. I was very grateful, because without him, I don't think I'll make it to my house! Domo arigato! On a more amusing note, he looks like a Japanese version of our friend Adrian. :D
- I was told by an elderly lady that I looked Japanese. Now I know for a fact that I don't. It's definitely the first I've received. o_o
- Work life has been really motivating. Maybe I'll post that in my next entry.
- The colleague on my right is named (my bro will be jealous) Tomo-san. He's a guy though. :)
- Riding trains in Tokyo is surprisingly more fun than in London/Singapore/Malaysia. Funny thing is I don't know why. Maybe it's the lolis?
- Contrary to what everyone has been telling me, Japanese TV seems boring (so far). Although watching Catwoman Halle Barry speaking Japanese was pretty funny.
- Vending machines everywhere. I drank way too many sweet drinks! They're all TOO GOOD. I'm living in Lotte heaven!!!
- I tried my first sake and it was disappointing. Yeesh! But then again my colleague told me that it was a cheap brand hahah.
That sums up my experience so far. I'd like to post pics, but I just realised I didn't take that much photos (*gasp*). So I'll end this entry with some purrrty stewardesses. 8-)
Ganbarimasu~!!!
I've seen it
Monday 11 February 2008
^____^
Good things
Wednesday 30 January 2008
Good things are coming ahead. I'm very excited!
If you've got an ass, I'll kick it
Wednesday 16 January 2008
What started out as a simple muscle structure study has gradually turned into a portrait of Bruce Lee. That wasn't intentional. The future is very unpredictable!
Also, say hello to Karin Kanzuki. 
I'm really enjoying doing these quick sketches. You kinda have to shut down half of your brain when drawing, to a point where you don't get bothered by the myriad of proportion errors. Hopefully I can churn out more of these in the upcoming days. :)
Sugoi also means "terrible"
Wednesday 9 January 2008
For the longest time I thought it only means "amazing".
I find it peculiar that a word has 2 meanings that contradict each other. Perhaps it's the Japanese equivalent to the English word "bad", like in... badass?
You learn something new everyday. :)
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10 coolest animation I've seen last year
Monday 7 January 2008
Thought I'd share with you all with what I think was awesome in 2007. Do keep in mind that not all of these clips are released in 2007. Some are dated way back, and I just happen to stumble upon them only recently. Also, feature films are exempted from the list. These are mostly short animation. I think a lot will disagree with my list, such is the power of personal opinions. Let's not get too worked up on that. So without further ado, here's my top 10. :)
#10. Nickelodeon - ADVENTURE TIME [watch]
When this short came out, it instantly became a huge hit at my old workplace. It's funny as hell, totally random and it has got so many stupid quotes in it (ALGEBRAIC!!!). But what I like the most about the short is the whole surreal feel about it. It's like it was done by a group of 5 year olds who should never be allowed to go near a cartoon studio. Wtf were they smoking? I'd like to have some too!
#9. Stadium Astro - Super Sports Sapiens [watch]
Everytime this comes on TV, I will stop whatever I'm doing and watch it. Giant robots are awesome. It's basically a light budget Transformers movie minus the annoying human characters. Michael Bay, please take note.
#8. Radiohead - There There [watch]
It's haunting. It's creepy. And do I really need to elaborate about the soundtrack? It's flippin' Radiohead! "There There" is one of my most listened music in 2007.
#7. Azumanga Daioh opening - Soramimi Cake [watch]
This opening is so silly that you can't help but giggle like a little girl inside. At first, I was quite (make that... very) skeptical about this anime. Lo and behold, it became my favourite anime series of all time. ^___ ^ And seriously, who can resist the cuteness of Chiyo-chan? Right? ...Right?
#6. Jason Lo - The End of the Universe [watch]
I love this music video. On the surface, the imagery used can be seen as very horrifying and disturbing. But as you watch more, you see the world is very beautiful. And somehow, I feel sad whenever I watch this clip (it's probably the great music). Also note that this was done by a local production. Well done, Malaysia!
#5. Paranoia Agent opening - Dream Island Obsessional Park [watch]
Satoshi Kon! Satoshi Kon! I have to admit that the first time watching this, I was awestrucked with dumbness. But the more I watch it, the more I feel this has got to be the greatest anime series opening of all time. Everything just works right in this. Every scene tells a different story. And the soundtrack is absolutely perfect. I think you can go crazy if you keep listening to it over and over again. Why the hell are they all laughing anyway!?
#4. Sony BRAVIA - Play-Doh ad [watch]
Sony Bravia ads have always been great. Their 3rd one, the Play-Doh ad, doesn't disappoint. I like the fact that it is shot among the city folks. It gives a sense that we are all blissfully oblivious to the bunny march. Not to mention the song selection is superb. The piano tune of The Rolling Stones really adds to the playfulness of the animation. Aahhh God bless the 60s music... I can never grow tired of them.
#3. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - cinematic opening [watch]
Four words: Don't mess with Blizzard. Years after years they keep churning out excellent cinematic sequence, and somehow they always manage to outdo themselves time and time again. Their attention to detail is arguably unrivaled. You can really feel the weight of the armor, or the rustling of the papers. The best part is, you can pause the movie at any time, and you will see that every single frame presents itself like a painting. I know this can be said about all movies here, but I can't stress enough that the youtube format doesn't do this video justice AT ALL. You can download the HD format here.
#2. Street Fighter IV teaser [watch]
When Street Fighter IV was announced, I couldn't believe the news. After watching the teaser, I was sitting in my chair with my jaw wide open. I think I proceeded to watch it like 10 times in a row after that (no joke). Being an old-school Street Fighter fan, I was only used to seeing the characters in 2d pixel glory. Seeing SF4 in this new ultra-stylish crazy brush-strokes 3D medium totally BLEW ME AWAY. And although the franchise has migrated to the third dimension, it is still able to retain the classic feel of what made SF great. Capcom really nailed it with this one. Did I mention that this is part 4? (finally!) How can any SF fan not get excited over this?
And the number 1 spot goes to...... *drum roll*....
#1. Team Fortress 2 teaser trailer [watch]
So do I hear a lot of sighs of disappointment? Haha. Before I say anything else, you need to put into consideration that the first Team Fortress looked like this:
Now when my friend Adrian wanted me to try out TF2, I was like, "sure," thinking that it would probably look like the first one with updated graphics, better physics etc. What I witness shortly was, WHAT?!?! O___O What happen to the generic soldier boys?!? How can this look so good?!? Why do the characters look so AWESOME?!?!!!
It was one of the coolest experience I had with a pc game last year. A lot of things go through my mind whenever I watch the teaser. They are:
- Man, they really did it right this time. They really did it right.
- I wish I was involved in this awesome production. Argh!!!
- I'd kill to get a hold of those character models. Then I'll have the time of my life animating them. Now that is pure bliss.
- They need to make this into a movie. Please!
The characters, all of them, are so richly animated. I remember fiddling around the character selection screen for so long just to see each one of them showing off their colourful personality. I'm really happy when I see something perfected so well.
You can check out their other trailers (every one of them is great) on the official website. With that, I say bravo to you, Valve. You made a spectacular game. Too bad I'm not a fan of the series haha.
Whew. And that concludes my top 10 list. Pretty lengthy post for someone like me. Hope you enjoyed reading that (or maybe, watching). Let's see what 2008 has to offer. :)
Signing out~
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