More Lighting Toys

Those Bastards

This one video game rakes in ~US$75million revenue a month. Talk about being filthy rich.

360

I've had a couple of peeps ask me over the past couple weeks whether I own a Xbox 360...
The answer is no. My main reasoning being that I think there are currently zilch good games on it. There's simply no "must buy" title right now. I've gotten the chance to check out most of the 360 titles at work, and my initial impressions are that they're all at most only a x1.5 enhancement (visually) of any of the current generation titles. The current games are all based on the same gameplay genres we've seen for years- same stuff regardless of the console.
In fact, the only game I'd praise would be "Geometry Wars" which is a retro-Xbox live arcade game that could have easily been made for a PS1 or PS2. Last of all, if I did own a 360, I would have probably sold it on ebay for a triple profit.

Lost

I broke my thumb playing basketball again. Sucks. Until this recent injury, I was on a roll; I was balling 2-3 times a week and no scratches at all. I even started wearing a thumb guard to keep me protected. I guess it just didn't stop the inevitable from happening again. I feel cursed. Do I really need to quit basketball for good?

I went to see the Sonics rock Lebron and the Cavaliers this week. Next up later this month will be Yao and T-Mac =]

Every so often, I wish I would be thrown into a scenario such as the one in ABC's TV series 'Lost'. I want to try and live life by the basics; working with what/who-ever is around me to attain a fundamental goal: survive and find home. I think such experience would allow me to find out much more about myself and what really matters to me in life. Although it probably isn’t in my character to do so under such circumstances, I'd want to sit by the beach all day. I'd probably make my own guitar out of scratch during my free time.
I presume another reason for such wish is that I want escape. I want time away from my current surroundings, and I want to remove myself from who I am and what I currently do everyday. It’s like starting a new life. I want to break away from my current responsibilities and worries.
I probably should also be careful what I usually wish for.

Music from Thxngiving

A-Track
~~~ Phoenix - If I ever feel better ~~~

B-Track
~~~ General Electrics - Term and conditions apply ~~~
~~~ Soulwax - Saturday ~~~
~~~ Paloalto - Breathe in ~~~
~~~ El ten eleven - A watched pot ~~~

Its been busy. I presume its a good thing. Being busy keeps me in shape.

I have entertainment attention deficit. I easily lose focus when TV series or video games don't consistently keep me interested. Stories that drag on or repetitive content (such as gameplay) will lose me. Sometimes I think maybe its just because I have very high standards. If I'm not kept immersed, my mind will wander off and I'll start thinking to myself I could be doing something else more interesting. I need to be kept in that state where I'm losing track of time, which I'm finding harder and harder to stay in as I grow older. It wasn't so much of a problem when I was a kid.
Speaking of entertainment, I've recently been watching ABC's TV series 'Lost'. I can really appreciate the story/plot. Its so fundamental, it works so well. Anybody can relate to survival. Even a 7 year old kid and my grandma would be able to enjoy 'Lost'. Respect to the production team. They do their jobs well.

B-Track
~~~ the get up kids - close to me ~~~
~~~ the jealous sound - anxious arms ~~~

I'm glad thxngiving is just around the corner.

I'm in the mood to talk about some very depressing topics. Today, however, I'm going to keep that to myself because I do that too often and am going to soon scare off everybody.

A-Track
~~~ Ringside - Struggle ~~~ Like music? You will like this.
~~~ Swing - 1984 (demo) ~~~

I went to see a Sonics game last Friday. Pretty awesome with cheesecake (blueberry flavored..hehe). I thinking about getting season tickets. I really should make the most out of this opportunity before its too late. Before I say bye to Seattle, which I assume will happen soon enough given history.

I have problems spending money. Mainly due to the fact that each dollar saved is an opportunity for investment. Ever since I graduated from college and took stocks seriously, I realized making money was all about having money. The more you have in your pocket, the more you can make. Because of this fact, it will never be a good time for me to spend (at least not in the near future).

I wonder if the sacrifices I've made (and will make) in my life will ever really be for the betterment of my future. Somehow I'm starting to think it's just part of who I am and it will never change.

Famicom Winamp Skin

I love music games.



Gamespot.com - 9.0
IGN.com - 9.2
1up.com - 100/100

I recently bought a new blender, a Tribest Personal Blender. It's main feature is that it does the blending in the same cup I serve in. It's awesome. HAha.
It’s interesting how a simple product (such as a blender) can bring me so much value. In this case, more value than its moneys worth; a mixed berries soymilk smoothie to kick-off or end my day is priceless. This brings me again to my belief that it’s those little things in life that make it better.
I think the growth of life is more than just the process of accretion; iteration of consumption over attainment is often overlooked. Maybe some people will disagree with this notion, but I think life would be so linear if it weren't also about consistently branching towards the "greener pastures".

A-Track
~~~ Augustana - Boston ~~~

Recently, I've been thinking about the importance of the initial establishment of relationships (including those with multiple actors). I believe most new and short-term relationships are generally established at the very beginnng, during what I would call the 'free-for-all' period. This is the period where key conditions are being set, and also what we generally refer to as 'first impressions' when we meet somebody for the first time. To make my point, I would go as far as saying that I believe the conditions of the relationship(s) establish at a rate of exponential decay. The very beginning is vital.
The 'free-for-all' period is like a shot in the dark. It's only throughout time then the actors true characters are revealed to the other(s). Its the addition of the time variable that allows the evolution of a relationship; generally so slow it doesn't play much of a role in most relationships. And of course, when I refer to "relationships", I am talking about all of them and not just those that are comparatively more significant to us.
Similarly, I think the chemistry of a team or the culture of a company is mainly determined at the very beginning. It's the initial hiring process and workflow that establishes how everything will run for next good couple years or so. These conditions, although not point and fact, are obvious to its actors.
In the case where upper management is replaced with a new one, I see that analogous to the replacement of actors in a team. Especially when a team is represented by a hierarchy of authority, this allows for a 'sub-free-for-all' period within the team. The more changes to the actors (and especially those with more authority), the more changes to team chemistry. Hence, turning a company around.

Enough bull shit. Good morning everybody.

A-Track
~~~ Jimmy World Eat - No Sensitivity ~~~

B-Track
~~~ Frou Frou - Holding out for a Hero ~~~
~~~ Weekend Players - Best Days of Our Lives ~~~
~~~ Hawthorne Heights - The Transition ~~~
~~~ Mae - This is the Last Time (Wave Remix) ~~~

I haven't really been motivated to write an entry lately... I've been spending a lot of my free time crashing on my couch instead. I wonder if it has anything to do with the weather getting cold now. I don't feel as motivated to be productive when its not as nice and sunny outside. I prefer to stay inside and read a book or something.

Mae live @ El Corazon

I want the Ambient Orb

This is how you play Ikaruga

This is how you play Street Fighter 3

A-Track
~~~ Augustana - Stars and Boulevard ~~~
~~~ Weezer - So it ain't so ~~~

B-Track
+++ Plump Djs - Saturday Night Lotion +++
+++ Soulwax - Much Against Everyone's Advice +++
+++ Music for Robots Vol.1 +++

Recently caught up with Robot Chicken.

Lives Right Here

+++ DJ Cappel & Smitty - Blue Eyes Meets Bed Stuy +++ Biggie and Sinatra mash-up.

A-Track
~~~ Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body ~~~
~~~ Stars - One More Night ~~~
~~~ Citizen Cope - Bullet and a Target ~~~
~~~ Kanye West - Heard em say ~~~
~~~ Spoon - I turn my camera on ~~~

Easy Star All Stars live @ Chop Suey.

On July 8th 2004, I once wrote I wanted to be a video game developer. And now, a little over a year, my aspirations have finally come true…

In fact, I’m actually settling in pretty nicely at Surreal. As a kid, I never imagined I would ever be in this industry. A hybrid of tech and entertainment is just perfect for me. Maybe I was never ought to be at one of those corporate powerhouse (a la Citigroup, Merril, and all those names). It never occured to me when I was a kid I’d be work at an office with game consoles are all over the place and toys at my desk. Making video games was always one of those don't bother to dream about type things.
The hours are longer than average, but they are flexible and the environment is easy going enough to feel like you are just hanging out. I like the corporate owned start up environment. We have weekly massage sign-ups, pizza and beer on Fridays, and alcohol induced meetings. Talk about getting drunk with your colleagues and then skipping work for the rest of the day. As long as I get my work done, I am free to do what I want. I can freely surf the web, chat, read a book/magazine, play poker or video games casually at work.

After basketball at Archstone last night, it struck me during my way home how we easily often forget and dismiss the fundamentals. I had choked during my first game; put all my efforts into it, and failed miserably. The reason was not because I was slow, didn't have the skills, tired, or not in shape like I had originally thought. It was because I had forgotten about teamwork. I've been playing basketball for 11+ years, yet I dismissed the fundamental notion of teamwork. Instead of trusting your team members to share responsibility and maximize abilities, I tried to take it all upon myself. It really struck me how it took less grunt effort to win the next 7 games in a row because I had trusted their abilities. Gifts differing. I wonder how often I forget the other fundamentals in my life.

Whats with all the ad/spam/yuck comments on my blog?

~~~ Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American ~~~ Staple band. Nuff said.

Working at a video game company has really gotten me to think about how creative work is accomplished in the real business world. Especially since video game development is steering towards the US$10-20 million production budgets. On one hand, we want the logistics to keep the people and work being done by them under control, yet on the other, we want to encourage creativity. Finding that balance between freedom for creativity and bureaucracy is not easy at all.
In addition to having to search for the right balance between freedom for creativity and bureaucracy, being able to maintain it is just as much of a challenge. The development team are not robots, they are human. Humans with emotions, needs, ego, and baggage. They don't act upon your commands (even if you are paying them). I'm not sure I have an answer to the problems at hand, but I will say people need be dealt with on an ad-hoc basis. There is no consistent solution.
Oh, and of course, creativity (even at its best) doesn't necessarily equate to financial reward.
This is probably why I'm attracted to game production.

We <3 Katamari

The sequel to the unexpected cult-hit came out today. I can't say I'm a fan of this series (mainly due to the motion sickness), but I can say its uber simple game design really hits the spot. Musicians often mention they would come across songs/lyrics that they wish they had wrote; I think I'd say the same for this game concept.
Its definitely cool when the members at the studio gather around to check out the latest titles during work.

Lenard and I worked on this set of two towards the end of the summer. The painting with the orange is called X, the painting with the purple is called Y. Together, they are X&Y. They are both 36"x48" each. I don't want to sound artsy and all that; and am not going to talk about the inspiration and story behind them. Batman and I, however, have agreed that it would be interesting if somebody wants to guess what it is about. Add it as a comment if you'd like to do so.

Finally a better digital camera

Shades of Bellevue


E3

A-Track
~~~ James Blunt - Tears and Rain ~~~

Its been busy...why?
- Work at Surreal Software
- Approving work visa!!
- Bumbershoot
- Pigfest @ Hansville
- Searching for an A3
- Royksopp Concert =]
- Erh...naked chicks.

A-Tracks
~~~ Anberlin - Naive Orleans ~~~
~~~ Embrace - Gravity ~~~
~~~ James Blunt - You're Beautiful ~~~
+++ Kanye West - Late Registration (Album)+++

B-Tracks
~~~ Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot ~~~
~~~ Pinback - This Red Book ~~~
~~~ Cake - Never There ~~~
~~~ Kings of Convenience - Misread ~~~
~~~ Buckcherry - Lit Up ~~~

4/9

HK Goods

So far I've accumulated a Patrick Cox wallet, white Nintendo DS, Parman no.1 figure, and a pair of AKG K-240 studio headphones.

I've been incredibly busy lately. Both on and off work. Lenard came to visit Seattle and we've been out and about.

My 2.5 week vacation begins today. Gonna fly back to Hong Kong next week (after Coldplay @ White River!) to enjoy the rest of the summer. Yeah, working at Surreal Software now. I'm pretty excited about that; it's another step closer to achieving my goals =]
I never expected things to turn out the way they did. But I'm glad it turned out this way. Its a big fat confirmation to my beliefs; with perserverance and effort, there is no impossible.

Oooooooo~~~!! Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 dev kits at work! No pics for nobody tho.

FAHRENHEIT / INDIGO PROPHECY

I don't normally try video game demos, and haven't ever rated/promoted one. But today it's going to be an exception. Fahrenheit or Indigo Prophecy's demo (two different names depending on location) oozes with cinematic style and narration. I give the demo a 9.5 out of 10 because I think the game has shown much potential to become the next mega hit. The game seeks to add excitement to the narrative process through a range of action events and in depth player involvement. It gives the player the chance to choose how puzzles are solved and also create the story/experience for themselves. I don't think words can describe what I mean by this well produced and innovative simulation. If you like adventure games, take the time to check it out! Trust me!

Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy certainly has enough innovative features to grab my attention and it will be interesting to see if it can breathe new life into the adventure genre as a whole.

A-Track
~~~ Story of the Year - In her bedroom ~~~
~~~ the killers - jenny was a friend of mine ~~~
~~~ Phantom Planet - Always on my mind ~~~
~~~ Howie Day - Falling in Love ~~~

On a side note: Nutella is a gift from the Gods.