It's been way over a month since I last posted anything.
Two Saturdays ago my office basketball team played it's first league game. We lost 71 - 16. 55 point loss.
Goddamnit.
League basketball games are way more intense than weekend runs. I can only imagine how intense varsity games are.
I was way out of shape, I started heaving breaths after only two trips up and down the court. The only jump shot I attempted I threw too strong, hit the backboard only, about two feet above the ring.
But I had a blast.
It was fun, honestly. Office camaraderie showed. We all had a good time even if we lost, and we weren't sore losers. Plus I got some workout going, which is something I always need.
I did notice some things I need to improve upon for the next game. I have to be more aggerssive down low (I play center), I need to set picks, I need to box out, and I need to use both arms to rebound.
My final stat line? 0-1 field goals, 1 defensive rebound.
I suck.
Next game's this Friday. I can't wait.
Out.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Updates
It seems my last post was June 17, 2008. More than a month has passed since I last blogged. I know that's not good, because I told myself I would try to write more posts this year and increase my blogging. Well, the year isn't over yet and I've still got around five months left to rectify the situation.
First off, I went to Naga for the first time in four years. Four. And I must say that the place looks awesome. It has changed in four years, and a part of me regrets not going there sooner than I should have. It had to take the wedding of one of my best friends, Ben, for me to go there.
The moment I managed to go around the place that last Saturday of June I realized that I did miss that place. Even if I didn't grow up there or I have no ties there, I still studied there for four years. So yes, there were emotional ties I didn't even realize I had to Naga.
I saw the new look of the DACA Dept, I saw my landlady, and I saw new buildings inside ADNU. Those are just a few of the things I saw in Naga. There were also new minimalls, new hotels, and new restaurants. Naga really looks progressive nowadays.
Second, I turned 28 last July 12. 28 years old and where am I now? Still in the same place. You can read that any which way, and it all says the same thing. I'd better start moving now. Not sooner, not later. Now.
Finally, I bought GTA4 as a birthday gift to myself. Damn. What an amazing game. I don't even spend most of the time doing missions. I just explore, jack parked cars (I make it a point not to steal cars with people inside unless the mission calls for it), go out with people in the game.
The game is great, but it does have some flaws. Targeting and ducking for cover is still an aspect of the game I cannot get the hang of. Whether that's because I have lousy hand-eye coordination remains to be seen.
That doesn't mean I've abandoned NBA 2K8. As much as I get pissed off playing the game, I still come back to play it.
Finally I joined my office's basketball team. We'll be joining a basketball league. What position will I be playing? Based on the criteria our head coach wrote down, I'll be a power forward-center. I know, I can't rebound for shit and I can't defend. But I am comfortable posting up and I really couldn't do the things required of point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards. Besides, like I told our coach, I'll play PF-C like Vin Baker... when he was an alcoholic.
I always visualized myself as a small forward/point forward. Sorta like Toni Kukoc, Grant Hill or Lamar Odom. But my ballhandling isn't really that great so I guess it's back in the post for me. I'm still confident in my baby hook. I'll just have to do better in rebounding and defense.
And that's it. Quick updates on my life. Now to get a move on.
Out.
First off, I went to Naga for the first time in four years. Four. And I must say that the place looks awesome. It has changed in four years, and a part of me regrets not going there sooner than I should have. It had to take the wedding of one of my best friends, Ben, for me to go there.
The moment I managed to go around the place that last Saturday of June I realized that I did miss that place. Even if I didn't grow up there or I have no ties there, I still studied there for four years. So yes, there were emotional ties I didn't even realize I had to Naga.
I saw the new look of the DACA Dept, I saw my landlady, and I saw new buildings inside ADNU. Those are just a few of the things I saw in Naga. There were also new minimalls, new hotels, and new restaurants. Naga really looks progressive nowadays.
Second, I turned 28 last July 12. 28 years old and where am I now? Still in the same place. You can read that any which way, and it all says the same thing. I'd better start moving now. Not sooner, not later. Now.
Finally, I bought GTA4 as a birthday gift to myself. Damn. What an amazing game. I don't even spend most of the time doing missions. I just explore, jack parked cars (I make it a point not to steal cars with people inside unless the mission calls for it), go out with people in the game.
The game is great, but it does have some flaws. Targeting and ducking for cover is still an aspect of the game I cannot get the hang of. Whether that's because I have lousy hand-eye coordination remains to be seen.
That doesn't mean I've abandoned NBA 2K8. As much as I get pissed off playing the game, I still come back to play it.
Finally I joined my office's basketball team. We'll be joining a basketball league. What position will I be playing? Based on the criteria our head coach wrote down, I'll be a power forward-center. I know, I can't rebound for shit and I can't defend. But I am comfortable posting up and I really couldn't do the things required of point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards. Besides, like I told our coach, I'll play PF-C like Vin Baker... when he was an alcoholic.
I always visualized myself as a small forward/point forward. Sorta like Toni Kukoc, Grant Hill or Lamar Odom. But my ballhandling isn't really that great so I guess it's back in the post for me. I'm still confident in my baby hook. I'll just have to do better in rebounding and defense.
And that's it. Quick updates on my life. Now to get a move on.
Out.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Animation Training
This whole week I will be busy at work with animation training from our animation director.
I've been animating professionally for four years now, and yet it still is a learning process. After one day's session with our trainor I could say I've found new tips and tricks on character animation. Hell, even the walk cycle we learned was something new for me. It's not as easy as my walk cycle, in fact it has more keyframes. But it does look smoother, animation wise. Plus this new technique of animating a walk cycle will be most beneficial because I can probably add more character to my, er, character with this. I've already seen the improvement in my walk cycle.
So today is another training day. I cannot wait for what we will do later.
Out.
I've been animating professionally for four years now, and yet it still is a learning process. After one day's session with our trainor I could say I've found new tips and tricks on character animation. Hell, even the walk cycle we learned was something new for me. It's not as easy as my walk cycle, in fact it has more keyframes. But it does look smoother, animation wise. Plus this new technique of animating a walk cycle will be most beneficial because I can probably add more character to my, er, character with this. I've already seen the improvement in my walk cycle.
So today is another training day. I cannot wait for what we will do later.
Out.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Fate? Luck? God's Will?
I'll try to make this short and direct to the point.
When I was in college in ADMU, during one of our computer classes (I think it was database) my friends and I were downloading small quicktime movies of Spiderman the PS1 game. The teacher, naturally, caught us watching and asked us what it was we were doing. She wasn't angry or anything. Just curious. So I told her that one of the reasons I took up Comp Sci was so I could get a foot into the gaming industry.
This was partially a lie. While it was true that I was into gaming, I honestly took up Comp Sci because of the millenium bug. At that time (1999) I had no idea what would actually happen with the bug but I was expecting that by the time I graduated the demand for programmers would be large thanks to the bug wreaking havoc worldwide. Boy was I wrong. Fortunately (?) I didn't finish my Comp Sci career and I moved to ADNU, where I shifted from Information Management to Digital Illustration and Animation.
Because during my first sem in Naga, I told one of the teachers I'd like to work in EA Sports sometime in my life. This was less of a lie than the Spiderman thing. Now I was seriously hoping to get into gaming because this was something I was enjoying a whole lot. If I could play games then I sure as hell could help create better games since I was a gamer myself, right?
Fast forward to February 18, 2008. I start working for Anino Games. One of, if not, the biggest game developers here in the Philippines. I've already helped in tweaking some assets for a computer game which will be released sometime soon (I hope) and while the games I've been helping out on may not be as technically awesome as the "next gen / current gen" games, I am in the gaming industry already.
Sure I may have helped in creating assets for Ladyluck during my stay in Holy Cow! Animation, but that was a different story. We were subcontracted to create 3D assets for the game that would turn out to be Terrawars NY Invasion.
Now I'm IN a game company. I create 3D assets and rig and animate them. I'm part of the team that creates games, not just some "freelancer" who's asked to create one object. Sure we got credited for our help in Terrawars (they got my name wrong - Isagani Nanangas when it should be Isagani Nañagas or Isagani Nanagas since most people don't know how to write "ñ"). Now I've actually opened new doors for me. I'm in the gaming industry.
I don't even know if this is ironic. I used to tell people I'd like to work in games eventually, without any concrete plans to pursue that goal. And now I'm in gaming.
I am one lucky guy.
Out.
When I was in college in ADMU, during one of our computer classes (I think it was database) my friends and I were downloading small quicktime movies of Spiderman the PS1 game. The teacher, naturally, caught us watching and asked us what it was we were doing. She wasn't angry or anything. Just curious. So I told her that one of the reasons I took up Comp Sci was so I could get a foot into the gaming industry.
This was partially a lie. While it was true that I was into gaming, I honestly took up Comp Sci because of the millenium bug. At that time (1999) I had no idea what would actually happen with the bug but I was expecting that by the time I graduated the demand for programmers would be large thanks to the bug wreaking havoc worldwide. Boy was I wrong. Fortunately (?) I didn't finish my Comp Sci career and I moved to ADNU, where I shifted from Information Management to Digital Illustration and Animation.
Because during my first sem in Naga, I told one of the teachers I'd like to work in EA Sports sometime in my life. This was less of a lie than the Spiderman thing. Now I was seriously hoping to get into gaming because this was something I was enjoying a whole lot. If I could play games then I sure as hell could help create better games since I was a gamer myself, right?
Fast forward to February 18, 2008. I start working for Anino Games. One of, if not, the biggest game developers here in the Philippines. I've already helped in tweaking some assets for a computer game which will be released sometime soon (I hope) and while the games I've been helping out on may not be as technically awesome as the "next gen / current gen" games, I am in the gaming industry already.
Sure I may have helped in creating assets for Ladyluck during my stay in Holy Cow! Animation, but that was a different story. We were subcontracted to create 3D assets for the game that would turn out to be Terrawars NY Invasion.
Now I'm IN a game company. I create 3D assets and rig and animate them. I'm part of the team that creates games, not just some "freelancer" who's asked to create one object. Sure we got credited for our help in Terrawars (they got my name wrong - Isagani Nanangas when it should be Isagani Nañagas or Isagani Nanagas since most people don't know how to write "ñ"). Now I've actually opened new doors for me. I'm in the gaming industry.
I don't even know if this is ironic. I used to tell people I'd like to work in games eventually, without any concrete plans to pursue that goal. And now I'm in gaming.
I am one lucky guy.
Out.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Rambling
Right.
It's around 5:23am on a Wednesday morning. Too early to be awake, much less surfing the internet. And yet here I am. Blogging.
It's not that I don't want to blog, or that I don't want to surf. It's just that I woke up too friggin' early. I was up by 4am, to be honest. And rolling around in bed for an hour did not produce the result I was hoping for. Maybe it's because I've got this nagging feeling in the back of my head.
That nagging feeling is called work. Yes, I couldn't sleep because of what I was doing at work. Deadline's today, of course. I know I can finish it, I just don't know why I woke up so damn early. What's even stranger is that this hasn't happened to me since my office moved to Makati. This is the first time. Seriously.
So now here I am, blogging. In a few minutes my early alarm will sound, signaling me to get up and perform my usual morning routine.
Then I head off to work, do the usual 9 to 6 and leave. Get home. Sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Not that I'm bored with work, mind you. I can honestly say that I am having a blast with game development. Working under more "limiting" requirements for 3D using a software that I am starting to become comfortable with has kept me on my toes.
Plus the rate of growth of my other 3D related skills has been a pleasant surprise. Rigging has always been my forte in Maya, and I am happy to know that it isn't so different in Max. Yes I can still rig and skin in Max as fast as I did in Maya, even faster because Max has better skinning tools.
Texturing has always been a weakness of mine but I seem to be performing quite well in that region too. I'd say my texturing skills have been average to above average.
But enough about work.
My alarm is going to ring in a while and I'd better clear my head already.
Out.
It's around 5:23am on a Wednesday morning. Too early to be awake, much less surfing the internet. And yet here I am. Blogging.
It's not that I don't want to blog, or that I don't want to surf. It's just that I woke up too friggin' early. I was up by 4am, to be honest. And rolling around in bed for an hour did not produce the result I was hoping for. Maybe it's because I've got this nagging feeling in the back of my head.
That nagging feeling is called work. Yes, I couldn't sleep because of what I was doing at work. Deadline's today, of course. I know I can finish it, I just don't know why I woke up so damn early. What's even stranger is that this hasn't happened to me since my office moved to Makati. This is the first time. Seriously.
So now here I am, blogging. In a few minutes my early alarm will sound, signaling me to get up and perform my usual morning routine.
Then I head off to work, do the usual 9 to 6 and leave. Get home. Sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Not that I'm bored with work, mind you. I can honestly say that I am having a blast with game development. Working under more "limiting" requirements for 3D using a software that I am starting to become comfortable with has kept me on my toes.
Plus the rate of growth of my other 3D related skills has been a pleasant surprise. Rigging has always been my forte in Maya, and I am happy to know that it isn't so different in Max. Yes I can still rig and skin in Max as fast as I did in Maya, even faster because Max has better skinning tools.
Texturing has always been a weakness of mine but I seem to be performing quite well in that region too. I'd say my texturing skills have been average to above average.
But enough about work.
My alarm is going to ring in a while and I'd better clear my head already.
Out.
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