[769] As Time Goes By

As time goes by my tastes and standards in life change.

When I was younger I used to want the big, grand, flashy things. Cars, houses, items, you name it. Now that I'm relatively older I just want simple, practical, economical things.

I'd rather be wise about how I live my life. Keep things simple and always make sure I have enough in case of emergencies. Also, I guess I'm realizing that I should never attempt to live outside my means. And it might be better to live way inside my means as well.

This does not mean I won't spend. I will just prioritize what I should be spending on and what I should be frugal at.

There are still so many things I want to own, not just as expensive as the things I wanted before. But before all those, there are things I feel I should prioritize. Things that will be useful for my future and for my family.

Out.

[768] Perseverance

Fighting through tough times supposedly makes you a better person, specially if you adapt a very positive attitude. It also builds character to encounter and overcome hurdles in life.

These hurdles could be minor bumps in the eyes of others, but that does not matter. What matters is that you are facing the problem and that you must overcome it. Do not listen to others who seek to belittle your problems. Instead seek strength and guidance from those who want to see you succeed. Do not surround yourself with yes men, they won't bring you anywhere good.

Out.

[767] Windows User Name

I recently discovered that the cause of some errors when I use my 3D programs is because my Windows account uses the character "ñ" in it. Apparently some programs cannot understand that and it causes significant issues.

I discovered this because when I was trying to export to glTF using Substance Painter, it would always result in errors. After a couple of days of searching the internet for answers, I discovered the answer in, of all places, a 3ds Max forum.

I created a new user account and tried exporting again and it worked. So I fixed my local Windows accounts and now I am using an account that has no special characters.

Lesson learned: Next time I get a new workstation just use some witty nickname or drop the "ñ" and just use a regular "n."

Out.

[766] Learning New Software

I recently started learning Substance Painter by Allegorithmic. This is part of research we're doing for work. I think it's a bonus.

I was always curious about using this from my time in KLab Cyscorpions. I had seen our 3D modelers using this software for their personal projects and had gotten curious about it as well. Sadly things did not go as planned and I was not able to learn this during my time there. I had all but forgotten it until now.

Now I am taking the chance to learn this software, and I am enjoying it. I still have no idea if my modeling, unwrapping, and texturing techniques are still effective in the current state of 3D modeling. However I'm still giving it a go since I relish the opportunity to learn something new.

There are times it gets frustrating, but I can't be an old dog who refuses to learn new tricks.

Out.

[765] Not Another Car Post

It has been a while since I last posted about cars. Well, here we go again. Time to post the top three cars I would like to own, right now, here in the Philippines. In order.

1. Honda Jazz, 1st or 2nd generation (GD or GE), 1.5L engine, automatic transmission. This is the most practical car of the three and the one I would really love to own right now. Why 1st or 2nd generation? It's small enough, it still has that amazing interior that can accomodate almost any kind of cargo provided it can fit in the car, and honestly I've checked prices of 2nd hand units and they are pretty affordable.
2. Volkswagen Beetle Classic. I know someone who recently sold his Beetle for around PhP40,000.00 and I was half disappointed I didn't know about it. There are many problems with owning a classic Beetle including maintanance, parts, and the typical lack of airconditioning.
3. BMW E30 or E34, 4-door or station wagon. For BMW purists, I would specifically prefer a 320i / 520i or higher for either the sedan or touring versions. Ever since I met a few car guys who were BMW fans I became a fan as well. Why the older models? Because I honestly think they look the best.

So there you have it. The top three cars I would like to own. If ever I do get to own a car, any car, my first priority would be making sure the car is reliable and in good condition to be daily driven. That includes making sure brake pads, discs, and drums are not worn out. The engine should have no leaks and it should be running well. The suspension should be in good condition. There should be no electrical problems. Once those are done then the next thing I would focus on would be to make sure there are no rust spots anywhere. If there are, I would make sure to have them fixed.

Once all those above are done, then and only then would I start modifying the car. But that's for another blog post some other day.

Out.