Today, I decided it'd be good to be somewhat productive and try to re-learn Adobe Illustrator. It's been years since I actually invested any time in working with the program. I got back into it again a couple of weeks ago, as you can see here. This time around, I wanted to try something in a different style. I didn't quite have the time and equipment to draw and scan something out of scratch, so working on something older was the more feasible way to go around it. I picked a blurry old sketch of Rush's Geddy Lee that I made way back in early 2006. I figured it'd be a good kind of challenge since 1) it's blurry 2) it was done in a more realistic style compared to my other stuff. So here I am, starting up Illustrator and laying down the first couple of paths that make up his face and neck. Fast forward by 15-20 minutes and the layer that makes up his face is nearly complete. Of course, any sane person would definitely save his work at this point, and so I did. But instead of a successful save, I got this: "The filename you entered is too long. Try something shorter."I rattle off a small barrage of curses after finding out that no matter how short I make the filename, my work still refuses to be saved. That's when I figured out that maybe porting it over to Photoshop and saving it from there in a different format might somehow be enough of a workaround. And just as I was about to launch Photoshop, Geddy Lee smites me with... a blue screen of death.The laptop's up and running again now, but I'm sure anyone who's lost a good chunk of work due to problems like this has the right to be pissed. Is Geddy Lee simply too awesome to be committed and confined in a vector illustration? You tell me. This is your little victory, Mr. Lee.
So... I try my hand at participating in an impromptu podcast and the results are pretty amusing. Tim and I talk at length about the recently released King of Fighters XIII trailer and the also recently announced Tekken 7. We're sort of trying to get the hang of recording this thing from Skype, so expect me to sound like I'm speaking from an empty oil barrel or something. There's some character talk about Marvel VS Capcom 3, too. Enjoy. Click and listen.
I remember a time when I was eagerly anticipating SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters XII and thinking it would be the greatest thing ever. Well, it came out, and from the very brief time I got to spend with it made it feel wickedly lacking and not very KOF-ey. I still believe to this day that the "rebirth" SNKP had in mind for the series was more of a misstep than a leap forward in the right direction. Fast forward to about a year later and XIII is upon us. From this trailer, it looks like SNK Playmore is trying to appease fans who've been waiting for a conclusion to the Ash Crimson saga which started in KOF 2003. It's about damn time, I think. Other welcome additions include an expanded roster consisting of returning characters (hurray for Mai and K'). On the gameplay side, Desperation Moves seem to be expanded and the trailer also trumpets the inclusion of a NEO MAX and some sort of EX system. I can't wait to see how they figure into the overall experience. The game is supposed to hit sometime later this year or possibly early next year.
An evangelist stepped onto the bus I was riding on my way to the Greenhills area and started preaching to the passengers. People who know me, my sister in particular, are aware how much I loathe them. Don't get me wrong, I am a more or less practicing catholic, despite some reservations I have with their stands on certain issues. What I can't stand are people who supposedly spread the word of God only as a cover to solicit "donations". Get a freakin' job, people. Well, back to the point. At about the same time the preacher started to talk, AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" comes on my PSP's music player and yes, I start snickering. Will it earn me a one way ticket to eternal damnation? That's up for debate. What I can tell you is that it's one of the funniest coincidences from this past week. Yeah, you can tell that I have very little love for these folk. I'm sorry, but I just can't get behind the idea of stepping on to public transport and shoving your beliefs down someone else's throat. So, before I get called out for being a blasphemous heathen or whatnot, let me tell you that this is the same day I went and prayed for my great aunt and grandfather. It happened just about half an hour before I dropped by the chapel. I'm not expecting to be cleared of it, but hey, they're the ones intruding on the passengers' collective "quiet time" in the first place.
I dropped by the Greenhills chapel to pay my repsects to some deceased relatives. First of which, is my great aunt, my maternal grandmother's sister who passed away yesterday morning. It was pretty much a shock for me since I assumed she was healthy, albeit plagued with the usual maladies that come with old age. And then there's my grandfather from my mother's side. I thought today was his third death anniversary so I saw it fit to go somewhere to pray for them. After that, I called home and told my mom about it, among other matters. Well, she commended me for going out of my way to pay my respects to them, but... I got the date wrong for my grandfather's death anniversary. It's tomorrow, May 19th. "Oh well... at least you prayed for them." she said.I guess another visit to a church or chapel tomorrow won't hurt. Sorry for getting the date wrong, Gramps. You are sorely missed.
I don't have any clear memories of going over to Crocodile's Head as a kid. Well, I just rectified that today. Since I couldn't drag anyone else to come along with me, I went on it alone. It could've been handy to help me take shots, though. Anyway, the whole hike to and from lasted about 40 minutes, a lot shorter than I expected. By the time I got back to everyone else, I was sweating like mad and the one liter bottle of iced tea I brought with me was nearly empty. Still, it was an awesome (though solitary) experience. Hope I could rope some friends into hiking along with me next time.
I managed to drag myself out of bed early enough last Saturday to make my way to Robinson's Place Ermita for TAGCOM 2010. Met up with a friend and made some new acquaintances, and went around the convention floor. Admission was free so that's an extra hundred towards buying stuff and other trinkets at the event. It clearly helped since I really didn't have that much cash on me to begin with. Anyway, I got myself two Dissidia Trading Arts figures (Warrior of Light and Zidane) and some trinkets for my desk. My sister got the little Yajirobe figurine. Bummer, since I thought it was awesome. At least she seems happy with it.
