27th Sketchcrawl and such…
Posted by admin on May 18th, 2010 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Wow, it’s been about two months since the last time I posted something here!
Not much going around. I’ve been to lots of weddings so far and there’s two more coming up just this weekend. Just this past Saturday, I was at the 27th World Wide Sketcrawl. People just meeting up to sketch in different parts of the world just for that day. I went to the LA meetup like I did back in March or so, where I did those animal sketches. This time we met up in Redondo Beach pier in Torrance, CA. I’ve always been a fan of this area as I grew up in Torrance until beginnnig of high school. 
You can also see a good chunk of the rest of my sketchbook here.
Film Reviews
Here are some of my Film Reviews I wrote on Examiner.com:Robin Hood
Looking for Eric (UK)
Princess Kailulani
Iron Man 2
Nightmare on Elm Street
Private Eye (Korean)
My Run
The Losers
Kick-Ass
Date Night
Clash of the Titans 3-D
Hot Tub Time Machine
How to train your Dragon
Off to the Zoo! Sketches and Things…and stuff
Posted by admin on March 1st, 2010 filed in Uncategorized1 Comment »
It’s been a while since the last time I’ve updated. I’ve been busy working on a website, setting up an online comic, as well as writing articles.
My Facebook Graffiti!
My weekend and excerpts from my sketchbook….
So, I went to LA Zoo over the weekend, and was able to do some sketches of animals. Because of the pouring rain, I took an umbrella. A nice change of pace and a venue for my sketching. |  |
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My Sketches…
After lunch, I met up with the Sketch-Crawlers (www.sketchcrawl.com), bunch of artists who sketch, at LA Public Library–really nice people with great skills. One of the artists had some of her pieces at the art show opening at Gallery Nucleus that day in the evening. I told her that I might be able to make the show after dinner. That night, I was invited by a friend for a free dinner at Hollywood Park Casino. It was some customer appreciation party that I was invited as a guest–it’s was… interesting. I didn’t stay long as I head on over to the art show.
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The artshow at Gallery Nucleus at Alhambra had the Alice in Wonderland theme called “Curiouser & Curiouser.” It was really cool as many people dressed up for the event (there was a raffle) and many works from the upcoming movie was also displayed as well as many works inspired by the original story. Lots of great works there. Once a year, I’ve heard they have a ninja-themed art show. I’ll try to attend that one too.
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Here are some of my Movie Reviews….
I’ve been writing a lot of movie reviews on Examiner.com since last time. Here are some of them. Hope you enjoy! (I get paid very little for these articles, so I write mostly because I enjoy it–and I love movies, of course!)
The CraziesFantastic Mr. Fox
Shutter Island
Brothers
The Wolfman
Everybody’s Fine
Frozen
Edge of Darkness
Ninja Assassin
Book of Eli
Daybreakers
You can follow my review updates on Twitter as well.
Woah…. Been a while…
Posted by admin on January 24th, 2010 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Yikes… it’s been a while since I’ve been on Xanga. It’s been raining a lot lately…
Well, been writing some articles on Examiner.com.. mostly about movies and such.
Certainly, with all the rain lately, it probably fits the topic:
10 Movies You Can Watch on a Rainy Day
Also, I’m part of 2010 Yelp Elite! Cool!
Digital Pic!
Here’s a digital painting I woked on over last month…
Here was the general progress of the work…
Progress 1
Progress 2
Progress 3
This and That and things of that nature…
Posted by admin on December 6th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
So, the last couple weeks, I’ve been sending my resumes out as usual. At the same time, I’m doing some freelance work doing a bit of web design for the upcoming Comedy Zen, Asian American standup comedy event… I’ve got the logo down pat.. it’ll pretty much be the theme of “The Year of the Tiger.” I myself was born on the year of the tiger, which sort of made me feel more of a kinship to the project. Here are some logo images I had made for the event. I used Illustrator and Photoshop. Last year’s webpage (which I had worked on) was for the Year of the Ox.
Meanwhile, I’ve also updated my online comic website, Ninjas on Motorcycles with a format to make my comics easier to view, and also added Armadillo, a 15 pager comic based on a weekly serial I had made back in the day.
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On other news, I’ve recently joined examiner.com as kind of a contract writer on the side. I had recently visited the LA Auto Show on Friday, so I wrote my general experience of it. The article can be read here. Please visit!
I’ll be writing about mostly movies from now on.Metro-Sketch Day #2
Posted by admin on October 16th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
So, last Wednesday, I had another whole day of sketching while riding the Metrorail. It’s cheap transportation and you don’t waste much time…driving, that is, or with traffic. Only downside may be that it’s a bit ghetto and you meet people of all backgrounds. Luckily, I have no problem with that. With that said, I had decided to go over to LA, toward East..and eventually toward Pasadena. My first stop was the Los Angeles City Hall. I’ve often seen this building in police badges and movies, like Dragnet, but never been inside. So, this time, I decided to check it out.
I really liked this shot.
Los Angeles City Hall
There was a metal detector inside, I think to make sure I’m not anyone suspicious. I was mostly there to learn a little something about the City Hall (as a tourist), not to get documents notorized, get married, or anything like that. Well, luckily, there was a big group of elementary kids going in there as a tour group, so I decided to join them (kind of like Ferris Bueller in the art museum). As I was sitting down at the Council Chambers as the tour guide was explaining how laws are passed to the kids, I sketched as I talked a bit to some of the young adults there. I found out that they were art teachers (at LACMA, I think) and they said, “Hey, you should come with us to the top floor–you can sketch the cityscape from there!” So, yes, I was able to get to the top of the building (where the pillars were). I got a grand view of LA. Funny how things all sort of work together.
This is where the laws and ordinances are passed.
L.A. !!!
My next stop of Olvera Street, which is right by the Grand Central Station, and is sort of a historical landmark and a famous Mexican marketplace. It is almost like a Farmers Market, but not really that much produce, but plenty of souvenirs and food. The taquitos I had there were excellent–I rarely get taquitos, but these were very tasty. I walked around the area until I decided I should ride deeper into Pasadena, to see how far I could go on the Metrorail.
Olvera Street… lots of good Taquitos here.
Many cool souvenirs of various colors.
Kiosko at El Pueblo De L.A. Historical Monument.
My final stop was Pasadena City Hall, which had a Roman church-style architecture. I mostly hung around the area, but I didn’t really explore the City Hall. I wanted to get back before dark, so I took off for home afterwards. Overall, another good Metro-Sketch Day!
The Pasadena City Hall
Metrorail Station…on the way back..
Halloween Fireworks at Disneyland
Recently, I was at Disneyland (I’m there often to make use of my Annual Pass), and was quite surprised at the new fireworks they’ve had lately. Pretty cool! Here’s a clip I recorded from the event.Metro Sketch Day…. and Yelp!
Posted by admin on October 7th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
I recently started a new sketch book (I recently finished the previous one). It is, ultimately, my sketch diary. I write down and draw what I observe and format it in the style of comic panels.
Last Friday, I was able to have what I call a “Metro Sketch Day.” Generally, what I would do is to buy a Metrorail ticket for the whole day (only $5) and ride to various landmarks and simply sketch on my book. Whatever interesting things I see, I would write and sketch about it. Because I frequently go to many places, including Disneyland (I have annual pass), by the time my book is done, it’ll have tons of different sketches of various places, events, people, and situations.
Ultimately, the point of the sketchbook is to keep me drawing frequently and create better sketching habits, and keep my ideas fresh and moving. With that said, here are some photos I took, along with my sketches from my book.
Metro Sketch Day!!!
Pershing Square
Grand Central Market
Bradbury Building, where they filmed Blade Runner (as Sebastion’s Apartment).
One of the Metrorail Stations in LA.
Mann Chinese Theater in Hollywood
Sketches being done overlooking Mann Chinese Theater from Baja Fresh.
Pictures from my Sketch Book
The following images were what I drew on my sketchbook. These were all drawn on the spot. As a result, I had to sketch as fast as I could, (especially if it involved moving people). One rule I made when I started this sketchbook (as well as the previous one) is to not use the pencil, or erase or make corrections–thus, all the drawings were done in pen.
Woot!!! Woot!!! I am now YELP Elite ‘09!!!
Time to start going to them YELP meetings! Sweeeet!!! Free food (hopefully), here I come!My YELP Site!
Movie Thoughts: Pixar’s Up (and its themes)
Posted by admin on June 28th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Below this paragraph is generally the review I wrote on IMDB, but I’m sure I could’ve gone on and written a more thorough review on it, but really, it’s one of those movies I’d rather have people just go see it first. After this review, I’ll move onto more details about concepts I noticed and so forth, and may give some spoilers.
This is a movie, in a nutshell, about death vs. life, young vs. old, personal status vs. personal relationships, inner vs. outer journey, friends vs. enemies. Oh, and it was very good too.
Pixar has now made their tenth movie, and still going strong.. and boy, are they! That’s 10 for 10, which is an amazing feat. Each of their stories are original, different, and shows us that these guys were not out to merely settle for retreads of the same lessons, formulas, stories, and jokes. Pixar films have the danger of being timeless. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion they already are! For those who don’t know the general story, it’s about an old man (who sold balloons) who is about to be evicted, decides that he is better off away, ties tons of balloons to his house and off he goes toward a place in South America called Paradise Falls, to fulfill a promise he made to his late wife. Along comes a kid who hitches along for the ride. To say more would be a disservice to the viewers, as the story unfolds to many great moments, adventures, dangers, and humor.
“Up,” as mentioned, is yet another classic, and personally, I felt this movie went boldly beyond what one may categorize as merely kids’ entertainment. In fact, there were moments of great emotion that only adults will fully appreciate. Among the Pixar movies, this movie probably moved me the most at a deep, emotional level, which is saying a lot given that it’s an animation. They manage to do things with their skillful use of music, imagery, and story, that is both subtle and powerful. There are many things I can say about this movie and how it has many layers and themes and such, but those will be left for discussion boards and essays and talks over coffee. (**** out of ****)
Now, since I’ve shown the review, I’ll add some general thoughts on it, with some possible spoilers along the way. This is certainly among Pixar’s best work and I felt it probably was the most meaningful, layered, mature, and most emotionally resonant among their work. My favorite Pixar film, however, is still Ratatouille, but not because Up is any less of a great piece of work–in fact, if I had to recommend one film among those two to a good friend, it would be Up. My enjoyment of Ratatouille was certainly a more personal one and more particular to myself, as it appealed to my love of wine, food, cooking, art, humor, architecture, culture, and great attention to detail. The characters were beautifully designed, action was exciting, and I never could predict where the plot was going, and at every surprising turn, I was at the edge of my seat, yet it wasn’t because it was about saving the world or getting killed.
With Up, it takes its time setting up the story, the characters, and situations in such a way that it was not the events that surprised me, but the effectiveness of what the makers were trying to convey. Never had some of the characters (especially being animated) seemed as true to life as it did now. I’ve also noticed that it was mostly men that I’ve talked to that seemed to have been so moved by this film. Certainly, much of what Carl goes thought in the film are things most guys will understand. When I was watching this film in 3-D (I had seen it before in 2-D), I went with a buddy of mine who came with his 4 year old son. He asked me, “Is this movie sad?” I said, “Yes, very. But, only sad for adults. Kids just won’t get it.” Interestingly enough, it was his son who was asking him, “Why are you crying, Dad?”
As mentioned, this movie tackled many interesting concepts… so I’ll go over some of them. There were various uses of contrasts in the film. Certainly a film, particularly animation, can be appreciated at face value, however, it is always great when one finds little layers of themes beyond the surface. I should note that people who haven’t seen the movie yet might get lost.
Life vs. Death. First 10 minutes of the film perhaps brings this idea to the forefront in the most obvious way, especially with Carl’s wife, who started off so full of life, passing on in the montage sequence. Carl, now a widower, must now cope with his own life… alone. It is rare for Pixar to deal with death in such a significant way as it was here. In the later parts of the movie, life and death contrast is further displayed between Carl and his enemy. Through two different life choices made by Carl and Charles Mutz, one lived, while the other died. One eventually lived as he chose a path beyond himself and one lived for selfish ambition. It is interesting that Carl, much like the ambitious Muntz, at an earlier point in the movie, says something to the effect of “I’ll reach my [destination] even if it kills me!” Of course, his priorities change later on, while Muntz’s remain the same (to get the bird), which led to his doom.
Young vs. Old. Carl is an old man. Russel is a boy. Even in the 10 minute montage early on, you get to see a transition from “Young Carl” and the “Old Carl.” As a young kid, Carl had grand dreams of adventure. As an old man, he got pretty cynical after all the pains of life. Russel’s enthusiasm for such dreams annoyed Carl because he probably knew those dreams probably wouldn’t come true or was fleeting. Russel, in a sense, is like a mirror to his younger self. I believe once Carl realized he hadn’t really failed miserably as he felt he had, he was able to embrace his younger self (Russel, if you will) for all the grand dreams he had. More importantly, though, he, as an older, and wiser, person, had something to offer that would be invaluable to someone like Russel, a boy who was lacking a father figure.
Personal Status vs. Personal Relationships. Muntz chose the way of life for personal gain and status. Except for his dogs, he probably killed some people to get what he wanted. In the end, his social life and relationships were probably very shallow and/or non-existant, as his life goal was to be famous or respected. While Carl, not liked by society, started off on a personal, ambitious mission of his own (to get his house to Paradise Falls), he goes through a change near the end. In other words, his realization was that it was “relationships” with his wife (or Russel) that had more value in the grand scheme of things compared to ambitious dreams that may wind up being hollow. Russel tells Carl at one point, “[What I'm talking about] may be boring to you, but those are the moments I remember the most [that had meaning].” It’s often said people won’t remember the achievements as much as the relationships they had with the person.
Inner Journey vs. Outer Journey. This idea is most poignantly realized near the end. When his wife, through the book, showed him that the true “adventure” wasn’t going out there and doing stuff, but personal relationships, inner journey, or a life of quality that is lived. As often said, it takes more to change a person or their behavior than change things outside of themselves. Carl in the end goes through that inner change and decides that his next “adventure” isn’t about him finding something new, but to pass on something that is of value to Russel–a good father figure.
Friends vs. Enemies. In this movie, the relationships become quite complicated. What one may consider annoying becomes a friend. What one considers a friend, such as Muntz, became an enemy. Certain dogs were good guys, some were not. Some became good guys…temporarily. I remember one dog saying, “I like you…temporarily” to Carl at one point. Muntz is probably one of the most sinister bad guys in Pixar history. Perhaps his ambition got the better of him…as he was considered a “hero” in the beginning. A path Carl may have taken if he had gone the wrong way. Not all “so-called” friends are trust-worthy especially if their actions prove otherwise. Many times, you will have to face your enemies head-on to protect your friends. Doug the Dog was an interesting character. I can’t say if it was his integrity or or his lack of intellect that made him consistently loyal to Carl, Russel, and the bird, Kevin. One must however, admire the fact that, unlike the other dogs, he didn’t switch sides so quickly at one command from Muntz. One can make an argument that this was because he knew Muntz just wasn’t a good (although “smart”) person, thus his loyalty may have been based on higher ideals.
Now, as I make these points, it is not to point out whether the intentions of the filmmakers had these things in mind. It is more like appreciation of an art (like enjoyment of good wine) to show that it has many different things going on in it that I found interesting. Ultimately, what I love about Pixar is that much of the “lesson” that I find in their movies, aren’t particularly something kids will necessarily get–in fact, some of them probably appy more for adults. Like Toy Story 2, which dealt with issues of mortality, the final lesson seems to be something more suitable for adults– that it is what you do with the time you have that’s more important. Finding Nemo was about allowing your kids to take risks, or not be overprotective. Cars was about pride vs. humbleness. Incredibles was about the importance of different gifts and the family unit. They certainly aren’t more simple lessons like “don’t take candy from strangers” or “be nice to people.” The movie Up, in the end, was able to give a universal lesson that applies to old people (who may feel useless in terms of what they can offer), as well as young people who are overly ambitious over shallow stuff, as well as a new appreciation and importance of human interaction (esp. in this increasingly digital age) as an adventure in itself.
Oh, and the movie was very good, too.
Memorial Day and Pics….
Posted by admin on May 29th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Weekly Pics!
So, couple Mondays ago, friends from Sarang had some boolgogi tacos at not Kogi, but at Bool. This particular food truck was a business a friend of ours was starting , so we wanted to show some support. Some seriously good tacos. I haven’t tried Kogi tacos before, but my friends tell me Bool tacos are better and has more meat. It also has a bit of a Brazilian flava since out friend is a Korean from Brazil. Good stuff!
Most excellent tacos!
I forgot the name of this dish, but it’s gooood stuff.
Popular amongst us as well….
Mouth-watering goodness!
On Saturday we celebrated Caroline’s (who’s also the leader of our book club) birthday at California Adventure and Banana Bay. Since I was there, got an annual pass (Disneyland’s Southern California pass). Sweet!
Our Thursday book club!
Waitin’ for Alex…the guy with the sweet hookups.
Nifty little camera effect on my Canon.. Replacing all greens with reds.
No outing’s complete without the turkey leg!
Time to soar over California!
At Banana Bay… excellent for large parties.
A special birthday song for Caroline!
Time for cake!
Gotta show proof I was there!
So, on Memorial Day was Sarang Church Bonfire at Bolsa Chica. Before that, I stopped by the Strawberry Festival in Garden Grove. I bumped into my friend Audrey and her friend from middle school.
I won a goldfish!
Lots of rides at the Strawberry Festival…but not enough strawberry booths!
Yikes… even looking at the rides make me dizzy….
Any day’s good day for bonfire!
I like em’ hot and spicy!
Most excellent!
Mmmm Mmmmmmmm
Sand sculpture contest!
My goldfish, Richie, gettin’ some sun.
Takin’ off…
Love them marshmellows!
Fire…. good!
Digital Pics!
Here’s something I worked on this week…For those who may be interested in my process… here’s a progression of my work…
And finally….
Mansion in Progress
Posted by admin on April 6th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Here’s my current progress on my mansion I’ve been doing in 3-D (as part of my 3-D portfolio)…. So, I’ve been doing some more gardening, if you will,to give a more of a natural look. It’s certainly on its way. While much of the focus on the reel won’t be on the outer areas, but more on the mansion, I felt I couldn’t really do the more detailed work if I didn’t have the overal feel of the surroundings… I’ve also had some part blend more naturally. Properlighting will improve this image, of course, but that’s usually the last part of the model. Yes, I do notice that the mountain area looks skewed.
And, then a few fixes here and there…
Back from England Land…
Posted by admin on February 21st, 2009 filed in Uncategorized7 Comments »
Five days in England was indeed a much needed vacation time for me and it was a great trip, a cultural experience, and a great time of “getting away from it all.” How great it was to visit another land and be placed over your feet a shoes of a traveler! Your shoes have stepped on another land hundreds of miles away across the ocean, tasting different kinds of dirt, different kinds of air, and places a normal shoe would not have gotten to on its own. The wearer of the shoe, myself, indeed enjoyed the ride as well, my mind taking in more perspective and appreciation, as well as interacting with people you never would’ve met otherwise. People who are perhaps the farthest sixth among six degrees of separation.
So, what did I see in England? Lots and lots of buildings for one. I love archictecture. The plane ride was fairly reasonably smooth, along with pretty good food. Me, my buddy Dan, and his coworkers overall made up about six of us in overall. Me, Dan, and couple of other people would be doing a lot of sightseeing, while a married couple would be taking it easy in London, pub-touring. We took off from LAX to Heathrow, then took the Tube subway (a great transportation to get around) toward London. We got to the hotel in the evening, and it started to snow a bit in the streets of London.
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A common scene, especially if you are not driving…good for us, since we can’t drive on the left side.
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It was snowing in the evening… but it adds to the “feel” of the city.
The following day, Friday, after the arrival on Thursday night, Dan and I, with a tour group, visited Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Oxford. A friend of mine from LA wanted me to get her an Oxford shirt, so I did. The tour guide was extremely informative. For example, a pub is short for “public house.” Back during the industrial revolution, many workers needed housing nearby, so they build apartment complexes. The rooms were quite small, so they built a “public house” per complex where people could hang out. These houses all closed at 11pm so the workers could go back to work the next morning. Thus, to this day, the pubs in London close at 11pm.
Our first stop of the tour was Windsor Castle, which is like the Queen’s common place of residence (whereas Buckingham Palace is more like their office), was particularly noteworthy with its castle structure and extremely ornate interiors. Quite amazing, really.
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It feels a lot like time traveling…
Stonehenge, an amazing landmark of 5000 years, was quite impressive, especially considering the function of it being almost like a solar clock. Dan was more impressed with it than I was, as I do tend to lean toward architectural sites. The lush countryside was however quite beautiful.
Oxford (or Oxnard, as one of friends accidentally mis-said it), with a lot of its historical monuments and buildings intact, it is amazing how it all doubles as a university.
Nope, Druids did not build Stonehenge… it was built by what people refer to as the “beaker
people” because these guys were buried clutching pottery (aka. beakers).
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The next morning, Saturday, as I did the previous morning, I jogged around some of the London areas surrounding our hotel (Travistock), ate breakfast, then met up with our other friends and headed on over to briefly look at Buckingham Palace, then went into Westminster Abbey, passed by Big Ben, then to St. Paul Cathedral. Both were quite amazing, with famous people buried in there. St. Paul has a dome that you can get up through a flight of windy stairs, where you can get a grand whole view of London landscape.
Westminster Abbey. Lots of beautiful statues inside and tombs. Shakespeare,
Handel, Lewis Carroll, and many others were buried here.
Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower, not the clock itself.
St. Paul’s Cathedral… is quite huge and beautiful. You can actually go up the dome.
A picturesque view of London from above St. Paul.
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Exterior of the said pub. I believe it was remodeled in 1667.
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Quiet, night view of streets of London.
The next morning, which was Sunday, we saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace (they didn’t have it the previous day), then visited the London Eye, which looks like a giant ferris wheel (about the length of the Statue of Liberty), which had a amazing top view of London. Afterwards, we ate lunch (London food), and checked out Tower of London, one of the old medieval castles. Lots of rain that day, but it made it look cool. I wished I had more time to enjoy at Tower of London, but time flew pretty quickly.
In the morning, I was jogging around the neighborhood..
The subway (aka. Tube), a common (and cheap) transportation…
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Buckingham Palace… and view downwards from the London Eye.
It’s a good ways down….
Inside the Eye… you can see a lot.
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For dinner, Dan and I ate with people at Newsong London (affliate of Newsong Church in the U.S.), which is a small group of people in an apartment that meet up, a place to hang out for wayfarers and exchange students. They cooked us up some homemade Jajang with rice and seawood, Korean-style. It’s nice to feel some love.
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Following day, we took the Tube back to Heathrow Airport, and flew back to LAX. It’s certainly great to be home with this wonderful southern California weather! The sky was bright blue with lots of puffy clouds.