New System

Okay, maybe it goes against natural human chemistry or something, but I've decided to take back control of my life by changing my sleeping habits. Yes, i know it might seems strange, but as they say:

'If what you're doing isn't working, do something else'

and

'The definition of crazy is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results'

and

'Do or do not do, there is no try'

(that's my favorite, cause it comes from yoga, who is green in colour, and so is Kermit the frog... and as we all know, it's not easy being green... so if that's the case, and their still optimists at heart then they must be some really tough four-foot characters.)

My new system is comprised of optimisation of the 'rest' period of the day... Instead of 4 hours in front of the tv, exhausted and then sleep for 8. I've decided to sleep for 4, wake up refreshed, work for 4 and return to bed to sleep for the remaining 4. Last night was my first of the experiment. I'll keep you posted as to how it progresses.

By the way, the work that came out of it was good, clean and efficient.

Nespola

It's been a long long long long time since the last time I was enthused or bedazzled by anything, so I think it deserves an announcement. I have descovered a fruit I never had before and I really really like it!

It's skin is pretty ugly, but you peel it away before you eat it and though it seems pretty banged up and bruised most of the time from the outside, looks can be decieving. The flavor is a bit difficult to describe. It's sour and sweet, but not in a drippy, peach like way. It's not very moist, but has the texture of a melon, or pumpkin. When you reach the centre of the nespola you're rewarded with a precious looking pit. Super smooth, glossy and shiny, the pits (1-3 per fruit from what I've found) of this fruit are 30% of it's fun.

In ancient times the nespola was a symbol for a virtuous woman. It was even given as a gift. It's plant is part of the rose family and was brought to ancient greece from the orient. Now it can grow in any temperate climate which doesn't have a humid or chalky soil. It's full of fibre, fructose, mineral salts, organic acids and vitamin A.

Apparently you can make a pretty great liquer from the fruit and their pits as well.

Goodbye Lindsey Puppy

Yesterday, after 16 years of loyal friendship, Lindsey the dog passed away and left this world. She was a good doggy. She didn't complain, she always made everyone around her happy. She pulled too much on her leash. She liked to eat chicken livers and the parts of a sunnyside up egg that I won't eat. As a puppy she let me dress her up in doll's clothes. She was my dad's best friend. She looked after my mom after he'd gone.

Last night I went to sleep thinking of her and my dad sitting on the shore of a cold mountain lake, fog billowing over the slate grey, matte surface. They seemed happy and calm being together again.

I remember the moment I first saw her. My family had hid her in a wicker basket which had a door that closed with a golden latch. The basket shook and rocked on the laundry room floor and out popped this black and white furry ball of love and cuddles. She was all kisses and wagging tail.

It's hard when a pet dies. Pets don't hurt anyone. They aren't needy. Lindsey was the best of that kind of pet. I hope we did a good job giving her a nice life.

Goodbye puppy, ralphy, lindsey, baby, linds-linds, popcorn paws. I love you.

Too long...

It's insane that I haven't written in so long. I just don't have the time. They say that you need to make the time. make the time to do the things that you need to do to feel good, to get things done, to be okay.

I'm aiming for okay at the moment. I'm pretty sure I'm approaching things all wrong, but I'm finding it hard to find the time to go back over the project plan and start again. What's the project exactly? Who knows. I feel like I'm falling down a staircase... every day is a new bump, but eventually i'm going to get to the bottom and then I'll be able to pick myself up, dust myself off and get on with getting better again.

Nice metaphor. But it's only feelings right?

Okay, here's what the next 4-6 weeks look like: Finish the thesis, go to work, make sure that nobody gets too disappointed in me.

But on the lighter side of things, work's going great. I'm good at my job and I get things done on time. I impress people with my bravado, speed and attention to detail. I'm good at my job.

On other light sides, I've got alot of good stuff to look forward to. I've got the engagement party, the wedding, the summer holiday, the time to relax, the exciting prospect of learning animation (like a pro), heck, I'm even excited about presenting the thesis afterall, oh, and let's not forget picnics.

So what else?

I was traumetized on the tram this morning when the ticket officers hopped on and started demanding violently people's tickets or identity cards. I have to make a mental note to never ever forget my ticket when i no longer have my student visa. I actually saw them push a lady carrying 2 babies and a man with a cane. Presumably they feel it's justified because the lady was from eastern europe and the man was old... both people who couldn't possibly have the same rights to non violence as everyoen else right?

I'm going to try to do better with the writing.

Welcome to my Circus!

And it's weird cause I actually don't even like the circus!

I'll be working on FrouFrou's rig this week.
She's so pretty!

Doggy and Frou Frou

Hey there! Sorry I haven't posted in so long, there's so much to catch up on!

First, the big news: Fabri and I got engaged! We're so excited and happy and nervous and stuff! yippeee!!

Work's going well though I'm still not completely settled in yet. I'm still going only 3 days a week though it looks like they need more of me. I got an imaged published in a design magazine (Made05) a few weeks ago, so that was cool. I'm also getting to know the girls I work with a it better and so far I like them all.

In thesis news, I've just finished modelling Doggy and Frou Frou so here's your first peek! I guess she's a little too Pink, and he's a little too brown, but so far so good!

Basically everything's GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEAAATTT!

No more pencils no more books!!

So I had my last exam yesterday. Man, am I glad it's done with now. That school was trying to kill me or drive me insane with disorganisation and apathy towards its students. Wow. I'm not going to post any of the work I did for the exams this year as I'm not the proudest of any of it. This year has been more about learning as much as I could for the thesis project rather than producing pretty artwork or something. I'm really hoping that I didn't do too badly on any of the exams, but I'm not too sure. I was a bit shaky for Virtual Ambients and Maya Dynamics for a while... and nobody knows for sure what's going to happen to my Motion Builder results...

I started work some time ago, I guess about 4 weeks now. I'm in the studio that handles all the design for YOOX (www.yoox.com) amongst other things. So far it's going great. I get in there in the mornings, 3 days a week, plug in my laptop and get to it. Presently I'm working on the YOOX cover for the month of April... no sneak previews for you though... I'll upload a direct link to it when it's done.

Right now I'm waiting for the landlord and a makeshift plummer. There hasn't been hot water from the faucet in my kitchen since I've lived here and seeing how she wants to raise the rent I have a few demands, hot water for dishwashing being one of them. I've spent my spare time in the last few weeks rearranging the house and furniture and things and this past weekend it was the kitchen. I moved and cleaned under the fridge, fixed the legs on the cabinets (here kitchen cabinets are not built in, hence wobbly after a few years), and rearranged the pantry. I really don't know what's gotten into me.

Anyhow, I should go twiddle my thumbs in a productive manner now as I've discovered this great website for video tutorials www.3dBuzz.com , they're all a bit dated, but the concepts are clear. After the plummer jobby I've got a billion other things to do too. So laters!

Things to do While Waiting for an Exam to Render

1. Update Blog
2. Take a Bath
3. Use a facial mask (Deep Cleansing Emergency Mask - Clinique)
4. Moisturise arms and legs
5. Listen to Supertramp and Neil Diamond
6. Pincurl Hair
7. Wonder why they don't make 'em like they used to
8. Feel alienated
9. Get over feeling alienated
10. Have a cuppa tea
11. Play online games

... oh no! I've run out of ideas of things to do while waiting.

I stated work at Biagetti Studio the other day. It's going well, though I must remember to use my undereye cream. So tired.

Fabri's Diner Complete!

Finally finished the work for4 one exam. Fabri's Diner is done and I don't want to look at it again even if the exam was moved and I have another class before they reschedule.

Now I only have to finish Virtual Ambients (real-time), Maya, Shake, Motion Builder and Animation exams before my 3 year course is finished. Yay for me!!!

One of Those Days

I don't feel like working today.

I tried to complain to Ate, but he made me realise that his job is about 1000 times worse than anything I'm ever going to have to do. He's busy writing forecasts or something. I didn't know he was a weather man!

Today we had Virtual Ambients class. Basically, 3D for games, realtime. I hate it. Every time I think of doing something nice in that environment I can't. No reflections, no refractions, no glows etc. No way to get to photorealism, so you might as well just come up with something completely different. Bleh.

I don't feel like working. I could think about how to control the trampoline for the dog's tale, but I don't know how well it's going to come out.

I could play Sims, but I'd probably just end up feeling guilty for wasting an afternoon.

Anyhow, here's a composite of the work for the diner that I put together yesterday. It's too dark. I have to work on the lighting... and the shadows and specularity are missing. Ho-hum. I guess I could work on that.

But I don't want to. But I guess I will.

Fabri's Diner

I'm working on a rendering for my XSI advanced course. It's a burger on a table at 'Fabri's Diner'. Here are some shots of the progress. I've divided it in passes for better rendering and control in post.




This is another project I'm working in... It's for a real-time application. It's a hotel of sorts, and the hallway that goes with it. Neither of these are near finished yet.

Happy 2007!

Hey! Happy New Year! It's been ages since I've updated anything. Anyhow, here's the newer news.

Fabri and I went to Taranto for Christmas and new years. It was nice, but slow as I didn't have very much to do while there. I've been reading Moby Dick by Hermann Melville and it's been making me have dreams about whales. I've also relaised how limited my vocabulary in English has become. I've got to keep the wheels turning up there or my brain is going to rust over completely. New years' eve itself was probably the tamest I've ever had outside of Montreal and in the past 10 years, btu i didn't mind at all... I'm done with new years' eve. Not in a bah-humbug kind of a way, but in a mature, sophisticated kind of way.

I think I need to get a laptop.

Mario and Lucrezia's wedding is this Friday and I'm excited for it. I got a brown dress and brown shoes and a brown bag and a brown shawl and a brown coat for it. Hee hee hee. Lucrezia got all teary-eyed at the movie theatre yesterday when we were saying goodbye cause we started joking and saying 'see you at the church' and I guess it's the first time it sunk in for her. (I got teary-eyed too a bit... shhhh) I'll try to post some photos when I get them. That reminds me I should charge my camera.

Walking Round Milan at Night

Not last weekend but the one before I had the unfortunate experience of being out in Milan at night time without transportation home. I can tell you right now that's not going to happen again.

Elena and I were out on our own, bar hopping in as much as we hopped to 3 different bars (it was a good night, try Ragoo- it's far but nice) when at 3amish we decided it was time to go home. Outside Plastic, we looked for cabs and since we found none decided to walk to one of the apartment buildings nearby and call for a cab from there because normally they're pretty bad about coming to a club at night. No answer at any of the cab numbers. We started to walk towards Elena's but still found no cabs. What we did find however were hordes of sexist and offensive men screaming obscenities at us and generally making the whole ordeal more unpleasant that it already was. And I was in heels.

So what's the moral of the story? I don't know!?! Maybe that you shouldn't go out past your bedtime or you'll turn into a pumpkin...

Happy Halloween

Well, halloween has come and gone with as much success as last year. I attempted for the last time to hold a halloween to-do at my place and it fell into six people sitting around eating chicken for 14. The six that turned up had fun though.

In other news I got a contract to do some work and I'm waiting on the details, but it should be pretty good once it gets going.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to go to the gym for something called flexible strength, but I'm not sure... it's at 3 and I want to have pizza and a nap first. Hey! No laughing! I've been working all morning long!! No one can say I'm a lazy bones!!

Here's a few projects I'm working on. The first is the preliminary modelling for Doughie, the main character in the short film I want to create for my thesis project this year.

The second is the starts to a rendering I'm trying to do which should be photorealistic of a diner.

Don't get excited about the ring image... it's not something I've recently added to my collection or something. It's not a photo, just 3D. I'm pretty happy about how the image turned out as it was an afternoon worth of work and helped me land that contract I mentioned.

Today is a Yay Day!

Okay, looking at this image you wouldn't know it but today is a great day cause my Wacom Intuos3 tablet arrived and despite the Mom Bar induced hangover, I'm in a really decent mood.

Yesterday was ridiculous. Firstly I arrive at class and they still haven't installed theHalf-Life motor (or whatever it is) on the computers so basically we're sitting there twiddling our thumbs... and then Alessandra comes down and says that we'll have a make-up class for their idiocy yesterday today... and today was meant to be my one day off this week... anyhow... then we're forced to go to this seminar that plays like a badly written tourist brochure for Osaka Japan... and I'm thinking of standing up and starting to scream... but I don't.

Then when it's over, I get handed this invite to a dinner in a hotel near Centrale to celebrate the Japanese delegates/businesspeople/whatevertheyweres and after a drink or to at the bar on the corner we head off to this thing... Upon arrival we're greeted graciously by our translator and pointed in the direction of the food (which, by the way I never got to eat) and plonked down at a table with 6 Japanese people who just won't stop taking photos of us. It was weird, but nice somehow.

Back on MonteNero I caught up with Ashley and Vanessa, Barbie was there with his usual entourage and the guys from 3virA arrived late in the night. Nothing interesting happened except I got angry at a flowerman who refused to have a conversation with me cause I'm female and being female I OBVIOUSLY don't know anything. The good news is this time I was clever and got a tram home instead of waiting for taxis.

I'm just a little annoyed that i still don't know if I have class today and I'm also irritated with myself as today was my only opportunity this week to get down to GetFit (my gym) but I can't cause I think it's better if I'm back to sober-state neutral first (I might pull a muscle otherwise). I rekon I can try to get there tomorrow, but I have 6 hours of class first, so who knows how I'll be feeling.

Off I go now back to playing with the Wacom. Yay!

Bored but Excited

I went to Virtuality in Torino (Turin) yesterday, a conference on all things virtual, but I only went to a XSI workshop. Not saying that it wasn't useful. It was very useful to me. By the end of the day I was exhausted, and after playing around a bit with the things I learned for a while today I'm tired all over again!

So tired and bored and want to do something but I can't think of what and it's a grey cloudy day.

Anyways, the exciting news is that the thesis project is coming along quite well (but you can see the other blog if you're interested in that) and I started doing some work to get Gretel's old animation polished to have something completed finally. The image above is the set without materials, or Gretel, but I like the lighting.

Went for Korean for dinner last night. The menu lists about 20 things, but in the end ll the dishes were the same. And spicy. Mmm good.

New and Exciting?

Been back in Milan now for a few weeks and starting to settle in again.

I've been working on developng the story for the thesis project further and gathering resources etc. I even set up another blog to chart the progress of how that's going. Visit it HERE.

I still ahven't touched anything 3D as I've been shying away from the computer a bit. I figure there will eb time enough to get back into it, and that I'll be eating and drinking 3D in no time. Monday afternoon we've got the initiation meeting. It will be frustrating as usual, but I'm so tired of being on holidays.

What else? I'm becoming obsessed with the 40's and have been trying to work out how to get my hair to curl nicely. So far rag curls seem to be doing some nice waves, but I have to master pincurls as well. You see? Too much time on my hands.

In other news, went to the famous 'Wednsdays at Mom's' yesterday. It wasn't bad but only because Nat and Vale, Ashley, Vanessa and Martha were there too. I drank too much and have been paying for it all day. I barely got to the post office this morning to mail somthing someone bought on ebay.

Wow. Maybe I should only write when I have something to say.

Whirlwind Summer

Well, I feel like I've spent the entire summer on a plane, in a train or in a car so far, but I've seen a billion different things as well. I'm going to produce a map or something of the around the world adventures I've had as soon as I sit down for a moment and life gets, well, a wee bit boring again. For the moment it's not looking like the case for at least a few more weeks.

I was in OZ, now I'm in NA. Tonight I head back to the old EU and Monday off on a cruise around the AEGEAN.

My best friend Melissa got married on September 3rd. I was a bridesmaid in Fuchsia. My big toes have been paralysed since the wedding (not sure if it's considered a neurological disorder to volunteer for 20 hours in 30 dollar 5 inch heels). I'm still going to have my doctors look into it.

I made a sculpture for the wedding as part of my gift and to go on top of the cake. It ended up not fitting on top of the cake at all and smelling a lot like modge podge (not the best flavour of cake) but you can be your own judge on the results.

The best thing about this summer has been being able to see all the people I haven't seen for the longest of times. Eric, Jaqui & Taryn, Alex, Lisa, Kylie & Mark, Zannah, Mel & Michael, Kosta & Josephine, Mom, Marty, Tam, Jack & Max, Esther & Mel, Mike, Jakki & Zack, Sasha, Zoecat & Lindsaydog. Did I leave anyone out? Probably, but no one reads this blog anyways.

Next post: Charting The Summer of 6

and in the future:
- Great Ocean Road:Description or Inquiry?
- Brisbane to Cairns and Everything In Between
- Batchelorette Number 1
- 27 and Cruising

Or, maybe I'll just get on with my work. Isn't there a thesis coming up?
I gotta get on a plane in a few hours. See you in the next time zone.

27 and Counting Part 3.... Off to see the Wizard

So now I'm 27. It's always been an age that has a bit of mystery for me as in my adolescent years I was a bit fan of 70's rock and Roll stars, as well as 90's grunge acts, and gee, wasn't River Phoenix cute? Enough of that though. I'm happy to be 27 actually. It seems to make sense as the next logical age for me.

So I am off to see the wizard again. Off to Oz for the 3rd time in the past 10 years. It's still exciting. This time I'm going with Fabri and we're going to get off the beaten track a bit and at least a bit further away from Sydney than Byron (although I have to admit it's not close to Sydney at all Byron Bay). We're planning to go to Melbourne and see little penquins, then to follow the Great Ocean Road on a mini road trip. From there we're flying to Brisbane and taking a car fromt here up up up to Cairns, seeing the barrier reef and all the little towns on the way. I'm packing a bathing suit for sure and hope that every run down motel along the way has a pool. It's also great cause I have four of my best girlfriends in Australia. Alex, Kylie, Lisa and Zannah. It's amazing how everytime I travel I know people.

And OF course... my new Niece Taryn. Oh my god she's so cute so cute so cute so cute cute cute!!! See??? I wanna squeeze her (but I won't cause there's nothing worse than a squeezing aunt). I can't wait to meet her. Shes' too cute. I also haven't seen my brother or sister-in-law for over a year and they've managed to reproduce in that time so I figure we've got alot of catching up to do.

Really, she's too too cute. Too cute.

27 and Counting part 2....

Went back to 'GARDDDDAAAAA!!!' for my birthday celebrations and stayed in a nice hotel that reminded me of the good old days in Lake Placid New York. There was even a games room, though no Beaver Lodge... but then it was summer so I'm not sure what good a Beaver Lodge would be. There was no MacGyver either. But hey, not every hotel can have MacGyver staying at it.

We went to Movieland (ie: the most dangerous theme park in Italy) the first day and Aqua Paradise the second day, both part of the Canevaworld chain of family entertainment.

Let me just say something to the kind organizers at MovieLand; if you're going to make a haunted house in a theme park, it's probably best not to have your patrons walk around in a pitch black corridor following a red light while actors dressed as characters from popular horror movies jump out at you wielding sharp weapons. It's probably also not a good idea to screw all the furniture in the sets to the floor so that when your patrons jump a mile out of sheer fright (and they will, it's really damb scary) they don't cut open their legs. You haven't thought of either of these concepts and as a souvenir I get to take home a nice putrid scar on my leg.

Other dangerous things that happened at Movieland:
1) drowned in a submarine simulator
2) asphyxiated in a garage spewing burning chemicals
3) was driven off a bridge in a real truck
4) contracted malaria but being doused with sewage... twice ("on this ride you may get wet")

I'm not complaining. I had a great time. It just goes to show you however, what fun all the Americans are missing out on by having these liability laws when it comes to public safety.

But... onto AquaParadise!!!! It's essentially a water park where you go on rides and tubes and things. I love the water so had a great time, except for the ride Fabri and I went on where we didn't quite clear the hump in the slide, slid down backwards and were at a loss for what to do. Apparently 'it happens'... I prefer that happening to what we saw happening on the same ride a few hours later. Two guys who did clear the hump, managed to flip over and enjoy the rest of the slide from the intamacy of their faces. Great... the tube was riding them!!!


PS. This image is like a Where's Waldo... you can find me in it if you know what you're looking for.