2001
2001 ---2002--- 2003 --- 2004 --- 2005 --- from 2006 and on
December 15, 2001
I decided to upload the two sessions(Blood and Scary)I've held off on. They're actually not too bad, just not what I had imagined, that's all.
I just shot another session yesterday, and it came out pretty good. I wished she(Wong-Yuee) was a bit bolder, but she's a shy girl, and I wouldn't want her to feel uncomfortable during the shoot. Go take a look.
December 13, 2001
I finally finished a new painting. Go check it out in the Paintings & Drawings section(or click here). It's been years since I actually finished a painting. It's a bit weird working digitally, but there are many advantages. Thank God for undo's.
December 11, 2001
I have finally started painting again. I will be turning out new series of works that'll replace most of my current portfolio.
I shot a couple of new sessions, but I'm not too happy with the results, so I'm not going to post them. I went for darker themes this time(vampire, ghosts..etc), and even though some shots came out quite nice, I still want to experiement more before I post the results.
I've been having much fun since I finally got Counter-Strike installed properly. Damn Chinese game retailers here don't know what the fuck they are talking about, and they sell all kind of illegitimate stuff that's a nightmare to install and patch. I can't even find Unreal Tournament here, and that really pisses me off. I've been playing Red Faction, and it's not that great. The fact you can blow holes in walls and floors during multiplayer is pretty interesting though. Adds a new dimension to combat strategy. I just started playing Aliens VS. Predator 2, and DAMN, it scared the crap out of me. Very heavy atmosphere and very DARK. I don't think I've been so freaked out since Half-Life.
November 26, 2001
I shot my first real studio session last night, even though I had NO idea what the HELL I was doing. I borrowed a friend's photography studio, grabbed my newly purchased cheap-ass photography gears and Elena, my favorite model, then charged clumsily into a late night session. I originally had a great concept involving blood, but couldn't get any good quality fake blood from a film make-up artist in time. I kept getting under exposed pictures even though I had two medium sized softboxes firing. I ended up taking most of the session with very slow shutter speeds anyway(just like I did with regular household lamps), and I still can't figure out what the hell happened. I didn't bother metering because I shoot with a digital, and it's too easy to just look at the previous shot and change the setting. Maybe a light meter would've helped?
Anyway, I think I learned some stuff.
Well. . .. maybe not.
Check the latest sessions out and let me know what you think.
November 23, 2001
I've been asked by a few people to shoot photo-sessions of them, and I'm a little surprised since in the past, I had to ask people to let me take pictures. Maybe I've gotten good enough so that people are coming to me? An artist friend even asked me to partner with him and open up a photography studio. He thinks that even though I don't have professional experience, I'm more than ready to take on that challenge. Man, I don't know. . ..
I wrote a little tutorial on photography for this forum: http://www.sijun.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=008693
The latest sessions are uploaded. Take a look. I don't have time to make thumbnails for them, so I just threw them up on temporary pages.
November 11, 2001
I created a links page today. It contains all the interesting websites I visit on a regular basis or came upon by accident. I thought of making links for all of my favorite stuff in The Horrifying Facts About Robert Chang! section, but then I thought, people can just use a search engine and find all they need to know based on my descriptions.
I watched the Japanese drama series Majo No Joken(Terms For A Witch), and it's not bad. Definitely not as good as Tokyo Love Story. It's most likely inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau story, with a Japanese twist.
Speaking of Mary Kay Letourneau, I'm so tired of explaining to people why I feel sympathy for her. In the end, I guess I'm part of that small percentage of people that believe love is more important than the law, and there are always exceptions that can't be judged by laws that are created for the masses. I expressed this in an editorial that was published in an issue of Enchanted back in 97', and an attorney from another state contacted my publisher and demanded a retraction and apology. I refused to retract the editorial or apologize, and my publisher stood behind me and supported me. As the result, they boycotted Enchanted. Well, I feel no regret in supporting Mary in her case, and I will continue to support her.
November 7, 2001
Finally, I found the box set of Tokyo Love Story on VCD! I sat through the whole series in two days, and of course, I cried several times rewatching the series. I think having watched this show ten years ago really influenced me as a storyteller. *sigh* Can any girl be more adorable than Rika?
My ten-year class reunion is coming up in three weeks. Of course, being out of the country makes it impossible for me to attend. The truth is, I doubt many people would care if I showed up or not. I was the lonewolf throughout high school, usually in a corner by myself with a sketchbook or writing a screenplay. I spent my lunch hours working on paintings in the art room, or hanging out with other outcasts. The people I talked to in school were mostly weirdos like myself(aspiring writers, musicians, artists, photographers..etc, and we ALL hated high school and all the shallow kids that actually liked high school). By my senior year, I was only in school for two classes in the morning, then I was off living my own life. My friends at the time were all in college or attended other schools, and my girlfriend at the time was nine years older, so I pretty much had no reason to have even an ounce of school spirit. *sigh* No wonder I was an outcast.
November 2, 2001
I've been writing a lot in the last month(when I'm not taking pictures). I wrote a new short story, and started on a novella. I'm also in the middle of reading through my old screenplay ideas and half finished treatments. Maybe I'll even finish a screenplay with my newly installed copy of Sophocles, a screenplay writing software. I couldn't find a free copy of Final Draft, Screenwriter 2000, or Scriptware, which are three of the most popular screenwriting softwares on the market, but for some reason, I found a few copies of Sophocles, which is not that popular at all. Strange. Maybe Sophocles is easier to crack?
I havn't played any games for months. I'm going through withdraw. I...need...my...Counter-Strike....*passes out*
I'll be able to get my paws on a complete box set of Tokyo Love story on VCD in a couple of days. I CAN'T wait! It's the best TV drama I've ever seen, from any country, in any language. I do believe that in general, Japanese TV dramas are better in quality simply because they are created as mini-series, without the diluting factor of "let's extend another season because it has high ratings."
October 30, 2001
I can't be stopped! Here are four more sessions I shot in one day. A guy, a girl, a guy with a girl, and a girl with a girl. Wait, did I get that right?
I also updated the Elena section with new photos, plus a second Elena section from a different session.
October 21, 2001
Yep, here we go again. I just shot another great session, and you must go look NOW. I really enjoyed this session, even though I'm not too sure if my photography is improving at all. It really IS true when they say that having a beautiful model means your photography is already 50% successful. Take a look at this cutie and you'll see what I mean.
I still don't have a return date back to the U.S.. In the meantime, I'm hanging out with film directors, musicians, writers, sculptors, painters, and other creative types while I'm here. I still can't eat the seafood here without getting sick, but the rest doesn't get on my nerves as much.
October 6, 2001
I just uploaded a new batch of photography(yes, again!). This time, I tried to make some kind of breakthrough, hoping that my improvement as a photographer would become more obvious if I went out of my way to do things differently. Sure, I could try different subjects(landscape, old people, torn buildings, macro..etc), but at this point my interest is still in portraying feminine beauty. I don't even know how to describe my photography to people who's never seen my photos. Is it glamour? Nope--what I do is not nearly flashy/sexy enough to be considered glamour. Is it fashion? Nope--I don't showcase the clothes or fancy makeup. Is it portraits and figures? Not really--I obscure those elements too often. Is it artsy? Err...that's not really for me to say.
Maybe that's what I need to do--follow a certain convention or style? Would that make my photography better? Probably not. I think I'll just keep shooting away, trying new techniques and employing new ideas. Of course, upgrading my equipment would definitely help. : )
I know I havn't been drawing or painting ever since I picked up photography, but it doesn't mean I don't love it anymore. I know I'll get back into it eventually, and when I do, there should be some dramatic changes in the way I draw/paint.
September 23, 2001
I visited Beijing and Shanghai last week, and it was nothing to get giddy about. The people in Beijing are more political and creative, while the people in Shanghai are more materialistic. In Beijing, I was supposed to be introduced to Dou-Wei(Faye Wong's ex), but he was busy out of town. I have two of his albums, and they are both excellent(good songwriting and a solid drummer). He's one of the few people I actually listen to and respect in the Chinese music scene. As for the art scene, it's like the friggin' mafia in Beijing. Scary.
I climbed the Greatwall, and guess what? It's not really worth it. I'd rather walk around the Louvre for a week than see any of the sights in China. The art scene here is so hung up on rehashing the traditional stuff that it makes me sick. How many thousands of years can you paint the same mountains and flowers in the same style on rice paper? And if I see one more wooden sculpture of bald-headed, bearded old farts, I'm gonna scream. Well, it's not ALL terrible--I did manage to find some great books on Russian oil painters in the bookstores here. I thought Nicolai Fechin was da bomb, but man, Russia's got a whole ARMY of painters that can paint like Gods.
During my trip, I became aware of the Korean entertainment industry. It appears that in the last few year, the Koreans all of a sudden started to kick serious ass. I was very impressed by what little I've seen here in China. A friend in Beijing showed me "La Belle" on DVD, and it was a beautiful film. I loved the clean yet romantic cinematography. On Channel V(the Asian MTV), I got to see some Korean music videos, and yep, they are definitely kicking some ass. From high production values to very creative ideas--it's like a new rennaissance for them. At this point, I feel the calibur of the Korean entertainment industry rivals that of Japan and America. It's an exciting new development, and the entire Asia is watching.
I shot a new photography session today. Go check it out now! She's a cutie!
September 7, 2001
I'm now in China, hanging out and taking a break from life in general. I never imagined I would ever visit a country which I have neither respect or affection for, but my mother insisted that I stay with her and chill out for a bit. Well, as I already suspected even before I set foot here, I don't really care for this country. It's actually kind of sad to see how a government managed to create a society where people have no dreams, and apathy runs rampant.
I've been spending most of my time reading(A Spell of Winter, by Helen Dunmore), writing(screenplays and novels), and editing a whole pile of photography I never had time to tackle before.
The following sections in photography have been updated with new photos: James & Lesley, Lisa, Inna, Christa & Jessica, and Cavehill Cemetary.
August 26, 2001
I can't even begin to describe the horrible events that took place last week. Let's just say that corporate politics really piss me off. Now, I'm getting ready to move back to the Bay Area. I might even accompany my mother to China for a few months. If I stop updating the site for a while, it probably means I don't have any way to upload new updates from where ever I might be.
I shot a wonderful photo-session of my wonderful friends James and Lesley. Too bad I don't have time to finish the new update for their session. I guess I'll get it done eventually.
August 13, 2001
Tomorrow I get to move into my new apartment, except that I have to sleep on the floor for a couple of weeks until my stuff gets transported from Louisville to San Diego. I updated the website once again with new photography, and signed on to a new webhost(www.prohosting.com). Dan(A.K.A. synj) uses it and I tested the speed by browsing though his site. It was blazing fast, so I was satisfied. For $17.95 a month, you get 200 mb and 15 G. of traffic; not bad at all.
The management at the new apartment told me that I can't play my guitar, drums, or any other instrument if I live there. *sigh* I guess I'll have to spend more time writing and painting then.
Finally downloaded "They Hunger 3." It's a great single player MOD for Half-Life. It basically populates the game with zombies instead of aliens, but in my opinion, it is is the only game that comes to the feel and intensity of Half-Life. Even Opposing Force didn't come close.
August 10, 2001
I'm now working for Presto, a game company that's located in San Diego, CA. I used to visit San Diego every year for the Comic Con, and I remember I always liked it. Now, I'm going to see what it's like to live here.
I added quite a lot more to the photography section. I guess I've been more interested in photography than in drawing/painting recently.
Finally got to see Max Payne in action. Man, it looked beautiful. Don't really have time to play it though.
July 23, 2001
A lot of things happend in a month. I'm no longer Art Director at Indigo Moon because the company just closed its office. I'm not going to name any names, but let's just say that a big game publisher f*cked us over once too many for the company to recover financially. What's new, right? This kind of thing happens everyday in every industry. The underdogs with passion and love for what they do are always the ones that get squashed, while giant corporations who are just in it for the money will always win. Sad, but true. So, I'm now unemployed. The game industry is going through a tough time, and there are layoffs left and right. I'm seriously considering moving back to California, since being so far from the backbone of the industry can't be good for my employment opportunities.
I added a bunch of new images in the photography section. Head on over and take a peek.
June 12, 2001
I got some really helpful critiques and ideas about the new website, and I spent the whole day implementing them. Many people hated the pop-up windows(and it really surprised me), so I took out a lot of them. I did keep the ones that pop up when you click to see a full image, because I think it's better than hitting the BACK button and reloading all the thumnail images again(believe me, there aren't a whole lot of people who knows how to open up a seperate window for an image or link). I also decided to keep the large number of thumbnails on some pages because since there's no need to hit the back button, those thumbnails only have to be loaded once, and you could just keep them there instead having to load one page of thumbnails after another. I also kept the pop-up windows for when you click to see the sketch or color rough for a particular piece. That way, you can compare them side-by-side and see how the painting progressed from the sketch to the finished piece.
June 11, 2001
I've wanted to redo the website for some time now, and I finally found some slack time between projects. So, here it is, the new website. I didn't want to go crazy with flash animation and lots of bandwidth intensive fancy stuff, even though I did consider that option. In the end, I still believed that a simple, easy to navigate, pleasant looking website better suits my personality. I hope you guys/girls like it.
I also added some new photographs in the photography section. I took them just yesterday, at the Cavehill Cemetary.
*ALL ENTRIES PRIOR TO JUNE 11, 2001 ARE NOT ARCHIVED (this website dates back to 1999)*
2001 ---2002--- 2003 --- 2004 --- 2005 --- from 2006 and on