The Art of Star Wars

I finally made it to The Art of Star Wars at the Singapore Science Center. It was an impressive collection spanning all six films, with a definite emphasis on Episode III. It was pretty great to finally see a lot of the art, props, and costumes that I've been inspired by my whole life. Amazing the amount of detail and passion in every single bit on display... From Ralph McQuarrie's original concept sketches and paintings to Darth Vader's costume, it was truly awe-inspiring. I'm glad I finally got to experience it- and in Singapore of all places!

I'm still here

Despite the lapse in posts, I'm still here in Singapore. The internet connectivity from my laptop has been sparse, so I haven't been able to post frequently. I'm currerntly typing from Ronan's computer. I've been backlogging posts on my computer, and I'll get them up as soon as I can, so hang in there. Hopefully tonight I'll get those up as well as some pictures. Not much of note has happened anyway- I've just been spending my time exploring, reading, and catching up with the episodes of Battlestar Galactica that I brought with me. Just relaxing.

Being here isn't so different from being at home, except for the hot and humid. I feel safer here than I do in some parts of San Francisco. Money is the same, as everyone takes credit cards, and if I stick my ATM card in a teller, out comes Singaporian money. It's too easy. Taxi's are cheap, the buses are frequent and efficient. Everyone speaks English too. The Chinese in Singapore's Chinatown speak better English than they do in San Francisco's Chinatown. The hardest thing for me to get used to here is looking first to the right before crossing the street.

If you're interested in exploring Asia, Singapore seems like a good transitional starting point. I've been exploring the idea of a short trip to Malasia, but I think it might be a little too late for me to put that together at this point. Maybe next time.

Singapore Day Four

I've been inspired to stay away from the computer for the past couple of days... I've just been reading and watching TV, apart from all the exploring. After I passed out early last night, Ronan went clubbing with his pals. He's still asleep. I just wandered across the street and got a "traditional breakfast," which consisted of two soft-boiled eggs, two pieces of toast, and a cup of coffee. It was delicious, and all for about $1.25US. That's actually the cheapest meal I've had so far, everything else has been comparable in price to it's US counterpart ($6.50 Singapore Dollars for a medium Starbucks Cappuccino drink).

Wireless internet connectivity is spotty at the apartment. Every now and then someone leaves a strong signaled router open, but other than that, I've got to hold my computer at the window to get a connection. I could physically plug into Ronan's DSL connection, but I figured some time off the net is probably good for me. I'm currently typing offline. There are a lot of wi-fi hotspots around town, and everyone here seems to have a laptop. I'll go sit at a cafe next week and 'net from there, but for now offline is fine.

So what have I been up to since my last post? Not much. On Thursday I walked up to Chinatown and saw the sights. I had lunch in a large food pavilion and chatted with a local about the past and future Singapore over curried rice. There's a lot of optimism about the future, and a great sense of national pride here. Right after my lunchtime chat, coincidentally, I stumbled upon a civic building that showcased the past, present, and future of Singapore, their philosophy of urban renewal, their architectural plans, how they see themselves fitting in with the asian community, and their place in the world. I learned a lot. Afterwards, I continued wandering and found myself at the loading docks- about 5 miles from where I'm staying. I spent the rest of the day wandering back amid light rainfall. A nice, meditative time.

Yesterday, I didn't do much at all. I walked back over to Little India where I asked one of the shop keepers to recommend a restaurant. I think his answer was based on "where would the tourist like to eat?" I ended up in a very westernized restaurant eating very american-style Indian food. The hostess seemed displeased with my sparse order (one order of aloo ghobi mattar and a side of nan)- I think she was expecting me to gorge myself or something, the food I ordered was plenty for one person. As soon as I was done, I was overcharged on each of my items and then rushed out. Terrible experience- I'm sticking to the smaller food vendors from now on. After the meal I didn't feel so well- I blame the experience and the heat of the day. I wandered back to the apartment and crashed. I ended up watching some DVDs and resting my weary legs.

Later yesterday evening, after Ronan got back from work, we got some burgers and beers at the "Blu Jaz Cafe" (excellent establishment, btw) with Ronan's friend (and Production Manager). Later we wandered the mall across the street from the apartment and I looked at all sorts of cool Japanese toys and stationary.

That pretty much gets me back up to speed with the story. It's now 30 minutes after I started typing this post, and Ronan is still sleeping. I was hoping to get a chance to go to the Art of Star Wars exhibit with Ronan, but I might end up having to do that on my own next week... I was invited to go to a wedding party for one of the Lucas Animation peeps. That's in 5 hours.

I definitely don't want to rush the Star Wars exhibit. ;)

First Impressions

I spent the last few hours wandering around the area immediately around Ronan's apartment. There's a lot here... Malls, shopping centers, street fairs- If you're into spending money, there's plenty of opportunities for you.

My goal for the day was to get acclimated to the humid environment and to see what's around. I wandered around a 2-block-long, 5-storey electronics mall, overwhelming to say the least. I'll go back there when I've got a sense of what I'm looking for. Eventually, I ended up in Little India where I wandered hawker stalls and crowded storefront sidewalks, and ate a delicious vegetarian lunch. A little later, seeking shelter from the hot and humid, I sat in a familiar and air conditioned The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and sipped an Iced Tea while reading Life of Pi for an hour or so. It's a very unique social environment; first world elements intermingled with the third world.

More later.

In Singapore!

I went through Singapore's customs without anyone even looking in my direction. Just a stamp in my passport and I was through. I was immediately accosted by a taxi driver and within half an hour I was at Ronan's door. He's still the same ol' Ronan. We walked a few blocks around his place and he pointed out a mall where I could get some fruit or a salad. I ended up buying a Mango Tea drink at a 7-Eleven store that's on the same block that I'm staying on (sweet, sweet, wholesome sugary goodness). 7-Elevens everywhere. I've also seen McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and a Starbucks. And I've only been here for a couple of hours.

The Art of Star Wars show that was in NYC is over here at the Singapore Science Center now- I can't wait to check that out. What a fortunate thing, methinks.

The Land of Cute

I'm in Japan's Narita Airport now. Everything seems shorter, more compact, and much more pastel here. Hello Kitty abound! The flight was long, but uneventful. San Francisco time, 11:30pm. Local time, 4:30pm... afternoon the next day! How weird is that? I've been in sunlight for way too long now. So now it's Tuesday and I feel like I completely blew my Monday. What'd I do? I sat around all day and watched "Walk the Line," "The Weather Man," and played about two hours of Bejeweled and Solitare. I pulled out my computer once. I guess I really didn't need to bring it... except to type these entries while I'm waiting in the airport.

Everything they tried to feed me on the airplane had Monosaturated oils (one or more of them), and thanks to Micah, I couldn't eat a damn thing. Luckily I brought some snacks along with me.

The Adventure Begins

Here I sit in the international terminal of San Francisco International Airport. It's about an hour before my scheduled departure to Narita Airport, Japan (11.5 hour flight!!). Nothing to report yet, except that I'm extremely tired- I guess the travel anxiety has finally caught up with me. Plenty of time to sleep on the plane.

I'm not worried about the flight, but there are a lot of questions bouncing around in my head about international travel that only experience will answer. This will be my first time across the international date line, and my first time below the equator! Not to mention my first time outside of the United States (not counting a handful of trips to Canada and Mexico). Lots of firsts. I'm excited to be taking off for a while- I think this adventure will be just what I need to get my brain unstuck.

New Beginnings

Here we are again, at the beginning of yet another web log. This one is going to be slightly more focused than the last one, with musings on life, fandom, and working in the animation industry.

To kick things off, a little about myself: I work for an animation studio called Wild Brain, where I've been, in various capacities, for the past 7 years. I'm currently working as a 3D modeler and texture artist on a kids' TV show called "Higglytown Heroes." If you've got a 2-5 year old child in your midst, then it's probable that you're already familiar with the show. Whether you love it or hate it, it's certainly been a great experience for me to have worked on it.

I'm currently on a break between seasons, but I'm scheduled to go back to work at the beginning of March. In the meantime, I'm catching up on episodes of Battlestar Galactica, and preparing to go on a two-week-long trip to Singapore to visit my friend Ronan- the events of which will be chronicled right here in the Chronosynclastic Infundibulum, so stay tuned!