Pictures of region two from the forthcoming third preview of “Aquaphobia,” a 32/64-player deathmatch map for Quake II that I started in 1997 and decided to finish this year.  Took three weeks (~30 hours) to redesign the region from scratch.  One week to create the U-shaped hallway with water ways crossing above and below, a week [...]

When I first became a video game tester in 1997, I wanted become a video game designer.  That never happened since I never quite finished my first Quake IIdeathmatch map, “Aquaphobia,” which grew and grew to accommodate 32/64-players.  (I think this might be the second map of this size created from scratch; the large maps from id [...]

Last summer my studio apartment was invaded by bedbugs, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  With all my stuff packed up for three weeks of bug bombing, I decided to create a dedicated office space for writing.  Two walls got painted a light green to create a relaxing environment.  Two shelving units and [...]

Here are the pictures taken at the WonderCon 2009 convention in San Francisco on Saturday, 2/28/2009.  Unlike my previous experience with attending the MacWorld Expo, I was more focused on attending the panels rather than seeing and taking pictures of the exhibit floor.  One day isn’t enough time for a convention like this. The lines into the Moscone [...]

The ceramics final at SJCC was this past Saturday. We came to class to find our glazed pieces among the many scattered on different shelves, sand and/or grind the bottom to smooth off the sharp edges, wash the dust off, and present our pieces for the final critique of our artwork. The first two pictures show [...]

The semester in Ceramics I has come to an end with a larger-than-life self-portrait head, several small statuettes, a large water jar and a square bowl. The self-portrait head was the biggest piece with ~23 pounds of recycled clay that took six weeks to get done. Revealing how I view myself instead of how I [...]

Before my class started the critique that’s part of the final in Ceramics I (Arts 46A), the instructor took us over to the student art gallery to check out the ceramic pieces done by students this semester. The last time I was in the student gallery was 15 years ago when I was getting my [...]

The midterm for my Ceramics I (Arts 46A) class included a potluck, the firing of the raku pieces that were ready, and showing off the artwork from the last two months. I made deviled eggs for the potluck that quickly disappeared. My raku piece was a bowl with legs and handles that I glazed with copper [...]

The ceramics class that I attend on Saturdays took a field trip to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University in the afternoon. This was my first visit to Stanford even thought the university was just 20 minutes down the road fromSan Jose City College. I was surprised that the campus was so large that the “back [...]

I made my second pilgrimage to the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco with my friend, Howell. With the keynote in Moscone West Hall, the expo was spread out over the North and South Halls. While there seem to be a lot more stuff to look at, everything was a lot smaller in comparison to last year. [...]