♥Freud would have had a field day with this♥

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Creative Thinking, ORLY?

YA RLY.

I have always wondered what creative thinking was. Wasn’t it a spontaneous thing? Not a process that could be broken down into parts to be fiddled around and played with. Looks like you actually can. According to the web articles I have found and looked through, and actually following them to varying degrees of success, I tentatively say that they are of some use. Let me explain in further detail.
Firstly, we have to introduce ourselves to each other in the research group, a stage I call * HEY MAN LET”S BE FRIENDS*. This is the stage where we all act nice and try to gauge each other. When that’s done, we start by IDENTIFYING the problem, and sitting down together to brainstorm. Holy crap, that’s when the trouble will start. Some people may disagree with other people’s ideas, leading to arguments that if not resolved, end up festering and just destroys the group’s morale.
Well, if that’s all done and dusted, we will all engage in vigorous research, before heading into Incubation, where we all stand back from the problem and look at it in different angles (some call this the slacking period, as we don’t really do anything productive here, I don’t see much honestly, I rather be doing something… productive). More often than not, I see this process not taken seriously, as people will be just slacking off or slinking away for 3 hour toilet breaks. How the hell one thinks of ways to effectively create a character concept while taking a dump is just…

Sorry, just taking a breather. Oh wait.

When that’s all done and dusted, the group then enters the Illumination stage, where we finally settle down on an idea and prepare to pitch it/test it. If nothing goes wrong (and most of the time it does) we will go straight towards validation. If not, we would just have to try again and again till we get it right.
Lastly, we will refine the idea, and that’s when that all mighty bolt of tremendous insight hits us in the cranium! We then perfect it, and assign roles and tasks to be done. Success, man!
Moral of story: Do not slack, work hard and smart, ask lots of questions, never say die and just keep on going. Like how my group’s creativity model shows, just go head first and never give up, eventually you will hit that super idea lying dormant somewhere in our minds!

Deep Doodle of HTI 2 as a game

popiah
1:58 PM

0 unpassionate people:

Everything i do, i do with passion

Reflection 1: Regrets and Hope

As I stand in the classroom now, I look back at my brief life so far finding both regrets and bright memories in equal measure. I do not wish to just talk about what I like to do (play soccer, urban exploration, cooking) and what I dislike (tomatoes, people who repeatedly break promises). I wish to reveal something I have not revealed even to my poly friends so far.

Coming from the express stream in secondary school with an “O” Level score of 17 during 2007, I managed to enroll in the nearby Yishun Junior College in 2008.
At first it was good, I had lots of friends, I partied hard, even managed to date a couple of girls. But as the workload started coming in I was swamped. The modules I took were far too much for me, yet I continued in my vices, not wanting to throw down my pride and admit that things were taking a toll on me. I eventually skipped my midyear exams.
My tutor called my family the next day. It was a big hoo-ha. I will never forget how broken hearted my parents looked, how disappointed to see their son fall into such disgrace. I soon fell into depression, and only went to school just for the attendance. Based on my results, even if I scored 100% for the rest of the year, I wouldn’t have been promoted.

Happier times in JC

The next few weeks were pure agony for me. What I had has long gone, my social status, my trust, and the things a teenager with raging hormones found most important. I am very thankful for a small circle of friends that actually cared and pulled me out of the abyss, and m family for being patient with me. I started to get my life back on track. Deciding not to be a burden on my family, I had a long overdue heart to heart talk with them. I did a lot of thinking and research, a lot of asking around. I will quit being a student in Yishun JC, and find a job. When the next year comes, I would join Singapore Polytechnic in a design course, Games Design, a course which I feel should be the best road for me to take.
And so I did. Those months were tiring, having to work instead of studying was very different than I had thought, and I believed those months made me wiser to the outside world, a little bit more mature. At long last, when the letter came, telling me I was accepted into the course, I nearly cried.

1 hour before we performed for school and country on NDP

What followed was another story to be told another day. But there were good times during those periods. During my JC days, I was part of the school choir, and was part of a concert. I donated blood during blood drives. I took part in the NDP 0’8 as a cheerleader, dancing and cheering on the nation in the stadium, carrying the girls on my shoulders as I smiled and felt like I was on the top of the world. While it was certainly different from serving the nation as part of the NCC brigade back in NDP 0’6, the fact that I was doing something for my country will never leave my heart.
Now, as the leader of a small production team, I hope that we can give our best in creating a game that our target audience can enjoy playing, for I have found my calling: Making people happy by enjoying games.

Now, as a member of Capoeira!

Deep Doodle of What I have learned so far in HTI

popiah
12:19 PM

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Everything i do, i do with passion

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hero's Journey

Deep Doodle of my hero's journey

To be honest, I always felt my journey was like a RTS game, where i control various aspects of my mind and do battle with the armies of procrastination and wanton confusion.

popiah
11:02 AM

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Everything i do, i do with passion

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Faith

Using faith as a support of life is actually not believing in yourself. A faith might make your life easier, because you might think there will be a higher power that will help you to do things. But actually the things that you can do are not written yet and nobody else can do them except you. You can pray to God to help you, but in the end it is still up to you to do it.

No offense to anyone out there.

Peace out,
Vincent

popiah
9:54 PM

0 unpassionate people:

Everything i do, i do with passion

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Cooking up a HTI Storm

Something seemingly unrelated to games, but are more similar than you think.

I have been trying out my hand at cooking, since i may have to leave my home to strike out a living in the not-so-distant future. Anyway, here's a recipe that i cooked up myself, and in no way taken or plagarised from any sources. I posted it on other websites which i deem too sensitive to reveal here, so if you do see it, it's mine.

Ever went on a picnic and found that carrying a pot of curry a hassle?
Well, why not switch to dry curry instead?
Non-spill, and less space occupied = lighter load!

I used to organise BBQs for my classes, and usually cook a simple dry curry to round up the course. It's a very simple dish to cook, and takes around 25 minutes to prepare the ingredients, and 35 minutes to cook it(give or take).

I have tweaked the recipe a little to serve 4-5 people, i mean come on, you don't usually cook for more than that right?

Utensils Needed
Wok** (if not, a really large pan, large enough for a whole chicken)
Small cooking pot (for blanching)
Flat ladle (for stir-frying)
Chopping Board
Vegetable Knife

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (tell your butcher/supermarket helper to chop/clean it up for you, it's easier than doing it yourself)
3 large potatoes
1 stalk of carrot
1 stalk of lemongrass
100ml of water (half a cup)
100-150ml of coconut milk (use full cream milk for those who cannot take too much cholesterol, also around half a cup)

Condiments
1 whole onion (shallots will do fine too)
3-4 cloves of garlic (i usually use 5-6, but your call, i love garlic)
2-3 tablespoons of oil (any will do, i usually use vegetable oil)

Seasonings
250 grams of Curry powder (curry paste is fine too, get meat flavour)
Curry Leaves (around 2 pinches)
Salt (pinch)

Preparing of ingredients
1. Skin your carrot, and cube it.
2. Peel your potatoes, and cube them.
*Try to first cut the potato into planks for easier cubing*
3. Chop your garlic finely and set them aside.
*Smash the garlic with the flat of your knife for easier removal of 'skin'*
4. Wash, then smash the bulb of the lemongrass. Break the lemongrass as if you are breaking a stick, but leave the ends hanging together.
5. Remove the 'skin', and chop onion(s) finely.
6. If haven't done so, chop chicken into bite-sized portions.
7. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
8. Blanch the chicken pieces for around 2-3 seconds each, and remove from hot water. Drain off excess water from chicken.
*This is to remove the icky stuff from the raw chicken, like dirt and such*

Cooking
1. Heat wok with oil over high heat.
2. Add onions, garlic, curry leaves and stir fry until fragrant.
*or until golden brown, try not to burn them!*
3. Reduce to medium heat.
4. Add curry powder/paste, and stir-fry for 1 minute.
*WARNING PUNGENT SMELL THAT WILL MAKE YOU TEAR/CHOKE IF YOU'RE TOO CLOSE WARNING*
5. Throw in your pieces of chicken and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
6. Place lemongrass into the wok and add your water.
*Try to add your water around the wok, to ensure equal distribution*
7. Put in your potatoes and carrots.
8. Sprinkle salt and stir-fry for 2 more minutes.
9. Leave the curry to bubble for 18-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it.
*Leave the wok uncovered, you want the water to evaporate*
10. Add coconut milk, and stir fry for last 3 minutes.
11. Turn the heat off, and serve hot, with rice preferably Very Happy
*For those moving it, make sure to get a large enough pot to carry it around with*

popiah
10:40 AM

0 unpassionate people:

Everything i do, i do with passion