We were featured in HolaZamboanga.com

Wow! We were featured in the online magazine about Zamboanga. Thank you for sharing to the world our experience in representing Zamboanga for the first time. The animation industry in the Philippines is developing and we hope that in the future Zamboanga will be the animation hub in Mindanao. I hope next year mas marami na ang sasali. Ipakita ang galing ng mga Zamboanguenos! Here is the post >> link.

Is There A God And How Can We Prove It...?

I just want to share my insights about this article. Actually this is my assignment in my Philo class but i was not able to meet the deadline so the teacher dissed my paper. Below is a video about the very same article created as an ad campaign for a school.




In the article, the professor shows his point that if ever a certain God exist, he/she is the one who created everything that exists. However, he pointed out that Evil is something that exist and, thus, its creator is also evil. The kid told him that Evil does not exist by presenting ideas and evidences that are supported by the laws of Physics. As to coldness is the absence of heat; darkness is the absence of light; evil too is the result in the absence of love. This proves that God indeed created everything that is good like heat, light and love. If goodness is absent, we call it badness, like coldness, darkness and evil. Thus, God is not evil, He is good.

There are moments in the article that I found very striking. For example, the professor said in front of the class that God is evil. This gave me an idea that God is the creator of everything including things that we consider bad or evil. However, I also doubted it because of the idea that God is evil. How could God create something that will harm its creations? I started to recall about the Genesis and the creation. It is written that in the beginning there was nothing but darkness which means darkness is something that is not created but is the absence of everything. Hence, it is true that there are things in this world that exist but is not necessarily created. Then, God created light to fill the darkness and it was good. In the bible, it is always repeated that God’s creation is good, thus, everything that He created is far from evil.

Another thing that struck me most is when the child, Albert Einstein, proved that evil does not exist. I find his ideas very rational and very true to most of the things that God created. For example, aside from the light, heat and love, He also created water. And the absence of water is dryness. God did not create dryness but the absence of water caused its existence. This simple idea proves that God is, indeed, not the creator of bad things. Everything that we see around us is essentially good. We only perceive bad things in the absence of the creation that makes it good.

But how did evil started? I believe that God did not create evil. In the bible, I learned that it started with an angel, Lucifer, who lose his goodness and became the origin of sins. He was the one who started sin when he spread his lies and corruption among the angels and human beings. Man is not evil in the beginning but when they were tempted by the devil, they committed a sin.

Nonetheless, the main point of the article lies on its title, Is There A God and How Can We Prove It? For me, the only way to prove God to those who do not believe is through presenting evidences scientifically and philosophically. Through explaining ideas like what is presented in the article, we will be able to reason out and provide proofs that will lead us to the clear view on God’s existence.

Animahenasyon is on!

Natotopak ako kaya gusto kong mag-blog! I just came from the opening program of Animahenasyon at the Gateway, Araneta Center. I met a couple of well-known people in the animation industry during the exclusive event. I met Pocholo the "Voice Master", the voice talent behind so many characters in tv and movies. He even gave us a sample of his voices like the one in the hotdog advertisement. He was the voice behind the puppets and the voice over. I also met the founder of the Animation Council of the Philippines Institute (ACPI), Ms. Grace Dimaranan and the program organizer of Animahenasyon, Michael Ko (see the photo above). I also saw Mr. Edwin of Cutting Edge whom I met when he went to Zamboanga. We had cocktails at the Cinema lobby followed by the Opening films. The first is "Ligtas Likas" a short film about environmental protection. The other is one of the 7 part documentary about Philippine Animation produced by Tuldok Animation and which will be released next year. It was inspiring watching the films and meeting people.

Anyways, aside from the opening program we also went to ADMU and front of PBB house. ^^,

I will be at Animahenasyon 2009!

I am really excited to have my fourth trip out of Zamboanga this year. I will attend Animahenasyon which is a four-day event where I can watch amazing works of stdents, amateurs and professional animators and participate symposiums about the animation industry. The highlight of the event is the Awards night where entries will be given recognition for being the best in their category. Fortunately our team had 3 entries which made it to the finals. My entry is "Mayari", a stop-motion animation which I and my team created last year for our midterm project. The second one is Tennyl's Demo Reel. And finally, the 1st episode of Guatsinanggo, headed by our director, Jervin Yap. Actually, I am not expecting our entries to win because in our category (Short Film), there are almost 20 finalists! I will be really really happy if a miracle will happen!

Anyways, I want to thank our teachers for supporting us! To Sir Romz and Sir Tookie for guiding us always! Thank you also to our chair, Ma'am Ai for the financial assistance and showing your support to our batch! I will be with my 6 other friends and 3 teachers on the trip. We will depart on Tuesday, Nov 24 in the morning and arrive on Sunday, Nov 29 in the afternoon. The event will be at the Gateway Mall Araneta Center. Well, I hope that everything will be alright in our 5-day trip! Godbless to the team!

America's Next Top Petite Model is Nicole Fox!

For the first time, ANTM casted potential models less than 5'7 in height. After 13 episodes, the results were out! Nicole Fox from Louisville, Colorado grabbed the title of America's Next Top Model and the first petite model winner. Known for her awkwardness and signature poses, Nicole was labeled as a high-fashion model by the judges. From week 1, she showed model potential for mastering her angles despite her proportions. Nicole also had the most number of first calls at the panel, if not, second from the top. It was a great season filled with great models inside and out. It only shows that height does not matter when it comes to modeling. It takes determination, passion and skill to be on the top.

My Classmates and their Robots

They say that what you create relfects who you are. Last time, I posted my version of my humanoid robot in my multiply site. It's really interesting to read comments from people because its my creation, and it somehow shows my personality. They said that my robot is "sosyal", "cool", "nice", and "lameg". Sometimes, i feel i am 'sosyal' and 'cool' (and cold) too. *lol*. Anyways, here are the robots of my classmates and their personalities, based on their creations.

Francis Alminar - laidback, strong, sometimes clueless.. :)

Jervin - complicated, sosyal, creative, intricate

Errl - funny but serious sometimes, gamer

Jojie - so girlie! creative, fun to be with, crazy :p

JC - deadly.lolz

Jervin R. - Big, gamer, body builder. :)

Ryann - short, calm, chill lang..

Janric - gothic kuno, dark, pessimist minsan..

IP - maputi :) hardworking, industrious

Jolas - (im not xur). Alam ko playboy.nyahaha.

Chua - short, sloth

Tennyl - aftereffects k lng tens.hehe.
funny, simple, clueless..

Edmund - big, gamer, center of attention

Borchie - small, funny, joker, kwela lang

Christoferd -expert sa maya, obvious ba?
stiff, intricate, complicated (the way he thinks)..

Take Action: Tell the U.S. it's Time to Act on Climate Change

More than any other country, action taken by the United States to limit greenhouse gases and build a clean energy economy is needed to achieve a sustainable solution to our global climate crisis.

This December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a global response to climate change. As a world leader in greenhouse gas pollution as well as clean energy technology, the United States needs to take bold action by implementing comprehensive clean energy policies to curb emissions.

President Barack Obama has said that climate change is an urgent threat, and that he wants to restore America's responsible leadership in the world.

This is a chance for people around the world and in the United States to join together in telling President Obama that we want him to lead the United States in taking bold and significant action to reduce greenhouse gasses.

Time is running out, and our planet can't afford to wait.

HDR Effect in Photoshop

Recently, I discovered this club in deviant art for HDR photographers and digital artists. I was amused when I saw their gallery. The photos were stunning and it looks kinda surreal. It's kinda hard to explain so here's a few quote's from wiki "high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminances between light and dark areas of a scene than normal digital imaging techniques or photographic prints. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to represent more accurately the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight." Here are some photos that I tweaked to have this HDR look that I was talking about.




I also made an action for photoshop in case you want to see how your photos would look like with the HDR effect. Click here to download the file. After downloading, open your image in photoshop. Then, go to the actions window (Windows > Action or alt+f9). In the upper right hand corner of the palette is a small arrow ( or ). Click Load Action. Locate the action in the dialog box and click OK. Now, you can see the HDR folder in the actions palette. Click the arrow to show the actions of the folder. There are three actions. First, choose the HDR Effect. Click the play button at the bottom of the pallette. Wait for a few seconds and see the results. Here is a sample of what it will look like before and after the action is applied.



Results may vary depending on your photo. It also works best in dark landscapes like the one that I used above. When I used portraits, the results are very vivid so I created the Desaturate action. If you think the colors are too saturated, use this action as many times as you want. If you want to have a retro look, you can use the Retro color action. Here's the result when I applied the action to the last photo above.

Isn't it cool? I wonder how your photos will look like if you use the actions. Contact me or a post a link of your work. For more photos, check out my multiply site here.

More on HDR:
Magic of HDRI
HDR Photoshop Effect
Wiki: HDR

Digital Art Competition

Last August 24-29, 2009, the College of Science and Information Technology of ADZU celebrated its college week. One of the contest during the CSIT Week is the Digital Art Competition. With the theme "Responding to Global Challenges through Science and Information Technology," participants should create a digital art, may it be a photo-montage, vector art, 3d art or digital photography, that will depict the theme. Out of 21 entries, here are the top 5 that was chosen by the judges:

TOP 4 (Tie):

Mother Technology by Rica Angeline Caoile (BSIT-2)

Devastated Inspiration by Joseph San Agustin (BSIT-3)

Top 3:
Ours is a Finite Earth by Micco Jay Bugtai (BSIT-2)


Top 2:
Man in the Monitor by Ian Divan Leyte (BSIT-3)


Top 1:
Green Technology by Anna Zamora (BSIT-2)

Click here to see the other entries.

3D Modeling in Maya

Its fun creating 3d models but it requires much patience and knowledge in using the software. Currently in our 3d animation class, we are using Autodesk Maya. Though its sort of user-friendly, i can still feel that the software is dominating me. I must practice and learn more. Anyways, are are some of my outputs including a model of a clownfish, tire and yummy fruits.


Here are the details:

Plate with paintings, two peaches and grapes

Toothpaste and box

Tire and rim

Clownfish!

Click here to see more...

ADZU Centennial Logo

Last summer, the director of scholarships, Mr Shing Balatbat, gave me a rare opportunity to design the logo of the upcoming centennial anniversary of Ateneo de Zamboanga. A couple of young artists were also invited to create their own designs. I created three logo proposals and i am very happy that one of my designs was chosen by the committee including Fr. Tony Moreno himself. The logo is basically a vinta, a bangka with colorful sails, which is also found in the ADZU seal as a symbol of the culture of the Western Mindanao. At the center of the logo, two white intersecting stripes form a crucifix, sybolizing Christ and Christianity. At the center of the cross is the seal of the Society of Jesus, the religious order of the Jesuits who built Ateneo. (Download high res here)

The Seal of the Society of Jesus. The "IHS" trigram represents the first three Greek letters of "IHΣOYΣ" (Jesus), later interpreted as "Iesus Hominum Salvator", Jesus, Saviour of Mankind, "Iesum Habemus Socium", We have Jesus as Companion or as "Iesu Humilis Societas", Humble Society of Jesus. (reference: wikipedia)

The vinta also sybolize the journey of the Ateneo. At the bottom of the vinta inscribed "100", typifying the waters, symbolizing the 100 years of Ateneo de Zamboanga. And lastly, located at the below the logo is the theme of the centennial anniversary "Living 100 Years of Excellence, Spirituality and Citizenship."

Aside from the start of centennial celebration of ADZU, the university is also celebrating the 150th anniversary of the return of the Jesuits. Here are some important links that you want to visit to know more about the celebration:

• Article about the double celebration
• Photo gallery of the celebration

-o-

*Reflection mode*
I am very happy for this amazing happening in my life. It makes me realize that designing is not just an art nor a job, it is also my life. Through it, I am able to impart to everybody what God has given me. This is not just a simple job for me, it is a part of history, a legacy that will live forever. I wish the best from the Ateneo community and hoping for more centennial celebrations to come! :D Animo Ateneo!

King of Pop (1958-Forever)

When I was little I dreamed of being a dancer. I used to watch Michael Jackson's His-story Sweden Concert VCD at my uncle's house during birthday parties. Whenever I saw him moonwalk, its like magical. Amazement never goes away whenever i see him move in the limelight. His music are masterpieces that will live on forever. Now, I am mourning. It was my dream to see him dance live in a concert, not just in a VCD or in youtube. But I guess it will remain a dream forever. But still i feel lucky to know one amazing singer, composer and dancer. He may be gone but my memories of him will live forever.

Graphika Manila 2009

Two years ago, I went to Manila, for the first time to join the 2nd Graphika Manila, a national graphics design conference with speakers ranging from photographers to illustrators. It was held at the Centerstage of the Mall of Asia last August 11, 2007, a day before my 17th birthday. It was really memorable because it was also my first time to ride a plane.hehe. Anyways, the speakers were awesome. On the right is Electrolychee, a duo who inspired us about the Filipino's talent and how we should make others inspire. There were also international speakers like Steve Tirona (photographer), Hue Visual Lab and The Asylum. They were really fun speakers and their works are very awesome. Here are some snapshots during the event.

































Last year, I ran out of tickets so wasn't able to attend the conference. I hope i can go this year. Recently, I visited the site of Graphika Manila and there are no announcements yet about the venue and invited speakers of this year's graphika manila but the date is already set on August 15, unfortunately, 2 days before my midterm exams. However, they are planning to have a book which will be a 64-page color book that will be given away to the participants during the conference. The good news is that we can submit any artworks and they might include it in the book. If you want to contribute, email your works to drew@graphikamanila.com. For details, read the announcement below.