Spring 2004

May 25, 2004

Is this the finally entry of tetslog for the semester? Will I be able to update this site over the summer? Tune in next week to find out. Somehow I doubt anything will have changed, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

Still images from our final assignment are up in the Projects section. The movie makes little sense as a series of stills, but seems to be more coherent as a movie. If i could show the movie on my blog, i would, but it's too big for now. Perhaps I'll try compressing it further.

May 20, 2004

Now that the chaos of studio reviews has subdued, I actually have some time to update tetslog. The last time I wrote, we were in the middle of some serious studio action. This past week has been mostly spent sleeping and recuperating for the last week of school. This past weekend, Laura and Soohyun and I took a bartending class, and I now I am somewhat certified to mix and serve drinks at a bar. I finished two papers for History and Theory class, and now I'm trying to gather up some motivation to finish projects for Building Construction class as well as the final movie for this class, digital media. Yay.

In the mean time, I have decided to add some more content to my Projects section, with images of my most recent project as well as some projects from my years at the University of Idaho. I've also added a couple of new links that everyone should check out. The first is my buttmate's website and it has some candid photos of people in our studio. The second is an interesting website directed to me by a good friend that showcases Japanese commercials featuring American celebrities.

Also important to note is the Lakers victor of the San Antonio Spurs; a very decisive win over the defending champs puts my Lakers as the definite favorites to once again win the whole thing. The Timberwolves have no chance at winning and let's face it: no one from the Eastern Conference can compete with either Lakers or the Timberwolves.

May 6, 2004

Still working hard, or hardly working; depending on how you look at it. Actually, no, I've been working hard, particularly this past week. With studio reviews looming next Wednesday, I've been consumed with studio work. Currently, I'm working on finishing up my plans and sections of the building, putting aside the model for now. Once the drawings are finished, I will work on the small scale model, then go back to the 1/8th scale model. I'm still not sure why Julio insists we make and 1/8th inch model, but oh well. Once that is done and if I have time, I want to make some 3D renderings of the project as well.

Luckily, it has not been all work. Our pod (nicknamed Pod 4 after the Pod in the cartoon Sealab 2021) decided to take a break for dinner and go to McDonalds and Krispy Kreme. It was a fun little trip to Medford and we are now stocked with Original Glazed donuts. Mmmmm! Tasty!

On a sad note, the Lakers again lost to the Spurs last night with a very lackluster performance from the Big Four. I'm very disappointed in the effort they are putting out. They just don't seem to want to win badly enough. Perhaps playing at home in Staples Center this Sunday will be better. I will try and watch if I feel like the studio stuff is going well.

May 3, 2004

Hello to those who visit and read my blog. I have not blogged in a few days because studio work has been particularly hectic. Our final reviews for our studio project will be on the 12th of May. That's in less than a week and a half. I've been trying to think of ways to get as much work done as possible and the only way I've found that works well is to cut down on my hours of sleep. I'm down to averaging 3.5 hours a night. I had a small setback today in studio desk crits with my studio instructor, so the average may start to sink even further. I'm clearly looking forward to sleeping for many days following the review. It's soooo close. . .

I'm also looking forward to my summer plans: a trip to Greece. I was luck enough to be invited to join a team of archaelogists on a small island in Greece called Samothrace. For six weeks I will be producing ink on mylar drawings of artifacts that they have excavated and cataloged as well as reconstructive drawings of the temple complex that they are researching and preparing for publication. I'm very excited as it will not only be a much needed vacation, but it will also be a vacation paid by the university. Thus, it will not cost me a dime to travel and work on a beautiful and quiet Mediterranean island. I hope to get a nice tan while I'm there. . .

April 26, 2004

I have now updated tetslog with caricatures of everyone in Julio's studio. It has been fun making them and I'm hoping other studios will make themselves as Southpark characters as well. Click on the image of me to see my other studio mates.

April 25 or 26, 2004

I am again putting off studio work to update my blog. I can't decide whether to date this for Sunday or Monday. Technically it is Monday, the 26th, but it's still Sunday for me since I am still at school working.

I found an interesting web-based program yesterday that allows you to create your own Southpark characters. I have been working on creating Southpark like caricatures of my studio mates. I will post them when I have finished making one for the 10 members of my studio and our critic, Julio Salcedo.

I'm happy that the Lakers were able to defeat the Houston Rockets today. I didn't like the effort that they played with, but relieved that they were able to still win. Hopefully they will be able to close the series out next week back in L.A.

April 22, 2004

Has it really been that long since I updated my blog? Yes, it certainly has been, a really really long week and a half. Mid-reviews were an intense period for us all, and now we've been trying to catch up in our other classes, such as digital media. I've also been working hard on trying to strengthen my studio project. The building is really no where near where it should be; in fact, I've basically gone back to the begining of the design process because I was really unhappy with the direction it was going previously. Hopefully by this weekend I will have a scheme that I like and can enjoy working on and improving.

I have updated the sight with images of my hyper-real renderings. These are similar to the last updated renderings, only with more meticulous material applications. They are not necessarily realistic renderings, but they begin to define the airport more three dimensionally.

The weather's been great, and I've been doing my best to enjoy it while I can. I've been hitting tennis balls with Irwin, Alec, Albert, Zac and Phil. Phil is an excellent tennis player and we are very evenly matched, so it's good hitting with him. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to go on a bike ride as well. I may join Marisa on a short ride to take advantage of the warm spring weather.

Lakers play Houston tomorrow. The Lakers, overall, have been playing like crap, but they are still winning, so I'm not too disapointed in their performance. They not be able to get away with this kind of play against the Spuds, their most likely second round opponent.

April 11, 2004

Hooray for spring, sort of. Maybe I shouldn't get too excited since it will probably jinx us into another week of crappy weather, maybe even snow. Yesterday and today, however, were nice enough that I was able to enjoy the outdoors to some extent. Cycling consumed my afternoon yesterday and tennis today.

Now that we have a week before our Mid-Project Reviews next Monday, I must actually start designing a building. So far we have only researched ideas on how to approach the design of the building. We've looked at classification techniques, architectural ordering of spaces and the "mingling" of different types of spaces. We were looking at ways in which the architecture can define one type of space from another type of space. I looked at the mingling of cyclists in a peloton and the mingling of silver halide crystals in film emusions and the chemicals they react with during the development process. Defining them in terms of architecture was more difficult and I'm not sure yet whether they will be helpful.

Soon I should have some projects that I did at the University of Idaho up for view in my Projects section. In the mean time I shall work on studio and hope the Lakers can pull it together for the playoffs and forget their sorry loss to the Queens while you can browse the website of the best potato chips ever!

April 7, 2004

The blog has become an excellent way for me to procrastinate from doing studio work. I should be working on models for our review on Friday, but I just can't seem to get going on it. I'm hoping for an epiphany. . . any second now.

The case study that was presented in digital media class was great: it has inspired me to create wonderful photorealistic digital renderings. I am finding that my images are not even close to being at a level of realism that the examples that were shown today were at. More time, effort and patience, I believe, will be key.

Recently, I've been intrigued by the weather here; it's April and yet it is still cold out. Today, at least the sun came out, and I almost convinced myself to go on a bike ride. But, I ended up working on studio instead. I should have gone on a ride. I'm used to being able to wear shorts by now, but I'm still wearing my winter coat and my three fingered lobster claw gloves (I call them my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle gloves because they are green and make me look like a ninja turtle).

April 6, 2004

Images from the third assignment are now up. I have begun to place lights into the airport, giving the spaces the dramatic feel that I had initially hoped for from the beginning. I have also begun to build a small materials library for this project, albeit a bit unrealistic still and very monochromatic. The material adjustments are different from what I am used to in 3D Max, and I'm not getting the results that I was expecting from them. I think it will require further tweaking to get the materials to work the way I want them to in order to create a more realistic rendering. I also want to learn how to light things better to get more dramatic effects.

We have a hectic week ahead of us, culminating in a pin-up on Friday coinciding with the Open House for students admitted for next fall. It shall be interesting. I have a lot of work to look forward to since I did virtually nothing during the break.

The Seattle Mariners open their season today and hopefully the Lakers will be able to regroup from their disapointing loss to the San Antonio Spuds on Sunday. I guess winning 11 out of the last 12 games isn't too bad.

Baseball season has also started in Japan with my Hanshin Tigers sweeping their opening series against the Yomiuri (Tokyo) Giants. I'm hoping that they have another successful season and win the Central League Pennant again.

April 3, 2004

Nothing to report. . .

March 31, 2004

It's Spring Break, and where am I? I'm in rainy Boston, MA. My goal of either riding my bike or playing tennis everyday has been thwarted by a deluge of rain, and it does not appear to be letting up anytime soon. As a result, I've been working on trying to get a job here in Boston for the summer. I have taken photos of all my models from last semester, so that I can clear up some space on my desk. I have put up some more images in my Projects section, including two more from first semester. Very exciting stuff, and I'm sure you can't wait to go check it out.

The Lakers are now on a nine game winning streak after last nights whooping of the New Orleans Hornets. Tomorrow night will be a rematch between Shaq and Yao, so I will have to make sure not to miss that one.

March 28, 2004

I've successfully taken the last two days off. I didn't even think about coming in to studio yesterday. I decided that I could come in today, but only after going on a quick 20 mile bike ride out past Lexington. Actually, I got a little lost, but somehow ended up back on 2A and that brought me magically back to the Lexington and Mass. Ave. This follows the strange excursion on Friday, when instead of studio (which was cancelled, I wasn't skipping!) I decided to meet up with Mike, my roomate, on a ride he had already started. He was to ride back until I ran into him. However, we were apparently on two different roads, and so by the time we realized we had missed, he was in Arlington and I was in Lexington. Funny hunh? So, hopefully I can start to make this a routine and get my cycling legs back by the time summer rolls around. Hopefully the weather will warm up enough to play some tennis as well.

The Lakers also successfully mauled the Minnesota TimberPups on Friday night 90-73. Kevin Garnett, the supposed MVP candidate didn't look like much against the Lakers. I think Mark Madsen, the former Laker now Timberpup, played better than Garnett; then again, I like Mark Madsen and so I may be a bit biased. So, now the Lakers have beaten the two "best" teams in the west. Who do the east have? The Nets? The Pacers? Sucks to be them.

If you go to the Links page, you will find a new link to an amusing anti-Microsoft Windows site.

March 25, 2004

Lakers beat the Sacremento "Queens" last night. A complete rout at 115-91. Who is the best in the West? The Lakers of course! Check out this article by Bill Plaschke for the LA Times.

We don't have studio on Friday, so I'm already on Spring Break, or at least that's where my brain has been. Unfortunately I'm not going anywhere, but at least I can stop working on stuff for a while; maybe. I suppose I could work on digital media.

I also added a link to a really cool architecture website in my Links page.

March 23, 2004

Now that the animations are finished, I have been making a concentrated effort to work on studio and history/theory class. I think I'm making better progress on studio. I will attempt to do a quick studio exercise using FormZ in helping me understand architectural ordering principles.

I had an excellent talk with Ivan, my FormZ T.A. so you may see a new version of tetslog appearing soon, since I will probably have nothing better to do during spring break. I'd really like to make my sight look and feel much more professional.

The images to right are of the birthday cake that my buttmate, Soohyun, baked for my birthday. As you can see, it was very good and it quickly disappeared. It was also the first time she had baked a cake, with the guidance of Becky thankfully. Thanks everyone!

March 20, 2004

Well, my animations are finished. They are not as exciting as I had hoped they would be, but I think they begin to express the concept behind the design of the airport. The project is not so much about how the building comes together, but about the individual experience of the the traveller. The airport was designed to emphasize the way in which the traveller occupies the spaces, views the spaces and experiences the scalar shifts, from seeing the tarmac and aircraft from a distance, to up close.

I am slowly beginning to improve my modeling skills with FormZ. I made some escalators, baggage claim carousels, security screening x-rays, metal detectors (not that hard to do I realize) and chairs. The chairs in particular slowed down my rendering times.

On a side note, I have added links to other people's blogs in the links section. They are all much better than mine, so you should check them out. Also, today is my birthday. I am 23 years old. That seems like a lot to me, considering the fact that I feel like I just graduated from high school.

March 17, 2004

The wood project is FINALLY over. It's such a relief to finally be done. I've put up some drawings from my studio project. It's a little weird, but this site is becoming more about what I do in studio then the work that is actually done for Digital Media. But I suppose that studio is more important than the other classes.

I would also like to announce that a new tub of RedVines has re-emerged on my desk. This time there is a tally sheet to see who is eating the largest percentage of the RedVines.

March 15, 2004

TETSLOG has been updated to version 2.1. It's not a complete overhall, just a few tweaks here and there.

We visited the site for our next studio project, a museum on the campus of Brandeis University. We made small sketch models of the site while we were there. Fun. Also took some pictures of the last studio project's site model with my many study models. They should be up tomorrow if the Wood project doesn't take too much of my time, which it will.

March 14, 2004

I am still recuperating from the studio reviews that we had on Friday. So far, I haven't thought about school at all. In fact, I didn't even go into studio at all yesterday. I would not have come in today either except for the fact that we had mini-critiques for our wood class. I have put up some images of my studio project, an entrance to the Fleet Center on the Projects page.

Also, there is a new link for a funny fictional airline. It's for all you travelers out there. Enjoy!

March 8, 2004

Well, it's not technically the 8th yet, but it will be in like ten minutes, so for the first time in my life I will be early for something. I've been noticing that a lot of people have links to clothing places, so I thought I would join the bandwagon and put a link up as well. Happy shopping.

On the RedVines front, it appears that I have run out and will probably be out of stock until further notice. They went very quickly this time around and I can think of several reason. Location: I put the tub at the end of my desk so that everytime someone from our pod leaves, they walk past the enticing artificial sugar glow of RedVines. Sign-up Sheet: or lack there of. No one knew just how many RedVines they were eating, so this most likely led to the quick demise. They barely had a chance to get stale. . . sniff, sniff (tear rolls down cheek)

March 7, 2004

The basic modeling of my airport is complete and has been uploaded into my Projects section. I'm struggling with the view and the lighting right now, so the images that I have provided are not very good. They were very difficult and cumbersome to move and adjust and I haven't figured out how to place and move the lights well either.

Building the model was quite fun once the initial frustration of using a new application went away. In fact, having to do things several times because I messed up the first time, made me figure out how to do things quicker next time. I also liked finding new tricks, such as pressing apple-z if, in the process of drawing a shape, I drew a line in the wrong place, instead of starting over, it would go back to the last point; very similar to pressing delete in Photoshop or Illustrator. I was so used to pressing the delete key that I just figured there was no way to go back when drawing, until by shear accident, I pressed apple-z.

Working my way around FormZ has become more comfortable as well. I've getting used to all the different button combinations that need to be pushed in order to do things. I see two advantages over this. It decreases the number of overall buttons on the desktop while still making all modeling and editing capabilities open. In 3D Studio, even though you only had to push one button, that button could be buried in an assortment of different tabs and submenus.

So modeling the airport was quite fun, but finding views and rendering was a little aggravating. I don't often cuss my computer out as much as I was while navigating the "Edit Cone of Vision" windows. Just when I thought I had the right view, I would either lose it by clicking and dragging somewhere else by accident, or realize that I was actually looking directly at a wall.

On a happier note, the Lakers beat the Nets, which just goes to show that the East just can't compete with the West.

March 5, 2004

It's been a while, so I thought I'd update my weblog. I've really not had anything to say or do here, so it will be a short update. I started my digital model yesterday, so, no real progress on it yet. Some of the walls are up, but that's about it. It has been a hectic week, with all the career fair preperations and all (which was today). I will try to upload a few choice images from my portfolio to put in the currently empty projects section. But that won't be today. You all should be happy that i've updated my blog at all. . .

February 27, 2004

We've been given directions on how to construct our models now; sort of. . .
I'm still a little confused as to where to start, much less how to fully utilize FormZ. I think part of the problem may be because I'm so used to 3D Studio and other such programs which, to me, seem more intuitive. If I need to draw a block, you just use the make a block tool, where as in FormZ, it feels like there is a lot of other buttons that need be turned on in order to do those things. I did manage to model the image to the left. Don't bother trying to click on it; it's not worth the trouble looking at a better image.

I've also been thinking about the differences between traditional rendering techniques versus digital rendering. I still prefer the look of hand drawn renderings; they don't look any more real or fake, but they seem to be more alive. Digital renderings have a distinctively cold and technical look to them which may appeal to some, but I prefer the hand rendered presentation.

However, I realize that both methods can be utilized in designing and communicating our buildings. They are used to evoke feelings and emotions about the architecture and how it fits into its surroundings. I think that's why I like the digital renderings done by Zaha Hadid and Norman Foster. They allow the viewer to orient themselves into the scene to communicate how the architecture affects its environment.

February 23, 2004

Today I thought I would showcase an airport design that I found particularly provacative in my research of airports. The Kansai International Airport terminal, designed by Renzo Piano (http://www.rpbw.com), sits on an island in Osaka bay, and provides 24 hour air service to the whole Kansai (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto) region. It's a spectacular design both in form and in how passengers are quickly and efficiently moved from the main terminal to their gates. It was also quite the engineering spectacle in terms of providing sufficient protection from earthquakes and hurricanes, in addition to building an island in the middle of the bay.

February 22, 2004

Nothing new today except for some new links in the links section. I don't know if I continue to update everday; I guess I've only done this once. I doubt I will be studious enough to do new things to this site everyday.

February 21, 2004

Redesign of tetslog is much more successful. Much cleaner; very glad that people probably did not see the first version.

As for what project I intend to model over the semester, I'm pretty sure I will try to create a digital model of last semester's airport project. Click on the links to the left to see larger images of plans, sections and the final model. I see some interesting potentials in the interplay between the various surfaces and protrusions. It also has fairly simple forms, so as an initial attempt at modeling digitally with FormZ, I should not get too frustrated.

February 17, 2004

Creation of tetslog 1.0 semi-successful. Not to happy with it and it will probably change soon as I get better using Dreamweaver. Hopefully. . .

I'm very excited for this class. Previously, I've taken a course at the University of Idaho in modeling with 3D Studio Max and Viz, but that was several years ago. Hopefully the fundamentals have not changed too much.

Now I have a trusty Apple computer and I will be modeling in FormZ.

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