YES, I AM STILL ALIVE AND KICKING!
I don't know why, but I haven't written a journal entry in almost a year. I guess it's just a bad habit on my part...
A lot has happened in the said 'almost a year', namely me buying stuff, getting a new job and so on. So if anyone's interested at all - read on!
FIRST OFF - A NEW COMPUTER!
Yes, finally...after so many years of working with graphics on a computer that is superseded by today's smartphones...
The new system of mine is a high-end Alienware 18 - a true beast in portable computing! Cost me a pretty penny too but I am totally satisfied with the performance and the features!Here's what it looks like for those too lazy to google (click it to make it larger):
Specs for those geek types:
Graphics Card: 2x Nvidia GTX 780M in SLI, 4GB GDDR5 each
CPU: Intel Core i7 4700QM 2.4GHz
RAM: 24GB DD3 at 1600MH
Storage: 750GB 7200RPM HDD + 64GB SSD Cache
Screen: 18.4" WLED, 1920x1080
Sound Card: 5.1 surround
So that's a pretty beastly beast. Churns through games at ease and all my Adobe, Autodesk and other software run butterly smooth. Wooo! (Running on Windows 8.1 if anyone cares)
The light effects are just ace!
NEXT - BETTER AUDIO
For very long have I wanted a proper microphone to record all my blabbermouthness... Well, now I have one. Again, not on the cheapy side: Samson G-Track! (portrayed below)
If you're a sound guy you'll more likely than not check out the specs yourself and more likely than not understand them (unlike me). All I know is I needed a USB input, a large diafragm and something to look cool on the table...
THEN - PRODUCTIVITY ON THE GO
I was really excited about this one...it's a new phone!
I know, everyone has a nice one these days, but I long-needed an upgrade, so I got me a Samsung Galaxy S4 (white)!
I can already tell you, after spending half a year with this baby I just can't look at any other phones...BECAUSE I SEE THE SCREEN PIXELS! Yes, that's how nit-picky I am. I am now really bothered by visible screen pixels on other phones because I just got so used to the S4's insane pixel density. Not to mention the other cool feats it has... I'll likely be upgrading to a Note3 soon though, but not yet decided.
P.S.: For the memory, as of now it's packing a 64GB SanDisk Micro SDXC Extreme card.
AFTER THAT - MORE LIGHT
Fellow photographers here know that we always need more light. Especially if that light is powerful AND portable! So for my hobbyist needs I got me a Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT.
It already managed to survive a few falls but I've had no problems whatsoever with it - it always registers as an optical slave for me (didn't buy the RT Trigger yet) and the light is nice and consistent as well as bright if I need it to be. The build is really sturdy (posh plastic) and it's sealed for that use if shitty conditions. No complaints to CANON, as usual...
AND HOW DID I PAY FOR ALL THAT..?
That's another great one - I've got me a new job as a 3D modeler!
Finally doing what I love, what I've been training to do for the last fuck-knows-how-many years... The job itself is really chill, I come in, eat when I want, listen to music while I work, etc. My boss is a really cool person who enjoys my work and is a great guy just to hand out with. Can't overstate how happy I am that I got the job!
Obviously I still have a LOT to learn when it comes to 3D, but finally reaching a stage where I can be properly employed to do it is just great.
I'm also learning a few other things, like web development, design, etc - all of which have already proved useful!
ANYTHING ELSE..?
Why yes! I've recently been on holiday back home (that is Lithuania) for a tat over two weeks. It's been a lovely time, got together with my old friends, spent some time with my family, ate some amazing food, snapped a few pics with my sister and bought some cool war memorabilia (I may post a pic or two later). A great time. The only regret is not beeing able to do any of my own stuff (work-wise) while being there as I didn't take my computer with me (the phone provided all the entertainment and pc-replacement I needed for the while).
I've also just a few hours ago finished a logo for my girlfriend's business:
Hope you like the way it turned out. I'm not so much a logo designer (3D modeler, duuh), but I guess I can dish out a thing or two when I need to.
A fun fact - I started the snowflake as a 3D model because it was faster for me to model it and make it all symmetrical and then auto-trace the render than draw it from scratch in Illustrator!
Whatever gets the job done, right?
AND A FEW LAST WORDS...
I congratulate you if you've actually read this entry so far (looking juct at the pictures only is cheating!). It takes me a crap-load of time to write these things, so I thank you for reading!
2013 has been a great year with a lot of great stuff and I can only hope that 2014 will be great too! I wish you guys all the best with your crusades into the world of art in 2014!
If you like my stuff, please visit my facebook page by clicking the image below (Sometimes I don't post too often, but you can ALWAYS reach me there if you have questions of suggestions!):
As Always - HAVE A NICE DAY!
- QUATRO