@Pak Ngah Production - Me & My Protege

Some may wonder where I disappeared every afternoon till 5pm. Here is where I am usually, giving training in video and music editing at Pak Ngah Production. The studio finally going digital but very much involve in traditional works. Beside me is my protege, Megat. Still young and a long long way to go in this world of short-cuts.

Thunder and Lightning in 'Paradise'

The trailer is now renamed 'Stealing Paradise'. Perhaps after being 'strangers' for sometime. After done hundreds of test I finally completed the lightning scene. The original lightning strokes were generated in After Effects but it was thin and too realistic. I ported it over to Macromedia's Flash and retraced it to give more of a cel feel. It is finally composited in Discreet's Combustion to get the over exposure effect at the opening of the cloud.

Sunday In Bali

After weeks of crunching numbers for my business plan, I finally gave myself a break. Why not go to Bali? May not be physically there but in culinary spirit. I missed seafood especially a delicious squid dish. I just love this Balinese recipe. Very island feel or shall we say taste. Be generous with the white pepper and make it more liquid rather than dry like the photo.

Ingredients:
600 gm baby squid
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/3 teaspoon fresh white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon oil
5 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 large red chillies
1/2 cup spice paste for seafood
1 cup chicken stock or chicken granule with water
5 sprigs lemon basil, sliced
fried shallots and sprigs of lemon basil to garnish

Operation Manual:
Remove skin of squid and pull out the tentacles and head. Cutt off and discard the head and beaky portion, but reserve the tentacles, if preffered. Clean the squid thorougly. Make sure you got rid off the black ink sack. Marinate squid with lime juice, pepper and salt.
Heat oil in wok, add shallots, chillies and squid and saute for 2 minutes over high heat. Add seafood spice paste and continue to saute for 1 more minute. Pour in chicken stock, add the sliced basil and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute. Season to taste and garnish with sprigs of lemon basil, fried shallots and serve with coconut rice.

Spice Paste for Seafood:
10 large red chillies, seeded and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
15 shallots, peeled and chopped
10 cm ginger, peeled and chopped
10 cm fresh tumeric, peeled and chopped
1 medium-sized tomato
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
10 candlenuts
1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste
4 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons tamarind pulp
2 salam leaves
2 stalks lemon grass

Process all ingredients, except oil, tamarind pulp, salam leaves and lemon grass, until coarsely ground. Heat oil, add all ingredients and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until golden. Cool before using. Can be stored in fridge in an air tight plastic container.

The Baby Is Coming!

Received a real good news the other day. I am finally going to be a real uncle in October. This is happening too fast. The wedding in December was like yesterday. I still haven't finish editing my sister's wedding video. Have to finish it by this weekend. If not I have to include the birth too :). That's the intro title you are seeing. Watch out baby, we are going to rock 'n' roll :)

The Storm Is Coming To 'Paradise'

After weeks of testing in AfterBurn I finally decided to do the 'Stormy Clouds' in Vue 6 Xtreme using the new MetaClouds. It has less options compared to AfterBurn for 3DS Max but it has one important feature that I need most, individual cloud modeling. Each of the cloud's blob can be moved and scaled as I wish. Almost like sculpting it. The animation of the cloud texture is based on the Z value, that is Z=time. For this sequence I used Z=0.2 and that will give a steady rolling texture.

Down South And On The Other Side

The other day my 'step daughter' Breianne wrote to me and send a couple of photos. On this one Danielle is on the right and Breianne is on the left with her son Wyatt, my little darling. The guy in the middle is still a mystery. They all live in Tennessee. Where you may ask. Well it's down south and north of Jawjuh, Hot-lanta :)

Living In An Incubator

Finally after months of waiting my company JAZ Multimedia got the 'green light' to move in the Incubator Centre at Plaza Sentral. I am glad that it is fully furnished and quite well done. I just bring in my new laptop and just plug it in for the free Internet access. Well not just a laptop, just bought a new electric thermos for my on going supply of hot tea. For the next two years it is going to be a lot of hard work, 24/7 most likely. Would someone send me a two year supply of Hershey's bars of toffee and nuts nougat :)

Here are a couple of other shots of the Incubator:

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