Midnight Quickie

Was up keeping my wife company while she was working on her stuff, so I thought I'd just play around a bit and doodle. No real thought process in this one, was just trying out weird forms, trying new stuff as it went along. *yawn* Let's go see what's on TV at this hour...

WEDDING PICS! [Part 2 out of 3] Sabah Reception

The day after we got married, we had the reception next to the beach at Pacific Sutera Hotel, Kota Kinabalu. I know that I have a tendency to say the stupidest things and I'm hardly serious most of the time... but I can tell you without any irony, cynicism, or pull-your-leggery that this was the most awesome night of my life. It was awesome awesome AWESOME... smiling faces everywhere, people enjoying themselves and rocking out - there was a real festive vibe in the air that I didn't know could even be possible at Malay weddings over here in Malaysia.

Thank you so much to all the people that made it possible, and it makes me feel so lucky to know that I was part of a really special, rare kind of wedding - the kind that I enjoy! [I normally feel a bit awkward at Malay weddings here... mostly because of the super heavy emphasis on tradition and behaving yourself in general, which I have a hard time doing]. Again, thanks to the super-ninja Meesterrrr Jeppu for snapping all the nice pics!

Here we are outside, before the whole thing started, surrounded by Mel's pretty cousins in their traditional costumes.

..and here we are marching into the ballroom. My FAVOURITE surprise during this time was that the band (led by Mel's cousin Brian) was playing 'Learn You Inside Out' by Lifehouse - my favourite band. That was just... cool. All seated and ready to eat! Little did I know that most of the food was very seafood-y... not that I don't like seafood, it's just that the image of little jellyfishes and eels swimming around in my stomach make me queasy.

Long shot of the stage. Me and Mel are the tiiiny bobbing heads at the back.
The bands switched out - and The Midnight Flyers (that's Mel's uncle with the guitar) came in. They provided the music for the rest of the night (was rocking out to Santana, Elvis, and more) There were a lot of traditional dance performances during the wedding. From the Papar region... ... from the Kadazan Tribe... [who started pulling people from their seats to dance with them :P] ... and also from the Murut people. This one's called the Magunatip. The bamboo sticks open and close with the beat and get faster and faster over time, so you gotta make sure your foot doesn't get caught when that happens. Mel's cousin, Marianne Estebella, gave a really short, sweet introduction speech about us...

...and the video montage of me and Mel's history started rolling.

The music is an acoustic version of 'First Time', again by Lifehouse.

While everyone was watching the video, we had to rush up and change into our Kadazan costumes. That's my best man, Tariq, behind me. Mel's lil sis was her maid of honor.

All those shiny coins and accessories that Mel's wearing? They add up to about 5 to 6 kilograms. No joke. You could swing those round and kill someone with them.

...my mum does not approve of me thinking of the lethal potential of Mel's accessories.

BIG wedding cake the size of Jabba the Hutt...

...which I only got to taste a small slice of.

Me and Mel trying out the Magunatip. We did pretty ok me thinks.

My dad seemed to enjoy the whole thing.

The anguish of Tariq, a moment in time, perfectly preserved for future generations to see...

...that apparently didn't last very long. He got over it soon enough. I wonder why?

...oh. Mystery solved.

So here I am, trying out this thing called 'dancing'...

..only to get ditched. Apparently kids are more fun to dance with, compared to me. This won't do...

...SO I START BREAKIN OUT THE MOVES!

Lots of occupation-themed dance moves that night. This one's the scuba diver...

...the truck driver...

...the boxer...

...the gangsta-pimp...

...the gynaecologist...

...and the hand-jobber. [sorry Azman :P]

So when things started winding down, it was time to take a breather and chill a bit...

Mum and Dad were having a good time too.

Mel's Mum : You think you can do better?

Melissa & Dad

The freaks come out at night! [Me, Melissa, all of her siblings, and the cool-as-ice grandma]. At this point, it was already midnight...

...apparently, not everyone is built for partying.

Hope you enjoyed the few snapshots from the KK reception. Part III [the KL Reception] coming up soon!

Lunchtime Quickie - Whattaloadabull

Quick model I made during lunchtime last week for my Zbrush texturing class that afternoon.

Started out with a super quick base mesh in Maya.

Took about 30 minutes to get here.

The polyflow was all messed up...

...so did a quick remeshing using the re-topology tools...

...and here's everything with the sculpted details reprojected.

WEDDING PICS! [Part 1 of 3]

Got married last month in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah! Here's a few pictures from the ceremony at my wife's house. (*special thanks to Senor Jeppu for taking all the pics!)

IMAM : Megatron must be stopped. No matter the cost.

JOE : Agreed.
IMAM : ...and pirates definitely are cooler than ninjas.
JOE : Er.. yeah.

Mel : pleasedontscrewuppleasedontscrewuppleasedontscrewup....

To answer your question, yes. My pants ARE on. Shame on you.

:D *sniff*

It's a custom over there for the groom to give a large brass gong to the bride. So here I am beating on it, after we were officially declared husband and wife.

GONG!! Crowd : SATU! [ONE!]
GONGGG!!! Crowd : DUA! [TWO!]
GONGGGGG!!!!! Crowd : YAYYYYY!!!!!! [er... YAYYYYY!!!!!]

By the time Melissa realized she was marrying Popeye, it was already too late...

The 'merenjis' part of the ceremony, where family and close friends throw nice smelling stuff on you :)

All 4 parents

...and a few of my new sisters decide to jump in.

You're never fully dressed without a smile. Even a big, creepy one will do.

...scaring away the neighbourhood cats.

PART II : KOTA KINABALU WEDDING RECEPTION coming up soon!