Saturday, March 27, 2010

6 months of having my piano + New videos of me piano

Yup, its been 6 months since i have my piano, so to celebrate my 6 months of practicing on an actual piano, thought i post some new songs i've learned since the last time i posted vids of me piano.

1. L'Absente by Yann Tiersan


2. "Up" theme song by Michael Giacchino (i think)


3. River Flows in You by Yiruma


4. Beauty and the Beast by Disney people?


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What else is in store for my life?

Currently waiting for call back from R&H after taking the in-studio test, and at the mean time im working on my next personal animation, using March's 11 second club dialogue.

Friday, March 19, 2010

R&H Animation Test

I recently finished my animation test for R&H, i passed the first test, im going for the 2nd test in their studio next week. 2 full days to do 2 animations that they will brief me, insane! 2 days with 2 animations! Im gonna do my best on it, get good rest and drink coffee.

Nervous.

In the mean time, you can take a look at me test

animtest01 - 3 Balls from andrew tan on Vimeo.



animtest02 - Jumping on Platforms from andrew tan on Vimeo.



animtest03 - Step Over from andrew tan on Vimeo.



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There's always plan B if i dont make it, i tell you wht it is later.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Why You Need A Plan

I just bumped into an interesting article about success in career, thought i share it here for anyone who wants to get to where they want to be before they die. Using Benjamin Franklin as the model.

"It's all part of the plan." -Joker : )

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By the age of 20, Benjamin Franklin had already established a plan by which he intended to live the rest of his life. If that strikes you as an unrealistic expectation, well, Franklin did exactly that, and he became one of the most accomplished and dynamic figures in American history along the way. It evidently worked out pretty well for him.

By the time he died in 1790, Franklin had been carrying that plan -- his 13 Virtues -- with him, in some form, for 64 years, using it to track his own progress decades after he had it committed to memory. That sense of personal accountability is certainly part of why he was so successful at it. Even if you have a pretty solid idea of where you're headed in life, adhering to a plan like Franklin's requires you to be responsible about your future -- otherwise you'll find it far too easy to explain away your failures and put off your goals.

You don't necessarily need to abide by this exact plan, or even to write one out like this at all, but you do need a framework for your self-improvement. If you're looking for someplace to start, Franklin's design is as good an example as any.

1- Self-improvement needs direction

Everyone, everywhere, has had the experience of settling on some haphazard goal for improving his life only to forget about it two weeks later (except, apparently, Ben Franklin). New Year's resolutions are representative of these enthusiastic but ill-conceived promises ("I'm going to get in shape -- and with no particular idea what I mean by that! Yeah!").

You can't just make a vague decision about becoming a Better Man and expect that impulsive, undefined concept to actually change your behavior for any real stretch of time. That is, after all, what you're almost certainly trying to do, and altering whatever routine you've become accustomed to means you need a definitive framework on hand. The value of actually writing this stuff down is that definite goals, goals you actually track, are harder to ignore than some indeterminate, conceptual self-improvement that doesn't really call for you to do much of anything.

2- A plan forces accountability

The puritan origins of Franklin's virtues are pretty obvious in this regard: His plan calls for temperance ("Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation") and moderation ("Avoid extreames"), as well as frugality, cleanliness and chastity. Although permitting yourself to become an overweight, wasteful drunk will probably present you with no difficulty in staying chaste, the point here is that you're sabotaging your life if you don't hold yourself accountable for the mistakes you make.

Again, Franklin's Puritanism was his, not yours, and you don't need to go become a monk, but you should be aware of all the stuff you do that isn't helping your life one bit. Modern examples of life plans tend to acknowledge the importance of accountability. Bill Phillips' Body for Life tracks both diet and weight-training progress, and financial frameworks (budget or investment planning, for example) are even more dependent on showing progress with concrete figures.

3- Knowing your direction keeps you from wasting your life

Franklin was raised with the belief that hard work has inherent worth, which is a good way to look at life if you want to excel at your career -- or really any extensive personal accomplishment. Three of his virtues were industry ("Lose no time"), order ("Let each part of your business have its time") and resolution ("Perform without fail what you resolve"). Holding yourself accountable for your mistakes is only the first half of accountability, because just being aware of what you’re doing wrong isn't much of a self-improvement.

If, on the other hand, you're forcing yourself to maintain progress based on a set of intelligently chosen goals, you're actually trying to accomplish something genuine. Apathy is your worst enemy, and the best intentions in the world are far less effective at getting you where you want to be than a set of intelligently chosen goals.

13 virtues to a good life

Just because Franklin's plan is oriented toward self-denial doesn't mean that yours has to be. Some of his virtues are easily covered by the simple decision just to be good to people: These include silence, sincerity, tranquility, and, the most representative of them, justice ("Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.") That last bit about duty is sort of what this entire process is about, and it calls for you to supplement the part of the plan where you avoid detrimental things with a resolution to be actively good as well. Self-improvement too often focuses cosmetic or self-serving goals, but it's just as important to start being a Better Man by being a better human being.

source of article here at AskMen.com
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Saturday, March 13, 2010

Animation applied into Gymnastics/Tricking

Yesterday when i was in the gymnasium(the gymnastic type), i have made a splendid discovery, a link between Gymnastic and Animation.

How does it work? I was standing there on the mats, preparing for my run, jump, and flip, i started seeing this move as an animation(cause i was still in the animating mood, i was animating like 20 mins before i got to the gym), as in how i would plan it before i "animate" it.



For a front tuck, you would run, have a little skip, also known as Blocking in tricking terms, land, squash down(anticipate), and JUMP, with my torso leading up as high as i can, lower body being follow through, and when reach the top, i would tuck my body in as fast as i can, and automatically land on my feet.

So here i go, i went for it, and landed. It was the highest front tuck i ever gotten. After that move, i was so amazed, cause i have discovered this link, of how you can apply animation principles into gymnastic. I started using this move for other moves.

Like the Cheat 720 Kick



First i would do a half spin and jump, tossing my arms up to get height(my body being the follow through), when i reach the top, i would spin, with my torso leading, and my lower body following(follow through), i would also use my head to lead, creating faster spin, when i reach the peek of my spin, i would angle my body down and whip my leg out like a kick.

I did this, and my spin was so much faster, and i got so much higher.

So if you are gymnast, or tricker, or breakdancer, or u do anything that requires harcore physical movement, and you are an animator, try seeing you moves as an animation, like you were to animate it, and then apply it to the move you trying to do, you be amazed by how well it works.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

How to be Good at Everything

I always wanted to be good at everything, still on that journey...well not everything, but as much things as i possibly can. I found an article about this. Enjoy

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You probably know someone or know of someone who is great at their job, excels in athletics, intelligent, and can even play an instrument. Or maybe they are very artistic, social, good with numbers, and able to learn a new skill or task with seemingly no effort. Who are these well rounded gifted people and how did they get that way? A better question may be, is it possible to become more like them?

What it means to be good at everything

There are individuals in the world who seem to have a bottomless well of skills and gifts that allows them to achieve in almost any endeavor they participate in. They are sometimes called overachievers because they seem to almost always perform at an above average level in everything they do. Most overachievers have been overachieving since a young age and over time have just strengthened the traits necessary to achieve in almost anything. Does this mean that a person who has not been overachieving for a lifetime is doomed for mediocrity? Absolutely not! What enables overachievers to do so well is the habits and thought processes that they have developed.

In order for you to begin to become multi-talented and skilled, you must understand the mindset of those who are overachievers. Alexandra Robbins wrote a book entitled The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids where she lays out the negative aspects of high school students whose lives are driven by perfect GPAs and the pressures of students today. Although the book is well written, it represents a very small number of students in American society. The truth is that overachieving students and adults are rare. If they were common, they would not be called overachievers.

You may be good at your job and good with numbers, but now you want to increase your athletic and artistic ability. Or perhaps you are good at sports but now you want to increase your intellect. You may even be good at dealing with people but when it comes to computers or electronics you have no clue where to start. Well, there is a way to get you closer to becoming more well rounded.



Overachievers

Most overachievers posses nearly the same characteristics and habits. These traits are applied in almost every challenge, task, or activity they take part in. So the key is to gain a mindset that enables you to consistently perform at an above average level in almost all activity.

Looking at some of the great overachievers through the ages, most have had a heavy dose of the following characteristics.

Knowing you can be good- Being sure of your ability and aware of your capabilities is an invaluable skill. To begin to be good at everything you must begin to be confident in your ability to be above average in the things you are skilled at. You must even be confident in your ability to do well in things you’ve never even tried.


Persistence-An underrated attribute, persistence can make a mountain of difference. One rule of sales is that you have to hear a customer say “no” three times before the customer may actually mean “no”. Those who overachieve understand that how good you are at something you try for the first time is not a measure of how good you could be the fifth time.

Foresight-Making good observations on the activities that are going on around you and then gauging the right moves to make are common characteristics of overachievers. Some of the world’s greatest athletes understand this skill also. This is why it sometimes seems that they make the perfect move, play, kick, or pitch at the perfect time.

Knowledge-Learning all about the activity or skill that you want to be good in is crucial. Having all the knowledge and understanding that is needed to carry out your task can be an enormous advantage.

The Desire to Be Good

One attribute found in most overachievers is the desire they have to do well. Nobody wants to fail but the level of desire you may have to do well can help elevate how well you perform. Along with persistence, desire can sometimes outperform talent. That desire usually elevates the effort you may put into the activity that you are doing.

When you see a singer, dancer, athlete, or even an artist, it is easy to assume that they are succeeding with little effort. The great ones make it look easy. But this is almost never the case. I recently visited a museum that was displaying the works of Norman Rockwell. He became legendary for capturing the realness of American life in the early and mid 20th century.

The most intriguing part of the exhibit for me was where they displayed the different drafts of the masterpieces. I was amazed by how often he would change the facial expressions of the characters, readjust the positioning of objects, and alter points of view. This showed that along with his talent for painting, he also applied much effort into his work.

Start Being Good

You’ve learned that overachievers and well rounded individuals have a mindset and a set of habits that enable them to do what the average person wishes they could. So how do you stop wishing and begin to be good at everything. Here are some ways you can instantly elevate how you perform in everything that you try.



Focus-Concentrating on the task at hand is crucial especially if you are trying something for the first time. Being able to drown out external distractions as well as internal ones, allows you to center your attention at what you are doing thus making it easier to concentrate.

Self control-Once you are focus, you are able to control your mind and body so that you can apply all your efforts to what you are doing. Learn to control nervous reactions and any thoughts of doubt that may arise.

Ask and learn-Find out what your strengths and weaknesses are from someone who knows how to do what it is you are trying to do.

Be willing to fail-Give it your all but understand that you might not succeed at first. Failing is a part of the learning process and it is when you fail that you have the opportunity to learn the most.

Try it all-Never be afraid of a new experience and learn from everything you try. Remember, you are building habits and a mindset. A new experience can sometimes give you insight that you can use when you attempt to be good at something else that you may try.

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Origin of the article can be found here

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

My demoreel for 2009/2010, And R&H!

I am done compiling my demoreel for 2009/2010, theres actually more stuff i wanna work on, thats why i called it 2009/2010. I compiled this for R&H to see, so now im doing their animation test. I will do my breast on it! Wish me luck!

In the mean time, here is my demoreel

Andrew Tan Animation Demoreel 2009/2010 from andrew tan on Vimeo.