Jae Texts

The Mighty "O" and some Ethiopian Flavor

2011-12-03T22:48:00.002-05:00

Recently I got to enjoy a fantastic perk of the new job. Seeing that the company I work for owns all the establishments that produce a Cirque du' Soleil here in town, I got free tickets to "O". It's been one that I've wanted to see. A senior designer, myself, and the recent new guy all went with our guests.

The show really shined when it was in it's element, namely water. After all, that is where the title comes from! The performers utilizing the water for visual flare as well as part of their acrobatics was nothing less than stunning. What also enhanced it was the spectacular lighting! It has some great primary spot color lighting that accentuates the mood in certain acts. There were many memorable acts like the pirate ship in the air made of metal piping, the duet flames men that twirl their fiery batons on water as they leap on top of each other, and much others. The one thing I noticed is that the music didn't grab me as much as other Cirque shows I've seen or even Lion King. Also, some of the costumes were impressive but I wonder if Lion King's costumes and Mystere's costumes spoiled it for me?

This day proved a new experience for me. I dined on Ethiopian food for the first time. Awaze Tibbs is the dish that I tried. It's beef seasoned with garlic and other spiced seasonings. It's meant to be eaten with injera(?) that is like a spongy like bread. The beef was seasoned to perfection!

The Doc is IN

2011-11-18T21:58:00.003-05:00

We had our office pre Thanksgiving party yesterday. Lots of food. My department was in charge of desserts. I hear that we originally had salads (got changed), and when the party happened our department noticed there was another department that did desserts. I guess no one informed the other department we were doing it.

In the evening I rushed over to Dr. Sketchy's and it was packed! For some reason I expected fewer people. I've never been to the one in Philly, but this one was crazy as I wondered if Philadelphia is the same?

Normally you have your model for how ever many minutes, usually it goes in 1m, 3m, 5m, 10m, 25 min etc increments. During this time you have one model, I STRESS o-n-e model to focus on getting the gesture and rendering detail. This one there is sometimes two even three models in one 5m or 10m session. Thanksgiving was the theme, so a lot of models had sexy turkey costumes or sexy pilgrim costumes. I met a beastly artist. Reminds me of Vic but better anatomy and a cleaner quality.

First ever comp meeting for me

2011-11-16T00:56:00.003-05:00

Little more than a week at the big gun MGM. So many things to write about. One of which can be the new blood, fellow Korean. Will talk about first ever comp meeting. Luxor is going to have a new look. Saw all the comps from my fellow team members and colleagues. I got to offer my professional feedback on one of 'em. This is what is must feel like when I've seen videos of animators get together to discuss their storyboards, etc. Something invigorating about being in a room with all designers knowing you're all working towards the same goal.

Atomic 7

2011-04-24T02:25:00.001-04:00

Visited Atomic 7. I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but this place serves top quality ice cream and milkshakes.

The girl that I ...

2011-03-27T23:06:00.003-04:00

On the ride back from the Cirque Beatles Show, my ex was telling me how she always wanted to see Lion King, and unfortunately this was the last year it was playing. Now I loved the movie. It's one of my favorites. I've always wanted to watch Lion King the musical, but I never had an impending sense of energy to check it out. That being said, this was the urgency. Excited as he11, I booked tickets that night and when Monday came around we enjoyed an incredible show. More on that later ;)

It's a 10.

2011-03-20T05:28:00.003-04:00

I came back from a lovely perfect 10 evening with the ex. We both dressed in perfect 10 attire for a Cirque show, and a satiating experience at a local sushi restuarant.

New Things

2011-02-27T03:51:00.002-05:00

So I left my previous job for a job that I'm loving. It's always a real treat when a job treats it's employees like an adult. I have a tremendous amount of freedom, and the trust they have in me won't fall in the gutter. I have the luxury of working from home, or working in the office on site.

Also, the discount store nearby had an incredible sale on mattresses. I had to pick up one! Plus I needed it.

What's New

2011-02-04T00:14:00.002-05:00

So I got it! I can't wait to get started.

3 Times the Charm?

2011-01-25T22:25:00.002-05:00

So three times within one year. I'm a working man!

2010

2011-01-24T20:12:00.002-05:00

Wicked year it has been. Probably the most memorable year in my adult life. Only because of everything that happened. It started with me leaving my job, which I've been a family with for more than 5 years. Relocating with friends, we drove across country. Under strict destination deadline, we had to travel in a few days. We did end up stopping by Mt. Rushmore. An awesome landmark and home of delicious bison burger! People crazy friendly, too. On the bad side, a friend, who my friend's and I planned on meeting in Chicago, stood us up.

Since arriving at the new chapter in my life, I got a temp job. Unfortunately, it ended after a month. At nearly the same time, my relationship with a very special girl ended. We planned some endearing long-term plans and meant much to me. Not deciding to let things get me down, I began searching for a new job. The next month I got it. I was happy to get a job in a horrible economy. For the next several months, I was employed. During this time my car was in a very costly accident. Costly for me, I learned a very important lesson to not let ANYONE touch my car! In December, things with my job were completely unstable for me. The company was small, and I wasn't getting enough hours. For the holidays, I went back home. Spending time with my brothers and mom. I loved it. Ended up seeing some close friends in Philadelphia. When I left home it was the first time I didn't want to leave. Home sick. In addition, I found out things with my job got worse. I was laid off. When I returned in January I was down and had to pick myself up. I began my search and wondered if I could do it for a third time within the year of my new life.

Short pleasantries

2009-10-28T19:47:00.002-04:00

Yes it has been a while. Was down in Vegas for the first time. It's an amazing and beautiful place. Maybe some people will find that hard to believe seeing that it's a dessert, but it's true! Yesterday I finally got around to update my passport. Well, not that I have been putting it off. More so of waiting for the right time to do it. The studio and I have been working at some internal changes that I feel will better suit the team, and we'll be able to have the opportunity to greater things for the studio.

Extended weekend at Extended Stay

2009-08-17T18:15:00.002-04:00

My eyes awaken, as I mentally recall the weekend that was too short. Plans have been in motion for a bit now to rendezvous with M. Meet up in northern NY for the weekend at a decent hotel. M would Greyhound it south to Syracuse, and I would drive 4 hours up. Always having some sort of trepidation when it comes to long-distance driving, I wasn't a fan of the 8 hour trek and much preferred a public transit travel. Economically speaking; however, driving is the best option, as it saves on money and gives the freedom of driving wherever once M and I were in NY. Friday evening I spent the hours packing up M's belongings to take with me. When I was packing up the 'kit', I realized this is the remaining thing of M's left at my place. Packing up everything took longer that I expected, as it always does. When Saturday morning came around, I was ready to get on the road planned on leaving the house at 7:30. With the kindness of uma I had some packaged food for the hotel stay. Driving the 4 hours wasn't too bad, as I had a pretty energizing music selection from my iPod. On the travel up, M let me know the bus was going to be late, so I waited at the Syracuse Greyhound station for a few hours. I ended up getting there early. During the wait, there was a problem with my car starting. This had happened before and usually charges back up within 2 hours. Waiting inside the station, M had arrived and it was a blast being reunited. After some pleasant pleasantries, we headed to my car and noticed how absent minded I was by leaving the car lights on, which explained the battery drain. See on the travels up to NY there was an heavy fog. I must have lost track of having the lights on. M was starving, but I came prepared with some steamed corn and munchies, which we both snacked on until AAA arrived to save the day. After everything was sorted out, M and I drove to the hotel, which was 15 minutes from the station. Checking in the hotel was a breeze, and we relaxed the remainder of the evening away after spending some quality time in the kitchen and cooking some spicy noodles. I'm not normally a chef by any degree, but I enjoy being in the kitchen with M. Later that night, M was having a harsh migraine, so I ventured out to the lobby to get the location of the closest shop to get some Tylenol Extra Strength. Wegmans was 2 miles away and the trek out wasn't too difficult although if it wasn't for my GPS it would have been. M and I tossed out some ideas for Sunday, and we both agreed on the 2 hour journey up to Niagara. Sunday morning arrived and M wanted to drive to help alleviate any tiredness I would get for my drive back home. With some confusion with where to park, we arrived at Niagara around noon. We walked up to the peak of the falls while enjoying some it water rapids beauty on the hike up. The heat was quite brutal. After some thought, we decided to do the discovery pass, which allotted 5 excursions for only $33. Plus you can use the tickets of the excursions you don't use up until October. Venturing on the Maid of Mist first, the boat ride proved to be exhilarating! Seeing the Horseshoe Falls up close was magnificent and very breathtaking. The noise from the falls made it really difficult to hear anything and the gust of mist clawing away from the falling rapids soaked everything in its path, plus making it difficult to take pictures as I had to constantly clean the lens. Before entering the boat, they suit you in a plastic poncho, but the wind nearly nullifies the effort to keep you dry. The day was moving pretty fast. The time was 5:30 in the evening. From there we set out to do one more excursion and jumped on the trolley, which would take us to the Niagara Aquarium. Having seen the Baltimore Aquarium, this one did not impress me. There was only one level, which wasn't quite big nor didn't have any sea life that you wouldn't see anywhere else. Heads did turn as people noticed the clown fish, which society seems to instantly recognize as "Nemo" thanks to Pixar. After seeing everything on the first level, M and I went to the top floor. Just before we were about to leave the building they announced a sea lion show that was about to start soon. M and I stayed to watch it. The sea lions were trained very well and were very cute. Did you know that sea lions actually swim with their eyes closed? Yes, they do. Their super sensitive long whiskers allow them to feel the vibrations very well under the water as well as in the air. After we left the show and ventured back to the trolley stop, it was getting quite late. When we got back to the parking lot, we noticed it was going to be nearly 9:30 when we arrived back to the hotel.

The air in the room is quite different

2009-07-21T17:51:00.002-04:00

As I enter my room after my 9 to 5 session, the different feeling in the air hit me like a Mack truck. Nor devastation or depression fills me, just a longing for a feeling I know will return.

It's hard to say goodbye to yesterday

2009-07-14T15:07:00.000-04:00

You will be missed!!!!

Last Artists Standing

2009-06-12T15:48:00.002-04:00

In the next coming week, the last Philadelphia convention will take place. My entire studio will be there for a good part of the weekend. We will be at booth 125 in the artist alley.

Have a good one.
Jae

Gift giving

2009-06-06T01:39:00.001-04:00

So I stayed up pretty late creating my special gift package. It's a balance of merchandise, crafted creativity by yours truly, and sweets. Hope it is appreciated.

The sound of a wolf

2009-05-28T22:26:00.002-04:00

It's late night. A bear heard some great news from goldilocks. The type of news to make the coldest porridge taste heart warming. Listening to some Yoko Kanno music. She's definately my all time favorite composer. A true inspiration to my creativity.

New soul sound

2009-05-25T18:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I discovered a new artist for me to enjoy. He's from the U.K and is a singer/songwriter. He has been recently signed under Kanye's G.O.O.D music label. Mr Hudson and the Library. "There will be Tears", "Bread and Roses", and "Supernova" are songs to check out.

Guilty pleasure

2009-05-24T16:55:00.003-04:00

Changing scenery to a new place. Yesterday was filled with a lot of moving, but I still have much more to go. Plus the tough items have yet to be moved to the new digs. Well, today I've been enjoying some guilty pleasure food that I normally abstain from eating. I've been watching the third season of "my boys" and in one of the episodes it talks about people needing to have their 'power down' moments to properly rest. These moments are when you pretty much do nothing while eating whatever makes you happy. In other words, you can say I'm having my 'power down' moment' enjoying my cookies and cream and some fox shows.

Scouting

2009-05-16T16:38:00.002-04:00

After getting myself more familar with some Star Trek movies and clips in prep for the new movie, I headed out to take care of somethings I've been meaning to do. When I used to go indoor rock climbing, I remember a nice grassy area separated from the noises of modern society. In hopes of using that setting for a particular future plan I drove back out there to see if it was what I remembered. Although the area itself was want I wanted in terms of being secluded from too many building and such, I didn't like the high grass. It didn't suit what I wanted, so I went back to the drawing board in my mind to try and think of a better location. I still had errands to run, and there was one stop I wanted to look at. It was extremely out of the way from where I was though and I felt a little sluggish while I still needed to take care of the other errands. After my errands were finished I ended up driving back to my place. As I pulled up to my parking lot, I saw something in not too far distance. A place completely familar but very distant from my memory banks. It was this place that would be ideal. It was this place that I had not realized would be a great location. If I could initiate my plans at the proper time, my vision would materialize and the movie moment in my mind's eye would become a reality.

Utada CD

2009-05-16T02:42:00.003-04:00

This past Tuesday, Utada's new cd came out. I was going to get it as pure support seeing that I already have the digital version. After some research I discovered not only will her songs of this current album be on this cd, but also her Kingdom Hearts music, too! FRACKIN' amazing! Her Japanese works are argueably her best musical compositions, but when it comes to her English works it's widely accepted that her KH music is the best. Plus 'Sanctuary' never got officially released on an album. It'll be great to have those songs on a cd. Maybe I'll have enough time to pick it up this weekend. Got to support my girl. Her unique vision and creativity are a gift to any artist. Ahhhhh.....I need to assemble all her music videos on a cd. I wonder if she'll ever go back to doing some stop motion animation for a video???

Special import

2009-05-16T02:19:00.002-04:00

Have you ever found something incredibly special that all your weaknesses seem to rise to the surface, but you try to keep your bearing. Maybe everyone reading that statement will be confused as heck. Let's just say even the mightiest bears have their soft spots.

With that said, I'm listening to this musician named Brandon. What makes him special is that is American born and bred, but he sings Japanese like a real pro. I love his "Complicated Life" song. Now only if I could get it, so I could have it on my ipod.

The studio is attending ECBACC tomorrow, and it looks like I won't be going. For those that don't know what ECBACC is it stands for the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention. It's the hugest convention honoring black artists on the east coast. Earlier this year, I announced I would be going but only as a supporter. At that time I wanted to support my fellow artist brothers and sisters. I don't mean solely my studio mates either. Plus Sunday there is a convention gig for the studio as well. Deciding to stay home bound, I informed the studio guys I won't be attending either or. I think this will be the first month that I actually don't travel out of town. Hmmmm....well many things I'm trying to clear off my plate.

Short story

2009-05-04T20:52:00.001-04:00

There once was a paladin who roamed the lands in search to find legendary treasures. This paladin wasn't seeking gold, gil, rubys, or anything else of monetary stature. He was on a mission to find treasure that was most important. On this path there were many twists and turns. He wasn't a knight, but he faced and overcame demons. He wasn't a sorcerer but he created magic. Being unsatisfied with results with the search from time to time, the paladin would almost give up any prospects of finding this treasure after all he didn't know what this treasure would be nor what it looked like. After years passing of nothing but seeing gilded gold and fake promises of actual treasure, the paladin saw a light from afar. The light showed him some glimpse of hope that caught his attention, but when he thought he may have caught the light, the light retreated a bit. Being determined, the paladin calmly stayed on the path towards the light until one day it did something magical. One day the light GOT EVEN BRIGHTER. The light's radiance grew to completely awe struck this simple and noble paladin. The light's warmth began to reach out to the paladin till the light completely embraced him. The paladin didn't know what was going to happen next, but knew he found the treasure he was looking for.

12 hours

2009-05-03T20:43:00.002-04:00

There are somethings in life that you can't believe. Recently discovered how I was communicating to someone I know for 12 hours. That's not me, it's crazeeee. I usually don't do the long hour convos.

Take care.
Jae Sahm

Neglect?

2009-05-03T18:52:00.002-04:00

Can't believe I didn't get around to post anything in the past month! Geez. Well, I guess I can say things have been ensnaring my attention lately. Xion has decided to put out a black and white artbook. I got the honor to create the layout for it. Seeing that the layout was black and white I really wanted to exploit the 'draftsmanship' quality of the book. Went with a grungy texture side bar layout with the whole architecture/blueprint grid like quality instead of pure white for the pages. The Xion founder liked it, but once he saw his images on the layout pages he clearly saw this layout to be amazing. I am very pleased and very honored to say the least. I will write more later.

Take care all.
Jae Sahm
BB incorporated.

How I am

2009-03-28T16:38:00.003-04:00

Late night last night. Sometimes when you feel like your creativity is a freight train you just don't want to stop. I had to get up early to get my car inspection renewed. Tried to count sheep after that but dreamland was closed. Rose from bed by a call from Xion founder to go over some flier work another designer did. It wasn't good, or shall I say it didn't have that spark. Need to get back to him/her regarding that. Then went out with some family to a Korean/Vietnamese resturant. Got a call from other studio mate and dealership that car was ready. Picked up the wheels and went to check out some new places to move in. Been trying to get into Beck, but we will see how that goes.

Found you

2009-03-27T22:45:00.002-04:00

A while back ago I found an incredible source for artbooks, including the hard to find Capcom books. While I just remembered the source's name. Digik Gallery. Yep, tons of artbooks there to look through. It's like a feast for the creative mind.

This is the one

2009-03-25T20:29:00.003-04:00

Recently I posted a review of Utada's new English album. I did post here a few days back, so anyone can check that post to see what was written. When I checked on the iTunes review, I noticed it never got posted along with the other reviews. Thinking that it may have been too long or filtered out cause of other reasons I set my fingers typing like a maniac to come up with another shorter review. When I posted that I noticed it didn't post up either. It seemed like iTunes didn't want a review from me, so I turned away. To my surprise, I checked back just minutes ago and I saw my review!!! It's on the third page of the reviews about half way down. Look for the review called "An automatic success..." That's me...what, what!! lol.

On another note, I've been reading Bakuman. It's pretty new and very inspirational!! A story that definitely relates to any artist.

Utada's new album

2009-03-21T21:29:00.002-04:00

I've been following news regarding Utada's new album for a while now. It was released in Japan earlier this March, and I finally got a copy of it. So after a few listens I'm giving my reviews on this. First I'd like to state her Kingdom Hearts music and her old school music like from Deep River resonate more with me. But This is the One is a very enjoyable album. Here's a track by track review:

On and On - Although this song has obnoxious rap background vocals, this song is very catchy and it only gets more so the more you listen to it. This song is prime example of having many Utada-isms meaning her quirky vocal style; i.e, the yodeling in the background, mixed with her weird but memorable lyrical phrases: Honeys, if you're gay, Burn it up, like a gay parade, Honeys, if you're straight, Pump it up, take it all away." "I feel my heart bumping like an 808".

MCML-FYI - She sampled the original pretty well. Other lyrical Utada-isms in this song "Like Captain Picard I'm chilling and flossing..."

Apple & Cinnamon - Very ethereal song. From the little ethereal scattings in the background to the way she stretches out some of the words. A quality she experimented with Ultra Blue then mastered with Heart Station. She has a very repetitive chorus in this song but maybe she's hoping that will make a song with a quirky title like "Apple & Cinnamon" catchy. I personally love those "Oh oh ohs" she ad libs into a song.

Taking My Money Back - Her appreciation for Aaliyah and her music really shows through on this song. This song captures the street R&B vibe really well. Even when she does the "oh, oh, oh, and ah, ah, ah" I can instantly feel Aaliyah doing the same thing.

This One (Crying Like a Child) - This is the purest R&B track of the album, while even though the ablum is R&B the other songs do have a pop influence to them. Some more Utada quality lyrics on this track: "We should get back on the road, Like Simon and Garfunkle". The vocal crying she does when she sings "crying like a child" is a nice touch.

Automatic Part II - Daft Punk fan so I loved the robotic "automatic" in the background of the song. Now some people seem to get this mixed up and were expecting qualities of the original Automatic in this song. NOPE. Automatic was her first song to introduce her to the Japanese markets. What she is taking from that song is the same function. This song is only meant to introduce her quirkiness to the American market. The way it starts off is great, "Hello my name is Utada like dadadada" and the background shouts of Utada saying "get up" is reminiscence of the youthful quality she portrayed in the first one.

Dirty Desire - "Doing my nine to five, I'm thinking six and nine" '"Cause in reality I know you're not mine, I don't want just a fight, I want the full size, Tell her I'll pay the fine" lol.

Poppin - Love this world she warps your mind to on this track. It's like a Pink Panther with a mesh of Nightmare before Christmas in Chicago. Something weird and fresh. Stands out. Enjoyed the sound scattings the post production team integrated with the vocal track.

Come Back to Me - Loved the "photoshop all our bad memories" line. Good track to achieve the mainstream quality she wanted, but this song is kinda plain compared to the rest. Like her vocals but Utada herself can to way better than this cliche Stargate beat. Stargate produced better beats on her other songs though.

Me Muero - Have to agree with Utada on this being her favorite. This song really shows a lot of her characteristics. "Happiness inside a bottle is what I need today" was a pretty clever line. Also, the "Shaba daba shaba daba daba" cracks me up everytime. It's like she's doing the Flinstones yaba dabba! This is the only song she layers her vocal tracks though. It's something she should do more. It really creates this powerful energy that suits her voice well.

The last two tracks are remixes of Come Back to Me. I never really felt remixes hold up to their original, so I'm not going to review those.

Like I said before, listening to this album is very enjoyable. I'm finding new things almost each time I listen to the songs. There were brief previews released to some of the songs, but those did not do this album justice. Hey I feel like I have good tastes, and if you agree with my judgement it means you probably have good tastes too. In the end though, pick up the album and form your own opinions on this despite what reviewers may or may not say.

Each track is growing on me the more I listen to them, but when I first listened to the album these tracks were my favorite: Taking My Money Back, This One, Automatic Part II, and Me Muero.

Take Care,
Jae Sahm

FYI

2009-03-15T21:02:00.003-04:00

Got back from my out of town voyage. Booted up the computer and felt I really have to update this blog! Once again I had to travel out east to take care of studio matters. Got together with a design specialist to work out an invention I have in mind. It was a new experience for me to hunt down materials for this design, but it was extremely fun. Visiting all the shops really expanded my knowledge and realization about some things. The day was a blast. Great conversations and some great eats. I wanted to share some of the left overs and take it to some friends but the restaurant had a policy no take out. I felt since we paid for the food, it was our property and should be allowed to do whatever with it. Later that day I talked with the Xion founder about some of our interests. We ended up gabbing like little school girls, but doing so ended up in a great discussion.

So on my travels back I forced myself to listen to the radio in order to hopefully hear Utada's new English single. Listening to mainstream music isn't the greatest at times, but I felt I needed to do this in order to hear it. No luck though. I'm listening to her other single Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence-FYI.

Talk with you all later.
Jae Sahm

I have a dream

2009-02-27T07:24:00.002-05:00

In a laundromat and on one side of dryer is yours truly and the other side is Jessica Alba. The movie trademark "Silence is Golden" seemed to be the main theme of the encounter until we both started to gab about people's habits almost in a rhetorical question like manner. Jessica mentioned how a lot of people in the business seemed artificial or shall I say no sense of real ambition. Almost as if other people were in it straight for the fame and dollars. I retorted with a enthusiastic wow shock. Never really realized that of her. It was no longer silent as we both flowed in and out of conversation. I got pretty passionate about how people are lazy these days and my goals and dreams with my studio. Jessica then had her clothes sprawled out on top of the laundry machine. I kind of saw everything, I was thinking at the time. Though the conversations seemed to engulf us so much that we both just did what was natural and started to fold clothes. Maybe it was an obvious tendency or maybe it was me being blind, but the next second I realized I had Jessica Alba's underwear in my hands. There was only one thing to do, so I started folding. I wasn't sure how she'd react with someone else touching her unmentionables, so I made certain to have them nicely folded when I gave it back to her. She started laughing. Didn't understand why at first, but then she smiles and looks at me like I've never folded laundry before. She told I folded her underwear like it was a pair of boxers! Jessica told me there is a special way you have to fold these and then approached me. She stood right next to me unfolding her underwear then started to fold them properly. She told me to watch carefully, as it was pretty simple to learn how to fold it. I've never seen this before, but she folded it like her fingers were knitting. She said simple, but I was thinking wow this is insane! Her fingers working at intricate movements. She was folding her panties like they were origami. My mind couldn't follow it all. Then towards the final folding held them up to her face and blew in them. That's right, in them. I was even more confused. Then with a bold proclamation of "TA-DA", she was finished. I was speechless. What she showed me was un-frickin-believable. It was her panties but they were folded to look like this mini vertical shaped finger purse! That was some talent, I thought. I was even more shocked, as she just gave them to me! Told me I can have it! Well, that's what you call a gift bag!

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

NY Con

2009-02-14T22:38:00.000-05:00

Ground Up Studios @ NY Con
(the diet short and sweet so you can draw, write, color, ink, 3D, paint, photograph, cook, best art you ever create with a cold summary)

No sleep for Ground Up. Woke up at 4a.m. Septa bus then blue line to Greyhound. Greyhound bus departed at 7a.m. 2 hours sleep on bus. Arrived at Port Authority NY bus station. We ventured to hotel in extreme cold. Got lost. NY roads are weird. Spent 1 hour or so looking for hotel. Checked in hotel, extremely late for con.

Walked to Javis Center. Hotel was few blocks away and cheap! Extremely crowded in convention. Long line to wait for badges. Got to our booth. Shared with Xion Group. Booth table was tiny. Booth NEVER again. Too pricey for only a piece of cloth. Had to pay extra for another table. Very frustrating. Our prints from Terry didn't come in first day. Only Tess and Sean had prints to sell. Made Henry walk on his solo mission.Very frustrating, did I say that? Henry and Jerald ventured out. They saw what con had to offer. They came back. Elisa made a surprise visit. She brought her friends. The overall day was slow.

Special presentation of DC's new Wonder Woman movie. Sean and Jerald went to see it with Elisa and friends. Bruce Timm was there. He and panel of creators spoke to fans. Sean and Jerald got back to hotel late. Tess and Henry were knocked out. Tess woke. Henry was dead. Henry's socks stink. Hotel was nice and clean and cheap!

Next day. Tess and Sean departed for convention. Henry and Jerald arrived a little later. Ground Up received prints from Terry. Jerald darted off to accompany Elisa get Bruce Timm autograph. Elisa showed her Harley Quinn drawing to BT. Bruce gave two thumbs up. Ground Up Studios had a podcast interview to go to. Shawn Alleyne held down fort. Interview went really well. Black Chun Li and black Robin were there. Later Ground Up had another interview with C TV. Tess wasn't able to participate in that one.

Ground Up Studios was like celebrities. The FF7 girls, Aeris and Tifa, wanted picture with Sean. Sean can't disappoint fans especially ones with cake. Speaking of treats, forgot to mention Ground Up Studios and Xion Group had a healthy does of Ko-Kane. Ko-Kane was right in front of the booth. Sean bought Robotech toys. Transformable. He kept losing pieces to it. The power was too much for him. After party after con. Henry could not go. Tess, Sean, and Jerald darted off for it. Hard to find place, even for locals. After party was no party, so Tess, Sean, and Jerald went after food. Yoshinoya good eats, cheap price.

Final day. Was hectic. Sales went well. Lots of costumes out. Last day for artbook purchasing,etc. Capcom Tribute book whackkk! Don't buy. Sorry Shawn. Sanford Greene and Keron artbook amazing. Shawn and Jerald saw Kelly's sketchbook. Kelly is a closet sketch monster. Don't be fooled by her presence. She is amazing. She has show coming up in April. She and Elisa are partner duo a project. Anticipating that. Day ended. Pack up. A pain. Ground Up Studios with Camal and Rufus went to bus station. Headed back to Philly where the cabs DON'T have tvs buit in.

Fun trip

2009-02-09T18:15:00.001-05:00

An amazing weekend. NY was a blast. Will write more a little later.

Good Feburary

2009-02-04T20:40:00.002-05:00

It's a little after the start of the shortest month of the year and the studio and I are going to kick it off with a public appearance at New York. It's the second time I've been there, but first time as the studio collective. Yeah! So Valentine's Day is approaching and I'm not sure what that will bring. There seems to be many computer viruses going around. Hope the threats die down soon. Recently, I've been working on some verses for a song, but I keep wanting to push it and push the lyrical poetic of it more and more. I guess that's a common problem with any song writer though. In the process of packing for the weekend. Been listening to N.E.R.D's third album a lot. Their first two seemed a little uncharismatic but this one is much improved. Also, checked out Kat Deluna. Utada released her new single from her new english album. I have a feeling it will do well commercially.

Take care everybody.
Jae Sahm

Reseaching

2009-01-19T19:41:00.001-05:00

Been researching some prices on display boards and mounting boards. Probably going to blow up some art for mounting purposes for the studio's future public venues.

I am very late

2009-01-18T00:39:00.002-05:00

I know I'm very with this but congratulations on the New Year. It's probably very obvious how tied up I've been recently. A new con is soon popping up for the studio and I, and we all are preparing for this. It's a big one, too. Hopefully everything goes well. So with the new year brings new happenings, and I just finished the logo for the Xion group. What you don't know what the Xion group is? Well, let me gladly inform you all : ) Xion is a group of artists of all walks of life for the sole purpose to assemble together and get to know all the different talents in the locality. The group's home base resides in Philadelphia, but members come from all areas. It is a free group to attend and major works are in development for the group. Alot of the foundation of group resides in the hope to restore Philadelphia back to an art city, seeing how those so much art talent there. Well, let me get off my soap box now.

See you cyberspace cowboy,

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Yesterday

2008-12-30T23:40:00.002-05:00

Had a discussion with Xion's leader, Shawn, to create a logo for the group. Also proposed my idea of a belt for artists.

Not usual

2008-12-24T01:47:00.001-05:00

Can't sleep. Is the caffeine in tea really that strong?

Not around much

2008-12-23T21:11:00.003-05:00

Of all months, this month is most hectic. The studio has had public appearances and has been scheduling for the '09 year. Fellow artist of Pyroglyphics, Shawn joined us in a recent appearance @ AmeriKick. Met unforgetable people, and it was a blast! But the ups came to a halt as my laptop went amuck. It's still not completely up and running yet. Plus it seems like I'm starting to catch something, and I'm doing my best to fight it. If I get sick it will ruin my 2 weeks of vacation. Agh the same thing happened last year! Aside from that I've been dealing the craziness of this holiday.

Hope I can beat this. : )

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

A little late

2008-12-14T20:28:00.002-05:00

I know I'm five days late with this, but congratulations to Utada Hikaru on her 10th anniversary. 10 years in music is quite an accomplishment, so much congratulations and prosperity to another 1o years.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Network in Phila

2008-12-07T19:35:00.003-05:00

The Comcast Center had a great holiday virtual display! Almost every food venue in the market place offered free assortment of their dishes. Yesterday was the second meeting of the new artist network association housed in Philadelphia. Didn't get to see some faces I was expecting, but everything was cool and the turn out still was great. A slight mishap with the original location had the group switching over to a different location on 39th and Sansom. The basement area we were housed in felt like a speakeasy from the 1980s. A much cooler vibe than our previous place. It was good to hear LL was okay and trying to help a friend with a cooking session, which tied her hands up in trying to attend the network meeting. Later that night the studio and I with Carlos decided to hit the movies at midnight. A few saw Madagascar 2, but others saw Punisher. I can't end this message with something bad, so I'll let everyone in on a little inside info. Ground Up has been planning their con schedule for 2009 and it looks like it will be more appearances than what we normally do!

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Network

2008-12-04T21:40:00.003-05:00

So I got this artist network gathering to head up to and the founder of the organization, Shawn Alleyne, seems to have big plans in store for me. This is what I get for exposing my talents...lol.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

New convention pt.7

2008-12-03T17:55:00.003-05:00

A little wrestling as I was starting to wake. Tried to stay in bed for a few, as I wondered if others were awake and people just wanted me to sleep in. With the intoxicating smell of breakfast lingering in the air, I knew more sleep wasn't an option plus today was another busy day. Who needs an alarm when you can wake up to the smell of good food? I brushed the chompers and headed downstairs. I entered to Mrs. Hickerson slaving at the stove, and I wanted to help. Since I was a guest, I guess she wanted me to just relax so I sat back and watched the movie on tv. Didn't recognize the movie at first but it turned out to be "A Long Kiss Goodnight".

"Don't look at me!" Ashley spoke up trying to cover her face at the time she walked in front of me. She charged in and gave me hug. She sure knows how to make someone feel special. From there I start to hear Leilani and Mike waking from their slumber. Man I must have got the least amount of sleep, but yet why didn't I feel tired. Mike, Ashley, and I sat at the table eating a fantastic prepared meal for us. Asian moms are the best! I don't think L's a big breakfast eater, as she wasn't eating with us. I got to meet L's aunt during this time. She seemed nice. After the meal, we all cleaned up a bit and got ready for the expo. Upstairs Mike and I got ready and when we were finished, L's mom came up to say goodbye. She was on an adventure or darting off to work. Before she left, she told us to take care of A&L. I recognized a mother's care, and in my head I wouldn't let anything happen to them, even though they are strong and could take care of themselves. I headed down to L's basement/room/studio. It was quite big, as I got to see it better in the morning light. I became more familiar with L's artistic tastes, as I looked at her art decor on the walls and artwork she has near her drawing table for inspiration. This must be some innate thing we artists do, plug our inspirational fuel next to our work station. I was in awe, just taking everything in. This is just something weird of me though. I love seeing an artist's workspace. I see a lot of an artist's soul by what they hang on their walls. I already knew L had a gorgeous art mind when she was dropping her comic project on me, but to see all her interests and tastes manifested on her walls was great. I'm such an art geek. lol.

As A&L were getting ready, I showed Mike some music. Ashley came back and the three of us were vibing to some music. L came back and helped A with her make up. Soon we were on the road. We were off to the expo, and while on the road I called Tess to clarify what time she was getting to the GU booth. We arrived in Chinatown to find parking. Ash gave me a stank look when I paid for it. I didn't have any small bills, so this was the easiest way. That is one thing I noticed about L. She just let me offer to pay without giving any sort of remarks. That is refreshing. Nearly everybody has become too sensitive in today's society where if someone wants to treat someone, the other is either on the defensive or very hesitant in letting the other person pay. Well, with that we were off to the convention center. I didn't have a pass, so I had to reconvene with party after I purchased my pass.

During this day, Tess and I had our setup for GU. We had our posters, anthologies, and other comicbook goodies. Showed Mike the Retro Room, where I purchased this huge assortment of all the Megaman art from the show and games. Other than that, customers came in and went. When 3 o'clock rolled around Tess stayed back for the remainder of the expo. I left with Mike, Ash, and Leilani to enjoy the rest of the time. We left and had Steve with us. He's one of L's friends. On our departure, we stopped in the Game Stop on Chestnut. Ash really showed the guy behind the counter that she knows her martial arts flicks. I took this awesome picture of a Korean movie poster. That will be inspiration for my comic series. We left and headed to South St. Ash got some things from a store I couldn't recognize, as I was in the car. There was a little mix up with Ash's uncle, but at the end of the day he met with us later. We went back to Steve's pad, where I got to see Eric Battle's work environment. I was impressed with the huge comic works he had displayed on his wall. After a little socializing and seeing the works he did for Marvel, we left for the Mar Bar. Upon arriving on 40th we met up with Tony then went into the Mar Bar. Never realized it was next to the Bridge.

We got there when everything was being setup, not that we got there early but their crew was a little delayed from a flat tire. Nonetheless, it was still early and no one was there. I decided to get a little appetizer to quench my appetite. Their chicken tenders weren't amazing for their price, but I had to make due.

I could recall much from this night. I had a lot of fun. Both Ash and Leilani are great to dance with, but what was burned into my mind was the last dance that Leilani and I had. I started off the dance by slowly circling her, as she danced in place. I had my eyes on her like she was the only girl in the room. Then as we were both feeling the music we just let the music move us. My arms to the side, as I slowly vibed downward with my head stopping right in front of her pelvic area. I slowly vibed upward and then she did the same to me. Our smiles were so rich that dance, and I couldn't resist being drawn to the way her eyes scrunched up making them look more asian than they are. It became transparent that I wasn't just seeing her emotion. I saw that spark. I saw that twinkle in her eye. It was her glow, it was her soul she was putting on the dance floor. All good things must come to an end, but my soul was crying out for a picture of us at that moment.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

New convention pt.6

2008-12-02T20:28:00.002-05:00

We left Phat Tuesdays and drove Tony back to where he lived. From there since we all were a little lost when it comes to directions--I was thinking it would be nice to have my gps at that moment--Leilani drove back to center city to navigate to Carlos' place from there. Carlos gave me directions to get back to Henry's place, but I guess in the night it was kind of hard to make out some streets and we inevitably went the wrong way. I called Tess to hopefully get us back on track to their place. We were on the road for a long while, L inquired if I needed to go back to their place. I had all my belongings with me. Thank God for condensing it all in my sack pack. L invited me to crash at her place. An incredibly nice gesture but more impressively nice cause I just met her earlier at the expo. She was really appreciative with chipping in for gas, so maybe nice gesture went hand in hand with my nice gesture. I don't know though. I've never had anyone that really nice to me within the first day of meeting someone. Sure I did crash a friend of a friend's place the same day I met them, but that was planned. Everything was spontaneous this night. L had a really nice place in a nice neighborhood. Reminded me of the The Cliffs where I grew up or Green Lane Manor near where I'm at currently. Because of our conversation in the car and I discovered she was a fellow Blasian, it was obvious to take off the shoes after I entered the front door. I met her mother, and like me her mom is asian and father is black. Because of our similar mixed backgrounds, I kinda felt I knew her even without having to ask some questions. L told her mom of me being part black and Korean then her mom asked me something in Korean. I didn't recognize it as a common greeting, so I wasnt able to reciprocate. After L showed me where I was staying, I brushed and all that jazz. She came up one more time to make sure I was alright, and in efforts to spend a little more time before I hit the sack I asked her to show some of her art. Some of her work I remember from when Ashley showed me her site a while back. Great work all around. During the car ride she was telling me about her comic she's been developing, so I know she's an artist that thinks on a high level. I said goodnight to Ashley and Mike, as they were sleeping in Leilani's room. It was a fun day and busy day, and it was time for everyone to rest up.

New convention pt.5

2008-12-01T20:59:00.003-05:00

Okay so Carlos, Mike, Ashley and her uncle, and I all crammed into Leilani's Suzuki. This was one of those really spontaneous decisions for me, and u didn't know how I was going to get home or in this case back to Henry's. Public transit out to H's place wasn't gonna be available for too long. I knew I had to spend time with the ladies, especially since they traveled so far to come out to Philadelphia. I just hoped things worked out later in terms of getting back home.

We drove to South Street and fortunate to find a parking space. It was a tight squeeze; however, Leilani masterfully crammed into the spot. As soon as we tried to fill the parking meter we were approached by a video crew, who asked a really deep question "What is evil?" The women outclassed the men in the response to the question. It was great to hear everyone's different perspective on evil though.

We headed into Phat Tuesdays after our little video fame. At the door they were checking identification, but Ashley forgot hers--so Leilani and her uncle, Tony went back to the car. Mike, Carlos, and I got an order of drinks and waited for the rest to come back. Carlos was generous and picked up the first round, and when everyone else came back we showed Phat Tuesdays that the spotlight was on us!

Everyone danced with each other, there were group dancing, and individuals dancing together. A lot of it was dirty, sexy dancing but all in tremendous fun. Tony really showed up us young guns on what dancing is though. His dance with Leilani was so smooth and elegant. Tony is a tall guy, so I bet that was a little challenging for Leilani. She kept up the dance pace pretty well. Leilani kept doing this slow chest thrust dancing while pouting her lips...sexy! As we all were drinking our drinks, there was this Missy Elliiot type song playing, and I put on my hood making sure it came down below my eyes, jedi style. I felt the song, so I slowly bounced my shoulders back and forth as I was sitting in my seat. It would have been nice to have a picture of that moment : ) When we weren't dancing on the floor, we were dancing in our chairs! Ashley was like the energizer bunny when it came to that. Nonstop! lol. She was really feeling the music. Ashley was trying to share the excitement and brought others onto the dance floor. There was this older lady that seemed to not want anthing to do with dancing when Ashley tried to get her on the floor. We all had fun and ended up staying there til nearly 2 in the morning.

This is getting quite long, so I will continue it later.

Black Friday

2008-11-28T13:57:00.003-05:00

In the waiting room at the car dealership right now. Planned on getting up at 3:30am to avoid the long line hassles of this day, I discovered my plans weren't going to go the way I thought as I sluggishly stayed in bed. Ended up staying up later than anticipated on turkey day night. Finally got up 2 hours past my intended departure time and went to check out what deals I could get on webcams, as well as paroose potential holiday gifts. No specials to lure me in, so I left. Starting to get hungry, I satified my appetite back at the studio then went out to shop for clothes. Got some great deals and decided to get Kayne's and John Legend new album at the nearby Borders. Everything seemed to flow well as I finished all my shopping in time to make prenoon movie. Wanted to check out the new Quantom of Solice. Daniel Craig seems to fill out the James Bond role pretty well. Enjoyed the movie and fellow artist Alichia Keys sung a great opening theme. The movie ended at the right time, which leads to where I'm at now, the waiting room.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Turkey Day

2008-11-27T11:12:00.002-05:00

In the states, today is the day that families celebrate this day of a hearty and warm meal. May everyone enjoy this day and enjoy their meal.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

New convention pt. 4

2008-11-26T07:45:00.003-05:00

Who knew the first ever Video Gaming Expo in Philadelphia would be this amazing. The expo itself was still an infant in many ways, but my overall time through the weekend was an unforgettable one.

There was a massive line waiting to get in as more and more people came through the doors. I was fortunate that I had a badge waiting for me when I arrived. I met up with another studio member Henry and Philadelphia native Carlos, and we headed up to the central exhibit where all the vendors were and the different activities. I was expecting the area to have a fuller appearance but many people said they expected it to be smaller. We saw many lame activities, but I did purchase a 200-300 page Megaman artworks book in the expo's Retro Room. The book is amazing. It showcased all the art from all the game titles and shows.

The Retro Room was great. It showcased a museum of all the past gaming consoles. We got a kick from the huge Neo Geo cartridge. Headed back to the central exhibit, we bumped into Chicago's native Ashley Woods. She welcomed me with a huge hug, as it is always a delight to see her. I got to meet her writer on her series, Michael Smith II. I got a call from another studio member Will Jones, as he was jokingly disappointed on how he wasn't informed on this until the last minute. Eventually Tate showed up and we passed out studio fliers and such. I met up with Shawn Alleyne and his wife. They were doing well. He had a booth as well. Right next to Ashley's. Right after some hang time with the studio members, we huddled around Ashley's table. Tess was talking to Leilani, who I never met before but knew of her rep. I eventually got to introduce myself to her. We all got invited to Smoke's VIP after con party.

During the line gathering of the VIP party, the studio members as well as some of members from New Bound all got into a rowdy excitement. Discussing art, debating some comic issues, and talking the time away were some of the things we were doing awaiting for things to start. As everyone entered in the room and got seated, entertainment began and people starting to drink. Some of us decided to bail after the first hour. We headed out. It seemed to be pretty group heavy, but at the end of it, it only was Carlos and I that went with Leilani, Ashley, her uncle, and Mike to the bar. Even thought it was the end and I parted with Ground Up, this was only the beginning of the incredible weekend extravaganza!

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

New convention pt.3

2008-11-23T18:59:00.002-05:00

Holla. This has been a blast. The VIP gatherings and the after parties! Soon I have to dart off.

New convention pt.2

2008-11-22T10:53:00.002-05:00

Apparently my studio colleague confirmed the attendance level is high at the premiere video game convention I mentioned a few days ago! Let's see if my buddy can pull off this favor for me , so I don't have to deal with the large crowds. Almost there. Will report back on the event highlight.

Take care.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

The secret to marriage

2008-11-21T07:28:00.002-05:00

When I was out running errands mid afternoon yesterday, I noticed an older couple having trouble adding air to their tires. Glancing at the situation at first, I thought there was trouble with the air machine, and I would have to go elsewhere to do the same. Went out to get a better understanding of the situation. It appeared the man was having some trouble bending down in order to fill his tires with the air hose. He remarked, "They sure changed the way you do this." I could relate to him as when I first used this type of air hose I was a little baffled, and I eagerly helped the couple out.

As I was filling up the four tires of their car, I engaged in conversation with the gentleman. It appears that he has been married for 25 years and has been through the wires as this was his second marriage. Deciding to learn some wisdom from an experienced soul, I asked him what the secret to marriage was. A few of his words I have heard before, but he definitely remarked on some important thoughts.

"Never go to bed unhappy," his first majestic words. He elaborated on this concept. In a successful marriage you need to understand each other. Don't be so resilient. Don't snap back. Listen to each other. (I took this advice similar to the thought of fighting fire with water. If you used fire to fight back that would just cause more fire.) He stated, "There will be disagreements but don't argue. Your decisions should be a compromise." With all this said, it's easy to wonder, "What if you can't compromise with each other?" He gracefully answered, "You have to find the right person."

I hope this advice can benefit others, as it has given me some things to think about.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Great thing

2008-11-19T22:07:00.002-05:00

Just letting you all know the gang has a scheduled public appearance soon.

I'm pretty sure

2008-11-19T07:51:00.002-05:00

Sometimes when I travel I decide to take the train. It's just comforting to be able to relax on it or get some pressing work done for clients or needed projects. I purchased my boarding pass early to take advantage of my AAA discount! Yep, yep!

I noticed a tall woman in a black elegant yet powerful long coat from my peripheral vision. The train teller, if that is what you call them, was handing my pass to me at the same time the woman walked in back of me. I double checked my tickets. Extra cautious now because last time my tickets were messed up!

I began to leave when the woman said, "You forgot your wallet". There was a wallet on the counter. I replied, "That is not my wallet". Only catching a profile view of her face, I began to think I'm pretty sure that's Famke Jannsen.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Surprise!

2008-11-18T21:23:00.003-05:00

Some people love it, some will dread it.

Today was the first day of snowfall. = ] ... : |

New convention pt.1

2008-11-18T07:56:00.001-05:00

A new convention is coming to Philadelphia. Don't have much time to talk about it right now, I have to dart off pretty soon. It looks like I will be traveling there to check it out though.

Brrrrrrr...

2008-11-17T21:19:00.002-05:00

It's starting to get nippy out. I wonder if this means the weather will be brutal in February and March O__O?

I Had A Dream...

2008-11-17T07:30:00.002-05:00

Soft feathered bed I lay.

Dream that carried me away.

Familiar face of high school day.

Leaves the college that I stay.

But lets me know his eyes on pink-kay.

This I hear but do not care

My mind on girl with magenta pinkish shirt she wear

Never seen her, nor her face comes to mind.

I bump into her and make eye contact a few times.

Her face round yet skinny it appears to be

On the second random meet I to ask if she

would want to head to Starbucks for some coffee or tea.

Replies certainly.

Walking down the street, the weather has a slight breeze.

Take off my coat and drape it on her to lay her chills at ease.

Umm Ummm

2008-11-13T22:15:00.001-05:00

Soul Eater is excellent!

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

iVote

2008-11-04T15:33:00.002-05:00

Big day today as the nation and it's citizens head out to the polls to determine the future of the country.

Book signing

2008-10-23T20:37:00.002-04:00

Book signing this weekend of fellow studio mate. Yours truly will be there also. Plan on bringing some guests, so please show your support!

Corner of Street Rd and Bustleton Pk. Feasterville, Pa 19053.

Cleaning up my playlists

2008-10-12T18:44:00.002-04:00

Had a lately music surge listening to music that moves me. Amerie's All I Have & her latest Because I Love It. She's the same as me, well in terms of her bio anyway. I'm impressed with Karina's mature but youthful sense of singing. I love 16 @ war! Tamia has an incredible voice, too. My iTunes is now cleaned up and properly sorted.

Sorry, long time

2008-10-09T07:44:00.003-04:00

It's been a while. Sorry for the delay. You can forget things when you have many deadlines. So what's new? The studio guys & I came back from our Baltimore convention a few weeks ago. Funny thing is that the registration center lost our table. We had no where to sell our new works! We made the most of it and enjoyed the time. I did purchase some books and we all reconnected with other artists. The hotel had a mess up with our room, but they were nice to fix the problem by giving us another room. The harbor was nice to revisit as well. The Ritas my studio mate and I stopped turned out to be enjoyable. The Ritas employee and I exchanged some flirtatious banter, which makes everyone feel good. At the end, I got my studio mate a free Ritas for his next time.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

California weekend

2008-09-14T20:01:00.003-04:00

Meetballs, studio work, & the O.C. apparently mix well. Always wanted to check out the first season. I understand why it had the impressive ratings when it originally aired. I loved Anna's character. Very cool. It was sad to see her go.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Eating a sausage and egg omlette with a tall glass of milk on the side

2008-09-09T07:38:00.002-04:00

The rain outside seems to be steadily on the down pour. The splatter of water droplets hitting the leaves and the thunderous roar from the sky are pretty dominant today.

Well, I'd thought people would like to know that I finished a new set of studio ads along with our new book. Looking forward to all you guys seeing it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Something old but something new

2008-09-05T07:50:00.004-04:00

I remember seeing an advertisement on a show called My Boys before it started to air. I have to admit I haven't been watching much of anything these days, but I did get to check some episodes. The fresh take on a female lead as well as it's supporting cast is intriguing to watch.

Welcome back, Ellicott City

2008-08-17T16:56:00.002-04:00

My return to the city where a little bit of Korea lives. Went to the same place, Lotte, to dine. Decided to try a different food station though and ordered a bento box. Looked very appetizing and had some assorted Korean cuisine in it. This type of dish is most famous from Japanese culinary, but it was Korea that originally created the design of the food box. There was rice, kimchi, tempura with soy sauce, noodles and beef.

Then headed to a nearby Hanareum, which is a popular Korean food restaurant/grocery chain. Apparently Korea president's brother is in charge of the entire food chain here in the states. There was a lower level store section where their were a good bit of things. Some vibrant hanbok clothing, nice techy rice cookers, and some well crafted Korean furniture.

Passing by the books really caught my attention. If I had more time, I would have loved to spend more time looking through all the different types of books they had.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

1 for 4

2008-08-11T07:00:00.002-04:00

Hey all.

I wanted to write this earlier yesterday but I guess I was too tired from my travels. Traveling to Philly, I had a wedding to attend. Being on a major work efficiency high recently, I didn't feel like going; however, I'm very glad I did. Just an amazing time. It felt good to reacquaint connections from familiar faces and get to know some new faces. Dancing, photo-taking, and food consumption is what can sum up the wedding. Mixed with some laughter from some of the wedding activities kept the event lively. Plus the table I was at tended to be the life of the crowd. It was a good feeling. Looking stylish, I got some great remarks on my attire. I came prepared in a Billy London thin-pin-stripe suit. Loved the way BL suits tend to be more form fitting. The after party was at a small over populated club that made it difficult to hit the dance floor. It was a good time nonetheless. It was really late pushing on 4 am at that time, but a few others and myself still hit the streets for some late late activities. We tried this club in the Spring Garden area, but too much of a crowd. Plus our go-to connection was at a karaoke bar we ended up attending. Got there but our connection was on his way out. The night time stroll through the streets of Philadelphia was nice with the small group of us.

Write again later,

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

In addition

2008-08-07T21:54:00.001-04:00

And Kweli's Ms.Hill playing on Pandora! Awesome. The music gods must have sensed this was my last frame! Haha.

Last frame!

2008-08-07T21:49:00.001-04:00

I will put all my energy into to animating this last frame.

Got an idea

2008-08-06T22:27:00.002-04:00

This idea came to me while thinking about the recent success of the Goulash. It's a very meaningful idea because it has me back doing animation work, and not only that but back to me diving into motion graphic animation as well! Don't want to reveal everything just yet, but I have been working diligently on it.

Thanks all for reading.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Already August

2008-08-05T07:49:00.002-04:00

It's already past the mid year. There has been a steady heat this summer. I hope people have been surviving the heat.

In other news Utada updated her news regarding her music status. My educated guess is that it involves her upcoming English album. She stated, "working on U.S. related things and doing recordings with various kinds of people".

My guess is all her fans are probably interpreting those words differently, but the world will see whom she works with regarding her statement.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Drawing like crazy

2008-08-02T00:57:00.002-04:00

Ever since I collaborated my illustrations with a studio mate's colors, I've been drawing my pants off. Plus with a very good successful start with the Goulash, inspiration to draw has been high.

Btw, everything went fine at the dentist's office. No cavities!

Thanks for your concerns.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Sitting in the dentist's office

2008-07-30T17:20:00.002-04:00

Hearing the suction hose in the back offices brings a slight anxious jitter sensation. Mostly because it's been some time I visited. I hope everything goes fine.

Concept Goulash

2008-07-26T13:25:00.002-04:00

Their site has been launched. It features work I have done. Check it out. Concept Goulash

The end of a great series

2008-07-19T21:59:00.003-04:00

It's over. *Tears, tears*

The end of Aang, Kitara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Zuko, and the other crew.

The final episode

2008-07-19T14:51:00.002-04:00

It all comes to an end. The final chapter. All our questions answered. The long wait has finally arrived: TONIGHT.

Through the past 3 years I've been watching the American produced cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. Anybody who solely saw the first season would never expect this show to go to the level of depths this show went to during the second and third season. In fact some friends I know didn't think this show was anything significant from viewing the first season. BUT LET ME TELL YA, this series became legendary when the insane level of character development, intriguing story development and growth, and top quality of animation unraveled in midst second season. Now if I may say, the first season had those traits as well, but with the stride of the second season things had a more mysterious mature slant that really helped juxtapose the cartoon which featured kids as the heroes of this tale. Another quality this show brought to the table was a fierce ability to capture viewer's interest with well-written season endings and openers.

Each season seemed to surpass the previous and season 3 has been insanely incredible--not in any way exception to the rule. Now with that said, this series always seemed to have a weird broadcast schedule. For season 3 they tried doing something different and airing the first half of the season continously. That first half ended a while back at last year's end. The second half has started back up and all has been forgotten. This proves the fact that QUALITY can be a tool for forgiveness. The last half hour episode ended last night, but the adventure concludes as a 2 hour movie: TONIGHT!

8 e.s.t on Nickelodeon. It's a must watch!!!

Thanks for reading.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

App store

2008-07-16T08:05:00.003-04:00

So Apple has released their new iphone/iTouch firmware 2.0 update recently. With this update came the App store. I have to say I love this feature. It is so cool! I'm shocked to find the amount of free applications on the App store! I will have to post some of my favorite apps in days to come.

Thanks for reading.

Jae Sahm
Korean designer

Putt-putt, 27 a go-go

2008-07-15T22:00:00.003-04:00

Celebrated a recent birthday and have been practicing my golf game. I now understand why so many people love to play golf.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

New studio arrangment for the new arrival

2008-07-02T19:01:00.002-04:00

Have a new arrival coming to my family! Got to arrange my work area for a more spacious setup.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

I found my summer drink

2008-06-29T21:42:00.002-04:00

The iced tea chai latte. Yep, um um good. For the summer heat I can drink the iced tea version and for the cold days I can drink the regular chai tea version.

Jae Sahm
Korean Designer

Industry looses another

2008-06-28T21:13:00.000-04:00

First Wieringo now this! The nice guys in comics are being taken away from us! In fact, I didn't want to believe it when a friend first told me. I had to wikipedia it because everyone knows it's not true unless it is on wikipedia. lol. Michael you left us too early. Anyone who met you could instantly tell you were the humblest and nicest guy in comics.

It hasn't completely sunk in for me, but I do realize I will never get to tell you why you were a hero to me.

Like you I was never a comic guy growing up. Never knew the characters and never hung out with people who shared that interest. Like you I was never a serious art guy growing up. But you changed that.

Looking through a Wizard comics magazine issue, I saw your very first sketches on your debuting Fathom series back in '98. It blew me away. Maybe there was a bias to it also, as I was/am a huge water guy. I constantly looked at that. In fact the Wizard I was looking through was a friend's, and I went to get my own copy just for your sketches. I never knew of the prior comic artist gurus, but because of your art bringing me into that world, I was able to appreciate Lee, Kirby, Silvestri, Mack, Romita, Campbell, Mad, and more. I guess you were the 'gateway' artist for me. Still to this day I feel like I'm not a huge comic book guy by any means, but what you did was to get me to appreciate it on an illustration level, seeing comic art as a vital source of inspiration. From that I've learned I must do the same thing. The way you gave me the gift of art is what I vowed to do to the younger generation on that day in my high school years. I never told this story to anyone until now, and now you'll never get to know how much of a hero you were in my eyes.

Don't worry, I will carry your legacy.

My heart goes out to you Grace. Your son will be missed.

Minor

2008-06-28T00:47:00.003-04:00

You can be the smartest person on the planet, but why does it seem like those minor mistakes seem to get the best of us. I'm sure all of you have your very own examples of this!

Jae Sahm
Korean designer

Screen in motion

2008-06-25T19:15:00.001-04:00

Whooo yeah. Lovin' my new Utada screen saver. So simple yet elegant. Need to find out how to make them.

Jae Sahm
Korean designer

Sunburn, not this time!

2008-06-22T11:43:00.002-04:00

Another annual Relay for Life has ended. The attendance level wasn't as much as previously, but a lot of factors contributed to this. We didn't have the same amount of teams and the economy isn't in the best shape right now. Plus the killer cost of gas has to be affecting everyone! Aside from that the weather was good. A slight dabble of rain, but it wasn't anything to cause great worry. This year also marked some changes in our committee. This year I tried to stay awake for the whole thing, but apparently I did fall asleep for an hour. Also, I hear my little slumber was caught on film! That's okay. At least I wasn't wrapped with caution tape and had gummy worms tossed on me! It's cruel how we committee treat a cancer society staffer. Only out of love though! With that said, it was exhausting! You appreciate sleep after an event like this.

Jae Sahm
American-Korean born designer.

Few hours away

2008-06-19T21:15:00.002-04:00

I should be hibernating now in preparation for the big event tomorrow. Last year I was awake for 33 hours straight. We will see. This time tomorrow, the crowd should be in their community tents. I will do my best. Count down to Relay!!!

Jae Sahm
American-Korean born designer

Common courtesy is gone?

2008-06-18T21:23:00.002-04:00

What happened? Did I not get the memo? When did this happen?

After work in the office I had do a lot of errands. Go to pick up my laptop from the repair shop, go help load a truck in prep of a huge cancer volunteer event I participate in the past few years, and travel really out of the way to the other computer store branch where my laptop actually was. With all that traveling I promised to meet up with someone to get my flash drive back, as I was helping her with a job situation. So I travel all the extra extra miles to meet her at her job to find out she wasn't working this day! What in the world.

Common courtesy = a call to let me know she wasn't going to be in so I didn't have to travel all the way for nothing.

Jae Sahm
American-Korean born designer

Saving lives one by one

2008-06-11T08:22:00.003-04:00

That's right. Not only can I put together some spiffy creative visuals, but I also moonlight as a hero!

Driving on minimal gas, I made it to the pumps in time. The heat unbearable and quite oppressive.

A SUV in front of me. Passengers seemed to be beach ready. 3 kids in the back, two adults in the front. This SUV also seemed to be with two other beach ready cars.

Having trouble with the gas pump, I kept pushing the start button to get it working. As this caused a half minute to a minute delay, I noticed the SUV in front of me driving away.

"Oh no watch out!"

The car was driving off with the gas pump still in the car!

Jae Sahm
American-Korean born designer

Motivation on high

2008-06-07T21:18:00.002-04:00

Been getting a lot work done lately, which is why I haven't been around much.

On a huge motivation high. = )

Listening to The Velvet Rope as I'm in this intense work mode.

The art process

2008-05-30T18:31:00.002-04:00

I recently checked out Utada's new music video. I was blown away. No flashing lights or high intense special effects. It was the theme of the video that impressed this wide eyed wanderer. I can't recall it ever being done, but she took the process and struggles of what an artist goes through when creating a piece of work and captured that on video. This idea worked well for two major reasons. Utada herself writes, produces, and creates all aspects of her music. From producing the melody, then writing the song to the melody, and the final stage of singing it is what she is known for doing. To make a long story short, because she naturally does this, the video came off very genuine. The second reason it worked is because she works this way on every album and song she has created, Utada knew what parts of the creating process to show off and when to show them. I recommend checking out the video. Go on Youtube and search Prisoner of Love PV. It should be around 4-5 minutes. It takes place in a really spacious studio with minimum furnishing, and showcases her singing the final song as it transitions to her creating the song.

Take care.

Jae Sahm
American-Korean designer

ECBACC continuation...

2008-05-23T22:32:00.004-04:00

Sorry about that. My intent was not to split this entry into two but it turned out a good thing. The other message was getting too long and I had to go away from the computer.

I left off with Ashley's remark previously. Along those lines, I've had some intriguing remarks concerning that topic, but her reaction definitely makes an impression. After the introduction, Will and I found ourselves talking with Mrs. Woods. The mother behind the artist. I have this theory that you can tell how "cool", I mean truly cool not popularity cool, someone is by the mother. You can really tell if someone has a good head on their shoulders by the mother. It's a test that never failed me thus far, and certainly did not let me down on this day. It was the first time they were in the area, let alone the state. I rarely get to see an out-of-towner's POV of the city. At this time, Ashley had customers lining up at her table, so she needed to attend to them. From that moment, Ashley wanted to get a GUS group picture. I was definitely up for that, and I knew the guys would be, too!

The two of us headed back to the outside table area and talked studio business. Some of us parted for a moment and did our own things. Will talked about an intriguing idea that I knew about but wanted him to use this time specifically to get the group involved in the idea. One of more recent members and heavy hitter in studio works had to leave out early. Sorry Tate! Truly I am. I forgot to mention to you about the group photo. I know he would have loved to be there if he could, but he had arrangements he had to attend. Speaking of the group photo, another studio mate and I decided to buy some of Ashley's merchandise. This was nearing the closing hour of the convention and was the catalyst to the group assembling for the picture. Unbeknown at the time, my camera that Ashley handed to her mother was set on movie mode and not picture mode. She took a picture on her camera then 2 on mine. The first time was a test shot apparently. The second was clincher. To me it didn't matter how many pictures were taken. Ashley looked gorgeous, and I had this talented woman standing next to me during the photos. A memorable moment indeed.

We left each other with an exchange of not "goodbyes" but a definite "see you later". This girl has a good head on her shoulders and strong motivation. A rare gem nowadays.

We will see you again.

Jae Sahm
American-Korean designer

Artists Assemble!!

2008-05-23T17:59:00.003-04:00

Last weekend was ECBACC, which highlighted two important things! We had Chicago's own Ashley Woods visit as she was promoting her works and the members of GUS back together after a long awaited unified gathering. All the artists under one roof is really a commemorative event. GUS was more so there as support, not really promoting any works at the con. Not this time anyway! I remember being really starved when I got in so getting some eats was a high priority. Before I get into the events within the con, I want to mention parking wasn't too bad. In fact that wasn't the problem. Getting to Anderson Hall by foot was the confusing journey. Relying on my phones navigation wasn't working, so we scurried to find the campus maps. Yes this con was at a college campus. We ended up finding our way, and soon as we entered the building someone mentioned Ash's table was the first one closest to the entrance. Smart choice. I wonder if she'd kill us if she found out we passed her by. I'm sorry, but I felt I needed nourishment right away Ashley! There was a nice table area outside that the studio members and I ate our food. After a studio rumbling with another studio, another GUS founder and I decided to introduce ourselves to the Chicago diva of art. There were many customers she was attending to, so my studio mate, Will and I took in all the merchandise she had at her table and scoped out the nearby talent next to Woods. I didn't think much at the time, but when Will & I introduced ourselves I got a now memorable reaction from her. "I thought you were black!" she exclaims. "I thought you had a really low cut afro and weared glasses!" she continues. Then she pointed to my colleague and stated, "I pictured you looked more like him."

Now I know people are thinking, wait you just met her, how could she have any idea what you look like. Yes we did just met her at that time; however, Ash and I have been exchanging emails for months now. I've never described myself or anything, she just put two & two together from my name. The thing is, my name, my REAL name is quite deceptive. Never really thought about how she'd react though. After all she only knew my name.

Sorry folks, this is getting quite long & I have to step out. To be continued, on another menu. LOL!

Things I do

2008-05-14T20:26:00.004-04:00

Only a few more days left until my appearance at ECBACC.

Unfortunately, I have morning obligations and I can't make it there as early as I planned.

On another note, I have to get illustrations done for a studio printed works, and I'm still up in the air on what the illustrations should be???? o__O

When I normally get this mental block I seem to have the habit of bombarding my soul with as much music as possible. The constant tunes playing help nurture motivation.

Well back to the drawing board!

Jae Sahm
American-Korean Designer

4 more days, 5 more days

2008-05-12T18:33:00.002-04:00

It's going to be 4 more days until ECBACC; however, I won't be appearing until 5 days from now. Scheduling conflicts prohibit me from arriving sooner, but that's how the cards are dealt. Fellow artist, Ashley Woods will be flying in from Chicago to meet with the studio and myself. Should be an interesting time. It will be my first appearance there while the other studio mates have attended in the past.

Have a good one.

Jae Sahm
American-Korean Designer

Mothers

2008-05-11T12:35:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!!

To all those sons, daughters, and husbands let her know how special she is.

Jae Sahm
American-Korean Designer

Umm umm good

2008-05-05T21:07:00.003-04:00

Recently I got a paper shredder for my studio office. Nothing flashy just something to get the job done but I was surprised how many documents I had to shred! Too much. It has been a long time in the making for me to get rid of some old paperwork. I can be a pack rat at times. I put this little shredder through some trials & tribulations, and I am impressed with its performance.

With regards to the movies from the other day, they were most enjoyable. The second movie was Forbidden Kingdom with the two martial art gurus Jackie and Jet. A newbie actress showed up for me, Liu Yifei. I was impressed by her natural beauty and dolled up beauty in the movie.

Out of the back to back movies, Iron Man stole the award for the best movie that day. Usually I find the superhero genre lacking in some part or another. Not to say I don't like that genre. Actually, I love Spiderman; however, even with that the movies never showed off Spidey's true comedic humor and his "thinking" mind in defeating his foes. Iron Man had everything! Had the classic Tony Stark suaveness with the ladies, the glamour of cool technology, and a kick@ss armor suit. This movie really shows you the power of CG, as all of the computer graphics were impressive. I also loved the "super hero alter ego shift" when Tony was in the suit. Not just Tony though, but also the "other guy". By the way, I'm only phrasing it as the other guy, so I don't spoil anything. Three words: Umm umm good.

Thanks for reading!

Jae Sahm

Heading to the theater

2008-05-04T09:05:00.003-04:00

Another one of those extra hour work days last night, but today I'm hoping it's worth it. As normal arrangements of the website meeting was swapped for back to back movie enjoyment. Finding that one movie that you want to catch with your friends may sometimes be difficult. Whether it may be syncing up your schedules or finding the right movie for everyone to enjoy; however, not only was today an opportunity for that, but also getting two movies that everyone would enjoy seeing right after the other is the tricky part.

So let's hope expectations are met. Woot! Woot!

Jae Sahm

Her voice

2008-05-02T17:58:00.003-04:00

Lately I've been listening to the Genesis of Aquarion soundtrack. The series was recommended to me by a fellow studio mate, and the soundtrack is mostly praised for the impeccable quality of the composer, Yoko Kanno.

Disappointed at first by the few actual Yoko songs on the soundtrack, a few additional listens has made me mesmerized. Yoko is of course awesome, but whom I'm really referring to is Akino Arai. Known simply by the name AKINO, she's got this voice that is just gorgeous. There's this hauntingly pure quality to it that's really hard to describe, so let's just sum her voice as the equivalent of a woman lifting you up to the heavens and soaring to the clouds. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

She's got 3 songs on the soundtrack, and I've been listening to her songs more than Yoko's songs. lol. Akino is no stranger though. She's been around for a bit, as I discovered she also did the song "Voices", the song she's well known for and my favorite song off the Macross Plus soundtrack. A truly remarkable woman with a special voice. Hope to hear more amazing songs from you AKINO, and if not I will surely treasure the ones that I have : )

Aaaahhh. Is it insane to be in love with her solely from her voice???
Stop it. Stop it! Got to focus.

Jae Sahm

Avoid that brainfreeze!

2008-05-01T15:47:00.002-04:00

With spring season full fledged thus year it means one obvious thing. Spring showers of course, but more
importantly the return of Ritas! Who's Ritas you may ask? The bbbbeessssssssst icees on the planet. Don't be fooled by cheapo imitations! Ritas will treat you right. Make sure you done eat it too fast!

Jae Sahm

Evil genius

2008-04-30T20:39:00.002-04:00

Gotten back to the drawing table to do some serious character illustration work. With my schedule recently, my only creative outlet seemed to result in digital media creation. I love being creative bar none, but I'm an illustrator at heart--so whenever I get back at the table it's great. Things are going pretty smmmooothly, too. When you're really young drawing is focused to be fun, as it should be that way. When you get older and drawing becomes work, it should naturally get frustrating at times because if you think about it drawing is merely a creative manifestation of continuous intense mental problem solving. How does the size of this arm relate to the body's torso? The size of the forearm should = distance from top of the shoulder to base of elbow. Do the size of the legs, arms, upper torso all support the size of the head? Do these two characters fall in correct perspective with the other characters in the scene? There are a multitude of questions/answers bombarding one's thought process for illustration work. Illustrators = Intelligence.

As I watch House though, I realize Intelligence = Humor. House you are an evil genius!! You make being a jerk so much fun to watch. But you're not just a jerk, you're the Nobel prize of jerks. lol. Ahhh, most people dream of high intelligence for the smarts, but to have that level of genius for the sake of being a jerk would be fun! Ok, maybe not. At least it's fun to watch though.

Good Night and Good Bye.

Jae Sahm

Meaning of mainstream

2008-04-30T19:55:00.001-04:00

Mainstream=popular=lots of radio playtime : )

Yessss, House is back on!

Jae Sahm