It has been the crappiest past few weeks. When I was choosing modules for the semester that had just passed, I figured having 2 projects and 2 exams would be manageable, but I was sorely wrong. I think part of the reason why the semester was really a struggle was due to the sub-standard lecturers. I don't know how the future batches are going to cope without any at all, though, since all UniSIM courses will be going towards fully e-learning.

That said, some of my classmates and I did wonder if things would be much better sans them crappy lecturers. I mean, I recall that the Audio Technology and Video Technology lecturer (same person) actually made me question what I know to be correct (due to having gone through some similar modules for my Diploma), and I found out that yes, I was correct, but the way he explained the topic was just... Crap.

This is beginning to sound like another "Dissatisfaction..." entry, but it's not supposed to be. I put a lot more thought into those kinda entries. Haha.

Anyway, the past few weeks saw me literally at home, doing both my projects and revising for exams, and not going out. At all. In fact, Raya came and went and I only went out once, on the first day. That's it. I didn't get to step out of my house at all after that, until Raya ended (thereabouts).

The times I went out were when exam loomed near, and I went to study with my classmates. Only when the first study session came along did I shave my 2-weeks old 'stache and beard. Which looked like crap, by the way. There were some patches where it just seemed like I have no hair follicles there. Haha. I can't grow proper facial hair!

I almost took pictures, but I didn't. 'Cause I really looked stupid. Sorry, those voyeurs out there reading this! (And by that, I really mean just you, Amir. =p)

So, did all the studying pay out? Too early to tell, I suppose, but I didn't feel very good about how I did my exam papers... There were a few traps in some of the questions which I fell into. Dammit. I am usually more careful than that! And you know how sometimes, it's just really about luck, when you open up that question paper? I guess I got really unlucky this time around 'cause all the things that I focused extra on weren't tested at all. And also I suppose I could blame the lecturer who gave stupid tips that didn't pan out and got me focused on different things compared to if I hadn't listen to those tips in the first place.

But I'm not one to place all the blame on people that are not myself. I blame myself for not being able to complete my revision, and revising extra which I usually do. I couldn't because I was rushing my Fundamentals of Graphics Design and Advanced Graphics Design projects, which were due 1 day before the Audio Technology and Video Technology exams. I kept putting off starting the projects, and that really got me 'cause, being a total noob at 3DS Max, I took a long time to model the stuff needed. And there were times when I just did everything so wrong, that I had to redo from scratch. Several times.

When I was working on the 3DS Max models, I kept thinking I should study for the exams. And when I was studying, I kept thinking I should work on the models. Having a split focus was such a bitch.

And I really should've started studying way earlier, so that I had more time to work on the models. I keep telling myself that I should do that... Study much earlier, before the study break starts... But I never did. I have to try harder next semester. When 4th November rolled around, I was up all morning from the previous night working on the models and it didn't help that rendering took such a long time. (I need a new computer system!) The projects needed to be burned to CD and submitted to UniSIM's exam office before 7:30 pm that evening, and I was planning to submit them earlier, then meet with classmates for another group study. The day before, we had decided to meet at 2 pm at school.

But when 12 pm came, I was so sleepy, I knew that if I went to school without any sleep, I wouldn't be able to study at all. So I took a leaf from one of my classmates, Adeline, and had a "powernap". It was supposed to be just an hour or so... 2 hours, max. I informed the rest of the group that I would be reaching only at about 4 pm.

I ended up waking at 4 pm. And that was only because another classmate, Kyle, SMS-ed me to tell me they've moved to another area in UniSIM. Kyle and Adeline were there since 2 pm, I believe.

The exam office closed at 7:30 pm and I was panicking. I had completed almost everything I needed to do for the projects save for one thing. Before I went to sleep, I left my Advanced Graphics Design project to render. It took about 1 hour to render, I believe. I had so many polygons that it was really killing me. When I woke up, I looked at the render and saw that my lighting was a bit off. I thought, "Okay, I'll adjust and re-render and hopefully it would be done before I need to go."

I did just that, packed my stuff, went to bathe and thought, "Shit, I won't make it on time!" I called up my dad to see when he would be back home, and after I explained my situation, he said he'd leave right away. Woot!

So, I got ready, edited my reports slightly, copied over files that I needed to burn to CD, and waited for my render. It took foreverrrrrrr. Then my dad called. He was already waiting for me at the parking area. Shit. I told him that I was waiting for the project to render (not in so many words... He has no clue what the hell is rendering), and it was not done yet, and I didn't know how long it would take. He said he'd wait where he was.

Put on my socks, packed my laptop, plugged in my external harddisk to the computer, and copied most of the project files over, and waited. Grabbed a couple of blank CD-Rs, packed them in my bag and waited.

After some time, I said, "Fuck it." And cancelled the render. Switched off Max and shut down the computer and left.

Rendered in the car. Took much lesser time on my laptop, but still took quite a while. 15 minutes or so. By the time it was done, we had almost reached UniSIM. But when it was done, I was still unhappy with the lighting! Reached UniSIM, met up with my groupmates and plugged in my laptop and adjusted the lighting some more.

By the time I was done, it was almost 7 pm. I still wasn't 100% happy with the lighting, but I was really cutting it close with the submission due time! I haven't installed Nero yet in my laptop (and I really didn't want to use the very crappy built-in Windows XP CD writer software), so I proceeded to install it first (I had copied the installer to my external harddisk), and then burn the two CDs, one for Fundamentals of Graphics Design ECA (End-Of-Course Assessment) and the other for Advanced Graphics Design ECA.

When I was done, it was 7:20 pm. Dear Lord. Ran out the Free Access Lab that I was in, and headed towards the office, which was at level 1 of the same building. Reached there within 5 minutes and submitted on time! Barely! Haha!

Here are the two renders of my Fundamentals of Graphics Design and the Advanced Graphics Design ECAs... Keep in mind that I'm very very very new at this, and I know the renders look fake. :(

I have some... Things to blog about regarding the Fundamentals of Graphics Design ECA... Which I will some other time, under a "Dissatisfaction..." entry. 'Cause I really want to articulate my thoughts properly. Anyway, the ECA called for at least 3 objects, the candle stand with the candle, the sword and the treasure chest box.

This one called for a house that sits near a sea, and the time of day is either sunset or sunrise. You can't see the sea from this render, but the main point is the house, I think... Shit, now that I've thought about it, maybe I should've created the sea! I just whacked a bitmap for the sea 'cause the question paper showed a background image which has the sea. Argh, whatever.

The second image has so many details that can't really be seen here, but helped make the render take forever. The parquet flooring (you can see it slightly clearly in the larger version... If you squint. Haha.), the 240 picket fences... The marble and concrete double base of the house... The many many many pillars surrounding the house... The damned roof. And most annoying were the damned rose bushes that you can't even really see if your focus is the house anyway. The rose bushes, even though tiny, had so many faces and polygons that it slowed my render to a grinding halt, literally! Earlier versions of the rose bush were so heavy that Max refused to render my scene!

I finally managed to get a compromise that allowed my scene to render, but I wasn't completely happy with it. My original rose bush was much larger and had more details. One rose bush would be fine to render, but the question paper called for at least 10. -.-" Oh well.

Anyway. Where was I? Oh yea.

Submitted the files, went to buy some dinner with Nick and Kyle, while Cindy and Adeline held down the fort. Studied Audio and Video Tech for next day's exam until about 11:30 pm.

Had exams at Expo the next day at 1 pm. Reached at 11 am, and had some last minute revisions with Cindy and Adeline. Nick reached a while later, but Kyle was nowhere to be seen. He only appeared 10 minutes after exams started. I was shaking my head at him. Haha. Apparently he fell asleep after watching a documentary in the morning.

Kyle was the most confident of us all in the papers. He claimed they were too easy. I wasn't so sure. He did point out several things that I didn't notice and didn't answer right, so I guess he's gonna do much better than me. I don't know how I did. I think I can pass, but to score is difficult. I predict a B for both. B- minimum, B+ maximum. And that's only due to the assignments and lab reports that make up 30% of the final grade.

I just hope I don't fail, 'cause I really don't expect to, and would be very surprised if I did. I have to admit I didn't do as well as I could have. :(

We shall see in a month's time. I hope I will have good news to share with you. :)