KL Update

Last weekend we decided to get away from KL for a while and took a train to Klang. There are some more photos of the Hindu Temple there on my flickr site. We went to a really good curry house there and Sioned sampled the banana leaf curry.

This week has continued at a hectic pace, we have been working hard both at MYGO and LKW on our projects. We also went out for dinner with some people who work for Bangor University who have an office here in KL - probably the biggest buffet I have ever seen. It's hard not to eat well out here.

Working in KL

Our second week in KL is almost over - our time here seems to be going far too quickly. It's all been quite hectic, but a lot of fun. Yesterday I had a lesson in 3D Studio Max at Lim Kok Wing. I've never done any 3D work before so it was great to get a quick crash course. Mei and me have been set the task of modelling an airoplane. Ian and Sioned are working on motion graphics using After Effects. Hopefully, we'll combine the plane and the motion graphics to create an opening title sequence to introduce our documentary of our time spent here in KL. I just hope we have enough time to finish it all.

We're all working hard on our project for MYGO. The graphics for the SMS-TV game are coming on well now and we hope to start animating the characters next week.

We went to visit the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) headquarters yesterday for a tour of their production facilities and later attended a workshop organized by them to promote the creative industries in Malaysia. Their is a huge amount of support for new start creative companies here, as having MSC status entitles you to a 10 year tax break. The facilites were impressive with a range of high spec hardware and industry standard software available for students to use free of charge.

Thaipusam
Batu Caves
Saturday 11th Febuary

We headed for the Batu Caves at 5am in the morning for Thaipusam. It is difficult to describe the experience in words, the sounds, smells and incredible sights made the morning an experience I will never forget. It was a world away from the centre of KL, and for me, my first real experience of Asia.

Photos of Thaipusam:
Mine
Mei's

Kuala Lumpur
First Impressions

We arrived on Saturday greeted by rain to make us feel at home. The 36 degree heat thought was a bit of a shock to the system. Our apartment is on the 16th floor above a large department store. It's taking me a while to get used to the height, but the view is incredible.

After a weekend settling in and wondering around KL, we started work on Monday. We met the tutors at Lim Kok Wing and in the afternoon went to a Chinese New Year Party at Moon FX's offices. It was an amazing experience and a great welcome to KL. Moon FX are one of Asia's leading motion graphic companies and after watching their showreel it is clear to see why. Their portfolio has a diverse range of styles, and their client list is impressive. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet them in such an informal atmosphere and they made us feel very welcome.

We started our Interactive Design course with Ike on Tuesday at Lim Kok Wing. Ike is a big fan of Macromedia Director so we got an opportunity to have a quick crash course on the package and learn some basic Lingo.

On Wednesday we met MYGO, a games company. They are best known for organizing gamers tournaments, but are also well known for their online flash gaming portal and more recently have developed SMS-TV games. These games are broadcast on analogue television 12-3am and aimed at a youth audience. Viewers participate in the game by sending SMS text messages on their mobiles which enables their actions to be carried out on screen. It was really interesting to learn about these games as I have never seen anything similar in the UK. At peak periods 200 people have been playing the same game within the space of 1 hour (sending multiple texts), so the idea can provide a good alternative revenue stream for television companies.

We were set to work on developing a SMS-TV game ourselves using Macromedia Flash. We managed to come up with a couple of good ideas so will be working on finalising the plans and attending a crit session at MYGO on Monday. Hopefully then we will go on to develop a game and if it's good enough there's a possibility it will be on Malaysian TV!

Today I had a lesson on Web Technologies. This focused on the importance of usability both in web design and product design. Our task was to design a Sushi vending machine, focusing on its functionality.

The experience has been fantastic so far, I feel like I've already learnt a lot about cultural differences in terms of technology. For example, people feel a lot more comfortable using mobile phones than the internet, especially for financial transactions. You can even pay for some car parking using your mobile. I'm so glad I've got the opportunity to come here. Thank You Cyfle.

Fifi and the Flowertots

Mei and me managed to finish our flash game promoting Fifi and the Flowertots for S4C yesterday. The game involves Fifi driving around in her car to deliver presents to her friends, with the aim of teaching kids a bit about the characters in the programme. Hopefully the game will be used on the S4C site.



We fly to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. We're staying in the KL Plaza, Bukit Bintang. It looks amazing, right in the centre of the city in the main shopping district. There's even a swimming pool and a squash court! It's really hot there at the moment (34C) so I'm looking forward to a couple of dips in the pool.