Scully

From Episode "Piper Maru"

First X-Files Contest Won

It was still early in the second season, when the X-File fan club put out a contest to guess the episode and the characters in the scene, given the image. I didn't even have anything on tape, yet I submitted my answer anyways. - "Ghost in the Machine", Scully and Mulder.

Well. Imagine my surprise when I got home from a three day Star Trek convention, and got this in the mail.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson autograph

Shooting Script for Season 2 episode "One Breath"

The X-Phile Magazine for the Original X-Files Fan Club

Before there was internet, there was the original X-Files fan club. We send our thoughts through mail and get our forum in the form of a newsletter. This was the last issue of The X-Phile.

X-Files Music

I got two X-Files music CDs. Music From The X Files are Mark Snow's themes from the show. Song In The Key Of X are songs featured in the show. It includes "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and "Frenzy" from the episode "Humbug".

Not To Be Opened Until Xmas

This is from the first issue of The X-Files comic book series. It's obviously relevant as Christmas was the setting.

Santa Claus sends his best wishes

Here is another holiday theme animated gif. Still using Adobe Image Ready to make the gif. I started with the layers I wanted to use before creating the frames. This will be my e-mail card this year. Enjoy!

Seasons Greeting

Painting in Black & White

A few years ago, I had a summer project to cover a really large canvas. How big was this surface? It's stretched the perimeter of an office space. Because it was white, I chose to do a classic cinema theme and painted with black acrylic. I am not an expert painter, but I knew graphics. To execute each image, I experimented in dry and wet applications to achieve the right shades of grey. And as with all oversized conversions, I had a problem with perspective. The Maria robot from Metropolis was entirely out of proportion. It didn't help that I had to use a stepping stool to reach her head and then crouch down to finish her feet.

Given the opportunity, I would like a chance to paint in this scale again.

"I hope you like coconut."

You know how Olivia Dunham called Frank a really sweet boyfriend? Well he's got a bigger part in First Ten Years, the prequel to The Promise. As you can recall, I kept her in the alternate universe. She's not alone. In fact, she didn't want to let him go. They share a few years together making Olivia very happy.

Guangzhou, China - Sculpture Park

In 2007, when I visited family in Guangzhou, we went to Sculpture Park. I was really impressed by all the different style of artwork. Along the way I came across a bronze statue, bearing a very good likeness of Whoopi Goldberg. I couldn't make out the text in Chinese to confirm if it was her. I could kick myself for not taking a picture at the time. Since this place is not a hot tourist spot among foreign visitors, I was wondering if anyone else has come across this piece in their travels.

Castle - Tribute to Stephen J Cannell

I caught the end credit for the repeat broadcast of Castle last night. (3.04 Punked) That's where they had the tribute to Stephen J Cannell. It had a sheet of paper fly out and even his signature theme. Nice touch.

A Tribute in the Story

I included a tribute to Mark Dailey, in a recent chapter of Heart. Mr. Dailey was a journalist with CityTV, where most Canadians watch Fringe. He was best known as the voice of CityTV. His deep baritone voice often heard in the promos for TV shows and movies. When I found out the sad news of his passing last Monday, I decided to add a nod in my story. This chapter is also dedicated to his memory.

Mentions of Jasper Fforde

Here is Ryan Mcgee's Recap: 'Fringe' - 'Marionette': "In some ways, last week’s episode of “Fringe” could have served as a perfectly satisfactory Fall finale for the show. Getting the two Olivias back to their home universes could have marked the end of one block of programming and allowed things to start from there next January,..."

Olivia and Fauxlivia are both the heroines of their respective tales, or at least until they were stepped into each others’ novels. Now Olivia Dunham is a broken version of Tuesday Next. (Written, of course, by Jasper Ffringe.)

In Ryan's Mcgee's review, he made a reference to Jasper Fforde and the heroine in his Thursday Next series. Thursday Next has the ability to jump from fiction to fiction, quite literally taking part in the story. In a way, he likens the experience of the two Olivias to jumping into each other's book. You know. I've been a big fan of the book series and I never looked at Fringe that way before.

Urban Vermin Show Intro

Garbage pits brother against brother in a turf war that often ends in hilarious hijinx.
This was the first toons production I got to experience from design to completion of animation. We made 26 x 22 minute episodes in under a year.
I loved all the characters in this show. I have a few favourites. There is Zitzy, the not quite evil, manic, mad scientist possum who works for Ken. He was voiced by Canadian actor Adam Reid. Then there is No Neck, the commander of the rat army who is as sensitive as they come. I was surprised to find out he was voiced by Yannick Bisson. The character's charm comes from a signature falsetto laugh.

Writing for the Chinese Newspaper

Back in 1987, I got a taste of being published. At Chinese school, we had studied about China's invention in printing. The class took a tour of Singtao Newspaper printing office, then on Dundas at Spadina. We were late, so we didn't get to se the paper printed. I still saw the old and new technology used in the printing process. The old ways requires a thorough understanding of the Chinese language, as the typesetter have to select the correct radical that makes up the different characters. The root character when paired with a different radical gives the newly formed character a new meaning. Today, they rely on translation software, which sometimes loses the meaning along the way.

This was the article I wrote about that tour. It appeared in an edition of the paper. There must have been some edits, because I notice that there are characters in there that I don't know how to read much less write. For those who can't read Chinese, I never advanced beyond grade 5. Even so I can still manage to comprehend 90% of the articles I do read.

Sunset Over First Snow

We haven't had a nice sunset in a long time. Here is one looking out from a window facing northwest. The houses and tree line is blocking my view of the belt of venus. It's promising to be a clear night tonight; maybe I can get a better shot.

Hippo Tub Co.

Hippo Tub Co. is a lost and found company in Drain World. It's a place where stuff that falls down the bathtub drain ends up. Harley, Andy's hippo, travels there to find Andy's pirate hat and decides to stay to help return lost stuff to their rightful owners. He is helped by Norton the bird, Pete and Repete the pack rats, and Ted Tubman the handyman with a great set of pipes. This was my first toons production. We made 26 x 11 minute episodes for the CBC.

Hippo Tub Co. - Distributor - There is a trailer and images in this link. Once again product is not available in Canada. By the way, they got the director's name wrong. It's supposed to be Troy Sullivan.


Repete and Pete

Pete and Repete are a couple of brother and sister pack rats. I've watched the actors who does their voices in action. I got to attend the record sessions. They are an awesome dual.

The Real Defenders

The Defenders are based on real life Las Vegas defense attorneys, Michael Cristalli and Mark Saggese. (Video from CBS)

Star Trek Fan Fiction

Welcome to the Delta Quadrant - Written by a writing team known only as whoa nellie. They have infuse a lot of the characters from all the later Star Trek series in their own timeline masterfully. It is the only romance fiction I can read, at the moment. It's organic and doesn't read too much like Imzadi.

Every time I read, I can't help but include in the review, a recall to the episodes that a particular reference is from. I look forward to reading more from them. "Let's see what's out there."

"Afraid of ghost?"

Yide Road in Guangzhou, China

My grandfather said that he lived in a haunted house once. Although some of those spirits were probably from our family, there was a real life tragedy associated with that house. It's written here for the first time. 

A New Spin Around An Old Haunt

Original post from writing blog

She poured from a bottle of whiskey.

I would never have thought to write The Promise if I had not watched a few minutes of Prime Suspect. By focusing on her screwed up, lonely existence, it provided a glimpse into Olivia's life 10 years down the road. With the setting in the alternate universe, a new tomorrow can begin.

Original post from writing blog

"Now boys and girls, listen up..."

Small Comfort is little Olive's first encounter with Willem and Walter at the Jacksonville daycare center. I got this image of Walter relating to kids from this scene in What Lies Below. In my story this is how it went,
He clapped his hands once. "Now boys and girls, listen up. We are going to play a game..."

Original post from writing blog

"His presence will not be forgotten."

No one had written one, so I wrote a tribute to Stephen J Cannell. In To Stephen, Rick raises his glass to salute his friend and mentor at the poker game. Little did I know, very few poker scenes were filmed early in the series. They may not be doing this on the show.

Original post from writing blog

A Happy Days Tribute

In Memory of My Father I included a eulogy for Howard Cunningham in tribute to Tom Bosley's passing. He was the nicest father on television.
My favourite Howard and Richie moment had to be the time when Richie came home drunk. Their boy was growing up.

Original post from writing blog