Pink clouds and stuff

ART: A Forest Sky

Here’s another watercolour painting I rushed through to relax my exhausted mind. Did it work? Not as much as I would like. But I did end up this painting at the end. I think I need a white gelly pen. Video There is no footage of me painting the piece, so here is instead a YouTube Short of my removing the masking tapes at the margins:  

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Blue skies and surf

ART: An Ocean View

I thought the last time I played with watercolours was more than 10 years ago before I moved to the north. But apparently I have dabbled with it once — perhaps five years ago — to teach Irfan to use them. Video For the first time ever, here is a process video of the painting.

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USS Östergötland NCC-72227

STA: To The Dark Avenue

Star Trek: Emergency Deep S01E18 “To The Dark Avenue” Dramatis Personae Capt Greg Ellison, Human-Deltan Commanding Officer (Dan) Dr Patrick Troughton, Human Chief Medical Officer (Doug) Cmdr Morpheus Drake, Human Executive Officer / Flight Officer (NPC) Lt Cmdr Galinha, Tamarian Chief Operations Officer (Ivan) Lt JG John Hippocampus, Beluga whale Chief Science Officer (Razz) Stardate: 58592.6 August 13 2381. The Ascent After a week’s shore leave, the USS Östergötland has departed from Reykjavík Experimental Shipyards on Earth. She is now in Earth’s orbit, holding station near Earth Spacedock, waiting for their next mission. Their mission supervisor Admiral Kathryn Janeway calls from her office in San Francisco. Her visage fills up the main viewscreen on the Östergötland‘s bridge. Capt Ellison is in the centre seat. XO Cmdr Drake is at Conn instead of the first officer’s seat. Beside him on Ops is COO Lt Cmdr Galinha. The Science Station is manned […]

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USS Östergötland NCC-72227

STA: Shades of Green

Star Trek: Emergency Deep S01E17 “Shades of Green” Dramatis Personae Capt Greg Ellison, Human-Deltan Commanding Officer (Dan) Dr Patrick Troughton, Human Chief Medical Officer (Doug) Cmdr Morpheus Drake, Human Executive Officer / Flight Officer (Ivan) Lt Cmdr Galinha, Tamarian Chief Operations Officer (Ivan) Lt JG John Hippocampus, Beluga whale Chief Science Officer (Razz) Stardate: 58592.6 (5th August 2381) 1 While the USS Östergötland is undergoing maintenance and overhaul at Reykjavík Experimental Shipyards on Earth, the senior crew is at the Starfleet Administration Building in Tycho City on Luna. They had just went through an award ceremony on the moon, bestowed by their mission supervisor Admiral Kathryn Janeway. After the ceremony, the crew split up with Östergötland CO Captain Ellison hailing a hovercab for some soul searching over the skyline of Tycho City by himself. He disappears into the night. 2 At the Tycho City  Zoo, a trio of adorable white […]

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Starring Kevin Sussman from Wil Wheaton's Tabletop, "Dragon Age" episodes!

Matrimonial Juggernaut

What is remarkable here is that Stuart knows the 22-metre long HAWv A5 Juggernaut. The A5 first showed up in West End Games’ Imperial Sourcebook in 1990. The visual design of the vehicle was based on Joe Johnston’s concept art for The Empire Strikes Back. Since then it popped up sporadically in unlikely locations such as Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars: Empire issue 29. Most fans are familiar with is the larger 49-metre long HAWv A6 variant – the so-called “clone turbo tank“. This is because the A6s were featured in the 2005 film Revenge of the Sith Later, they also showed up in Star Wars The Clone Wars animated series. As such, all the toys and visual encyclopaedias refer mostly to the A6. There is no reason why Stuart would bring up the A5, even if he’s read the wiki thoroughly. Unless he plays West End Games’ Star Wars […]

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USS Östergötland NCC-72227

STA: Straight To The Moon

Star Trek: Emergency Deep S01E16 “Straight to the Moon” Dramatis Personae Capt Greg Ellison, Human-Deltan Commanding Officer (Dan) Dr Patrick Troughton, Human Chief Medical Officer (Doug) Cmdr Morpheus Drake, Human Executive Officer / Flight Officer (Ivan) Lt Galinha, Tamarian Chief Operations Officer (Ivan) Lt JG John Hippocampus, Beluga whale Chief Science Officer (Razz) Stardate: 58592.5 (5th August 2381, 2045 hrs local time) 1 It is almost a week after the Jenolan Dyson Sphere jaunt and Earth’s moon beckons. The Norway class NCC-72227 USS Östergötland is recalled to Reykjavik Station on Earth for a full maintenance & repairs while the command crew is summoned to Tycho City on Luna for to receive awards by none other than Admiral Kathryn Janeway. The Danube-class Runabout USS Rajang, piloted by Ensigns Burke and Latour are dispatched to retrieve them as Östergötland sails by the moon. Tycho City is a huge dome city beside Lake Armstrong. […]

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USS Östergötland NCC-72227

STA: Emergent From the Depths

Star Trek: Emergency Deep S01E15 “Emergent From the Depths” Dramatis Personae Capt Greg Ellison – Human Commanding officer (Dan) Dr. Patrick Troughton – Human Chief Medical Officer (Doug) Lt Galinha – Tamarian Chief Operations Officer (Ivan) Stardate: 58564.8 July 26 2381. Location: Within the shell of the Jenolan Dyson sphere. The Norway class NCC-72227 USS Östergötland awaits anxiously in the underwater tunnel far behind the shuttle Kuakamoku Rock. The Type-9M aquashuttle approaches the derelict Tosk ship they were looking for, with Executive Officer Commander Morpheus Drake (NPC’ed this session) piloting. With him are Dr. Patrick Troughton and Lt. Galinha. Swimming alongside the Kuakamoku Rock is Beluga whale Chief Science Officer Lt. J.G. John Hippocampus (also NPC’ed this session). The Away Team has navigated their way through a connecting tunnel filled with huge, giant crystal shards to reach another tunnel. A blue glow permeates everywhere. Before the Kuakamoku Rock, blocking part of […]

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Morning Stroll YouTube card

Morning Stroll Along a Canal

There is a slight rise from our housing area up to a tarred path. Apparently many local denizens of Bintong use the path for jogging and bicycling. There are paths on both sides of the canal. I think it is a canal because there is a water lock nearby. The morning sunlight did us good. In any case check out the view during our walk in the video which I took last Sunday, and only completed editing today because [sigh] loads of things to juggle. Yes, it was the Alien RPG session following this stroll that got me in the right leg.

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We haven't played together for a long time

Alien RPG: Hope’s Last Day Part 1

It was a Saturday morning and we had just completed a walk along the canal near the house. I asked Irfan if we could try out the Alien RPG. So I grabbed my gear and set things up… Dramatis Personae Dr. Westerlund, Xenobotanist (Irfan) Dr. Westerlund is a botanist assigned to Hadley’s Hope, the colony on the moon Acheron, which orbits the gas giant Calpamos. His task is to monitor the Botany Stations at various locations on Acheron, which might some day One dreary morning, he receives an alert from Botany Station 2 in Demeter Valley 30 km away. As per security procedure, Deputy Marshall von Oy accompanies him, driving out in an NR-9 ATV. Botany Station 2 The uneventful drive to Demeter Valley takes 30 minutes over shadowy skies and black soil. Meanwhile a Company shuttle arrives from off-world with a Weyland-Yutani senior officer; von Oy monitors the arrival […]

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Dusun Nakawan

Brunch in the Hills

Technically, it was not that far up the hills. Dusun Nakawan was more like “deeper into the jungle”. By jungle, I mean land cultivated as a fruit orchard. It has been a while since we came here, once, to have a drink perhaps. So this fine Sunday, I thought we should revisit it… to have more drinks. Check out the video above for actual moving pictures of our visit there.

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USS Östergötland NCC-72227

STA: Between a Rock and a Wet Place

Star Trek: Emergency Deep S01E14 “Between a Rock and a Wet Place” Dramatis Personae Capt Greg Ellison (Dan) Dr. Patrick Troughton (Doug) Cmdr. Morpheus Drake (Ivan) Lt Galinha (Ivan) Lt. JG John Hippocampus (Razz) Stardate: 58564.75 July 26 2381. Location: Jenolan Dyson Sphere Grace Under Pressure The heavily modified Norway class NCC-72227 USS Östergötland is 70 meters under the surface of a lake. The lake is on the inner surface of the massive Jenolan Dyson sphere, 8 light minutes in radius. The top hull over Transporter Room 1 on Deck 1 is breached by the bright light burst from the fist-sized crystal on the transporter pad. The hole lets the lake water flood into the compartment, but is held within the transporter pad emergency forcefield. But, its energy is quickly being drained somehow. In the room are Captain Greg Ellison, Tamarian Chief Operations Officer Lt. Galinha, the young Cetacean Chief […]

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Quest RPG at UniMAP in 2023 with GM Danial

Quest RPG at UniMAP

It is now the semester break and with help from my colleagues, I was able to organise a Tabletop Roleplaying Game Training Workshop (Bengkel Latihan Permainan Penglipur Lara) at the office. Usually I had to both organise and run the game, which means more time for game prep. Thankfully, this time I was joined by our guest GM from Penang, Ahmad Danial A. Ghafar. One day, Danial searched for application of RPGs in education in Malaysia and came across my MAHSA University talk. He reached out and I discovered he has the same aspirations to use RPGs as a tool for teaching and learning. So, I invited him to run a game for our workshop. We had five participants, Farah, Mastura, Mimi, Hasmizan and Faizal. The first two have played in games I GMed before, but the rest were new to the game. Danial decided on using Quest, the RPG […]

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Welcome to Hishgraphics Games & Training

Hishgraphics Games Training

After carrying out a handful of tabletop role-playing game events for schools, colleagues and such, I believe it is time to offer these services actively instead of sitting down and waiting while I do other stuff. As such, I have created a new YouTube channel. The first video, the intro, has been posted below. I plan on doing interviews with other tabletop gamers concerning education (especially language learning) as well as training and teambuilding. Check out Hishgraphics Games & Training (still not sure about the ampersand). I’ll try my best to upload new (and old) videos about my running tabletop RPGs and other such events. Please subscribe and wish me luck for my future plans.

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The last photo to Shane

Good High Street Food Game

Earlier in the morning Shane: How’s the new house? How’s things? Me: Getting better. Street food here is good btw. Plenty of chicken. Shane: Good good. Me: Place I moved to has high street food game. Shane: Ooooh. If ya ever get down there take some photos for your boy   Later that evening… Shane: Awesome. Unknown to me at the time, this was to be the last photo I would ever send him. I wish I’d sent him more.

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Ain and I

Anniversary Part 23

Married for 23 years. Together for 27. She was amazing then, she grew even better and more capable over the years. I’d thought then it was the most I could ever love another person. It turned out I could love her even more as time went on. Happy anniversary, Ain. Thanks for being a part of my life. Thanks for being a partner. Thanks for being a guiding star. Love you forever.

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