This is probably my last post before we depart lovely San Francisco for home. In these last few days, we've been doing much, visiting schools, museums, companies, and scrambling our last online orders as well as our last minute shopping.
With work completed in helping out the company set up its new dorm rooms for future incoming students, we're trying to keep things educational, since San Francisco and it's neighbouring cities are home to a wealth of knowledge.
In addition to the Walt Disney Museum and the Exploratorium that we've visited previously, we've also visited the California Academy of Sciences and the Tech Museum of Innovation down in San Jose.
The list of companies that we've visited include Apple and Electronic Arts. And not to forget the Expressions College of the Arts.
Now, though Apple and Electronic Arts arent exactly in line with our field of work, the working environments, so some extent, are replicated in our polytechnic classrooms. Electronic Arts felt like office/resort, with lounges and consoles in the lobbies, basketball court, gym, concept art from upcoming games put up for all to see and trailers for upcoming games as well.
As for Apple... we were only in the building for lunch, but it was enough for me to see and feel a world if it were dominated by Apple products. Being an Android user resisting the iTakeovertheworld, I still have to give the company scores for presentation and impressions. Clean and simple really works out.
Expressions College showed us how much creativity was going on in the two fairly small buildings that they have, with advanced facilities that try to replicate real-world working conditions. Many of the things shown to us we're familiar with, and we're pretty impressed by how much larger those similar-looking facilities are compared to the ones we could access back home.
But then comes the question - How much will we actually get to use it?
They're not there for show to attract people apart from occasional usage I hope.
It's one more school on my list of schools for future studies to consider.
These last couple of weeks also gave some of the staff the chance to take us around and show us more of the city and it's places of interests. We got to know more of them better too, like members of the mass media group who aren't as free to come down and help the rest of the company out as much as they would've liked.
We visited Alamo Square, famous for the "Painted Ladies" buildings, Ocean Beach, a stretch of beach further up from Pacifica Pier, The Swensen's original store, which looked very humble and much less fanciful compared to all the other branches that we see back home. The Public Market across the Bay Bridge when we visited the Expressions College. We did drop by the San Francisco State University for a quick walk-about on one of the mornings too.
We got an opportunity to try Southern food as well. Pretty tasty. I find it unique in its own way, especially the presentation of the foods. Not quite like the conventional meals the we always have.
We revisited most of the places that we've been to as well, to catch a different view of the place, and to recall the week that we first came to San Francisco. We had the great opportunity to catch the night view up in Twin Peaks and of the Bay Bridge as well.
As for Apple... we were only in the building for lunch, but it was enough for me to see and feel a world if it were dominated by Apple products. Being an Android user resisting the iTakeovertheworld, I still have to give the company scores for presentation and impressions. Clean and simple really works out.
Expressions College showed us how much creativity was going on in the two fairly small buildings that they have, with advanced facilities that try to replicate real-world working conditions. Many of the things shown to us we're familiar with, and we're pretty impressed by how much larger those similar-looking facilities are compared to the ones we could access back home.
But then comes the question - How much will we actually get to use it?
They're not there for show to attract people apart from occasional usage I hope.
It's one more school on my list of schools for future studies to consider.
These last couple of weeks also gave some of the staff the chance to take us around and show us more of the city and it's places of interests. We got to know more of them better too, like members of the mass media group who aren't as free to come down and help the rest of the company out as much as they would've liked.
We visited Alamo Square, famous for the "Painted Ladies" buildings, Ocean Beach, a stretch of beach further up from Pacifica Pier, The Swensen's original store, which looked very humble and much less fanciful compared to all the other branches that we see back home. The Public Market across the Bay Bridge when we visited the Expressions College. We did drop by the San Francisco State University for a quick walk-about on one of the mornings too.
We revisited most of the places that we've been to as well, to catch a different view of the place, and to recall the week that we first came to San Francisco. We had the great opportunity to catch the night view up in Twin Peaks and of the Bay Bridge as well.
As I've always mentioned to others who ask about our stay here, 3 months has been too quick. Probably because we were so busy, especially in December, that our days just flew by. Right now while Im sitting here writing my last post, I recall the months before the internship, when I was still deciding if I should take up the opportunity.
Honestly, I was a little indecisive at first when I was given a choice to come to the US for internship, knowing that my strengths lie in post-production/3D/motion graphics, and not to mention the fear back then that I wouldnt be able to do as much post-production work as I've hoped.
Well, I was proven wrong. Apart from being able to work on projects that I could utilise my strengths, I realised that this internship isn't just about work. Since I'm in America, this was a cultural exchange as well, and probably the closest I can get to see if I could handle myself and be independent away from home for so long, which will most likely be the case should we decide to study overseas in the future.
The American lifestyle is so different from Singapore, and in the duration of our stay here I realised too that I can disagree with many people back home wanting to leave the country because they think the grass is greener on the other side. People fail to realise that something has to give, such as safety, constant risks of natural disaster, and the like. I imagine, if I were only here for two weeks on vacation, I'd be more focused on enjoying myself rather than looking beyond and observe the surroundings.
Work here has taught me many things about workflow, how flexible and creative we should be on set when tackling problems, lighting techniques, the operation of equipment, etc. Harry and his collegues were very helpful and patient to us, making sure to answer whatever questions that we had about production, file formats, etc etc. There's so much that I've learnt through being taught by the staff and through my own observations, it's difficult to pen everything down.
Still, we have plenty more to learn, and still much more to master.
It's been a blast, and I'm sure everyone else has something valuable to bring home too. I'll definitely miss the people I've met here.
The End.
Signing off.
Honestly, I was a little indecisive at first when I was given a choice to come to the US for internship, knowing that my strengths lie in post-production/3D/motion graphics, and not to mention the fear back then that I wouldnt be able to do as much post-production work as I've hoped.
Well, I was proven wrong. Apart from being able to work on projects that I could utilise my strengths, I realised that this internship isn't just about work. Since I'm in America, this was a cultural exchange as well, and probably the closest I can get to see if I could handle myself and be independent away from home for so long, which will most likely be the case should we decide to study overseas in the future.
The American lifestyle is so different from Singapore, and in the duration of our stay here I realised too that I can disagree with many people back home wanting to leave the country because they think the grass is greener on the other side. People fail to realise that something has to give, such as safety, constant risks of natural disaster, and the like. I imagine, if I were only here for two weeks on vacation, I'd be more focused on enjoying myself rather than looking beyond and observe the surroundings.
Work here has taught me many things about workflow, how flexible and creative we should be on set when tackling problems, lighting techniques, the operation of equipment, etc. Harry and his collegues were very helpful and patient to us, making sure to answer whatever questions that we had about production, file formats, etc etc. There's so much that I've learnt through being taught by the staff and through my own observations, it's difficult to pen everything down.
Still, we have plenty more to learn, and still much more to master.
It's been a blast, and I'm sure everyone else has something valuable to bring home too. I'll definitely miss the people I've met here.
The End.
Signing off.
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