My good friend Hugo has done it again! I thought that it would be impossible for him to keep surprising me since I’m now used to his epic artistic awesomeness, but it seems I was wrong.

Not only is he a great 2D and aspiring 3D artist, but now he can make figurines!

Check out this incredible Eddie Riggs figure that he made then painted himself! Wanna see more? His Deviant Art page is full of win, see for yourselves!

(more…)

I guess towardsmecca.com making it through it’s second year is barely an accomplishment since I’ve barely posted this year at all. 2009 has been a ridiculously busy year for me with my second child, Maryam, being born. Also, I worked on the high-profile iPhone game Modern Combat: Sandstorm and that was a HUGE time investment, but it paid off

(more…)

Last Wednesday my daughter, Maryam, was born! Weighing in at 9 pounds 5 ounces, she outweighed my son Ali who was 7 pounds 14 ounces at birth. She is a big, healthy bundle of joy that has her father’s appetite, insuring she’ll only get bigger

Due to the current Swine Flu scare, the hospital made it difficult for people to visit us, but despite that we had visitors willing to endure the hospital’s strict rules and requirements. A big thank you goes out from my wife Nina and myself to everyone who visited, called, or wrote to us during this joyous occasion!

Now our family feels even more like a family!

Here’s the deal, my extremely talented good friend Nicolas Girard was returning to his native France for good. So what does he do with his remaining time here in Canada? Why he decides to build his friend (yours truly) the most awesome joystick ever! And so the NEStickle (not to be mistaken for the NES emulator NESticle) was born!

This thing is a new level of awesome, seriously. It has the best Sanwa buttons and joystick money can buy, is compatible with the X-Box 360, the Playstation 3, the Playstation 2, and any PC running Windows, Linux, or even a MAC OS! If I wanted, I could also get an adapter that would make it compatible with the original X-Box! Seriously, if that’s all it was it would still be amazing, but it’s built into and out of an actual, honest to God, Nintendo Entertainment System! Go ahead, lie and say you’re not jealous, I dare you!

(more…)

Check out pixelsandpoutine.com’s newest podcast and you just might recognize your favorite friendly neighborhood game designer’s voice Yup, Simon Prefortaine of Pixels and Poutine fame, a podcast dedicated to the game industry right here in Montreal, has chosen yours truly for an interview on the most recent installment of his podcast.

I must say, I actually sound like I know what I’m talking about Well, don’t take my word on it, check it out and let me know what you think!

Happy Ramadhan everyone! Too tired to think of a new prayer so I’m copy-pasting last years Not very festive, I know. So sue me!

“May your blessings be too many to count… And your worries too few to matter. May your days be filled with Sunshine… And your nights in comfort. May you never go hungry… And be able to share your bounty. May God bless and protect you… And strengthen your faith. May the next Eid we celebrate be free from oppression, hatred, persecution, and fear… My wishes to all for a blessed Ramadan and please remember those who go hungry all year long… Ramadan Mubarak to all.”

Friends are usually great to have, but they’re especially great when they’re both talented and generous! What you are about to see is a Troll statue that my friend Matthew Bernard-Laurin lovingly and painstakingly painted and then gave me to decorate my work desktop.

Please, do not be alarmed, though it may appear to be life-like this is in fact an inanimate pewter statue of a fictional creature. Matthew is available for commission-based work. If you’re interested and live in the Greater Montreal area, please state so in a comment and I’ll make sure word reaches him.

(more…)

My little brother Yasser showed me some of his art and I just had to share it with the world! He’s pretty good for a 9 year old and I’m hoping that people would leave some kind comments to encourage him to keep drawing and become a world-renowned concept artist one day

Well here they are:

(more…)

Yup, that’s another year and another birthday for me. This time it’s the big 3-0. To be honest, people around me are making a way bigger deal about my age than I am. Yesterday I was 29 and today I am thirty, so what? I don’t feel any different. Fine, I’ve packed on a few extra pounds and lost some hair in the last 10 years, but that doesn’t mean I’m any different on the inside! I still read comics, I still watch movies, I still play video games, I still play card games, I still play basketball, I still listen to music, I still read novels, and I still got love for the streets!

Then it got me thinking, sure I still do all those wonderful things and more, but have the years changed the way I go about them? Does reading a Spider-Man book still make me fantasize about climbing buildings and peeping into bedroom windows? Do I still watch movies thinking I’ll be a movie star one day? Part of living is growing, learning, changing, adapting… so how is Osama version 3.0 any better than his version 2.0 equivalent? Read on …

(more…)