Determination!「決定！」

today i was listening to Yui's new single entitled Hello (featured in Paradise Kiss live action movie releasing in Japan in June 2011 - right next to my birthday!) and suddenly i got all gung-ho again to complete one of my most difficult, complicated, elaborated, expensive, (insert more adjectives), and secretive cosplay project:

Yukari "Caroline" Hayasaka

Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa

...and today, i reveal that project of mine because i want to make it a reality! i have full and renewed determination and i wish to debut this version at Comic Fiesta (December 2011) to cosplay Yukari in the grand prix gown that would make (my favourite character) George proud~

Comic Fiesta 2010

this year, CF was held in the Manhattan Ballroom (which is on the 14th floor) of Berjaya Times Square Hotel on 18-19 december. i went for both day1 and day2 and i return with photos - not too much, but a good number of them! XD

so allow me to separate my report into day1 and day2 here~

WARNING: image heavy! (well, that is unavoidable and almost predictable, isn't it?)

Ranmao dash to the lash!

okay, i know the title does not make sense now, but let me explain. this post is about the making of Ranmao's accessories and wig styling, and a piece of prop for the CF cosplay group competition tomorrow.. and to confess, today i skipped classes. (yeah, i did it for CF.) *slapped*

because the prettiest item is the photo of Ranmao's hairclip, i shall start with that. as you can see, i simply attached a blue 'tassel' piece to the flower hair clip. but truth is, i used one whole spool of blue thread to spin the tassel because i have no more money and time to spend on a ready-made tassel from a store (which  could probably be inaccurate to the colour or wrong shape that i want, and waste petrol and parking fee too).

Ranmao again? getting close!

so far, my progress looks to be delayed here and there (due to assignments fighting for my precious limited time), but i think my Ranmao costume will be completed before Comic Fiesta! my next update here is about the bell anklet which is worn on her legs.

i don't know if they are meant to be bell-look-alikes or real live ringing bells, but i decided to be cheeky and went with real bells. in fact, i got the bells in medium size (instead of small) because Daiso sells them on a handheld tambourine-thing. of course, as you can see, i have ripped all 10 pieces of bells from the toy/instrument, leaving a pink plastic thing.

Ranmao around Japan~

with less than 15days before Comic Fiesta 2010, it is time to install Ranmao's character in me. (okay, i just wanted to learn more of her poses.) hahaha~

so here is a small gallery of Ranmao cosplays from Curecos - starting with the cutest Ranmao~nyan!

Ranmao cosplay by RIMUTA

Ranmao WIP update

i added the yellow details (i know you cannot see the long slits in the middle of the yellow detail on the cuffs ;_;) on the sleeves and made the anklets. still have to find little bells to attach to the anklets, and get purple fabric dye to finish the dress design (or maybe i will cheat by sewing purple appliqué). XD

Ranmao & Lau WIP & my tailor

earlier this week i went to my tailor to collect the costumes for wgfai (who could not go) and mine too. misao went together with me since he had an assignment to do. ^__^

my tailor is located in a very hidden place in salak south (or salak selatan), borderline to sri petaling. i could not tell you where exactly she is since i only know the place by remembering the way there. but i do know she makes me really fitting costumes even if she is just a normal tailor (not a specialised fancy pansy costume maker).

Animangaki 2010 - photostory

i shall keep text to a minimum and leave more space to share my photos from Animangaki!

i met up with the K-ON members in the changing room, fixed some wigs and makeup, and we were off to the hall. by noon, the hall was already super crowded but due to the size of the venue, we were still able to move in a group without losing each other or bumping/knocking/stepping/breaking into someone/armour/weapon/gown/wings.

after touring the doujin booths and hanging around to watch the stage activities, we had our lunch picnic in the female cosplayer's room, went to Hibiki Tokai Productions studio room for a photoshoot, and also laughed ourselves silly with an unguided tour in the Haunted House attraction. as the event continues, i stayed to watch cosplay performances while some have left. i also played WS at Little Akiba booth before i left for home.

sorry for the tl;dr text - i promise there will be only photos ahead!

Sawako-sensei guides the K-ON club trip to Animangaki!

it's sem break! day 20

more incoming parcels! i think the postmen assigned to my area must be royally annoyed, wondering how many are being sent to my address. just today, they took 3-4 trips to my home for delivery! (yes, i lost count.) could they just send everything in one go? apparently there must be a glitch in the system today. XD

more delivery for today~

i took a photo of these two before i received yet another delivery from the next postman. one was ordered from cosplay.com and one from taobao.com - can you guess which?

it's sem break! day 19

potatoes and parcels!

okay, i am cheating. the potatoes were made yesterday, but that doesn't mean i cannot blog about it today. haha~ remember my Potatoes recipe book which i bought from the recent Book Fest? yesterday i took note of two recipes and tried them for dinner. here are the results!

baked potato chips and potato croquettes - yummy!

it's sem break! day 16

a date with the tailor!

it's sem break! day 5

expectations! for those who are in the same college as i am, the gruelling exam weeks are over, and some of us are (some are not) looking forward to the exam results. what can i say about my exam? i have four subjects this semester, and i will optimistically say i can pass three of them. the first one i am pretty sure i flunked it (the momentum to study had not started yet when i was supposed to be studying).

moving on to more delightful expectations, i am waiting for a ton of parcels to come in and twice as much to send out to others in september. rough calculations came up with 3-4 shipments from DHL, 1 USPS, 1 china post, and several local ones. i will be receiving parcels from japan, america, china, and of course malaysia itself (hopefully one from singapore too). at least half of these do not belong to me, but the things that i actually bought for myself are at least half the original price. *wink*

past cosplay & ACG events of 2009 (part 2)

part one (january until may 2009) of the same post is found here.

time to clean up the cluttered events list! here are past events ranging from june until december 2009 in malaysia!

• may 29 - june 7: MOVIE CARNIVAL @ SUNWAY PYRAMID new wing, orange & blue atrium (10am-10pm)
• june 6-7: DOUJINFAIR 2009 @ LEO'S CAFE 3rd floor, lowyat plaza (12pm-6pm) Entry RM5/day
•  june 6-7: IchiBANZAI @ KDU penang (11am-7pm)
• june 12-14: GAMES & GADGET 2009 @ MID VALLEY EXHIBITION CENTRE level3 (11am-9pm *8pm on sunday)
• june 27-28: ANIMANGAKI @ SUNWAY UNI multi purpose hall (9am-6pm) Entry RM8/day OR RM5/day/cosplayer
• july 3-5: GameHub @ PERSADA johor
• july 11-12: DAICON @ MMU grand hall, cyberjaya (11am-6pm)
• july 11-12: COSFEST VIII @ DOWNTOWN EAST singapore
• aug 15-16: GACC2009 @ MMU exam hall, melaka (10am-7pm)
• sept 26: Asaban Fest @ TAYLORS UC main campus, ss15 (11am-11pm)
• sept 6-27 (sunday only): ANICOM @ SUNGEI WANG PLAZA t-hop 6th floor (3pm)
• oct 10: Animax Event of the Year @ BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE boulevard (11am-6pm)
• nov 14-15: Anime Hanabi Festival 祭 @ BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE 6th floor (10am-8pm)
• nov 19-22: ACGC FINALE @ KLCC hall 5 (11am-7pm) postponed indefinitely
  
• nov 21-22: AFA09 @ SUNTEC CENTRE hall 403-404, singapore
• dec 19-20: Comic Fiesta @ SUNWAY PYRAMID

My Top 5 Treat List

cosplayer + lolita + fangirl + shopaholic + devoted netizen = you know what i want. *wink*

those who saw my tweet which said that i was in Low Yat Plaza very recently, here's why - kclee and i were browsing for a nice little something, specially for yours truly. follow my top 5 treat list countdown to find out what it is!

Number 5 -

BRS cosplay progress *update*

i woke up just before dawn due to some bad food stirring up in my stomach. so i went online to check emails for the group orders since i am up. then i downloaded the ridiculously large zip file from Majolica Majorca for the web design contest. wait, i am still downloading the 50mb+ zip file now. might as well do some quickie blogging while i wait.

which bring me to the subject of Black Rock Shooter aka BRS. here~ have a look at my beloved BRS miku:

black rock shooter, as designed by her creator HUKE.

this weekend, i will be joining the Vocaloid photoshoot and i will be BRS! <3 however, my WIP preparations are only 40% completed. check out the list that i made here:

God Knows

this is the original japanese song which has an english version that i performed as Haruhi Suzumiya in bunny suit at DaiCon. very meaningful lyrics, so do listen to the real song by Aya Hirano. <3

i thought i'd share it here since i still have not publish a few blog updates which are still in draft. orz. so, here is a teaser!


"God Knows" Lyrics

kawaita kokoro de kakenukeru
gomen ne nani mo dekinakute
itami wo wakachiau koto sae
anata wa yurushite kurenai
I run past you with a thirsty heart.
Sorry, I couldn't do anything-
you won't even let us
share our pain with each other.

muku ni ikiru tame ni furimukazu
senaka mukete satteshimau
on the lonely rail
In order to live purely
I face your back and leave without turning back.
on the lonely rail

watashi tsuiteiku yo
donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae
kitto anata wa kagayaite
koeru mirai no hate
yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni
my way kasanaru yo
ima futari ni God bless...
I'll follow you.
No matter where you are in the darkness of this bitter world
you will shine,
and exceed the limits of the future.
To prevent your spirit from being broken because of your weakness
you converge with my way.
Now, God bless us...

todokete atsuku naru omoi wa
genjitsu tokashite samayou
aitai kimochi ni riyuu wa nai
anata e afuredasu Lovin' you
I send my now passionate feelings-
they melt reality, then just hover there suspended.
There's no reason for me wanting to see you.
I pour my feelings into you, lovin' you

semete utsukushii yume dake wo
egakinagara oikakeyou
for your lonely heart
Let's at least imagine only beautiful dreams,
as we chase after them
for your lonely heart

yamete uso wa anata rashikunai yo
me wo mite kore kara no koto wo hanasou
watashi kakugo shiteru
kurai mirai datte
tsuyoku natte unmei kaerareru kamo ne
my wish kanaetai noni
subete wa God knows...
Stop it, lying isn't like you.
Look into my eyes and let's speak of what will be.
I'm prepared-
even for a bleak future.
Become strong and you might even be able to change fate, you know.
Though I want my wish to be granted,
God knows everything...

anata ga ite watashi ga ite
hoka no hito wa kieteshimatta
awai yume no utsukushisa wo egakinagara
kizuato nazoru
You're here, and I'm here-
all the others have disappeared.
By sketching the beauty of our fleeting dream,
we're just tracing our scars

dakara watashi tsuiteiku yo
donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae
kitto anata wa kagayaite
koeru mirai no hate
yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni
my way kasanaru yo
ima futari ni God bless...
So, I'll follow you.
No matter where you are in the darkness of this bitter world
you will shine,
and exceed the limits of the future.
To prevent your spirit from being broken because of your weakness
you converge with my way.
Now, God bless us...

Note: original song by Aya Hirano (Haruhi Suzumiya), translated lyrics from animelyrics.com. akiko (yours truly) did not edit the translation this time.

wgfai as Kyon; akiko as Haruhi.

DaiCon Preparation Guide!

*SCREAMS* i bet you must have heard about DaiCon left and right; north, south, east, west. if not, then you may return under the stone where you came from.

it is official - there are THREE (3) days before the much awaited event. and who cares if i am not an associated blogger featured on the front homepage for DaiCon? i still have loyal readers and random visitors - thank you so much for your support!

only today, DaiCon website has been fully updated about many vital information. but what if you get information overload? no problem - allow me to guide you! XD


DaiCon Preparation Guide!

1. bookmark DaiCon's website - because it looks pwetty. oh and, do some clicking exercise (there are SO many pages to flip click). plus, after the event, i am sure you want to read the front page message "THANK YOU FOR COMING TO DAICON!" (even AFA08 did that.)

2. check event schedule - find out when are which activities you want to participate, and clear your planner for the day! if you are driving there, you may need to know how to get there and what is the visitor's pass for.

if you are going by public transport, you may catch the charter bus service (from Trader's Hotel to MMU Cyberjaya) or by rapidKL bus/train.

3. bring some lots of cash - because they won't use credit card. jeez. of course, you might want to do some shopping at the doujin booths and KKnM! this is the floor plan:

stairs to 1st floor(left) and wall of gashapon(right). (entrance #1 far right, but out of frame.)

daicon booth(left), entrance #2 (centre), info counter(right).

HALF of an undecorated Grand Hall of MMU! far left: maid cafe!

4. pack your bags+1 - casual visitors, cosplayers, and contestants alike: do remember to bring all your necessities (as cyberjaya is a tad far from your friendly neighbourhood anything), forms, CDs, art supply, modelling kit, and AWSM/ELITE tickets for Minorin! oh and, cameras, batteries, phones (to call for help when in case you get lost in Cyberjaya).

remember to bring a spare shirt (as the food stalls are outdoors, so you may get sweaty) and at least one extra bag (for chucking in everything in - you may be tired out by 6pm to arrange things neatly).

5. have fun at DaiCon - and meet me there! XD

although i am not an official member of EMiNA (DaiCon's organizer), you may leave me a comment and i will try to answer or redirect you to the contact us page. otherwise, you better go back to your bookmarked webpage at #1.

past cosplay & acg events of 2009

i was just wanting to remove the past events (in chronological order top to bottom) that have graced the whole first half of the year 2009 from the sidebar list, so i thought i had better place it somewhere else... for instance, here. XD

• jan 10-11: Youth09 @ PWTC kuala lumpur (10.30am-9.30pm)
• feb 14: MINI ANIME FAIR @ UKM kolej keris mas, convention room (11am-3pm)
• mar 5: BUNKASAI FESTIVAL @ UCSI north wing campus (1pm-11pm)
• mar 6: Anime-Me II @ FAHRENHEIT desa sri hartamas (8pm-12am)
• mar 15: SEALONLINE LAUNCH & BY2 @ BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE lower ground floor (1.30pm)
• march 19-22: Hotlink Games & Anime Festival @ BERJAYA TIMES SQUARE
• mar 21: JRockのTamashii @ REPUBLIC BAR sunway pyramid (6pm) Entry RM25-30
• mar 21-22: ACGC @ TROPICANA CITY MALL (11am-9pm)
• april 14-16: GACC lite @ MMU main hall, melaka (10am-10pm)
• may 16: C2AGE @ HELP UNI bangsar (10.30am-6pm)

events that i have attended from the list above are:

1. march 15: SEALONLINE LAUNCH - cosplay: ryomou shimei (ikki tousen). but i have to say i was more of working instead of a visitor to the event, and my booth was passed to ywsmokona's members.
2. march 19-22: HGAF - cosplay: none. i have to say i was not very excited about this event. i only went to have a peek on friday, i never actually 'attended' the event.
3. march 21-22: ACGC - cosplay: tsubaki (soul eater). the reason that i was not at HGAF was because i paid full attention to ACGC instead. joined the cosplay competition with skypegasus and opened Unicornz booth as usual.
4. march 21: JRockのTamashii - cosplay: n/a. the other reason i did not have time for HGAF was because i also attended a j-rock music event on the same weekend! i was with minori and we drank this huge glass of alcohol. hahah~

apparently i have been attending events in march only so far in 2009; as for may and june, i'm afraid i have to say i wont be able to attend any events (especially because they are all on the weekends) as i will be working again. its been so long.

Air Gear photoshoot (sneak preview)

event: air gear photoshoot (another outdoor version - first outdoor AG shoot here)

date: 9 may 2009 (last year was around june~)
time: 10am onwards
venue: putrajaya (exact location unknown lol)

cosplayers:
Ikki - Wen
Buccha - beatbox84
Onigiri - mamoru_sama
Ume - Akira
Ringo - Mizuki (not sure if i got your name right)
Agito/Akito - Space-chan
SpitFire - Reno-san
Simca - akiko.wolf (this time not a lame con makeup artist)
Nike - Rayray0211
Nue - sky_pegasus

*extra* - DeidaraGS (thank you so much for staying with our bags and whatnots while we shot at the location)

photographer: green (not sure if i got your name right)
extra cameras: sky_pegasus, DeidaraGS, mamoru_sama (whose photos are used in this preview)

*slap self* i forgot simca's hair has center parting at the back. (shhh... reno dating dei in the background. XD jk lah.)

anyway, although the shoot was in the morning, i went to bed half past 4am coz i was still coloring and printing the AG team emblems (which reminded me of those days nights chatting with guki until the crack of dawn).

i met up with rayray opposite IOI mall around 8.30am, and then joined by sky about 9am, and then convoy with beat and his fancy carful of boys around 9.30am, and reached alamanda putrajaya before 10am to meet space and the rest of the members. after we got changed in the toilet (where there was a curious male cleaner who stared at us girls changing into our colourful wigs) near parkson, we all continue the journey at 11am to our shoot location which was located at... somewhere after the landmark putrajaya bridge. which bridge? beats me.

wait. you have to listen to my explanation. simca's boobs were D-cup that day, but yours truly wore C-cup (coz i dont have D-cup bras). so the upper part of my costume may be *quite* tight (would explain the creases at the side seams).

since we were running short of time, and the camera gal was running out of shots, space kicked into her well-organized director mode. our shots had been pre-planned so no slip ups or "oops we forgot to shoot this character or that scene" or whatnot. for our final shot we had to skip the ever glorious "jump shot" as we were running out of shots, so nue/sky decided to do a "water shot" which half of us took a dip in a shallow pool of water! (my boots were bloody wetful of water going slosh slosh slosh.)

anyway, photos here are courtesy of mamoru who allowed us to take some funny photos with his camera. XD

all sticker emblems are proudly sponsored by yours truly.

make-up assistance was also proudly brought to you by yours truly.

wig styling by myself.
srsly. the wig kept falling back, so that explains why my fringe look so short. grr.

dei, why so cool at the back there!

*continues to wait patiently for the photoshoot pix from green*

DaiCon @ EMiNA Roadshow

i went to 1Utama for daicon/emina roadshow on day2 (saturday), and guess what? i spent a lot of money. (so im broke again.) ;_;

for those who did not know, here are more details:
date: 1-3 may 2009
time: 12noon onwards
venue: 1Utama highstreet
activities:

• mini photoshoot with cosplayers
  
• manga, anime, magazine, figurine display
• merchandise giveaways from Animax
• Minorin appearance *early bird* ticket sales:
  

Tickets to be sold:

AWSM Tickets = RM250

• Specially numbered AWSM seats for Miss Chihara Minori's Q&A Panel on Day 1 and Mini-Concert on Day 2
• ONE Autograph Pass for Miss Chihara Minori's Autograph Session.

ELITE Tickets = RM150

• Specially numbered ELITE seats for Miss Chihara Minori's Q&A Panel on Day 1 and Mini-Concert on Day 2.
• Lucky Draw chance to be upgraded in to AWSM tickets. (limited to 15 people only).
  

as far as i know, there are 100 seats allocated for AWSM tickets, and 400 for ELITE tickets. so, minorin fans, you know what to do. XD see you at DaiCon, with or without awsm/elite tickets.





anyway, after meeting fellow cosplayers (potter, wedraven, yuan, cheryl, yumi, sakurai, dxhikaru, beatbox, azreal, sweepingbutler, shawnkazu, andrew, wen) and EMiNA crew (fazri, ganesh, kurogane, pauline, and a few more) and picked up a free Fruits Basket poster (YAY!) and RM5 voucher from animetech, clow and i stopped at comic paradise (OMG they still sell Death Note BM manga!), animetech (but did not spend the RM5 voucher), action city (their outlet that sells outdated re-ment, which is a good thing!), pasta zanmai (expensive desserts), and pay less books (50% discount on top of already cheap books!) before heading home.

[ insert photos after i get home from exam ]

crab shell gratin with cheese (potato!)

mushroom spagetti with egg (honestly, i couldnt be bothered with its fancy pansy name.)

same thing as above, but with grated cheese! served with miso soup and fresh salad.

macha pudding (green tea pudding is not my thing.)

chocolate fondant (nomnomnom yum! chocolate cake with chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream.)

aisare choko (love chocolate?) series: Truffle bears & Nostalgia Chocolate!

well, see you at the actual event of Daicon ne~