Note to Self: Make Hat for Emily

Occasionally you'll find these notes to self throughout my blog. These are basically as they claim to be, notes to self. Things that don't get lost on a specific computer and browser's Favorite's list, or in an email, or on a piece of paper.

Note to self. Make this hat for Emily, use the same coloUr scheme.

More information can be found at this site http://www.cute-plush.com/sadcathat.htm%22

Getting Ready for the Olympics

I love the Olympics and the winter Olympics are only 3 hours away from me this year and from my home country CANADA!! So I've got tickets to go see the Women's Ice Hockey game Canada VS Sloviakia (where's that?). I'm geared up with the Mascot stuff animals, clothing, and now my home made fleece hat. It's going to be cold in the ice area.

Sakura Con Cosplay Ideas

Original Design
Completion: 5%
Just an excuse to wear some AWESOME wings

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Anime: Cardcaptor Sakura
Character Name: Meilin Rae 李 苺鈴
Japanese Anime Release Date: 1998
American Anime Release Date: 1999
Age: 10
Completion: 0%

I've got the Height Covered, the Black Hair, and the Chinese appearence.
I'm doing her as part of a cosplay group

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Game Series: Batman Arkham Asylum
Character Name: Harley Quinn
Japanese Release Date: Jan 2010
American Release Date: Aug 2009
Completion: 90% Complete
Prop: Gun, it will be steampunked for my own personal glee.

She's a villan that works for the Joker

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Game Series: Final Fantasy XIII
Character Name: Lightning
Japanese Release Date: Dec 2009
American Release Date: March 2010
Completion: 90%
Prop: Blaze Edge that is a combination of a gun and a sword, I will be doing the sword version

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Sakura Con Mascot 2010
Release Date: April 2009
Completion: 97%
I got 360 sketches from the original artist.

For the Deivant page for the artist http://chibi-rera.deviantart.com/

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Anime Series: Rozen Maiden
Character Name: Suiseiseki
Japanese Manage Release Date: 2004
Prop: Giant Suitcase
Completion: 100%

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NEW COSPLAY IDEA

Series: Tokidoki
Character Name: Mozzarella
Release Date: July 2008
Prop: Gun and Milk box side kick
Completion: 0%

Craft Tags

This is my first attempt at Tags. I am quite proud of what I got. Because it was a part of a present and I had two ideas I really liked I ended up doing them back to back. I couldn't link the chain to the hole so I burnt the edges which ended up looking very cool.

Sadden by Bad Cosplay Pictures

So through my 7 years of Cosplaying I have learned to make better and better outfits. May I say I've impressed myself, yea sure there's still a little duct tape here and there, but it's still hidden that people don't know. But even though I make these awesome Cosplay outfits, and have learned how much difference a good wig makes, I've yet to master the art of photography.

I've always been envious of good, no great cosplay photos. It's not just the photo but the background as well that is a part of the picture. It turns it from costuming to a story. It really hit me when I wanted to join this Deviant group TheCosplayGroup but reading through their rules it says that cosplayers may submit their "BEST" work. This means people have to self judge if their work is quality or crap. They can't flood the gates with photos just to get publicity but have to pick their prime photos to submit and go through an approval process.

That's when I look at my own pictures. My costumes look great, but

• The Con people in the background
• The bad photographer that just crops you out
• Photos in the toilet room? what was I thinking?
• Bad lighting
• And Awkward poses, ok I don't know how to model, I need to work on this one

This is what I'm going after
Good Poses, Good Lighting, Awesome Background.


Something my friend Hannah tried to teach me last year, but I just didn't understand until she was gone and I saw the pictures she took of me. She annoyed the crap out of me when taking a million pictures, but now I understand how it was soooo worth it.

Playing with my Layout

So I'm starting to customize my Blog to be more me, none of that template stuff.  Ok so I"m working with a template to start but i'm adjusting the graphics and CSS (woo a coding term) so that it's more me.  But I'm not for sure what kind of style I want it yet.  I'm thinking Gothic Lolita, so pink with Black Lace feel.  But I dont want to steal any graphics I want to make my own.  Oh this is going to be an interesting challenge I haven't played with Graphics in quite a while.  So I got this cute Idea but couldn't figure out which to pick.  It seems the coloUr scheme for my gothic lolita gives a bit of a headache, the softer coloUrs look nicer.  Although for now I"ll leave it this way and work on this more later.

This Blog editor is really bugging me, especially playing with the photos. I dont want to hand edit all the HTML though, too lazy.

Vancouver Eating Tour

So a huge group of chinese friends from Seattle decided to go to Vancouver (Canada) for boxing day weekend and hang out.  Well of course it turned into this giant eating fest with a bit of extra shopping and ice skating.

1 - We started off with Dim Sum in Richmond.  A popular well known place of Sun Sui Wah.  Some extra locals joined us for this meal.  Rice noodle rolls, shirmp dumplings, BBQ pork steam buns, egg tarts, spare ribs, sticky rice, chicken feet, spring rolls,

2 - Costco, you'd be suprised about how many of us wanted to go to Costco.  Ok besides the costco walking we did try the Poutine while there.  What is this Poutine you ask?  It's French Fries, with Gravy, and Cheese Curds (like fresh mozzarella).  We wanted to order it to try since it's very Canadian and not American at all.  LOL ok anyways half the people didn't eat it cause they were too full from Dim Sum.  It was quite good except way to salty for my taste.  We did have pictures of it but I"ll spare people from having to see John being Fed by Yu-Hong.  Yu-Hong have to demonstrate the perfect way to eat Poutine.  um yes it was a very humorous thing to watch.


3 - Headed over to Aberdeen Mall to kill some time and load up on that Tawainese popular drink of Bubble Tea from the food court.  Ok not everyone actually got tea or bubbles in their drinks, but we all got things to drink.  We were humoured by some of these ridiculous (and some times not funny) tops to the drinks.

3.5 - Being Sammy I went to the toy store and bought a blind box toy.  Fitting the theme I got a Kirby with a chef's hat and fry pan.

4 - Hong Kong treat of Bubble Waffles (雞蛋仔) All crispy and hot.  YUM.  We also go deep fried chicken wings, but yea deep fried chicken wings all look the same (but do not all taste the same)

5 - So while ice skating, a few decided to go to Tim Hortons since I kept mentioning how it was Canadian.  Did I forget to mention while at Tim Hortons you should try a Donut, or more specifically a TimBit.  Whoops they came back with just coffee and no donut.  No photo becuase I was busy Ice Skating.  Oh ok I'll add a picture of me Ice Skating.  OutDoors (covered).  In Robson Square. 

6 - Ok in the afternoon we hit Robson more for IceSkating.  and JAPADOGs!!!  Oh yea some people went to TIm Hortons cause they knew it was Canadian, yet they failed to try a donut.  Whoops, I guess I should have told them before they headed off.  Anyways JapaDogs are these Hot Dogs (sliced up to let more sauce oooze around) topped off with Japanese condimenets.  Some people think it's just a tourist location cause lots of stars and travel show people have come by here, but I know a bunch of locals who do enjoy it as well.  Ok it's a little expensive, and we did have to wait in TWO separate lines for over 10 minutes each line to actually get our dogs, but I thought it was yummy and well worth it.

7 - Ok I decided to explain Blenz to people as a Canadian Starbucks, ok it wans't quite, but it's trying to become one.  Anyways hung out there for a while as we waited for more time to pass (since we were kicked out of the Apple store for loitering too long, ok no they were closing).  Sadly no one ordered the Matcha (Green Tea) Latte.

8 - Guu, An Expensive Japanese "Tapas" dinning experiance.  yummy, but expensive.  Each order was about $5 and everyone shares so we each ended up with a small bite to try.  That's all I have to say.  Oh wait no that's not all.  They scream your order to the chef as you order each item.  So we had things like TakoYaki, Black Cod, Beef Carpacio, Chicken Knee, Sake Ice Cream, Stewed Pork Belly,  Okonamiyaki, and other stuff.  We left not full cause we didn't want to pay an arm and a leg, although we underdid it and our bill was suprisingly low. 

9 - We went to Pearl Castle for a midnight snack (yes we went straight after Guu cause we weren't full from there).  Once again more drinks but not everyone had bubble and not everyone had tea.  Some of us also ordered these Mini Hot Pots (single serving) to share.  This one is a milk hot pot.  Yea I know it sounds gross but gah it's so yummy.  Think more mushroom soup than warm milk.

DAY ONE ENDS

DAY TWO BEINGS

People slept in, no congee, no Tim Hortons (as originally suggested), but for a few a healthy morning of Bible preaching from an (East) Indian guy.  Whoah that was interesting

10 - So back to Aberdeen Mall where we went to food court.  This isn't one of those food courts that have your standard McD and Sabarros.  No this has Japanese Osaka street food.  Hong Kong Cafe style dishes, ShangHai appetizer treats.  Japanese Crepes, Bubble Tea, Juice Bars, a place that only serves Cream Puffs, Korean Food, Ramen, the list goes on.  It's like an Asian version of the CrossRoad's food court (this is a food court that is very popular after church in Bellevue that has foods from around the world and lacks the generic fast food giants we have come overly familiar with).  I went with the Japanese Ramen with a side of veggie croquettes.  Yummy

10.5- More Bubble Tea, I think.  Wait I think that's just Milk Tea, with no bubbles.  Oh and it's Hong Kong style, not Tawainese style. 

11 - Ok I couldn't resist a dessert while I was here.  Japanese crepes baby!  Yumo, sorry french crepes, they stole your recipe and made it better.  I had mine with Azuki (Red Bean), Matcha (Green Tea), and eh and um er what is it called, lik a unfilled mochi.   I'm noticing it's becoming popular to not fold the crepes anymore but instead twist them into a cone.  I prefer the old folds better, this way seems a little dense, ruins my light dessert feel.

Before 12 - We went for a round of SingK.  What's that you say?  It's the beloved Karoke!  Impressive we had Mandarin, English, Cantonese, and Japanese all in one hour.  Ok I'll leave it at that.


12 - To end the trip we go to none other than the awaited ShangHai restaurant for our beloved Soup Dumplings (小籠包).  Three steamers (6 pieces a steamer) to start, plus another appetizer.  Than another three along with our order of main dishes..  Oh man sooooo good, ok two more before we leave.  

Weapon of Agony

I asked what my friend wanted for Christmas, and she replied a gun.  So this is what I ended up with.  The real present is about 40+ steam punk craft items (cause she's always talking steam punk crafts).  Each piece is wrapped up individuall (as I quote her "u were sadistic.") and tapped together into a shape of a gun.

This her playing with the gun to start

The benning of the journey to unwrap the gun

20 minutes later . . .

Her sticky fingers that's she's waving in my face to prove that it's disgusting to be sticky