Here are some pictures from San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) 2014 last weekend.
“Pop Culture and the Robot Reality” Panel // Saturday, July 26.
GM Robot Party at Stone Brewing Co.
Last weekend EST/LA had a 3-day run of The Vagina Monologues featuring a stellar celebrity cast of more than 60 women.
Here’s more information about The Vagina Monologues from V-Day Atwater. (Also visit the official V-Day website here.)
What is V-Day, you might ask?
“V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works.In 2010, over 5400 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $75 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 12,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic Of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. In 2001, V-Day was named one of Worth Magazine’s “100 Best Charities,” in 2006 one of Marie Claire Magazine’s Top Ten Charities, and in 2010 was named as one of the Top-Rated organizations on GreatNonprofits. In twelve years, the V-Day movement has reached over 300 million people.”
What is a V-Day Campaign?
“A V-Day Campaign is a catalyst for mobilizing women and men to heighten awareness about violence against women and girls. By creating this global community, V-Day strives to empower women to find their collective voices and demand an end to the violence that affects one in three women in the U.S and around the world. “
I’ve always wondered what The Vagina Monologues was about. A good friend of mine, Niki, had encouraged me to go, and another close friend had done this show a couple of times in college, and also highly recommended that I go as well. I went on closing night because I knew one of the performers. It’s always fun to go and cheer on someone you know!
The performers on this night included:
Jennifer Runyon Corman, Pamela Des Barres, Bobbie Brown, Marissa Drammassi, Daisy Eagan, Caitlin Gallogly, Ilene Graff, Jacqueline King, Athena Kottack, Katherine Kramer, Kate Linder, Sandy Martin, Sheena Metal, Erin Murphy, Susan Olsen, Kate Prendergast, Robin Riker, Kimleigh Smith, Dr. Estella Sneider, Corinne Spicer, and Kathleen Wilhoite.
I’ve been looking forward to SLCC / FanX 2014 since the beginning of the year, and it was such an FUNtastic experience! I’m usually either staffing, helping at a booth, or wandering on my own when I’m at a convention. Not very exciting. However, this time I traveled out of California, met up with friends, made new friends, and ever day was like an adventure.
I’m still not used to flying, but it was either 2 hours by plane, or 10 hours by car… While in line for the human x-ray machine, I noticed a man in the aisle next to mine who looked lot like William Shatner. He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, so I couldn’t really tell. But I thought to myself, just because I was going to comic con didn’t mean everyone else in line was going as well. Besides, this was just the screening area. What were the chances that we were both headed for Salt Lake City? Well, when I boarded the plane, the same man was sitting in first class. Coincidence? Maybe?? But what came next really caught me by surprise. Almost the entire cast of TNG were also on the same flight. Woah… So, yes. It was Mr. Shatner.
The rest of the flight was uneventful. I tried playing Bejeweled on the flight’s touchscreen monitor, but it crashed and I wasn’t able to get it working again.
Here are pictures from my FanXperience.
Day 1 // April 17, 2014
– TNG PANEL –
Day 2 // April 18, 2014
Day 3 // April 19, 2014
(Pictures taken by me, Marie, and Angie. )
Sorry. I’m backtracking…I know. Going all the way back to October — January!
>>>OCTOBER 2013
Venue: Ensemble Studio Los Angeles (EST/LA)
What: THE LAST LOOK BACK
Who: written by Stephen Serpas, directed by Gates McFadden, starring Brent Spiner, Tracy A. Leigh, Sadie Alexandru, Ramon De Ocampo.
So, I had to choose whether I should money on needed car repairs, or splurge on the VIP ticket. Guess which one I picked? Yep. Transmission problems? Wha–? Yeah, that can wait, right?
I went with a theater-going buddy, and although we didn’t sit together, we both had a great view of the show. Really, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.
I was still fairly new to Twitter back then, and had only been actively using it since July, so it was a lot of fun meeting some Twitter pals in person.
>>>DECEMBER 2013
Venue: Montgomery Theater (San Jose, CA)
What: ZELDA – SYMPHONY OF THE GODDESS
Who: Susie Benchisal Seiter (conductor/orchestrator), Dawn Harms (concertmaster), Skywalker Ranch Orchestra
This was my fourth Zelda concert! First one was San Francisco (also featuring the Skywalker Ranch Orchestra), then San Diego, The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, and San Jose. Back in October, Susie had tweeted a photo of a broken wind waker baton. It had snapped in mid-performance! I offered to make her a replacement baton, not for the show, but for her own private fan-art collection.
While carrying the baton box around downtown, I was perplexed on how I was going to get the baton to Susie. Then suddenly, out of the blue, Jeron Moore came walking down the street and totally saved the day! He helped me get past security (they’d let cosplayers with fake swords enter the theater, but wanted to confiscate my baton box. Wha?!?!), and had an usher escort me to meet them backstage. I was shaking the entire time! Susie even used the baton for Wind Waker movement. What an honor!
>>>JANUARY 2014
Venue: Roseland Theater (Portland, OR)
What: THE LEGENDARY BRENT SPINER: A NIGHT OF SONGS AND STORIES
Who: Brent Spiner, featuring Brad Ellis on piano
Brent Spiner in concert. Need I say more?!
I have a fear of flying and haven’t traveled by plane in over a decade. Last time I was on a plane was in 2002, when I flew to South Caroline for my sister’s boot camp graduation. The flight to Portland was only a little over an hour, but the high winds and rain made for a very bumpy landing. But fear of flying be damned! There was no way I was gonna miss this show.
I met up with Marie, whom I met at EST/LA in October, and we stayed at the Benson Hotel in Downtown Portland. I really liked the old look and feel to it. There was a…um…I don’t know what it was… A gathering? They were all dressed in 1920s fashion…for fun? I’ve seen weirder things in Little Tokyo/Downtown LA…
The theater was PACKED. I’m pretty sure it was a sold-out show. Some people came dressed in Starfleet uniforms, and there were even a few people dressed as wizards! How random. Not exactly the most appropriate concert attire, but…oh well.
((Tangent)) In The Last Look Back, Brent (as Sinatra) teased the audience by attempting to sing “In the Wee Small Hours,” but never fully broke into the song. I got to chat with Brent after the show, and he asked if I was disappointed that he didn’t sing. I believe I shouted “YES” before he even finished his sentence. That’s when he told us about his plans for this show. By the way, “In the Wee Small Hours” is also in Brent’s CD, Dreamland. It’s one of my favorite tracks because the melody takes a lot of unexpected turns, and it just sounds gorgeous. Brent didn’t sing “Wee Small Hours” in Portland, but he did sing “To Know You is to Love You,” which is also in Dreamland. He sounded amazing, and he must have really worked on his vocals because his voice didn’t waver, even after 3 hours of singing and talking. ((End Tangent))
The show was fantastic. There was a brief Q&A during intermission, and someone even asked Brent to sing Blue Skies. …and he did!! Gah! Brad Ellis should accompany all of Brent’s Q&A panel!
They had a 9-piece orchestra (I think). Guitar, bass, percussion, trombone, soprano sax (doubling on flute), alto or tenor sax (?), clarinet and cello, and of course, the talented Brad Ellis on piano. Both of the saxophonists had Kenny G hair. Maybe it’s a Portland thing?
After the show, VIPs had the opportunity to get a photo op with Brent, and everyone got a complimentary autograph. The line was barely moving at first because some people brought several items for Brent to sign. (Again, we’re at concert, people…not a convention…) Finally, one of the stage managers stepped in and announced that Brent was on a time crunch to catch his flight, and set a limit of 1 autograph per person, and no personalization. That’s fair for everyone, especially for the folks at the back of the line–like us… There must have been close to a thousand people in line, maybe even more, but Brent stayed until everyone got an autograph. And that’s why he is such an amazing guy!
Portland. Good times!
My first Gallifrey One!
Day 1 // February 14, 2014
Day 2 // February 15, 2014
Day 3 // February 16, 2014
We had our annual SCrew (Socal Crew) badminton tournament on November 16th. We moved the venue from San Gabriel Valley Badminton Club 1 (SGVBC) to Manhattan Beach Badminton Club (MBCC). It’s a bit far for some of us, but it was worth the drive. It’s a wonderful facility, with clean and spacious locker rooms, shower and restrooms, a large kitchen, a lounge area, a swimming pool, jacuzzi, and 6 badminton courts. We also had the drawing party at MBCC 2 weeks before the tournament to decide the teams. It was just me, Su-Ting, Choei, Chase, Phap, Pat, and Grace, but only Grace and I drew . We compiled a list of all participating players and marked down each person’s experience level so we could evenly distribute them among the 6 teams. I got drawn into team #2, and it was apparent at that point that team #2 was going to be the underdog. Later, I drew a #2 for Choei, and he broke down and threw a hissy fit. Pat was laughing at Choei’s misery…but not for long, as he, too, got drawn into team #2. So, we went from being the underdog to not-so-sh*tty-looking. Not bad. Pat decided the line-up for our team, and it proved to be very effective! We, team# 2 (aka Thai Iced Tea with Boba) were victorious!
(Video to be uploaded soon…)
SAN DIEGO ZOOAt the zoo, we took the Lost Forest trail which led us to the tiger exhibit. Nicky LOVES tigers and she even has a tattoo of one. I’ve rarely seen her so enthusiastic for anything! Unfortunately, her excitement was short lived because the lone tiger was napping in corner out of view. Aw…too bad. We continued up the trail and came across one of the most unusual animal I’ve ever seen — an okapi. It looks like a mix between a deer, a zebra, and a giraffe. Next, we visited Panda Canyon. So…what’s cuter than a baby panda? A red panda! They’re so adorable! I want one…
According to my Fitbit flex, we walked over 7.25 miles, burned 2468 calories, and took 16,649 steps. We covered almost the entire park except for the Discovery Outpost. Darn it…didn’t see any sloths this visit.
Overall, I liked the concert but felt it was very rushed. Last year, the conductor would pause between pieces and engage the audience with stories and anecdotes. The conductor for this show ran straight through the pieces until the intermission. All the pieces were very short, maybe 2-3 minutes at most. Cain and I were playing a game of “find the musicians.” It took us awhile to locate the guitarists and drummer. They used an upright piano rather than a concert grand, and the bagpipes were probably played on a keyboard. Awwww… For a Pixar/Disney concert, it just wasn’t all that magical for me.
JOHN WILLIAMS CONCERT
The one event I look forward to the most in the summer is the John Williams Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. This year’s special guests were Julie Andrews and Monica Mancini. The first half of the concert was dedicated to the friendship and collaborations between Henry Mancini and Blake Edwards. Just before intermission, someone in a Pink Panther suit came onto stage and presented a bouquet of roses to Julie Andrews. It was adorable!! The second half features some of JW’s most popular pieces. Indiana Jones and Star Wars is a must, and sometimes we hear pieces from Superman, ET, Harry Potter, or Hook. Before JW started the Star Wars set, he said he would let us in on his secret about his writing process…and then he showed us this video!!
The Star Wars set can be considered the rock concert of film music, and this is apparent whenever they perform the Imperial March. That’s when everyone busts out their lightsabers and waves them in sync to the music…well, at least until a meter change. The only new piece performed this year was a theme from Lincoln for string orchestra only. So beautiful…
Scary, Scarred Face (Part II)
Yep. That’s right… we went back. I lasted 2 whole minutes without screaming or flinching this time. Then I broke down and lost it.
We’re just through the first half of TGG’s Gundam model competition (SCGMC). The raffle was a hit, and we’ll definitely need a bigger raffle drum next year. What’s funny is when we locked the drum after the raffle, the lock JAMMED! Clem used a pair of pliers and…wire cutter(?) to tear the lock off. Bad..Sanrio rip-off lock…bad!!!
Bad Sanrio rip-off lock…Bad..!!!
Our new lock = a key ring!
Here are just some of the awesome entries:
Award ceremony. Clem is so loud he does not need a microphone.
And of course, the prizes:
Have you heard about Swallow Your Bliss? If you haven’t, you should check out their indiegogo page here.
Here’s a short description of the show from their indiegogo campaign homepage:
Swallow Your Bliss is a comedy set in the world of a highly successful cooking show that pairs our two favorite things in life — food and sex (don’t lie, they’re your favorites too). The action takes place both while the camera is rolling and especially when it’s not. The star chef, Amanda Bliss, a very desirable, thirty- eleven-ish (she refuses to use the term “forties”), strong willed, sarcastic and always the number one. Behind her back, she is referred to as the “Blisster”. As her producer, Martin puts it, “A mild irritation that develops into a constant pain until it bursts into a miasma of despair.”
(Left to right: Lisa Long, Michael Dorn, Caroline Rich Schwartz, Christopher Rich.)
The show features a talented ensemble cast including Christopher Rich, Lisa Long, Michael Dorn, and Caroline Rich Schwartz . They have yet to announce who will be playing Amanda Bliss, but said, “You will know her, you will love her and you will want to be her.”
Comedy and food…who doesn’t like to laugh, and c’mon…everyone loves the Food Network, right? From their pitch video, the show looks like it’s going to be packed with laughs and chaotic goodness. I made a few contributions and I’m tempted to pick up a some shirts! I have a badminton buddy named Bliss, and it would be totally wear the “Army of Bliss” shirt around him. It would be so awkwardly awesome.
It’s the final week of their crowd funding campain, so please check out their indiegogo page and join the Army of Bliss! Check out some of the awesome perks that are available.
JUNE BIRTHDAYS
Angel and Nicky spoiled me on my birthday week by taking me to see the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses at the Greek Theatre. What a great way to kick start the summer! I thought about wearing my Link costume, but I couldn’t convince myself to wear tights. I like my clothes baggy and comfortable… I did, however, put on elf ears but ended up with way more glue in my hair than on latex prosthetics. Nicky’s solution to removing the glue: “Put your head under water for a few minutes.”
We arrived at the Greek 40 minutes before the start of the concert. Unfortunately, the line for merchandise was too long so I didn’t get the new tan-colored Zelda SoG shirt. I’ll try again in December at San Jose! The Prelude (“The Creation of Hyrule”) was replaced with “Link’s Awakening” and “Spirit Tracks,” both of which I’ve never heard before. After the first movement Eimear switched to the Wind Waker baton that Angel and I made especially for her. I got a little emotional~! It will be a memory that I will keep with me forever. We were treated to several encore pieces including “Gerudo Valley,” “Majora’s Mask,” “Dragon Roost Island,” and a new piece from “Skyward Sword.” We didn’t hear the Dungeon Medley that night, but who knows what San Jose will have in store for us, right?
A few days later, on my actual birthday, I mourned my youth at the happiest place on earth with Angel and Nicky. In the evening, we met up with friends at Orange Hill for happy hour and to enjoy the sunset view. We went back to Anaheim a week later to celebrate Angel’s birthday. No Disneyland, but we got Star Class seats at UlraLuxe to see “End of the World,” and wrapped up the night with a relaxing dinner at McCormick’s and Schmick’s.
Kenny’s birthday was also in June. Geminis sure are popular… Our special nickname for him is “Sunflower.” I thought it would be cute to make him a sunflower fleece hat with removable petals. I found a basic hat pattern online and modified it so there would be room to attach the petals. I don’t know anything about sewing, and my mom’s sewing machine is ancient, clunky, and dangerous. I didn’t trust myself with the sewing machine and hand stitched everything together in two days. For some reason, my fingers, joints, and wrist locks up after a few hours, and I get these sharp, shooting pains when I try and move my hand. It happens when I’m painting or sanding, too. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.
ANIME EXPO 2013
My interest for anime and manga has dwindled over the years, but I still enjoy going to Anime Expo to people watch and take pictures. A group of us from the build gathering go every year for Clem’s Gunpla model building panel. We got to LACC at 11AM and had the entire day to kill because the panel wasn’t until 7PM. Clem hung out at Blue Fin’s booth snapping pictures of kits from the competition while Angel and I walked the entire exhibit hall looking for the elusive Messala kit. (I finally got it a few weeks later at Comic Con.) We had lunch across the street where several food truck vendors had congregated. There was even a boba truck…so they do exisit… It was over 100 degrees and there was literally nowhere to hide from the sun. I got in the shortest line and was rewarded with the driest pulled pork sandwich ever. We quickly finished our lunch and ran back into the convention center. Ahhhh. AC… There were still a few hours before the panel so we headed over to the bar/lounge area where the boys got their drink on. Clem passed out on the couch and a staffer came by and took a picture of him. I claimed an unoccupied ottoman and tried taking a nap, but the disco lights and throbbing music was too distracting. We arrived at our 15 minutes before the panel and found the line of attendees had already wrapped around the hallway leading back towards South Hall. Wow! I brought Angel’s Wind Waker case to work on during the presentation. I was setting the inner tray in and had to mix epoxy glue, so I had to apologize to everyone around me for the funky smell. During Q&A, Clem spotted a pair of identical twin brothers. They were both bald, had a scruffy beard, and wore matching Hawaiian shirts! Clem asked them some silly questions and they answered together, word for word! You don’t see that everyday…
I made this brain slug for fun. Here’s some pictures of me and my friends being silly.
COMIC CON 2013
(See separate post here.)
SCARFACE
I have these dark spots on my face that’s bothered me for a long time, but I never got around to doing anything about them. My sister recently had laser treatment to remove the moles on her face. The moles are still there but much lighter than before. After seeing her results I decided to make an appointment to get the treatment as well. The procedure for moles and dark spots removal are basically the same. I asked my sister to accompany me for emotional support, but she tagged along just to be entertained by my “torture.” She knew I would break down, scream, cry, and whine my butt off. …and, of course, I did. Luckily there weren’t too many people waiting outside. I would have scared them away. The lady applied numbing cream on my skin before the treatment, but honestly, I don’t think it did anything. It still…hurt….soooo…much… It feels like a hot knife being scraped across your skin. And, oh my goodness, the smell…! THE SMELL! Burning flesh! Yuck!!! My sister’s boyfriend made a last minute decision to get his dark spots removed, too, and he was a lot braver than me. He waited until the lady lifted up the laser tool before screaming and reaching out to hold our hand. I just screamed from start to finish. Yup. I was a mess…
Before After
I still need to go back in a few weeks for a touch up… Oh…Yayy… I originally scheduled the treatment the week before Comic Con. Thank goodness I postponed it until afterwards, otherwise, I would have been walking around the convention looking like I had chicken pox or something. That would have been horrible… I guess I could have blended in with the zombie cosplayers, though…
It was great to be back at Comic Con! I was able to go this year all thanks to my friends at ABCtoy4me. In return, I happily supplied them with caffeine and free labor. This year, ABC had a much larger crew so there was plenty of time for everyone to walk around and enjoy the show for themselves. There wasn’t anything in particular I wanted to do or see, but I went to Comic Con with 3 goals in mind:
I didn’t get much sleep the night before because I was finishing up some Wind Wakers for Daniel and Adam. I downed 4 Red Bulls during the day but it didn’t really do anything. I was still feeling exhausted. Before I left, I tried taking a 15 minute nap, but my heart was beating too rapidly making it impossible to relax. Oh well.
The 405S ramp from 605 was closed, so I had to get off and follow the detour from hell that led me past my alma mater, past Seal Beach and around Huntington Beach. After 30 minutes on surface streets, it finally led me back on the freeway and it was smooth sailing from there on. I reached Daniel’s place around 12:30 AM, crashed on the couch and passed out.
WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2013 (Preview Night)
Getting inside the convention center was easier said than done. I had to wait outside for someone to bring me my badge. My friends directed me to go from lobby F to D, then D to A, then back to F. (That’s walking the length of 11 football fields…twice!) Outside, I had to elbow my way through the mass of people lining up to get in for Preview Night. Some guy ran into me and knocked over my boxed lunch and coffee. Blargh..! It was my only meal for the day! I was expecting a short day with little activity, so I had worn flip flops instead of my tennis shoes. What a mistake that was! My toes got stomped on and ran over by scooters and wheelchairs. It’s no one’s fault but my own. I should have known better.
After I got my badge, I dropped by our booth to say hello and then wandered off to do my own thing. Light Speed Fine Art’s booth was only a few aisles away, so my first stop was to see if they had posted a photo op/signing schedule. To my surprise, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn were already there. I had the opportunity to get Brent’s autograph then and there, but hmm….completing my goal on preview night? What’s the fun in that? Besides, I wouldn’t have much to look forward to during the rest of the show. That or I would have to come up with new goals to meet… I prepaid for a photo op with Brent, picked up a schedule, and moved on.
Side note: I should probably mention that I’m a late bloomer to the Star Trek series. I watched a few episodes of TNG during its original broadcast, but I never got into it because it aired during the same time as the Chinese soap operas. But even then, I knew who Data was, and he was (and still is) my favorite TNG cast member. Everyone loved Data! So now, fast forward to 2013… I recently caught an episode on BBC America, “Time’s Arrow” part one. For whatever reason, instead showing part two, BBC jumped to another episode from an earlier Season. Why?! Now I’m watching TNG on Netflix, and yep, I’m hooked.
Next stop was Bluefin’s booth at the opposite end of the hall… I was supposed to get Messala (Gundam model kit) for Angel’s birthday in JUNE, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. We tried some local shops, and even asked all the vendors at Anime Expo, and no one had it. I really didn’t want to go home empty handed again… Casval at Bluefin confirmed that Messala wasn’t released in the US yet, but they had a few Japanese sample kits they were selling at the show. Sure, why not?! Goal completed! Two more to go!
MORE PICTURES:
THURSDAY, July 18, 2013
I spent the morning helping friends hunt down Comic Con exclusives. Everywhere you turn there were lines, lines, and more lines. At 9:30 AM, I attended a music-related panel, “The Anatomy of Superhero Film Music: Bringing a Comic Book to Life.” The guest panelists included composer Marco Beltrami (The Wolverine), composer John Debney (Iron Man 2), composer Matthew Margeson (X-Men: First Class, Kick Ass 2) with director Jeff Wadlow (Kick Ass 2), composer Christopher Lennertz (Marvel: Agent Carter), composer Bear McCreary and music supervisor Dave Jordan (The Avengers).
I was back in the exhibit hall for the rest of the afternoon. I swung by Light Speed’s booth again to see if Brent was available., but I got there, I overheard a rather obnoxious man shouting questions at Brent. I couldn’t tell if he was asking a real question or purposely being an A-hole. I didn’t want to stick around and find out so I ran away. After about an hour, I mustered the courage to go back and talk to Brent. He was very nice and friendly! Goal completed!
Brent didn’t like the photo I picked out and said it looked too much like a mug shot. (No it didn’t!) I’m sure he was joking, because honestly, all the photos were lovely and I wish I got them all! Brent suggested another photo and took his advice. I handed him my badge so he could see the spelling of my name because I was too nervous to speak. (I babble when I’m scared…) I was amazed when he pronounced my name correctly on his first try. It was a treat because I’m used to my name getting butchered all the time. That was the most memorable moment of Comic Con.
I returned a few hours later for the photo op and Brent still remembered my name. Wow! Brent looked awesome in the photo, but I, on the other hand, looked like someone just died. I need to work on smiling. I must have some irrational fear of taking pictures. Ugh…fail!
MORE PICTURES:
FRIDAY, July 19, 2013
I decided to take another photo with Brent since I didn’t really like first. Unfortunately, my nerves got to me AGAIN, and the photo came out worse than the first. Still, it was a fun experience. I brought the first photo back to Brent to sign. He also said I looked as if I were about to cry in the photo. (T_T) I purchased an additional autograph for myself, and one for my pal, Terrence.
We also chatted briefly about his music works. Brent has a beautiful singing voice, and has released two albums– “Ol’ Yellow Eyes is Back” in 1991, and “Dreamland” in 2008. I found a copy of “Ol’ Yellow Eyes is Back” on ebay and also ordered “Dreamland,” too.
I went back to Light Speed at the end of the day in hopes of purchasing the photos I didn’t already have, but sadly, Brent, Marina and Michael had already left. It was their last day at Comic Con, too. Aww..darn.
MORE PICTURES:
SATURDAY, July 20, 2013
I helped out at the booth for most of the morning. My friends were having some trouble getting the Square credit card app to work. They were using a Samsung Galaxy phone and an iPhone 5 and had trouble staying connected to the internet. Surprisingly, my phone (iPhone 4) had the best connection and worked like a charm every time!
I met up with Helen and her friends for the last Futurama panel ever(?). The entire cast was present! They did a table read the first act of an unaired episode, and then showed the completed second act. It was hilarious! Can’t wait to see the full episode!
There was a book signing event for Carniepunk at 3 PM at Simon and Schuster’s booth. All the authors were there, including Seanan, and everyone in line got a free copy of the book. Nicky will be pleased! Since it was an exclusive signing for Carniepunk, I didn’t bother Seanan with the other books.
I had time to kill so I walked next door to Nintendo’s Gaming Lounge in the Marriott Hotel. It was packed!! They had several stations with playable demos for upcoming games. You earned tickets by playing the demos, which can then be traded in for T-shirts or other prizes. More goodies for Terrence.
There was a Family Guy/American Dad signing at 4 PM, and a man generously offered his ticket to me. He was in line since 6 AM to get tickets for the How I Met Your Mother signing, but they ran out so he got tickets for Family Guy instead. Apparently, Fox was handing out 2 tickets per person for the same event, and people were then selling their extra ticket for $20-$40 a pop. Shame on scalpers… I wish I could have done something to return his generosity. He was first in the stand-by line for How I Met Your Mother, and I really hope he made it in…
MORE PICTURES:
SUNDAY, July 21, 2013
The last day of Comic Con! People were cray for Ugly Dolls. They sold out of merchandise every day during the show. Put Hello Kitty’s face on anything, slap the word “exclusive” on it and everyone will want to buy it. Helen wanted a set of the Hello Kitty Ugly Dolls (4 colors in all), but they were not selling to exhibitors for the first hour. I lined up and got a ticket which guaranteed met at least one doll. Two of the colors were already sold out within 20 minutes of the hall opening. We managed to get one of each of the remaining colors. (Sorry, Helen… I have failed you!)
Seanan had two panels with signings afterward. I missed the first one because I was in line for a photo op with John Barrowman, but made it to the second one. The signings were only an hour long, so I got there ahead schedule to make sure I was near the front of the line. The line moved at snail’s pace because everyone brought a mountain of books to get signed. I accidentally dropped one of Nicky’s book while waiting in line and people around me looked at me as if I had just committed bloody murder… Yikes. I got all of Nicky’s books signed, and for fun, I asked Seanan to write, “COME TO COMIC CON” in one of the books. Goal completed!
Back at our booth, the Sons of Anarchy signing at Fox created traffic congestion in the surrounding aisles. Stragglers tend to hide in our booth to avoid getting yelled at by security. (“Shoot and Scoot!”)
Tear down went smoothly and we were packed up and ready to go in under two hours. That’s a new record!
MORE PICTURES:
This year’s Comic Con was very special to me. I accomplished all my goals, helped out friends in the process, and even lost five pounds. Until next year…I hope.
Exxopolis has arrived! It will be at CSULB (in front of the blue pyramid) from April 11-14, 2013. Here are some pictures!
The Bob Cole Conservatory of Music Pavilion and Plaza Dedication was this past Saturday (Oct 6). I stopped by the campus two days earlier and construction was still ongoing. The construction crew had to work around the clock to get things ready by ceremony time. Following the dedication ceremony was the ribbon cutting for the new office building. It looks kind of retro on the outside (because of the V-shaped roof), but the interior is cool and chic. In the lobby, Dr. Carnahan and Regina Cole unveiled Bob Cole’s piano which was also donated to the conservatory. The day concluded with a music celebration concert in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.
It’s been a very exciting week! On Tuesday night, my friend Caroline and I went to the Pantages to see The Book of Mormon. We got there around 7:30 PM, (much earlier than we had anticipated), so Caroline gave me a quick tour around the theater since it was my first trip to the Pantages. Our seats were on the second level, and in the first row, Mezzo, RC (right center). Awesome seats with an amazing view. (Thanks, Clem!)
Needless to say, the show was epic and hilarious. I left with a bag of goodies: a Book of Mormon tote bag, CD soundtrack of the original Broadway cast, and a T-Shirt.
I was contacted by Jeff Chang a few weeks ago to write a short jingle for a podcast series called Wellcast. Jeff and I previously worked together on another project at school, so it was really great to team up once again!
About Wellcast: “Wellcast is a twice-a-week quirky, animated show, that explores the physical, mental and emotional paths to wellness. With an emphasis on education, the show addresses both the latest trends and long-standing practices of wellness—everything from the efficacy of the gratitude experiment to the importance of sunshine and vitamin D.”
The channel just launched last week.
http://www.youtube.com/watchwellcast
My friend, Clem, invited me to a JW concert at the Bowl three summers ago, and needless to say, I’ve been going back every year since! We had a group of six this time. We arrived at the Bowl an hour and a half before the concert and had ourselves a little picnic. After filling our bellies, we hiked up to our seats in section N3.
On a completely unrelated note…Choei received his first shipment of T-shirts for the upcoming SCrew badminton tournament. This is the alternative T-shirt design. The official T-shirts haven’t arrived yet. There are 4 teams: Water buffalo, Elephant, Giant Panda, and Komodo Dragon. I doodled a sketch of the animals, and Choei used the artwork to print T-shirts.
The T-shirt color is dark greenish-grey (and 2 printed on light pink). Here’s what it looks like. My sister is the shirt model pictured below~
(Shu Shuu is my pen name.)
