The Hardest Thing..

So, yesterday, my girlfriend left for Australia. She went there to study Patisserie and work on the side as well. She will be there for a year.

Initially, I was of course, surprised at her decision to study abroad. There were many schools that she can enroll in for that locally. But I really didn't argue with her about it. My first worry was about her being so far away. My second was if I can handle her being away for so long.

But I supported her decision. If she had an opportunity to hone her skill in a better school overseas then it was a very good chance for her. She did tell me that if I wanted her to stay that she'll stay. I dunno if she knows [but she prolly did] but I really wanted her to stay really bad. I really wanted to be selfish and tell her not to go...that she can find something that won't cost alot.

But.

I didn't. As mentioned above, I supported her decision...and it killed me everyday. Even moreso when the time for her to go was near.

I am not regretting my decision to her go abroad. I am happy that she was finally there [as of this morning] and is ready to start her journey to become the best she can be. For that, I am extremely proud of her.

Then again, alot of people might ask why I chose to let her go abroad if I really didn't want to in the first place? Why did you choose to let her go if o'll be sad and depressed about it?

I didn't want to be someone that didn't support the dream of someone I love. I don't want her to regret not grasping the opportunity that was given. I would want her to have the chance to chase her dream and if possible, for her to achieve it.

Sure, i'll be sad, miserable and depressed but I know in the end it will be all worth it.

Some people have said that it's just the first few days and that i'll get used to it. But I don't want to get used to my girlfriend being gone. I don't want to get used to the fact that I won't be able to hug her, hold her hand, tell her jokes..and just plain be with her. It sounds a bit masochistic but I want to be sad and miserable and depressed because it fully solidifies the fact that everything is okay when she's around and with me. It makes me realize how wonderful it is to have her around with me.

I've always felt and said that a year goes by fast. But this time around, I am not sure it will go fast enough. This will prolly be the hardest and longest 365 days of my life so far.

...but I know it'll be well worth it.


Batten down the hatches! Hoist them sails! We're in for a wild ride!
ADVENTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE o/

- the alansong -

Happy New Year!

It has been...a very surprising year at best.

Alot of stuff has happened, alot of things have changed...alot of things also stayed the same.

I can't say that it was a good year, with some unfortunate things happening. I can't say it was a bad year either. At best, I could say that it was a rollercoaster ride...one which I have been...well, "almost" accustomed of.

Still, it was an awesome year, unfortunately, I'll be spending it home alone as my granmum opted to spend new year's eve in Bataan. I couldn't go due to the fact that I have werk at 9am the next day.

Anyhoo, it's not how you celebrate the coming new year...it's how you face it. I'm optimistic for the coming year and I know that this year will be better than the last.


Happy New Year!
Forward to Adventure 2012!
- the alansong -

Sheriff Sharivan/Accel/Red Turbo: Sentai X Toku Shoot

It has been awhile since I did any kind of shooting outside toys. I haven't been going to cosplay cons at all, I haven't really been looking around for shoots. It seemed that the last shoot I did was ages ago.

But a friend of mine managed to squeeze in one last [and first! LOL] shoot for 2011.

It actually started a few months [or weeks?] back when we had a talk on Plurk with regards  to doing a few shoots at the Factory they owned.He then came up with the idea of shooting a few cosplayers who were really awesome at their craft.It took awhile for it to be really set-up but last Dec. 30, we finally hit it off.

Niko and Dengs has always been on the cosplay scene, I've seen them at almost every con I've went to. They really go all out with their cosplays. I think it was the right idea to have a shoot for them.

It was my first shoot in a long time so it was a bit nerve-wracking. Lately, I've been just dealing with my action figures and I haven't really been brushing up on my photography and editing so it was a bit touch and go as well.

It took a bit of time but I naturally got back to shooting mode after a few shots. Ryan [the friend I was talking about] even let me use his 50mm.I used that little baby throughout the whole shoot [sorry kitlens ;w;] and it was hard at first. I haven't really tried shooting a lens with a fixed length but that 1.8 aperture was awesome.

Niko and Dengs were great to work with, very much enthusiastic. Although at times, I was lost at their conversations with Ryan as I haven't really watched anything Toku or Sentai as of late. I must admit that I got tired first rather than the cosplayers which showed that it really has been awhile.

The place for the shoot was awesome and spacious, granted it was a bit hot but it provided us with the backdrops and backgrounds needed.

I also decided to post my shots up on Google+ rather than Multiply or FB for obvious reasons. So without further ado, CLICK HERE to view my shoot shots. Creative criticisms are always welcome!



Shooting adventure!
- the alansong -

Christmas!

Last year, I spent Christmas at werk. You may think that it was sad and some might think that it was a bummer to be spending Christmas at work..but not me.

Last year, I spent Christmas at werk...but I fully enjoyed it. Well, sort of. I was a bit sad that I couldn't spend Christmas with my gf [she slept over] and family. Unfortunately, that was the schedule.

Moving on, the reason why I didn't mind spending Christmas at werk last year was...I didn't see it as spending Christmas at werk. Rather, I saw it as spending Christmas with a group of friends doing a few things. The workload wasn't much and we enjoyed it anyways [worked for a gaming company] and the people were extremely awesome.

We just bought a few things and spent Noche Buena at our pantry. I'm sure the people who were there would say the same thing.

Flash forward to this years Christmas and new company/office, I was fortunate enough that my schedule doesn't let me werk on Christmas Eve. But My gf is spending hers with family in Tarlac and my Granmum seems like she's going to sleep it off.

But even with that, I'm still happy that i'll be spending Christmas at home this year. Why? Read the statement above this one again. The answer is there. 8D

Anyway, no matter where you are or how you celebrate Christmas remember to have fun and be merry! Be thankful for the things you've received as well.

Merry Christmas!

Techno Teapot~

The first time I heard about it was thru a friend. Naturally, being a steampunk event, we all planned to go. I was already trying to think of what to wear. I already had the goggles that a friend of mine customized so awesomely,, now what's next?

I had ALOT of ideas but due to budget constraints, a taxing work schedule and me being not as creative as my friends, I just settled for something all black and a gauntlet [made by an officemate].

Naturally, it all looked great in my head LOL but hey, you be the judge.

awkward posing HOOOOOO~

Me and my girlfriend were the only ones who went from the initial group of friends that decided to go. It was a bit of a bummer but it's their fault. Anyhoo, it was our first time going to an event by ourselves without knowing anyone. Well, for the most part. My girlfriend knows one of the girls from Spidersilk, Maku and o'm "internet friends" [mostly on plurk and FB] with most of the people there. Ah the internet, even if you have conversed with people for a bit, it'll still be awkward when you try to converse with them in real life LOL So rather looking and sounding like a stalker [Oh hai, we're friends in plurk/fb blahblah], I went to wallflower mode xD

Anyhoo, the event was held at LRI Plaza which is not really difficult to get to. The while place was pretty and I have a feeling that my girlfriend will ask for us to go back there. The event venue itself was spacious and well-lit. The art pieces were all fantastic! It was filled it decorative pieces as well. 

They were already done with most of the individual performances as they started early on their last day. Food and refreshments were served by Dokissaten members. And being in someplace with art, it would be bad not to ask for wine to drink xD The cupcakes and s'mores that was served tasted great! I could've eaten ten or more if they kept coming out with it on the trays.

After wandering around, wining and dining and trying to mingle...me and my girlfriend just picked a spot and stayed put. I must admit, with the goggles and gauntlet, I thought i'll be out of place [it wasn't the case as a few people with more awesome gear came in late] but lo and behold, who would've thunk that lil ol' me could win a "best...er something [I forgot if it was costume or best dressed] Male"!

I didn't think going to the event that I would get to win anything. That's prolly why Dione [one of the big 3 of SpiderSilk] told me not to go anywhere yet. When they called my name, I thought I did something wrong LOL but I didn't and I had a stupid face all the time I was up there getting my prize for all the people to see.

channeling my inner-Gerry Alanguilan

I was happy of course. I haven't won anything in awhile and since it was my first time dressing up, it was something very memorable. The win scored me some awesome stickers and cookies to noms [and they got nom'd very well]. 

Overall, it was a great experience. Granted that I never really met anyone new [more or less] because of the delicate wallflower that I am [*blush*] it was still fun. I was glad that they made an event like this, hopefully there'll be more like it soon.

'Tis Christmas once again!

Well, it's that time of year again where people spend alot of time in malls and relinquish everything that's inside their wallets.

Sure, people do that almost every month but at this time of year, the bar has been raised 100%. When you feel the cold air, christmas songs [well, they started playing those as early as two months ago], endless sales, and what employed people call "bonus"...you'd definitely know that it is christmas.

.....also, for the obvious which are, of course, the bright lights and decorations littered all around the place.

Oh! I also would like to point out that this is also the time of year when 110% of the employed populace love the number 13 irregardless of their personal superstitions they have of the number.

It is also a time to say thanks..well, Thanksgiving was last month but we don't really celebrate it over here...do we? Still, saying our thanks for what transpired throughout the year, reflecting on our past experiences and looking forward to the coming year is something a few people do nowadays.

I'm thankful for a buttload of things but most recently I am thankful for..
- my job.. irregardless..
- my girlfriends' younger bro not being diagnosed with Dengue and getting out of the Hospital...also, the first communion of the said brother..
- my girlfriend attending the workshop of her dreams..
- the upcoming art exhibit/gothic and steam punk party this thursday til saturday by Spidersilk Productions...[their Tumblr and Facebook]
- even if it wasn't enough [at least for me], I got to treat my younger siblings to a movie and bought them their Xmas gifts...
- my sister who seems to be getting more comfortable with her job and adapting to life in Singapore..
- even if I did get robbed a month ago, i'm thankful that it wasn't my wallet...
- my girlfriend.

There are still alot of things but these are just what comes to mind as of the moment.

Let's not forget what the spirit of Christmas really is and let's try not to piss each other off, at least, during this month.

...OH! and if you haven't read it yet, please read the introduction story of Z ....and tell me what you think :D


Adventuring during Christmas!
- the alansong -

Before and After Komikon :D

Me and Mikee actually did a few things prior to going to Komikon.

We picked up a few toys and had a delightful lunch at Sbarro in SM Megamall.

Oooh, how artsy! LOL

It has been awhile since we ate out and this is actually our first time eating at Sbarro. We both love pasta and pizza so it is a bit surprising we haven't eaten there yet.

Pizza? Looks like more like Crime Scene...

Unfortunately, we both forgot to take pics of our orders before we started devouring them. But what the heck, better late than never eh?

We got a Chicago and a er..uhm..what was that pasta...well, it was pasta LOL The Chicago is featured above and it looked and tasted different than the Chicago I had years ago. Maybe they changed recipes eh?

We stayed at Sbarro for a bit because my girlfriend's Spinach Calzone hasn't come yet [and we already finished eating!]. After asking a few waiters a few times, it finally came!

Bread? Breaded Crab? Breaded Head Crab?! SRSLY it was really big!

It smelled really great and yummy. I had a little slice of  its bread and that alone was great. I didn't take another bite as I was already full.

We did have a surprise when my girlfriend opened it up.

BRAINSSS...err I mean, SPIIINAAAACCHHH~

The whole thing was loaded with spinach! It still smelled great but we were both surprised at the amount of Spinach encased in a yummy bread shell. Sadly, it wasn't all consumed. We were already full and the order came late. Oh well....

OH! and SM Free Wi-Fi fails and sucks...ALOT!

Then, we went to Komikon via Taxi as it was hot and we were bored and too full to walk and climb stairs/overpasses/lrt stations. LOL

If you want to know what happened at Komikon, click this...mind you, it's not that comprehensive.

If you want to read on...well, just read on! :D

We returned to Megamall after Komikon. Why? 

- we left a few things at the baggage counter so we wont be bringing tons of stuff at Komikon

- it was still early and we wanted to spend more time with each other

- we were hungry...well, I was..

We went to our usual stomping grounds: Toy Kingdom, the Department Store, BookSale, BioResearch and then Surplus Shop. We both browsed and bought a few things, I bought a new shirt with Worf and a ridiculous internet meme worthy phrase and she bought a few pretty dresses.

Oh, I forgot to mention in my Komikon blog that I won a free Trese inspired tshirt just minutes after we just came in. Thank god the first guy didn't know the correct answer and thanks to my girlfriend for pushing me to the front to answer.

Going back, dinnertime came and we were wondering where to eat. We settled at Karate Kid because we ate there before and it was pretty much ok.

So yea, Rule of Thirds is a better excuse than saying I can't take decent picture out of my new phone...which I truly can't

Mikee doesn't really like eating Japanese food while I adore it. It's a good thing she likes to eat at this place though...even if it doesn't really serve any traditional Japanese food other than fusion sushi[more or less].

Someone is enjoying her autographed copy of Kulas! :D

We perused and read a few of the things we got from Komikon while waiting for our order. Also, during that time, I think I already drank two glasses of their refillable Red Tea.

I can't recall how many times they refilled my glass hahahah~

Anyway, we ordered the good-for-two er...uhmm...[asks girlfriend thru chat] oh! Beef Tepanyaki!

Blurry pic ahoy!

It tasted great and I even ate the vegetables [fun fact: I don't eat vegetables. PERIOD.] But this time, I surprisingly ate almost half of what vegetables you see there. With the free rice and refillable drinks, we ate to our hearts content and we ended up being full again...which is always a good thing.

It capped off what was a pretty awesome day. I apologize for the pictures, was trying out my phone's camera [OH YEA I HAVE A NEW PHONE AGAIN] capabilities and also trying out a camera app[FxCamera].

Anyway, here's some gratuitous pictures of us via the same phone and app. Notice how my ridiculously large head cannot fit in the pictures.

 Hmm, this angle won't fit both of us..maybe if we did it horizontally?

There we go! Just a little bit more... 

Fark it, I suck ;w; Oh well..

Another great adventure down, going on to the next!

- The Alansong -

Komikon 2011

This was my actual first official Komikon [its 's kinda vague if I went one last two years ago, I think I did LOL] but in any case, it was my first Komikon with Mikee [Don't ask, it's just something me and her started hahah].

ENTER! A PERSONAL BRIEF HISTORY WITH COMICS!


I'm a big comic fan. I've been reading comics since I can remember. Starting with the newspaper funnies and of course the newstand filipino Komiks, mostly it was Funny Komiks and Kick Fighter [although I know there was this other one, I forgot :/]. I would wake up early on fridays and go to the news stand at our local market and buy the newly delivered issues. I forego eating breakfast...well, maybe just a pandesal or two...then have my yaya dress me up for school. All the whle, I was reading the komiks I bought, as I coudln't bring them to school.

The next thing that happened is obvious. I started making my own komiks. From blank, unused notebooks to stapled bond paper that was folded in half. I was drawing away alot of stuff. I created a ton of characters and made a ton of storylines and adventures. I got most of those thru the comics I've read. Sadly, I couldn't draw that well...and it never progressed even though I was drawing all the time. But still I enjoyed it and it a great output and hobby for me at the time.

Now..on with KOMIKON 2011!

I think somebody's lost xD

The venue wasn't that far and was spacious enough, so that's a big plus. But I never thought that the crows was that big. I mean, granted that I knew there were ALOT of comic fans but WOW.

Mikee and me ended up walking around for a few times. Browsing the comic selections, checking out their wares, buying stuff. The wannabe comic writer/artist in me was envious of every one of the indie writers/artists  we saw along with their works. I thought that maybe I could've been part of this if I had really pushed through with comic writing/drawing.

Anyhoo....someone called my attention while I was browsing around. Lo and behold, it was a friend of mine and was also a former officemate/boss.

Awww, somebody is camera shy xD

Of course I bought a copy of his work [which was awesome]. I was and wasn't surprised that he was there. I knew he was working on a comic I didn't know that he'll be in Komikon as one of the exhibitors [that's the correct term right?].  I also bumped into a few more friends who were comics fans as well.

And of course, if there are fans, there will be people who they adore. :D Unfortunately, I couldn't get enough pictures.

OHAI THUR FRIEND 8D

 Sadly, I didn't bring my copy of PB23 :[

 I wondered where my copy of De-Kada was and if Lyndon already signed that one.

Budjette Tan signing a print for Mikee.

Over-all, it was a great experience going there. Even if we couldn't buy a few things or have photo-ops with the artists and writers that we admire, it was still a day well spent.

Looking forward to Summer Komikon :D

A lapse of Judgement..

Why the title? Well, I experienced just that a few days ago....when I lost my brand new cellphone.

It seemed like a regular trek going home from werk [working a 12hour, 9am-9pm shift]. I was listening to music from my new phone and was on the way to ride the MRT with a friend/officemate [we both were heading the same way home].  The first red light actually came before me via the volume of people in line going to ride the MRt but I still opted to ride anyways. The 2nd was that me and my fiend usually got on the 1st train that comes in but this was not the case tonight. The 3rd was an unnerving feeling I had. I cannot explain why, but it felt like something was telling me not to push through riding the MRT.

But I shrugged it off.

The 4th train came and I was able to get in...but the music blasting in my headset stopped. I just thought that with the people, it must've caught someone going off and got ripped off the phone so I didn't pay attention.

How wrong I was.

When me and my friend was able to move further in the train, I felt for my phone and it was gone. The color of my face drained, I was wrapped in cold sweat and I felt my strength was sucked away. I then said out loud that my phone was gone and looked at the floor and the immediate surrounding...nothing.

Try as my friend might, she couldn't really console me. All that I kept saying after that was "fucking stupid" over and over again. Thoughts raced through my head, "What will my granmum say?" "fucking stupid" "I knew I should've taken the bus" "This is one of the reasons why I hate the morning shift"..

I went home as fats as I could and told my granmum about it. I kind of woke her up but i did have to tell her. I wanted to apologize to her because of what happened. Why? She helped me buy that cellphone [which we had a deal that I will pay her monthly]. And losing it felt that I lost her trust in me and showed that I was careless with the thing she gave me. I really felt guilty.

Why?

This was the real first cellphone that was bought for me. Something that was brand new and wasn't a hand me down. Most of the previous phones I had was from my older brother. I'm not one to complain but it would've been nice to get a new phone. And now that I was able to get one, I lost it to a darn pickpocket.

You see, I haven't had any incident like this...ever. Even from previous jobs where I went home late. The only time I only got robbed was when I got mugged during highschool and a knife was placed upon my neck. After that incident,  I was now often wary of bag-slicers and snatchers on buses and people on the street. I was careful, I didn't want to make people worry. I even have an army knife tucked in my back pocket to ward of a mugger. But I couldn't stop a pickpocket.

Funny and tragic thing is, my girlfriend lost her phone a few weeks ago. It slipped from her pocket and was never to be seen again. I guess that's prolly one more thing we have in common. Anyhoo, I'm trying hard to see the silver lining in what happened. That it was better they got the phone and not my wallet as ALOT of things are currently in my wallet that's more important than a phone. That it was better than getting hurt in a mugging. I also thought that it was a little bit of divine intervention of sorts. That my phone getting stolen was some sort of sacrifice in order for my older bro to have a safe trip while he's in China and also safety for my younger sister who works as a nurse in Singapore. if that was the case, then i'd gladly sacrifice my phone for both of their safety. I'd rather have two great albeit irritable at times siblings rather than just have a phone.

...besides, I can get a new one but that's prolly going to take awhile.

I actually have thought about selling a few my toys to get funds for a new phone. But I'm still on the fence on that one as I think the ones i'll be selling off won't be enough.

Anyhoo, yesterday I didn't [prolly wont] go home via MRT. I went home via bus, it's slower and it's going to add to my daily travel expenses but I feel that it's a bit safer...at least for me.

That lapse of judgement that night will be of those things that will haunt me. I pray that it won't happen to any of my family and friends.


Precious cargo has been lost..but the adventure continues...
~ The Alansong ~