beboots: (lithograph)
Also, LJ just ate my post. Curses! But maybe I'll write this next version in a less negative light.

In short, I feel crappy. ... Or, at least, like a horrible daughter/sister/whatever. Okay, here's how it goes:

My father made it safely to Delhi to compete in the Commonwealth Games. Huzzah! No complaints there. He happens to be flying back home on the same day that my mother and brother, Ian, are leaving for a trip to England. They're going to be visiting my mum's mum and doing some sightseeing in London and in Scotland. My sister and I aren't going because we're poor miserable fourth year university students and will be in the middle of midterm exams and embroiled in research papers. We've mostly gotten over it; this will be a mother-son trip. No real complaints there.

So dad will be arriving at the Edmonton airport around the same time that Ian and mum's flight leaves. They may or may not see each other actually at the airport. Now, what's the most logical thing to do? Have either Danielle (my sister) or I drive Ian and mum down there and stick around for an hour or so while dad clears customs and then drive him back home.

Now, on any other day - or even later in that same day - I would be totally up for this. It's a bit of a hike down to the airport, what with construction, but it would only take about an hour, maybe an hour and a half of driving (one way). So what with hanging around the airport waiting for dad this would be about a four hour endeavour, door-to-door. Again, I would normally have no problem being the dutiful daughter/chauffeur.

Danielle can't do it; she's moved out, and needs the money this scheduled eight hour shift she has will bring her. I totally respect that. She can't change her shift, although she's willing, as she's already changed her schedule twice recently with a cranky boss. Then there's her coworkers on vacation, short-staffed-ness, etc.,etc., I understand. I should be the one to do this.

BUT this is the date of the Bellerose anime festival, our local convention. It's one of the most comfortable and amicable conventions that I've ever been to. I've invited folks to come out, and I want to make things up to my good friend with whom I'm doing a group cosplay for not being there for her at animethon when her skirt malfunctioned. We only got a single group shot at a three day convention in August.

But in the grand scheme of things, what's more important? Myself attending an anime festival, or all of this? I feel completely selfish. Mum was talking about taking a taxi, and they're ridiculously expensive.

Right now the plan is for me to drop mum & Ian off at a hotel in downtown Edmonton for the shuttle bus to the airport, which is about a quarter of the price of a taxi. This means that I'll arrive a few hours late for the festival, but I see no problem with that. I just feel like a dick because dad will have to take a taxi home after a really long flight. Mum's other plan was to drive herself and Ian to the airport and either chase down dad before they board somehow to toss him the keys, or leave the keys at the info desk. So many things could go wrong with that scenario.

I still feel selfish. But it'll probably be my last day of fun before exams finish in December, guys. I'll have too many midterms and readings and papers and things to do to have a full day of actual fun. And if I do end up missing out on this festival I feel like I'll be terrible company and bitter for weeks on top of not being about to go on this trip. Piss.
beboots: (Hikago Sai)
You know way back in the day, when medicine was still a pseudo-science and people mostly guessed and hit and missed at cures? Back then, when it was fashionable for women to be sick (I'd have been so cool back then), and everything from the common cough to pneumonia to tuberculosis was labelled under the umbrella of "the consumption"? Yeah, I have The Consumption. I want to take to my bed for two years and have people pay courtesy calls to entertain me.

Also, I want to wear a Victorian dress. It would be awesome.

In other news... I survived the week from Hell (being the week where I had two papers and a midterm worth 40% of my Art History mark, all three written while sick). I was pretty incoherent on Tuesday (right when I had the presentation for my Tudor Regime class!), but I think I made it clear to my professor and my audience that I was presenting with a two degree fever, and my voice certainly sounded rough and sick enough, so perhaps he'll go easy on me....?

I've gotten a bit better now (I can breathe through my nose, how exciting!), but my cough has gotten really bad. Hence, The Consumption. D: I swear I'm going to start coughing up blood soon, which shall not be cool or result in me suddenly becoming popular, as it would in Victorian England... D:

The Bellerose con yesterday was quite fun. It was good to see everyone again. I shall soon upload pictures on facebook. :3 Highlights are: Nana being cute with her new jawline! Toilet-paper lolita dresses! Me as Fujiwara no Sai being menaced by Joel in a Ghostbusters outfit!

I think that laughing so hard at the 404s only made my cough worse, though. D: 

Also, the keyboard of my new laptop is every so slightly curved, and there's an extra key between my fingers and the "enter" key, resulting in many instances in which I get \\ instead of a new paragraph. I shall learn, and/or grow a longer right pinky finger. But my new laptop is still pretty... Yes, I have run back into the arms of Acer, although I was mightily encouraged to have an affair with a Mac. But faced with familial dissaproval, and upon the advice of the ever-helpful Dough, the friendly neighbourhood one-armed computer repairman, I got an Acer again. And it is good.

I certainly hope it'll last me through Nanowrimo, without the keyboard catching on fire.
beboots: (Default)

What are you talking about, Hikaru? Women have always played go, even during the Heian era. 
~Fujiwara no Sai, volume two of the French version. 

 

All right! So it's been two days since the final day of Animethon (haha, I just wrote "animethong" by accident... ;) ), and I'm still pumped about it. I mean, much of the organizing was of questionable quality (and sense), but the people who were attended more than made up for that. :3 I kept running into people I knew, and awesome cosplayers that I didn't know before but now know, and it generally an awesomely fun time was had by all.

 Also, I managed to avoid my stalker from the Bellerose con, although I did spot her at a distance several times. Scary stuff.

I wore my Fujiwara no Sai outfit (as seen here: http://beboots.deviantart.com/art/Crooked-hat-91400338 ), although I lost my hair ribbon at the dance Saturday evening, so I was without it all Sunday. Oh, well, I could have lost my hat! There was also another Fujiwara no Sai (I was no longer unique. ;_; ). Her hat was much taller than mine, and she did her belt area much more nicely than me... but I liked my sleeves more. :3 Also, she's an awesome person, really nice. 

I found that I didn't get as many photograph requests, proportionately, here in Canada as I did at the Japan Expo in Paris. I think that it's because the Hikaru no Go manga is really difficult to find, here, and that the anime actually isn't liscenced, so only the true fan knows of the series. You know I'm cool. 

I also didn't find much Hikago merchandise; I did buy two soundtrack CDs, and a really adorable plus Sai doll, but not much else. I actually didn't spend much money - other than that stuff, I bought one Hikago DVD for 24$, several brand new single Inuyasha DVDs for $4 (yes, $4 - awesome deal!), and Sting, Frodo's sword, for $40. It comes with a sheath, and is very badass. :3

Remind me, guys, to choose a costume that doesn't involve five or six layers (plus felt hat) for the cons next summer... Although I actually have my heart set on doing a Sesshoumaru costume (from Inuyasha). I mean, I already know how to do the traditional Japanese clothing from my experience sewing my Sai costume, so the real challenge would be the armour and other assessories (like that fluff). I've been asking cosplayers at the Animethon for tips on how to make the armour, and I got some good suggestions, but if anybody else has any thoughts, please share them! I could use all the help I can possibly yet...

The weapons check people were apparently much more strict this year. My brother, Ian, (who went as Link, from Legend of Zelda) was told to glue his sword (which was delibrately made of soft wood, and very blunted) into his sheathe if he was to come with it next year! Ironically, he's a blackbelt in Karate, and is taking Kobudo, and so he really doesn't need a blunted decorative sword to kill people...  I told my brother that he should really just get a weapon's check sticker for himself; his whole body is a weapon. ;)

I was hanging out with my friend Ashley all weekend (despite the fact that we grated on each other's nerves after a while), and she was dressed in an awesome Seras Victoria (from Hellsing) outfit. She made it by hand, people! She's so much more hardcore than me, who uses a machine... Although, my outfit was mostly huge swathes of hemming, so it would have taken me forever had I not used my awesome 60s sewing machine... 

Highlights of the cosplayers include: Seras Victoria, of course, baby Tuxedo Mask, two epic Dragonball Z characters (Goku and Vegeta, I believe), Master Chief, complete with full suit of Halo armour and glowing gun, Vash the Stampede (he even wore a tie around his head at the dance, as in the scenes were the character is drunk in canon!), the Predator (from Alien versus Predator), complete with fully functioning mouth (very creepy), the Joker's "Why so serious?" speech at the cosplay contest, and Yvonne as Hello Kitty. Yvonne actually had to leave early on Sunday because she was continually harassed by glomping fans.

Here be a video for everyone, with Seras Victoria showing off the accomodations:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOCgQ5LqwfQ I filmed it! :D

...Aaaand I suppose I should go and clean my room for a bit... or answer some of my facebook replies on my photos. To view the photographs, go here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144162&l=89f7b&id=839240415
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144588&l=f7916&id=839240415

beboots: (Default)

That has got to be one of the cheesiest taglines I've ever run across, but the book itself is pretty cool. Before you react to the mention of the Twilight series with hissing and shrieking, I swear that it's a really good series! I maintain my position that it's nowhere near as good as Harry Potter, but the characters are strangely addicting. :)  (Also, I seriously think that Jacob and Edward should just stop fighting over Bella and get together themselves. D: Sometimes, I'm surprised at Bella's denseness - you're dating a vampire and it took you, what, fifteen chapters to figure out that your best friend was a werewolf? Come on! D: )

Anyway, so last night I was at the midnight release for Breaking Dawn at the Chapters in St. Albert. It was pretty cool, mostly because the staff were almost universally rabid Twilight fans, so they really went all-out. I really should have worn my lolita outfit; I would have fit right in. :3 Instead, I wore my awesome boots from Amsterdam and my vest. Oh, and the masquerade mask that I made there. Sparkles and feathers, oh my! There was lots of free stuff, too, which is always a plus: temporary tattoos (plus, an air-brush tattooist), beaded necklaces (which you won if you answered trivia questions), "I was bitten by breaking dawn" pins, stickers, mocktails, cupcakes garnished with actually wearable pastic vampire fangs... oh, and there was a tarot station set up, as well as Wii baseball (because of that one vampire baseball game in the book... yeah, you know we're cool). 

Also, I knew a bunch of people who went - some of them I hadn't seen since junior highschool! Also, a few of the cosplayers that I met last summer were a nice plus. :) So, overall? Awesome evening...

You know what was also awesome? Spamalot. :3 I saw it last Tuesday with my friend Leah Nordlund. It was hilarious. I mean, the first half of the first act was essentially faithful to the original "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", but after that, it got... intriguing. :3 I'm glad that they deviated from "canon", as it became more interesting. I wasn't sure how it was going to end! Also, it was a musical, so you know that one king with the son who doesn't want to marry but only sing? ("She's got huge...." *vague hand gestures around chest* "...tracks of land...") Yeah, once he's introduced, he keeps trying to interrupt the songs. XD Also, in the end, Herbert (that singing son) and Lancelot end up getting married. ("Just think, Herbert: in a thousand years, this will still be controversial!") There were many more puns, as well, and the quest changes a bit near the end - the Knights of Ni  asked Arthur to bring them "a Broadway muscial!" And of course, Arthur has no idea where to find one, and becomes discouraged... cue the scene where he sings "I'm all alone" while in the presence of his faithful servant/coconut-weilder Patsy. XD Also, the French Knight taunting scene was relatively unchanged, except for a few more rude gestures. XD Hilarious! I won't give away the ending, but if Spamalot tours throug your cities, guys, seriously, go see it! It's so worth it!

Oh, and the video of the Japan Expo is up! :D (The one I was talking about in previous posts, the one that those awesome British cosplayers were working on while I was hanging out with them.) Here be a link: http://cosplayisland.co.uk/video/japanexpo08 Watch for the Jack Sparrow, the Fujiwara no Sai (me), and so forth. :3

...and it's less than one week to Animethon! :DD

Day 34

Jul. 5th, 2008 08:51 pm
beboots: (Default)
Day 34

Okay, so my luck seems to be flip-flopping all over the place. First of all, I got a really good deal on the train tickets to take Yan and I to Paris from Lille, online, for like half the price of what it is to buy them right there, on the day. And they were first class, not second class. 

...Then, Yan lost hers. And we only found out like fifteen minutes before our train left. D: She bought another one (she couldn't do much else), but I had to leave her to catch the train by myself, because it was a close thing. So there I sat, in the first class, wondering for the entire hour whether or not Yan had made it onto the train and what I would do if she hadn't. 

Luckily, she made it. :3 We had an almost tearful reunion on the platform. Then, we got a little bit lost looking for the place we had booked to stay the night.

First sign that the hostel may not be as conveniently close as you thought it was: when the first taxi driver you approach to take you there refused because it was "trop loin" (too far). D: Well, he actually relented and took us when Yan and I began looking lost and tearful. Also? It's not a good sign when the experienced Parisian taxi driver has to dust off his GPS to find us our hostel. D: 

Still, we made it. A bit late: I had planned to arrive at 10:30 or so, dump our stuff, then head over to the Japan Expo for 11:00 or so. Instead, we didn't arrive at the hostel until past noon, and then getting our train tickets and taking the train down to the Parc Des Expositions took like over an hour as well. D: It was really bad. Apparently, what looks to me (with my inexperienced eye) on the map like a distance of about 10 to 15 minutes (driving) translates into over an hour (and four transfers) of train. We have to do a loop to get there from our hostel, because there isn't a direct train heading in that direction. D: 

Anyway, other than the really stupid location, things are actually rather nice here. This hostel isn't technically a hostel: it's actually an apartment that you can rent out for however long you want. It's quite nice inside the rooms. They even have a mini-kitchen (including a stove, fridge, kettle, toaster, mircowave...), a TV (and DVD player), free wireless internet (hence, this post), etc.,etc. Except that it doesn't have a bed. Well, it has a fold-out couch, which is acceptable for three days. Plus, when I get the deposit back, this place is like 1/5th of what a hotel would cost per night. And there's a really nice chinese restaurant next door. I just ate there. It was delicious. OMNOMNOM.

Now why don't I talk about the Japan Expo? :D I went the first day with Yan (I was alone today because she flew back to Canada this morning), which was uber awesome funtime. Since we were so late (we arrived at nearly 2 o'clock), there were no lines whatsoever to buy our tickets (I got a three day pass). Then, I just had to pop into the vestiary to change into my outfit, and whabam! Instant awesomeness! :D 

The place is massive, by the way. The whole thing is one dealers room, with food stalls and speaker areas all around. This room is probably about fifteen times the size of the dealer's room at the Animethon at Grant MacEwan. No joke. And everything there is so awesome! :D They have a lot more original artists (they have like five artists alleys) than we do in Canada (I took advantage of this and bought some locally-made French doujinshi.)

Also, they have lots of hardcore cosplayers. And a lot of gothic lolitas hanging around. And a lot of lolital clothing stalls. I haven't given into temptation and looked at them in detail yet, because I honestly don't have enough space in my suitcase to fit anything that I buy there. But I still have one day, so I may yet succum to temptation... D:

Also, famous people. Apparently, Miyavi (a j-rocker) is hanging about the lolita stalls, but I haven't been able to get close. I did catch the last half of Takeshi Obata's lecture/ Question & Answer session today, though, but no autographs for me. ;_; (remember, he's the artist who drew Hikaru no Go, from which the character I dress up as comes from) I only caught the second half because it was right at 11 am and the entry crowds are crazy, even for people who already have passes. Seriously. I should have caught on yesterday when I saw all of the fencing arranged in loops in the front... 

But I did catch the lecture that the author of Hellsing gave! (That was for you, Ashley). I also got some good photos of the mangaka, and a video of him sketching a picture of Alucard. Badass.

I've also met many awesome people! Most of them were French, although I did run into a group of German cosplayers who were awesome, and a group of people from Britain (we've exchanged facebooks). :3 I hope to see them again tomorrow. I haven't run into Ashley's Alexandre yet, but it's a big festival, and again, there is tomorrow. 

Also, people like my costume! :D I acquired a fan that actually fits with the character design (before, I was using a bright purple one, not the white one like Sai has in canon). I have a nice pose, which involves the fan, and I have gotten many compliments and people asking me for photographs. On the first day, Yan and I kept count (31 photo requests between when we arrived at 2:15 or so until we left at 6:15). Today, I lost count at 15 or so, but there was at least thrice that ammount. A couple of times, a single person asks to take a photo, then when I pose, everyone in the area takes out their camera as well. D: I'm not swarmed as much as the epic Sakura (with feathers) or that angel guy (with the epic wings) or that blue elf-chick (with the overall epic-ness) (the photographs of these people shall be uploaded next week, probably, for your viewing pleasure), but I still feel awesome. :3 It's interesting to walk around, then hear someone poke their friend and go "hein, t'as vu Sai? Vite, regardes, Sai!" ("hey, did you see Sai? Quick, look, Sai!") One guy thought I was from Onmyouji, which is a believable mistake, since Sai and Abe no Seimei are from the same era and social class, and wear similar outfits. Most people recognize me, though (or, at least, the people who ask for photographs). It helps that there's a lot of Hikago merchandise around because of Takeshi Obata's attendence of the festival. :3 

I've stopped by the go tables (where people are being taught how to play go) a few times, and smiled at people there. (For the uninitiated, my character, Sai, is a ghost that "lives" for go, and is the most awesome go player EVAR). Tomorrow, I'll ask to be taught how to play. :3 I wonder if I shall get many photographs taken of me playing go... 

So I suppose that this post is enough for now! I shall add more details (and pictures) later on. See you guys soon!

Day 28

Jun. 29th, 2008 09:31 pm
beboots: (Default)
Day 28

Study Time! I'm sure that some of you may have forgotten (as have many in my class) that hey, we're actually taking classes here in Lille! That means that we also have exams, what do you know! D: So, essentially, today was spent studying for me, with a three hour shopping break short breaks in between going over passé simple and philosophes

Shopping is great here, by the way. There's a France-wide clothing sale going on at the moment (called Les Soldes) and every clothing store worth it's salt has stuff at least 30%, if not more. I've seen stuff on for 80% off. It's sweet. Of course, they do interdisperse stuff that's not on sale right among the stuff that are really good deals, so... yeah. Anyway, it's awesome. :3

Yesterday, I tried moules frites for the first time. It's a dish specific to the north of Europe, and it's essentially steamed mussels and French fries. But it's so  delicious. OMNOMNOM. 

I shall definitely miss the mussels... and the great cheese... and the actual fresh French bread... and the chocolate... D: Why isn't this stuff found the world over for cheap? D: No wonder the French don't export many tourists... they have all that they really want right here in their own country...

On a more annoying note, I now have to walk three blocks down and around my dorm to get in, because the gate that's closest to the university is "en panne" (i.e., broken). D: Not fair! Now I have to actually walk places! Not that I didn't before... I swear I've lost several pounds here, just from being so active every day. I do take the métro, but everything is so close here, it's really just easier to walk most of the time. And more scenic. 

Oh, and I was mistaken for a French person yesterday! I was on my way to meet a few people for lunch, and this middle aged French couple approached me and asked me for directions to Centre Ville. I was perfectly capable of giving them directions back in French, and they even asked me what the place was called, and I could tell them both of it's names (La Grande Place  is what everyone calls it, but it's offical name is La Place Du Générale Charles De Gaulle). I felt very French. :) I blend, I blend! :D

Anyway, I'm leaving the country in like seven days plus fourteen hours. ;_; I'll miss France, but right now I miss all of my Canadian friends (wow, I almost wrote ''Canadian French'', and I suppose I miss that too... I'm told I have a faint Québecois accent in French), my tea, and being able to order stuff in my native language without feeling annoyed... Oh, and I miss being able to call people on their cellphones to meet up instead of standing in front of random monuments and hoping that they show up at the time that we arranged... 

I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Coming up this week:

EXAMS

Shopping!

Japan-Expo!
Oh, and I have news regarding the Japan Expo... apparently one of the guests is Obata Takeshi...  in other words, the mangaka that illustrated Death Note and... Hikaru no Go! As in, the guy who drew the character that I'm dressing up as! :D I really hope that I get into his lecture... It shall be sweet. :3

PS: I do have some videos of France up on Facebook! I'm afraid that I can't find the link that allows me to send them to people who aren't on facebook, but... Check them out, if you can! 
beboots: (Spread teh light!)
"The rule which forbids ending a sentence with a preposition is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put." ~Winston Churchill

My authentic japanese name is 猿渡 Saruwatari (monkey on a crossing bridge) 真由 Mayu (true significance).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

So yay I've finished exams! :DD Now I can focus on wasting my time  watching anime/Korean dramas, writing fanfiction, and cleaning my room! :D I think that I did fairly well on all of them... I'm just happy that I finally got through that one take home exam (two essays to be written over the course of four days, on the nature of history). But it's all over and done with! :D

Oh, and it snowed for four days straight, as everyone seems to know... but it stopped today! :D yay! ... and then I look out the window, and yep, you've guessed it, it's started up again. D: Isn't it crazy that I'm technically on summer vacation, and yet it looks more like Christmas break outside?

And I'm definitely going to France this summer! :D And the Japan Expo, in Paris! ... which means that I've got to get working on my costume for the anime festival...

beboots: (Harry Potter Face)
it's turned into anime. Something a little creepy about this machine-made 21st century version. I keep waiting for her to peel back that improbably toothy grin to reveal the malevolent robot beneath."
-Robert Duncan


Woot! Animethon! XD
I went to the Edmonton Animethon (in the city centre campus for Grant McEwan), and had a wonderful time. :D I didn't cosplay, but you wouldn't believe the beautiful costumes some people had. I'm sure I seemed rather creepy to them, as every so often I would approach one, tap them on the shoulder, and say something to the effect of "I don't know you, but I think you're awesome". ^_^
I also managed to buy a bunch of awesome stuff in the dealer's room, including but not limited to eight different posters (which I've just finnished walpapering my room with), several cheap manga, a few soundtrack CDs, a Naruto ninja headband (Konoha) and the pride of my collection, a working Fullmetal Alchemist State Alchemist pocketwatch. :D It's so beautiful! It even has "Don't forget 3 Oct. 11" inside. :D *pets watch*.
Oh, and I also got to meet a famous webcomic artist! :D Her real name is Barbara, and she does the Vault 711 Harry Potter fancomic (found here: http://persephone.nu/711/). I bought FMA doujinshi from her (I should have gotten her to sign it! *kicks herself*), and a Remus/Sirius pin. She also had a dummy set up behind her with Gackt's face taped to it's head. XD My sister, Danielle, asked for and got her autograph, and we heard from the artists in the Artists Alley that she was over the moon about it. Perhaps Danielle has this woman's first ever autograph? ^_^ Cool!

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