Comicon

Since summer has started I haven't been up to anything interesting, and what I mean is that I've had nothing to do, except for watching videos online (lately I've been really into Nostalgia Critic and Nostalgia Chick videos). I've been applying for jobs in places in my area so hopefully that will at least keep me alert and allow me to earn some money. Anyway the reason I'm writing this blog post in the first place is to write about my experience at one of the coolest places; Comicon by which I mean Phoenix Comicon. I have wanted to go to a con since I first heard of their existence, especially Comicon since it has so many different elements of geek culture.
Going there was actually a last minute thing and I was only able to be there for one day on Saturday so I wasn't able to do an elaborate cosplay, however I intended to enjoy as much as I could. So Saturday morning my brothers and I printed our pre-paid tickets and headed out.
We got there roughly around 10:00am and meet with my brother's friends, who were also attending the con for the full weekend, in their hotel room. After grabbing breakfast we went to the main floor in order to get our badges. We were surprised to see a long line that stretched out farther than a line at Disneyland, for those who had pre-paid their tickets, which just happened to be us. While my brother's friends went to enter the con since they already had their badges, we went to the end of the line to wait for what felt like an eternity (it was really about an hour and a half).
Once that nightmare was over we went to enjoy the main floor, where we meet one of my brother's other friend. He introduced us to her and then we went to wait in line to see Wil Wheaton and have him sign her breasts, which is as hilarious as it seems.
After that we went to the Leonard Nimoy panel, which was pretty amazing. It was in one of the largest rooms in the whole convention hall and it was packed with people. We got there a little late, but luckily my brother's friends from before saved us some seats. Even though we weren't very close up and mostly had to watch him on the large screen, it was just amazing to be in the same room with the guy. Even though I've never watched Star Treck (except for the 2009 film), it is still one of the most well known sci-fi shows ever and it will most likely stay that way. Either way his panel was entertaining and enjoyable.
Once the panel was over we went to the Abridged Appreciation panel. As soon as we got there the room continued to fill up with people and the since the room was so small we nearly broke fire codes. It kind of got off on a rocky start as it was discovered that a cord was missing that would allow the audio to work. So as the panelist got that ready they invited several Yu-Gi-Oh cosplayers to come and put on some sort of skit. Even though they weren't prepared, they managed to keep our attention and be entertaining. After the technical difficulties were resolved they started playing abridged series episodes, specifically Dragonball Z Abridged and Yu-Gi-Oh abridged, both of which are historical. The best part was the audience participation of some of the best lines.
Later on after some lunch, went to the Voice Actors panel that had Brina Palencia, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Wendee Lee and Vic Mignogna. I was really only familiar with Vic's work, but all four voice actors did a great job answering questions and making everyone laugh. Say what you want about Vic, but he is very entertaining. The women of the panel were also a lot of fun and now I want to check out more of there work. I also learned that Elizabeth McGlynn is married to Daran Norris, the voice actor for Cosmo in Fairly Odd Parents. After that panel we went to the Doctor Who fan panel which was also very entertaining. The room was filled with fans, several of which cosplayed as the Doctor and some as the Tardis. There was also a lot of people wearing Doctor Who t-shirts from TeeFury (including me and my brother). It was also cool seeing that many fans at once, since Doctor Who isn't that well known here and it's nice to know that there are so many fans in this particular area.
Once the Doctor Who panel was over we spent some time in the main floor before leaving. I was able to buy a Haruhi Fujioka plushie and a spiked choker, since I had a few ideas on who I might cosplay next con. I also bought a cute ring and erasers. Soon it was time to go home.
It was truly an amazing experience and I can't wait to go to my next con, whenever that may be.

Unlimited Sky

I heard someone on the radio (don't ask me who, I was half asleep in the car as I was listening) say something very true. Summer only seems to end according to when school starts. Whenever school starts everyone switches from vacation mode to fall mode. Now the only problem is that it's still hot and blazing outside. Kinda hard to start thinking about school when it's still such a sunny day outside. I'm not sure if it's just Arizona, but that really gets to me. Then again I was going to school for about a month in the summer so I guess it won't make too much of a difference to me.
Speaking of which, I just completed the Summer Academy at school. Although I probably shouldn't get ahead of myself, here's what's been going on in my life.
During most of July I went to this program at Arizona State University to take summer classes that consisted of Intermediate Algebra, Critical reading and thinking, and a college success class. The only reason I did it in the first place was so that I could get the math credits I needed in order to take Math 192 in the fall, but it was actually a pretty good experience. I got to get to know the college resources at school, I applied for a job, and I got to know a few people. I also got voted most likely to carry a water bottle on campus, which I earned because I always had my handy dandy water bottle with me at all times. Don't laugh though, it also means I'm least likely to die of dehydration and heat stroke. I've been hearing some horror stories lately and it's a pretty common way to die in Arizona. Anyway I'm thankful for the experience and I'm even more thankful to take a little break from school for awhile.
The summer academy also allowed me to hang out with one of my best friends. Turns out that Mari-chan was attending a summer program at Tempe, so we worked out a way for us to meet up on Friday. After my classes I took the metro lightrail to Tempe for the first time. Luckily I didn't get lost or anything and made it there okay. After waiting for her classes to end we walked to starbucks for a bit and talked. I told her about my classes and she told me about her's and such. Afterward we went to some shops to look at stuff that was way too expensive for us to buy, until we took a long walk to a hot dog place on campus. She treated me to a corn dog and some fries and they were quite yummy. We stayed there and talked and we even saw her roommate. She was nice, and so all three of us left and went to the starbucks at the MU and she treated me again to a smoothie. Soon it was time for me to go back, so we walked back to the station. It took us awhile to get to the right one, but we eventually did and I made it back safe and sound.

Kimi ni Todoke (Manga close-up)

I need to take a break from writing for school and to write for fun and to write about something that truly interests me; Manga! The series in particular is one I recently can't get enough of, called Kimi ni Todoke (From me to you) by Karuho Shiina.
The story is about a girl named Sawako Kuronuma who is feared by everyone in her class. This is due to the fact that she bears a slight resemblance to the creepy girl from the movie The Ring (named Sadako in the original Japanese version). It doesn't help that almost everyone calls her Sadako and think it's her real name and that they believe the rumors that she can actually talk to spirits and give curses. The irony of this whole matter is the fact that Sawako is actually a kind-hearted girl who knows very little about the occult. She just happens to be a little socially awkward is all. Everyone is so afraid of her that every time she tries to make a kind gesture she is immediately apologized to (even though she tries to assure them that she has no supernatural powers). This starts to change she becomes friends with most popular boy in her class, Shota Kazehaya. The unlucky friendship confuses everyone at first, but soon everyone starts to see little by little that Sawako is actually a good person. The plot gets even better when Sadako starts to fall for Kazehaya (who likes her too, and has for a while).
This series is truly inspirational and relatable to anyone who has ever had a misunderstanding with someone. I really like Sadako as a main character, like typical shojo heroines she is naive and nice, but unlike the norm, she is not perceived as cute by everyone. This is not to say that she isn't cute, she is just cute in a different way. Shiina-sensei tends to draw Sawako in super deformed and chibi style whenever she gets flustered or nervous which makes her even more adorable.
It's funny how everyone in the class think she is scary simply because she has long black hair and pale skin, when in fact those same features are what makes Sawako so lovely. One of my favorite moments is when she is laughing with her friends and smiles and for one second everyone can see how beautiful she really is.
This is a really sweet series with a lot of underlying depth and plenty of funny moments. I just finished the fourth book and I can't wait till the fifth one comes out in August.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - New Theatrical Trailer HD (5/31/10)

New Scott Pilgrim trailer!

After getting a certain number of fans the new trailer for the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is finally here! Now if you do not know what I am talking about I suggest you go outside and bang your head against the wall of your house for about ten minutes, then go to your nearest book store and buy the all five volumes of the Scott Pilgrim series. Go on now....I'll wait.......*sits and whistles*. Okay anyway back the trailer, first of all this trailer has increased my excitement for the movie by epic proportions. The first teaser trailer that was released a while ago was a good sampler of the movie, but it still left me wanting more, as does this new one. It's going to be really hard to stay on track and talk about everything going through my mind so bear with me.
First of all the movie looks great. The whole Scott Pilgrim looks like how I would want the world to look if it was a comic book (don't think I haven't thought about it). Not only do the fight scenes have sound effect words, but even simple actions such as ringing the doorbell of counting off a band deserve to have the feel of a comic (as demonstrated by Ramona Flowers and Kim Pine). Speaking of which, in just a few lines both characters have shown to be played well by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Alison Pill. Now I had some doubts when I found out that Micheal Cera was cast as Scott, but so far he has shown to show the perfect blend of stupidity and cluelessness (I know it's not a word, but I think it fits). Towards the end the trailer some of the best scenes are shown by in a flash, but so far the fighting scenes between Ramona and Knives look good as well as the battle between Scott and Gideon. All in all this trailer has got me looking forward to the movie even more. I do not know how I'm going to make it to August.

Sakura

I know it's been awhile, but I thought since it's summer I should post again. I know not a lot of people use blogspot anymore, but I don't care I will not switch over to the dark side (tumblr).
Anyway here's an update of what's going on my life (like anyone cares). I graduated from high school, otherwise known as the capital of misery. All joking aside I am going to miss that little place, it's where I met some of my closest friends. I'm trying to look ahead to the future though. I'll be going to the college of my choice, Arizona State University. I won't be living on campus though, but I've made my peace with that already. I'm also going to be attending summer classes in July so that will get me more familiar with the campus. I'm already looking foward to it, I'm also glad that I'll know some people who are going there too. What I'm not looking forward to is trying to make friends. I'm terrible at it, it's really pathetic sometimes really. Then again I can always just focus on my studies instead. I'm going to work really hard in order to get the highest GPA I can achieve so I can get into Walter Cronkite.
Well I'm all out of creative juices at the moment. I'll try to post again soon, and try even harder to keep my promise to not put it off again.

Train in vain

Happy new year!.....or am is that a little late? haha Yeah I haven't posted in a while as you can tell. It's not my fault, I just didn't want to. Well not that I didn't want to I just didn't see the point. I mean I seem to be the only one who ever uses this thing anymore (besides Claudia, although I'm not sure when was the last time she updated, I'm such a bad follower!). Everyone is all obsessed with tumbler or whatever that thing is called. I really don't get that thing, it seems even more complicated then livejournal (which I never thought was possible). I'm an old fashioned girl with the mind capacity of a grandmother. Although if I am interested and motivated I am able to overcome this handicap and be a total master of technology. However this is a rare occurrence. I'm sticking blogspot and sticking it to all the young people who use all the fancy sites (no offense).
Anyway lets get to the interesting part of this post (as if there is one). If you don't already know; I was hacked. More specifically my facebook, twilighters and twitter account was hacked. Terrifying I know. Anyway my facebook is now disabled. My old twitter account was deleted and my twilighters account recovered. It was a pretty scary experience I have to say, but I guess that's what happens out there sometimes.
Anyway currently I found out that I am not able to go to Walter Cronkite right now. I applied to ASU and I'm still waiting to be expected. The problem is that Walter Cronkite has higher admission requirements. I talked to one of the ASU representatives yesterday and he told my what I could do in order to get into ASU. He said the best way I can get into ASU at least is for me to update my current transcript and change the major on my application. So instead of studying Journalism my first year at Walter Cronkite, I'll be in the exploratory behavioral and social sciences course. The good news is that it is in the same campus as Walter Cronkite and I'll still be able to take writing courses. I just need to make sure that I get a 3.0 GPA during my first year. Then I can apply to Walter Cronkite and change my major to Journalism. I'm also going to take the SAT and try and get a good enough score to get into ASU. It'll be easier for me to work from the inside. I keep telling myself that, because I'm really disappointed with myself. All I can do now is make sure that I have a good enough score and keep my grades up. Which will be pretty hard to do considering that Math is what really gets on my nerves. It is definitely my greatest foe, but I will one day kick it's butt into oblivion and overcome this horrible monster.
Well on a lighter note, just three more issues of The Hawk newspaper to go! I'm really looking forward to this. We're working on the layout for our valentine issue next week. I'm really happy, I feel like these are going to be the best issues of my three years on staff.
This is what I want and as long as God allows it, I will become a journalist. I will report with integrity, ethical thinking and most importantly honesty.
(Sorry my closer is dripping with cheese, gao haha)