AFAX: Photos from the Anime Festival Asia 2010

Over the years, because of my involvement in theatre and other random activities (some of them partially insane)... I have amassed a certain number of outfits. 

The thing about having a collection of unique looking outfits is that, one is always looking for an opportunity to use them. After all, if you leave them in the cupboard too long, they get moldy... what with the weather here... And what's more, halloween only comes by once a year and that really sucks.... :P

So naturally, being in Asia, I decided some time ago, especially after making my current outfit, to find a place to use them. I decided to attend cosplay events because they are fun and I have Wolfy to accompany me... Moreover, he genuinely seems to enjoy them.

Personally I find it more appealing to attend a historical reenactment event or something like SCA, but there isn't any here and I don't want to travel to Australia frequently, sooooooo.... cosplay is the best thing we have. 

Besides, I realised after going for medieval swordfighting classes, that there isn't really a chance for me (or any of my fellow students unfortunately), to use any of the gear that we have... or to use our skills in this country.... haiz.... well... at this point, I think that no matter how strange sparring tournaments at SCA might look with fully armoured guys (most of them don't seem to have been trained in medieval fighting styles) going at each other with rattan canes, it is still better than being fully armoured with REAL swords and nowhere to go use them.

Anyways.... for the benefit of Wolfy, here are the pics of Wolfy and me and our green-clad "otaku-for-a-day" friend B (all hail the otakus... without whom we won't have all those wonderful photos of the cosplay events) at the Anime Festival Asia 2010 (AFAX)... I've pixelated our faces for the most part because we're too famous in certain industries and among some societal groups.

Wolfy's outfit is the monk character from the Korean MMORPG Ragnarok Online. And well... I'm Ezio from Assassin's Creed 2.

At this point I have to admit I really really wanna make certain.... comments about some of the pictures, but I guess I'll have to restrain myself lest someone comes up to me at the later date, backhands me with a limp glove and sayz, "Ah challen' joo to a duuuueeeellll.."

Are we vain? Yep.

I am pretty impressed by "white mage"'s costume.
100% self made and we can spot that staff a mile away.

I really really never thought I would meet Isis-P
(whom we got to know from the local holistic scene) at AFAX.
But on second thought, it should be no big surprise.

Guy in the black mask was a friendly dude
who offered "Ezio" some strawberry Pocky.

Amazingly someone actually wanted to
take a pic of Wolfy's pet plushie wolf.

Wolfy... and friends.

Now I gotta say this... John on the right really really
does have bear some resemblance to Bruce Lee.
It's no surprise he is also a follower of Jeet Kun Do.

I don't really like masked riders
or power rangers or any characters
of the fully armoured and covered genre...
But their costumes sure stand out.

Wolfy was so happy he finally found some characters
from Ragnarok Online. The irony is that he got even MORE assassins.

Actually met a sport fencer who was using his foil as a prop.

To my right (left side of pic) is a self-styled "master of weapons"
and practitioner of Sambo. Weapon enthusiasts and martial artists,
feel free to quiz him about it if you do see him at other similar events.

That is one very Jack... Jack Sparrow. And an all round nice guy.

A tribute to Otakus :D

Halloween... and all the craziness that transpired

I love halloween (or Samhain for the wiccan/neo-pagans). I always tell people that... its the one time in the year where you can go out dressed up as anyone and anything you want and people will brush it off as just a bit of festive craziness.

Personally its a pretty spiritual time for me because its not only about doing rituals and talking with the dead, its also about personal expression and desire. And for me these past few halloweens, its been all about walking around as myself... who I am... at least for one day in the calendar.

Okay... okay... I know what you are thinking.... no, I don't think I'm Ezio or some 15th century assassin. I just like the Ezio outfit and it is representative of one of the many sides of my personality... a side that I don't often display because of social appropriateness..... Haiz, now to think about it, I'm quite literally walking around with a mask on 24/7 for 364 days of the year :P

See, most people... colleagues, family and even the people at my swordfighting class see me as a big ol' softie.... slightly conservative... not outstanding.... blends into the crowd.... low on confidence and assertiveness.... and as my mom would say... a "girly gurl".... I guess they would never think that I'm the sort who would dress up in black robes, wear a mask and do the whole magic circle and candles thing...

Yet that's exactly what I did for the last few halloweens. Well, this halloween I decided to express the side of me that really likes fighting and for lack of better analogy... really really wants to "beat people up". 

Is it childish? Yep.... Infantile? Definitely.... Certainly more bravado than actual skill was involved.:P However, it is my one chance to express how I feel about myself. I mean, I am growing a wee bit tired of assuming the role I'm assuming in my work.....:( I'm competent in my job but it doesn't really make me happy. Of course, I say to everyone at work that I find it "fulfilling" because, dammit, that's what they expect you to say... 

So I find myself now at this junction sighing very very sadly that despite the "many strides forward" I have made for myself over the years (that's how F sees it)... I'm still, for the most part, pretending to be someone I'm not to about 99% of the people that I know....my family included :(


Anyways... I guess I can be emo in another post.... the following are pictures that I took with Wolfy on our halloween outing to the Asian Civilisations Museum... and yes, the museum really came through with its promise of free movie, ice cream, candy and beer....mmmmmmm.....

Also I'm so glad that our friend B joined us this year .... haha... he was our group "otaku" :D But as he said himself, his picture taking skills sux.

So enjoy the pix... oh and for the sake of remaining anonymous I have pixelated the faces of both myself and wolfy.... :D

Crystal dancer-juggler from a sideshow at the museum.

I thought this lady's costume idea was fantastic :)

Unknowingly, B took a picture of a giant orb and some smaller orbs while lining up for the free movie

Normally Wolfy doesn't wear a mask with his costumes... (unless it is part of the outfit)
his skin I suspect is thicker than mine. I wonder why he is covered this year?





Admittedly the "chao ah beng" pose looks best in photo for him.

It was a beautiful night and my skin is definitely thin.
Some photos of me are pixelated on purpose.
I'll probably not do the second stubby pose again...



The security guard really thought we were fighting here. :D

 We decided to do some test fights because we are going to do a mock fight at the AFA.

Whoa, that's too close.... and I look like a bloody amateur....
Wolfy's response to that is "It dun matter how you fight... no one can tell!"

Anyway... we decided to fight again... heh...
its a rehearsed routine but its guaranteed to be faster
than whatever has been done at cosplay events previously.

Well, despite sweltering under layers of fabric, I thought Halloween was fun. Unfortunately, after drinking beer and not resting enough the next two days, I caught the "flu" again... haiz... such is life. :(