FaneXpo 2007

Just to note: I went back to TKD for the first time in over a month and my arms and stomach are killing me. I think I just laid on 5 pounds in the last two days.

As for current events, I am no longer ticked off I didn't get to go to Projekt Revolution. Instead, we went here:

Fan Expo '07!

It was CRAZY FUN. For 25 bucks though, I'd say it was a little expensive, but worth it in free stuff.

I headed down with Aaron Ho and his uncle Jeff, early at 10 am. The actual event was in the MTCC, so we had to drive down and find some parking before we headed in. During the ride, we debated on the best and quickest way to get kicked out. Options including screaming at people, jumping on backs, switching board game pieces, telling people not to drop the soap, etc.

We arrived. There were many people there.

Long lines suck hard.

But cards/comics/action figures worth it!

The lines were long, so we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes for tickets (note: next year, buy online!). Standing in line was just as fun, and we made a couple of people jump with our random screams of, "IT'S THE MAP!" and "AHHH!!! GET IT AWAY!!!" and "HA! HA!"

Tickets in hand, we headed downstairs. Instantly, we were hit by the smell of sweat and stale breath, also known as the smell of geek. You would not believe the amount of cosplayers.

Some were cute.

It'ssssss BOMBERMAN!

Oh Midna, you can ride on my back any day.

Some were intimidating.

Please, have mercy! I need my legs to walk!

I'm not with the aliens, I swear!

And some were just gross. I'm not going to include a picture, but imagine a rotund middle-aged man dressed in a skimpy sailor moon outfit. Apparently, he lost a bet.

There were a lot of anime characters like Naruto and Bleach. Some Cardcaptor Sakura, and a few Shaman King. There were also Trekkers from the Federation. But Star Wars took the cake for best cosplayers.

We saw like, 10 Jango Fetts. They must have been clones.

*fangasm*

Rebel scum!

Credits to redandjohnny for the above two photos

There was one picture I missed of Darth Vader choking a Star Trek Federation officer. There was also a Jawa with real glowing eyes, a wookie, a Twi'lek female, and many, many stormtroopers. The 501 (Vader's Fist) was there, but the best costume in my opinion was the little kid dressed up as Yoda.

Also of special note was this guy:


He was Zabuza from Naruto, and the only reason I include him here is because of the size of his weapon. No, I mean his sword, don't be a perv. That's stereotyping.

I picked up a few posters too, for free, along with buttons and stickers and a ton of other free stuff. I blame the Chinese in me. I can't turn down anything with the word 'free' in it.

I ended up buying 'It's a Bird...' by Steven Seagal, one of my all-time fav books, a 'cat-ear' hat for my sister, some M:tG cards, a few patches for the Redsuit, and a wooden sword. Aaron bought a sword too, and also a V for Vendetta mask. We had some odd looks, with me, the cat-hat samurai, and him, the V-with-sword-guy. One passerby said, "That's the worst V costume I've ever seen," and another guy gave us the thumbs up when we passed by in the car.

Some influential people were present. A lot of artists, for sure, but of special note were George Romero (Dawn of the Dead), Jake Lloyd (young Anakin in Episode I), Adam West (Original batman, Family Guy), Tricia Helfer (Number 6 on Battlestar Galactica), Daniel Logan and Temuera Morrison (Young Boba and Jango Fett), David Prowse (Darth Vader), Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker), Malcolm McDowell (Heroes, H.R.G.), Veronica Taylor (Voice of Ash Ketchum, Pokemon), and many many others. I didn't get any autographs, but I did catch a glimpse of all of them, which was enough for me. I also got to meet the creators of 'Looking for Group', an awesome webcomic you can find here: http://www.lfgcomic.com/

All in all, a fun day. The best part was making random screams and monkey noises in the crowded convention center, but a close second was seeing all the great costumes. Next year, we're going as a Snowtrooper (Uncle Jeff), V (Aaron), and Dr. McNinja (me).

So it was worth it, in my book. Free stuff, and awesome gear, plus the chance to annoy people and meet some famous dudes and dudettes. Remind me to come again next year, and to bring the nerd repellent along, just in case.

Projekt Revolution

I'm mighty ticked I didn't get to see the Projekt Revolution concert yesterday. I just caught it on myspace.com/nowwhat streaming live, and it looks really good.

Yeah, I'm a complainotron.

Circular Motion

When does it all end? It's just another seamless circle of bad karma.

I was out the other day with a few friends and we were at a coffee shop, talking about music and guitar and the events in our lives. And then I said,

"You know, a few years back, I used to pass by coffee shops and see these university students, relaxing and talking about cool things like music and guitar, and I used to think that their lives were perfect. But now I'm in that position, looking back, and my life is so very far from perfect. It's a little depressing to know that life just gets harder..."

Isn't it odd how you think everyone else has a perfect life? I'm sure some people have better lives, and people have worse lives, but everyone also has their share of life's problems. We may have different problems, but it's our attitude towards life that determines how we overcome our obstacles.

Take me for example. I have buckets of problems, including my calculus test tomorrow, but the best I can do is be optimistic and look forward to the future, and not dwell on the past or present. But then there are people who have to scrounge for food to survive, and although our problems may be different, there's still the same difficulty and struggle behind each.

I'm lucky because I've been given a lot, and I don't have to struggle as hard as others to survive. And I know that even spoiled brats have problems of their own, and what I envy in them is what others envy in me. I'm sure homeless and poor people on the streets watch us with a hint of jealousy and hostility, wishing they could have what is ours.

The world is pretty much perfect, it's just the people in it.