Dance Like You Want to Win!

AX Prep: Week 2


For about two weeks now I've been planning to finish Sailor Mercury, but hemming is proving more difficult than I thought. My mom and I had to hem the sailor skirt twice because the first time I tried I messed it up. It's difficult working on the costume after I come home from work, especially since I am now working on the big pieces of the costume. I've been working hard on my days off to finish the pieces:

Having never done a cosplay before, I of course had to choose one of the hardest costumes ever. But Sailor Moon has impacted me so much that I absolutely had to pay tribute in some fashion. And going in a group makes this even more fun! Even though it's a lot of work, I've been enjoying learning how to sew.

To take a break from Sailor Mercury I started working on DDR Shinji Ikari from the classic mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Thankfully, that costume is easy (especially compared to making a plug suit) and I pretty much got it done in one day. The hardest part is drawing the music notes on his shirt, which I have to make sure matches Asuka's shirt.

My dad started laughing when I was trying the crop top on, since he believes I'm trying to be an 80's dancer. Then he wanted me to poof up my hair and wear my mom's big glasses from 1985. My mom insisted on me wearing my black boots. I don't think she understood that the picture of Shinji Ikari she saw was a boy, but oh well Shinji Ikari's go-go dance outfit is pretty effeminate anyway.

Things I've learned from sewing thus far:

• Iron everything! It makes the actual sewing easier. 
• Be wary of the material you are sewing! Finer material bunches up more easily 
• I can't use the sewing machine to sew in a straight line

Last cosplay: Fiona from genderbend Adventure Time! Not certain if I will have time to get around to this one, but again this cosplay should be fairly simple.

Anime Exo 2014

Hello Again, Friends of Friends,

As spring comes to an end my workload has eased so much! Spring is a busy time for my industry, and now that people have planted their gardens I can relax with the summer heat, funny as that sounds, as it was a pretty hot spring in Southern California already. 

Since graduating from college a year ago I've made it a mission to participate in more events and conventions. So when I heard that the Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary panel would happen at Anime Expo in Los Angelos, I made it a point to go with several college friends who are also into Sailor Moon! So much so that we heavily debated going to a Sadie Hawkins dance as the Sailor Scouts!! (Hilarious considering that one of us is now married!!).

That being said I have never done cosplay before. I have several friends into cosplay, and one of my friends asked me to go with her cosplay husband at Comikaze in Los Angelos, which is the first and only con I've been to. I had fun at that convention. Bought some New Teen Titans beer glasses, got some A-Team stuff for my former roommate, held my friend's purse while she and her husband took cosplay pics. Good times. Yet I never had the time or energy to do cosplay while I was in school. Even now, a year later from college, I still find it hard to find the energy to do anything after work.

But learning new skills, as well as saving money to possibly attend graduate school, is key to living life after college. Since graduating I've learned that it's great to learn real life skills (gotten my typing credentials for possible government work, CPR license, studied and took the GRE), and sewing is a real life skill. I've never really sewed anything in my life, so my mom has been a huge help in making my SAILOR MERCURY cosplay. Learning how to sew has been incredibly helpful, and a bit humbling. But concerning the cosplay, what do I do? Commandeer the entire dining room table:

I started gathering materials for the cosplay back in May, but of course I'm going to do the month-long con crunch and do it all in one month. Sailor Mercury is the biggest cosplay item, as I'm spending the most time and money on it. My other (group) cosplays that I have not yet started: 

• DDR Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion with goingpostale as Asuka 
• Fiona from the genderbend episode of Adventure Time with my Sailor Moon cosplay group

My other cosplay idea is young Mikasa from Attack on Titan. So far I've been getting up at 7am every day this month (work is at 9am) just to work on real life stuff so I'll have time for cosplay after work. 

I'll be blogging more and posting pictures of my completed costumes as AX approaches! 

-Hanna

Buwis Buhay

Guest post by Stella:

Security is taken very seriously in the Philippines. You see security guards dressed in their crisp white shirts, ties, and well pressed pants in almost every business establishment. These people take their job seriously. You will find that they might seem very polite greeting you with a, "good morning/afternoon, sir or ma'm!" along with a nod of their head but in reality they seem to be practicing for a future TSA job at the airport.

When we checked-in at the Marriott this afternoon our car had to go through a bomb inspection check at the driveway entrance. The dog dutifully checked out our trunk full of suitcases while a couple of guards ran a mirror check under the car. I felt relieved when they gave the thumbs up signal for another security guard to lower the automatic road barricade. As we got closer to the hotel entrance, I noticed an x-ray machine for bags and a metal detector for all guests. While checking in I debated whether I feel safer because of all the security measures taken or worried about a possible attack in the hotel. I decided the former is better and I could sleep better tonight.

Malls are no different. Large malls have security checkpoints similar to the one mentioned above before you can park in the building lot. Guards with a stick in their latex gloved hands are stationed at every entrance checking people's bags or waving the magic secure wand on some random person who seemed a little questionable in their view. At one mall, I was asked to "please remove your shades" as I passed through. Dutifully I complied and removed my sunglasses.

Guards at banks and other important buildings carry shotguns. I'm thinking that the possibility of a Western style shoot out is very likely if someone dares to rob the bank. Hopefully, I am not inside when that happens.

The job description not only requires one to be vigilant of would be perpetrators but may involve traffic control, umbrella service, parking lot ticket takers, and ability to open doors with a smile. In some restaurants, guards will walk you to your car under an umbrella to protect you from the sun. Can you imagine getting a sunburn while walking that 20 feet of shadeless parking lot? Maybe  we should have requested for them to turn on the car and cool it down first before we got in instead. Parking may require one to purchase a ticket at a gate, so guards collect money at the entrance and another one to collect the tickets at the exit. In some places parking may require a guard to help you squeeze your car into a spot even if it is not a legal place to park (like on the curb).

The most interesting to watch is when a customer leaving the building needs to back out into major traffic, the guard then walks out in the middle of the street to stop oncoming traffic. Showing no fear, he raises his hands to signal that everyone must stop so the car can safely back out and leave. There is no guarantee that all vehicles will stop as someone who is in a hurry might find a space to go through and ignore the guard standing in the street. On several occasions, we feared for the guard's life as we watch him standing with arms waving while cars, jeepneys, tricycles, or motorcycles speeds through. My sister, in her amusement, described their job: "Buwis Buhay," which means risk your life. And that they do!

Now, there are the unofficial, not uniformed, guard wannabes. These are the random people who stands outside a small business building like the cleaners who does not employ a regular guard. Customers (whether they ask or not) will find a person standing behind their cars in the middle of street waving down traffic as they back out of the parking lot. Of course, why wouldn't you give them a few pesos to compensate them for risking their life in exchange for a speedy exit so you can join the rest of the snarling traffic on your way to your next stop?

Karaoke!!

On Tuesday we celebrated my grandpa's 80th birthday! Aside from the mountain of food available (lechon, "dirty" ice cream, diniguan), there was a karaoke machine available.

Now, I'm not sure what the deal is with Filipinos and karaoke, but it's pretty hilarious. Everyone wants to sing or dance to "video-karaoke," which is an Asian-based karaoke machine with random videos playing in the background. The lyrics can be wrong or misspelled in hilarious Engrish, and the videos don't have much to do with the song playing. Afterwards, the machine gives you a score, which never dips below 80%. After the party even the caterers were singing their hearts out to both English and Tagalog pop songs!

Unfortunately, our time in the Philippines is coming to a close. We will be leaving on Friday morning to jump back in time to arrive on Friday night California time, to apparently a good dose of much-needed rain! We have had so much fun here, and I wish I could have stayed longer!

Historic Manila (Crash Course in Filipino History)

Hello Friends,

I haven't had the time to write a blog post about our visit to historic Manila on our first day. We visited the older part of the city in the afternoon, after visiting the open market. As many Americans are reading this blog, I don't expect many of you to know much about Filipino history. I myself only know recent Filipino history, mostly from WWII to present day, and even then I still have a lot to learn. However, I do know about Dr. Jose Rizal, which is what most of the historic memorials in Manila are about. First: the Spanish.

The Spanish were the longest colonizers, and their influence on Filipino culture is evident everywhere. Tagalog shares many Spanish words (I've noticed that many Filipinos interchange Tagalog numbers with Spanish numbers when talking about the time or prices). Catholicism is still huge here. Everything from religion, to fashion, to language was influenced by the Spanish, and many Filipinos have Spanish names still.

We visited Fort Santiago, where the remains of the Spanish forts are during the colonization period. Inside the Fort are the Rizal memorials, which include his prison cell, a collection of his books, and golden footprints showing his walk to his execution site (several of which have been stolen).

 I happened to have read an English version of Noli Me Tangere, the book that has permeated Filipino culture by Dr. Rizal. It is about Filipinos under Spanish rule, in particular about the corruption of the Catholic clergy. One of the main characters, Maria Clara (who represents the Philippines), engendered a unique dress called the Maria Clara. This book is required reading in all Filipino high schools, and is the book that angered the Spanish enough to call for Dr. Rizal's execution.

In the memorial the Filipinos are shooting Rizal (though only one had the real bullet), and the Spanish soldiers are pointing their guns at the Filipinos. Behind them are the clergy. 

Dr. Rizal is the Philippines' national hero. I honestly think he is a fascinating historical figure. He died young, spoke several languages, and was just an all around interesting guy. I intend to re-read his books, maybe someday in their original Spanish. I hope that my visit to Manila will help me read Noli Me Tangere and its sequel in better historical and cultural context. And visiting all of these memorials for this influential writer is something that I like to do anyway, as I'm always interested in literature and its influence on history and culture. 

Most of the tour (by Carlos the tour guide, while we rode on a Cartela in the middle of the crowded street) was dedicated to Dr. Rizal's memorials and more recent history (WWII). I had no idea that Manila used to be a walled city, which was the biggest surprise of all. I happen to like learning about the history of cities, especially since I have so many relatives in Manila. While I was sad that the cathedral is still under renovation, I'm glad I got to go visit the city. And I'm especially glad that I got to visit the memorials of another highly influential writer. 

Masarap! (Pinoy Food)

One of the first things people do while traveling abroad is sample the local food.  As I am staying with Filipino relatives, I'm getting a pretty heavy dose of the local food and customs. While there is a lot of food that is similar to food in the States, you will eventually find strange fruits, veggies and concoctions you didn't even know existed. I've had my fair share of Pinoy food before, but since I've gotten here eating new food is a whole different ball game.

In the Philippines chopsticks are not used often. The spoon and the fork are used to eat meals. The spoon is large and flattened, which allows it to be used as a knife. I've eaten rice every day and at almost every single meal. Once I'm finished and I wish to express how divine the food was, I say "masarap," which means "very delicious."

The local equivalent of a McDonald's is the Jollibee's, which serves burgers as well as fast-food versions of some local dishes. My relatives insisted that I try some Jollibee's food, so I had longanisa (a breakfast meat I've had many times before) for breakfast:

Some of the weirdest food I have encountered are the fruits. I got to try lanzones:

A few mornings later I found a bowl of spiky reddish-pinkish fruit on the living room table:

They look like one of those cheap plastic toys that kids throw at each other. 

This fruit is called rambutan. To open it you squeeze the fruit until it breaks open, and then you peel it apart. Like the lazones, the fruit is clear, but the sap is not as sticky. Unlike the lanzones, this fruit is similar to stone fruits, as there is one big seed in the middle.

Many of the native fruits include mangos (mango trees are everywhere), coconuts, different varieties of bananas, and langkas (also called "jack fruit"). I've seen lancas before in Filipino/Asian supermarkets back in the States, but I had no idea what they looked like on the tree. Indeed, when I saw them in the States I didn't give them much thought, other than, "wow, that's a huge fruit." Then, when I started seeing them everywhere here, I realized that shoot, they are fruits and grow on trees. But what kind of a tree would support this monster? A walk around the neighborhood revealed the secrets of the langka tree:

If this fruit falls onto your head you will die. 

The flesh of the langka fruit is quite delicious, as I had some while eating Halo-Halo, a Filipino desert.

While there are so many delicious things to enjoy, eventually you will eat something that you either didn't eat right or you just don't like. The stranger things are food like paa ng manok at isaw ng baboy (chicken feet and pig intestines, cooked on the BBQ and enjoyed on a stick). The majority of food is good, but sometimes you make a mistake when trying new foods. When we went to Quezon Province, where I tried bagoong (the brownish stuff next to the rice in the top picture), which was quite the disaster.

Asian salads are nothing like the salads Americans know. There are a lot of veggies, and bagoong is tiny shrimp fermented in salt that is supposed to be eaten in small quantities on top of some veggies, and I put an entire spoonful into my mouth. Not one of my smartest ideas, but I didn't know it wasn't a side dish, and that shoving a whole spoonful in your mouth is like eating a spoonful of ranch dressing or wasabi.

Most of the time life lessons come this way: you don't know the rules until you do something wrong. Same goes with food: you gotta break the rules to learn the rules.

Rules Optional (Driving in Manila, Part 2)

Guest Post by Stella:

Driving in Manila is not for the faint of heart. Traffic rules are non-existent. Our first couple of days we sat in the backseat watching in awe as my sister-in-law navigated her way through narrow streets in the city. But it seems that the streets are not narrow enough for all vehicles. Two lane roads become four as every car tries to get ahead of the other cars in front of them. Driving in-between the lines is a sure fire way of letting the vehicle behind you to squeeze in next to you and the car on either of your side. Cars come within inches of each other. If I open my window, it would feel like I am sitting next to the other driver of the car. If it is a bus or a truck, that metal wall seems like a part of the window. I noticed a metal bat in between the seats of our car and asked about the presence of the said item. My sister said you sometimes need it to tap on the side of bigger vehicles such as a bus or truck to let them know they are too close in our two inch comfort space. There is a plethora of horn-blowing from all over the place. Drivers blow their horns to let people know they are driving too slow and needs to speed up or move over. They blow it when passing on the lane to make sure the car in the next lane will know not to change lanes. Horns are blown at the stoplight to tell the driver in front of you that the light will be turning green in a few seconds and to make sure he makes it to second gear in the next nano second the light turns green. They blow the horn to let other drivers know that there is no intention on their part to let the other cars through. They blow it because or irritation, frustration, or probably just because they have a working car horn.

Every traffic rule I have known driving in the US is considered optional in Manila. You may use turn signals but it does not guarantee that anyone will let you in the lane. Lines in the road are guides. You can drive on the line which can guarantee a good spot to work your way between cars in both lanes. Solid lines and dotted lines rule are ignored. To alleviate traffic during rush hours, the overflow rules are used. One lane coming from the other direction which is considered low traffic use are switch over to the heavy traffic side. I am still not sure how they determine when is the appropriate time to switch over. It seems that it happens anytime of the day. Overtaking is done using the lane from the opposite direction or using the right lane reserved for either parking or pedestrians. There seems to be no concern whether their car would block oncoming traffic or inching their vehicle through crowds of people waiting to cross or grab the local public transportation.

Pedestrian safety is of no concern to the local driver. Their job is to make sure they don't get run over while trying to get to the other side. Some try to use the crosswalk but drivers see the opportunity to get further ahead. There is no slowing down as the driver speeds through between pedestrians. Stopping to let them through may cost them a spot up ahead as everyone tries to go for the only open area in the street. People don't seemed faze by the lack of courtesy. They exude a face determination as they walk across. A slight hint of hesitance may leave you stuck standing in the middle of the road like the grandma we saw yesterday. Hair blowing from the wind caused by the big buses passing within inches of her back, she longingly looked for a driver willing to stop so she can continue on crossing. There was no sense of worry in her face as we watched her cross the rest of the way. Crossing in groups is a good strategy and walking in a diagonal direction is effective in avoiding cars and getting to a point on the other side faster.