Floatyman

2010 Review/2011 Preivew: Cosplay/Conventions

2011-03-31T12:58:13Z

Looking back on 2010’s Goal/Memories:

2010 Highlights/Memories:
Going to FAnime
Going to three cosplay events in Japan
Going to a Japanese Photo studio with :devJuunana
Fun times as Oshino/Shizuo
Cosplaying with =maridah and ~Legs-chan
Cosplaying with ~jinxiejinx, ~anagotchi, Megumi and Volcano

Looking Back on 2010 Write Up

There is pretty well only one thing that can be said about cosplay in 2010, FAIL!!!.

No new costumes at all, except a couple of simple ones. While I had a really great time especially as Oshino (Bakemonogatari) and Shizuo (Durarara!), they were nothing to write home about. I think this was also one of the first years I did not enter a single contest.

The really sad part of the year was the fact that I let so many people down. I had plans to do costumes with a fair few different people, and I ended up letting them down I apologise wholeheartedly to everyone that I let down for not being able to pull through

Because of the lack of new costumes, a lot of costumes did get reused. Archer & Oshino went on a world tour seeing both Japan and America. Some of my happiest memories were the chances I had to cosplay with various people (which ironically makes me feel worse for letting those I did down). In America, the opportunity to cosplay with ~Legs-chan, who I have talked to for many years, and =maridah, who I have admired and fanboyed over ever since I first saw her photos, was amazing.

I also had the chance to cosplay with friends in Japan which is always a lot of fun as Japanese events are just so relaxed. I also did get to cosplay with *juunana in the studio shoot but I doubt anyone will see those pics as I looked terrible and I was taking the photos with timer/remote

There were plenty of other people I had a great time with and would like to thank, but wouldn’t have space.

Sadly though these were the very few cosplay hightlights in a year that was very poor cosplay wise for me.

Year Result - D- If it hadn’t been for the fun I had in my simple costumes of Oshino and Shizuo and the effort I have put into learning to sew properly, it would have been even lower.

Saying that I had a great time at all the conventions I went to. Of the Australian conventions I got to all my regular cons, Supanova Brisbane, AVCon, Manifest, Main Animania, Mini Animania Brisbane and the Madman National Cosplay Championship Final. I was also booked in to go to SMASH! but had to cancel due to sickness.

I also had the great oppertunity to go to some events overseas. I went to three cosplay events while in Japan which I always enjoy, they remind me of the basic joy of what cosplay is. They are only about cosplaying, getting together, having fun and taking photos.

Highlight of the year though would have had to have been FAnime. I finally got to go to a convention in America and meet *etaru after talking to each other for years. I met and got introduced to a lot of amazing people and had one of the best times I have ever had. It was really the American con experience I always dreamed of.

Looking forward to 2011

2011 Work on/Goals
Finish all group related costumes
Improve sewing skills
Enter a cosplay contest
Enjoy cosplaying
Improve wig styling

Unlikely Goals
Win an individual cosplay prize
Make a new ‘identifiable’ costume

Conventions should be pretty much the same as last year except should be able to make it to SMASH! Unless something changes, sadly I won’t be going to Japan thus no events there. However I am 99% locked in for another round of FAnime and really looking forward to more fun times and shenanigans Have another costume planned with =maridah which should lend it to awesome shenanigan times. Also have things planned with ~Bianka and *etaru this time so very excited for that!

Looking Ahead to 2011 Write Up

I will be trying to ease into cosplay in 2011. Have mostly solo cosplays planned as after letting so many people down I can’t really expect them to put faith in me again. I do have a couple of costumes to do with people planned and they will mostly be my focus for a while. I don’t even have any costumes planned for Brisbane Supanova

The costumes that I am going to work on for this year don’t really have a set completion date or convention to finish them for (except the couple of group ones), so as to try and reduce my stress and try and enjoy cosplaying again. Most of them will be costumes I have half started and promised to do with people. Doesn’t help that most of the new shows don’t have anyone that I suit or like ><

I also plan to do more sewing related costumes this year. In the past I have selected costumes that need minimal sewing or have had my sister help me with the complicated parts. As my sister has not been well and got sick of helping me, it is about time I tried to improve my skill level.

Unlike last year, I would also like to enter at least one contest. Not to try and win or anything, I guess I just miss participating like I used to.

2010 Review/2011 Preivew: Photography

2011-03-30T05:19:23Z

Looking back on 2010’s Goal/Memories:

2010 Highlights/Memories:
Getting to shoot in a Japanese Studio with *juunana *cough*~~love hotel~~*cough*
Shooting *etaru in a bikini
Getting to work with all cosplayers I got the chance to meet and shoot
Published in Otacool 2
Selling first photos through website
As always working with many fantastic cosplayers from all parts of the world
Meeting *hexlord, ~unforgivenmind, =cosplayshots, Jason@i360, LJinto, ~TheDreamerWorld, and many other fantastic photographers

Improvements made in 2010:
Use of Lightroom
Small improvements in lighting and model direction

2010 Work On/Goals:
Model Direction/Communication - A little better but a long way to go
Processing Speed - urrrr nope, got myself a bad reputation as well ><
Be published again - Done, Otacool 2 and Animania Calendar
Upload something to DA at least once a week - Tried and failed
Take less but better photos - Tried and failed
Be more confident with myself and my style - Still trying

Unlikely Goals
Getting on front page of DA - Nothing I uploaded did, but a couple *juunana uploaded got there
Get a Daily Deviation - Nope
Being well known outside Australia - Maybe a little from people I met in the USA but not really
Getting a paid, published work - Nope

Year Result - C- - Some of my shoot work, especially stuff early in the year came out pretty well, but still way too slow and had a lot more shoots not happy with than happy with. Getting two photos into Otacool 2 probably got that score up a little more than otherwise would have been.</i>

Looking Back on 2010 Write Up

Had a very busy start to the year in regards to photoshoots, which was enjoyable but took its toll. Things really slowed down in the latter half of the year and haven’t done many photoshoots since. This has been for various reasons and did disappoint me but has made me see that there are so many new and better photographers coming along (and every man and his dog getting a DSLR), that I am not as needed or as good (not that I ever thought I was that good) as I thought.

For a while this thought got me down that I had lost the one thing that people wanted me around for, but after a while, my out look changed. I have a lot of deficiencies that I have to fix before I can expect people to want me to take photos of them. Especially since often it takes a lot more organising to get me for a shoot, due to work and how far away I live, so I have to be worth that effort. The other thought is that there are always going to be new and more popular photographers come along, but if I can keep improving, start delivering in a timely fashion, and keep doing what I know, there will be people that will want to work with me.

2010 was a lot quieter in regards to shoots at conventions as well with a lot less booked shoots. Payment for shoots was once again pretty well a failure. Either I feel bad taking people's money or they were unable to pay I can’t really blame them when I have become so slow in processing them. This isn’t helped by my desktop computer dieing partway through the year and having to use a little, under powered netbook >< I am still working on a lot of the photos from last year >< I apologise profusely and will do my best to get photos to people asap and not be this tardy again.

Technically I don’t think I have really made much progress if any this year which does disappoint me. Once again I let myself stall. I did learn a fair bit while in America from ~unforgivenmind but have not put it into practice and when the chance has come up, I have just fallen back to my regular habits. Thank you thought to all the people that had shoots with me in the past year. It was a lot of fun and adds to my experience.

While in America I got the chance to meet and hang out with some very awesome photographers and see how they work and I think just observing them taught me quite a bit. The differences between how ‘American’ and ‘Australian’ photographers work seems small, but I noticed a few things that should be able to help me.

I did meet quite a lot of photographers in the last year that I have admired for a long time and the experience of hanging out with them encouraged me. Shout outs to ~unforgivenmind, =cosplayshots, *hexlord, Jason@i360, ~TheDreamerWorld, and LJinto (who I have probably admired the longest and now admire more that I have met him), it was a pleasure to meet you and learn from you!

Looking ahead to 2011’s Goal:

2011 Work on/Goals
Faster Output/Processing
Improved lighting setups
Organise more shoots myself
Goal/idea/story for the photos I take
Upload 26 things to DA this year (something every two weeks)

Continuing Goals:
Model Direction/communication/control
Be published again
Getting on front page of DA
Sell some photos on website
Take less but better photos
Be more confident with myself and my style

Impossible/unlikely Goals
Get a Daily Deviation
Getting a paid, published work
~~Being well known outside Australia~~ - Removing as it isn’t a good goal to have, should just work on producing good,quality work I am happy with, not popularity

Looking Ahead to 2011 Write Up

Main thing I need to achieve in 2011 is a much faster output speed. I have given myself a bad reputation of either being very slow or not delivering at all and I need to fix this. When it comes to conventions, especially, no one is interested in photos several months latter. When it comes to photoshoots I am going to have to find a balance I am happy with that lets me do enough edits so I am happy with the photos but quick enough for the subject to be happy. That is this years main goal.

Related to this, I am also going to be keeping the schedule system but updating it and the payment system. I am not going to be taking payments up front like I have in the past. I don’t feel that I deserve the respect to be paid when people do no know how long it is going to take me to deliver. I am going to try a system, that if people want photos in a hurry, they let me know and if I get them done within a certain amount of time, then they buy the photos from the website. I will be giving this a trial run for the next few cons and hopefully it works.

The new year hasn’t started that well really for me. Unlike the past few years where I have done heaps of shoot at the end/start of year period, I haven’t done any this year. Been a combination of a few things including an increase in photographers that are easier to organise and, face it, much better. The other reason would be that I haven’t organised any shoots. I have been too dependant on others organising things and telling me to just be there. I need to take more initiative, but this hasn’t been possible with the situations I have been in (floods, mentally and physically). Hopefully I can turn this around soon. It also seems I have also fallen out of favour of late which is another story, but hopefully can fix that as well.

Something that has helped restore my faith has been how well the photo of *13-Zer0 I uploaded did. It didn’t reach the front page or anything, but has become my most fav’d work and when someone uploaded it to Tumblr it did the rounds like crazy there. This has helped get my confidence back that a photo doesn't need to be shopped to hell or filled with tits and arse to be well received.

The challenge for the year is going to be getting and keeping myself in the right head space and keeping to my resolution of faster processing.

FAnime and America

2010-06-18T00:00:16Z

Quick Rundown

Back from America
FAnime was awesome!
Got to go to Canada as well
Brisbane Animania Report: [link]
Desktop computer finally died
Video [link]
Lyrics [link]

America breakdown

America, and FAnime in particular, was really a wonderful experience, and I want to do again in the future but don't know when that will be or what convention I would try and attend. It was great to meet so many people I have talked to and/or admired online for years plus getting to meet many new people. I really hope I can keep in contact with everyone and go back again sometime.

Even though there are many more people, there are some that need special thanks:

- After all this time and talking, we finally got to meet and you are as awesome in person as I thought you were! Thank you ^^
- Thanks for everything man, your help, advice, housing and organising so much
- Thank you so much for coming so far to see me. It was wonderful to meet you and your smexy legs
- It was awesome to meet you and thank you for showing us around Vancouver and giving me the chance to get another stamp on my passport
and - Thank you to the two of you for including me and hanging out so much. It made me feel like a friend, not just someone that was there
ghinto - It was great meeting you and thanks for the shoot and the parties
slave_to_anime - It took a while but we finally managed to find each other It was great to meet you as well

Highlights:

FAnime in general
Meeting (beside shout outs) ~Bianka, *ManaChan, *IchigoKitty, =daydreamernessa, ~WindoftheStars, ~TheDreamerWorld, ~Anti-Ai-chan, *burloire, ~Rasmirin + many more I missed or without DAs, thanks for putting up with me
Seeing a lot of others I recognised from DA and have admired for a long time but didn't really get a proper chance to meet (*pikminlink, *Hikaru-Jan, ~the-sushi-monster, Lionel + others)
Room parties
Dancing Moogles (read: *Pink-Bunnie) and =maridah's
Cosplaying with =maridah (feels unworthy)
Cosplaying with ~Legs-chan
Cosplaying with ~etaru and *Pink-Bunnie
Wonder Wedgie
Getting =maridah addicted to Tim Tams
Going to Canadaland
Shooting ~etaru in a bikini
'Gay bar' on Rock Band
SQUIRREL!
Going to Canada
Real Beef Jerky

America notes:

FAnime rocks it hard! 24 hours a day, 4 days straight*
Alcohol is cheap, beautifully cheap! And can be bought in the supermarket
Almost all the cosplay photographers you recognise, don't get paid for shoots*
Subway doesn't have 'Old English' cheese, carrot or BBQ sauce
You can get free Wifi at almost all restaurants and airports... except LAX, they want you to pay *rage*
For a discount airline, V Australia take very good care of you with reasonable service
Australia's system might not be perfect but I am glad we don't have the US tipping/tax/payment system
Wallmart is like a huge Big W with guns, groceries and slave labour prices
The 'sexy Australian accent' didn't really work for me, it can't compensate for the rest of me

* (more USA and con details, I will be writing articles for CosplayAus.com in the next month or so)

I also enjoyed seeing how a lot of the American photographers worked and felt I learnt a fair bit on how to improve myself. Photos and a more comprehensive breakdown of my trip will be up on Live Journal sometime.

Okay will try and keep everything else brief or this could be huge!

Life/Work

Once again because of travel I have neglected DA. Sorry about missing journals and art, just have had limited net access and to much else to do.

Looks like my sister and I are going to have to move again The landlord came by just before I was to leave for America and said they want to renovate and are not renewing our lease. We are on a week by week basis at the moment but are looking for somewhere as we don't want to give them more money to fund the renovation

Money is pretty tight at the moment because of all I have spent on my trips, and just like Murphy's Law, all the money suckers are hitting at once! Moving won't be cheap, phone bills, car and house insurance, car service and a new battery, my camera strobe is broken, and to pop it off, my desktop computer finally died (not to mention my credit card ) as well as my portable external hard drive! What all this means for conventions, cosplay and photoshoots we will have to wait and see but it is going to be a tight few months.

Cosplay

Took Archer (Fate/Stay Night), Oshino (Bakemonogatari), and Super Boy (Teen Titans) to America with me. Even though they are okay costumes, next time I might try take something more impressive and hopefully cosplay with some people again ^^

Next convention is AVCon so will start work on those costumes soon but got a lot of other things to get out of the way first.

Photography & Conventions

As said next convention for me is AVCon if I can get enough of my debts paid off before it. If you would like a photoshoot, fill in a Submission of Interest form: [link] More interest, the more likely I will go

Sydney Supanova would have been cool but just too close and not enough money. I do have a reporter and photographer for my site going so there will be a report up on CosplayAus.com sometime.

Talking of CosplayAus.com, the Brisbane Animania Report and photos are up: [link] Thank you so much ~AzellureLeverett and ~AnthraxX for covering it for me!

I would like to try and organise one on one (or maybe two) shoots with people before we get into the crazy con season again. There are a few people I don't get to work with a lot that I know have awesome costumes just sitting in their closet that I am going to try and chase down I have been working on my photography and my confidence with it and after getting advice/tips in America and seeing how a lot of them work I feel I can do quality work and want to keep improving. It will be hard with out a computer (I do have my little netbook but that isn't much) and strobes but you work with what you got.

Quotes

“The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.” - Pearl S. Buck

Cosplay Australia Interview

2010-04-09T02:44:44Z

One of the big announcements that I mentioned has been released: ABC Online report on cosplay in Australia involving interviews with *SorceressMooNBlaDeR, *13-Zer0, ~level4chaos and Myself: [link]

Probably could have used some more editing but I think it is a fairly good article for people that may know nothing of cosplay and it isn't defamatory in anyway which I had been worried about.

Slowly Going Insane

2010-04-06T23:44:07Z

Quick Rundown

Brisnova Photoshoot Bookings open to all: [link]
Leave for Japan in less than two weeks
Working madly on costumes
Some exciting news soon from CosplayAus.com
Trying not to have a panic/stress attack

Very quick journal. Sorry once again that I have not been commenting on art or journals. I have been crazy busy with trying to get everything done. Things will probably remain this way until well after I get back from America but then the convention craziness starts again!

I have been flat out trying to get costumes done for Brisbane Supanova this weekend, trying to have everything organised for my trips to Japan and America, get this job done for work that needs finishing before I leave, failing at getting all last years photos out to people (I am taking them to Japan with me to work on), and working on some very exciting things involving CosplayAus.com so stay tuned for more info on that! Once again, still looking for reporters.

I have opened up the Brisnova Photoshoot Bookings to everyone: [link] So if you didn't fill in a Submission of Interest but would like a shoot, fill in one of these forms before Thursday night.

Hope to see most of you at Brisnova and hope everyone gets everything done!

Manifest Shoots

2009-08-18T05:25:42Z

Photoshoot Schedule for Manifest open to all: http://bit.ly/3C3unw Please fill it out before Wednesday 5:00pm

Prop work

2009-06-23T00:54:03Z

Valkyrie's Sword by =Floatyman on deviant ART

DSi bait

2009-06-05T01:30:57Z

If they finish and release this, it may actually convince me to upgrade to a DSi!

Link to Story

Probably wouldn't work perfectly and have the same problem as all translation programs but would be pretty handy still.

Japan Trip Day 8

2009-05-06T06:52:32Z

Day 8, Thursday 19th March

Today was my only proper organised group tour. I booked a trip to Mt. Fufi and Hakone before I left as it was something my parents helped pay for (my mum especially wanted me to go) and it turned out to be pretty good. It was a bus trip to the base of Mt Fuji with a tour guide speaking English. While waiting for the bus had another Japanese toilet experience this time with the other extreme, one of the computerised ones! I should have taken a better picture of the control board but it had three pictures off of bums with water sprouts. The first looked pretty gentle, second looked fairly normal but the last one looked like, well, it would clean you out! Thankfully it also had a roll of toilet paper there so I didn't have to find out.

The Fuji visitor centre was the first stop to see art dedicated to Fujisan and was probably where everyone got the best photos. Then we drove up to the fourth station which is about half way up Mt.Fuji. There are five stations but the fifth was still closed because of snow and we were lucky to get to the forth with it opening only two days before. Saw lots of snow but wasn't the best view of either the surroundings (haze) or the top of the mountain (as happens on side of mountain).

Had a very nice lunch that had some interesting things that I hadn't had yet. I am not a fan of Jelly Fish though.

The weather up until this point had been beautiful but as we drove to Hakone and Lake Ashi the weather turned terrible! The wind picked up something vicious and we couldn't go all the way on the cable car as part of it was closed because of wind. Still went up a fair way to Hell Valley and froze but didn't have much time to look as the quickly piled us back on the bus and drove us back to the lake for the cruise.

Didn't get to go on one of the pirate ships but took on of the normal cruise boats. Once again froze from the wind and didn't get to see Mt. Fuji as it was hidden by clouds which was sad. Even with the terrible weather it was a nice ride and very interesting. Lake Ashi is a very beautiful area.

Back on the bus and dropped off the few that were staying the night in Hakone. It was a pretty interesting drive around the mountains and to see where they had built and were building.

Part of the tour was a ride on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) back to Tokyo. This was something I was really looking forward to and another reason why I picked this tour. Once you are on the train you can't really tell how fast you are going, especially at night but when you stand in a station and one goes through, WOW its fast even though they have slowed down.

Got off the Shinkansen and made my way back to the accommodation. As Juunana and Spacexat were working late I just picked up myself some Japanese KFC. It was pretty much the same as home but in a nice little carry bag, and to my annoyance, they didn't know what upsize was.

Japan Trip Day 7

2009-04-30T12:34:53Z

Day 7, Wednesday 18th March

After a bit of a sleep in which was very much needed after the day before, got up and left at about 10am to go to the Imperial Palace and city centre. Somehow unknown to me I got on the wrong train! All the time I had been catching the train from near where I had been staying I thought it was only the one line with one destination and I didn't realise that actually it broke off onto another line and the occasional train went that way! It took me a while to figure out what the hell was going on but once I did I got off at one of the stations and sat down to examine my map. Once I did I found I had accidentally found a quicker way to my destination so got back on the train!

Got of at the right station and went to look at the Imperial Palace. Apparently you can arrange a tour of some of the palace grounds but it needs to done before hand so all I could do was look in from the outside.

Close to the palace as I was going to get

However the Imperial Palace East Gardens are open to the public and free (big drawcard) so went and had a look. It was a very pleasant stroll and I was there for a fair while but nothing real outstanding, noteworthy. There was some very nice gardens and layouts but coming from Toowoomba, I see gardens all the time plus the brown grass was a big mood killer.

From there I went to have a look at the Tokyo International Forum as I had heard it was a fairly unique piece of architecture. Didn't actually take many photos of the buildings as there was a graduation ceremony going on and there were heaps of young girls in kimono and young guys in suits going around.

Got back on the train and headed around to Harajuku where I had a look around Yoyogi park and the Meiji shrine. It was another very nice walk around the park and I enjoyed the forest atmosphere with mix of buildings. I also went into the Meiji garden which cost to get into but was very interesting to go through and see. I sat down next to the lack and had a very relaxing lay down for a while.

One of the cards hanging up among previous photos. Some people might disagree XD

Old and modern Tokyo

After walking through the entirety of the park I went for a walk around Harajuku itself. Didn't see to many people dressed in unique fashion but there were a couple. The one funny thing I did see was three girls dressed up as cheer leaders with a guy dressed in a huge purple pimp outfit handing out free samples for Coke flavoured Mentos! I checked out a few stores as I was trying to find something Juunana had asked for but couldn't find it.

One of the more 'unique' Harajuku stores XD

Japan Trip Day 6

2009-04-29T07:18:52Z

Day 6, Tuesday 17th March

Lights of Asakusa by =Floatyman on deviant ART

Decided the night before that would use the day to do a trip to Nikko. Even though it is a fairly long trip I picked it because it was going to be a pretty cheap day as you can buy what is called the 'World Heritage Pass' costing around 3600 Yen and it gets you there and back, travel on the buses in Nikko area and entry into all the major sights and discounts into the others.

Got up and left pretty early to get to Asakusa station by 8:00am to get the first train. Once again had a terrible stomach ache and had to make an emergency stop at a station bathroom. To my horror the only toilet there was one of the squat ones which I had no choice to use it.

Not actual toilet

Had to keep going and managed to find my way to the office to buy the pass I needed in time. The office wasn't open yet and there were a couple of other foreigners waiting but it opened at 7:50 so had enough time to get the ticket and get the first train. The trip took about two hours but it was good to see what Japan was like outside of the city centre. There were still buildings everywhere and not what I would have called country areas plus some of the small fields made me laugh on the inside having come from farming in Australia.

Got to the station and started to have a conversation with the only other traveller that was by themselves. His name was Bon and he was a South African now living in Canada. He was pretty nice and it was good to have someone to walk around with and talk with (and help distract the attendants in the temples you weren't meant to take photos in....). Got the bus from the station up to the temple area and started the epic walk. There is just so much to see in this area it is hard to describe. You start off by seeing Rinnoji Temple (houses large, gold lacquered, wooden statues of the three deities that are regarded as Buddhist manifestations of Nikko's three mountain), Futarasan Shrin (dedicated to Nikko's sacred mountains), Taiyuinbyo (Mausoleum of Iemitsu, the third shougan), and the most impressive site, the Toshogu Shrine (the lavish mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun).

Rinnoji Temple

See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil monkeys

Shrine Maiden!

OMG Long sword!

Stairs of evil and back of Bon

It was probably here that I really started to see issues with my camera. I hadn't really wanted to spend most of my time trying to find the best camera settings but the auto really didn't want to take the best pictures. Even by setting everything manually I wasn't really happy with the results and no matter what I did I just couldn't get in the grove. This issue and feeling pretty well continued the whole of my trip of Japan making me fairly depressed. It was probably a these temples and shrines that my deep hatred for Japanese stairs started. There were just so many of them and then, usually the ones going into the shrine/temple, were of a horrible design! Have a look at a set of stairs some time and you will see that they are not the same height as the depth OR the height is not greater than the depth. It was also here that my frustration of what was allowed to be photographed and what wasn't started.

Stairs of epic fail design

After the Tokugawa shrine Bon wanted to go up to the Lake Chuzenj but I had really had enough walking and that was going to be a pretty big hike. So we parted ways and I went back down to the station and had a bento box for lunch. I then got back on the train and headed up to Kinugawa hot spring area. I had intended to go to Edo Wonderland (a Samurai village based theme park thing) but didn't really have time plus it was going to be a hassel to get to and back from so went to the information desk at the train station and asked where the closest and best Onsen (hot spring) was. They pointed me in the direction of this very fancy looking hotel so headed up there and with a bit of confusion I got my very small towel (think half the size of a tea towel) and pointed in the right direction.

It was a bath house inside with a small onsen outside and no one was there so I thought it was pretty sweet! Did the routine of washing myself then got in the hot bath and was enjoying myself when I heard some people come in so I turn around and about 10 - 12 Yakuza walk in! Yakuza are Japanese mafia. The only Japanese people with full body tattoos are Yakuza plus some cut off their little finger so show how macho they are. I am not ashamed to say I was pretty well freaked the hell out! It wasn't like I could go running off either with just half a tea towel around me and you have to follow procedures and dry off properly! While sitting there thinking what I was going to do (and trying not to change the colour of the water) they washed themselves off and got in the hot bath that I was in. I just stayed there trying to mind my own business but then they tried to start up a conversation (while trying to 'compare' and not look to obvious, something I am told all Japanese guys do to foreigners)! Pretty much though, they knew no English and I knew no Japanese so all I could get across was that I was from Australia which was good an bad, they liked Australians but not how the Japan v Australia soccer game had gone from what I could tell. Thankfully they weren't there to cause trouble (and it was obvious they were unarmed) but they were there to use the hot springs. Most hot springs have signs up saying anybody with a tattoo is not allowed to use them, but I guess if a group of yakuza turn up it is going to be hard to say no! Looking back it is pretty funny and seems pretty harmless, but it is a lot closer to some very dangerous and crazy people than I ever wanted to get.

View from Onsen

I got out of the hot bath and went outside to the proper Onsen while the yakuza staid inside. It was pretty cold out there but the water was wonderful and the view fantastic of the mountains. After a while of that I got out, dried off, got changed and headed back to the train station. Unlike the morning where I had been able to catch a special rapid train to Nikko, there were only rapids going back so it took an extra hour to get back to Tokyo so caught up on a bit of sleep as it had been such a long day.

Got off at the station in Asakusa and since was there decided to see the temple complex there. Sadly most of the shops that are usually open along the shopping streets were already closed as it was fairly late (about 8pm) but the temple was still open and lit up and it looked very beautiful. There were also a couple of cherry blossoms out but my attempts at artistic photography failed.

Went looking for some dinner and found this fantastic little noodle bar. It had the regular models of the food but with a number (some had a little English with them), you then went to the machine on the left of the door, put the number of the one you wanted in, paid the machine then took your ticket inside and gave it to the chief. For a foreigner like me it was just what I needed! When I went up to the machine there was a wad of cash sitting in the change compartment. The guy before me, who had just gone in to the restaurant had forgotten to pick up his change. He must have used a 10000 Yen note as there was a lot of money so I took it into him and he was very happy and grateful. I then got my ticket and had dinner and it was so good and filling after a long day.

Japan Trip Day 5

2009-04-21T09:16:15Z

Day 5, Monday 16^th March

Spent most of the morning catching up on emails and sorting out stuff as Juunana was catching up on sleep. Woke her up at about 2 in the afternoon which was a bit rough but I did want to get going and do stuff. We went to Akihabara which was very eye opening and somewhere that all geeks/nerds/otaku want to go. Checked out lots of the shops which was depressing as I couldn’t really buy much. Did end up buying the Shirley and Kallen figures I have been after for a fair while so that was one benefit.

(Not my photos)

Didn't really stay as long as I had expected and thought as we left after about 4 hours. Didn't even get to a maid cafe which made me very sad but just means I am going to have to go back! However did see quite a few of the maids handing out leaflets and some looked very adorable! On another sad note the only proper photo I took was of a vending machine. Headed to Ikibukuro as Juunana was trying to find a specific doujinshi for a friend so looked through the doujin shops again.

After this we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was here the curse of Bryan ordering food began with them not having the first choice of meal, drink AND dessert I wanted. It was a nice meal even after all that and a very nice evening.

Japan Trip Day 4

2009-04-20T05:50:23Z

Day 4, Sunday 15^th March

For a change it was a beautiful day! Went to a doujinshi event at Tokyo Big Site called Haru Comic City 14. We didn't get away as early as we wanted but left at about midday. Caught a taxi as the trains take ages and have to make a fair few changes and with the three of us it was about the same price. Went for a hike around the whole area (with way to many stairs) trying to find where to buy tickets then got directed to buy the guide book and when got to the line got asked for a ticket again! Not sure if it was just that the girl didn’t know or we were gaijin but her superior told her to let us through.

I am told the event wasn’t as big as Comiket gets (no surprise there) but it was still pretty huge! Most of it seemed to be more directed towards girls which was a little disappointing for me but it was still a great experience to see. Sadly we had thought it closed at four but it actually closed at three and most people started packing up not long after two so didn’t get much of a chance to see anything which was disappointing. I followed Juunana and Spacexat at first as they headed for the Kuroshitsuji section and collected what they could. Went our seperate ways then and I headed for the Code Geass and Gurren Lagann sections. Saw some things and bought a couple of doujin but most of it wasn't my taste. Before realised it time was up and had only managed to look through one part of one hall. Raced over to the other hall but most of the people had packed up there stuff so wasn't a lot to see.

Headed back to the rooms and checked out each others hauls and lazed around a bit. Bought some Grape Fanta from the nearby vending machine which was pretty good and after a while went out to dinner. We went to this awesome Korean BBQ resturant. For those that don't know you get your pieces of meat and cook them on a grill in front of you then dip it in the sauces you are given. I also had a bowl of (I think) Ramen along with the beef and it was so good and was so hungry pretty well forgot to take a picture! We then went and had pancakes which were so good I did forget to take a picture!!!

Japan Trip Day 3

2009-04-19T11:10:00Z

Saturday 14^th of March

Got up earlier, checked emails and sent inquiries to Kyoto accommodation before taking off on my first experience with a Japanese shower. Even though I had a fair idea of what I was in for it was even more complicated than I thought! Main problem was trying to find somewhere to put my clothes so that they wouldn’t get wet.

It was another horrible day weather wise so decided to go to the one museum that was on my must do list, the Edo Tokyo Museum. Even though I thought I had the trains under control it look at least 30 minutes to work out what lines I was going to have to take and then around 30 minutes wandering around Shinjuku station trying to find the right line and train. With the help of a young Japanese guy who saw me staring at maps got the right train and eventually got to where I wanted to go.

The Museum itself was pretty interesting for someone like myself who works with buildings and services and also likes history. There were lots of model displays of old buildings and also cut away sections so you could see how they were built. The museum was dedicated to how life was like in Edo (what Tokyo was called before the Meiji restoration) and then how life changed for people in the immediate years after that. A volunteer guide who spoke English was also available to show me around the museum and explain in greater detail some of the exhibits. Three other people jumped in to join the guide and myself as we were leaving (two from Scotland and a Japanese guy with them) but they weren’t to bad.

The guide finished with the Edo part of the museum and I went on to the early Tokyo part of the museum. Altogether I was at the museum for almost four hours taking photos (which unlike some museums they had no problem with), wandering around and reading the display descriptions (with most displays having an English version). Found my way back on the trains okay and got back to the units. Once again I was bad and hadn’t eaten anything all day and as Spacexat and Juunana were tired from work we all just had instant Ramen noodles.

Japan Trip Day 2

2009-04-18T10:54:55Z

Day 2, Friday March 13^th

Slept for most of the morning as was so tired and there was a lot of sleep I needed to catch up on. Got up at about 10:45 and poked my head outside to nearly have it blown away with the wind and it was so cold! Took up Spacexat’s offer to use the net and caught up on some messages and did some research on places that I had been told about and some events that were on.

At about 1:45 I knocked on Spacexat’s door as they said they would be up to go have a look around town and help me with the trains. As it was their day off they were also trying to catch up on sleep so I felt bad. We went to Shibuya first to see Hachiko (the dog statue) and got a rail pass that you just put credits on and scan as you go through which makes things a lot quicker. Went to Ikibukuro to meet up with Juunana and have a look around the anime shops. The wind was so bad there that after looking in a couple of stores we went to seek shelter in a Starbucks while waiting.

The three of us then went to several different anime stores with endless amounts of merchandise and stuff to buy. Walked all six floors of Animate looking at all the wonderful stuff that was right in front of me which I didn't know if I could afford or not! We went to a couple of doujinshi shops which was an eye opening experience. Sadly (in my opinion but maybe not others) most of the material there was yoai which isn’t really my thing. I did manage to find a couple of nice ones of some of my favourite pairings and with only one having ‘questionable’ content and even then it was more of a sweet story.

Had dinner at a place called ‘Milky Way’ which had some very interesting meal choices (which were still good) but they also some wonderful looking desserts. Can’t remember the name of what I had but it was pasta, lots of cheese sauce, mushrooms, teriyaki flavoured meet and half a boiled egg. Went back to the accommodation and once again had to deal with a bad stomach which continued to be a problem for about another week.

My Dinner

Juunana's Dinner

Japan Trip Day 1

2009-04-17T05:48:58Z

Day 1, Thursday March 12th

After a couple nights of very little sleep, I once again only got five hours sleep before having to get up at 4:30 to get to the airport. I flew out from Gold Coast airport which is roughly a 3 hour drive from Toowoomba. I left my car at Jaz's place and they got their father to drop me off at the airport. Checked in with plenty of time so sat down and had a chat with Jaz, ate some food and drank the water I wasn’t going to be allowed to take on the plane.

Gold Coast Airport

Flight left on time and had a pretty good seat next to the window with nobody beside me with the slight downside of being over the wing and on the right side of the plane so I didn’t see much and what I did was ocean. Flight was fairly smooth but had strong head winds the whole way making the flight an hour longer. Had a headache and bad stomach for most of the flight which was no fun and the kid behind me, about three quarters of the way into the flight had had enough (as had I but wasn’t saying it). I had taken a few snacks with me so didn't have to buy the overpriced Jetstar food.

Landed at 7:45pm (Japanese Time) which, as said was and hour latter than had planned. Managed to get through checkout and customs with out to much of a hassle but was the first true shock of being in a country where most people don’t speak English. Wandered around the terminal trying to get my bearings and work out the best way to get into Tokyo. Decided on the bus even though it was one of the more expensive ways but it let me see the lights of Tokyo and took me right to Shinjuku station (even though I would have preferred Shibuya but that was another hour wait).

The drive was good and saw Disney Land at night all lit up and just the sea of city lights that seemed to stretch forever! Got dropped at the side of the road not even knowing where the station was but followed some others down stairs and got in the mix of thousands of people. I spent almost an hour wandering around the station trying to find how to buy a ticket and the right line to take. I had a print out of the station and lines I needed from Juunana and finally found where to buy a ticket and the platform to go to. I was sooooo happy to see the 'English' button on the ticket machines!

On the way up the stairs to the platform for the train the handle of the extender thing you use to wheel the suitcase broke off so now I can’t put it back down and will have to buy a new bag before I leave or fix it. Manhandled it onto the train then off the train to where I had to transfer to. Got on the other train and at the first station had my first experience of a Japanese, squeezed in sardine train with everyone just pushing in. I then had to find my way off the train trying my lousy Japanese ‘excuse me’.

Outside Station Waiting

I had been trying to send text messages to Juunana telling her I was there and the phone was saying they were going through but apparently not. Found the exit Juunana would most likely use and waited a while to see if I got lucky, which I did as she found me. Had a happy reunion as it has been ages since seen each other. Bought some spaghetti from the convienence store and walked to where Juu and Spacexat are living. It was so good to see them both again and after catching up found the sleep I had been longing for.

Handy Man

2008-12-29T12:19:17Z

Reviews and previews are on hold until I get through this crazy week.

I had two big projects I wanted to do these holidays. I thought I would finish them in the first 3 days but it was all against me ><

First was a desk extension/bed side table:

The other project was a book case to go on top of my chest of draws:

I thought I would have them done in three days but it has taken me pretty well six ><

First day seemed to go to plan, bought (what I thought) was all the stuff. Second day I started to cut everything and realised the screws I had gotten weren't long enough and as it was Christmas day nothing was open so had to leave it after cutting each to length. Still managed to give myself a nasty sunburn ><

Third day went off to Bunnings and got the stuff I needed (plus a router as I have wanted one for a while and it was cheap), then went around some of the other shops that were open as heard they had big sales on the radio but it was all still pretty well the same price. Did run into one of my first cousins who I had found out has a 6 week old baby! Like doesn't my family tell me anything these days. I do remember its name for some reason, it's Montana XD When got home decided to add to my job and router the edges of each of the shelves and top XD Should have had all the table done but kept making mistakes for example putting one of the spanss one of the legs or putting the selves around the wrong was or putting the stand stabiliser on the wrong side.

Forth day I finally got the bookstand varnished, sanded then varnished again so it was finished. Started routing the edges for the bookcase but the heat killed me so left it until later in the afternoon. Got it routed and the outsides frame done before a storm started to so had to pack everything away.

Fifth day once again was sooo hot and the afternoon storm came earlier so all got done was put the shelves in and one coat of varnish done.

Finally today finished it. Sanded it down, measured up and cut the back board, nailed it to the frame making sure it was all square, filed and sanded the edges to smooth and varnished it a final time *dies* It is now in place so now just have to put stuff in it.

Why all this urgent effort you ask. Well I am having a get together this weekend and these were the first steps in getting everything cleaned up and unpacked from boxes! Now to just clean up and set up everything else. Wish me luck ><

Cameras and Stuff

2008-10-22T06:19:21Z

Finally got a new monitor for my computer. Was delivered to work so setting it up right after this. It is not as good as I want (especially for photos) but right now its all I can afford and it should do the job until I can.

On that slightly related topic I should have a Nikon D90 at the end of the year as well which will be good. It got me thinking about what other Camera stuff I wouldn't mind getting. Probably sounds rude but if anyone would like to get me any of these things that would be a great help as well. If you want details on something in particular just ask and also if you intend to get something probably say so I don't end up with two (as if that would happen). Things in red people are already getting or I am getting myself but there is a wide variety of stuff at different prices. A lot of the things are from this article: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/kens-bag.htm

Tamrac N-25 Strap
Filters (check lens size):

Tiffen filter wallet
Hoya HMC UV for protection
Uncoated Hoya Circular Polarizer
Tiffen 0.6 Graduated Neutral Density
Expodisc
Tiffen 0.9 ND

Spare Lens/camara Caps
Remote Release (ML-L3 wireless pocket remote)
Lipstick brush
Self-contained micro-screwdriver set
Eye Piece
Folding Light Reflector
Flash pocket bouncer/diffuser
Gold/Orange diffuser
Lightsphere
External flash arm
SD Memory Card Case
4xBattieries
8xCharger
4xAA Battery Holder
Tripod Mounting Plate
Name Tags
Casio EX-V8
50mm f/1.4 D AF
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X
Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 18 - 200 mm f/3.5 - 5.6G DX ED IF VR
Nikon MB-D80 Battery Grip
Rear Screen Protector
GP-1 GPS

Wow I am unpopular ^_^;

2008-07-11T02:01:38Z

Total comments: 542

1	floatyman	233
2	metanoia_cw	58
3	kitsunesakurano	53
4	sakenichi	45
5	sailor_asteroid	15
6	sefieslj	14
7	athira	9
8	rottentea	8
9	cielrose	8
10	5hi_tenshi	8
11	z_dragonmaster	8
12	rouge_usagi	7
13	azusachan	6
14	yukinokare	6
15	pegleggreg86	6
16	koutetsu_tenshi	5
17	valentines_av	5
18	friezaess	5
19	starfirephoenix	5
20	xiao_huli_chan	4
21	k_chan009	4
22	juunana99	4
23	darkain	2
24	tsubakichan	2
25	chastangela	2
26	mymerrilymemory	2
27	bubblefire	2
28	hexlord	2
29	psyanide	2
30	shinomatrix	1
31	sorathegreat	1
32	glorfindel	1
33	ashurie	1
34	mythrinm	1
35	splashbubble	1
36	amazonmandy	1
37	neko_princess	1
38	mirime	1
39	pei_ayanami	1
40	necro_myke	1
41	ainead	1

Generated by LJ Comment Stats.

Take them down!

2008-06-26T23:19:24Z

Created by OnePlusYou

Just Friends

2008-05-30T04:11:31Z

A woman has a close male friend. This means that he is probably interested in her, which is why he hangs around so much. She sees him strictly as a friend. This always starts out with, you're a great guy, but I don't like you in that way. This is roughly the equivalent for the guy of going to a job interview and the company saying, You have a great resume, you have all the qualifications we are looking for, but we're not going to hire you. We will, however, use your resume as the basis for comparison for all other applicants. But, we're going to hire somebody who is far less qualified and is probably an alcoholic. And if he doesn't work out, we'll hire somebody else, but still not you. In fact, we will never hire you. But we will call you from time to time to complain about the person that we hired.

(Believe it or not, from Bash.org)

WCS Interview

2008-01-10T11:12:20Z

I conducted and interview with Wakaleo (AKA Kenny) who is in charge of organising the Australian leg of the World Cosplay Summit for my website, www.cosplayaus.com . Check it out and leave comments here about what you think..

Economic models using COWS

2007-03-14T08:13:58Z

Economic models using COWS

SOCIALISM: You have 2 cows, and you give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, then throws the milk away...

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.

THE ANDERSEN MODEL: You have two cows. You shred them.

A FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'cowkimon' and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION: You have two cows. Both are mad.

IRAQI CORPORATION: Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them that you have none. No-one believes you, so they bomb the **** out of you and invade your country. You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a Democracy....

WELSH CORPORATION: You have two cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.

AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. Business seems pretty good. You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

Nice guys finish last.

2007-03-02T13:14:21Z

I am not the original author of this thread.

To the nice guys left! [The few and far between.]

To every guy that regrets hurting or losing her;

To every guy who knows which girl he wants;

To every guy that's said, "Sex can wait;"

To every guy that's said, "You're beautiful," instead of "Damn, you're hot;"

To every guy that was never too busy to drive across town or across the state to see her;

To every guy that gives flowers and a card when she is sick;

To every guy who has given her flowers just because;

To every guy that said he would die for her;

To every guy that really would;

To every guy that did what she wanted to do;

To every guy that cried in front of her;

To every guy that she cried in front of;

To every guy that holds hands with her;

To every guy that kisses her with meaning;

To every guy that hugs her when she's sad;

To every guy that hugs her for no reason at all;

To every guy who would give their jacket up for her;

To every guy that calls to make sure she got home safe;

To every guy that would sit and wait for her for hours just to see her for ten minutes;

To every guy that would give his seat up;

To every guy that just wants to cuddle;

To every guy that reassured her that she was beautiful no matter what;

To every guy who told his secrets to her;

To every guy that tried to show how much he cared through every word and every breath;

To every guy that thought maybe this could be the one;

To every guy that believed in her dreams;

To every guy that would have done anything so she could achieve them;

To every guy that never laughed at her when she told him her dreams;

To every guy that walked her to her car;

To every guy that wasn't just trying to get laid;

To every guy that gave his heart;

To every guy who prays that she is happy even if you are not with her;

Not many girls appreciate nice guys anymore, and because of this, there are not many left out there...

If you are a nice guy, repost this as "Nice guys finish last."

If you are a girl that thinks every guy should try to acomplish even a few of these repost this as "To the nice guys left."

Date Quiz

2007-02-07T08:14:41Z

Dating Strengths	Dating Weaknesses
1. Financial Situation - 76.9% 2. Open-Mindedness - 72.7% 3. Spirituality - 69.2% 4. Independence - 57.1% 5. Adventurousness - 50%	1. Shyness - 70.8% 2. Insecurity - 69.2% 3. Pessimism - 66.7% 4. Appearance - 55.6%

Dating Strengths Explained
Financial Situation - You've got your financial situation under control, which is a very desirable quality. Be careful to avoid girls who are only interested in your money. Open-Mindedness - You are open to trying new things and entertaining new ideas, and this widens your pool of available girls. Spirituality - Your spiritual side brings you peace and balance, and keeps you grounded. This is attractive, as you can help reinforce this quality in other people. Independence - Your strong sense of independence comes in handy while dating. You are not held back or tied down; you are free to pursue your interests. Adventurousness - You are willing to try new things and be spontaneous. You want to get out there and really live, and you will attract people with a similar love of life.
Dating Weaknesses Explained
Shyness - You know all too well the limits shyness places on you. Putting yourself out there in social situations may be difficult, but essential to your dating success. Insecurity - Your insecurity makes you doubt yourself, but you must learn to love and trust yourself if you want to succeed in dating. Pessimism - Too much cynicism can be a turn-off. Try to see the brighter side of things and people will be attracted to your positive outlook. Appearance - Devoting a greater effort at making good first impressions is a must. Try to be fit and develop a style if you want to catch a girl's attention.
Dating Strengths and Weaknesses Quiz

Unlike most I think this was surprisingly close