Tuesday, June 26, 2007

This weekend...

...is Anime Expo, which I am not going to. But a couple of people who are regulars at Sac-Anime (most noted, Bart) are.

If I had some extra pop in my account, and some more time off from work, I would be going to AX and meeting up with everyone that I know.

This weekend is work, work, work. After all, I do need some pop in my account for Sac-Anime come less than 2 weeks from now.

I also have to keep reminding myself that I have to go dry clean my Ouran uniform and pray to god that nothing happens to it...

Friday, June 22, 2007

As Sac-Anime inches closer...

My countdown timer on iGoogle is at 20 days. Yes, 20 days until Sac-Anime. That building of anticipation of going to a con is going back up again, and it's a con that's in my backyard - Sacramento.

My plans in preparation for Sac-Anime? Well for one, working. I still have two paychecks before Sac-Anime (and one after that) so I will try to squeeze in hours next week and the week after. I worked a lot of hours the past pay period, so I should get a monster paycheck with the raise I got. I'm still paying off my credit card from the food from Fanime and a couple of things I bought just recently (a car wash and a gun case for my airsoft pistols) and I plan to pay those off with then next paycheck.

I also plan to get my Ouran uniform dry cleaned the week of Sac-Anime. I hope the folks at Swansons next door from Quiznos can hook me up with a discount.

Either than that, it's saving up, working hard, and then staying up-to-date via website and boards.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

4chan

Apparently, one of my photoshoot pictures have appeared on 4chan.

Yeah, 4chan. That site.

BTW, FUCK YEAH SEAKING!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

OHSSS

So during Sac-Con and the days after it, I created my own character based off Ouran High School Host Club - the Director of the Ouran High School Secret Service (or OHSSS for short) (and OSS for even shorter). If you want in-depth info on this character, head to my Sac-Anime/Sac-Con blog.

The reason why I bring it up in the Fanime Blog is because odds are I won't be able to do that character for Fanime 2008 because of the weapons rule the con has. But odds are, I will have something else to compliment my Ouran cosplay come Fanime 2008 in tune of another series. And maybe by then I'll be tall enough to be Mori-sempai...

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Good photos from Sac-Con

...that don't relate to the cosplay contest.


These shots were actually taken after the contest, but before I had to put back my guns since the peacebond was taken off for the contest. Those shots are want I want more in terms of photoshoots at Sac-Anime...and maybe a few of me with my rifle too as well if I can do that...

Kudos to California Cosplay Times and Brocas for taking these nice shots.

They are the last 5 pictures of the album.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Daily Life of the OHSSS Director

So, a typical day of the OHSSS Director looks like this:

I get to Ouran High School about 7:30AM. At 8:00AM, I call a daily briefing to talk to my staff about any events that are going on in the school, events that are occuring in the surrounding community that we should pay attention to, and to look over new and old intelligence documents provided by the school, a team of intelligence officers for the OHSSS, the Ootori Private Police Force, and sometimes the Japanese Government.

Once the briefing ends, everyone is dismissed and are sent to their posts. Since the Host Club isn't open yet in the early mornings (and there have been exemptions), I usually talk to Yuzuru to discuss the major points of the briefing. Usually he gives me something to look at either in the time I have today or at tomorrow's briefing. Now usually I don't get to talk to Yoshio all that often, but sometimes he will find me throughout the day with news, documents, or thanks.

By then, I'd come back to the OHSSS command post located in the southwest corner of the campus to take a breather or grab something to eat.

Once the Host Club opens or the Host Club has gathered, I immedately head over to the Third Music Room to observe and protect. I get questions of "Are you part of the Host Club?" from the patrons that visit the Host Club. For the most part, I've said "No, I'm just observing here." But a couple of times I've said yes, and I've had a couple of girls latch on to me for a minute or two with a quick glance of "I want to designate you! But you're not part of the Host Club." Kyoya has thought of putting me as an Honary Host so that I can easily blend in, but he hasn't come up with a set plan.

Unless there is a event going on at night, I'm back in the OHSSS command post with the Deputy Director, Chief of Intelligence, and a couple of key members for a evening debrief. Then it's off to home as the graveyard crew comes into the command post.

And that's about it...

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Creation of the OHSSS

I've decided to really make my own character, and I might stick to it (depending if I'm allowed to carry my airsoft pistols with me, then I just have to be a random Ouran student).

My chararacter is the Director of the Ouran High School Secret Service, or OHSSS for short. Throughout the years of Ouran High School, concerns over security was a high priority especially with the fact that many of the students that were attending were future heirs to various families. So when events like Columbine and VT occur, Yoshio Ootori (the head of the Ootori Private Police Force) and Yuzuru Suou (the superintendent of OHS) get together and look over the emergency plans. After seeing how long it would take the Ootori Private Police Force to respond, about 10 minutes, they came to the conclusion that the response time was inacceptable despite the fact 10 minutes is the best the police force can do - in that short amount of time, the gunman can inflict major damage to people and/or property before the authorties arrive and have a chance to respond. They decided to form a 40-man Secret Service dedicated to protecting the students at Ouran High School, and they would be the first to respond in a critical situation such as a gunman on campus. They took the model of the US Secret Service, but took it one step futher and decided that the special agents would wear the standard uniform in order to blend in and not stand-out instead of the black suits of the US Secret Service.

That's where I come in. I was the first person hired and I was named Director of the newly-created OHSSS. My duty is to oversee the operations of the OHSSS and to make sure that the students, faculty, and administration of this school are protected by the OHSSS (and the Ootori Pirvate Police Force, in conjuction with our work). Also, the two had a very special request: in addition of being Director, I would also watch over their two sons - Tamaki and Kyoya. That meant the majority of time I would be inside the Third Music Room basically protecting them - and the Host Club.

The standard sidearm of the OHSSS is the H&K USP chambered for the 40. S&W round. The OHSSS is also trained in using the H&K MP5 (the MP5SD6 and the MP5KA4 are used), FN P90, H&K G36, SIG 552, Remington 870 shotgun, Franchi SPAS-12, and the H&K PSG-1, but those weapons are stored in the basement of OHS & at the command post of the OHSSS and are used in extreme situations. (A special note: the Director carries around two H&K USP pistols, while everyone else carries one.)

Monday, June 11, 2007

Sac-Anime Wiki

So, yesterday at the con I was throwing around the idea of starting a wiki page for the Sac-Anime show.

I just finished creating the "template" for the Sac-Anime wiki. I'm hoping that everyone that knows Sac-Anime will jump in and help me develop this page. Sac-Anime has been taking steps to grow more and more, and I feel that this is the next step.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Sac-Con, June 2007

I just got back from eating dinner over at Arigato Sushi off of Howe Ave. I must say, they have some tasty sushi rolls for 50% off, and it was a well-deserved meal after my hard work at Sac-Con today. It all started when I woke up and got there about 8:30ish and was briefed about the new rules which included new peacebonding guidelines. Apparently, the new peacebonding rules (and all the other new rules) for today's con will apply to Sac-Anime in July, as well as other processes in preperation and to get a glimpse into how the July show will be run. For the most part, I did peacebonding (many of the staffers call me the master of peacebonding) and I did more than I had done back in the January show (which was the first time I did peacebonding).

Either than that, I just hanged around and talked and had some fun! I took part in the cosplay contest just to tell a short story and get a few poses in. I also got a few poses in with other photographers so I will be posting those whenever they come out. I had a different element with me, as now I had my twin USP pistols, posing as the head of the Ouran High School Undercover Security Force. More details about my character will be upcoming for Sac-Anime. Some people told me that I could be Mori, but Mori is tall and I'm still short...but they say I do have the looks, so I'll look into that.

Here is my (short) haul from this con:

- Shippo plushie ($7.50)
- Bun-bun plushie ($5)
- Shaq bobblehead doll (from his Laker Days) ($1)
- Gundam Seed model kit ($10)
- Naruto knives ($4)

I still have about half my money that I took out this morning (that also included an Arby's lunch and the dinner over at Arigato Sushi). That's good for me.

My countdown timer to Sac-Anime says 32 days, and I can't freakin wait!!!

Friday, June 8, 2007

Crispin mother**bleep**in' Freeman

Oh yeah, I forgot - Crispin Freeman (VA for Holland in Eureka seveN, Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Tsume from Wolf's Rain, and a whole lot of other roles) is coming to Sac-Anime in July. Crispin motherfuckin' Freeman! Spike Spencer is also back (he showed up at the Sac-Anime winter show this year) and he was a blast. He actually signed the case art for Disc 1 of the Evangelion Platinum Thin-Pak set; he drew a face on Shinji and signed my name. But what I really wanted him to yell into my cellphone ala Shinji and make it my ringtone. But two things - one, he didn't; and two, I got a new cellphone.

The people over in the Adult Swim message boards want me to stalk Mr. Freeman and take as many pictures as possible, and I might...for a price. :)

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Speaking of that farewell...

Yeah, look what I found...thank god for YouTube



...but what I did haunted me for awhile. I had bought a card for Francine to give her after the cosplay show. But throughout that day, I had plans to say that my card also included a flight to Japan. It would serve as a joke since me and Francine are really close as friends/partners. But when I said it, I got such a negative vibe that I felt really bad until the March show. By then, I had decided that I would have to get her something. So I dug through the archives, got two photos from Sac-Anime in the winter of 2006 (when she was cosplaying as Robin from Witch Hunter Robin, and we had all stormed the stage to get a hold of the mic), printed those, signed them, framed them, and gave them to Francine. After I had gave her that gift, I felt so relieved. I do see her around though, but instead of cosplaying she's doing something for a website as part of her job (I remember her telling me that, but that was back in March).

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Time to display that FanimeCon katana!

The wall mount sword stand (yes, that's what it says on the receipt) that I bought the day after I got back from Fanime finally came in today. To be honest, I got kind of scared when the package came in, and it was really small. I found out that I had to assemble it, and it didn't take me long to do so. Now my FanimeCon katana hangs proudly up in my room, hanging next to the Bleach wallscroll and MOHS promo poster (both I also got from Fanime). I ordered one that could hold 3 katanas/swords since I had another one that I wasn't displaying. All I need now is one more, and I'm good to go. Maybe I'll get myself a reverse-blade sword...

Monday, June 4, 2007

Domain Change

Since I decided that I will attend more FanimeCons in the future, I've decided to get rid of the old domain for this blog and obtain a new one so that I can keep using this for years to come.

The new domain is http://fanimecon.blogspot.com

I also started a parallel blog, but this one covers the conventions that both happen in Sacramento - Sac-Con and Sac-Anime. Since these two are coming up (and, well Fanime 355 days away...), I will be blogging there for those conventions.

Ah, the memories...

This was back at Sac-Anime in 2005 when it was at the Sunrise Mall (and the only time it would be at the Sunrise Mall). I had come on my own using the Nissan Stanza I used to have (now I have a 98 Eclipse that I have to drive around in) to my first Sac-Anime convention. (Remember, I was only introduced to these Sacramento Conventions a few months back.) All I have from that convention are memories, pictures that are still on the hard drive of the desktop computer in my house, and these two videos that I took...





Yes, that is the famed "Coconut Song," and yes I did record that.

I also do remember meeting Bart Boy there for the first time. I sat front and center during the Cosplay Contest, and I sat next to him. I remember him going far into the mall just to get batteries when he could of gone somewhere close. I also have fond memories of seeing my grandma there (who was shocked to see me there) and the fact I didn't stand in line at Sbarro when everyone else was standing in line at Taco Bell next door.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

The Beginning Of This Blog

With Sac-Con coming up next week, I decided to make a different blog for all the Sacramento Conventions that I attend - that would both include Sac-Anime and Sac-Con.

On the horizon is Sac-Anime in July, and this year the summer show will be at the Red Lion Inn Hotel - it's next door to Arden Fair Mall and about a 10 minute drive from downtown Sacramento. (I've only attended two other Sac-Anime summer shows - one was in 2005 over at the Sunrise Mall, and 2006 was back at the Scottish Rite Center.) I haven't made my hotel reservations yet, but I will before the June 15th cut-off date to be "VIP."

The funny thing is that it's only been about 2 years since I started attending both Sac-Con and Sac-Anime. The first one that I attended was Sac-Con in the spring of 2005 - back when I was a junior in high school. I went with a group that I knew out of high school, and we didn't stay the whole entire time because we got bored pretty quickly. But before that, the only other convention I had attended was Anime Expo back in 2002.

Both these conventions have been nice to me, and ever since then I've been enclosed in the close-knitted family that has formed. This is where I met BSahpire and Francine, two people that showed me the ropes of being part of a convention. Over time, I got to know them, and they helped me out in return. Since the spring of '05, I've never missed one convention in Sacramento (I think). It was sad though when Francine retired at Sac-Anime in January of this year, but I still consider her as part of this family that has grown to me.

And I thought the Gay Bar skit was off the hook...

Check this out...this is from A-Kon down in Dallas, Texas (and again, another special thanks to ACP for getting this out pretty quick)...

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Fanime aftermath, about a week later

Well, it's been a week since Fanime has passed over us (well, not really). The days after Fanime, life became normal again - doing stuff my parents asked me to do, going to work, planning for Sac-Anime in July. But one difference is my room. I took down all the bootleg wallscrolls in favor of a new, legit Bleach wallpaper, a Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya promo poster (and a $25 poster frame from Arron Brothers), and my sword wall mount that is supposed to be comming in Tuesday. Right when I got home Monday, I ordered one online, but after finding out I had another one that I bought awhile back, I canceled the order in favor of a 3-rack mount. Now, all I need to do is buy me one more katana to complete the collection...maybe a reverse-blade sword.

I also found myself (as mentioned before) scanning YouTube for Fanime videos. I've found a few that contain me, yet I'm still looking for one of my karaoke contest performance. A special thanks goes out to American Cosplay Paradise for getting all the Cosplay Masquerade skits online and very quickly - about 24 hours after the event. I've also been a frequent visitor to the Fanime Forums, posting about how much of a good time I had, and what I plan to do next year.

As I also mentioned before, I do plan to volunteer next year at Fanime. I said staff first, but someone close to me told me not to. But hey, I got the rest of the year to ponder on this.

I'm not considering this blog closed just yet, because you have to remember (like I also mentioned), it's only been a week since Fanime ended. Everyone is still getting all their pics, vids, and reports up (my photo-shoot just appeared on Darkain.com today, I think). It probably won't be for awhile before this blog will be closed. As for Fanime '08 blog, like I said, I got the rest of this year to ponder this.

Now, if you would excuse me, I'm going back to the Forums...

Darkain.com photo-shoot up

http://gallery.darkain.com/v/conventions/Fanime2007/HostClub/

It's up under the Fanime 2007 Gallery.

I think it was worth $20. And to think, it was only two years ago that one of my goals was to get into cosplaying as a side hobby...looks like that has been achieved with flying colors.

Hey, I found myself in a Fanime YouTube video!



About 56 seconds in, you see someone in a blue jacket carrying a bunch of stuff, then right at the 59 second mark you see someone walk past the camera...that was me. Now I'm assuming that this was after I had done the karaoke contest, ate with Shiro at the Maid Cafe, and I had picked up everything (which was a Saturday) because the person who took the video was walking East from the Hilton side to the Marriot side, and I was going to the Hilton side from the Dealers Room so that I can go across the street to the hotel I was staying at, the Crowne Plaza.

...YAY!!!

On a somewhat related topic, I'm finding myself looking on YouTube every day for new Fanime videos...hey, it takes awhile for everyone to get everything (reports, pics, vids) up. You have to remember, this con happened a week ago.