so far on my cosplay:
$22 on spray paint (gold, silver, blue, gloss)
$8 on red cloth
$7 on glue gun
$5 on 1kg of white clay
$5 on corrugated board
$4 on plastic sticky wrap
$4 on tiger wire
$3 on stockings
.............................................. so far: $58
maybe $20 on daily disposable contacts
planning $80 on wig
.............................................. expected: $158

and this is actually for 3 characters i'm gonna be cosplaying. hey, not so bad!

and while shopping for my cosplay stuff, i happen to buy:
$47 on a mango skirt
$23 on an a&f top
$15 on lace clogs
$5 on leggings

and of cos i need to maintain some essentials right?
$45 for bus pass
some $90+ on food. average of $3 each day? (after all the restaurant treats, going out for lunch, snacks, etc) WOW. i thought i packed bread?
perhaps about $40+ for presents
............................................... unexpectedly: $265
............................................... i guess it's $423

it's actually not so bad... calculatively. but then again... in reality, where's all my money??

oh man! the meiji milk is only 40cents here! haha. and 2 litres for $2.50 (expires in a week though) i just finished a bottle (the small one of cos), feel so satisfied. and there's some singtel deals going on too! for the more expensive plan, i can get LG Shine at $88, normal classic at $268... but without plan it's $598, what a big difference... the point here is i sometimes feel so delighted as a HP employee! (",)

by the way, i just realised that my phone's resolution is not so bad! you can actually see the cracks! the photos were bigger though but it's pretty hard to scroll through big photos and i didn't want it to be too small either.

the first day of PVC (Project Valkyrie Cosplay) i cut the helm shape in flat dimensions and used newspaper to make the 3D parts so that i can easily clay over them.




and afterwards i went to put wire at the front connecting to the back in a cross path. this was to give the shape when you wear the helm, and also so that you COULD actually wear the helm. (did you think i would put sticky tape on my head?) turns out a bit messy but i thought it should be better after claying anyway.




ok! let's see, i went to get some more materials on saturday, coincidentally, at holland v. well, i didn't expect to get anything there but after meeting up for a glue gun (it's pretty useless, don't buy the small ones), i went up to the shopping centre above cold storage while waiting for the rest of BLEWKY (KY only though) to come. and right in front of me was the all-in-one DIY kinda store where, as frank says, you can't really look for anything but which only the store owner knows where everything is. and i managed to get my gloss coat and golden spray paint for $5.50 each. i subsequently managed to walk around with yun after lunch and got a coil of tiger wire for $3.50. eh well, i'll have some use for it later i guess.
on sunday, i woke up around 830-9am and started claying my helm all the way till 3pm, and it was so terrible because the linings all dropped off once i bent it a little, and the clay hardens so fast that i wasn't able to mould it properly.




i discarded the whole thing after trying a little golden spray paint on the side.


it just looks so terrible with all the cracks!
and then i started all over again using the same corrugated base and trimmed the borders so that it appeared smaller. the helm was a bit big anyway. i used the best material i could manipulate - paper, and i found that i have LOTS of hard paper at home. heh. i did them in parts so i can spray them separately and connect them back together.






i did my renewed project fromm 4-10pm. and also the linings at the side which i thought i would spray the next day and lined them on.
so, yesterday after shopping for swords and katanas (which i end up empty-handed, *relieved*), i went home to spray my linings gold. my neighbour was around and i could hear them 'who's spraying and spraying' in their irritating indian accent with bollywood music as the background, and a dark head peaking from behind their sofa to realise i was squatting at the front of my house polluting the air. ah well, at least i got it done. i tried glue-gunning the linings, but it was so irritating because the glue just comes out as and when it likes and not when i trigger it, and it dries sooo quickly that it doesn't really stick properly. so i ended up using double sided tape (it wasn't very sticky, but it's much cleaner and easier to use!).

ok... so i slogged my weekend on my failed helm and eventually redid it in the evening... using paper! will upload the pictures soon. i'm so bad with clay. and this white clay sucks so much that my few hours of hard work went to cracks and eventually got trashed. oh well. at least i took a picture as a sort of remembrance. it looks really bad. considered repairing it by putting another layer, but really, it's in a 'no medicine can cure' state already. so that's my sunday.

Which 'Angel Sanctuary' Character Are You?

You're" Kira. You're the patient type and, though you care deeply for your friends, everyone sees you as cold hearted and tries to keep their distance. If someone wrongs you, however, you like to bid your time and, when they least expect it, strike back. You can be pretty ruthless, but only if you're pissed off. You're also the reborn soul of Lucifer as well as the Messiah's best friend. Pretty conflicting positions you have there, but you're a good friend to Setsuna and you help him out of a lot of scrapes, often putting yourself in danger to get him out of danger. Those that become your friend never regret it and everyone mourned you when you left.
Take this quiz!

(Personality) What anime psyche conveys YOUR personality? (With Awesome Anime Pix)

Depressed Type: Your anime personality is the Depressed Type. You come off as stone cold or careless, and people have trouble getting to know you. You don't let your guard down very often, and hardly ever let your real emotions show through. That would be a weakness. You're quiet and reserved, but are easily angered. People learn not to get on your bad side, and yet you aren't really as cruel as you let on. You hide and inner sadness. Element: DarknessWeapon: AxePet Peeve: People who are TOO perky
Take this quiz!

i just found a superb japanese cosplayer! apparently this person is a 'she', but mostly cosplays as a 'he', and does a flawless job at it! awww makes me want to cut my hair short too. the link is at the side under a cool cosplayer. even her websites are amazing, every link brings you to a different design. totally out of the world. and it's not those typical click on the side of the content page to navigate, so it might be hard to find what you want. idol!

yay! i figured since i have so much time, i should do a log of my 2 years cosplay project! and the figure i'm embarking on... lenneth valkyrie! (yes, my most adored female character and all time favourite game~)



so yesterday, thanks to a free ride on frank's car, i headed to art's friend and quickly found the materials i want - corrugated board: up to my shoulder tall and about 3 times my width for around $5; blue and silver spray paint $5+ each; white clay (some japanese brand): around $5 per kg.

i'm still thinking about whether i should carve the bird logo on both sides of valkyrie's helm and on her arms using melted candle wax, on a wooden block then chop onto the wax OR sculpting on the clay. i'd probably get the most accurate effect on the wax, but i seriously have 0 experience on wood carving!



looked for a few pictures to explore the possibility and maybe decide how and where i should start from. the helm looks to be the most complicated part with all sorts of dents and designs on it.



oh yes, and thanks to zhifu who helped me check the prices at spotlight (didn't get anything from there eventually!). and you are right! there are 4 feathers on each side. but they all look about the same size anyway. i'll probably still get the feathers from chaptehs instead of the death note pens (that's gonna be $2 x 8 = $16, O_o`) . i'm counting on you for the bird logo you know?

i was surfing this website and someone called gingeranne takes in donations to proceed with her cosplay props making... and yes it is VERY expensive to do good props, so i wouldn't mind any donations either! haha! except i'm probably not worth investing in since i'm just an amateur. that's why it's gonna take me that long to finish... and probably even longer. (-_-`) maybe i should calculate this project's IRR... or NPV. wait i don't need to - both will be negative financial-wise! sheesh...

no thanks.
i'm hungry but it's ok.
i've got no lunch packed but i'll fill somehow.
hottoite kudasai.

Nothing is Perfect

A man walks into a bar with a paper bag. He sits down and places the bag on the counter.

The bartender walks up and asks what's in the bag. The man reaches into the bag and pulls out a little man, about one foot high, and sets him on the counter. He reaches back into the bag and pulls out a small piano, setting it on the counter as well. He reaches into the bag once again and pulls out a tiny piano bench, which he places in front of the piano. The little man sits down at the piano and starts playing a beautiful piece by Mozart!

Where on earth did you get that?" says the bartender. The man responds by reaching into the paper bag. This time he pulls out a lamp. He hands it to the bartender and says..."Here. Rub it."

So the bartender rubs the lamp, and suddenly there's a gust of smoke and a beautiful genie is standing before him. "I will grant you one wish. Just one wish...each person is allowed only one!" The bartender gets really excited. Without hesitating he says, "I want a million bucks!"

A few moments later, a duck walks into the bar. It is soon followed by another duck, then another. Pretty soon, the entire bar is filled with ducks and they keep coming! The bartender turns to the man and says, "Y'know, I think your genie's a little deaf...I asked for a million bucks, not a million ducks."

"Tell me about it!!" says the man... "Do you really think I asked for a 12 inch pianist?"

Warren Buffet

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second
richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very
interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

3. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha ,
that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has
everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies.
He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals
for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis.
He has given his CEO's only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose any
of your share holder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time
after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.

8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only
5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with
Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But
when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates
became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

His advice to young people: "Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself
and

Remember:

A. Money doesn't create man; it is the man who created money.

B. Live your life as simple as you are.

C. Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel good.

D. Don't go for brand name; just wear those things in which u feel comfortable.

E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on those who really are in need.

F. After all it's your life so why give chance to others to rule your life."

FF versus 13 Trailer