[LDRs/App Love] The Icebreak – An app for couples.

Screenshot of the website.

So my SO and I  (just a quick update from this post – let’s just say it’s gone extremely well so far, might be posting on that soon) have tried this app/website combo out for quite a few months, possibly closing to half a year. Basically, this site, with its accompanying app, was made to help couples understand, connect and learn about each other more, and make their relationships more exciting. Its current staff team consists of various web designers with along with a clinical psychologist.

Quick note:  The images of this site that you’ll be seeing here are a mix of both the website and the accompanying iPhone app. There is currently no iPad version.

So what’s in it?

[Frugal/Student Living] 6 Rather Interesting Uses For Egg Cartons

Source: gifrancis on Flickr. Image under attribution license.

One thing I’ve noticed is that we use up A LOT of egg cartons in the student flat I live in.  Though we’re pretty cool about recycling (the student hall I live in reports something like 60% recycled in terms of our trash), I was curious about whether any further use can be derived from these. After all, they have lots of small compartments. I like organizing things. Sounds like a match made in egg carton heaven. Sort of.

Anyway – I’ve been looking around various places (sources at the end of the post) and I’ve compiled a list of uses that seem the most useful to me. here goes:

[Cosplay/Events/Photography] Dee-Con 2012 + Photoshoot with the Hagane Twins

My first big (ish) cosplay event in the UK!

Now, I wasn’t cosplaying this time around – however, I did do the makeup of the wonderful people you see above, as well as most/all the photography in this post. I also received my dad’s starter SLR and decided to try snapping and editing instead. Results below

Cosplay Credits (That I knew of!):

• Magane Rin (H-Type Vocaloid): Bryony Garford
• Magane Len (H-Type Vocaloid): Leigh aka Yuki Ullom
• Zakuro (Tokyo Mew Mew)
• Captain Mayuri: Jo aka Joho Akara
• Makeup (for the Vocaloids): AlmondClover aka Sara
• Photography and editing (all photos in this post + album, unless otherwise credited): AlmondClover aka Sara.

So… on with the pictures!

[Cosplay/Events] Geek Bop Dec’ 2011!

Photo Credit: Ruth

Wahey, first cosplay since coming to the UK!!
Though I guess it’s not an official cosplay since I went as a generic anime maid :/ But it’s a start.

Also, I only have Facebook pictures as cosplay photographers are very hard to come by in the UK. It’s one of the things I miss about cosplaying in Singapore…

The Event: Geek Bop

[Opinion] Judge Adams: Physical Abuse

From Philip DeFranco, his post on it can be found here. This video struck a chord with me, and I felt like writing about it.

Warning: Graphic violence.

Ok, just to clarify, I am of the school of thought that parenting may involve spanking as a valid  method of discipline. But certainly not to this extent – it looks more like a beating or a whipping. Note especially that the beating is for a relatively minor fault, which depending on your source, was for either installing a computer game or illegally downloading music.

I have heard clips of Judge William Adams (the father in the video) saying that there is a story behind it, which is somewhat fair – any behaviour, taken out of context, can be interpreted as abnormal. It is clearly stated in the video by her parents that Hillary (his daughter and the girl in the video) had started a trend of lying and stealing. It has also been reported that she was apparently mad that her dad for taking away her Porsche a while before posting the video.

[Food] Wild Honey @ Mandarin Gallery

So the other day, my mum and I ended up in Mandarin Gallery, and because we were hungry and didn’t feel like Tonkatsu, ate at the other nearest food outlet which was a little all-day breakfast place called Wild Honey.

And what a delight it was. (So much that we went back again a few days later.)

Unfortunately, I have no food pictures for this post as I didn’t bring a camera both times, can’t rip images from the Wild Honey website and don’t wish to steal photos from other blogs. If I’m gonna blog more often, I should probably consider carrying around a camera….

Anyway Please bear in mind I’m no gourmet… just someone who thought enough of a place to want to blog about it. Expect a lot of description.

Setting

I really enjoyed the cosy, homelike and somewhat private feel of the place, very unlike the mall it’s situated in.

It was softly lit with warm lighting and seating types (in small groups or pairs) were varied, with normal chairs to the more plush kind. The decoration was pretty, nature-based (think wood surfaces and flowers) and gave the place an atmosphere of comfort and the feeling of a second home. The first time we went, my mom and I sat on a comfy sofa in the middle, complete with little cushions – wasn’t as inconvenient for eating as we thought it would be. Each table had a cup of real  white and brown sugar cubes (haven’t seen those in a while!) and cloths for your lap. There was also a tall, long, counter-like table at the window, but I don’t recall there being much of a view – the place is pretty enough on its own, anyway. It felt like the kind of place where you could sit down with someone to talk the hours away or watch the tai-tais go by, which is exactly what some of the other customers were doing.

[Cosplay/Events] Cosfest X.1 Photos (Magnet Fanart Ver. – Meiko)

Photographer: Nicholas Yoon

So… Another event! Cosfest X.1 @ Downtown East

Group: Vocaloid – Magnet (Fanart Ver.)

We went on Sunday, with four members in the group:

• Luka (pink) - Emily Loo Si Ying
• Miku (green)- Lee Min
• Meiko (red) – Sara K aka AlmondClover (blog writer )
• Lily (yellow) – Tsuki Kiyo

Er.. unfortunately, I ended up taking longer than I thought to meet up with some friends on the and ended up being in very few pictures with the rest of the group ^^; my partner was originally meant to be Tsuki aka Lily!)

Thank you to all the kind photographers who took pictures that day, with special mentions to Nicholas Yoon, Tan Huo Guang and H.T Production

…And Jonathan Leong for some of the omakes

Anyway, on with the pictures!

[Lyrics] BON’z – ありがとう～ (Arigatou~)

This was, and still is one of my all-time favourite songs, and yes, for those who know the series, I used to love Kyou Kara Maou (aka God Save Our King). Wolfram was probably my biggest ever former bishounen obsession…. dat wavy blonde hair and dem pretty green eyes…

Er, anyway, wanted to show the song to Nick (my boyfriend Wolfram is now back to being just another anime character *pat pat*), but couldn’t find a decent lyrics video…. So I made one myself. And, just because, I decided to give translating it on my own a shot, though this ended up not being quite the case…

Here it is:

The lyrics (kanji, romaji and English) written out after the jump, as it goes a tad fast in parts of the video.

Notes on translation: Though I did do a good bit of it, I also had a lot (read: A LOT) of help from a friend (George) with accuracies in translation, arrangement of sentences, phrasing etc. Please note that his version, the one written below and after the jump, is slightly different from the AnimeLyrics version and also from the one in the video above, which I edited to try and make the translation fit the lyrics as they appear…

歌詞　（日本語）

[Cosplay/Event] JAF’s Toki Doki Meido/Shitsuji Cafe – Misaki Yuu

Since I’ve only just found a few pictures of me from the event itself (normal photos of the butlers/maids were generally banned), just thought I’d share them in a small, very late post before I post about the more recent Cosfest X.1. Sources are in the picture captions. First post mentioning the cafe in this blog is here.

Background: Lived out biggest otaku dream EVAR and worked in a maid/butler cafe for a day (under the name ‘Misaki Yuu’) at the Japanese Arts Fiesta 2011 (main Facebook page here, cafe-specific page here if you’d rather not look at pictures of me ^^;).

The photos:

Source: http://sgcafe.com/2011/05/japanese-arts-fiesta-2011/ (Photographer: Justin Chng)

[Personal/Cosplay] A Rather Large Update Consisting of Quite a Number of Things

Hello there. I’m back!

If you’re reading for the cosplay only, hit the jump and read the later half of this entry. Alternatively, just look for the pretty pictures.

General Updates

#1 – The IB Diploma

I’ve finally finished my exams. I’ve finally finished my exams. I’VE FINALLY FINISHED THE IB DIPLOMA, BITCHES

#2 – The Impossible Has Happened… 

I’m in love with someone who is absolutely amazing. And he loves me back!!

I’ll keep this a little more private for now, but will say this much. It’s totalled  a few months so far, and though it’s a long-distance and online, much as we cam and talk pretty much every day (I think people are going to judge…), it’s going a lot better than I first expected. I can’t wait for him to come visit later this year <3

I love you, Nick!

#3 – Toki Doki Meido & Shitsuji Cafe

Test shot for the wig & outfit - please don't shoot me for making an imperfect heart shape...

I’m working in a maid cafe!! There’s one for the bucket list

Ok, it’s only for one day (Saturday 28th May 2011 during the Japanese Arts Fiesta @ SCAPE) and there’s no pay, but it’s for charity and I get to live out my biggest otaku dream like, evar!

Click here for the Facebook page on it, please follow it for updates! (By the way, the picture of me in there is awful…)

Japanese Arts Fiesta fanpage also, for more general updates on the event.

I’ve also been asked by the cafe owners to make a fanpage for myself ^^; I need at least 25 likes, could you kindly do me a small favor and just like it? Thank you <3