There should probably be another blog before this, a reflection of time in Wales, but it can wait.
It's snowing outside. Not surprising seeing as how it's December. But this seems special. It's Christmas Eve and there is snow. And my world seems to have slowed to the impossible pace, where the flakes seems to fall in slow-motion.
There's a sort of magic to Christmas in my mind. A breath of fresh air, a chance to shed the usual hustle and bustle of the world for one day. One whole day to sit and relax and enjoy the day, be it with family, friends, or alone.
Christmas will come, and in the morning I will join my family, though it has changed so much over the past 3 years, in a day of being together. But not tonight, Christmas Eve is my chance to be alone. To reflect on the past year and what has happened in the 365 days between the last Christmas Eve. All that I have gained and lost and haven't attained yet, how I grew up, how I got older. It's a chance for me to almost say goodbye to the past year. To me Christmas and New Years are about beginnings and hellos. I get nostalgic on Christmas Eve.
As I sit here, wallowing in nostalgia and listening to the voices of my mom and eldest brother drift faintly in the room, obscured by distance and walls and doors so that only the tone remains, I think of everyone I care about in this time.
I wish I was better with the mushy words, that they would come as well as simple reflection, but I can't make them fit right in my head. So I will simply say:
To all my family and friends around the world and sitting in my house,
You mean more to me than I can ever hope to say. I feel so lucky to know and share time with each and every one of you. You brighten my days, entertain my afternoons, stay up late with me at night, listen, talk at me, act like catty bitches, and make my life the ridiculously amazing thing it is.
I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for the best gift you could ever give: yourselves and your time.
Merry Christmas.
Love, Hannah
Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
London Expo
Since you haven't seen me around these parts in a while, I guess you probably didn't know that I went to London Expo over Halloween weekend. Well, now you know. And you can continue reading to find out all about my wonderful adventures into geekdom across the pond.
Friday-
Friday started out not quite so bright and oh-so-painfully early with a 5:15am alarm to get my lazy ass out of bed. Last minute packing was done, and I trudged out into the wind and rain to make a 6:15am train to London. For those of you who are curious, 6:00 am looks a lot like midnight. I got on the train okay, and proceeded to pass in and out of consciousness for a little over 3 hours to get to London.
Once I got to to Euston station, I had a couple of trips on the Tube to do to get to the Liverpool street station to then catch the train that stops at every station in creation between London and Shenfield. The tube was the part I was worried about, because I'm not familiar with public transport or London, or just life in general. But I got through okay, got to Shenfield, and met Cerys (Or Twin, has she shall be known from here on) without too much fuss.
Once we got to Twin's house, there was some last minute packing on her part and general getting ready until her friend Hollie came with her grandpa and her grandpa's cab. Until I had gotten to Twin's I had no idea we were actually driving to Expo. In a legitimate London cab. Fuck. Yes. The ride was uneventful, only midly annoyed by Hollie (What? I get annoyed by new people pretty quickly, and I was really tired. Sue me.), and soon we were at the Novotel, our home for the next two nights.
Major kudos and love to Twin. She knows how to pick a hotel. We were right next to the Expo center, it was clean, and our room had enough room for the 3 people who were staying there. Only iffy thing was the fact that there was no lock on the bathroom or the toilet. Granted, the room is made for two people, but still...
After we dumped our stuff in the room, it was time to go get Twin's friend from last Expo who was staying in the room with us. So we hopped on the DLR, then the Tube, until we got to Victoria station. After a little snafu where Twin's phone wouldn't work and we couldn't get a hold of her friend, Twin finally spotted him. I was kind of nervous. I was really worried that he wouldn't like me, he'd be really annoying, or that he'd bring drama into the room. Looking back, it's really hilarious that I had these worries because Mätti is one of the nicest people I have ever met. We didn't have a problem the whole weekend and holy balls is that guy funny. He's fast becoming one of my close friends. You should see the late-night antics we get up to on MSN. BUT ENOUGH SAPPINESS! I was talking about Expo.
Right, collected Mätti, hopped back on the tube, and made it back to Expo. We then went up to the room so Cerys and Mätti could get changed into costume and we could go wander about. Expo's a bit different to conventions I've been to in the U.S., where the Friday is only open to people who bought full weekend passes, and it's not technically one of the Expo days. For me, conventions have always been 3 day weekends where everything is in full swing by 1pm on Friday. Even when the convention wasn't in full swing, there were still plenty of people wandering about in costume. And also shouting dead and gone memes and holding free hugs signs. Ugh. I was hoping to escape the weeaboo-ness over here. In fact, it seemed to be worse here the U.K... Hmm...
Costumes were put on, and out into the thick of it we went! Twin looked gorgeous in her Courtesan outfit from Assassin's Creed II, and Mätti look awesome as Link from the Legend of Zelda ( I think it was the Minish Cap? Or maybe Wind Waker... I'm sure he'll correct me if I get this wrong.). I didn't feel like being Canada quite yet, so I simply tagged along with my camera and my TARDIS bag to carry everyone's things. We met Hollie's group again when we got outside (or did we go to their room? I don't know anymore...) and that's when the drama started...
I just have to say, I hate drama when it happens outside of the internet. It's really hilarious to watch DA journals and deviations spin out of control or threads just devolve into stupidity. But I do not want to deal with it/watch it/experience it outside of a computer. And you know what? The people involved in this drama are just so stupid that I don't even want to type it all out. So there. All you really need to know is that it was drama and stupid and people need to grow the fuck up and tell each other what they feel and listen and not ruin everyone else's fun times.
But anyways, drama started happening. I started getting annoyed because, well, I'm kind of selfish in the fact that I wanted to spend time with Cerys outside of this ginormous group. I was really uncomfortable, I didn't know anyone really well, and I was in an unfamiliar place. Cue the "Of course everything's fine! You can't tell but I am so scared and annoyed on the inside I want to punch a baby" attitude. It's the one that got me through sea-level traversing and a Tyrolean traverse without a major freak-out. And it was how I was dealing with this group of people I didn't know.
And I did try to talk to people and get to know them and be really comfortable. I really did. But everyone but Twin and Mätti were really loud and that just puts me off. And I did attempt conversation with Mätti at that point if I remember correctly. But we were still in the iffy "We've known each other 2 hours stage" and it was just... Blah.
I don't remember how it happened, but Twin, Mätti, and I ended up on our own again and it was like BAM! Instantly better! Now that I think about it, I fairly sure that they wanted to go change into their other outfits so we flounced away. We were just walking along, Twin graciously trying to keep both me and Mätti in a conversation because I'm so painfully shy sometimes I just don't talk. Ever. But then I think Mätti made a comment about a shitty cosplay and I responded with something witty and it was like my attitude about the whole weekend changed and I was like: "Fuck yeah, this'll be the best weekend ever."
So, flounced back to room, changed (I ended up putting on Canada and Mätti borrowed my derpy Gilbird since he left his at home), and we flounced back down to walk around some more. We met back up with Hollie's gaggle of people. I was now fortified against them because I felt I had another ally against the craziness in Mätti. Drama continued throughout our time together with this group. It followed us to the convenience store, back up to their room and throughout ordering pizza. Speaking of pizza, someone didn't pay and I put like 15 quid in there and got paid back by the person I paid for but still... (At least I think that's how much I put in. When I write blogs I am apparently awful with details.) Those fuckers... I bet it was Smelly or 'Stache or both of them. The drama cows. I ended up taking over the money for Twin because no one was helping her and wouldn't listen and just sat there playing their games systems and being dumb titfaces. Mätti and I helped Twin salvage dinner and we got the best fucking Dominoes I had ever had. I think only eating a breakfast roll the whole day had something to do with it...
The drama group proceeded to then fuck about when we tried to go back outside. Took them forever to get their asses in gear, and then they ditched us twice. Not fucking cool. Not cool at all. So the three of us in the awesome room went back and settled down for the night, after Mätti declared his pull-out bed had a "tramp blanket" (erm, hobo blanket for anyone from the States. Not a whore blanket.) and that he was going to make his sheet into a toga in the morning. Then we slept.
Saturday-
Saturday dawned bright and early for us. We meant to wake up at about 8:30 I think and didn't start moving about until 9:30. We all got into our costumes after a general flail about. (3 cosplayers or more in a room and there will suddenly be a shortage of space to walk and put on costumes.) I went OCD with an iron on Mätti's costumes, Twin burned herself with a curler, and Matti talked about how his face looked orange after doing his makeup in the promised toga. Oh god how I love being friends with cosplayers. The shit we do makes me giggle. We were almost out the door, we were so damn close, when Hollie dropped in for Cerys to do her makeup and to get help with her friend's wig. I went a little "THIS HAIR WILL OBEY ME!" on the wig, causing us to be a little later to the con. Oops.
You're probably wondering what we were doing rushing about like chickens with their heads cut off. Well, we were worried about lines for wristbands. Expo is huge and we didn't want to wait in line all day. Luckily, the weekend pass line was easy-peasy-lemon-squeesy and we got out of there in no time. Seriously. After waiting up to 2 hours in a line at Anime Iowa I was kind of floored by how quickly they can process people. With our shiny new badges we went straight to the dealer's hall and derped about. Mätti and Cerys found the Assassin's Creed booth and flailed about. I got a Canada from Hetalia coin purse. We found cute things, saw scary cosplayers, and derped about. Sometime before lunch we went back to the room and Twin changed into her amaaaaaaazing Mr. Stripy Pants outfit. For serial, it was kind of intimidating to hang out with those two all weekend because their cosplays are awesome. Anyways, the nerdiness had us famished, so we grabbed some yummy chinese/japanese/mongolian food. I don't know what exactly it was, but it was delicious and there were noodles.
During lunch Mätti got assaulted by a frying pan. I am not fucking shitting you. A failtacular Hungary cosplayer came up and whacked him on the head out of no where. We all just kind of sat there, stunned. I could go on and on about the failure of Hetalia cosplayers, but I have that rant all typed up and ready for a different post.
So the majority of the day was simply spent hopping in and out of costume, being catty bitches and elitist cunts, and having the best time ever. There was a mild snafu with ordering supper for everyone and the drama was getting worse, but the drama-llama room smelled awful because of Smelly and his not-wearing deoderant or showering. So the awesome trio camped out in our room and laughed and derped until Hollie came down in tears. Well fuck. We were sitting there, trying to get her sorted out and all of a sudden Twin shoots out of there like a bat out of hell. We sat there staring at each other like 'tards for a couple minutes and then Mätti and I had a mutual "OH! FUCK!" moment and chased after her. So it was up to the drama room, where we found Cerys scolding the drama llamas like the children they were. Hollie tore up the hallway in tears again. I went after her. I don't know why. I'm not good with people I barely know, but I have this incessant need to try and fix broken people, even when I can't stand the arguing and the behind closed doors drama. It was like when my parents split. There was a lot of arguing behind closed doors, when they thought we were asleep, etc. And then the "It's fine, go away." responses I got from them. Eugh. Can't deal.
Got Hollie calmed down, chatted with the cosplayers who lived next door about the drama, had a generally awkward time. Eventually had Hollie and the Smelly one sit down to sort shit out and we went back to the room. We talked about a lot of things, but TL;DR the extra hour of sleep we were supposed to get got absorbed by drama. Eventually all non-residents of the room left. Twin fell asleep pretty early, but Mätti and I stayed up late talking about all sorts of things. It was a good time. Yay for insta-friends.
Sunday-
Sunday was our "lazy" day. We had to be out of the room by noon, so we dropped our bags in the drama llama room. We then derped about the convention in Hetalia for a bit, got pissed at more Hetalia people, and then went back so Twin could change into Stripy Pants. We wandered about the dealer's room and Twin and Mätti hung about and listened to the Assassin's Creed people talk and I bought souvenirs. There was a little snafu where Twin needed to be at a photoshoot and I got separated from her and Mätti. When I finally found them, they had met up with and Ezio and Leonardo and were standing in line. We didn't know what we were in line for at first, and then found out that we were waiting to meet Ezio's voice actor. I'm not a fan of Assassin's Creed (Haven't played the games, can only really identify the main characters, etc.) but I have a friend who's crazy about it and I wanted to get an autograph for her. Ezio's VA was super nice, joked around with us, and my friend got her autograph and the other two got pictures taken with him.
Sunday was a lot of fun and I didn't want it to end. But, all too soon I was standing on a platform with Cerys and Mätti as they waited with me for the DLR to take me to the Tube and then eventually back to Euston. I was trying really hard to not cry my eyes out. It sounds silly, but Expo was amazing, and it hit me that I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back. I had gotten so close to Cerys and Mätti and I didn't want to leave because who knew when we would see each other IRL again? I fly back to America in December and it feels like I'm going to the freaking moon. Soon enough the train pulled up, I got squished in with a bunch of Expo-ers and waved goodbye to two of the best people I know. Managed not to cry until I was at the next station. By that time the train was literally packed and no one really noticed the sniffling American who had tucked herself into a corner of the standing area.
The trip to Euston and then home was relatively uneventful, just a bunch of silly stuff happened in the station which isn't important. It didn't seem like it was long until I was stepping back onto a dark Bangor station platform and walking back to Ffriddoedd site.
So that was Expo. It was drama-filled, it was crazy, it was tiring, and I loved every fucking minute of it. Major thanks go out to my Twin, the loverly Cerys, for letting me come, putting up with me for 3 days of hilarity, staying on the phone with me so I didn't end up in the Thames, giving me food, and being an amazing friend in general. Her DA is here. And also a huge thank you is due for the hilarious Mätti, the BAMF, who contributed many lulz to my trip. His awesome art esta aqui. Go check 'em out.
And I have now written a waaaaaaaaaaaay too long blogpost.
Hwyl rwan,
Cynical Pie
Friday-
Friday started out not quite so bright and oh-so-painfully early with a 5:15am alarm to get my lazy ass out of bed. Last minute packing was done, and I trudged out into the wind and rain to make a 6:15am train to London. For those of you who are curious, 6:00 am looks a lot like midnight. I got on the train okay, and proceeded to pass in and out of consciousness for a little over 3 hours to get to London.
Once I got to to Euston station, I had a couple of trips on the Tube to do to get to the Liverpool street station to then catch the train that stops at every station in creation between London and Shenfield. The tube was the part I was worried about, because I'm not familiar with public transport or London, or just life in general. But I got through okay, got to Shenfield, and met Cerys (Or Twin, has she shall be known from here on) without too much fuss.
Once we got to Twin's house, there was some last minute packing on her part and general getting ready until her friend Hollie came with her grandpa and her grandpa's cab. Until I had gotten to Twin's I had no idea we were actually driving to Expo. In a legitimate London cab. Fuck. Yes. The ride was uneventful, only midly annoyed by Hollie (What? I get annoyed by new people pretty quickly, and I was really tired. Sue me.), and soon we were at the Novotel, our home for the next two nights.
Major kudos and love to Twin. She knows how to pick a hotel. We were right next to the Expo center, it was clean, and our room had enough room for the 3 people who were staying there. Only iffy thing was the fact that there was no lock on the bathroom or the toilet. Granted, the room is made for two people, but still...
After we dumped our stuff in the room, it was time to go get Twin's friend from last Expo who was staying in the room with us. So we hopped on the DLR, then the Tube, until we got to Victoria station. After a little snafu where Twin's phone wouldn't work and we couldn't get a hold of her friend, Twin finally spotted him. I was kind of nervous. I was really worried that he wouldn't like me, he'd be really annoying, or that he'd bring drama into the room. Looking back, it's really hilarious that I had these worries because Mätti is one of the nicest people I have ever met. We didn't have a problem the whole weekend and holy balls is that guy funny. He's fast becoming one of my close friends. You should see the late-night antics we get up to on MSN. BUT ENOUGH SAPPINESS! I was talking about Expo.
Right, collected Mätti, hopped back on the tube, and made it back to Expo. We then went up to the room so Cerys and Mätti could get changed into costume and we could go wander about. Expo's a bit different to conventions I've been to in the U.S., where the Friday is only open to people who bought full weekend passes, and it's not technically one of the Expo days. For me, conventions have always been 3 day weekends where everything is in full swing by 1pm on Friday. Even when the convention wasn't in full swing, there were still plenty of people wandering about in costume. And also shouting dead and gone memes and holding free hugs signs. Ugh. I was hoping to escape the weeaboo-ness over here. In fact, it seemed to be worse here the U.K... Hmm...
Costumes were put on, and out into the thick of it we went! Twin looked gorgeous in her Courtesan outfit from Assassin's Creed II, and Mätti look awesome as Link from the Legend of Zelda ( I think it was the Minish Cap? Or maybe Wind Waker... I'm sure he'll correct me if I get this wrong.). I didn't feel like being Canada quite yet, so I simply tagged along with my camera and my TARDIS bag to carry everyone's things. We met Hollie's group again when we got outside (or did we go to their room? I don't know anymore...) and that's when the drama started...
I just have to say, I hate drama when it happens outside of the internet. It's really hilarious to watch DA journals and deviations spin out of control or threads just devolve into stupidity. But I do not want to deal with it/watch it/experience it outside of a computer. And you know what? The people involved in this drama are just so stupid that I don't even want to type it all out. So there. All you really need to know is that it was drama and stupid and people need to grow the fuck up and tell each other what they feel and listen and not ruin everyone else's fun times.
But anyways, drama started happening. I started getting annoyed because, well, I'm kind of selfish in the fact that I wanted to spend time with Cerys outside of this ginormous group. I was really uncomfortable, I didn't know anyone really well, and I was in an unfamiliar place. Cue the "Of course everything's fine! You can't tell but I am so scared and annoyed on the inside I want to punch a baby" attitude. It's the one that got me through sea-level traversing and a Tyrolean traverse without a major freak-out. And it was how I was dealing with this group of people I didn't know.
And I did try to talk to people and get to know them and be really comfortable. I really did. But everyone but Twin and Mätti were really loud and that just puts me off. And I did attempt conversation with Mätti at that point if I remember correctly. But we were still in the iffy "We've known each other 2 hours stage" and it was just... Blah.
I don't remember how it happened, but Twin, Mätti, and I ended up on our own again and it was like BAM! Instantly better! Now that I think about it, I fairly sure that they wanted to go change into their other outfits so we flounced away. We were just walking along, Twin graciously trying to keep both me and Mätti in a conversation because I'm so painfully shy sometimes I just don't talk. Ever. But then I think Mätti made a comment about a shitty cosplay and I responded with something witty and it was like my attitude about the whole weekend changed and I was like: "Fuck yeah, this'll be the best weekend ever."
So, flounced back to room, changed (I ended up putting on Canada and Mätti borrowed my derpy Gilbird since he left his at home), and we flounced back down to walk around some more. We met back up with Hollie's gaggle of people. I was now fortified against them because I felt I had another ally against the craziness in Mätti. Drama continued throughout our time together with this group. It followed us to the convenience store, back up to their room and throughout ordering pizza. Speaking of pizza, someone didn't pay and I put like 15 quid in there and got paid back by the person I paid for but still... (At least I think that's how much I put in. When I write blogs I am apparently awful with details.) Those fuckers... I bet it was Smelly or 'Stache or both of them. The drama cows. I ended up taking over the money for Twin because no one was helping her and wouldn't listen and just sat there playing their games systems and being dumb titfaces. Mätti and I helped Twin salvage dinner and we got the best fucking Dominoes I had ever had. I think only eating a breakfast roll the whole day had something to do with it...
The drama group proceeded to then fuck about when we tried to go back outside. Took them forever to get their asses in gear, and then they ditched us twice. Not fucking cool. Not cool at all. So the three of us in the awesome room went back and settled down for the night, after Mätti declared his pull-out bed had a "tramp blanket" (erm, hobo blanket for anyone from the States. Not a whore blanket.) and that he was going to make his sheet into a toga in the morning. Then we slept.
Saturday-
Saturday dawned bright and early for us. We meant to wake up at about 8:30 I think and didn't start moving about until 9:30. We all got into our costumes after a general flail about. (3 cosplayers or more in a room and there will suddenly be a shortage of space to walk and put on costumes.) I went OCD with an iron on Mätti's costumes, Twin burned herself with a curler, and Matti talked about how his face looked orange after doing his makeup in the promised toga. Oh god how I love being friends with cosplayers. The shit we do makes me giggle. We were almost out the door, we were so damn close, when Hollie dropped in for Cerys to do her makeup and to get help with her friend's wig. I went a little "THIS HAIR WILL OBEY ME!" on the wig, causing us to be a little later to the con. Oops.
You're probably wondering what we were doing rushing about like chickens with their heads cut off. Well, we were worried about lines for wristbands. Expo is huge and we didn't want to wait in line all day. Luckily, the weekend pass line was easy-peasy-lemon-squeesy and we got out of there in no time. Seriously. After waiting up to 2 hours in a line at Anime Iowa I was kind of floored by how quickly they can process people. With our shiny new badges we went straight to the dealer's hall and derped about. Mätti and Cerys found the Assassin's Creed booth and flailed about. I got a Canada from Hetalia coin purse. We found cute things, saw scary cosplayers, and derped about. Sometime before lunch we went back to the room and Twin changed into her amaaaaaaazing Mr. Stripy Pants outfit. For serial, it was kind of intimidating to hang out with those two all weekend because their cosplays are awesome. Anyways, the nerdiness had us famished, so we grabbed some yummy chinese/japanese/mongolian food. I don't know what exactly it was, but it was delicious and there were noodles.
During lunch Mätti got assaulted by a frying pan. I am not fucking shitting you. A failtacular Hungary cosplayer came up and whacked him on the head out of no where. We all just kind of sat there, stunned. I could go on and on about the failure of Hetalia cosplayers, but I have that rant all typed up and ready for a different post.
So the majority of the day was simply spent hopping in and out of costume, being catty bitches and elitist cunts, and having the best time ever. There was a mild snafu with ordering supper for everyone and the drama was getting worse, but the drama-llama room smelled awful because of Smelly and his not-wearing deoderant or showering. So the awesome trio camped out in our room and laughed and derped until Hollie came down in tears. Well fuck. We were sitting there, trying to get her sorted out and all of a sudden Twin shoots out of there like a bat out of hell. We sat there staring at each other like 'tards for a couple minutes and then Mätti and I had a mutual "OH! FUCK!" moment and chased after her. So it was up to the drama room, where we found Cerys scolding the drama llamas like the children they were. Hollie tore up the hallway in tears again. I went after her. I don't know why. I'm not good with people I barely know, but I have this incessant need to try and fix broken people, even when I can't stand the arguing and the behind closed doors drama. It was like when my parents split. There was a lot of arguing behind closed doors, when they thought we were asleep, etc. And then the "It's fine, go away." responses I got from them. Eugh. Can't deal.
Got Hollie calmed down, chatted with the cosplayers who lived next door about the drama, had a generally awkward time. Eventually had Hollie and the Smelly one sit down to sort shit out and we went back to the room. We talked about a lot of things, but TL;DR the extra hour of sleep we were supposed to get got absorbed by drama. Eventually all non-residents of the room left. Twin fell asleep pretty early, but Mätti and I stayed up late talking about all sorts of things. It was a good time. Yay for insta-friends.
Sunday-
Sunday was our "lazy" day. We had to be out of the room by noon, so we dropped our bags in the drama llama room. We then derped about the convention in Hetalia for a bit, got pissed at more Hetalia people, and then went back so Twin could change into Stripy Pants. We wandered about the dealer's room and Twin and Mätti hung about and listened to the Assassin's Creed people talk and I bought souvenirs. There was a little snafu where Twin needed to be at a photoshoot and I got separated from her and Mätti. When I finally found them, they had met up with and Ezio and Leonardo and were standing in line. We didn't know what we were in line for at first, and then found out that we were waiting to meet Ezio's voice actor. I'm not a fan of Assassin's Creed (Haven't played the games, can only really identify the main characters, etc.) but I have a friend who's crazy about it and I wanted to get an autograph for her. Ezio's VA was super nice, joked around with us, and my friend got her autograph and the other two got pictures taken with him.
Sunday was a lot of fun and I didn't want it to end. But, all too soon I was standing on a platform with Cerys and Mätti as they waited with me for the DLR to take me to the Tube and then eventually back to Euston. I was trying really hard to not cry my eyes out. It sounds silly, but Expo was amazing, and it hit me that I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back. I had gotten so close to Cerys and Mätti and I didn't want to leave because who knew when we would see each other IRL again? I fly back to America in December and it feels like I'm going to the freaking moon. Soon enough the train pulled up, I got squished in with a bunch of Expo-ers and waved goodbye to two of the best people I know. Managed not to cry until I was at the next station. By that time the train was literally packed and no one really noticed the sniffling American who had tucked herself into a corner of the standing area.
The trip to Euston and then home was relatively uneventful, just a bunch of silly stuff happened in the station which isn't important. It didn't seem like it was long until I was stepping back onto a dark Bangor station platform and walking back to Ffriddoedd site.
So that was Expo. It was drama-filled, it was crazy, it was tiring, and I loved every fucking minute of it. Major thanks go out to my Twin, the loverly Cerys, for letting me come, putting up with me for 3 days of hilarity, staying on the phone with me so I didn't end up in the Thames, giving me food, and being an amazing friend in general. Her DA is here. And also a huge thank you is due for the hilarious Mätti, the BAMF, who contributed many lulz to my trip. His awesome art esta aqui. Go check 'em out.
And I have now written a waaaaaaaaaaaay too long blogpost.
Hwyl rwan,
Cynical Pie
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
You wanna see awesome?
 | |
| Stormtrooper at Euston station. Taken by moi |
That is freaking awesome.
-Cynical Pie
(This was supposed to be my Expo update, but I'm being awful and waiting until tomorrow when I can fully look back and ask people questions to get the whole thing right. Expect lots of drama.)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Caerdydd
I have been to Cardiff, the capitol of Wales, this past weekend. And I have:
-Seen the Wye Valley
-Been inside the ruins of Tintern Abbey
-Eaten sketchy, yet delicious pears
-Eaten in an old pornographic theater (We didn't know at the time. But still, HILARIOUS!)
-Shared a nice evening with some friends and our program director
-Walked around Cardiff's city center at night
-Been in the gaudiest castle rooms ever
-Walked in a semi off-limits area of Cardiff Castle's wall
-Visited the Dragon's Den
-Hugged a Dalek
-Walked onto the ground floor/playing floor of Millennium Stadium
-Touched a TARDIS
-Found Torchwood
-Ate a fresh scone and drank fresh apple cider
-Sat in a Celtic hut and talked in Welsh with a very nice man
-Bonded with one of my friends, and with some of the other program girls
-Laughed along with my friends while watching Teen Mom
-Watched Star Trek and Inglorious Basterds with some nice, fellow hostel-ers
-Looked at gorgeous art
-Downed a McDonald's value meal in 5 minutes
-Woke up early, stayed up late
-Watched the sunset in Snowdonia
-Loved every, single minute of the past 3 days
I go to bed tonight, glad to be in my own bed again, but also so happy that I experienced all I have.
Nos da,
Cynical Pie
-Seen the Wye Valley
-Been inside the ruins of Tintern Abbey
-Eaten sketchy, yet delicious pears
-Eaten in an old pornographic theater (We didn't know at the time. But still, HILARIOUS!)
-Shared a nice evening with some friends and our program director
-Walked around Cardiff's city center at night
-Been in the gaudiest castle rooms ever
-Walked in a semi off-limits area of Cardiff Castle's wall
-Visited the Dragon's Den
-Hugged a Dalek
-Walked onto the ground floor/playing floor of Millennium Stadium
-Touched a TARDIS
-Found Torchwood
-Ate a fresh scone and drank fresh apple cider
-Sat in a Celtic hut and talked in Welsh with a very nice man
-Bonded with one of my friends, and with some of the other program girls
-Laughed along with my friends while watching Teen Mom
-Watched Star Trek and Inglorious Basterds with some nice, fellow hostel-ers
-Looked at gorgeous art
-Downed a McDonald's value meal in 5 minutes
-Woke up early, stayed up late
-Watched the sunset in Snowdonia
-Loved every, single minute of the past 3 days
I go to bed tonight, glad to be in my own bed again, but also so happy that I experienced all I have.
Nos da,
Cynical Pie
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Almost time for Classes!
It's Sunday afternoon here. Nice and quiet, a reprieve from the hectic-ness and loudness of Freshers Fortnight. I can hear people rustling about their rooms and clanging in the kitchen. But I think the magic of Sundays has won out, and the world has decided to rest.
Let's see... It's been almost 2 1/2 weeks since I updated! Wow! Time has sure flown. Let me see if I can update everyone on what's been going on...
Ireland:
Ireland was an amazing trip. I saw so much history in Dublin: places from the Easter Rebellion, the Book of Kells, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Temple Bar, The Old Library at Trinity College, bog people, and a lot more. They were all fascinating places, and it was so amazing to actually stand in places you've only read about in text books before. I also heard live Irish music and watched people spontaneously break out into Irish dancing in the middle of a pub. What an amazing experience.
As interesting as Dublin was, I liked that it was only a short trip there. I'm not a huge fan of large cities. Too many people in too small a space.
After Dublin there was a 3 1/2 hour bus ride though Ireland all the way to the city of Galway. I loved Galway. The beach and seafront was beautiful. The city was calm and manageable, and I didn't get overwhelmed like in Dublin.
We took a ferry to the Aran Islands one of the days to bike around the largest of the islands and visit the cliffs. I was surprised with myself that I could do the entire bike ride to the cliffs and back, only having to get off once or twice to push up a couple of steep hills. And I saw seals! And waved to America from the edge of the cliffs!
The next day there were more cliffs, the Cliffs of Moher, and a rather frightening bus ride on some still very sore bottoms from our excursion to the Aran Islands. It was really foggy and windy, but the cliffs were still beautiful in their own way. The next day we drove back to Dublin to catch the ferry to Holyhead and then drove back to Bangor. I then went straight to the train station to catch a 3 1/2 hour ride to London.
Ireland was an amazing trip, but it was very nice to be on Welsh soil once again.
London
I love London. I was a little hesitant of it since Dublin, but once I was walking around with Cerys, aka demi-goddess on DeviantArt (Her photography is awesome check it out here), I was absolutely in love. The Tower of London... How can you aptly describe getting to stand in the middle of a place that you have read so much about, seeing those walls that hold such a huge amount of history... It's been a week and a half since then and I'm still speechless.
The Tower wasn't the only place we went to in dear old London-town. We also walked along Parliament and Big Ben, went across Westminster Bridge, saw the London Eye (waaaaaaay too expensive to ride), saw Westminster Abbey, and went to see Buckingham Palace. They are all so beautiful. Even more so because this day in London was literally a dream come true for me. I'm so, so happy. I've walked the streets of London. I couldn't ask for more.
Back to Bangor
So after a beautiful time in London and another 3 1/2 hour train ride back, it was time to start Freshers Fortnight (a.k.a. Welcome Week) back at Uni. And the week certainly lived up to its expectations. It was loud, chaotic, hectic, frustrating, and a lot of fun. I've made friends with a really nice guy from my flat named Bob. Come to think of it, he's actually my neighbor! He was great and invited me to go out with him and some of his friends. We had an awesome time and I made friends with a girl named Sarah too. She showed me where the nail polish was in Morrison's, so I have new nail designs~! Yay!
Just yesterday the Abroad group went over to Chester for the day. Had tons of fun and geeked out about history some more (shocking, I know). I think History is the perfect major to have when you come to Wales. You're just immersed in so much culture, and the layers upon layers of history each town and city holds is just astounding.
And now for some actual photos to go along with this blog:
Please excuse me while the book lover in me dies of happiness...
St. Patrick's Catherdal
Christchurch cathedral
Along the riverfront in Galway, being a tourist.
The cliffs on the Aran Islands
The Cliffs of Moher
A very healthy lunch in London...
Just who is that damn tourist?
Parliament! Oh yeah baby!
I have no idea what time Blogger will decide I published this at, but it's now midnight and I have a History of Witchcraft and Magic class in 9 hours. Goodnight blog, I'll try not to abandon you for 2 1/2 weeks again.
Until next time, may you have blue skies...
And fair weather.
-Cynical Pie
Let's see... It's been almost 2 1/2 weeks since I updated! Wow! Time has sure flown. Let me see if I can update everyone on what's been going on...
Ireland:
Ireland was an amazing trip. I saw so much history in Dublin: places from the Easter Rebellion, the Book of Kells, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Temple Bar, The Old Library at Trinity College, bog people, and a lot more. They were all fascinating places, and it was so amazing to actually stand in places you've only read about in text books before. I also heard live Irish music and watched people spontaneously break out into Irish dancing in the middle of a pub. What an amazing experience.
As interesting as Dublin was, I liked that it was only a short trip there. I'm not a huge fan of large cities. Too many people in too small a space.
After Dublin there was a 3 1/2 hour bus ride though Ireland all the way to the city of Galway. I loved Galway. The beach and seafront was beautiful. The city was calm and manageable, and I didn't get overwhelmed like in Dublin.
We took a ferry to the Aran Islands one of the days to bike around the largest of the islands and visit the cliffs. I was surprised with myself that I could do the entire bike ride to the cliffs and back, only having to get off once or twice to push up a couple of steep hills. And I saw seals! And waved to America from the edge of the cliffs!
The next day there were more cliffs, the Cliffs of Moher, and a rather frightening bus ride on some still very sore bottoms from our excursion to the Aran Islands. It was really foggy and windy, but the cliffs were still beautiful in their own way. The next day we drove back to Dublin to catch the ferry to Holyhead and then drove back to Bangor. I then went straight to the train station to catch a 3 1/2 hour ride to London.
Ireland was an amazing trip, but it was very nice to be on Welsh soil once again.
London
I love London. I was a little hesitant of it since Dublin, but once I was walking around with Cerys, aka demi-goddess on DeviantArt (Her photography is awesome check it out here), I was absolutely in love. The Tower of London... How can you aptly describe getting to stand in the middle of a place that you have read so much about, seeing those walls that hold such a huge amount of history... It's been a week and a half since then and I'm still speechless.
The Tower wasn't the only place we went to in dear old London-town. We also walked along Parliament and Big Ben, went across Westminster Bridge, saw the London Eye (waaaaaaay too expensive to ride), saw Westminster Abbey, and went to see Buckingham Palace. They are all so beautiful. Even more so because this day in London was literally a dream come true for me. I'm so, so happy. I've walked the streets of London. I couldn't ask for more.
Back to Bangor
So after a beautiful time in London and another 3 1/2 hour train ride back, it was time to start Freshers Fortnight (a.k.a. Welcome Week) back at Uni. And the week certainly lived up to its expectations. It was loud, chaotic, hectic, frustrating, and a lot of fun. I've made friends with a really nice guy from my flat named Bob. Come to think of it, he's actually my neighbor! He was great and invited me to go out with him and some of his friends. We had an awesome time and I made friends with a girl named Sarah too. She showed me where the nail polish was in Morrison's, so I have new nail designs~! Yay!
Just yesterday the Abroad group went over to Chester for the day. Had tons of fun and geeked out about history some more (shocking, I know). I think History is the perfect major to have when you come to Wales. You're just immersed in so much culture, and the layers upon layers of history each town and city holds is just astounding.
And now for some actual photos to go along with this blog:
Please excuse me while the book lover in me dies of happiness...
St. Patrick's Catherdal
Christchurch cathedral
Along the riverfront in Galway, being a tourist.
The cliffs on the Aran Islands
The Cliffs of Moher
A very healthy lunch in London...
Just who is that damn tourist?
Parliament! Oh yeah baby!
I have no idea what time Blogger will decide I published this at, but it's now midnight and I have a History of Witchcraft and Magic class in 9 hours. Goodnight blog, I'll try not to abandon you for 2 1/2 weeks again.
Until next time, may you have blue skies...
And fair weather.
-Cynical Pie
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Breaking the Egg
I think I have my journals backwards. I have this blog, and also a personal journal that I keep a record of all the eventful stuff that happens to me in, but most of that wouldn't or won't get posted on here. This journal seems to be more of a reflection of what has happened to me. Specifics can be a fleeting thing here. Anyway, that was just a little side note. Now on to what I actually wanted to talk about.
We're not even a full week into the program here, and already I feel myself being tested and my boundaries shaken. So much of my life up to this point has been within the safe little eggshell in small-town Iowa. And the time I'm spending in Wales and various other places in the Celtic Isles is starting to crack that.
Emotionally, my boundaries on alcohol and the presence of it are being tested. I am kind of a bore when it comes to social events that are perceived as normal. I've never really been exposed to heavy drinking before, and wasn't raised in a house where casual alcohol consumption was a thing to do. Being over here, it's not that everyone is drunk all the time, far from it. It's the casual beer with supper and the glass of wine at lunch that tests me. I've developed this fear that one drink of alcohol is just going to lead to more and more and eventually cause problems. And I'm having to change my view of that for the most part. It's... Different.
But physically, oh my God. My boundaries are being battered like a shutter in a hurricane in that aspect. I find myself pushing to go the extra mile, to not just give up halfway through a hike. To climb 4 flights of spiral staircases with only a joking complaint here and there. Sure, I still huff and puff and wheeze and my legs hurt and I get tired. I'm not in shape, far from it and every time we go on one of these hiking excursions (a.k.a. walking off campus) I find my boundaries of what I can accomplish physically being pushed. A tiny voice in my head is saying, "You know, maybe I will be able to climb Snowdon with everyone." But I'm still worried as hell. I'm desperately hoping that I can to all these things. I WANT to do all these things. I'm just terrified that my body and my boundaries will hold me back.
Well, I don't want people to think that I'm not enjoying myself AT ALL. Far from it, I'm having a lot of fun. We traveled to Ireland today. Dublin is awesome! And I now have 3 flags in my collection of flags from countries I've visited. Got my U.K. one, my Wales one, and now my Ireland one. Soon I'll get and England one and hopefully my friends are bringing me back a France flag from when they go to Paris. Also, I'll soon own and England flag and hopefully a Scotland flag if I can get up there before the semester ends. Weekend in Edinburgh? I think yes.
But right now, I'm sitting alone in the hostel. Again. Ugh. This whole "I don't want to be around you while you drink because I get scared of drunk people and even if you aren't drunk my irrational mind will just assume you are" that prevents me from going out with everyone needs to stop. I don't want to be alone by myself anymore. But I don't want to be alone in a room full of people more than that.
Cheers and happy travels,
Cynical Pie
We're not even a full week into the program here, and already I feel myself being tested and my boundaries shaken. So much of my life up to this point has been within the safe little eggshell in small-town Iowa. And the time I'm spending in Wales and various other places in the Celtic Isles is starting to crack that.
Emotionally, my boundaries on alcohol and the presence of it are being tested. I am kind of a bore when it comes to social events that are perceived as normal. I've never really been exposed to heavy drinking before, and wasn't raised in a house where casual alcohol consumption was a thing to do. Being over here, it's not that everyone is drunk all the time, far from it. It's the casual beer with supper and the glass of wine at lunch that tests me. I've developed this fear that one drink of alcohol is just going to lead to more and more and eventually cause problems. And I'm having to change my view of that for the most part. It's... Different.
But physically, oh my God. My boundaries are being battered like a shutter in a hurricane in that aspect. I find myself pushing to go the extra mile, to not just give up halfway through a hike. To climb 4 flights of spiral staircases with only a joking complaint here and there. Sure, I still huff and puff and wheeze and my legs hurt and I get tired. I'm not in shape, far from it and every time we go on one of these hiking excursions (a.k.a. walking off campus) I find my boundaries of what I can accomplish physically being pushed. A tiny voice in my head is saying, "You know, maybe I will be able to climb Snowdon with everyone." But I'm still worried as hell. I'm desperately hoping that I can to all these things. I WANT to do all these things. I'm just terrified that my body and my boundaries will hold me back.
Well, I don't want people to think that I'm not enjoying myself AT ALL. Far from it, I'm having a lot of fun. We traveled to Ireland today. Dublin is awesome! And I now have 3 flags in my collection of flags from countries I've visited. Got my U.K. one, my Wales one, and now my Ireland one. Soon I'll get and England one and hopefully my friends are bringing me back a France flag from when they go to Paris. Also, I'll soon own and England flag and hopefully a Scotland flag if I can get up there before the semester ends. Weekend in Edinburgh? I think yes.
But right now, I'm sitting alone in the hostel. Again. Ugh. This whole "I don't want to be around you while you drink because I get scared of drunk people and even if you aren't drunk my irrational mind will just assume you are" that prevents me from going out with everyone needs to stop. I don't want to be alone by myself anymore. But I don't want to be alone in a room full of people more than that.
Cheers and happy travels,
Cynical Pie
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday and Soup
Today? Today was not one of the good days. But that's okay. Not every day can be "OMG amazing!" and one big party. I didn't enjoy not being able to sleep until 4 in the morning due to my own body and its mild insomnia that I had hoped would stay behind at home and idiots breaking and effectively sealing the front door to the dorm so my friends couldn't get back inside until after Security had wrestled with it. I really didn't like the fire alarm going off at 6:30 in the morning. It's a good thing I'm still in Scholte-mode. Shoes and sweatshirt on, keys, phone, and ipod collected, and out the door in 20 seconds. I also didn't enjoy my miserable attempts to make meals today. Granted, it is my fault for not actually buying everything I needed while at Morrison's on Saturday, but food gave me my first little bout of homesickness. And it started with a can of soup.
It's just a plain can of chicken and noodle soup right? No frills or extra little bits? Oh yeah, of course not! I mean, it's chicken noodle soup! You get chicken, chicken broth, and noodles and heat it up! Easy-peasy lemon-squeasy! ...That is until I actually got it cooked. It was awful. Absolutely disgusting. I was so... disheartened. And hungry. Thankfully, Jessika gave me a box of her cocoa rice krispies so I ate something. I also had some tea. Oh good old tea. At least that never changes.
But still, I have this feeling looming over me now. "This isn't home... This isn't home..." is what keeps chanting in my head. I find myself longing for a can of chunky chicken noodle, a ham sandwich from home not made with ridiculously thin slices of meat, a salad with dressing. Hell, I even want a Big Mac from McDonald's and I haven't eaten one of those in forever! I just want familiar food. I want things to taste like I expect them to. I want a bowl of proper chicken noodle soup.
But not all of today and the weekend was bad. Last night everyone got together and made pasta, which was its own little adventure. It was nice to have everyone joining in and socializing. It kind of felt like home. Today 6 of us went down to the pier to see what it was all about. And it was well-worth the walk. The Menai Straits are beautiful even while the tide is out. We met a very exuberant young boy named Wesley and had fun watching his crab fishing attempts off the end of the pier.
Along our route to the pier we passed the Roman camp site. I think I'll go back Wednesday to see what I can discover there.
It's almost midnight as I finish this. I can hear the wind buffeting the buildings and there's a quietness on our floor that reminds me of Sundays at home. The kind where you don't talk, you just listen. You listen to your thoughts, your heart, and you listen to the world around you.
Here's a picture of the pier. It's a really relaxing place to go. I know I'll be back.
Until next time, here's to happier days.
Cynical Pie
It's just a plain can of chicken and noodle soup right? No frills or extra little bits? Oh yeah, of course not! I mean, it's chicken noodle soup! You get chicken, chicken broth, and noodles and heat it up! Easy-peasy lemon-squeasy! ...That is until I actually got it cooked. It was awful. Absolutely disgusting. I was so... disheartened. And hungry. Thankfully, Jessika gave me a box of her cocoa rice krispies so I ate something. I also had some tea. Oh good old tea. At least that never changes.
But still, I have this feeling looming over me now. "This isn't home... This isn't home..." is what keeps chanting in my head. I find myself longing for a can of chunky chicken noodle, a ham sandwich from home not made with ridiculously thin slices of meat, a salad with dressing. Hell, I even want a Big Mac from McDonald's and I haven't eaten one of those in forever! I just want familiar food. I want things to taste like I expect them to. I want a bowl of proper chicken noodle soup.
But not all of today and the weekend was bad. Last night everyone got together and made pasta, which was its own little adventure. It was nice to have everyone joining in and socializing. It kind of felt like home. Today 6 of us went down to the pier to see what it was all about. And it was well-worth the walk. The Menai Straits are beautiful even while the tide is out. We met a very exuberant young boy named Wesley and had fun watching his crab fishing attempts off the end of the pier.
Along our route to the pier we passed the Roman camp site. I think I'll go back Wednesday to see what I can discover there.
It's almost midnight as I finish this. I can hear the wind buffeting the buildings and there's a quietness on our floor that reminds me of Sundays at home. The kind where you don't talk, you just listen. You listen to your thoughts, your heart, and you listen to the world around you.
Here's a picture of the pier. It's a really relaxing place to go. I know I'll be back.
Until next time, here's to happier days.
Cynical Pie
Friday, September 3, 2010
Getting Here
So, I've made it. I'm writing this from the desk of my temporary room in Y Borth hall at Bangor. It's kind of noisy at the moment, the other abroad students, who I'm sharing the flat with, are all chatting with each other, and chatting with friends and family back home. Thank God for laptops, outlet converters, and ethernet cables.
The flight over was okay. I cried at the terminal, I cried in the car, and I cried at takeoff. But, no major meltdowns. Just some tears. Goodbyes are hard for me. The actual flight was kind of boring. Most of it was overnight, so you couldn't see out the window and it was really small. The food was okay, I just with I could have differentiated between mushroom and beef BEFORE it was in my mouth. DX
But I got in at 7:15, 2 1/2 hours before anyone else. I feel asleep in the terminal. I'm sure that looked amazing to the other people waiting. But, when I woke up, I realized that I was at Terminal 3 when I needed to meet everyone at Terminal 2. Not a big deal right? Wrong. Cue me having to haul my 50lbs. suitcase, duffle, and heavy laptop bag to the OTHER SIDE OF THE AIRPORT! So freaking tired by the end of it all. Luckily, when everyone got together we found a place where we could keep our big suitcases overnight at the airport for £5 a bag. It was worth every penny.
Then, we all took the train from Manchester Airport over to Manchester-Piccadilly. Piccadilly station is awesome. If anyone remembers Sodor station from Thomas the Tank Engine, I'm pretty sure that's the station it's modeled after. We ate in the station too, and watched some adventurous pigeons get in and scope out the restaurant next to our tables. From the station we wandered about and got some directions from a couple of very helpful businessmen to our hostel. Thankfully, they let us check in early and we all got to crash until about 5.
At 6, Tecwyn came to the hostel and collected the 8 of us to go eat supper. We ended up going to this really cool Italian place called Pizza Express. I got the American pizza. Funny, I know. First meal in a foreign country and I eat pepperoni pizza...
After our lovely supper, Tecwyn left and we wandered about our area of Manchester. It was very cool. It's almost overwhelming to walk around though, because it's the small differences that get you. Everyone sounds different from you, everyone tries to pass you on the sidewalk on what you perceive as the wrong side... And you're trying so hard not to be impolite, that you get a little frustrated. But we soon got it figured out and were snaking our way through crowds like pros. Another interesting tidbit- There's no trash bins anywhere. You have to leave your trash for staff to pick up. As someone who tries their hardest to clean up after themselves in public, it's hard to leave my junk for someone else to pick up. I don't know. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough for the bins.
The rest of the night in Manchester was spent hanging out in the pub around the corner from the hostel, which I unfortunately have no pictures or know the name of. But it was really cozy and nice to get a celebratory drink for making it successfully to the UK. Once we were done with our drinks we headed back to the hostel and sat around in the room chatting until we all dropped off.
Friday morning dawned and we all scrambled to shower, eat some toast in the kitchen, and race back to Piccadilly station to catch the train back to Manchester International to meet the other 3 abroad students and Tecwyn. When we had all arrived, collected our luggage from either the arrival area or the baggage storage place, and congregated, we hauled everything to the bus and drove off for Wales! Two hours later, and we were standing outside the dorm. It's a nice place, fire exits and fire doors everywhere, and plenty of room for everyone.
The rest of the day was spent touring Upper Bangor and the Arts and History building of campus. I have to actually walk through town to get to school, which is interesting. But the main building... It's simply gorgeous. I absolutely adore it already. I just hope I don't get lost on my way to class! After the tour we made our first stop at Morrison's, the main grocery store for the Ffriddoedd site and walked to the first orientation session with Tecwyn. There's so much to take in, I just hope I can remember it all! I don't want to forget a single thing while I'm here. This place is so amazing, I barely have the words to describe it.
I'm so glad I came.
Until next time,
Cynical Pie
The flight over was okay. I cried at the terminal, I cried in the car, and I cried at takeoff. But, no major meltdowns. Just some tears. Goodbyes are hard for me. The actual flight was kind of boring. Most of it was overnight, so you couldn't see out the window and it was really small. The food was okay, I just with I could have differentiated between mushroom and beef BEFORE it was in my mouth. DX
But I got in at 7:15, 2 1/2 hours before anyone else. I feel asleep in the terminal. I'm sure that looked amazing to the other people waiting. But, when I woke up, I realized that I was at Terminal 3 when I needed to meet everyone at Terminal 2. Not a big deal right? Wrong. Cue me having to haul my 50lbs. suitcase, duffle, and heavy laptop bag to the OTHER SIDE OF THE AIRPORT! So freaking tired by the end of it all. Luckily, when everyone got together we found a place where we could keep our big suitcases overnight at the airport for £5 a bag. It was worth every penny.
Then, we all took the train from Manchester Airport over to Manchester-Piccadilly. Piccadilly station is awesome. If anyone remembers Sodor station from Thomas the Tank Engine, I'm pretty sure that's the station it's modeled after. We ate in the station too, and watched some adventurous pigeons get in and scope out the restaurant next to our tables. From the station we wandered about and got some directions from a couple of very helpful businessmen to our hostel. Thankfully, they let us check in early and we all got to crash until about 5.
At 6, Tecwyn came to the hostel and collected the 8 of us to go eat supper. We ended up going to this really cool Italian place called Pizza Express. I got the American pizza. Funny, I know. First meal in a foreign country and I eat pepperoni pizza...
After our lovely supper, Tecwyn left and we wandered about our area of Manchester. It was very cool. It's almost overwhelming to walk around though, because it's the small differences that get you. Everyone sounds different from you, everyone tries to pass you on the sidewalk on what you perceive as the wrong side... And you're trying so hard not to be impolite, that you get a little frustrated. But we soon got it figured out and were snaking our way through crowds like pros. Another interesting tidbit- There's no trash bins anywhere. You have to leave your trash for staff to pick up. As someone who tries their hardest to clean up after themselves in public, it's hard to leave my junk for someone else to pick up. I don't know. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough for the bins.
The rest of the night in Manchester was spent hanging out in the pub around the corner from the hostel, which I unfortunately have no pictures or know the name of. But it was really cozy and nice to get a celebratory drink for making it successfully to the UK. Once we were done with our drinks we headed back to the hostel and sat around in the room chatting until we all dropped off.
Friday morning dawned and we all scrambled to shower, eat some toast in the kitchen, and race back to Piccadilly station to catch the train back to Manchester International to meet the other 3 abroad students and Tecwyn. When we had all arrived, collected our luggage from either the arrival area or the baggage storage place, and congregated, we hauled everything to the bus and drove off for Wales! Two hours later, and we were standing outside the dorm. It's a nice place, fire exits and fire doors everywhere, and plenty of room for everyone.
The rest of the day was spent touring Upper Bangor and the Arts and History building of campus. I have to actually walk through town to get to school, which is interesting. But the main building... It's simply gorgeous. I absolutely adore it already. I just hope I don't get lost on my way to class! After the tour we made our first stop at Morrison's, the main grocery store for the Ffriddoedd site and walked to the first orientation session with Tecwyn. There's so much to take in, I just hope I can remember it all! I don't want to forget a single thing while I'm here. This place is so amazing, I barely have the words to describe it.
I'm so glad I came.
Until next time,
Cynical Pie
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Dear Mom
Hey Mom,
I'm staying up late again. I know, I need to go to bed at a decent hour and such. All the feelings of leaving in 16 hours have me hyped up and wide awake.
I just wanted to say, Thank you Mom. Thank you for letting me have the opportunity to do what I'm about to do. Thanks for holding my hand as I stumbled my way up to this point, to be leaving on that airplane tomorrow, erm today. I love you so much. And I am going to miss you like crazy. You have always been there for me, a pillar of support and strength to lean on and it's going to be interesting to cope with not being able to talk to you on the phone or in person everyday. (A perk of going to college in town, that I love to exploit.)
I know that me leaving for these 3 1/2 months is going to be as hard for you as it is for me. But Mom, I want you to know that I'll be okay. You raised me to be the strong young woman I am today. I can handle this. We can handle this. 3 1/2 months isn't forever, and soon I'll be back home demanding you make me food and generally being a nuisance. I've always admired your perseverance and strength Mom. Now it my time to go take a test-drive of these qualities I have inherited from you in the "real" world, or as real as a college campus can be.
I love you Mom. I'll see you in 3 1/2 months. 110 days. It's not so long is it?
Bye
<3, your Baby Girl
I'm staying up late again. I know, I need to go to bed at a decent hour and such. All the feelings of leaving in 16 hours have me hyped up and wide awake.
I just wanted to say, Thank you Mom. Thank you for letting me have the opportunity to do what I'm about to do. Thanks for holding my hand as I stumbled my way up to this point, to be leaving on that airplane tomorrow, erm today. I love you so much. And I am going to miss you like crazy. You have always been there for me, a pillar of support and strength to lean on and it's going to be interesting to cope with not being able to talk to you on the phone or in person everyday. (A perk of going to college in town, that I love to exploit.)
I know that me leaving for these 3 1/2 months is going to be as hard for you as it is for me. But Mom, I want you to know that I'll be okay. You raised me to be the strong young woman I am today. I can handle this. We can handle this. 3 1/2 months isn't forever, and soon I'll be back home demanding you make me food and generally being a nuisance. I've always admired your perseverance and strength Mom. Now it my time to go take a test-drive of these qualities I have inherited from you in the "real" world, or as real as a college campus can be.
I love you Mom. I'll see you in 3 1/2 months. 110 days. It's not so long is it?
Bye
<3, your Baby Girl
The end of Summer and goodbyes
As I start writing this blog, it is now 12:31 PM on September the 1st. A lot is important about this date and time. One, it means that in 17 short hours I will be on a plane headed far from home. Two, it's officially the end of summer 2010.
And oh what a summer it was, dear readers. It started out so optimistic, so full of new friends, and the looming dates of AI and eventually Wales. My summer went into full tilt immediately after finals when I headed off to Chicago with one of my best friends for ACen, which I will look back fondly on for years to come. Then I came home and settled into my usual summer routine of staying up late, waking up early, and generally getting nothing of substance done until I had to start working. And that was a different experience in and of itself. I'm glad that I never have to work at that place again. The actual work wasn't awful, but the people were constantly a pain in the ass.
I think one of the most influential things that I experienced this summer was meeting my friends who I fondly refer to as "The Bros". And oh, what a crazy bunch of people they are! To all my bros: Alicia, Amanda, Erika, Gen, Mousse, Paige, Patricia, and Tyler, I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You certainly made my summer more bearable, even if we are 5 hours apart 99% of the time. Without you I wouldn't have done so much Hetalia-wise this summer and certainly would have been really, really bored. I'll miss you all when I'm away in Wales, and I hope I'll get to see you around the internet while I'm gone.
Of course, summer called for reconnecting with friends back home, and to my hometown buddies, especially Lydia, Sam, Samuel, Linda, and Chris I want to tell you I love each and every one of you. Be good to each other this next term. And try to get Samuel to do stuff. He needs to get out of the house on the weekends.
And to Bekah, my glorious, amazing best friend for life: I know we didn't get to hang out as much as we wanted this summer, what with your little mister and big mister and me not having a car... But every moment I got to spend with you I cherish. You're my best friend on the planet. Thanks for brightening up my summer when I would get down in the dumps. I love you. <3
This summer was full of new friends, new experiences, new scars, and new memories and as I leave in what is now 16 1/2 hours to see a new continent, I take the memories of this summer with me. Goodbye summer, you've been an interesting one. I'll see you next year.
Cynical Pie out.
And oh what a summer it was, dear readers. It started out so optimistic, so full of new friends, and the looming dates of AI and eventually Wales. My summer went into full tilt immediately after finals when I headed off to Chicago with one of my best friends for ACen, which I will look back fondly on for years to come. Then I came home and settled into my usual summer routine of staying up late, waking up early, and generally getting nothing of substance done until I had to start working. And that was a different experience in and of itself. I'm glad that I never have to work at that place again. The actual work wasn't awful, but the people were constantly a pain in the ass.
I think one of the most influential things that I experienced this summer was meeting my friends who I fondly refer to as "The Bros". And oh, what a crazy bunch of people they are! To all my bros: Alicia, Amanda, Erika, Gen, Mousse, Paige, Patricia, and Tyler, I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. You certainly made my summer more bearable, even if we are 5 hours apart 99% of the time. Without you I wouldn't have done so much Hetalia-wise this summer and certainly would have been really, really bored. I'll miss you all when I'm away in Wales, and I hope I'll get to see you around the internet while I'm gone.
Of course, summer called for reconnecting with friends back home, and to my hometown buddies, especially Lydia, Sam, Samuel, Linda, and Chris I want to tell you I love each and every one of you. Be good to each other this next term. And try to get Samuel to do stuff. He needs to get out of the house on the weekends.
And to Bekah, my glorious, amazing best friend for life: I know we didn't get to hang out as much as we wanted this summer, what with your little mister and big mister and me not having a car... But every moment I got to spend with you I cherish. You're my best friend on the planet. Thanks for brightening up my summer when I would get down in the dumps. I love you. <3
This summer was full of new friends, new experiences, new scars, and new memories and as I leave in what is now 16 1/2 hours to see a new continent, I take the memories of this summer with me. Goodbye summer, you've been an interesting one. I'll see you next year.
Cynical Pie out.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday
I leave in two days.
I'm scared.
I'm lonely.
I'm excited as hell.
I don't want to pack anymore.
I don't want to say goodbye.
I'm scared.
I'm lonely.
I'm excited as hell.
I don't want to pack anymore.
I don't want to say goodbye.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sometimes there is beauty
Hi. My name is Cynical Pie.
And sometimes? Sometimes I feel beautiful.
And I mean that not in a vain or egotistical way. It's only for a fleeting moment. When I glimpse the curve of my neck at the right angle or when the light catches my hair just right, I catch an inkling that I can be pretty.
These moments are few and far between. Most of the time I look in the mirror I see a girl who is awkward and shy and very, very unattractive. I see someone ugly. Someone unwanted. It's not a good feeling.
As an artist I savor the details of appearances. I devour pictures of the beautiful people in my J-rock magazines, tattoo and fashion books, and on the ads in Vogue. When you stare at, analyze, and draw beautiful things and then see no correlation with yourself, it gets kind of hard to be able to face your reflection each day.
But I'll get over it. That's what I always say to myself. "Let it go, this too shall pass. I'll get over it." As much as I crave attention, I can't let anyone in, let anyone know how I'm really feeling. I'm afraid that they'll just pass me off as an attention whore, push me away and then I'll be left with no one. I'm afraid of being alone. So I pour out my heart to the faceless internet and draw my beautiful, broken things in my sketchbook. Most of the time I draw beautiful, perfect things. But every so often there are sketches and pictures of how I feel on the inside. Of loneliness and ugliness and isolation. I can tell the pencil and paper, pour out my heart to the white canvas. I just wish I could tell someone to their face. It's just hard to. I can listen to other peoples' problems and give advice, but when it comes to my own problems I freeze up. It helps that most of my friends have already left for college or are too far away to see face to face. It's so easy to fake being happy on the internet and in messengers. Sometimes all I really crave is for someone to ask me how I'm really doing. But, it's so easy to put up a front through words on a screen, none can tell that behind the :) face you're really crying.
Sorry about all this if you managed to make it to the end of this very emo and random entry. It probably didn't make a lot of sense. Sometimes I just need to tell someone what's going on my my head, and the faceless internet seems like a good place to dump my problems.
Bye for now, and here's to happier days.
-Cynical Pie
And sometimes? Sometimes I feel beautiful.
And I mean that not in a vain or egotistical way. It's only for a fleeting moment. When I glimpse the curve of my neck at the right angle or when the light catches my hair just right, I catch an inkling that I can be pretty.
These moments are few and far between. Most of the time I look in the mirror I see a girl who is awkward and shy and very, very unattractive. I see someone ugly. Someone unwanted. It's not a good feeling.
As an artist I savor the details of appearances. I devour pictures of the beautiful people in my J-rock magazines, tattoo and fashion books, and on the ads in Vogue. When you stare at, analyze, and draw beautiful things and then see no correlation with yourself, it gets kind of hard to be able to face your reflection each day.
But I'll get over it. That's what I always say to myself. "Let it go, this too shall pass. I'll get over it." As much as I crave attention, I can't let anyone in, let anyone know how I'm really feeling. I'm afraid that they'll just pass me off as an attention whore, push me away and then I'll be left with no one. I'm afraid of being alone. So I pour out my heart to the faceless internet and draw my beautiful, broken things in my sketchbook. Most of the time I draw beautiful, perfect things. But every so often there are sketches and pictures of how I feel on the inside. Of loneliness and ugliness and isolation. I can tell the pencil and paper, pour out my heart to the white canvas. I just wish I could tell someone to their face. It's just hard to. I can listen to other peoples' problems and give advice, but when it comes to my own problems I freeze up. It helps that most of my friends have already left for college or are too far away to see face to face. It's so easy to fake being happy on the internet and in messengers. Sometimes all I really crave is for someone to ask me how I'm really doing. But, it's so easy to put up a front through words on a screen, none can tell that behind the :) face you're really crying.
Sorry about all this if you managed to make it to the end of this very emo and random entry. It probably didn't make a lot of sense. Sometimes I just need to tell someone what's going on my my head, and the faceless internet seems like a good place to dump my problems.
Bye for now, and here's to happier days.
-Cynical Pie
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
In the midst of corn, there is a con...
So, this past weekend was the big one: AI. Anime Iowa. My home con. This is the convention I've been going to ever since I start attending anime conventions. I love it there. The location is amazing. The surrounding hotels are close enough that all but the extremely lazy can walk to the convention. And the people? Astounding. This year was no different. So, let's get to the timeline (I'll try and keep this as accurate as possible.)
Friday
>Midnight- Continue work on Timcampi plush from hell (more on this in a later post)
>3am- Finish Timcampi and pack
>3:45-4am- Finally go to bed
>7am- Wake up very much not like P-Diddy, instead like I've been hit by a freight train. Finish packing. Pack car when friend Sam arrives. Play tetris with my costume shit.
>8:15-9am- Run around Pella. Get Amberly. Make bank stops. Hit up McDonalds for nutritious breakfast goodies (strawberry and banana smoothies are amamzing). Leave home
>Drive, drive, drive, sing Lady Gaga, drive, drive, drive, sew Samuel's Turkey coat's buttons on. Finally arrive at Con.
>Get badges and then proceed to wait in line with friends for a few hours, taking a break to run back to the car in the rain to get the Timcampi plush of doom so I can give it to the owner.
>Derp around until the dealer's room opens, finally get into hotel room in the interm, eat food.
>Find Alicia's art booth and Alicia. Cue squealing and hugs.
>Meet up with my bros, and derp around with them the rest of the evening.
>Go back to room and sleep
Saturday
>Wake up feeling vaguely P-Diddyish, get ready to be Viking Iceland. Walk in ridiculous heat to con
>Hang out in Alicia's art booth a bunch, sketching and drawing chibis, and helping sell stuff
>Buy some prints from Studio O-n-Y
>Get mistaken for 3 different characters, none of which are who I am cosplaying. Cue ensuing blow to confidence
>Hetalia photoshoot. A lot of time and fun with my bros vs. a lot of loud idiots.
>Sit in Artist Alley some more, eat glorious pizza, find other friends, go to Masquerade
>Watch a couple of friends be BAMF Germania and Rome in the Masquerade
>Watch ex act like an idiot on stage. Derive sick satisfaction from it.
>Find Alicia and Mafimano who are FINALLY dressed in their Ancients outfits. Flail.
>Listen to Denmark-bro sing about yaoi and catcall him in final round of The Great Debate. "DEM RED PANTS!"
>Go to Perkins, overwhelm staff with our 10-person party at 10:30 at night.
>Cause a ruckus, share hilarious stories and inside jokes, finally get food at 11:10.
>Go back to room for the first time that day and change, go to the Bros' hotel room, then the con again.
>Get painted by Alicia. Dragon wings on my forearms~!
>Bros leave, left alone and get talked at by drunk people. Finally find friend Sam, go to hotel.
>Sleep
Sunday
>Wake up and frantically pack and get in casual Canada
>Pack car and empty hotel room. Go to con.
>Say goodbye to Amberly.
>Buy more prints in the Dealer's room. Also the best shirt ever.
>Hang out with my bros one last time. Say goodbye. Try very hard not to cry. (This lasts until late Sunday night.)
>Start getting sick... Oh joy...
>Say goodbye to roomies and Alicia. Leave con.
>Go to McDonalds on the way out of town.
>Drive home.
>Feel immune system crash almost immediately when I get home.
>Sleep
Sorry if this post has been boring for any of you who stumble on to it. This is more a jotting down of my memories for my own sake right now. I'll try to post pictures of the whole she-bang soon, but right now I want to leave you with the last picture taken on my camera from AI. I think it sums up my weekend quite nicely:
These are my bros. Not pictured are Erika and Gen, who were manning their Artist Alley booth, and Paige, who was running around the entire weekend. And yes, we are all awesome.
That's it for now. As someone I know says, "Bye, and be good to each other."
Plushies and Cupcakes,
Cynical Pie
Friday
>Midnight- Continue work on Timcampi plush from hell (more on this in a later post)
>3am- Finish Timcampi and pack
>3:45-4am- Finally go to bed
>7am- Wake up very much not like P-Diddy, instead like I've been hit by a freight train. Finish packing. Pack car when friend Sam arrives. Play tetris with my costume shit.
>8:15-9am- Run around Pella. Get Amberly. Make bank stops. Hit up McDonalds for nutritious breakfast goodies (strawberry and banana smoothies are amamzing). Leave home
>Drive, drive, drive, sing Lady Gaga, drive, drive, drive, sew Samuel's Turkey coat's buttons on. Finally arrive at Con.
>Get badges and then proceed to wait in line with friends for a few hours, taking a break to run back to the car in the rain to get the Timcampi plush of doom so I can give it to the owner.
>Derp around until the dealer's room opens, finally get into hotel room in the interm, eat food.
>Find Alicia's art booth and Alicia. Cue squealing and hugs.
>Meet up with my bros, and derp around with them the rest of the evening.
>Go back to room and sleep
Saturday
>Wake up feeling vaguely P-Diddyish, get ready to be Viking Iceland. Walk in ridiculous heat to con
>Hang out in Alicia's art booth a bunch, sketching and drawing chibis, and helping sell stuff
>Buy some prints from Studio O-n-Y
>Get mistaken for 3 different characters, none of which are who I am cosplaying. Cue ensuing blow to confidence
>Hetalia photoshoot. A lot of time and fun with my bros vs. a lot of loud idiots.
>Sit in Artist Alley some more, eat glorious pizza, find other friends, go to Masquerade
>Watch a couple of friends be BAMF Germania and Rome in the Masquerade
>Watch ex act like an idiot on stage. Derive sick satisfaction from it.
>Find Alicia and Mafimano who are FINALLY dressed in their Ancients outfits. Flail.
>Listen to Denmark-bro sing about yaoi and catcall him in final round of The Great Debate. "DEM RED PANTS!"
>Go to Perkins, overwhelm staff with our 10-person party at 10:30 at night.
>Cause a ruckus, share hilarious stories and inside jokes, finally get food at 11:10.
>Go back to room for the first time that day and change, go to the Bros' hotel room, then the con again.
>Get painted by Alicia. Dragon wings on my forearms~!
>Bros leave, left alone and get talked at by drunk people. Finally find friend Sam, go to hotel.
>Sleep
Sunday
>Wake up and frantically pack and get in casual Canada
>Pack car and empty hotel room. Go to con.
>Say goodbye to Amberly.
>Buy more prints in the Dealer's room. Also the best shirt ever.
>Hang out with my bros one last time. Say goodbye. Try very hard not to cry. (This lasts until late Sunday night.)
>Start getting sick... Oh joy...
>Say goodbye to roomies and Alicia. Leave con.
>Go to McDonalds on the way out of town.
>Drive home.
>Feel immune system crash almost immediately when I get home.
>Sleep
Sorry if this post has been boring for any of you who stumble on to it. This is more a jotting down of my memories for my own sake right now. I'll try to post pictures of the whole she-bang soon, but right now I want to leave you with the last picture taken on my camera from AI. I think it sums up my weekend quite nicely:
These are my bros. Not pictured are Erika and Gen, who were manning their Artist Alley booth, and Paige, who was running around the entire weekend. And yes, we are all awesome.
That's it for now. As someone I know says, "Bye, and be good to each other."
Plushies and Cupcakes,
Cynical Pie
Monday, July 19, 2010
"The Pen Is Mightier than the Sword..."
...But I don't know how well a pen's going to do against a troll.
Hey there wanderers of the internet! It's time for a kick-ass update/tutorial! I know, you're all just giddy with excitement. So let's get down to it!
Today I overhauled the paint job on this little number:
As you can see, the paint job done when it was produced isn't very good. The blade was atrocious and the gold was haphazardly put on:
Plus, I wanted the sword to coordinate with my viking Iceland outfit, which uses blues, browns and silvers.
Part 1: The Blade
So, the first thing I did was the blade:
1. First thing's first, I taped up the hilt so I wouldn't get spray paint on it.
2. Then I spray painted the blade using Rust-Oleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish in Aluminum.
3. As you can see, the spray paint is a very bright, metallic silver. This is fine for most props, but I wanted my sword to have a more realistic feel to it. So then came the texturing.
To texture the blade I used a foam brush used for most crafts and a mixture of gray and silver acrylic paints. I lightly covered the brush in the paint and then very lightly and quickly ran the brush over the blade from the center to the edge. Here you can kind of see the before and after:
When it's all done, the blade should look something like this:
Part 2: The Scabbard
So, I spent quite a bit of time on this scabbard, and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out, so let's get cracking shall we?
1. I painted over the black base with a dark blue acrylic paint using another foam craft brush. I also made sure to use horizontal strokes and to let some of the black show through so it would look more realistic.
2. Then I overhauled the detailing. To start with, I took a mixture of silver and gray acrylic paint (same mixture as on the blade)and the foam brush and painted over all of the gold. I made sure to go a little heavier on this part since I didn't want any of the gold to shine through.
3. Next comes the tedious work: Going back over where you have just painted and taking a small paintbrush (and also a toothpick in my case) and painting the sunken in parts black. Do this to give the detailing depth. Also, don't worry about it being super exact. The next steps will rectify the little oopsies.
When you're done with this step, it should look a little something like this:
4. Now you're going to take another one of your friends the foam craft brushes and lightly brush black over the silver. Then take the silver craft brush and go lightly over the detailing again. This is done to create the wear and tear and highlights to make the details look more realistic.
5. Finish up the hilt by going back over any parts of the blue you may have accidentally gotten silver/gray/black on. Make sure to use the technique in step 1 so everything looks the same.
6. Repeat steps 2-4 on the hilt of the sword.
7. Very, very, very lightly go over the detailing on the scabbard and hilt with just the silver paint. It really brightens up the "metal" and adds a nice touch.
8. Ta-da! Now you have your very own over-hauled plastic sword! Hooray!
Well, I hope this walk-through has been helpful! If you have any questions about what I've used or done in this thing, don't hesitate to ask. And just because you were so nice and made it to the end of this thing, here's a bonus pic of the completed sword:
I'm off to bed now. I have so much to do before AI gets here it's not even funny. Until next time, Cynical Pie is as good as unconscious.
Hey there wanderers of the internet! It's time for a kick-ass update/tutorial! I know, you're all just giddy with excitement. So let's get down to it!
Today I overhauled the paint job on this little number:
As you can see, the paint job done when it was produced isn't very good. The blade was atrocious and the gold was haphazardly put on:
Plus, I wanted the sword to coordinate with my viking Iceland outfit, which uses blues, browns and silvers.
Part 1: The Blade
So, the first thing I did was the blade:
1. First thing's first, I taped up the hilt so I wouldn't get spray paint on it.
2. Then I spray painted the blade using Rust-Oleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish in Aluminum.
3. As you can see, the spray paint is a very bright, metallic silver. This is fine for most props, but I wanted my sword to have a more realistic feel to it. So then came the texturing.
To texture the blade I used a foam brush used for most crafts and a mixture of gray and silver acrylic paints. I lightly covered the brush in the paint and then very lightly and quickly ran the brush over the blade from the center to the edge. Here you can kind of see the before and after:
When it's all done, the blade should look something like this:
Part 2: The Scabbard
So, I spent quite a bit of time on this scabbard, and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out, so let's get cracking shall we?
1. I painted over the black base with a dark blue acrylic paint using another foam craft brush. I also made sure to use horizontal strokes and to let some of the black show through so it would look more realistic.
2. Then I overhauled the detailing. To start with, I took a mixture of silver and gray acrylic paint (same mixture as on the blade)and the foam brush and painted over all of the gold. I made sure to go a little heavier on this part since I didn't want any of the gold to shine through.
3. Next comes the tedious work: Going back over where you have just painted and taking a small paintbrush (and also a toothpick in my case) and painting the sunken in parts black. Do this to give the detailing depth. Also, don't worry about it being super exact. The next steps will rectify the little oopsies.
When you're done with this step, it should look a little something like this:
4. Now you're going to take another one of your friends the foam craft brushes and lightly brush black over the silver. Then take the silver craft brush and go lightly over the detailing again. This is done to create the wear and tear and highlights to make the details look more realistic.
5. Finish up the hilt by going back over any parts of the blue you may have accidentally gotten silver/gray/black on. Make sure to use the technique in step 1 so everything looks the same.
6. Repeat steps 2-4 on the hilt of the sword.
7. Very, very, very lightly go over the detailing on the scabbard and hilt with just the silver paint. It really brightens up the "metal" and adds a nice touch.
8. Ta-da! Now you have your very own over-hauled plastic sword! Hooray!
Well, I hope this walk-through has been helpful! If you have any questions about what I've used or done in this thing, don't hesitate to ask. And just because you were so nice and made it to the end of this thing, here's a bonus pic of the completed sword:
I'm off to bed now. I have so much to do before AI gets here it's not even funny. Until next time, Cynical Pie is as good as unconscious.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Savor the last bit
I reached a routine milestone about a moment ago bloggity. I am on the last page of my sketchbook. Number 70. The last stroke of entirely new creation in this pad of paper I have lugged around since October. No, I won't be rid of the spiral- bound book just yet: there are pictures that must be inked and colored, sketches decided on whether or not to save, a folder insert that must be sorted and weeded through before I can entirely leave this dog-eared pad of paper behind.
But it's always a little sad to reach the end of one of these. In my mind I know that there will be plenty more sketchbooks where this one came from, that this isn't goodbye to the ideas and imaginings that make up what a sketchbook really is. But this one, this particular sketchbook is so very precious to me. This is the one that saw me through my first year of college. It has been my daily companion through boring English Comp classes and history lectures. It's been lugged to Minneapolis and Chicago and various places along the way. It's been hugged tight to my chest as I run through snowstorms and downpours. It's gotten me through bad days, worse nights, and the shittiest weeks I've ever had. My fandom came alive in this sketchbook. My creativity flourished Fairies shifted to Hetalia to original characters and back again. As I did the inevitable maturing college supposedly brings, my style matured, as evidenced in these 8 1/2" by 11" sheets. Throughout the course of these 70 pages, I have grown. Lines have become cleaner, details have appeared, anatomy has started to fall into place.
It's so hard to give up one of these blasted things after so long. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to an old friend for the last time. These simple 70 pages of sketch paper have been more than a friend could ever be to me over the past few months. This sketchbook is a window into my musings, dreams, fantasies, and my soul.
So goodbye, old friend. You've been good to me. I doubt I'll forget you anytime soon. We've had a good time together. Au revoir mon ami. La séparation est douce tristesse. (Yes, it's google translate. Don't rain on my love of french parade.)
"She went her unremembering way,
She went and left in me
The pang of all the partings gone,
And partings yet to be."
~Francis Thompson
But it's always a little sad to reach the end of one of these. In my mind I know that there will be plenty more sketchbooks where this one came from, that this isn't goodbye to the ideas and imaginings that make up what a sketchbook really is. But this one, this particular sketchbook is so very precious to me. This is the one that saw me through my first year of college. It has been my daily companion through boring English Comp classes and history lectures. It's been lugged to Minneapolis and Chicago and various places along the way. It's been hugged tight to my chest as I run through snowstorms and downpours. It's gotten me through bad days, worse nights, and the shittiest weeks I've ever had. My fandom came alive in this sketchbook. My creativity flourished Fairies shifted to Hetalia to original characters and back again. As I did the inevitable maturing college supposedly brings, my style matured, as evidenced in these 8 1/2" by 11" sheets. Throughout the course of these 70 pages, I have grown. Lines have become cleaner, details have appeared, anatomy has started to fall into place.
It's so hard to give up one of these blasted things after so long. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to an old friend for the last time. These simple 70 pages of sketch paper have been more than a friend could ever be to me over the past few months. This sketchbook is a window into my musings, dreams, fantasies, and my soul.
So goodbye, old friend. You've been good to me. I doubt I'll forget you anytime soon. We've had a good time together. Au revoir mon ami. La séparation est douce tristesse. (Yes, it's google translate. Don't rain on my love of french parade.)
"She went her unremembering way,
She went and left in me
The pang of all the partings gone,
And partings yet to be."
~Francis Thompson
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
One month to go
Why my mom needs to take the laptop away
So, it's essentially crunch time now in Cynical Pie-land. The goal- a completed fully-sewn cosplay and closet-cosplay for Anime Iowa. Deadline- July 30th. Time left to work- If I get off my butt and actually to something today, it's 22 days. I have even less time if you factor in weekends and days off visitng friends. But I don't want to make this number smaller than it already is.
So, crunch time. I'm about to jump off the diving board of procrastination and dive into the Pool of Ridiculous Amounts of Fabric. 7 3/4 yards of fabric to be exact. Now, you're probably asking yourself, "What could anyone possibly need with almost 8 yards (24 feet for those of you who don't feel like converting stuff) of fabric?" The fabric, polar fleece to be exact, is becoming the cloak for my Viking Iceland cosplay from Axis Powers Hetalia.
Shebam. The epic roll of fabric.
Right now I have it all pinned out (after much trouble, but that's a story for a different time) and the majority of the pieces cut out. Now it just needs to be sewm and BAM! part of that costume done.
So what else is there to do in this crunch time? Well, my lovely Twin, Cerys, from the UK needs her birthday gift shipped off, which means finishing those two mochis. Then I have a Gilbird to accessorize, 3 more mochis to make, and a tunic to make. Thank god my wonderful friend is letting me borrow her wig. HUGE relief and weight off my shoulders. For those of you who haven't ever bought and styled wigs: Unless you really enjoy working with hair, don't try and style a wig. You'll want to claw your eyes out before it's over.
All quiet on the Welsh front
Things for Wales are coming along nicely. I finally have the funds to purchase my ticket, and tomorrow my ticket should be ordered and my health evaluation done. It would just be nice if the college would send out my financial aid package so I could know how much I still need to pay before I go over.
Sad bit of news, one of my friends' brother got sick, and so she's deferring going abroad for a semester. I wish her and her family all the best, because she is such a fun person to be around.
And now for something completely different
Yes, I did steal the styling of this blog from my friend, Resonant Insanity over at Otaku Asylum. Am I sorry? Nope. :P
Oh, and I turned another year older. That happens about once a year.
Happy Birthday me. Maybe we'll get a little wiser this year. And grow up a little. But don't count on that second one.
So, it's essentially crunch time now in Cynical Pie-land. The goal- a completed fully-sewn cosplay and closet-cosplay for Anime Iowa. Deadline- July 30th. Time left to work- If I get off my butt and actually to something today, it's 22 days. I have even less time if you factor in weekends and days off visitng friends. But I don't want to make this number smaller than it already is.
So, crunch time. I'm about to jump off the diving board of procrastination and dive into the Pool of Ridiculous Amounts of Fabric. 7 3/4 yards of fabric to be exact. Now, you're probably asking yourself, "What could anyone possibly need with almost 8 yards (24 feet for those of you who don't feel like converting stuff) of fabric?" The fabric, polar fleece to be exact, is becoming the cloak for my Viking Iceland cosplay from Axis Powers Hetalia.
Shebam. The epic roll of fabric.
Right now I have it all pinned out (after much trouble, but that's a story for a different time) and the majority of the pieces cut out. Now it just needs to be sewm and BAM! part of that costume done.
So what else is there to do in this crunch time? Well, my lovely Twin, Cerys, from the UK needs her birthday gift shipped off, which means finishing those two mochis. Then I have a Gilbird to accessorize, 3 more mochis to make, and a tunic to make. Thank god my wonderful friend is letting me borrow her wig. HUGE relief and weight off my shoulders. For those of you who haven't ever bought and styled wigs: Unless you really enjoy working with hair, don't try and style a wig. You'll want to claw your eyes out before it's over.
All quiet on the Welsh front
Things for Wales are coming along nicely. I finally have the funds to purchase my ticket, and tomorrow my ticket should be ordered and my health evaluation done. It would just be nice if the college would send out my financial aid package so I could know how much I still need to pay before I go over.
Sad bit of news, one of my friends' brother got sick, and so she's deferring going abroad for a semester. I wish her and her family all the best, because she is such a fun person to be around.
And now for something completely different
Yes, I did steal the styling of this blog from my friend, Resonant Insanity over at Otaku Asylum. Am I sorry? Nope. :P
Oh, and I turned another year older. That happens about once a year.
Happy Birthday me. Maybe we'll get a little wiser this year. And grow up a little. But don't count on that second one.
Monday, June 28, 2010
It's 2am, time for silliness
So about this time of night, as I'm working on drawings and chatting with friends, I get a little... silly. Tiny jokes are blown way out of proportion into fits of uncontrollable laughter. Colored pencils are talked too and given personalities. And one of my favorite little quirks likes to rear it's head. I am, of course, talking about my happy dance.
For those of you who know me, you know I like to celebrate little things: getting to eat mashed potatoes, finding out one of my favorite fanfics has updated, or like tonight, getting part of a drawing to look right. So, for your enjoyment, I present to you the "Cynical Pie Happy Dance How-To"
1. Point up at the sky, bending your arms at the elbows
2. Alternate raising your pointing hands up at the sky
3. While moving your hands/poking the air, wiggle around in your chair or turn in a circle if standing.
4. Continue doing this until you feel it has been sufficient
Congratulations, you've just done the Happy Dance! Now I'm back to working on this:
Bye for now!
For those of you who know me, you know I like to celebrate little things: getting to eat mashed potatoes, finding out one of my favorite fanfics has updated, or like tonight, getting part of a drawing to look right. So, for your enjoyment, I present to you the "Cynical Pie Happy Dance How-To"
1. Point up at the sky, bending your arms at the elbows
2. Alternate raising your pointing hands up at the sky
3. While moving your hands/poking the air, wiggle around in your chair or turn in a circle if standing.
4. Continue doing this until you feel it has been sufficient
Congratulations, you've just done the Happy Dance! Now I'm back to working on this:
Bye for now!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Mochis~
Okay, so, you've found this little blog. Now you're saying, how could this girl know anything about being crafty or creative? So, I've decided to give you a little run-down of what my artsy things are:
Anyways, so that's a bit of my crafty background. I promise I'm going to upload some pictures of the stuff I do soon, but you can find some of my arts and stuff on my DA: Here The drawings are old, I'm trying to play catch-up this summer. But the pictures of plushies are all recent. Enjoy!
Cynical Pie out!
- I've been drawing pretty much full-time for the past 8 years. I used to do god-awful renders of Yu-Gi-Oh cards and now I draw in what I hope is a less derpy style. I even sold art at a convention last year! :B
- I've been going to anime conventions since my sophomore year of high school. Yes, I know that's nerdy to the extreme, but I've also been cosplaying since then. To do these cosplays I have been sewing and altering outfits. I'm still a novice at it, but I love making props and such so I hope I get better at it. Actually, one of my projects this summer is to make an outfit for Iceland from Axis Powers Hetalia as a viking. So far I have completed 6 outfits and made props for 2 of them. I think. ><" I also have made other props for cosplays that have never been finished, because I am horrible when it comes to planning.
- So, that brings me to sewing. I've been sewing since 4th grade, and embroidering cards since 5th grade. Currently I'm exploring the wild world of plushie making and so far I've made... 18 and given away 14 of them. I'm going to attempt to make my first humanoid plushie soon, so that'll be an adventure.
Anyways, so that's a bit of my crafty background. I promise I'm going to upload some pictures of the stuff I do soon, but you can find some of my arts and stuff on my DA: Here The drawings are old, I'm trying to play catch-up this summer. But the pictures of plushies are all recent. Enjoy!
Cynical Pie out!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
In-between
I feel like I'm in an in-between. You know, that moment after you take a deep breath, right before you exhale? That's how I'd describe my life at the moment. I'm just... waiting.
Granted, there are plenty of things to do. I have mochis to sew, costumes to plan, drawings to finally ink and color, and a whole room that has to be cleaned. But I feel like I'm constantly waiting for something to happen, and I have no idea what.
But I tend to get this way in the early parts of summer. My brain hasn't slowed down with small-town life quite yet after the feverish month of May. It hasn't had time to hit the pause button and relax.
I've been staying up late too. But, then again, it was kind of inevitable that I would spend my time creating things until 3am. I like the night more. I know that sounds cliche, but I truly enjoy the dark and how it creates a different atmosphere in a place. There's a quietness about my house after 11pm, and I enjoy being awake for that.
Well, I suppose I shouldn't let my first post here just be a random drabble from my head. I started looking up plane tickets for Wales today. Ugh. It's too bad I couldn't get a flight with the large group of people going over. I'm terrified of flying to Manchester. One, I've never flown before, ever. And two, it's overseas. There's no one to help me if I get lost or lose my way. And that scares the crap out of me. Luckily, one of my friends is booked on a flight with some seats left. It just has a 7 hour layover in NYC... Ugh. I just need to keep in mind my favorite lyrics by OkGo: "Let it go, this too shall pass."
Until next time bloggity
Granted, there are plenty of things to do. I have mochis to sew, costumes to plan, drawings to finally ink and color, and a whole room that has to be cleaned. But I feel like I'm constantly waiting for something to happen, and I have no idea what.
But I tend to get this way in the early parts of summer. My brain hasn't slowed down with small-town life quite yet after the feverish month of May. It hasn't had time to hit the pause button and relax.
I've been staying up late too. But, then again, it was kind of inevitable that I would spend my time creating things until 3am. I like the night more. I know that sounds cliche, but I truly enjoy the dark and how it creates a different atmosphere in a place. There's a quietness about my house after 11pm, and I enjoy being awake for that.
Well, I suppose I shouldn't let my first post here just be a random drabble from my head. I started looking up plane tickets for Wales today. Ugh. It's too bad I couldn't get a flight with the large group of people going over. I'm terrified of flying to Manchester. One, I've never flown before, ever. And two, it's overseas. There's no one to help me if I get lost or lose my way. And that scares the crap out of me. Luckily, one of my friends is booked on a flight with some seats left. It just has a 7 hour layover in NYC... Ugh. I just need to keep in mind my favorite lyrics by OkGo: "Let it go, this too shall pass."
Until next time bloggity
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