Hong Kong Day 5- Star Ferry

After my journey to the Peak, I returned to the city proper and made my way to the nearby port where all the ferries departed. By this point in my stay in Hong Kong, I pretty much had the route from Hong Kong station to the pier memorized! Not bad, I'd say. Despite how crowded the city is, it doesn't really take up much land mass, making it relatively easy to navigate, especially by bus and train, and great for walking if you know where you're heading. That being said, some areas were nearly impossible for me to navigate- especially near my hotel, due to my inability to read Chinese symbols and how I'd hit a point of sensory saturation that almost every street started to look the same. 

But onboard the Star Ferry, none of that matters. The city on one side grows slowly smaller and more distant, while Mongkok grows ever closer until it looms above. The lights of the city glisten off the glossy black water, reflecting the nightly light show in synchronized displays. It's truly beautiful, and easy to see why this ferry is world famous.

Once back in Mongkok I stopped for dinner at a claypot rice restaurant I'd passed many times. Sitting alone, awaiting my meal, the proprietor decided to hang with me and discuss the fame her small venue had attained, pointing out different photos of her with various guests over the years. She was certainly a character and when the time came, she returned to demonstrate to me how the rice in the bottom of the hot bowl had crisped into a cracker adding another element to the experience. As delicious as this meal was, I have to admit it put a real damper on the rest of my trip... I ended up cracking a tooth while crunching into that super crispy rice at the bottom of the clay pot, which resulted in one of my molars being extremely sore and angry. The pain persisted until I was able to visit a dentist back in Japan, which lead to it's own nightmare... Dentists in Japan, or at least my dentist, don't like to use much anesthesia. When he was replacing the filling with a crown, a week after clearing out the old filling to take a mold then stuffing in a temporary filling, I could feel EVERYTHING. It was awful, just absolutely awful. He'd force the crown into place putting pressure on the tooth and gums, then yank it out and file at it some, then shove it back in and repeat the process ad nauseum until I broke down in tears asking him to please, please just give me some more anesthesia. Not only am I 5'10-5'11" tall and weigh quite a bit more than the average Japanese lass, I have a high tolerance for pain killers and they don't effect me nearly as much or as long as they might normal people. As I was trembling with tears rolling down my face, the dentist rolled his eyes and told me to quit being such a baby so he could just wrap it up. As a result, I've had severe anxiety about going to a new dentist ever since. My most recent visit to a dentist, here in Seoul, was multitudes better. When I started wincing halfway through the procedure because I could feel things again, they didn't even need to ask or have me raise my hand- the dental assistant/hygienist went and grabbed another syringe of anesthesia and numbed me back out for the remainder. Thank you, kind lady.

Anyhow, for more photos, click below!

Hong Kong Day 5- The Peak

Hong Kong is famous for a lot of things, but one of the most notable is the amazing views of the city's world class architecture. Whether you're viewing Victoria Harbor from Tsim Sha Tsui in Mongkok, the square in Wan Chai on the Hong Kong side, or from atop the highest peak in the city- named, unironically, The Peak, it's a beautiful city and exquisite evening light show spectacle to feast your eyes upon. 

Typically, for those eager to reach the Peak and view the city from on high, the cable cars are the option du jour. This also means that the line for the cable cars is extremely long and not everyone is guaranteed to make it to their destination prior to the light show. Being the impatient lout I am, I bypassed this method of gaining altitude in favor of taking a city bus. Not only was the bus much cheaper, but the experience of winding alongside the narrow mountain roads in a rickety old passenger van (seriously, it seemed like a basic cargo van converted to hold seats instead of equipment) that careens around corners precariously was something to be had. Not an experience I'd necessarily recommend for those with weaker stomachs, but I managed to survive the experience well enough despite having eaten ample of the culinary goodies available throughout the area. My stomach is a brute, to be fair, and I've stuffed some questionable things down my gullet to no ill effect. But I digress.  

Once you actually arrive to the mountain's summit, you'll find a large... mall. Typically I'm not especially enthused by shopping, especially in a mall environment, unless it's some grand outdoor market or something with cultural value (I mean, sorry to say but a mall is a mall is a mall, as far as I'm concerned, whether it be in Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, L.A., Seoul, or Vegas...). Sure, there have been some outliers like the time Antho and I happened upon the Sherman Oaks Galleria, aka the mall where scenes from Terminator were filmed in L.A., but we didn't go shopping. Is it weird that as a female I don't find clothes shopping an especially thrilling activity? Perhaps because I'm tall and have a hard time finding attire that fits me well (either due to weight fluctuations or my broad shoulders & broad hips/big bum) shopping for clothes has always been riddled with difficulties and challenges to me sense of self. Leggings and tunics have been a life saver (as has Uniglo while living in Asia). So, suffice to say, I didn't spend an exorbitant amount of time perusing the shops prior to the light show. After the show, however, I did stumble upon a rose blush pleated skirt that I really loved and ended up taking home with me. I found a surprisingly large amount of clothes in Hong Kong that fit me well, perhaps because of their long time as an international hub and catering to giant westerners such as myself. 

There were also some anime exhibits around the mall that were fun to see, and a lovely tea shop that I popped into. Many souvenir shops were scattered about, naturally, given the tourist destination nature of the locale.  

More photos after the cut!

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016 After Party

After the fun had at the Las Vegas Convention center for the convention itself, the party moved to the Millenium Fandom Bar for the after party. Have you ever danced with Admiral Ackbar and Fiona the Human? I have. It was awesome!

In case you're not from Vegas, or even if you are from Vegas but lack a certain geeky-socialite je nai ses quoi, the Millenium Fandom Bar is a bastion of beverages and community for cosplayers and regular fans alike. While cosplay is certainly not required, it's definitely encouraged, so what better environment to celebrate the successful con with all the fabulous cosplayers and vendors who attended and plenty who couldn't?

The awesome staff and management of the bar let me set up and draw caricatures, as well, and I had a blast! It was so fun seeing and drawing people in character and with the liquid libations loosening everyone up a bit, it was quite the wild night. This was also something of a low-key going away party for me, as well, because shortly after this I would be leaving for Korea and unable to hang out with my Critical Care Crew until I return from my adventures in Asia. Spider-man and Batsy did a shot with me to send me off, and a very surprised Uber driver got to delivery Batman safely to his Batcave later that evening- in full Bat suit! Don't drink and drive, kids, unless you want to face justice. No one likes Batman when he's angry...and while Batman doesn't kill his enemies (most of the time) there's no guarantee what could happen. Just don't risk it!

All in all it was a super fun time (see what I did there? eh? eh?)! Critical Care Comics took over the sound system for a bit and held the costume contest and a raffle. All proceeds from the raffle went towards funding their efforts to bring a smile to the faces of sick kids throughout the valley, so even if you didn't win a prize you still won some good karma points! If you've never seen a drunk Spider-man MCing it's really quite a spectacle to behold. I may or may not have grabbed his bum... what can I say? I've always had a soft spot for the witty webslinger. Luckily he had given me a free pass to do so once or twice in my life when I casually mentioned the temptation at another time, so it wasn't assault. That's important, folks- don't go grabbing or touching people without their explicit consent, otherwise you're no better than the orange buffoon with the bad hair from the TV that (almost) everyone makes fun of. 

Just because someone is in cosplay does not give you the right to touch them.

EVER.  It doesn't matter how sexy their costume is or how nice they seem, unless they give you the OK to hug or otherwise touch them, respect their bodily autonomy and personal bubble. It's basic human decency, guys. 

Luckily for everyone, the group at the after party were all awesome people and a good time was had by pretty much everyone (as far as I could tell anyway, I for one saw no grumpy faces). I'm absolutely looking forward to attending next year's Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con!! Hope to see you all out at ALVCC2017!!

XOXO

Nau

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016 Day 2

Day Two of the Amazing Las Vegas Comic con was even more lively with additional cosplayers, vendors, speakers, and more to be seen with the weekend allowing more people the chance to escape reality (and work) to attend. There were even a pair of tyrannosaurus rex romping around, terrifying and amusing people as they flailed their tiny arms about and brought all sorts of fresh new chaos from the cretaceous, as the grand beasts have a tendency to do (exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C, exhibit D) . Creativity in all it's forms was on proud display with an outstanding array of costumes and creations to be seen. It was a lot of fun and great to see so many people coming out and sharing their love for their fandom! Whether you're a fan of DC, Marvel, Star Wars, gaming or cartoons there really was something for everyone which was lovely to see given how divisive some fans can get. 

While I understand being enthusiastic about your particular obsession of choice, I personally don't really understand the DC/Marvel hate, or the Trekkies vs Star Wars type wars that go on. I like all of them! Each franchise has their own unique and enjoyable aspects to bring to the table, whether it be DC's excellent television franchise (oh, Barry Allen, quit futzing with the timeline, you loveable rascal!), Marvel's grand cinematic universe, Star Wars's epic lore and expansive  universe, or Star Trek's optimistic vision for humanity's future and tales of comradery, challenge and cooperation. You're allowed to like them all, or none of them, for your own reasons- just don't be a jerk, man. Luckily, this event I did not encounter any fanboy-supremes who piss all over anything outside their particular fandom of choice and the peaceful interactions and enthusiastic acceptance of eachother's fan-love is a huge attraction to the event. I mean, seriously, no one really wants to be that guy from the Simpsons, right?

Among the peaceful and happy attendees there were ample collectibles to be had, from rare Funko Pops to ultra rare Spider-man comics! While hanging out with the wonderful crew of Critical Care Comics, someone donated this rare issue of Spider-man much to the shock and awe of the group. This one comic alone was worth $300 at the time and is probably worth more than that now, given the amount of time that's passed since the event and how rarity tends to go. I could be wrong, of course, as I was more the Pokemon card collecting kid and much of my collection didn't really appreciate in value, so my understanding of these things may be limited.   

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016- Day 1

This post is long overdue! 

My apologies, denizens of the internet and blogosphere. I've been really busy with this whole living in Korea thing, and my poor bloggy-woggy has been terribly neglected as a result. On the plus side, as a result of how busy I've been going out and exploring, having an adventure on nearly every day off, I've now got a backlog with a plethora of fun new content to share with everyone in the near future!  

But this post is not about the near future, it's about an event that is now, sadly in the past. 

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016!!

BAM! POW! FLASH!

What is the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con? According to their website:

"AMAZING LAS VEGAS COMIC CON is Nevada’s premiere pop culture event, taking place June 23-25, 2016. The 2016 event is back bigger than ever before, moving to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con features the very best creators in the world with favorites from the Las Vegas Community, Extensive programming, an International Artist Alley, and the Wizards of Cosplay."

As a participant, I can say that it was an absolute blast! Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con provides a chance for the geekily inclined to gather and celebrate their love of the art of telling stories in panels, dressing up, sci-fi, fiction, art, on and on! There were extremely talented artists galore, both illustrators, crafters, and cosplayers, as well as panels from celebrity guests and veterans of the industry throughout all three days. As an artist myself I was blown away by all the cool creations and could only wish I had more cash to buy all the cool stuff. There was so much awesomeness!!

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend with the Critical Care Comics crew, who are a fabulous group of heroes who gather together to fight the forces of sadness and illness that attack our young friends and fellow comic fans who find themselves hospitalized for any number of reasons. To help bring a smile to their faces your friendly neighborhood Spider-man, Supergirl, Starfire, Wonder Woman, Batman, Raven, Deadpool and Wolverine (and more!) will pop in for a visit with fat-stacks of community donated comics to surprise them! I'll tag along and draw the kids as their favorite hero or cartoon character. It's really a wonderful group to be a part of and to help with. I feel very honored to be able to play any part in their excellent community work. I highly recommend checking out their webpage or Facebook and if you happen to have any unwanted comics to send them their way. It really does brighten the kid's days, and as some parents have told us, might be the first thing to bring a smile to their face in some time. 

Anyhow, this post is about Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016, and photos galore follow below!