My Very Own CosCard!

I was browsing the web for cosplay blogs when I stumbled upon this interesting practice in most conventions, the exchange of COSCARDS.

COSCARDS are cosplayers' "business cards" with their CURE Number, e-mail address, website, facebook account and so on that are given to other cosplayers and photographers in a cosplay event. It is customary in Japan to exchange business cards after meeting a person for the first time. So these coscards are the business card's equivalent in the cosplay world. Read all about the Japanese business card etiquette here.

I got so interested with these lovely things that I actually made a couple of designs for my coscards. Take a look at them:

The making of my coscards.

I included in my coscard my name. blog URL, facebook page, e-mail address and my cure number.

I followed SG Cafe's tutorial on making the cards. It was very helpful in a way that it also included a template to help you in printing out the coscards when you are done making it.

I used specialty board size 8.5 by 13 in 220 GSM for the print outs. It turned out pretty nicely.

The color is cream but it looks almost white.

My printed-out coscards with the album. 

I bought a business cards album to keep the coscards. Thank goodies it fitted perfectly.

My coscards with the photo of my visual kei style. 

Coscards with the photo of my Gakupo Matryoshka cosplay. 

I can't wait for the next cosplay event in my town! I want to exchange coscards with other cosplayers to get to know them better. I think this is a very convenient way to exchange information about you during an event. You don't always carry a pen and paper always, do you? :)

Do you have coscards of your own? Why don't we exchange next time when I see you? :)

Nursing Mini-Olympics Opening X Gakupo Matryoshka

Finally I can write about my Gakupo-Matryoshka cosplay during last week's Nursing Mini-Olympics opening. I was very busy last weekend with my hospital duty and the TV interview on cosplay that I totally forgot to write this! Good thing my friend reminded me of the photos from the opening parade and...

... here's what happened that day and the photos of my Gakupo Matryoshka!

Cee and Myra

Me and Myra dressed up before the opening parade. I chose to be Gakupo that afternoon. I forgot Myra's character! OERGOERDZZ I can only remember that her character is from an anime detective series. ><

Introducing Gakupo - Matryoshka!

Cee as Gakupo from the video 'Matryoshka'

I braided my Gakupo wig and wore a blue hoodiem a pair of loose trousers and my boots. This cosplay is still incomplete: the details on the hoodie are still missing and I wore black gloves as an alternative for the brown ones on the video.

Click here to view the video on youtube!

The booth and the parade...

Pop the Balloon! 

Myra with some Nihon Fure Ai Kai members

Our club's booth! We actually cosplayed to promote our Japanese club, the Nihon Fure Ai Kai (A Touch of Japan). Our club is known for our POP THE BALLOON game, maid cafe, omikuji (Japanese fortune telling), Japanese Paper fish-scooping and of course, cosplay. :)

Nursing mini-Olympics Opening Parade!

The parade was held just inside the campus, passing every college while cheering for our college year level. The awesome thing about our club is that we were the only one who had cosplayers. :)

Tired but still in character! :)

Short but tiring parade. I had beads of sweat on my forehead after the walk! We had a short photo-op after before changing. My dear friend Miku came along and took the following photos.

I had the Matryoshka video on my phone. When a few of my friends ask me what character I am, I show them the video. 

I love this shot! Miku was following some of my instructions on how to take the photos. 

This one is my favorite. A candid photo by Miku.

Thank you, dear Miku for taking these wonderful photos! 

Another Gakupo cosplay done! Planning to cosplay other versions soon so watch out for it!

REVIEW: Crystal Lens from Gwyshop!

Remember my old post about the two pairs of contact lenses that I bought this month? Well, I tried on the Opal Violet for my Gakupo Matryoshka cosplay last week.

I bought the two pairs of contact lenses (the other one is Pearl Gray) from Gwyshop. They are from a new line of contact lenses, Crystal Series with an ongoing promo: two pairs for 499PHP, free shipping if you order via their Multiply account. Good deal, right? 

I love the packaging. Effort counts, you know. :)

The package arrived earlier than expected (YAY). The packaging, as you can see above, was nicely done. The vials were wrapped with bubble wrap and purple craft paper and tied with a long ribbon. Pretty much like a present to friend. Everything was placed inside a personalized paper bag. 

The lenses came with a pocket size solution for free! This saved my day because I was out of solution and I forgot to buy a bottle for these new lenses.

Lens Details:

Origin: South Korea

Diameter: 14.8mm

Base Curve: 8.6

Water: 42%

Power: Plano

Life Span: 1 year

What I love about the design of the lens is that its simplicity. I am not really a big fan of design prints that are not very realistic. I will be using this pair for cosplay so I needed a pair to help me achieve realistic purple eyes.

I love the color of the lens when I put it on my eyes. This is my first purple lens and I am happy on how natural it looked on me.

The lenses enlarged my eyes which is a big YES when cosplaying because we all know that anime characters have large eyes. Although Vocaloid is not an anime, the characters that represent the voices are anime characters and they do have large eyes in most videos and artworks. 

Indoor light, no flash

With flash

Outdoor light, no flash

I love how easy it was to wear it. I did not feel any discomfort the first time I put it on even after how many weeks of not wearing any contact lens. Yaay for these new line of contacts! 

Will I buy from the shop in the future? 

Definitely! Especially if there will be another awesome promo like this in the future. :3

Cee cosplaying Gakupo Matryoshka Version

Busy busy weekend X Gakupo Matryoshka Teaser

OMG! Been missing a few days of blogging.

I will be very busy this weekend. Very busy that I think I might not have enough time to sleep! >_<

Hospital duties and requirements, a contest during the Nursing Mini-Olympics, completion of a cosplay for a TV guesting appearance, photography class session and creating accessories for blog giveaways (Watch out for that soon!)

Hope I can make it through this weekend alive. Anyway, watch out for these exciting posts after this hectic weekend:

• Cosplay at WMSU College of Nursing Convocation
• My newest cosplay for this Saturday! Guess what character! (Clue: movie character)
• and more!

OH YEAH, I cosplayed Gakupo just a few hours ago during the opening of the Western Mindanao College of Nursing Mini-Olympics! It was for the promotion of the Japanese enthusiasts club I belong, the Nihon Fure Ai Kai. 

Check out this teaser photo:

So what do you guys think? Did I give justice to Gakupo of Vocaloid? This version of Gakupo is from the video 'Matryoshka'.

Featured Otaku: Bea Banagudos - A Vocaloid Fan

Another new topic for my blog, the featured Otaku will be like the Featured cosplayer. I will write a post about a cosplayer and an otaku every week. Expect to meet awesome cosplayers and otakus soon!

Bea, The Vocaloid Otaku
I know a little about Vocaloid. I heard a few songs by different vocaloids and even cosplayed a vocaloid character, Gakupo. But I never met another fan of these virtual idols... not until Bea came along.

Bea cosplaying Miki, a vocaloid character.

Vocaloid characters are usually misunderstood, especially in the cosplaying community. People would ask what anime or manga these characters came from and we would always explain what is Vocaloid.

To 'educate' us more about these amazing singing characters, here's a fan to answer a few frequently asked questions on Vocaloids.


Basic information:
Name: Bianca Beatriz Banagudos
Age: 19… For now. =))
Social: Facebook



What is Vocaloid?

Vocaloid is the short cut for Vocal Android. Basically, Vocaloid is a program. It’s a singing synthesizer software that creates voices (if you want to create your own Vocaloid), and (if you have a voice bank already, say Miku for example) makes your voice banks “sing”. How it works is that you input lyrics and melody into the program, position in which key you’d like it to fall, and voila! Press play and your vocaloid now “sings”.  Each voice bank is represented by an anime character, that’s why Miku and the other Vocaloids have their anime forms.

Where did you learn about Vocaloid?

I was chatting with a friend of mine (Rain) on Yahoo Messenger (Yes, YM. And yes, it was WAAAAY BACK when I discovered Vocaloid lol) and he gave me a YouTube link of Megurine Luka’s Just Be Friends. I listened to that song and I immediately got hooked. I researched about Vocaloids after that (I NEVER KNEW about Vocaloids back then), and listened to a lot of their songs, and then later on I joined Vocaloid groups and subscribed to Vocaloid Rankings on YouTube (VocaRans for short. Yes, people, they exist. XD). I’ve been updated with the latest Vocaloid news and songs ever since.

Why love Vocaloid?

It’s amazing that a program such as Vocaloid could actually make people feel them. I have cried, laughed, danced, and sang Japanese songs because of Vocaloids, and they don’t even exist. They are THAT influencial. :’)

Who is your favorite Vocaloid and why?

Hard to choose… but Gumi will have to be on top of my list, next to Luka, Miku, and IA. Gumi has the most realistic voice of all Vocaloids; ANY genre suits her. Miku definitely fits all genres too, Luka sings the most amazing Jazz songs, and IA does the most awesome Vocaloid covers (A Vocaloid covering a Vocaloid song!  HAHA!)

Favorite Vocaloid song (and maybe something about it):

Wow. So many to choose from. ;A; But Breath of Mechanical (JimmythumbP) by Miku Hatsune (Bet you haven’t heard of it, have you? XP) will have to be my favorite song. ;3 I literally cried when I first heard it, not because it’s a sad song, but it sounds like a song of hope. When I knew the lyrics’ translation, it WAS about hope! Sorta… LOL. It’s a story of a damaged robot wanting to feel the world, but he can’t because he’s metal. But Miku made a way to make him feel. Lyrics’ translation goes like this:

In the middle of a snowfall
I saw you standing alone
In an unconscious coldness
I saw you gone astray
At the back of a heartless town
I softly held your rusty hand
What can this confused person's hand
Offer to give you?
The boy has worn mechanical eyes but forgot to wear a smiling face
If that's so then piling up all its emotions will make it a perfect body.
You know, these old memories,
Throw them away before waking up
So that this clear singing voice
Will not vanish
The boy's mechanical hands can't feel warmth just like this
If that's so then a tight embrace and tears will make it a perfect body.
Don't worry, those arms, feet, even those small eyes and mouth
You can move them as you like, right?
Go on, sing.
The boy saw the world and an avalanche of emotions swirled in him
And thus in nonsensical words, the song of our beginnings was spun 

It’s a really nice song, plus a really nice message as well.

Favorite Vocaloid video (and maybe something about it):

Two-faced Lovers (Wowaka) by Miku Hatsune. Seriously it is the most… Well, how do I put it, REALISTIC video ever. =)) You should know why when you watch it. XP Really great song too.

Complete this sentence: Because of Vocaloid, I... 

Met a lot of other Vocaloid fans, learned many names of many Vocaloid authors/producers, learned Japanese a little LOL, cosplayed a Vocaloid (Mafia theme) with my other cosplay friends, became an admin of a Vocaloid page, and became my friends’ Vocaloid consultant LOL. XD

Anything else you want to add:

Vocaloid is NOT an anime. :))

Another photo of Bea cosplaying Miki

I say the last part is the best one. People would always ask "From what anime is vocaloid?" I think at least this part is clear to all people out there: Vocaloid is not an anime or anything else.

Watch out for the next featured otaku next week!

(Note: All photos posted are by yours truly.)

Open Shoot for ZANEC Newbies

May 13, 2012

The idea of a minishoot for the newbies of ZANEC came in to my mind when I noticed that we had no welcome party or whatsoever to make them feel "at home". We had a week to plan and Gail helped me out a lot. Alyssa as very helpful in trimming wigs and helping out in preparing. A few ZANEC members were also present that time to cheer for us. It was a fun afternoon for all of us.

Alyssa in Lolita Fashion

Ishan as Hatsune Miku

Marigin as Rin Kagamine

*note: The photo above photo was displayed in an art exhibit last June. Read more about it here.

Chrystal

It was really a nice afternoon. I got to practice not only my photography skills but also my so-called makeup skills and wig styling! All of this in one shoot. Ain't it awesome?

Oh yeah. I started shooting a few photos for GIFs. I'll try doing this on every cosplay shoot in the future. :)

Following the leader!

The Black Rabbit and the Black Alice

Couple Cosplay Shoot - Vocaloid

I was invited by a local photographer for a couple cosplay shoot last March 31, 2012 in Lantaka Hotel by the Sea. It was actually a fun shoot rather than a serious one because everybody kept on throwing funny jokes including the photographer himself.

My partner and I cosplayed the Vocaloid characters Gakupo Kamui and Luka Megurine respectively. Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer. It is neither a manga or an anime. 

I created the headphones that were used during the shoot. This is the actual photo of the headphones. The purple one was for Luka and the other pair was created for a friend.

I used plastic folders, styro, black cartolinas, and headbands for creating these headphones. 
Gakupo is the purple-haired male character and Luka is the pink-haired character. Yes I was the male character that day. Crossplaying is like a branch in cosplay where cosplayers dress up and portray a character of the opposite sex. I love crossplaying and I did crossplay a few times already.  Anyway, for the photos... Photographer: Glenn Marco San Agustin Luka Megurine: JC Domingo Gakupo Kamui: Cee Culanculan Location: Lantaka Hotel by the Sea, Zamboanga City For the whole album, click here.

Thank you Glenn for inviting us! I got the chance to cosplay my favorite Vocaloid that day with an awesome awesome Luka as a partner. My friends commented that I really looked like a man on these photos. Crossplaying is a success!

Cee's Recent Cosplay Shoots and Updates

While on vacation (SEMBREAK actually), me and my mom had photoshoots of my MCTV OTAKUFEST 2011 costume, the Gothic Lolita Haruhi Suzumiya and my own version of Gakupo.

It was unfortunate at first because my camera gave up on me. Captured photos have unexplainable white lines (T_T). So we used my mother’s phone. It turned out well for a 2MP camera phone. Now I believe more than ever that sometimes, the camera does not matter as long as the photographer is good.

Mom was an excellent photographer, by the way. She had unique ideas for the shoot. I was planning to guide her in taking good shots but she turned out to be a good photographer! :)

So much for the words, here are the photos of the shoot:

My own version of Kamui Gakupo:

I still don't have any Kamui Gakupo costume. I am planning to cosplay the Sandplay version or Duke of Venomania. :) For now, I raided my closet and looked for decent pieces for Gakupo. I ended up dressing like a K-Pop artist (or so I thought. ^_^).

Here are some photos of the set. If you want more, click here.

I wore the Magnet headphones I made to make it look more like Gakupo. And yes, that's Tensa Zangetsu, the only thing I have closest to a samurai sword. Gakupo wields a sword on his default version, so there it is!

Gothic Lolita Haruhi Suzumiya:

At last a decent shoot for this cosplay. This is the "girliest" costume I have. (HAHA). I imitated some of Haruhi's poses in her school uniform since the Gothic Lolita version does not have many poses. Turned out that I did not have the figure's original pose. OtakuFest all over again. :)

For the whole set, click here:

I made some videos too. (HAHA I was pretty bored!). If you have time, do watch it and throw some nice comments. :)

Cee's Gakupo Cosplay

Cee's Gothic Lolita Haruhi Suzumiya

Upcoming events:

Rumors say that there will be another cosplay event by MCTV. The theme will be "Movies" and I am having a problem on who to cosplay. :|

I only have a few details about the said event. Will post updates here so watch out! :)

Rumored date: January 29, 2011

Theme: Movies

Organizer: Mindanao Cable TV

Rumored Venue: Grand Astoria Hotel Celebrity Hall

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~Thank you for reading! Til next time. :)~