EVENT: ZAMBOANGA'S KPOP GATHERING: SUMMER INVASION II- Cosplay Judge

And I am back! Forgive my long hiatus! I was just figuring out things and running errands during my absence but now I am finally back with a few stories to share with you guys!

First off, I would like to post about this overdue story of my cosplay guesting at the second KGathering by the kpop fan group KMonerx that was held last April 9 at the Grand Astoria Hotel. 

I was invited again to be the judge for the KPOP cosplay competition, one of the highlights of the event. And they gave me an opportunity to exhibit and sell my floral accessories from Fabric Flowers By Cee! The organizers were really kind to let me display my creations during the event. 

I decided to show up as Princess Janelle of the South Korean series Princess Hours (Also known as Palace and Goong). The cosplay was not very accurate because I was only able to put together the pieces in the last minute. I made her arm warmers the night before the event. Whew it was tiring!

I really love this Korean series. I love how the main characters fell in love with each other on the last few episodes of the show: how the hard, outer shell of Crown Prince Gian was melted by the happy and bubbly aura of Janelle - and the challenges that they faced made them grow mature in the end. 

Reg, Cee and Gairu

I attended the event with my girls just like last year. Sheed joined us to help tend the booth. :) 

Photo area backdrop. I see my favorite groups here!

The organizers were able to book a bigger hall this time. The performers were able to dance with ease that day because of the bigger area that was provided for them.

We were able to display my creations near the entrance of the hall. I was able to bring flowers for display and some of my dolls popularized by Korean Drama series. :)) 

I was not able to roam around during the course of the program because I was busy tending the shop. But my friend Gail gladly took photos for me for this post. I was able to watch the amazing performances by different dance groups from afar.

The program was hosted by the KMonerx themselves.

Jhanna hosting the program.

KPop fans watching the program intently.

There were a lot more dance groups who shared their talent that day compare to last year! It was fun watching them dance with passion!

There were fun games too! I was not able to pay attention much from afar because customers were purchasing my products and asking me about the shop. >_<

My favorite game - noodle eating contest!

The Pepero Kiss contest with our very own Sheed joining in!

Athena, Gairu and Reg joined the KPop quiz contest

~ Cee as the judge for the KPop Cosplay competition! ~

It was an honor yet again to be the judge for the competition! I was joined by last year's winner, Athena to choose the winner of the contest.

Doing Princess Janelle's signature pose: the Peace Sign!

I was happy to see new faces during the contest. Glad to know that the hobby is slowly gaining popularity among the KPop fans of Zamboanga.

The performances of each of the contestants were much more complicated than last year. I saw a lot of improvement this year compare to last year's group of contestants. A good sign that they are trying hard to portray their Korean idols.

Just some of the cosplayers who joined contest. :)

After their performances and introductions, we were able to pick the winner of the contest. The prize went to A-Pink Cosplayer Eunji. Congratulations on winning!

Congratulations to the winners of the different contests and games! From my point of view, I think the crowd enjoyed the event so much! Cheers and fan girl screams were heard throughout the performances and activities. Truly the KPop community here in Zamboanga City is very active, fun loving and friendly!

KMonerx team, the organizers of the KGathering.

Thank you so much to those who dropped by and bought from my booth! 

Gail and Reg with their floral crowns.

More photos from the event:

Win and her companion tending her booth

Proof that the event was successful! Everybody had fun!

One of the organizers hosting the game.

Looks like Sheed liked the Pepero Kiss game!

Even the hosts are having fun during the games!

Gairu and her friends

Failed attempt of a group shot. I was bringing a 50mm prime lens that time that's why the whole group didn't fit in the shot!

Yours truly with the organizers of the event. Thank you so much for having me!~

Posing with event-goers. Glad that a lot of them recognized my character!

Thank you so much for inviting me as a cosplay judge! Hope to see more KPop fans next KGathering!

The Lala Satalin Deviluke Work-in-progress

What have you been up to? :)

Photo uploaded in my Instagram account.

I resumed watching anime! After being busy with events and training, I think I deserve to watch a new series again. A friend recommended To-Love Ru and I must say, I got hooked! 

I love the main character of this series. Her name is Lala Satalin Deviluke and she's an alien who fell for an average joe earthling, Yuki Rito. The story revolves around the daily life of Yuki, which turned out to be extraordinary now that she got accidentally engaged with the princess of Planet Deviluke, Lala. 

Lala is a fun and quirky girl who appreciates even the tiniest things that 'we human beings' usually overlook. Her crazy inventions spiced up Yuki's ordinary high school life, sometimes including his close friends and classmates. 

Often mistaken as a cosplayer because of her cute outfits, she depends on her dress mascot 'Peke' to help her dress up like an ordinary human being to avoid attracting attention. 

Because of her bubbly attitude and positive nature, I decided to cosplay three versions of Lala. Her default suit, her casual outfit and school uniform. It's not like I am preparing for a big shoot or anything! I just love making costumes/ preparing for a cosplay. It sparks my artistic nature and takes out my free time. :)

I have been updating my instagram account about the progress of both cosplays.

I started making her seifuku skirt and bow. I followed this tutorial on making a round pleated skirt for the cosplay. It's coming out nicely! I am almost done, actually! Just a few steps away in completing my very own skirt!

Photo uploaded in my Instagram account.

Then I bought brown shoes for her seifuku cosplay. (This one is for my Yui and Saeko cosplays)

I always wore my loli-like black shoes for seifuku cosplays. But now I can complete a handful of my cosplays stored in my closet because of this. Yay! 

Photo uploaded in my Instagram account.

Before buying the fabric for the skirt, I found this pink shirt that I never really used since I bought it. So I sew letters on it and turned it into Lala's shirt from episode 21 of Season 1 To-Love Ru. :)

Tadaaa~~ 

Photo uploaded in my Instagram account.

Costume change! I got my Peke clip from Bananahouse Clayground - makers of polymer clay goodies! I love how cute and accurate my clip turned out! Will definitely order my cosplay accessories from them from now on. hihi

Photo uploaded in my Instagram account.

I am planning to wear this cosplay in town soon. I have always want to do a photo walk around town in costume, just like what cosplay and fashion enthusiasts do in Harajuku, Japan.

I wish I'll have the courage to do that soon! Waa!

And now for my main target, the default battle dress of Lala!

Photo uploaded in my Instagram account.

I really find this costume cute! Her hat and tail are so adorable! She transforms in this dress when battling enemies or using her powers during her adventures. This is actually one of the complicated costumes I ever listed on my cosplay plans. It's a body fit suit - everything is covered with costume except the head. I just hope my seamstress can make this costume. I certainly want to wear this during a convention or photo shoot and emit that Lala-chii goodness to everyone! Hihi

I already printed out a lot of reference photos for the seamstress. I am figuring out what fabric to use for the costume and its details. I am still researching for the entire costume.

Photo uploaded in my Instagram account.

I tried starting with her leggings. I dyed a pair of cycling shorts to violet and wore it on top of my white stockings. Seems legit? :)

I'll still ask my seamstress for advice. She will have the final say with this. I am no expert when it comes to fabric choices and such.

That's it! <3 Wish me luck on my Lala adventure! I hope by cosplaying this character, I might meet more To-Love Ru fans and have fan conversations with them just like what happened when I cosplayed Saber. :)

*fingers crossed~!

~ Love lots,

Cee

PS: I changed my instagram account from @yourstrulycee0217 to @yourstrulyceedotcom

You can follow me by clicking this link. Thanks!

Post by Cee.

My Oiran Accessory Style

Remember my Geisha-inspired photo shoot with my friends last February? Well, a photographer sent me a message telling me that she loved my version of a geisha and she asked me to model for her for a shoot. Of course I said yes! Who can say no to a photographer taking interest in cosplay and Japanese fashion?

So for the upcoming shoot with this certain photographer, I am going to upgrade my geisha-look into an Oiran-inspired kimono get up. (For Oiran information, click here and here.)
I will explain what an Oiran is soon. :)

Only a handful of photographers take interest in cosplay here in our city. Cosplaying and dressing up is not very popular here and we are still labeled 'weird' by the people who don't understand our hobby. By inviting other photographers to our cosplay shoots, we introduce to them the wonders of the hobby of dressing up.

At least, some of the photographers we invited appreciated our hard work at the end of every session



This is what I came up after searching modern oiran looks and get ups. I used my kanzashi and fabric flowers for this. Red is used to convey strong themes about the personality I will be playing on the photo shoot. I will be using modern artistic styles on the makeup (in contrast to the previous geisha shoot where I followed the traditional geisha makeup style). I already have a reference for the makeup! I can't wait to do a trial for everything.

I am also planning to buy another kimono to layer it with my black one. And of course the obi tie will be in front. I will be using my creativity on this get up instead of following the traditional look of the Oiran. I will be trying on a wig in one of the trials. I want to incorporate ancient hairstyles of the Chinese (which I found very fascinating while watching the movie 'Saving General Yang'.) Can't wait!
. ^_^

I am planning to watch the movie 'Sakuran'. It's a story of an oiran who rose to fame after being a maid girl. The plot sounded like Memoirs of a Geisha. I need a lot of reference for the poses, facial expressions, makeup and fashion. I hope this movie will give me a lot of ideas.

That's it! Watch out for my trail posts soon. ^_^

Thank you for reading!

Cee