Sunday 29 September 2013

Updates~

Today I collected my jacket from the tailor auntie at amk, in time for the photoshoot next next week. Because there's not much time left I really need to work and get the shoulder part out... I actually have most parts ready, just need to piece them together and that is the toughest part x_x then again when I get down to it, things may not be so bad :l

Will need more velcro. Hey it's a level up :D I used to tape everything when it comes to clothes. Now I'm  turning to velcro. When will I switch to sewing? Hehehe when I get a sewing matching perhaps,which isn't going to happen in the near future.

When it comes to props I hope to experiment with wood and plastic someday (Y) oh btw I made improvements to the gun. It's a long story-- I know I said I wouldn't touch it until the shoot but a friend from the team came over to stay the night last sat and she gave me so many suggestions which were also improvements I would have wanted to make eventually. Like adding details to the back portion.
It looks much shinier now, though most of the shine was painted on haha! She also helped me try out the eye make up for Laguna, it's the first time I've done eye make up specifically to look like the character. I've always just been doing generic looks, being the noob I am. It was awesome, no photo though because I was zzzzz. It was close to 2am when we stopped the make up experiment and moved on to the gun.

Also I'm so proud of myself for altering the jacket today. It's a simple alteration, using safety pins at the back to make the jacket more open at the front and fitting to my body. Proud because I copied this exact method from another awesome coser whose shoot I helped out with last week and it turned out surprisingly well for a first try. Honestly I looked rather out of proportion due to the jacket almost overlapping with my belt. I'll have to wear the belt super low to create the illusion of a longer body but this in turns shortens my legs. URGH I give up. Maybe things will balance out when I put on the boots. If not, sorry guys you're stuck with a short and sulky Laguna hahaha

School wise... I'm considering the option of continuing with phd after honours. I had always wanted to work after graduating and never gave further studies more thought because my grades aren't that good anyways. But after finding out more about the conditions and benefits from the phd student in my lab, this option sounds really tempting. And I received so much encouragement blabla saying that I'm suitable for phd and so on. Not sure how much of it was true or just flattery but yea now I'm thinking about it :) 

Saturday 21 September 2013

:(

I've decided not to play for the band concert this semester. I've been harbouring this thought since school started but whenever I see my friends during practices I realise I miss them so so so much, I just can't bear to leave.

The first time I met the band peeps again after my total absence during the 3 months holidays, I felt so emotional because I missed them so badly. It wasn't about the saxophone or the music making any more but my section mates and all the people I knew throughout my 3 years with the band.. Sigh 

I could have dragged it on and eventually played for the concert.... but Sunday practices which start tomorrow is the breaking point. I haven't been to a single sectional this semester-- the first time I was very sick, second week was e-learning, and the latest session I was busy with lab which ended late so I decided to skip and go home even though bus D2 which goes to the band venue came first. As I watched the bus leave I knew that I wouldn't be playing with the band this semester.. Aiya sorry for being so drama but I'm really sad ok :'(  

I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I skipped a combined practice deliberately so yup rather than miss the sunday practice, I smsed my SL to inform her.. My conductor is in better health so I won't be so worried about him. The sax section has quite a few new members and is in good hands under the SL so all will be well :')

Hope I won't regret this decision. 

It's done!!!!!

I fixed on the final part yesterday-- too excited to post after taking the photos this morning and I forgot to add blings or cartoons. Disclaimer: This is a toy made up of mostly foam okies
The back portion looks really flat and I can definitely improve on it.. but nope i'm not going to be touching it these 2 weeks until closer to the photoshoot.

Probably going to hold it like this lol. Good thing it's quite light, if not my right arm is going to become more muscular then my left with all that lifting.

There's a mini crosshair thingy lmao, hope no one gets a close up of it because it's really badly carved.

I spent..... like a couple of months on it? Took a long break in the middle after covering the whole thing with black foam because I was stuck at finding the best method to make it shine. In the end it was back to the principle of getting down to doing it because you never know what works and what doesn't until you try. Sniff sniff if I had started experimenting earlier I would have been done earlier as well. 

Same for the belt and the shoulder thingy. As of now, belt is done but shoulder part is not!!! HELP

Learning points: 
PVA glue is wonderful
Acrylic paint is wonderful as well and can paint almost anything
Use nail polish remover to clean paint brushes
Priming the foam does help with spray painting afterwards but not much. Multiple coats are a must :(

Updates on lab:
PI is away so we're out to play! No lah, just that I'm more inclined to leaving early once i'm done with the experiments for the day. And no lab meetings! So I can wake up later :'') I appreciate that very very much.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Prop progress

Have I told you about my love hate relationship with all my weapons and props, especially this one 
Unbelievable number of coats of paint and it's still not smooth and shiny.. All the cartoons and bling are to make it look cute and un-threatening so I won't be arrested for making 'firearms' hahahaha. Please arh, it's 2 bits of pipe thingy, foam, glue and more foam-- can't shoot and if you use it like a stick to hit people it'll probably bend or break.

The right side was already ok by my standards but while spraying the other side, the paint kinda dripped over and caused it to stick to the newspaper. Now I need to spray it again urghhhhhhhh endless frustrations

Anyways :) this baby is longer than my arm and I spent really long on it (procrastination included) I really wanted it to be shiny and since I made the effort to make it shine, I hope it will pay off and the gun will llook beautiful and shiny during the photoshoot+ event 

I'm stressed over the weirdest things.. A few days ago I woke up at 3.10am and couldn't get back to sleep because the lab was out of maxi prep tubes and I really needed to get my plasmid preps out. I got out of bed to get some water and suddenly The Conjuring popped into my mind O_O was trying to recall in the movie what the timing which all the clocks stopped at was..  I also dreamt that I was so tired that I completely forgot about my lab meeting and only barely made it to school for my infection and immunity lecture. It was a terrible feeling OTL

Saturday 7 September 2013

-Rubs eyes-

Do you see what I see
THE BOTTOM DUO

Ok now that i've calmed down a little more things start to get messy in my head. I hope they will be making their appearance on stage after the big shot singers because I will have a better chance of getting a seat. I hope their merchandise will not be too expensive because I really want to shake hands and see them up close. I hope my hands won't be sweaty.

Imagine all the Kise cosers OMG my friend who recently did Mukami Kou from dialovers more blood has such awesome timing!!!!! I'm so jealous!! If she were to go for Kimura ryohei's handshake session in Kou's costume I'm sure he would say something more to her AHHHHHH jelly~ 

Also saw a Maoh sama duo during STGCC ahhh how nice T__T ok tbh i'm not that hyped for Ryouta hahaha but everything is lovely because the both of them are coming.

I hope the event schedule comes out soon. I will plant my butt in the stage room and scream my lungs out. In costume =/ ahhhhh cross dressing for AFA... Of all times why can't I cos a pretty girl when it really matters. Will meet them dressed as a rugged guy (very handsome ok) with a huge gun. GOod job me. 

Speaking of which I need to rush for the costume OTL photoshoot is a month away

Monday 2 September 2013

Sick :(

I have fallen sick again :( I swear staying in air conditioned places weakens my immunity like nobody's business. So does bathing in the morning. And I went to uhc after my 8am lecture which I totally slept through.. Free medicine and consultation omg what have I been doing for the past 3 years visiting other clinics...

Took a break from lab, skipped my second lecture and went back home to sleep. I'm sneezing so much it's scaring me lol so tiring. Tomorrow I will start my midi prep and all.. Quite a slack week I predict but with my flu it's not going to be easy...

I need a break from activities during weekends.. Especially ones that I am not so interested in hehe because I got asked to join a dialovers shoot next next sun and welllll I'm very very interested. Not confirmed yet because I need to ask for permission from my group leader :X Cosplay politics how interesting :)

Went for stgcc which was the breaking point for my body after the csi anniversary dinner on Saturday night at sentosa. Photos for both events on fb!