Tuesday, December 30, 2014

My Birthday

Today is my birthday.

Not that it's an important day or anything. It's just another day. Another year that I'm alive. Honestly, I really dislike my birthday. The people who wish me a good birthday usually do it for appearances and the ones who I want to hear from never contact me. It's even sad that people who are extremely close to you seem to forget.

I guess that's the joy of having your birthday between major holidays. Next thing I know people will be saying "Oh and your Christmas gift is also your Birthday present". Happens all the time.

Anyways, rather than hearing "Happy Birthday" from some friends, I ended up getting panic text messages and calls about how IchibanCon is almost here and everything's going to hell in a hand basket.

Usually, I'm really excited about IchibanCon... yet, this time... I don't seem to have any excitement. Everything that I'm doing is just plain awful. I have absolutely no money, since I don't currently have a job. People that I'll meet up with will want to go out for food and well, I don't have the funds to do that. So, perhaps I'll try to lay low. I bought the ticket several months ago, so I'm definitely going and I think that Emi-chan will kill me if I don't go there, since one of the days we're going to dress as the Little Twin Stars.

Actually, things have just been going downhill this year. I'm expecting things to get horribly worse next year. I don't think that I have an ounce of optimism anymore. Anyways, I plan to post about the Carolina Kei meetup that I went to. Just, I'm not feeling up to it right now.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Carolina Kei Meetup

If you didn't know already, I'm part of a J-fashion group called Carolina Kei. It's a group of people from all over North and South Carolina who are enthusiastic about Japanese Fashion. With that being said, the group has mainly been trying to do one big meetup every season; however, we also have people in the group hosting their own meetups. I happened to have gone to a total of 2 meetups so far. The first one being the very first CKei meetup back in summer, which was an official meet (you can read more about that one here) and this one that I went to this past Saturday in Wake Forest, NC.

Shironuri coord!


Wake Forest is a little under 3 hours via car from my home location, so I had to get up really early. The meetup was scheduled for 2pm; however, it was known beforehand that the town was going to have a parade at 12:30. With that in mind, I wanted to make sure to get there in enough time to deal with crazy traffic and closings of streets. I decided to go to the meetup with my friend Patti (ang3licdr3amer). I woke up around 6, then made breakfast. By the time that we left it was already 9. Getting ready took awhile, because I wanted to try out a style that I've been interested in for awhile: shironuri. If you're not familiar with shironuri, I highly suggest looking up Minori.

Since it's close to winter, I wanted to do a winter coord. Also, since I knew a parade would be in town, it would be more likely that shironuri would be accepted. So, beforehand, I had been working on my outfit. I customized a bunch of clothing that I found at the Goodwill. After that, I wanted to make something extremely me, so I created a scarf out of teddy bears, which people seemed to really love. The teddy bears worked great, considering that I wore teddy bears on my tights too. Keeping with "winter" in mind, I decided to use snowflakes.

I originally had intentions of wearing a mini-hat that I made; however, I was having major issues getting it onto the wig and with the clock ticking, I nixed that idea, which is a shame, since I really liked the hat. Instead, I lazily threw snowflakes in the wig.

I originally was going to use a different wig as well, but I didn't like how the color clashed, so I went with a simple blonde.

After getting the outfit on, I immediately worked on makeup. The makeup itself is what took the longest. I started with BBCream, then placed white liquid foundation on, followed by white foundation powder. After that, I touched up areas with a white eyeliner and white primer. Then, I decorated a bit.

We ended up making good time and ended up in the area a little before 12, which was great, since we got a good spot for parking in the parade parking slot. We then walked to the general area and it really was street fashion, for all sorts of people there to watch the parade surrounded us, asking us for photos and such. There also were people letting us know that this is interesting, because the people of Wake Forest don't dress like that. lol.

The Start of the Wake Forest Christmas Parade.


We watched the parade and afterwards went to The Olde English Tea Room. Upon entering, they escorted us to a nice location that was beautifully decorated with Christmas decorations. It was absolutely stunning to see. The menu and napkin were arranged quite nicely on the table and I really adored the tea cups. I'm a HUGE tea set fanatic, so tea anything makes me happy.

We waited a little bit for the majority of people to show. We had quite a nice little group. Everyone was so beautifully dressed too! There were several lolitas, then two shironuri, and dolly kei. All styles that I love. My friend from college, Carl, decided to show, since he loves learning about culture and such. He was fascinated to learn about J-fashion and is beginning to research it more now.

My tea pot was green! My favorite color!

Top Left: Peppermint Tea. Bottom Left: Strawberry Soup. Right: High Tea Meal.

I decided that I wanted to have high tea. High tea at The Olde English Tea Room is Complete Four-Course‏ Meal: Soup, Tea Sandwiches, Petite Desserts, and Beverage for $21.95. Such a great deal in my opinion!

For the beverage, I went with peppermint tea. It was absolutely delicious. I had way too much fun placing lumps of sugar in my tea.

Anyways, for my soup, I got a delicious strawberry soup. I wasn't disappointed in the least! Strawberry soup is a cold soup and has a dessert-like quality to it. The soup was topped with a bit of whipped cream that you could mix in.

Since four of us ordered the high tea, they brought out food out on tiered leveled trays. On the bottom level each of us got four sandwiches. The sandwiches included tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, and cucumber. All very delicious; however, I must admit that I find my homemade cucumber sandwiches to be much better. hehe. The middle level included our scones with a choice of jam or devonshire cream to use. I ordered the white chocolate berry scone. I never had devonshire cream before, so I was excited to try it out. LET ME TELL YOU. Devonshire Cream is my newest obsession. If they had the option, I would had purchased a whole tub to bring home. It's amazingly delicious! Sweet, but not too sweet. I feel that it complimented the scone perfectly. I also think that the cream would go perfect on breakfast foods such as pancakes and waffles.

The top layer were our desserts. They included cheesecake, chocolate-covered strawberries, biscotti, and cookies. All really tasty and perfect for the finish of filling me up.

Of course, a meetup's not complete without a fun group photo!

The whole group who were dressed! Everyone looked absolutely stunning!
Rachel looked fantastic in her dolly kei coord! Absolutely did the style justice!
A couple of the lolitas and the dolly kei! All so beautiful!
My full coord on left and ang3licdr3amer on the right. I made the floral hairpiece that ang3licdr3amer wore.
After the meetup, a bunch of us decided to go shopping in the small town. Of course, that means we must hit up the candy shop! So many delicious candies were there! I bought $20 worth! And the shopkeeper was so sweet! She loved the fashion!

The antique shops in the area were fabulous! If I had more money, I would had purchased all the tea sets, china sets, and jewelry there. Yet, I only came out purchasing a gift for my mother - a gravy boat with a classy plate on it. I also accidentally haggled and got the gift even cheaper! Kind of proud of that accomplishment.

Yet, after awhile, Patti and I knew that we had to leave. So we bid everyone farewell and left around 5:30. On the way home, we hit up Arby's, since we both saw the sign and started craving it. Got back home around 9pm. Had such a great time!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

You Are The Best

Lately, I've been getting in my old habit of watching dramas upon dramas. I guess it's because the internet in the house is finally fixed. lol.

Photo from DramaFever.


Anyways, last year, I started the Korean drama You Are The Best Lee Soon Shin. I got through the first 32 episodes, then wasn't able to watch more until recently. After two weeks of hardcore watching, I finally finished the series!


When I started the first episode last year, I was immediately interested in the storyline. I tend to enjoy dramas that deal with people becoming actresses for some reason and I also enjoy a love story. I was hooked. After I got about 10 episodes in, I honestly debated dropping the series. My main reason was due to the fact that it was kind of hard for me to enjoy the show at that point, since there was just so much in the way of the family being emo. I completely understand why, but after two episodes of emo-ness, it's hard for me to want to watch more; however, for some reason, I decided to keep watching the series and... I'm really glad that I did, because once the large portion of emo-ness in the series, it got incredibly good. Also, the episodes that I didn't care for got me to understand that this story is more than just a girl becoming an actress and winning the guy. It was a story about all kinds of relationships. I found myself wanting to know more about each family member and every single character in general.


Since it was a long time since I watched the episodes, I decided to do a major drama fest. I re-watched the first 32 episodes to refresh myself and then continued to watch the rest of the series. It was a long road, but it was well worth every bit. I felt that every character was covered incredibly well and the ending was suitable. I surprised myself for actually watching a drama with 50 episodes. I do enjoy k-dramas, but I'm so used to j-dramas that if it's over 13 episodes in a season, I get irritated about length. lol.


So~ I highly, HIGHLY recommend this drama.

Ending~

Today was the last day of the summer show that I was involved in. I  wasn't able to go to work today, due to a nasty virus that infected me all week.

Charlie Brown & Linus VanPelt ~Photo courtesy of Kristy Nardelli


As I mentioned in a previous post, the show was a baseball themed show. I challenged myself to learn the dance moves and such. Compared to all the shows that I had been in before, this one was the most challenging. Yet, the choreographer believed in me and helped me out a lot. The cast and crew were fabulous. Overall, I have good memories of this show. Yet, I must be honest and say that I'm really upset that I wasn't allowed into work today. This also, is the very first show that I was in that I wasn't able to be at the end of. It's a bitter feeling. I don't know if I'll ever be able to work directly with these people again.


The last time I performed in the show was back in July, when I got my foot injury. After that, I was taken out of the show for good and got to usher instead. This was the show that I never got to finish. With that being said, I'm a bit emotional. I hate the fact that I couldn't perform in that show one more time. My injury still isn't healed, but I'm able to do other things. Every weekend throughout the first weekend of November, I'm able to perform as a scare monster. And... starting next week, I get to puppeteer for a puppet show.


I look forward to the new show.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Rosedale Plantation

Two months ago, I was asked to be a model for Rosedale Plantation. I had never before been there before, but to my surprise, I live surprisingly close!

As a favor to a friend, I agreed to model for the Plantation. I guess that you can call this my very first modeling gig. (The majority of these photos weren't used for the shoot for obvious reasons - I don't have the ones from the shoot)

So basically, they wanted to showcase specific outfits from the 1840s. The main thing that they wanted to do was snap photos to show how many layers of garment one had to wear back then. I thought that it was a very educational and interesting idea. I am, of course, a bit bias, since I'm obsessed with these kind of clothes.

The Plantation itself was really pretty. We were asked to shoot on a Thursday, which is a day that's not open to the public. I arrived with my friend ang3licdr3amer (who also was asked to model). When we showed up, we were greeted very kindly and briefed with what was expected of us.

I was told that I was playing the role of a small child (aka around 14 years old). If I had known, the makeup would've been MUCH LIGHTER. (I also was told that I was doing a Sweeney Todd photo shoot, which is why my makeup was so heavy in the first place...)
I took a selfie after getting in the first layer. I felt like I looked creepy.

My first set of photos were done in the child's room.Then we moved to other rooms and the outdoors.

 











One layer - I look like some sort of ghost woman...


Unfortunately, the nice camera that was going to be used had a malfunction and we ended up getting photos done with a cellphone camera instead. Not good for quality, but apparently the pictures had to be done asap.

   
In the child's room~ majority of clothing on~
Outside, full attire~
Me & ang3licdr3amer~
Me & Bo
ang3licdr3amer
ang3licdr3amer
ang3licdr3amer
From Top: Bo, Me, Jessica
Jessica was insanely graceful in all photos~
This bonnet was insanely cute~
Jessica & Me
Bo with a violin from that time period
For anyone in the Charlotte area, I highly suggest visiting Rosedale Plantation at least once! It's an educational spot and incredibly beautiful! It may be a bit small, but it's well worth seeing!






Curling~

Last month, a bunch of my co-workers decided to try out curling!

Apparently, there's a Curling Club in Charlotte! To experience the true experience of curling, a bunch of us signed up for a lesson.

My team getting ready for our first match! (I couldn't resist choosing comfy/cute clothes~ my Co&Lu sweatshirt was useful)
Since we had an uneven number of people from work (9 total) and each team consists of 4 players, one of us needed to go to a different team. Since I'm usually a person who doesn't go out of her comfort zone, I decided to challenge that and meet some new people! (All photos taken were from my friend Amy)

The first part of the lesson was learning how to sweep. Most people had the newer curling brooms, where I ended up with an actual broom. More challenging, and super fun! I was so happy that they allowed me on the ice, even though I had a medical shoe on (due to a work related injury).

I was by far the youngest on the team and I expected to fail epically at curling. Yet, when I was taught how to shoot and such, I was told by the members of the curling team that I'm really good! That made me SO HAPPY.

After 30 minutes of learning, we immediately went into a match!

Both teams listening to words of wisdom before the match!
I was elected to be in position 3, which means that my shooting was relatively good, but not the best to be in the 4th position. So, for the first 2 turns, I got to be a sweeper. I must admit that I need work on sweeping. It's a rather hardcore position. If I end up playing more, I'm sure that I'll master the technique.

Me and my broom!


The one member of the curling team was helping my teammate a lot! He was great!


After that, I got to shoot~ shooting is by far the most fun imo. In a couple of rounds, I actually made quite a few points~! It made me happy! For the fourth turn, I got  to be the spotter. The spotter gives direction to the shooter. That's the person who gets to yell "HAAAAAARRRRRDDDDD!!!" etc etc.


After playing, we got to hang in the pub for a bit! Apparently, curlers like pubs! I was asked to join the club, but due to lack of funds, I haven't been able to join. Maybe in the future, I'll become a good curler! Let's aim for the Olympics!!!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Carolina Kei Meet Up

Sorry that I haven't been active. A lot has been going on in life, such as an injury that's taken me permanently out of the one show I've been performing in at work, leaving me to usher the show. Yet, things are looking up, since Scarowinds opens up this weekend! At least I'm still allowed to perform there. On the plus side, I'm no longer playing the popular character that I've been since 2009. It was time for a change and I'm so glad that I decided to re-audition. Yet a Scarowinds post will be coming up at a later date, for I don't want to reveal to the world what I'm playing as. On another note, in October, I'll be back in a show! It will be a puppeteering gig! I look forward to learning how to properly puppeteer!


Besides that, I was invited to be a featured foodie at MyFab5!! I feel so honored that they went out of their way to contact me to be a featured foodie! If you're interested in seeing my page (it's a bit underdeveloped, but it will get better in time), please visit http://www.myfab5.com/ninomihime. I highly suggest getting an account as well! The site itself is easy to navigate and people can look up the favorite restaurants of every day people in specific areas. It's such a neat way to find delicious and unique restaurants in areas that you're not familiar with. I highly suggest at least searching for places when you're vacationing. 


So~ now the extremely late update about the very FIRST Carolina Kei Meet Up!!
(I apologize for lack of photos...)


Group that came to the meetup. Photo courtesy of Renee.



For starters, Carolina Kei is a Japanese Fashion Group for people living in the Carolinas. I was lucky enough to be invited into such a great group. We have a large number of members (183 atm). The group itself covers all J-Fashion, not just a particular one. The meet up took place late July at a place in downtown Charlotte called "Basil". Basil is a Thai restaurant, that in my opinion, is a bit over priced for what it is. Since, I was smart and looked up the menu beforehand, I knew what I was getting myself into. I made sure to set aside a rather decent amount aside for this event.

Basil Menu



Before the event, it took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to wear for the meet up. I love all sorts of J-Fashion styles, so it was hard to narrow it down to one. Yet, after purchasing my Co&Lu hat from the internet, I decided! I wanted to try out AmeKaji (American Casual). I absolutely adore gal styles, so being able to do a gal style that's extremely colorful made me excited. I'm the type of person who likes to wear what she envisions, so with the hat as a focus, I began to sketch out what kind of outfit I wanted.

My shoes are by Apple Bottom. I was so happy to locate them and knew they had to be a part of this outfit.As for the socks, I used two different pairs... both of which I found at JoAnn's Fabric. They're so American~ lol.

I decided to go with neon yellow accessories, as well as adding on the stars bracelet.
More accessories~

I made the earrings myself! I couldn't find earrings that would work with what I wanted, so I used some shrink wrap and designed my own. They were a nice addition imo.

I made a Kiki and Lala to add onto my overalls. I love them~

Decided to throw random things to make a necklace. I added buttons, and a few things that I made with shrink wrap.


With my obsession of AmeKaji, I already owned quite a few shirts that would work perfectly. I also was lucky to have the perfect socks for this style. I decided immediately that I wanted to create overalls for the look. So, I bought some canvas fabric and immediately started working! It took a few weeks, but I got the overalls to look pretty much what I wanted them to. I was so flattered at the meet up when people told me that they didn't think that they were hand made. It made me feel so great!


Shirt, Overalls, Belt, other accessories, and my Co&Lu Sweatshirt. I made the overalls so that they were a bit big on top~ like I see in a bunch of photos. I also wore a swimsuit top as a bra. xD


So with the full idea in mind, the next question was makeup and hair. I decided against a wig (for once lol). I felt rather happy to use my own hair too. With the hat having a wig would be pretty tight on my head. lol. Makeup, I decided to go with normal gal style. I debated going with more color, but felt that my outfit was enough to cover those grounds. I definitely had to use falsies and circle lenses. I decided to go with my brown circle lenses from Belita (Puffy 3tones Brown). It was my first time trying out lower lashes. To be honest, I found the lower lashes to be simple to use! I had no difficulties at all applying them! I usually have issues with upper lashes, but the lower ones were great! Usually, I use MaiAsa lashes for the top, but I went with Broadway lashes this time around. They're 100% human hair and very thick. They gave a really nice feel to the outfit imo. My lower lashes were by i-ENVY by KISS. They're not really full, but for my first experience with lower lashes, I thought they were nice. I might get more adventurous with lashes in the future. lol.

  
Makeup! Lashes applied! (Ignore the hair lol)

Co&Lu Hat~ some accessories~ and those lashes!








Quick selfie before leaving to event~


Anyways, when I got to Basil, I walked in and was greeted incredibly nicely by the staff, who led me to the area that we had reserved. We had a fairly large room. Before eating, we played games and mingled with everyone. Of course, I took this time to also drink a delicious Mango Martini. It was AMAZING! Highly suggest mango martinis to anyone who's of age!


One of my favorite games played was a coloring game. You were partnered up. Each group had one coloring page of Hello Kitty. The goal was for one person to color the photo while the other gave instructions. It was pretty hilarious. Unfortunately, my partner didn't help me with directions too much, so not much was colored. lol. None the less, it was a great game.

Mango Martini on Left. Coloring Game on Right. It looks like Kitty got beaten up...
    
Conversations and such before food.

Conversing and such~
The epic game of Apples to Apples~ lol


After all of that, we ended up eating. I got some Pad Thai. It was delicious, yet I didn't get a photo due to the horrible lighting. After food, more mingling and photos. It was a great event over all. I definitely look forward to another event!

The table I was with~

There was a giant mirror, so I had to take a selfie~
ang3licdr3amer sporting AmeKaji, Me in AmeKaji, and Emi in HimeKaji~

After getting back from the event, we decided to get some photos~

ang3licdr3amer & Emi~

Emi looked so pretty in her himekaji! It's a shock that that dress wasn't from M*ARS.

Another cute photo of Emi~
ang3licdr3amer~ her AmeKaji was so cute! I made the scarf that she's wearing around her waist~

ang3licdr3amer~ she borrowed my overalls and bracelets~ she looks so cute!

My AmeKaji~ it was so much fun to wear~

Another one~


The next meet up is for Halloween... unfortunately, I have work against it, so I can't attend. Yet, being in Carolina Kei also got me invited to ROYAL. ROYAL is a Gal Group. Gal styles are my favorite, so I'm extremely excited for when we get to have events with them. Next time I go to a meetup, I'll make sure to have my camera with me, so that I can take a ton of photos of everyone.