On ToyCon PH 2017 and the Joy that it Brings Me

Not a lot of people understand why I love ToyCon so much or why I never miss it. In fact, one of the most common questions I get is, "What's ToyCon?" followed by, "So, it's just full of toys?" HELL YES, IT'S FULL OF TOYS!!!

For a toy collector like me, ToyCon happens to be a dream come true - and yes, I spend HOURS there when I go. This year, Julian surprised me by showing up in a Jughead beanie and it totally made my day - so much so that I decided to save my Winter Soldier costume for comic con and go as Veronica Lodge instead.

Of course, we got to SMX bright and early as usual. I like going on Friday mornings when the crowd isn't crazy. Not only do you get first dibs on toys, but you also get to enjoy the experience without the crazy weekend crowds (though we still went back on Sunday for last-minute shopping hehe). Watch our video of Day 1 of ToyCon here:

A lot of people that I know enjoy going to ToyCon to meet celebrities and dress up and while that is always great, I am one of the few who go there to really shop. I will write a separate blog post on my ToyCon haul, but here are some of the favorite attractions and toys that I spotted whilst there:

I spent a good 5 minutes taking pictures of this display of Marvel statues by the entrance.

Because Groot is love!!!

Cannot wait for these!!! Saving, saving, saving!!!

Went back on Sunday to pick up these cuties!

This makes me want to dress up as Darna!

I definitely need to look into these Filipino superheroes.

Not gonna pretend like I know who she is, but she looks cool.

Pretty Coca-Cola carousel display.

This Wonder Woman doll is so pretty!

The whole cast was there!

Super. Want. This. New Era. Cap. Gahhhhh.

I swear these mugs were made for me. :p

B'lue has cool Spidey bottles!

Gotta catch 'em all!

SOBRANG CUUUUUUTE!!!

I had to stop myself from asking how much these are coz I knew I would buy them all if I started trying stuff on.

These bags are too cute for my life!!!

SUPER WANT!!!

Adorabubble!

Our go-to ToyCon snack: Takoyaki!

Julian was about to give up 5 hours in - around the same time as my feet in 4-inch heels were. Nothing some Takoyaki and hot dogs couldn't fix, though! Soldier on! (I brought flats with me coz I'm smart and practical like that haha)

Julian joined a Mogu Mogu drinking contest. :p

3D printed Groot!

Bad. Ass. Hulkbuster. At Anotoys.

These wine glasses were also made for me!

Spotted this adorable tiny Star Lord giving out flyers!

Yup. Definitely saving up for this one.

THESE GUYS MADE MY DAY!!!

We also spent a good 2 hours at the board game lounge learning new games. Thank you, Gaming Library! You da best!

Overall, the weekend was fun, fulfilling and ATM-draining… Still, it was oh-so-worth-it! And now that ToyCon is over, it's time to look forward to the next geeky event: Asia Pop Comic Con!!! I usually don't buy as much stuff at APCC as I do at ToyCon, but I do go gaga over the celebs there!

Right now, I've got my fingers crossed for someone from 'Riverdale' to come over for the con! What about you?

Harley Quinn and Other Crazy Love Stories I Love

After receiving a bunch of tweets about this post, I have decided to edit it as it seems that I didn't get the right message across. To be perfectly honest, I didn't mean to offend anyone with this post nor did I mean to sound douchey, but as a dear friend pointed out today: I do tend to sound douchey a lot of the time.

So, here is a slightly edited (and hopefully nicer and clearer) version of my post written with the insight and help of a friend who has also been through abuse herself.

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I've always been a sucker for crazy love stories. I was never a fan of the types of love stories other people were suckers for. No, my favorite love stories include The Great Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet, Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands and, in the comic book world: Harley and Joker.

As such, it only makes sense that I decided to dress as (a more casual, less sexy and more relatable) Harley Quinn for our Suicide Squad screening last week.

Daddy's Lil Monster shirt from POG / stars shorts from Folded and Hung / Harley Quinn hoodie from Authority Hoodie / red Stan Smith sneakers from adidas (USA)

Sadly, Suicide Squad wasn't everything I had hoped it would be. I found it a lil dragging, to be honest. Also, since I expected Joker to be the main baddie, I was a lil disappointed that there weren't enough Joker scenes. :(

The good news, though, is that Harley ROCKED in the movie. I loved everything about her. She was both cute and crazy at the same time, and I loved all of the aerial silk moves and the sexy-dancing and ugly-crying in it. She was a great Harley, in my opinion, and reminded me very much of the Harley in the animated movies.

A lot of hate has been spreading around on the #relationshipgoals that people have been posting regarding Harley and Joker's relationship, though.

I've read so many people on my Timeline saying that "that kind of relationship shouldn't be idolised due to its abusive nature" and "women shouldn't let men force them into doing things they don't want to do" and all of that stuff.

Coming from someone who… well, I wouldn't say 'idolise', but likes Harley and Joker, I feel the need to say that while their relationship is one filled with abuse, that's not necessarily what people 'idolise' about it.

I, for one, was always intrigued and interested in Harley and Joker's relationship because they were the epitome of the saying "You cannot choose who you fall in love with." My friend recently said, "THAT's the real problem. People fall for abuse because they just can't not. And that's in real life AND in the movie."

It's like Romeo and Juliet. They couldn't choose who they fell in love with (plus, heck, they even killed each other in the end!), but a lot of people still consider their love story to be the greatest love story of all time.

I understand that abuse is a real issue, but that's not the issue that I appreciate or even advocate (I have been a victim of abuse myself, FYI, so don't be so quick to judge… more on that here), but it would be nice to be able to fangirl about Harley and Joker without being seen or told that I'm being a monster.

I'd also like to point out that they did a good job in the movie showcasing what Harley really wants. As seen in her vision created by The Enchantress, she doesn't want to be in an abusive relationship. She just wants to be with the man she loves and have a normal happy family with him.

Maybe it's just me instantly separating comic books from real life and seeing it as a mere form of entertainment, but I don't think Harley and Joker fans should instantly be labeled as glorifiers of abuse. 

I appreciate all of the effort in trying to mould the younger generations and letting them know that abuse is not okay, but Harley Quinn is just a comic book character. The movie is PG-13. The whole thing is supposed to be a form of entertainment. When did comic book geeks suddenly automatically become monsters who glorify something bad just because they like certain comic book characters?

Anyway, to those asking: no, I didn't actually dye my hair. That's just spray-on hair color. The pink is growing on me, though… Maybe I should get it coloured, after all? Thoughts?

Spoiling people makes me happy.

Spoiling people makes me happy.

So, if I genuinely like you (as a person, in general); I have most probably spoiled you at one point or another (if not to death). I have probably treated you at one point, bought you a random gift and helped you out as best I could every single time I knew you needed help. (I have a superhero complex. Sorry.)

Recently, however, it has come to my attention that I have stopped caring as much as I used to. In fact, I've been getting more and more stuff for myself instead of getting stuff for other people.

Of course, most of the stuff are geeky stuff; otherwise, they wouldn't really be that effective at making me happy. Check out these awesome finds from Fandom Trinkets, for example (segue award!):

red cover-up from Ichx's Clothing / Lord of the Rings ring necklace from Gerd / black Whatever flats from Forever 21 / Deathly Hallows bracelet and Westeros dress from Fandom Trinkets

 

It's a geeky dream come true!

I was initially a lil torn between feeling happy that I had stocked up on geekiness and feeling depressed because I no longer had anyone to spoil - especially with Christmas around the corner and with long overdue checks finally pouring in left and right!

The depression won out, though. In fact, it got so bad that I returned all of the Christmas gifts that I had previously bought for people I considered my "close friends".

This behaviour isn't completely unwarranted, though. I just became more human, so to speak. I think my superhero tendencies faded away the same time my heart broke for the umpteenth time last Halloween.

That's when I noticed that these people I considered my "closest friends" didn't really care about me very much. If I didn't contact them first, they would never even bother to contact me.

One of them even stopped talking to me completely because he got so fed up of my whining and another one of them only talked to me because she wanted something. And this is with all of them knowing how much heartbreak I went through, too! Friendship, my balls.

And the guy who broke my heart to begin with? He told his dad that the reason I hadn't been around was coz I was "too busy" with other things. Me. The friendless one who does nothing but work, read and watch movies all day (all at home and all alone, I might add). Busy. What a laugh and a half.

Photos by Josue Faustino.

I didn't mean for this blog post to turn sour. I just wanted you all to know that I am so over 2014 and everyone and everything in it. It has been a bad year for most of my friends the people that I know and I just can't wait for it to end, so I can start fresh, vanquish all of these bad vibes and find people worth keeping for a change.

What are your plans for 2015?

Call Me Hawkeye

Believe it or not, there are a lot of comic book characters that I am not particularly fond of - and Hawkeye is one of them.

There are various reasons behind this.

First of all, I always through Hawkeye looked... fruity. :p I also didn't like how he always ran after Black Widow in such a stalker-ish, obsessed manner.

So, why did I decide to come up with a Hawkeye-inspired outfit, then? Well, I tried archery for the first time at Kodanda Archery Range and fell in love with it and figured an archer-inspired outfit would do the trick. Of course, it helps that Hollywood cast one of my celebrity lovers, Jeremy Renner, in the role of Hawkeye in "The Avengers"; so I'm trying to like the character better. :p

It's all in the name of love!

Since I don't own anything purple, here's my movie-Hawkeye-inspired outfit. Hope you like it! :)

Photos by Gerd Perez.

maroon top from Ellesse

ring from Unisilver

arrow bracelet from Wear Mauve

X necklace designed by Gerd Perez

This Hawkeye-inspired post is all about the accessories, really.

Arrow bracelet and an X necklace coz X marks the spot? :p

black jacket from Folded and Hung

triangle earrings from The Little Things She Needs

leather bag from Outdoor Products

One of my favorite bags because I can stuff a ton of stuff in it, this Outdoor Products bag is the bomb - especially because I can carry a ton of heavy stuff in it without having to worry about it breaking on me. Definitely the most durable bag I've had to date! :) It can be carried several ways, as well. See how it looks when I carry it with its other straps here.

What do you think? Should I try out more character-inspired outfits? :) If so, do you have any suggestions?