MTAC Came and Went, and Here I Am.

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts, I really just had to enjoy some of the free time I suddenly had right after the con.

So yeah, MTAC was the weekend before last and I can truly say that I'm glad it's over, at least for now. I won't go into details, but that weekend was pretty awful for me and I really just needed to be done with it and backed well away before I could really post anything about it. Anything I could have said before now would have been really boring for you all, so I got my feelings straightened out before deciding to update here again.

Now don't get me wrong, MTAC really is an amazing convention and had I just been a congoer, I would have had a blast, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, I worked the weekend away and barely got to spend any time doing anything outside of that.

But I DO have some highlights from the weekend that I'd like to share.

On Thursday and Friday of the con, I really did just spend a ton of time running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I even had an outfit planned for Friday and didn't end up getting to wear it because I had to hit the ground running at 7:30am until things finally calmed down at 9pm, leaving me enough time to change into my "evening outfit". You see, last year I won MTAC's Risque Cosplay contest with my silly Princess Peach burlesque routine and as a result, I ended up being one of the judges for this year. I very well couldn't show up in jeans and a Hello Kitty t-shirt, now could I?

(Photo by Terry Sherer)

Here I am, cheesin' with Hipster Hulk. Oh yeah, we're dorks. The winner was this super adorable Harley Quinn who danced right out of her corset, and into the hearts of the audience and all of the judges. I was happy to see her take the grand prize!

The next day I was prepared and woke up at 6am to get ready, knowing that people would be expecting me to report at 7. I was able to put together my creepy cute outfit from my Polyvore and I think it turned out very nicely!

(Photo by Sarah LeFebvre)

I wish I had gotten better pictures of this or any picture of my Sunday outfit at all, but both of them turned out really well, I think. I made the bat necklace and eyeball broach on my headbow, BTW. Better pictures of those to come, I had such a blast making them and would love to show them off more.

On Sunday, I finally carved out about an hour to visit the dealer room and I'm sooooo glad I did! I picked up several things, but being a HUGE Macross fan, these, by far, were the most exciting purchases:

First I got this lovely Sheryl Nome figure from the Macross Frontier/7 crossover that they are doing for the 30th anniversary. I fell to my knees when I saw her, wearing Basara's outfit and everything. The seller give her to me for 25% off because one of her pegs was broken, only to get home and realize that her base and pegs are fine! Yay deals!

Do yourself a favor and click on the images to view them larger, because she is so gorgeous. She's from one pretty swanky looking Banpresto Macross Frontier prize set from which I also snagged this little gem:

I already had the plate and spoon from a previous Banpresto prize set, but I picked up the teapot at MTAC and now I just have to find the cup to complete the set. My new lovelies have already found a spot on my over-flowing figure shelf.

I also got a totally awesome dinosaur kigurumi (a throwback to the days when I was still doing "Geekzilla vs. the World") and a stuffed Gloomy Bear. How I ever lived without a kigurumi in my life before now, I don't even know. Best pajamas ever!

Overall, glad that MTAC's over, glad I had the opportunity to help make it happen, and glad to finally have some time to rest. In fact, as of Monday I've been on medical leave from work for slicing my hand open while washing dishes :( . It's a bit more of a break than I wanted, but I will certainly try and be productive with the time :)

Lots of love!

♥ Princess Kisha ♥

Valentine's Day for Lonely Hearts

So I must admit, Valentine's Day used to be one of my least favorite holidays. For a teenager who was convinced that she was fat, greasy, and unattractive and subsequently never had a date, Valentine's Day was the macro lens that focused on how incredibly unwanted I felt. I had a few major crushes through high school and when not a single one of them proved to be productive, I always ended up feeling that much worse about myself.

Then I got a boyfriend. Things were supposed to change then, right?

Right?

Well, I can definitely say that it did get a tad better. Valentine's Day went from being miserable to being relatively tolerable. I had someone who liked me (enough) and wanted to go out with me and buy me flowers and chocolates and things. No longer did I have to deal with the anxiety of going through another Valentine's Day where I'd wait for even just one of the guys to notice me. I wasn't alone. So why didn't I learn to love Valentine's Day?

The answer to that, at least for me, is that I hadn't quite learned how to love myself first. It took a nasty break up, and several changes in my life before I could see myself for the awesome person that I am. There are days when I still struggle, but I put on my make-up and get through them. I had to learn to really love myself and be my own valentine before I could be a good valentine for anyone else. Now I'm with a pretty fantastic guy who makes me happy and it's easy to look forward to spending Valentine's Day with him when I can be happy knowing that I can be a pretty fantastic gal for him.

However, it all starts with learning to love yourself. After my last relationship, I spent the following Valentine's Day shopping, eating delicious food, hanging out with my friends, and being very single. I know it's not easy, but you'll ultimately be happier if you do something for "you" this Valentine's Day instead of moping and being unhappy. Here are some fun ideas for your very you-centric Valentine's...

1) Do arts and crafts.
Make yourself something pretty! One of the big things that come with Valentine's Day are V-Day cards! Usually people make, give, and receive them, so why not make some cards for your friends and family? Maybe make an extra special one for yourself? Or you can make a whole slew of other things, it's all up to you and what you want to do! Play with glitter, get glue on your fingers, leave bits of scrap paper or fabric on the floor and make wonderful things!

2) Indulge yourself.
On a diet? Not on Valentine's Day! Bake yourself some cupcakes and spend lots of time decorating them with icing and sprinkles. Buy yourself some of your favorite chocolate and a pint of your favorite ice cream and enjoy it thoroughly over a sappy, feel-good movie and a glass of wine (caution: know yourself and your limits. If you are a sad drunk or anything like that, substitute alcohol with a truly decadent cup of hot chocolate with all of the trimmings, or your drink of choice).

3) Pamper your body.
Check out your local day spa and get a facial or massage or both! Get a pedicure or stay home and give yourself a pedicure! Soak in a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine (wine goes well with many things) and your favorite novel. Get your hair done or even consider trying a new haircut or color. Taking care of your body will help you to feel better about yourself.

4) Go out.
Do it. Go somewhere that makes you happy. Get some friends together, if you can, and make an evening of it. Or go alone and make some new friends! If you're anything like me, you'll go to the theater and see a musical or see if there are any burlesque shows happening in your town and try to attend one of those.

Whatever you do, though, don't be down on yourself. If all else fails, stay home, play video games or marathon a cool show, but don't let anything get you down. You are awesome, beautiful, handsome, clever, caring, special, and most importantly, and loved. Remember this and have a wonderful Valentine's Day! XOXO

-Princess Kisha 

Goals for the New Year

I know I'm a bit late to make any sort of list of resolutions for 2013, but the year has hardly started, and it's really never too late to try and better yourself. That being said, a new year provides a good excuse to give yourself a fresh start on new goals, and greater motivation for old goals. I like to make a list each year so that I can focus on my goals, and as something to reference as I work toward achieving them and marking my progress.

Though I make a list each year, this year I wanted to try something different to help remind me to stay focused. My roommate and I have both made collages representing the goals we plan on working toward this year and inspirations to continue working hard.

(Please forgive the crappy watermark, I have yet to sit down to/get help with making a new one.)

Parts of this collage represent...