Revival or nostalgia?

Still alive and kicking! It's been a very um, colorful 3 years since I've done this. Much has happened since then - I've moved,dealt with roommates that were less than exemplary,had an accident, and a whole bunch of general shenanigans in between.

 I don't know if I'm reviving the site or if I'm just feeling nostalgic since I'm finally about to take a vacation in 3 years and go back to New York(which also was like 3 years,ha...); either way, I kinda feel like things are stabilizing again so I want to give a try. Let's just be easy and breezy. No promises to break, no hard deadlines(have plenty of those as it is!) , just something fun and refreshing hopefully.  With that said, let's air out some personal exposition. It's a blog after all, right?

 I feel like where I am now is where I really wanted to be 3 years ago, but I had some speedbumps to get there. I like the home I'm building for myself as of now. I'm learning new things every day. The people I'm around  now are good to be around and motivate me in their own ways. It's nice to be around people who help drive you, whether it be with admiration,competition, or anything else. Everything isn't where I want it to be yet and there are many days that feel longer than others, but I feel like it's really in my ball court now. All I wanted for the longest time was a chance to be in charge of my own successes or failures. People can't do everything themselves, but they also shouldn't be helpless either. 3 years have past and it was a period of many trials. Sometimes, I'm amazed I didn't just crash and burn while destroying everything around me. My destiny was dependent on the trust of others. In some ways, I paid for the naivete then many times. I suppose I always knew it, but it didn't really take to heart yet: "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and expect something in-between" I won't deny the help of others, but I wish to be as capable as possible on my own. Now that I've been granted that chance, I want to be as greedy as possible. I want to be as ambitious and accomplished as time will allow. I've been walking or crawling for so long, I want to jog or run as fast as I can right now until I run out of air. Whether my desire to go back to school, professional growth, social stability, or as something simple as personal growth. I doubted myself so much for so long. I cursed my failures and inability to resolve anything. Frustration. Anger. Hate. I had so much of it at myself. I won't admit to having a great self confidence or self esteem now, but I think I want more than anything right now is to not let myself be left like this. I have control on how awesome and amazing my life can be or how utterly abysmal my existence can be; all I worked toward the last 3 years was a chance. This time, if something great happens or something bad happens- it's all on me and I can live with that. As long as it's all on me and because of pretty much me, game on.

Some hobby progress...

Lately, the weather doesn't help with the painting, but here's some of the progress the last few weeks. Since the weather has been crappy for airbrushing and spray cans (that and I'm out of Tamiya Flat White and hobby shops are out. And I am don't like to mix paints ever since the "incident"). Since the tekkaman blade resin kit had to be put on the back burner, I decided to work on a simple kit.

Thats where the Digimon Reboot- Omegamon kit came in. I snipped and cleaned parts long ago so that made the prep and assembly a breeze. Still, this kit screams to have some metallic paint work done to it and me being me, I couldn't resist ^^;

I eventually gave in and started using part of my bathroom as a spray booth since it has a fairly powerful fan to suck up all the nasty fumes and such.( clean up still sucked though!!!) I eventually went back to work on the resin kit as well, but still couldn't work on the whites so I ended up working on some of the other metallic colors since I was in a "metallic mood."

Hopefully, the weather will clear up soon( and my local shops will restock paints) so I can get back to finishing up these kits. Jeez, I've had the Tekkaman Blade kit for since last year and I've been working on it on and off for a year! Talk about snail speeds, BUT. I. FINISH. THIS.

Technical difficulties fixed. Now, back to posts...

For some reason, my account decided to be locked out for a bit. After finally getting it all straightened out and getting all my content back- BACK TO POSTS,MWAHAHAHAHA.

First up, Foodie post!

I recently tried a sushi joint close to home that recently changed management, but seems to retain much of the same dishes and aesthetics.What was once Cafe Hana is now Sushi Cafe. Not only that, but it also seems to have gained a few changes- such as a nifty small website, more meal specials, and even some limited delivery options. Prices seem to also ballpark the old prices so thats nice. Not bad, but how's the food? Let's see.

PRO dayo. ohohoho- Joudan, joudan dayo.

Ie. PRO Honto DESU.*_*

Tuna Tataki

Avocado Bomb

Sashimi Sampler(Chef's choice)

Ahi Tower

Many rolls from Dragon rolls to samurai rolls...

Some Gyoza

Ebi Fries

Yellowtail sashimi

Miso soup and basic seaweed salad.

and More rolls!

Overall, for the price-not too shabby. Compared to some establishments that boast higher prices,small portions(of less or same quality), and overzealous in their approach, I've always appreciated that this place was a very chill and mellow environment. Its not necessarily "sushi is cool so lets westernize the crap out of it with crappy "innovative" food, loud club music, and bad service nor is it over the top edo period themed or something to catch tourists or anything. Its a nice balance so you could hang out with friends at the bar for happy hour with the different sakes or for a small intimate night with someone. I also do appreciate the online site with menu and nice pictures. Glad to know I don't have to always have to be in a big city like New York or Dallas to reap such modern benefits ;)

Now with that being said, I'm not so sure about the delivery aspect. My first order I placed(which must all be done via online) was forgotten between them switching to dinner service. They were pretty good about it though. They ended up comping the order for me and did it for me with no charges of any sort as an apology. Classy. Food was decent then, but I was pretty swapped at work so its not like I could enjoy it properly with 54 Magic the Gathering- Friday Night Magic players in store for our tournament. the MADNESS. My next delivery order went over smoothly, but again- busy at work. The second time was much tastier with me ordering different kinds of food like tempura,yakisoba,and bulgogi.

So overall, I can't really vouch for delivery since my personal experience was sporadic, but my dine in experience was very fun and enjoyable. If you're in the DFW area and dig sushi, Sushi Cafe isn't too bad(but whats with the most generic name ever,lol). Its decent prices for slightly higher quality prepared food. That and the experience was really pleasant.

Huh. How did me posting some pictures turn into a review??? Funny how that happens,heh.

P.S.-man, does it feel good to actually get a post out.very cathartic.

Til next time ^_^

Updates - The Return

Hey Everyone. Its been some time since I've been on here,right? Things have been crazy hectic nonstop what with the holidays and all. I work in a comic shop/gift shop/general retail so thats to be expected. Still, its been pretty crazy around here. After my trip from New York, I just sorta disappeared from here. For that, I apologize for my absence.I'm trying to make up for lost time now so expect mass posting in coming weeks starting today! With that out of the way, Lets update, shall we?

Between prepping for another big move, changes with management at work, working more for gift shopping, training new folks, trying to keep up with what little social life I do have, I've been stumbling around to keep my balance. All the New York videos and post stuff still hasn't been edited or worked on(so behind[>.<]). I've managed to do some more hobby work here and there, but nothing major noteworthy yet. Also, during this whole time- Preorders have been arriving nonstop. I'm gonna need a new storage unit soon at this rate ^^;

I even made a stack area for all the new arrivals so I could do a proper haul post. If I don't do one soon, its going to become a multi-parter! Madness. I'll be posting some more WIP posts next along with my "want" list of the year(bit late, arent I??!), more food posts and backposts, quite the number of review posts, and more! There'll also be some changes to the blog as well- New Banner soon, maybe a new theme, some new additions,etc. Its good to be back!

Updates - New York 2011 Trip

Its been a while since I updated. Work's been really busy with DC's New 52 still going strong. While there's tons of first impressions out there, I'll be waiting for all the 2nd and 3rd issues to be releasesd before I do a post. It'll be interesting. Is the New 52 worth it? Are your childhood heroes the same,worse,or better? Is the "slow burn" many first impressions have mentioned bad or is it meant to later set up more robust and new stories for classic characters?? I'll be covering all that and more as soon as those issues release.

besides that, hobby work is progressing well, the "clean,clip,and bag" setup is working well. Its the painting that requires more work and focus. The TB resin kit should be shortly and then I can get started on the next project.

As for right now, I'm in New York til the 26th for a sort of working vacation. I'll be enjoying myself, but I'll also be trying to cover lots of fun places and activities for all those who couldn't make the trip and for those interested in fun things to do or go in New York. Since I don't have any of my video editing stuff with me, I won't be able to do any videos til I get back home. However, I will be doing lots and lots of photos to post along the way. Its vacation time, but there's still tons and tons to get done! I'm kinda already tired just thinking about it, but I'm definitely still pumped! This is my current Itinerary:

For some dining:

> Famous chicken and rice cart at 53rd and 6th Ave.
> Alta for Mediterranean tapas
> Smorgasburg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Flea Food Market
> Otakfuku for Okonomiyaki and takoyaki!
> Wafel & Dinges for Waffles!
> Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles in Chinatown for...hand pulled noodles of course :)
> Ramen Setagaya for yummy ramen!
> Excellent Pork Chop House for good cheap ass food! (mostly noodles and rice plates)
> Maialino for Interesting Happy Hour bar food and drinks (cheap too!)
> Chikalicious for desserts...because I'm man enough to walk into a joint with that name
> Meatball Shop...all sorts of meatballs cuz you like balls in your mouth
> The Dessert Truck - it's dessert on a truck
> Bao Haus - Taiwanese street food
> Tuck Shop for Meat Pie - paying home to them Australians
> Clinton Street Baking Company - Southern food...you be the judge on its goodness

> Just to list a few...also some sushi here, some pizza there...you get the gist.

After all the dining, here's some wining:

> Burp's Castle (Beer)
> Brooklyn Winery in Williamsburg(Wine)
> Biergarten in Williamsburg (Beer!)
> Boss Tweed Saloon
> PDT - speakeasy
> Milk and Honey - speakeasy
> Cha-An - Sake or Beer and we get free appetizers
> Skinny Bar - $3.50 for Red Stripe Who-hoo!!!
> Johnny Utah's - friend's b-day so we're stopping by for a couple of hours....lots of women, hot servers, mechanical bull, that whole deal.
> Northeast Kingdom - One of the only decent place in my hood, opened til 2 AM. We can drink and walk home...but lets not get too drunk....I don't want to get mugged.


> We'll bar hop in the Village and LES. Alcohol is alcohol...you can get it anywhere.

Some knarly and fun activities:

> Brooklyn Boulders for rock climbing
> Nightmare for house haunting
> The Laugh Lounge for comedy
> The Upright Citizen's Brigade - improv skits and comedy for $5!
> Body Exhibit...you wanna go?
> Bar 55 - Jazz and drinks
> Brooklyn Winery on Sunday - The Walking Dead ep. 2 is screening
> The Drunken Smartass Olympics at Dempsey's - We'll stay if it's good
> MOMA - Friday night 4:8:30 PM, it's FREE!
> Coney Island - if it's not too cold
>
>
Filler places:
>Gray's Papaya- worth it for the papaya drinks alone.( I don't even like papayas!...I think)
> Asia Dog - hot dogs...Asianified. korean bbq on a hot dog? yes, please.
> Lam Zhou - $3 for a dozen dumplings
> Mark - $2 bucks for a slider, $2.75 for slider with bacon. best deal and one of the best burger joints in NYC
> Cafe Zaiya - Small, but well known Japanese cafe. they have....KARE PAN!
> Food Gallery 32 - Korean food court
> Jamaican Duchy Cart....for Jamaican mon
> Check out Occupy Wall Street for the action
> Museum of Sex
> The High Line - urban park...it used to be an abandoned rail road track, now it's a park
> Staten Island Ferry - It's free, and you get a great view of the statue of Liberty without having to go there
> Chase down one of these trucks - http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2010/67139/index1.html


Places to check out, splurge, support, store tours,interviews,etc:

Anime Castle
Image Anime
Forbidden Planet
Midtown Comics
Chinatown, mostly some really cool shops on mott st.
Gotham City Lounge- Comic themed bar

Possibly more to add later so we'll see what happens!

More Tekkaman awesomeness!!! and WIP updates.

So its about 2am and I'm still alittle wired so can't sleep just yet,so.... I'll update like I've been meaning to do lately. Unfortunately, I don't have access to my WIP pics. Not home, so we'll have to make do with a quick written lay down. til next time. Finally got around to working on the tekkaman resin kit again. Its starting to really come together. I got around to painting a few areas black, not that its needed. Its namely for all those places that aren't really too noticeable like the inside of shoulder armor, the inside of the collar,etc. I've also got around to adding the ghost gray to help break up the white and also hopefully, accentuate the details so it won't be just panel lining.

With that being said, since I can't post pics this time-I'll post pics of something related. All this time while working on the resin kit( and with no reference or readable instructions), I've also been looking online every once in a while for more pics of the kit I've been working on. Maybe one that someone else has finished working on, anything. Eventually, I found a few blogs here and there. But, I also stumbled on the next kits I'd like to get and work on after this one. First up is a Tekkaman Blastor kit. Its also a full action kit and looking at some of the design styles, it may be from the same sculptor or design team as the kit I"m working on. If so, then- AWESOME. Aside from my own mistakes, I'm really enjoying the build and the model itself of Tekkaman blade. Of course, I plan to put in revoltech joints of course,heh. You can find the model kit sold HERE.

I like the original base design of blade and blastor, but I totally love the style given to the design with these kits!

And it totally looks great next to blade and it also looks in scale as well.AWESOME.

I bet the color separation on this kit will be amazing as well.

Look at that awesomeness. The only thing that could make this more epic is if Toshiyuki Morikawa's voice played when you put it in this pose. VOL-TEKKA!!!!!

This.will.be.MINE.

The next kit is also a tekkaman blade resin kit, but with a twist. Its not like these full action kits where the design is just more stylized. Its practically re-visualized. Pretty cool stuff. The aesthetics is less on the anime-esque super robot proportions and more on the hyper detailed and "real armor" style. That said, lets take a look at it...

Whoa. Definitely gonna need lots of paint work. Not a lot of color separation. This is gonna need lots and lots of layers and taping.

That said, I can't complain about the intended final product and effect. Its pretty impressive. It reminds me of the Casshern Sins live action and makes me wonder what would a live action Tekkaman blade film look life? Very cool indeed.

I really dig the look of this kit, but I'll still be getting tekkaman blastor before this. But, right after- getting this. You can find this kit HERE.

That's it for now. I'll post WIP pics along with more progress in a couple of days.Til things, see you guys then.

P.S.- If you have google +, you should add me to your circle HERE. If you don't have one yet, check it out. Its pretty cool and isn't as bogged down by ads or spam as facebook is these days. And you can organize your contacts in circles( friends, acquaintances, family,etc.)Pretty useful and cool stuff.

New Tekkaman Blade FIgma PICS

Gotta say, The new color images of blade look really great. I'm starting to get excited over these eventually coming out. Now if I can just finish my resin kit before the figma comes out,heh.Sometime this year would be awesome ^^;

Tekkaman blade figma images sourced from Toysdaily Forums