Disneyland Minnie Disneybound

Top: Forever 21, Skirt: Forever 21, Bow: DIY, Shoes: Converse, Backpack: Amazon

In case you can't tell I'm a Disneyland fiend. Anytime I have the opportunity to go to Disneyland, I will take it. And of course, when I'm at Disneyland I'm going to Disneybound, and who would I do but the famous Mouse herself? Minnie Mouse! I actually almost wore my Minnie Mouse cosplay that I wore to D23, but I thought was a little too on the nose. (haha! I crack myself up). But highlight! When we were watching the parade, Belle noticed me and did a bow motion and smiled! Guys, Belle liked my Disneybound! So happy! I even got it on camera, sort of...

Anyways, as always I had an absolute blast at Disneyland and it was made even better by the fact that I got to go with my sis, cousin, and best friend. We had so much fun walking around the park and singing Disney songs, trying to join parades (and promptly being told we can't), and eating ourselves silly with snacks (Disney themed of course). I wish that I could go to Disneyland every week with these guys, but unfortunately we have the real world to deal with. Just wanted to give you guys a quick look at my Disneybound and my day in the park. Until next time, which should be sooner, TTFN ta ta for now.

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Japan Adventures Wrap-Up

This is my final Japan post, and I didn't realize how sad it would be to end my stroll through memory lane. You see, it has now been almost 3 months since I came back from Japan, and the realization that I am done posting about my adventures in Japan is heating me pretty hard. Every time I posted something new I got to relive that day for a bit and I loved that. But one cannot hold onto the past, so I look forward to my next adventures and sharing them with you (meaning I will now start posting about my Seattle trip which happened almost two months ago now, life of a blogger is always on delay).

For my final days in Japan my friends hit up several spots that we had missed in our earlier travels. The first set of pictures are from the Miyajima Tori Gates. And the special thing about these gates are that at high tide the gates are almost completely submerged in water but at low tide you can walk right up to the base of the gates! When my friends and I arrived we caught the last boat of the day to see the gates up close, but then an hour or so later the water had receded and we were able to walk right up to the gates! I highly recommend visiting Miyajima Island and seeing the gates, it's a great half a day excursion.

We then went to Hiroshima, and the truth is I didn't really want to take any pictures. I only took a few at the Peace Park, and felt even weird about that. Hiroshima, and the museum, is not for the light-hearted. But, if you want to go then go, just prepare yourself.

The next set of pictures was taken in Yoyogi Park. My friends and I were on a mission to find the Rockabilly group (an awesome group of people who meet up every Sunday wearing Rockabilly clothes and dance in the park, they have become a big deal in recent years) and walked around the park for an hour looking for them. We asked other foreigners we passed if they had seen them, but no luck. We were about to give up, when we stumbled upon them right at the entrance of the park! Their performance was fun to watch and I even got to take a picture with one of the members (wish I had remembered to put on my leather jacket). After the dance performance, we went to the other side of the park and saw the shrine and thousands of trees. We even got to catch a peak of a traditional wedding that was taking place at the shrine, so bonus!

That same night (which was our last full night in Japan), we went to an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant in Tokyo. Booking a reservation was difficult, and I'm not sure if we even did it correctly but the servers were kind and sat us a table anyways. Everything, from the server outfits ,to the door (which was the book Alice in Wonderland), to the chairs, to the menus was themed and I loved it! I wish I had had the foresight to bring an Alice in Wonderland themed outfit to wear, but ce la vie! Next time I go to Japan (hopefully not too far off) I will be prepared!

And our final day was spent wandering around Tokyo and trying to get the last bit of everything we could in. We revisited Harajuku, bought last-minute souvenirs, and gorged ourselves with food (I got tempura udon with so much tempura stuff that the people at the counter stared at me). But oh! I did love our last moments in Japan. And I loved my time in Japan so much! I think I will try and do a post about "Do's and Don'ts" for first time visit to Japan. I learned and did so much while in Japan and have been so happy to share it with you (over a long ass time!). Until next time, TTFN ta ta for now.

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Japan Adventures- Himeji Castle and Hello Kitty

Sweater: ChicWish, Jeans: GAP, Shoes: Converse II, Backpack: Amazon

I apologize for the delay in posting, but sometimes you gotta deal with other stuff before you can blog. Anywhose, this will be my final individual Japan post. My next one will be a wrap up post that combines my last few days in Japan. So enjoy the shots of Himeji and the surronding area!

When my friends and I were in Japan (which now has been several months ago, geez I'm way behind in blogging!) we knew we wanted to go see a castle, but there are many different options and with everything we wanted to do, we knew we could only see one. Luckily, another friend was also traveling in Japan at the same time and he suggested Himeji Castle. And you know what, he was totally right. Before his suggestion I actually did not really know about Himeji Castle, but I'm so glad we decided to go.

But, before we before we actually got to Himeji Castle, my friends and I were on a hunt to find somewhere to grab breakfast, and oh boy, do I feel like we hit the jackpot. A Hello Kitty themed cafe! Everything was so adorable and pink, and it was a totally unexpected find. It was even better because we were the only patrons there because it was so early so we got to take in the whole restaurant without disturbing anyone. So, it was a pretty great start to the day already.

Himeji Castle was absolutely stunning as it was surronded by hundreds of cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom and creating a carpet of cherry blossom petals, that I just so happened to match with my sweater! Plus, since we went on a weekday early in the morning, there were not that many people and we were able to get through the castle rather quickly. The castle has a set course of where you can walk as they do not want people ruining the castle by walking everywhere and touching everything. So, to get to the top of the castle there is somewhat of a line you go through since you are all on an organized path. Oh! But that sight at the top is totally worth it. It is absolutely stunning to see the surronding area especially with all the cherry blossom trees in full bloom.

After wandering the castle grounds, my friends and I found a garden area with a small shrine that was overflowing with greenery. The garden not only had beautiful plant life but amazing waterfalls and ponds with Koi fish. If you are visiting Himeji Castle make sure to walk down the path a bit until you find the garden area.  I'm just so glad we went in the spring and were able to see all the plant life in full bloom.

And then after this wonderful day of taking in ancient castles and exquisite scenery, we somehow ended up at a club in Dottonbori, Osaka. Ce la vie! Well, I hope to have my wrap up post of Japan sometime this week, so keep an eye out! TTFN, ta ta for now.

EVA Unit 01 at AX2016

EVA Unit 01 ready for battle. Finally getting my Anime Expo pics up. As with Anime Expo, my life has been chaotic and very busy. On that note, Anime Expo was absolute madness. I have been to Anime Expo and other huge cons before but never have I ever seen a con so crowded and full of people. I remember when Anime Expo was in Anaheim, and they were able to have the opening ceremony in half of the ballroom. I also remember that was the first time I ever experienced cosplay. What a magical memory...anyways... I gotta say, standing in a line for 2 hours outside in the heat in latex and spandex was not the best time in the world...

BUT beside that Anime Expo was pretty damn fun. I didn't really hit up any panels but I got to talk to so many amazing cosplayers and fellow anime fans that it really made up for standing in line for so long. Plus it was so fun to have other people recognize my cosplay! As I have said before, I love putting a twist on classic characters (which makes me sometimes hard to recognize) and Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most classic anime every made, so of course I wanted to cosplay something from it for Anime Expo. The only problem is that I don't really like any of the human characters! But I always did like the Eva Units, so I decided to do the most classic mecha, EVA Unit 01. I just knew that I wouldn't be able to handle wearing a full mecha cosplay so to compromise I designed a dress version.

This dress and outfit was the next step in my sewing and cosplay journey. Before this I had never sewn latex before, and it was quite the challenge. However, THANK GOD for Ya Ya Han fabrics! Her fabric (the purple portion) was much easier to sew than the straight up latex portions. Beside that I think I am slowly getting better at working with eva foam and worbla! Working on this one cosplay has given me a lot of confidence for future cosplays (which I have the next five planned). I am literally sitting here planning my next cosplays and am so excited and the thought of showing my hard work. Until then TTFN, ta ta for now.

Giant Hat says "I'm Busy"

Dress: Boutique in Japan, Hat: Asos, Shoes: DSW, Purse: Kate Spade

This was a random day, doing random things. I didn't do much but walked around and decided to take pictures of my outfit; mostly because I loved my hat. I love giant hats that hide me from the sun (and can contain my hair) and this one fit the criteria to a T! It even had a saying on it, "I'm busy", which I was (busy eating, but still busy).

Plus, the hat went perfectly with my dress. When I was at Laforet in Harajuku my friends and I visited a small boutique where this dress was displayed and immediately caught my eye. I loved the vintage feel of the dress, the store shop workers so nice (and didn't even say anything when I made the mistake of forgetting to take off my shoes for the dressing room), and the dress actually fit! So, of course I had to get it. I expect to wear this dress a lot this summer. I hope everyone is having a nice summer, and handling the heat! TTFN, ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures- Studio Ghibli Spirited Me Away

Top: Thrifted, Skirt: Made myself, Jacket: Vintage, Shoes: Converse Taylor II, Bow headband: Made myself

I have lied again, I am creating a post that is dedicated to a single day...but it was such a magical day! I mean, I got to go to Studio Ghibli and Shinjuku Park all in one day, and even the rain could not bring me down.

My friends and I actually started the day in Shinjuku park where we were surronded my cherry blossoms. The whole area was drowning in them. There even was a beautiful carpeting of cherry blossoms on the ground. The only sad part was that because we came while it was raining a certain pathway was somewhat flooded so we couldn't walk that way. But even without seeing that portion of the park I was blown away by how beautiful everything was. And a bonus was that because it was raining there were barely any people wandering the park so we had it all to ourselves (almost).

Then it was a ride on the train to the Studio Ghibli Museum! And Oh! The Studio Ghibli Museum was just as magical as I always thought it would be. Everything, I mean everything, was based on a Studio Ghibli movie or art piece. Every small detail had something related to a film on it. The door handles, the lights, the windows, everything! And I loved it all! I wish I could have taken pictures of everything inside, but photography is not allowed and I totally understand why. I know I would have wanted a million pictures, so I can imagine everyone else also would have wanted a million pictures ruining the peaceful and magical effect of the museum. But I did get to take a picture with the robot from Laputa: Castle in the Sky! I completely and whole-heartedly recommend going to the Studio Ghibli Museum if you are in Japan! (HOWEVER, make sure to get your tickets ahead of time. My friends and I didn't realize you have to get tickets from a travel agent in the States and they only give out 100 a month. So, we missed our chance getting like that but luckily one of my friends had a friend living in Japan who got us tickets from Lawsons. I was so utterly grateful!)

After wandering the museum, my friends and I knew we had to stop and get a quick bite at the Straw Hat Cafe. The whole inside was decorated with little straw hats, and even the light shades were themed with little flying Kiki's! As I said they thought of every detail!

And quick side about my outfit. Since I knew I was going to the Studio Ghibli Museum, I knew I had to make a Kiki inspired outfit. Kiki was actually the first anime I ever saw growing up and I loved her and the movie. When I was younger, Princess Mononoke was actually my favorite Studio Ghibli movie, but as I have grown older I realize I identify with Kiki more. She starts off so sure of herself and then gets a little lost along the way, but at the end of the movie she find herself. I love that, and feel like I totally identify with Kiki. Sorry for the segway, back to the outfit...I was originally planning on making a purple dress, like Kiki, but decided on a skirt with a Kiki silhouette. And of course, I was going to make her giant bow, and looking back I actually wish I made it bigger! II hope my little spiel about Studio Ghibli was a tinge magical. Until next time, TTFN ta ta for now.