post drumming: hangovers, reality, and finding that groove

Gong Xi Fa Chai! A new year in the Chinese calendar, and I haven’t done much since I started the new year – no shoots, no projects, no concepts but plans, plans and more plans. I am not quite, sure but lately I have become lazy or maybe I have become choosy over what I want to work on but as one of my daughter goes – Meh! But anyway I will be writing on my updates.

What’s new and what’s happening to the Asylum?

•          Aside from acquiring a new staff, a new direction is to go bolder, with my shoots, meaning more risqué. I like to work on pieces that show glamour, sex, and a lot of skin, that of voyeur point of view – and a lot of more storytelling now than just my typical point, direct and shoot. I want to push myself as photographer, and with this new direction, it would really flex my portfolio to push my confidence in interaction as a photographer and my model without stretching the perv-photographer.
•          I would be working on being part of the Asia Pop Comic Con 2016 as a media partner, and I hope I get the bit.
•         Events less, private shoots more – meaning I would no longer be going to BOA, Otaku Expo, Toycon more on NEXCON, APCC, Fantasy Quest and other selected events but focusing on clientele to do shoots that I want to take my time and work on. I would redo my Lolita, and do another City of Pines Tour this year.
•        Different style of editing – yes with my new staff, I will be turning it over to a graphics artist in which I can trust in doing the dirty work. Fixing what I can’t do or manipulate.
•         I would be traveling more, and shooting more on volunteering models – Yes I have chosen this route ever since I got inspired meeting people I met from Baguio, and surely there are other provinces who has cosplayers that are warm and accommodating as them.
•         Lastly, I will be back soon on my Social Networks. Ever since my phone killed itself, I would be acquiring a new unit to interact with the people of the world again.

This may be the shortest entry I may have written, but I want to thank JC ZALA Travel and Tours, for helping me in my travel to Kalibo – of all the trips, I am thankful that I have a travel advisor helping get to my father’s homeland. Without their patience and understanding – I am grateful for their help. Based in Zamboanga, I was acquire what I need with a few hitches then and there on my part, but I want to plug them – should you need to travel around the country, they will gladly arrange it for you.

That’s it for now, I may write more food and movie reviews soon. Stay tuned.

when the south meets the north

It’s more than a week since I came home from Baguio, and I am still high from the things I have done. I stayed about 4 days and 3 nights which was my usual, for a vacation that was supposed to be no work, no play, ended up me being sick even more, losing my voice, and doing a shoot in the process. In what was supposedly to be my time for healing, which I came off from a slight fever, I ended up pushing my body to its breaking point and I am not complaining - I had fun.

Jermaine Dermot, The Asylum: City of Pines Tour 

I never intended to do a photo shoot in Baguio, period. I never intended that I will be hosting a small photo shoot that lasted for two days, period. My vacation was really meant just enjoying the scenery, the food, the travel but ended up to directing an experience that would be memorable as a photographer and my times of travel. How this all began, was simply my mere curiosity with the Baguio Cosplay Community – bumping to them on a vacation last March, made me wonder how it was nice to meet them and know them. I did my research, try to know how many the
y were, and I was not really much successful. Now, I had the opportunity I posted a small ad, after my birthday, in a group that I join in Facebook, which was to look for a bunch of cosplayers who may be interested in joining me to do a small shoot in an abandoned cabin in Baguio, this ad which led me to joining a bigger group that I have sought and been longing for.  It was suggested to me to try posting the ad to the community, so I did, and whoa, overwhelming responses.  In the span of few days, I got what more I have bargained for, for a day intended pushed me for two days by public demand.

I had to cut my vacation time, really to just one day, which I ended up sulking in bed for not feeling well, but it was all worth it. The day thereafter was crunch time, It was my third or fourth time to direct a shoot, to teach people how to pose and what sort of things I want to happen – delivered through – and this Baguio Cosplay Community was more than what I expected.

It’s really weird on how we take things for granted and how much we take advantage of every opportunity – but meeting the community made me open my eyes to what could be the biggest potential that the Cosplay community of Manila should be aware about. One of which is that these community never had big events – they don’t have backings of big Otaku Events, or organizers to create something that these people should rave. They have two events per year versus Manila having a calendar filled with fun activities. The events are just simply joining the flower parade every February and some lucky event in the nearby mall. Some of the people would travel 4 to 6 hours just to attend an event and not stay long – and that’s just sad.

Another is the community is huge for I had 100+ people invited to my FB Event Invite, I lost count to how many responded to my ad, and I was told there are more. With this massive community, there should be something or out there would take interest in hosting an activity – more so take opportunity that Baguio is one of the places of the next big thing. They have awesome scenery, places to do shoot, from the lakes of Burnham Park, to the city vibe of Session Road, to the vast Bell Tower and it is one whole city of a Fantasy Quest.  There are so many things I want to rave about my time for the community, and so much so as to rant about something but I may discuss it some other time, as how I will piece that ranting. Overall, I had really so much fun meeting people – and the hospitality I got, was a blessing to my vacation, more so I miss them already. Baguio was deemed like another home to me, and this reassures me going back every time. The smiling faces, the laughs, the fist bumps, and the hugs, is something that always replay in my mind. I got more than what I bargained for, what something never intended, for I thought it was just those vacations, shoot and go – lead to a learning experience. I learned, curiosity is a good thing – to try something new is good, because you never what it will lead you, it may lead you to something fun. 

boobs, rainy, and heat: october chaos

It has been more than a month since I wrote something, and I really do apologize as my regular schedule of work takes a hard toil on me, on health and my sense of creativity, but nonetheless I was able to pull through the aches and pains, the sickness, the depressions, my violent mood swings and here I am again writing again.

Mhaki Dizon of Amgine Cosplay & Photogrpahy, Cosmania

A series of events has happened to me throughout the month of October – Cosmania, The Asian Cosplay Meets Philippines, and the Fantasy Quest, and my schedule get swamped as it is, literally, I will leave it to you to figure out what I mean. Cosmania, yes I promised myself before that I will backing out on an event that I might regret, an event done locally, true enough Cosmania, similar to Wrestlemania, is just as chaotic as it should be – I don’t want to bash the organizers for the chaos, but this was one of the things you rather sat home and watch TV, although there are cool cosplayers with full blown armor, there were more mechas to your right and left, but what really took the cake, was the number of boobs, cleavages and chicks, and all the sudden this just like some con with more skin than ever. BOOBSMANIA!!!!! Oh yeah! No, not really, it leaves a bad taste on the mouth when you see pre-teens, teenagers trying to flaunt their assets, and they out do the trap community. And thankfully I will not show the showcase of spotlights in my page, for the respect of the female community, please you are going to a cosplay event, dress to your character without forcing the need to sell some skin.

Someone mentioned to me in the past, that there is a rise of cosplayers of trying to be eye candy to photographers, becomes the number of photo-snobs are there are climbing high, coincidentally that raised the number of perv-photographers are coming out to the community.  I like to let everyone know that when I do photos, I look for the captivating pose you can give me without seducing me to liking you, the number of poses you can do in one set by making me have a hard time catch up with you – and I do not mean in a malicious way. Maybe I am just tired of seeing the same poses over and over again.  I am willing to teach as long you are not a hardheaded learner, and you cosplayer can teach me on things that I do not know about your character, after all I didn’t major in this field if I weren’t given constructive feedback. At the end of the day, it was tiring, and still I got a kick of fun, because I stuck with my south people who kept riding on with me. Thank you, Guys and Gals.

Maria Garcia, Asia Cosplay Meets Philippines

Rain, Wet, and Drenched, thank you vitamin C, is what kept me alive through Asia Cosplay Meets Philippines, slash, meets rain. It was just a 3 week notice when my in-house mode Maria Garcia, wanted me to be a media partner to an Intramuros event. What I thought this will be just a 3 hour of mayhem, it was something longer. Coming from shift from Friday, I blasted myself going to a place that I haven’t been in a long time, I may have wandered in the Wall, early 2000s, and a lot has changed, and thanks to the wonderful app of Grab-a-taxi, I got their way early than I should be. With the aid of the mighty Cobra, I bounced and lasted the whole event for more than 12 hours, I think despite the heavy rain shower which the weather did not so cooperate at all, who pisses on anyone. Cosplayers, fellow-media partners, and the like, were pissed how this rain was. Ad mist all that Hulk Hogan arrived, yes there were some cosplayers he terrorized, but no one blesses an event like he does. The event by the wall was indeed a roller coaster of an event, trying to keep my camera dry, and holding an umbrella, and the same time keep myself perky and happy was a lot to take toil one one’s body. But then with nothing much in the stomach but an energy drink, and junk food – I had to keep going to my host, or hostess.  Helping her and giving tabs on what’s going, at least it was a learning curve for the both of us.   I so wanted to do a lot or cover for the event, bad I couldn’t place myself well in where I should be especially when the bands were performing and the all girl dance group was. Sigh! A lot of controversy happened along the way, in which I omitting details out for the sake of hoping the sponsors would give this a second chance.  It was fun meeting concessionaires, fellow photographer Bryan of arkadymack.com, and a lot more. It was fun, but until the very next day.

Gale Cairo, Fantasy Quest IV

The very next day to Asia Cosplay Meets Philippines was a pain in the body, I felt all the aches in my foot, legs and my lower back but I had to push my body forward to Fantasy Quest. An event I have been waiting for, it was a career beginning to attend to but this something I don’t recommend to the average cosplayer. Fantasy Quest is an event for the elite of the elites of cosplayers, an event is more posh than my lifestyle was, and yes I would be back.  I never had my first dance when I was in High School, I was more of a wallflower at my prom, that I left home early because I was too shy, now I had the opportunity… things happened. WHY??!!!! Flashback - On an adventure of 3 friends, 2 cosplayers and a photographer heading out to what appears the best thing that happened to our lives, come in heat, more heat, and yes humid heat.  Even having several large cooling fans it was not enough to cool everyone down. I wore my long sleeves and tie, just to look dressy and snappy, but it left me soaking in my own sweat, felt like I fell in a pool of it. And my date a cosplayer, so hot, that she is literally burning in heat under her wig. And a friend, who suffered closed to a heat stroke, with sudden rise of his blood pressure, and yes that’s what happened. We had to go home early, just to being a good friend that we are. But with all what was happened, it lived up its name, everywhere I go was visual eye candy, I had to go back to basics, and use my Ultra Wide Angles lens, just to capture everything I want to see, and it did pay off to my favor. If I had fun, not really, it seems going to the event needs your own photographer, and group – I was lost with no purpose, but to the people who I saw, and knew, I took every opportunity and produced the best. And yes, there were no regrets.

November, I have to be ready for, a themed shoot by yours only, with an uninvited guest photographer who decided to show, but it works for me, and me going on vacation.  Yes I needed the relaxation, but I needed to get well first. I am coughing and having a hard time to breathe, and I take blame to the weather for being inconsistent. Howell, hope to write another entry soon, and don’t worry this won’t be my last.