And on the night of AnimeKon...

...I enjoyed myself...somewhat.

All I can say is that it was nice being out of the house and that I wasn't disappointed. In my recent post about AnimeKon 2010, I mentioned that I wasn't going with much expectation so that I wouldn't be disappointed. Such a smart thing to do. I was excited because I got to dress up but that doesn't mean I expected it to go down great.

In all honesty, if it had been called GamingKon or something, I wouldn't have gone and all the guys and girls who would go to "GamingKon" would have gotten all that they could ever hope for. They could never have been disappointed. Why? Because AnimeKon was really one big video game convention. The only anime-like things that went down (to my knowledge) include: cosplay and the showing of Final Fantasy: Advent Children...oh yes and I guess the fashion show was supposed to be related?

I had the great misfortune of being stuck in a meeting for most of the afternoon. During this meeting, people who cosplayed were around at AnimeKon and I missed a few other, more entertaining events. By the time I had arrived, few people were dressed accordingly and I was told about all the cool characters that were around in my absence. The only goodness I got to see was a pair of girls walking around in their costumes as: Kakashi and an Anbu. I had to sorta figure out the Kakashi character. This was my experience, having gone after 6 PM.

There was a fashion show that I got to see. It was short. It wasn't bad. But then again, I personally am not really one for fashion shows because I don't really get the fashion behind it. Yeah, fashion isn't my thing.

There was some good artwork and graphic designs around so I was pleased with the amount of that floating about.

What made it all worthwhile for me was seeing a bunch of friends that I don't get to see too often. So I was pretty pleased about that at least. Oh and I also got to dress up! I like being able to dress differently from usual.

So, if any of the guys at AnimeKon read this, here are my suggestions for AnimeKon 2011:

• More anime! Otherwise, it's not AnimeKon. I expected to see a whole lot more anime-related things around.
• Anime movies in the "Anime Theatre". Marvel stuff doesn't count because it's American.
• Play some anime-related music: japanese music, theme songs, series soundtracks.

I think that was my biggest problem with AnimeKon. The fact that it had so little to do with anime and so much to do with video games. Anime conventions usually exist to promote anime, promote series that deserve more recognition. I didn't feel like the anime community was properly catered to. But it's something to work on for 2011.

Understandably, this could be difficult to tackle as there aren't really any anime/manga outlets in Barbados, to my knowledge. But using AnimeKon to promote this awareness would be ideal. There are loads of anime fans in Barbados but our source of it is only via the internet and a change from this would be nice, I'm sure. Video games are good, graphic arts are good, Marvel stuff is good but anime is great too! So, you have an entire year to try making AnimeKon 2011 a much more appealing event for anime fans such as myself (because I'm not a big fan of video games).

All in all, I think it turned out to be pretty successful.

On a night like any other...

...I sit and ponder.

You know how there are those nights when all you do is think? Think about anything: yourself, your future, your goals, your current situations, upcoming events, your friends, colleagues, acquaintances. Tonight was one of those nights. I sit and I see a future that hasn't yet happened and can only hope they will. Tough times are ahead as time will pass by but I know that I have grown enough to handle them and that they will help me grow more so that I can face the tougher.

Tonight is one of those nights...

...I feel inspired to do something great. It's one of those nights that I remember what I truly desire; one of those nights that I feel the fire of my passions kindle inside.

I had an interview Monday. Just a short, simple, relaxed interview with the Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute. I do believe it went well. This interview stirred up the emotions I feel tonight. Voicing the things I strongly desire have rooted them even deeper within me. Then, as I returned home, my Mom asked me what any mother would ask: How did the interview go? A question that merely reinforced my drive.

You probably wonder what it is that I'm so interested in, so passionate about. The things I enjoy studying, learning about, applying: holistic/natural medicine, genetics, the mind. I hope that one day, these three things will attain a perfect mixture in my career.

This summer we're doing a research course. A 9 week course that started this week. I've applied for an externship to do research at an external site in the hopes of seeing what true research is about. Rather than these silly "research projects" in Barbados that include survey. Surveys are boring and I hate statistics. Why did I say this? Because I've been somewhat interested in research before but, being unsure of what the field is like, I can't say I'm really interested or not. I do hope that I'll be placed at the site I'd like to go to and get first hand exposure to it.

When I was a little girl with a single-digit age, I used to like playing teacher. Of course, I also liked playing doctor. We already know which path I'm on. But I still haven't completely excluded the teaching aspect. I have a desire to spread good knowledge that people should know. Information that can change peoples' lives. Maybe someday, later in life, I may take up this role again. I have a friend who tells me that I explain things in a very simple way and I've come around a good few cases where I've helped clear up misunderstandings about many things for people. I apparently give decent explanations, even though I personally don't quite feel that way sometimes. Ha.

So, tonight was one of those nights that you sit and contemplate life.

Father's Day Comes Again

"Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a Dad." -- Anne Geddes

There are many men in the world who truly live the role of a "Dad" and so many others who are truly undeserving of any such title. Just because half of your DNA helped make a new person in the world doesn't make you a Dad, it makes you a biological father. A man may have no biological connection to a child but still has a right to be a Dad.

"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." -- George Herbert

A Dad is a man who's there for you, cherishes you, takes the time to nurture, teach and protect you and becomes a good role model for his children.

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." -- Clarence Budington Kelland

Any man who takes no time for his children and only works is merely using it as an excuse for his lack of experience. A man becomes greater when he becomes a good father...a father any child would be proud to call "Dad". A good father knows where his priorities lie.

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." -- Unknown

"A man's children and his garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season". -- Unknown 

I know I used a lot of quotes in this post. They pretty much say the same thing. If you have a father to proudly call "Dad", then cherish him and appreciate him. Treat him well this Father's Day.

To all the deserving Dads in the world, I wish you all a very happy Father's Day!

AnimeKon 2010!

Barbados' first anime convention! To be held next Saturday, June 26th 2010 from 10 AM - 10 PM. No doubt. I'm going.

I don't have any costumes or anything so there'll be no cosplay for me (I sort of wish I could though) but I'll see what I can muster up from my closet. =) Even if I did want to cosplay, I wouldn't even know who to go as. But I do know I'd wanna be someone with a simple outfit. Complex, exotic articles of clothing do not make me happy...especially if they'll make me hot. I have a friend who may go as Afro Samurai. I think he couldn't have chosen a better character! If you knew him like I do, you'd think so too. =) I wonder how many people will cosplay for the event...

It's Barbados and it's the first. I'm not expecting much really but I'm hoping I'll get a pleasant surprise. Too much hope though, will leave me disappointed. So, I can't say I have a lot of hope or expectations but we won't know how this comes off until the day arrives! I've never been to an anime convention before, so I won't have anything to compare it to, at least.

A Little Bit of Canada

A few days ago (4, to be exact), I returned from a trip to New York. I meant to make this post days ago but I've been busy. It was a relatively short trip, just 6 days long, but I had such a great time! Why? I spent the weekend on a tour bus to Toronto. Well, that's not the awesome part. The awesome part was getting to be on the road and see all sorts of great things. It was my first trip up to Canada!

The tour was a 3-day bus tour. We drove from New York through New Jersey then Pennsylvania and again through New York (upstate) before arriving in Ontario where we saw Niagara Falls at night. Niagara at night: beautiful. No picture could ever do it justice.

Symplicity Me

With a total of 13 votes, the results of the polls have come in. You can view them on the left. Thanks to everyone who voted!

I'm fairly indecisive about a lot of things and doing vlogs on YouTube was one of those things. For an entire night I thought "Should I? Should I not?". Then it occurred to me: Why not see if others would be interested in it first? People may like to read what I type on my blog but maybe they may not be all so keen to hear me talk.

Either way, writing and talking are two different things. Not a single person has told me that they don't think I should give vlogging a try. This surprised me a little bit. I'm not really the most vocal, outgoing person around, not to mention, I'm the kind of person who lives happily behind a camera and is rarely in front of it...so, why did everyone think I could do well to be in front of a camera and make videos for YouTube? I still wonder.

Blogging and vlogging are like two different worlds. I love blogging. I remember when I first started off this blog I wasn't at all sure what I would write about but I decided to make one anyway. One and a half years later, here I am, still blogging and absolutely loving it. There's no real direction for the blog in the things I write about. It's all random stuff but it's helped me to become somewhat more expressive and I like that.

I don't know how vlogging will go...and I don't even know what I'll vlog about. I have a couple ideas so far. I'll do my best to make it not-so-boring. I've already uploaded a video from January. Something I did with a couple of friends in all boredom. I hope this vlogging thing goes well!

So, if you're interested, check out my channel and subscribe! I'll love you forever for it. =D

http://www.youtube.com/user/symplicityme

Video Logs?

Commonly known as 'vlogs', video logging has stormed through YouTube (somewhat) for years! I've watched a few...here and there. A lot of them tend to be pretty interesting. A lot of them also aren't. But what can you do eh?

I was talking with a friend of mine last night and our conversation about penpals went from there to me doing vlogs. What? Me doing vlogs? Hmm...I'm not so sure about that. At first I just took it as a joke and laughed about it but then, for some reason, I started thinking about giving it a try.

I'm actually still thinking about it. I haven't yet decided yet. I'm having a hard time trying to decide. But if you vote on the poll on your left, you can help me make my decision! Would you watch me if I did vlogs on YouTube? If I did them, you'd probably get to see a bit more of Barbados. =)

<-------- Vote! =)
(voting closes June 9th at 12PM)