Somehow, this silly page has hit 9 million views!

Just to be absolutely clear, I do not think the views make me any better than anyone else. _{I mean, I'm sure some of those are from people who don't even like me.} But I guess my point is that it's crazy to imagine that this page has been opened up that many times, and I can't help wondering where all these hits have come from. And I just feel so grateful that a select few people in those millions have come to be irreplaceable friends to me.

It's been a wild ride with all of you guys through all this time. To me this isn't just a page where I simply showcase my artwork or the cosplay photos my friends and I come up with. This site has opened up so many opportunities for me, and has introduced me to some of the most wonderful people I've met in my life.

It's been a journey, and my interactions with the people here have taught me more than I can express.

Apart from that, one thing I absolutely did not expect in my wildest dreams was that this page would help save some people's lives.

How could a page that mainly revolves around cosplay with some photography and illustration do that? I myself could not imagine how at first. In all honesty, every single time I receive a note or an email from someone just thanking me for sharing bits of my life on my journal and how much it helped them, I break into tears and it takes me forever to respond because I feel like nothing I write would be enough.

I've got a lot of things running through my head, and I'm going to try to articulate them with the help of words from someone who is a hero to me, Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance. The indescribable things I feel in my heart, he just has a way of perfectly putting them into words.


The fact that so many you saw something in my work, in my writing, in all the silly things that my friends do — It strengthens my belief that anything can be art. Anything can have meaning. Anything can be a source of inspiration. You also made us feel an additional sense of purpose and keep giving us hope that the world is a nicer place than we thought.

With illustration and photography (though I feel I need to produce more) is something that's more relatively understandable. But I'd like to talk about the aspect of cosplay — so many people will say that they don't understand what the point is, or what good it can do.

Here are some of the things it has done for me:

Wanting to create proper tributes to series that I love has motivated me to improve my skills as a photographer and visual artist, and keep learning. That driving force is just so much stronger when you're working on something you really love, with people you love.

It motivated me to do my best to create images that pull out emotions and encourage others to feel them. The series I like best (and choose to cosplay) earn their place in my heart by making me feel something deeply — happiness, sadness, determination, inspiration, and much more. Often I hope to share these feelings with my viewers, to remind them of why they share in the fandom, or to persuade them to pick up the series at hand so that it might do some good for them them too.

Writing descriptions that accompany the images I post lets me reach out to people. For example, my Le Petit Prince photos allowed me to share why that book has changed me significantly, and encouraged other people to pick up the book. Many have written back to me to thank me for introducing that story to them because it changed them forever too.

Simply sharing the silly things my friends and I do during photoshoots or conventions has made people laugh when they need it. To be able to laugh and smile is a precious thing that others take for granted sometimes, but I'm just thankful that we're able to evoke that from our readers.

I've learned that just because you're doing something for fun, doesn't mean it's automatically meaningless. I think you just really have to dig deep and figure out your reason for doing things, and it'll lead to other life lessons which piece together to make a big beautiful picture.

Through it I have met the most amazing individuals I otherwise would not have encountered. I'm thankful for them everyday.


One of the things that gets to me the most is when people tell me that my friends and I make them believe in true friendship, reassure them that they deserve to be happy, and make them feel braver to be themselves. I hope everyone will keep those thoughts in their hearts.

Me and my friends in Tux Team, we always ALWAYS find it so unbelievable when people come up to us to say how much they admire our group. Our usual reaction is to look at each other and jokingly ask, "Why?!" We're the first to admit we are far from the best when it comes to craftsmanship. But that's not really what's important to us. If we are to be looked up to, we always hope it's for our spirit and friendship and what we stand for.

You make me feel that as long as you hold a strong belief for something, carry a lot of love in your heart, and go out and sing that to the world, people who feel the same will be drawn towards you.



A lot of you have written to me to say that you open up my journal especially on days you need cheering up. Apart from making you laugh, I want to share something that will hopefully stay with you whenever you feel like you're at a low point of your life.



Some of Gerard's words from the video:

Nothing is worth hurting yourself over. NOTHING is worth taking your life over.

The difference we wanna make is, number one, to make these kids know that they're not alone, that they're actually not that messed up and that they can do whatever they want… And really just to get people to get over their stuff so they can live.

It's more important to keep yourself alive, there's nothing worth even hurting yourself over… It's normal, it's completely normal to be depressed.

I mean, we started this band thinking the world was extremely ugly. And I think now we realize that it's more beautiful than we thought.

So if anything, you can take it from a guy and his band who used to think everything was shit. And we've found that it's not.


And from me:

You are never, ever alone. There are people out there who will understand you. You just have to reach out. Don't shut yourself out, don't take it out on other people by hurting them, and definitely never take your own life. You just have to keep living, and be kind, and be yourself — and you'll find that despite how terrible the world can be, it can be really beautiful too.


Open up your heart. You might get hurt along the way because it's a fact of life that bad people exist, but eventually you'll find at least one true friend who will make it all worth it.

As I've said before: It's okay to be you. It's okay to be weird.

Other people's opinion of you shouldn't matter. Don't miss out on opportunities to do things you love just because you don't want other people saying mean things about you.

It's your life and your time, and it's YOU who has to live with the consequences of your decisions so make them for yourself. You should always strive to make yourself happy over all others.


The fine print on the above quote is that you should also be able to differentiate when people are just giving you shit to bring you down, or if people who actually care about you are trying to give you advice to be a better person. You don't give your friends the middle finger. You work on issues together. Sometimes it can hurt to hear what you've been doing wrong, but real friends stab each other at the front, and with the best and purest of intentions.

You will find people out there who will love you for who you are. They will accept your imperfections, your shortcomings, your mistakes.

Be yourself and be kind. Things will get better. They did for us, and they can for you.



Some people seem to see me and my friends as a group of happy-go-lucky miscreants without a care in the world.

But I think the reason my friends are so kind, and the reason we embrace having fun so much is that we know all too well what it's like to be hurt, and what it's like to be depressed. We've been there. Some of us are still dealing with it. Our lives are far from perfect, we're still human and make our share of mistakes, and we continue to work on ourselves one day at a time. Life doesn't have to be perfect for it to be beautiful.

The reason I share the things we do with you guys is to remind you to laugh, and to give hope to those who need it that you can make things better.

A lot of you have come to know me through this dA account, and through my journal posts particularly. One of the reasons I started blogging was just to remind myself of the things I have to be thankful for — the wonderful people in my life, and how much our silly adventures make me smile and laugh, and how they make life worth living. I needed that to look back on whenever I'd feel teetering on the edge of depression.

Something that came as an unexpected blessing was how I received letters from people saying how somehow I had saved them. That my friends and I had given them something to believe in.

To hear that is more than I could have ever hoped to get in return for blogging. On behalf of my friends, I'd also like to say THANK YOU to you guys who have stuck with us and believed in us and inspired us to be better human beings. Your faith means more to us than you know. More than I can express. From the bottom, the top, and the rest of the mushy insides of my heart — thank you ever so much.





If you think I might be able to help you with something related to this post, send me a note, or send me a message through Tumblr Ask. (On Tumblr you can ask anonymously, or I can answer privately if you request it.) It takes me a while to reply sometimes, but I will do my best.


<3
Jin

Boy, do I have a ton of events and shoots I have yet to write about! The past few months have been such a big (wonderful) whirlwind of stuff that I really haven't been able to just sit down and sort out my photos and thoughts the way I want to.

That's why I've been severely lacking in updates over here, but my Facebook page, Tumblr and Twitter have been getting a fair bit of action. I feel like on those sites I can just thought vomit and blurt things out.

This page though has significant sentimental value to me because it was the starting point for so many things. I wouldn't even know where to begin. So it's rather special to me and I feel like I should put a little more thought into my posts here. I've kind of been overdoing it though! So now I'll share some of the posts I've been making on my other sites, to get my writing rhythm back a bit.

There's a LOT that's been going on! I have yet to write about our Baguio trip, a couple of photo shoots, Cosplay Mania XI, spending time with overseas cosplayers *pinkyluxun, ~yukigodbless, ~Jiakidarkness and lots of other new friends, our trip to Cebu, etc.



Our very foggy first night (or rather, early morning) in Baguio. It had been a long time since I last found myself immersed in fog, so this was a very welcome sight. I could not help sticking my head out the van window to take it all in.

The thick mist concealed the road on some parts, and it was like driving on a bed of clouds. It amplified the glow of the street lamps. This was at around 2AM so it was also unusually quiet. Well, save for the racket our lot was making. We joked that it would have felt like Silent Hill, though with us around it wouldn't be very silent at all.

Looking at this snapshot, I recall thinking about Sleepy Hollow when I took it. Had I not been with my friends, perhaps this may have seemed scary to me. But if our lot can make Helena by My Chemical Romance seem like the happiest song in the world, Not So Sleepy Hollow can look like a playground.

SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT, SO LOOOOONG AND GOODNIIIIIIIIIGHTTTT

There is much that needs to be said about this Baguio trip but I'll save that for later!


Part of my plan for celebrating with my friends was a karaoke session, so after lunch the ten of us headed over to Red Box. Apart from having a lot of our 90s guilty pleasure songs, we love it there because they have… My Chemical Romance.


And now several of them can't stop listening to Planetary (GO!). Just as planned.





This deserves a whole post for itself to be able to contain all the things I want to say about that trip. So many warm and fuzzy feelings! For now...




Facebook — facebook.com/Jin.behindinfinity
Twitter — twitter.com/skybluedays
Tumblr — behindinfinity.tumblr.com


I'll do my best to be more diligent about updating here too! But GAH this new journal system is going to take some getting used to! Hope everyone is doing well! A pleasant something to you all!

I'm not sure if this can really count as a tutorial because I feel I didn't take enough photos, but I thought I'd share how I made my wand for Harry Potter cosplay. It's made with things I had lying around at home. Miguel helped me out a lot with his suggestions!




It was a lovely day with the everyday magic of wonderful friends, happy little discoveries, and great food.




A lot of people have been saying MY CHILDHOOD IS OVER after seeing the last film. For me, it wasn't like that at all.

"Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic."

That one line made me feel that the magic was ours to keep forever, and that Hogwarts will indeed always be there to welcome us home.


Facebook
Tumblr
Twitter

Read about Day 1 over here!


June 19, 2011
Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall

Day 2 report! It started out at our friend's place like the day before. We helped each other dress and fix up.




Facebook - facebook.com/pages/Jin-behindinfinity/145988798763106
Tumblr - behindinfinity.tumblr.com
Twitter - twitter.com/skybluedays

  
Thanks for reading!

Here's my usual (ang getting increasingly late) report about the cons we attend!

We went as a Disney group last Toycon! And I just realized we don't have a decent complete group shot. That's okay I guess because it's definitely not the last time we'll be wearing the costumes, and we all had things we wanted to improve. _{We have a habit of doing that with new cosplays — wear them to a con and observe pictures from it after to see what looked wrong or felt uncomfortable about the costumes or wigs or makeup. It's helpful!} Some of our friends were also unable to join us for Toycon so we'll definitely be doing this again.

Most of the photos are from my camera but I borrowed some from friends and albums we were tagged in.







For those of you who might be interested — I thought perhaps I should mention that I update a bit more over at Facebook.

facebook.com/pages/Jin-behindinfinity/145988798763106



Just click on the " Like" button on my page and you'll receive my updates on your Facebook feed.

If you're more of a Tumblr person, I'm over there too behindinfinity.tumblr.com
I need to work on updating it more!

Oh, and for smaller updates still (and if you need to send me a quick message) there's Twitter twitter.com/skybluedays

Thanks for reading!

From the Tuxessories Team — And now a special treat for our international friends! We look forward to serving you this coming July!

Please be guided that we will be releasing our special discount code on the first day of the sale. You will need the code to avail of our discount. We will make an announcement on the Tuxessories Facebook page so kindly stay tuned at:
www.facebook.com/Tuxessories

See you then!



Nine West is holding a tote bag print design competition with the theme Spring/Summer. My friend Katrina Teh (or Kitty for some of you) encouraged me to send an entry in as well. Since I had been drawing a lot of flora anyway, I decided to give it a shot. It's always such an amazing feeling to see people wearing my work, so I would love to have a chance at this opportunity

If you happen to like our designs and are willing to take a minute to vote, you may do so using your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts All you have to do is visit the contest entry page and click the vote button on the right side of the screen.


Please click here to go to Jin's contest entry

Thinking about spring and summer brings me thoughts of beautiful days and colorful memories — cloud-watching as the sky explodes into indescribable colors at sunset, being warmed by the gentle sunshine at the beach, looking at gorgeous blooms at the flower district. Those are some of the images I kept in mind as I worked on the illustrations for this design. I was also listening to the song Seasons of Love while working on this, hence the title. One of my favorite springtime memories is attending my childhood best friend's wedding and watching her happily dance with her new husband while that song played.


Please click here to go to Kitty's contest entry

Kitty's beautiful hand-drawn inspired by belladonna lillies <3

The winners will be chosen by Rafe Totengco with special consideration to the pieces with the highest votes. Voting ends June 28. Thank you so much to everyone for the support, and for all who have already voted! We're very grateful!



I've been severely lacking in updates over here, but for those of you who might be interested — I thought perhaps I should mention that I update a bit more over at Facebook.

facebook.com/pages/Jin-behindinfinity/145988798763106



Just click on the " Like" button on my page and you'll receive my updates on your Facebook feed.

For now, here are a few photos from my recent Facebook posts.


from [link]
For the first day of Toycon, we did one of our dream cosplays — going as a Disney group!


from [link]
During the second day of Toycon, I did xxxHolic cosplay with Miguel and Charmie.
I was Kimihiro Watanuki (NOT Harry Potter )


from [link]
I asked for some drawing requests a few weeks back, and here's a preview of some of my sketches. Now that Toycon is done, I'll get back to working on these during my idle times.

If you're more of a Tumblr person, I'm over there too behindinfinity.tumblr.com

Oh, and for smaller updates still (and if you need to send me a quick message) there's Twitter twitter.com/skybluedays

I'm not abandoning my dA page, of course! I just reserve my longer posts or more polished photos for over here. I have some new drawings, and my friends and I have some new costumes done so hopefully I will have the time to blow some dust off this page in the near future.

Thank you all for the messages and appreciation despite my absence here!

Finally! After several months of delay! Man, where has the time gone?



I've still got a few more to post! My friends and I found ourselves really busy in the past months, so I just barely managed to find time to pick this photo series up again. Oh man, it was so great just looking through the photos from that dhurtay again.


A lot of you have been asking about the location, and I apologize but the activity organizers and property owner have advised us not to disclose that information. I hope it suffices to say it is not really a place for simply doing photoshoots, and we were just very fortunate to be invited. The place is private property reserved for special occasions. On a normal basis, people cannot just walk in there or take pictures without an appointment or paid booking. [bows] So sorry!


A few months ago, I had the opportunity to cosplay Sebastian Michaelis from Kuroshitsuji, a series that has an aesthetic I had admired since I first saw it. I happened to be in need of a tailcoat, so I was like oh hey, I can have Sebastian's made.

I know my natural build is not the best sort for Seb as I'm not all that tall. (I get asked this a lot so — my height is 5'4". Sebastian looks about 6 feet tall at least, hahah)



There are still parts I want to improve on my costume, but I totally enjoyed cosplaying my favorite fictional butler that day!

As promised, here are the behind-the-scenes photos from this cospay shoot! Be warned — I have a lot of shots that are very out of character so I apologize in advance if I'm ruining Sebastian's image.

_{Photos by:}
Erving
z3LL photography ~z3LLLL
Peppy
Alfred ~shimekops
Richie ~FatBoyStudios
Jump Shot
photog|Raphy
Wally Gonzales

We started shooting at the venue in the morning. Cat ~catherinejannelle and I had coordinated to be Ciel and Sebastian that day. She had some things to attend to first so while she hadn't arrived yet, I took the chance to look around the place and hang out with the other cosplayers involved in the day's activity.

Much to my surprise, there was another Ciel! It was Ku Ri ~abbadon13. Another young master! Our photographer friends took some pictures of us together. (I'll post those soon!)

We were called to eat lunch so we retreated to the rest area. The activity organizers served us food, and I went around trying to be a butler but everyone just kept laughing when I tried to serve them.




Such a great day! Lots of memories full of magic, delicious mint chocolate shakes, and warm fuzzy feelings from new friends.


The usual reminder that these are our real pages!

My individual page:


Just click on the " Like" button on my page and you'll receive my updates on your Facebook feed.

Our page for Tuxessories:

We're still figuring out what fun stuff we can do here. For now, you can Like the page if you want us to keep you posted about new designs, available stock status and shipping updates.

Photo spam time! I haven't done this in a while! I've got a giant backlog and it's about time I got around to updating my journal again.

This already feels like so long ago! I guess a lot does happen in the span of a few months.



_{Photo credits:}
Essa
Peppy Photos
Tempest Films
Jessica Tan
Danica Trinidad
Christmaelyn Balatbat
Monette Salas


My friends and I were given the opportunity to be, umm, image models of sorts for an anime-inspired lifestyle campaign for a long-established ice dessert place I've very much enjoyed since it first opened several years ago. I feel a bit shy about being a brand endorser, but I'm just glad my friends and I are in it together.

I've always immensely enjoyed eating Ice Monster on hot days (I always look for their booth during school fairs) so it was pretty cool (heh) to be offered a chance to work with them. And for the shoot, we got to eat a LOT of Ice Monsters!

So, umm... If you see our faces staring back at you when you're eating at Ice Monster... S-s-sorry!

Pictures by Erving Go ~Huzafan!




Some photos I took on random days.







The usual reminder that these are our real pages!

My individual page:


Just click on the " Like" button on my page and you'll receive my updates on your Facebook feed.

Our page for Tuxessories:

We're still figuring out what fun stuff we can do here. For now, you can Like the page if you want us to keep you posted about new designs, available stock status and shipping updates.

_{UPDATE: Added to the list of ways to help!}

Most of you have probably already heard about how Japan has been hit with the 5th largest modern day earthquake and a subsequent tsunami. The damage has been devastating. I'd like to take this opportunity to share something uplifting, as well as some ways we might be able to help.



Jun Shiomitsu has compiled a list of Twitter statuses from people in Japan during the quake. He says, "Japanese people have been very open on Twitter about their experiences following the quake. These snippets of what moved them and touched them during these very trying times are heart-warming. I have attempted a rough translation on some of them so that you can have a read." Read the whole post here.

Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

1. Goth youth
A goth youth with white hair and body piercings walked into my store and shoved several hundred dollars (several tens of thousands of yen) into the disaster relief fund donation box. As he walked out, I and people around me heard him saying to his buddies, “I mean, we can buy those games anytime!” At that, we all opened our wallets and put our money into the donation box. Really, you cannot judge people by their appearances.

2. Card board boxes, Thank you!
It was cold and I was getting very weary waiting forever for the train to come. Some homeless people saw me, gave me some of their own cardboard boxes and saying “you’ll be warmer if you sit on these!” I have always walked by homeless people pretending I didn’t see them, and yet here they were offering me warmth. Such warm people.

3. At Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland was handing out its shops’ food and drinks for free to the stranded people nearby. I saw a bunch of snobby looking highschool girls walking away with large portions of it and initially though “What the …” But I later I found out they were taking them to the families with little children at emergency evacuation areas. Very perceptive of them, and a very kind thing to do indeed. 

4. Touch of art
I saw artists and painters trying to keep things upbeat by painting or drawing beautiful or encouraging drawings for the evacuees around them. I was touched at how everyone was doing their very best to help.

5. Reminded of the goodness of the Japanese people
This earthquake has reminded me of that Japanese goodness that had recently become harder and harder to see. Today I see no crime or looting: I am reminded once again of the good Japanese spirit of helping one another, of propriety, and of gentleness. I had recently begun to regard my modern countrymen as cold people … but this earthquake has revived and given back to all of us the spirit of “kizuna” (bond, trust, sharing, the human connection). I am very touched. I am brought to tears.

(Read more here)

I was moved to tears. I certainly hope that we can all learn from these outstanding people. They give me hope. Stay strong, Japan!







I've seen a lot of people say, "I wish I could help but I don't have a credit card!" For the people reading this who are from the Philippines, here's a solution.



To those of you attending TamaCon this coming March 19, there will be a Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Donation Drive booth.
They will be accepting cash donations of any mount, which will all be surrendered to the Red Cross National Headquarters.
Here is their Facebook page [link]

You may also check here for ways to donate to the Red Cross Philippines directly [link]

Or you can simply text to donate.

For GLOBE subscribers, text:
● RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899
● or DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-digit M-PIN<space>REDCROSS to 2882

For SMART subscribers, text:
● RED<space>ON to 4483


Please feel free to share this info if you want to! No need to ask me for permission! I don't really deserve any credit as I had simply complied information I had come across online.

Wherever you are in the world, you may also check your local area for relief efforts and other way you can help out. You can also simply keep them in your thoughts, offer well-wishes, and spread the word about how we can all pitch in.

Tempest Films invites you to a TRAILER FILM SHOOT of Cosplay of the Dead (COTD). The setting of the TRAILER FILM SHOOT is a FICTIONAL convention called GA-KON!!!. The TRAILER FILM SHOOT will take place on February 12, 2011 at Capitol Medical Center Annex Bldg, Quezon Ave. If you come in cosplay, you will get a chance to appear in the trailer AND meet and greet Jin *behindinfinity and Miguel ~merkymerx! More details below!


Saturday, February 12, 2011
1:30pm - 11:30pm

Capitol Medical Center Annex Building
(Across the street ftom Capitol Medical Center)



On Google Maps: [link]


Simply confirm attendance through the Facebook event page if possibe [link] and show up!


There are no requirements whatsoever if you will cosplay. Go wear whatever you want!

However, please be reminded that this will be a shoot. There will be lights, ventilation will be there but do not expect anything more than the breeze (and some fans). We encourage cosplay but we encourage comfort more. With that being said! ANYTHING GOES!

Note: May air, at may "con". Subalit, walang aircon. It's an open air venue! There will be fans to help with ventilation as well.


Not everyone who attends needs to cosplay! Every con has the casual congoers and photographers!


Although our online store is still on hiatus. we'll be selling Tuxessories there!


Please contact Melo Lazatin ~BallistaShark if you are interested in participating or for sponsorship opportunities, or putting up a booth for the event/trailer shoot. 5 slots left!

Melo's contact info:
e-mail: melo@tempestfilms.net
mobile: 0932-478-8657
Twitter: [link]

Some terms and benefits:
3.1. As a trailer sponsor, the trailer shall contain three (3) seconds total air time through brand / product placement as part of the story. Airtime in the trailer and movie may not necessarily be consecutive, however it will still contain a collective airtime of three (3) seconds.

3.2. The trailer will be readily available in the YouTube and Facebook channels and other pages of Tempest Films. The brand will be mentioned and acknowledged in the Description Text of the video.

3.3. Provided that Tempest Films is a participant in a Convention, the trailer will be featured in the Tempest Films booth.

3.4. Your brand will be shown whenever the trailer is shown in events, including Cosplay and Anime conventions, and featured in the Tempest Films booth if we are part of that event.



For more details and inquiries, please contact Melo Lazatin
e-mail: melo@tempestfilms.net
mobile: 0932-478-8657
Twitter: [link]

As I very often say, my friends and I haven't been able to work on more costumes, or do cosplay shoots as much as we want to because life is throwing so many things at us. Mostly good things though! I may have been lacking time to spend on planning and executing cosplay plans, but that time has been going to photography, traditional painting and digital illustration so I cannot at all say it makes me unhappy. Those are my three great artistic loves. More on those things later on!

I've finally gotten around to sorting and editing some of the photos from our Hakuouki practice shoot from last October. Waaaay overdue!

We consider it a trial shoot because we weren't complete that day, and we were not yet done with some detailing of parts of our costumes at the time. We just wanted to get together that day and shoot for the sake of photography practice, and making the most out of sembreak.

As I usually do, I'll share some photos that show what goes on during our shoots and discuss the making of some shots I have posted so far.



Several months ago we heard that Oishi (a leading national snack brand) was holding a photo contest for one of their products — Oishi Gourmet Picks Potato Chips. It sounded like something we might have been asked to do for our Advertising classes, and just generally seemed like a fun idea, so we decided to try out for it.

The basic idea was to come up with photos that were characteristic of the three Gourmet Picks flavors. Japanese-themed photos for Wasabi flavor, Korean-themed for Kimchi flavor, and Classical-themed for Natural Sea Salt flavor. We had a whole lot of fun, got good practice and.... WE WON! Our group got one of the three grand prize winners as well as one of the special awards!



All the shoots we did were extremely enjoyable. We got some much needed practice, got to spend a lot of time with each other, and learned new things. It was a great bonus to have won! We look forward to other contests for which we can collaborate.


It's been pretty exciting! In the late months of last year, Tuxessories — a project that my friends and I had been working on for about a year or so had finally taken off and the response was better than we could have imagined! Even though the shop is on hiatus right now, we're still continuing to work on it, planning out new stuff and thinking of ways to streamline our work process so that we can serve our customers better.

Although much more has been happening, here few other things I might elaborate on in the near future...

My friends and I were given the opportunity to be image models of sorts for a cosplay-inspired lifestyle campaign for a long-established dessert place I've very much enjoyed since it first opened several years ago. I feel a bit shy about being a brand endorser, but I'm just glad my friends and I are in it together.

I had been given the chance to participate in a big art exhibition for a gallery's anniversary. It was my first big show apart from exhibits for school, and with my friends. I had posted about it on my Facebook page when it first opened last month, but I'll submit a related deviation with more details soon!

I was invited to be part of a cosplay feature for a local TV show.

Lots of thinks to be thankful for and that is precisely what I am!


The usual reminder that these are our real pages!

My individual page:


Just click on the " Like" button on my page and you'll receive my updates on your Facebook feed.

Our page for Tuxessories:

We're still figuring out what fun stuff we can do here. For now, you can Like the page if you want us to keep you posted about new designs, available stock status and shipping updates.