Worried About Dormitory Decor? Well I Say, No More!

Hi all! Apologies for the delay in posting. I was on a brief three week hiatus for personal reasons, but am back now! I hope my fellow Americans enjoyed their 4th of July, this past Tuesday!

So it has been almost two years since I left the Inland Empire and moved to Orange County. This is my second time making a big city move since I first started college down in Southern California.  Something about living alone with your pets and having a new slate to work with seems magical in a way. However, it can occasionally be stressful when you have to think about how to decorate your new home. I have lived in over four different apartments and the college dormitories over the past nine years. So I have learned how to decorate for both limited space and seemingly unlimited space. Keeping up with the school theme, I would like to help you out with figuring out how to decorate your dormitory with the help of Aura Frames.

Dorm Living:

Dorms, they're pretty small. Typically, you share them with one other person, but sometime you might have two, or even three other people per dorm. A lot of big box stores will give you check lists full of the most unnecessary things ever to buy just to get you to spend extra money at their stores. My list of essentials would have to be the most basic and the most realistic from my own personal experiences.

Bed: Twin XL - Bed set (for most dormitories, the best are Twin XL -some times you can find bed-sets that fit both regular Twin and Twin XL). They are fairly cheap so feel free to buy more than one, you'll be in that dorm for at least one year.

Pillows - You can usually find some good pillows on deal from Macy's or J.C. Penny.

Under the Bed Organizers - Remember that you are sharing a very small space with other people. If you have two or three roommates, you might also be sharing a closet. Under the bed organizers helped me out so much as a Freshman in the dorms.

Full body Mirror - Not all dorms will come fully furnished aside from the bed and desk (I bought mine at Target for under 4$.)

Bundles of Hangers for Clothes - most dorms have closets and dresser-drawers

Laundry Essentials - Baskets, Pods/Detergents, Fabric Softener, Iron/ Iron Board- Look for coupon deals on laundry items, believe me, you can find so many.

Bath Supplies - Flip-flops, Shower Caddy, Towels, and the basic shower essentials (body wash, soap, shampoo, conditioner. (The reason that I recommend the flip-flops is because you will be sharing those showers with several other men or women and can risk getting foot fungus.)

Frames for Photos - You can be low tech and get very simple frames to put up photos to combat homesickness, or you can be high tech and get some pretty neat digital frames like the ones that Aura Frames has.

Posters - Posters can be a cheap way to decorate your apartment as well, and it's also a good way to really personalize your space with posters displaying your interests.

Stuffed Animals or other comfort items - If you were like me and moved to a college far from home, then bringing moments with you can help combat homesickness as well. For me, it was old stuffed animals, but it could be something different for you. 

If you are artsy, I recommend that you draw some pictures or make some little decorations for your dorm side. Even have your friends help you!

*Desks are typically included and lamps/lighting as well. If I think of anything else to add, I'll let you know! Highly recommend a trip to Walmart and Target for some cheap dorm supplies. Good luck with your first year at the dorms!

A picture from my freshman year in my dormitory at UC Riverside - East Lothian ( Nine years ago).

If you guys have any comments on the items you brought with you to the dorms, feel free to let me know in the comments below!

Till Next Time!

-Hachi

How to Survive the Con-pocalypse!

Hi all!

As promised, I am giving you all some pro tips on how to survive your first con! I've been attending cons consecutively since 2005, while cosplaying for the majority of them. I currently average at attending around 8 cons per year. Sometimes more, rarely less. I've volunteered for Comic-Con International for the past 5 years, and have been on panels for other cons.

I was tasked by Vegas.com to provide some tips to their viewers attending Lvl Up Expo in Las Vegas, NV. Lvl Up Expo is known as the ultimate gaming and anime convention of Las Vegas. It runs from May 12-14, 2017. If you'd like to go to this con, check out some of these nice travel deals! I've only been to Las Vegas one time as an adult, so I hope to go back soon! Another good website to use for registering for conventions is Eventbrite. Some conventions use this service as a quick and easy way to register for their events. I have primarily utilized the site for smaller cons, but big ones do use the service as well. Anyhoo, onto the tips, with a little bit of a twist!

Nurse Morrigan at Comikaze Expo/Stan Lee's L.A. Comic Con 2016  - courtesy of Novice Snapshots

Pro tips for attending your first con!

1. Remember cosplay is not consent.
• Never touch or photograph a cosplayer without their permission. 
2.  Stay hydrated
• Bringing your own water and refreshments is a good way to avoid sticker shock at the con.
• Some cons do allow hydration packs.
• As some cons have the tendency to draw large crowds, ie. San Diego Comic-Con, & Anime Expo, it can be easy to overheat, especially in cosplay. Drinking a decent amount of water can keep you cool and avoid heat exhaustion.
3. Utilize "Day 0" as often as you can. 
• Day 0 is meant for picking up your badge early. It helps you not miss out on those panels you'd like to attend by having to wait in line for your badge.
• Occasionally, day 0 has some early access perks.
4. Anticipate long lines, especially if you attend on the expected "busy" days of the con.
•  This is called "line-con" as a term of endearment. 
• Lines can get long for big panels, screenings, con exclusives, and badge pickups.
5.  Cosplayers:
• Anticipate that many people might ask for your photograph. 
• Never feel obligated to give a photograph, if you do not feel comfortable doing so.
• Unfortunately, some people at cons do not have the best of intentions.
• If you are cosplaying as a princess or superhero, expect kids to come up to you. Be polite to children and if possible, act in character. It really makes a child's day to see that.  
• To piggy back off that, most conventions are family friendly. Please consider that when you think about what you would like to cosplay as. 
6. Bring cash with you, not every vendor will have a POS (point of sale) machine or a Square reader.
•  Sometimes, vendors will give special deals for patrons using cash.
7.  Photographers: 
• Don't forget to ask permission to photograph a cosplayer.
• If you are worried about forgetting to credit the cosplayer, bringing blank pieces of paper, having the cosplayer fill out their information on it, and snapping that photo first before the shoot helps with combating that.
8. Bring a friend! 
• Cons are a lot more enjoyable when you have a buddy to go with.
•  However, if you do end up going alone, cons are a great way to meet people. I have made several friends from all of my con attendances.
9. Do the demos! 
• One of my favorite parts of attending video game expos is trying out all of the new games before my friends. 
• The lines don't take that long and you get a decent amount of game play time.  
10. Just have fun! 
• In the end, the con is what you make it out to be.  
• So try to make it one of the best experiences you will ever have and enjoy yourself! :)

So here's the twist, I've interviewed some of my friends and asked them to provide their own pro tips for attending your first con as well! Please take a look and enjoy! Links to their pages will be provided in their names, so please give them some love! :)

Provided by Queen Akemii & Taken by wafflopogusarts

Name: Shae - ( Queen Akemii  )
How long have you been attending cons?:
Ive been attending conventions since 2013, which is 4 years. 
What is your favorite thing to do at the cons?: My favorite thing to do at cons is going to panels, especially those crowd interacting ones. They're always fun to just watch, even if you're too shy to join in.
What role do you play at cons? (cosplayer, photographer, handler, or multiplayer mode):
I'm a cosplayer, but I casually take photographs of other cosplayers during my down time at cons. 
So, what's your pro tip?: 
A tip that I'll have for others that are interested in joining the community will be to just go with the flow. Majority everyone at the con scene are extremely nice. Don't be afraid to approach new people so you can gain friends. It's a welcoming community and we'll love to have you.

Derek is essentially my photography sensei (teacher), who gives me tips to use in my own photography

Name: Derek - ( Tammohawk Photography )
How long have you been attending cons?: Since 2014, AX (Anime Expo) was my first con.
What is your favorite thing to do at the cons?:
I like to check out the artist alleys. Outside of photography, I also like to draw. I enjoy supporting other artists.
What role do you play at cons? (cosplayer, photographer, handler, or multiplayer mode): Photographer! For now, I would like to start cosplaying soon.
So, what's your pro tip?:
For photographers, make business cards. It really helps cosplayers figure out where their photos are at after the con. Also, utilize bag check rooms, if provided. These help so that you aren't carrying heavy items around all day during the con.

Ezra's photography accounts for a majority of my con based posts on here. He's amazing, check out his work!

Name: Ezra - ( Novice Snapshots )
How long have you been attending cons?: 
I've been attending cons on and off since 2005.
What is your favorite thing to do at the cons?: Hit the dealer's hall, artist alley, food trucks, and most recently, hang out with friends. 
What role do you play at cons? (cosplayer, photographer, handler, or multiplayer mode): Photographer and handler. Plus, I always keep an eye out for con creeps.
So, what's your pro tip?:
Plan ahead for parking and be early.



That's all folks! I hope my friends and mine's tips and experiences have helped to make your first con experience more exciting! Let me know in the comments below how your first con experience was. :) Special thanks to Queen Akemii, Tammohawk Photography, and Novice Snapshots for being willing to be interviewed for my blog. :)


Till next time!

-Hachi