Let's go to the Expo~ CBD Expo NW!

Hi All! Quite a bit of time has passed and so much has occurred, which caused a slight delay between blogs. However, the show must go on! On that note, let me tell you about a fun expo I attended in the summer, CBD Expo North West! As you might have remembered, last year, I attended the first CBD Expo on the tour in Anaheim, CA. You can refer back to a previous blog about that event. CBD Expo NW was a two-day event that took place in Seattle, WA at Motif Seattle. Unlike when I went to CBD Expo West, I was able to attend both days of CBD Expo NW.

My first day of the event went very well. I checked in and they were able to easily find my name as a press member. I was also greeted by my new point of contact, Kathleen after my previous point of contact Camille moved, and she was so warm and welcoming. It was an amazing experience. It is always great when you are able to work with such kind and genuine people. Kathleen with CMW Media Group was very informative in the months prior to the show and even during the show.

After checking in, I decided that for the first day of the show, I would only interact with half of the vendors so that way I would be able to spend some time getting to know what the various vendors did and learn about their companies. My first encounter was with Keiko, who was based out of Orange County, CA like me! That was a cool coincidence. She teaches CBD wellness classes for seniors in the area, and was planning on doing an island wellness retreat. Afterwards, I continued on and talked with some vendors about bottling and packaging processes for CBD. We discussed how simplicity is popular for some, and this can be seen often in skincare lines such as Drunk Elephant, and many "Clean at Sephora" lines. However, on some occasions, the luxury goods tend to be more alluring when they have a shine to them. So depending on the price point and formulation of the product, the packaging can make a difference in marketability. Also on day one, I got to try out CBD breath mints from a vendor based out of Oakland, CA called Lucent Botanicals. Those were amazing and discrete! The best type of CBD products, in my opinion, are the kind that can do many things at once. The packaging was what drew me to the product, and the fact that the product delivers total transparency so you are aware of what goes into the product instead of being an uninformed consumer. The taste is what made me consider seeking out the product after the show.  I met other really neat vendors that were kind and hospitable as well.  Aside from Lucent Botanicals, I focused on the more marketing and business based vendors for day one.

During day 2, I focused a bit more on vendors that made edibles and topicals. I met a CBD kombucha vendor called Green Buddha Hemp Co. and that has go to be some of the best kombucha I've tasted. I think the smaller brands of kombucha taste less sugary and over processed, and more natural compared to the mainstream brands. There was a water soluble CBD shot vendor called Danodan Hempworks that incorporated the full components of CBD and I liked that because the earthy flavoring was better than I expected it to be. Each shot delivers 6 mg of CBD and can be used in more than just liquids. I also was able to pick up some pet CBD for my dogs and it's done wonders for my senior pitty back in my hometown. Spectrum Confections made some really neat jelly beans as well that have helped me with relaxing during high anxiety moments. Also, the various flavors are pretty fun to guess. They low key remind me of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, just without any scary flavors. ;) While making my rounds, I was able to try a sample of Vital Leaf's CBD chocolate bars. Typically, I am not a fan of chocolate. Shocking, I know. Yet, this chocolate actually tasted quite good to me. It was not sickingly sweet, nor excessively bitter. It was pretty good and is also fair-trade and organic, which makes me feel even better about it. I always like to know about the products I ingest, so transparency is very important for me. I am glad that Vital Leaf is very transparent about where they source their ingredients from.

One thing I really love about CBD Expo Tour is that I have learned about so many different CBD products since attending two of these shows. Since attending the shows, I became a CBD product tester for some time, and also have recommended vendors' products to my friends. The tour for the 2019 year is soon reaching it's end. Since CBD Expo NW, the tour has already visited the mile high city (Denver) with CBD Expo Mountain, and kicked it in the other coast in Florida with CBD Expo East. That leaves only one more stop left for the year, CBD Expo West! I likely won't be able to attend this one, despite it being back in my home state, but I hope you'll make it out there! This year, it'll be in San Diego, CA on December 5th and 6th. If you're interested in getting tickets for CBD Expo West, feel free to register here. Also, just a reminder, CBD Expo Tour is a 21+ event. :)

I hope everyone has a nice final month of 2019! All named vendors are linked within this post, so check them out! :D

Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Come Out and Play at L.A. Comic Con!

Hi all! It's been a little while since my last post, but it's also been a little over five years since I've started my blog! I am so pleased I've kept this blog going for five years. :) Today's post has been a very long time coming, and the reasoning for that can be seen in a past life update blog. Since Los Angeles Comic Con is about a month away, now's the best time to hype you up for the con with a comprehensive recap from last year's experiences and a future outlook of 2019's con!


Previously at LACC 2018:

I had the opportunity to attend the con for two of the three days as press. Typically, I have a game plan when I attend conventions: Scope out the vendor's hall, interact with con attendees, do free scheduled cosplay photo shoots and if time permits, attend panels that interest me. Unfortunately, I was unable to make any panels or the fashion show that year, but I was able to interact with both con attendees and vendors. Overall, the outlook of the convention was positive.  Also, can I just say that the mascot for the con is awesome looking. I am glad that they kept the same design for 2019.

In 2017,  the process was somewhat unwelcoming when I picked up my press badge. However, in 2018, this was quite the opposite and I felt very welcomed throughout the whole experience from bag check to badge pick up. The staff members looked happy and like they enjoyed their assigned shifts. As someone who does staff for a different convention, maintaining a pleasant guest experience is important. I am always very pleased to see when cons improve upon themselves. Even the convention security situation was a much more pleasant experience than 2017.

When I had discomforts about an uncomfortable situation at the convention and expressed them with a staff member, they did not disregard my concerns. The staff member took my discomfort seriously and notified security. I was extremely pleased to be taken seriously in regards to this situation, as that has never happened before at other conventions. So, for future con goers to Los Angeles Comic Con, please feel free to voice your concerns to staff members, if need be. Never feel like you cannot say anything to anyone. From my experiences, last year, someone will listen to you.

In 2017, I rated the con 8/10, but based on how well they improved upon themselves from 2017 to 2018, I believed that they deserved an increase in rating to 9/10.  I cannot wait to see what 2019 brings.

Peep some photos I took from last year's con:

@januarycosplay - Star Wars

@thebigloserqueen - Snow White

@miss_madra_rua - Gwenpool

I JUST LOVE THAT MASCOT

Coming soon to LACC 2019:

COSPLAY COSPLAY COSPLAY!

I really like that this year is very cosplay focused. Anyone who has followed my blog or either of my Instagram pages knows that I am both a cosplayer and a cosplay photographer. In 2019, Los Angeles Comic Con will have both The Dark Crystal Cosplay Competition and the Cosplay National Championship. Click the links to apply for both competitions, if you're interested in competing! There will also be a Kid's Halloween Costume Contest and Indoor Trick-or-Treating. I like the idea of indoor trick-or-treating because it's a safe alternative for children that might not be able to go out at night on Halloween . It's also reminiscent of what malls used to do in my childhood.  As for me, I was asked to participate in a cosplay group based off of Savannah Alexandra's Puppettes and Purrlesque's fan art, so I hope to be able to fulfill that request to the best of my abilities. I've never done a cosplay group before despite cosplaying for over 14 years. Also, I've been on a con hiatus essentially all summer due to personal reasons and am looking forward to getting back into it. Los Angeles Comic Con is a relatively good sized con where you can wear a more elaborate cosplay and not worry about it being ripped.

There are a lot of interesting guests coming in 2019 as well. Some are giving panels, such as Gerard Way, while others are going to be making appearances and doing autograph signings.

Tickets: If you don't have a full weekend free and are interested in attending Los Angeles Comic Con 2019, the one-day passes are rather affordable for the size of the con. Also, the three day passes are rather decent as well. Children under 12 are free with a paying adult badge too! Very few cons do that, so that's a great perk, if you would like to take your child with you to the con. :)

Anyhoo! That's all from me for now! If you do happen to go to LACC 2019, I hope you have a safe and amazing con experience!

I've also recently created a photography portfolio & post my favorite photos from various cons in there now as well, so check that out too.

Me cosplaying as Blake Belladonna from RWBY (LACC 2018) - Photography courtesy of @jackofsometradesx11

Till Next Time!

-Hachi

LVL on UP at this EXPO! - Press Edition

Hi all! Happy August! I hope everyone has been well and keeping cool, this summer. Southern California just got through a big heat wave of its own, this past weekend. IT WAS AWFUL. However, I digress. The real reason for today's post is to give my full on review for Lvl Up Expo in Las Vegas! This is a long time coming because I went on a brief con review hiatus due to harassment after my Long Beach Comic Expo post. I believe that situation is now resolved and I am looking forward to going to Long Beach Comic Con nearing the end of Summer.

So Lvl Up Expo is one of the most popular conventions in Las Vegas, if not the most popular one from a cosplayer's perspective. You will get crowds coming to this convention from California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and other surrounding areas as it is a good transitioning con from the Spring to Summer con season. By California standards, Lvl Up Expo would be considered a medium sized con. Everyone knows con season is in full force starting in May since there are so many back to back conventions that happen that month. I was pleased to start my "summer" con season with Lvl Up Expo. Would you believe that going to Lvl Up Expo was my second time in Las Vegas as an adult outside of the airport? It shocks the masses of Southern Californians that I know, as funny as that sounds.

I attended Lvl Up Expo on both Friday and Saturday, as I had to leave back to California on Sunday. Day 1, I received my press badge and was greeted by friendly, welcoming faces. That's a great way to start off a convention. As someone who as volunteered and staffed for Comic Con International, the first impressions you make on you attendees go a long way. Afterwards, I walk onto the convention floor. I arrived a little late on Friday, so the con was not extremely crowded, but still there was a hustle and bustle of people around me.

I am a cosplaying photographer, so I always float around the convention floor looking for cosplayers to shoot while in cosplay. It's a fun venture to do as it leaves me opportunities to be shot and opportunities to meet new people.

 For instance, the cosplayer below, Haley, aka H Cosplay is a Las Vegas cosplayer that happens to cosplay as Harley Quinn. Harley is one of my main cosplays even though I do not do any of her original forms, so I was happy to work with her on day 1 of the convention.

Instagram: @h.cosplay

On day two (Saturday), I cosplayed as Bumblebee from Teen Titans and encountered several Teen Titans cosplayers and we formed an accidental Teen Titans cosplay gathering. After we did group shots, I took individual photos of everyone.  The two below are J'son and Badger (Nightwing and Robin).

Instagram - @deku_to_dekiru_cosplay & @badgercosplays

 I also got to try out ax throwing, which was extremely hard to do with a corset and butterfly wings on 😂 I loved the opportunity though! It is not something I have seen at any con I've gone to in California or Canada. Also, the wrestling component of the con was hilarious. It was well orchestrated that it even got some chuckles out of this grown lady.

This was so hard. Photo courtesy of the Ax throw vendors.

So many laughs

All in all, I had a nice two days at Lvl Up Expo. Rating: 8/10

• My primary con about this con was that if you were looking for something, some of the staff was not very knowledgeable about where things were, which sadly caused me to miss panels.
• Perhaps some training sessions beforehand can alleviate this.
• Also, have more security roaming the floor of the convention center because there were some uncomfortable situations I had encountered on the floor that could have been remedied by more roaming security.

A few suggestions for next year are:

• More food truck vendors so that people have options
• Better instructions of how to catch a lyft to and from the convention center because I was dropped off on the wrong side of the convention center the first time and then almost missed my return Lyft because the staff didn't know how to explain where the lyft picks up at.
• More panels and better announcement of panel times/locations

I hope everyone has had a nice summer so far. Have any of you attended any summer cons or went on any fun adventures, this summer? Let me know in the comments below and stay tuned for my next con blog about Long Beach Comic Con! 😊

Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Vancouver or Bust: A hypothetical, yet Strategically Planned Vacation

Hi all! I know summer is nearing its end, but that doesn't mean that planning out an ultimate vacation has to! Can you imagine if you had a budget of $10,000 to plan your dream trip? Think of all you could do and where you could go with that kind of money. While that seems like a lot compared to the lesser amount that I usually spend on a five day vacation or trip to a research conference, I decided that this will be a challenge accepted, courtesy of Earnest!

I decided I would base my hypothetical vacation off of a real trip that I have planned out for November. In November, I'll be flying to Vancouver, BC for a research conference. I might have mentioned in a previous blog that I do Psycho-linguistic research and enjoy presenting my research at conferences when I can. Anyhoo, let me see if I can make an itinerary that can get my to that $10,000 budget, or close to it. I feel like with the excessive amount of thriftiness in me, the princess of bargain hunting, I won't make it anywhere near that budget. If I am lucky, I will get to $5,000 with some cheating😉, but I feel it is worth a try.

Well the first decision I would make would be whether to fly or take the train. Flying would be the faster option, but if I have a good amount of free time before hand, I would also consider taking the train. Everything else follows after I decide how to get to Vancouver.

To and From Transportation:

Flight -

Date: During the middle of the second week of November 2017

Price: $267 round trip from SNA (John Wayne Airport - Santa Ana) to YVR (Vancouver).
This particular flight is also the fastest way to Vancouver from Orange County. However, the flight happens to have multiple connections as seen with cheap flights. In order to avoid connections, LAX is the closest option. I don't personally mind connecting flights as it gives me a chance to stretch my legs, so I will keep it for this hypothetical itinerary.


Train -

Date: During the end of the first week of November 2017

Price: Utilizing my AAA discount, I would have to take the train straight out of Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC, as no connecting train from anywhere in Orange County to LA Union Station would work for this particular mode of travel. The stressful part about this train is that it only leaves two times per day, 10:10 am and 3:10 pm and it is reserved travel. So if you miss your train, you might risk paying extra to catch another one. The cheapest train is $112 one way for a coach seat, but since I have "money" to spend, I would go for the sleeper car. My train riding goal is to go on a long trip in a sleeping car, but they are expensive that I haven't been lucky enough to do so yet. That sleeping car will set me back $361 one way. Taking the train requires a 34 hour one way ride too, so this is only useful if I had free time to leave earlier and return later.

Transportation During Stay:


Walking:

Vancouver is considered to be Canada's most walk-able city with a score of one, so I would probably just walk everywhere like I mostly do in San Francisco.


Housing:

Hotel:

Fairmount Waterfront Hotel

If I am really going "all out", I would have to pick this hotel because it boasts amazing views of the city and the harbor. It is also only $189 CAD/ $151 USD per night. This is actually far cheaper than any of the hotels I have stayed at during any of the research conferences. Based off of a five night stay, this would be $945 CAD +tax/ $755 USD +tax.


Activities:


The most exciting part of this hypothetical itinerary, because there is actually one thing I am definitely doing in real life while in Vancouver.

Conventions:

Fan Expo Vancouver: I was extremely excited when I learned that my research conference and this comic/pop culture convention were in the same location during essentially the same time. While, I am only intending to go one day in real life, for the sake of hypothetically spending money, I will go all three days and get the deluxe package. The price of this would be:$229 CAD/$183 USD. Now, if I was able to purchase comic books that I need to add to my collection, this price would jump up about $500-$1000 extra.

Other Activities:
Realistically, I would probably do primarily free events and activities like I do during most of my vacations. However, since I HAVE to spend money, I would go on to Vancouver's primer tourism website and sample from paid activities that pique my interests. My estimate is that I could try to spend about $1000 on activities in 5 days (that's if I picked mostly expensive activities and did them multiple times)

Food:

I have a funny feeling that my largest expense would be food, and that I would be able to eat somewhat extravagantly. I would push for trying the priciest meals on the menu at swanky restaurants and hope that can get me to spend at least $100-200 per meal . So if I ate 3 meals per day, that's $300-$600 per day, just by eating. That's another $1,500-$3,000 down the drain.

Stock photo of Vancouver from Patrick King

That's all for now, my friends! I knew I would fail this miserably, being as thrifty as I am, but it was still a fun thing to plan out. Ultimately, by train with sleeper car, the most I would have spent: $6,495 and by plane, the most I would have spent: $3,505. If you’re interested in planning a similar trip, budgeting and travel research is the way to go. It is definitely possible to make due on less if you have good money management skills. Let me know in the comments below where you would go and three main things you would do on vacation with $10,000. Hopefully, you guys are better at this than I am. 😅



Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Comics, Cosplay, and Fun for all! :D

Hi Everyone! So sorry for the late blogs again..... I have been in midterm and presentation mode for the past month and things are finally slowing down! :) So with that said, I will post some photos of my last two events I attended: Long Beach Comic Expo and Riverside Cosplay Gathering. I am pretty sure I have said I am an all over Californian so I try to go to multiple events all over the place. I can't wait for my next convention adventure. :)

Me with some CSU Long Beach students cosplaying as Ash and Misty

Long Beach Comic Expo- This is still a fairly new convention for Long Beach. I believe this was the third year it has occurred. I went on the Saturday, which was the bigger day of the two day con. I cosplayed as Dawn from Pokemon, which was a cosplay I created through mostly upcycling. I took photos with kids, and did selfies with other Pokemon cosplayers. I met Agnus Oblong, the creator of The Oblongs, and got an autographed drawing from him. I also haggled for an hour with a comic book dealer to get the first issue of Black Panther, which I was able to haggle down about $25. That felt great. Most people I encounter at comic cons do not do research on the book before coming to purchase, which makes haggling harder. I also did my usual Captain America pick up. That is a must for me as Captain America is my favorite superhero. :) I went to a couple of panels, one for Cosplay/ Geek Fashion, and one for DC comic's new endeavor called Divergence. That's about all I have to say for LBCE, and I hope to be able to attend Long Beach Comic Con at the end of the summer. Here are some more pictures from that con! :)

A drawing by Agnus Oblong. He has some really weird drawings in his album too lol

PikaPool and PikaAsh

Marceline the Vampire Queen

Also, I did the Riverside Cosplay Gathering, which was at Fairmount Park in Downtown Riverside. I met new people, did a photoshoot (that'll be a separate post when all my picture are done being worked with.), took pictures, just had some good fun. :) A lot of areas have cosplay gatherings : the Bay Area, the Central Valley, Orange County, the LA area. You just have to look for them and I recommend them all to find like minded people and immerse yourself into a community that is very loving and supportive.I might also say, that inconjunction with my Hachi and Life facebook page, I also have a cosplay page so feel free to follow! :) https://www.facebook.com/sunflowercosplay
Here are some pictures from the Riverside Cosplay Gathering:

Ash, Dawn, Knuckles (went turbo), Misty, Ash, and Sabrina.

Attack on Titan, Pokemon, and Panty & Stocking with a Garter Belt.

Till Next Time! (hopefully in less than a month !! -_-;;; )

-Hachi

Cars, Cars, and More Cars

Hi All! So sorry I have fell a bit out of the loop with my blogging. This week was my first week of work. I have been relying on bus travel for the past 5 years down here in Southern CA, and let me tell you, these bus systems are HORRIBLE. The drivers are pretty good, although you get a few sour apples in the bushel, but it's the timing, the excessive amount of stops, the lack of more express buses. Now, I have to do a bus commute in between two counties for work. Imagine how much more trouble that is, dealing with two different bus systems. I have done my "Google-sensei" lessons and have discovered, the distance between home and work by car is only 19 minutes away. Get this, 19 minutes. However, with my buses of doom route, it takes me 1 hour and 48 minutes at the least to get to work. This is by taking one of the few express buses in the system. So this brings me to my current, and far more necessary need than ever, wanting a car.

There are only two cars I have a real interest in because I want to do far more with it than just go from point A to point B. I also want to join a car club, because back home in my Northern CA town, car culture is rather huge. So I want to be able to do car meet ups with other enthusiasts. I do not want any Hondas or Toyotas. The cars are really nice looking, but my area makes them EASY targets so I do not want to exactly risk that. I want to also do street legal races at the tracks down here, and street legal mods. As much as I love those movies, no Fast and Furious-ness up in here. So below I will list stock photos of the cars, (not exactly the specific looks I want, and I am asking for pros and cons of each.) So please help me out with that. :) The two cars I am currently looking at, based on the best used cars list from Consumer Reports are: the Mazda 3 (aka MZ3) and the Subaru Impreza.

2008 MZ3

Subaru Impreza Wagon WRX

So here's my task for car enthusiasts. Can you guys give me some pros and cons about the two cars mentioned. For instance, which generation is best, keep in mind, I tend to not go for the newest crayon in the box lol Also, in the future (when I choose a car) mod tips will be welcome. Thank you all! Also please be respectful of each other's opinions. In the semi-distant future, I'd like some American muscle too. :)

Update, I'll probably end up with a Kia for grad school, but then trade up in a couple of years. We'll see. (1/13/15)

Till next time!

Hachi

Travel Nostalgia

Wow, I look back at old photos of my time in Japan and realize it has been exactly eight years since I was last there. Kurume, Fukuoka was the city and prefecture. I was sixteen and a 2006 summer student ambassador for Sister Cities International as a representative of my hometown. We spent part of the time with our host families in Japan, and then our high school aged sibling would come spend time with us and our families in our American city. We'd go to various castles, and temples in Japan. We even got to participate in this awesome water festival in August where at the end of the festival, we got hosed down with water. It felt great given the intense humidity of Southern Japan. The food was AMAZING! My host mother made amazing Japanese curry and I think fueled my Japanese curry obsession, which during college I would make for my old friends. Also, we saw an apprentice geisha perform, which I had video taped and posted on Youtube. You can see that video by clicking the link. One of my favorite times in Japan was when my older sister (nee-chan) played the piano and my younger sister (imouto-chan) and I danced around. We all had a good time doing that. Even though it has been over eight years, it barely feels like five. I do still keep in contact with my host family on occasion and consider them a part of my family, and they do of me. Flash forward to 2014, I am currently on another sister city committee, this time for Sendai, Japan. I am working to connect high school students in both cities together to do high school exchanges, or at least a group skype conversation session with one another. I do hope this works out and that future high schoolers get the chance and experience that I did. In fact, I might get to visit Sendai in a couple of years. I am looking forward to it, and I am looking forward to meeting my host family again, and my friends/former conversation students in Japan again. Here is another picture from my time in Kurume. Sorry for the quality, other people took these pictures for me. :)

Have any of you traveled? If so where, and how long? Did you do an exchange, study abroad or for work?  Let me know in the comments below. I enjoy discussing travel. :)



Till next time!


Hachi

Random Scenery Photos!

Hi there! So I was searching my phone, looking through old photos to make room for new ones until I get a new microUSB for my phone and came upon all my cloud, Amtrak train, and sunset photos. I love looking at the clouds and the sky so I have a tendency to take photos of my surroundings wherever I might be. Mind you that these aren't those amazing SLR or DSLR camera photos every would be photographer does, these are just lazy Samsung Galaxy S4 photos I take when I feel interested. So please don't judge them too harshly. With that said, I present to you some photos of Northern and Southern CA taken with my Samsung Galaxy S4.

Inland Empire, CA

Santa Barbara,CA (Paseo Nuevo)

Central Valley, CA (Amtrak San Joaquin)

Central Valley, CA (Amtrak San Joaquin)

Central Coast (on the way to Santa Barbara), CA (Amtrak Pacific Surfliner)

So I hope you liked my random photos, I apologize that they aren't amazing. It's just a random hobby of mine. Do any of you like photography? If so, what kind? :)


Till next time!

Hachi