toasted marshmallows, my ass

Ah, don't we just love stoking the fires of controversy? It gives my behind a nice, warm, toasty feeling.

Mengapakah mereka terasa? Adakah kerana yang dikatakan itu benar? Jikalau mereka merasakan bahawa yang dikatakan itu semuanya tipu-tipu belaka, mereka mempunyai kebebasan untuk membuat pilihan yang 'matang'. (Sesuatu perkataan yang seringkali mereka meluangkan,sambil terlompat-lompat dalam api kemarahan, apabila diberitahu perkara-perkara yang tidak dapat menyedapkan hati mereka.)

Apakah yang biasa dilakukan ketika menghadapi seseorang yang anda anggapkan sedikit (atau agak) bebal? Anda akan cuba sedaya upaya untuk memberitahunya, memberi eksplanasi yang sedikit-banyak dapat menukar fikirannya ke arah yang kamu ingin membimbingnya. Tetapi, sekiranya dia tidak matang, berkeras untuk mempercayai yang bukan-bukan, anda akan tidak mempedulikannya lagi. Bukankah begitu?

Sekiranya anda tidak bersetuju dengan pendapat saya, apa kata anda mengemukakan pendapat anda pula? Kemungkinan, saya dapat mempelajari sesuatu yang baru, sekaligus mengubah pendapat saya yang asalnya.

Saya mempunyai hak untuk berpendapat dan pendapat itu pula, tidak mesti sesuatu yang 'bernas' sentiasa. Mungkin ini akan memberikan kamu sesuatu pendapat bahawa saya seorang yang terencat akalnya, tetapi itu juga hak kamu untuk mebuahkan pendapat-pendapat yang sebegitu rupa.

Tahniah kerana anda dapat berjaya menjayakan sesuatu aktiviti yang sedemikian rupa dengan umur anda sekalian yang muda-muda belaka. Kamu memang mempunyai hak untuk berbangga dengan kejayaan dan hasil limpahan air mata dan peluh anda. Bagusnya, muda-mudi sekarang memang serba berkebolehan.

Tetapi, apabila dikutuk, anda pula menggunakan umur muda sebagai alasan tidak dapat menjayakan aktiviti anda ke tahap yang lebih tinggi.

'Kutukan' saya dikatakan tidak matang, sebaliknya anda sekalian juga turut mengikut perangai tidak matang saya dengan mengutuk saya balik dengan kata-kata yang lebih kesat.

Syabas.

Saya memang berharap bahawa aktiviti pada tahun depan akan lebih berjaya. Saya turut menunggu dengan penuh kegirangan.

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HELP's C2AGE: A flop that goes without saying

WHAT sets an ACG (anime, comics and games) apart from the other 'regular' exhibitions and conventions I've felt, is a unique feature, that is usually also the most-anticipated highlight, 'called cosplay'.

Short for 'costume play', it is an activity that had its roots in similar-themed conventions in Japan and the States and has over the past few years, seen it rising to slowly becoming an up-and-coming staple especially in the local universities' and colleges' ACG club-held events.



Anyway, I accompanied a friend to cover the C2AGE (Comics, Cosplay, Anime and Games Exhibition I think the acronym stood for) event in HELP University-College (did it have a -College to its name? I forgot) and having attended a few cosplay, correction, ACG events in my time, had anticipated something... a lot more impressive, to say the least.

Needless to say, the event was a total flop by most people's (read: cosplayers and others who have attended other ACG events) standards and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for my part as there was nothing much to show my friend, whom I had raved on and on about the exciting-ness of cosplay and why people cosplay and etc. an hour prior to the event. (There wasn't much point for me to talk to him of anime or comics or games - these are considered 'mainstream' forms of hobbies here and in many parts of the world anyway.)

So, anyway, I'm just going to stick to the whole cosplay bit so if you wanted a more comprehensive self-report on the overall event and its activities, perhaps you could check up the Comic Fiesta forums, where I'm sure they'll have a thread created to discuss it.

If, you had come to an ACG event to take a look at the cosplayers - maybe you were just curious or just like snapping interesting photos, etc. - and the most interesting cosplay was Kame-Sensei from Dragon Ball, you know that you're in for some really dull times.

By the time we left at close to 3pm, I can safely say that there must not have been even 30 cosplayers at the event. Some Naruto cosplayers, Vampire Knight (I think, I haven't been watching anime for some years now and the last title I saw was Trinity Blood) cosplayers, hmm, random Gothic Lolitas that JUST DIDN'T CUT IT (*grimaces*) and oh, there's that Sven dude from Black Cat. And others. I'm just too lazy to list them all.

My friend had a 'talk' (which is to say, interview) with some of the cosplayers and whoopee, surprise surprise, they weren't even from HELP. Gosh. What's the point of holding an ACG event in your own backyard when you aren't even enlisting your own club members to 'support' the event and make it more interesting for the visitors?

And that dance during the launch? It was lameness beyond all reason. You call that a dance? Seriously? You call THAT a dance? (Never mind if it's done to the chirpy-happy Hare Hare Yukai song. It wasn't cute at all.)

But I'm diverting from the matter of importance which was that the event was a flop. Because the organisers failed to create 'attractions'.

There were some odd smattering of booths here and there which, unfortunately, didn't sell anything worth buying. So there's a booth selling your standard fare of comics and anime DVDs. Big hairy deal. I can get those from any shopping mall any day. There was only one booth selling self-made artwork. There was... a booth promoting Hannah Tan's album. Like I care?

They had Gempak Starz their list of sponsors. Why didn't they arrange for an autograph-signing session with some of the cartoonists? That would have been an interesting highlight.

That's the least they could do, I felt, instead of the following 'highlights' (add a sarcastic tone): Japanese ambassador to Malaysia putting on his rendition of Getaran Jiwa on stage and that floozy Hannah Tan just prancing around looking sexy WITHOUT even bothering to cosplay and live up to her name as a (former) Animax Asia ambassador. (IS THAT ALL SHE CAN DO?)

Obviously not everyone can pull off getting a seiyuu (voice actor) all the way to Japan to guest at their ACG event - just as how MMU Melaka had managed to pull off in the past two years. I'm actually looking forward to who they plan to bring in this time around - but I'm diverting again.

I'm not sure if the organisers of C2AGE thought about the suitability of dates because when I checked with some friends still studying at MMU, they told me that finals start Monday. And I think my friend is a committee member for EMiNA Cyberjaya and he said he had no idea about this C2AGE thing. Had they known, and had it not been close to finals, perhaps they'd have sent a bus or two over to 'support' HELP's ACG event.

Speaking of lending support, I wonder if the C2AGE committee members had even bothered to invite ACG-based clubs from other universities and colleges? Or even promoted the event in the Comic Fiesta forums - I haven't checked the forums in a long time, so I can't say as to the latter. Somehow I get the idea that it might likely be a big NO because the cosplayers my friend talked to were all newbies, who decided to join Malaysia's current growing list of freakily-dressed camwhores (including yours truly) after getting 'inspired' at the last Comic Fiesta event.

Gah. I just can't write a straight opinion piece. I'm rambling.

Anyway, it was. Just sad. Some fellows who caught the Cosplay Gameshow thing, whatever it was, said it was super lame. Things did not follow the schedule and there were long delays. Hannah Tan served absolutely no purpose to the event. Whatever happened to the Sailor Moon cosplayers? The Trinity Blood gang? (I'm not going to talk about Naruto or Bleach cosplayers - they are SO overrated and overdone.)

This isn't the first time an ACG event was held at HELP. You'd think that the organisers would have improved from the previous time. Or... not.

ALRIGHT! Let's forget today's disappointment and concentrate on MMU Melaka's GACC (Games, Anime and Comics Circle)!

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