Otaku Hobbies

A few weeks ago, I actually went to this comic book store called Otaku Hobbies in Indiana. Let’s just say that I would highly recommend going there again. In fact, there’s a huge event going on between September 8-10, so if you’re an anime, video game fan, or just love comic books in general, I highly suggest you go check it out!

I actually went with one of my best friends, and it started to rain once we got there.

Toon Link, Link, Zero Suit Samus, and Samus Amiibo (That Samus Amiibo is one of rare ones, so I ended up grabbing it. I’ve been wanting it for the longest!!)

I wanted to get Touré this Reaper figurine, since that’s one of his favorite characters from Overwatch. I couldn’t though, cause it was so gosh darn expensive… sadness. 😦

I also wanted this Chun Li figurine too, since she’s one of my favorite characters from the Street Fighter games. Maybe next time…

Ken figurine!!

*Insert how bad I want this…*

Pokémon trading cards!! I need to start collecting them again.. I haven’t done so since I was a kid…

My best friend and I wanted this poster so bad.., but it wasn’t for sale. Double sadness… 😦

Anyway, I had a blast at that store! The only reason why I didn’t do a post of this sooner, was cause I’ve been going through some stuff, and dealing with my chronic anxiety for the past few weeks. I also had a few anxiety attacks a few days ago, which is why I haven’t been blogging on here and my other ones as usual. However, I have found new ways of dealing and overcoming anxiety, so that will be on the next blog post.

Easter (Resurrection) Sunday 2017

Churches are usually packed every Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday.

It’s so wonderful to see the young and old come together during Easter Sunday. Also, babies and children in their Easter suits and dresses… too adorable!

The choir has the day off, but not the praise and worship singers. Somehow I got to be seated in the front, on the side.. which is pretty cool!

It was so packed, that they had to make room in the gym.

You can’t really see the pastor, but he was up there at the cross, preaching today’s lesson.

It is time for the Passover offering.

The end of the service. They actually had the virtual choir up there, which was pretty cool as well!

*A few extra photos*

Angel and her husband

AunaLisa and I (With Natalie ‘photobombing’ in the background, lol)

Sparta Dome, located in Crown Point, Indiana. We were in there for a Easter Sunday video shoot the following last Tuesday.

Tiny drone

Setting up for the video shoot. Overall, the shoot was a success, and it was featured in yesterday and today’s service. Hopefully everyone’s Easter is going good so far, and that the children are finding all of Easter eggs!

Don’t eat too much candy though, or you’ll end up with an upset tummy.

Scotty and Ashley’s Baby Shower

Monday was a total blast. Not only did I had fun at my friends’ baby shower, but I also made a few friends… and became twins with the expectant new Mum!

Gifts for baby Ryker.. from Touré and I. Sadly he couldn’t make it that day, but he was with us in spirit. Also, Scotty and Ashley are having a boy. His name is gonna be Ryker (I seriously want to nickname him  Ryker Stryker, cause of that…).

The food was great.

It was located at Veteran’s Park, bout… 5-7 mins from my house.

I seriously can’t wait until baby Ryker gets here.. I’m gonna be an awesome Godaunt… or Godmom.. or whatnot.

My new friends goofing around

..and now I present to you: A few of tons of presents for baby Ryker:

‘Straight outta mommy’.

*I’m the boss*

‘That’s it! I’m texting Grandma!’

I would’ve had more pictures of the gifts, but my phone died in the process… boo. 😦

Scotty, Ashley (Holding the balloons), and their family

My new best friend (..and twin sister) Ashley and I. Funny thing is, her first name is my middle name! Also, another awesome thing is: When we first met, we instantly clicked! How cool is that?!

Now a few photos that Scotty took:

Ash and I

We actually do look alike.. even Scotty and my coworker Rhonda told me the exact same thing. I’m too excited!

Final picture: Cat and Ash.

I just wished Monday would’ve been slower…, but it’s okay. I’ll see them again soon (..and making sure that Touré’s there too to meet them). I’m still excited to meet little Ryker next month.

Now time to patiently await for the arrival of my Godson.. or, Godnephew.

My First Wedding Shower

Before I begin, I would like to say something: Daylight Savings Time is finally here (Unless you’re in Arizona, of course). We ‘spring forward’ one hour, which means we lose one hour of sleep and so on. Hey, at least the good news is that it stays lighter, longer.

Anyway, Saturday was a day to remember. I went to my first wedding shower, and let me just say.. it was awesome, especially when the soon-to-be bride and groom, their friends, family, and I were cleaning up the mess after it was over. I gotta say, it was too funny.

These were the gifts I brought them. They really liked it.

Inside the community center where they had their wedding party.

We played a few games, including this one, the Don’t Say ________ game, and the ‘Mewlywed game’, which is like the Newlywed game, but without the newlyweds and stuff.

Save the date!

When I got there, it was only a few gifts on that table. At the end, it was a bunch. Let’s just say that I can’t wait until Touré and I have our own wedding shower!

The soon-to-be bride and groom, AunaLisa and Russell. Fun fact: They’re actually worship members of the choir that I’m in. Also, one of the choir members made the fruit cake tower.

The Don’t Say _______ game.

Closer look at the fruit cake tower

Me

After the party, when we all cleaned up and had a lot of good laughs doing so. Also, the soon-to-be bride and groom and their friends. Congrats to them on their soon-to-be wedding! I look forward to attending there!

A Night Out In Chicago: Emporium Arcade Bar

A few weeks ago, I went to a Royal Rumble event with Touré and my other buddies at this place called Emporium Arcade Bar. Let’s just say that I had a blast, since this was my very first time going to a place that has not only a bar, but also an arcade.

We were watching the Royal Rumble in this spot. Despite the buffering and disconnections, it was very good. The people were nice and friendly as well.

While Touré, my buddies, and I waited for pizza to arrive, and for the the PPV to start, we decided to go ahead and play some arcade games and pinball. They have mostly old school games, such as Dig Dug (Which I wanted to play soo bad, but couldn’t, cause the machine was out of order), Tetris, Punch Out!, and more!

I was very stoked to see a Metallica pinball machine there! Even though I suck at pinball, it was fun to play, regardless.

They also have a KISS pinball machine as well! Sadly that was out of order, so I couldn’t play it.

Overall, the place was very nice! I’m looking to go there again in the near future.. this time, I will head to the other location (The one we went to that night is in Wicker Park. The other location is in Logan Square. That has a pool table and everything!). If you’re looking for a place to hang out on the North side of Chicago, then I recommend Emporium Arcade Bar. Be prepared though, as you will have to pay for parking. Luckily for us, we didn’t had to pay for parking, cause it was free until January 30th of this year. (We came there on the day before).

By the way, I want to mention that sadly, they don’t serve food there.. only drinks. You are more than welcome to bring your own food and drinks there. Also, if you want more information about the bar and what games and such do they have, here’s the link: http://emporiumchicago.com/

YouTube Gaming Family Meetup

Sunday, September 18th, 2016.. Brookfield, IL.. this is the day that I will never forget this moment.

Sunday was also the day where I started my very first play at my church: The White Throne Judgment. I was singing in the choir during both days (Saturday and Sunday).. it was really fun. I’m gonna be singing again tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

After the service was over, I decided to pick up my awesome friends, cause one of the YTG (YouTube Gaming) streamers was visiting his family during the week, so we all decide to meet up at this place called Galloping Ghost Arcade.

So many games… and yes, there are about 450 games in all, from the 80’s and early 90’s, and of course.. pinball and Japanese games!!

There’s a Primal Rage shirt that I wanted so bad…, but it’s for display only.

A little Japanese game that I found

Two of the streamers, Chris Plays Games (The one with the propeller hat) and Kodzo (Playing the third pinball game to the left. Oh, and that’s actually my babe, by the way).

He was so focused on this game.

One of my favorite games: Gradius III: From Legend to Myth. Gradius IV is another fun game to play. They also have Gradius II: The Ambitions of Gofer (Or Gofer’s Ambitions. Either translation is fine).

Of my my brothers was playing DragonBall Z game, since DBZ is his favorite anime.

Afterwards, we went to this place called Tony’s Family Restaurant. They had great food there.

If you’re into retro and modern games, then check out Chris Plays Games! He’s another awesome streamer on YouTube and YTG!

Food… and lots of it!

So afterwards, we went back to the arcade to play some more games, and did a live stream as well. Oh, and guess what I found.. Tempest!!

The awesome YTG family and my awesome soulmate: Me, (Chris Plays Games (Propeller hat), Narrcost (Star Wars shirt), Kodzo, Yuhi (Zelda hat. She’s 1/3 of the group Good Luck Gamers (GLG)), Son Goshaku (Giving the two thumbs up), Snake, Nicole, and Craig Plays (At the end with the hat. He’s part of the PG gaming family called the Bromingos). Be sure to check all of them out on YouTube and YTG!

Snake, Yuhi, Kodzo, and I were playing this game called F-Zero: AX. It was fun.

My babe and I. We all had a blast that day. 🙂 In fact, we decided to make this an annual event.

So yea, this was the absolute best day ever.. can’t wait to meet more streamers soon!

The Calm Before The Holiday Storm: Recent Updates

Jeez… can’t I go at least a day to write an update on my blogs without getting too caught up with school, work, and family issues?? Guess not, but for now I can.

So… how are y’all readers and viewers doing these past few months since I last wrote on here? Hope ya are doing well. Me.. I’ve been trying to get an update on here since October, but once again.. been extremely busy with school, work, and family (Mainly work and family).

October was really, really busy for me. It was kinda okay for the most part, but there were a few good days that I had.

First off, in mid October, I went to downtown Chicago with Touré, Nick, Shawn, Stanesha, Josh, Bernard, Shirley, Olivia, and a few others for Josh’s birthday party (It was located in this place called Pinstripes. It was like a restaurant with a bowling alley and stuff in it. It was so much fun). After the party was over, Touré, Nick, and I decided to walk downtown before we went back home. It was so relaxing, I needed that walk with the babe and brother.

So two weeks has passed, and I thought that I was gonna get a chance to give an update, but nope.. it was time for the parent and I to move. We moved out of our old apartment towards the final few days of last month, and the first few days of this month into this bigger apartment right across the way from our old place. I have a bigger room with a walk-in closet and my own bathroom!! 😀 It’s really awesome, but it’s only temporary until I move to Chicago with Touré, which will not be until the next two years or so.

So after the move-in (Which was freakin stressful, due to the fact that I had to mainly move all of mine and the parent’s stuff, cause she was working mostly in the daytime, and it took much longer than expected, cause why not move a few things here and there where you can have multiple cars help you move?! Oh boy… when I move, I’ll try to move everything out in one day, but who knows..?), I continued with work and school (By the way, I got an A and an A- on both of my midterms! Yay me!).

Then, one Saturday evening (In the middle of this month), I get the news from the parent that she had been in a car accident. That made my chest hurt, cause I didn’t know if she was hurt or if the car had been totaled. It turned out that only a small part of the passenger side (In the front) had been totaled. She escaped unharmed. The driver who hit her, got “impatient and zoomed across the road, when clearly it wasn’t her turn and hit the other driver”. That’s what I heard from the paramedics, who saw the accident as well, thank goodness for them. So she has been riding a rental car for the past two weeks now, while her car is in the shop getting repairs.

On the 17th, of my relatives was having surgery to remove a tumor out of her stomach (Or kidneys.. I can’t remember which part it was in), so the parent decided to stay with her until she got out of surgery later on that day. The day before, she stay over into the next day, when she (the relative) started having surgery. The surgery was a success, by the way. As for me, I had to work on my birthday (Which was last Wednesday), so I really didn’t get a chance to celebrate it until that Saturday. It was kinda stressful, cause I wanted a party on that day, but it didn’t happen, due to all of the news that has been happening from the end of October to last week.

So what did I do last Saturday and Sunday? Why, hung out with my soulmate, Touré (of course)! It was actually fun, cause we played games, went to the mall (I showed him an anime store, which he got mad at me for, cause he wanted to buy a lot of stuff, but he didn’t had the money to do so. I was laughing a bit, but I also felt his pain. Not to worry though.. next Friday we’ll go there), and sang Christmas music and played in the snow (Yes it did snow on Saturday. Since we both love winter, we decided to make the most of it and threw snowballs at each other).

He and his Mum gave me this stuffed dog for my birthday (That happy b-day thing my aunt made for me). I decided to name the dog Kodzo (It’s pronounced ko-jo, by the way) out of respect (It’s also Touré’s middle name) and just cause.

His Mum gave me these slippers for my birthday.

Touré brought me these for my birthday as well. The player 1 bracelet is mine, and the other one is his.

So that’s what has been going on with me for the past month. Overall, it’s been busy for me, but it’s not over yet. Thanksgiving is in two days and this time, I gotta work on that day AND Black Friday (Actually, I gotta work 5 days this week, including those days that I mentioned). I really hate the fact that most of the retail stores are gonna open once again for Thanksgiving (Although from what I heard, some of the stores are fighting back and decided to be closed on that day, which is very good), some starting at 6 p.m. (Like the store that I work at), and others starting at 3 p.m. or earlier. Thankfully (and luckily) for my babe, his job is closed on Thanksgiving, but they’re giving him and the other employees the option to work on Black Friday. Thankfully for me, I don’t have to close on Black Friday, nor on Thanksgiving (My store will be open from 6 p.m. on that day to midnight on Black Friday. All I have to say bout this is that it isn’t right by all means to have any stores open on Thanksgiving!). So we’ll see how this year’s holiday season goes.

One other thing that I wanna mention is that December is almost here, which means that 2015 will be ending. Time is indeed flying by too fast. School is almost over for me in a few weeks, so I’ll have some time to rest and get my plans unfolded (I.E., get a full-time job, volunteer at a hospital, register for next semester, and save money for the apartment and furniture).. and with that said, here’s to this year’s crazy holiday season.. the calm before the storm!

Chicago, Bowling, and Laughs

Yesterday my babe, brothers, and friends were celebrating Josh’s birthday at Pinstripes! It was my first time going there, and boy was it fun!

I got to downtown Chicago in the afternoon, trying to figure out how to get to Pinstripes. Thankfully two security guards showed me the way.

Walking through the Lurel Gardens. I want to walk there with Tourè very soon.. I think it’ll be a great trip for a date.

Typical rush hour traffic, since it was after 5 when I took it.

Once I got to Pinstripes, I saw my little brother, Shawn! A few minutes after we hung out, we met up with Nick and Tourè. Of course, we were the only ones that were early (The party started at 6, but everyone else didn’t get there until a little after 7), so while we were waiting, Nick, Tourè, and I decided to walk towards Navy Pier.

Next year, a bigger version of the Ferris wheel is gonna be built in Navy Pier, so this is the last photo that I took of the old Ferris wheel.

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

The view from Navy Pier after sunset. I gotta admit, it was so awesome to see!

So after everyone came to Pinstripes, we all came inside, and started playing bowling.

The little kids played bowling too.. they had a blast!

The setting outside was awesome!

The view from Pinstripes. There’s a condo right across from there.. man, it will be so awesome if the babe and I lived in a condo in downtown Chicago…

Another view

After the party was over (Josh had a blast at his birthday party), Nick and Tourè walked me back to the train station, but we also decided to walk around the park as well. I had so much fun with them and the others!

Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon

Last photo before I headed off to the train station, and back home. I gotta say, after studying for and taking the midterms, I needed that walk around downtown and the laughs from friends, brothers, and the babe. Hopefully next week, I’ll be able to walk around Chicago again with Tourè. It’s much needed for the both of us.

Taste of Chicago 2015

Photos from the Taste of Chicago yesterday. Despite my day being bad at first, once I got to Chicago with my bffs, it got really better. I must say, it was really fun.. despite a few people not being there.

Hello downtown Chicago!! I’m back!!

Yes, Almay was there at the taste. I thought that was cool.

Onward to the Taste.. and to meet up with my bffs!

They were selling ice cream, corn on the cob, and other stuff.

A shot of the buildings in Chicago

The schedule and map for the Taste of Chicago

I met up with my bffs at the taste yesterday! *From next to me: Touré, Shirley (With her daughter Olivia.. I couldn’t get a shot of her though, sadly), Josh, and Stanesha.

These next photos are shots from the food places and other stuff (Like boat tours and such) that my bffs and I came across:

Touré and I got cheese fries. They were really good.

After Shirley, Olivia, Josh, and Stanesha depart, Touré and I stuck around the Taste of Chicago for a bit before we decided to walk around in the South Loop of downtown Chicago.

This is why I love downtown Chicago.. cause of not only the buildings, but also the Buckingham Fountain, and the skyline at night.

What’s that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No.. it’s—a drone?! Yes ladies and gentleman, that is a drone. I never seen one in person before, so when Touré and I saw it, we were wondering where the person was who was controlling the drone. We found out that that person was on the other side.

Little bird standing by the fountain

Touré and I by the fountain.

…Okay, I can’t take this any longer, I seriously gotta tell you all about him, my bff: He basically have ALMOST the EXACT same things in common as me: He likes the same music as me (Especially nighttime jazz.. I am dead freakin serious!!), can’t stand today’s rap and hip-hop like me, loves Baskin and Robbin’s Pink Bubblegum ice cream as much as me (Yes, I am DEAD SERIOUS!! I would NEVER thought that I would find a guy who used to get Pink Bubblegum ice cream as a kid, just like me!! How rare and awesome is that?!), ect. Heck, he’s also a gamer (Like me), is a fan of Metroid and Guitar Hero (Like me!) is an only child (Like me as well!!), and guess what? He and I also have the exact same number of letters in both our first AND last name!!! The only TINY differences that we have is that we live in different cities (We live like almost 40-something minutes away from each other, but that’s gonna change pretty soon, like next year or so, hopefully), and I’m actually about 5 years older than him (He’s 20 and I’m 25), but still… age doesn’t matter a bit when it comes to me and him!!

We have LOTS more things in common, and I mean LOTS. I’m gonna stop this part for right now, cause I want to get back on the photos, but I will talk more about Touré and I in another post.

Me at the fountain. Yes, I have a Kirby shirt on, and Touré had a Nintendo 64 shirt on. We’re basically huge gamers as you all can see, so we basically stood out from the crowd.

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So basically Touré and I left the Taste of Chicago, and we decided to walk around downtown for the rest of the day. We saw this while we were walking.. the Chicago Summer Dance.

Beautiful sight

While we were walking to the nearest GameStop and Starbucks (Yes, I got him addicted to Starbucks, mainly the Caramel Ribbon Frappe), we saw this corvette limo. We thought it was tacky as heck.

While we were walking, we stumbled upon this heart-shaped piece of missing concrete. I thought that was adorable.

Later on that night, when we were getting ready to go home, after we came from Target, Starbucks, and GameStop, I decided to get some pictures of the skyline.

Downtown Chicago is so beautiful at night.. I can’t wait to live there one day soon.. either there or on the South Loop or the North side.

What a sight.

Anyway, I will post the selective pictures on my photography blog, as soon as I edit them. Despite me having a bad day at first, I had fun at the end, cause I got to spend time with my bffs…

Especially Touré. More pictures of us in the next blog post.

P.S., I think, no. I’m absolutely sure that I found the guy of my dreams.

Getting Hit With Reality: My Crazy Updates Part One

Well, I’m back, with two important updates (Yes two).. this will be part one. Part two will be covered tomorrow. Now then… ACEN. I had a fun time at ACEN (Anime Central) on May 15-17.. too much of a fun time. I met so many cosplayers, danced my butt off with my brother Matt and Lawrence (And a bunch of other dancers) at the rave (Soap Bubble and Synergy 2105), saw a bunch of DJs,  hung out with Asia, Cassidy, Josh, Matt, Victor, Lawrence, Rebecca (Joey), Robert, and others, stayed in a hotel for 3 days with the gang, met up with my college bffs Jen, Claire, and Alex, took pictures (By the way, the pictures are gonna be on my photography blog… as soon as I finish editing em)… yea, I had a blast. I didn’t wanna leave though, cause I had a blast.
My Mum was actually excited that I had a great time though, so that went well… even though she missed me, of course. Now…, it is Memorial Day (Yea I had to work a bunch of days after I came home from ACEN, so yea… back to reality), and happy Memorial Day to all of you. Anyway, it’s now Memorial Day, and I finally got a Monday off… which means that I can finally blog on here.. and do some editing and continue to look for jobs and wait until the next 6 months to figure out where my Mum and I are gonna move to. You heard right.. how and why? Well here’s the thing:

Last week I found out that this year will be my final year that my Mum and I are gonna be living in this apartment complex in Calumet City. She wants to move out next year, and I am somewhat not looking forward to it at all. One reason is cause I don’t know where we’re gonna be moving to by next year, and it’s gonna be one of many cities: Steger, Crete, Plainfield, somewhere in Indiana, Richton Park, Lansing, or somewhere at another place in Calumet City. Now, when I go to Nursing school next year, I might have to pay for in state tuition, depending on where I’m gonna be living at (Steger, Crete, Plainfield, and I think Richton Park are not considered in district places to where my school is located at, and if we move to Indiana, it’s out of state, which — either way — means higher tuition fees, unless I stay in Calumet City or Lansing). Another reason is this: I’m gonna miss all of my brothers and sisters if I move to somewhere other than Calumet City or Lansing! 😦 most of em live in Dolton, South Holland, or Homewood, so if I move away, then I won’t be able to see em. Third reason is this: If my Mum decides to move to say Plainfield or anywhere else in Indiana (Hammond, Dyer, Highland, ect.), how is she gonna find a new job, or how is she gonna transfer to another store if the position that she works for is filled?? Of course we have a year to figure this out, but if she can’t find a place or if she can’t transfer, she’s gonna have to travel about 30 minutes to an hour or so, depending on where we’re gonna move to. More so, if she can’t find a place, she’s gonna have to stay put until she finds a spot. As for me, I’m gonna find a full time job before then, so all I have to do is to transfer to another place.

So yea, while I really don’t like the fact that we’re gonna be moving in a year, there are a few reasons why I’m looking forward to moving:

1. Crime rates are rising in Calumet City. Has anyone heard of what happened to these teen boys that got killed in the last few weeks? One died in a car accident on his way to prom with his friend, and another one died during a drive by shooting. Believe me, there are many more deaths around here over the last few months. This is just the beginning. Since then, it’s not safe living here anymore.. and it’s a southern suburb, for crying out loud! Aren’t suburbs supposed to be safer than urban areas??

2. Drug dealers. There have been times where Lawrence and I are just driving by the area by my house, and lo and behold, we see two people making a drug deal. It’s not just around the area where my Mum and I live at.. it’s also at this condominium where my relatives used to live at long ago, before I was born. Like I said, it’s not safe living there anymore.

3. It’s starting to become a ghost town. On May 16th, when I was at ACEN, the Office Depot by my house shut down for good. Also this Simply Fashion store by where Pier 1 Imports and Walmart used to be is shutting down as well. So when a store that used to be around for so long shuts down, that means several things: Not enough business, the city is starting to become a ghost town, cause everyone’s moving out, ect.

So here you go, that’s my top 3 reasons why I’m indifferent about moving out with my Mum next year. As far as myself and Lawrence goes, we’ll be moving out next year, as well, but only for a year, until we get a house in South Holland. Now, either way, I’m gonna be paying for in state tuition fees and stuff once I start nursing school, but it’ll change once we move to South Holland, of course. I’ll talk more about it tomorrow.

There you go viewers, that’s part one of two updates that I have to offer… the second part I’ll post tomorrow. Until then, have a happy and safe Memorial Day!