11 posts tagged “tokidoki”
Over 143 posts have been made, 488 photos have been uploaded, and 360 neighbors have been added to Kawaii in the past year. And in all the chaos of blogging, a lot of love has formed! Today (August 3rd) marks the one year anniversary of my Kawaii blog here at Vox, and to help celebrate the occasion, I've planned another fun event that any Voxer can join. ^___^ The event will take place from August 3rd to August 10th, so while the contest is running, I will not be making any new posts to my blog. In order to be eligible for this event, please read all of the rules provided below.
How to Enter
This is a raffle that I have put my whole heart into, so keep in mind that there is no cost or penalty to enter this event whatsoever. The only real "rules" for this event are that 1) you must be a Vox member, and 2) you must follow the steps below:
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Read the entire post over so you know exactly what's going on. ^^
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If you decide to participate, leave a comment in this post with your email address, and tell me that you're joining. (You can scramble your address if you want, since I know people worry about receiving spam mail.)
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Copy and paste this form and fill out the following information in an email to milkeyes@gmail.com
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Name (first and last):
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Vox URL:
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Are you in Kawaii's neighborhood?
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A raffle number (or numbers) will be sent to you, so keep track of what number(s) you have.
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Tell your friends about the raffle! (As more people enter the raffle, more prizes will be added to the first place winner's package.
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Watch for the results on August 10th.
I'll be keeping a list of those who enter with the comments that are left. (Please leave the requested comment. I want to make sure I get everyone's email and make sure none get sent into my junk box. I can keep a running tally this way.)
Every member of Vox may enter this raffle, whether he/she is in my neighborhood or not. Those of you who are in my neighborhood will have the special bonus of getting two raffle numbers entered just by following the directions. Even if you aren't interested in the prize itself, there's bound to be a relative or friend who would appreciate these gifts.
You will not be charged with any shipping. The only people who should be aware of putting money into this are those of you who are not within the United States. I am not responsible for any shipping taxes that outside countries give to those who receive packages. I will be shipping the prize out by Priority mail (if you're within the states) or EMS (if you're outside of the country). If you're not comfortable with accepting a gift that may hold you responsible for taxes, simply don't enter. ^_^
*Keep in mind that I will not ask for every person's personal address. I will only be asking for the winner's address and will contact him/her through email once the raffle is over. I am a respected and honorable member of the Vox community and I will in no way hand out your personal information to any other sources. I would never jeopardize my friendships with those here at Vox. Again, if you don't feel comfortable with the possibility of giving out your address, please do not enter. If you want some kawaii fun though, please read on!
What the Winners Will Receive
Unlike my past Kawaii at Vox events, this event has multiple winners. So, not only do you have a chance at winning free kawaii prizes with free entry, but you have an even better chance of winning because of the high number of winners there will be!
Every single winner will automatically win a <3 Vox hemp bracelet (handmade by Shawn himself ^_^). I will be asking the five winners their wrist sizes so I can tell Shawn exactly how big to make each bracelet. (The <3 Vox bracelets shown in the photos were made specifically for examples.)
The first place winner will not only receive every prize listed in the list below, but he/she also has the opportunity to get several other special prizes as more raffle participants submit entries into the event. For example, once I note that 75 people have entered, the first place winner will receive a very rare prize: a Tokidoki fan signed by the artist himself, Simone Legno. That's why it's important that you enter, but it's also key that you tell your friends about Kawaii's very first Vox anniversary-- the more, the merrier! ^^
Here's everything each winner will receive:
First Place:
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Blythe Petite Doll: Spring Chocolat
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Froggy photo album
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Short Cake + Cookie stationary set
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Happy!! Candy stationary book
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Mimippi bunny "checkbook" (notepad)
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Boo Boo Brothers piggy notepad
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Kawaii Boy sticker pack
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Blythe postcard
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Brown Sugar: Cute Girls tin case with goodies inside
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2 sheets of kawaii stickers
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Moo Stickers pack (NEW!)
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<3 Vox hemp bracelet
20 raffle entries made: 3 small photo prints of mine, all signed
50 raffle entries made: Unipo vinyl figure
75 raffle entries made: Signed Tokidoki fan
Second Place:
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Blythe Petite Doll: Perfect Bohemian Beat
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Hamster photo album
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Cute Animals multi-sticker pack
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Power Girls notepad
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Kawaii kitty notebook (with handles that make it look like a shopping bag!)
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Apple Town item
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<3 Vox hemp bracelet
Every winner will also receive a handwritten letter of congratulations (for winning) and thank you (for participating in) the event. ^__^
Third-Fifth Place:
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<3 Vox hemp bracelet
For a better look at all of the prizes, check out the special Kawaii Event collection I made. I will be turning off comments on the individual photo pages, so please leave all of your comments/questions in this post.
When the Raffle Ends
Once again, the raffle takes place from August 3rd to August 10th (which is one week). At midnight on August 10th, the last day to enter the raffle, I will be closing down the event. Any entries that come in after that time will not be counted.
At noon on August 11th, I will be announcing the winner of the Kawaii at Vox event in a new post at my blog. The five winners will each receive an email from me to notify him/her of her placement. They will be expected to reply within at least two days after receiving the notification email. If they choose not to respond, I will be drawing new winners. (No worries, no prize will be lost!)
Depending on how long it takes for me to wrap up all the packages and when I have the time to send everything out, the packages should be on their way to the winners within a week of the raffle's end.
Thankies to You!
I would like to thank everyone who has left me comments, written me messages, and let me have the chance to get to know them. I feel honored to know so many sweet and gifted Voxers. Seriously, you guys-- you rock!
Good luck, and have fun! *pumps fist in the air*
Update
For updates on what's going on with the Kawaii raffle, check out the comments I leave with "Updates!" at the beginning. For now, I'd just like to thank everyone that has already signed up for the event. You've helped promote the event so much that this post landed a spot on the Explore page. =D *dances*
(My interview with the Vox Team can be found here. It was just put up yesterday!)
I'm sitting back and drinking my warm eggnog latte as I write this entry. Just that image alone should sum up how the last few days have been-- relaxing, rather warm, snuggly, fun, and a little bumpy/lumpy along the way. I started writing another entry and got rather far, but then I realized that I wasn't really writing about my Christmas, or even myself, for that matter. And I really missed writing about my life while the Kawaii Holiday Event was up and running. I finally get to catch up. ^__^ That's why this entry is so long.
This was the very first year Shawn came with me to my Christmas. It's funny-- I don't know why, but I never invited him to my grandma's house in the past. I didn't do it (or not to do it) on purpose, but I guess I figured that he just wasn't interested. So, on Christmas Eve, we headed down to Illinois to celebrate the holiday. I was so happy with how the entire day turned out. I have never seen Shawn so happy around the holidays. He's usually in a slump-- he barely talks, he mumbles, and he's just plain rude to people, including me. (Sorry, Shawn, but it's true.) My family, however, changed that. Everyone immediately accepted him. They had met him before for Thanksgivings and graduations, but this was the first big holiday where he traveled with us a farther distance to celebrate an occasion.
The previous night, I had totally forgotten that Shawn would be the odd one out at my grandma's house, meaning, he would be the only one not getting presents. We had exchanged presents the day beforehand, so I discarded the idea of getting him more presents on top of what I gave him-- which was the Ghost in the Shell, Stand Alone Complex, anime series. (He loved it.) So on the morning of Christmas Eve, Mom and I rushed out to get him more presents. We picked up the second season of The Pretender, a new Modest Mouse CD, a few Mead composition notebooks, a rottweiler plushie, and a few other little goodies. He was shocked that he was getting more presents, but he loved everything. Shawn was even more shocked when he received presents from my family. (Thank goodness for sweet aunts.) I think the part that made him feel the most welcome, however, was the fact that he and my grandma got along so well. The three of us talked for a long time. She's extremely intelligent, so I take whatever she has to say extremely seriously. She asked Shawn to come back for any other family get-togethers. ^_^ I couldn't believe how well everything turned out.
And now, it's present time. The lists (yes, there were several, all of which were sent through emails) I gave Mom were rather long and full of expensive items. I knew I wouldn't get everything, but I figured that Mom would strive to get the easier things on the list, so I put a bunch of ideas on there with the hopes of getting a certain few for sure. I'm just that smart, haha. I ended up getting a pink DS Lite (to match my regular pink DS!), Final Fantasy III for the DS, a brand new Tokidoki bag in the Paradiso print, Barnes & Noble gift cards, jewelry, and a nice amount of money to put towards my new camera. I was in heaven. I've been playing the Final Fantasy games since I was a wee one, so playing this one brings back tons of memories. I love getting nostalgia for Christmas. That will forever be my favorite present.
I'll backtrack a little now. (Save the best for last, right?) Shawn and I exchanged presents on the 23rd, because we knew that the next few days would be extremely hectic for the both of us, together and separately. I was pretty pumped up to open his present, because I knew that a huge present ordeal had taken place between him and a friend regarding my present, but I had no idea what had happened. I was about to find out. I opened up the rather thin package and found a beautiful portrait of Shawn and me. Shawn had commissioned one of his artist friends to draw the picture of us a kissing, a photo that I had taken back in the Summer. Shawn had given a pocket-sized photos of us to David, his friend, and he drew us from that one small photo. The detail in the drawing is freakishly amazing. The camera doesn't even begin to reveal the gorgeous depths of the drawing. I lost my breath when I first laid my eyes on it. Not only was this gift utterly romantic, but knowing that Shawn, being his creative self, took the time and energy to fight for the drawing to be made so I could own it myself... gives me the most wonderful feeling inside. (I won't get into the gritty details of the drawing exchange right now.) Only Shawn would do something so perfect. The original picture that the drawing was based on can be found here.
And now, for the most recent event, my birthday. First, thank you to everyone who left me a comment, sent me a message over AIM, or sent me a private message here at Vox. You are such great friends and I feel so special knowing that you thought of me and remembered my birthday. My birthday was filled to the brim with a bunch of ups and downs. A lot of good things happened, but there were some disappointments along the way, unfortunately. I'll get the bad stuff over with first. I really had my heart set on buying a camera on my birthday since I finally had enough money to get a great camera just for myself. Sadly, the two cameras I had in mind didn't work out-- not just yet, anyway. I found out that the cheaper (in price) one is actually the same camera Beth has, and I really don't want to get the exact same camera as her. (It's a sister thing.) The other one that I wanted was nearly $1000, so I'd have to save up a little bit more to get it. Instead, I'm looking at other amazing cameras, and I'm seeing what package deals I can find online. Like Beth suggested, I'll find great package deals online, whereas, the deals at stores are rather... crappy, to put it lightly. As soon as I realized that I wouldn't be getting a camera, a sinking feeling filled my stomach. I couldn't help but feel depressed for a few hours. Other little things started to get to me. That stupid video that I taped for the raffle turned out to be rather poor quality through the Vox video setup, and YouTube gave me a headache when I tried using it. Instead, I just opted for the crappy looking video that Vox uses. I was a bit angry and frustrated. (Poor Shawn. He was with me the entire day, and he had to put up with the mood swings.)
A lot of good things happened, too, so they pretty much cancel out all those negative vibes I got. Swiss, my BJD (ball-jointed doll), happens to share my birthday (I received her as a present exactly one year ago on the 27th). I think it was fate, because the dress I had ordered for her arrived exactly on our birthday. I felt like I had a new doll to look at and adore. Swiss looks even more gorgeous than ever, if that's even possible. Besides her beautiful new gown, Shawn brought me flowers, after getting ordered to by me. He's brought me a lot of bouquets in the past, but he hasn't for a while, so I decided to "ask" for them. ^_~ Beth, Shawn and I went shopping several times yesterday, and both of them were generous with their time and patience. They knew I had been disappointed, so they did their best to cheer me up. Whatever magic they used ended up working, because I felt great by the end of the day.
I missed almost all the calls from friends and family yesterday. I actually only ended up catching one, which was from Jeremy. I felt bad because Shawn and I couldn't spend more time with him. We had gone over to Jeremy's house on Christmas Day. It's heartbreaking seeing a best friend leave town after only seeing him for a few hours. Thank goodness, he's coming back on January 1st, so Shawn and I should be able to see more of him. The times I've had with Shawn and Jeremy are some of the best memories I have. They make me feel good about myself. I think that's another gift I received for Christmas and my birthady. I'm really lucky.
Oh, and before I forget. I received two very special presents on Christmas from Shawn's mom. For the past month, she worked on a gorgeous pink blanket for me. It's absolutely huge. Shawn made sure to ask her to make it big, because he knows how cold my apartment is. Not only did she work on that for me, but she made a matching mini-blanket for Plum. This entry has a photo or two of her using it.
I've always been known as "the pink girl," because of my love and obsession for pink, so you might see a little pink pattern throughout the next few photos.
I've been experiencing random periods of the holiday happiness throughout the past few weeks. My wonderful, wonderful friends (who I've only talked with online, not in person) sent me presents... for absolutely no reason at all! I know that they each had their reasonings but the fact that they just thought of me and went out of their way to send presents to me... It's mind-boggling. I really love so many people that I've met on here-- whether it be through TIB, Livejournal, Vox, or whatever other communities I belong to. You're all amazing and you've made me feel so special.
First of all, I'd like to thank Celena for the extremely rare Mad*L vinyl toy she sent me. Not only is it difficult to come by (it was only handed out a wedding of the artist's friend) and expensive, but it's signed by MAD himself. Celena knew how much I wanted the figure, and as a thank you for the Blythe I sent her for her birthday and all the informational help I've been giving her with Blythe dolls, she returned the generosity by sending me my new Mad*L. I named the Wedding figure Shidarezakura, after a cherry blossom tree in Japan. The branches that have cherry blossoms cascade like weeping willows and the imagery reminded me of the print on the vinyl figure. I call her Shi for short. My other Twilight figure is named Fushigi, after Mark Ryden's latest book, Fushigi Circus. They're such a pair when they're put side-by-side! I'm truly in love. I will also admit that Shi is my favorite of the two-- mostly because of the sentimental value and happy memory of opening the box she arrived in while getting a shocked feeling, but also because the coloring on Shi is beautiful. The print is so much more vivid than that of the regular Twilight figure. (Sorry, Fushigi.) I am so thankful to Livejournal for giving me the fateful opportunity to meet Celena years back. Since then, we've been keeping up with each other and sharing tons of dolly and vinyl toy talk. Eee!
My next "thank you" goes out to Misty. I don't know where I'd be without her in terms of dollies and my personal life. I consider Misty a best friend of mine, something that I'm very picky about saying. We met on the TIB forum when she contacted me about doing a custom Blythe after seeing a thread of mine asking for help. After talking about Tokidoki for a while, she decided to get a the wristband on the LeSportsac website. Unfortunately, the wristband didn't work out for her so she sent it to me. For anyone that doesn't know, Tokidoki merchandise is pretty expensive, so knowing that Misty went out of her way to send it to me... Well, I just got all teary-eyed. It's so adorable. I don't have a nice little wallet that I can carry around with me when I go shopping and don't feel like carrying a purse around with me, so this will definitely come in handy. The best part is how the wristband matches my Tokidoki bag. Misty and I agreed: it was meant to be. A picture of the two together can be seen in my Vox photo section.
And the last (but definitely not the least worthy) word of thanks goes to sweet Cindy. Out of nowhere, I received a PM on TIB from her telling me that I should be expecting a package for Plum and me. As it turns out, the package was an Uglydoll plush keychain-- the perfect size for Plum! Sage has one for herself so Plum feels even more special knowing that she and Sage can share yet another hobby. Plum saw the plush and thought of the name Murk for it... so that's it's name: Murk. I'd love to get a big Uglydoll plush for myself. Thanks for inspiring me, Cindy. I think you finally pushed me over the edge for Uglydolls, tee hee.
I was speechless three times in the past few weeks. I've had online friends before, but I don't think I've had such strong friendships with people as I do now. I'm hesitant at giving my address out to people over the internet. To be honest, I've come across quite a few creepy people, mostly guys. (Sorry to the guys who read my Vox.) I'm more cautious at who I befriend online, which is sad, because I get worried that my hesitant attitude towards some people might be a turn-off for friendship. Oopsie. I figure that whatever is meant to be will be. I'm so happy to have had such great luck with the friends I have met so far though. Sure, material possessions aren't everything, but because I can't really be friends with my online friends in real life, these little presents help strengthen our friendships even more. Yay. ^___^
I waited for the Moofia figure to be released for months and when I finally saw that My Plastic Heart was going to have it in, I immediately sent in a pre-order. Here is the current population of my Tokidoki army: Agent Blue, Simmy and Kerplunk. Plans to add more are taking place as you read this. The last two remaining figures in the Cactus Friends series are on my Christmas list so I'm hoping to get them in December. I really don't mind waiting since there aren't many vinyl toys that I look forward to getting so much. At least I have a goal now! I wasn't planning on ordering the Polpettina figure with the Moofia figure, but I figured, what the hell? I mean, they won't be in stock forever and I wanted to express my full devotion to Simone Legno and support his work. Seriously, I'm buying Tokidoki stuff for the betterment of mankind. If that isn't rationalization (and the worst kind possible, I'm sure), I don't know what is.
Oh yes. The Moofia figure's name is Agent Blue Moon, and the Polpettina figure's name is Kerplunk. Moofia just looks like an Agent Blue Moon, especially when seeing the "moo" in moon. Kerplunk... Well, her name just sounds like something she'd say. Duh.
My life has consisted of a crazy amount of work lately. I don't think I even know what fun is anymore. I did a quiz for Environmental Science on Saturday, followed by an extremely long study session for the same class. I spent Sunday writing a paper for my English Studies class and then spent the next ten hours reading A Handmaid's Tale. Suffice to say, I was delirious by Sunday night, barely able to speak or see. My senses are greatly affected by my study habits-- something I have to learn to live with. I spent a good amount of yesterday studying for the science exam (again) and took the exam today. I honestly have no idea how I did. I knew a good number of the questions but not all of them. (Process of elimination came in handy.) As soon as I got home from classes today, I spent the next few hours writing a paper that ended up being two pages longer than the required number of pages. I just emailed another professor with an assignment she wanted by midnight.
I am exhausted.
At least I have my Moofia figure.
Junie says hi. She's a Sanrio Sugarbunny that sweet Blair bought for me a while ago. I haven't introduced Junie at Vox so I thought I'd take this opportunity to do so. Loou inspired me to take a more recent photo of my plush with the latest post in her journal. Thankies, Loou. ^__^
Shawn just left and I'm in my usual slump because of his sudden absence. I like to know that I can just hop on the computer and type away all those silly sad feelings though so I'm perking myself up already.
I was pretty angry at my iPod today because it started being fruity again. Apple is such a good company and it always amazes me when such an expensive product from a good company fails in some way. This disappointment involved my sweet Kisse. *sigh* I was strolling through the Union, on my way to my first class, when I pulled out my iPod from its usual place in the side pocket of my satchel. Radiohead was playing and I decided I was in the mood for Paranoid Android (again) so I pressed the Next button and... boom. Nothing. The screen was permanently frozen on the previous song I had been listening to and refused to change. The ill status of my Kisse didn't change for hours, even after I hooked it up to my computer. I had to let the battery run out so it would automatically turn off on its own. After a few hours of waiting, I hooked it back up to my computer and let it charge. Kisse is working fine now but I'm worried that's going to happen again. I guess I'll have to take it to the Apple Store for a checkup.
The rest of my day went by without any other problems though. I read in the Union after class-- something I've been doing a lot lately. I've found a pretty cozy spot that actually makes me want to read whatever is assigned for my classes. I wish I would have read more of The Odyssey than I did because I'm a little behind. It's funny, too, because I always seem to catch up with two classes while one class sort of lags behind on my to-do list. All my English and Literature classes switch off as the lag-class. Oh well, I figure I can't stress out about everything so why try to be perfect?
Oh, and I took this picture the other day when I was doing random photos. The funny thing about this photo is that I like the fact that I'm hiding in the shadows of my Tokidoki bag... rather than the actual bag itself. Although, it does look extra spiffy. Mwa ha!
I recently realized how obsessed I am with naming random objects I own. My dolls have always had names. Even my Tamagotchis have names. My most recent Tamagotchi (about a year ago) was named Teekoo Two. All my Dunnys have very specific, meaningful names: Kaze-pop, Boondock, The Oki Ninja, Flanery, Sushi, Kung Fu, toods, Baby Merc... and of course my Mad*L figure does now, too: Fushigi. Oh, and I can't forget my Tokidoki Cactus Friend, Simmy (named after Simone Legno). I'm even starting to give nicknames to people, so when I see someone I know, I think, "Oh there's... Too Tight so-and-so." (The nicknaming fetish has gone on for a long time, but the idea never really clicked with me until a recent conversation I had with a fellow VOXer and seeing one of Celena's comments.)
My most recently named random object is my iPod Mini. I always wanted to think of a name for it but nothing really stuck. The perfect name just hit me a few minutes ago: Kisse (pronounced "kissy"), probably because its new iSkin gave it a bit more personality than it had before. When I think of my iPod, I think of Shawn, and when I think of Shawn, I think of sweet things... like kisses. Of course, everything wonderful, good and sweet goes along with the feeling I have when I listen to my music so it's only appropriate. Plus, I think it sounds kind of funky, heh.
See how my thought patterns work? It's amazing I'm still standing and have the ability to communicate in everyday life... and not permanently situated in a public place where people can observe me and take note of how crazy I am. I just love naming things.
Yesterday went better than I ever thought it could. I like to keep special days simple. In the past, I've found that special events, like Homecoming and Prom dances, birthdays, holidays, etc... can get all muddled and easily forgettable if I try too hard. Last night was just right.
I made the apartment all pretty while Shawn was at work. I put all the junk on the floor, counters, and table away. I vacuumed the majority of the apartment. I went to the Union to buy extra treats to make the place look like I put some effort into the day-- candles, a picture frame (for the photo of us kissing that I took), some snacks, and a lighter (for the candles). After I got back, I pushed the table in the main room to the side so the entire carpeted area was open for when we opened each other's presents. I then put candles on the floor trailing from the front door to the main room. The table then had four larger candles (one for each year we've dated) that lined the front of it, and presents, the picture, and candy were in back of the lit candles.
Shawn came over after work and a shower. I turned off most of the lights so only the candles illuminated the room. When he walked in, he not only noticed the gentle lighting, but Shawn saw my new hair for the first time. His reaction was pretty much was I expected: surprise at how incredibly short my hair is now. After a while though, he told me how much he liked it. He loved the cinnamon candles I picked out. We're both cinnamon fanatics... mmm, and we always make a note of getting cinnamon candles for anniversaries. He opened his presents right away and I waited until we got back from going to Emperor's Kitchen, a Chinese restaurant we both love near my house, which is about 25 minutes away from Milwaukee.
This is how sneaky Shawn is. I figured that he had an idea that I was getting him an iPod Nano but he acted genuinely surprised when he first saw it. He even said, "Wow, is this real?" Later on that night, after thinking I had really shocked Shawn, I told him that I'd go with him to Best Buy to get a protective case for his new iPod. He then responded with, "Actually, I already have a case for it..." What?! So yes, Shawn had an idea of what his present would be but totally faked me out in believing I had surprised him.
Shawn got me exactly what I wanted and I still felt an element of surprise for some reason. He bought me the Tokidoki iPod Mini skin that I fell in love with AND he got me the huge Tokidoki poster I wanted, too. It was another Tokidoki day! I am so love with my iSkin... it's so chic and funky. The special pink earphones that he also specially ordered were defective though so he's going to try to have them replaced. Then my entire iPod experience will be totally spiffy. For now, I'm using my old earphones with a pair of new pink covers on 'em.
He also gave me a really personal letter that brought out even more emotions in me yesterday. It summed up how I've felt for a long time now: Shawn is just amazing. It was a great night.
I finally got the pictures of my whole Tokidoki bag uploaded. I know I've been obsessing over it for a few days now, but getting something this special and having such an experience in the process almost never happens... so I really take advantage of when it does happen. I feel really lucky to have gotten a bag with the whole scene print instead of the scene being chopped up. A lot of the bags there were like that. The postcard I'm holding in the other pictures is one of the free gifts I received. I forgot to take a photo of the fan too, but oh well. I don't wanna Tokidoki myself out. I'm sure I already have with anyone that's read my posts here.
Question: Is anyone familiar with fabric? Simone also signed the strap on my bag (white ink on a sporty black material) and I'm afraid that it's going to wash away if I use my bag, even if I'm really careful with it. I went to Jo-Ann's the other day and the employees there weren't much help. One of them suggested Scotch Guard so I bought that, but I have a feeling that the spray will only protect the fabric, not the ink. I haven't used it yet in fear of ruining the ink. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I'm down at the apartment today. Beth and I had to go to the Union to get our books. Of course, only TWO of the six books I need for one of my English classes was there. I hate waiting for books to be restocked, especially since my first book needs to be finished by September 11th. I really wanted to get a head start on it. Beth's going to take Josh to a hair appointment so I get the place to myself. It's not too hot here so it's the perfect day.
On a side note: I love the looks Beth and I get when we walk side-by-side. It's the "hmm, I wonder if they're twins" look. Some people actually start to ask us if we're waiting for change at a register or at a streetlight, but then they decide against it and shut their mouths. I think it's funny and I'm never annoyed by it unless people blatantly stare. Then that just weirds me out.
I'm happy to be back home. ^_^ I figure that since I had so many different experiences in San Diego, I should probably split up my entries so I can organize my thoughts.
This entry is dedicated to my Tokidoki experience. When Beth and I arrived in California and Kathryn picked us up, Beth casually mentioned my wanting to go to Los Angeles for Simone's signing that was taking place on Sunday. Kathryn thought it sounded cool and said she wouldn't mind driving the three of us to L.A. I couldn't believe it. I was so unbelievably happy. When Sunday rolled around, we all got up early, made the pilgrimage to L.A., and waited for the fun to start. (The photo to the left is of me holding my new messenger bag while I waited in line on the sidewalk to see Simone. I think that was the only smile I made that day. Another photo of me was taken of me looking miserable on the sidewalk-- a good counterpart to this one.)
Well, the fun never exactly started. I was pumped. They seemed pretty excited, too. On the drive there, I noticed that I was starting to get cramps-- not a good sign. I tried to put the thought behind me and focus on the next few hours that were ahead of me but it wouldn't work. As soon as we arrived in L.A., spotted Terra (the store Simone was signing at), and found a parking spot, I darted into Terra. There were about ten people waiting in line outside to see Simone but I still had about 20 minutes until he would start seeing people. The store allowed customers to still come in so they could purchase Tokidoki merchandise they could have signed. I went right to the counter to find a Tokidoki messenger bag. (Oh, I knew what I wanted.) I looked at a couple of bags and picked a bright pink one that had the cutest designs on it... ever.
As happy as I was to get it, I couldn't help but look around for the bathroom while I paid. After I did that, I asked an employee to use the bathroom. The employees seemed skeptical about taking me back, but after some hesitation, one of them agreed to take me back to the only bathroom. On my way back, I looked into a room on the left and saw someone-- Simone sitting at a table with a few other people. I grinned, thinking how cool it was that I got a sneak peek at him before anyone else could. After that, I went into the bathroom and found a surprise: I was lucky enough to get my period. YAY. I was pissed and the cramps had only started to hit. When I opened the door, this huge bodyguard was standing to my left. He had appeared out of nowhere. He must have sensed my surprise (and my distress) because he asked, "Are you oh kay?" I told him I was fine and smiled. Beth and Kathryn waited for me outside and I joined them to wait in line so I could officially meet Simone.
Let me add right now that I'm not a normal girl who gets normal periods. (Sorry to any guy that comes across this entry.) When I get mine, I get it bad. I get full out sick: fever, cramps, throwing up, etc. I had to rush to the Indian food restaurant a few stores down just so I could throw up and then go wait back in line. They let a few people in at a time and after about two hours of waiting (even though there were only 20 people there at the time) I finally got to meet Simone. He was so incredibly sweet and bashful. I loved it! He had what I expected: a thick, Italian accent and adorable piercings. When I gave him my Lesportsac bag to sign, he decided to personalize it for me even more by adding a picture of a flower/cactus with slanted bangs because I had slanted bangs. He pointed out this by saying something like, "See, I made flower have slant bangs because you have slant bangs." Simone then proceeded to point to my hair. He signed TWO parts of my bag and the free Tokidoki bag I received for making a purchase at Terra. This bag is one of my prized possessions.
I was in heaven.
I was in heaven for about five minutes until hell hit. From then on, I could barely walk or not throw up. Since we were in L.A., we were far away from home so I couldn't go lay down. Instead, Beth and Kathryn suggested that we go to the mall a few blocks down and get some food-- they figured it would help how I felt and looked. I ended up having to lay down in the middle of a parking garage because I almost fainted right before we got on an elevator. We later walked around the mall asking, no, begging, people for Advil or Midol but no one had anything until we found a girl behind a makeup counter with some Tylenol. At the food court, while Beth and Kathryn were getting food for themselves, I called Mom and just couldn't help but cry. I had been looking forward to a day like that for so long... and it was ruined because of a stupid period. The pain was unbearable and it was hard being so far away from home with no comfort whatsoever. She helped calm me down and, thank god, we left soon after we ate. I didn't start to get better until half the trip home was over with.
The day was wonderful and beautiful, horrible and ugly, all at once. So bittersweet... yet all I can think is: I love my Tokidoki bag. Now there's the most optimistic thing that could possible come out of someone after a day like that. (I'll post photos of my whole bag later on...)
More about the rest of my trip will be added tomorrow.
I know my last entry was going to be my goodbye-for-six-days entry but...
Let's face it: Wisconsin has no good attractions in it. There are no good restaurants, hangouts or stores that would make it a worthy place to go for vacation to. You would figure that California would be different, right? Well, it is but it isn't. I just just looked up a bunch of stores that I remember having all the hobbies I love: Blythe dolls, BJD's, vinyl figures, etc... and guess what? All of them are located in Los Angeles or San Francisco, not at all near San Diego. Because Beth and I won't have the right transportation to get from city to city, there's no way that we'll be able to get to those places. So basically, I'm going across the country to visit a new place and I'm still going to be cut off from the things would make my vacation perfect.
Oh, and even better... I just found out that Simone Legno is going to be in Los Angeles THIS weekend at a store called Terra. That means they'll most likely be carrying Tokidoki merchandise too-- and I can't even see him or go to a place I like to call HEAVEN.
Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about going and I'm not trying to complain. I've never really been on a real vacation before so this is a big letdown at the last minute. It's just so unfair that I get so close and yet so far away to what I really want to see and do. Argh!
Added: Oh kay. I've cooled down since I originally posted this. I think I was just stressed out with packing and all the stuff I had to get done. I feel better now! Patience is a virtue. <3 Anyway, I'll miss everyone... have a good week. ^____^
