Events: Meet "Zen" The 3-Year Old Show-stopping Stormtrooper

Day 1 of conventions are usually low key since the crowd pours in on the second day; but as Paul and I were going around the convention floor we zeroed in on a cute, little Stormtrooper.

He had just come across the Philippine Garrison and it was just adorable to see him look up to Stormtroopers who were twice his size. As if things  couldn't get even much more adorable, the "good guys" of the Philippine Garrison invited him to join them!

The little boy needed some coaching from his dad, let's say a guy dressed in all black with a red lightsaber scarred him a bit. (Yeah. I'm talking about you Kylo Ren!)   

The little kid left a big impression on us, so after the hustle and bustle of AsiaPOP Comicon we got in touch with his parents and sent some questions to find about the little show-stopping Stormtrooper - who goes by "Zen" by the way.

How old is Zen? 

Zen is three years old. (Cue in the awwwwwwwwws). 

 Was this his ever cosplay? Was APCC his first convention? 

Officially, yes. He did a wear a panda (costume) a year ago (More awwws) but only in school. 

Did he decide to go as a Stormtrooper on his own? 

Yes. When his Uncle asked what costume did he want. He said he wanted to dress up as a Stormtrooper, since he was two years old. We ordered it from ebay. 

Did he enjoy his cosplay for Day 1 of APCC? 

It was very memorable for him, since seeing his toys come alive was nothing he could have imagined at his young age. Boba Fett was his favorite. 

What was it like for Zen to meet the "good guys" of the Philippine Garrison? Do you think that he'll be an honorary member some day? 

The Philippine Garrison was very nice and considerate to kids. They allowed him to interact with them and join them. (As to whether he will be a member in the future) I'm not so sure yet, since kids change as they grow up but we'll see.

One of the boys. Zen hangs out with the "good guys" of the Philippine Garrison during Day 1 of APCC.

Any future 'Cosplans' (Cosplay Plans) for Zen? 

We don't really participate in Cosplays, but if Zen wants to dress up as another character then perhaps next year.. 

Is he looking forward to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this December ? 

 Very much, even if he doesn't understand any of it. (He's only three after all). He saw "Episode VII: The Force Awakens" and "A New Hope" a few times already. Can't make him sit down more than 20 minutes for the other Star Wars movie. Hopefully he will watch Rogue One. 

Thank you to Zen's cool folks for taking the time to answer our questions and we hope to run into you in a convention in the future! Keep it up little Stormtrooper!

The Guy Beside Me Ran from Ayala Ave. to Megamall to catch the Gala Premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Did that catch your attention? Well, I had to come up with a 'Wait-What?!' title, given that the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Gala Premiere was already a few weeks ago, December 15, at the IMAX in Megamall, to be exact. This post comes in really late, since I got caught up in the holidays, and of course The Force Awakens itself. I was also (still am) actually, sick and took a few weeks of writing. This is the first post I'm writing, after said short break.  

As the year draws to a close, I can easily tell you that attending the gala premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is easily one of the highlights of my 2015. It is indeed one of the most anticipated premieres in recent memory and I am very fortuante (and grateful) to have been on of the chosen few to have been in attendance. 

Our own Gala Premiere might not have had the big name Hollywood actors and actresses who star in the movie but we have the Pinoy 501st and Fight Saber Philippines to add a little spice to the screening. 

As I entered the mall, I could hear the entire Star Wars soundtrack playing over the mall speakers. Yup. It wasn't Christmas songs but it was the whole (freaking) soundtrack playing! Honestly, I cried a bit as I head the familiar John Williams score playing. Little did I know it was just the first few tears I would shed that night. (Force Awakens Review here)

    

Despite the heavy rain and traffic which surrounded the Metro that night, faithful fans braved the inevitable challenge of travelling to SM Megamall in Ortigas. 

I left two hours earlier in anticipation of the traffic. The guy seated beside me in the theater (and I kid you not), ran, yes, ran from Ayala Ave. all the way to Megamall! Traffic was so bad and he couldn't get a ride through Uber that he did the unthinkable. As he was telling me his story, he was placing his wet clothes (he got drenched in the rain) in a bag. He had to purchase new clothes when he got to the mall. I overheard him telling his friends that 'It was the Force compelling him to run' -Hey! A great story he can tell his kids someday right? 

Before the premiere, guests were treated to an awesome light saber duel from Fight Saber Philippines, who have been busy, weeks and days leading up to the premiere (and even after, with all the blocked screenings) performing at events for fans. Of course the Pinoy 501st also went trooping and had photos taken with fans. I did an interview with my cousin of sorts, Luis who is a part of the Pinoy 501st, you can read it here.  When I did the interview, back in 2012, the 501st were still an Outpost, they have since then become a Garrison the upgrade due to an increase in number of members. 

From their Facebook page, The Philippine Garrison 'The 501st Legion is a non-profit organization that uses its time and effort doing charity and volunteer work'. 

Hosts and Big Star Wars fans themselves: Chico and Gino.
 I've been a fan, so it was a thrill to see them host. :) 

Another thing, I will never forget about the premiere was getting to watch the movie, with fellow fans who 'Ohhhhh' and 'Ahhhhhhh' d at all the right queues and moments. A light saber salute at the end of movie, just made things even more memorable. 

I've already seen The Force Awakens two times, and I'm looking forward to my third time :) 

What a great memory I plan on holding on too :) 

Can't wait  to see what Episode XIII has in store for all of us! 

Micheal V. poses with members of the Fight Saber Philippines after the premiere. 

(c) All photos are from the official Star Wars PH Facebook page.

Thank you Disney for the invite :)

An Annual Phenomenon: Toycon 2013

Lego Heroes: A display of Super Heroes from different Franchises made entirely out of Lego. 

Would you consider an annual event a phenomenon? Even if Toycon happens every year I still get this 'Wow!' feeling whenever I see the number of people gathered (inside or outside) of Megatrade Halls 1, 2 and 3. When you pass by for any other convention, you can easily compare the number of people who attend or rather the lack of attendees-nothing compares to Toycon. 

Lines are so long and snake across the 5th floor for miles at a time (no joke), some cosplayers content themselves with just hanging out -outside the convention and pose around for eager photographers and curious onlookers. 

COSPLAY: Supergirl: Lot's of Superman Reference due to Man of Steel 

Unlike last year's Toy Convention were we were able to attend the Opening Ceremonies  (Ribbon Cutting), this year we had a meeting at 10:00 AM so we had to miss the opening ceremonies and arrived well after lunch time. It's a good thing I asked a friend to purchase tickets for us in advance or else we would have been stuck in line for hours ~ not to mention we had another gig at 3:00 PM in Odyssey Megamall (Thirty Seconds to Mars - album buy out - photos and blog post still pending! :P) so yeah - schedule is always full but we just had to squeeze Toycon in :) 

TOYS: It's fun to drool...errr marvel at the many, many, many toys on display. 

Looking at my blog post on Toycon last year - there was an air of regret since we were not able to have the 'ultimate' Toycon experience. Unfortunately it was also the same for this year-if not even more. I know I told myself last year that I would file for a leave on the Friday of the Toycon but with work and all the other events we have ~ things really didn't fall into place but in the spirit of making the most of what was already there - we did our usual stroll around and taking photos but there was one extra special objective that we had for this year's toycon and that was to support my cousins Luis and Beau with their SuperElite Props booth (Luis isn't my biological cousin but we are basically are- in the essence of it). 

If you guys don't remember Luis you can check out my Interview with a Storm Trooper blog post last year! :)  

SUPERElite PROPS 

So apparently SuperElite Props has been a project that Luis has been working on and it made it's debut during this year's Toycon. So what is SuperElite Props all about? Well you can actually own your very own movie props (Storm Trooper Helmet, ROTJ Lightsaber, TK E-11 Blaster) all of which is locally made with the best materials and is as close to the original as possible. 

Reference Boards for SuperElite Props during Toycon