Lifestyle: Microtel Work-from-Hotel for APCC

When I was younger I saw an article that featured three girls cosplaying as "Slave Leia" for San Diego Comic Con. They had a photo series which featured all three girls checked in a hotel, getting ready with their Cosplay and going out together as a "Tree Slave Leia" of some sort. I thought to myself, "Wow! They even checked in a hotel for SDCC" which is probably nothing new for con goers, especially abroad. 

I never thought that I myself would stay in a hotel for two days for a convention until #TeamPCheng stayed at Microtel Mall of Asia for Asia Pop Comicon. We were fortunate enough to have scored a 50% off discount thanks to Blogapalooza and Microtel. So it was like just paying for a one night stay. Since we were covering all three days with photos and blog posts needed, it was such a big convenience to just walk "home" after a long day at the convention. Especially given the traffic situation plus living all the way in Antipolo. 

Posting content photos and blog posts real time and right after-the-fact is very important and having the strength to do that can be challenging if you have to travel about two hours to get home, so at least when you're checked in a hotel it is possible. 

These are all work photos and the stay was strictly business but still definitely a pleasure. I also saw a lot of con-goers who were staying at Microtel as well, fellow Geek bloggers, a family from the province and yes, even the Singapore counterparts of the 501st and of course Kylo Ren who came all the way from Cebu.

 Given that most of today's conventions are being held in SMX, then Microtel Mall of Asia can easily be the "home away from home" for "geeks on the go" like us or cosplayers, you know with all that costume, make up and props that they have to bring. It definitely helped us survive APCC and get all that work done, editing photos for Paul and writing for me. 

Each floor had it's own water dispenser and ice (Yes!) - which is a big deal for us since Paul is a big water drinker. Getting the ice in the middle of the night just reminded me of that "American Horror Story: Hotel" scene. No worries, there were no vampire children or serial killers lying in wait. 

Unfortunately the package we got, did not include breakfast so we had to eat outside but ordered Jollibee delivered to our room during our second day. Maybe next time we will get to try their breakfast and even lounge around the pool. By the way, Microtel has different hotels all over the country Baguio, Palawan so looking forward to getting to visit those as well, for business or pleasure it doesn't matter, it's always nice to have a home away from home. :) 

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!

Events: APCC Day 2 Goes Geek Crazy! Day 2 + Photos

Excited friends just got their Day 2 passes. 

As I am writing this, the sun is slowly making its way up the Manila skies. In a few hours the last day of the biggest pop culture event in Manila is about to conclude. Pardon the lack of literary eloquence in this post as time is always against me and we would seen be preparing to check out of the hotel and make our way for Day 3 of Asia Pop Comicon. 

With most of the guests arriving at Day 2 the crowd was noticeably larger and all the booths and exhibits were in full swing. Now, the thing about these kind of conventions is that you don't get to go to all of the events happening, since they are all happening at the same time. So it would be presumptuous to write about a "highlights of Day 2" features. What I will be writing about are my experiences around the convention.

First up was the sit down of celebrity guest and Hollywood headliner Nicholas Hoult with the local press. Nick Hoult has been acting for a long time, you may not remember him as the adorable Marcus in "About A Boy" but he was literally just a boy when he starred across Hugh Grant on the 2002 romantic comedy and has since played a variety of characters, from a zombie, a giant slayer, a mutant and the war boy, "Nux" in Mad Max: Fury Road. 

When asked if this is a conscious decision, Hoult replied: "Outside of working with great people and telling a good story, the aim for me is to play as much varied characters ion  and the stories that I play. I would be bored if the I played the same characters again and again." Will be posting a separate post on the sit down soon! You ca catch him at the Main Stage at 4:00 PM on Sunday. 

Right after the sit down we had to rush to the Main Stage for Millie Bobby Brown's first appearance at APCC. As expected, the hall was filled to the brim with fans eager to see the twelve year old actress, who took the world by storm with the fan favorite and critically acclaimed Nextflix series "Stranger Things" which, since it's debut in July has become a big hit. Brown plays the mysterious and telekinetic "Eleven" and has become a fan favorite. 

Millie spotted local cosplayer Spider-Dan in an Eleven Cosplay in the crowd and took photos. Talk about highlight of his year right!

A fan asked if Millie could pretend that she was breaking everyone's neck with her "Eleven stare".

To which, the surprised actress asked "You want me to pretend to hurt you guys?" and the crowd responded with a resounding "YES!". That's such a weird request, host Delamar Arias said but Millie gladly obliged to the crowd's delight.


Will be posting more on the "Conversation with Millie Brown" on the blog soon. 

We rested for a bit and went around the convention floor to take photos, I was really happy to run into friends from work and in the music scene around the con, some members of my family will be coming on the last day. 

The last media time for the day was with "Game of Thrones'" Joe Dempsie and I was really excited to see him, being a big Game of Thrones fan and all.

When asked if there was a superhero he could play, Joe said he always wanted to be the Red Power Ranger. He went on to say that when he was five years old, he had a falling out with a friend because they both wanted to be the Red Power Ranger. Full post on Joe Dempsie on the blog soon. You can catch him at the Main Stage at 11:30 AM. 

Our last stop was Hiroshi Kitadani's live performance and it was as energetic as we expected as he sang songs from "One Piece" and "Yugi Oh". You can catch another performance later at 6:00 PM. 

I hope you guys come back when I do another write up for my overall APCC 2016 experience, which would probably be the case, we just want to get these photos out, we're just excited to share them with you :)

For our Day 1 highlights you can click here - it has photos too! 

Click here for more photos from Day 2.

#apccph2016 #asiapopcomicon 

Events: Coffee and Macarons with Asia Pop Comicon's Finest

Apologies. This is such a late post, as I am writing this Day 1 of AsiaPop Comicon has already transpired and Day 2 will begin in just a few hours but we still wanted to share what went down during the Press Conference for AsiaPop Comicon. We were not able to upload this right away, since after the press conference, Paul and I still had to sleep for work, go to work and then it was already Friday, the first day of AsiaPop Comicon. Phew. I know. More Enervon please? 

Overlooking the waters of Manila Bay at the posh Conrad hotel. Members of the local press were teased with what to expect during the upcoming Asia Pop Comicon, which promises to be the biggest pop culture event in Asia last Wednesday, August 24.

Bringing back that wonder we all used to feel when we were children, AsiaPop Comicon promises to bring the ultimate fan experience by bringing a wide range of pop culture elements in one venue, slated for August 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

They raised the bar by bringing a world class convention last year with over 30,000 attendees and inviting guests such as Paul Bettany, Nathalie Emmanuel, Colton Hayes and so much more and they are surely continuing that tradition this year,

Joining the press conference was a stellar line up of artists in their own fields and they got to sit down with the local press to pick at their creative minds.

Whilce Portacio. 

Whilce Portacio is no stranger to the field of comic books, whether it is the international arena or the local scene. The creator of Bishop (of "Uncanny X Men"), Whilce broke in the comics industry by inking Marvel Comics' classic book "Longshot" in 1985. He has then been a sought-after inker at Marvel and worked as a penciler on "The Punisher" in 1988.

"APCC will help open up Manila to the worldwide stage." Portacio told members of the press. "We're always looking for new people and new ideas." he continues. "I would like to see more Filipino mythology" (on new material) he adds.

Mike Zeck. 

Mike Zeck's work has graced the pages and covers of "Captain America", "Aquaman", "Batman" "Legends of the DC Universe," and many more. He has been visiting the Philippines since 1991.

"I love the beaches. I love the people." He says. "Just get rid of a few cars." He adds, referring to the traffic, which got members of the local press to laugh.

A first time visitor to the Philippines, Ken Lashley has been a veteran working on such titles, such as "Excalibur", "Black Panther", "X-Men", "Spider-Man", "Flash", "Superman" among others. 

"I was so excited to get here, I didn't care how many airplanes I took." he said.

Ken Lashley. 

When asked about the state of comic books in 2016, Lashley answered that "The (Comic Book) movies have done a lot of things, but it does not translate to comic sales. People easily recognize what you do though." 

He gives a shoutout to all aspiring artists out there, "Draw all the time. For every artist, there are a 1000 bad drawings. Always hustle. 

Jason Palmer.

"I've never felt so welcome, even before I left" says illustrator Jason Palmer, who is best known for his illustrations of "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" among others. 

"I was already getting messages, even before I left for Manila." 

Shinichiro Kitai. 

Shinichiro Kitai, art director of DEVILROBOTS, a design team of five from Japan are well known for their whimsical, yet sometimes sinister characters and designs. When asked what he was looking forward to in the Philippines, Kitai answered "Jollibee" which was met with laughter from the press. 

Kitai explains that Jollibee shows the Philippines as a happy people. 

"Somebody get this man, his fast food." Host Justin Quirino said laughing. 

Rounding up the line up of guests during the Press Conference is the Queen of Cosplay herself, Alodia Gosiengfiao, who is a household name when in comes to Cosplay.

Alodia Gosiengfiao. 

"It's nice to know that even world renowed artists are looking for new talent." Alodia said, aside from Cosplay she is also an artist herself and an avid gamer. When asked to give advise for the CAGE Cosplay Competition participants, she says "Have fun and be careful. Some people are starting to work with dangerous material." she added, laughing. 

Catch all of these guests and much, much more at AsiaPop Comicon happening this weekend! 

Click HERE for MORE PHOTOS!