From what I've been reading throughout the site, regarding the Costume Contest, I think some people are truly missing the point and misinterpreting what this is all about.

I can honestly say right now that I don't know how me or Vega didn't--at the very least--get 3rd place.

Just joining the site or being a veteran doesn't matter, I get this part.

Having made the costume months in advance, hey that ain't the problem either.

It's the re-using of the same images from months ago that is one of the issues, while the other happens to be originality and the amount of work put into an actual costume.

1rst place explained to me the issue, but my only slight disagreement is how can it count if there is no pic to be sent from Halloween? Even if pics were taken that night, it only forces one to hurry up and make it on time for the contest, like I did and others.

The prize doesn't matter, it is the issue of what is fair.

Towards the end, not all but some of the winners know deep down what they actually did, while others did get screwed over.

Had I known then I would have done nothing this Halloween and just send in my professional convention pics I took back in March. But I'm not like that--I stayed true to the new set of rules given and made a focus on at least originality by mixing SF and RE, two of my favorites.

My only wish is that there could at least be an explanation from the contest holders on what exactly happened.

Next time and hopefully a better and more detailed set of rules will be given because this was anything goes, no matter what year you took the pic in.

And c'mon man, Dan? I mean Dan? Dan Hibiki? I know something went wrong there if that costume got the better of mine.

Edit: Ah, I'll keep everything the same in this blog. I don't care anymore. Brings too much stress when additional problems aren't needed or necessary. Congrats to the winners.

Alright, I had already decided to go as Ryu a while back for Halloween but giving it a zombie twist. What is even better is that Capcom is holding a Halloween Costume Contest so it's all perfect timing!

Here are some preview shots with more to come. If I win, I hope I get that Juri shirt :D If not, it was still fun and had a good time Halloween night. It could have been better with more of a zombie look, and maybe fangs for vampire Ryu. Perhaps next year >:D

The Nightmare before Street Fighter.

Some Bizzaro Marvel VS Capcom World going on over here. Zombie Ryu VS Little Spider-dood.

Ughhhh....

Help me up :)

You can't run forever!!!

Honk honk!

To be continued...

EDIT: Alright I understand if I didn't win, but, and before anyone says "Dont be sour about it man you just lost", that isn't the case because hardly any of the people that placed actually took HALLOWEEN PICTURES! First place was great and deserved it, but c'mon man, its the re-using of convention pics that bother the hell out of me.

Again, excluding 1rst place winner as he already explained to me which I reacted too fast, so I'm sorry for that. But the rest know and how they could have gotten away with it which detracts from originality and an easy win.

Don't show convention pics, man, show that you did it within the time frame. That real proof.

I just want to emphasize that I'm not complaining about a placing, its just the principle of the matter.

Edit: Ah, pissed off when I wrote the above. It's all good now and settled. Congrats to the winners.

I should have written this a lot sooner, because there are a few minute details I probably don't remember as well. However, the main events still feels like it just happened yesterday since I did have a very eventful, good memory-filled time during the week/weekend of Comic-con. I recently got my 4-day pass so I'm not going to miss any day at all! I don't have preview night but I'll try and find a way.

Woke up early as usual, got ready with Ryu's alternate outfit from SFIV, but just the default since I had worn the black colored one the day before. Couldn't wait since I was excited to go, and on the way I looked like a true bum. I was covered in dirt marks and I had a fake looking duffel bag. Had I been barefoot it would have been worse. "Ahhhhhh San Diego Police, get off me!!! Shoryuken!" >:D

Snow, I got your back! Now, please hook me up with those TvC towels so can wipe the dirt off me o:

I went to the Capcom booth as was determined. I met Snow just like yesterday, but this time there was a chance to take a pic with him. A good one! He is Hadouken'ing and that makes for an even cooler pic. He and Seth and the whole enitre Capcom crew were great, helpful, and just very fun to chat with. All I wanted to do was hang around the Capcom booth all day since I rarely get a chance to do so. At times I didn't even care to play the demos, but I did or would give up my place because for me it was all about DA PEOPLE!!! I do it for the people! Oh and there were plenty of Capcom team-ups! Watch out now!

Target Acquired: Lock On: Destroy Namco booth!

Objection! Me and the producer of AAI: Miles Edgeworth. Very nice dude.

Posing with the enemy! Nah she was cool. I don't remember her name but she is from Tekken 6.

Street Fighters always time-traveling! Carl (Balrog), Will (Abel), and me (Screaming like a girl Ryu)

Power me up, Pikachu! This is how Ryu really learned the Denjin-Hadouken. Denjiiin...Pikadouken!

All I did was walk all day, take pics with many different people, and eat. The best part was all of it. Another highlight was getting to meet Kevin Eastman, one of the creators of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A childhood dream come true all over the course of one weekend. And I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but even at the end of the night I got to meet very briefly...Stan Lee!!! Unreal, man, unreal. He was in a rush to go but took the time to take a pic with me. It was awesome. Capcom, TMNT, Ernie Reyes Jr, Wesley Snipes, Kevin Eastman, and Stan Lee!!!

Another honorable mention goes to Stan Sakai, who I had met before but that was in Orlando for Megacon. He is always nice and gave me a free sketch o: He is the creator and writer for Usagi Yojimbo, the rabbit ronin who appeared in about two episodes of the original TMNT cartoon. Annnnnnd I even met Karen Dyer who was standing right behind me like it was nothing near the Capcom booth. She did the mo-cap and voice work for Sheva Alomar from RE5 fame. She was awesome as well and she repped MIAMI! Woo!

The SF/RE team up! Capcom love!!! Haha at the guy in blue checking out Abel's arms. Look out!

Can you spot Unity member Da Great Ohmi?

Balrog: "There's no escape!!!"

Another great moment was meeting Will, who cosplayed Abel, meeting a Balrog, a cool Cammy, because we all hung out and took mad pics. We decided to meet outside and into the hall to get bombarded by photographers now and then taking pics of us. We came up with some crazy poses and shared laughs the whole time. Would love to hang out with them when I go back, hoping I see them return of course. Seriously a great group.

We all got knocked hard at the same time. Or as I like to put it: Street Fighter goes to White Castle! (or in this case, Comic-con)

Great, great people and good times.

So yeah, by the end of the night I was tired and exhuasted by the time I went to the hotel. I crashed on the floor and just slept. The experience I had couldn't have been bettter. San Diego, the people, the atmosphere, Will, Da Great Ohmi and his friends, Capcom, it was all one great trip. Looking forward to San Diego Comic-con 2010!

I've held off this blog long enough, and now that I have more free time this weekend, I'd like to share the experience I had at Comic-con 2009...which was the best time I ever had in my life! :D

Let us start from the beginning.

I knew this trip would cost me, but it was all well worth it. Flying there from Miami wasn't so bad since I had some SF books and was trying to finish up the 3rd Phoenix Wright game on the DS--so everything felt smooth throughout the whole plane ride there. Had to plane hop to Texas, but once I was on there the gears started going as everyone around me were all Comic-con people. I knew only because I saw an art pad resting on the person 2 seats next to me and asked him "You going to Comic-con?", and after I had said that just about every person seated around me just looked at me and answered, from there we all discussed all about Comic-con and what to expect from the veterans explaining and also exchanging emails near the end. Funny thing is I didn't see any of those people at the con. Either way it was cool meeting them.

Off the plane I went and was already pumped...to the max!!! For years and years I have always wanted to go to Comic-con, and this is true because I used to collect Wizard magazine and they mentioned said con a whole lot--showing pics, interviews and giving everyone the idea that its the place to go for any hardcore fan of comics and other media related to it. So yeah, it was my time finally, my time :D

(And being 28 it is time already haha)

San Diego is so different from Miami, and I fell in love because of the weather and how beautiful it was. The air was so clean and the people were simply awesome. I wanted to walk from the aiport to the hotel but I figured the first time around I'd just take a cab. And that ended up being a much better idea.

Now there is a long story that involves why I didn't get all the tickets for each day but all in all it worked out at the end. Anyway, after getting dropped off the hotel (by now the level of being pumped was getting too dangerous levels) I waited for the Man, the Myth, the Legend...Da Great Ohmi!!! That's right, Capcom-Unity's Ohmi was my hotel roommate along with his friend and it would be the first time meeting him though we've talked a whole bunch of other times throughout the forums, especially the Chat Thread where I think if not for that I wouldn't have really gotten to know Ohmi and everyone else that I ended up meeting. So yeah, I have a lot to be thankful for--and yes thanks to Unity it was all possible!!!

We settled, hung out for a bit, made jokes, got some food, and then went on over to Comic-con for preview night. My eyes went SFIV-about-to-get-Ultra'd style! Because once I saw the mecca of all cons in front of me, I turned into a kid, even moreso when I walked in and saw right in front of me what I've waited so long to see...Capcom! So yeah for me it was a big deal, and man it was great. I bought stuff immediately and just wanted to hang out at the Capcom booth the whole time. I could have too, but I didnt' want to lose Ohmi's crew so I had to part from Capcom...for the time being at least. Oh and this was all Wednesday folks, so the party was just getting started. Seriously it felt like a party for me. The best kind! After a few hours we left, went back to the hotel and that was it for that day. I'm actually going to skip Thursday since I didn't go to the con but wandered all around San Diego. It was semi-interesting but nothing compares to the con itself, since that was the only thing on my mind.

FRIDAY

FRIDAYYYYYYYYY!!!! This is where it really started! I got up early, and that was normal but this time I just front flipped off the floor (where I slept) and just rushed to put on my costume--Ryu in his alternate attire in black! I couldn't wait for the others to get up (I might mix my days up about the waiting on the others part), but yeah had everything set! Even my black Capcom bag which I bought from Wednesday. To go over that real quick:

-Objection stylus for the DS with Phoenix Wright's finger pointing
-Crazy looking Carlos Blanka shirt
-Resident Evil candy
-Cammy 1942 shirt
-Bionic Commando tag
-Lost Planet for PC
-Lost Planet strategy guide

Most of that was all from the Capcom grab bag. But moving along, I was in awe of everything, especially the dealers room. It was just so frikkan massive. I'm talking about epic here! And of course the  first thing I did was go to the Capcom booth. Rep that Capcom!

Capcom

I got in line to sign up for the RE: Darkside Chronicles demo (which would take place later in the day), so after that I just circled around the Capcom booth, stopping by the Dark Void vacation photo stand, where you take a cool pic which I have yet to upload. Met Seth Killian, Snow (didn't take a pic with Snow until Sat though), and other Capcom employees, who were all awesome. I don't think they actually knew how happy I was to be there, but I had to contain it or else I would end up looking like some super crazy fan hehe I kept my cool, but was definitely hype! DA HYPE WAS FELT!!!

S-Kill and me Street Fighter posing!

I lined up to play Tatsunoko VS Capcom--immediately picking Alex for 3rd Strike goodness and just to rep SFIII, and picked Batsu from Rival Schools. I must have played 8 I think, losing and winning but it didn't matter for me because the game was so much fun. Playing as Alex was a blast--he can even Hyper Bomb that one character that takes up the whole screen. Talk about beastly.

Friday madness never stopped for one second. Because I even hung out with Will from Capcom-Unity fame. He cosplayed as Abel and we definitely had a great time repping Capcom cosplay. Abel and dirty Ryu just diving into all situations, especially the often visited Stargate booth portal picture taker! Check it out!

Street Fighter: Fighters in Time!

Stick that fist out! Chunny where are your spiked bracelets at!? :O

Ultra time with Abel (Will), me (Dirty Ryu), and BigMex as BigMex

Yup, caught BigMex and I was happy about that since I mentioned I would like to run into him at Comic-con--he mentioned he would be there Friday and I caught him. He was awesome! He writes the best blogs and I always check on his page for any updates. They are always so in depth with tons of info. Too bad we couldn't hang out for long, so here is hoping for next year and more epic pics!

The Dark Void character walking around let me take a pic with him while handing me that blaster to let me control the crowd. Any fans who got out of hand, I shot them. No worries though since the blaster was set to knock out rather than destroy >D

Don't jump the line!

I even met Jun! Which, arrghhh I can't spell his last name since I always call him Jun--the producer of RE5! I even showed him my cosplay pics of when I was Chris Redfield, holding a Alligator for a prop, making it look like it was eating me. Jun found it amusing hehe

Jun is calm even when I was yelling (not really yelling)

Alright so here is another moment. This is one I loved. Next to the Capcom booth was the Ninja Turtle booth, which they were promoting the new TMNT fighting game for the Wii, TMNT Turtles in Time remake, and letting fans take pics with a creative background (if you were lucky two Ninja Turtles would appear to take pics too, which happened to me). I didn't play the games, because I enjoyed just watching and taking pics. Well while waiting in line, I saw Ernie Reyes Jr to my left, just chatting with one of the employees. I was shocked, because I've known about him since the Enter the Dragon days, the one that had Bruce Leroy and Sho'nuff! Who is da mastah!? Sho'nuff! Ernie was also in Surf Ninjas and the Breakdown. Anyway, I approached him and he was really nice, and then took a pic. Did I forget to mention that everyone in Comic-con was extremely nice? Because they were!

Me and Ernie!

Every booth gives stuff away for free like it was nothing. I mean just everything! No matter where you went they would constantly offer and give--everything was just amazing and I had my share of items. I even got to play Ace Attorney investigations: Miles Edgeworth for the DS! It was great for the few minutes I played, but then just handed it to this one dude who was waiting a long time. I didn't finish the demo but that happened a lot. So many other things would catch my attention, so I'd drift towards the direction of a new event.  Even saw the Bayonetta cosplayer repping it for Sega! She was very pretty. She even got her camera to take a pic with me! Woo hoo!

I'll protect you from the creeps!

Another whoa moment was when I was standing near the Capcom booth, which was no surprise, and I look behind to spot Karen Dyer, the model and voice actress that was used for Sheva Alomar in Resident Evil 5. She was great as well, giving me a photo, letting me take a photo, and smiled because she saw my tag said Miami on it, since she either grew up or repped Miami at some point, or just South Florida in general. I'm not sure, I gotta look into it >:P

Get ready, Karen! Zombie battle time!

And that wraps it up! Part 2 should be coming up soon. I honestly can't remember what happened the rest of the day, but I highlighted the grand moments. I do know that when I went back to the hotel I was knocked out from walking all day. Oh man, San Diego Comic-con is ...the best!

Yes! A new start for everything!

I got myself a new place, a new laptop, TV, and I also cleaned out a lot of junk I stored away to make room for the new stuff.

Oh and I even got a I-pod since it was time for an upgrade...since the last one I had was some limited memory Samsung MP3Player.

New!!! All new!! Gotta start fresh.

Still reppin' that South FL, and this change is good because my focus will be a lot stronger while I continue to catch up and finish goals that I've set out.

Only thing that is a negative is I won't be able to save as much money but I'll try and change that soon enough and no conventions for a good while.

It's all good because I'm ready for this!