Archive for the ‘Pick-ups’ Category
Taeyeon arcade stick #2
Shortly after I finished my first artwork modification of the SF4 Tournament Edition arcade stick, I set about working on my second design last September. Because my second stick was located in my Los Angeles home, I did not actually complete the project until last week when I returned home for Christmas break. I am now a proud owner of these two beauties!
The concept for stick #2 was inspired by how Taeyeon’s military hat and M. Bison’s Shadaloo cap looked remarkably identical. Since stick #1 was predominantly white, I wanted stick #2 to be black for contrast. #1 is still my favorite design as that shows more aesthetic sense, whereas #2 is just two people plastered on either side of the controller. I contemplated #2 for awhile because I was not satisfied with the design. However, the continuation of the Taeyeon theme and the link between the hats were irresistible.
Otacool
Apologies for a prolonged absence, but I’m in the middle of some crazy rotations in med school. Free time is a rare luxury now for sure. It might be a few more weeks until my next post, so this is a quick update to let people know where I’m at. Plus I’ll share this neat book I just picked up.
Otacool is a DannyChoo production featuring otaku rooms from all around the world. The vast majority of the rooms are anime and figurine focused. I’m only superficially into anime and don’t like figures at all, but I always find it fascinating to see how passion in hobbies can transform our living spaces. The ultimate example of this, of course, is on the grandest scale — Akihabara in Tokyo, an entire district taken over by otaku culture. I’ve been to Akiba several times and am endlessly enchanted by that destination.
I dream of designing a gaming room when I move into my own house at some point and have been slowly collecting source material for inspiration. Although the rooms in this book are mostly opportunities to show off vast collections of manga volumes or figures rather than any serious attempt at design, they’re still neat to see. I tried taking photos of pages from the book, but it was difficult to lay the book flat for clean photos without destroying the spine. Here’s a few page examples directly from DannyChoo below.
(on a related note, this Korean Star Wars fan has done a great job of integrating his hobby into his house. Of course there are the requisite masses of merchandise scattered everywhere, but he has a couple clean, classy and stylish rooms)
Japanese pens
Now that I’m a medical student in the clinical years, rounding at the hospital is a big part of my daily routine. What we do is get to the hospital early in the morning, check up on our assigned patients and see how they’re doing, and then “round” with the entire team and attending doctor. This involves stopping by each patient on the service and giving a short presentation/update so that the team learns about different patients. That’s how we gain experience and level up.
I take lots of notes during rounds, and I’ve discovered that multi-color pens can be extremely helpful so I can color-code to easily pick out specific information. American office chains like Staples and Office Max stock some multi-color pens, but color selection is limited and the pen designs are bland. This is where I turn to JetPens, an awesome online store with a great design and tons of clear product photos. If you’ve ever been to a Japanese stationary store, surely you’ve gawked at the immense selection of pens and pencils on display. JetPens is a perfect online counterpart that captures the “kid in a candy store” sensation I feel in those stores.
Triumvir M-65 Shadaloo jacket
I was introduced to SoCal-based Triumvir when they collaborated with Capcom to produce licensed Street Fighter shirts. Although most of their clothing isn’t really my style, I stuck around with the brand when I read their blog and became a fan. The designers put a lot of research and thought behind their concepts, and furthermore, eagerly share this information with their very devoted fanbase. (Example: Constantine’s Bomber Jacket for the upcoming collection)
But back to Street Fighter. Triumvir produced the Shadaloo Collection in late 2008 which I completely missed. The highlight was a Shadaloo M-65 jacket limited to 100 pieces. I didn’t find out about Triumvir until their second Street Fighter collection, called World Warriors. Looking at their back catalog, I loved the M-65 jacket but of course it had already been long sold out.
Luckily for me, about a month ago, David from Triumvir just so happened to be selling a brand new Shadaloo M-65 from his personal collection. I jumped at the opportunity.
Bape multi-camo tie
As a medical student and future doctor, I have to wear a tie every day I show up at a clinic/hospital and see patients. That being the case, I can never have enough ties to cycle through. For the 2009 Autumn Collection, A Bathing Ape released several plaid ties in addition to multi-camo ties for the first time.
My preferred Bape products lean towards the more subdued side, so this multi-camo is definitely a little loud for my tastes. In fact I didn’t pay any attention to it until I saw the accompanying style guide. Multi-camo tie… neutralized with a white dress shirt and doctor’s white coat… this could work!
Taeyeon arcade stick completed!
The mailman delivered a nice surprise yesterday: my custom artwork and plexiglass from ArtHong! I keep plugging his site because he makes quality products and his customer service is phenomenal. If you’re interested in customizing your arcade stick, I give him my highest recommendation.
A Bathing Ape – Taipei city camo
A Bathing Ape features many different camo designs and colorways. My favorite design is the city camo series. Bape has less than two dozen retail stores worldwide, and each one has a distinctive colorway that represents the store. These are exclusively sold at the representative stores, i.e. clothing with the Hong Kong city camo design can only be bought at the Hong Kong Bape store. The idea is to let fans “rep their hood”, so to speak. (The city camo colorways [1], [2])
My favorites are the three Tokyo stores and Taipei, which have a more monotone camo pattern compared to some of the outrageous color combinations for other cities. All city camo products are produced in very limited quantities so are usually difficult to find on the resell market after the initial release. From my experience, Taipei is especially rare. The city camo polos were released a few weeks ago, and I made sure to grab the Taipei one as soon as I saw one.
