Have you ever been asked what you did over the summer, only to draw a blank? That’s how it feels, when I sit down to write about everything that happened the past year. Though less exciting than 2017, 2018 was still a nice year. I rang in the new year away from home for the first time, made honour roll in my first year of college, and learned to use Toon Boom. Let’s see what else I can remember…
For past capsules, click the links:
2017 was a wonderful year. You got into college, moved out on your own, went to Anime North, went to FanExpo, and did it all with a fantastic Mad Hatter by your side.
You took a few financial risks this year: this included booking a hotel for Anime North, spending >$100 on winter boots, purchasing Megabus tickets to wonderland, and basically supporting yourself through college. What was that saying, about making omelettes by breaking a few eggs? Has it all been worthwhile?
You still need to work on your hesitation. While you made and sold a few neat things this year, you took your time with some of them. Have you improved at all in 2018? Have you kept up with at least making a Pokeball each month?
2018 really feels like a blur. Much of the time was spent travelling back and forth between places, often for hours on end. You can call me, “Pika on a Bus.”
This year, I lived in a grand total of three different places. I think I like my current place the best: it has a kitchen inside the apartment, the laundry room right outside the front door, and…my own bedroom, with a lock on the door! Don’t get me wrong, Juefei was fun to live with, and I never had trust issues from her, or my summer roommate. As an introvert, I love my alone time, just as much as my social time.
I also saw We Will Rock You at the Regent theatre in Oshawa. I saw commercials for it years ago, and wanted to go. Tickets were expensive, so I never ended up going. That is, until summer 2018, when I scrounged up enough money for tickets. It was a great show, even for those who weren’t as familiar with the music of Queen. And yes, they sing Bohemian Rhapsody at the end.
You completed not one, but TWO 30 day drawing challenges! And you won a prize for the latest one! To answer your question from the end of 2016, there were some pretty neat things behind that curtain of uncertainty. You barely noticed the bad things, because you had so many awesome people to support you through them.
I didn’t participate in any drawing challenges this year, due to some administrative changes in the school’s digital arts club. However, I did work on two separate films! In the first one, I wore two different costumes and a ton of makeup. I also pretended to vomit flour, put eyeliner on my tongue and held it there for 15 minutes, and had a burning hot spoon accidentally graze my chin. And yes, it left a scar. We got a fantastic mark for the video, but I don’t think I’d agree to this kind of process again.
The second film went over a little better. Meet our main star: Fred Pudding!
Fred Pudding played a red panda, who just wanted to sit down and eat his food. But then, a red panda-obsessed student (me) spots him. Terrified, Fred runs off to protect his food, and the student gives chase. Hilarity ensues. After all the editing, and Toni nearly freezing her fingers off trying to figure out how to set up the tripod, you bet we got a great mark. I’d post it here, but then you’d see yet another reason, why I try not to show my face on this blog.
How are An, Toni, Isa, Juefei, and Aimz? Is everyone well? Are you all still friends? Did you and Isa find a new place together? Is Juefei still living with you? How are the others from res?
How is your Mad Hatter? Was this “the year?” If not, I hope you will continue to support him no matter what. There is still time.
Your blogs have gotten shorter, partly from laziness, and partly from business. You always thought it was intriguing, that business = busy + ness. How have we done, in terms of the crafting game? Make anything cool?
Everyone is well. An and Isa have decided to move on to bigger things outside of college, but I wish them the best. And it turns out, An will have classes with Aimz! The world is so small… Juefei is not living with me anymore, but she is living with Toni. It’s kind of nice, that even though people are no longer physically close, they can still be reached. Connections are nice that way.
Yes, this was “the year!” And who’d have thought it would be with that company, of all things?! Hatter now lives in his own apartment, and visiting him is sooo much more flexible. And now that he lives alone, Hatter adopted No-Face and Sootsprite, the two naughty, cuddly, fluffy kitties. I’ve named myself as their cat mom. Well okay, I’m the deadbeat cat mom, who only shows up every few weeks or so. Nonetheless, I love No-Face and Sootsprite as though they were my own hairy babies. I’m not sure when we will all be reunited, but hopefully that will be before reading week in February. I cannot bear to be away from my fluffy family any longer………
Shoonie, if you’re reading this, put the sketchbook away. >_<
Did you make any new cosplay breakthroughs? Write anything cool? Try your hand at a new program, or style? I hear we’re going to use Toon Boom in second semester. Let me know how that goes! Did you make any cool 3D models? Any funny animations?
We learned Toon Boom, I honed my Maya skills, and I turned out some pretty decent stuff, if I do say so myself. Here is a link to a few of the things I don’t mind sharing:
Skydiving (2D Animation)
Penguin (2D Take animation)
2D Lip Sync
Robots (3D Animation)
Shark! (3D Take animation)
3D Lip Sync
3D Lip Sync and Hand animation
And it took me about 5 hours to model, rig, paint the skin weights, and animate this butterfly: Click here to view
Final verdict: animation is a tedious process, full of revisions and banging your head against furniture. But when I see the results, and how happy people are to see these results, I think to myself, “I wouldn’t want any other career in the world.” Except maybe professional cat cuddler. Yes, that’s a thing.
Where are you now? How are you spending New Year?
I’m currently in my apartment, having just come back from the first class of the new semester. I spent New Year with Mad Hatter and the old cats. Vimes the cat is a bit grumpier this time around, while meowy Cheery has gotten a little more affectionate. The former meowed angrily and ran away, when he was sitting on my lap, and I leaned forward to reach something on the coffee table. The latter has begun climbing on the back of my chair, when she wants pets. Maybe they exchanged energy?
Did people finally stop eating Tide Pods? *cry cry cry weeping for the future*
I mean, I think so? The “dab” is still alive, however.
Let’s try something new this year. Click here to see your first capsule. How much have things changed since then?! Comment in your response!
Okay, let’s bullet point this.
- I don’t say, “hey, hi, hello,” anymore. Or FML. I have been saying, “if I do say so myself,” “that sounds like a you problem,” and, “womp womp…”
- This year alone contained a lot of “I thought I would, and then I didn’t.”
- I did get a job since this capsule. I left it this year.
- I’m still in touch with Ginger and Ada. Ginger a little more so, since Ada has been incredibly busy. Then again, so have I.
- Kitty and Bear got married in 2016. Incidentally, Hatter and I started dating shortly after. Shoonie, what did I say about the sketchbook?!
- The thing about looking your hottest at 25 is totally true.
- Not being able to see my annual “to-do” list, doesn’t help me get things done.
- This blog has been around for almost 5 years.
From all of us at Pika in a Bag, have a safe, and prosperous new year!
Pika, Happy New Year~
Val's Crafts 