YING TZE BLOG

YING TZE BLOG

Thursday, October 3, 2013

My Journey with AFA !


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Hello everyone !

I have a little bit of time tonight and I just got back from dinner with my Princess Hermes and Ritchie so I decided to make a gratitude blog post ! Been wanting to blog about my journey with AFA for a long time already but as usual , as a fashion design student , I have lots of things to do and hardly have extra time to actually sit down and blog ! But anyways , I'm really inspired tonight so here it is !

Firstly , as you all know I am the first batch of Moe Moe Kyun Maid from Malaysia with Angie. It's a funny story on how I get chosen actually. I first attended AFA during 2010 where I went to cosplay with friends and also mainly for May'n concert. Back then I wouldn't even dare to imagine that I would be a part of this wonderful family. There came the opportunity where MMK auditions were opened for Malaysians. Of course I'm really thrilled so I applied , but worrying that I won't have a chance because I'm too tall and not really moe nor talented. But I'm really glad that I did. They always say if you try , at least there would be a 50-50 chance , if you don't , then you'll never even have a chance. I'm thankful that I did.

I was super nervous during the MMK auditions. I was pretty much convinced that I won't get picked because after trying on the maid costume , it was short ( due to my giant height ) and + the lolita shoes , I am about 180 cm LOL. Then again , I'm being hopeful and after going back home I keep checking my email. HAHA. My god ! I kept refreshing the email hoping for some miracle to happen ! Then ta-da omggggg I received an email congratulating me and welcome to the MMK Family ! Which I kept until now. :)


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Honestly sometimes I think , what would happen if I never tried filing in the application form and " click " sent ? I wouldn't have met all this wonderful people I know today.  There are too many to name , but you know who you are. :) Though we all meet only perhaps 2-3 times a year , but everybody is very supportive of each other and they are genuinely nice. Every AFA is a good memory that I will never forget. Not only that I meet my wonderful AFA Family but also many other people who came to see us.  I meet many people whom I never imagine I can meet in real life , but I did. It's surreal.


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AFA Indonesia this year is my 4th AFA event in a row. Gosh how much I traveled ! I was given opportunity to attend several press conference overseas and there was where I first met Momo from Indonesia ! She's a real sweetheart. She always tell me that she doesn't like her round face but I think her round peach-like face makes her even more adorable ! Can't believe that I've known her for a year already ! * hugs *


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Being a part of AFA always made me much closer to Angie and Princess Hermes. Before knowing this princess hor , I always thought that she is very proud one , but when I get to know her more , she is just too adorable. LOL. I mean really , she is the one who truly understands me. We can talk so much and laugh so much together. Angie too. She is my traveling partner to almost everywhere lol. Basically we come in pair , share same room and sit together. We all can talk bout almost anything anyhow with each other. :)


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And Sir Jim , the one who gave me the opportunity to be one of his MMK Girls. Thank you for having this super giant meido ! Sir is very caring and understanding though he might look strict and stern , actually he is very nice one ! He always take good care of us as much as possible. Thank you Sir , we love you !


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All my lovely MMK Girls from Malaysia / Singapore / Indonesia . Thank you all for being in my life , working together and going through everything together. You girls are so hardworking and never give up. Extremely admirable. This is why I enjoy being a meido so much , the spirit of team work that we have. Love you girls very deep deep ! ^ _____ ^

We always help each other get ready , checking each other's make-up. Tora always go like " Mio your nose oily already , faster go blot ", or we would help each other tidy up each other's hair. My fav question to them would be " Do I look okay ?? Do I look Okayy ??" Like every few minutes. OMG I super miss that moment ! Hahahahaha.


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And the Atelier Royale Boys. Xing is my little brother whom I dislike taking picture with because he is ALWAYS FAIRER THAN ME. and prettier than all the girls. :( Really I no lie one. Xing and Ritchie is from Malaysia whom I grew really close with and we all ( Team Malaysia ) hang out quite often. Though now Xing and I are almost finishing college , which means more time spent on final projects , we all really enjoy hanging out once awhile and catch up :)

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During AFA Id this year , I made lots of new friends and they are so sweet ! Firstly , I had a super memorable experience during AFA ID last year so I was really excited to be in Jakarta again this year as MMK Meido and Cosplay Guest ! Thank you so much AFA for featuring me as one of your cosplay guest !

I am Mio again on Friday and it's lovely being able to serve all the goshijin-sama and oujo-sama ! I'm really happy meeting returning customers too , thank you all who came to AFA CAFE and we appreciate all your love and support for us ! ^ ___ ^

It's also my first experience as Cosplay Guest for AFA ! I have a helper , Hime who helped me a lot during my stay in Indonesia. She is so sweet and caring . always asking me if I needed anything ! Too helpful my love ! Missing u already ! ^______^  Also Sora and Echow , they are all really awesome cosplayers but yet so humble and friendly !


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 Though I only get to work for a day only during AFA ID , I feel glad being able to get to know the new maids / butlers. Like how Kaede is gentle and shy , Nao and Yuki who can sing really well , Comi who is a talented designer and super beauty blogger , Rena and Shizuka who is just too adorable , Yume the funny one and Kyoichi omg another funny one LOL. I hope I can get to know them more :)


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As a cosplay guest in Indonesia , it was a humbling experience. I was really honored to be able to witness the amazing cosplay performances by the talented Indonesian Cosplayers ! It's just so , mind blowing ! Every performances were unique and the craftsmanship and showmanship were of international level ! I'm amazed by the passion they put in the costumes and performances. Indonesian cosplayers are really inspiring ! It's such an eye-opener !

Plus I get to meet my cosplay inspiration , Pink Lu Xun from Indonesia ! When I just started cosplay , I followed her blog for her make up tutorials and also admire her costume making skills very much. Being able to meet her in real life is like a geek moment lol. I'm like ohhhhh yesss omg Pinky !! * hugs *



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I'm really happy that being with AFA , I feel that I've improved as a person. I cannot be shy and I can't be stuck in my comfort zone forever. I'm grateful that AFA helped me grew. In the past I have been the " oh I can't do this " type of person but now slowly I tell myself that " I will try my best" and " I can do this."

My time management became quite good also. lol


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There are many individuals that inspire me along the way. Like Jasmine , I admire her for being such a strong woman. She gives me the big sister kinda feel and somehow she is like a superwoman and her energy is contagious. She's such a strong and creative person , let's work hard together in our studies !!


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I do receive messages like " how do you manage your time with cosplay / college ?" Sometimes I don't know how I do it but college always comes first for me. I would finish my assignments first before I start working on my costumes. I'm really passionate bout costume making. That's the part that I enjoy the most as a cosplayer. I like making costumes into reality. Even though my skills might be lacking now , but with every costumes made , it's slowly improving.^^

I work hard and play hard. I'm kinda those kind of kiasu student which means I enjoy doing my best in class lol. I'm pushing myself hard everyday and try my best to do as much as I can. It's my way of YOLO. Sometimes I do get stressed out but my lovelies always motivate me when I needed it.

Thank you all who always tweet encouraging messages to me ^^.


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Sometimes when I look back at my photo folder , it puts a smile on my face whenever I feel demotivated. For example . this picture , it was a simple meal with Momo that I will never forget ! I think I said this too many times but Thank You God for all these wonderful people in my life !

Every AFA is a good memory that I will treasure forever.

Much love to everyone who came to see me during AFA Indonesia whether as Mio or as a cosplayer ! Thanks for liking my costumes and I really had lots of fun during the meet and greet session. It's a nice feeling knowing that you guys appreciate my costume works ! * hugs *


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During my journey with AFA , I also met lots of people with different types of personality and magically we all mix well together. It's like I can't explain how or why but we all became good friends just after 3 days working together. Like long lost family lol.
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This coming November , I once again have the honor to be one of the cosplay guests for AFA Singapore ! This time I will be making two costumes which I spent like 2 weeks just to decide on what to make. My schedule is kinda tight for these two months ( college / assignments etc ) but no worries , I'm hoping that I can make something nice for this event ! It's something out of my comfort zone and probably will be my most intricate costume up to date. I will start working on it soon , bout one month more till AFA !

Do look forward towards my new costumes ! :)

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Again , I'm feeling really excited already because every AFA feels like Christmas to me ! I will get to meet my lovelies again and more people , and YOU ! ^^



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 Like I always say before every AFA event , let's make good memories together !

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Thank you all who supported me all along and thank you so much for liking my cosplay or enjoyed your time with @ MMK / AFA Cafe. Thank you so much for all your love and encouragement on my cosplay page too ! I will continue to work hard and produce better costumes ! THANK YOU  EVERYONE !



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