Geeking Out at the Calgary Expo 2013

The 2013 Calgary Expo has come and gone. It was my first year as a volunteer. All I can tell you is that volunteering was a wonderful experience and I'm definitely up for volunteering again. I was unable to attend any of the discussion panels, so I am grateful hat FlipOn.TV and the Comic Expo made Virtual Passes available. I look forward to watching the panels at a leisurely pace.

Here are some moments of the 2013 Comic and Entertainment Expo that I was able to capture when I completed my shifts. Enjoy!

Nathan Fillion and Tim Daly have got it right. Flying around in a cape is too much fun:

You can check out the rest of my 2013 Calgary Expo album here. I will try to upload my video of the LEGO Endor set later this week.

This is a fantastic moment captured by a Calgary Expo attendee. She asked actor/director/writer/gamer/professional nerd Wil Wheaton to tell her baby daughter why it's awesome to be a nerd:

A huge thank you to our guests, exhibitors, organizers and my fellow volunteers for making the 2013 Calgary Expo a huge success! I can't wait till next year! Well, perhaps my legs and feet need to rest a bit first.

Get Your Virtual Pass to the 2013 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

This weekend, geeks from all over the world will descend upon Calgary for our city's second largest annual show - the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo (AKA "The Calgary Expo"). There is a fantastic line-up for geeks of all ages.

The show gets started with the Parade of Wonders the morning of Friday, April 26, 2013. Then the doors open at the Calgary Stampede. There will be something for everyone, from traditional gaming to video games and from Star Wars to Torchwood. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Stan Lee and Nathan Fillion in person, as well as WETA Studio's display. And if you grew up listening to Weird Al Yankovic, you'll be happy to hear that he's performing here Friday night.

Whether you missed out on getting a weekend pass before the Calgary Expo sold out, or have the quandary being unable to attend a session you really want to check out, you can get your Virtual Pass to the Calgary Expo. Panels will be streamed live and then archived for later viewing.

Head to FlipOn.tv to get your Calgary Expo Virtual Pass for only $14.95. Check out the line-up on the show's website.

Trying to Not Lose Myself Giving Directions

Last week in Japanese class, we were studying how to ask for direction and how to give directions. Asking is so much easier than giving directions! Since I haven't had a chance to catch up on workbook questions, I decided to hunt for some Japanese language videos online to listen to while I am working.

If you are studying Japanese, you may want to check these out.

This is how I learned "left" and "right":

This is simpler than what we learned, so it's perfect for "survival Japanese":

This one shows the kanji and tips on how to remember them:

This is closest to what we covered in class:

In Search of J-Blogs

A quick post today. Here is a list of some blogs that I've come across to help with studying Japanese:

All Japanese All the Time: The layout is a bit busy, but it's full of useful information.

Japanalicious: An active blog about Japanese Language, Culture and Travel.

Learn Japanese Blog: Lessons, characters, counters and more.

Lingualift Japanese: Check out the Top 100 Resources for Learning Japanese. Sugoi!

Wired in Japan: a blog about learning the Japanese language and the blogger's experiences living and studying in Japan.

Kaimonoshimasu!

I've set up a page with links to all the fun otaku stores that I've teamed up with (and frequent whenever possible). There's CD Japan, J-List, RightStuf and of course, the online powerhouse, Amazon. You can reach the page by clicking on "Otaku Shopping" on the main menu or clicking here. Mitte onegaishimasu! I've picked a good mix of books, study aids, figures, messenger bags, plushies, anime and more. Of course, once you're in, you can browse and shop from any department within the store.

It's a win-win situation: you get your otaku fix, while contributing to my Get Out of Debt and Play More Fund. Happy shopping!