TK8315 in Active Deployment!

Credit: Keith E Moss

The no-post drought over the past weeks was due to my mid-year exams, which lasted a good part of last week, and will end this Thursday. I sit here typing this as I think to myself "I really ought to be studying for chemistry tomorrow".


Me and the respectable man I worked for over the June holidays, Reno Tan. Credit: Jason

My job commitment over the June holidays had prevented me from performing the bulk of my revi- No, it only took up my weekends. I was simply too lazy to study much in the weekda- No, I just didn't want to study. I tried to stay away from studying by doing housework, as though I do housework for a living. I simply dread revising, especially for physics, chemistry and mathematics, when I am forced to attempt questions which I have no idea to answer, or have the misconceptions to answer incorrectly. This needs to change, and fast.

Needless to say, my grades are gonna suffer. I don't need to see my results to know it. My parents are gonna be so pissed...


I'm not actually a lefty, but... Credit: Keith E Moss

Me and my badass sound system. :D Makes me sound just like a Stormie Credit: Rid Rahman

But that's besides the point. what I really want to talk about is my developments regarding the 501st Legion. After a month's worth of hard work (I shouldn't even consider it as 'hard work' since I enjoyed every session of it), I finally managed to raise a substantial amount to get done on my very first armour kit for entry into the 501st Legion, the standard and ever-popular Stormtrooper.

Over three seperate days, my fellow Legion members and I worked hand-in-hand to trim, Dremel, file, velcro, screw and paste bits of vacuum-formed ABS plastic together to get the armour into a wearable state.


After an armour-building session, it's nice to chill out and relax in a jacuzzi pool. Credit: Picture, Pool: keith E Moss

TK8316 is happy at my joining him in the legion. Credit: Rid Rahman

The photos were sent in, the application was approved, and I went home from the armour party at 12 midnight that day as the Legion's newest member, TK8315, with the Stormtrooper ID that comes just before TK8316.


Can't find me. Credit: Jason

But I'm quite easy to spot here. Credit: Brian Benitez

The very next day marked my official maiden trooping event (my unofficial one being the St. Pat's Day Parade), Toy Carnival at the Singapore Art Museum. Having put on costumes numerous times for Movie Mania, and doing minding work for my fellow troopers during previous trooping events, I had modified my armour to be more easily wearable, and dressing up as a Stormtrooper all by myself was like putting on a new set of clothes. I clocked a timing of 5 minutes, exceptional for a raw 501st recruit (I'm cheating D:). The plan for the day was basically traipsing around, 'droid hunting', posing for pictures, posing with civilians for pictures, and posing for funny pictures.


Guess which?

The 'Heaven and Hell' stance from Grenado Espada. Credits: Picture: Brian Benitez, Lightsaber: Olivine Lin

Trooping aside, the Toy Carnival was also where i made a very unexpected purchase. There were only 5 boxes when I first spotted the both while in armour, 3 when I returned during my lunch break to secure mine, and none left 15 minutes later. After all, Figma Yuki was Max Factory's very first Figma product, released around this time last year IIRC, so I should think finding her would be very difficult. The best part was that she was on sale at nearly a 40% discount. A most worthy buy. I chose her over the other models available like Mikuru (waitress ver., cheerleader ver.), Haruhi (ponytail ver., cheerleader ver.) and waitress ver. Tsuruya, since she would complete my mini collection of the humanoid interface characters in the Suzumiya Haruhi series.


The photographer. Credit: Rid Rahman

The photograph. Credit: Camera: Demonick Angel

The girls are very pleased.

Two more points of note that day:

1. One half-inactive member in the Singapore garrison lives in the same apartment block as me, on the same floor, two doors down from me. He has 3 Clone Trooper costumes, and the CT was my very first costuming objective when I joined the 501st community as a volunteer (before I had to settle for the regular TK due to time and monetary constraints). I can hopefully get tips on how I shall get about doing my own Clone Trooper in future, and maybe even hitch rides in his car if we're ever going to trooping events together, as he suggested. Very nice man indeed. It was kind of embarrassing that he recognized me when I didn't. I guess, I haven't been maintaining close relations with neighbours after my under-10 childhood days, and also, because my door is just beside the lift landing, I rarely walk down the common corridor past their gates, so I don't make any acquaintances through passing compliments and casual exchanges, etc.

2. An acquaintance of mine, this very pretty girl who was at that event, commented to a friend that I looked cute in my stormtrooper armour, as he related to me later on (he even ventured as far as to tell her that I was still a virgin @_@). If anything, that was a big morale boost for me, and it made me feel great the whole day, knowing that people have good opinions of my looks. I don't normally receive compliments like that, call me deprived of whatever, but I was still very happy about it all the same. I can't wait for my next opportunity of meeting her, when I can say, "you look very pretty too". Ah, whatever.


Dual-wielding trooper. Credit: Keith E Moss

For now, TK8315 signing off. Next stop, the trip to Batam, then Cosfest 2009. See you then.

My Part-time Job over the June Holidays!

I needed to find one that was preferably conducted over the weekends, so as to give me time during the weekdays to revise for my mid-years, which are coming after the June hols.

It has to be well-paying too for what it is worth, since the money has to go into my Stormtrooper armour costume, for my admission into the Singapore Garrison of the Internationally-recognized 501st Legion, which will arrive from the US in mid-June (and I must pay for and collect it as soon as possible).

Furthermore, I had hoped that it would be a no-stress affair, something I can do that is fun, enjoyable and would relieve me from my revision stress.

Seems like I hold very high expectations for my part-time job, eh? What are the chances I can find one that fits all three stringent criteria?

Months ago I had considered doing saikang (shit-work, basically you are tasked with an extremely mundane and tedious workload) at a sports complex of which a freind's father of mine was boss. $9 an hour, if I worked 9 to 5 over two five-day work weeks I would hhave just enough to cover all expenses. But that would mean having to sacrifice precious time which could have been used for studying. The situation looked desolate, and I was ready to submit to it.

One fateful night, after a photoshoot outing with the 501st at Merlion Park, the gang and I hung around for a while. And that was when I got acquainted with Movie Mania, through a charming individual with a burning passion for the things he loves. He was a former 501st member, and was the first Darth Vader costumer in Asia.



Now I make temporary minimum wage by putting on costumes and putting smiles one peoples' faces, old and young alike. My appearances are mostly on weekends, the pay is reasonable, and best of all, I have so much fun doing it. :3

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I remember, it was only 3 years ago when I first encountered the 501st. Back then all I could do was gape in awe at how these fellers could bring a silver-screen element to life, and take pictures with them like any other fan would do.

Last year at STCC, I went with my then-classmate Ron, another Star Wars fan, and met up with the Gordonator, whom then I associated with as an active Singaporean animeblogger. Both of them had intentions of joining the Singapore Garrison. We inquired about it, and I was daunted by the cost and the dedication required to build up these armour kits (just as I was surprised at Ngee Ann Civic Plaza two years ago when I heard the same thing from the guy manning the booth). Nevertheless, I eventually signed up as a volunteer together with the both of them (Ron had actually successfully compelled a very reluctant me into joining).

Fast forward to today, both of them are trooping around in their Stormie outfits, and I serve as an active volunteer, photographer and personal assistant to the two them, as well as the other costumers in the 501st wearing more badass costumes like Boba Fett and Darth Vader. From the 501st I'm getting premiums and collectibles, photo-taking opportunities, developing friendships with like-minded Star Wars fans, and even invites to parties and family gatherings (where I show up at the door and get responses like, "oh, you're with the Star Wars right? Hey [insert name here], your star Wars friend is here!")

Still, what remains was my passion for wearing costumes, pretending to be some character from some TV show or movie which I like, and entertaining crowds with my gimmick. I did not want to limit myself to just Star Wars in the 501st. So God bless the fact (yeah I'm semi-Christian now) that I met Reno that night, and got contracted as a costume 'talent' under Movie Mania.

The first step I took was joining the 501st. Many steps later, I'm doing what I love and getting rewarded for it with Movie Mania (and still with the 501st). Just goes to show how important taking the first step is, eh?



Back to my part-time job. Over the next few weekends (and a few weekdays here and there), I'll be making costume appearances at various locations in an Optimus Prime costume, as the MM gang and I pave the road to the Transformers 2 Gala Premiere at the 22nd of June. If you're in Singapore and wanna meet up some time and take pictures, feel free to contact me.

P.S. Best part of everything? I get to pose beside Movie Mania's very own pretty-faced Optimus Prime (Sexy Female Version)! B)