Nostalgia days: Lego Belville

As a fellow collector of the lost franchise Lego Belville I have to say that these lego sets were the most cherished of my childhood. I used to play with the orginal lego pieces and build the biggest space ships and busy towns with all my guy friends. I was the expert in comparison to them and I loved building such grandiose sets out of vast number of little bricks. I am a firm believer in playing with lego's at a young age. I had a whole collection of lego sets and I never managed to sell any of them. As a kid I was used to playing with the same figurines over and over again But some of the pieces were pretty boring because most of the bricks consisted of primary colors. And  when I was on summer vacation in France, I went to a knick knack store and looked around at the toy section. I wanted to get a barbie, but I noticed these large purple boxes with the famous red lego logo on them standing on a shelf far back in the corner. I walked through all the aisles to find this hidden section for the Lego Belville box sets. I was instantly drawn by the beautiful colors, doll like figurines and insane detailed pieces to the sets. I had to get this. The first set was small, but I played with it a re-arranged it every day. A few days pass, my grandmother brings me back because she saw how happy I was playing with them. She bought me more sets and my collection expanded from there. I have been collecting for a few years and because the series has been discontinued and Lego Friends came out, I stopped buying. Lego Friends are like the bootleg Lego belville, and I see no purpose to pick up another lego hobby. 

One of my first sets. The blue witch had a small kitchen to prepare potions and shit. She was a fierce queen with that grey lavender hair.

Ah, the wedding chariot was so gorgeous. The fact that the series included cute animals that were proportioned to the figurines was also a plus. 

Very first set. It was tiny, but the beginning to the greatest thing to happen to my childhood.

The cruise! I made them drown so many times. 

The Horseback riding series was definitely a highlight of the cherished series.

My So-Called Life: What should have happened.

 

 

It must be hard to grow up in a middle class home with a non-dysfunctional family in suburbia. Angela Chase makes her life seem like she is suffering from a hard life of bad mistakes and distress when all along, she's just a white girl going through puberty and sees her world turning to shit. I really do admire the realistic portrayal of a teenager played by Claire Danes, but watching the series over again, I changed my mind. The only reason I looked into the show was because I had an obsession with Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano and oh lord, he was fine. His bye eyes and greasy hair made him a sensation in the 90s. Plus he didn't do a lot of acting, so he just made out with Claire Danes in the boiler room which was basically soft-core porn for any pre-pubescent 13 year old. And Angela had the greatest friends to have in high school, Ricky and Rayanne who were supportive of her and listened to all of her first world problems whenever she was down. Other than that, the whole show focused on Angela's boring life and never gave the other characters enough attention. I wanted to know more about why Bryan Krakow was such a pain in the ass, I wanted to see what the household of Ricky and Jordan was like, and when Rayanne started using drugs.

 

But because the whole show was all about Angela and her whole deal was becoming Jordan's girlfriend. And she really got on my nerves, once they started hanging out because she was reluctant to have sex with him. She obviously had fantasies about him and to be honest, I would have jumped his bones if I was in her situation. Maybe Angela wanted to have some class and be ready for the right moment, but she should have realized that at her age no relationship is that serious. If anything she should have had some fun. It's not like Jordan was aware of what he wanted to do with his life and he obviously was inspired by the words of wisdom of Angela. In the end, Jordan realized that he fell in love with her, but was too chicken shit to tell her the truth. I always wondered what would have happened if Angela continued her relationship with Jordan. Maybe he would have graduated and pursued a career. Maybe Angela would pull him out of his bad boy habits. That's why I see them as a dynamic couple. If Angela took the chance, she would have broken out of her security blanket and maybe even grown up a bit. It sucks that the series only lasted one season and the actors moved on to other projects.

As much as Angela was a pain to let Jordan go, it was definitely fulfilling to see the passionate side of their relationship. I mean who wouldn't cut class to go make out with Jordan in his run down car?

I miss the old Mary Kate and Ashley

MK and Ashley were so cool and relatable. I miss the days when they weren't so pretentious and messy looking. They were just chill and young and free. Not uptight and raggedy. 

Girlfriends, better than Sex and the City.

I loved everything about this show. It was raw and more realistic than the lifestyle of Carrie Bradshaw portrayed in the overrated series. I rooted for Joan to find Love, for Mya to balance out family life, for Lynn to find a career and for Toni to grow up. I have so many memories of watching this show after school and fantasizing about living my life like theirs. I wish Netflix could put all of the series for me to watch all episodes one by one.

W.I.T.C.H., my first fandom and my first obsession

One of the first comics I've read was W.I.T.C.H., an Italian comic book based on 5 girls who live normal lives and come together to discover that their secrets go hand in hand with powers from an otherworldly realm. The comic book was in French and at the time I traveled to France during the summer time, I would find issues of the comic book being sold around the airport stores. I was intrigued by the charming illustrations and colorful character design featured in the pages. Not to mention, that it was endorsed by Disney so this comic had to be legit.


Will, the leader of the group

I read the first issue and fell in love with the stories of the 5 girls, Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and hay Lin. It was such a refreshing thing to read about the daily life of a pre-teen girl going though certain stages of her life and that's why I really related to those girls. And the fantasy world was just as beautiful and enticing to follow. The realm of Kandrakar takes place in an unknown world where the light forces look over the universe and balance out the good from the bad. They are the ones to select the guardians in the real world to protect the balance of nature and its elements all together. Nothing too confusing, just a whimsical tale of teen girls finding out their true colors and purpose in life.

So the story starts out with the introduction of Will Vandom. Will is a 14 year old girl who just moved to an urban area of Heatherfield with her single mom and hates being the new girl in town. We don't have much information about her history or any link to her biological father, but Will seems to portray herself as the darkest character. She carries herself like she has a lot of problems and at times she is very dramatic at times. Because she is instinctual and caring, she holds the skills of leading her group. Will is athletic, a bit of a tomboy, and lost in her thoughts most of the time. She swims after school and bikes a lot around her neighborhood to keep in shape. Despite being physically healthy, she isn't mentally stable. She is boy crazy and is unable to maintain a healthy relationship with her mother. She is a good friend, but she is hesitant of herself and her overall potential as a leader. The secret behind Will is that she is able to communicate with all thing electric and she is the source of light energy. She can talk to appliances and spark up electric energy at any moment. But Will has yet to find out that she holds the most unique element and realizes her power out energy is the strongest of them all.



Irma, the funny and curvy one

Irma Blair is a 13 year old teen who is the most extroverted and outgoing in the group. She's loud, funny and says whatever is on her mind. She lives a comfortable life with her Mom, Dad and brother in the suburban part of Heatherfield. She is foodie and loves to eat. Being the curvier girl in the group, Irma holds herself as the girl with the most personality. She is obsessed with music and partying and she loves to be the center of attention. Irma is the guardian of the water element and she has the power to breath underwater as well as control tidal waves and waterfalls. She loves to swim and be around water most of the time. Its like second nature for her. Irma is optimistic and sometimes a little naïve in the way she tries to solve problems. She does whatever to hold a guy's attention and doesn't care if she makes a fool out of herself. She is clumsy and not as polished as the rest, but she starts to become a lady sooner than she notices. With her humor and witty remarks, Irma is the one who makes any uncomfortable situation better and always knows how to have a good time.

Taranee Cook is 13years old and is far from being an extrovert. She's actually shy and soft spoken even if she is in control of the fire element. She lives a good life with her adopted parents and older brother, Peter and is constantly on edge with everything. She's a bit neurotic and doesn't know what to do at times because she doubts herself. Taranee has a passion for photography and is deeply interested with her African culture. She is the most knowledgeable about world history and is somewhat of a nerd. It may be that Taranee is going through a bit of an awkward phase as she notices she isn't as outgoing or outspoken as her other friends are. Luckily, Taranee will notice her attitude and will become spunkier when she develops control and loses doubt over her powers.


Cornelia Hale, 14years old, tall, thin, regal and in charge. She is definitely the most polished and elegant member of the group. She cares mostly about her appearance and her long hair and she is a bit of a know it all. Cornelia has a bit of a temper and she doesn't like to be pushed to her limits. She lives a wealthy life a luxurious condominium with her Father, Mother and little sister. She is all about status and how she presents herself. Cornelia is a figure skater and does her finest to be the perfectionist that she is. She holds the element of earth and controls the life of plants as well as weathering and erosion. Cornelia is all about beautification or herself and of this earth. She is the most reluctant one and slightly pessimistic one in the group. Cornelia finds out that her long time best friend goes missing and she is angered by the outcome of what has happened to her. In the end, she has to let go over stubborn attitude and get along with the group as much as she can.



Hay Lin is the free spirited 13 year old teen who lives a life full of spontaneity and joy. She's creative and trendy and knows her way around the sewing machine. She draws, paints and if fond of her Chinese background. She lives in her family's restaurant upstairs with her parents and grandmother. Hay Lin is known for her funky style and leg warmers. She always tries to look different and stand out of the crowd. Hay Lin is fascinated with astrology and karma and she sees everything with a purpose in life. Hay Lin is best friends with Irma and they are inseparable. She likes to please all of her friends and she may be the most rational and kind member of the group. Hay Lin controls the element of Air and is the only group member who knows how to fly. Hay Lin can also control wind direction and speed. Her grandmother is significant to the story because she was a former guardian of Kandrakar even though Hay Lin is unaware of that. The grandmother will introduce the 5 girls to Kandrakar and show them a path to follow to use their powers correctly instead of using them for selfish reasons. Hay Lin will be the member to bring optimism and purpose to the group.

The story unfolds into each member discovering their true purpose in both real life and the otherworldly realm of Kandrakar. The whole series of W.I.T.C.H. leads to a journey of friendship, passion and discovery. The series lasted for about 8 years and it was discontinued about 2 years ago. I own about 150 comics of the series and I am a dedicated fan and follow up in any new information on the series. I still read the comics once in a while and look back at how much the illustrations influenced the way I sketch and render fashion illustrations as well. I believe that whatever you were strongly influenced by should be with you for a long time.

 

 

Nostalgic Moments with Barbie Beach Vacation.

 So this has to be one of the creepiest Barbie games I played as a child because the production team decided to make a crap game for a quick profit. On the cover, Barbie looks fresh and clean. In the game, she looks creepy and a bit psycho. She doesn't blink or show any emotion at all. For crying out loud, the only thing she does if smile and wave the whole time. I get that she is on vacation with her close friends, but she's excited about all the beach activities and doesn't hesitate to try all of them.
    Its crazy that she can do something for the first time and perfect it. She skiis on water in her first activity and manages to do all these tips and tricks like she has been training to do this at a young age. She does backflips, and all these crazy tricks with out falling flat on her face. And the purpose of that mission was to collect empty beer bottles for a surprise at the end of the game. The goals set out for this game don't make sense to me. She should just tan, get wasted and cheat on Ken while hooking up with the locals. That's the kind of beach vacation I'm looking for.


  The second thing Barbie does in the same exact day is underwater scuba diving. Mind you, she is basically doing this by herself with no professional trainer to watch over her. I don't know what kind of ocean she submerges into so she has no clue of what types of sea creatures she would encounter. Luckily because this is a Barbie game (I say that often about all Barbie games), she only meets the cutest sea creatures such as starfish, crabs, turtles and fish. No sea monsters, no liter, but for some reason there is a sunken ship that hasn't aged a bit and looks totally new. She snaps a few pictures and hoards a few empty bottles. And once again at the end of the mission, she takes a photo of herself while creepily smiling at you. I'm wondering who the heck took the photo of her....



    Barbie, who happens to feel refreshed and not at all tired from water skiing and scuba diving enters herself in a sandcastle building contest. If I was here, I would take a shower, go to the buffet and drink until I fall asleep. Since she's full of spunk and energy,  she wins the god damn contest and wins a few empty bottles once again. In order to build the castles, you follow the sequence of choosing specific shapes and sizes for buckets. You can make the shittiest castle and get away with it.

So Barbie goes surfing and manages to not get knocked down or hurt because she is being chased while a huge wave without bumping into these dumb buoys. Why would there be buoys placed in the ocean, in order to surf you need to control your movement without freaking out over useless floating traffic cones. So Barbie does her thing and wins three empty bottles again.

The next sequence is the most horrifying thing I've seen so far in the game. In the last adventure, Barbie dances. Because Barbie holds so many talents, you'd think she'd be a killer on the dance floor. Oh sweet baby Jesus, I was wrong. She happens to dance like with drunk father after a long night of downing booze and listening to Donna Summers. Its that bad. She has no rhythm or expression and she is stiffer than I am. And the best part about it is that once you finished the game, you can choose for Barbie to dance again for other types of music including matching outfits. Apparently she is well versed in Salsa, Hawaiian Hula Dancing and Drunk white chick at the club. It's a total hoot to see Barbie embarrass herself.

 

At the end of the night, Barbie finally releases her creepy friends out of the cages and bring them out for a party. No booze, no drugs and the worst music ever. Well, she must be exhausted from the bullshit of participating in professional sports so awkwardly standing around is good enough for her at the end of the night. She doesn't even get to grind with her man or get a little frisky. Poor Barbie.

Look at the Acting Range of Elizabeth Berkely from Showgirls

Here lips are saying "You don't know shit", but her eyes don't say anger.

I've danced with those intense faces and its feels right to bite your lower lip while dancing.

The hunchback fupa is definitely the dance move you pull on at the hot guy in the club.

Wow! Her eye brows say anger, but she looks constipated...

Her jaw does most of the acting in this movie.

Nostalgia Days: Barbie Pet Rescue

Barbie looks like a serial killer holding that bunny.

Barbie had 100 jobs in her life. And for some reason, she wears the same pink coordinating uniform for all her professions. Which I guess it still sets a good example for little girls and boys because she does her job well and she influences people to do good deeds. 

In Barbie Pet Rescue, Barbie and her violation of child laboring sister, Stacy are in charge on a pet rescue rescue set out in the middle of America. They basically save pets. No savage or untamed animals like zoo pets, just puppies, kittens and bunnies. Cute shit. And oh boy, this game is borderline cute. 

The whole game starts out as a series or rescuing pets in safe areas like parks, gardens, backyards and even farms. She travels on her vespa like she runs on errands in no rush at all. When she gets to the location, Barbie slowly walks around and stares at the camera constantly to see where you should point direction to. It's quite irritating and I wish Barbie could be more productive with time. It's not like she could put herself in danger by stepping on bear traps, all she does is look down wells and climb up to tree houses. I guess she has to set example and explore the way children do. But its kinda awkward to see a 6 foot tall former supermodel climbing up trees and looting around areas to search for a cuddly animal. Why couldn't there be any people around in the background? Doesn't Barbie get hella bored? Does she even get paid?

The best part after rescuing each pet is the part where you get to name them, feed them, bathe them and play with them. You awe and melt at the sight of a digital pet licking your hand and staring into your eyes to melt your soul. The types of pets don't really vary much because you get one type of dog, cat and bunny in different shades of fur.  

The petting scenes were adorable.

                                                                               
Because it's a Barbie movie, nothing else happens once you save all of the pets. You just get awards and save a dirty monkey once in a while. For the attention span of a ten year old, this game works for sure. It teaches kids to care and pamper slightly mistreated animals.

Still in my archive, No Fucks Given.

I get back to this game from time to time when a hurricane hits or when I feel moody and miss my childhood. Barbie PC games will forever stay in my heart because they were so innocent and cute. Even when I get older, I will still turn back to these games and look for nostalgic inspiration.

Barbie was such a bitch to Stacy. She never picked up her own damn phone.

My fascination with the Faeries from Neopets



Fyora, the fiercest Faerie Queen

 I don't know about you guys, but when I was a chubby bunny back then, I used to go on the internet and play Neopets all day. This was before Myspace, Facebook, Tumblr or Pinterest. (AOL was awesome to talk to the same people you saw all day at school and the Sims was usually taken over by my sister all day.) There was something so cool about caring for your digital pet by feeding it, and making money to support your imaginary children. The games were pretty much knock offs of any 80's video game platform, but you needed to play to earn points (Basically mula for your income). Any one dedicated to playing more than 10 games a day would earn more than 5,000 points to buy food, toys, books and furniture. In the end, your neopet never dies, but they complain about every goddamn thing you offered to them. Give them a free omelette you picked up, they would stick out their tongue and reply with, "Gross!". I wish there would be an option to smack some sense and force feed your starving pet.


Soup Faerie aka I hate her guts

Anywhoozle, the best part of neopets were the Faeries. The entire fantasy world of neopets was pretty badass. My favorite fantasy world was the Faerie world. Thin candy colored nymphs were basically free loaders and any time one came up to you, they would ask you for the most expensive items in exchange for rare unusual knick knacks and trinkets. The difficult part about the quests where that the items were literally impossible to get. You were disabled to search for a specific item in the shops and had to got the markets one by one to look for some dumb item they needed. Because the faeries were flawless, it didn't matter how bossy they would treat me.


Emo faerie with



She was bored and asked me for the same shit.

Some faeries like the welfare soup kitchen faerie would even deny to feed my middle class family because I made too much money. Even with her basic-ass outfit, she still carried herself like a princess. I had no clue what relation the only human like characters had to do with personified animals. Where were the men? What about the kids? The questions were never answered. I guess they were servants to a higher power who basically bossed around neopets and ask them for shit. Every now and then I go back to the website just to see if the faeries had been discontinued or not. I never thought faeries were generally nice. I kind of think of them as messengers who have nothing else to do except bother people.

 If anything, I would love if one day Jhudorah would take over and rule everything under the Dark Powers.