Monday, October 29, 2018

The Chronicles of Momoberry: Entry 2

Disclaimer: Momoberry's Diaries is Junolyn's version of a Sanrio world that I built in my mind. My imagination takes me to places that I wish could exist in real life. I hope you enjoy my version of Sanrio World, where all you have to do is believe.



Entry 2: Holding Hands

What I remembered on that day was the bright flash from the photographer's camera. It was blinding that I couldn't quite see for a moment. It was that flash of light that started it all. It changed my whole life. My dreams of being famous began with signing on to be one of Sanrio's starlets in Hollywood. 

Sanrio owned me for life. 

At the time, I believed everything would be okay. I believed Sanrio could get me global recognition with older audiences. I didn't believe it would all happen at once because starting new takes time and hard work to appeal to new territories. 

Alas, Sanrio gave up on me too quickly. 
I won't ever forget these words: "We don't need you."
It echoed in my mind for weeks afterwards. Those words shattered my heart into pieces that I'm not sure will ever recover from. 

I remembered the first time that I gazed into Sanrio's eyes and was promised that Sanrio would never leave my side. The very first moment that Sanrio held my hands in warm friendship, then to be later, broken was the ultimate defeat. They did not believe I coud further charm others to open their wallets.

Sanrio promised forever, yet they put me on their "backburner."



Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Farewell, Hello Kitty World Game

Here's to another era of saying goodbye to another online Sanrio game.

There are very few Sanrio games out there that has made a connection to fans abroad. Does anyone remember playing an older online Hello Kitty game called: Hello Kitty Online?

Hello Kitty Online was the only other popular Hello Kitty game that comes to mind in recent years. A lot of fans played it regularly, but I stopped playing after the first try. In simple terms, I didn't like it. I felt that the game didn't clearly explain enough to a newbie, like me, of what the objectives were for Hello Kitty to accomplish. Sure, it gave pointers, but I remembered that I was mostly confused as to where I should lead HK to the next point. At the end, I lost interest and gave up trying to understand the game.

Then came, Hello Kitty World...



Hello Kitty World is not the same like Hello Kitty Online, which was a far better online game because it had a more detailed aspect to the game like social networking, combat, resource collecting, etc. It was a "real" game compared to a superficial mobile app game.




Another reason as to why I will have more respect for games outside of mobile apps. You can't accomplish much on mobile games. 



That being said, Hello Kitty World was superficial, but it was the best mobile game that provided an artistic blueprint feature. Foremost, I love to blueprint decorate.


What better way to spend my free time with my favorite characters and to blueprint at the same time?

Starlight In Hello Kitty World

Hello Kitty Kingdom





In my previous posts about HKW, I had not completed my Hello Kitty Kingdom. It's completed with some minor changes. Instead of a church for future weddings, I decided to go a different route. I wanted to emphasize the apple theme by using an apple tree house with a Alice in Wonderland theme card maze. It worked out well, right? 


Enchanted Forest of Starlight




Leaving off from My Melody's Lair of Leafs







When I first started Enchanted Forest, I wanted it be a bit more "crowded" - or realistically, from viewing at a far distance would look like in a somewhat alternative dimension. The swimmers would go to the left side of the map, where I deemed it as the sweet Merry Go Round area. It's a Downtown area, where you can fashionably shop and eat at a fancy restaurant.  

The snow sliders would travel the right side of the map and be met with the beautiful sights of the Enchanted Forest. There are many garden type areas filled with edible candy flowers, big strawberry blooms, fantastical star shaped trees to purple crescent trees, and many more that invites you to hang out in the Forest's natural surroundings. 

Within the Enchanted Forest, snow sliders can meet Chococat, sit with My Melody, have tea with Pompompurin, have a kawaii fantasy picnic under the Cherry Blossoms, visit the Sugarbunnies boutique, ride the hot air balloon with Mimmy, and lastly-- be entertained while dining with Hello Kitty or Cinnamoroll. 



My Melody Kingdom




Before we hop to the next world of realms, I would like to show off My Melody's Kingdom. With this particular kingdom, you will find that I have placed strawberries as the main decorative theme. You can find all sorts of edible strawberry blooms to strawberry carriages that will take you all over My Melody Kingdom. 

The visit starts off at the Pekkle cruise line ship letting their passengers off. You can get refreshed at the Pekkle stores and take a moment to enjoy the silver Hello Kitty tower, one of Starlight's famous landmarks. To the far left, the Pink Strawberry theme runs strong where it leads to the bridge of the Central Park. Central Park is where you enter Starlight through the main gate or through the Train Station or the small sized Airport. 

As with Hello Kitty Kinddom, same rules apply to Central Park. All entrances into Starlight via the Airport, Train Station, and main gate are portals that you must carry magical tokens. Without these tokens, visitors would just exit to an ordinary park. 

To the right of the My Melody Kingdom map, this will lead on a magical Strawberry Walkway, where your shoes will glow to keep you on the right path. The Strawberry Walkway is mapped out around the flowers that shape a giant My Melody head. 

Along the way, you can stop by My Melody's mascot home to learn all the secrets about My Melody... for a price. Not real money, of course. The price is the depth of your love for My Melody. Only sole My Melody collectors are able to access the secrets within the mascot home. The price is that you can only love My Melody and no other. You would have to give up your love for other Sanrio characters. For My Melody and other Sanrio Characters, it's all or nothing if you want inside to their secrets. 

If there are those who can only love Hello Kitty, then it would be the same for other characters to make the same request of devotion. Choose wisely as there are no take backs in Starlight. Nor regrets. 

After making your decision, you have the option to cross the pink and white checkered bridge to Pochacco Kingdom or continue to My Melody's fancy restaurant that leads to the red Strawberry theme garden. From there, it leads to the Downtown area of MM Kingdom on the far left side. 


To continue forward, you can choose to go to the next realm.
Taking the subway station takes you to Eternal Serenity Realm.



Eternal Serenity Realm of Starlight

In Eternal Serenity, it's about the beauty of peace. The beautiful nature of serenity is the main theme for this particular realm.


Temple of Eternal Serenity






Once the subway station leaves My Melody Kingdom, it speeds up in time and space. Along the journey, it transforms into a giant portal ship. Without your magical token, you cannot access this realm. Instead of exiting to an ordinary park. You will immediately disappear and transport back to Central Park. 

Those who continue will gain access to the Temple. Stepping off the ship, you will note the weather. It's in the Fall season, where it starts to become cold. You can purchase warmer clothing along the way.

In the middle of the Temple, you can pay your respects to the mighty goddess shrine of Hello Kitty. The majestic beauty of Hello Kitty always captures one's attention for an unbelievable long time. This is one of Starlight's famous landmarks. 

Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful?

Around the temple, you will find Hello Kitty in kimono robes. If you chat and show your love to Hello Kitty, then you will be shared a secret to the Temple. 

Shh! The secret lies in the river tree Onsen. Bathe in it and you will age backwards. If you soak it in too long, there are consequences that you might not like. Soak under a minute is best recommended.

Taking the stone path on the far right continues your travel...


Shrine




You have entered the country side of the Shrine, which acts as a shield. The river banks acts as a protection from seekers wishing to do harm. Once entering the Shrine to the top right area, there is a festival happening. Children and adults can play with kites along with others who just want to enjoy the festival music under the Blossom Trees. 

It has started to snow on and off, but the weather doesn't stop the festivities. There are many games and food to entertain the crowd. It's a time for a celebration.


Winter Wonderland of Starlight









It's like you have stepped into another whole new world. Blanketed in white, you are met with a wondrous sight. A beautiful white castle with a glass dome on top stands before you. It's like every magical fantasy come to life. Surrounding the castle lies pure magic. It almost appears like a dark river lake, but it's actually not a lake. It's magic that protects good from evil. Evil cannot enter here.

Beyond the castle, lives a breathtaking magical garden. The bride and groom come alive once every year on Christmas day. They dance. They love. They celebrate life.  

From the white castle leads to a time travel futuristic portal. A long path that leads to a darker space in time. It's as if you were floating instead of walking on frozen ice. The mists surrounds you as it gets darker and darker. There are shimmering lights ahead that points to the way out. 

The surrounding crystals are the source of energy that breathes life into the frozen beauty. Life that is suspended in time and age. The icy walls that surround the ice castles contain the purest white magic of space. Here lies another famous landmark. You can reach the stars from here. It may be beautiful, but it's magic can be deadly. It is said that you can be forever lost in time and never be able to come back.

If you are smart, you will have continued on to the Christmas Village. In the center of the Christmas festivities is a giant snow globe that generates the snow to be around everyday. Christmas is everywhere here. Christmas lights. Santa elves. Christmas trees. Christmas decorations. Christmas sleighs. Christmas reindeers. And within everything, a Chocolate cocoa river house. You can't have Christmas without some hot chocolate.


FaeLight


This area is where the fairies live. Kiki and Lala can be seen sprinkling pixie dust here and there. As fairies, they sure are super fast and intelligent. Nothing gets by them. Literally.

If they don't want you to continue forward your journey, they can forever keep you lost in the Hello Kitty maze. Make sure to greet them and stay on their good side.


Dolphin Cove







You have reached your final destination in your journey. Like most of Eternal Serenity, it is insanely beautiful here. The spirit animal here is a dolphin. Many gorgeous dolphins that habitat the surrounding area frolic about with utter joy. Keroppi is the Guardian healer. He maintains the beauty that we see at the Cove. 

At the center of everything is an Ice Castle portal. Surrounded by water and tapped into a powerful source of energy, the Ice Castle can transport you to a secret dimension: the Underworld Sea.

Imagine an Underworld Sea where you can breathe naturally without dying. It is dark at the deepest corners, but magic fills the Sea. Magic glistens and shimmers on everything. It brings light to a very dark place. While floating in the Underworld, there are hidden cities. Among those cities, lies the heart of the Sea. An ice filled center brimming with a source of powerful glowing magic. This area is where the Guardians of the Underworld lives. They protect this magic and the beautiful life of the Sea.  


Unfortunately, my story ends here as the mobile game app has reached it's expiration date. It was a good run while it lasted. I'm glad to be able to live my fantasies through blueprinting art. The power of imagination took me to places in my mind that I never knew existed. The mobile game will be missed, but never forgotten as I was able to share my Sanrio world with many others.

Friday, October 12, 2018

My Birthday Nails

For this year, I was feeling in the mood to celebrate my birthday with a new set of Hello Kitty theme nails. I wanted to go simple and adding a touch of elegance to the nail design. 

Here is what I call: Cotton Candy Hello Kitty


For this design, I was going for kawaii meets chic. I didn't want to go overboard by adding too much to the nail style. At the end, I just wanted to create something elegant with Hello Kitty.

I wanted the colors to correlate with one another by going the pastel route. I figured that three base colors could work together to make a sweet image.

Overall design--- I really did enjoy getting it done at Marie Nails in Los Angeles. 





My nails were done by Sayka, who did an awesome job of creating such beautiful nail art. The main color base is a very light coral pink. I remembered telling her that it was this particular color that fascinated me. The color at first glance didn't look like pink until she told me that it was based in pink. In order to get that specific pale pink, she would have to mix it to create that tone of color.

In choosing the white stripes with gold colored stones, I felt that it brought an elegance to the nail style. 




In order to keep it simple, I was careful not to add another white stripe style on my right hand. While it may be simple, I noticed that adding stones around Hello Kitty makes the style glamourous. When the light hits the stones, it makes a pretty shimmer. You would just have to see it in person to appreciate the overall design. The stones truly add a beautiful effect to the nail art.


The blue green color really pops out at you. I like the effect of how pretty it turned out with the crystal and gold colored stones. The pastel pink costume on Hello Kitty adds a touch of kawaii, which goes well with the very light coral pink base. 

Every time I walk out of the nail salon, I am extremely happy with my nails. I enjoy making Hello Kitty part of my daily life of celebrations. Such exquisite art on my nails is another way to show my love for Hello Kitty. Whether I go very simplistic or very detailed, one thing that I know is that I will always cherish the many designs created.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Junolyn's Top 10 Hello Kitty Figurines

Figurines have always been a favorite type to collect, especially when it comes to Sanrio. With so many variety of figurines out there, I wanted to highlight the best of the best. There is something magical to see how much creativity is put into each figurine. As Collectors, we're lucky to witness this amazing era.

Below is a list of different types of figurine concepts that has been released to the general public. These are a must-have collectibles to add to your collection. 

Junolyn's TOP 10 Figurines for Hello Kitty


1.   Kittypatra

Cr: WEB

Like the vintage classic Hello Kitty coin purse pouch, Tokidoki's Kittypatra figurine has become one of the most iconic collectibles in Hello Kitty history. It is the Holy Grail to any Collector's treasures. As a center piece to your Shrine, it will be a showstopper. Your visitors will be mesmerized with astonishment. 

Thank you for sharing this incredible masterpiece with the fandom, Tokidoki and Sanrio.


2.   Robot Kitty SRI Labs


This figurine is definitely one of a kind and very unique. As a gaming device, it sets it apart from the rest of the figurines out there in the world. With the RFID chip embedded inside the device, you are able to partake in the Interactive Gaming Departments. You can earn "points" or "coins" to be able to redeem them for accessories like shown above. 

You can dress your Robot in either black, white, or rose gold wings. There are silver or rose gold shoes for your robot, as well as helmets. There are a lot of fun combinations to play with your Robot, which makes it into the #2 spot on this list.


3.   Swarovski


Who wouldn't love Swarovski? As a high end decorative object, it stands out with crystals. Not just the usual porcelain or ceramic that we usually expect from figurines. This particular figurine has to be one of the most precious collectibles to be coveted. Just transporting it to anywhere would be worrisome to any Collector. It has to be handled with reverence like a crown is to a royal descendant. 


4.   Nao by Lladro

Cr: Macys

Coming into our next spot on our list are figurines crafted from porcelain. These figurines remind me of Precious Moments because they are designed in a way of celebrating a moment in time. Made in Spain, they have become a favorite to collect in the Hello Kitty community. I haven't collected it all, but I can see how each figurine would be treasured forever. 

Love it with care. 


5.   HK Go Around 



Please take a moment to appreciate the beauty here...

I have always thought that I have seen it all, heard it all, and appreciated it all. I was wrong. When these figurines came out, I was shocked. I thought Sanrio and their team of designers couldn't top the last adored collaboration release. I'm glad to be proven wrong. It's surreal to add these amazing treasures to my collection. I really, really, really, REALLY love this Hello Kitty era.


6.   Japan Figurine 2012


It's one of the most fragile Hello Kitty collectible to own. The dress is so very delicate that it can chip off easily if you don't take extreme caution. What can I say about this porcelain figurine? It is just simply beautiful. To me, there is no other word to better describe this figurine. Beautiful.  


7.   HK x Mazinger Z Chogokin




From the manga collaboration through Bandai's Chogokin series, this special figurine is another showstopper. Constructed with metal alloy, the design is an eye pleaser. With the tiny Hello Kitty figure hidden inside, it makes other figurines look tame in comparison. There are times that I want something different and this one meets it.


8.   2014 Japan Figurine


It's the golden strawberry that did it for me.

I have a thing for beautiful gold tone decorative objects. It's not something that I usually get in my Sanrio figurines. I'm fascinated with the color and how it plays beautiful with the darker blue color. I'm so used to seeing a red Hello Kitty. White with blue and a hint of gold tone equals perfection for my aesthetic needs. 


9.   Exclusive JANM by Precious Moments


Hand-painted of porcelain bisque, this unique signature figurine is modeled after a kokeshi doll likeness. It has a limited edition of 1200 pieces made. With the big red bow paired with short black hair, this figurine distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack. A keeper.



10.   HK Orchid Garden Cafe

Cr: Web

One of the first Hello Kitty figurine that was created to promote Singapore's Hello Kitty cafe. Is it the very first HK figurine from a cafe restaurant? Normally, I do not like too many bows  or clutter on top of Hello Kitty's head. The design for this figurine kept it at two, one bow being the larger size of the two. The bow being front and center-- carrying beautiful flowers are a kawaii factor on making it to this list. 


I've reached the end of my list of favorite figurines. I am looking forward to adding even more figurines to my Sanrio collection. Isn't it wonderful?