series 23: the price of love

Q: What happens when you fall head over heels in love with a Bearbrick collector?

A: You develop an undying devotion to Bearbricks, too!

That's what happened to my friend O. And every time he would visit his new found love in Hong Kong, he would also make a side trip to Mongkok, scouring toy shops for the cutest, latest, or rarest bears. In less than a year, he amassed quite an impressive collection! However, he had to $$$pend a fortune in blind boxes to complete his Series 22, and ended up with a lot of unwanted duplicates. He shrugged it off and said, "That's part of the fun, isn't it?"

But when he learned how much I was paying my fave eBay seller for a complete Series 23 (total of twenty-eight pieces, with all the secrets bears), his eyes suddenly widened, his jaw dropped, and he blurted, "That's half the cost of what I had to spend for Series 22!?! Forget blind boxes – get me an entire set, too!"

A real good deal. Now that's real fun! :-)

Upper row, left to right:

Basic (@ Metallic Coupe Blue)
JellyBean (Green Cream Soda)
Pattern (Andy Warhol)
Flag (Thailand)
SciFi (Fringe)

Bottom row, left to right:

SciFi (Real Steel Atom)
Secret SciFi (Real Steel Zeus)
Animal (Rune Panda)
Secret Animal (Rune Cat)
Hero (Sonic the Hedgehog 20th Anni)

Upper row, left to right:

Cute (Rilakkuma)
Secret Cute (Rilakkuma)
Artist (Muveil)
Secret Artist (Muveil)
Artist (Mishka)

Bottom row, left to right:

Secret (TMT)
Secret (Mawaru Penguin Drum)
Secret (Cha-Ken)
Secret (Oakley Frogskins)
Secret (Heather Grey Wall/CashCA)

Not the same banana: the fruit on the Warhol Bearbrick is uniquely transparent – you can peep inside!

Pics by Yours Truly / Copyright Bearbrick Love January 2012

series 23 coming up!

ode to 22!

nothing's more addicting
than bearbrick collecting
hundreds, thousands, or more?
it's so hard to keep score!

there's no end to the obsession
till the last one's in my possession
i can't explain the lust
it's bearbricks or bust!

fast forward to july
a new series to buy
can't find them at the mall?
i say eBay them all!

guys, here's series 22!

Upper row, left to right;

Basic (@ Gold)
Pattern (Let's Play Uno)
Secret Pattern (Let's Play Uno)
JellyBean (Pastels)
Flag (Jamaica)

Bottom row, left to right:

Hero (Green Lantern)
Cute (Cars 2)
Horror (Pirates of the Carribean/On Stranger Tides)
SciFi (Black Rock Shooter)

Upper row, left to right;

Animal (Pirameki)
Secret (Medicom 15 Years)
Secret (Bape)
Secret (Long X Boy London)

Bottom row, left to right:

Secret (Hanakuma Factory)
Secret (Happy Socks)
Artist (House of Pain)
Rare Artist (Sasquatch)

it's quite hard to decide
which bear i'll set aside
as my favorite of the lot
it's the gaudy gold one – not!

the colored camo's striking
and black stripes are to my liking
need a bit of time to think...
hmmm...
         the happy socks in pink!

Pics by Yours Truly / Copyright Bearbrick Love July 2011

21 in 2011

Somebody wrote to me last December 5, 2010:

Hello Mr. Comia.  I am writing to wish you well and was wondering if everything is all right, as I haven't seen you posting on your Bearbrick blog for quite some time.  I enjoy reading and looking at all of your beautiful pictures and frankly am quite jealous of your extensive collection.  I send you positive energy and well wishes for a happy holiday and a blessed New Year.

Sincerely, A

I wrote her back, telling her how touched and thankful I was for her inspiring email, and that I would be blogging about my new Series 21 very soon. Well, A, as promised, here they are!

Upper row, left to right:

Basic (@/Metallic Red)
JellyBean (Pale Lime)
Flag (Mexico)
Animal (Karel Capek/Buzzy the Bee)
Secret Animal (Karel Capek/Cotty the Ladybird)

Bottom row, left to right:

Pattern (The Prodigy/Invaders Must Die)
SciFi (Tron/Daft Punk: Guy Manuel de Homem Christo)
SciFi (Tron/Daft Punk: Thomas Bangalter)
Cute (Barbie/Original Swimsuit)
Secret Cute (Barbie/Pink)

Upper row, left to right:

Horror (Twin Peaks/Laura Palmer)
Secret Horror (Twin Peaks/Dale Cooper)
Hero (DC Comics/Batman)
Secret Hero (DC Comics/Superman)

Bottom row, left to right:

Artist (Eric Haze)
Artist (Holiday Japan)
Secret Artist (Mark Ward)
Secret (Black Rain Music/Kaiki Gesshoku)
Secret (Rubber)

There you are, 19 Bearbricks from Series 21.

Did you notice that aside from Basic, Jellybean, Flag, Animal, Pattern, SciFi (SF), Cute, Horror, and Artist, there is a new category called Hero, as represented by the Batman and the (rarer/secret) Superman bearbricks?

While those two choices seem predictable (they are not the first issues of those characters), I won't complain; it is a brand new year, a time to inspire hope and encourage change. Certainly, the addition of heroes of any kind is most welcome!

Let's make it a happy and heroic 2011, Bearbrick lovers!

Pics by Yours Truly / Copyright Bearbrick Love January 2011 
Thanks, Rareak, for helping me complete this collection.

happy new... be@rbricks!

Wanna see my new Series 21? :-)

first steps

Yes, it finally walks!

No batteries needed, just wind it up.

What big feet! I guess this is evolution.

Wanna see it in motion?

 

Or slooooow motion? LOL

I wonder what's next. Tumbling bearbricks? Talking bearbricks? Like those freaky dolls on Youtube, will they start peeing, too?! Oh well... as long as you don't forget about design, Medicom! Hint: industrial designer Philippe Starck, fashion designers Dolce & Gabbana, shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, illustrator Takashi Murakami, graffiti artist Banksy... my wish list goes on and on... and on....

Series 20 Basic @ Bearbrick pics by Yours Truly / Copyright Bearbrick Love, July 2010

take 20

Series 20, everybody! Finally got all (!) of them – thanks to Rareak of eBay!

Upper row, left to right:

Basic (@ Sign)
Flag (South Africa)
Pattern (SSUR )
Cute (Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear)
Horror (Captain Action)

Bottom row, left to right:
Jellybean (1st Multi-colored)
Sci-Fi (Ironman 2)
Animal (Gremlins - Gizmo)
Artist (Fragment Design by Hiroshi Fujiwara)
Artist (Krooked)

It may be the biggest series so far; I had to divide them into two pics! The first (above) features the regular bears while the second (below) is made up of "secret" – meaning "rarer" – bears.  

Upper row, left to right:

Secret Sci-Fi (Ironman 2 / War Machine)
Secret (20th Release)
Secret Animal (Gremlins - Stripe)
Secret (Fragment Design by Hiroshi Fujiwara)
Secret (Phenomenon Japan)

Bottom row, left to right:
Secret Sci-Fi (Momotaros Imagin - White Version)
Secret (Momo)
Secret Horror (Captain Action - Dr. Eville)
Secret (Hysteric Glamor)

My favorites? The red Ironman Bearbrick – it's got a unique and expensive-looking finish, just like automotive paint. The first of its kind, I think! A multi-colored Jellybean Bearbrick is also a first, so I like that one, too. And of course, Gizmo the Gremlin, because he reminds me of my cute dog Hogan.

There's also another "first" in this series, but I gonna write about that in my next post. Watch out for it, bearbrick lovers!

Pics by Yours Truly / Copyright Bearbrick Love July 2010

pretty pleasing in pink

Someone I know who recently attended a business seminar said that their speaker gave them a very important success tip: "There is a particular shade of pink which, if worn to a business proposal presentation, would ensure the wearer of an approval."

Since I make a lot of sales/advertising/creative pitches myself, I scoured the Internet for pics of men in pink, so I could get an idea of what shade that might be. Check them out:

Players in Pink: The Catani Football Team (above) and the Middlesex Country Cricket Club (below) dress up in support of breast cancer awareness.

Posing in Pink: Men on the street, from Asia to the U.K.

Pop Group in Pink: Japanese boy band Arashi during their Around Asia Tour 2008.

Prickly in Pink: Sprockettes (All-Ladies Mini Bike Dance Troup) tees look cool on angry-looking guys.

Pumped-up in Pink: Wrestler Dave Batista at WWE's Diva of the Year 2009 (where he did a "Kenya West").

Prisoners in Pink: Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio introduced pink fashion to disgruntled inmates.

Baby pink, medium pink or hot pink? Which shade made you like (or trust) the wearer more?

The way I see it, any pink shirt can make a tough guy look tame, and a hardened criminal appear harmless.

But beware, it can make guys look downright silly, too!

(Top Pic) The pink Fujio Akatsuka Bearbrick was created by the Beams retail chain in Japan to promote Mangart Beams T, the new line of Manga-inspired Tees at their concept shop in Daikanyama, Tokyo.

The bear is based on the Iyami character created by Fujio Akatsuka (1935-2008), a famous Japanese manga artist. You can check out his official website here.

Bearbrick pic by Yours Truly / Other pics from weeklytimesnow.com, dailymail.co.uk, bamboolounge.friedeye.com, a-man-fashion.blogspot.com, ynaoblivious.livejournal.com, sprockettes.org, wrestlegasm.com, themormonworker.wordpress.com

3 X a lemon

Lemon 1:

About four years ago, I had to drive myself to a meeting because my driver, Guido, was on sick leave. After I parked on the street, I rolled down my car window to pay the attendant (who walked over to collect the parking fee). As I got my receipt and pressed the switch to close the window, I suddenly heard the sound of shattering glass! It was loud; I quickly turned around to see if any other car had hit mine. Nada. So I continued to close the power window. But the glass wouldn't roll up. Wouldn't roll up!?!! I had never heard of a car window crashing like that before. And it was a BMW, for heaven's sake – a German-engineered car!

Since I couldn't leave my car – open window and all – on a busy city street, I never made it to my meeting. :-/

Lemon 2:

Just recently, two friends and I decided to meet up for cocktails. One of them, C, was unusually late. The excuse? Her sports car's window slid down and wouldn't roll back up – just like mine. She had to go home and switch rides! Yes, it was a BMW, too.

Lemon 3:

Then C told me a about her lady friend who drove across Quebec in a BMW. Same thing – the window crashed. But since it was a long journey, the window had to be patched with plastic and packing tape for the rest of the trip. A BMW with plastic-covered windows!?!!

Well. That's why today, I drive a different car. :-P

(Top Pic) The BMW Bearbrick. The blue sky and white clouds imagery stands for its claim of "less emissions".

the best seats in barcelona

For most sports fans in Barcelona, seats to "El Clásico", a football match between their home team (FC Barcelona) and its fiercest rival (Real Madrid), are probably the most-prized.

But for an ordinary tourist like me, there is no seat in the city as incomparable as the long, serpent-like bench at Parc Guëll, a garden complex built in the early 1900s (below).

Its winding lines form small enclaves that are quite cozy.

But apart from its very unusual shape, what makes the bench outstanding is its mosaic surface, created from hand-painted tiles of various shapes, colors and textures.



Notice how the tiles are not as randomly arranged as they initially appear to be; there is order in chaos! I want to recreate this look for my bathroom. :-)

The genius behind this strangely beautiful and original park is Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, the same creative mind behind Barcelona's most famous tourist spots: Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, and Casa Mila.

Below is the view of the park's main entrance as seen from the bench.

Unlike the seats to the much-awaited football game, sitting on the Gaudi-designed bench of Park Guëll (which is now considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site), will not cost you a cent! Another proof that life's best doesn't always come with a price tag. :-)

(Top Pic) The FCBarcelona Bearbrick was created to promote the Futbol Club Barcelona or Barça, which is considered the second richest football club in the world (€365 million in revenue)! If you bought this bearbrick, you now know where your money went. :-)

Pics by yours truly, Copyright 2010 / Info from Wikipedia

dazed and confused in seville

Last month, on our way to Barcelona from Madrid, Jun and I decided to make a little side trip to Seville, the fourth largest city in Spain. When we arrived at our hotel, we asked the receptionist which tourist spot we should visit first, and her ready answer was "Plaza de España".

The plaza, a 15-minute walk from our hotel, was as beautiful as we expected it to be. For me, it is one of the best examples of Moorish Revival architecture in Andalusia, one of Spain's autonomous communities.

Built in 1928 for the Spanish-American World Fair, it was designed by Sevillan architect Aníbal González. Today, it houses mostly government offices and the Seville town hall.

Because it was a Sunday, all the offices were closed and the plaza was populated only by tourists like us. And the only thing we could hear was the powerful duet of the couple below.

Along with four other tourists, we stood watching for about 15 minutes before dropping some euros into their guitar case.

After that, I decided to set up my tripod to take some pics while Jun began texting on his mobile phone. So I put down my bag on the floor and placed my jacket on top of it.

While I was focusing my camera, I suddenly heard a rustling sound. I turned around and saw my jacket sliding across the floor, lifted by the wind. So I picked it up and quickly tried to dust off the dirt from it.

I didn't realize until five minutes later, after I've taken some pics, that my bag was missing!

Imagine my panic – my passport, mobile phone, money and credit cards were in there! Fortunately, a security guard arrived, and I tried as hard as I could to tell him what happened. It wasn't easy – I was flustered, hysterical, and desperate, and I had to translate everything to Spanish!!!

But Mr. Security wasn't much help – he only advised me to call a number and make a perfunctory police report. #%*?!

Then suddenly, from nowhere, I heard a loud male voice: "Hola....... un bolso con un PASAPORTE FILIPINO...." (Hello....a bag with a Filipino passport....)

I turned around and shouted. "That's mine! That's mine!"

The tall Spanish gentleman who found my bag turned from the guard to me and suddenly spoke in English, "We found it at the other end of the building. It was left on the stairs... open... probably by the gypsies who we saw leaving the area..." His companions, a bunch of young Germans, nodded to affirm his story, and asked me to check the contents of my bag.

Everything was intact – passport, credit cards, etc. – except for the cash (200 euro) and my Nokia mobile phone. (It was a good thing I left most of my cash at the hotel!)

I told my heroes, "You guys are from heaven! May I treat you to dinner? I still have my credit card."

The tall Spaniard replied, "Thanks, but you already lost money. Besides, we are on our way back to Madrid straight from here."

So I thanked them profusely, and we all parted ways.

I felt terrible about losing my phone – who wouldn't? Nonetheless, I got my passport and my credit cards back, and that made me happy enough to smile again. Whew!

Before we left the plaza, Jun and I passed by this area (above), so I brought out my camera and took a shot. It was a beautiful scene, but when I look at it now, all I can think is – I want to put that #%?^!? bastard who stole my bag behind bars!!!

(Top pic) The Mañana Banana Bearbrick (white version) by Pamtoy, released in July 2005. This also came in brown and GID (Glow In the Dark).

the kissing spot

The most romantic spot in Madrid must be the Plaza de Oriente (below) in front of the Palacio Real, judging from the number of kissing couples I saw as I crossed over from the palace to the opera house one late afternoon.

I couldn't help but take pics – after all, I didn't think these lip-locked lovers minded at all.

Except for a pair who hid behind one of the tall topiaries (below) when they saw me holding up my Lumix camera. Ooops!

The shy pair looked like they were in their 60s, but they were certainly kissing like it was their very first time – with equal parts of passion and clumsiness.

An important tip: Keep your eyes closed while kissing. You'll look much better that way – to your partner, or to paparazzi like me. :-)

(Top pic) The Series 4 Cute Bearbrick, launched in August 2002, was inspired by young love.

All pics by yours truly, Copyright April 2010.

tapas town

There are 3 reasons why I gained weight after my first 3 days in Madrid, Spain.

1. The food is "muy delicioso".
2. There is a place to eat at every turn.
3. Shops are closed between 2 to 5pm (siesta time), so there is nothing for tourists like me to do but EAT, EAT, EAT!

Reason #3 led me to a place called Mercado de San Miguel (below), a 1900s public market that reopened in May 2009, after it started restoration in 2008 in the hands of private businessmen. Encased in glass and wrought iron, the place now houses delicatessens, tapas bars and stalls that offer meat, seafood, fruits, cheese, wine, beer, dessert, coffee – even books.


This is how it looks just before it gets full at lunch time.(Which is around 1:30 to 3pm!)

Above is the meat stall where everybody buys Jamon Iberico, a type of cured ham that is only available in Spain. You have to take a number when there's a crowd.

Customers normally order "cien gramos" or 100 grams. (Yes, that is an Iberian pig's hoof that you see. LOL)

My other favorite stall is the one with "aceitunas" or olives. (That's Jun, waving.)

I couldn't help but order 2 of each of these "tapas de olivas". Para mi, they're the best! The olives provide a refreshing aftertaste.

Anchovies with poached "huevos" (eggs) on toast, a must-try.

"Croquetas" (potato croquettes) of different flavors are sold here. The one with calamares negros (black squid ink) is my favorite.

This is the cheese stall where you can buy Manchego, the most popular cheese in all of Spain.

The best desserts in the entire market – Pastel de Nata (left) and Pastel de Queso (right). Both are eggs tarts but with different flavors; one has coconut while the other has cheese.

Because of the number of choices, you'll probably have dessert more than once. :-)

To drink, I always had the Spanish "sangria", a mixture of red wine, brandy, triple sec, fruit juice and sugar. It's so light and easy to drink; you'll get drunk before you know it!

Madrid isn't like New York, Hong Kong or Paris when it comes to shopping. If it's any indication, you won't find a Balenciaga boutique here (even though its original designer and founder, Cristobal Balenciaga, was born in Spain)!

In Madrid, what you save in shopping money, you gain in calories! :-P

(Top pic) The Spain "We Love Football" Bearbrick is one of a series of bears representing some of the countries who participated in the 2006 World Cup. Produced in cooperation with Kentucky Fried Chicken Hong Kong.

Photos by yours truly. Copyright bearbricklove.com 2010.