Neko Nation Brisbane - the 6 month journey

Neko Nation Brisbane was a very emotional night for me in terms of what an epic achievement it was to pull this night off.  Biggest and most fun show yet, yet it was around 4 months ago that we thought the Brisbane show would never see the light of day....

In mid 2011 we launched a Neko Nation Australia tour, basically a lot of things went against us throughout the tour, it was unfortunate but also a huge learning process.

It started in August when Sydney was cancelled, lack of interest and support meant the show got called off for 2011 (now successfully relaunching in 2012). Then in September our Brisbane venue had remained quiet the whole month and didn't respond to phone calls or e-mails.  On the plus side we had successful Perth and Adelaide shows that month.

In October, Melbourne sees a dismal turnout, despite our biggest and most expensive advertising campaign yet, we played to a pretty small crowd and we ended up losing a significant amount of money in the process.  We come back home to realise that Brisbane had less than 40 clicking attending, we start to worry that an east coast tour was a bad idea where we don't have the advantage of putting on a show in a city where all our friends are.  Also after a bit of investigating we found out the venue didn't respond as it was actually shut down with no announcement made anywhere.  Quite saddened I had to cancel the event and postpone it to 2012.


In October was the Tokyo Hardcore store launch which kept Susannah's hands quite full so I got to lead the way with Neko Nation in a new direction which was to make the event a lot huger and more spectacular than ever before.  There were a few people in Brisbane who really wanted to see the event happened and helped quite a lot in particular Samantha and Jacqui and we had some awesome sponsors who helped us get a presence at Supanova.

Over the next few months and especially the last few weeks, interest in Brisbane just kept growing and growing, the excitement was as strong as Adelaide's and we got really excited when we thought that Brisbane could beat Perth.  In February it was quite possible that it could rival the Adelaide show.  In the end it ended up being an absolute blast and it was our biggest and best show yet, although we will admit Adelaide is barely trailing behind and I'm doing my best to make sure Adelaide will have a show that will rival it in terms of both size and fun!

Things are definitely looking up at Neko Nation everywhere however I guess there is one downside as we noticed we promoted our Brisbane exactly the same as in Melbourne (use of conventions, posters, Facebook spend) and as an end result, we've unfortunately had to put Neko Nation Melbourne on hiatus for the time being, due to the dramatic amount of difference in numbers and interest.

In celebration of our last show, it's back to work as usual on the next shows, Adelaide is going to be a lot of fun and Sydney should be interesting, just wish I had way more time and wasn't working every night at my other job this week!  >.<

Neko Nation - Happy Birthday

Neko Nation -Dancefloor - First event of 2011 (and ever!)
4 DJ's // 2 Catgirls // 2 Media (photo and video)

 Neko Nation - Dancefloor - Final Event of 2011
14 DJ's // 8 Catgirls // 10 Media

It's amazing what can happen within a year.

We've come a long way, as a matter a fact the fact we've even gone anywhere is pretty amazing since "Neko Nation" was a side project to try putting on event in my uni holidays.  To see what has happened with Neko Nation within a year is absolutely mindblowing.  The original concept has blown into something beyond my absolute wildest dreams, found me the love of my life and seen me go around the country doing something I love.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing, putting on events is not easy and quite tricky at times and it has not been easy to get to where we are but we literally couldn't have done it ourselves and we've had so much help and support along the way thanks to some amazing staff members, some brilliant sponsors and a lot of fans for thanking us for what we've been doing.  I honestly value all positive contributions greatly as it is a pretty hard job at times with work starting up to 3 months before an event takes place with lots of love and labour put in by many people to make these nights happen.  ^^

I've been lucky to meet many awesome people along the way, in particular I've met some pretty amazing friends along the way who I get along with well outside of Neko Nation.  I've also met some people who I've seen as pretty high up in terms of musicians and models and it's really quite something to actually be respected  by people that I've looked up too.  Neko Nation has given me so many wonderful opportunities to do many things that would not have happened without this business.

I've been enjoying getting more and more involved in the event production industry, while I'm in my "rookie" year, I've had years of experience being heavily involved in raves, alt nights, bar work, bar management, marketing, accounting, small business owner and working one step below as PA for an event promoter.  It was finally awesome to take the plunge myself and to be honest going to events was interesting, since I really took a different eye to events as someone who knows how it all works behind the scenes.  I got more critical of things but at the same time also took in smaller details which I used to improve my event.  One of the most satisfying things for me was to pull of the third Adelaide event in terms of trying to heavily revolutionise Neko Nation into a show that many people in Adelaide have bragged to friends both in their state and interstate.  The end result somehow ended up at Madman and they were pretty impressed, which really made our year.  Honestly, I've learnt that this is what I need to be doing for as long as I can.

Without a doubt my best highlight for the year was easily meeting Saccharine.  I found it a bit bizarre that someone loved the concept behind Neko Nation that they would meet someone they barely knew to help out at our first and head catgirl for our new event.  One thing lead to another and she helped made an a good debut show and decided to bring the show to Adelaide I had a feeling things could really go somewhere with this.  Things did, both business-wise as we joined forces to put events on together, eventually leading to Tokyo Hardcore but also for our personal relation together to be an amazing one as she really is my dream partner come to life.

The next year of Neko Nation will be an interesting one, I've got so much planned which I'm looking forward too, I'm a big believer of if you're standing still you're going backwards.  The main event will constantly be improved with lots of little tweaks and new additions throughout the year, there's going to be some more bigger events and associations with bigger names throughout the year which I'm very excited about.  I've already started talking to a Japanese act who are thinking about playing at Neko Nation shows.  We'll also be looking at launching new side shows as well too outside Neko Nation too.  There will be more merch and more involvement with anime and cosplay communities, there's very busy but exciting times ahead!

Damage Control

Being a dual small business owner isn't about being surrounded in beautiful lolitas by day and sexy catgirls by night, there's an insane amount of work that takes place before much reward comes by and as a result epic stress builds up with very little way of releasing it.

The store has been a nightmare to manage, January is always slow in retail and even worse for lolita which gets badly effected by heat, Wai-Con seemed to have counteracted the worst of it.  Things don't get easier, I'm still trying to actually sort out all this Wai-Con stuff to this day, things have been insanely crazy in both my work and personal life as such.


Basically, life has hit a rough patch for me, I've encountered quite a lot of things that need to change dramatically and while I've got the usual tiredness and stress issues, it doesn't help I've had recent car, business, work, fitness and home problems.  Trying to keep in top of things has been proving to be a nightmare.

As such it looks like we're working on some new plans for Tokyo Hardcore, some new events outside of Neko Nation once I've got my time free and a new exercise plan that I"m trying to get on top of at the moment.  I will admit quite a lot of it will also melt off once I get to Brisbane, since I honestly felt very unfulfilled with the Perth show in regards to the end result, things just kept going against me throughout the night and while people enjoyed it I wanted to make the show a lot better, I'm pretty harsh on myself when it comes to events and as such Neko Nation is heavily evolving and I hope the Brisbane show ends up quite amazing with our plans.

Any moment now I'll be on top of all the accounting and looking forward to a fun but busy Sunday off.  ^^

Wai-Con and Neko Nation - Behind the scenes

 My life is loaded with insanity and stress due to a busy unforgiving and a not so rewarding life.  However touring is definitely one of the huge highlights of what we do and a homecoming to Perth is always an amazing amount of fun.

It's not all glamour, we don't exactly come off the plane looking stunning and there isn't a pretty way to lug around approximately 80kgs of our personal items, Neko Nation gear and Tokyo Hardcore stock.  The new stall setup and 2012 Neko Nation setup is actually quite full on.


Arrival in Perth was a stressful one with a few little last minute things needed to be sorted out as nothing ever quite goes to plan but it wasn't long before we finally got to catch up with our awesome friend Kae who we were very much looking forward to catching up and hanging out with.

Behind the scenes, we had a pretty banging pre-party which allowed us to catch up with close friends before preparing for a massive weekend.  We don't exactly get much of a chance to de-stress and chill out due to spending our whole Australia day packing for the show, so having a few delicious cocktails at the very pretty Deville's made for a very fun night to catch up with the crew including D'arcy, Alex and Giddy.

Next day things got serious and there were nerves, since Wai-Con is good in terms of being quieter than most cons and not being too full on and tiring but dealing with the heat (lolis and heat don't mix) and Perth being regarded as non being a lolita city, so we were hoping for a above average showing.  Overall first day had some pretty good signs, we went pretty incredibly well and had some fun at the con, chilling out with Kerry Anne and meeting lots of new people.

Drained, part 1 of 3 was done, we had Neko Nation that night and we came to what was considered the most "glamourous" venue a Neko Nation has ever held an event in.  Gilkisons, a massive ballroom in Perth city, was where our next show was held and even though we had difficulties setting up due to time restraints, lack of energy and a few things going out of hand, the final setup was amazing.  The show was amazing and we had a blast but the heat proved difficult, it made for an average showing, despite the number of tickets sold.  Feeling a bit defeated I've been told that our event was one of the best seen in the venue for a while by friends, which was great to here.  Due to heat, the venue shut us down early, sad and disappointed but it meant more sleep for the next day.

The next day at Sunday was good, quiet but it's the usual case with cons and a chance to chill out and be a happy with what had happened throughout the entire weekend.  We heard it was generally a successful one for all and numbers were up (even if not greatly up) and we decided to go to our own special dinner for the interstate traders, talking about our horror stories with cons and customers and general networking, we've got some pretty exciting news in regards to Neko Nation merch!

We packed up and left for Monday and once again, I love being in Perth, so many amazing things happen when I come back, people treat me exceptionally well and I have wonderful friends here that I wish I can see more often, although with the short time I have with them I try to cherish as much time as possible.

Purrth is Neko Nation's biggest interstate show although I think Brisbane may change that, regardless, I have intentions of bringing the show back a few times a year, despite it being an expensive show due to airfares (and it's worse if we use Gilkisons since it's fancy but expensive).  I really would love to come back here as often as possible and Neko Nation definitely makes it possible to make this happen. Perth has an interesting show since it feels like a close family especially in regards to the DJ's.

I had a blast, there's still an insane amount to do and Brisbane isn't too long now either!

Perth and ready for the new journey.

It's not long till Perth and while for many this week there is a lot of excitement in the air, it's unlikely to hit for us until we touch down in Perth.  Travelling lots may sound glamourous but there is a lot of work and preparation that is involved, especially since we've got a huge weekend planned with the double header of Wai-Con and Neko Nation.  It should be an interesting weekend, this week has been a bit of a hectic one, since it's been a quite a while since we've travelled for both a con or a neko but it's going to be nice to get out of Adelaide for a while.

Being back in Perth should be fun, hot weather, bogans and useless structures (Bell Tower) aside, seeing friends will be great, as is the case due to work I'll only be seeing those in the anime and cosplay scene not that I really have much in the way of friends outside the scene in Perth.

Slowly reminding myself why I'm getting back into event promoting, a year in the industry is turning me into such an event snob and the amount of errors and and things people do really can get to me at times, on the opposite end I do try to take lots of motivation from what I see other people do.  Unfortuantely the latter hasn't been much of the case recently.

I had a bit of a go at the Big Day Out promoters and having re-read what has been said, I have to admit I can not believe how poor their event creation and promotion methods are.  It honestly doesn't matter how good your line-up is, if the public doesn't like it, let them rant and maybe actually listen to them.  People were blamed for not speaking up about their excitement for Kanye West.  They've admitted to not having an identity and being all over the place, this is not a good thing!

I've been doing my best over the last month or two to actually talk a lot more to our fans and to also give and create an identity for Neko Nation and honestly it's working really well for us.  I could go on and on but it's obvious that some people have gotten into this industry through luck and contacts.  It's a very interesting industry and it's not for everyone and you really need to know what you're doing and I have to admit throughout the year there were some people who really should not be in such high up positions.

I'm really looking forward to this year as I finally get a chance to spread my wings and branch out to new ideas and events, I'm getting more opportunities and more areas to do more things outside of Neko Nation and if all goes to plan, I'm looking at putting on a new event by February but we will see as it comes.

Things have seemed a bit dull with a month that has seen slow things for Tokyo Hardcore until Wai-Con but it's quite exciting to be working on some new things with Tokyo Hardcore next month, plus we might be looking into new side projects, some of these that we've got lined up are quite exciting and looking quite more realistic, so hopefully some will be announced next month soon.

Now for the big problem, figuring out what to wear in Perth, I still haven't had the time or money to organise anything.  X.x

Get ready for adventure!

Surviving the last few weeks has been hard but there have been some ups and thankfully it's likely things will be looking up from now on.

I've recently been trying to do my best with trying to juggle work commitments but am still struggling at the moment, it's been a hard time with Tokyo Hardcore struggling due to the hotter weather and as of just a few days ago, I've got 4 Neko Nation events on my hands, I've got Susannah thankfully handling a lot of the Wai-Con stuff when we're heading over for our Tokyo Hardcore Perth stall.

I've had an interesting past few weeks which saw me get through K-On, an anime that really grew on me, especially the combination of moe and one brilliant soundtrack.  I've gotten a PS3 as an epic present and Skyrim which I'm still yet to understand but I'm sure it will make sense soon.

I've been trying to make an effort to go to events even if it kills me and I'd like to think that falling asleep at 1am while raving is proof that it's definitely a bit too much to add onto my schedule compared to when I used to be staying up till 6 or 7am at underground raves.  Enough with the reminiscing, I had fun at Nuclear Summer and it was good to be raving even if I was dead tired.  I had fun at the Combichrist Cancelled gig which was good to meet people who want to grow the scene, I'm hoping to be more of a part in this area and having talked to quite a few promoters on the night, it's only motivated me more to put on another show, although juggling 4 Neko Nations is proving quite a bit at the moment to think about another show!

Work life balance is the next area I heavily want to work on over the next few months since I only just keep burning myself out with all the work I'm doing at the moment.  The next month sadly won't change due to two Neko Nations coming up and Wai-Con but I'm going to enjoy the chance to finally go travelling and I'm expecting a lot of catching up in Perth and some adventure in Brisbane.

Things aren't getting easier, I'm not getting fitter, workloads aren't decreasing and money is coming by tighter but I'll still fight on, sexy catgirl in hand for some pretty amazing and awesome adventures, with Sydney recently announced too, this is going to be a tiring year but one filled with lots of fun and adventuring and if Susannah gets her way, both in the real world and in Skyrim.

Love and kittens out.  <3

I can't believe it's a New Years Resolution

I officially hate myself for feeling the need to have New Years Resolutions.  In general I don't believe in them since I don't feel that I need a certain day to make changes for a fixed period, I'm making resolutions and changes all the time that another day doesn't change things, although with the recent events, I've decided to get somethings fixed up and changed, some done soon, some done throughout the year, some big, some small, some  serious and some for the lols but overall here's some of the things that I would like to have happen.


Work-Life Balance
Going to the biggest and trickiest thing to manage, trying to get a managable workload, juggling the workload that comes in the positions that I have and trying to find time off.  In general it's going to take a few things, organisation, a better health regime in terms of diet and exercise and trying to manage priorities and pulling back from Tokyo Hardcore as much as possible.  It looks like I'll be needing to dedicate more times to chilling out with anime and gaming too which I love and don't get much off and of course even helps me with my work to an extent with Neko Nation!

Diet and Exercise
There was once upon a time when I was pulling off 12 footers in ITG and doing some pretty body bending epic tracks, gone are those days now, due to dieting with fast food and not finding time to exercise, however I'm looking to change this, in general I need energy levels to improve as well so I'll be doing my best to cut out some of the worst parts of food in my diet soon too.  It's going to be an ongoing challenge which in term will help with the first one.  It's a bit of a fair call but completing a half marathon or Red and Deep on ITG (the one with 2000+ steps) would make my year.

Neko Nation: Ubershow!
Of course, a lot of my main work and focus will be around Neko Nation and for the first half of the year, the main goal will be to get a show in all the main capital cities.  There's two big plans for next year, one will be getting a New Year's show, most likely Adelaide.  However there's also plans for another tour in the second half of the year which will involve possible Japanese bands and/or DJ's.  The talks are happening now and it's quite likely to go ahead, more news soon!  Also it's not the band on the right, they're coming next year thanks to another friend of mine.  ^^

Achievement Unlocked!
Basically need to get a new hobby and get some goals here.  Basically need some satisfaction and something to achieve outside of my work life which is taking too much of my satisfaction and achievements.

Side Project
I'm looking to start a new side project, I've got a few ideas planned for the year, basically, I'm happy with Neko Nation but it's time to try something a bit fun and new on the side to prove that I'm not completely a one trick pony.

Music
2011 was a year where I finally go into DJing, which is something I've always wanted to do, although having got a taste of it I wouldn't mind doing more musically.  I'm looking to progress my work a bit more further into music, whether it's via music production, experimenting with Vocaloids, DJing at other events or trying to get a podcast going.  No plans to be a superstar but it would be nice to do something more.


Play Bad Apple
Possibly the most requested song for our Perth show, I'll actually get around to playing it this time, it has never fit in regards to the genres I've played but I will get around to it this time, in comparison, the most requested song in Adelaide that I'm aware of was Hey Teacher.  XD

I don't think it ever got a play in Perth, in Adelaide I counted at least 3 plays last time (albeit different remixes).

Socialising
To be honest not too many people see me outside of Tokyo Hardcore or Neko Nation but this year I'm looking to change all that, obviously a lot of these are interlinked but there's some personality traits I'll need to change and I'll need to spend more time trying to interactive and talk to friends, now that I've spent a decent number of time in Adelaide I'm starting to see a few people that I'm growing quite fond off, regardless of Susannah's friendship with them.  Believe it or not, even though I'm in charge of running huge parties, I'm not really a huge social person or have too many friends.

Family and Mentors
There's three key people in my lives I barely have spoken too much to over the past few months which saddens me a lot, funnily enough they're all Singaporeans.  Anyways there's people I feel mean a terrible amount to me but I don't get a terrible amount to speak to them so I'm hoping that this will change this year.

Fashion, Cosplay, Image
Hoping to actually get into cosplaying a bit more this year due to my position in Neko Nation, it's insanely tricky since most of my outfits are just comprised of what's lying around and what I can organise at the last minute since all the other things need to be prioritised.  Also hoping to get some actual better photos of me this year in better places, rather then pretty crappy camera phone pics and the ones at Neko Nation looking back on my blog.

Blogging
I actually will get back into using this properly, I need to keep a better track of everything I'm doing and seeing how I'm going and what's happening over the year for once.

Melbourne
Hopefully I will take on Melbourne and survive and learn to love the place, even if it feels like giving me a stern warning every time and trying to kick my ass on every visit I make there.  XD

Personality
Last but not least, I don't think I need or want to be famous but I would like to be known for much better reasons as a person, I've got my rep as a workaholic and the guy behind Neko Nation but I still feel that many people don't really know me too well and I would like to be known as a person as well, this is going to take a lot more socialising and a lot of self improvement on my part to get here and it's going to be a huge effort to get this going.