There is no obligation to play with dolls.

It's not that I don't have play time, I was just not in the mood. There's more to life than dolls, right? But then, I paid for these two, so they have to entertain me in some way.



I'm not in the mood for a lot of doll stuff. It sometimes feels like too much work. I do like taking pictures. I just made them wear whatever, even if it doesn't fit right.

In the spirit of kitsch

Not-a-toy toy

I bought some toys, including a Barbie doll, over the weekend but I didn't get to play with them that much. Yeah, thanks to Pokemon Go.

A major toy I got was Pokemon related. My old phone had problems with the game plus it is already 2 years old so I needed an upgrade. I was supposed to get an Asus Zenfone 3 but their price scheme is designed to attract people who blindly equate price with value, or at least those who demands little from their phone and money. I was really planning to get one over the weekend even before Pokemon Go was a thing. Yes, I plan in advance. But when Asus revealed the prices for the Zenfone 3 series, I had to look for another. I was reading reviews all week to help me decide.



While I was out, I decided to check the toy specialty shops. I was looking for a decently priced Black Panther 4-inch doll. I was lucky to find one with a suggested retail price. The movie version was a more sensible purchase than the comic version. The Agent 13 it came with was meh.



The photos of the Marvel dolls above were taken using the new phone. Although I don't usually care much about phonecams since I prefer using my point-and-shoot, I'm glad the pictures from the new phone are decent enough. I don't have a cable for the new phone to connect with the point-and-shoot camera so I have to rely on the phonecam, for now.

This blog entry was also posted using my phone. I was afraid the old apps I use in blogging are not compatible with the new phone. The old version of the Flickr app (which I prefer) is not compatible which is sad but I'll get over it.

The true test was of course how well the new phone performed in playing Pokemon Go. It was definitely better than my old phone, although it sometimes hang. I don't know if the problem is in the app, the server, the network or my phone.

Nope, I'm not gonna name the phone.

Normal

There are a lot of stuff that take my mind away from dolls. Okay, it's just Pokémon Go, lately. Although it's fun right now, I have a feeling I'll get over it soon.

It's not the long walks that will eventually make me quit. It's not the crappy network connection, no matter how frustrating it is. It's not really the cheaters. It's about how many people are playing that may make me quit sooner.

I was hoping to take advantage of the rainy day, expecting not a lot of people will visit the parks. I was so disappointed.

I was hoping to catch me some Pokémon while strolling alone in the park in the rain, away from the lure parties the malls were having. When I got to the park, everyone was already in their spot near the lures, just waiting. I couldn't find a safe spot. By safe, I mean away from anyone who might try to strike a conversation (one of the greatest fears of an introvert) but still get a benefit from a lure, any of the dozen lures. I just decided to walk away. I had an egg to hatch, anyway.

I did stop whenever my phone vibrated because a Pokemon was nearby and it vibrated a lot. I was busy trying to catch a Rattata when I heard someone from a passing car shouted, "look, he's playing Pokemon." Getting attention is one fear of an introvert so it was very uncomfortable for me even if I had no idea if I was the person referred to. There were about a dozen guys there that seemed to be playing Pokémon, too. Then I said to myself, "who cares?"  It's not like there's anything wrong with playing Pokemon. That was when I knew I was momentarily normal.

Unlike playing with dolls, adults can play Pokemon publicly without getting curious or judgemental stares. It doesn't matter even if a kid 20 yrs younger is twice my level. There's no judgment. (I have a day job as an excuse, in case there is.)  It's nice for once to be part of some sort of hive mind, controlled to go wherever by our smartphones we thought we control. It's fun to let go of personal critical thinking for a while and just be part of a hive. And don't you dare criticize the hive, we will swarm you. The hive will keep us safe, even if your car is about to crash, or you're about to step on a landmine, or you're about to be shot for trespassing. It doesn't matter. You won't be judged...as long as you're normal, like the hive.

How do you measure

I have always felt that the stiff Fashionista doll heads using the Lea/Kayla mold are too big for my taste but I always doubt myself whenever I see photos of those dolls along with other dolls I consider using the old size. They seem to be just about the same size, just like the dolls below.

In this day and age, wherein you read a lot of things that seem valid, sound, intelligent or truthful, I'm glad I have been trained to doubt, even myself. It's hard to tell what's true just by looking. One way to find out if the new doll head is indeed bigger than the others, is to use something impartial, like a caliper. (It is important to know where you get your information. The bias of the source can transform the information to something skewed. Make sure the source is impartial about the topic.) Before you go on reading, try to guess (but keep it to yourself) which of the dolls above has the biggest and smallest head.
I have ordered the dolls from the biggest (leftmost) to the smallest (rightmost) as my guess. I may have an advantage in guessing since I've had more than one view of the dolls.

The first doll is an unmodified stiff Fashionista doll head. I have have decided to measure the distance between the two tragi as they seem to be independent of the face paint or how high the hairline was rooted. The caliper reads somewhere between 24mm and 25mm. I read it as 24.65mm.

The next doll is another stiff Fashionista but this time it has been soaked in a shrinking solution for about 12 hours. It has been 5 days since the soak. I'm expecting it to shrink further after about a week. For now, it measures 23.80mm.

The next doll is Bead Party Lea which was released around 2003. Although she has big eyes, I really like her. That is why I haven't modified her in any way. She measures 23.20mm from tragus to tragus.

The 4th doll has another shrunken head, but it was soaked using the same shrinking solution for about 24 hours. It has been months since it was soaked so I don't think it will shrink any further. It measures 22.65mm. 

 

There is a 2-mm difference between the 1st and the 4th doll. The difference is insignificant, isn't it? That translate to 1.2cm for a life-sized person. If the width of your face increased by 1.2cm, wouldn't you think you've gained weight?

 

Photos, even if they are not edited, can trick someone to perceive size differently. Here are the two dolls side by side. The size difference is more apparent than in the first photo. The photos have not been warped so it can't be said they're not telling the truth. The photo directly above and the first photo may tell different stories but it doesn't mean one is lying. It could just be a difference in perspective.

While I was at it, I decided to measure two more dolls with the same head mold. The Shakira doll (ca2002) above measures 23.10mm. The Monte Carlo doll (ca2006) below measures 23.05mm. The Bead Party (ca2003) is 23.20mm. All three are older dolls and their measurements are close to each other. I personally prefer the old measurements.

 

Rare Pokemon Sighting

From Delpozo Fall 2015

To Babs goes the Weedle

A Long Drive

Supporter

Information

Humanity

Really

News

Images created with the help of Photo Funia.

Misinterpreted

New Beginning

 

Gloria's Back

I totally forgot about her, but not without good reasons. She is my first petite character, not Susie nor Rachel as mentioned in my earlier entries. Memories are not enough evidence.

In the mood for nothing

That means relax. There is no consequence in not painting a new doll face. There is no hurry to sew the next dress. There is no obligation to update the social media. There certainly is no need to buy the next doll.

I took my time finding the right gold paint for the gladiator sandal. I wasn't able to find one, actually. And it's okay. I'll just make my own. Every time I get the chance to say, "I'll just make my own," I don't mean disappointment from the unavailability of anything. I mean I can. I mean I have the power. So I mixed my own gold paint. 

And don't get me started on the jumpsuit, because I won't. I have the power, remember? I don't mean the buying power. I mean having no debts to pay with explanations.

It took a while before this set was complete, And now that it's done, it's nothing.

This need to trap the living in the dead.

*The title of this entry is a line from "Nosi Balasi" by Paolo Manalo.

Cape Blazer

This is one of those articles of clothing I want to try my hands on. It's not perfect, but it will do.



I intended this blazer for my Cinderella doll but I haven't done the other pieces to go with it so I just tried it on to a random doll.



I have a feeling that that doll will wear it better than Cinderella.

Worry Goals

I'm a big worry wart and I want to make fun of my worrying. I decided to make a doll look like she is worried. We have enough dolls that look happy or pissed anyways.





I initially had another character in mind for this purple haired doll but then I thought she can be the worrier for now. I like that she looks fun with her purple hair but she has these inner struggles. And her smile looks contrived as if she's trying to convince everyone that she's okay. Cute yes?

Bibbidi

I was finally able to squeeze into my busy schedule the repainting (and shrinking) of the clone Cinderella head.

Curvy or Vernie?

It's not that I hate Curvy, I just like Vernie more. Curvy lacks a certain maturity I want in a doll. Maybe Curvy could use a makeover. Those eyes need reduction, for one.

Waiting for the end

I can't wait for Hasbro to just quit their 4 inch action doll line. With each new wave, I want less and less from them, especially since the price increase. I just cherry pick from what they have to offer.



From their hopefully last wave, I picked Quasar. Although he's not in his vintage costume he still fits nicely with other cosmic characters.