I started writing this at 10pm on the date mentioned, and I hope to write a lot of good stories from this Desk Diary before (a) doze off or (b) I forget stuff. I have no regrets taking more time off the NewsDrop desk (or anything, really, at least for a single day) to meet friends at Cosplay Mania 2024. For once, I asked myself to stop being bothered by the stuff happening on my news feed, meet familiar and new faces, and touch grass. I had several goals in mind: ...

If there’s one thing I learned from being online, it’s the fact that I have overshared my presence. In the past, I told people, “go share your content online, on multiple platforms!,” but nowadays I am but a shell of that. I would now tell you to be wary of what you share, for several reasons: You speak your thoughts in public, and all of a sudden there would be people who will stress you out, call you names, etc. Or you’re on the other side calling out the worst people for reasons you find right and/or justified. And then you end up hurting them, with others hurt along the process. ...

Every year there’s always a case of a streamer (or in this case, a VTuber) getting drugged/spiked at parties around TwitchCons in the US (this you can fact-check in depth), and it’s quite concerning that victim-blaming and harassment happens afterwards. No, rephrase that, it’s deplorable that those who got drugged get torched by some guys online after saying they were drugged. I have been fortunate enough to not see any of this in the bar events I attended here in Manila so far. The one time I see something crazy at the bar in person was the time where one would barf up after getting intoxicated with alcohol. ...

…and why I’m cleaning up my content only to retain what I believe are the best ones. I admit to my mistake of trusting people who will end up destroying my trust, so I will affirm my decision to let keepsakes. stay as a solo project. Any and all transactions on behalf of keepsakes. shall be done by me. In the past I authorized Staff IDs to be used by my collaborators, but all of those are null and void - anyone who claims they’re part of keepsakes. is not authorized to act on my behalf. ...

For the past few years, this website (as well as its social media handles) has been a witness to various events in the Philippines’ pop culture circuit. Most of you have seen me advocate for several events like the World Cosplay Summit or the local idol culture. I have now reached a point where my energy and resources can no longer compensate for going to several places in a single day. I’ve spent my life in the events industry so much that I built and broke bridges. ...

Only a few thought to put VTubers in their flags: my biggest thank you to everyone over at hololiveUK enthusiast community for making this weekend so special, it sounds a little silly but we really do feel like a big ol family and hanging out with everyone always makes my cons TwT we’ll get our hololive meet one day!! 💙❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/4y81AVw7zw — Maddie ♡ (@PROMlNENCES) August 12, 2024 only just realising the faumei presence in the promise cosplay photo from the HUKEC meet oughhhh peak…. 💚🤎 pic.twitter.com/kLwsxZ9yKU ...

Dalawang linggo na since naganap yung PGDX sa SMX. Andami kong nagawa doon sa loob ng isa’t kalahating araw: I took the time at the Expo’s industry area and met with the representative of the Taipei Game Show (meron sila next year), Xsolla, International Esports Federation (IESF). Later on, I’ll get back to them for NewsDrop. At the media area, I am introduced to the head of Malaysia’s GamerBraves and the head of Todak Studios, Neo Todak. ...

Last year, pumunta ako sa Philippine Game Dev Expo, at masaya naman ako sa results: I was able to test yung mga Indie Games being showcased there, tapos nag-cover rin ako for NewsDrop: Duon ko unang nakita si Ran-kun ng Rumble Royale after all. Organized by CBZN Perspective and Game Development Association of the Philippines or GDAP, the Expo is a groundbreaking event that unites the gaming industry and showcase the wealth of talent within the Filipino gaming community. ...

It’s three days after NijiPop Culture Festival happened in Cebu. My good friend AGC has covered the event and told his story. I got friends from Cebu telling me stories, same as the people on Facebook and Twitter who have shared their stories from their POVs as well. I am about to listen to a diss track produced about this as well. I’ve read most of the tea, and I agree that this took the crown from ConQuest 2023 as the worst pop culture event the Philippines has seen. Nobody deserved bad event experiences. ...

But first, a Sidenote: I am yet to return from blogging like I used to do, given that I am more focused on VTuber NewsDrop and fixing my life altogether. I swear to myself one day that alongside the transition of keepsakes. to its new permanent domain, I will re-haul this website to make it relevant for me and for you, readers. Until I learn how to write for the Googlebot and AI-infested search engines, I will resist succumbing to SEO. That said, please allow me to write this post with a local (and very playful) touch. ...