YouTuber Spotlight: FunnyMisterM

Give me a minute here, okay?

Voice + Animation + Sound Design. All done by one kid. How insanely awesome is that?!
I can't even find the freaking Channel Select on my universal remote!

I know they say parents shouldn't allow their kids to be completely glued to their gadgets. But if they use that for good instead of evil, how can you possibly lose? I call that good parenting!

Follow FunnyMisterM on YouTube. He does fanvids of the coolest games. All from scratch.

When they say kids can be entrepreneurs as early as they start tinkering with technology, man, they weren't kidding. Daaang...

Papier Macheniacs: Quick Warrior Armor

Another occasion, another costume.
This time, it's United Nations Day. And I am pissed that I didn't have enough time to do this. :(
You see the boys were representing Korea. And naturally, they totally bashed my suggestion that they go to the school event as colored-hair Kpop idols. Yeah, I have the lamest suggestions sometimes. My boys wanted to come as ancient Korean warriors. Yeah, why not? Kill me with that, huh?
I never back out of a challenge, so yeah --bring it!

Just in case you're tasked into making a warrior costume for your child under short notice, here's a short cut that I personally think still worked.

Just hunt for a huge box and fashion sleeveless shirts out of each side. These cardboard pieces are your warrior armor foundation so a lot of measuring is in order. Add texture.

Paper mache through the night. Only one layer will do if you're using a cardboard box of the hell-sturdy kind.

Add gold or silver paint for a metal finish and shoe laces to tie the two boards together. Kinda like a sandwich board at your favorite deli.

Throw in a quick paper mache head piece and you're set!

Honestly, I would've wanted to make shoulder and arm plates as well. :( But sometimes, a Papier Macheniac isn't given that luxury of time to go full-on.*le sigh*

Still happy how that armor turned out though. :)

Paper Macheniacs: PINTADOS!

Buwan ng Wika.
An entire month dedicated to celebrating the beauty and depth of the Fiipino language. It's myriad of dialects. And the culture that ties its more than 2,000 islands together in solidarity and love.

It's also that month when we get down to costume-making. Hey-yeah!

This year, the boys came to their school's Linggo ng Wika event as the Pintados of Leyte. A little backgrounder: the Pintados were warriors of this region, distinct for their body art that covered them from head to toe. Each tattoo showcases the accomplishment of the warrior. The more tattoos, the more the warrior is revered. And, boy, did I got to town inking!

I got two tight-fitting long-sleeved shirts and a bunch of markers and let loose with the nature and tribal art. No rhyme or reason. If I'd really put my boys' accomplishments on there, the shirts would have a drum set and archery gear which don't really look that good as tattoos. I mean, duh.

But wait --this is a Paper Macheniacs post, isn't it? Where's the darn arts and crafts?!!

Right here. the husband did the accessories and he can be quite as rabid as I am when inspired. So these paper mache'd head pieces and jewelry happened --complete with aquarium pebbles, shoe laces, and bristles from my trusty broom.

My dish rags were thrown into the ensemble, too.

And there you have it --PINTADOS!

Oh, did I tell you that I inked the pants, too?

Like I always say, 'Do it crazy or don't do it at all'. :)

Papier Macheniacs: PINGU!

Okay, okay... so June had been a busy summer month. But, as dedicated as we are, we still managed to squeeze in a couple of paper mache projects. You know about the land formation project, right? Yeeeah... I'm just gonna have to assume that you read that blogpost. Other than that, we also had our little Pingu project.

Hey, you know Pingu --that adorably naughty claymation penguin on TV? He was one of the most popular TV characters in this household. Well, back when we still watched TV. Now it's just all about Markiplier on YouTube.
But I digress. My kids decided to pay homage to their past fave so we did a little crafting.

You know the drill, re-use and recycle. Other than the usual glue and tissue paper, we never buy anything when crafting. The point is to always make something new and awesome out of something that other people may deem as junk. For example, this old Christmas tree silver ball ornament and this empty bottle of Vitamins. Just tape cardboard around these items until you get the shape you want. Before you know it --BOOM!-- the beginnings of an arctic flightless bird! I'm sure it looks like a tired astronaut right now, but give me a minute here.

We mummified the shape with glue and tissue paper. Basically, paper macheing the figure to hard, smooth goodness.

Then, we added the details. Alright, I added the details. Isn't it crazy how I went over the eyeball outlines like a thousand times?!! Ugh. Thank God that mess will be painted over. But still, Pingu looks more like a monkey here, doesn't he? Double ugh.

PAINTED!

This deserves a back story. We ran out of black poster color. BLACK. The single most important color on Pingu's body. Because patience isn't exactly our strongest suit, we went to the neighbor --who incidentally fixes cars for a living-- and got some left over paint. We're talking car paint. The kind you put on metal surfaces.
So yeeeeah... that's how our Pingu got that brilliant shine. Uh-huh, this Pingu won't need to bob sled himself over ice bergs. He can just glide over frosty slopes on his shiny tummy. Hehe.

Okay, okay, I'm done.
That's Pingu for ya! If you want to make your own Pingu or any other old TV show character to immortalize some glorious childhood memory --paper mache it!

Papier Macheniacs: The Plateau Project

Has your kid ever gone to you with a homework paper that tells you he needs to submit a diorama of a land formation? Maybe. We did a week before the last day of school and we were ecstatic! Yeah, dioramas rock our boat. Uh-huh.

And just like that, it's Family Project Weekend in this household.
Land Formation: Plateau.

You might think it's easy making a diorama of a plateau --and believe me, we thought so, too. I mean, it's just a bunch of boxes, right? Yes and No. Because we Papier Macheniacs don't do anything the easy way. Wahahaha!

So after getting some old boxes together, we rolled sheet music to to create a semblance of rocks and cliffs along the side of the mountain.

Then, we paper mache'd. That's when the magic starts to happen. The moment you start slathering your rough sculpture with that glue and tissue combo, the surface you want takes shape. Now it almost looks like a plateau! Okay... maybe an ice berg at this point. :P

But we don't stop at 'surface'. We wanted 'texture'! And that's how stealing sand from the neighbor's front yard rock garden got us to this part of the project. Hehe. Pepper your wet and sticky sculpture with sand and let it sit for about half the day. As soon as the whole sculpture is dry, you can shake off the excess sand.

Now... paint!
Let me tell you now that painting on sand is tricky as heck. You should use a dabbing kind of painting style so you hit all those tiny nooks and crannies.

And there you have it --PAPER MACHE'S PLATEAU!

The kid scored the highest and now has his project on display at the school library's Geography Department. BIG JOY! I call this another win for Team Papier Macheniacs. :)

Make Brushing More Fun With The Minions

The most challenging part of parenting --other than making your kid eat vegetables-- is making him brush his teeth. Brushing is such a chore and a bore! Boo! No fun! Despicable!

Well, moms, you came to the right place. You have reached the fun time mecca for cleaning those cute little pearly whites --and your kids will love it! Count 'em. Three Fun Brushing Tips:

1. GET THEM INTO THE GAME.

Nothing thrills kids quite like getting their hands on things parents won't usually allow them to. So let him brush his teeth all by himself! Let him SQUEEZE the toothpaste, let him BRUSH like a boss, and let him RINSE like a hyper-pumped geyser. The more you make it a game, the less it becomes less a chore. Take it from my yellow friend here. He's got pearly whites to die for.

2. GET HIM HIS OWN FUN GEAR.

Since we're on the topic of giving your kid free reins of his brushing activity, heck, give him his personal tools to get the job done. No, not job. The FUN done!
Check out Colgate's Minions Toothbrush and Minions Toothpaste! Now we're talking. I mean, seriously, what kid does not ROFL on the Minions? This is the perfect pack to make him look forward to brushing all the time. And since it's from Colgate, you know you're getting a healthy quality toothpaste and a state-of-the-art, feast-for-the-eyes kiddie toothbrush. It's a win-win!
This special comes in a Colgate Minions Kids 2-5 Years Old (Junior) Oral Care Pack and a Colgate Minions Kids 5-9 Years Old (Youth) Oral Care Pack.

3. GET HIM ALL PACKED FOR FUN!

Well, don't stop there! Get him this fantabulous toohushing cabinet which he can call his own. It's a special number from Colgate featuring the Minions. It looks exactly like that adult medicine cabinet you have on top of your sink --except 500 times more fun!

It comes complete with Minion-decked swinging doors for privacy and joy.

Sliding see-through panels for your kid's toothbrush shelf and toothbrush shelf.

And those fun brushing instructions to boot!

It's kinda like a board game with all the pieces that will guarantee a bubbly kid from after dinner to bedtime.

If you're ready to put the fun into brushing, Colgate and the Minions got your back --aaand your kid's teeth, laughs, and giggles. Check out this Colgate special in your favorite supermarkets now!

Papier Macheniacs: The Grim Reaper

Whoa! I've been gone for 4 months?! That is so unlike me! I bet some of you thought I'd died or something!

And THAT, folks, is my train wreck of a segue to our latest Papier Macheniacs project: THE GRIM REAPER!

Handsome devil, ain't he? Who would've thought that this vile face was once a pretty little China doll mask?

We just love disfiguring the pretty little China doll mask. It's like a sport to us.

So we hacked away at the doll face's perfectly flawless chin without an ounce of remorse. Then, we proceeded to add abomination-like details. Rope for eyes, thick board for craggy teeth, and --oooh!-- more cardboard for that disturbingly skewed, hanging jaw.

Then, of course, we even things out by slathering the monstrosity with paper mache. For those who have just tuned in, that's a tissue-glue-water combo AND the very foundation of Papier Macheniacs' existence. Oh, look-- you can hardly see perfect little China doll mask in there now. Hello? Where are yooouuu?

Aaand,,, BOO!
Nothing like a spot of paint to bring out the color of its eyes, huh?
Okay, one tiny bit. If you're painting with your kid (provided creepy skull masks don't creep the heck out of him) and he accidentally spills over the lines, or if his strokes are a little too scraggly for Van Gogh --calm down. This is the Grim Reaper we're making! Believe me, this guy isn't the kind who'd drop by a salon before having a good time.

Now grab a black cloak and you or your kid is ready to go!
Oh, wait --Did you see the tiny add-ons we threw in there, too? THE SCYTHE Never leave home without it. This weapon of destruction we paper mache'd used to be a roll of cartolina. The blade is plain box carton.
Another add-on: SKELETON HANDS! These we made with surgical gloves. Surgical gloves have that bony color to it that makes it perfect for this project. For authenticity, we lined joints with a thick, black marker.

There you go! Now go ahead and scare people! When you own a Grim Reaper mask... everyday is Halloween!

Assassin's Creed: The Non-Gamer Review

Now, before you raise a condescending brow, let me put it out there --without the slightest qualm-- that I am no gamer. Until last weekend, I wouldn't have known the difference between Aguilar de Nehra and Gordan Freeman. But I do have 2 teenagers who who have done the popular Leap of Faith, so I consider myself schooled. Crash coursed, more like it.
I am also a nerd. So before our weekend Assassin's Creed movie date, I did research. I went through the Assassin's Creed storyline, watched every game trailer, and felt my brain implode. I also found myself going through movie reviews. It was a pretty daunting experience because most of them were on the negative end of the spectrum. Something about how weak the movie plot was, about how the story should've delved more into the Spanish Inquisition past rather than the Animus Experiment present. Picking up the pieces of my brain, I went and told my boys about this. They were unfazed. We were going to watch Assassin's Creed no matter wahat. And I'm like, "Oh, heck, Michael Fassbender's in it --sure, let's go!"
And, boy, was I glad I got so easily swayed!

To the true blue gamer, Assassin's Creed may not have met their standards like most movie translations flop to every video game imaginable. I remember how Doom was criticized. Wait, that was too kind. Doom was adequately bashed.
But from my perspective, Assassin's Creed was amazing!

1. The story line of good versus evil, past versus present may not be the most original, but the storytelling was on point. While some people complained about the unbalanced editing, I found it crisp and clear. Keep in mind that jumping from past to present and back again can be quite confusing. But Assassin's Creed delivered through its simplicity.While I do agree that the Spanish Inquisition past served as better eye candy, for an intro phase in this Assassin's Creed series, the present needed to be played up more. It made the entire plot more believable. I even believed that there could be a cure to the disease called violence.

2. The action was insane! The parkour-heavy fight scene that ran almost 10 minutes had me riveted! The horse-drawn carriage chase scene was incredible. And every one-on-one mano-y-mano was brilliantly choreographed. Case in point, Aguilar's ghost versus Callum Lynch. And don't get me started on Maria's 2-against-1 number. That one almost had me screaming 'Girl Power!' in the theater.

3. Cinematography. Damn, those wide angles! Thanks to the iconic CGI eagle, we were pitched into the landscape of a cruel past. I dig that. From the GoPro shot of a mountainous terrain, to the dramatic caress of a stage of burning bodies, to the rustic dusty skyscrapers and towers specifically built for Aguilar to jump off from.

4. Are you seeing this, cosplayers? The costumers were on point --from the ominous garb to the tattooed skin. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing an imaginary character come to life in its most faithful detail. Heck, I squealed the first time I saw a Morrigan cosplay, thinking, "So that's how you keep that impossinle bustier up..."
Anyway, you should've seen my boys geek out to high heavens every time a hidden blade was unleashed. Kudos to the movie's production designer, seriously.

5. The cliffhanger was done clean. I know that some movies or TV shows have cliffhangers that give too much (I'm looking at you, Marvel) or too little (I'm looking at you The Walking Dead), and that kills the magic all together. Whereas, Assassin's Creed held its breath just enough to make you want a sequel.

Bottomline, even if you're not a gamer, you can enjoy this movie. You can keep up without feeling left out. It also helps that assassins, in all their mysterious glory, can be fascinating and crush-worthy. Oh! Michael Fassbender helped, too. :)

Assassin's Creed. It's still showing. Catch it.