Media Pass Myths @ The Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008

And so I got a "Media-Pass" for the recent Singapore Toy & Comic Convention last weekend just (making the "Official Online Media"-tag pretty redundant actually), and with it a certain sense of responsibility (to my readers), as well as an acknowledged seemingly false sense of expectations based on my wild imaginations, ludicrous on hindsight now actually = READ-ON!

FREE SWAG:
- For this I cannot be 100% certain, becoz if there were any freebies, goodie-bags or whatnot, I didn't get any. I'm sure there were, there are pictures to prove it and folks totting around similar paperbags on the Preview Night gave a hint of what I'd missed, innit? But to be fair, I didn't go around and ask for any. Other than that, without the generosity of specific exhibitors (even so, they knew me as TRE besides my pass LOL), I got jack from the Con.

Let's be honest - tis the free swag that makes it sweeter, right? LOL - so my question is, does Conventions overseas give out free swag to "the Media"? (Yes, Im a cheap-shitte LOL)

ALL-ACCESS:
- Had the chance to pop by during booth set-ups (Day Zero) and stayed around a tad longer as folks tore down their booths (End Day Three), and that's about it. (Which is cool in itself, I suppose). And of coz during Preview Night, where frankly, it was just as crowded with folks who'd "won" tixs via different promotions.

To be fair, we obviously didn't need to queue (which is fab for me personally, becoz if need to queue, then Im out). And there weren't any particular "rooms" nor screenings to be had, where a Media-pass could "crash". Frankly, I don't really think Singaporeans, or even the event organizers gave two hoots about who the Media was, well except for the "Power" Tele and Print Media, innit?

Or what? I should've been louder and more obnoxious so folks'll listen to me? Does it need to come down to that?

BEING SPECIAL:
- There's nothing "special" to be had by possessing a "Media"-pass, becoz frankly, anyone with a blog could and would be labeled Media, and they were. But to be utterly fair, that should be the way to go - to get your word out fast and hard, and online publishing does allow that instantaneous dissemination of information. And I claim no difference from being a part of the masses myself (am not deluded about thy blogs' place in cyberspacedom LOL). And of coz Tele-media and Print-press ensures maximum reach to the masses.

So the only way to make myself feel "special", was to write my own name on the empty media tag. And of coz take a photo of it LOL

WHY THE TAG:
- In the end, tis just a tag so that every stranger at a convention could take one look at you and recognize which category you are in, so that folks can react to you accordingly, without the prolonged awkwardness of having the need to explain yourselves and where you're coming from ... but actually you do. I approach everyone with the notion that no one knows about my blog, and the fact is, not many do, so the tag im wearing is more humbling that without, actually.

BELONG:
Does the tag make me feel I "belong", to something, to an event, to a collective? ... The jury's still out on this one ...