Happy Year of the Horse!

Chinese New Year started the same day as my boyfriend’s birthday, which we celebrated both with friends and by going to a video game convention in Las Vegas called Lvl Up Expo.  Before we left, I managed to complete the rest of my community service (52 hours at a food bank/soup kitchen) and had a short notice get together with friends.

My boyfriend had originally wanted to attend Lvl Up Expo to participate in a fighting game tournament – though we ended up missing it (along with the first day of the con) since the drive up was so exhausting. It probably would have been better to go Friday, but maybe next year.

The downtown part of Las Vegas is removed from the craziness of the strip, and the area definitely seems more like a normal suburb or city compared to the bright lights and touristy areas. I didn’t get any gambling in, but that’s probably a good thing. And going by my 3DS Street Pass, the attendees of the Lvl Up Expo were mostly locals.

Since the day we attended was the same day as the Super Bowl, I’m guessing it was less crowded than the first day. We spent most of the time at Microsoft’s booth for Killer Instinct on Xbox One and Eighty Sixed Clothing for SkullGirls. There seemed to be a lot of cosplay, card games, and free to play arcade cabinets (which we also made use of).

It probably would have been better to stay more nights in Vegas so we’d be better rested for the event, though other issues made the trip a bit uncertain at all. Overall, the trip was worth it despite exhaustion and expenses. It was probably more stressful for my boyfriend than it should have been, but it worked out in the end.

Most of this post has nothing to do with Chinese New Year, so I’ll end with what my plans are for the year: find a job, sell more stuff on ebay and Amazon, and see my friends more. A lot of my friends are planning international travel, which would be nice though I’m still hemming and hawing on renewing my passport.