This year, I was invited to attend the Singapore Toys, Games and Comic Convention 2010 as a media blogger. This is the first invitation of any sorts for me that came through the blog.

One of the great things about being invited as media is you don't have to queue. Those people above have already bought their tickets and have been in line for an hour before the public were allowed in.

The trick to avoiding the queue is simply not to go there so early. Tickets are sold on the ground floor at Suntec.

My objective is mainly to check out the Artist Alley, to feature art books and promote local and regional artists. That should be interesting. And it's pretty fun. I've a colleague whose covering the event for the newspaper, I'm covering it for my blog, and other colleague rocketraygun has a booth and couple of friends at the Artist Alley.

Artist Alley will be covered in a separate post to keep the length here short.

This are just some of the toys on display from the toy shops.

You should definitely get your Christmas present here if you haven't bought any. You'll be spoiled for choices, and I'm not referring to the toys. There are so many sort of gifts ranging from...

handicraft to...

mini posters to...

puzzle games to...

plastic samurai swords to...

mobile internet broadband plans — you probably don't want to get this as a Christmas present.

Here are some of the many shops.

I think most shops take credit card payment. But do withdraw some cash because some don't, especially if you want to get stuff from the Artist Alley.

Even the National Library Board is there.

Fables. Fantastic graphic novel.

You can borrow your books there and have them scanned by an angel (far right).

You can even win prizes for borrowing books. I'm amazed.

Some props from the Movie Mania exhibitor.

A staff showing off the Xbox 360 with Kinect. She totally destroyed her boxing opponents without breaking a sweat.

The gaming consoles here aren't priced too differently from those at retail shows.

Not much business here at this photo booth.

It's hard to take photos of those figurines with all the reflection on the glass.

This is the Marvel booth. And there are people opposite queuing already.

Imaginary Friends Studio doing brisk business.

A box of naked men.

The next day I went back, they had clothes on.

There are also tables for gaming card players.

This is the funniest booth around, the Animax Dubbing Booth. Basically, a participant is invited to do voiceover for an anime clip. The guy you see on the left was doing voiceover for a female character — he didn't know it was a female character prior. The result was disastrously funny.

Pull your friend in. It's great fun.

Just right behind the mural art at the entrance, which is also the exit. Now that's what I call 'forward thinking'.

That's all.