By Florence Pia G. Yu
Published in the Sun Star Daily
January 13, 2001
Shopping Bag Pullout
To most people I know, this might serve as a shock. The truth is, when reality check hits me, I'm really nowhere near Helen of Troy, or Kate Moss for that matter. And as far as my sister is concerned, the only thing this face could do is pop out a thousand zits.
So, it was all just fantasy. Until, at SM City, I stumbled on these really cool machines that print picture stickers.
"Welcome to Dream Maker where we realize your dream. We will transform you into the century's freshest model. Screen selection is the beginning of your debut as a model.." says the computer voice input from the machine, Dream Maker.
Curious, I checked the screen--and oh, my god!--I saw that I could not only be cover model for Vogue, Seventeen, Esquire, and Newsweek, I could also model for Armani, and be Rose in the movie poster of Titanic! And it wasn't even a dream!
Sales lady Theresa Teves, 26, said that the Korea-made Dream Maker was introduced here last month. There are only two of these machines here in Cebu. One at the Entrance 5 of SM City-Cebu, the other is at Gaisano Tabunok.
This machine prints sticker pictures at P100 in just two minutes. However, you won't be seeing just your face on the sticker. You also get to choose from a lot of cool background designs, like, gracing the cover of well-known magazines; modeling for print advertisements, like Reebok; personalizing postcards; starring in movie posters of City of Angels, Leaving Las Vegas, or you could choose to be surrounded with cartoon characters.
The sticker pictures come in different sizes as well. You can have a set of nine, four, three or two stickers. You can also choose a landscape or vertical format, and have several poses for each individual sticker in a set. And the price is just the same.
And for P15, the sticker can be transformed into a pin, P20 to a badge, P40 for a body chain, and P35 for a badge with a mirror.
My fantasy frenzy was working overtime!
Neoprint
Just ahead, I found another sticker machine at the Mitsubishi Photo shop of SM City-Cebu. Neoprint is a popular craze in Manila and it seems like the bug has bitten the young people in Cebu, too. Manager Marivic sia syas that the machine has been with them for two years now, and based on some souvenirs previous clients have stuck on the machine itself, young buddies and couples make up the greater market. At P80, this machine prints 16 copies of sticker pictures. You only get one pose, however, you can choose from among 48 designs. Stickers may be had in monochrome, full color or sepia. These cute sticker pictures usually find their way on the back of cellphones, notebooks, albums and other accessories.
What's more, in 30 seconds, you get to have the fun of a lifetime.
Having been with these cool machines, I felt better. So I haven't been discovered. So I can?t'be a model. But at lest I have my stickers!