PokeCollection

02/11/2024

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT 🎉

A MASSIVE congratulations to YouTube user -wi9gd for winning this epic Pokémon BEAST BALL REPLICA by The Wand Company, provided courtesy of my friends at Mighty Ape!

This was such an awesome prize to be able to give out, so please give it up for my friends at Mighty Ape Hobbies and Mighty Ape Collectibles for their amazing kindness! It's thanks to your viewership that I'm able to give you guys the opportunity to win some epic stuff like this, and celebrations all round to be able to announce the winner on my birthday!

Hope you enjoy, -wi9gd! And keep your eyes peeled, as Mariah Carey has emerged from her slumber and Christmas festivities are to ensue, and with that means some fun festive fare to come your way on PokeCollection. Watch this space!

IT'S HERE. THE NEW POKÉMON DIE-CAST REPLICA. HELLO, BEAST BALL!And what a beast it is! Thanks to my friends at Mighty Ape, who you can visit at www.mightyape...

01/11/2024

And, just like that, I'm 36 and heading even closer to 40. Eek! 🎂🎉🥳👀☠️

31/10/2024

🚨SQUISHMALLOWS GIVEAWAY🚨

My friends at Planet Fun are making way for some epic new squishy and fun stuff, which you'll see on PokeCollection soon, so we're giving 4x lucky Pokémon and PokeCollection fans the opportunity to be in to win 1 of 4 Squishmallows, featuring Gengar, Teddiursa or Clefairy!

TO ENTER:
• Let me know your favourite Squishmallow of all time, whether it's Pokémon or otherwise, and who you'd love to share some squishy Squishmallow fun with!

That's it! All entries that qualify will be put into the draw for a randomly sized Squishmallow (it'll be a surprise when you get it!) and I'll announce these winners after the giveaway closes.

Entries close at 5pm this Sunday (3/11), so get stuck in fast! 1 entry per person, per platform.

This is open to New Zealand residents only. Sorry international folks! I'll have more for you guys soon, you know I can't forgetcha!

G'luck, Collectioner fam! 🎉

30/10/2024

Psssst... I have a little surprise giveaway coming at you in the next day or so. Keep your eyes peeled because we've got a lil somethin' somethin' for you Kiwis.

Hint: It's squishy.

Byeeee.
Planet Fun

29/10/2024

It's your LAST CHANCE to win this killer BEAST BALL die-cast replica by The Wand Company, thanks to my friends at Mighty Ape!

Final entries will be on Halloween, and I will draw and announce a winner soon after.

Check out the video below and enter, and be in to win!

Mighty Ape Hobbies
Mighty Ape Collectibles

IT'S HERE. THE NEW POKÉMON DIE-CAST REPLICA. HELLO, BEAST BALL!And what a beast it is! Thanks to my friends at Mighty Ape, who you can visit at www.mightyape...

27/10/2024

Had a great time on stage again with Auckland Card Show at Armageddon Expo today! YouTube creator 'Global Card Collectors' dropped by and captured a little bit of the content, and Moana gives a neat review of the show overall - check it out!

It was our first ever time attending Armageddon and it didn’t disappoint! Check out Moana’s review of the biggest pop culture event in New Zealand. Armageddo...

26/10/2024

I had the pleasure of being on the Main Stage at Armageddon Expo with my friends at Auckland Card Show today, opening up an entire box of Stellar Crown! I had some magical hands, as I pulled some really cool cards, including the Lapras ex Ultra Rare. Everything was so sparkly! Haha. ✨️

I'll be back on stage tomorrow (Sunday 27/10) at 10am where we'll be opening another box! Hope you can join us, but plan ahead because traffic was reaaaaal bad today.

Thanks to WifeyCollection for capturing this bit of footage, and to KiddoCollection for cheering me on. Best thing was him pointing at me and yelling, "IT'S DADDY!" heh. 😊

25/10/2024

In celebration of Armageddon Expo kicking off once more this weekend, I'm unleashing an interview of mine from the PokeCollection vault!

Back in 2015, I had the pleasure of conducting interviews with some talented humans, including the ever wonderful Natalia Tena!

Natalia is notable for acting roles such as Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter movies and Osha in Game of Thrones. She's also the lead vocalist in the band Molotov Jukebox.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Natalia at Armageddon Expo Auckland 2015, however I was unable to release this interview at the time. The following year, during Armageddon Expo Wellington 2016, Natalia and I managed to catch up again at the VIP party and we caught up over a platter of calamari and chatted about life, religion and a not-so-nice barman at a pub nearby!

She's a real one and was fun to chat to, on and off-camera. Great to chat, Natalia! 🙌

An interview from the vault! Back in 2015, I had the pleasure of interviewing some talented humans, including the ever wonderful Natalia Tena. Natalia Tena i...

24/10/2024

ARMAGEDDON EXPO ROLL-CALL!

Armageddon Expo Auckland is BACK and returns tomorrow at the ASB Showgrounds and we're looking forward to heading back to check out all the stalls and catch up with friends!

Will you be attending? Will I be seeing you there? Come say hi and grab a PokeCollection sticker and flyer from me! I'll be there on Saturday and Sunday.

Looking forward to the weekend. See you soon!

23/10/2024

Our lil dude turns two today! 🎈🥳

Time feels like it's flying by, with each day never a bore, but we couldn't be more proud of this absolute bundle of chaos. An incessantly conversational and loving lil git, and vehicular inclined mad kid... We love him to bits. Happy birthday, KiddoCollection! 🎉🎂

22/10/2024

Seven years married to this stunner.

My one, true constant and beauty that is her heart and soul. A trooper that knows no bounds, supporter of my weird ways, and the most loving MummaCollection to KiddoCollection. Not one day goes without my being in sheer awe.

And this week? She gets to submit her application for NZ Citizenship - at long last!

Unfortunately kicked off our anniversary with us having to take the kiddo to emergency care in the early hours of the morn', but once we knew he was okay... all that mattered was us being present, reluctantly laughing over the chaos, and us sinking into positions of rare bouts of rest - cuddling our lil human who we couldn't be more prouder of.

Happy 7 to WifeyCollection 🎉

21/10/2024

We're back in Auckland, baby! After a month away, it's great to be back home. Although we're sorely missing our family already.

Thanks for following our journey over on the good ol' stories!

Back to regular programming... but settling back in gently first!

18/10/2024

IT'S HAPPENING! JUST IN TIME FOR MY BIRTHDAY! YESSS! 🎉🎉

17/10/2024

And so the packing begins... 😞

We have two more nights left in Faisalabad before we head back to Lahore on Saturday evening to catch an early flight the next morning. 🇵🇰

Feeling a bit sad already, as we've been having a great time here with FamilyCollection and also appreciated the downtime, which we haven't had in years. Not looking forward to going back to the onslaught once we land back in Auckland, and I'm going head first into a big week, but I suppose I've had time to mentally prepare for it.

Not gonna be a fan of going back to a busy lifestyle for real, but I will bring back a reset of sorts in the hope it brings an element of peace.

I may be a bit grumpy though, and I'll be severely jetlagged no doubt. 🤣

On the plus side, many events and milestones to look forward to:

• KiddoCollection's 2nd Birthday 🎈
• Our 7th Wedding Anniversary 💍
• A Workplace Social that I planned part of 🍻
• Armageddon Expo + Labour Weekend 👾
• My Birthday, though I hardly celebrate anymore! 👴
• Halloween 🎃
• Christmas 🎄

Most of the above occurs in the week or two from when we land so it'll be ✨️fun✨️.

For now, making the most of the last few days. Treating the family to a dinner out tomorrow evening, and taking the kiddos out for some fun this evening.

And, o'course... wrappin' up that packin'!

14/10/2024

I sent the one and only Lee Quick, OG voice of Officer Jenny from Pokémon The Anime, some New Zealand Whittaker's Chocolate Lovers Chocolate as a lil thank you for celebrating PokeCollection's 15th Birthday with us! Really appreciated her lending her time to film a new video intro, which you'll now be seeing across many videos!

Hope you enjoy, Lee, and hope to see you in NZ soon! 😊🙏

14/10/2024

Brace for impact, friends! Gigantamax Pokémon will be appearing on October 26-27 on Pokémon GO, over Armageddon Expo weekend! And how good is the soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi?!

14/10/2024

POKÉMON BEAST BALL REPLICA + GIVEAWAY! 🔵

I had to keep this one under wraps, but I can now unleash my unboxing of the Pokémon Beast Ball Replica by The Wand Company! 🎉

Thanks to my friends at Mighty Ape Hobbies, I was given the opportunity to check this out up close right before I left for my overseas trip so I could release this for you all to see from TODAY.

And yep, I'm GIVING ONE AWAY too! Check out the video below to hear my thoughts on the newly released Beast Ball, subscribe if you haven't already, and be in to win!

Let me know what you think!

Thanks, Mighty Ape! 🙌

IT'S HERE. THE NEW POKÉMON DIE-CAST REPLICA. HELLO, BEAST BALL!And what a beast it is! Thanks to my friends at Mighty Ape, who you can visit at www.mightyape...

13/10/2024

What in the counterfeit is this! 🤣 Dare I say someone decided to go Fullmetal Alchemist on this? Too far? 😆

D-d-d-d-d-Dora! 👀

11/10/2024

Sat here just mulling over and processing thoughts whilst my lil family rest and whilst there's a moment of calm.

Life has completely slowed down here in P**istan. Sure, we're out and about eating, exploring, shopping, spending time with family and all, but it's been a complete switch in lifestyle.

From the difference in hours in which P**istani society operates, to the hospitality and change in responsibilities - it's a huge shift.

It really illustrates the contrast between life at home and how mental our usual day-to-day is, and how unsustainable it can become if you're not careful and - dare I say it - mindful. It has doubled down on just how much of what I do back home on all fronts is constant and non-stop, moving from one thing to another, without so much as a moment to surface and find solace, or even reflect, at the best of times.

In many ways, I'm envious of how much calmer and stress-free it can be here, and how content many are. It reinforces my change in mindset over the past year and since KiddoCollection came along, where I no longer feel like I need to always chase the next big thing. If anything, all I want to do is to be able to live more in the moment, slow down, and ensure I can spend time with my closest, making the most of it all. Everything else just seems to matter a lot less, even though my drive is still very much there. I appreciate the simpler attitudes towards life in general here.

I've been able to be more present, watching KiddoCollection thrive, more hours spent without having too much admin or other stresses on the mind. It's been peaceful, and family have gone above and beyond in chipping in.

For the first time in many years, I've mostly just switched off from everything, allowing little to infiltrate the peace. It's often a struggle for me to not be doing things all the time, and I suppose that's the main challenge for me - being able to sit still. And trust me, that ain't no humblebrag.

Despite that internal battle, I do realise how much of a positive impact it has made to be free of everything that typically takes from my physical and mental wellbeing on the daily.

Appreciate these moments.

Although it does make me sad a little, knowing I'll be heading back to an onslaught from all fronts and I'm honestly not ready or keen for that bombardment, but making the most of the last week here while we have it.

09/10/2024

I was stoked to find some SUPER OFFICIAL Pokémon cards on my travels! 😆 The counterfeit game here is wild. Haha.

08/10/2024

Hey everyone! Hope you're doing great. I've been keeping y'all updated with my travels over on Instagram Stories and hope to update more on here at some point, and YouTube videos have been going live aswell, but been focused on just being present whilst om holiday so haven't been online a great deal.

I did want to pop on though because I've been hearing about Hurricane Milton and Helene and I just hope my viewers in impacted areas/danger zones are keeping safe. Milton looks to be one of the most severe hurricanes that will make landfall in Florida over the coming days and clearly isn't to be taken lightly.

I know I have a fair amount of viewers in the USA so just wanted to express my well wishes and please stay safe! Stay tuned with ylur local authorities and evacuate as per their instructions if you haven't already.

Please take care.

Much love,
Asad

03/10/2024

Whilst I've been travelling, I've been publishing too! My latest video, featuring the Shrouded Fable Booster Bundle is now live - check it out!

Massive thanks to my friends at Mighty Ape Hobbies for the sweet hook up!

01/10/2024

McDonald's in P**istan have official Pokémon Happy Meal Toys right now! 😱

Of all the coincidences to occur, with me being in the country and everything! 😆

We were just out and about earlier and everyone spotted the screens. It took me a while to process - it's official and all! How awesome!

Not come across these toys myself before but naturally I had to get a toy for KiddoCollection and NephewCollection! 😁

Cool right?

29/09/2024

Hey, you lot! Just wanted to thank you for getting me to 100+ followers on TikTok and getting my latest video to over 100K views! That's pretty cool, given that TikTok wasn't my primary platform when I first started creating PokeCollection content in 2009 on YouTube!

I adopted TikTok a bit later than most because I didn't want to overdo it with channel expansion, but I eventually found a place for it and I'm stoked that viewers have been tuning in!

Wanted to say thanks again for the support. Appreciate it! 😁

28/09/2024

Growing up, I had a hate/love relationship with P**istan.

I was born in the UK, so my upbringing was vastly different and I naturally assimilated unconsciously to what British/Western society would expect of me.

Often, it was embarassing to admit I was P**istani due to rampant racism and discrimination in the UK, and bullying that I faced growing up. Being brown amd 'P**i' stood out, and sadly you become insular and begin to reject your own culture without even realising it.

Fast forward to the present, I'm at peace with openly being British P**istani, despite the unconscious bias I continue to face - especially in the aftermath of 9/11.

When I visit P**istan, albeit rarely, I do my best to share the positives of the culture and lifestyle here.

To many of you watching my updates, I have no doubt the many assumptions, judgements and stereotypes you may not even truly realise that you have.

So my aim is to abolish our collective, conditioned brains to what the media and far-right often portray.

It isn't perfect, but there's a great deal of beauty in my heritage, and I'm more than happy to share.

I hope that my own son can grow up even more resilient in a cruel world that aims to simply bucket us into restrictive silos of what and who we should or shouldn't be.