bumpity bump.

The cons next year are LEAKYCON and AZKATRAZ! yay. I think that there will be people in the fandom going to both, but I just don't have the money. Right here are the facts:

LEAKYCON will be in Boston, MA from May 21 to May 24.
After October 1, 2008, the price goes up to $185 for registration, and then up to the full price of $199 after February 1, 2009.
$189 per night for up to four people per room at the historic Boston Park Plaza Hotel.
Total Cost: $185+$189= $374USD=$570.50SGD

AZKATRAZ will be in San Francisco, California from July 18- July 21.
$145 - Basic Registration, available through February 28, 2009
$165 - Basic Registration, March 1 – May 31, 2009
$190 - Basic Registration, June 1 – June 30, 2009
$200 - Basic Registration online, July 1-15, 2009
ONLINE REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE ON JULY 15, 2009
$200 - At-the-Door pricing
$165 plus tax per night, for up to four people in a room. In other words, there's no extra-person charge for the third and fourth person in the room.
Total cost: $165+$145= $310=$472.80SGD

So altogether azkatraz wil be cheaper than leakycon, but I don't think I can make it because I'll be having school. Leakycon is closer to the school holidays and I *might* just make it since it's at Boston, where I'm permitted to go for summer school. (how coincidental!) However, at both cons there are age restrictions. I'm over the age of 14 (that's good.) but anyone under the age of 18 needs to have a parent accompany them, or have a chaperone over the age of 21 who is registered for the conference, and complete and notarize the chaperone authorisation form. That's the most sticky bit.

On programming, I have the feeling leakycon will be more wrock-centric than academic-paper-centric. Not that I don't like going to a wrock concert, but the academia of harry potter is something I've not experienced before, and it would be fun to go for a lecture or two. (or three. or four.) And I want to watch a panel and participate in a discussion! They haven't confirmed formal programming yet, but it says there will be *some* of it there. There's also youth programming at leakycon, which sounds promising. But I'm not old enough to go for the snarry events! damn.

Azkatraz looks to be a bigger event, since it's being promoted by HPEF, who did Portus and Lumos. But but but I haven't considered transportation from boston to SF, where azkatraz is... unless I can find a summer school in SF.

And most of you have noticed by now that I haven't considered the flight costs, so here they are:
NWA roundtrip from sg to boston= $2318 SGD (leakycon)
NWA roundtrip from sg to SF= $1909 SGD (azkatraz)

Northwest is one of the cheaper airlines from experience, so I stuck with that. I might research other airlines if I'm really serious about going. Turns out that a flight to SF is cheaper and faster, by about $400.

The Boston University summer school releases its exact dates on dec 15, so more updates then. In the meantime, I have to worry about money matters.