#+ getting a little more conscientious with labels and their locations

[good--merits-accumulated]

tentatively mapping out the the little white horse au

[hollowfaith]

[HIGH] Sender gets something off the high shelf for receiver. // don't worry princess, im here 😌 (i know he's taller than her that's why it's funny)

𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠 || [HIGH] Sender gets something off the high shelf for receiver

—

Klaus had finished drinking his favorite canister of tea leaves—the one with a yellow label—at home.

Ever the conscientious companion, Aurelius takes matters into his own hands to restock the goods, boldly claiming his partner's C*stco card and slipping out the door before the other can protest. Wandering the hallowed halls of bulk consumption, the angel marvels at the medley of material goods in a store designed to sell everything at maximum size, most of the time.

He locates the "tea" aisle with some difficulty, then follows the archaic coding system of numbers and letters to find the specific maker of his bestie's brew.

Alas, the spot is deserted. The price tag still remains, however—proof that Klaus's tea did exist, but was too popular for its own good just like Klaus himself. Perturbed, Aurelius considered taking over the tea factory by force before a sound cues him to look up.

A vision in violet hangs off the edges of the third-level pallets in the wholesale store. She's smiling at him brightly, eyes twinkling like those of an errant fey as she shakes a canister in her hands.

"Looking for this?"

Aurelius narrows his eyes. It's large and yellow with that obnoxiously kitschy design of a panda on the outside—yes, they're Klaus's tea leaves, all right.

"If you please." He smiles politely in turn, hands outstretched to receive the blessing of the plant gods in portable form.

"That depends," the woman says instead. "Are you going to save some for me too? It wasn't easy climbing up here unnoticed."

Aurelius takes that into account and looks around. It was true, all of the shoppers here were on ground-level only. With what he knew of humans, they were quite persistent when it came to petty rules and regulations.

"I can cooperate with you," he says while turning back. "How many canisters are you planning to take?"

"One."

"You climbed all that way just for one container of tea leaves?" Aurelius couldn't help asking.

"Do I look like I could finish two off myself?" the woman retorts before ending with a quieter laugh. "...it was easier when I used to share."

Her eyes drift with her thoughts, turning abstracted. Being the more practical of the two, Aurelius only spots the purposeful stride of what must be store employees making their way over from across the store.

"I believe freezing them is an option to preserve the flavor longer," he said after vaguely recalling Klaus's advice. "But you're working within a limited time window, so I suggest you finish and get down."

"Hah." She's noticed the staff by now too; shaking her head, she puts on a smile and throws the first canister at him, which Aurelius catches. "How many do you want?"

"Two, to make your trip a little more worthwhile," the angel replies while setting the first one aside.

Nicolette turns to tug another container of tea leaves out of the packaging, but it's stuck too tightly in the plastic. Huffing, she simply picks up the rest of the 24-pack and lifts it above her head.

"You're in luck then, because this is a 2 for 23 deal!"

To his credit, Aurelius has seen much worse than someone lobbing a bulk-sized package of tea leaves at him as friendly fire. He leaps up to receive the package first-hand, then sets it on the ground by its brethren. Next up is—

—even his eyes widen when the woman jumps off of her own accord from the equivalent of two stories up. Aurelius responds by instinct, taking flight to meet her half-way, arm sliding around her back as he spins halfway to guide her to earth in a more gentle descent.

If there's any proof of Klaus's influence, it's the fact that he shies less from touching strangers now—provided he has his gloves on.

"Hey! You two—!" At last the store workers have caught up, but a burst of wind from Aurelius's invisible wings keeps them at back. After a thought, he simply decides to manifest them completely, thus shielding himself and the lady by his side in a shiny wreath of gold.

"How daring," he remarks.

"What made you think I'd catch you instead of letting you fall?"

As soon as they touch the ground, he lets her go and takes a step back, but remain standing with wings spread to block off the rest of the aisle. They're awe-inspiring enough to keep the humans at bay too—at least for now.

Nicolette hums a little in her throat, taking the chance to bend down and grab her tea tin because handsome man was on her list of expectations, but not one with wings included. "You really don't look the type. Even if you were, I doubt you'd appreciate me breaking my leg right next to you."

There was no way someone who wore a suit that expensive would risk it getting dirtied with...well broken bones or whatever came out when someone went splat.

"That would be highly remiss of me," Aurelius agrees thoughtfully. "All the same, I'd rather not repeat this experience again." He too, bends down to take some tea—his four wings arching prettily up to avoid the floor as he did so, framing him within a glittering halo.

It's mesmerizing, to say the least. It also disappears a few seconds later when Aurelius straightens up with his two canisters in tow, leaving her with perfect vision of the equally flabbergasted store staff behind him.

"Then I suppose I'll head for the register." Aurelius gives the slightest nods to Nicolette and turns to leave. He was eager to reunite with Klaus after all this fuss.

"Hold—wait a second." Nicolette almost reaches for him before withdrawing her arm. She feels like she's still shaking off the effects of sparkle lights and golden feathers in her brain. "What's your name?"

"It doesn't matter." Aurelius keeps walking, but raises one hand to acknowledge her over his shoulder. "As far as today was concerned, I was simply your guardian angel for one moment."

"Farewell."

[fikazephyr]

information and statistics for jolene monroe

including an in-depth personality analysis

BASIC INFORMATION

Full name: Jolene Aysel Monroe-Yavuz  Nicknames: Jo, Lee Age: 36 Date of Birth: May 5th, 1984 (11:23pm) Hometown: TBA Current location: Salem, MA Ethnicity: Turkish Nationality: American Gender: cisgender female (she/her) Sexuality: Pansexual, Demiromantic Religion: Pagan Political Affiliation: Unaffiliated Occupation: Head Chef Languages spoken: English, Turkish Accent: Eastern American

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Face Claim: Özge Özacar Hair Colour: Caramel Brown Eye Colour: Green/Hazel Weight: 125 lbs Height: 5′3 Build: Athletic Lean Tattoos: None Piercings: Nipples, earlobes, industrial, nose ring

PERSONALITY

Label: The Vixen Positive Traits: +assertive, resilient, focused, confident, loyal, gregarious Negative Traits: - self-serving, insensitive, commanding, fierce, competitive, uninvolved Goals/Desires: to learn her father’s family history and visit his home one day, to run her own successful restaurant Fears: nothing, really, other than losing her loved ones.  Hobbies: bar hopping, movies, painting, wine drinking, brunch with friends, fishing, crabbing, sailing

FAMILY

Father: ahmet yavuz. (56) ✝ Mother: waverly monroe. (53) clementine monroe. (52) aylin yavuz. (53) ✝ Sibling(s): rhea monroe. (24.) Children: none, ew. Pet(s): none, sadly.

EXTRA

Zodiac Sign: Taurus - “There is something very solid about Taurus natives, no matter what the rest of their charts say about them. Though they are dependable most of the time, this generally shows itself more in habit than in outright helpfulness.Taurus natives are sensual folk--and this includes sex, but extends to pleasures in all areas: they delight in the sensual pleasures of food, a comfortable blanket, a richly colored aquarium to look at, the smell of flowers or spring rain, pleasing melodies coming from their stereos, and so forth. Some might even say they live through their senses more than most.When Taurus natives work, they work hard. They do it with a steadiness that may rarely be considered quick--rather it's a dependable, plodding, and steady effort that has its payoffs. Security is immensely important to Taurus--some of them actively seek wealth, while others are content to be "comfortable". The Taurus definition of "comfortable" may not be exactly the same as the rest of the signs, but comfort is definitely a driving force.” MBTI: ENTJ-A - The Commander. “Commanders are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. However, Commanders are also characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves. Perhaps it is best that they make up only three percent of the population, lest they overwhelm the more timid and sensitive personality types that make up much of the rest of the world – but we have Commanders to thank for many of the businesses and institutions we take for granted every day.“ Alignment: Chaotic Good - “A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he’s kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it combines a good heart with a free spirit.Chaotic good can be a dangerous alignment when it disrupts the order of society and punishes those who do well for themselves.“ Enneagram: Type 1 - The Reformer. “We have named personality type One The Reformer because Ones have a “sense of mission” that leads them to want to improve the world in various ways, using whatever degree of influence they have. They strive to overcome adversity—particularly moral adversity—so that the human spirit can shine through and make a difference. They strive after “higher values,” even at the cost of great personal sacrifice.“ Celtic Tree: Willow - “Willow individuals are intelligent and stubborn. They are powerful allies and fierce opponents. They can be secretive, making it difficult to get to know the real them. Family is very important to them. They excel as teachers and in positions where they can influence the public.“ Temperament: Sanguine - “People with a sanguine personality type tend to be lively, optimistic, buoyant, and carefree. They love adventure and have high risk tolerance.Sanguine people are typically poor at tolerating boredom and will seek variety and entertainment. Naturally, this trait can sometimes negatively affect their romantic and other relationships.” Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff *sorting hat voice* Gryffindor- “Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses; valuing hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its students. Hufflepuffs were known to have a strong moral code, and a sense of right and wrong. Hufflepuffs were usually accepting of everyone.” “Gryffindor is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Godric Gryffindor. The particular characteristics of students Sorted into Gryffindor are courage, chivalry, and determination. ” Primary Vice: Sloth - “Unlike the other capital sins, which are sins of committing immorality, sloth is a sin of omitting responsibilities. It may arise from any of the other capital vices; for example, a son may omit his duty to his father through anger. While the state and habit of sloth is a mortal sin, the habit of the soul tending towards the last mortal state of sloth is not mortal in and of itself except under certain circumstances.” Primary Virtue: Temperance - “Temperance in its modern use is defined as moderation or voluntary self-restraint. It is typically described in terms of what an individual voluntarily refrains from doing. This includes restraint from revenge by practicing non-violence and forgiveness, restraint from arrogance by practicing humility and modesty, restraint from excesses such as extravagant luxury or splurging, and restraint from rage or craving by practicing calmness and self-control.” Element: Metal - “Your priority in life: Authenticity. You place great importance on living authentically and doing meaningful work. Metal people strive for a sense of the sacred in their life, and they tend to be the most humanitarian of all the types.Your secret to success: Sensitivity. You’re extremely conscientious and sensitive to subtleties, so your work is always beautifully done because you tend to details others wouldn’t. You can also sense others’ energy and naturally adjust your approach to put them at ease.”

[olivcrfeng-a]

BASIC INFORMATION.

Full Name: Oliver Feng

Nickname(s): Oli mainly,

Age: 32

Date of Birth: March 18th.

Hometown: Kelantan, Malaysia

Current Location: Mystic, Connecticut

Ethnicity: Malay

Nationality: American, Malaysian

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Orientation: Heterosexual

Religion: Doesn’t currently practice on an active basis.

Political Affiliation: Works for and loyal to the Mystic town Mayor

Occupation: City Hall Council Member

Living Arrangements: Upon moving to Mystic in 2015, Oliver bought a small home that is easy for him to get to work at City Hall and is close to the wharf and shoreline for his regular runs.

Language(s) Spoken: Primarily English having grown up in the US since age 4 but his parents ensured he still remained true to their family’s origin languages that included Malay and Mandarin ( better at writing Mandarin than speaking ).

Accent: American

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

Face Claim: Henry Golding

Hair Colour: Black/Dark brown

Eye Colour: Brown

Height: 6′1″

Weight: 163 lbs.

Build: Athletic

Tattoos: Mandarin characters on upper left bicep that means strength, and a symbol line tattoo that means prosperity on his lower right-side torso.

Piercings: N/A, has no piercings

Clothing Style: During the work week on a daily basis, Oliver wears dress shirts, pants, dress coats and jackets to work at City Hall, when not on the clock or on weekends, he can usually be seen more laid-back in plain T-shirts, polos, pullovers, jeans and khakis.

Usual Expression: His regular expression is a pleasant one that renders him approachable and makes others feel at ease.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Bounding stride, infectious laugh, bright smile, attentive eyes.

HEALTH.

Physical Ailments: N/A, none diagnosed or prominent, but he can be notably restless.

Neurological Conditions: N/A

Allergies: Mild environmental as the seasons change.

Sleeping Habits: Oliver tries to ensure he gets adequate sleep regularly, he is an early bird and prefers getting up and going in the morning, but doesn’t hesitate staying up late when he needs to get work done or for a break.  

Eating Habits: Oliver eats healthy regularly, and he has numerous family recipes he has asked his mother for that he has made. Though at the same time, he is a foodie and likes trying all types of cuisine, he’s pretty much a go-to for restaurant or food recommendations amongst the people he knows.

Exercise Habits: Having done soccer and track while going through school, Oliver has kept up with exercise habits and likes going on daily runs and visiting the gym on a regular basis.

Emotional Stability: Oliver is mainly an 8 on the emotional stability scale, it takes a lot for him to lose his cool and can remain level-headed in pretty much any situation, always doing what he can to solve problems. He can be deemed emotions on the sense that he’s an open book mainly and wears his heart on his sleeve, though can become perturbed when thinking about his faults, or when the grief and guilt tends to come over him losing his best friend senior year of college.

Sociability: Oliver is naturally social, and likes being around and speaking to people. Though he also appreciates the little free time that he does have when possible, he’s just not one to like sitting still for long and always likes to be doing something.

Body Temperature: Hot-Natured.

Addictions: None.

Drug Use: Few times in high school and college, not frequent.

Alcohol Use: Socially, knows limits.

fidgety

PERSONALITY.

Label: The Dynamo - a zestful personal who likely has a big personality, they chase their ambitions with full potential of being successful.

Positive Traits: conscientious, benevolent, sharp-witted.

Negative Traits: ambivalent, defensive, headstrong

Goals/Desires: To be happy in life in general, to sort things out in his personal life, to change the world, to be a part of something bigger.

Fears: Failure, losing more loved ones, isolation

Hobbies: Hiking, Traveling, Running, Watching Movies, Brushing up on Foreign Languages, Photography, Reading.

Habits: Foot-tapping, fidgeting, taps pens/pencils, shifts on feet in place, can be easily distracted, doesn’t like staying still in most cases.

FAVOURITES.

Weather: He prefers warm, clear, summer weather, but doesn’t necessarily hate the cold either, is someone that doesn’t mind adapting.

Colour: Green.

Music: Oliver really isn’t too picky with music, what he likes, he likes. He does usually pick up-beat songs for running and working out.

Movies: He is mainly a fan of action and movies based on true stories, his favorites include The Godfather, Saving Private Ryan, The Bourne series, & Forrest Gump.

Sport: Soccer ( used to play growing up), The Olympics.

Beverage: Practically lives on coffee.

Food: Traditional recipes from home & almost anything spicy.

Animal: Tiger.

FAMILY.

Father: Tao Feng, bio-medical researcher

Mother: Lian Feng, speech pathologist

Sibling(s): N/A ( i possibly will add later! )

Children: N/A, currently has no children

Pet(s): N/A, currently has no pets but wants a dog, just is worried about the hours that he works, he wouldn’t be around for it as often as he likes.

Family’s Financial Status: Well-Off

EXTRA.

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

MBTI: ENFP ( extroverted, intuitive, feeling, perceiving )

Enneagram: Type 9: The Mediator

Temperament: Sanguine

Moral Alignment: Neutral Good

Primary Vice: Pride

Primary Virtue: Humility

Element: Air

[meditativeyoga]

Make Everyday Noise a Mindfulness Practice

Everyday sounds could be irritating and disruptive -- or they could offer another automobile for mindfulness.

I began my media profession back in high institution, as DJ Captain Kilowatt on a little Leading 40 rock terminal. For more than 30 years, I have actually delighted in forming music, voices, as well as sound results into engaging broadcasts, but my work has had an unanticipated negative effects: I have actually come to be extra conscious noise than lots of people I know.

Thousands of hrs spent in soundproof studios with sophisticated audio devices believe contributed to my keen understanding of the sea of vibrations through which we swim. Consequently, I connect my ears when motorbikes holler by, I retreat from wailing youngsters, and also loud films make me cringe.

Our world is a noisy area, as well as it's obtaining noisier regularly. Statistics verify what my experience suggests: Individuals have actually ended up being so inured to noise that they are actually injured by it. A testing of concerning 64,000 Americans by the League for the Hard of Hearing discovered that between 1982 and 2000, the occurrence of measurable hearing loss enhanced by 15 to 60 percent, depending on the age team. While this suggests that staying clear of unnecessary noise is a healthy and balanced approach, that's not constantly feasible. In my very own adaptation to this truth, I've found a means to transform uninvited sound right into a welcome benefit.

Once a curse, my acoustic acuity has ended up being an useful gift in my reflection technique. I currently use nonjudgmental hearing as a centerpiece for alert, moment-to-moment perception. I let city noises -- from the snarl of mower to the honking of car horns -- play a function just like that of breath, emotion, believed, as well as bodily experience when I look for one-pointed attention.

In a 1999 dharma talk that was offered at the Barre Center for Buddhist Research studies in Barre, Massachusetts, vipassana meditation educator Christina Feldman explained what might occur when we focus on a solitary things of focus, such as sound. This method of purposeful emphasis, she noted, 'challenges our long-lasting routines of distractedness and grasping.' The obstacle comes from the reality that 'despite our intent to apply and also maintain one-pointedness, the mind proceeds to regurgitate its habitual patterns and come to be lost in its own busy-ness.'

Fortunately, as we enable sounds to flow unblocked with our awareness -- without obtaining attracted into evaluation, judgment, as well as choice -- we can come to be superior at resting steadly through all type of stimulations that might otherwise irritate, distract, or disrupt us.

Tuning In to Awareness

In my own technique, the very first step in operation sound masterfully is just to notice just what I am hearing. This involves taking a complete aural stock. In the exact same means that I bring concentrated recognition to the cycles of breathing in my daily meditation practice, I come to be conscientious to what is jumping off my ears, consisting of lots of sounds which I am typically subconscious. As I slow my mind to listen, each ear imitates a huge antenna, collecting perceptions from close to and also far. I undoubtedly observe that every place has its very own 'audio trademark,' as special as a fingerprint.

At house, I am welcomed by just what knows: a humming refrigerator, the fizz of cars and trucks on a close-by road, a ticking clock, a hissing water heating system, breeze-rustled fallen leaves, and also the skittering of birds or squirrels on my roof covering. In a nearby reflection hall I frequent, these audios are replaced by the drone of airplanes, the whine of alarms, the buzz of fluorescent lamps, smothered voices from an adjacent area, and also the clang of pots in the cooking area. Obviously, I always experience the mundane audios of the human body, from tummy gurgling as well as nose sniffling to throat clearing up and itch scraping. With interest, the ceaseless cavalcade of noises becomes a meditation.

To try this kind of attentiveness on your very own, select a time in the house when you are not likely to be interrupted for a minimum of 20 mins, after that think a comfortable seatsed position. Initially, direct awareness to your breath, adhering to the sensations in your body that accompany the process of breathing. After a couple of mins, deliberately and mindfully change the focus to your sense of hearing. Resisting need to call or get included with the different audios circulating around you, merely examine them. Notification just how some noises develop and also vanish rapidly, or are heard just as soon as, while others are consistent and also recurring. Observe the different qualities each sound displays and the level of your need to associate a noise with a mental image, label, or emotion.

As you listen, cultivate a top quality of separated, choiceless awareness that enables this acoustic mélange to pass easily with your awareness, like a cloud drifting silently with the sky. If you locate that your mind has actually been captured by a specific sound, probably expiring right into a reverie caused by it, note the fact that this has actually occurred and afterwards, without judgment, return to a nonclinging recognition of audio. Throughout your first resting, this noting and also letting go could take place lot of times. With practice, however, the events need to come to be much less constant. The essential point is to come to be mindful of your add-on and also create the capacity to launch it.

Once you have actually experienced 'sound reflection' in the house, experiment with it at other locations, such as your office, health club, or college, or while taking a trip. If you make use of public transportation, attempt this practice while commuting. Urban sounds could be sidetracking initially, however several meditators have actually told me that with time, their connections with sounds that when frustrated them moved significantly. I advise you to explore sound meditation on a routine basis for at the very least a month prior to attracting any type of conclusions concerning your own experience. Consider adding it to the repertoire of techniques that help you create a deeper understanding of your very own consciousness.

Simplicity, Peace, and Poise

This sort of attunement is a helpful discipline at any type of time, so to hone your sensory recognition of the here and now moment. It takes genuine initiative to bring the fresh, alert 'beginner's mind' to prevalent sensory stimulations. That's because the alienation from our bodies that a lot of us feel results, partly, from a well-intended as well as deeply set coping method. Confronted with an incessant parade of acoustic justifications, we often tend to lessen our understanding of daily noises unless something appears out of whack. We make use of numerous psychological tricks to complete this, disregarding the ordinary in order to minimize diversion and minimize irritability.

It's easy, obviously, to persuade ourselves that numerous sounds are obnoxious. I make sure each of us could call some pet peeves. Mine consist of trash vehicles at 5:30 a.m. as well as fallen leave blowers during breakfast. I've learned that the more difficult path is not to measure the worth of such audios, however to approve them in a true spirit of equanimity. This does not necessarily indicate we have neutral feelings about such invasions, instead, it means we are not so purchased our memorizing reactions that we could not separate ourselves from such responses.

The Buddha is stated to have actually educated that the crazy get in touch with the world mostly via their physical detects, whereas the sensible seek to understand the nature of those links. As we expand better, some Buddhist scholars suggest, we might progress able to preserve our inner tranquility as well as peacefulness in the midst of whatever experiences challenge us, including unwanted noise. Rather than being swept away by the raw power of a noise or by our identification with just what we think is wrong with the sound, we discover how to allow those vibrations clean over us without disruption. By doing this, we create a clear hearing of our hearts and also minds.

One of one of the most highly regarded contemporary teachers of yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar, resembled this sentiment when he wrote in his publication Yoga: The Path to All natural Health (DK Publishing, 2001), 'The key purpose of yoga is to restore the mind to simplicity, peace, as well as poise, and also cost-free it from complication as well as distress.' In silent sittinged reflection (dhyana) and observance (niyama), as in our asana technique, we are tested regularly by just what our hearing -- as well as other physical sense -- stirs within us. Bringing mindfulness as well as restriction (yama) to our ears resembles bringing mindful attention to our breath, equilibrium, and muscle mass as we move through asanas. Both methods could end up being cars for establishing the health-promoting qualities of clear recognition and also releasing. Yoga exercise utilizes the term parinamavada to refer to the approval of consistent change that parallels this frame of mind. Yet such equanimity is not conveniently available within any contemplative method if sound features as a display, irritant, or diversion.

The wise poet Rumi talked to the human tendency toward irritability and also interruption in his poem 'Just Breath': 'There is a method between voice as well as presence where details flows./ In disciplined silence it opens./ With wandering talk it closes.' Rumi could not have prepared for the modern-day Tower of Babel that generates consistent discord, yet I believe his injunction to listen attentively would be duplicated with much more emphasis if he still strolled -- as well as listened -- amongst us today.

Richard Mahler is an independent author and also instructor of mindfulness-based tension reduction that splits his time in between Santa Cruz, The golden state, and also Santa Fe, New Mexico. His most recent publication is Stillness: Daily Present of Solitude.

[tertiovitae-blog]

— TASK 001. STATISTICS

BASIC INFORMATION.

Full Name: Simon Chun, as far as federal documentation says.

Nickname(s): Sy, if he has any beyond that, he doesn’t know about them.

Age: 32

Date of Birth: September 22nd, 1986

Hometown: New York, NY

Current Location: Dertosa, CA

Ethnicity: Korean

Nationality: American

Gender: Cismale

Pronouns: He/him

Orientation: Purposefully emotionally unavailable tbqh

Religion: Raised under a Presbyterian mother and an apathetic father. Currently swings between atheism and agnosticism: he’d like to believe there’s some higher power but fails to see much evidence for the presence of one - at least in the form most modern religions teach. There’s no proof in Simon’s eyes of a God that’s both powerful and benevolent. 

Political Affiliation: Independent. Mixed liberal and conservative attitudes. 

Occupation: Former assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, MA, current owner of Pulp Kitchen and Pulp Vintage, his side business in the rare book & documents. PV specializes in early editions, maps, signatures from significant persons predating the 21st century, and the ever-popular vintage movie posters, as well as a few specialized items (architectural blueprints, maps, letters) from Dertosa’s history. Only a handful of these precious items he actually displays: in the very back of the store, close to his office and locked behind a delicate metal gate. Walk-in purchases are not welcome, though interested customers may contact Simon through PV’s website or by phone to make an appointment to examine the collection in person.   

Living Arrangements: The second floor of Pulp Kitchen is dedicated to Simon’s living space, accessed through the stairwell connected to his backroom office, which also empties out into the alley behind PK. He likes the simplicity of an all-in-one building (as well as the feeling of security afforded by elevation and insulation from other people and structures). He’s managed a mish-mash aesthetic of spare industrialism and coziness: exposed brick walls and steel beams, a dark floor but the living room popping with a deep goldrod-yellow carpet and anchored on a large, buttery, reddish leather sofa. There’s a knit throw blanket tossed over the back of just about every seating surface that isn’t the chairs at the kitchen island. All doors are sliding and usually left open for the feeling of greater space. The apartment is blessed with the same wall-to-wall windows of the cafe downstairs and Simon enjoys having his morning coffee with a chair pulled up to them to soak in a little sun and watch the street wake up below. There’s a surprising lack of bookshelves considering the man himself, but less surprising considering the abundance of them downstairs. 

Language(s) Spoken: English, Korean (less frequently than he knows he should). 

Accent: Fairly neutral American, a very clear, well-enunciated way of speaking.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

Face Claim: Steven Yeun

Hair Colour: Black, slightly wavy, usually brushed back or curling over one side of his temple, just a little too short to tuck behind his ears. It tends to not bother him enough that he lets it do what it wants

Eye Colour: Dark brown - call it coffee. 

Height: 5′9

Weight: 145-150 lbs

Build: Closer to slim than wiry or bulked, he pushes himself to stay in shape but he ain’t out to get buff.

Tattoos: N/A

Piercings: N/A

Clothing Style: Man’s got a big spectrum. Take your normal urban book-keep stereotype and add a few more colors and much nicer shoes. Almost always in a collared shirt of some kind, sleeves rolled up above the elbows and leather bracelets on his wrist, or maybe under a well-cut blazer with a discreet watch. You’ll never see Simon in a simple t-shirt if he’s got any choice about it, but at work he’ll range anywhere from this level of fancy jacket to this level of relaxed everything. If he’s going to go casual, it’s definitely in a hoodie with a some kind of weird reference plastered on the front. 

Usual Expression: Neutral and a bit removed, he tends to look ten levels deep in daydreaming even when he’s just sorting shelves or making a cappuccino. There’s pretty clear tells as to whether was he’s thinking is upsetting or pleasant: pinched brows or the smallest upward quirk to his lips.

Distinguishing Characteristics: A rigid scar above his left hip from the struggle three years ago that nearly cost him his life. Simon thanks the bullet scraping his side for giving him the panic-adrenaline to even survive it. A single dimple in his left cheek. Oh -- and we can’t forget the goddamn glasses. He felt like a jackass at first with fake lenses in, but over time he’s learned that they generously contribute to his fulfilling a certain stereotype within this new identity, and he’s now happy to hide behind the thin extra layer of protection granted by longer hair and a useless pair of wire frames. 

HEALTH.

Physical Ailments: None.

Neurological Conditions: His move to Dertosa came with a government-recommended psychologist, though Simon only met with her for a month before dropping out of his appointments with the stubborn belief it was better to take care of himself. There’s a bit of a self-stigma in Simon’s mind regarding mental health: depression and paranoia are emotions from his point of view, not conditions, and he expects himself to manage them like an adult, regardless of whether or not that’s a realistic goal. 

Allergies: Lower level lactose intolerant, but the kind who just pops a lactose pill, says ‘fuck it’, and has his latte anyways.

Sleeping Habits: A pretty solid seven to eight hours a night, in bed before midnight and out before eight 90% of the time. Structure is something Simon actively works for, in the hopes it’ll encourage stability. 

Eating Habits: Somewhat of an accidental vegetarian, his typical diet skirts close, but he lacks the moral rigidity on that particular stance. He’s weak once a really good smell hits his nose, meat be damned. Tries to keep his eating habits as regular as sleep, breakfast is a cup of coffee and any fruit he can grab and take downstairs, lunch is grazed from whatever’s on the menu at PK, dinner thrown together before after seven and before nine, always with some sort of fresh green veg involved. It’s tempting sometimes to revert to old college ramen-and-microwaveables habits, but he’s grudgingly taking care of his body with the full knowledge that the work of cooking is worth pushing him for.

Exercise Habits: Swims laps for an hour and half at the YMCA three times a week and tends to bike or walk for groceries, errands, ect. 

Emotional Stability: Mmmmm, let’s say 6, 7? There’s plenty of emotions tugging at Simon’s sleeve, but he’s simmered down to a more stable center as time has passed and he’s proven to be good for better or for worse at systematically approaching, sorting, and stuffing down what he thinks is useful to acknowledge or not. He purposefully tries to keep away from situations of high emotion, he knows himself well enough to know once he is propelled to extremes, it’s hard to get himself down from them.

Sociability: Simon definitely needs his alone time to refuel and recenter, but he also needs the stimulation of other people or he’d go stircrazy. He keeps an arm’s length, but he’s also too curious about what’s rattling around in other people’s heads to be a true isolationist and can be very warm with the right crowd. It’s a pleasure to have social connections, as long as he can keep the frame of mind that they can only go so far as PK’s front door. 

Body Temperature: Cool-natured, there’s a reason he can get away with wearing suit jackets in summer.

Addictions: Lil bit of a hoarder of sentimental objects. Does not matter is the memory is positive or negative and he doesn’t need to be able to lay eyes on it, just to know it’s within his care.

Drug Use: None.

Alcohol Use: Strictly self-enforced as social. He doesn’t bring booze into his house unless it’s for cooking or a guest. No point in tempting a bad habit.

PERSONALITY.

Label: The Advocate, The Enduring, The Cynical

Positive Traits: driven, educated, perceptive, disciplined, curious, conscientious, discrete, generous, steered by an inner moral code

Negative Traits: dogmatic, detached, stubborn, overly self-reliant, impulsive and bold in matters of principle, deeply buried vulnerability to self-criticism, and the capacity to be truly venomous

Goals/Desires: Stay in his own damn lane while making a life for himself he can actually enjoy. 

Fears: Having to start over again, any form of his past biting him in the ass, having an opportunity to do something just but being rendered unable to because of his situation, forgetting the past.

Hobbies: Cultivating Pulp Vintage’s collection is as much hobby as work, swimming, snapping up new posters for the wall of the cafe, listening to podcasts, reading, handheld puzzles, volunteer work. He hasn’t been back to his self-defense course since his first year in Dertosa but his teacher is slowly attempting to wheedle him back into other classes at the gym. Monthly trips back to Dertosa’s legal indoor gun range to keep himself sharp.

Habits: Cleaning those useless glasses as a way to stall a conversation or action, drumming his fingers, the two-handed mug hold, reading behind the cash register, skimming the paper every day from front to back and impulsively checking the news bar on his phone, covering his mouth with his hand while laughing, doing the lazy half-tuck with a shirt, tapping his foot when he’s jazzed up. 

FAVOURITES.

Weather: Daytime summer rain, that perfect crisp winter day when the air is frosty in his lungs and the ground is coated in snow. Real winter is one of the big things he misses about the Northeast.

Colour(s): Green, blue

Music: He started playing classic jazz/oldies in PK for the sake of that bookshop aesthetic, but he’s gotten genuinely into a lot of it. Nina Simone, Cab Calloway. Longtime listener to The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers. Vivaldi, Andrés Segovia.

Movies: Clever comedies or character studies, psychological thrillers, old Hollywood experimental movies, all the campiest of 80s horror. ‘Nightcrawler’, ‘the Exorcist’, ‘Metropolis’, ‘In the Mood for Love’. 

Sport: Basketball & fencing. He was a pretty damn good at the latter in high school and he’s entirely self-aware of just how pretentious a thing a boarding school fencing team is to be an alumni of.  

Beverage: Water with a few lime slices, sue him for being boring. Guilty pleasure is those stupidly sweet matcha green tea lattes from Starbucks.

Food: Hit him with that spicy shit. Fuck it up with savory flavors. Finish it with good n’ sweet. There’s definitely love for Korean, but he’s big on Thai and Southwestern cuisine as well. 

Animal: Panther. Just about any big cat, tbh.

FAMILY.

Father: Jeong Yung-sik, aka Howard Jeong. Incarcerated since 2003, age 67. Eligible for release 2249. 

Mother: Jeong Su-jin, aka Sujin Jeong. Deceased as of 2015, aged 56. Official cause of death: craniocerebral ballistic trauma aka a gunshot to the head. 

Sibling(s): Jeong Min-chul, aka Erik Jeong. Deceased as of 2002, aged 16. Official cause of death: exsanguination aka prolonged and fatal blood loss.

Children: None, despite liking kids he doesn’t realistically see a future where it’d be wise to have them. 

Pet(s): His cats Darlene and Mister Meowgi have the run of Pulp Kitchen, the first named after a character from Mr. Robot, the second by an ex-girlfriend. The pun stuck; Simon still can’t bring himself to rename him. He had to give up his boxer, Odin, when he moved to Dertosa and he misses that damn dog every day. 

Family’s Financial Status: Raised very upper class, currently a comfortable upper-middle. Technically, he has none of the money left over from his family’s generous supply, but some of his earnings from his work as an ADA came with him to start him off in Dertosa and fund the opening of Pulp Kitchen.

EXTRA.

Zodiac Sign: Virgo - reliable, practical, critical, seeking goodness while expecting disappointment, prone to overthinking

MBTI: INFJ, ‘The Advocate’ - creative, decisive, perfectionistic, incredibly private, “INFJs have strong beliefs and take the actions that they do not because they are trying to advance themselves, but because they are trying to advance an idea that they truly believe will make the world a better place”.

Enneagram: The heart of Enneagram 8 (the Protector) under a strong shield of Enneagram 5 traits (the Observer) - a conflict between the desire to be confrontational and assertive in issues of justice and protecting the weak and the knowledge that oneself is the person who must be protected first, as well as tendencies towards hoarding and intellectual pursuits. 

Temperament: Melancholic - thoughtful, schedule oriented, economical and perceptive, interested in the philosophical and poetic 

Moral Alignment: Neutral Good - belief in the intrinsic rights of all beings, drive to help the innocent, desire for justice but a willingness to defy the law and do usually immoral things in order to see that justice happens

Primary Vice: Wrath

Primary Virtue: Charity

Element: Water - evolving, inward, empathetic

[xshamarahx-blog]

Cricket Further than The Boundary

Cricket - Beyond the Boundary

Cricket can be a activity that had its origins in England. Since the British Empire prolonged its suzerainty in excess of territories the world over, cricket began to be performed from the colonies of England also. Now, cricket is a global game that is certainly played in a few 16 nations across the globe. Cricket is often nicknamed a 'gentleman's video game' nevertheless initially, ahead of cricket turned preferred, it had been a match which was performed predominantly by Females and children within the country where by it originated.

Gentleman's Sport?

Several think that the phrase 'gentleman's sport' is really a misnomer for cricket. What Together with the Aussies finding racial and sledging non-white gamers and gamers, usually, hurling abuses at umpires, cricket is rapidly falling from its exalted pedestal of becoming a match just for polite and civilized gentlemen. But nonetheless, the label 'gentleman's recreation' fits cricket a lot better than it satisfies soccer, which, In keeping with lots of, is the planet's most beloved 'ruffians' video game'. (Football, naturally, has not ever been identified as a 'gentleman's recreation'.) In addition to, with A growing number of Girls deciding on cricket as their vocation, It will be positively sexist to state that cricket is really a 'gentleman's sport'.

A Sport that Unites

Cricket is much more than a activity. It is a good unifying drive. When Indian and Pakistani players shake hands or slap each other's backs during or perhaps following a cricket match, the gestures are effective at bringing tears towards the eyes of the hardest of hardliners and fundamentalists. When unique nations started enjoying cricket with South Africa after South Africa publicly proclaimed its repudiation in the contemptible apartheid, a legalized practice of racial discrimination and ostracism carried out through the whites of South Africa in opposition to the blacks of the nation, it was a pink-letter working day in the historical past of cricket that bowled All people over.

With the advent in the Indian Leading League (IPL), cricket has obtained completely new Proportions. Just one IPL crew is actually a melting pot of cultures and mores with Indian, Australian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, English, South African, West Indian players taking part in in it coupled with gamers from other cricketing nations. Gamers who normally performed versus one another and who have been thought of as archrivals and opponents now Enjoy together for the same staff, forsaking their prejudices and dislikes. As boundaries of language, race and tradition vanish with camaraderie amongst newfound teammates, cricket gains a fresh and interesting encounter with every single passing working day.

It's actually not Cricket. Or could it be?

It remains the usual cricket but it has certainly long gone further than cricket. The sport has gone through A serious facelift in the last few a long time. Though 5-day exam matches are still revered, They can be out of vogue, as they final for 5 days and are typically dull. Most cricket maniacs look forward to 1-Working day Internationals (ODIs) in order to enjoy the highs and lows of the game in only one day. But ODIs too have lost their charm in the deal with of stiff Competitiveness from the Twenty20s (T20s). Cricket, It appears, is adapting by itself towards the periods to cater into the desires of impatient, frenzied lovers. Sure, you could be operate out while in the race to seize tickets, but modern-day cricket will definitely provide you with a run for your hard earned money, even if you enjoy the match on television.

Buying Cricket

Cricket, at present, is regarded as a greenfield chance for businesspeople, a fantastic investing floor that could produce terrific returns. Several real athletics aficionados think that cricket is becoming also commercial to remain a hearty recreation anymore. But several Other individuals feel that the 'enterprise' of cricket is in fact performing a lot of fantastic to the game. Putting authentic revenue into cricket is actually assisting to propagate cricket, they are saying. Genuine. Take a look at many of the other video games like hockey, polo, badminton, athletics, and so forth. with the Indian subcontinent. They're inside of a sorry condition and therefore are stagnating as a result of dearth of finances.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has turned the cricket industry into a gold mine. Superstars, actors, and business magnates are all queuing up to get and provide players like curios at an auction, to sponsor groups and matches and to generate significant bucks. Tycoons are battling desperately for the most huge-ticket players, creating their bids shockingly superior, before the hammer arrives banging down. The stakes are extremely significant in cricket nowadays. When winners are eulogized by their owners, losers are disowned and offered off speedily. Identical to what takes place within the commodities industry!

Can a Manufacturer Ambassador be Termed a Cricketer?

Nearly all leading-rated cricket gamers have performed endorsements for products at some point or the opposite in their lives. Cricket is just not a very having to pay sport. Not less than, It's not very purchasing the best cricketers of the world, who may have lavish existence. Performing endorsements is the sole way for them to take care of their opulent ways of living. Some of these commercials can really get you stumped out. This can be specifically The main reason why Entrepreneurs use cricketers. When you see your preferred cricketer on another pitch, exhibiting or patronizing a quick-moving-purchaser-excellent (FMCG), you may perhaps actually be prompted to use the identical solution, you. So, cricketers are an excellent medium for businesses for getting their messages throughout as they make outstanding brand name ambassadors.

Adverts have their flip side also. Quite a few gamers have already been accused of constructing an excessive amount money via commercials only...and far too very little by way of cricket. They've slipped around the pitch, even though their revenue pitch has long been good. They have often been run out on the field whilst the commercials they've showcased in have offered viewers and advert companies a operate for their dollars. As their lender balances have grown fatter and fatter through model endorsements, they are actually dubbed as wicked and greedy people who are only interested in cash and not in the game or its spirit.

Match Correcting

Wickedness in cricket was at its pinnacle through the match-repairing yrs. Speaking about it in past times tense indicates that The author sincerely hopes that match repairing definitely belongs for the past. During this tragic interval, cricketers bought their match, on their own and their international locations to bookies and Many others so as to make some speedy bucks. It was a shame! The sheer quantities of players who got caught out for this sordid affair proved that cricket was without a doubt bitten because of the devil himself. Wicked gamers would deliberately place their legs ahead of the wicket to be able to be out. Sides and groups would reduce matches and tournaments purposely due to the fact just one reduction was considerably more rewarding to them when compared to the prize funds from just one victory. Cricket, international locations and loyalties had been traded freely for difficult dollars. Cricket has never compensated as terribly as you may think it has from your episodes of match fixing. It was not The shortage of money that drove cricketers to fix matches. It had been avarice that drove them. Greed to mint and hoard dollars by hook or by criminal. Although they got out for ducks each morning and broke the hearts of devoted fans, they had been possibly congratulating themselves on the quantity of roast ducks they might have at the very best hotels with their pals that extremely night.

This is de facto Not Cricket

Gossip columns in newspapers and Journals have sizzled with salacious tidbits from the personal lives of cricketers. Although some cricketers similar to the unwavering Sachin Tendulkar are focused on the game, other cricketers have other dedications Moreover cricket. It would demand a entire ebook to doc all their passions, which are occasionally pretty immoral and unpalatable to take a look at. However, you have the which means...? Late night functions at inns, beverages, involvement with the alternative intercourse.....So, who wins at the toss the following early morning? Not cricket. Cricket goes for the toss whilst the excesses of lifestyle supplant it. The player goes back again into the pavilion, not together with his head down correctly, but along with his arrogant head held substantial. He heads straight for the bar as well as arms of probably the most despicable member of the opposite sexual intercourse. But this kind of players have never been able to make or split documents. It's only conscientious, earnest, and dedicated players like Sachin Tendulkar that have designed data and broken records.

Cricket Performs an incredible Innings and Remains 'Not Out'

Yet, cricket continues to hold sway over present and past cricketers and in excess of A huge number of spectators with its inherent magic. A single 4 and the stadium, whether it's Centurion, Lord's or Eden, arrives crashing with applause. One 6 in addition to a terminally sick affected person viewing the match from his or her dwelling, breaks right into a smile. A century and an entire country cheers and shouts forgetting all distinctions of caste, creed, race, gender. He may not raise a finger to trends help Engage in the game but the moment he raises his index finger into the air, the umpire results in a rustic to burst with joy. Although thunder and lightning can end the sport and force individuals to thrash out Duckworth Lewis, thunderous clapping is sure to be listened to, once the sport resumes.

Cricket can be a sport, a video game that enchants hearts. Cricket matches will get really remarkable and put persons on tenterhooks. In the future Internationals and Twenty20s can really give you a coronary heart attack In case your ticker is not much too strong to face up to the scares and exhilarations of the game. Cricket is often made use of to make ties in between nations, to patch-up hostilities, for forging new bilateral and multilateral relations. Cricket binds and joins; it provides solidarity, and breaks the ice. Cricket is capable of adjusting relations between countries and international equations. Cricket transcends all boundaries. Howzat for just a game that experienced its origins inside of a grammar school of the obscure English village?

[interfaithconnect]

does skihi welcome non-punjabi (white) converts? from the little knowledge i have it seems like it's very much a culture of it's own and i would never want to force my way into a space where i'm not welcome

Sat Sri Akal, anon! 🙏 We’re really excited about this question! Sorry it took a while for us to get back to you, but we’re both busy university students and your question is so important that we felt we couldn’t rush a response.

To answer your question, you are absolutely welcome in Sikhi! Anyone who sincerely wishes to become a Sikh is welcomed with warmth, joy, and love into the Panth (the collective body of all Sikhs). Although we are frequently mistaken for an ethnoreligious group, Sikhs readily accept any human being. We believe that Sikhi is Nanak’s gift to the entire world, and that there is room enough in Sikhi for all. There is no process of conversion or initiation; as soon as you accept the teachings of the Gurus, you have become a Sikh. It sounds like you are one already!

The Sikh legal code, the Rehat Maryada, defines a Sikh as follows, specifying that “any human being” is welcome:

“A Sikh is any human being who faithfully believes in:

1. One Infinite Divinity;2. Ten Human Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh;3. Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Eleventh, Eternal Living Guru;4. The words, teachings, and deeds of every Guru equally; and5. The baptism of Amrit Sanchar given at the blessing of Guru Gobind Singh.”

What you are noticing is that, demographically, the majority of Sikhs are Punjabi. There are many reasons for this. Punjab was the birthplace and cradle of the Sikh faith, and because Sikhs do not proselytize or seek out converts (i.e., converts must look for Sikhi, not the other way around), most Sikhs today are Punjabi. Furthermore, due to historic persecutions and genocides of Sikhs, Sikhi has been suppressed and stifled for many centuries, limiting its opportunities to spread on a larger, global scale. Widespread conversions to Sikhi in a truly global sense are a relatively new phenomenon, brought about by the sustained efforts of the Punjabi Sikh diaspora and the rise of the age of digital communications. The increasing diversity of the Panth is universally seen as a boon for the future of Sikhi, and all converts, Punjabi or not, are celebrated and respected.

Non-Punjabi Sikhs have been welcomed into the faith since its very inception. During his udasis, Guru Nanak gathered followers from all over South Asia and the Middle East, and communities of non-Punjabi Sikhs such as Afghan Sikhs and Kashmiri Sikhs still survive from these earliest years of the Sikh faith. Wherever he went, Guru Nanak preached his universal message of love, compassion, and universal siblinghood:

“No one is my enemy, no one is a foreigner. There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim; with all I am at peace. God within us renders us incapable of hate and prejudice.”

Places visited by Guru Nanak during his travels. Historic Gurdwaras stand in dozens of these locations, even in places where large Sikh communities are no longer thriving.

Sikhs carry these teachings to heart, and welcome any convert into the Panth without regard to race, ethnicity, nationhood, gender, sexuality, age, ability, or any other axis of division. Anyone who visits a Sikh Gurdwara (place of worship), Sikh or not, is invited to sit with the congregation to enjoy langar, free food prepared by the congregation, and given karah parshad as a gesture of friendship and equality. By the same token, Sikhs recognize each other as siblings in faith, and the intimate bonds of shared belief between Sikhs are far more important than bonds of blood. For centuries, Sikhi has been built on a philosophy of tearing down walls, building bridges between people, and recognizing the superficiality of difference.

ਹਿੰਦੂ ਤੁਰਕ ਕੋਊ ਰਾਫਜੀ ਇਮਾਮ ਸਾਫੀ ਮਾਨਸ ਕੀ ਜਾਤਿ ਸਭੈ ਏਕੈ ਪਾਹਿਚਾਨਬੋ ॥ਦੇਹਰਾ ਮਸੀਤ ਸੋਈ ਪੂਜਾ ਔ ਨਿਵਾਜ ਓਈ ਮਾਨਸ ਸਭੈ ਏਕ ਪੈ ਅਨੇਕ ਕੋ ਭ੍ਰਮਾਉ ਹੈ ॥

Someone is a Hindu and someone a Muslim, then someone a Shia, someone a Muslim. Recognize the whole of the human race as one. The temple and the mosque are the same; there is no difference between a Hindu worship and a Muslim prayer. All human beings are the same, though they may appear different. - Sri Dasam Granth, page 51

Because Sikhi so strongly emphasizes the concepts of unity and togetherness, we do have a strong sense of Sikh identity and “we”-feeling. Sikhs emphasize the importance of history and struggle, and share a sense of united purpose and progression through time. We often speak of ourselves as “the Sikhs”, and speak of a “Sikh people”; this sense of unique peoplehood can be mistaken for ethnocentrism. In truth, Sikhs define their relationships with one another by belief, not blood, and anyone who follows the Sikh way of life has access to that shared history and peoplehood.

The myth of Sikh ethnocentrism is certainly aided by the relative homogeneity of Sikh demography, mentioned above, but its widespread origins are a vestige of British colonialism. The British Empire mistook the “peoplehood” of the Sikhs for a literal race, and labeled Sikhs as a “tribe of Hindoos.” The British also promoted the concept of martial races, and viewed the military history of the Sikhs as a sign of a “racial disposition” towards hypermasculinity and militarism. Among the many consequences of this legacy has been widespread misinformation; even in academic literature written by non-Sikhs, Sikhi is still sometimes mischaracterized as an ethnic religion.

But even despite the universal message of Sikhi and its welcoming of all people, it can’t be denied that there is an intimate relationship between Sikhi and Punjab. Punjab was the birthplace and cradle of the Sikh faith. Punjab was home to all of the Sikh Gurus. It is where the majority of historic Sikh monuments and holy sites are found, including the Golden Temple and three of the Five Thrones. It is the region where most of the most important moments in Sikh history unfolded. Of the twenty-two languages of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Punjabi is among the most prominent. All of Sikh scriptures are written in Gurmukhi, the writing system devised by Guru Angad to write the Punjabi language. Sikhi is not a “Punjabi religion”, but Punjab is nonetheless its bedrock. Punjabi or not, all Sikhs harbor a deep admiration, love, and respect for Punjab for the immense history it represents for the Sikh faith.

Some converts, unfortunately, mistake love for the Sikh history of Punjab for permission to act in appropriative and outright racist ways. This is especially common among white American Sikh converts who came to the Panth during the “counterculture” movement of the 60s and 70s, most of them brought in by Yogi Bhajan. Both Mod Lily and Mod Jas are critical of many practices common among these converts which fail to respect the difference between Sikh practice and Punjabi culture. There’s a great deal of overlap between the two: many aspects of Sikh practice are derived from Punjabi tradition, such as the celebration of Vaisakhi, originally a Punjabi harvest festival which has been reframed into a Sikh religious context. However, aspects of Punjabi culture which have no relevance to Sikh practice have been appropriated by many white Sikhs, such as white Sikhs using Punjabi music, dance, fashion, dress, and other cultural elements for decorative and aesthetic purposes. Practices such as setting sacred Sikh hymns to Punjabi bhangra music fail to respect the difference between genuine devotion and using Sikhi as an excuse to appropriate Punjabi culture.

Along the same vein, we are also critical of the shallowness in understanding and practice of many white Sikhs. There is a tendency for many such Sikhs to conflate Sikhi with a broad, generic, and manufactured idea of “Eastern mysticism”. Kundalini Yoga, for instance, is not Sikh in origin, and its supposed benefits focus on concepts of “mind powers”, “third eyes”, and “aligning energies” — mystic, Yogic concepts which play a minor role in Sikh theology and practice, if at all. We are also critical of the tendency for many white Sikhs to “neuter” the political provocativeness of the Sikh faith. Sikhi is not a pacifist religion, and its inherently political theology promotes activism, protest, and direct action against hegemonic social powers. Sikhi is fundamentally provocative and antagonistic towards white supremacy, yet certain white Sikhs have conveniently ignored the radical political teachings of the Gurus in their practice.

From your question, though, it sounds like you’re conscientious of these issues. If you’re the kind of person to take genuine consideration of racial issues in Sikhi, and go out of your way to ask if your conversion would be encroachment, then you’re probably not the kind of Sikh we’re talking about. Many white Sikhs join Sikhi for the wrong reasons, but anyone who joins for the right reasons is met with nothing but profound welcoming, affirmation, generosity and community. If you are joining Sikhi because you believe in the Guru’s message of tearing down walls, universal love, charity and justice, and compassion towards all of humanity, then you are doing it for the right reasons, and the Panth embraces you with love and joy.

P.S.: For what it’s worth, Mod Lily is a white Sikh convert herself. Mod Jas is a mixed Punjabi-Persian Sikh, and her Persian family and ancestors have been Sikhs for centuries.

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ, ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ ।Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

- Mod Lily and Mod Jas

[72823-blog]

The Budget Traveler's Guide to Akihabara Shopping

So you've made it to Japan and are speeding to Akihabara via train, raring to get your hands on some otaku goods. Unfortunately, you've pretty much blown your money already on the plane ticket and hotel. Uguu~ doushiyou~?

Don't fret! If you have the knowhow to make the most of your yen, you'll be more than capable of acquiring a formidable haul for yourself, and be a courteous customer all the while. Here's a guide with some tips to make you a battle-ready smart shopper before you head to the fated Denki-gai / Electric Town station exit.

Note: Japanese phrases will be Romanized if they're primarily encountered in speech, and written out in kanji / kana if it's helpful to know how to read them.

Etiquette and Common Sense

First and foremost, you need to know the rules of engagement so as not to step on any toes (literally or figuratively) during your time in Akihabara.

"Remember your please and thank you." At a minimum, add these handy phrases to your Japanese vocabulary: onegaishimasu ("please," use as you bring your purchases to the counter); arigatou gozaimasu ("thank you," use anywhere it makes sense); shitsureishimasu ("excuse me," use to get someone's attention if you're moving past them, etc); sumimasen ("sorry," use if you accidentally bump into someone, knock something over, etc).

Whether driving or walking in Japan, stick to the left side. This is particularly important in the cramped stairs and walkways in Akiba's numerous shops, and helps everyone navigate around quickly and smoothly.

Be aware of your surroundings. Make room for people to move past, especially in tight areas (in return, most Akihabara-goers will make room for you even if they just hear your footsteps). Watch your back, especially if you're wearing a backpack, so you don't knock over sometimes precariously stacked items.

Be conscientious about photo and video. Lots of spots will have signs forbidding camera use, so keep an eye out for when it is or isn't okay. Also, people in Japan are sometimes less comfortable with being in a stranger's pictures and video than Western cultures are used to, so snap politely.

Refrain from phone calls and loud conversations while indoors; even if you're not called out for it, it can really annoy people.

Put items that you take out of their shelves back into the same spot, as best you can. Store inventory is usually sorted within shelves, not just by obvious details like author or price, but oftentimes by other factors such as genre, subject matter, and event of release (e.g. Comiket, M3)

There are these neat little trays at many shop registers that you put your payment (cash or card) into. It's polite to use the tray, and can make it easier to deal with small change to boot!

Save the unboxing for later! It might be tempting to open up the limited edition Magical Salaryman Daigorou BD with oppai mousepad that you just dropped mad yenzz for right outside the store, but hold off until you're back at the hotel.

Bargain-Hunting General Tips

Thanks for listening to my nagging. Now onto the fun stuff!

Bring cash! Not all stores will support your credit card, and those that do might incur a foreign transaction fee (look at the terms of your card to make sure). Cash is also a good way to place a hard cap on spending and keep you to your budget!

Pay very close attention to store signage! Large-scale discount and sales events will be announced with banners and bright colors, but not all deal will be announced with that level of fanfare. Keep an eye out for bundle discounts, price drops, and special items (特典, "tokuten," items that you claim at the register in addition to the item you purchase). Almost every store will have some kind of promotion active at any one time.

On a similar note, many stores have sections dedicated to lower-priced items, usually due to excess stock, older age, or being pre-owned. And it's not like these are bottom-of-the barrel goods either; these items are more often than not high quality stuff that gets moved out of the way for a near-constant stream of new arrivals. I've seen new, unopened games only 6 months old get discounted down 50%, and full volumes of manga just a couple years old dropped down from 600円 to a stunning 100円 a book. For the budget-conscious buyer, the low-price sections of Akihabara's stores is where the magic happens!

I mentioned before that store inventories are usually sorted in some way or another. If you're looking to buy something particular, it's a huge time-saver to scan through the shelves and find out the logic behind the organization, which is sometimes not explicitly labeled. For example, Toranoana's music CD section has signs letting you know it's organized by circle name. Some of the store's doujinshi shelves are organized the same exact way, but might not tell you.

Store layouts will often accommodate the most recent media market event, such as Comitia for manga, M3 for music, and Comiket for pretty much everything. These nicely-made displays are the place to go if you're looking to splurge on a long-awaited release by your favorite artists! Otherwise, you'll find most savings and discounts beyond these shelves.

A little Japanese language goes a long way. Here are some words to look out for, especially in store signage:

¥ / 円. Yen, pronounced "en." Prices are formatted like ¥1000 or 1000円.

万 Stands for 10,000. 3万円 equals 30,000 yen. Not used often.

Item counters. 本 for thick books, 冊 for thin ones (like magazines or doujinshi), 枚 for flat items such as DVDs, CDs, and games. Very helpful for deciphering common discounts such as "5枚 －＞ 20%ＯＦＦ！"

中古, or more simply 古, indicates used items, most likely at a deep discount! Notes such as damage and used-up redemption codes will be written on the label, and you can bring it to the counter if you have questions.

一般 "general," as in "for general audiences." 成年 "adult," as in "for adults only." If buying items marked with the latter, you could be asked to confirm your age ("nenrei") is over 18, in which case any license with your date of birth will do.

ポイントカード "pointo kaado" for "point card." A store-specific card that acts sort of like a store membership. You can apply for one if you foresee making frequent purchases at a location, given you can overcome the language gap. However, point cards aren't mandatory for purchases and you'll also be fine without one; if you're asked at the register whether you have one, a simple "iie" or head-shake will do the job.

Geography and Store Selection

The majority of the Denki-gai is centered around two strips of buildings around a single, central street. It's right next to the JR station and hard to get lost!

Prices can vary greatly across stores! If you find something you like at a price you don't, hold off on the purchase and check out other stores. That same item might just pop up again at a better price! However, certain items are priced according to their suggested retail price no matter where they're sold: this is very common for new releases of manga, books, and games.

Be careful in stores that overtly advertise themselves as being tourist-friendly or multilingual. Many are totally harmless, honest businesses, but certain shops will mark up their prices to a premium, at worst being unreasonably expensive. The most unscrupulous variety will sell fake, lower quality products (this is especially dangerous for electronics!). Saddening that I have to warn you about this, but it is what it is.

You might have noticed that some stores have multiple Akihabara locations, sometimes just a couple hundred feet from each other (Toranoana, Sofmap, and Trader are just a few examples). The inventories and product categories featured will be very different, with the only major overlap being the most popular items. It's worth exploring each one!

Some stores will span a whole 6+ floors with specialized categories for each level, while others are tiny single-floor affairs that can be easy to miss. For example, there's an itty-bitty Melonbooks located underground down an unassuming flight of stairs, and a doujinshi-focused Toranoana on the third floor above a completely different shop! If you're having a hard time finding out where a particular store is located, there's usually some signage outside that will point you in the right direction.

If you have time, wander off the main street! Otherwise, you might miss gems like the utterly massive Bookoff (where I found shelf after shelf of 100円 manga).

Details, Quirks, and Miscellanea

Most stores in the Electric Town will open at 10 or 11 AM. Closing times vary, but you can expect 90% of stores to be open until 8 PM, with 10-11 PM being a very standard closing time.

Make sure to purchase your items on the same floor you find them stocked! If there is no register that floor, go to the register on the closest floor to you.

Don't worry about bringing bags to carry your purchases, stores will bag your items at the register, and will give you a large bag to carry multiple smaller ones, even if they're from other stores!

Yes, it's normal for some shops to tape your bags closed or use two bags to obscure the contents; it's for privacy's sake. No, you won't look like a criminal on the train back.

Paper-bound items will usually have a sample copy at the very top/front of the stack, which you can use to preview the work. Make sure to buy a normal copy!

Trading-card shops will sometimes have placeholder items in their shelves. Take the desired number of each to the front counter and you can exchange them for the real deal.

Another trading-card tip: sometimes the cashier will ask you if you have a proper deck ("dekki") for the TCG in question. They're just making sure you're not mistakenly buying a booster pack as opposed to a starter!

Similarly, when buying older games, particularly for PC, the cashier might ask to ensure your home system has the right specs ("spekku") to play it.

Shop staff will often greet customers with "irasshaimase" (welcome), if you're wondering what they're saying every time someone walks in.

Prepare your legs for a lot of walking and stair-climbing. Like, a LOT. Before my second trip to Akihabara I did leg workouts in preparation, I kid you not.

And that's all I got. If it sounds helpful to y'all I might add a store-specific guide in the future, for those looking for a specific category of goods to buy. For now, I hope this guide has been of some use. Best of luck out there.

[ciathyzareposts]

Challenge of the Five Realms: Summary and Rating

Notice how the box has little scenes from each of the five realms.

             Challenge of the Five Realms: Spellbound in the World of Nhagardia

United States MicroProse (developer and publisher, under its Microplay label)

Released 1992 for DOS

Date Started: 2 November 2019

Date Ended: 31 December 2019

Total Hours: 35

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate (2.5/5)

Final Rating: (to come later)

Ranking at time of posting: (to come later)

Summary:

Challenge of the Five Realms is a plot-heavy axonometric title set on the flat world of Nhagardia. A prince must race against a creeping darkness to retrieve the five crowns of Nhagardia’s five kingdoms (human, gnome, elf, fish-man, and effete flying man), whose leaders have been killed by the mysterious, demonic Grimnoth. The game is as full-featured as anything in 1992, with animated cut scenes and voiced digital dialogue at the beginning and end. There are hundreds of NPCs, dozens of side quests, and a book’s worth of dialogue. Many of the NPCs may join the party, which maxes at 10. The tactical combat system works relatively well. But the game lacks in other key role-playing areas, particularly character development. *****

Challenge of the Five Realms is easily the best game from the team that previously created the Paragon Software adaptations of Games Designers’ Workshop (GDW) titles, including the two MegaTraveller games, Space 1889, and Twilight: 2000. This suggests that either the GDW games were fertile practice ground or the development team did better without GDW fetters, or perhaps both.

However, Challenge is far from a perfect title, and at least one of its weaknesses was seen likewise in the GDW adaptations: almost no character development. Characters enter the party as full adults with long careers behind them. You may choose, keep, or reject them because of their attributes and skills, but you don’t expect those attributes and skills to get better during the game–at least not in any consistent, understandable way. Some skills increase not at all, a few increase by 3 or 4 points, and a couple increase by 50 points. That’s a Paragon game if I ever heard one.

It’s too bad because the game is quite strong on other RPG mechanics, including combat and side quests, but Challenge really drives home how an RPG player like me only cares about those things in the context of character development. Take away the reward, and I don’t really care if the old woman gets her wedding ring back or not. The economy and inventory systems are likewise a bit of a mess, meaning that not even they compensate for a lack of intrinsic character development.

There are a few other flaws that don’t entirely cripple the game but come close. The time limit is employed badly. The limit itself is fairly generous, and it’s hard to imagine a moderately conscientious player running afoul of it. The problem is that the “creeping darkness” slowly eats the map from the bottom up, so that your time constraints are a lot more urgent for the locations in the south The various towns and castles in Nhagardia are all interesting in appearance and character, and it’s a shame to have to rush through them. It’s equally a shame to reduce replayability by forcing the player to prioritize the southern locations; without the “creeping darkness,” the game would be satisfyingly non-linear.            

What happens if you miss the time limit.

            I have a feeling that this is going to GIMLET in the extremes, with several high scores and several low scores.

1. Game World. The setting, backstory, and plot are all strong. I like the way that each kingdom has its own character, and the people have their own values. In the human kingdom, each town and castle has its own story to impart. I love the slow reveal of the depth of Clesodor’s evil. The twists at the end didn’t do as much for me, but at least they brought the whole thing to a proper conclusion. Someone really wrote this one. Score: 7.                 

Grimnoth lays out the charges against my father. All of this was unknown at the beginning of the game.

             2. Character Creation and Development. If the old Paragon develops should have kept anything from their GDW experience, it was the Traveller-style character creation process that puts the character through a wringer of training and experience before shoving him out the door and into your party. Instead, the authors opted for an Ultima IV-style process of answering role-playing questions to determine the main character’s starting skills and attributes. Other characters come as they are.

Unfortunately, where the creators’ GDW experience comes through the most is in the lack of character development. No explanation is given for why some skills (“Learn Spells,” “Bargaining”) increase steadily with use while others (including all the combat skills) don’t increase at all. It is a depressing oversight that nearly strips the game of its RPG credentials entirely. Score: 2.             

Chesotor ended the game hardly better than where he started.

          3. NPCs. Challenge undoubtedly offers more NPC speech than any previous game. It isn’t quite “dialogue,” though. Except for a small number of yes/no responses, the game speaks for the characters, and thus the NPCs’ speeches are more like information dumps than anything approaching “role-playing.” Beyond that, the attention to NPC characterization is excellent, as is the general quality of the text.

Even more fun is the sheer number of NPCs who will join your quest. You have a generous party size (10) and at least three times that number of potential members, including the novel idea of “grouped” party members. For the first time that I remember in RPG history, your NPC companion have bits of banter as you enter areas, talk to other NPCs, and solve quests. My only complaint is that dismissed companions utterly disappear from the game instead of going back to where you acquired them (or to a central location). Score: 6.          

The NPCs in this game were interesting, but man did they have a lot to say.

         4. Encounters and Foes. Weak again. Almost all of the combat foes are people, with very little to distinguish them or to change player tactics. There are no puzzles beyond simple inventory puzzles. However, the game does excel in what I call “contextual encounters.” Nhagardia is not a land swarming with monsters that you must mindlessly kill; every combat is set in a context, usually with some preceding dialogue, so you always know who you’re fighting and why. Score: 3.

5. Magic and Combat. Ironically, the old Paragon team finally fielded a decent combat system in a game that only has about a dozen battles. It’s hard to characterize the exact nature of the system. It looks somewhat like “real-time with pause” except that it only appears “real-time” and there are actually turns at fixed intervals behind the scenes. Either way, whether the player micromanages the combat by issuing new orders every round or just relies on “quick combat,” the mechanics and tactics are generally satisfying.

Spells are another matter. The spell system is primarily used for puzzle-solving (woe is the character who lacks “Truth,” in particular) and travel. Combat spells are a bit under-developed. There are no area-effect spells and only a couple of buffing spells. Magic depletes so quickly that you can only cast a few spells in any given combat anyway, which makes it jarring to have so many endgame enemies that don’t respond to physical weapons. Again, the developers’ lack of experience (none of the GDW properties were fantasy RPGs) shows here. Score: 4.            

Fighting some peregrines.

         6. Equipment. Another weak area. The game has slots for a lot of different equipment types, but I only ever found a few rings, one item of headwear, and a couple of pairs of boots. There are maybe three magic items to find during your adventures, but beyond that the roster of weapons and armor is no different than the starting store in a typical D&D-derived game. Score: 2.

7. Economy. The economy is so favorable to the player that I think it might be bugged. From the moment the game began, I spent blithely whenever anyone asked for money, and I never seemed to lack any. Of course, there isn’t a lot to spend money on. All shops of the same type sell the same things, and you can get most of your equipment in the starting castle. Score: 2.

8. Quests. If you can say one thing for the Paragon team, they’re one of the only groups of developers in this period that truly understands “side quests.” Every map area has a bunch of Joe Commoners with their own problems that they’re hoping that the characters will solve. These side quests are rewarded with gold, spell reagents, equipment, and the availability of new NPCs. Some of the quests even have multiple options for ending them, usually favoring one town faction over another.

Meanwhile, the main quest and its various stages are equally compelling. An open question is whether it would be possible to complete the game by murdering each king for his crown. Score: 6.

9. Graphics, Sound, and Interface. The graphics are very good for the era, and I particularly like the title cards that precede each map. Sound effects, on the other hand, are a bit too sparse. There are no background sounds, and only the occasional effect during combat.

The interface is horrid. Keyboard backups for the most common commands don’t help much when you have to move exclusively with the mouse. The process of hailing and talking to NPCs is needlessly complex and inconsistent. After 35 hours, I still can’t give a good account of it. Sometimes, you have to both “Hail” and “Speak” and other times you just seem to have to walk near an NPC to get him to start talking. Sometimes, the speech cursor remains active and you can keep clicking on other NPCs, and sometimes you have to start over. Sometimes dialogue exits on its own and sometimes there seems to be no way to exit. Once or twice, I literally had to reload the game.           

The multiple inventory screens added needless complexity to what should have been a simple process.

          The inventory interface is also needlessly cumbersome. The idea of a single chest shared by all characters is great. Beyond that, each character simply needed an individual “wearable” inventory. Instead, each character has his own pouch, backpack, and non-specific “inventory” space in addition to the wearable inventory and collective chest. Also, the process of removing and replacing things in the chest could have been quicker. The interface issues were so consistently annoying that they weaken the entire category score despite the good graphics. Score: 2.

10. Gameplay. As previously discussed, the game would be wonderfully non-linear if the team hadn’t forced the player to prioritize the southern locations. Even with that weakness, there’s still a lot of non-linearity to the game, which enhances its replayability. The length and challenge are about right. We thus finish on a strong category with only minor complaints. Score: 7.

The final score thus adds up to 41, well above the “recommended” threshold. I thought it would out-perform all of the Paragon games, but it turns out I gave the same score to MegaTraveller 2, which had many of the same strengths and weaknesses.

I don’t know what was happening at Computer Gaming World in the fall of 1993, but the lukewarm review (by Gordon Goble, who I’ve never seen before) is the worst one that I’ve seen in the magazine since its first few issues. It’s like it didn’t even pass the eyes of an editor. (Among other things, Goble makes reference to “Darth Vadar.”) It’s full of pretentiousness, non-sequiturs, dumb jokes, senseless allusions, and tired cliches. He spends several paragraphs complaining that he attacked some random NPC, and that NPC turned out to be harder to defeat than would make sense. His concluding paragraph references “inadequate beta testing” and “a certain awkwardness to gameplay” that aren’t justified by any of his previous text. Gods know what editor was asleep at the wheel for this one, but I certainly hope this is the last we’ll see of this writer.

There must have been something in the water that month, because Dragon magazine’s three-star pan is equally baffling in different ways. The author’s enjoyment is far too influenced by what he or she sees as plot holes (“Why the evil fellow simply can’t take the crown after he kills the king makes no sense”), as if any fantasy RPG of the period holds up to the most cursory plot scrutiny.

As we previously covered, Challenge was the first RPG from the old Paragon Software team after the company was acquired my MicroProse. The team included Marc Miller, F. J. Lennon, Paul M. Conklin, and Quinno Martin. For some members, this was their last RPG. Others contributed to MicroProse’s BloodNet (1993), which uses a similar interface, before leaving MicroProse for Take-Two Interactive. BloodNet will be our last MicroProse title and the last of the Paragon legacy. Hopefully, by then I’ll have been able to get in touch with one of the team’s principal developers and get some insight as to why this series, though innovative, always slightly missed the mark.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/challenge-of-the-five-realms-summary-and-rating/

[saleshoesggdb-blog]

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[theadmiringbog]

Check off all the places where you greatly LIKE or DISLIKE spending time with other people—feel free to fill in your own at the bottom. We’ll call these your thrive and survive locations: 

____ Bars 

____ Nightclubs 

____ Restaurants 

____ House Parties 

____ Cafés 

____ Boardrooms 

____ The Gym 

____ Office Meetings 

____ Conferences 

____ Coffee Shops 

____ Phone Calls 

____ E-mail Check-ins 

____ Video Chats 

____ IMs 

____ Nature 

____ Pool Parties 

____ Dinner Parties 

____ Movie Nights 

____ Casinos 

____ Concerts 

____ Black-Tie Events 

____ Cocktail Parties 

____ Backyard Barbecues 

____ Theme Parks 

____ Festivals 

____ Networking Events 

____ Sporting Events 

--

Let’s identify the positions where you thrive and the ones where you merely survive: 

Thrive: Look at the first set of places you checked off in the exercise above. Put the top three to five under “My THRIVE Locations” below. These are the places you look forward to going to and where you are your best self. 

Neutral: Certain social situations could go either way depending on your mood or who’s there. They aren’t your favorite, but you don’t dread them. Look at the places that you didn’t check off in either exercise and add the ones that you encounter the most under “My NEUTRAL Locations” below. 

Survive: Other places or scenarios always make you feel uncomfortable, bored, or unhappy. Take three to five of the places you checked off in the second set and write them under “My SURVIVE Locations” below. 

My THRIVE Locations: ________________________ 

My NEUTRAL Locations: ______________________ 

My SURVIVE Locations: _______________________                

--

The biggest mistake I see at events is when people hover at the boundary of the Start Zone. It’s a social trap. You’re catching people at a confidence low.                

--

If you are an introvert and don’t like big groups, I highly recommend being what I call a Grazer. Instead of hitting the buffet once for a heaping plate, go up first for appetizers, again for the main course, and then again for seconds or dessert. Why? This is an easy way to take a break from a conversation or move to a new one-on-one.                

--

With a first impression, you are a Triple Threat when you use your hands, your posture, and your eye contact.                

--

When you walk into a room or are waiting to meet someone, keep your hands out of your pockets.                

--

When Westerners and Europeans are in conversation, they tend to hold eye contact for an average of 61 percent of the time. He found that 41 percent occurs while talking and 75 percent while listening. Next time you’re talking to someone, try to objectively evaluate where you tend to fall on the spectrum.                

--

Like any good people hack, Big Talk means skirting conversational norms, challenging chitchat status quo, and shirking social scripts.                

--

I challenge you to try using our top-rated conversation sparkers:* 

Instead of . . . Hack . . . 

How’s work? Working on any exciting projects recently? 

How are you? What was the highlight of your day? 

What do you do? Working on any personal passion projects? 

How’s the family? Have any vacations coming up? 

Where are you from? What’s your story? 

How’s it going? What are you up to this weekend? 

Been busy? What do you do to unwind?                

--

You mentioned that you volunteer with Big Brothers—have you always done that? 

You asked for Argentinian wine—are you a wine aficionado? 

I noticed that your purse is handwoven—did you make it? 

I was curious about your accent—are you from here? 

I was just looking at your bookshelf—you have great taste in reading materials! 

Your name is beautiful—is it a family name? 

I saw you posted some great pictures of your new dog on Facebook—what made you decide to get a dog?                

--

I send people air plants instead of flowers.                

--

“Great to know you, a friend of John is a friend of mine. He always knows the most interesting people.” “It’s a pleasure! Your name tag says you work at Ken’s Bakery—they are my favorite pizza in town! Have you always been a pizza aficionado?”                

--

Why are raving introductions so powerful? First, you give people positive labels right at the start. Second, you tee up a great conversation and possible discussion topics for the people involved. Third, you get people talking about themselves—what they do and who they are, which produces dopamine. Yes, a raving introduction is ALSO a conversational spark. Boom: win-win-win.                

--

We remember people who make us feel good and who make us want to be the best version of ourselves. 

You can optimize an interaction by expecting optimal outcomes. Elevate people by hacking listening, highlighting, and expecting the best in those around you. Being a highlighter helps you be the highlight. Listen with purpose—always search for the good. Be the high point of every interaction by giving people a reason to remember you. 

--

There are three main categories of commonalities that you can pull from at any time: 

People: Mutual contacts are the best way to find threads of similarity. You can also liven up the conversation by searching for mutual friends. 

Context: Think you don’t have anything in common? Think about the context of your meeting. Maybe you’re both on LinkedIn or both at the same conference. All you have to do is ask about it to get the conversational ball rolling. 

Interests: Common interests are the best kind of threads because they introduce a topic you both invariably know a lot about, ripe territory for great stories and interesting conversation.                 

--

Here are a few openers and ideas for tapping into each type of commonality: 

People 

How do you know the host? 

You work at ____, do you know ____? 

I saw we are mutually connected through ____ 

You went to school, do you know ____? 

I saw you speaking to ____, have you known each other for very long? 

Are you a friend of the bride or groom / roommate A or roommate B / an employee or the boss? 

Context 

How long have you been a part of this group? 

Do you usually come to these types of events? 

Great venue, right? 

Have you ever been to this conference / restaurant / event before? How long have you been living here? 

I saw you are also a part of ____ LinkedIn group.                 

Interests 

Love your pen / keychain / bumper sticker / shirt / hat. I am also a fan of ______ How long have you been a ___ fan? 

I’m a fellow member of ____; how long have you been a part? 

What are you up to this weekend? 

I saw you also went to / studied / are a part of ____. 

Wasn’t that speaker / presentation / raffle interesting?                

--

You can get a conversation to go much deeper much faster if you use the spirit of the Five Whys. When you find a commonality, don’t let it pass by, ask the other person why it’s important to them.                

--

When he can’t say “Me too,” he says, “Teach me.”                

--

Here are some ways you can make “Teach me?” a thread: 

I have never heard of that book—what is it about? 

What an interesting career—I have never met anyone in your line of work before. 

Tell me about it! I’ve actually never been out of the country, but would love to travel more. Have any insider tips for a beginner?                 

--

OCEAN

I stumbled upon something called the five-factor model. This psychological principle posits that all humans have five basic personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (easily remembered as OCEAN). And each and every person ranks either high or low for each trait.                 

Openness: 

This trait reflects how you approach new ideas. It also describes how curious you are, your level of creativity, and how much you appreciate variety and originality. 

High: Enjoys novelty, change, and adventure. 

Low: Savors traditions, routines, and habits. 

Conscientiousness: 

This trait describes your approach to getting things done. It measures your self-discipline, organization, and reliability. 

High: Loves to-do lists, organization, and schedules. Enjoys digging into the details and making things “perfect.” 

Low: Typically prefers big ideas and strategy. Might find lists and schedules stifling and overwhelming. 

Extroversion: 

This trait describes how you approach people. Do you get energy from social situations, or do they drain you? This probably affects your talkativeness and optimism. 

High: Gets energy from being with people. Tends to be cheerful and seeks out social time. 

Low: Craves alone time and finds being with people draining. 

Agreeableness: 

This trait describes how you approach cooperation and working with others. It also speaks to how empathetic and quick to forgive you are, and how much attention you pay to the mental states of others. 

High: Easy to get along with, very empathetic, and enjoys caring for others. 

Low: More analytical, practical, and skeptical—prefers to keep emotions out of decisions. 

Neuroticism: 

This trait describes how you approach worry. It also explains how emotionally reactive you are to your environment. 

High: Tends to be a worrier. Frequently experiences mood swings. 

Low: Typically calm, stable, and has very little mood fluctuation.                 

--

OCEAN self-assessment

Openness 

This trait describes your curiosity and affinity for new ideas. Check off the statements that sound like you:

 If you are high in openness you: 

___ Are very curious  ___ Love to try new things  ___ Are adventurous and a bit of a dreamer  ___ Can be seen as unrealistic or not focused 

If you are low in openness you: 

___ Love habits, rituals, and routines  ___ Honor and follow traditions  ___ Are more pragmatic and data driven  ___ Can be seen as closed-minded and inflexible 

Based on your answers, where do you think you fall on the openness scale? 

Conscientiousness 

This trait involves the way you get things done. Check off the statements that sound like you: 

If you are high in conscientiousness you: 

___ Are very organized and detail-oriented  ___ Love to-do lists, plans, and schedules  ___ Are a perfectionist  ___ Can be seen as controlling and rigid 

If you are low in conscientiousness you: 

___ Love broad ideas and don’t get bogged down in details  ___ Are very flexible  ___ Hate being boxed in with a plan or schedule  ___ Can be seen as sloppy and unreliable 

Based on your answers, where do you think you fall on the conscientiousness scale? 

Extroversion 

This trait is all about how you relate to people. Check off the statements that sound like you: 

If you are high in extroversion you: 

___ Are very talkative and tend to initiate conversations ___ Are assertive and expressive with your opinions ___ Feel energized and refreshed being around other people ___ Can be seen as opinionated and attention seeking 

If you are low in extroversion you: ___ Are more shy and reserved ___ Enjoy alone time; being with lots of people can feel draining ___ Like your privacy and are more hesitant to share personal information ___ Can be seen as aloof 

Based on your answers, where do you think you fall on the extroversion scale? 

Agreeableness 

This trait taps into your attitudes toward teamwork and decision-making. Check off the statements that sound like you: 

If you are high in agreeableness you: 

___ Tend to get along with people easily ___ Are trusting of others and love being on teams ___ Default to saying yes when someone asks you to do something ___ Can be seen as a pushover or passive 

If you are low in agreeableness you: 

___ Have a harder time working in groups ___ Are frequently suspicious of others’ motives ___ Default to saying no when someone asks you to do something ___ Can be seen as competitive or challenging 

Based on your answers, where do you think you fall on the agreeableness scale? 

Neuroticism 

This trait speaks to your emotional stability and tendency to worry. Check off the statements that sound like you: 

If you are high in neuroticism you: 

___ Are a worrier ___ Tend to be moody ___ Are sensitive ___ Can be seen as too emotional or insecure 

If you are low in neuroticism you:

___ Are stable and balanced ___ Are usually calm ___ Have faith that everything always “works out in the end” ___ Can be seen as unemotional or cold

--

The 5 Love Languages

Words of Affirmation: 

People with this love language express their care through spoken or written word—love letters, texts, and verbal expressions of love. 

Gifts: 

People with this love language express their care through small gifts or tokens of appreciation—jewelry, candy, or flowers. 

Physical Touch: 

People with this love language express their care through touch—hugs, cuddles, pats on the back, loving embraces. 

Acts of Service: 

People with this love language express their care by doing things for others—cooking their spouse dinner, running errands, or crafting something for them. (If you couldn’t tell from the story about my dad, this is mine.) 

Quality Time: 

People with this love language express their care with their time. They want to simply be in the presence of the people they care about.                

--

Another decoding method is to ask about old memories, favorite stories, and recent experiences. These are some of my go-to questions: 

What’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you? 

How do you celebrate your successes? 

I really want to do something nice for our colleague who just had a new baby. What do you think we should do for them? 

What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekends? 

What’s the most interesting gift you have ever received? Given? 

What’s your favorite activity to do with your friends? 

Growing up, what did your parents do to celebrate your birthdays or your successes?                 

--

6 Needs - What We Value

As humans, we need both kinds of resources to survive and thrive. Foa and his research team proposed that each of us have a hierarchy of six needs that originate in our childhood. If these needs are met, we are able to grow up, gain independence, and feel secure in our surroundings and relationships: 

1. Love

Affection, acceptance, and likability 

2. Service 

Support, care, and warmth to provide comfort 

3. Status 

Responsibility, praise, and titles to evoke pride 

4. Money 

Coin, currency, or tokens that have been assigned value 

5. Goods 

Tangible products, objects, or materials 

6. Information 

Advice, ideas, opinions, and teaching 

In the Give column, put a check mark next to the resources you think you give frequently. In the Take column, put a check mark next to the resources you think you take frequently.                

--

Occasionally, especially with the nonphysical resources like Love, Service, and Information, we give what we most want. We might crave Love, so we give it to everyone around us—even if they don’t deserve it. Or we might desire to be in the know, so we gossip in hopes of people telling us more. Does this ring true for you?                

--

Each of us is oriented toward one of the six categories of resources.                

--

Go through the following statements and give each a numerical rating: 0 = This does not describe me at all. 1 = This describes me somewhat. 2 = This describes me well. 

Resource Meaning Total 

Love 

It’s important to me to feel accepted. It’s important to me to be liked by others. It’s important to me to feel like I belong. 

Service 

It’s important to feel the people in my life support me. It makes me feel special when someone does a favor for me. It’s important to me to feel cared for. 

Status 

It makes me feel great when someone praises me. I like to be in charge. It’s important for me to feel respected by others. 

Money 

It is important to me to be financial stable. I do my job mostly for the money. I think you have to have money to be completely happy. 

Goods 

I like to collect things. I often buy and give gifts. I can think of many objects in my home that have emotional meaning. 

Information 

I like to be in the know. I like to give advice. I enjoy teaching and learning. 

Add up each section and put the totals in the far right-hand side. Which one gets the highest number?             

--

Most people’s choices make sense to them. When they don’t make sense to you, it’s usually because you are being driven by a different primary value.                

--

Add it to your stack. YOUR STORY STACK Trigger Topic Sparking Story Boomerang Current Events 

Recent News A Shocking News Story 

What’s one news story you will never forget, and where you were when you heard it? Where were you when you found out? 

Hometown Childhood Growing Up 

Do you miss your hometown or are you glad you escaped? What’s a funny memory you have growing up? 

Names Forgetting Names Interesting Names Hard to Spell Names 

What’s the history of your family name? What’s the most interesting name you have ever heard? Do you like your name? 

Jobs First Job Career Choices Dream Jobs 

What advice would you give a teenager entering into this kind of work? What surprised you most about the job you are in? Did something surprising happen to lead you to what you do now? 

New Activities Travel Weekend Adventures 

What’s on your bucket list? Where do you take out-of-town guests when they come to visit you? Tried any new activities recently? Did you love them or hate them? 

Holidays Vacations Holiday Traditions 

Where are you going next on vacation? Best vacation spot in the world? What’s the best or worst vacation you ever had? 

Parties Birthdays Gifts 

Best party you’ve ever been to? Best gift you ever received? Best childhood party you ever had? 

Summer Seasons Outdoors Camp 

Do you have big plans this summer or a story from last summer? What does summer remind you of? Did you go to camp? 

Weather Storm Stories Extreme Weather 

Ever get caught in terrible or unexpected weather? What’s the worst sunburn you’ve ever had? What’s your favorite season? 

Traffic Commuting Driving Road Trips 

Do you listen to audiobooks on tape when you drive? What’s your favorite driving playlist or station? What’s your favorite podcast? Do you have a long commute? 

TV Shows Books Movies Classic Books / Films / Shows Documentaries 

What are you reading or watching right now? What was the last thing you read or watched? What’s the most interesting documentary, book, or article you’ve ever seen? What’s your favorite character? What actor would play you in a movie? 

Celebrities Role Models Famous Stories Fascinating People 

Have you ever met a celebrity? Have you heard any interesting real-life tidbits about celebrities? If you could meet any celebrity, who would you meet? Do you have a famous role model? 

Events Conferences Music Festivals Parades Fairs 

Have you been to events like this before? What’s the craziest event you’ve ever been to? Do you go to conferences? Do you go to music festivals?

--

We are afraid that our secrets will cause people to not accept us. But oftentimes, sharing our secrets is the fastest way to find acceptance.

--

As humans, we so desperately want to be known. We want to feel like people get us, like we have someone on our side, like a group wants to have us as a member. Making people feel this way is called attunement—and it is one of the most underutilized social skills.                 

--

When we attune, we are more receptive to and more aware of those around us. Attunement is also about acclimatizing or harmonizing with the people we are with. This is the final hack we will learn: HACK #14: Attunement Turn people on by making them feel wanted, liked, and known.                 

--

When you are with someone you enjoy, consciously engage the reciprocity effect: 

Start and end phone calls with “I’m so happy you called!” 

Start and end e-mails with “I’m so glad you e-mailed me!” 

Start and end interactions with “I so enjoyed spending time with you!” 

Invite people to sit with you during lunch, and at parties and conferences. 

When people join your group, table, or meeting, make them feel welcome. 

As people leave your group, table, or meeting, thank them and tell them you appreciate their time.                 

--

The greatest gift we can give the people we encounter is to help them feel accepted for who they are.

[wayneooverton]

Scuba Diving in Chuuk Lagoon

Many regular wreck divers think Chuuk Lagoon offers the best wreck diving in the world. Other divers know the name but don’t know what makes the area so special. Why is it so revered, and what should you expect if you visit? Here’s an overview of what makes scuba diving in Chuuk Lagoon so special.

Lying 1,500 miles (2,400 km) northeast of Indonesia and 1,000 miles south of Japan, Chuuk (or Truk Lagoon as it was formerly known) is a cluster of small islands making up one of four of the Federated States of Micronesia. The lagoon sits inside a 47-square mile (122 km) atoll. Most of the 50,000 inhabitants live on the main Islands of Weno, Dublon, Eten, Fefan and Uman.

Brief history of Chuuk Lagoon

After World War I, Japan received a mandate over the islands of Micronesia, which allowed them to exploit the area for economic gain. As they began to militarize on an industrial scale during the build-up to World War II, they realized that Truk’s geography would make a naval invasion extremely difficult. Thusly, they turned it into a vital strategic outpost for naval operations in the Pacific. The Japanese built infrastructure and fortifications on many of the Islands, including roads, trenches, bunkers, caves, five airfields, a seaplane base, a submarine-repair base, a radar station, and mortar emplacements and coastal defense guns. By the time the war started, The Allies regarded Truk as the “Gibraltar” of the Pacific. Around 28,000 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and almost 17,000 Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) personnel were stationed there. The lagoon served as an anchorage for the entire IJN combined fleet.

Operation Hailstone 

In order to attack mainland Japan, the United States first had to capture numerous islands, including the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Kwajalein, Majuro and Truk. For Truk, they devised Operation Hailstone, which would consist of an airborne attack comprised of five fleet carriers, four light carriers, seven battleships, 10 submarines, as well as numerous heavy and light cruisers, destroyers and battleships. Five hundred aircraft operating from the carriers were to conduct the attack, with the intention of catching the Japanese forces by surprise. In this way, the Americans hoped to quickly neutralize any aerial threats and sink as many Japanese ships as possible.

On February 6, 1944, two reconnaissance planes flew over Chuuk Lagoon to photograph potential targets. Although there was cloud over much of the atoll, they managed to photograph many ships of the combined IJN fleet. The Japanese took this as a warning of an imminent attack and withdrew four carriers, numerous cruisers and destroyers, and the pride of the fleet — the battleship Musashi.

The attack

Before dawn on February 17, 1944, a taskforce took position 94 miles east-northeast of Dublon. At dawn, the first wave of U.S. fighters and fighter-bombers reached Truk. The Japanese had their guard down, but responded quickly, trying to get as many aircraft in the air as possible. But it was too late — U.S. aircraft bombed and strafed runways, giving parked and taxiing aircraft little chance. The planes that got airborne were quickly overwhelmed as the U.S. had achieved air superiority quickly. This allowed them to concentrate their airpower on the merchant ships anchored in three main locations: the 4th fleet two days, U.S. aircraft sank over 220,000 tons of shipping. The official Operation Hailstone report lists 42 combat, auxiliary, and merchant vessels as being sunk, with a further 28 damaged to varying degrees. The Americans also destroyed over 350 aircraft.

Aftermath and first dives

Following the first attack and subsequent attacks in April and June 1944, the Allies moved on with their advance toward Japan. Truk was left a toxic graveyard of sunken ships, leaking huge quantities of oil and gasoline into the lagoon. The Japanese on the islands, along with the local population, were also left without any hope of reinforcement. Rarely reported is that over 10,000 Chuukese starved to death in the months following the attacks, along with similar numbers of Japanese personnel as the oil slicks killed all marine life.

When the war ended, the world largely forgot about Chuuk Lagoon and the devastation that occurred there until, in 1969, members of Jacques Cousteau’s team visited to find and document the wrecks. They found 30 ships and filmed the documentary “Lagoon of Lost Ships.” They, unfortunately, also took tons of artifacts from the wrecks, which are presumed to be sitting in a warehouse in Paris to this day. But their film did shine a spotlight on Truk, bringing it to the wider diving community’s attention.

A Chuukese man named Kimiuo Aisek really made it possible for divers to visit Chuuk Lagoon. As a laborer for the Japanese during the war, he witnessed the attacks and began diving the wrecks in the 1970s. He purchased the Continental Hotel and renamed it the Blue Lagoon Dive Resort, turning it into the first dive shop in Chuuk. It’s still there today, run by his son, as well as numerous other operators, both land-based and liveaboard.

Scuba diving in Chuuk Lagoon today

The lagoon holds over 60 vessels — ships, merchant and military, various types of aircraft, and a submarine. Most of these are diveable, sitting on the seabed at depths ranging from 49 to 213 feet (15 m to 65 m). Lying in the lagoon for the last 73 years, the wrecks are in varying states of decay due to damaging storms and typhoons and the onslaught of rusting. Divers have also caused degradation with bubbles, bad buoyancy, bad finning and grasping hands. Bridges and funnels have also been destroyed by two of the liveaboards anchoring on the wrecks in stormy weather. Generally speaking, the deeper wrecks have degraded the least, but some of the shallower wrecks are also in remarkable condition.

Because Chuuk lies within an atoll, it is protected from strong ocean currents and there’s usually no current at all on the wrecks. The water temperature is a consistent 84 to 86 F (29 to 30 C) year-round, and the visibility ranges from 33 to 160 feet (10 to 50 m) on the deeper wrecks. Depth notwithstanding, it’s the easiest diving you’ll ever do — a big, warm bathtub.

Diving the wrecks

There are far too many wrecks to cover exhaustively here, but on each you will find evidence of damage from fires, torpedoes, mines or bombs. They contain a mountain of artifacts, including cars, trucks, bulldozers, tractors, steamrollers, tanks, ammunition, torpedoes, shells, mines, beer and sake bottles, shoes, boots, china, uniforms, tools, rifles, lanterns, compressed-air cylinders, machine guns, bicycles, medicine bottles, bags of cement, wheelbarrows — the list is endless. Many of the engine rooms are still accessible and in good condition, and here you can see cylinders, engines, generators, compressors, gauges, valves, tools and much more.

In the past, there were human remains on the wrecks, but Japanese divers removed as many as they could find and gave them a Shinto burial in the 1980s. There are still some bones present however.

There’s also an abundance of marine life on and around the wrecks, including coral growth, anemones and schooling tropical fish. Blacktip reef sharks are common, as are dolphins and eagle rays. Not so common — but still possible —are manta rays, tiger, hammerhead, bull and oceanic whitetip sharks, although they tend to stay on the atoll shelf.

Getting there

Chuuk is a long way from anywhere. Most visitors will require three flights or more to get here, and the easiest route is via Guam. From there a United Airlines flight runs to Chuuk every two days. Those coming from Australia can fly Air Niugini via Port Moresby and Pohnpei. Local hotels are very basic, as are goods available in shops. Internet access is neither fast nor reliable — expect to be largely cut off while you’re here.

Diving in such a remote location also brings its own set of challenges. Bring all your own dive gear and make sure everything is in working order before you arrive. Bring spare parts, especially regulator O-rings, mask straps, and zip ties. Tools such as pliers and Allen wrench sets are also a good idea. Local dive operators will do their best to keep you diving, but don’t rely on them to have everything you may need.

What to expect

If you are technical diving, bring your own full rigging kits, including hose clips, bolt-snaps for sidemount, and hose retainers. Also bring your own stage regulators, labeling tape and even marker pens. Rebreather divers should bring spare O-ring kits and virkon disinfectant and specify in advance whether they want to use aluminum or steel tanks. Dive shops will supply sofnolime and trimix if requested. Shops tend to use oxygen generators, so any 100-percent O2 fills will be between 87 and 93 percent.

Many of the wrecks lie in recreationally accessible depths, but you will need advanced certification to dive here. A nitrox cert is also wise since you’ll be doing multiple days with multiple dives. Having your deep specialty is even better but be aware that on those wrecks the top of the deck is typically at 130 feet (40 m), which means a short bottom time and not much to see on the ascent.

Regarding wreck penetrations, many of the accessible bridges are more like swim-throughs. If you venture into the engine rooms, however, you are often well beyond the light zone in a maze of corridors. Some wrecks are on their side or upside-down.  They can be very confusing and there’s a lot of silt you might disturb. Wreck and advanced wreck training is a must for any conscientious diver. Also note that there is live ordnance on many of the wrecks, so keep your distance and dial in your buoyancy.

Learn your history

Every wreck has a story, both before and during WWII, as well as on the days of the attack, so learning a bit of history before a visit will enhance your experience immeasurably. With so many wrecks to dive, it’s good to arm yourself with a little knowledge of what you’re diving on. A seven-day trip will hardly scratch the surface and without a little knowledge, every wreck will just be another “Maru” (merchant ship).

Finally, remember that Chuuk was the site of a devastating attack in which thousands of Japanese soldiers died. The dive sites are war graves and you should treat them with respect. As with any other dive site, don’t touch anything. These wrecks have rich histories explaining how they ended up here and diving them is an awe-inspiring experience. Anyone with even a passing interest in wreck diving should not miss scuba diving in Chuuk Lagoon.

The post Scuba Diving in Chuuk Lagoon appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

from Scuba Diver Life https://ift.tt/2w7uFoi

[mrbobgove]

Scuba Diving in Chuuk Lagoon

Many regular wreck divers think Chuuk Lagoon offers the best wreck diving in the world. Other divers know the name but don’t know what makes the area so special. Why is it so revered, and what should you expect if you visit? Here’s an overview of what makes scuba diving in Chuuk Lagoon so special.

Lying 1,500 miles (2,400 km) northeast of Indonesia and 1,000 miles south of Japan, Chuuk (or Truk Lagoon as it was formerly known) is a cluster of small islands making up one of four of the Federated States of Micronesia. The lagoon sits inside a 47-square mile (122 km) atoll. Most of the 50,000 inhabitants live on the main Islands of Weno, Dublon, Eten, Fefan and Uman.

Brief history of Chuuk Lagoon

After World War I, Japan received a mandate over the islands of Micronesia, which allowed them to exploit the area for economic gain. As they began to militarize on an industrial scale during the build-up to World War II, they realized that Truk’s geography would make a naval invasion extremely difficult. Thusly, they turned it into a vital strategic outpost for naval operations in the Pacific. The Japanese built infrastructure and fortifications on many of the Islands, including roads, trenches, bunkers, caves, five airfields, a seaplane base, a submarine-repair base, a radar station, and mortar emplacements and coastal defense guns. By the time the war started, The Allies regarded Truk as the “Gibraltar” of the Pacific. Around 28,000 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and almost 17,000 Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) personnel were stationed there. The lagoon served as an anchorage for the entire IJN combined fleet.

Operation Hailstone 

In order to attack mainland Japan, the United States first had to capture numerous islands, including the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Kwajalein, Majuro and Truk. For Truk, they devised Operation Hailstone, which would consist of an airborne attack comprised of five fleet carriers, four light carriers, seven battleships, 10 submarines, as well as numerous heavy and light cruisers, destroyers and battleships. Five hundred aircraft operating from the carriers were to conduct the attack, with the intention of catching the Japanese forces by surprise. In this way, the Americans hoped to quickly neutralize any aerial threats and sink as many Japanese ships as possible.

On February 6, 1944, two reconnaissance planes flew over Chuuk Lagoon to photograph potential targets. Although there was cloud over much of the atoll, they managed to photograph many ships of the combined IJN fleet. The Japanese took this as a warning of an imminent attack and withdrew four carriers, numerous cruisers and destroyers, and the pride of the fleet — the battleship Musashi.

The attack

Before dawn on February 17, 1944, a taskforce took position 94 miles east-northeast of Dublon. At dawn, the first wave of U.S. fighters and fighter-bombers reached Truk. The Japanese had their guard down, but responded quickly, trying to get as many aircraft in the air as possible. But it was too late — U.S. aircraft bombed and strafed runways, giving parked and taxiing aircraft little chance. The planes that got airborne were quickly overwhelmed as the U.S. had achieved air superiority quickly. This allowed them to concentrate their airpower on the merchant ships anchored in three main locations: the 4th fleet two days, U.S. aircraft sank over 220,000 tons of shipping. The official Operation Hailstone report lists 42 combat, auxiliary, and merchant vessels as being sunk, with a further 28 damaged to varying degrees. The Americans also destroyed over 350 aircraft.

Aftermath and first dives

Following the first attack and subsequent attacks in April and June 1944, the Allies moved on with their advance toward Japan. Truk was left a toxic graveyard of sunken ships, leaking huge quantities of oil and gasoline into the lagoon. The Japanese on the islands, along with the local population, were also left without any hope of reinforcement. Rarely reported is that over 10,000 Chuukese starved to death in the months following the attacks, along with similar numbers of Japanese personnel as the oil slicks killed all marine life.

When the war ended, the world largely forgot about Chuuk Lagoon and the devastation that occurred there until, in 1969, members of Jacques Cousteau’s team visited to find and document the wrecks. They found 30 ships and filmed the documentary “Lagoon of Lost Ships.” They, unfortunately, also took tons of artifacts from the wrecks, which are presumed to be sitting in a warehouse in Paris to this day. But their film did shine a spotlight on Truk, bringing it to the wider diving community’s attention.

A Chuukese man named Kimiuo Aisek really made it possible for divers to visit Chuuk Lagoon. As a laborer for the Japanese during the war, he witnessed the attacks and began diving the wrecks in the 1970s. He purchased the Continental Hotel and renamed it the Blue Lagoon Dive Resort, turning it into the first dive shop in Chuuk. It’s still there today, run by his son, as well as numerous other operators, both land-based and liveaboard.

Scuba diving in Chuuk Lagoon today

The lagoon holds over 60 vessels — ships, merchant and military, various types of aircraft, and a submarine. Most of these are diveable, sitting on the seabed at depths ranging from 49 to 213 feet (15 m to 65 m). Lying in the lagoon for the last 73 years, the wrecks are in varying states of decay due to damaging storms and typhoons and the onslaught of rusting. Divers have also caused degradation with bubbles, bad buoyancy, bad finning and grasping hands. Bridges and funnels have also been destroyed by two of the liveaboards anchoring on the wrecks in stormy weather. Generally speaking, the deeper wrecks have degraded the least, but some of the shallower wrecks are also in remarkable condition.

Because Chuuk lies within an atoll, it is protected from strong ocean currents and there’s usually no current at all on the wrecks. The water temperature is a consistent 84 to 86 F (29 to 30 C) year-round, and the visibility ranges from 33 to 160 feet (10 to 50 m) on the deeper wrecks. Depth notwithstanding, it’s the easiest diving you’ll ever do — a big, warm bathtub.

Diving the wrecks

There are far too many wrecks to cover exhaustively here, but on each you will find evidence of damage from fires, torpedoes, mines or bombs. They contain a mountain of artifacts, including cars, trucks, bulldozers, tractors, steamrollers, tanks, ammunition, torpedoes, shells, mines, beer and sake bottles, shoes, boots, china, uniforms, tools, rifles, lanterns, compressed-air cylinders, machine guns, bicycles, medicine bottles, bags of cement, wheelbarrows — the list is endless. Many of the engine rooms are still accessible and in good condition, and here you can see cylinders, engines, generators, compressors, gauges, valves, tools and much more.

In the past, there were human remains on the wrecks, but Japanese divers removed as many as they could find and gave them a Shinto burial in the 1980s. There are still some bones present however.

There’s also an abundance of marine life on and around the wrecks, including coral growth, anemones and schooling tropical fish. Blacktip reef sharks are common, as are dolphins and eagle rays. Not so common — but still possible —are manta rays, tiger, hammerhead, bull and oceanic whitetip sharks, although they tend to stay on the atoll shelf.

Getting there

Chuuk is a long way from anywhere. Most visitors will require three flights or more to get here, and the easiest route is via Guam. From there a United Airlines flight runs to Chuuk every two days. Those coming from Australia can fly Air Niugini via Port Moresby and Pohnpei. Local hotels are very basic, as are goods available in shops. Internet access is neither fast nor reliable — expect to be largely cut off while you’re here.

Diving in such a remote location also brings its own set of challenges. Bring all your own dive gear and make sure everything is in working order before you arrive. Bring spare parts, especially regulator O-rings, mask straps, and zip ties. Tools such as pliers and Allen wrench sets are also a good idea. Local dive operators will do their best to keep you diving, but don’t rely on them to have everything you may need.

What to expect

If you are technical diving, bring your own full rigging kits, including hose clips, bolt-snaps for sidemount, and hose retainers. Also bring your own stage regulators, labeling tape and even marker pens. Rebreather divers should bring spare O-ring kits and virkon disinfectant and specify in advance whether they want to use aluminum or steel tanks. Dive shops will supply sofnolime and trimix if requested. Shops tend to use oxygen generators, so any 100-percent O2 fills will be between 87 and 93 percent.

Many of the wrecks lie in recreationally accessible depths, but you will need advanced certification to dive here. A nitrox cert is also wise since you’ll be doing multiple days with multiple dives. Having your deep specialty is even better but be aware that on those wrecks the top of the deck is typically at 130 feet (40 m), which means a short bottom time and not much to see on the ascent.

Regarding wreck penetrations, many of the accessible bridges are more like swim-throughs. If you venture into the engine rooms, however, you are often well beyond the light zone in a maze of corridors. Some wrecks are on their side or upside-down.  They can be very confusing and there’s a lot of silt you might disturb. Wreck and advanced wreck training is a must for any conscientious diver. Also note that there is live ordnance on many of the wrecks, so keep your distance and dial in your buoyancy.

Learn your history

Every wreck has a story, both before and during WWII, as well as on the days of the attack, so learning a bit of history before a visit will enhance your experience immeasurably. With so many wrecks to dive, it’s good to arm yourself with a little knowledge of what you’re diving on. A seven-day trip will hardly scratch the surface and without a little knowledge, every wreck will just be another “Maru” (merchant ship).

Finally, remember that Chuuk was the site of a devastating attack in which thousands of Japanese soldiers died. The dive sites are war graves and you should treat them with respect. As with any other dive site, don’t touch anything. These wrecks have rich histories explaining how they ended up here and diving them is an awe-inspiring experience. Anyone with even a passing interest in wreck diving should not miss scuba diving in Chuuk Lagoon.

The post Scuba Diving in Chuuk Lagoon appeared first on Scuba Diver Life.

from Scuba Diver Life https://ift.tt/2w7uFoi

[rhiannongreen]

basics

name: Rhiannon Zoe Green

nicknames: Rhi

gender: Female

ethnicity/nationality: African-American

date of birth: September 13, 1990

current age: 26

hometown: San Francisco, CA

current location: New York, NY

sexual orientation: Heterosexual

religion: Agnostic

living arrangements: Lives alone in a studio apartment

language(s) spoken: English, some Italian

financial position: Her family’s comfortable, but Rhiannon’s insistent on making it on her own, and she gets by

physical appearance

fc: Candice Patton

height: 5′ 5′’

weight: 121 lbs

build: Slim

eye color: Black

glasses/contacts: Wears glasses at work, and sometimes as an accessory

hair color: Black

hair length/style: Armpit length; naturally curly, but she straightens it, or blows it out (x)

distinguishing marks: both ears pierced

clothing style: dramatic/fashionable, with a lot of tight fitting clothes

jewelry/accessories: loves necklaces of all kinds, especially chokers

family/relationships

mother’s name: Mandy Green (adoptive)

father’s name: Joseph Green (adoptive)

sibling’s names: Dana (older) and Willow Green (younger), adoptive sisters

relationship with family: Although they’re her adoptive family, Rhiannon loves them to pieces. They don’t always get along, in fact, they argue more than they don’t, but they always make up at the end of the day

relationship status: In a relationship

significant other: Maxwell Richards

children: /

pets: /

school/work

highest education: Bachelor’s degree

university: University of Washington, Seattle

current occupation: Restaurant manager, food blogger

personality

label: The Atelophobic One

positive traits: conscientious, organized, detail-oriented, energetic, fair-minded, neat, persistent

negative traits: perfectionist, obsessive, bossy, clinging, finicky, obstinate, insecure

goals/desires: To be successful at everything she does, to find her birth parents and rub her amazing life in their noses for leaving her

fears: rodents, disease, having her flaws exposed, not being good enough, kids

hobbies: cleaning the apartment, organizing whatever she can get her hands on, scrapbooking, trying out new restaurants and cuisines, going to the farmers’ market

pet peeves: people who are late, terrible hygiene, chaos, people who have no boundaries, when a set is broken, being told she should ‘let loose,’ trying new things and not excelling at them right away

health/habits

allergies: /

sleeping habits: If she’s not super stressed out, she’s an early bird

eating habits: Slightly obsessive about counting her calories. A big foodie who loves trying out new things

exercise habits: Pilates and yoga

spending habits: If she really likes something, there’s no price she won’t pay to have it, even if it means no restaurants for the rest of the week

nervous habits: cleaning frenzies, bites nails, gets easily upset over the little things

alcohol/drugs: Loves coupling alcohol with food, doesn’t care about drugs at all. She tried marijuana once and was sick for the next three days.

addictions: /

speech patterns: /

sociability: Only as social as she needs to be

favorites

season: Spring

color: Wine

music: Fleetwood Mac, anything harmonious

movies: Sci-fi (have you noticed how clean and neat the future is??)

tv shows: Sci-fi, as well

book: The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner

sport: Hockey

beverage: White wine (especially moscato)

food: Fish

animal: Orca

misc.

zodiac sign: Virgo

mbti: ISTJ

moral alignment: Lawful neutral

temperament: Melancholic

hogwarts house: Slytherin

primary vice: Envy

primary virtue: Dilligence

[sanstasticpuns-blog]

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