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new-berry · 10 months ago

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Anthony Gordon. Part of his campaign to be selected for England he authorised this - look I follow entertainment, I know when someone has allowed People to leak the story

This is a cut and paste so no pics:).

Anthony Gordon has five days off — not that it looks that way.

The air-conditioning cannot stem the sweat and the whirring of the treadmill does not drown out the thoughts turning in his head.

It is June 2023 and the Newcastle winger is on a short holiday in Dubai. Hours earlier, he scored his first goal for the club against Chelsea, sweeping home on the season’s final day in a 1-1 draw. The next week, he is due to link up with England’s under-21 team at the European Championship in Georgia. Five days — his first break since January’s £45million ($57.3m) transfer from Everton — seems scant respite before a 50-game season.

“It’s tough to get out of bed to do roadwork when you’ve been sleeping in silk pyjamas,” the legendary middleweight Marvin Hagler once said. But Gordon, a boxing devotee, does not yet feel that luxury has been earned.

Friends jog sedately on the neighbouring machines, describing a gym buddy who is “running with a point to prove”. On other mornings, he rises early to put on his football boots and do doggie sprints — a punishing series of shuttle runs — on a patch of grass outside.

Since he was a child in Everton’s academy, Gordon has written down short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. During this particular cardio session, he runs through his aims as he elongates his strides. Six months into his Newcastle career, it is time to accelerate.

“I’m going to help England win the Euros.”

“I want the No 10 or No 11 shirt at Newcastle.”

“I’m going to score this number of goals.”

“I want a senior England call-up.”

Halfway through the season, the 22-year-old is on track to hit almost all those targets. Despite the club’s difficult winter, Gordon has arguably been Newcastle’s player of the season so far — it took until December before he recorded two consecutive Premier League games without either a goal or an assist. In the FA Cup third round, he delivered the sort of harrying derby performance which begins to stitch names in the fabric of a club. At the club’s Darsley Park training ground, coaches describe a relentlessness to his self-improvement, a player who has to be dragged off the pitch in case of overexertion.

“He’s obsessed with being the best; it physically hurts him if he hasn’t been the best in training,” says a member of his tight-knit inner circle, speaking anonymously to protect their relationship. “He has that personality. Everything’s a game. Everything he has to win.”

That even extended to table tennis matches on his summer not-quite-holiday, chewing out friends who dared to challenge him. Like his adoptive city, he is direct, uncompromising and industrious.

Reader, boxer, aspiring Grandmaster, these are the edges behind this season’s explosion — and the secrets to the psychology which keeps him on the treadmill.

“The biggest thing for me was that he was always searching to go to the next level early,” says David Unsworth, Everton’s former academy head and interim manager. “At under-16s, he was desperate to get into the under-18s. As soon as he was in the under-18s, he was trying desperately to come with me (in the under-23s). As soon as he came with me, he was desperate to get into first-team training.

“That desire to get to the next level is something you can’t really instil in people.”

Gordon has always known where he wants to go. As a young teenager, he spoke in absolutes, with certainty. “When I play for Real Madrid,” was one example of an early dream.

Self-belief is not always easy to come by, especially when you have to fight for recognition. At 11 years old, Gordon was rejected by the academy of his boyhood club, Liverpool. He was not immediately snapped up by Everton either — their development centre initially released him before they were urged to reconsider by respected Merseyside scout Ian Duke.

Goodison Park is just a five-minute stroll from his mother’s house in Kirkdale and ahead of one pre-season game, Gordon was spotted walking to the ground with his boots under one arm. But there were no guarantees he would even make it this far.

Though his attacking talent was always recognised by Everton, there were long-standing doubts over his slender physique and work rate. While several others in his cohort were offered a professional contract by the club, he was initially just offered a lesser scholarship.

On the pitch, he was a match-winner,” says Unsworth. “The biggest problem we had with him was his stamina. So he played a lot of left midfield, on the left of a three, but he would just die on 60 minutes. He would look like he was being lazy and couldn’t get back, but it wasn’t that, he had just emptied his tank because he put so much into the first hour.”

In the summer of 2017, with his charge just 16, Unsworth took matters into his own hands at a pre-season boot camp in Spain. The most common word used to describe these few days was “beasting”. Misplaced passes and minor positional errors brought the burn of push-ups.

“He could be so harsh,” Gordon recalled in 2020. “It felt like an army camp. It was my first involvement with the under-23s and physically and mentally, I was drained. I matured into a man that week. We always had a good relationship off the pitch and (Unsworth) always told me how good I was, although you forget about that when you lose the ball in 80-degree heat and he’s making you do push-ups.”

The results began to follow. Still mostly playing for the under-18s that season, Gordon scored 14 goals in 15 appearances, along with four assists. A trademark attacking move still seen at Newcastle — drifting infield before curling a shot towards the far post on his right foot — was on full display.

He also made his first appearance for the first team — a brief substitute appearance against Apollon Limassol in a Europa League dead rubber. On that night, his callowness was evident— his shorts virtually down to his knees, a pair of Next boxer shorts on full display.

Though there were no issues with Gordon’s display, it would be almost two years before his next first-team appearance. It is hard to break through at Everton. Despite traditionally having one of the Premier League’s stronger academies, the club’s long trophyless run affects opportunities — they are less likely to blood youngsters in the cup, while managerial turnover means coaches are less likely to consider the potential long-term benefits.

In 2018-19, Gordon made the step up to the under-23s, helping Everton win the Premier League 2, and rival clubs were beginning to take notice. Strikingly, the calibre of sides after him included German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, whose interest was firm and sustained.

Gordon decided to stay — a combination of his “homebird” nature and assurances by then manager Marco Silva that he would soon be part of the first-team setup. At Everton’s Finch Farm training ground, Unsworth took the lead in poring over the physical data of the club’s starting attackers with Gordon — the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin — to provide a model for the teenager’s burgeoning work rate. Director of football Marcel Brands, who arrived in June 2018 having previously overseen PSV’s highly-rated academy, was also a major fan.

The chances, however, did not come. By the time lockdown hit in early 2020, Carlo Ancelotti had taken over from an embattled Silva, but his man-management style typically favoured established professionals. Gordon took matters into his own hands.

Moving out of the family home during lockdown, Gordon shut himself away in a house previously rented by Mohamed Salah with former Liverpool prospect Bobby Duncan and another friend, Callum Webb, who worked as a personal trainer.

For three months, the group did nothing but work — weights, circuits, runs around the local golf course. They hired a private chef to cook meals. Each night, ahead of the next day’s triple session, Gordon brought his notebook so he could research Webb’s planned exercises. For a player not yet established at first-team level, his initiative was striking.

Impressed and with his fitness levels among the best in the squad, Ancelotti handed him his first Premier League start in the first game of Project Restart. This was no easing in — but a Merseyside derby against title-chasing Liverpool. Just over a week after the 0-0 draw, Gordon delivered his first Premier League assist against Leicester.

Yet, that summer, Gordon again found his pathway blocked — this time by a global superstar. When Colombia international James Rodriguez arrived at Goodison Park, the teenager was uncowed. “I’m better than him,” was his attitude, revealing he knocked on Ancelotti’s door, a manager at that time with three Champions League trophies, to ask for more minutes.

Ancelotti admired Gordon’s chutzpah, but with Everton doing well in the league midway through 2020-21, the manager sanctioned a January loan. The reality was closer to a cattle market.

Around 25 clubs expressed their interest, including half the clubs in the Championship. From abroad, Hamburg and Wolfsburg were also serious contenders. Amid the battle was Bournemouth head coach Eddie Howe, keen to take him to the south coast, though the club’s Premier League status meant Gordon would not be assured game time.

On deadline day, the winger elected to join nearby Preston having given manager Alex Neil his word earlier in the window. In hindsight, the decision appeared a mistake. Neil was sacked soon after Gordon’s arrival and despite the teenager winning man of the match in an early fixture televised on Sky Sports, new boss Frankie McAvoy switched to playing five at the back. Gordon ended up appearing in just 11 Championship matches and the Champions League felt a world away.

“There is never a bad loan for a young player in terms of your long-term career,” says Unsworth. “Anthony went there, he was training with the first team, he didn’t play a great deal, and that probably fuelled his desire even more.” He was right on that.

“The Championship is a whole different world to the Premier League,” Gordon said afterwards. “I was getting used to that and thinking, ‘This is not where I want to be’. That’s where you see a lot of young players either push on or fizzle out. I wasn’t going to be the one to fizzle out.”

Back in Liverpool, it is fight night. If Gordon returned to Everton in search of fireworks, then this was a place to find it. Liverpool is a city with a proud boxing history, producing world champions such as John Conteh, Tony Bellew and brothers Liam and Callum Smith, who both grew up in the same Kirkdale neighbourhood as Gordon.

This evening, it is Peter McGrail in the ring, the super-bantamweight and former Olympian boxing to protect his undefeated record. He wins handily, comfortably inside the distance, and trainer Paul Stevenson begins the debrief, wanting to set his fighter free into the night. Afterwards, in walks a teenager.

“Peter is friends with Anthony, but I hadn’t met him before,” says Stevenson. “He just came backstage and asked if he could do some sessions with me. He said he’d done it as a kid, was very enthusiastic, and wanted to improve cross-discipline. So he came in and was good. Boxing is a very technical sport. If you follow advice, you get better quickly.”

When Gordon signed for Newcastle, Kieran Trippier joked that he better be wearing his boxing gloves after a testy duel at St James’ Park earlier that season. In truth, the new arrival had more than a puncher’s chance. Stevenson was impressed with what his new charge showed.

“You’re always careful with new boxers not to overload, but I found he could take a lot on for a novice,” he says, revealing no other footballer had ever come to him for similar training. “He already had some skills which were transferable — agility, athleticism, physical intelligence — but I think the boxing helped his football.

“It’s a very explosive sport, the amount of brain power which goes into it, if you’re doing it properly, there’s no sport like it. The speed of thought and technique — you don’t just think of your own moves, you think of your opponent’s next moves — and you’re doing it quickly and you’re doing it with pain. Then add the amount of determination and resilience you have to have and you can see why he was attracted to it as an athlete and as a performer.”

Gordon credits the sport with helping his confidence and self-esteem as he adapted to senior football, but also more tangible footballing effects.

“A family member actually said to me after I started boxing that my whole football game changed and I didn’t really notice it until he said it,” Gordon told TNT Sports in 2021. “I was like, ‘You’re right’. I like tackles now and I like contact.”

After signing for Newcastle, Gordon asked Stevenson if he could recommend any local trainers to continue boxing and was given the number of a gym in Peterlee, though he has not continued the sport since moving to the north east. But that was still a first-team breakthrough, two years, and £45million away.

Back in the summer of 2021, after Ancelotti’s sudden departure to Real Madrid, strong interest came in again, with Hamburg close to taking him on loan. But after a strong pre-season, new manager Rafa Benitez refused to sanction any departure. For the first time, Gordon was an established first-team player.

What happens when you summit the mountain but cannot see the view?

Everton started to struggle as Gordon began to flourish, slipping from the top half of the Premier League to the relegation zone. Though he only managed four Premier League goals in 2021-22, the eye test showed a player bearing much of the creative burden, with his interventions also including a crucial winner against Manchester United as Everton scrapped for survival.

Shuffled between left wing, right wing, No 10, and even makeshift striker, Gordon was picking up bruises but also bouquets. By this time already a regular of Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 squad, his breakthrough season brought further attention from clubs aware of Everton’s parlous finances.

Chelsea came in with multiple bids that summer, with Thomas Tuchel wanting to transform him into a wing-back. Everton had engaged in negotiations, but it is understood that Richarlison’s sale to Tottenham Hotspur significantly diminished their desire to sell — late chairman Bill Kenwright did not want two stars to leave in a single window.

Nevertheless, things moved quickly by January, with Everton continuing to struggle both on and off the pitch. Newcastle agreed a £45million deal, to be paid in a lump sum to help Everton’s FFP, and amid a situation at Goodison Park which was growing more toxic, Gordon was suddenly no longer a boy clad in royal blue.

The thorny circumstances of Gordon’s exit are still painful for both the club’s fans and the player himself. Everton put out statements saying Gordon had not reported for training while he was negotiating a transfer in London at the request of owner Farhad Moshiri and Gordon admitted his hurt at the club’s curt 59-word departure statement.

Twelve months on, it is evident that the move suited all parties — Everton received a large sum for an academy product and have re-emerged stronger, Gordon had a more stable environment, and Newcastle had a long-term target.

For a little while, however, it looked as if Tottenham were Newcastle’s main rivals. Director of football Fabio Paratici, noticing Gordon’s defiance in a 5-0 loss at Spurs in March, later described the winger in transfer discussions as his “favourite player in the Premier League”. Antonio Conte was also a fan, with multiple discussions taking place between both clubs and Gordon’s representatives.

Ultimately, however, the choice came down to the winger. Gordon was won over by Newcastle’s trajectory — his admiration for Howe, the style being played, and the club’s rapid improvements — and was earmarked by recruitment staff as a priority target.

Some fans were sceptical — seeing a player whose goals and assists record did not match up to their Champions League pursuit and who had been rubbed up the wrong way by his on-pitch scrappiness. But Gordon was betting on himself. He always had.

In many ways, Gordon’s first months at Newcastle were reminiscent of his frustrations at the start of his Everton career. Despite his physical training, Howe’s system demanded a higher work rate still, an evolution of the off-ball skills which initially attracted Newcastle. The tactics also bore a weight — moving to a possession-based side for the first time in his career. The initial minutes were not what he anticipated.

“I would say last year it was difficult because I had to come in and sort of swallow my ego a lot,” he told the Newcastle programme earlier this season. “People talk about ego as a bad thing, but it’s not. None of us get to this level without having an ego.

“But I think I came in and expected a lot of myself and the way the team was, with the momentum they had, it was always going to be difficult. But I was a bit naive to that, so it was accepting that and moving on quickly and just accepting that it wasn’t going to be easy.”

These exasperations came to a head against Brentford in April, when Gordon, having delivered an impressive cameo off the bench, was substituted himself with moments remaining. He cast off Howe’s attempted greeting and threw himself into his seat, seething. Howe ground his teeth at the impudence. Sources from both the player and club side insist the incident was forgotten about within 24 hours, but its symbolism remained — the impatience of unfulfilled expectation.

It is undeniable, despite his goal on the final day of the season, that it was a frustrated Gordon sprinting on the hotel treadmill, running towards a future which he cannot bear to wait for. This is the natural by-product of a psychology which the player himself describes as fixated, with his obsessive, driven personality leading to an intensity which can be misperceived from afar.

As well as the Brentford incident, take the ire among Newcastle fans after his win-at-all-costs display at St James’ Park for Everton last season, or the anger from Everton supporters when he was open to furthering his career in the north east.

“I get really obsessed with things,” he told Newcastle’s website in September. “Whatever is on my mind for those couple of weeks, I’ll buy all the gear, research every detail of it — it’s just my personality.

“I think that’s a good thing because I don’t just settle for being average at something — I want to be the best at everything I do. It’s a good mindset to have, but I think it stresses the people around me out.”

That manifests itself in physical preparation — holiday doggie sprints before breakfast — but also his downtime. While on international duty at the Euros, Gordon replaced black and white stripes with black and white checks, challenging the entire squad to games of chess.

Several footballers play — AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic a notable example — with the blitz and rapid formats pushing players to make quick decisions. That chess is boxing without the violence also appealed. The only opponent he could not vanquish was team doctor Matt Perry — who was on a “different level” to anyone else in the squad.

In Georgia, staff members were impressed with the extent to which Gordon had matured since his early days in the international setup. Reflecting his importance to the squad, Lee Carsley trusted him with a crucial tactical brief — a false nine role which did not come naturally. The tournament, however, was a blinding success — securing two goals and an assist, the tip of England’s spear as they won the tournament.

Most encouraging of all was the development of two areas of his game — link-up play and finishing — which playing through the middle forced him to develop. UEFA awarded him player of the tournament, joining a list of luminaries such as Petr Cech, Fabio Cannavaro, Luis Figo, Andrea Pirlo. Goal one — complete.

“I’ve always said he can play left, he can play right, he can link, he can play 10,” says Unsworth. “He can actually play in the midfield three. But when he develops physically, upper-body wise, when he becomes a real mature man, I think he’ll actually end up as a striker if I’m being honest with you because he’s got everything and he’s good in the air as well.”

He pauses, before adding: “You know, the thing with Anthony, he’s a very intelligent footballer both on and off the pitch. I found that quite endearing to be honest. He would always ask the question ‘Why?’.”

It is a question Gordon has never stopped asking. He is a voracious reader, constantly making his way through sporting biographies, psychology manuals and leadership theory, with a half-finished text always found on some surface at his home.

Kobe Bryant’s book, The Mamba Mentality, is a particular favourite, outlining not just his dedication, but also his resilience — the NBA’s all-time leader in missed shots, but also fourth on the all-time scoring list. In the difficult periods of the past 18 months, one suspects it helped.

Another of Gordon’s hobbies is snooker — the winger playing a range of cue sports from a young age — with seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan another hero, despite his clear differences from Bryant.

The Chimp Paradox, written by O’Sullivan’s sports psychiatrist Steve Peters, is another well-thumbed book, which has helped him separate the emotional side of his brain (the chimp) from the analytical part (the human). Pivotal, Gordon found, was how to control and train the chimp — making instincts your best friend rather than worst enemy is pivotal to a footballer forced to make both quick decisions and exist in the public sphere.

It is a window into his process. After completing each book, Gordon will steal nuggets of information he feels can help him — a magpie mentality as well as a mamba.

“I found it to be very easy to try and get Anthony to focus because he was desperate,” says Unsworth. “And when you are desperate to do something, certainly when you back that up with the individual talent, 99 times out of 100, you will succeed.”

In the past year, the 22-year-old has left his boyhood club, acclimatised to another, brought himself to the edge of the England squad and, in recent months, become a father.

Life, like Gordon himself, is relentless. But this is a psychology that knows little else. There is nothing to do but get back on the treadmill and start sprinting. It is not yet time for the silk pyjamas.

#fic rambles

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rainsmediaradio · 1 year ago

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Open Heaven 21st December 2023 RCCG Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – You Can’t Box God in II.

TOPIC: You Can’t Box God in II. MEMORISE: Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, READ: Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY

Some people think they have God all figured out. They think they know all that there is to know about Him and how He does His things. After several encounters with God, a lot of sufferings for His work and even episodes of being stoned and left for dead while preaching the gospel, Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10: “That I may know him,and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”. When you go for a service, how much you get from it can be limited by your expectations. If you expect that the Pastor will mention your own particular case and he doesn’t, that is not proof that God has not answered your prayer. God can decide to work loudly or quietly; all He requires from you is faith, not an analysis of how He will work. He expects us to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). There was a testimony of a lady who was born with so many abnormalities – including having one lung instead of two, and her heart being on the right side of her chest instead of the left. As such, she struggled with her health from the day she was born. Finally, somebody recommended a hospital in Dubai, but she decided to go to the Holy Ghost Service first but nothing special appeared to happen in relation to her case during the service. Afterwards, she went on to Dubai as she had planned. When she got there, the doctors examined her and had to ask what she actually came in for, because they could not see anything wrong with her. She thought the people there didn’t know what they were saying so she went to another Hospital in Dubai. They also examined her and said there was nothing wrong with her. The Doctors could not believe that she was the same person they had read her case note from Nigeria Blessed Redeemer because they could see her heart on the left and she had two lungs, not one. If she had assumed that, because I had not mentioned her case at that Holy Ghost Service, then God was not interested in her, she might have missed her miracle. You at all times, in Jesus’ name. Bible in one year: James 1-5 Hymn 16 Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus Our Read the full article

#PastorE.A.Adeboye

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jaydeemedia · 1 year ago

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[ad_1] Shoreditch has the best street art in London. Here’s a breakdown of all the best locations and artists including a self-guided walking tour and map to make sure you don’t miss anything. LAST UPDATE: 11 Dec 2023 Anywhere We Roam is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support - Paul & Mark. London is rich with great street art, but nowhere is more blessed than Shoreditch. Gritty walls are packed with vibrant murals, striking typography, and political statements. Artists flock from all over the world to paint in Shoreditch. But street art is, by its very nature, ephemeral. New street art pops up just as old favourites disappear. This rotating lifecycle is what makes it so appealing, and no exploration of Shoreditch is ever the same. We’ve picked all our favourite Shoreditch Street art and artists and created a self-guided walk. We do our best to keep it up to date – but things change, and you might just see a brand-new Banksy. If you’d rather join an organised tour, check out this well-rated Shoreditch Street Art tour. SHOREDITCH STREET ART MAP Here is our map of the best street art in Shoreditch as of December 2023. The street art locations are marked in red and the galleries in brown. We have created a walking route to show you the easiest way to see them. The total walk is 5 kilometres and to see all the art, we suggest allowing around 3 to 4 hours. The walk starts at Old Street Station and ends at Liverpool Street Station, but there is no reason you could not do it the other way round. Download the map onto your phone and follow along. Information about the art is below. >> How to use this map / Click on the top left of the map to display the list of locations, then click on the locations to display further information. Click on the top right corner of the map to open a larger version in a new tab or the star to save to your Google Maps. 1. COWPER STREET Just outside Old Street Station is Cowper Street. This little road has a collaboration between several exciting artists. Fusing their different styles Jim Vision painted the colourful portrait, Si Mitchell is responsible for the striking dragon and ThisOne added the black and white flowers. At the junction of Cowper and Tabernacle there is a massive wall often covered in adverts. Adidas had taken it over on our last visit. COWPER STREET, SHOREDITCH 2. BLACKALL ALLEY This narrow alleyway is a bit of a hidden gem. Too small for cars, it’s backed onto by warehouses and packed with street art and murals. There are hundreds of images to take in. Don’t miss the numerous stencils by Buenos Aires-born artist Cartoonneros including “Van Gogh” and “Surviving England on Ten Pounds.” Our favourite was the striking face by Dubai-based street artist Fink 22. SURVIVING ENGLAND ON £10 VAN GOGH FACE BY FINK22, BLACKALL ALLEY 3. AMERICAN CAR WASH This multi-story car park is covered in graffiti from top to bottom. Rather than cool street art, it’s more a blast of colour against the skyscrapers of the city. On the way to the car wash you will pass two interesting galleries. Pure Evil Gallery, run by the eponymous local artist on Leonard Street, is a mecca for independent artists who wear their politics proudly. Jealous Gallery, on Curtain Road, is a contemporary gallery often focusing on street artists. During our last visit it had an exhibition by Italian-born artist ALO (Aristide Loria). AMERICAN CAR WASH 4. RIVINGTON STREET Before heading into New Inn Yard, the walking tour detours to Rivington Street. It’s worth the effort as there’s plenty of excellent art, including two Banksy’s. In Cargo Bar’s Yard, behind an iron gate and covered in Perspex, you’ll find Banksy’s “The Guard Dog” and “His Master’s Voice.” Between them are the indelible thoughts by LA-based street artist WRDSMTH. There’s plenty more to feast your eyes on. Ben

Eine’s “Scary” is under the railway bridge and next to it is a wonderful art adaption of Marina Lewycka’s novel “A Short History of Tractors in Ukraine.” Finally, the colourful heads of French artist Thierry Noir are under the Bash Street sign. He became a legend for painting on the Berlin Wall almost every day from 1984-1989. RIVINGTON STREET 5. BATEMANS ROW Zigzag your way back to New Inn Yard via French Place (which has an image of a White Rabbit on large black doors) and Bateman’s Row. The walls under the railway bridge are often adorned with bright and colourful street art. Pablo Allison’s vibrant spray paint mural dominates one side, while Chris Martin’s mixture of house paint and special ink lights up the other. The images on the bridge are often updated on Outside the Zone’s website. 6. NEW INN YARD & KING JOHN COURT New Inn Yard has a tiny little courtyard containing rubbish bins, metal fire escapes, and a whole host of street art. The art rotates quickly, but there are plenty of images all over the walls and an evocative Cartoonneros stencil called Putting Putin in the Bin. The brutalist building running along New Inn Yard and King John Court is covered top to bottom in one massive mural called Connectivity Matters. Numerous artists contributed to this remarkable endeavour which was completed in 2018. Autone Nest has created a crossing of lines in blazing colour topped with a Pride Matters rainbow heart. Mr Cenz and Lovepusher have combined to show a woman in deep thought holding a glowing orb seemingly connecting with the future. Nomad Clan use the fast-forward and rewind signs of old cassette decks to show connections through time and a pigeon carrying a letter for connections across space. Best Ever simply portray human connections through the shaking of hands. Oliver Switch and BUSK conveys the unbroken line of time from grand old masters to modern street art and graffiti. Ed Hick and Zadok, both formerly part of the 54 Crew, have created an eerie forest scene of connecting twisted trees and mushrooms. Tizer and Captain Kris highlight the links between nature and technology in their image of a robot dancing with a woman. Hunto & Mr Thoms have painted a series of intertwined faces in Picasso-esque cubist style. 7. WILLOW STREET & GREAT EASTERN STREET Two tube carriages coffered in graffiti by Sime and Wendy are perched on top of the building that sits on the corner of Willow Street and Great Eastern Street. The words “let’s adore and endure each other” are under the carriages on the Great Eastern Street side. Painted by Stephen Powers, it’s one of the most famous and loved street art pieces in London. Below are four advertising boardings that regularly rotate with different street art. GREAT EASTERN STREET 8. BULL IN A CHINA SHOP Otto Schade usually communicates anti-war themes with his trademark ribbon style. Painting in Shoreditch over the years he has earned the name Osch. Just under the bridge opposite Box Park Shoreditch you’ll find his “Bull in a China Shop,” which he painted on commission from a whisky bar of the same name. BULL IN A CHINA SHOP 9. BRAITHWAITE STREET It’s always worth walking up to the railway arches on Braithwaite Street and seeing what’s there. If you’re lucky David Speed’s dramatic purple neon image of a girl will still be proudly displayed through the metal fence. 10. EBOR STREET Ebor Street has some large, long walls making it perfect for big pieces of Shoreditch Street art. On our last visit there was a massive orange advert for Just Eat, and a couple of stunning portraits on the walls of the London Shuffle Club. Typography artist Ben Eine’s 45-metre-long multi-coloured mural “I DON’T WANT TO BE LIKE THIS ANYMORE” dominates the other side of the street. BEN EINE EBOR STREET 11. REDCHURCH STREET Redchurch Street has some of the best examples of street art in Shoreditch. Columbian Vane MG’s bright and neon colours come together in a striking image of girl with a red face.

ALO has two pieces in his usual liminal style. The walking tour takes a detour onto Chance Street and Whitby Street, but when you return to Redchurch Street you’ll find the stunning “Ukrainian Girl” by Woskerski and a long rectangular piece reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein. UKRANIAN GIRL, WOSKERSKI 12. CHANCE STREET & WHITBY STREET Go down Chance Street and you’ll find a massive wall packed with street art and a clothesline stretched across the street with shoes dangling from it. The highlight is the vibrant mural of colourful diagonals by German street artist MadC (Claudia Walde). Underneath is Yorgos’s large black-and-white image reflecting his focus on human gestures (rather than cognitive justifications) as signs of meanings, emotions, and relations. At the corner of Chance & Whitby Street is the bold blue and pink artwork called the Dream Factory, reminding you where dreams were made. Head down Whitby Street and you’ll find Jim Vision’s kaleidoscope of colour in a portrait of a woman, followed by “The Whitby Street Lady.” Painted in 2018 by Jimmy C, an Australian Street artist based in London, it has incredible light and depth with the out-of-focus spheres drawing us towards the lady’s face. JIM VISION WHITBY STREET LADY CHANCE STREET, SHOREDITCH 13. BRICK LANE Brick Lane is an excellent destination and not just for street art. This multi-cultured melting pot has vintage stores, bagel shops, curry houses, art galleries and record stores. There’s art on almost every spare space of wall and walking along here is an attack on the senses. The rest of the walking tour heads down Brick Lane, making detours into some of the side streets. As you progress don’t miss “Funky Monkey” by Otto Schade, the image of Dali by Benzi Brofman under the bridge, and the mural of a lady with tulips that covers the entire building above Brick Lane Brasserie. FUNKY MONKEY DALI BY ENZI BROFMAN 14. GRIMSBY STREET The first detour off Brick Lane is Grimsby Street. High up on the wall are two entwined elephants, painted by American artist Cernesto. Then there’s an entire wall of images behind which the trains rumble. The road ends at a bright orange mural called Scream. It was painted by Stik, a former homeless man who began painting to feel less invisible. GRIMSBY STREET 15. ALLEN GARDENS & PEDLEY STREET Next detour into Pedley Street. On your right is “High 5”, a collaboration between Jim Vision and Fanakapan painted in 2019. Jim contributed the explosion of colours around the woman and Fanakapan added the helium balloon, a trademark of his work. Continue into Allen Garden’s and you’ll find a mix of street art and graffiti all around the park. It can often be busy here with artists painting over old works or touching up their own. Once you’ve explored head back via Buxton Street to Brick Lane. HIGH 5 ALLEN GARDENS ALLEN GARDENS 16. HANBURY STREET Hanbury Street has some of the best street art in Shoreditch and it’s worth turning left and wandering all the way down the street. Look out for Belgian artist ROA’s black and white crane high up on a large brick wall. Next to it is an upside-down breakdancing Coldstream Guard painted by Argentinian Martin Ron. Both have been here for over 10 years. A little further up the street is another work by WRDSMTH. At the junction with Spital Street there’s a wonderful piece by Woskerski. Known for his vivid illustrations and vibrant colours, the image of a boy and girl surrounded by bright pink mushrooms lights up the entire street. ROA & RON STORIES OF POWER, CARLEEN DE SOZER 17. PRINCELET STREET At the junction of Princelet Street and Brick Lane is a simple yet striking image painted by Stik on red shutter doors. It features two stick figures holding hands, one in black wearing a burka and one in white. It celebrates London’s diversity and the bridging of cultures. Pointedly it’s only a few doors down from the Brick Lane Mosque. PRINCELET STREET 18. SEVEN STARS YARD

Seven Stars Yard was looking a bit of a mess when we last visited. The wall of the yard used to be covered in art, but a large metal shed now covers half of it. Nevertheless, there’s been some intriguing pieces here over the years. On our last visit there was a piece by British-American artist Tizer known for his blend of graffiti and character-based street art. High up on the wall was ‘FAN’ spelt out in Fanakapan’s signature helium balloons. SEVEN STARS YARD 19. HENEAGE STREET We’re big fans of Fanakapan’s hyper-realistic helium balloon 3D graffiti-inspired murals and our favourite lurks just off Heneage Street. The mural features the 3D character Carl Fredricksen, the 78-year-old balloon salesman from the Pixar movie ‘UP’ holding the strings to balloons that spell out the words ‘UP YOURS’ It’s a magnificent piece of street art in a yard adjacent to the 5th Base Gallery. A little tricky to find, we have marked its location clearly on the Shoreditch Street Art map above. 20. FASHION STREET The final stop on our Shoreditch Street art walking tour is Fashion Street. First up is a portrait of café owner Danni with her grandfather Joe when she was three years old. Painted by Jimmy C in his usual pointillist / drip style in 2016, “Joe’s Kid” recalls the work of post-impressionist painters. Further down the street is a portrait of a girl in vivid swirling colours by Mr Cenz. There’s also a mix of graffiti and street art around the door of Mission E1. SPITALFIELDS Fashion Street is the end of the street art. The nearest tube station is Aldwych East, but it’s much more interesting to head home via Liverpool Street Station, stopping off at Spitalfields Market on the way. Have a stroll through the market or grab a bite at one of the food stalls. From Spitalfields, it’s a short walk along atmospheric Artillery Passage to Liverpool Street Station and the end of our Shoreditch Street Art self-guided walking tour. If you enjoyed the tour or have any suggestions, please leave a comment in the comment section at the bottom of this post. If you’d rather join a tour than our self-guided walk check out this well-rated Shoreditch Street Art tour. MORE LONDON GUIDES ANYWHERE WE ROAM ISREADER-SUPPORTED Booking your trip via the links on this page earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can also buy us a coffee. Big thanks – Paul & Mark. INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK [ad_2] Source link

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kirukkals · 1 year ago

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Winter 2022 - Germany & more!

We had been wanting a holiday, a white christmas holiday and we got one. An unexpected work-related trip to Germany, and we grabbed the chance.

December 1st, 2022.

We boarded the Turkish airlines in Dubai and landed in Zurich. This was our second time in Switzerland, and our previous trip was in 2015 with our friend's family. We had been longing to come back. We didn't cover Zurich then, so ya, same country, but new city and this time during winter ! COLD! REALLY COLD! Ok, so it is not just Switzerland again. Our agenda was completely different. Read on…

A few days earlier...

Venkat calls mid day from work to tell me he has a business meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, during the 1st week of December. And as expected, my reaction was, yeaahhh.. I'm packing up.

We had been planning Germany for the past 4 years, and somehow it kept getting delayed - visa renewal, then we booked on a Russian airline for March 2020 & covid travel ban happened. When everything opened up, we didn't expect the Ukraine war, and Russian airlines were banned over EU airspace, so our Germany trip was far-fetched. Finally, it looked like it was time.

And I have to say, we were indeed very lucky to get a schengen visa appointment on such short notice. We quickly booked our tickets to the cheapest available option, which was Zurich, readied our papers for the visa process, and prayed a lot. It was all in a matter of 7 days, and when we received the visa sticker on our passport, we could already see snow.

We planned Switzerland & Germany, maybe the Netherlands if time permits. We never thought we would end up doing 7 countries in Europe in 13 days !

We decided to use the trains only for this trip, no self driving. Just mid the same year, we did a cross country drive in the Balkans. That goes in another blog for another day. So, let me stick to these 13 days now. We got a blast of a deal on the 10 day Global train pass over Black Friday sale, which can be used for most Schengen countries.

December 1st, 2022.

Zurich, Switzerland - Country 1.

We landed around 10.15 am. in Zurich. We were welcome to a 5 degree celsius kind of weather straight from a 25 degree in Dubai. As we stepped out of the airport to the train station, we realised the 2 layer clothing that we had would not be sufficient for the days to come. We took a train to our hotel Ibis. This is a really, really expensive country, and a triple room always costs more. A few years back, we had decided no more IBIS Budget, the room is always so small and the bathrooms… omg! Not again ! It was a transparent glass door for the shower with a translucent patch exactly where needed, not an inch higher or an inch lower. Separate toilet with proper door, but no lock. That is ok, but glass door for bath, and we travel with our girl (always!) She is 12 now! So, we pulled out the bedspread and hung it along the height of the door, creating the cover we needed, the first thing that we did after landing in Switzerland !!!

Evening, we went for a stroll to Lindenhof, and it ended up to be a hike, actually. The view from the top was spectacular. Being winter, no crowds at all. It was around 8 to 10 degrees celsius. And this time, we were prepared with jackets, gloves, snow boots, and all ready to take on the winter. So we assumed.

December 2nd, 2022.

Vaduz, Liechtenstein - Country 2.

Day 2, we decided to visit one of the smallest countries in the world, Liechtenstein. From Zurich, we took a train to Sargans and from there a bus to Vaduz, about 1.5 hrs for the total trip. Vaduz is one of the most beautiful, picture perfect little towns I would say. The castle towers over the entire place. The Prince of the country still lives there (lucky him!!), so the castle is not open for tourists. We just walked around the main town area for a few hours - castle, church, shops - beautiful & calm place. Definitely one of the richest in the world. We bought the smallest magnet to identify with the size of the country. We treated ourselves to a nice cup of Srilankan chai in the evening.

Evening we headed back to Zurich, to the Rapperswil, where the Christmas Market was put up. What a contrast to the calm Vaduz, it was buzzing with activity and lights, people laughing & drinking all the way! Zurich Lake is huge, and sunset was such a beautiful sight to watch! Temperature always starts to drop drastically after 5 p.m., and all around us, people are either smoking or holding a beer mug! We were the ones drinking hot chocolate and standing in front of the fireplace for some warmth.

Overall, it was a brilliant start to a much wanted vacation.

December 3rd, 2022.

Frankfurt, Germany - Country 3.

Here we come, Germany, finally ! Took the train from Zurich, about 4 hrs. As we entered Germany, the landscape changed visibly. You may call I am biased towards Switzerland, yes, I am, but still, I didn't find any beauty in the German landscape, not just yet. Just factories, lots of them, and more crowds everywhere.

Frankfurt, especially near the main station, where we stayed, was so crowded. You can see all kinds of people, immigrants, office goers, students, all busy running around, the place is not so clean, seemingly shady street corners, such a contrast from the neighbouring Switzerland, which was so neat, posh & calm. Frankfurt is a bustling business centre. We stayed in a place called Hotel Apollo, which had a big room, decent accommodation. The best part near where we stayed was Hotel Saravana Bhavan! What a blessing! And the train station connectivity helped us move around. We spent 6 nights in this place.

Christmas Markets in Germany are definitely quite famous and rightly so. It was ten, twenty, thirty times bigger than what we saw in Zurich! It was like a whole city in itself. The old town area was lit up in the evening, and the place was crowded like a music concert party ! We had to push through every street, like how we used to do in Ranganathan street, T.nagar during Diwali times! All Chennaiits can relate to this ! We had the famous kinderpunsch drink, tried the chocolates and pastries, so many small stalls, all handmade dolls, arty stuff and all so beautiful ! We walked and walked and that was the only day we were out late in the night I guess, for a long time despite the freezing cold ! (Temperature was 4 degrees or even less)

December 4th, 2022.

Black Forest, Germany.

My great friend from TCS days, Sara, lives in Germany. We met as a family in Baden-Baden and they took us for a drive to the Black Forest area. First, to the world famous cuckoo clocks in Triberg. What an amazing collection ! All handmade, authentic & beautiful wood art, 1000+ cuckoo clocks! Cost ranges from 50 Euros to over 1000 Euros! And yes, of course, we bought one for our home and to this day, our cuckoo coos beautifully, every hour.

We then went to the Triberg waterfalls and then the lake. Such a beautiful day, the weather was perfect, still very cold, but we did cope quite well. And we also managed to find an Indian restaurant, Rangoli, to have hot food in the middle of nowhere! An entire day spent with friends in such a lovely setting, is definitely unforgettable. Thanks to Sara & Mani for that !

December 5th, 2022.

Luxembourg - Country 4.

This country is a hidden beauty amidst Germany, Belgium & France. It takes about 5 hrs one way to reach from Frankfurt. We started early, so we could spend about 5 to 6 hrs in Luxembourg. All public transport is free here, people look cheerful & wealthy, yet another rich, well developed and maintained country. We walked to the main square, Grand palace, Notre-Dame, Christmas themes all around. We just had time to go to the town center where the mini Christmas market was warming up to welcome the crowds for the evening. We didn’t really have any agenda or particular places to cover, so we relaxed to take in the beautiful scenery around us.

Trams were crowded with university students in the evening, I in fact got left behind while boarding one, didn't have any money or mobile with me, but got into the next one quickly & I knew the stop to get down. Well, my husband's plan of leaving me behind didn't really work, haha! What a lovely place anyways to be left behind!

December 6th, 2022.

Brussels, Belgium - Country 5.

We boarded the train from Frankfurt morning, about 3 hrs to Brussels. Beautiful blue skies, amazing weather, (by this time, 7 or 8 degrees was actually pleasant for us), We indulged in Belgian chocolates, a must do thing. What a huge town square, architecture was especially notable in these buildings !!! Columns & Pillars in the Grand Palace were particularly intricate. Old style European architecture was all around, and we actually like such places. We visited the chocolate factory, but really, not worth all that hype. Think of it now, maybe we visited to escape the cold outside. Cadbury chocolate factory in the UK was actually much better and fun for kids & adults.

Unlike Luxembourg, Brussels was quite crowded and a big city, too. And yes, the most famous Mannekin Pis in Brussels! The story is that a little boy saved the city from dangerous fire by pissing on it. And so, there is this bronze statue in the city center, which shows a naked little boy pissing and creating a fountain. This is being decorated all through the year, some even worship, thousands of tourists visit to take pics, we did too. And the entire city had souvenirs showcasing this Mannekin Pis. So, later in the day, we headed back to Frankfurt after a stroll in the park.

December 7th, 2022.

Frankfurt, Germany.

Oh yes, I did tell you all that Venkat had a conference, it was today ! So, here comes our Mom & Girl day out. We went to the Christmas Market again and got some little cute stuff for the upcoming dad’s birthday. We strolled by the lake side, went to Eiserner Steg, the Iron Footbridge. And what is the obsession about hanging those lovelocks in the European bridges?!! Every place we have been to, we have seen this! May all the love flourish! We were just out a few hours without our man, it actually does get boring after a while.

December 8th, 2022.

Cologne, Germany.

Day 2 of the conference, but thankfully it got over soon. We could visit Cologne, and the most popular Cathedral there. If Frankfurt was crowded, Cologne looked nothing less, we visited in the evening, and the place was lit up totally. The Cathedral with its Gothic Architecture, alongside the Rhine River and the bridge, looks majestic in the evening lights. We were basking in the glory of the train journeys by now. All trains were neat and clean, had a coffee shop and ran nearly on time. Using the rail pass was a breeze.

December 9th, 2022.

Amsterdam, Netherlands - Country 6.

If Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is a very huge and busy train station, Amsterdam Central is equally big and very impressive. Of course, I like Switzerland trains and stations better, but Amsterdam follows closely. About 4.5 hrs from Frankfurt and we checked into Hotel Koopermoolen. The entire trip being train journeys and mostly exploring the city center by foot, we made sure all our accommodation was very near to the main station. We headed out immediately after dropping our bags, and I have to tell you, we felt the real cold from here actually. We had headed up north from Zurich. Temperature was around 4 degrees at noon! We started wearing layered clothing, woollen, 2 jackets, gloves, scarves, exposing only our eyes!

Amsterdam is known as the “Venice of the North'' and rightly so. The city center, the picturesque canals and those vibrant buildings all around, it has a definite charm. We walked to the Anne Frank house, unfortunately, didn’t know we had to book in advance, didn’t expect such a big queue there, all slots were fully booked for the next 2 days. We had to settle looking from just outside. Having read the Anne Frank Diary, it was disappointing not to visit the house, maybe some other time. And the Netherlands is definitely worth visiting more than once.

With Christmas around the corner, nightlife was extremely radiant and festive. My cousin Pavi & family live in Amsterdam. We met them for dinner, and they took us to a lovely Indian restaurant, Pind Punjabi. Food was yumm and we all needed the hot food and the warm indoors. Thank you Pavi & Karthik!

December 10th, 2022.

Zaanse Schans, Netherlands.

What is a visit to the Netherlands worth without seeing the windmills?! I have always wondered if those windmills will look really like the ones I have read in books about. The countryside, toy town look is what all those illustrations show. We went to Zaanse Schans along with our cousin's family.

What a cold, foggy morning it was ! About 1 degree, it also started snowing lightly. This place recreates the look of an 18th/19th century village. It is a residential area, though so many tourists visit all around the year, there is a sense of calm and peace. And after a few kms walk, we could see the first of the windmills, the fans of which cut through the thick fog. What a sight ! I don’t know what attracts me to those wooden mills, but true to the stories i have read, I was indeed taken back in time. The walk across the bridge on the river Zaan while it was snowing was magical. Then we saw those colourful wooden mills, all in a row, and most of them were still running. They are used for making chocolates now, house a restaurant or coffee shop and sell souvenirs. This place is a must visit for all those going to the Netherlands.

We had a train to catch at 3 pm to go to Hamburg, so had to say bye to my cousins as well as the mesmerising Zaanse Schans.

December 11th, 2022.

Hamburg, Germany.

We reached Hamburg the previous night, around 8 pm. Stayed at Hotel Novum for a night. And this hotel was actually very good, bang on the road, right opposite the station and a spacious room too. Went to Hotel Saravana Bhavan for dinner. What a blessing that we found this place nearby wherever we went on this trip. Now, the prime reason we had been planning to visit Germany for many years was actually for this - to visit the famous Hamburg Model Railroad museum. Not many are aware of this, but here is one of the largest miniature railroad museums in the world. Model railroading is a popular hobby in Europe, US & Canada, and because we follow it too, this was a must visit place on our list. To give a brief, modellers collect model trains, build a landscape for the trains to pass through, all in reduced scale. The landscape can be imagined or recreate some city or village as a miniature model.

Morning we quickly got ready and headed out to the museum. We have to book tickets in advance and book our time slots too. Definitely the place kept up to its name and fame. Various regions around the world have been recreated on a small scale. And once into that magic, one won’t realise it is a miniature world. If the Switzerland snow mountain is the theme, it includes the scenery, the train tracks all around the mountains, people hiking, all the snow games, the lights changing to show day & night set up and so on. What precise details !!! Lots to learn from every model that was there. I won’t delve more here, we spent more than half a day there, and worth every minute.

Caught an evening train to Munich, long journey, about 6 hrs. Reached our hotel, Amba, around midnight.

December 12th, 2022.

Innsbruck, Austria.

As I mentioned earlier, when we started this journey, we thought we would go to Switzerland, Germany and maybe the Netherlands. After getting the Global train pass, from Frankfurt we quickly did the neighbouring countries. Nothing planned ahead. But this last day plan of visiting Austria came all of a sudden, and we thought, why not! Was debating whether to take Munich to Innsbruck train or to take Munich to Salzburg train. And Innsbruck it was, all for the good.

It had been snowing heavily last night, and we stepped on thick snow mid day as we got out of the train. Weather was minus 9 degrees, it was freezing and sunny at the same time. The sight of snow capped mountains with the scattered clouds across the bright blue skies stays in the memory even today. Entire city center was neatly planned, roads parallel & perpendicular, all leading to the mountains. Amazing landscapes, we had a much deserving hot lunch buffet at an Indian restaurant, Masala, roamed around more till we could no longer stand the cold. We headed back to Munich later in the evening.

December 13th, 2022.

Munich, Germany.

Our last day for this trip, we had our flight in the afternoon to Dubai. In Munich, it was Marienplatz, the town centre and the architecture is known for its centuries old buildings. Lots of history to be explored, but as tourists, time flies in Europe, we always never get enough.

At the airport, we had another no boarding episode. After covid times, this is becoming quite too often, at least for us! Turkish airlines most likely overbooked passengers, they wouldn’t admit that, would they?! We thought our web check-in was complete, they just said you cannot board, please go to the ticketing office, which was right opposite. There, they requested if we are ok to take the Emirates, direct flight to Dubai instead of Turkey layover. Oh yes, that is an upgrade and definitely a bonus for us after a lovely 13-day trip. So took the ever so comfortable Emirates and landed in Dubai the same night.

More magnets were added to our fridge and more European memories !

As we look back now, it’s amazing to realise how well the Schengen states are connected. We travelled 7 countries, 3300 km, hopped on and off 36 trains, and did not feel tired. In fact, it has only left us wanting more.

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teepoxshop · 2 years ago

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Spring equinox 2023: Ancient traditions of renewal echo into the modern world

Thomas Nashe, the 16th-century British poet and dramatist, certainly looked forward to spring in his own colorful, singsong way:

The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet, Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit, In every street these tunes our ears do greet: Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to witta-woo! Spring, the sweet spring!

Sweet spring indeed – a time to observe the growing light, listen to the birds, smell the flowers and feel the growing warmth from the sun.

They’re all signs that spring equinox 2023 is arriving. This official first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere is a sign of rebirth, a time of tradition and a harmonious balance between day and night.

Precisely when will the spring equinox happen?

Some folks like things scheduled down to the minute.

The spring equinox will arrive exactly at 21:24 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) March 20, according to EarthSky. Here’s how that breaks down at various points around the world (all times adjusted for Daylight Saving Time):

• Honolulu (Hawaii): 11:24 a.m. • San Francisco (California) and Victoria (Canada): 2:24 p.m. • Santa Fe (New Mexico) and Guadalajara (Mexico): 3:24 p.m. • Minneapolis (Minnesota) and Kingston (Jamaica): 4:24 p.m. • Montreal (Canada) and Charleston (South Carolina): 5:24 p.m. • Halifax (Canada): 6:24 p.m.

Crossing over the Atlantic, here are some more places:

• Dublin (Ireland) and Accra (Ghana): 9:24 p.m. • Paris (France) and Algiers (Algeria): 10:24 p.m. • Helsinki (Finland) and Alexandria (Egypt): 11:24 p.m.

For time zones east of the above, the equinox actually falls on Tuesday, March 21. Some more places:

• Istanbul (Turkey) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): 12:24 a.m. • Dubai (United Arab Emirates): 1:24 a.m. • Mumbai (India): 2:54 a.m. • Bangkok (Thailand) and Hanoi (Vietnam): 4:24 a.m. • Singapore: 5:24 a.m. • Seoul (South Korea) and Osaka (Japan): 6:24 a.m.

You can click here to see a listing of major cities. Or click here to look up the exact moment of the spring equinox where you live.

For some, fall is in the air

Folks in the Northern Hemisphere are looking forward to longer days, flowers and a burst of greenery. But for people living south of the equator, this equinox means they are heading into fall.

So for Chileans, South Africans and Australians, among others, this is a time to look forward to cooler autumn weather.

For people who reside near the equator (in places such as Quito, Ecuador, or Singapore), none of this is really a big deal. They get roughly 12 hours of daylight and nighttime year round.

Spring equinox has another name

If you ever hear anyone say “vernal equinox,” it means the same thing.

The term equinox comes from the Latin word “equinoxium,” meaning “equality between day and night.” And vernal also comes from Latin and means “spring.”

Why does spring equinox happen?

The Earth rotates along an imaginary line that runs from North Pole to South Pole. It’s called the axis, and this rotation is what gives us day and night.

However, the axis tilts at 23.5 degrees, as NASA explains. That positions one hemisphere of the planet to get more sunlight than the other for half of the year’s orbit around the sun. This discrepancy in sunlight is what triggers the seasons.

Spring, the most inspiring of the seasons

The effect is at its maximum in late June and late December. Those are the solstices, and they have the most extreme differences between day and night, especially near the poles. (That’s why it stays dark for so long each day during the winter in places such as Scandinavia and Alaska.)

But since the winter solstice three months ago in December, you’ve probably noticed that our days have been getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere and the nights shorter. And now here we are at the spring equinox!

Going forward, the Northern Hemisphere will be more exposed to the sun than the Southern Hemisphere. That’s why it gets increasingly warmer as we head toward the summer solstice in June.

The equinoxes aren’t exactly ‘equal’

It turns out you actually get a little more daylight than darkness on the equinox – and how much so depends where you are on the planet.

How does that happen when it’s supposed to be 12 hours of day and 12 hours night?

As the US National Weather Service explains, the “nearly” equal hours of day and night are because of the complex way a sunrise is measured and the refraction of sunlight in our atmosphere.

This bending of light rays “causes the sun to appear above the horizon when the actual position of the sun is below the horizon.” The day is a bit longer at higher latitudes than at the equator because it takes the sun longer to rise and set the closer you get to the poles.

We got that truly equal day/night split a few days before the official spring equinox. That’s called the equilux.

Get oriented

If you’re a sky watcher, the website EarthSky points out the equinoxes – spring or autumn – are a superb time to orient yourself. The equinoxes are the only two times a year the sun rises due east and sets due west for everyone on the planet.

EarthSky says the equinox is “a good day for finding east and west from your yard or other favorite site for watching the sky. Just go outside around sunset or sunrise and notice the location of the sun on the horizon with respect to familiar landmarks.”

32 of the most beautiful places in Ireland

Another fun fact: The sun sets faster during the equinoxes than during solstices – and it’s true for both hemispheres. The reason? The setting sun hits the horizon at the steepest possible angle to Earth, EarthSky says.

The sun sets more slowly during solstices when the Earth’s tilt is most extreme. And the effect is more dramatic the farther you get from the equator. That’s why the sun never sets at all in the Arctic Circle during the time around the summer solstice.

Special sites and modern celebrations

In England, the mysterious stone structure of Stonehenge has been a popular gathering place for solstices and equinoxes. English Heritage organizes the events, and if you aren’t fond of big crowds, the equinoxes draw fewer people than the solstices typically.

In Mexico, the Mayan site Chichén Itzá has special equinox ties. At the site, the impressive pyramid known as El Castillo was aligned so that a shadow outlining the form of a snake of light (Kukulcán) descends the steps on the equinoxes.

And it’s not just well-known ancient sites that traditionally get in on the action.

Pike Place Market in Seattle will be celebrating its annual Daffodil Day. When shoppers visit the market, they will get a free bundle of daffodils while supplies last.

The city of Zenica, northwest of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, holds its annual Cimburijada or “Festival of Scrambled Eggs” on the first day of spring.

Cultural influences

Cultures around the world celebrate the equinox. Here are a few:

Nowruz is the Persian New Year. Also known as Nauryz, Navruz or Nowrouz, it means “new day.”

It’s no coincidence it falls on the first day of spring. The Iranian calendar is a solar calendar, meaning time is determined, through astronomical observations, by Earth’s movement around the sun. So, the first day of the year always kicks off with the vernal equinox.

It’s a celebration of new beginnings: wishing prosperity and welcoming the future while shedding away the past. That’s why families use this time to deep clean their homes and closets and buy fresh clothing.

In China, trying to stand an egg upright is a popular game during the spring equinox, according to VisitBeijing.com. The custom is thought to go back thousands of years, and it’s believed that if people can get an egg to stand, they will have good luck. And people across China eat local spring vegetables.

In Japan, Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday (on Tuesday, March 21, this year). Japan is thoroughly modernized, but its people still adhere to old traditions such as visiting family graves and holding family reunions to mark the spring equinox.

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gastroenterologyucgconferences · 2 years ago

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What is Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? Discuss Symptoms, treatment & types of it join us at the 13th World Gastroenterology, IBD & Hepatology Conference from December 15-17, 2023 in Dubai, UAE & Virtual.

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

You may experience uncomfortable or painful abdominal symptoms if you have irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. IBS symptoms include constipation, diarrhoea, gas, and bloating. IBS does not cause digestive problems or increase your risk of colon cancer. Symptoms are frequently manageable via dietary and lifestyle adjustments.

What precisely is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

Irritable bowel syndrome, sometimes known as IBS, is a collection of symptoms that affect your digestive system. It is a common yet unpleasant gastrointestinal condition. IBS patients have excessive gas, stomach pain, and cramping.

What exactly is a functional gastrointestinal disorder?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a form of functional gastrointestinal (GI) illness. These illnesses, often known as disorders of the gut-brain interface, are caused by issues with how your stomach and brain interact.

These issues make your digestive tract extremely sensitive. They also alter the contraction of your gut muscles. As a result, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and constipation occur.

What are the many forms of IBS?

IBS is classified by researchers based on the type of bowel movement difficulties you encounter. The type of IBS you have can influence your treatment. Certain medications are only effective for certain forms of IBS.

People with IBS frequently have normal bowel movements on some days and abnormal ones on others. The type of IBS you have is determined by the abnormal bowel motions you have:

IBS with constipation (IBS-C): Your stool is mostly hard and lumpy.

IBS-D: The majority of your stool is loose and watery.

IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M): On the same day, you experience both hard and lumpy stool movements and loose and watery movements.

What is the impact of IBS on my body?

The colon muscle contracts more in patients with IBS than in people who do not have the ailment. Cramping and pain are caused by these contractions. IBS patients also have a decreased pain tolerance. Excess bacteria in the GI tract may potentially contribute to symptoms in patients with IBS, according to research.

Who is at risk of getting IBS?

The illness most commonly affects persons in their late teens to early forties. Women are twice as likely as males to get IBS. Multiple family members may suffer from IBS.

You may be more vulnerable if you have:

IBS runs in the family.

Anxiety, tension, or emotional stress.

Intolerance to certain foods.

Physical or sexual abuse in the past.

Infection of the digestive tract.

What causes IBS?

You may have found that some things aggravate your IBS symptoms. Some meals and medications are common triggers. Emotional stress is another possible factor. Some researchers believe that IBS is the gut's reaction to pressures in life.

How widespread is IBS?

IBS affects 10% to 15% of the adult population in the United States, according to experts. However, only 5% to 7% of people are diagnosed with IBS. It is the most prevalent condition diagnosed by gastroenterologists.

What are the origins of IBS?

Researchers aren't sure what causes IBS. They believe that a combination of factors, including:

Dysmotility refers to issues with how your GI muscles contract and move food through your digestive tract.

Extra-sensitive nerves in the GI tract are known as visceral hypersensitivity.

Miscommunication between nerves in the brain and the gut is referred to as brain-gut dysfunction.

What are the symptoms of IBS?

IBS symptoms include:

Cramps or abdominal pain, commonly in the bottom portion of the abdomen.

Bloating.

Harder or softer bowel movements than normal.

Diarrhoea, constipation, or a combination of the two.

Extra petrol.

Mucus in your stool (it may appear yellowish).

Symptoms of IBS in women may worsen during their periods. These symptoms frequently reoccur, which might make you feel agitated or irritated. You'll start to feel better physically and mentally as you learn how to handle flare-ups.

What exactly is IBS treatment?

Although no single therapy is effective for everyone, most people with IBS can discover a treatment that works for them. Your IBS treatment plan will be tailored to your specific needs by your healthcare professional. Dietary and lifestyle changes are common therapy choices. A nutritionist can assist you in dev;eloping a diet that is appropriate for your lifestyle.

Connect with us: - https://gastroenterology.universeconferences.com/

Email: [email protected]

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dongsichenged · 3 years ago

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here’s a really comprehensive overview of how things shook down in the c-fandom by reddit user u/visible-following-50 (as of 11pm CDT 8/24/2021)

I wanna provide some C-ent perspective on this:

Overall all accusations concentrate in the period between August 2019 - February 2020

PART 1: Monday 23th 10-11pm The scandal first erupt on Twitter but reached Weibo around 10pm. There were instantly 10+ gossip accounts who were sharing the screenshots with no translation, fresh from Twitter. It took a bit for users on Douban to translate them and reshare them on Weibo. The gossip accounts definitely got tipped off, since they posted about it all at the same time.

Fans tried to look for proof the pictures, the screenshots, the audio and the timeline were fake. Apart from some small fans, most of his big fans asked Lumis to not share unverified debunks... they had previous experience sharing things too early only to find themselves ridiculed, so they pretty much just spend the whole night looking for harder proofs and keeping his trending topic on the entertainment list and not the main one. I am PERSONALLY quite confident, the company knew already what was going at that point. His trending topic never reached the main board... it was the #1 on the ent board for the whole night... people are guessing it was company’s doing...

As for the debunking proofs. I can confidently say, none of the proofs given and shared by small fans were solid proofs. That’s why his big accounts in China never started to share massively those posts. Twitter instead was more vocal in believing them.

1/ Pictures: the finger one is the fishiest one. It looks extremely not like his finger. But the three selfies, no fans managed to find where they come from. The only possible guess they come from leaked Kakaotalk. 2/ Audio: the fans found one part of the audio coming possibly from Bubble, but there’s a slight change in tone and the second part of the audio still is missing from Bubble. People use it as a debunking proof, but we can’t say for sure 3/ Timeline: the alleged nights they spent together did in fact coincide with the nights Lucas was in Seoul, just a very packed agenda. Like August 28th, he just landed in Incheon from Dubai at 5-6pm and supposedly spent the night with her right after. September 9th, he took a flight from Shanghai to Seoul, landed, spent the night with her, the day after directly took a flight to Dallas for SuperM concert. Technically all possible, also technically could be fabricated to match his schedule perfectly as second half of 2019 Lucas schedule was known to everybody due to SuperM and the amount of flights info. Beginning of December he was in China despite her claims. That is the only part we can be 100% it’s not true, since we have receipts of Lucas being in Beijing doing fanmeetings.

As for the gaslighting, asking for money and being rude to her, we have no proof whatsoever, since all the Wechat shared just show Lucas saying I love u and trying to meet up with her.

At this point, 99% of his fandom in China still believed in him and many spent the night not sleeping, to clear his searches, battle with antis and so on. His group mates akgaes also spent the night shitting on him.

PART 2: Tuesday 6pm The whole day went by with Lumis still clearing his searches, with anti inventing new rumors (they shared a dick pick of him quickly proven to be fake) which had Lumis and different members akgaes fight, but nothing big in comparison. After Jalapeño teaser dropped people were excited and we received also info Lucas and Ten have booked flights for China on Sept 10th. Then at 6pm a new girl came out, again, the news instantly shared by 10+ gossip accounts on Weibo, spreading the visibility.

The second girl is a Chinese girl claiming to have been contacted by him after a fansign (she provided receipts of her fansign participation) and supposedly met up in ShengYang. The girl had no pictures just a bunch of screenshots. She claimed they had sex with no protection and him lying saying he hasn’t had sex in a year and similar stuff.

Overall by this time, most of fans still didn’t believe her since she provided no pics and all the Wechat conversation were seen as not strong proofs (they can be easily photoshopped)

PART 3: Wednesday 8pm The third girl posted on her weibo account (with no personal info), the final blow. With pictures.

She supposedly got his contact by sending him a message via airdrop once she found him on Bluetooth during an offline event. They quickly added each other. They “dated” or more correctly they FWB for a period where she asked multiple times whether he was single, but supposedly the timing overlapped with the two previous girls, hence why the third girl decided to expose him, cause she felt cheated.

She accused him of cheating, badmouthing his members (they don’t work enough, one of them stole one of his fashion gig), not liking Keep Running (too much pressure from seniors).

Keep in mind none of the above accusations are found in her shared screenshots, as she said these are part of their conversation while drinking.

She provided 3 pictures: one of him sleeping (which many fans suspect to be a picture of him sleeping on WayV dorm due to matching sofa and Bella’s toy) and two pictures of him with drinks and sigarettes (the fishy part is that his hairstyle doesn’t look like his hairstyle in end of 2019. Edit: it could have been Moonwalk period hair.). While girl #1 selfies could have been Kakaotalk profile pics, these pictures look 1/ not photoshopped 2/ taken without him knowing.

At this point, Lucas big fan accounts broke down... this girl pictures were the final blow. While some fans still finds them fishy and claim it could have been staff selling their pics (which allegedly happened before between staff and sasaeng), after 24 hours of radio silence and continuous rumors, no sleep and constant fighting, his fancafe and his most high profile fans gave up and believed the accusations. Please note his solo stans only believe that he did sleep around, no mentions of badmouthing or his personality.

Lucas’ image among Chinese fans is definitely purer than what Ifans think of him. If Ifans think him being sexually active is nothing strange, for C-fans him sleeping and especially with fans, multiple at once, was too much to handle. Also many felt like at this point, regardless of whether he’s able to disprove the accusations, his image in China is ruined forever. SM not saying anything was too much to handle.

PART 4: Tuesday 10pm onwards.

With the fancafe leaving and many big fans leaving, the rest of Lumis saw this as a sign these big fans knew more than them, had some sort of proof from SM that the allegations were true. Rumors spread like fire among fandom and many fans quit due to fancafe quitting.

Fancafe quitting trended at #3 on Weibo main board, that single Weibo post had over half a million likes.

The rest of the night, Lucas trended with various hashtag, all on main board, between 3 to 15 in terms of positions. The same day a TV presenter was ousted for r*pe.

One of WayV most famous sasaeng shared on Weibo that Lucas does have an habit of flirting back when you send him something via airdrop. This sort of backed the possibility of the third girl story of how she met Lucas.

The rest of the night we still had some small rumors spreading of people saying that he does flirt with fans, he does look like a fuck boy, he was already a player before debut and so on. To be honest, I wouldn’t care about these since they all sound like people jumping on him.

Some WayV and almost all solo fans of the other members started to ask for his removal from the group. Many believe the accusations (since again, after 24 hours no solid debunking has been offered) while some others in any case think his career is done and his image will only tarnish the group.

As you can see, all of this play out very quickly. A bit over 24 hours and we are yet to see any response from SM.

Currently the remaining Chinese Lumis (a new fancafe opened to substitute the old one) are mostly just waiting for some confirmation or debunking from Lucas or the company itself. On Weibo they just basically gave up on digging for more proof themselves (apart form some small individual fans)

#lucas #wayv #.text #clarification

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sonofjeddah · 3 years ago

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Why Superheroes still matter in Arabia

The pop-culture segment in general and superhero segment in particular is the least considered in Saudi Business community (local and international players included). Toy companies, Entertainment houses, Media production companies and even FMCG companies still consider kids (esp. tweens) as primary audience of these properties that have inspired, excited and entertained old and young for more than eight decades

While the society has shown tremendous interest in activities organized by General Entertainment Authority since 2017, the consensus within the business community is antithetical to the wishes of this niche segment of 5 million plus. Shocking as it may seem, the level of interest, fan following isn't restricted to cosmopolitan centers (Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam/Khobar); in fact, regions such as Hail, Qassim and Al Jouf are among the top 5 out of top 10 regions with most search queries in the country concerning these subject(s)

The Quest for Superhero Content: Saudi Arabia vs The World

Saudi Arabia:

Worldwide:

Search Queries: Marvel Cinematic Universe (Blue), Marvel Comics (Red), Shang Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings (Yellow)

While for me this information isn't new as I've been mining data on Google and Facebook since 2013, I chose today to talk about it in the form of an article. I did so because at this moment in time, the biggest happening in the world of heroes is not being led by DC Comics flagship characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman or Justice League; nor it's being led by Marvel's flagship characters like Spider-Man, The Avengers or X-Men; nor by Star Wars, Transformers or Game of Thrones for that matter. Instead, it's being led by a highly underrated superhero of Marvel who was created in the 70s thanks to the Kung Fu craze (mainly because of Bruce Lee) during that time. His name: Shang Chi, the first Asian/East Asian Superhero

Both graphs show us that audiences in Saudi Arabia show a higher level of interest than the rest of the world combined. Both MCU and Marvel Comics related queries/searches are half as much popular or more (vs Worldwide audience), the underrated superhero Shang Chi is reaching the same mark. Of course, one can't ignore the superior marketing tactics deployed by Marvel Entertainment and Disney plus the character's movie has been released yesterday. The million dollar questions here are:

Why would audiences in the Kingdom show incremental interest in a character whose animated series never existed nor broadcasted on Saudi Channel 1 or 2 in the 70s, 80s or even 90s? (Reminder: Bruce Lee VHS were available for rent and David Carridine's Kung Fu series was on air throughout the 80s on Saudi Channel 2)

Why would audiences here be interested in a character whose Arabized comics never were part of Amlaq Digests or reprinted editions of Marvel that were available in neighborhood mini-markets or imported comic books at Star Markets, Sarawat Supermarkets or Tihama Bookstores (distributed by Al Khazindar)?

Before attempting to answer my own questions, we need to understand that Shang Chi is one of those characters who may not have long-running series in the comic book world that span decades but because of their appeal and strong following, have been part of some of the best stories ever written but with the age of diversity, inclusion and online media, he is important for winning over new audiences of East Asian origin around the world, not just China!

If this is the impact of an underrated character, imagine what happens when Spider-Man: No Way Home is released in December

Superhero Content & the Arab

Before Content Strategy & Marketing were a thing, comic book publishers were doing it even before World War 2. Over the decades, what was being published was resonating with audiences not just in White America but across the world. In the Middle East, the 70s was the starting point for countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt but the trend made inroads into the Gulf region, especially in Saudi Arabia in the late 70s

The values shared in American superhero comics resonated with Arabs because of their own history of rich story telling as well as adaptations. Just like the Arab folklore, real historical figures of the region were presented as heroes; in fact superheroes in some cases. Another reason for this is that most of the characters produced in the Golden as well as Silver Ages of comics were created mainly by individuals who came from Abrahamic households. Their story telling borrowed heavily from the Biblical accounts of Prophets and other noblemen (who are also mentioned in Quran) regarding Good vs Evil, Light vs Darkness, the virtue of Doing the Right Thing. It was inevitable that such Western creations would resonate with Arabs

The seeds were planted and once an idea or interest takes root in the hearts and minds, it's hard to let it go

And now, the Superhero Content is being published in over-drive mode. Just check Youtube, Facebook, Instagram for starters and you'll see that the Arab content is there; driven primarily by creators in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain; ranging from comics to collectibles and even cosplays. This...is the Aladdin Effect

Aladdin was actually Chinese. Thanks to Abbasid Ruler Haroon Al Rasheed, he became an innate part of Arab Literature

Businesses in Saudi Arabia are losing out

Like the community of Anime fans, the superhero community has been there for decades. It came out with full force during Comic Cons that happened in Jeddah and Riyadh between 2017-2019. The first Saudi Comic Con saw a whopping attendance of 20,000 geeks during 3 days of festivity. It wasn't surprising to see a father attending Stan Lee Super Con Riyadh (2019) with his daughter and son waiting anxiously to meet Lou Ferrigno (the star of 1970s Incredible Hulk series). A Saudi Gen-X Father with his millennial daughter and his Gen-Z son (all fans of the Hulk) or Expatriates travelling to Riyadh to attend the festivity and participate in artist alleys and cosplay comeptitions. No wonder this community was referred to as 'Buried Talent' by Arab News

As they say: Data is the new Oil. Unfortunately, international brands and local businesses in Saudi Arabia haven't taken this segment seriously. The collection that's available at an international 'Megastore' in Saudi Arabia pales in comparison to its sister outlets in Dubai. Toy stores, international or locally owned, are still adamant to sell toys to kids instead of focusing on key collectible properties which are being ordered from US market by Geeks in Saudi Arabia thanks to Amazon. Gaming console companies organize impressive launches of their Superhero game in neighboring Gulf countries but nothing as such takes place here. Dairy brands are still using Superheroes for their "Got Milk" approach. What's needed is to take a look at Data that's available on Google and Facebook's Business Suites, for the very least

While young entrepreneurs with limited resources have opened up shops (online and offline) in major Saudi cities (Examples include: Jeddah's Konami licensed Gaming Lounge, a proper Comic Book Cafe in Dammam) and Riyadh having hosted the world's major Toy Fair as well as Stan Lee Super Con and Saudi Anime Expo BUT more needs to be done. The data is there. Action is needed from the Private Sector

The starting point would be with seed investors and venture capitalists who are currently obsessed with re-inventing the wheel by investing in ride hailing apps, food delivery apps, online baqalas, fintechs while a niche segment's wants mostly remain unaddressed

#superheroes #saudi arabia #mcu #marvel comics #Shang Chi

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thebookofus-depravity · 5 years ago

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Skinny Bone Jones

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 coming soon!

9k words

This is my baby Park Jaehyung and an AU in which y’all are dealing with the coronavirus together in LA. Jae grew up with Y/N and you were childhood friends. You stayed close but haven’t seen each other in ages. Now you’re both back.

Teeth rotting fluff, possible smut in future chapters (lets see if I have the balls to post it), Y/N has a strong proclivity for a certain guitarists hands. And honestly, who can blame her? TW: Confrontation with a nasty old ex, Coronavirus, Quarantine, overbearing parents.

...

This fucking sucks.

Closing your laptop, and shoving it off of your lap to the side of your bed, you are struck by exactly how warm the underside of your Netflix Machine was in contrast to the chilly room. Well, 3 hours of To Catch a Predator in, and sure, your old 2011 Dell dinosaur is going to be a little mad at you. I've got to do something today. Anything.

Week 3 of your quarantine is coming to a close and on this breezy LA Thurs-Fri-Turday (who the hell knows anymore) you can feel the last tendrils of your sanity escaping with the setting sun. It just doesn't stop setting. And rising. And setting. And rising. Tortuously slow some days and before you can even get out of bed the next. Not that you get out of bed much.

Alright. That's it. I'm gonna do something. I have to. It's time to make some art, bake some cookies, go for a run, tell someone around me how much I value them, topple the patriarchy. I am going to get up and do something with my life and damned if I get in my own way again. I am unstoppable. I am formidable. I am inevitable.

Rising from your rumpled bed clothes with the steadfastness of a slightly anemic Viking (whoa I’m woozy, I shouldn't have stood up so fast. Shit, when's the last time I ate?) you cross to the large bay window that faces the street. You throw your curtains open, ready to face the day, only to be faced with… stars starting to twinkle at you out of the inky blackness. Dammit. I'm gonna have to defeat systemic oppression tomorrow.

Squinting from behind your glasses, you see that the stars are not stars at all but helicopters blinking down at you. You haven't seen real stars since your trip to Big Sur last summer. Although you moved to LA when you were 7, you have vague recollections of the Korea that you loved as a young child. Your parents had picked up and moved to the States after years of struggling through VISA's and citizenship red tape. Your mom and dad had originally meant to get married and have you in the US. The land of opportunity.

You now chafed slightly under that blanket of opportunity as you are far too aware of the responsibility you have been given to make the absolute most of it. From the ripe old age of 8 you had been conditioned to follow your dreams to their fullest. As long as those dreams were to become a doctor, lawyer, or marry a CEO. Your parents cared about you greatly and you knew that. They only want security for you, happiness comes from security. Now 25, you can't quite remember the last time their overbearing nature had been quite this...potent. You were in your final year of medical school at USC and there was nowhere to run. It was time for you to begin your foray into the 'real world' of residency. The same post-undergrad 'real world' that you had watched all of your non-premed friends crash land into. They had all distanced themselves from you, both figuratively and literally; intentionally and inadvertently. Divorced, Beheaded, Died: Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. You had watched you friends get married, have kids, sabotage marriages, buy houses, do well, do poorly. And here you were in some kind of bubble both safe and isolated from all of the uncertainty beyond the classroom.

Jokes on you, Jessica, now we're all screwed, you find yourself thinking for the upteenth time over the past month. You had been watching the Coronavirus since December and knew exactly what was to come. You did all that you were capable of as a not-quite certified medical professional and tried to convince people of the reality of the threat, convince them not to panic, and to exercise a reasonable level of preparedness. Well, that didn't work. You found yourself sunk into a deep well of frustration and futility at the action and inaction that was being exhibited throughout the States. For the first weeks of quarantine you found yourself glued to your phone, helplessly watching the tragedy unfold and the stupidity that was ensuing. By week 2 your empathy had burnt out and you knew you couldn't watch that world anymore. K-drama's it is. After completely obliterating Crash Landing on You, Itaewon Class, and rewatching Descendants of the Sun for the eighth time just because it's so. damn. cute!, your parents started to get a little concerned.

Your stomach growled and you realize you, in fact, haven't eaten since early this morning. As you consider what the consequences of emerging from your cave of a bedroom might have, you resign yourself. Five minutes later you are hovering in the kitchen with a bowl of leftover whateverthefuck in hand, you turn to see both of your parents at the bar stools staring at you with a look of concern that you haven't seen in years. Shit, I keep forgetting, they think I'm functional. Your parents had shipped you off to Health Careers College Prep school, a boarding school in Sacramento, when you were 16. Upon graduation there with your high school diploma, nurses aid, and dental hygienist's certificates, you immediately started at USC premed. You hadn't lived at home since your Jonas Brother's phase. As much as your parents loved you, they didn't really know you. This had been overwhelmingly obvious when the USC campus closed and you returned home to open arms and your bedroom frozen in the clutches of 2009. Your parents had welcomed you home with tearful hugs and a new gift for your room. I know how much you love that Kevin- boy. And your room is so old. Come. Come. Already wary and wondering who the hell is Kevin? you allowed yourself to be led to your old room and set your bags down with a deadened thump. You tried so hard not to laugh, You really did. They're trying so hard. But like, Where did they even find this monstrosity? You had been staring up at the largest poster of Kevin Jonas that you had ever seen every night for 3 weeks and it was starting to get to you.

Regardless of the decor (purple fuzzy lamp shade included), there were so many parts of living at home that were so foreign to you. Although everything was completely the same, you were worlds different and it was disorienting. Your bed seemed smaller, the walls shorter, the colors dimmer. Everything that made that house your home was still there, only you had changed. It was like you were in a coma and had just woken up, the rest of the world unchanged but with 10 more years under your belt. Your therapist would tell you that you were reverting into a childlike state because of trauma and surroundings. Hush, Mollie, I don't need that right now. I need food.

Food was honestly what was keeping you sane and civil. Your parents own a pho shop just down the street that was still taking carry out and delivery orders for pho, crawfish, whatever they had lying around. You had been helping out in the kitchen and with deliveries since you had been home. As freeing as the drives have been, you really come alive in the kitchen. You had been watching your mom make pho and dumplings for years and although she sent kimchi to your apartment every month or so, you missed your moms cooking. And her kitchen. You immediately took to cooking just like you had when you moved off of USC campus and into an apartment with some friends. You had 12 burners! That all worked! A convection oven! Two of them! Kitchen Aid's! You had no problem opening up shop at 8am every morning to prep the dough and get the stock boiling and all of the other things that her mother and father had been doing for the past 20 years.

Returning to your room after rinsing out your bowl and chopsticks, and exchanging goodnight's with your parents you sit on your bed and tell yourself to go to bed. You have to be up at 7am for the kitchen. You need to chop scallions for the pork and chive dumplings so it has time to coagulate. Come on, Go to bed. No phone. It was a pitiful attempt, really. You had been pulling med-school grade all-nighters since your junior year of high school and nothing was stopping you now. Turning on your side for easy access to your charger, you plug your phone and coast through Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, Tinder for an indeterminate amount of time before your eyes start to get heavy. Instagram was just filled with all of your peers from USC recklessly meeting up with friends for picnics and drives and all of the other things they thought they were free to do because they were young and healthy and beautiful. Fuck off. Youtube provided a lovely escape from the actual outside. Mikey Chen showed you around TaiPei's street food scene, Binging with Babish gave you a new hand pulled noodle recipe to try, Bon Appetit made you glad you weren't Claire Saffitz. Tinder was a joke but an adequately funny one. Instead of your bog standard USC fuckboi's you were able to talk to fuckboi's from Korea, Dubai, Indonesia, Guatemala, Brazil. How fun. You had downloaded it 6 months prior after yet another guy in your department was just 'too busy, i'm sorry' to make the date that you had planned. You generally tried to avoid Twitter as it was just an echo chamber of panic and 24 hour news cycles and didn't do much for your anxiety. See, Mollie? I'm being smart.

You flick open the little bird app and scroll for just a minute. A particular notification picques your attention. Jae tweeted. Well, Day6 tweeted, but we all know who runs their twitter. Your throat tightens with nerves as the post loads. You worry about him more than you'd like to admit but with tours cancelled and travel suspended, you know how hard it can be for people whose livelihoods revolve around entertainment and travel. The post loads and you let out a sigh of relief to see Jae surrounded by his band mates and smiling. Brian starts speaking Korean and delivers his message about their newly acquired tiktok. Brian gestures for Jae to speak and Jae delivers the same message in English. Ah, he went back to blonde. It looks good on him. Wait is he- oh god, he's wearing a crossbody fanny pack. Jae, you're old. Stop. Shifting to get more comfortable, you let the video loop a few times before closing the app. Jae's okay. You roll over onto your side and set your phone to the side. Jae's voice echoes through your ears for the next few minutes but you resolve yourself against it. I'm not getting fucking tiktok. I'm a grown ass woman. That app is for 12 year olds. And Jae. Resolved, you burrow into your Jonas brothers duvet cover for the night.

Sweating and on the verge of tears, you wake with a start. The dream was already slipping from your consciousness with a blessed haste but the uneasy feeling that the nightmare gave you seemed to coat the inside of your skull and taint it's entire contents. A thin light filters through your still open window and your eyes creak open. Morning? Sure, why not? Rolling over, you flick open your phone and are greeted by an all too unfamiliar, 5:17am. It's too damn early. Even for you. You still have an hour or so to kill before you have to get up but you didn't fancy the idea of trying to go back to sleep after that dream. Propping yourself up on a few of the approximately 67 pillows that litter your twin sized bed, you open your phone. 3 new emails from USC congratulating you on your graduation and asking for some documentation of something or another or evaluation of some class you hadn't thought of in weeks. Skip. 2 emails from residencies that you had applied to before the coronavirus urging you to reapply in the fall. Great. You couldn't even bring yourself to feign concern over the missed opportunity. 1 email from Twitter informing you that Jae had tweeted. Again. You follow the link to another video of his side project EaJ. You had been following his new releases and you were surprised by the tenderness and vulnerability that they showed. He was always such a funny guy, it was the only side that he really showed much to the media. Sure, fans got glimpses at concerts, but not many knew just how deep the well ran in that man.

Today's Tuesday, apparently. The next episode of How Did I Get Here? comes out today. I'll have something to listen to while I food prep. You never admitted to yourself how pleased you were when he started the podcast. You missed hearing his voice on a regular basis. Hollered up into your window, whispered between giggles in the back-most church pew, hurled across crowded hallways. Of course, the voice was different than it is now. Pocked by pubescence and the LA accent, you remember a far squeakier Jae. He was the first person you met when you moved into the neighborhood at 7 years old. He was 9 so of course, he took it upon himself to show you exactly where you could and couldn't go and what taco trucks would give out fare for free to little kids on weekends. You remember those years fondly as finally having the big brother you never had. Skinny Bone Jones, you called him. He stood up for you when the kids in middle school called you smelly for bringing kimchi in your lunch. He called you smelly just for being you. He was well liked in school and by extension so were you. You had the cool big brother. You were more than happy to play second fiddle and be his backup. Tagging along to parties, helping him record his yellow post-it note covers on Youtube, letting him know when his hair looked stupid.

And so it stayed until Jae actually made it on KPop Star. As much as you loved him, you didn't think he would ACTUALLY make it. Sure, he could sing. He had a beautiful voice but that wasn't enough. The boy danced like a drunk chicken and was 6ft tall and 120lbs soaking wet. He didn't even know Korean. What was he thinking? He was thinking he was going to prove you wrong. And he did. You watched as Skinny Bone Jones transformed into Park Jaehyung with a perfect balance of immense pride and terror. You knew you wouldn't lose your friend entirely but during his trainee days he had very limited access to the outside world, and you just weren't a priority. Honestly, you would've been offended if you had been. He has a mom, dad, an older sister, bandmates, college. It only makes sense that the steady stream of communication turned into a trickle. It wasn't until Every Day6 that you were more of an insistent presence in his life. You burrowed your way back into his inbox with the tenacity of the annoying little sister that you were. You were worried. You watched him on After School Club and in the deluge of content that Day6 was serving their slowly growing fanbase. He looked tired. You once again rekindled your relationship but it was different now. Instead of you leaning on him for social support, you became his confidant. He was struggling. Burnt out, and questioning so many things, he didn't want to go to his bandmates because he didn't want them to worry. His parents would pull him immediately if they knew exactly how rough his condition was, his 'friends' from college had proved fake. He now had Alpha Phi Omega blocked because they wouldn't stop asking for favors: Day6 tickets, Twice merch, Got7 tickets. He felt alone but you reached out and he was able to lean on you. The trials passed and he was happier than ever and Day6's growing popularity meant good things for his lobster funds.

You stayed in contact over the years and shared with each other the going on's of your lives. You had even managed to go to the Gravity World Tour date in LA. Jae got you backstage and you were able to meet the rest of his bandmates that you had heard so much about. It was an act of God that you managed to keep your composure. I mean sure, he's just Jae but you're still backstage at a concert for the first time! Your cheeks still redden when you remember how Jae caught you ogling at YoungK. Heart in your throat, and voice barely above a whisper YoungK had walked directly over to you and asked what you were doing backstage. After a solid 15 seconds of pointing listlessly at your Press badge and making just the strangest of noises that were meant to approximate speech, Jae finally caught wind and rushed over, knocking your sense back into you and introducing you to the members.

Oh! Y/N! It's so nice to finally meet you! Jae talks about you all the time, I'm so glad you were able to make it! Your cheeks inexplicably reddened further to a violent shade of pink but the boys slowly defanged themselves in your mind. They're truly lovely people and you're glad Jae has them. That being said, you still can't quiiiite look Brian in the eyes and Jae thinks it's hilarious.

The Gravity tour feels like ages ago as you shrug on some jeans and a tee shirt for your walk to the shop. August 2019 at the Novo may have only been 8 months ago but it seems like a different reality. The Novo will be closed for the forseeable future and concerts are cancelled. That stings but not as much as the radio silence from Jae. First it was his tour schedule that rendered communication difficult and now the virus. You know he's busy and it's been a weird few months for the entertainment industry, but a 'Hey I'm alive.' would be nice. From his podcasts and twitter you've been able to keep some thread attached but you feel it stretching thin as the months stretch on. You really don't want to be annoying. You're sick of feeling like a fan. Yeah, you support Jae and Day6 and would call yourself a MyDay, but that's not all you are. You know him. You dragged him through the mud when he convinced you to try sledding down a muddy hill on a trash can lid. You set up his camcorder for his covers when he still had that stupid swoopy hair. You posed as his angry girlfriend when a crazy fan wouldn't leave him alone. You're starting to feel like just a fan and not a friend and it's only exacerbated by the glee that you feel when you get the notification from dive studios that How Did I Get Here? has updated. I miss my friend.

Not bothering to flip the sign on the front door from closed to open, you shoulder open the front door of the shop after fumbling with the keys. Tying an apron securely around your waist, and flicking on your noise cancelling headphones to a comforting thrum, you wash your hands and begin to chop the largest pile of scallions you've ever seen. Crunching through the pile, you start Jae's podcast and everything is gone but him. You can almost imagine him in the room with you, perched on the counter talking your ear off about the Mandela effect or how weird elbows are or something equally as ridiculous. Today he's talking about soul mates. As you listen to him joke and banter and pontificate, your eyes well up. It's just the scallions. You know damn well it's only partially the scallions. You miss Jae. And you're in the middle of a pandemic. And your family barely knows you. And you're not sure if you even want to be a pediatric oncologist. Fuck. Jae's words turn into white noise in your ears as you toss your headphones to the side and place the knife on the butchers block, perhaps more aggressively than necessary. You pause the podcast and let yourself sit in the feeling. You're lonely and sad. See Mollie? I'm letting myself feel things. Making room for every emotion. You cast your mind around and recall all of the little wounds that prick a little too deep today. You feel a squeeze in your abdomen and your eyes shoot open wide. Shit, my period. I've got to be PMSing. Even Jae recognized the trend in your emotions before you did. The week before your period, you were notoriously mushy and weepy and indulgent. Well, that's one mystery solved. I'll be okay. Mollie's voice echoed through your brain with her familiar argument that hormones only heighten the emotional distress, not fabricate it. These feelings are valid and aren't fake just because you're hormonal. You steadfastly ignore that point, wipe your eyes, and pull your headphones back on. You finish up the pile of scallions and a few other morning chores before the podcast ends. It's Jae's sign off that sends the bowl of mandu filling that you were holding clattering to the floor. "I'm coming to you from my childhood home, so if the audio is a little finnicky… blame Byron." Jae's home.

…

After sweeping up a pound of pork, beef, mirin, soy sauce, and chives and disposing of it, you stare at your phone- hands shaking slightly. Jae. What the fuck. You rip off your apron and your mind races. Should I call him? Should I go see him? I can’t believe he’s right here. 2 houses down. Fuck. Your rational brain knows that it’s okay to feel excited about Jae being home. But the sneaky little bitch that lives in the back of your brain is telling you that if he wanted to hear from you, he would’ve called. You feel a little bit of yourself fragment at that, but you push it to the side. You open up your phone and slide over to his contact in your phone. What greets you is your last text conversation.

Jae: I’m so glad you had fun, Y/N! But if you ever look at Brian like that again, I might have to put a ban on you at our concerts. His head was way too big.

Y/N: Look at him like what?! I didn’t do anything and you know it!

Jae: Of course you’re didn‘t. You totally weren’t drooling over my bassist.

Y/N: Fuck off.

Jae: Gladly, love. ;)

8 months ago. Sure you’d DM’d quite a bit since then and called a few times. But it just seemed so sparse. You don’t want him to just humor you. You’re an adult and perfectly capable of being alone. You’re not going to text him just yet.

You finish up your morning chores and head back to your house, pausing for perhaps just a little too long in front of the sandstone house with the tan shutters and shoes out front. You knew that house so well. You knew how much weight the tree outside the upstairs bedroom window could hold. You knew where the kimchi refrigerator was tucked away in a back corner of the garage. You knew there was a blonde boy in there that you wanted nothing more than to run inside and get a hug from.

You shower and let the hot water run over you, hoping it will relax the knotted up muscles in your back. It’s not like I can go see him anyway. We’re in quarantine. He probably just got back to LA and just hasn’t gotten the chance to-. You run the same conversation over and over in your head until you can’t take it anymore. You need someone else’s voice in your head. Curling into your covers, you sigh and go to the App Store. A few short minutes later and you hate yourself more than you ever have. Tiktok. Here we go. You watch the video of Day6 introducing themselves to the social networking platform once, twice, three times until your eyes start to ache. All of a sudden you’re met with a new post that pings up. Your breath catches in your throat as you see Jae standing in his living room, attempting to keep up with Amber Liu’s dance challenge. You can’t help but giggle as he flails to the left, to the right, oversized black hoodie always falling into his face. BM would be proud. Express not impress. You find yourself shocked at the weight that he’s gained. He looks healthy and happy. You remember the conversations in middle school about how much he hated being skinny. The evenings in the weight room in high school. Failed doctors appointments. He looked good before but you see that in recent months his chest has been swelling and not just with pride. His shoulders sit a little bit broader than you ever remember in the past and you’re happy for him. Good for you, Jae.

You like the tiktok and let it loop a few more times before sighing heavily and opening your messaging app.

Y/N: I got TikTok for you, ya little shit.

You chuckle but leave the text unsent. You’ll think of something better later. You toss your phone to the side in the face of the mountain of laundry on your bed that needs to be taken care of. As you hang the last of your shirts, your phone pings. You pick it up to a notification from Jae.

Skinny Bone Jones: Language!

Skinny Bone Jones: Do you think Amber approves?

You feel a flare of indignation wash through your limbs at the mention. Apparently it had sent. Oh well. As the thrill of a reply ebbs out of you, it is replaced by a rising indignation. How dare you?! Not tell me you’re in town and pretend like you didn’t?! Really?!

Y/N: I don’t really care what Amber thinks.

Maybe that was a little snippy. You love Amber, truly. But how can he have time for TikTok but not me?

Skinny Bone Jones: Yeah? Do you still care what I think?

Your heart catches in your throat. So he’s caught on that you’re pissed.

Skinny Bone Jones: Y/N, can I call you?

You swipe up to the phone icon and call him on auto pilot. Talk to me, Jae.

“Y/N?” you hear Jae’s voice.

“Jae.” Your voice comes out whispier than you meant it to. You try again.

“Jae! How are you?”

“Oh, y’know, just got off a plane that smelled like bleach and got to my house that isn’t really my house anymore, left my guitar to be sanitized, was “strongly encouraged” to make a TikTok by my company, and then got my head bit off by my best friend. Just quarantine things.” There is a touch of acid in his voice but Jae mostly sounds tired. Your empathy comes surging back and you sigh.

“I’m sorry Jae. I just- I didn’t know you were in town until I listened to your podcast this morning. I was a little hurt that you didn’t call or anything.”

“Look, kid. I just got home. I’m a diva. You know I require at least an 18 hour period of naps and boba to function properly. I’m a KPop Star now.” You laugh at the callback to your irate spiel a few years ago about how fame had changed him and he was a diva and just ‘wasn’t the Jae you knew’ anymore. It wasn��t his fault he was allergic to everything and turned down all of your food suggestions.

“Jae, you’ve been a diva since day one.” You quip back, tension resolving as you fall back into a familiar playful banter.

“And don’t you forget it, Y/N.” There's a slight pause before Jae continues,

“This diva is really sorry he didn’t call you. It’s just been a lot the last few days. The tour just got cancelled. And our album comes out in a few days. Our team has been going crazy trying to figure out how we’re supposed to publicize in this climate and I just-“

“Jae. Chill. When I preordered mine last week, it was the most popular album on the site. It’s gonna sell. Don’t worry too much.” There’s a beat of silence in which you can hear the air whoosh out of Jae’s lungs.

“You-You preordered Demon?” Jae sounds shocked but endeared at your admission and you laugh.

“Of course? I’m really pumped to hear that sexy, soothing voice of Wonpil’s. Maybe I’ll even get a Dowoon photo card this time! I keep getting Jae ones in my other albums and I give them to my little cousin.” This isn’t entirely true. You have 3 of Young K, 2 of Dowoon, and 1 each of Wonpil and Sungjin. You’ve been waiting for a Jae photocard for ages. You would die before you told him that, though.

“You little shit. If you don’t want to see my face, why are you following Day6 on TikTok?” Jae ribs back.

“Brian. Duh. He’s fine as hell.”

“Yah! Haven’t you found a boring ass Orthopedic surgeon or some shit, yet? Why do you have to terrorize me like this?”

“Why? Haven’t you found a Twice member that’ll marry you yet, Skinny Bone Jones?”

“I’ll have you know, I gained 10 pounds the past 8 weeks! I’ll be big as BM soon!” You can picture the expression of childlike pride in his face even if you can’t see it.

“You look really good, Jae. I’m proud of you. You’ve been working really hard.” The sudden sincerity catches the both of you off guard and you clear your throat.

“Thanks, Y/N. That means a lot.” A comfortable silence is followed by a lengthy conversation recounting the previous weeks, the various states of the other members, your own eviction from college, and the status of the shop.

“You know, Y/N, if you or your family need anything I’m more than happy to help. I mean I know how hard it can-“ You cut him off before he can go any further.

“We’re okay Jae, honest. I know you’d be good for it but we don’t need anything right now. Business is good at the pho shop and we’re okay.”

“Okay, okay. Just know I’m here.”

“I mean NOW I do, no thanks to youuu,” you wheedle, whining about his failure to let you know he was in town.

“Come on, Y/N, I said I was sorry!” He laughs but you can hear the desperation of sincerity in his voice.

“I know, Jae. I’m just kidding. I just really missed you.”

“I missed you too Y/N.”

You get off the phone upon the realization that you needed to go to the shop and prep for the dinner deliveries. Sometimes you abhorred that you were “essential”. You run downstairs and tell your parents the good news about Jae and inform them you’ll be back soon.

“I know you’re excited, Y/N, but remember we can’t be going and visiting people like that. Only essential work.” You roll your eyes slightly but assure them that you know. As if you hadn’t been telling them the same thing for weeks. I had to convince you not to go play mahjong in the park, eomma. You might be excited, but you’re not stupid.

You had just started filling the mandu when you hear the bell over the door chime. Pardon me, are you stupid? We've been closed for weeks, why do you think it would be okay to just walk in? You wipe your hands on your apron and start to walk to the counter.

"Hello? I'm sorry, we're only open for call-in deliveries." You round the corner and lift your head from your hands to see the form of the gangliest, tallest, loveliest man you've ever seen in your life.

"Special delivery." Jae remarks smoothly, arms open wide in invitation and head cocked to the side as if he was bracing himself for the crash landing that was to come.

"Jae!" you yell, and launch yourself from behind the counter and into his arms. His arms fold around you and everything else melts away. Your face burrows against his chest and you inhale. He smells like home and cinnamon. You can feel tears welling up in your eyes with the tide of emotions that wash over you. Jae's hand cups the back of your head into him and he hugs you just as tightly as you hug him. You press yourself into him with everything you have and in the deafening silence and warmth all that you can think is I love you.

"Y/N" He whispers, not loosening his grip on you.

"Mmph." you respond weakly.

"My shirt's wet." You jump back from him a bit and see that he's correct. Your eyes are leaking. All over his white shirt. Oops.

"Oh! I'm-I'm sorry." You laugh a bit and swipe at your eyes before patting at his shirt in futility.

"It's okay, love. Come here." He welcomes you back into his arms and you wrap your arms over his neck this time.

"I missed you." You whisper, voice cracking a bit.

"I know you did." You jump back from him. Bitch.

"Hush. I missed you too, you idiot. Why else would I be standing here right now?"

You cast your eyes around in a panic. He's here. He's right here. In the store. Here. He shouldn't be here. He should be in quarantine with his family. You're unessential to him.

Sensing the realization in your eyes, he pushes past you, walking to the back and puts on the latex gloves hidden behind the counter.

"I figured it was about time to get a 'real job' like everyone keeps telling me to." He smiles smugly and picks up the knife to start chopping the bok choy. You stand there in shock for one second, two seconds, three seconds until you realize he’s about to cut his fingers off.

“Jae! Stop!”

“Look, Y/N, I don’t care what you say, I’m going to do this. I want to help. And I’ll be damned if I’m not allowed to see you in the time I’m finally here-“

“No, Jae. Stop. I know I can’t argue with you. I’d be thrilled if you’d work with me. But Brian is gonna kill me if I let you cut your damn hands off.”

“I… what?”

“You’re a guitarist Jae. We can’t have you cutting off your pretty little fingers. And if you keep chopping it like that, that’s exactly what you’re going to do.”

Jae looks down at his hands and stretches his fingers wide as if considering them for the first time.

“Pretty?”

You roll your eyes, but unbidden, your eyes are still trained on his hands. They really are pretty.

“Just. Let me show you.” You show him how to tuck his knuckles up against the blade and chop in smooth rocking motions so as not to take off his fingertips.

You work in relative silence for the next hour, packaging meals and portioning combos as your mom and dad peek in and out to pick up the orders. You can feel a warmth flowing through you as you take in your surroundings. The loneliness of the past weeks leeches out of you and dissipates into the warm atmosphere, homey smells, and murmur of conversation. It’s almost as if your limbs wake up bit by bit, like a tree waking up after a long frigid winter. You feel yourself stretch and shine and the bubbles of contentment flow through you. By the time the last combo is out the door, you find it really difficult to take the smile of your face.

Jae seemed to be in the same boat. On more than one occasion you caught him staring at you. Every time you caught him he just shook his head and laughed in that infuriating way of his. But you really couldn’t be irritated at him. It was impossible. He was your happy fairy, even if you wanted to kick him in the shins every two minutes for saying something dumb. Mom and dad said goodnight to Jae in the same way they have been since he was 10. “Tell Mrs.Park I say hello and don’t be a stranger.” Right after they leave and you’re washing the last dish, while Jae sits on the counter telling you about production for Day6’s new album, the phone rings. Before you can tell Jae not to answer it, he’s already taking the man's order. Fine. One more can't hurt. You weren’t anxious to end this day and return to bed alone, so you welcome the post-closing distraction. Cobbling together a plate from the leftovers you were about to bring home, you grab your keys and beckon Jae to follow you.

“No need to bug mom and dad, we can take this one.”

As you walk outside toward where your little yellow bug is parked, you feel Jae move behind you. You can feel his body close to yours and you stiffen instinctually. You’re not used to skinship anymore and you can feel the blood in your veins carbonate as Jae’s breath ghosts across the back of your neck. You stop dead in your tracks, eyes wide, flush creeping up your neck as you feel his hands- those damn hands- ghost along the side of your left arm. You squeak when his fingers brush against the back of your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. Your world spins. Fuck is he holding my hand? Do I want this to happen? He’s so close to me. Can he hear my heartbeat?

“Jae-“ you begin to say, with absolutely no idea as to where the statement would go after.

Luckily you don’t have to think of any sort of decisive move because Jae immediately snatches the keys from your now limp left hand with a cackle, running ahead to the car.

“I’m driving!” You little fucking- oooh!

You’re thankful for the cool evening breeze and dim street lights or you were sure to get a ribbing for the blazing red cheeks that you were sporting. You climb into the passenger's seat with the food on your lap and do your best to sink into invisibility. It doesn’t work. You’re convinced that he can hear your brain jackhammering away at the night's events.

Did I want that to happen? Did that happen? He was so close to me. He felt so warm and the way he touched me. Running your hands over your arm, you could feel his touch like it had raced a burning path down your whole left side. Do I… like Jae?

You glance over at him now and again as he puts the car in drive and begins the route to the destination. Jae, of course, is jabbering away about how everything has changed since he’s been gone and, “Omigod, is that ANOTHER pinkberry?” You find yourself nodding along passively while actively trying to figure out what the hell was going on in your brain. Much like his podcast, his voice became white noise by which you asked yourself questions you weren’t sure you wanted the answers to. Of course I love him. But do I like, like him? Never in your life have you felt more like a horny, confused teenager but as you glance over and watch Jae with one hand on the steering wheel, wind blowing through his hair, you know one thing for sure- Jae isn’t a kid anymore. And he isn’t your brother.

It isn’t until you pull into a neighborhood about 10 minutes later that you remember that you’re here on a delivery. Yanking yourself from your reverie, but with unease still firmly lodged in your thoughts, you address the task at hand.

“Jae, where are we?”

“Uhhhh, 3051 Driver Rd.”

Driver Road. You know this neighborhood but you can’t quite place where. If your previous safari into your possible romantic interest in Jae wasn’t jarring enough, you feel panic rising through your system like so much bile. Why do I know this neighborhood? Jae, unaware of any turmoil on your part, pulls up to the house in question and when your headlights wash over the yard your heart sinks into your throat. You’re going to be sick. 3051 Driver Rd. This is where Sean lives.

You had met Sean Avery in your sophomore year of premed and had fallen head over heels in love with him. He was tall, attractive, ambitious, and he wanted you. You were star struck. It wasn’t until a year of ‘dating’ later that you unearthed the whole messy truth of his long string of side pieces and general douchebaggery. If that wasn’t enough, in the past year you heard the report of him almost catching a case with a high school senior in the area. You knew now that he was nothing but a predator and a coward. You had managed to avoid him since your explosive breakup but now it seemed you had very little choice.

“Sean fucking Avery” you seethe in the seat next to Jae.

“What did he do to you?” Jae asked, taken aback by your sudden vitriol.

“Shit, that wasn’t in my head was it?” Jae laughs a bit but sobers up quickly at your expression.

“Y/N you look really pale, are you okay? I don’t know your history with this guy but hey, you don’t have to deliver this. I’ll do it. Don’t you worry, love.” Jae places his hand on the top of your head and ruffles your hair a bit in an attempt to be comforting. The attempt helped. Your heart pricks up a bit at Jae’s term of endearment but it feels more deadened than it should. You’re sick of feeling like this. Of letting Sean steal your joy from you. It’s been too long for that shit. Pulling yourself together a bit, you shake yourself out of your head and steel yourself.

“No, Jae, I’ve got this.” Jae looks at you with slight concern but shrugs nonetheless.

“Alright, well, I’m going with you okay? This dude really must’ve done a number on you if this is your response. And I’d like to see the bastard.” Jae’s eyes glinted with something dangerous that you’ve never seen in him before and it causes the same fire in you to spark. Let’s do this.

With Jae by your side, you march up to the door with the delivery order and set it on the front steps. The doorbell is deafening in the still night and you have to remind yourself to breathe. You jump as the door swings wide and a pathetic looking man sporting a robe and a beer belly peeks from the inside. All of the breath that had been waiting in your lungs released and you feel your head go a little bit light with the realization that this was the man that you were in love with. 7 years later, gone was the debonair gentleman who could sweep you off your feet. In his stead stood a balding, fat, stiff man in boxers and a moth eaten robe. He grunts in acknowledgment of the presence of other humans but it’s obvious that the Neanderthal hasn’t recognized you. He retrieves his food and goes fumbling in his robe pocket for his wallet. He fishes out a card and hands it to you. You take it from him and process the payment.

Declined.

“Sorry, Sean, your card- it declined.”

He huffs and makes a sound in the back of his throat that you can only describe as gross as you hand it back to him.

“It what!? What do you mean declined?” He stumbles forward a few steps and you automatically flinch backward into Jae. Jae’s hand comes up to your shoulder to ground you, a reminder that he’s still there. Sean’s movement wafts a smell of body odor and brown liquor. He always was a mean drunk. You decide to cut your losses while you can and keep the transaction as minimal as possible. No games.

“Your card, Sean, it declined. Do you have an alternate form of payment?” Sean whips open his wallet and roots around for a minute before retrieving a few crumpled up bills. He extends the cash but before you can swap his card for cash, his arm whips back. Looking at you sideways, suspicion drips from his slurred speech,

“How do you know my name?”

Shit. Fuck. Dammit.

You watch helplessly as the cogs turn in his inebriated brain and recognition washes over his face.

“Y/N! It’s you! What do you want from me now, bitch? Trying to take my money now too? Get out of here!” His voice steadily rises in volume and you can feel the walls of your panic closing in on you. Suddenly Jae steps in front of you, arm outstretched to the belligerent man.

“You’re talking to me now. You’re done with her.” Jae holds himself with a confidence that you had only seen from him onstage.

“Just pay for the food and we’ll be going.”

“And who the fuck are you?” Sean spits back, as if Jae were something distasteful that he had found on the bottom of his shoe.

“I’m Jae. Y/N’s boyfriend. Now I’d really love to take Y/N home tonight before it gets too much later. So if you can just pay for your meal, we’ll get going.”

Sean crumples up the bills and throws it into Jae’s chest.

“Good luck with that bitch, kid. You’re gonna need it.” And with that he retreats inside and slams the door shut behind him.

Jae immediately rushes to your side and wraps you in a big hug. Although similar in mechanics to the hug earlier that day, this one was far different in intent. You could feel it in his soul, that hug was meant to squeeze all of the fragmented pieces of you back together again and hold them until they stuck. You can feel your heartbeat slowing to match his and your breathing slowly regulates.

Mollie is gonna have a lot of fun with this one.

Jae escorts you back to the car and there’s a thick silence that you can’t quite bring yourself to cut as he puts the car into drive. You know he is forming his own story of what happened between you and Sean in his head and you can’t tell if that’s better or worse than just reliving it and telling him the whole story- cops and testifying and court and all.

Once out of the neighborhood, Jae heaves a sigh and chuckles a bit.

“Well he seemed lovely.”

“Uh huh. He’s a real peach.”

Jae looks over at you with an expression of dual concern and amused what-the-fucker-y. Did that really just happen?

There is a beat of silence and solid eye contact before you both start cracking up. Unable to restrain yourself any further, you both dissolve into a kind of healing, deep belly laughter that shakes the entire car. Pulling up to your house, Jae throws the car into park and then turns to face you.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, you know? It’s not my business. You’re my business. But asshats like him aren't. Just that I’m around to keep them away from you.”

You sigh deeply, still recovering from the laugh attack, before giving him a brief bulleted list of the sheer shenanigans that Sean had pulled on you all those years ago. You watched as Jae’s face contorted over the course of the story, hardening into yet another study in fierceness that you were yet to see from him.

“I really am okay, though Jae. He had me pretty fucked up for a little bit but honest, I’m okay. I did the therapy, I fought my battles. I just hadn’t done the last closure step of actually looking him in the eye and saying goodbye and good riddance. And I probably never would’ve if it weren’t for tonight.” You reach out and grab his hand instinctively.

“Thank you, Jae. I really appreciate you doing that with me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“You would’ve gotten your ass handed to you is what you would’ve done.” Jae states, deadpan.

“Jaeee!” You laugh, hitting him on the arm.

“Oh, so now you can throw a punch? Okaaay, nice.” This little shit.

Banter aside, Jae takes the key out of the ignition and gathers his things to get out of the car. As he closes the door, you hear him mutter “You need to pick better guys. You’re too great to end up with someone like that.”

You don’t have any kind of answer to that, but you feel a lightness in your chest as his eyes burn into you. Jae walks you to your front door and all you can hear in your head is an echo of Jae’s declaration of “I’m Jae, Y/N’s boyfriend.” Is that what I want?

You end up at your front door far too soon and the twinkling of the helicopters in the sky signals to you that it’s more than time for Jae to go home. Your heart sinks into your stomach at the thought of him leaving and you inwardly groan.

Jae gives you one last hug goodnight and you know before he even releases you that this isn’t enough. Not even nearly. Your feelings, whatever they may be: love, like, general affection, haven’t been correctly quantified and expressed. This has been the best day you’ve had in months, and he was the deciding factor. You were grateful to have him there on your front door step, in his arms. But maybe, just maybe, if you’re able to express to him exactly how you feel about him in this moment, he’ll be able to help you out and translate exactly what this feeling means for your future together. Without thinking about it too much, you retreat from the hug and angle your face up to his so that your noses are almost touching. You sit like this for just a second. That sickening second that would allow him to retreat and tell you you’re an idiot for even thinking it. But he doesn’t retreat. Instead, your lips are brushing against one another in just the barest of whispers of a kiss. His lips are so soft. It’s over in an instant and as the chilly night air cuts between the two of you, you are all too aware of how disproportionately warm your face and neck have become. You smile up at Jae and he carries a similar, if not slightly more shocked, half smile.

As if reading one another’s minds, you both understand that it’s wise to let one another think about the night's proceedings before any further rash decisions are made. In an attempt to preserve the spell of the night sky and the kiss and the chirping cicadas, neither of you say another word to one another but instead exchange content smiles that convey more than a goodnight ever could. With a slight bow of his head and a glide of his hand down the length of your arm, Jae walks backwards down your front steps and slips into the night, shaking his head slightly, trying and failing to conceal his smile. You watch him from the porch as he skips up to his house, before slipping into the warmth of your own home.

...

GIVE IT A LIKE IF YA LIKE

FEEDBACK IS MY LOVE LANGUAGE

#kpop #day6 #day6 jae #park jaehyung #slow burn #fluff #kpop fanfiction #day6 fluff #day6 au #fanfiction #skinny bone jones #friends to lovers

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jorahssquire · 4 years ago

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Go Macleans Magazine ☺

Where might Donald Trump run, in a bid to avoid prison?

Shannon Gormley: Our complex scoring system points to one perfect place

By Shannon Gormley December 14, 2020

Macau? Montenegro? Saudi Arabia? Which country—without an extradition treaty with the U.S.—might win Donald Trump as a new resident?

Donald Trump seems particularly ill-suited to prison life. Although self-awareness is not often cited among his greatest attributes, he most likely grasps this singular, essential fact about himself: he would not care for jail and jail would not care for him. He can be expected to do anything to avoid it—anything, that is, but avoid illegal activities of the kind that ordinarily lead to prison time.

It appears he may have done a fair amount of illegal activitizing, in fact, and enough of it appears to fall so far outside the scope of a presidential self-pardon that various New York prosecutors are ready to charge him the moment he vacates that poor Resolute desk. And so, in an era of ceaseless, unremitting firsts, for the first time in history, the president of the United States might soon find himself on the lam.

Although it is difficult to conceive of the leader of the free world joining the ranks of the various aging Nazis, ousted despots, retired mobsters and deadbeat ex-husbands currently circling the globe in search of a hideout, once presidential immunity is lost it is hard to see what alternative he would have. The president has given us one hint, so subtle as to be nearly imperceptible, that he may have to leave the country: at a recent political rally, he said, “Maybe I’ll have to leave the country.”

The question is, where might Donald Trump run?

To determine the foreign country to which the president of the United States would be most likely to abscond, we will apply a complex scoring system, taking into account the factors that would be most likely to enter into his considerations, weighted according to the importance he would be likely to attach to each.

Ten points are awarded, first of all, if Trump’s new prospective home has no extradition treaty with the United States; nine, if it has a history of failing to honour its extradition treaty with the United States.

The country must of course receive Trump in the style to which he has grown accustomed: golf courses are worth five points; very garish, very tall buildings another five. Other attractions would include being Russia-friendly (11 points), hosting Trump-owned pieces of real estate or businesses (five points), and offering a tax environment for billionaires who prefer to pay in the $750 range (five points). A country may earn a maximum of 41 points.

Slovenia: Melania Trump is from Slovenia; however, our methodology does not recognize a connection to Trump’s wife as indicative of a travel preference. This is not a flaw in our methodology. 0/41

Anywhere Whatsoever in Africa: Trump may soon regret referring to nations that may otherwise have harboured him as “s–thole” countries—although many countries in Africa don’t have extradition treaties with the United States and, much like American voters, they may send him back for the sheer joy of it. 10/41

Scotland: Trump likes golf; Trump really likes golfing on his own golf courses; therefore, Trump really, really likes Scotland. Scotland, unfortunately, likes the rules-based international order, classical architecture, and extradition treaties with the United States. 10/41

France: The French don’t have particularly low taxes; on the other hand, they have golf courses, and various gilt things. And France (which would never be so gauche as to reliably adhere to the rigidities of an extradition treaty) is currently home to Roman Polanski—like Trump, an entertainment professional who in his spare time likes to relax, eat good food and be accused of rape. It’s a possibility. 15/41

Macau: Gambling institutions have purchased the right to use Trump’s trademark in Macau, doubtless as an attraction for the discerning gambler who likes his casinos serially bankrupt. Macau is a haven for tax dodgers and a hiding spot for fugitives. It’s glitzy, it’s garish, and there’s probably a golf-themed slot machine somewhere on the island. The only thing missing is a nice Russian dictator to share it with. 30/41

Andorra: Andorra is a rare example of a European nation with no extradition treaty with the United States; unfortunately, it is no longer the tax haven it once was. Also, Trump would be bored. No high society he can complain about being excluded from, no skyscrapers, just…churches. 10/41

Montenegro: Also in Europe, also without an extradition treaty. It doesn’t attract golfers on account of it having basically no golf courses, but it does attract real estate investors, particularly those who wish to take advantage of its offer of a residency permit in exchange for property purchases. It also attracts Russian tourists and bots, the latter making a concerted effort to sway this strategically located country more in Putin’s favour. They have an easy task: within Montenegro, Russia is viewed more favourably than any other country, and—like Trump—roughly 40 per cent of Montenegrans say they admire Putin.

But again: churches. 26/41

Saudi Arabia: When Trump introduced his Muslim ban, a few Muslim countries were omitted from the list. Saudi Arabia was one of them. Trump does business in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia has made it known that it would prefer to continue doing political business with Trump. Trump declared an emergency just so he could veto House opposition to him signing an $8-billion arms deal with the kingdom. Masters play golf there, billionaires put their money there, skyscrapers skyscrape there. Trump, we could easily conclude, might well go there—if only Putin could go, too. Moscow’s relations with Riyadh are fraught, but perhaps not so bad as to rule Trump’s potential relocation plans. 35.5/41

Russia: There are few places in the world more Russia-friendly than Russia itself, and few world leaders more Russia-friendly than Trump. In the 1980s, it built golf courses near Moscow specifically to attract American investors; Trump is one of the American investors who obliged. Russia, in turn, appears to have invested in Trump. Granted, Moscow and St. Petersburg don’t have many of the 58-storey mirrors that are Trump’s preferred building type, but Putin would probably let him build one eventually that the American president could be safely locked up in, so half points for phallic architecture. Moscow has a long tradition of offering its Western assets involuntary sanctuary. As for taxes, Putin associates get a rebate. It’s almost perfect—but not quite. 38.5/41

U.A.E.: Another Muslim country excused from Trump’s Muslim ban; another country with no extradition treaty with the United States; another tax haven. But it is only the U.A.E. with which Trump recently signed a multi-billion-dollar weapons deal, just as he was losing a presidential election. The U.A.E. is also becoming a closer strategic partner of Russia in the Middle East, as both generally share a similar assessment of the region’s popular democratic movements: they don’t like them.

Regarding lifestyle, the U.A.E. is not known for flowing champagne, but Trump doesn’t drink anyway, for fear it would impair his very sound judgment. The U.A.E. has nice golf courses: it built them the way it built its islands—by stacking piles of cash on top of each other. Compared to New York, Dubai may have all the glitz with little of the glamour, but that is extremely on-brand for Trump. And Dubai not only has taller buildings than any country on this list, it has the tallest building in the world. For the first time in his life, Trump could boast about the size of something and be right. For Trump, the U.A.E. earns a perfect score.

Prediction: If the President of the United States becomes an international fugitive, he will seek sanctuary in Dubai, U.A.E. Of course, that assumes he responds to defeat by actually leaving office. Which would require that he follow the law. Which, you know…

This article appears in print in the January 2021 issue of Maclean’s magazine with the headline, “President on the lam.” Subscribe to the monthly print magazine here.

#Macleans Magazine #Canadian Media #Canadian Musings #How MOST of us in Canuck land feel #though we also have our share of conspiracy theory nuts #We'd probably put him in jail ourselves #We'd actually probably we drawing up charges in regards to his attempted coup #lol

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nightowlgunner · 4 years ago

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Her

It was like June 2020 when I started playing with Kristine. That was also the time na she got laid off so we got the chance na magkalaro sa game full time. It was also the time na, I slowly opened up to her. Because I have strong walls eh, I do not let people come in my life easily. Since Kristine looks sincere and a listener to me, I gave her the way to get in. I talk about my rants about how my day goes and my relationship status with Joan. There is something about her that makes me want to know her more. There are many things na napagkakasunduan namin that leads to laughing and feeling na magaan lang kausap. I also liked that she is interested in the Game that I am playing, We shared things from the moment she started playing pc games back then, her ex gf's, her dramas in life, her fam, her girlfriend but not too much of it. She shares her problem too, the same goes with me.

Back then, I got curious about Kristine because of the stories that I have heard from Joan about her and her ex-gf and the toxicity of her relationship with Rose.

I admit she got my sympathy. Reminded me of my past relationship and how she handled it. Later on, whenever Kristine goes back here in Manila for a vacation, she always invites us. So I have no choice but to go with Joan though I am way too shy na makihalubilo sa mga tao.

By the first time that I met Kristine she was with her ex-gf Siena. There was nothing special or any thing that I felt. I was just nervous meeting her. Idk. Because I feel like she is intimidating. It was just a stage of knowing her, but she was nice naman. That time I remember Joan blocked her on my fb friend's list because of some reasons that i am not sure of, like Jealousy. Joan is always jealous which make me feel like hindi ako katiwa tiwalang tao. Lol. Grabe lang. And since then, Kristine unblocked me.

Way back 2018, I casually message her, like saying Hi, Hello, a little update of my day, and a little sharing of how me and Joan is doing.

I remember that it was also the time that she is trying to open up about her problems with Siena and so i made a GC where me, Joan and tine are messaging so she will not think too much back in Dubai.

I think she was on the verge of breaking up with Siena?

I have work back then so our exchange of messages was not that constant.

Joan used to rant at Kristine about me and how our life have been, which I do not like. Kasi nahihiya ako na kailangan pa ilabas ang mga bagay bagay na hindi naman dapat. There are times I feel uncomfortable kapag sinasabihan din ako ni Tine about our probs. But i just shrugged it off na lang.

It was also the time that I am focus to Joan too.

'Til Pandemic came. I am so happy may kalaro na ako sa game and that is her. Most of the time we play during afternoons, we also got the chance to try voice call each other on Messenger.

Then there goes the story, we talk a lot, shared a lot and our game time is way fun because she is a good team mate.

She was a good listener. And she understands me. Not all the time she is in favor of me, there are times she helps me understand things.

But most of the time, She makes me feel valid.

August came and Joan celebrated her birthday.

September and I celebrated mine, and I received a gift from her, it was a cake. She told me in Whatsapp that it was for me only. She just made it look like it was also for Joan since she never gave her any present last month.

October came, and I decided to make a surprise for her birthday, I'm talking about Kristine here. And so I did. We call her through VC in Messenger and I greeted her in my Facebook Gaming page, and made an appreciation post for her in my IG, which she really liked.

November came and I broke my thoughts to her. It was my nephew's birthday, Ethan.

I told her through Whatsapp that I liked her. That I liked her back then because of some reasons like, She went through hell in her relationships yet she stood up, etc. and my curiosity ate me.

I told her I might not feel uncomfortable talking to her because she already knew my secret that I like her. Then Kristine said, Bakit naman?

I asked her am I not likeable? She answered me, it's not that I am not likeable, she also said that she knew that I am a good person, and she reminded me that it was wrong. I told her I have no intentions of ruining her and Kamille. I just wanted her to know that I liked her, period.

Then we played a game, shared some secrets and stuff, because I started to trust her na.

Then as days goes by, we play constant and we talk mostly.

She even shared to me the time she went to sleep over with workmates because Kamille and her had an argument. We had our first Video Call in Messenger the next day before she go to work. Send me photos that I asked her too cause I am not seeing her lately.

We still talk even at her work hours, I listen to her work rants and stuff.

Then came an issue of this gaming headset that she wants to give me without malice as claimed by Kristine. Joan did not like the gesture. So, we talked secretly and talk about it. We agreed not to pursue the headset anymore.

December came and yah, we still play. I found out she resigned at her work.

I had an issue with a basher of my page, so I have to deactivate my gaming page and make an investigation who the hell is she.

So my attention draws closer to the game itself and also Kristine. and stop streaming for a while, She decided to install the Global server instead of using Garena for months because she is running out of VPN's to use for free anymore.

I felt like we have this kind of understanding where she gets me. And she agreed. But sometimes she sends me mixed signals.

I came to a point where I became confused.

I felt the need to share this because I am having these "time bomb" like feelings that if I cannot find a way to consult it to other person i am gonna explode and became clingy at her.

So I brought my classmate back in High School named Annarie, who prefers to call herself Pacsy. We play in Garena sometimes and we chat in Messenger too. I shared her my thoughts about Kristine. And I decide to her to be like the observant of the girl I liked if she feels the same way to me.

There are times that I felt jealous whenever there is a guy flirting with her on the game and sometimes she makes me feel that she is jealous too when I do the same.

And then came February, we had an argument.

My thoughts went confused, concern at Pacsy, and at the same time jealous.

Felt bad because we made a promise to each other to be open and not keep secrets. But things fail.

I broke down and cried.

Then came Joan who confronted Kristine, and Pacsy without me knowing it because I was asleep when Joan hacked my phone. I lost all of my phone datas and apps.

And I did not like it. Joan should have talked the proper way but instead choose to hysterical all the time.

She discovered that, there is something between me and Kristine based on our exchange of chats in Messenger.

Since I'm woman enough to admit my fault, I did.

I admit that I fell to Kristine.

Joan blocked her in my Messenger first.

And next is IG.

CODM became an exception.

It was a week of pain and confusion and discoveries.

I have discovered that She admits that she felt the same way for me.

That she doesn't want to lose me too.

That I am important to her, that she thinks of me by the time we lost our communication for like a week and more.

She was the one who initiated a contact.

I knew in my heart she wants it.

Let me just have a detailed flashback:

FEB 17: That night, we played, me, Pacsy and her. Dhanush invited me. I said sorry to them. And Kristine drop this line that it will be the last time she will talk to US. So I distant myself.

FEB 18: It was like 5pm, I called Pacs and I apologized to her of what happened and I cried because of what I feel in my situation. I told her, it was so hard to tell Joan that I fell in-love with her friend.

I asked Pacs not to update Kristine about me anymore because I wanna distant too.

FEB 18: 10:30 PM Pacsy texted me that Ktine asked her a favor to tell me that Joan is attacking her on messenger. I just said, it was noted.

FEB 19: Vertigo attacked me.

FEB 26: I received an XP rewards from Kristine. Just to be clear, giving away XP rewards is customized, you are the one who will choose who to give it to. And with that gesture, I knew in my heart she wants to talk and play with me. The past days Dhanush has been chatting me whenever he is playing with her. I told Dhanush I cant because she does not want to talk to me anymore and I wanna keep my distance too.

FEB 27-28

I played in CODM that night and I message her in the app, and invited her to play. Just a duo. At first she said, "Hi joan." then I told her, "Hindi nuh, hahaha." Then we play both off mic. And I notice she is messaging me while playing and says she misses me. "imy" I asked her "Kumusta" etc. At first I did not want to answer back I miss her too, because I am doubtful that it might be Kamille who's playing, but again, I knew it was her. So I told her, I miss this duo. Then she replied ":(".

Its like we had 2 games only, I said goodbye yet she tried to invite me again for another round for a squad with Dhanush but I have to leave the app and so I did.

FEB 29

We talked in CODM Global server app. We did not play instead we just talked. She told me she created an account in deviantart.com which is a website for artists, I actually have account there for art purposes. However she cant find my account there so I suggest how about Twitter. She opened up to me that day, as I remember, she apologized to me of the things she have done like how she cracked my secret to Joan etc. She said she does not normally say sorry to anyone yet she is doing it for me that day. I asked her if, "hindi ba kapani paniwala kapag ako ang nagsabi na mahal kita?"

She answered, she feels things the same way. She understands that my IG stories was for her mostly, and I claimed it. She told me she was scared to lose communication with me, that sometimes she feels like she's using another person just to get connected at me. And I get what she is saying. She said that she felt something for me.

I am sorry but the words we shared felt like... there is something.

Days have gone by, We played again. However I am hiding it.

I made a letter for her by using a website app. I told her everything there.

We also both made a Twitter account. Obviously, we missed each other.

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onlineindus1122 · 4 years ago

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Arfa Kareem Randhawa , the IT wizard , and pride of Pakistan

Hyderabad: 14 January 2021: EVERY thing about her has this surreal symbolism. Even the fact that the Heavens opened up the day she left us in tears of our own.In our culture, the departed are only mourned but westwards, there is also a certain celebration of life just etched away. If life is about stories well lived and lessons well learnt, it is a tradition worth its weight in gold.Arfa Karim Randhawa had a rather longish name for such a sweet little kid. The baby fat on her cheeks and those twinkling, inquisitive eyes never left her even as she was on the threshold of adolescence. For someone so special, she was like the daughter everyone felt was their own.I never had difficulty remembering the long name though — which had 17 letters but in the end, not even one alphabet made up for each of her 16-year tryst with destiny — from the time she first got everyone to stand up and take notice in 2004.I was living abroad those days and one of the first things I did on a vacation back home was to go to the PTV headquarters in Islamabad and fetch a copy of the first TV interview she gave after becoming the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) at the age of nine.But it was worth every minute, if only for the tremolo in her rendition of an old Bulleh Shah verse. You could be forgiven for forgetting in that profound sweep, that here was a prodigy whose first call to fame was being the world’s youngest MCP! What — and who — is she, you wondered, even as she cast a spell on you. There was no escape from being awed — as many an obit writer readily admitted following her demise.Close to a dying December, one saw the shocking website image of Pakistan’s pride in death’s icy hands, barely recognisable from the sparkling form one had always associated with her.At year-end, rumours first circulated that Arfa had died but one found out through Ali Nawazish Moeen, another world record holder with 23 A’s in A ‘Levels, that it wasn’t the case and subsequently, some miraculous movement was noted, leading to a fervent hope of recovery.Microsoft co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates, who was wowed by the prodigy when she visited Microsoft headquarters at his invitation in 2004, contacted her parents and hired a panel of doctors, who advised their Pakistani counterparts through video link.In the end, hope was short-lived — a bit like the 1990 Robert Di Nero starrer Awakenings, based on Oliver Slack’s 1973 memoir, in which a new doctor tries a chemical cure on a comatose patient. When the first patient awakes, he is an adult having gone into a coma in his early teens. The film then delights in the new awareness of the patients. However, all patients including the protagonist essayed by Di Nero, return to their vegetative state.Arfa’s 22-day ordeal had captured the hearts and minds of a nation riven by strife and uncertainty. For a country struggling with existential angst, and a breeding ground for bad headlines, Arfa was like a beacon of light.Even as short a life as hers encapsulated brilliantly the richness of endeavour, capacity for achievement and a heart in its right place. But while this may be a universal sentiment, she found her way to every beating Pakistani heart because of how much she cared for the land of her birth.For someone so young, Arfa swore by an ambition to improve the lot of her village Ramdewali. Significantly, she was running a computer training centre for the less privileged that she had herself established.It was an amazing sight — the little Arfa driving home the importance of aptitude early and creating a conducive environment for the seed to grow, interview after interview, speech after speech at 10. She would quote from books and authors she read fervently to draw the context. Two years before her death, she had run through the entire Oxford dictionary as well — every word and term practiced for comprehension. Arfa was also engaged with Nasa after winning a competition in 2011.Removed from the academic, her flight was not imaginary — she earned certification as a pilot from a flying club in Dubai at 10 and remains the youngest recipient of the prestigious President’s Pride of Performance award in the field of science and technology. There were other awards but space constraints do not permit an elaborate appraisal.Her desire to explore and reach the zenith was evident from a mail she sent to former Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Attaur Rehman, where she sought consultation on venturing into “a field where there is more room to explore and which would benefit Pakistan”.Everyone who met Arfa came away awe-struck by her confidence, never mind the special gift she had in her chosen field. Yet the only time, she was publicly seen getting emotional was when she said, teary-eyed, during a speech on stage: Pakistan hamari maa hai, is ke beghair hum kuch nahi (Pakistan is our mother, we’re nothing without her).

Words fail me at our loss. RIP, Arfa.

#Online indus #Englishnews #Sindhinews

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kateemmerson · 4 years ago

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#LocationFree - How are global nomads coping with their wanderlust lifestyle?

No one has been left unscathed, have we? We have all had to adjust, re-jig, process life, handle loss, and take stock …every single one of us? Same storm, different ship, right?

Amidst all the “stuff” going on globally, I recently listened to my heart and launched my 5th book, titled “10 Lessons for Living #LocationFree.” Originally planning to launch it much earlier, I waited until the time felt right and until I had the right energy to tackle it. I honestly feel that now, more than ever, we need to keep our dreams, ideals and possibilities ALIVE and top of mind.

Even if we are a bit stuck now, our thinking and feeling do NOT have to be stuck.

In the process of writing this book, I wanted to offer readers some varied perspectives and thus set about interviewing 16 awesome folks to get their views on living this lifestyle. When the book was released just 2 weeks ago, I really wanted to check back in and get their updates on living “LocationFree.” We are all between 40 and 60 years old, living our own version of this lifestyle all around the world. Essentially I wanted to see how the year had shaped up for them since our initial interview – to see if they were more hellbent on continuing this vagabond lifestyle, to understand if something fundamental had shifted for them, or if perhaps world events have made them reconsider lifestyle choices related to all things #LocationFree?

#LocationFree is my preferred term, but it is often referred to as Global Nomad, Digital Nomad, Location Independent, Portable Pro, etc. The name is less important than what we live day-to-day.

I wanted to update myself, too. I have honestly had a profoundly ‘interesting’ year. I’m definitely NOT saying it was easy and straightforward, but that I dug deep and found ways to try and accept and lean into what was going on rather than resist it all. The latter option felt futile and counter-productive in every form. I contracted and tested positive for the covid lurgy back in March 2020 after hurriedly exit-ing South Africa. I was out there to launch my 4th book, “Write your Book in 100 Days,” with my business partner. We had multiple book launches and events, live interviews from some major PR rolling out. It was our chance to inspire and reconnect with all the wonderful South African writers in our community. Plus, all my annual medical appointments were booked for what might have been my last regular visit to South Africa.

As I tuned in and reacted to what was unfolding, I knew I needed to get on a plane fast, to the UK. I was due to travel via Dubai to visit a friend stationed there but decided to hotfoot it directly to the UK, just a couple of days before lockdown kicked in. After all, South Africa was officially no longer any form of “base” for me after the break up with my partner, so I didn’t fancy getting “stuck” there.

I knew I wanted to get to my mum in time for the first proposed lockdown so she wouldn’t be on her own. Well, for sanity, company, and a bit of TLC more than needing to “look after” her – she’s a super strong woman! But before being able to get to her, after testing positive for covid (I only ever experienced mild symptoms, thank goodness), I had to isolate myself for a month before it was deemed safe for me to stay with mum in her presidential home. We then ‘enjoyed’ three months of strict lockdown together. Lucky we had too much TV, laughter, wine, great food, daily walks, and I also celebrated my birthday with her. Zoom Style with friends around the world.

One of the hardest business challenges was letting go of our international Writing Retreats that were booked. It often takes folk at least a year to decide, book, and pay for one of our retreats. Writers from all over the world were joining Sarah and me in Greece, Italy, and Spain for a total of four retreats and residencies. We had to face cancellations, field the uncertainty with massive deposits we had paid across to secure hotels, and handle the non-refundable deposit challenge. We initially postponed and shuffled dates later in 2020 in the eternal hope that we could still host them later in the year, and had clients ready to hop on planes… and then finally releasing them all in favour of 2021 dates. We “lost” some clients who couldn’t move to the new dates, and have not yet been able to start filling those spaces for 2021. That was my main income revenue down the sink. I know the entire world understands all the drastic financial challenges of the year and I am not alone in that.

The moment it was “safe” enough to travel, and the world eased open a bit in the UK, I travelled to a wee Scottish island, Iona, for an overdue, personal and significant retreat. I had been wanting to reconnect with Iona to organise a writing retreat, so I was fulfilling two objectives. It is a very sacred isle that offers deep healing and was just what I needed. Mum was happy (and I guess sad) to finally wave goodbye after three intense months together. The year has allowed me to live what I call a “revised version” of living location free – with restrictions and other things factored in, like everyone. I was planning on spending 2020 starting to look for my next Northern bases, so that has obviously been postponed. My heart is being pulled by the idea of setting up some version of flexible homes in both Scotland and the Mediterranean – but that will need to wait until I can travel abroad to explore that option more fully.

I am just not a ONE HOME type of gal. Any future partner I have in life needs to know that a deep love for travel and adventure is wired into my cells. But I am starting to consider a couple of bases to move between, with loads of side- travel too!

So I relished a much quieter work year. I was already planning on taking time off from running regular online writing mentorships as I needed a break from that intense type of work, and then all our summer writing retreats retreated into the distance. So I took most of the year off to be in the GAP. I stayed in quieter retreat –type mode with myself.

I embarked on an intense, personal retreat process on Iona to recalibrate again. I went offline for 3 weeks and 80% offline for a further 5 weeks. The poor wifi signal helped that switching off process. But this was not about covid. To be honest, it was more related to where I am in my life and business cycle. I needed to do a mammoth, triple-angled closing out process. One was the ending of my relationship after five years, and another was leaving South Africa, and the third closing out a few aspects of what used to make up my business. But all that was happening despite covid’s impact. You can read more about that journey here.

On Iona I also fell headlong into a fantastic new heart-based hobby with the actual “making” of books, learning the art and skill of “Book Binding” or BookArt. I am smitten and have a bag of tools, paper, ink, and waxed linen thread to lug around now. If ever you come on a retreat with me, you will be sure to make your own book from now on!

Uhmmm, yes, the irony is that my motto is #LIVELIGHTELIVELARGE, so excess clothes can get turfed out of the suitcase but my new bookmaking tools will have to stay put for this #LocationFree gal.

I am still 100% pursuing my own version of living #LocationFree, just with the added goal of looking for a couple of places to call a “base” in 2021. Love Kate x

***Here is what some OTHER global Nomads say about how this year impacted their gallivanting lifestyle around the world. All of these amazing folk below have contributed to my latest book to offer their take on being #LocationFree.

* My global nomadship is NOT over yet! Dee Before COVID-19 stopped us all in our tracks, I had been already considering my global footprint and thinking about how I could still travel and work as a nomad, but with more and more respect for the environment by reducing my use of fossil fuels.

Since being “stuck” at my daughter’s house since March 1st, I have had more time to contemplate my next move, and I think I will be much more mindful about the “gigs” I say yes to in terms of length. Instead of jumping from plane to plane and delivering multiple workshops or events in one week, I will spaciously alter my availability and only offer one city a week for short jobs. In addition, I’m considering “putting myself out to hire” to communities for 3-6 month, longer-term projects.

As for this crazy year, I have still felt like a “nomad” because most of my international work has continued online, but I’ve been receiving some “snail mail” at my daughter’s address where I’m staying, and I don’t like it. My daughter and friends tease me, saying, “ooh, look, you have mail!” which I vehemently deny! Haha!

I did join a gym in my daughter’s town but, I made sure it was one of the franchise-type ones that proliferate Australia so that when I’m back on the road, I can still make use of the membership.

I still live out of my suitcase. It’s on a shelf, in the cupboard, in my daughter’s spare room, and I have deliberately done very little extra shopping this year and still buy my suitcase-sized “top-ups.” All my purchases have still been with the thought that I will eventually be back on the road.

As of December 2020, bookings for work in early 2021 have started rolling in, and I’m feeling the pullback towards the actual road (not flights) that will most likely be my future for at least the next 12 months until our international borders and flights are safe again. My global nomadship is not over yet!Yours in Community, Dee

Dee Brooks is a mum of four adults and is a passionate community development practitioner and trainer with over 20 years of experience. She has been an Intentional Nomad since 2015 and has travelled and worked in over 20 countries, creating impact through capacity building and knowledge sharing. http://jeder.com.au

*What is COVID offering US in terms of new perspectives? Martin When Covid struck, all my jobs and activities came to quite an abrupt halt. But organically, other things suddenly needed to be done. My life in a nutshell… Go with the flow, take things as they come, and run with it as best you can.

Pre-Covid, I was housesitting, hiking, travel guiding, and occasionally giving sushi workshops. When all that stopped, for my dad, who lives alone, all his support and social engagements/contacts were terminated as well. So I kind of organically transitioned into being his only daily visitor and part-time caregiver. A foundation I occasionally volunteer at was seeing a huge dip in the (mostly 55+ aged) volunteer availability, so my “whenever I can, I’ll let you know” volunteering turned into a fixed few days a week. With the rest of the time, I worked on my campervan conversion, which I was not really getting around to before Covid. So you could say that just as in life, Covid took but replaced other things in its place for me to make a difference… And no less important, it also gave me space to remember what I was passionate about and the time to work on it as well.

Looking forward, my future perspective has not changed much with Covid. I will keep living as a nomad, primarily housesitting going from place to place, alternated with some hiking travel guiding and volunteering here and there, and being a self-supporting van-lifer the rest of the time. What Covid did do, however, is make me realize how positive and stable this self-supportive lifestyle made me, as when mass-hysteria struck, I accepted it as it came and just took it in my stride.

To me, the best way to approach the whole Covid-situation is to look at what it is offering in terms of new perspectives, rethinking priorities and time away from work, commuting, and stress in favor of me-time. It is pretty much nailed on the head by this little quote by Karen Salmansohn:

You gotta look for the good in the bad, the happy in the sad, the gain in your pain, what makes you grateful, not hateful. And if there is no good in the bad, or happy in the sad, then you are put in that spot right there, right then, to help create it for yourself and the people around you… May you be happy and well, Martin Martin Van Den Berg is a full-time professional housesitter, capable with all animals but specialising in big or “difficult” dogs and packs. Willing to travel. [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/martinvdberg73 

* Will we resume nomadic life? Nancy It was sheer coincidence that we moved into a long-term rental the day that Spain went into lockdown! A day later and we would have needed approval from the police to move, to drive elsewhere other than to the supermarket for essential supplies. My unexpected pulmonary embolism in April 2019 had stopped our travels and, due to ongoing medical treatment, necessitated us staying in Oliva for a while. As we liked it here, at the end of that year, totally unrelated to the pandemic, we decided to stay in the area longer and, in January 2020, found a new home near the sea.

Even if we had booked another Air B&B, ready to travel again, it’s unlikely we’d have been able to. As a new tenant hadn’t been secured for the townhouse we’d been renting, we would have had to stay there longer. This would have been so frustrating! I was always excited when moving-on and to have no choice but to stay would have been very hard. Instead, we could look forward to our new home close to the beach!

My online work continued despite the pandemic, and my weekdays didn’t really alter as I sat at the computer in my home-office as usual. The virus situation has definitely changed our nomadic mindset, though, and now I’m not even sure if we’ll resume our journey!

The pandemic in Europe and ever-changing border restrictions make it difficult to travel, so for now, we’ve accepted it’s necessary to stay-put. Instead of looking forward to exploring new places, we appreciate the opportunity and extra time available to visit our own area, which is very varied and beautiful. We’ve also made some friends here and, in a time when we cannot easily see family in the UK, these relationships are all the more important.

As we’ve not had to pack-up the car to move-on in a single journey, we’ve also gradually acquired more possessions and are making our current rental a ‘home.’ The more we become settled, putting down roots, it’s so much harder to consider moving away. Maybe one day we’ll revise our wanderlust, maybe not. Perhaps we’ll take holidays again instead. We’re just not dwelling on that.

Although we’ve always had a flexible attitude, this year has taught-us that absolutely anything unexpected can happen! We’re OK, and we have each other, our health, an income, and a home, so do appreciate this as never before. Kind regards, Nancy Nancy Benn is a versatile virtual assistant with more than ten years’ experience providing efficient support to clients. Working remotely from her home office, Nancy helps entrepreneurs achieve more time and headspace to develop their business by supporting and encouraging their endeavours by providing outstanding, skilled admin and secretarial support. www.directpaservices.co.uk  www.nancybenn.com 

*Coincidence doesn’t exist. I always believed that! Jan What happened to this digital nomad during the Covid pandemic? I guess the same as with all the others: being stuck in one place and not moving anymore. In my case, I’m stuck in Budapest in Hungary. Coincidentally, as a Dutch citizen, I already had a house in Hungary, and I am a resident in this country. Something that, after the fact, turns out to be a good thing. I will explain, and this explanation shows once more, that coincidence doesn’t exist. It was for a reason that I got stuck here.

In February 2019, I left the Netherlands and started my digital nomad existence. South America, Spain, and South Africa. In April 2020, I ended up in a very strict lockdown in South Africa, and after three tough weeks, I was finally able to return to the Netherlands on a repatriation flight. From The Netherlands, I flew immediately to my home in eastern Hungary. It was a safe haven in these bizarre times. It was also far removed from covid, with only 2 cases known out of the 3 000 inhabitants in the village.

After a few weeks of being in Hungary, a letter fell on the mat from the Dutch authorities. They stated that with retroactive effect to February 2019 (!) I was no longer officially living in the Netherlands, that I was not allowed to continue my business there and that I was no longer insured for medical expenses.

Pay attention! With more than one year retroactive effect!

Panic! What’s next? At that time, there was only one option: I would have to live 100% as a resident in Hungary and build a new company structure with two limited companies: one in the Netherlands containing all the customers and one in Hungary where I am an employee. Subsequently, I was accepted into the Hungarian health insurance system (which is cheap, but not the world’s best) and a perfect private health insurance top-up that will enable me to be anywhere in the world and still have good insurance!

All of this turned out to be a golden solution for me as a nomad. The taxes in Hungary are the lowest in Europe, and even after my retirement in some years, the 0% income tax is Europe’s best! I am currently renting an apartment in the heart of downtown Budapest, and at the weekends I visit my house in the countryside to relax. This is truly the ideal “snob-life’ of all the Budapest-inhabitants!

Coincidence doesn’t exist. I never believed in that. But all these puzzle pieces came together so precisely into one nice new picture. So with all that happened to me, I have to admit: coincidences might just exist!

While I am stuck in Hungary for now, I spend ALL my time preparing for the future! Jan

Jan Van Kuijk has been living partly in the Netherlands and partly in Hungary for more than 10 years. The two countries finally became too small for him, and in 2018, after 15 years of preparation, he decided to travel the world as a Digital Nomad. With his work on WordPress and Joomla websites, he is generating sufficient income to live his dream. https://digitalnomadlifestyle.nl https://janvankuijk.nl 

*Cruising (or not) with Covid – Debbie Well, it’s been an interesting couple of months – thank you, 2020!

From being aboard ‘that ship’ which was disallowed docking in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico, to finally disembarking our guests in San Diego, after 29 days onboard! Our guests got an additional 15 days cruising on the house, and of course, courtesy of corona!

Then, many of us got ill and had to deal with “isolationship,” which in itself added a new dimension to both cruise life, as well and levels of sanity and productivity! Getting the South African crew repatriated back to our own country was another covid challenge, but we finally made it to home soil in June, three months after the break-out onboard our floating home. At this stage, a total of 60 days of “isolationship” had been achieved, and it is no small feat to spending that amount of time on your own in a room that is hard to pace 10 steps without having to stop dead!

Since then, the waiting to return to what we love has taken its toll in various forms, forcing many to find alternative employment sources. I have kept myself busy by doing some ‘self-reflection and tweaking,’ a vital step to recalibrating and accessing what makes it out of the covid crisis with you and what needs to be resolved and rested!

I have decided to study a diploma in HR to be better equipped in my line of work and where I see myself adding relevance; making memories with my family, and building a legacy in my gorgeous granddaughter’s life while watching the world continue to be crazed about vaccines and searching for new normals!

Living life #LocationFree post-covid will have its own set of challenges, but I am hopeful that we will be traveling and impacting more lives in the near future! Remember at this time, to be kind – to those who don’t understand or think the way you do, and it’s OK to be different – after all, that’s what it takes to live #LocationFree. Love Debbie

Debbie Botha courageously leapt at the chance to travel and showcase her training development, coaching, negotiation, and change- management skills within the world of cruising. She now wears officer stripes on her shoulders and a smile on her face as she explores international waters is studying HR, dabbles in Bitcoin, and revels in being a nurturing Nana. linkedin.com/in/debbiebothaglobal Instagram: @debbiebothaofficial 

*Life Has Shifted A Little – Chris and Jillian We had moved places in Morocco a few times. We had decided that we needed our own space after two and a half months in the hostel we were painting in, and we moved into an apartment in Tinghir. Shortly after we moved into our new place, the lockdown was lifted. And even though we were some of the only foreigners around, we weren’t being hassled too much to come and buy things.

We moved out to Rissani after two weeks, which was located at the edge of the Sahara. The roads were now just starting to open up for people to move between towns and cities. After a few weeks there, we read a news headline saying that all foreigners had to leave Morocco by August 10th. We then decided that we wanted to spend some time on the coast, so off we went to Essaouira.

We ended up renting an Airbnb for a really good discounted price inside the medina. There were still very few tourists around, and we were getting hassled by more people to come and buy things. We had booked a flight to leave on the 8th, and a few days before the day, the flight was canceled. We then read more information about needing to leave and found out that it was fake news and didn’t need to go.

We rented the place for two more months, and it was nice to have our own space and work on our own projects. The owner of the Airbnb had upgraded the wifi to accommodate our needs, and we accomplished a lot of much needed online work. The locals’ mood had dropped, and eventually, we had started to see drunk people in the day fist fighting at random times. This was not normal, so we felt that it was time to go.

We booked a direct flight to Turkey, and we travelled to Casablanca to exit the country. There were not many people in the airport, which made the experience one of the easiest times we’ve had travelling. We were told that we would expect to get tested for Covid when we arrived at the airport, this didn’t happen. We were also told that we would expect to get tested when we arrived in Turkey, this didn’t happen either. Turkey was open, and everything was business as usual. In the last two weeks here, the Turkish government has started implementing some restrictions. Restaurants are closed except for takeout, a weeknight curfew of 8:00, and everything except grocery stores are closed over the weekends.

We have no doubt in our minds that this is the only way we can live our lives. Travel has probably changed forever due to Covid, but we will deal with it. We won’t be returning to conventional life, and we find too much happiness in this way of life

Chris de Cap I’ve been an artist my whole life, more than half of which as a tattoo artist. I spent the bulk of my adult life being nomadic, however, mostly in Canada. Now I’ve taken my nomadic habits out into the world. http://www.artisticvoyages.com/ www.instagram.com/artisticvoyages

*Clearing the decks and learning what it means to be resilient I feel like 2020 is the year that we were all forced to stop, take a deep breath, and look at how we are living. The word that kept coming up for me this year was resilience.

Here in Spain, we experienced one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe and in a city like Malaga where we are used to being active and social life quickly started to feel a little surreal. I remember saying to friends that it felt like I was living in a Netflix movie. Deserted streets, no noise or energy.

There is a thriving community of entrepreneurs and freelancers in the city and I organise a co-working meet-up. I remember our last in-person event just before the lockdown happened. I don’t think anyone realised just what was coming! After that, we took the meet-ups online like many events and it proved a great way to stay connected and motivated when we weren’t able to meet up in person. I launched my first retreat in October at an amazing venue called Vega House. This was one of my big goals for 2020 and after nearly a year of putting things on hold, I was determined to make it happen.

I have experienced lots of personal and professional shifts this year and it feels like it has been a bit of a baptism of fire. I know I have learned to be more present in how I live. I have become much more conscious of time and not wasting it this year. This has affected my relationships, friendships and priorities as a whole.

I had planned to do more international travel this year and instead found that there was so much more on my doorstep than I had realised to explore and appreciate. Slowing down and living with restrictions has helped me and I am sure others to find joy in unexpected places. I think I am going into 2021 with a renewed sense of optimism around what is possible for me. I am focusing on staying grounded and appreciating the here and now.

Victoria Jane Watson is a business and media mentor working with female entrepreneurs leading the way in the health and wellness industry. She gets to the heart of what makes her clients unique, showing them how to leverage their story and expertise effectively so they can build a personal brand that supports their business goals. www.victoriajanewatson.com Instagram: @victoriajanewatson

“10 Lessons for Living #LocationFree” is available on all Amazon stores

Search under the title or by using:

Print ISBN: 978-0-620-90868-9

Digital ASIN: B08P7FQ94G

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https://www.takealot.com/10-lessons-for-living-locationfree/PLID71293449

#LocationFree – How are global nomads coping with their wanderlust lifestyle? was originally published on Kate Emmerson - The Quick Shift Deva

#digital nomad #downsize and travel #global nomad #live light #location free #minimalism #travel for work

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