#I actually found myself liking the end result so much that it's my current wallpaper as of writing these tags!

[eleteo125]

12 Days of Christmas Challenge Day 8

@mha-xmas-challenge

Day 8: Decorating the Tree/ “DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN!~”

           Christmas season is here! Which means it’s time for decorating. It’s gonna be so much fun! Everyone decorated their building with their own theme. The support department was decorated to look like santa’s toy factory. There are elves and gift boxes littered around the building and mechanisms surrounding the dorm building making it look like the factory. The mechanisms around the building also functions to give the appearance that the ‘factory’ is operating.

           The general education department’s building is a winter wonderland. Snow is everywhere on and around the building. Large snowflakes decorated the walls of the building. Snowmen is littered everywhere. There was even a small hill of snow that you can sleigh down in the provided sleigh on top of the hill.

           In the hero course…they haven’t decided yet.

           “Santa and the reindeers flying through the roof of our building!” Kirishima suggested

           “Oh, and with Santa coming down the chimney!” Kaminari added  

           “What about a tree? The largest tree there is full of lights and ornaments!” Toru proposed

           “How about Christmas lanterns throughout the building?” Sero asked

           “Oh! How about we make the building look like a gingerbread house with gingerbread men out front.” Sato said

           Everyone hummed in agreement. “That is going to look so delicious!” Mina exclaimed

           Iida and Momo arranged a meeting on the theme of the decorations they are to put up. “Then it is settled!” Iida proclaimed

           “We’ll have gingerbread themed decorations. We can start looking and making decorations later today.” Momo said

           “Why not now? I know this amazing craft store near the school!” Mina said “We can get started now once we have the supplies.”

           “Very well, Yaoyorozu and I are to join you to this trip to see the materials we are to work with.” Iida said “You’re all dismissed! You can stay if you wish to join us with our shopping.”

           Mina, Jiro, Kaminari, Kirishima, Toru, and Ojiro stayed behind. Mina then informed everyone of the place they’ll be getting the supplies from. They all got ready and went out.

           Outside, they saw Class 1-B already decorating their building with Monoma yelling orders. “HONENUKI, HOW ARE THE GLASSES GOING?!”

           “NOT VERY GOOD!” he shouted from the top of the building.

           “WELL YOU BETTER MAKE IT GOOD BECAUSE WE NEED TO FINISH THE GLASS DOME BY THE END OF THE DAY!”

           Honenuki looked at the overwhelming amount of glass beside him. “WHY DON’T YOU COPY MY QUIRK AND HELP ME SO WE CAN FINISH THIS SOONER!” he suggested. He waited for a response but gone none. He sweat dropped knowing that Monoma left the conversation as soon as he heard the word help.

           “Whose idea was it again to turn our building into a snow globe?” he asked Kendo who brought up another stack of glass to the roof by using her quirk.

           “Monoma. You know how extra he can get.”

           “And who agreed to his idea?”

           Kendo also sweat dropped, guilty for what he’s implying. “Ehehe, I didn’t know it was gonna be this hard.”  

            “We’re literally putting a glass dome over our five story dorm building.”

           “Guess I was too busy fantasizing about the idea that I didn’t consider how difficult it really is.” She said scratching the back of her head.

           Honenuki sighed before softening the glasses “Call Tsuburaba, we’re gonna need his solid air to actually for a dome.”

           Meanwhile, back down, Monoma was busy bragging about their (his) idea and how creative and unique it is from the rest to students from 1-A.

           “I’m sure that whatever you thought of and what you planned has nothing compared to ours. Why, it must be the most unique one out of all the buildings around here.”

           “I don’t know. I think the support department’s building is better.” Toru whispered to Ojiro. But Monoma heard it and he grew a tick mark.

           “What did you say? Our design is more amazing! Much more amazing than yours!”

           “Monoma, this isn’t a competition.” Iida reminded him

           “Ha! Maybe it should be, because we’re the ones who’ll win—“ he was cut off by Kendo’s hand chopping his head, resulting in him to collapse

           “I am so sorry about him. You know how Monoma is.”

           “It’s completely fine.” Momo reassured her “We just came to ask how things are going along with you decorating.”

           “We’re getting there. We still have a few kinks to work on.” She said glancing at Honenuki and Tsuburaba struggling to decide if they should start making the dome from bottom to top or top to bottom. They were having quite the debate there. “But other than that and Monoma being bossy, everything’s fine.”

           “That’s good to hear. Well, we are off now, we still need some supplies.”

           “Okay then, good luck everyone!”

           Kendo waved them goodbye as they walked away when they were out of sight, she pulled Monoma in the building to lock him in his room, cause their classmates have enough to deal with trying to make their (his) idea work. They don’t need his dictatorship on top of it.

           After shopping for supplies, they were quick to start decorating the building. Sato made a design of a gingerbread house with a real gingerbread house as a reference. But everyone couldn’t stop themselves from gobbling it up. Good thing that everyone took a picture of it from every angle and used the photos as reference instead for their decoration.

           Sero taped up the large peppermints and candy canes made out of Styrofoam and made sure that the sprinkles are attached firmly and properly so that it won’t fall off. Uraraka and Midoriya put a blanket of ‘frosting’ on the roof while Kirishima and Koda lined the windows and balconies with foam designed to look like frosting. Jiro and Mina put wallpaper that look like crackers on the building while Iida and Momo make a pathway using matts that they designed to look like crackers. And Todoroki was currently making popsicles out of the lamp posts without damaging it.

           “It sure is starting to look delicious.” Momo pointed out.

           Iida looked at their progress so far and found it very delicious looking. “Yes. It’s also very pretty.” Iida looked pretty.” Iida looked at Momo and smiled at her which she gladly returned it. Both of them feeling proud that they were able to lead their classmates into accomplishing something amazing.

           It only took them two days to finish to decorating and they sure feel proud with the over all result. They’re all outside taking in the image of their gingerbreadified dorms.

           “A gingerbread house?!”

           The voice got all of their attention and it was Monoma. “Is that all you could think of?! You couldn’t think of a much more creative idea?! It looks like the great class 1-A isn’t so great after all! Ahahaha—“ he was cut off by Kendo’s hand chopping his head.

           “You’re one to talk. We haven’t even finished decorating our building. Sorry everyone!” she said walking off

           “So, uh, I made a gingerbread house as a reward! There’s enough for everyone so let’s all dig in.” Sato said breaking the ice

           Everyone cheered at the mention of food and went inside. Everyone was silenced at the sight that greeted them. The common room was as plain as ever. The extravagant decorations outside sure made the insides look very plain.

           “Ehehe, looks like we focused too much decorating outside that we forgot to think about in here.” Kirishima said

           “DO NOT WORRY EVERYONE! We will find a way to fix this!”

           “We can just go simple and just put up some garlands around the room and an average sized Christmas tree.”

           “That’s a wonderful idea, Uraraka! A cosy atmosphere seems perfect in contrast with our decorations outside!” Iida complimented

           “The rest of you can enjoy Sato’s treat. Iida and I can handle it from here.” Momo said to which Iida agreed.

           Once they were left alone, Iida rushed outside to collect some leaves that they’re gonna attach to the nylon strings that Momo made to make a garland. Iida also took a decent sized tree from the school’s forest before going in and setting everything up. To add some flare to the garlands, they added the small unused decorations to the garlands.

           They called on Sero to help them speed up the set up of the garlands so that they can proceed to the tree. Momo and Iida put up the tree. “Woah! This tree sure is heavy despite its size.” Mom grunted “How did you even get it here?”

           “I just pulled with all my strength.” Iida said letting out a final grunt when they finally got it standing upright.

           “There we go! Iida, how many decorations do we have left?”

           Iida checked the box containing the leftover decorations and presented it to her. “A fake candy cane and a lollipop.”

           “Hmm, we should get some ornaments at the store. There are quite a few near here.”

           “I’m afraid I cannot let you go outside. The weather forecast from this morning stated that a blizzard would be coming later today. And it was already snowing pretty heavily when I was on my way back.”

           “Really?” Momo sighed in defeat “I really wanted to finish the decorating today.”

           “There is also time for tomorrow.”

           “But what if the blizzard is still here ‘til tomorrow?”

           Iida smoothened a branch from the tree. “As much as we want to finish it today, we don’t have the material to do s—“ Iida stopped himself from surprise when he saw her put a Christmas hall on the tree. “M-momo, you can’t use your quirk you’ll overexert yourself.”

           “My family and I are leaving for a vacation tomorrow night and I don’t want to leave the dorms when it’s unfinished.” She said creating fairy lights to put around the tree. Iida held her hand to stop her.

           “You wouldn’t be able to enjoy your vacation if you’re extremely tired.” He insisted

           “Don’t worry; I don’t plan to overexert myself that much. I’m making just enough for the tree to not look dull.”

           Iida was hesitant but decided to proceed anyway. He insisted that he’ll just be the one to put the ornaments on the tree so Momo wouldn’t have to move around so much.

           Momo’s tired state started to become more obvious the more object she creates. Momo created the last ornament; a star with UA engraved on it to put on top of the tree. The two of them took in the sight of the finished tree, and then all of a sudden, he felt something heavy on his shoulder. When he looked, he saw Momo leaning on him looking very tired.

           Iida was about to say something about using her quirk too much but decided against it. What she needs now is rest and not a lecture. He picked her up and made sure that she’s comfortable in his arms. He carefully carried her to her room and laid her in her humongous bed and tucked her in.

           “Iida…?” she groaned turning to face him

           “Take your rest, Momo and I hope you have a good rest to have a good time in your vacation.” He said before walking off.

           “Iida?” her small voice called to him halting his steps

           “Yes?”

           “I’m cold”

           “Oh, would you like me to get you some more blankets?”

           Momo shook her head which confused him “You don’t? Then what could I do to—oh. OH!” he realized what she meant when she motioned her head on the space beside her bed. Momo got a good nights rest that night since she had an amazing cuddle buddy that made sure she’s sound asleep.

[crystalized-dreams]

So, if you frequent Twitter and/or Facebook, you’ll probably know I’ve been pretty sick. While I’m about halfway through my medicine (and hopefully feeling 100% once more), my focus is… very shake-y, at the moment, to say the least. As someone who normally multitasks a loot, it’s so… frustrating to essentially just be stuck staring at one thing and struggling to even accomplish that.

I don’t really like leaving things unfinished and right now, my unfinished pile feels kind of unbearable and there’s not much I can do about it. To make matters worse, because of the previous mentioned problem of not being able to focus, my mind is constantly thinking up ideas (whether drawings, stories, or something else entirely) that I just… do not have the time or talent to put into fruition and it’s pretty disheartening, honestly.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to write this entry since earlier this week and wanted to get it up before Pocket Camp came out because I was going to say how likely it’d be to come out the 21st/22nd because the Fortune Event ended then and it was also when the dailies ended for the current round instead of it being the usual 10–of course, I was right with that, but I never actually managed to… get that post done. On the bright side, I did manage to get all the wallpapers in the Fortune event:

As you can see, I apparently got Bitty: I don’t really think it’s that fitting, but I don’t really like to keep retaking these quizzes. I just wish they’d stop with the “shortened” quizzes–most people would prefer to answer all the questions to get a more accurate result and so it’s frustrating when it’s essentially powered by RNG to an extent because I don’t feel it’s entirely accurate.

As for the progress in the game, it’s mostly been slow… Ignoring server issues since the huge increase of people with the game releasing, as I’ve mentioned before, there’s just not much I can do right now. I did manage to get the level 5 Merry-go-Round completed: And currently have the level 5 Pool being built so I just have the Treehouse and Concert left to level up. I also have crafted everything I currently have unlocked at least once so the only things I have left are from getting villagers to level 15. I still have 21 villagers to go and I keep debating on if I should use my Request tickets to try and rush these or save them to rush being able to host when new villagers get added instead. Marshal is likely coming in the new batch of villagers due to being one of the options in the Fortune Event and it’s possible some of my own favorites could make their way in that batch too which would be nice as currently my only favorite villager in the game is Peanut.

As for the game itself, the trees and grass also changed shortly before the game opened for everyone and it’s quite nice: I’m looking forward to us getting snow. I am surprised we didn’t end up having a Harvest Festival ingame, but maybe they felt it was too soon after opening…

My struggles are still heavily with the resource mechanics though–especially with being sick, it makes it hard to keep my stock up since it’s hard to really play much and when I do have those short bursts where I feel up to more, I once again get hit by that item limit wall. Most of the limits and things, I can understand. The timers, the rotations, the crafting things… But the item limit is just such an issue. Especially because you get SO little from selling items, it doesn’t feel worth the effort to get them just to sell them so when your inventory is full, it’s like “Well, now what do I do?”. Prices are what you’d expect for clothing and furniture and to craft, but the prices for selling things from your inventory is just too small to cover that. 10 Bells for “common” stuff is just so disheartening. And it also gives me less of a reason to play when my requests are done honestly and removes a lot of the relaxing part of AC and playing how you like.

While my inventory management continues to be a nightmare, I’m doing pretty well catalog-wise. I currently have all market furniture available, everything from Labelle, and only need one thing from Kicks. I have about 13 things left from the Able Sisters, including one of the dresses (The Plum Coat) that I actually really want But the RNG with it all makes it… frustrating.

In the meantime, when I’ve needed a bit of a break from Pocket Camp due to just running out of things to do or just not having the energy for it, I’ve been having a lot of fun with Tiny Bird Garden which came out on November 15th. If you enjoy Neko Atsume and/or really like birds, you’ll probably enjoy Tiny Bird Garden. It is of the same nature as Neko Atsume (lay out toys and food for birds to come), but a bit more… immersive in a way with NPCs you can talk to and actually getting to talk to and befriend the birds in a way. You can give them treats and hats and it’s just a… very sweet game?

I mean, seriously, look at some of these birds:

I especially relate to Cherry:

And even the NPCs have sweet things to say:

Even the Credits as well:

I’ve managed to see all the birds at least once and give them all their favorite Treats so I just need to figure out all their favorite toys now. They all seem… a lot less picky than the cats in Neko Atsume though which both makes it a bit easier to see them all but also a bit harder if you’re specifically going for one.

Regardless, if you like cute birds and/or just need some kind of casual pick-me up, I really do recommend it–even if just for some positive reminders that you matter.

Right now, Super Mario Odyssey is a bit on hold which makes me… quite sad to be honest. I really love the game, but at the same time I just feel frustrated with it. I think a lot of the Moons are pretty fun, but at the same time it feels like way too much. It just feels packed just to be packed and I just don’t find that very fun. It makes them feel less special. That said, my least favorite ones have to be the high score ones I don’t mind doing the activities a certain amount of times, but there’s… not much fun in spending hours trying over and over to hit a score in the same monotonous activity. And you have to do this in two different ones.

The time trial ones are also fairly frustrating. I’ve long stopped enjoying the races and really just wish the only one was in the Mushroom Kingdom.

I’m sure we’ll get back to the game eventually and I really do want to hit the 999 Moons + get all the costumes, but right now I just feel discouraged and frustrated.

Finally, what I’ve been doing especially these last few months is getting myself a bit lost in visual novels. I love reading, but unfortunately our… living situation isn’t the best to really be situated *to* read books for long periods of time and still be comfortable. Let alone even… keep track of books 😦

I started playing My Candy Love aka Amour Sucré in March of last year and it’s been a… rollercoaster of feelings. I talk a lot about the game over on a Tumblr I have dedicated to it and other Beemoov games, but I wanted to bring it up here too for once because there’s a lot I really want to say about it.

I’m incredibly picky with Otome games. I don’t usually have the same tastes in guys as most people so it’s hard for me to find one appealing. Plus, when many games have you dating girls instead and you’re not particularly interested in girls, you’re usually playing more for story reasons then (Which is why I won’t play any… mature rated ones).

I think Otome games can be quite interesting though if they have a good focus on story and characters and that’s generally what I look for, though, I can be picky with art style. And while the art style in MCL can vary (especially with some of the older episodes’ illustrations), something about it still drew me in and I’m not entirely sure what. My one regret is mostly finding about it so late–the game started in 2011 and so I’ve… missed a lot Both onsite event-wise and merchandise-wise.

One thing that’s been especially frustrating to me is there was a short episode available for those who got a code from their booth at Japan Expo in 2013 that was only available for France and there is only video of one of the routes and I can’t find any transcripts of the other routes and this haunts me so much and is killing me slowly because of all kinds of problems. It’s rare, but hey, if you had unlocked the Japan Expo 2013 ring and now no longer can replay the episode, please report it so maybe someone can… finally upload the other routes and dialogue ._.

Moving to the game itself and despite some of my issues above and sadness of missing out, I wish I knew what captured me about the game. I found myself interested in all the characters and definitely found a favorite of the cast. The game takes place in a high school, towards the end of the school year (though, don’t actually try and figure out the timeline–it’s a complete and utter mess).

I think in a way, especially since my school life was absolute trash, it almost feels therapeutic for me. Even though the focus is the 5 main guys, you get two best friends and have a handful of other classmates as well. And even if on episode where you get completely screwed over, people are still there for you and sometimes a lot of it is just what I needed to hear and didn’t realize.

The game currently is at 37 episodes (with 38 coming out any day now honestly– a lot o people are expecting the trailer tomorrow) and you don’t even start dating the guy you want to go for until the end of Episode 28/start of Episode 29 so there’s a long build up (though, you may find the first 10 episodes kind of slow). There’s character arcs as well, some stronger than others, but honestly, I just have fun with it even if I genuinely think they could use a better translator, the censoring is awkward, and some lines are… a bit cringe-y, but it’s just… truly fun.

They have a Black Friday sale going on so I’m debating on buying a bunch of AP and $ and maybe doing a huge story replay to fix some decisions and things I’m not super happy with and also take opportunities to explore the school more so I’ll be less likely to miss dialogue and stuff too.

I would likely stream the big replay too so if someone is interested in the game, but doesn’t want to play, well, that could be an option!

I will say the game is a bit hard to get into–besides some of the older art style in illustrations, the game unfortunately uses an Action Point system. Once you’re caught up, you’ll usually manage to earn enough to play the next episode by the time it comes out, but until then, it’s a very slow grind trying to play each day and can be super demotivating honestly

Once thing I do wish Beemoov would do (besides an alternative to the AP system) is just… better jobs with merchandising to their other servers. There’s such a big focus on France as it’s the main server and where the company is located, but it really makes other servers feel left out. The manga, as an example, has only been published in French, Spanish, and German. It’s been years with no update on if we will ever see it outside those languages. The Artbooks have only been in French and English. And most merchandise hasn’t been outside France at all. It’s pretty discouraging (and also makes it all the harder to FIND older merchandise…).

Despite all this, the game’s taking place in France actually helped rejuvenate my love for France’s culture too. France was the first country I ever wanted to go to and the first language I wanted to learn when I was just 2-3 years old. It meant a lot to me and after some issues when I finally got to go to Paris, France, a piece of my heart got… incredibly hurt due to certain things that happened and it’s… really nice to have it mended and just between this and Miraculous Ladybug feel that love for France again (Also my French has gotten a lot better with all the things I’ve been looking up for character reasons so that’s pretty awesome).

Beemoov’s other visual novel is Eldarya which is much more fantasy-styled and more mature in general. It has the same kind of thing with a lot more characters besides just the love interest and the other servers are *nearly* caught up with France’s. It’s fun despite some… problematic decisions in plot, but I’m genuinely really excited to see where the story goes.

While I play MCL more for the characters as the story is mostly just… school with some character arcs, Eldarya’s overall story has me incredibly invested with where it’s going to go.

Of course, I don’t only play Otome game-Visual novels. One of Beemoov’s other visual novels is Henri’s Secret which is just a general romance story–you don’t have a character and you follow Lyla’s PoV for the most part (though, the game takes place mostly from a third person view). Even though the secret was super obvious from the get-go (and you learn it pretty quick in the story too–though Lyla and her friends have yet to…), I find myself still interested in the characters and story and really want to see their reactions when they learn Henri’s secret.

As for a non-Beemoov game, I’m actually super into SakeVisual’s Jisei series. I love mysteries and all the characters are super well-written. The fourth part is currently in production and I genuinely can’t wait. It’s such a good series, the art and voice acting is phenomenal and I haven’t played a game from SakeVisual that I haven’t enjoyed, honestly. I still have to finish Backstage Pass, but… stats and schedule stuff in games is hard for me x__x

But yes, this is what I’ve been up to recently! I’m still doing training in Miitopia, but it’s… very slow so that may be a while. I also do hope to get back to Lady Layton as SOON as I’m feeling better. I miss it, but I’m just… in no condition to do puzzles right now.

A bit of an update on things and games I’m currently playing~ So, if you frequent Twitter and/or Facebook, you'll probably know I've been pretty sick. While I'm about halfway through my medicine (and hopefully feeling 100% once more), my focus is...

[jiaxinlijxemmm-blog]

Infomagical Challenge Blog

Infomagical Challenge 1: Magical Day

Nov.16th, 2017   

      Medical day is a challenge day that do anything without multitasking, which means people do just one thing at a time. From the episode, we can know that when we do more than two things at once, we are not actually multitasking but switching rapidly. This phenomenon usually is caused by working environment and self-irruption. For example, when an information worker does their job and their boss give them a new mission or sends them an email, the worker usually has to stop their current work and give a response to their boss. This kind of irruption is from external environment. Self- irruption is an irrupt from ourselves. As a result of our low self-control, we cannot focus on one thing and do things with “multitasking”. If things continue this way, the more attention people switch, the more stress they have. Therefore, they suggest people to do the challenge.

      From my challenge experiment, I cannot agree this argument in total. On the one hand, when I focus on one thing like studying, doing homework, or things are necessary or important, this focus are really useful since it will improve the efficiency. I can do well in every single thing and save time. On the other hand, as the suggestion from the episode – tell your coworkers or post on Facebook or use signal to let them know you are doing one thing. It sounds really good but it is not realizable. I stuck a note on my door to tell my roommate that I was doing a challenge and I was doing one thing at that time. If she had any problem, please leave a note, I would answer her after my current mission. But the point is that, she needed toilet paper when she found out the paper had used off. So, she sent me a message for asking help; however, I was watching a TV show and I had to response her after I finished the show. In the end, she waited me about thirty minutes on the toilet. 

      Hence, focus on one thing is a good idea and it really improve our work efficient. However, it also depends on the importance of the things. There is nothing absolutely.

Infomagical Challenge 2: Magical Phone

Nov. 17th, 2017

      Medical phone is a challenge that clean up our phone apps. I need to delete some apps that are not useful to me or some cannot bring me joy. Then, pull apps into folders, turn off notification badges, change my wallpaper to reminds me about my week goal. When I need to find my apps, just use search and search apps’ names. 

      Follow the instruction, I started to delete useless apps. I cannot imagine that I had 197 apps and thirteen folders before. After deleting, I left 174 apps and ten folders. There is a little change from the number, but honestly, it was a big change to me. When I chose apps, I thought every single one is still useful to me. Even though I have not used some for a while, but maybe they would be used in the future.

      At the first time, I saw this challenge I thought it was useless because nothing can stop me to stay with my phone. The truth is that I was right because I cannot leave my phone on the cold desk and do not touch it. To a people who just have less self-control, I can find any way to do what I want to do no matter how I try to control myself. I change my wallpaper to my goal but I did not achieve it. Thus, I fell in this challenge since I cleaned my phone but there was nothing change in my life. I am who I was. 

Infomagical Challenge 3: Magical Brain

Nov. 18th, 2017

      Magical brain is a challenge to help me to judge what I should do, what I want to do, or what is value to me. I need to avoid accepting useless information. Because of the background of information development, people receive various information and much of them are useless to people. In other words, it is information overload. Knowing everything is not means I am better informed. Receiving every information would tired both psychological and physical. 

      I tried to avoid any information that I am not interested no matter how popular they were. The whole day, I just searched things in my interests. To be honest, it was a most valuable day to me. I learned many things and it is really joy me. However, I know nothing about pop daily news when I chatted with my friends. Maybe it seems not a big deal, but if things go on like this, it would be hard for me to join in a new group. For example, I had a mandatory discussion group. The teacher wanted people to talk and know each other well, so she started to talk about something popular in the society. It was useful and people started to be friends; however, I am a foreigner who is not really get closed to the society in that country. Therefore, I cannot join the talk and I cannot make friends with other classmates. 

      Thus, avoid information which is not valuable to me is a good thing to do but I think I still need to know some popular things for social connecting. 

Infomagical Challenge 4: Magical Connection

Nov. 19th, 2017 

      Magical connection is a challenge that talk with someone about something I read or watched recently in seven minutes. As the episode, there is a seven minutes conversation theory: if we wonder whether or not a conversation is going be interesting. However, many people will say that they rather to text. For university students, many students would choose to email their teachers instead of talking face to face with them. However, the conversation is the most original connect for people. Technique’s showing up change people totally. 

      I had a conversation with one of my friends about a movie called Black Swan. At the beginning, we talked about the plot of the film. The protagonist is a ballet dancer who has schizophrenia called Nina. She competed for her dreamy role and she practiced hundreds of times for the role. Finally, she lost control and the high stress destroyed her. I was thinking that her ending is due to herself but my friend gave me a new thought. She said that Nina was not bringing the trouble on herself, she was destroyed by her surrounding – the stress from her mother, the stress from the competition, and the hurt from the role chooser. In the seven minutes conversation, I got many new and interesting ideas from my friend. 

      Talking without electronics is not a scary thing as I imagined before. I strongly agree that seven minutes conversation can judge whether or not it is interesting. It gives us more time, more space and more fun.

Infomagical Challenge 5: Magical Life

Nov. 20th, 2017 

     According to the Magical Life Challenge episode, we cannot just define technique as a good or bad. Techniques do bring a huge contribution to our life and development of human history. It changed our life style to both positive way and negative way. The thing that we need to do is not blame techniques, we should use them on right ways. Rational utilization can let them serve their proper purpose.

      After doing Media Use Self-Assessment, the Media Use Diary Reflection Statement and the Infomagical Challenge Blog, I started to understand the rebel of media and information. Actually, media and information are the method and medium between us and the world. In other words, we use media and information to get what we want. To be specific, when we are interested in something and want to get closed to it, usually, we will use media and information to search the thing and know deeply. It always be a useful and valuable method. However, the rapidly developing of techniques let us misunderstand what are media and information. We started to waste time on it and started being used by it. It was supposed to be use as a tool to us, but now we become a puppet in the hands of it. 

      In fact, as long as we keep real and knowing what we like and who we want to be, we would not need to worry about the relationship between us and media and information. I clearly know my goal and my purpose, and I know what is media and information. Therefore, I want to live with media as a method, as a tool and as a helper in the future. Use it but not overload.

[financevisionary]

How Instagram FOMO Helped Me Get My Finances in Order [Video]

Hi people! First, a little introduction: My name is Tessa Juliette from Travel Where to Following as well as I am an author, digital photographer, and also Instagrammer. I'm likewise a self-taught master budgeter, which is why I have actually teamed up with Mint to spill all my spending plan travel secrets.

The over video clip is a little introduction and also an individual tale about exactly how I learned all these budgeting keys. Zelda, my 4-year-old puppy, gives budget plan tips appropriate together with me. If you do not believe me, watch the video.

Thankful for Instagram FOMO

I was never ever a large saver - truthfully, I really did not believe concerning conserving in all. Four years earlier, I was constantly scrolling through Instagram with significant FOMO (' Worry Of Missing out on Out,' a really real sensation) wondering just how a few of my buddies were going on spontaneous unique adventures while I hardly had sufficient for a spontaneous brunch. I wished to see the world, however it seemed so unattainable.

One evening, driven by my FOMO, I decided to take an appearance at my financial resources. I needed to determine where I was going wrong.

Expenses Check-in

I published out all of my declarations from the past month and also underwent them line by line. Each and every single Starbucks coffee, Chipotle check out, and also unnecessary purchasing journey was highlighted. I considered every one of these items non-essential. After experiencing the statements I added up all the highlighted numbers. The overall was hard to belly. An understanding of just how much I had been mindlessly costs, as opposed to conserving. View the video to see just how large the number was. Spoiler alert: It was shamefully big.

I decided to remove as numerous non-essential items as I might and also save that cash rather. In my mind, I mounted investing cash like a detox. Lease, energies, gas, grocery stores: these were the necessary nutrients. Starbucks, Chipotle, buying, (way too many) tequila shots at the bar: these were points I would certainly deny myself of. I told myself I would certainly do this for 6 months - a long detoxification, yet at the end was the prize: a month long journey around the US.

The Spending Detox

I'm not going to lie to you. It was hard. Really hard. I hated saying no to lunch dates with pals. I struggled to quit eating convenience food. As well as tequila ... I assume I missed tequila most of all.

But as every week passed my detox obtained remarkably simpler. Similar to sugar food cravings, my requirement for those points gradually went away. I learned to cook much better, curbed my shopping routine, as well as found a love for Netflix originals.

Results of my Spending Detox

After 6 months passed, I considered my checking account and also saw ... money?!?! With it, I went on a month-long cross-country journey with Zelda and also my guy (currently partner) Matt. We hiked the Grand Canyon, skied in Lake Tahoe as well as did some gaming on the Las vega strip.

When I got home I was linkeded on traveling. And much more travel implied extra budgeting. Now, I was looking onward to budgeting. What I thought would be a detox turned into a lifestyle change (the amount of times has a vegan informed you that). Now I cannot quit conserving as well as looking for brand-new means to fit traveling into my budget.

Now it's your turn

If you are video game for duplicating my approach, set a night aside and pour yourself a glass of wine - make it a huge one. Undergo your declarations line by line and also actually think of each acquisition. Was it needed? Could you have loaded a lunch rather of getting hold of convenience food? Have you put on that $80 dress sufficient? At the end, include your non-essential products as well as consider that number as your new regular monthly financial savings goal.

Pick an end date and also a specific journey you wish to take. Make that location your phone's wallpaper. Print a picture to stick on your refrigerator. Whenever you're about to make a purchase, think of that journey. Soon sufficient, you will not need to picture it - you'll be there.

Oh and when you exist, conjecture of tequila for me.

Coming up

In my following short article, I am mosting likely to speak about the most effective nations for taking a trip on a budget.

[felinevomitus]

The Only Authentic Work: Yan Jun Interviewed

'Feedback Performance' (with Andy Guhl), 2014, St. Gallen. Photo by Tabea Guhl.

Yan Jun is a writer and sound artist from Beijing whose practice focuses on the use of feedback, field recording, voice and gesture. Yan Jun began his sound art career by celebrating Chinese underground rock bands in Sub Jam magazine, a venture which soon developed into a “guerilla label” and publishing house in the year 2000.

With Sub Jam – and its subsidiary sister label Kwanyin Records – Yan Jun has released over fifty albums of experimental music by himself and others. These include field recordings by Peter Cusack, Laurent Jeanneau & Kink Gong, noise music by Tim Blechmann & Manuel Knapp as well as improvised music from the Beijing underground. This scene is best articulated by Yan Jun’s ‘Living Room Tour’, whereby intimate concerts occur in private domestic settings.

In 2013, Sub Jam published 23 Formes En Élastique / The Only Authentic Work. This collection of music concrete compositions by Lionel Marchetti was coupled with Yan Jun’s poetic and literary responses to them. The book sought to build “a labyrinth of elasticity, empty space, reality and its metamorphosis” by looking back on 23 years’ worth of work with forward-thinking lyricism.

Yan Jun is currently based in Berlin, as a result of a DAAD Scholarship and artist residency programme, which allows him to attend “innumerable events” and perform in front of “open-minded audiences” in what he considers to be “the last paradise”. Yan Jun is a member of the FEN Quartet (along with Otomo Yoshihihe, Ryu Hankil and Yuen Chee Wai) who will be performing at Cafe Oto on the 24th and 25th April 2017.

Ilia Rogatchevski talks to Yan Jun about the notions reality and authenticity in underground music culture. This interview was conducted over email in February 2017.

Ilia Rogatchevski: Sub Jam began as a magazine before developing into a label and publishing imprint. What were the reasons behind this explosion of activity?

Yan Jun: Yes, this name first popped up as title for a magazine. I actually made only one issue, but in 5000 copies. It was supposed to be published with a concert I was organising – the first gathering of underground rock bands around China – but it failed. That was 1998. I was inspired by [the US independent label] Sub Pop, and ‘jam’, as a free-form of playing (I didn’t yet know the English word ‘improvisation’).

Next year, I moved to Beijing and, in 2000, I decided to release friends’ work. Most of them were in a queue to be signed by a few small, but mainstream labels. I prefer DIY, a spirit lacking in the scene. The so-called underground was weak. There was no [sense of] its own tradition. No deep thought. Very few experiences of touring. Sub Jam was perhaps the third independent label established in the country. Most people thought the underground was just not successful. I thought: “Ok, let’s do something urgently!”

[Now] there is no underground in China. No such culture or scene. No such community or aesthetics. It had a chance to grow it but it stopped about 15 years ago. If someone uses this word now it’s either to sell something to you or it has already been bought. There is a small scene of fake Dionysos, which looks ‘underground’ due to the noise, free jazz and rock & roll styles, as well as the weed and New Age Taoism/Buddhism bullshit, but it’s just another version of the Spectacle. It’s true that it’s at least a reaction to reality. Perhaps a sad one. Like those people who embraced Romanticism while some others embraced National Socialism when they felt tired by the struggle with modernity.

Why did the concert fail? Have you ever used failure to your advantage when creating work?

It was a typical failure, when one wants to create independent art by borrowing resources from the mainstream. I was dependent on one businessman’s word that he will pay the cost [of the event]. Somehow, he disappeared.

My life is full of mistakes and failures. I was (am) always stupid and sometimes an asshole, but I always change and turn direction to new territories. Most people are educated that they are losers in this society. That’s why we depend on dreams. So, in my experience, all these failures are good. Noise is good. Malfunction is good. Non-music is good. Poor sound and nothing meaningful is good. Feedback starts from mistakes, right?

I still believe in Nietzsche’s idea that tragedy was born out of music. It’s not about things we already know or what we can draw from an image by narrative or drama. We don’t paint it by an atmosphere of shining effects – which is what Nietzsche criticised Wagner for – art has to be abstract and emphatic. Life is a tragedy and we should enjoy it by dancing into its depths. If you paint life with colourful wallpaper (as Brian Eno does today), you are cheating.

‘Living Room Tour’, performance at audience’s home (2016, Beijing). Photo by Li Jingyi.

Your mission statement describes Sub Jam as a “guerrilla organisation”. In what sense is Sub Jam’s output radical? In other words, what guerrilla tactics do you employ when approaching new publications, films, events or sound art releases?

To be radical is to react with the ‘Radical Reality’, [something] far more radical than art. Think about the huge LED screen on Tiananmen Square, used for government propaganda, and all the performative and poetic tactics used by politicians and big companies. Think about the everyday news we read: that someone suddenly turns mad and burns a bus for revenge on ‘society’. I think I’m not radical enough. I’m trying.

It’s not easy to stand steadily in this rapid changing environment. You have to move, follow, find fissure, collaborate, kill yourself and rebirth yourself, betray, learn, wake up again and again… that’s guerrilla.

Listening to your work, I get a sense that persistence and feedback play a major role in your sound art practice. What are the motivations behind approaching sound in this way? Are they political, personal or purely aesthetic?

I’m not good of playing anything. Instruments, [computer] programmes, voice, anything. That’s my education and that’s me. I started to make music when I was thirty years old and I was busy organising [concerts] as well. No time to learn to play ‘music’.

Feedback is the thing I finally found easy. You don’t put your beautiful ego and virtuoso skill into an object. It’s there already. And I don’t know how to start and end musically. It’s better to let things be persistent. I think the best music sounds like field recording (and the worst field recording sounds like music).

Do you have a favourite frequency, or a method, to which you find yourself returning to again and again? If yes, why?

15800 Hz. It’s the frequency my feedback system always produces. I can’t chose it. I like it as it comes to me. And it’s audible while some people aren’t aware. It’s radically sharp and small and intense. Once my friend complained that it’s more painful than Merzbow. I was very happy because Merzbow is not radical – but he is sweet and beautiful – and I was enjoying the radical aspect of so-called noise music.

What relationship, if any, does your sound work have to gesture? (I’m thinking here not only of theatrical, performative or practical gestures, but symbolic ones too, such as your attempts to blow up cheap speakers.)

Gestures are performative. Political gestures, linguistic gestures, ritual gestures… I enjoy them and I also enjoy breaking them. For instance, stopping and turning before a motive grows fully. Or telling people it was fake, what I just did a second ago. Or just say “but”. If I go too seriously, I would make a joke to myself, which takes things to another level of seriousness. The symbolic world is basically built by gestures. To play the role of the human is to play with gestures. However, for play, it is more passionate if we are aware it’s a game. Artists should devote themselves to games instead of illusion.

Yan Jun – Feedback Solo (2016, Berlin)

In your interview with Perfect Sound Forever you state that your affinity for “dry sound” is an attempt to “expand people’s idea of what reality is”. I feel like, on a social level, we’re moving away from a useful understanding of what reality is and diving into a dangerous flirtation with fallacy – with Trump and Brexit being the most obvious examples. Does your ‘dry-reality’ come at odds with the ‘wet-reality’ of contemporary popular culture? How do you navigate this dichotomy?

First at all, delay pedals were abused too much in the music scene. And beer. It sounds like you’re make many copies of your poor ego and sending them out as a grant army. What about focusing on one tiny substantial sound?

Good psychedelic music depends on no delay effects, but on individual sounds. For example, drums in 1960s psychedelic rock. Of course, people tend to prefer a laid back atmosphere, instead of [focusing on] details. I too enjoy shit beer, if I’m with friends and the vibe is good.

As for Trump, he is perhaps the most successful actor in the history of American presidents. Use him as a mirror and you can see how people need performances and gestures, how thirsty we are, how poor the reality is. People both love him and hate him. I’m sorry, but it’s true that we enjoy him so much. Without such a entertainer life is boring and fighting is meaningless, right?

But why is the reality poor or do we just think it’s poor? Why do we lack the ability to process information? Why don’t we just accept that the reality is poor and being poor is totally ok, or even great? Why don’t we just accept that we are not beautiful and elegant, but just nothing, and that being nothing is great?

The medicine companies tell us that we have certain diseases and that we need comforting pills. Why are musicians and artists also doing the same thing as those companies? Why are these fucking star artists telling people that you, little losers, [need to] come and worship my giant spectacle? Why do those losers produce dreamy art, which looks better than themselves, yet they forget they they will be greater greater if they don’t make up?

I feel touched sometimes when I see people devoted to making up so much, for example Brian Eno or Merzbow. So childish. So poor. So sad and so true. I would cry for a such love song, because I’m a loser too.

Yan Jun – Living Room Tour: Vickie’s Place (2015, Singapore)

What is it about the music of Brian Eno, Merzbow and other artists who “make-up”, as you say, that is so poor and childish?

Merzbow and Brian Eno are different. Merzbow here is more symbolic as the “king of noise”. People always want a king – of pop, of noise, of Russia, of the USA, of China etc. I enjoy his music. It’s always peaceful and shining. Beautiful in a traditional way. It’s easy to be used as drugs. Harsh noise or fast cut noise or shitcore or noisecore or avant-garde metal or whatever, are no purer than Brian Eno’s wallpaper.

To be childish is not bad. Poor is not bad. It’s just a problem of staying in a feedback loop where poor people always buy dreams produced by noble people. Or they produce dreams by themselves.

How would you define authenticity in this context? Is it a question of process, or delivery, perhaps? Is a living room concert more ‘authentic’ than one that is staged in a concert hall?

No, a living room concert is not more authentic than a concert hall one. An avant-garde composition is not more authentic than a classical one. A master piece is not any better than an auto-tuned teenager song.

To be authentic is to have the ability to make people listen or dive into [your work]. [The pre-Socratic philosopher] Empedocles defined image as consequence of two lights streaming from eyes and touching things. Without the gaze there is no image. To make art is to make people emit themselves through sight. All the CDs and vinyl and sounds are nothing, but waiting for such attention.

Although I see the poetic licence you’ve employed with regards to his theory on sight and perception, Empedocles was fundamentally wrong about this process. Light comes into the eyes. The same goes for sound. There is a strand of thought in sound art theory, leading back to John Cage, which states that the audience is as significant as the performer/composer, because their ‘active listening’ allows them to ‘compose’ the piece as it is happening. Would you agree with this statement?

Of course he was wrong in the sense of science, but let’s think about artists instead of audience. Artists have to emit themselves!

I don’t think the audience changes anything other than their perception. If you just come to take a photo and post it on Facebook, I doubt there is anything valuable in front of you. That’s why we say the audience is the composer. The point of the argument is about an object, i.e. the artwork. “Can you change it by just gazing on?” I don’t care if this object can be changed or not.

If one is merely a receiver, and/or an aesthetics cataloguing machine, s/he does not deserve her/his life (the tragedy, the possibility, the only chance of life). It’s simple: do something. I don’t care for that strand of sound study. My concern is that I don’t want to be a sad consumer who couldn’t find a nice wallet to buy.

The relationship between the audience and the artwork is not one between the consumer and the supermarket. Today, in Beijing, I have seen many experienced audiences who are always picky and criticise the music on stage: “Shit, this is so bad! Oh, he ruined everything! That master shouldn’t play with this local young guy!” This [attitude] is total consumption. No love for the world. In ancient times, people named a small booth as a “place for listening to rain” or a “booth for listening to trees”. Why does nobody complain that the tree does not sound virtuous enough? Because they didn’t buy a ticket for it? You have to do something. Art is life. 23 Formes En Élastique / The Only Authentic Work is available to purchase from the IKLECTIK bookshop. For more information about Yan Jun please visit the Yan Jun or Sub Jam website.

Ilia Rogatchevski Originally published by IKLECTIK, 8 March 2017

[signaturekitchen]

It’s a New Year

Having taken all the decorations down (ahead of time, oops) on the 1st January, it’s time to re-calibrate and re-organise my surroundings

Leap into spring with a few sprigs of greenery lined up down the centre of the dining table. Pull back the curtains to let lots of light in … maintain privacy with this gorgeous printed film, Fioritura, see it here, from The Window Film Company.

Although I love being cluttered up with festive frivolities, I also love the feeling of space and tidiness that descends once all the decs are down and packed away. The news that Pantone’s colour of the year for 2017 is Greenery, a wonderful vivid, jungly green that manages to be refreshing and relaxing at the same time, is a welcome diversion from all the festive sparkles. You don’t have to completely re-decorate to embrace the ‘greenery’ theme. A few plants, a rug, a lampshade, especially if teamed with neutrals, can transform a room.

The latest Artika kitchen from Pedini uses HI-MACS® by LG Hausys solid surface material for the counter-tops; see the possibilities here.

This kitchen showcases the HI-MACS Babylon Beige colourway; the combination of minerals, acrylics and natural pigments result in a non-porous, hygienic, easy to maintain work surface that can be thermos-formed into endless shapes and curves. It’s also highly resistant to stains, scratches, moisture, heat and is consequently suitable for use in a endless range of settings. So, if you fancy a new kitchen this year, have a little look at the silky-smooth finishes and amazing colours in the HI-MACS range.

Nara wallpaper in Summer – a less strident colour option if ‘Greenery’ may be a little bit too bold. From the new Imperial Gardens collection, £75 per roll, from Fired Earth.

I’m a big fan of ‘quick make-overs’ for all rooms in the home, and love the idea that a single roll of wallpaper or a 2.5 litre can of paint can make a massive difference to the look and feel of a room. Consider papering just one wall, or even just an alcove for a speedy spring update. You don’t have to do the entire room, that would be too much of a commitment!

Re-organise for 2017

If, like me, you’re on a seemingly never-ended quest to get tidy, get organised, de-clutter and streamline your home, I think it’s worth remembering a few ground rules. Firstly, I think it’s practically impossible to get the whole house ‘done’ in one go. It’s best to approach one room, or even one wardrobe or cupboard at a time, and do a small victory dance when that task is completed. Set yourself a few New Year 2017 ground rules. One of my favourites is the old ‘one in, one out’ rule. Which means that if you bring a new item into the house, then an old item must be recycled, taken to the charity shop, or put in the bin. Harsh but fair. My current bugbear is carrier bags. We’re all getting very good at popping a sturdy plastic bag or cotton tote into our handbags. But I always seem to end up needing another bag at the check-out. So, being sensible, I buy yet another ‘bag for life’ and now have a massive collection of ‘bags for life’ that are too good to use as rubbish bags, but just won’t get used. And because they’re bags for life, they are going to hang around forever … Another goal I’ve set myself for 2017 is to become as ‘paper-free’ as possible, switching everything on-line and getting rid of all those piles of bills and bank statements from years ago. It’s necessary to keep any tax info for at least five years, and of course any legal, pension, savings info has to be kept as well. However, I’m trying to keep as much as possible on-line (double-checking all my security settings first, of course), in the hope that when the new built-in shelves are finished I’ll have condensed everything down to the point where I actually have the shelf-space for it. For some brilliant advice on what you need to keep, what can be discarded, and how to maintain a soothing level of organisation, take a look at the February edition of Good Housekeeping magazine.

Add a touch of Greenery to your stone or wooden floors with some vibrant rugs from Modern Rugs. Left, Manila Green rug, right, Esprit Graphic Jungle rug, see their collection here. Keep the kitchen (or bathroom) warm with the Triarc radiator in Patina Green (centre) from Iconic Radiators … see the amazing range of colours here.

Left, the Floriss Suspension pendant light in Lime Green would completely transform a dreary dining room. See the range, from Christopher Wray, here. For an exceedingly fabulous and totally ‘on-trend’ bin, (centre) see the Simplehuman CW2035 Dual Compartment recycling pedal bin from Binopolis. See it here. Oh, and it comes in ROSE GOLD! Be still my beating heart … I’m getting to be a tiny bit obsessed with cactus (cactuses, cacti … who knows) at the moment. I found some gorgeous tiny ones in Paperchase, but this one, the Cactus Marquee Light, is something to aim for, at £125, from Debenhams.

Next time … Pancakes and Valentines ideas …

The post It’s a New Year appeared first on The Kitchen Think.

Via Linda Parker http://www.thekitchenthink.co.uk