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umichenginabroad · 9 months ago

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Week 3: Visiting Cape Town from Hermanus + Local Vineyards

I can’t believe I have already been here for so long! This week, I had the privilege of exploring some vineyards in Hermanus (the town is known for its wine estates) while on a wine tour and I also got to go to Cape Town.

Vineyards in Hermanus

One of the top recommended activities in Hermanus is visiting wine estates/vineyards. Although these estates/vineyards only came about in the late 1900s, their popularity has grown immensely with people coming from all over the world to try the wine. Aminata and I decided to do a wine tour in Hermanus using the Wine Hoppers company. With this company, there will be a big truck that takes you from one winery to another. You can get off at any winery and stay there until the next truck comes to pick you up (they run every hour). You can stay longer than an hour if you want to but then you have to wait for the next truck. Also, you can pick what time you want to start but the trucks stop running at 4:30 pm. We wanted more time to go around so we decided to go on the 11:30 am tour. We paid online and were given a meeting spot to get on the truck. Since Aminata and I went on this tour on election day, several of the wineries on the complete list were closed. There were about 5 that were open and we decided to go to four of them. There were only two other people on the tour with us - an older couple from Atlanta. It was really nice chatting with them during our short drive to each winery.

At the first winery, Whalehaven winery, we were given 4 wines and it was about 100 rand (~$5.30). With each wine we were able to learn the history of when and how it was made. Although there was a lot I didn’t understand it was interesting to listen to how each wine was unique from the others. It was a similar experience at each winery with in-depth explanations on how their wine was made.

I also got to eat at some of the wineries. The second place we went to gave us a specific macaron with each wine and I felt that the strawberry macaron and its wine had the best pairing. At the third place we went to there was a platter with cheese, oranges, olives, etc. All of the food made the wines taste even better so I would highly recommend ordering things to eat along with the wine. The last place we went to had the best food by far. The platter we ordered here had hummus, guac, bread, meat, olives, cheese, and cashews. The view was also amazing as we could see mountains straight from where we were sitting. Overall, it was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone visiting Hermanus. The price was also less than $60 which was fair considering how much we did. We had to pay Wine Hoppers 450 rand (~$24) for driving us around and then at each winery we paid for what we ate/drank. Each place was less than $10 so in the end we paid less than $60.

Visiting Cape Town from Hermanus

Cape Town is located around 1.5 hours from Hermanus and getting there is a bit difficult since it is not recommended to take public transportation. To take a taxi, it can cost around $60-70 so it is expensive. However, my supervisor at SANSA offered to take Aminata and me for a day trip so we decided to go with her. This way we didn’t have to pay for transportation and only had to pay for food/the activities we did. It seems that every year a supervisor takes the UofM students to Cape Town so I would highly recommend doing that over taking a taxi if possible. We left for Cape Town around 10 am and got to Table Mountain around 11:30 am. At Table Mountain, we were able to take a cable car to the very top. Here, we could see most of Cape Town down below and also the ocean. I think my favorite part was being able to see clouds below me since I was so high up. It was really cold because of the high altitude so if you plan on visiting Table Mountain definitely take a jacket! It costs about $20 to take the cable car (round trip) but you can also hike to the top at no cost. Also, at the top, there are scheduled guided tours throughout the day (don’t need to pay extra) so we decided to join one. It was a great decision because I was able to learn about the flora and fauna on the mountain. I really enjoyed learning about the dassies which live on the mountain and mostly eat plants that grow on the mountain.

After visiting Table Mountain, we decided to drive another 40 minutes to Boulder Beach. On the way there we briefly drove through the University of Cape Town’s campus since it was on the way and that was where my supervisor had gone for her undergrad. The campus buildings were pretty with vines growing on the sides. We then headed on to Boulder Beach. Here, you can see penguins year round. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by how many penguins we got to see. The penguins that live on Boulder Beach are African penguins which are relatively small. They live in holes in the sand hills and in the shrubs growing near the beach. It cost around ~$8 to enter the park area where there was a walkway to see the penguins. The walkway was closed off from the beach so that people couldn’t go too close to the penguins. This was the first time I got to see penguins in the wild so it was an amazing experience. I even saw some baby penguins that were very cute. Some penguins could be seen swimming in the ocean but most of them were seen laying in the sand or on rocks. After walking through the area, we headed back to Hermanus since it was already 5 pm and it would get dark soon. Visiting Cape Town was great and I hope to go back again before leaving South Africa!

Satwika Tattari

Space Sciences and Engineering

Engineering - IPE: Undergraduate Research Program at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) in Hermanus, South Africa

#umichenginabroad #IPESummer24 #SatwikaTattari #IPESANSA #SouthAfrica

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amirthefashion · 10 months ago

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Stranded cruise passengers in Spain race to catch up with their ship

The Norwegian Viva cruise ship is seen in a November 2023 file photo in The Bahamas. Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/Getty ImagesCNN —

A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them because they were late getting back, a US couple – ages 84 and 81 – were also left behind by the cruise line in Spain.

Richard and Claudene Gordon of Salt Lake City, Utah, were on a Mediterranean cruise aboard Norwegian Viva with family and friends and looking forward to celebrating Richard’s 85th birthday later this week.

While the ship was docked in Motril, Spain, on Monday, the pair took an independent excursion by themselves to the historic city of Granada, not organized by the cruise line. On their return, their bus was delayed for an hour by a rain storm, Richard Gordon told CNN by phone.

“I am a very experienced traveler and have probably been on as many as 30 cruises during my lifetime,” Gordon said. “Never before have we ever missed catching a ship on time at a port. So we are not someone who abuses the system.”

The pair missed the ship’s all-aboard time of 5.30 p.m. local time, for a sail away at approximately 6 p.m. Gordon said that at around 5.45 p.m. he spoke to a relative on board who raised the alarm that they were nearby and running late, but the relative was told by Norwegian Cruise Line staff that as the ship needed to sail on time, nothing could be done.

According to the Gordons, they arrived at the dock by taxi at 6.10 p.m., while the ship sailed away with Claudene’s medication, Richard’s eyeglasses and both their spare hearing aid batteries and phone chargers on board.

“Our cruise began in Lisbon and we departed from Lisbon about one and a half hours after the scheduled departure at 4:00 p.m.,” Gordon told CNN. “Then the next night or two, at least a half-hour late from the dock, so it is clear that they do not always leave on the exact moment scheduled.”

“They looked around and they looked around and no one was there,” Marilee Barker, the couple’s Utah-based daughter, told CNN by phone. They got a taxi to the police station where “the policeman helped them call back to the dock. And they said, ‘there’s nothing we can do.’ ”

The couple says they received no further assistance from Norwegian Cruise Line at that point, from the ship or on land.

No medication, no hearing aid batteries

“Luckily my dad has traveled, but he’s still 85,” Barker said. As the Norwegian Viva wouldn’t be docking again until Tuesday on the island of Ibiza, “they took a bus up to Granada and found a cute, cheap little B&B.”

Meanwhile, Barker says she and her husband were up to 3 a.m. finding flights and a hotel, eventually getting them on a plane to Palma de Mallorca, where their ship would be docking at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday May 1.

Claudene Gordon texted her daughter late Tuesday afternoon Spanish time to say that Norwegian Cruise Line had made contact with them for the first time since the incident and had offered them a taxi from their Palma hotel in the morning to reunite them with their boat.

“We really received the royal treatment today,” Gordon told CNN after being reunited with the ship on Wednesday morning, two days they disembarked at Montril.

“They picked us up at the hotel in a beautiful black BMW limousine to take us to the ship. There we were met by the head of ship services who escorted us inside the ship to meet the general manager of the ship, then they escorted us to breakfast, then they escorted us to our cabin.

“We simply told them that we were abandoned at the dock with no one to meet us or tell us where to go, and they said they have already complained about the harbor master who was supposed to take care of things for them. But of course the ship had not contacted us directly for two days so that doesn’t speak so well for them.”

RELATED ARTICLE‘The Love Boat’: How a TV show transformed the cruise industry

Norwegian Cruise Line said it disputed the time of the couple’s arrival at the pier. “The two guests who went ashore independently arrived at the pier approximately an hour late and missed the all-aboard time of 5:30 p.m. local time, for a sail away at approximately 6:00 p.m.,” a spokesperson said via email.

“A cruise ship follows a set itinerary with designated arrival and departure times. Itineraries are carefully coordinated and planned out well in advance of each voyage to ensure that all of our guests have the experience they are expecting,” they said. While there is a small window of time where late guests can be accommodated, they added, the Gordons arrived outside of this.

“After several attempts to contact these guests with the phone numbers provided, as well as trying to phone their emergency contact, we were unable to speak to them directly. However, we worked closely with the local port agents to make arrangements for the guests to rejoin the vessel.”

The spokesperson said that, prior to the hotel pickup on Wednesday morning, the cruise line had coordinated an airport pick-up for the Gordons at Palma de Mallorca the evening before but were still unable to contact the couple by phone.

In the similar incident last month, eight passengers were late getting back to their Norwegian Cruise Line ship on the African island nation of São Tomé on March 27. They then struggled for days to catch up with their ship as it made its way up the western coast of Africa.

In that case, Norwegian emphasized that the delayed guests were on a private tour that was not organized by the cruise line.

CNN’s Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.

#cruise ship

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itsjustmyfantasyroom · 5 years ago

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Training day

Drink, drank, drunk!! Just a little bit of fun, sorry its long :)

Enjoy xx

"OK guys, we have been asked to go to an NYPD Sex Crimes Conference next Saturday. It's a training day for us, Dodds said you all have to be there"

"Come on Liv, Really?" Fin complained back

"Yes really, it's in Brooklyn, so we will all meet here at 7.30 and take a squad car together, it's starts at 8.30 and is meant to finished at 5.30, I have booked us a table at a place near by where we are going to go for dinner so then we can have some team bonding"

"Does the team bonding involve shots?" Amanda joked back

"Team bonding is what you make it Rollins" Liv smiled back

----

"Hermosa, I'm home"

"Hey Rafi, I missed you" he walked over to where you were sitting at the dining table with paper work all over it and he kissed you on top of the head.

"I missed you too. What are you doing?"

"We have an NYPD conference training day thing next Saturday in Brooklyn, Liv wants us all to go through some things, so we know what to say if we are asked questions. You know we have to impress the Chief and show him we are not all misfits" you rolled your eyes

"Sounds fun" he said with a half-smile

"Not really, but Liv is planning a team bonding dinner after so that will be fun" you laughed

"Don't get too carried away mi hermosa, maybe when you come home we can have our own team bonding" he lent done whispering in your ear.

****

Rafael was still asleep that morning when you left. The dress code was smart casual, so you had black jeans, a white button down, tucked in and a navy dress jacket over the top with a pair of black flats. Your badge was on your jeans waist and your hair was in a high pony tail.

You had left a little early to get everyone a coffee before you all meet and headed over to the training day.

"OH Y/N, what would we do without you" Amanda gave you a tap on the back as she took a sip.

The drive over was fun. Sonny was going to meet you guys there, it was closer to his place. Fin drove, Liv sat in the front, you, Nick and Amanda in the back.

"Fin, can you change the song please?"

"No…..you need to respect the classic. I' am driving I pick the music" you rolled your eyes with a giggle

The day wasn't too bad for your first training day, a lot of information you knew, but a few things you heard were interesting that you actually paid attention too. You and Amanda were asked to do a question and answer with other female police officers and detectives from other precinct’s about how you deal with preps and victims being a female officer in one of the biggest sex crimes departments in the state.

Chief Dodds was so pleased with you both he reported back to Olivia.

"I know your SVU work’s a little different to most others, but they done a great job and answered how they should of, especially the young one, Y/N is her name right"

"They are two of my best Chief, I would be lost without them" Liv smiled over at him.

----

"Well that's a wrap" said Nick

"I need a drink" said Amanda

"We need to eat first, I'm starving" you complained

"Well let's go. We can leave the car here, it's only a block away" Liv answered

"Who's driving home?" Asked Nick

"I will" said Fin "Someone gotta control all y'all drunk asses"

"Can I throw my jacket in the car before we go?"

On your walk over to dinner, you finally had a chance to message Rafael after being busy all day.

You; 5.35- Hey Rafi, we are finished and on the way to dinner. Hope you had fun today with your Mum, I'll message when we are on the way home. I miss and love you xx

Rafael; 5.44- I actually just got home mi hermosa. Yes I had a good day, Mami spoke the whole time about me bringing you over. I'll see you when you get home for our team bonding ;). But if you need me to come and get you, let me know. I love and miss you hermosa x

"Stop messaging your boyfriend, its team bonding night" Amanda nudged you, then linked her arm with yours as you walked.

"Here it is" Liv was standing in front of an alleyway.

"Liv we just done a sex crimes training day, and you’re taking us down an alley" You smart assed her, making everyone laugh.

“What Y/N, you don't trust me?" You laughed back, "Let’s go"

The place Liv took you guys was a hidden gem. As you guys made your way down the alley, there was a big wooden door right at the end with security standing in front of it. He checked all your ID's and opened the door for you all to enter.

"You are going to love this place Y/N, they have some of the best pasta in Brooklyn and the music is great" Sonny told you as you walked in.

There was a big dance floor in the middle and tables all around. Behind the bar as a huge fish tank filled with all different kinds of salt water fish. The host showed you guys to your table. You sat between Sonny and Nick, Amanda across from you between Fin and Liv. You guys all ordered drinks and dinner.

The night was going great, laughing, mucking around, and teasing. Cocktail after cocktail, shot after shot, the music was amazing. The last thing you remember was dancing between Nick and Amanda.

****

*Knock knock knock*

"Barba open up, Its Nick and Sonny"

Rafael was asleep on the couch with the TV still going, he looked over at the clock on the wall, it was still dark out, but he just made out the time, 4 am.

"Coming" he shouted back gruffly, he rushed to the front door and opened it. What he seen before him, he didn't know if he should laugh or be angry.

"What is going on?" he stared back at them, Sonny was holding your shoes and bag, Nick was carrying you.

"Here Barba, I have to go, Amanda is passed out in the car down stairs, See you Monday" and he rushed off.

Nick was carrying you bridal style. You had your arms wrapped around his neck and your head resting on his shoulder, snoring lightly. Rafael moved out of the way to let Nick in.

"Where should in put her?"

"Ah in bed"

Rafael led Nick to the bed room. He opened the door and walked over to the bedside table and turned on the lamp. He pulled the blankets down and moved for Nick to lay you down.

Nick placed you down and pulled the blanket up over you,

"Nick" you whispered, Rafael could smell the alcohol on your breath.

"How much did she drink?" He spat at Nick

"Between her and Amanda you don't want to know"

"Nick" you said again

"Yeah Y/N?"

"I need Rafi" you slurred.

"I'm here now hermosa, ssshhh. I'am here"

And you fell back asleep.

Nick and Rafael walked out of the room.

"Good luck with her when she wakes up" Nick laughed, "It's partly my fault, I should of stopped Amanda from feeding her shots, between the cocktails. But they were having fun. Lucky Liv and Fin left before the fun started. They didn't give SVU a good rep and I think they scared Carisi" he laughed again

"Well thanks for getting her home"

"Yeah no problems at all, I better go, we have to get Amanda home”

****

You felt like a jack hammer was going off in your head, you put your hands to your head and pushed down in hopes that would stop your head from exploding.

You rolled over, you were alone in bed, you seen the clock on Rafael’s bed side table, 11.30 am. You sat up slowly and seen that you were still in your cloths. How did you get home? You asked yourself. You got up slowly and made your way out the door after opening it.

You walked out slowly, using the wall to keep your balance. As you rounded the corner into the kitchen you seen Rafael sitting at the dining room table drinking coffee and looking through a case file. He must have sensed you and looked up.

"OH hey party girl, how you feeling?" And looked at you with a half-smile.

"I' am never drinking again Rafi" he burst out laughing "How did I get home?"

"Really mi Hermosa? Your an SVU detective"

You rolled your eyes at him

"Rafi, how did I get home?"

He giggled, "Amaro and Carisi. I heard you and Rollins scared Carisi with your behaviour last night"

"Hmmm I wouldn't be surprised, we were a bit wild, the parts I remember anyway. Amanda is bad" you laughed to yourself. “OH my head"

Rafael got up and walked over to you and kissed you on the temple. He then grabbed a glass filled it with water, opened the draw to the Panadol and popped two out.

"Take these, drink this and go shower. I'll order breakfast. Something extra greasy"

"You are the best Rafi, I'm sorry I came home so late, and well so drunk"

He laughed, "Its OK hermosa, as long as you had fun"

By the time you got out of the shower, Rafael had the food delivery waiting for you. Once you had finished eating, you were standing at the sink washing the few things you had used that morning when Rafael came up behind you, wrapping his arms round your middle,

"I think we need a day on the couch" he kissed the little bit of your neck showing over your t shirt.

"Sounds great to me" you smiled

You both walked over to the couch and snuggled up, Rafael picked some random show of Stan for you guys to watch.

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myownligth · 5 years ago

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Here is the birth story of my second child. I still have lots of fillings about it, and it has actually been really difficult to process.

I live in Denmark and English is my second language.

I started to have contractions at 3 a.m. the day after my do day. Some weeks earlier I had had some Braxton Hicks so I didn't know if this was going to be the real thing. My husband left for work at 7 a.m.. My daughter who was almost 3 was sick and had to stay home from daycare. I called the doctors office to get a appointment for my daughter. We got a appointment at 10.30 a.m. the same day. The doctor said it was a normal virus. After we had lunch I still had contractions, so I decided to call my midwife. My contractions was 10-12 minutes apart and lasted 20-30 seconds. I was filling fine and we agreed to wait and see what happened.

That day I had planned to visit my mother, and around 3 p.m. her boyfriend came to pick me and my daughter up. I tell him that I'm in labour and think that I'm going to have the baby that evening or the next day. Then I call my dad to tell him that. At that point my dad was unemployed, so I had arranged for my dad to take care of my daughter. We agreed that my daughter would sleep at my dad's. We eat a early dinner at my mom's. After dinner around 5.30 p.m. my contractions are getting so painful that I can't ignore them they are 8-9 minutes apart and last for 50-60 seconds. I call my midwife and tell her that I like to go to the hospital that evening. She tell me to call when we take of to the hospital, and she will meet us there. I call my husband and tell him to come and get me. My husband hasn't eaten when he gets there so he eats and then we take of to the hospital. My fear is that we will be sent home again.

It is around 7 p.m. when we arrive at the hospital, with our bag. The midwife checks me and I'm only about 2 cm open. They think we should go home and get some sleep. The midwife suggested some pills to help me sleep. I don't know. I didn't get any medical pain relief when I gave birth to my daughter, and I would have liked it to be the same this time. On the other side I was really tired whit my daughter because I didn't get any sleep for almost 40 hours. My husband thought it was a good idea to get the pills. In the end I decided to take the pills. I still feel pressured to take them.

Before we could get the pills and go they had to check the baby and the contractions. They put two monitors on my stomach. One to get the baby's heartbeat and one to measure the contractions. I got a bottom I should push when I felled baby move.

It took about a hour, then my midwife came back and said that I definitely had contractions but they needed to be closer together. They were 10 minutes apart. We say goodbye and I feel better, because eventhough we can stay and have the baby now we definitely going to have the baby soon. I'm smiling at something my midwife says and she comment that if I'm feeling like that the baby not coming yet. It reminds me my mother's story of my birth, where a midwife tell her that if she laughing she can't be having contractions only to be proving wrong be the machine.

We drive home and arrive home around 8.30 p.m.. The midwife had told me to call when my contractions were coming closer together. When we came home it felt like I was having contractions all the time. It could be wishful thinking. I wanted to call my midwife again, but it felt silly. So I went to the bathroom, took the pills and went to bed.

It felt like I was having contractions all the time, but I must have slept between them. At some point my husband went to bed. I must have been asleep. At some point I awoke and decided to time my contractions.

I took my mobile and went to the living room. It was hard, but I managed to get there and get the contractions app open. I didn't get any further before a new and powerful contraction hit and I had to stop everything. With this contraction I peed a little and I really felt like I should shit. So I went to the bathroom. Nothing really happened. Then I got another contraction. And this one was a pushing contraction! And the last one also was. And it wasn't pee it was my water that had broken.

Now it was definitely time to call my midwife and wake up my husband. But I still needed to take a shit, but I couldn't make it happen. So I decided to wait for the next contraction and use that.

I hadn't really been pushing on the last contractions, just let my body do as it wanted, but now I was pushing. I started sitting on the toilet and ended with slowly getting up as I was pushing. I did manage to empty my bowels. I had also moved a hand between my legs, and I could now feel the head.

I had given birth to my daughter in water at the hospital with a midwife catching her. This time I had talked to my midwife about delivering in water and catching the baby myself. We had talked about what I should do, and I had seen films and read stories about mothers catching the baby themselves. I knew that the baby would be here in one or two contractions.

I stepped out of my pyjamas pants and underwear and stand next to the toilet. I begin to call out to my husband to wake him up. The next contraction hit and I pushing. The head slowly comes out and I can feel it. I'm ready to catch my baby.

The head comes all the way out and with that the rest of the body. I standing with my baby in my hands. He is slippery. I still have my top on. I call out to my husband again, but I can't hear him. I try to lift my top to put my baby on my stomach skin to skin. But he begin to slip and I quickly get both hands on him again. He began to cry and I get him up to my chest.

The lights are turned off, so it's hard to see him probably. His eyes are closed and he quickly stops crying. I don't find newborns to be beautiful, and he is cowed in blood and stuff. But I'm in love.

My husband comes in. He get some towels and help us in to the couch. He call the midwife, and she calls an ambulance. The midwife asks my husband when the baby was born. I said he was just born, but I hadn't been looking at the time. It was 11.30 p.m..

The ambulance came. I'm sitting on the couch on a towel with my son wrapped in another towel having him skin against skin. The paramedic cut the umbilical, and asks some questions. I'm thinking of asking him about delivering the placenta, but then I get directed to a stretcher. My husband gets our hospital bag and follows us out. When my and baby get in the ambulance, my husband is smart enough to think about that we have to get home from the hospital again so he gets in the car and follows us.

In the ambulance the paramedic ask some more questions, but at this time I can only think about my little baby. Some of the blood has come of on the towel and there is a lot of light. I try to give him lots of skin to skin contact and shield him from the bright light. His eyes are mostly closed but he is moving his hands and feets a little. The paramedic wants baby to breastfeed. I had imagined that I would let my son wait for him to be ready, but I'm scared that something could be wrong if I don't get him to breastfeed now. I put my breast to his mouth and with a little guidance he begins to eat.

My baby is still eating when we get to the hospital, and all my focus is on him. They ask me some more questions or the same questions again at the hospital. I think I answer them. I later found out that they think I'm in shock, and maybe I was, but it just didn't feel like anything was important now when I had my baby in my arms.

My husband and midwife meet me at the hospital and we get a delivery room. The midwife helps me deliver the placenta. She have to pull a little in it for the contractions to start again, but everything is fine. My son is finished eating and she takes him to get weighted and measured. 52 cm and 3670 gram. His looking fine. I get checked over and everything looks fine to. We relaxed a little with baby and get something to eat and drink.

After I have been to the bathroom and everything still looks good the midwife asks if we want to go home or stay. We had talked about going home after the birth and that is still what we want. We want to go home and sleep in our own bed.

We find some close for baby and me in the bag. I can't find my shoes, and then I remember that I didn't have any shoes on when I came. There is no shoes in the bag for you expect to be wearing shoes when you arrive at the hospital. My husband has parked right next to the entrance because it is easy to get a parking space in the middle of the night. So I go to the car in my socks, and when we get to our home my husband goes in and brings me my shoes. We are home again around 4 a.m.

#birth story #childbirth #body fluids tw #body functions tw #long post

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the-real-xmonster · 6 years ago

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Combo and Sequence

Thanks to a certain dude named Yuzuru Hanyu who recently performed a quad toe loop - triple Axel thing in his free skate, my inbox / private messages are full of people who are baffled by jump combinations and jump sequences (thanks, Yuzu, for complicating our lives, what would we ever do without you). I don’t blame you guys, because the IJS’s take on this topic, as it goes in the technical handbook, is, at best, confusing, and at worst, total mumbo-jumbo to anyone who isn’t fluent in ISU-speak (it’s an esoteric cousin who only vaguely resembles English).

So, below, you will find my attempt at translating ISU-speak into everyday English, regarding combos and sequences, what their definitions are, what rules apply to them, and how they are scored.

The Definition

Now, in the common figure skating nomenclature, a jump combination and a jump sequence both refer to a group of two or more jumps performed in succession. The difference between a combination and a sequence is whether or not there is a change of edge between the landing of the first jump and the takeoff of the second jump, and between the second and third jump, so on. If there is no change of edge, it’s a combination, if there is at least one change of edge, it’s a sequence.

I’ve talked about the most common jump combinations in this post so feel free to go through it if you need to refresh your knowledge.

As for jump sequences, up until last season, the ISU used to accept just about everything, as long as (1) the jumps are connected by only a hop or an unlisted jump, (2) the rhythm is maintained, and (3) there is no obvious turn/step/skating movement in between. So this one, for example, would have qualified as a sequence:

That’s a 4T+1Lo+4T Yuzu attempted for fun (yeah, right) back in the Worlds 2017 gala finale. A question might pop up here about why I do not call it a jump combination even though it looked like one. The answer is: because the half-loop was landed on the left back inside edge, and Yuzu’s second quad toe was taken off from the right back outside edge, so there was a change of edge involved in that cluster. If he had followed it up with a quad Salchow then that would have been a combo.

From the 2018-2019 season, however, the ISU has narrowed down their definition of jump sequences to include only clusters which contain one listed jump, followed by one step, followed by an Axel. That step in between must be a direct move from the landing curve of the first jump (right back outside) to the takeoff curve of the Axel (left forward outside). The final product is something that looks like this:

Quad toe, landed on right back outside >> one direct step to left forward outside >> triple Axel takeoff.

The key things to keep in mind about this new requirement are (1) a sequence cannot contain more than 2 jumps, (2) the second jump, obviously, has to be an Axel, and (3) crucially, only a direct step is allowed between the jumps.

No.3 is crucial because under that rule, a sequence like this

, performed with a small hop in between the first jump and the Axel, is no longer valid as a jump sequence. So in that 4T+3A sequence Yuzu did in Origin, the 3A is actually one level more difficult than the ones he used to do previously in ice shows, since he had to take off for it a lot faster, with no breathing room to steady himself in between.

Scoring Principle

The base value of a jump combination is the sum total of base value of all jumps in the combination. The scale of value used to convert its raw GOE into final GOE is the SOV of the jump with the highest BV in the combination, after edge calls and under-rotations calls (if any) have been taken into account. Pretty straightforward, right? The BV of a 3F+3T combo is (5.30 for the 3F + 4.20 for the 3T) = 9.60 points. The SOV applied on that combo is the SOV of a 3F, from -2.65 minimum to +2.65 maximum. If, however, the 3F is called as either under-rotated or wrong edge, its BV would be reduced to 3.98, which is lower than the value of a fully rotated 3T, so the GOE for a 3Fe+3T combo would be converted to final score using the SOV of a 3T, ranging from -2.10 to +2.10.

The base value of a jump sequence is the sum total of the jumps’ BV multiplied by 80%, presumably because sequences are on the whole easier than combinations, or at least that’s what the ISU believes. Same principle on SOV applies.

The Requirement / Limitation

Short Program

At the senior level, a short program must include a combination of

For the men: 4-3, 4-2, 3-3, 3-2

For the ladies: 3-3 or 3-2

These choices are all reversible, because under the IJS, the order of the jumps in a combo doesn’t matter, i.e., a 2T+4T is basically regarded as the same as a 4T+2T (yeah I know, it’s not the most logical thing in the world to assume but here we are) so a 2-3 combo, for example, is also a legal jumping pass.

Any jump outside of these options is considered invalid. Invalid jumps get marked with an asterisk (*) in the protocol and receive no credit. A few common scoring cases where you can see the impact of this rule:

Case 1: A lady performs a quad-triple in her SP. She’d get zero BV for the quad.

Case 2: A skater performs a three-jump combination in their SP, say, 3-3-3. The extra jump would receive zero BV.

Case 3: A skater attempts a triple-triple in their SP, but pops the second triple into a single (like what Alina did the other day in her SP at GP Helsinki). The single jump is invalidated and receives zero BV.

Case 4: A skater performs a 2-2 in their SP. The double jump with the lower BV, after consideration of edge and under-rotation calls, will be invalidated.

Case 5: A skater fails to put any of their non-Axel jumps into a combination (like what happened to Zhenya at Skate Canada). During the performance, the technical panel would mark the second solo jump as receiving zero BV (which is what you’d see in the TES tracker in the TV broadcast). After the performance, the technical panel would identify which of the two solo jumps was intended as a combo, and if there is no way to tell which, they’d pick the latter jump. That jump would be marked with a +COMBO note on the protocol

Case 6: A skater lands their first jump, does an invalid movement in between, (e.g., stumbling, touching down with the hands/knees - anything that involves a “weight transfer”, per ISU terminology, off the landing foot) then takes off for their second jump (like Yuzuru did in his SP at Worlds 2017). That cluster is marked as first jump+COMBO+second jump, and the jump performed after the invalid movement receives no credit.

Note that two three-turns in between the jumps actually count as an acceptable movement and keep the cluster within the definition of a combo. See Shoma’s 3S+2T in his Worlds 2018 SP for example: that was still counted as a combo, so no +COMBO mark on his protocol, though he did receive negative GOE for the error.

In conjunction with the Zayak rule, there are a couple more implications:

If any jump in the combo has been performed earlier as a solo jump, it’s invalidated. For example if a guy pops his planned quad toe in to a triple, and then performs a quad Sal-triple toe for his combo, the triple toe is invalidated.

As a sole exception to the Zayak rule, it is considered a legal move if a skater repeats jump within a combo. So 3T+3T and 3Lo+3Lo are accepted as valid combos in a SP.

One important thing to note is that, since the SP rules have very specific requirement for combos, any combo not meeting the requirement is automatically given a -5 in final GOE, regardless of how well the element by itself was performed. So the combos in cases 3, 4, 5, 6 above would all get the maximum GOE reduction. I’ve never seen case 1 and 2 in a real competition so I can’t say with 100% certainty, but my guess is if they happen, they’d also warrant a default -5 in GOE.

On another note, a frequently asked question I receive on this topic is: are skaters allowed to perform an Axel combination in a SP. The answer is: yes, provided that the Axel in combination is different from the Axel performed as the Axel-type jump. A lady, if she wants to, can perform a SP with a 3A, a 2A+3T, plus one non-Axel triple. A guy (regardless of whether or not his name starts with a Y and ends with a U) is allowed to do a SP layout of 3A, 2A+3T (or 2A solo, 3A+3T), plus, in the extreme case, a 4A as his solo jump - totally legal.

Free Skate

The free skate is, well, obviously, freer when it comes to combo/sequence regulations. A skater can have up to 3 combos and/or sequences in their FS. Do note that it is “up to 3”, meaning that it is not a strict requirement. A FS with no combination is completely legal.

Combos in the FS can include any jumps of any number of revolutions, so a 4-1 performed in a FS will be given the full combined BV of the quad and the single.

Out of the 3 combos/sequences, only 1 is allowed to contain 3 jumps. And, as per the new ISU definition of jump sequences, a 3-jump cluster has got to be a combo in order to be valid.

There is no rule against the repetition of jump combo, as long as such repetition does not violate the Zayak rule, so you’d see a few ladies performing two 3Lz+3T combos in one FS (Wakaba for example).

Still, there are a few circumstances when a skater can get their combo jumps invalidated in a FS:

Case 1: The skater performs two 3-jump combos. The last jump in the latter combo is invalidated.

Case 2: The skater repeats a quad or a triple jump without being able to put it in combination. This case actually falls more under the Zayak rule, but anyway, the treatment is that extra solo jump will be marked with a +REP, and receives only 70% of its BV.

Case 3: The skater performs more than 3 combos/sequences. The extra combo/sequence will be marked with a +REP. Only the first jump in this combo/sequence will be given credit and all the subsequent jumps are invalidated. Moreover, since there is a +REP sign, the credit given is only 70% of the first jump’s BV. So, if Yuzu goes batshit crazy one day and performs, say, the Seimei v1.0 layout, but with a 3Lz+2T to end his program instead of the solo 3Lz, that combo would be marked down as 3Lz+2T*+REP and would earn him only 70% of the value of a 3Lz.

Case 4: The skater performs an invalid movement (the definition for these is the same as in the SP, discussed above) in between the jumps in the combo/sequence. The combo is marked as first jump+SEQ+second jump, and the jump performed after the invalid movement receives zero BV. For example, see this combo by Alexei Bychenko in his FS at Worlds 2018.

You do want to remember this peculiar marking, because in a protocol, the placement of that +SEQ matters. A combo like Alexei did is marked as 3A+SEQ+2T*, which means that (1) he got no credit for the 2T and (2) his cluster was counted as a sequence, as a result of which he only received 80% of the 3A’s BV.

A valid sequence, on the other hand, will have the +SEQ note at the end, so in Yuzu’s FS protocol from GP Helsinki, you’d see a 4T+3A+SEQ, which means it was a legal move, no part of the cluster was invalidated, and he got the full BV of a sequence for it, which was (9.50 for the 4T + 8.00 for the 3A) x 80% (sequence discount) x 1.1 (highlight distribution bonus) = 15.40 points.

One final thing to note (yes, FINAL, finally) is that, since combos in a FS are optional, unlike the +COMBO sign in the SP, both the +REP and the +SEQ+ signs in the FS do not mandate the maximum negative GOE. Those jumps/combos will be evaluated according to the standard GOE guidelines, with consideration for both positive and negative features.

And that was all I could think of for now. Re-reading it, I realized it was maybe probably very likely too much information but I’m unfortunately too lazy to trim it down. Hope this at least helps a little bit, if not, I apologize for yet another wall of text. Here’s a pwetty Yuzu combo to mentally compensate you:

#figure skating #tech talk #yuzuru hanyu #wall of text #insert more apology for wall of text

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anydumps · 5 years ago

Text

The Office Blind Date Chapter 19

* denotes extra line, expression, monologue not from main dialogue bubble (sometimes i might forget to add this symbol so yeah.sorry)

Pg 1

Because you have spoiled my blind date

What else do you mean?

Pg 2

Grandfather won't believe I went to other blind date

So..

*so...

Pg 3

This has to look like we're dating to be married

Pg 4

With that in mind

*with that in mind

*do physical skinship 10 times Ms Kim Shin after push up stand up & hurry hold my hand

We've to practice like we're going to war

Pg 5

What do you need for practice?

Ti-time?

You got it, you also know what I dislike right?

*wasting time

Pg 6

Isn't this too much?

I only did it for friendship & rent money

Those aren't sins

Why should I be punished like this? I won't have it

*angry

Pg 7

*I want to say that TT Ah I've rotten luck

Yes.. I'm sorry for wasting your time on that blind date

Pg 8

Well, how about next week? Meeting with your grandfather?

*right.. As how it is, I should quickly end this thing & return to my normal life back

Pg 9

Are you ready to act perfectly in a week?

I won't accept failure

Pg 10

*nod

If I fail obviously I have to keep dealing with this guy

Most importantly I have to succeed

Pg 11

*smile

Arrange a meeting with your grandfather next week

Pg 12

Pg 13

I really like

Her reaction especially when she knew I knew everything

Pg 14

But, you believe it right?

Didn't you hire me because of my acting skill?

Pg 15

*stop

If so until now you still don't believe me?

Pg 16

Really funny

*hihi

Pg 17

This isn't like me

Before this I never think about anything else when I'm in the office

But now I'm always thinking of that woman

Pg 18

It's nice when we're holding hands

And that time too

Pg 19

Secretary Cha, where's the popular dating place nowadays?

What?

Try to find out

It's right to ask secretary Cha

Pg 20

Good morning director

May you have a nice day

Pg 21

Yes good morning

*whisper

He greeted back?

What's with director?

Did anything good happen?

That made him smile like that

Pg 22

*I only need to wed but to actually like the woman

*I'm really lucky

Pg 23

I've gone mad!

*whose voice's that

Pg 24

She's also like that today

Pg 25

My sin for meeting the wrong kind of friend...

Has cause chaos in my life

*she'd a bad memory for bashing her head like that

Pg 26

This is the third time I see her

But it always

Feels like I'm watching a mysterious fauna world

*impressive

Pg 27

*swing swing

*zombie

Pg 28

Ouch!

Pg 29

What's it?

Pg 30

Hah! Director!

Pg 31

Are you okay? I didn't expect you to be that shocked so I didn't manage to catch you

Yes I

*oww

Am alright

Pg 32

*stand up

Your voice.. Are you really okay?

*it doesn't seem like nothing

Yes, this is nothing

*when I just want to take the lift cause I'm tired

Pg 33

I'm going first!

Pg 34

This feels familiar

As if I've met her somewhere

Pg 35

Jin yeong seo you cruel woman!

Pg 36

I'm sorry.. That's why I'm here to help to right the wrong

*peek

*scream

You feel guilty but only show up after a week?!

I've to work & when I called your home they said you weren't here?

As you're home today I come here straight after work

Pg 37

Ah! That..

Most importantly how dare you drag me into a tiger's den?!

*scared scared

Pg 38

I'm really really sorry. I only have to put the radish & soda here right?

Pg 39

Ha Min, this has half original half with flavoring (t/n: fried chicken order)

One of this is original

Okay noona (t/n: word that younger guy used when addressing older woman)

Pg 40

Careful on the road

Ha Ri, please don't be mad anymore

If you were me would you not be angry?

Have you any idea how my life has become this whole week because of you?

Pg 41

Day 1

Ha.. lo

I already made my phone call late 1 hour, are you still sleeping?

*early dawn morning call

It's still only at 5.30 a.m.

Pg 42

*sightseeing date

Pg 43

Day 2

Today I've to receive the call well

Halo

Good morning

*morning call

So you're up? Well then next time I'll call you at 6

Nooooooo!

Pg 44

*date at expensive restaurant

*awkward

Pg 44

Day 3

*date at rocky road

Day 4

*cinema date

Pg 45

Day 5

*date at river

Pg 46

Ouch

Pg 47

That day I felt the director's heart beat

It still lingers in my fingertips

#the office blind date #chapter 19 #translation #manhwa #might be inaccurate

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thesinglesjukebox · 6 years ago

Video

youtube

THE HIGHWOMEN - REDESIGNING WOMEN

[5.30]

And yet they couldn't get Delta Burke to do a cameo in the video...

Joshua Lu: The Highwomen should, in theory, be a triumph for country music, at the very least because of the four amazing artists involved: Natalie Hemby (songwriter who's penned works for artists like Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and... Nelly Furtado?), Amanda Shires (singer/songwriter/violinist with six solo albums to her name), Brandi Carlile (responsible for one of the best albums of 2018 and for several other excellent ones) and Maren Morris (renowned hitmaker who recently sent "Girl" to #1 on the country airplay charts). Why, then, does "Redesigning Women" fail to muster the magic any one of the artists could deliver on her own? Vocally, the four of them blend together into each far too much; only Brandi's vocals ring distinctly, leaving the other three acting as part of her backdrop, including Maren, whose particularly potent pipes I shouldn't struggle to pinpoint. Lyrically, it's filled with signifiers for traditional vs. modern female roles, with requisite mentions of babies, the kitchen and hair dye, which make for evocative imagery but don't make for any meaningful message other than... that women's roles have evolved over time? It's too comfortable just describing the current state of affairs instead of demanding something more, and I'm left wondering what a listener is supposed to take away when the last guitar chord fades away. [4]

Michael Hong: The supergroup should involve a group of artists who know their strengths and weaknesses well enough that they're able to cover each other's weaknesses and emphasize their strengths in a way that wouldn't be possible as solo artists. The Pistol Annies worked so well on Interstate Gospel, not only because of the trio's harmonies, but also in the way that each artist brought something as a writer, like Monroe injecting some of her trademark dry humour into Lambert and Presley's wickedly smart small-town life observations. It comes as a confusing surprise then that across The Highwomen, less than half of all tracks are writing collaborations between the women, with Natalie Hemby being the sole member credited with writing their first outing. While Hemby has established herself as a great songwriter in Nashville, her strength was in the charming intimacy of her hushed vocals and finger-plucked guitar, but her own writing was hindered by her reliance on traditionalism that occasionally veered into cheesy nostalgia. "Redesigning Women" lacks the personal charm of Hemby's solo music and allows Hemby's penchant for cheesy traditionalism to seep through on awkward lines like "running the world while we're cleaning up the kitchen" and "changing our minds like we change our hair color." Confusingly, the track pushes this narrative where women have control, so long as they continue to provide in the more "traditional" gender roles. It makes for the track appearing to be a female empowerment anthem on first glance, but ending up being more outdated and restrictive, akin to Maren Morris's GIRL. Without the voices of Carlile, Morris, and Shires as writers, The Highwomen fall flat as a supergroup. While the four do sound pleasant across the track, pleasant just doesn't feel like enough on a track titled "Redesigning Women," which ultimately falls flat as another version of female empowerment written by the current Nashville songwriter du jour. [4]

Alex Clifton: In general feminist Americana/folk/country plays well with me, but where "Redesigning Women" gets really good is when all four women sing the title line. I hear so many older country superstars in their harmonies -- I could swear Dolly is in there singing along with them -- and it's a revelation. The lyrics are pretty good too, giving a light touch with lines like "breaking the jello mould" while still delivering a sincere message. The thing I have always liked about classic country is its strength, the confidence of the sliding guitars and banjos, how the singers sing out and loud, how even when there are quieter moments you still remain on solid ground. "Redesigning Women" does that while returning to an older sound that feels so rare these days, all the while making it fresh and glorious to hear. [8]

Alfred Soto: Shtickier and less distinctive than expected, "Redesigning Women" hews to a pattern -- a Jell-O mold? -- that acknowledges no middle ground between saints and surgeons; someone else, after all, a man, makes a woman a saint. It survives because Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires harmonize with the ease of women who understand how doing a job well is too often not reward enough. [6]

Jackie Powell: This song is an anthem and after my first listen, I didn't think I'd ever come to that conclusion. Country music for me is polarizing. But, each member of this quartet is Grammy-nominated in their own right and is enduring massive individual success. So why now for The Highwomen? "Redesigning Women" and the entire project coming from these four is selfless in nature. On CBS Morning before their debut at the Newport Folk Festival, Carlile referred to it as "a movement" rather than "a band." And the lyrical choices on this track are mostly consistent with that analysis. A goal is to inspire and that's admirable. Although I'll be frank, the first verse annoyed me; it reminded me of Girl Scout campfire songs. The chorus, however, is where The Highwomen shine. Each voice is heard, unlike the verses, and layered to provide a vocal texture that juxtaposes the nasal one you hear at the top of the song. I'm a sucker for alliteration and Hemby's serves as the best phrases in the entire song. But I don't love some of the female stereotypes referenced. Can we please move away from this idea that women almost always "need to look good," "clean the kitchen" or feel pressured to "feed the baby"? The Highwomen redeem themselves on the bridge which offers a call and response to a question that all who identify as female can relate to. Womanhood isn't black and white. There isn't a formula and if there is, then maybe you are doing it all wrong. The Highwomen have a broader audience than they think. I hope they take advantage of it as they continue to tell the stories of those who have redesigned and redefined their own womanhood. [6]

Joshua Copperman: The Highwomen have an interesting idea here -- "Running the world while we're cleaning up the kitchen" is clunky but appears to speculate that while gender roles are changing for women, men aren't meeting that change halfway. So you have podcasts asking if Women Can Have It All, and entire empires built on the Plight of the Working Woman -- in this song, the progress society has made (lol) indicates that "traditional women" take on all the responsibilities and nothing has gotten easier, let alone more equal. It's a thought-provoking message, but the rest is delivered in a surprisingly corny fashion from four women that, as far as I know, have either evaded or embraced corniness. This project could be a midpoint between Case/Lang/Veirs and Bridgers/Baker/Dacus, but the monotonous verses only bring to mind "Children of The Future" in their presentation and messaging. Maybe it's because up to this point, I've presented and lived in the world as a cis straight male (regardless of my actual orientation or gender identity). But no matter how I present myself, I know for a fact that all parties involved have done better, and this is deeply underwhelming. [4]

Iris Xie: A title like "Redesigning Women" begs something a lot more radical, maybe even jumping on the whole cyberpunk/anthropocene/post-apocalyptic aesthetic. But no, we get a song that is emblematic of conservative, tired, "choice" feminism. Why is buying 11 pairs of shoes considered moving progress forward? Why is a song about the fatigue in women's gender roles lacking so much anger? Why does this sonically sound like a swallowed deference? "Redesigning Women" upsets me, because it's like the time when I was a kid and asked older women if they've ever heard what feminism and seeing them wrinkle their noses at it and be offended at my question, and when I asked DC immigration lobbyists if they've ever experienced sexism or discrimination in their work and they stared at me because they didn't know how to answer the question. It made me feel so confused in those moments, and realizing how effective obfuscation is in separating and talking about the ways oppressive systems function, and how we ourselves can be extremely complicit in perpetuating them while also surviving them. "Redesigning Women" is meant as a touch-and-go balm as an acknowledgment of life's hardships, but without providing any solutions other than "let's make the best of it, you aren't the only one suffering," which is the only time that collectivism seems to raise its head in this individualist capitalist society, for the moment you start complaining, you aren't doing your part in your Dream. Bioessentialism and gender roles aside, this is a song that puts forth several arguments that The Highwomen and any other women just living their lives is redefining the roles of women. The imagery in "Making bank, shaking hands, driving 80 / Tryna get home just to feed the baby" is wonderfully succinct, and pretty much wraps up why life underneath capitalism absolutely sucks, whether you are or are not able to access that life. The rest of the examples -- such as "breaking every jello mold" and "When we love someone we take 'em to Heaven / And if the shoe fits, we're gonna buy 11" -- mix relatable, down-home metaphors with ones that wouldn't be out of place when it comes to simple desires to be a little too much, to be a little more ostentatious and a little less modest and "for the family!", where your every move as a woman is judged harshly. The bridge itself hearkens to a place of moral simplicity, with "How do we do it? How do we do it? / Making it up as we go along / How do we do it? How do we do it? / Half way right and half way wrong," that seems so innocent and very "we can do it!" But in reality, who is the target audience for this? It's for the women with families and jobs, and for those single femmes (like me!) who are conscientious of those future realities, who are all trying to keep these impossible lives and demands afloat in this disaster called late crisis capitalism. This is supposed to be soothing and reminds me that we're "all in this together," but it honestly kind of hurts to listen to this song. [5]

Katherine St Asaph: Designing Women is a relic of the '80s-'90s deadzone, and though it's getting rebooted and reconstituted, and was just rerun on Hulu (if you even knew), it is no longer a cultural touchstone, let alone enough of one to effectively snowclone. Jell-O molds reside in questionable '70s cookbooks and not modern kitchens, even in the South. Rosie the Riveter predates even the '50s. Nothing about this, from fusty lyrics to fustier vocals to women-are-fickle-but-good-fickle feminism, suggests it was written in the 21st century, let alone by "Country's Ballsiest New Supergroup." Who is this for? The kids are listening to Kacey Musgraves and Lil Nas X. The grownups are listening to country artists -- including some of the solo Highwomen, probably -- whose songs sound like they're inhabited by real people, not the speechwriters for corporate retreats. Industry folks are undoubtedly listening to this out of pent-up goodwill, which would be better directed toward commissioning repertoire that doesn't sound like it'd be dated in 1989. Extra point because at least it's responsible for the best thing Dierks Bentley has ever recorded. [2]

Stephen Eisermann: The idiot members of the Deplorable Choir have been all over my Twitter feed this week, so much so that I almost doubted if I ever wanted to listen to women of country collaborate for a track. I'm so pissed this song didn't show up immediately after I first saw that horrendous performance because this track, with its rich harmonies and empowering lyrics, elevates country music in a way that melts the iciness that has developed around my heart in recent years. These are the women that are leading and should continue to lead us into the future. [8]

Thomas Inskeep: Better in theory than in practice, mainly because the song's lyrics are just the slightest bit kitschy. But goddamn if Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires don't sound great together, and are given perfect country production by Dave Cobb. Even though I wish I liked "Redesigning Women" a little more, it still whets my appetite for their debut album, because I know there's even better to come. [6]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#Brandi Carlile #Natalie Hemby #Maren Morris #Amanda Shires #The Highwomen #country #music #music review #writing

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nvdirv · 6 years ago

Text

39 Weeks & 4 Days

I woke up at 5.30 AM for my usual ‘middle of the night toilet session’ and that was when I realised that I was leaking. I remember my gynae told me that if I didn’t feel any contraction, it just means that I still have time to chill. So I made sure few times that I was leaking before I woke my family up. Poor Suff, he was so blur when I told him my situation. Since my bags were already packed, my mum asked me to take a proper shower and have breakfast. While having breakfast, Suff started to inform our family members and close friends. I still remember how I felt that morning... I wasn’t nervous; I guess I was just tired of being pregnant and couldn’t wait to meet our baby. At first, we went to Gleneagles and after my gynae checked my dilation, he realised that I was only leaking and my water did not fully break. My dilation was stagnant and ctg scan did not show any contractions. He informed that if I do not give birth within 24 hours, I’d have to go for emergency c-section due to possibility of getting amniotic infection. Since Ampang Puteri has emergency c-section package, I was asked to move there (funny right, tengah labor kena pindah hospital). I checked in around 11-ish and my midwife asked if I wanted epidural. I decided to ditch my original plan of taking epidural after talking to Maira. The labor room was cold and I loved the ambiance there; they played azan for each prayer. It was calming, eventho you can hear other women screaming next door. Anyways, I wasn’t doing a great progress so my gynae induced me for the first time at 2PM. The contractions were mild, it didn’t feel so bad but I think at 4cm, they gave me painkiller to make sure the pain isn’t gonna be so bad later. At the same time, my midwife asked me to take Etonox (gas) to relieve the contractions. I was anxious because I wasn’t making any progress but that was then my midwife checked my dilation and realized that my water bag did not fully break. She broke the bag and my contractions went full speed. Everything was a blur at this point because I was on painkillers and the gas made me feel sleepy but I remember my midwife was complaining that my dilation did not change after hitting 7cm. Upon my gynae’s advice, I had to be induced for the second time. I think it was around 8PM when my first midwife left; she was sweet and kind. The second midwife, she was the opposite.. but definitely someone you would need in a labor room. She asked me to breathe properly and not make to grunt too much. At 9cm, I completely gave up. I told my OB that I wanted to go for c-section because from 8cm to 9cm, it took me an hour and I didn't want to wait for another second. I was begging him to just cut me open and he told me that he'd check the OT if there's any availability for my c-section but little did I know, he just went out to meet my family and told them he'd do his best to avoid operation. The push was my favorite part because when I saw my OB came, all scrubbed in. I was happy, I knew I'd already reached 10cm and it was time to push. Again, the midwife asked me to not make too much sound and I was pushing as hard as I could but due to my baby's occiput posterior, the pushing wasn't easy. The OB had to vacuum her out. To be honest, I was too tired to push at that time but when he said he could see her head, I felt this rush of semangat to push her out. Even Suff left my side to look at Naylaa's crowning. I still remember he said "Sayang, I can see her head! A bit more!" I don't remember exactly how it went after that but I pushed as hard as I could and then I heard her voice. She didn't cry! She just was like, grumbling. My midwife came and cleaned her up. I felt half dead because I was so tired from pushing but when she plonked Naylaa on my chest for skin-to-skin... my world felt a million times brighter. I instantly forgot how childbirth felt like.. I remember how emotional I was at that time.

I cried the second they put her on my chest but I cried even harder when I saw Suff iqamat our baby. Top of the list goes to my husband who gave me support throughout the whole process. The whole thing was intense but I couldn't have done it without my husband. He kept on rubbing my head and back, asked if I was doing okay (obvious at that point I felt like punching him for letting me go thru this). Couldn't ask for a better partner than him.

#motherhood

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survivorraccooncity2 · 3 years ago

Text

Cast Reveal #2 - BSAA

Please welcome the BSAA Tribe, named after the government organization fighting against bioterrorism across the globe. The color is #44533C.

Here is the cast:

ADELINE (20, They/She)

Hi! My name is Adeline, I’m a nanny from the middle of-nowhere-New-Hampshire. I am a mess of many hobbies, likes, and strong dislikes. Lover of reality tv, hater of country music. Pro-Jeff Probst, anti-Cagayan. Love to talk, hate to listen to myself talk.

Timezone: EST

Fun Fact: I sing in an all girl punk band🤘

Favorite Media: The Hunger Games never fails me

Favorite Food: Pomegranate, i like a food you have to work to eat, keeps me entertained, and has been a safe food for years.

Expected Placement: 10th (this is optimistic)

ARIEL (26, He/Him)

Hello beautiful people of Stings. Happy Pride month everyone! I am Ariel, a survivor fan from Philippines. I love meeting new people and I am so excited getting to know y'all.

Timezone: Phillipine Standard Time

Fun Fact: I have 7 biological brothers. And if that is not crazy enough, I have 7 biological sisters as well. Yup that makes us 15.

Favorite Media: Survivor Season 42!!! Everything Everywhere All At Once

Favorite Food: Sweetpotato is liiiiiife

Expected Placement: 10? Ghaaad, I just want to make it to merge.

BRANDON (19, He/Him)

Hello everyone! My name is Brandon, i'm 19, and a Sophomore in college. I also work as a front desk agent and as kitchen staff in a hotel. I was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and my parents are immigrants from Nicaragua. I proudly consider myself Nicaraguan-American. I am a proud part of the LGBT+ community and am outspoken when I need to be. I love to watch TV, write short stories, and go out dancing with my friends! Looking forward to playing this game, best of luck everyone!

Timezone: EST

Fun Fact: Technically I have two last names, Villavicencia Tapia, in that order, but when my dad immigrated, the U.S. took off Villavicencia and only left the name Tapia.

Favorite Media: Nurse Jackie, the Showtime series starring Edie Falco, is my favorite piece of media of all time. It makes you laugh and cry all at once. It's an amazing character study and a realistic look at addiction and sickness and how complex people are, that we are not all good or all bad. Great stuff!

Favorite Food: Baked potatoes, because they're delicious on their own and even more delicious when you add butter, cheese, salt, pepper, etc. I can alternate between all these toppings to at least get some new enjoyment everytime i'd eat.

Expected Placement: 10th

DJ (32, He/Him)

Hello! I am DJ. I like am a translator. I love to travel and eat vegan food from wherever I visit. I am really into baking bread these days. Also, I am Bisexual and would love to represent the LGBTQ+ community proudly.

Timezone: GMT+5.30

Fun Fact: I was probably born left-handed, but I think I became right-handed automatically by reading the room as a child I guess. I still clap the wrong way though.

Favorite Media: Conversations with friends by Sally Rooney

Favorite Food: I would eat only pizza for the rest of my life because it is a perfect food and delicious and I could change it up by changing the toppings.

Expected Placement: 1st place because I like to always aim high!

DOMINIQUE (29, She/Her)

Hiya! I'm Dominique or just Dom. Sometimes you can catch me on twitch at MissDarkWisDom. I'm a full time retail store manager and a part time gamer. I live for new experiences and exploring. I also love to meet new people. I cannot wait to join this game of Survivor in the best way possible and be an asset to my tribe!

Timezone: EST

Fun Fact: I've been to and worked at summer camps almost every year from age 7 until age 24.

Favorite Media: Movie: Hocus Pocus

Favorite Food: Crab--the different things you can make with it is amazing.

Expected Placement: 4

JINX (27, She/They/Vers)

And for my 🐘 Republican colleagues 👨‍💼🧔🏻‍♂️👩🏻‍💼, and anyone 🧍‍♂️else 🧍‍♀️who matters 💯, Yeah I'm Bisexual. 🔥💖🔥💙🔥💜 Am I 🐒 committing crimes?? 👀🔪🚗 If so 🤔 come get me. 😤💪🙄 Let us ALL 🌎 live with dignity ☮️🕊. Ask yourself 😳 if you 👆 support people 🏳️‍🌈🦄, or the fucked 🤬 dogma 🐶 you've been fed 🍴☕️. 👏🔥👏 #ozzyisBi 👏🔥👏

Timezone: PST

Fun Fact: i’m a high school drop out !

Favorite Media: riverdale obviously

Favorite Food: pesto with chicken ‼️

Expected Placement: 1st 😤 my tarot cards said so!

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dezeriell · 7 years ago

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Hi There!

I thought I would make it to post my other blog post before this, but I had few days less than expected as my baby did come earlier. As from my other post you might know that I had less fluid in my cervix. 39th week – I already had more contractions and I was bleeding again. As long as I still remember everything I wanted to write down how my labor was, as it really was not easy for me!

(this is like a remembrance for myself too..)

19th of June 2018

I left the house for check up, somehow I knew it’s going to happen very soon. The days before I have been in contact with the hospital already as I was bleeding which they said is normal as my body is preparing.

The heart of baby Aria was doing good and the movement of the baby was also fine. They could still not tell where the blood came from and the placenta could not be seen on the ultra sound as usual (there will be a point on this after birth!!) Telling the doctor about what happened the last days and how I feel, they decided that I should stay there and I shall get induced later in the afternoon. I had lunch, informed my boyfriend and then I walked up to the labor room.

ca. 3 PM

I was prepared and got this needle thing in my hand (for the IV) and was checked with the CTG again.

4:30 PM

I got this medication to induce the labor. It looked like a tampon which was actually the strongest of all medication, but was suggested by the doctor.

5 PM

My boyfriend arrived with the hospital bag and we had dinner and we went for a walk outside and facetimed with my family in Berlin.

9 PM

We had to go back to the room for the first check up. I already felt the pain coming. While walking I already had contractions.

9:20 PM

The first real contraction came along… I was laying in bed already and breathing it away. This was still fine. I was about 1 cm dilated. Another midwife came in for the night shift.

10 PM to 12:30 AM

This was the most extreme time I had in labor, except the birth later on. I was in such pain, I had very strong contractions around every 3 minutes which shoot up high so fast that I was like having an electro shock every time. This is what I heard that contractions with inducing are very different to natural contractions. I don’t remember everything only that I was crying and said I can’t do this. I was only dilated 3 cm and still had to go on for the next 7 hours this way?! I was like nooo!! Screaming into the pillow trying to breathe and hanging myself on this rope that was attached to the ceiling. It really took all of my energy and I was so in shock about this pain. I knew that it will be very different to what I have ever known in my life and I needed to go through this. My baby was doing fine and already in position moving down. Then I asked for some pain reliever as I just wanted to have a break from this pain. It held on for like 2 contractions… I asked for something stronger. This was also injected and it held for like 3-4 contractions, but then it went on again. I still tried to breathe it all out with each contraction with the midwife. I was asking for a PDA, but then I was explained maybe to keep it this way and more naturally or the next option was laughing gas. My boyfriend was like – the PDA they will put a needle in your back.. I was like yeah I know I just want this to stop until I give birth and was begging. I couldn’t even finish a sentence in that hour. They gave me the laughing gas and I really hated it. It made me feel high and like I am losing my mind. Every time I was breathing it in I should breath it out in the same thing..it made me feel having asthma. I just remember moving my head around eyes closed, crying.

12:30 AM

Next step – PDA! Finally the anesthetist came in and explained everything to me and my boyfriend – with some breaks as I had contractions. She just came from another room where some else got the PDA too. I was hold together by my boyfriend and the midwife so I won’t move during a contraction. The whole procedure was done and after around 5 minutes I could tell the difference!! I was me again and could speak out whole sentences.

1 PM to 5.30 AM

My boyfriend and I could finally take a rest. I was still checked every hour. I had an IV with something to hydrate me and I had this little remote to press the button if the pain comes – there was another bag hanging for the IV. In between I had to change positions and we were good as I was dilated like 8 cm already. I was bleeding which they said is normal. These hours saved my life I thought.. it was an unreal feeling, but I knew I am about to see my baby.

Around 6 AM

My boyfriend was awake, I was dilated 9 cm and they were about to get everything ready for birth. I was explained that there will be a certain pressure and its the contraction. This is what we need to work with for pushing, but I will be told later on.

6:30 to 7 PM

I was fully dilated. Another midwife came in for the morning shift. I was about to push and concentrate on the pressure what I was explained and to move on giving birth soon. Now here comes the shocking point or disappointing moment: I was given medication per IV to get the contractions back. Pushing on the button against the pain from the PDA didn’t work anymore and nobody reacted to that. I was completely in pain as I was before just worse and as my baby was already deep down where my pelvis was stretching. I was back on trying to hold it, trying to be strong, but the pain was so extreme through this medication that I couldn’t concentrate on my baby, on breathing and pushing. This was horrible. At the same time so disappointing as I was told different and then this happens. For what did I let someone stick a needle in my back when this was not the purpose not to have all this pain while giving birth??

7:30 AM

I was pushing and pushing..then I was told to leave out pushing for maybe 3-4 contractions.. just breathe! They had a meeting with the doctors and we had to wait. The pain got worse. Then an assistant doctor came in to check and make an ultra sound how the baby is doing. The baby pulse got higher whenever I started pushing, so they let me pause again 3 contractions. The pain and my emotions came together and I started crying again. The assistant doctor saw that it would not work this way and let anesthesist come in again to give me something to lower the pain level through PDA. My boyfriend and I where nervous and didn’t know what exactly was going on as we were told, my water broke 12 hours ago and this means there is a possibility of an infection of the baby.. I already had fever. Another doctor came in checked the ultra sounds again. They suggested to move on with a suction cup. They said normally it takes around 2-3 hours until birth after being fully dilated. I was pushing 2 1/2 hours already. I said to my boyfriend yes, please let us do this because this takes way to long and if it helps her… some minutes went by they got all the tools together and I was still having contractions. The assistant doctor was placing the suction cup… wrong! Had to take it off and place it again!! First contraction pushing and pushing and pushing… taking a break waiting for the next contractions to build up my boyfriend already saw the head and said her hair is black! At this point everything was so tight down there this was such a weird feeling.

9:58 AM

I pushed again and again and again… THERE SHE WAS!! I didn’t hear anything, the pediatrician took her right away and there finally I heard her voice!! This was the moment I started crying I was longing for her she was so far, yet still in the room. My boyfriend went over as he was worried not hear her voice. He wasn’t even able to cut the navel as they had to handle fast – because of the infection, I thought! (coming back to this later/ other blog post!) Finally was she checked and everything was fine and she was healthy no infection, thank the universe!! In the meanwhile everything came out of me what was still in there..

The Placenta

The past months I had problems with the placenta and we were not sure where the blood came from. I was sick off earlier than I thought, I was not allowed to move too much..I was at home getting used that I can’t do much. After giving birth to the placenta they cut it and where looking if everything is fine with it and then looked after some bruises BECAUSE this actually caused the bleeding months ago. Even I was looking at it! NOTHING was found!! Everything was good with it I mean I am thankful for that..but in the end we will never find out where it actually came from.

My Baby Aria was born – 50 cm and 3110 KG

I was finally with her, she was laying on me, staring at me! This is an unforgettable moment – my heart grew bigger for her and I had a face to the movements in my bump. I love her so much and I was so happy, I could not believe a little human came out of me. After all that what happened … after all we went through and we stayed so strong! Everything is worth it, I swear! I didn’t really care about me I just wanted her to be good and healthy. I started to give her my breast and I got an ice-cold coke and it was so good!!

Tearing down there!

Yes, this happened due to pulling her out with the suction cup, first the assistant doctor was not sure if it was that or if the blood came from the inside. Then she started sewing I didn’t really feel anything.

My bladder was over filled

I couldn’t go to the restroom, either during the night or after birth. I had 1 1/2 L of urine in my bladder. I had to get a catheter during the whole stay at the hospital and now also at home. As this could get dangerous. But I didn’t mind as long as this helps my bladder to get smaller. I called the urine sack Alfredo for some reasons.

Inducing labor is something different.. than a natural one:

The main difference between a natural and artificially started labour is the intensity of the contractions. In a natural labour, oxytocin works to stimulate your uterus to contract and dilate the cervix. … Natural labour usually begins slowly, with a gradual build up of spaced out contractions that are short and mild

Read more about it here!

made it through the 2nd night

3rd day

Our first night together

3rd day we changed her clothes 🙂

next morning

During the day of birth

one day old Aria

IN ALL!!

This was an experience which was crazy, madness of pain, emotions and a wonder having my baby finally in my arms. The days in the hospital were going quiet well we had all the help we needed the midwives were so kind. Her first check up went good and I got breast pump to take home for a week and all information. Next week I will go back to get Alfredo my catheter out.

I will be posting a blog for how our first week went at home and a post about what I found out through my midwife who visits me at home, which is shocking what actually caused my baby having a high pulse and not screaming when she was born!

This is quiet a long story, but I wanted to keep all in details so I can have flash backs later on 🙂

I don’t know if other women were in such pain too while the labor was induced? There are women saying no to another child after the first one.. some women don’t remember the pain.

I think you can never compare all births and judge. I think everyone has a unique story..

and this was mine!

XOXO

Désirée

Baby Aria – Labor & Delivery Story Hi There! I thought I would make it to post my other blog post before this, but I had few days less than expected as my baby did come earlier.

#baby #birth story #delivery #giving birth #inducing labor #labor #life #motherhood #Pregnancy

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rohitkkumar · 4 years ago

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Dravid Dhawan will go with him Kaif picks India keeper for 1st ODI vs SL

I became a ladyboy. I was a very nice and innocent boy at heart. A young boy in the neighborhood used to stare at me. Once he came to our house on my birthday. Friends, my name is Aftab… I have just turned nineteen years old.

I am a resident of Jodhpur Rajasthan, I am so fair, tall and beautiful in appearance that I can attract anyone towards me

I used to play and study with girls from the beginning, so my nature became like girls.

I had become like all the girls, walking and talking like him. I was a very good and innocent boy at heart, due to which girls used to befriend me early.I did not know so much from my neighbors, so I rarely went out of the house.

One day I went to the neighborhood shop for some work. Then the eyes of a young boy standing beside me in the shop fell on me.

He was a dark, tall and thin man in appearance. He must have been about twenty five years old. He was looking at me as if he would just eat me raw.

I ignored them and took my belongings from the shop.

The next day when I went to that shop again, I saw him again ther. This time he was looking at me with fun eyes.

I felta bit strange, but I was only a communist, who had just stepped into youth.

I could not understand at this age what all this was about because I was not a ladyboy then.

When he was looking at me like this… that day I felt something good. For the first time someone had seen me like this. I gave him a smile and went home with the goods.

They were probably waiting for this gesture from me, which I had given them unknowingly.

The next day when I came home from school, he followed me on the way.

I stopped seeing him and asked him – what do you want… you have been looking at me for the last few days.

He said - I want you.

I got scared and ran to my house. All day I just kept thinking about him. In my mind, he started feeling like me.

Then four days later it was my birthday, so Abbu had organized a party in my house.

All the neighbors were called in this. He also came there. I ignored them, so they came to me.

He told me – where is the toilet… tell me.

My father had also listened to him, then he said – yes son, Aftab will tell you.

Then Abbu told me that you take it upstairs to the restroom of your room… If there is a crowd down here, then there will be a problem.

I could not refuse Abbu. He came to my room.

He talked to me and said - my name is Junaid, I live in the house near your house.

Hearing this, I was scared at first. Then I talked to him, so I became somewhat comfortable. Only then he held my hand in talks.

There was a stir in my heart. First I freed my hand from the first jerk.

Then I thought he would hold my hand again.

They understood that I agree.

He immediately grasped my thin waist with his manly hands and pulled it towards him

My heartbeat had become so fast that I could hear myself.

I thought he would do something again in the future.

My guess was right… He gave me a kiss, that too on my cheek.

Junaid went away after kissing me and while leaving he gave me his mobile number by writing.

That day I felt as if I did not know who had set fire to me… and Junaid Bhaiya left without extinguishing it.

I thought about him all night, then in the morning I called him.

He said- There is no one in my house today. You come here.

I agreed and got ready after taking a bath.

The excitement of meeting him was filling me with some fun not knowing.

I put on new clothes and reached his house.

He took me inside his house and closed the door.

As soon as he came in, he grabbed me with his hands and pulled me near him. Then he started smelling me from top to bottom.

I was looking very beautiful that day. He was caressing me with his manly hands. I felt like they wanted to eat me by mashing them like butter.

Today for the first time I started suffering. He also did not delay and grabbed me tightly and pushed me towards the bed and climbed on me as if a butcher had come over his animal.

He brought his lips near my lips and started licking my mouth with his tongue inside my mouth. He started wrestling with my tongue. Then started doing this, as if trying to defeat my tongue.

He did as he wanted. Beating my tongue, he put his tongue deep in my mouth and started sucking the water from my mouth.

I felt very strange. I tried a lot that he should leave me, but it could not happen.

He was sucking the water in my mouth as if he had found a spring of sweet sorbet.

He did not stop sucking my mouth for about half an hour. All the water in my mouth had dried up. I felt like there was no life in my mouth.

After sometime he left my mouth and went to the kitchen and brought lemonade for me.

I drank lemonade in a hurry because I was feeling very thirsty.

He came close to me again. Now he was having a different fun. He took off my T-shirt.

His eyes were shocked to see my boisterous chest.

I was such a slender and fair-bodied sweet lady standing in front of him.

He had probably never seen a cauldron as smooth as butter and soft as cotton.

He came straight towards my bobs and started caressing them with his hands. Although he was also a little disappointed because at that time my bobe was very young. I felt very intoxicated with them.

Then he took off my jeans pants, now I was completely naked in front of him.

I felt ashamed because I had never been naked like this before.

He was just looking at me like an eagle looking at its prey.

He took my cock in his hands and started mashing it.

Till date no one had caught my cock. I suddenly got quickness and suddenly my cock stood up.

I was feeling very good. I was in a full of fun mood.

He too had probably never seen a cock like me till today. As soon as he applied such a white little soft hand, he also started enjoying the sliding cock in his hand.

Then he extended one hand towards my ass, then the voice came out of his mouth - hi how smooth the ass is… I have not seen such an ass till date. Your ass is like a petal of a rose bud.

I blushed.

He pressed my ass hard with both hands, my ass also started bouncing like water balloons… because my ass was very soft and soft.

His eyes fell on the hole in my ass, which was very small and tight.

He said to me - Man, I have never got a material like you in my life ... and will never get it.

Saying this, he put his hand in my thin waist and dragged me in his own lap and made me sit.

The black hair on his chest coming out of his shirt and its smell started intoxicating me.

All of a sudden I was feeling a bit hot on my ass because I was in his lap.

I felt a fat thing from his pants. I asked him – Junaid Bhaiya… what is this?

Junaid Bhaiya said - this is your master and from today you are its slave!

I said - master!

Junaid said – Yes master… let me make you see your master.

He took off his T-shirt and pants.

He went completely naked.

Seeing such a thick and long cock, the mouth was left torn. His cock was very long and thick.

A strange smell coming from that cock was going to make me more intoxicated.

I said in surprise - so long!

"Yes, this is your master from today... and you have to serve it."

Then he started caressing my mouth and started attracting me more to the smell of his cock.

Then he said – You will have to do some hard work to please your master. You are very petite and raw bud right now… It will take me about a week to love you. That's why I start your training from today.

I asked- Training… what kind of training!

He said- Your master is very big and tall… and your hole is very small now it is soft. I don't want you to be in any trouble.

I fell silent.

Then he filled his little finger with a box of Vaseline and took it towards my soft ass.

I asked - what are you doing?

He said - Preparation for preparing for the service of your master.

He slowly started moving the finger soaked with Vaseline into the hole from the side of my ass.

Then he slowly put that finger in the hole of my ass.

This finger was small, so I did not feel much pain.

Still, the first time someone put his finger in my ass, I was very scared.

I also had slight pain. I shouted too… but he put his other hand inside my mouth.

I couldn't do anything.

Now his finger was moving inside my ass. I didn't understand what to do.

After some time I started feeling better. I enjoy the pain was coming.

He was enlarging my hole with his finger and simultaneously going in and out. Exactly as if they were digging something.

Now this finger of his was moving very fast in and out of my ass.

One of his hands was in my mouth. Still, the sound of sigh was coming from my mouth.

For a long time he put a finger in my ass, then he stopped and straightened me.

Now he came with his face towards my bobs and started sucking my bobs mercilessly. He started pressing hard on one of my bobe with one hand.

This also went on for a long time. There was a severe pain in my chest. I was tolerating it like that.

He had done a lot with me in that time.

Then he stopped and said while wearing his clothes – today's training was just that. You will have to work harder now to get your master i.e. my cock. Come on… you come again tomorrow evening at 4:00. We will start the next part of our training.

I got dressed and came home.

At night I started having severe pain in my ass. My chest was also hurting a lot and at the same time a strange pain had started in my ass too.

I was completely tired by morning. In this affair, I could not even go to my school.

When I got his call at 4:00 in the evening, I did not pick up his phone nor did I go to his house.

He came to my house at 5:00 in the evening and started talking to my father.

I got scared and after going into the room, I quickly messaged him that I will come to your house by 5:30.

I was afraid that he would say something to my father.

When I reached his house exactly at 5.30 pm, he closed his door dragging me inside his house.

He said to me - my dear, why are you afraid of me… If you do not follow my order then it will not be good for you.

I said with fear – it is okay sir… I am present in your service today.

I was compelled too, my heart was also dead on his young cock.

He also saw aaav na taav… undressed me with a bang and made me lie down in his bed. He himself got naked and started sucking my lips like yesterday.

He started sucking all the water in my mouth.

Today he was sucking as if he had been thirsty for a long time.

Along with sucking my mouth, he was pressing hard on my bobs with both his hands.

Today he was sucking with pleasure by drizzling liquid chocolate on my bobs.

For a long time he pressed my bobs, then turned me hard.

Today he had inserted not one but two fingers in my ass. He put Vaseline in his two fingers and thrust it inside my ass.

I felt such severe pain all of a sudden, as if someone had inserted a knife inside me.

I was terrified by this action of Junaid bhai, but still I was liking his association somewhere in my mind.

How he tore my ass, I will write about this ladyboy in the next part of this gay sex story.

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d0gdaze · 7 years ago

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Also on AO3

Chapters: 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . (ongoing)

Reddie / Stenbrough

Word Count: 2599

Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak is set up on a date with a friend of a friend, and this Tozier guy is a hot mess. || Stan has feelings. Bill is confused. Long and angsty and may or may not contain a roadtrip. AU - no IT. Characters are 17/18. Set in early nineties. More film based but contains elements from the miniseries and the book.

-Chapter 1-

Eddie Kaspbrak stood in front of his bathroom mirror, studying his reflection with a nervous and rather intense look plastered on his face. His hair was carefully parted and styled, not a single hair out of place.

He was wearing a light grey button-up shirt that had been pristinely ironed, sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows and the end tucked into black dress-pants, with a leather belt tying it all together. His shoes were polished to the point where you could see your reflection in them. You would think they were brand new if you saw them, he only ever wore them during special occasions, such as weddings or the sparse few times a year he went to church. There was an undone bow-tie hanging over the edge of the sink, and he had been debating with himself whether or not to wear it. He didn't want to look like he was trying too hard, and seeing as the rest of his attire had probably crossed that line already, he finally decided against it.

His watch beeped, snapping him out of a trance that he wasn't aware he was in. He looked down at his wrist and realised he had been standing in the bathroom, distracted by his own reflection, for over an hour. Lucky for him, he had decided to get ready two hours before he had to leave the house, and he still had about half an hour left to prepare.

He swung the mirror open revealing a meticulously organised cabinet, shelves stocked with an entire pharmacy's worth of pill bottles, tubes, and boxes, all labelled with complicated medical jargon. Even Eddie wasn't entirely sure what some of them did, but he knew that he needed them, or at least would need them at some point. He grabbed a rectangular blue container from the lowest shelf. It had seven small compartments, each printed with a letter corresponding with a day of the week. S M T W T F S. Through the plastic you could see each compartment was filled with six or seven pills of varying shaped and colours. He flipped open the lid labelled with an 'F', for Friday, and threw them, two at a time, into his mouth. He dry-swallowed them all with ease.

He put the container back in it's rightful place on the shelf and shut the cabinet. He took a deep breath in, looking at his reflection with his chest puffed out and shoulders tall. He almost admired how he looked in this position, trying to re-imagining himself as taller, buffer, like some of the guys he saw in the locker rooms at school. But that admiration disappeared, as quickly as it arrived, as he exhaled and his shoulders dropped, back into a slight slouch. He huffed and shook his head a little, deciding that envying other men's body types wouldn't do him much good, and turned to the door, making sure to grab his inhaler from the side of the sink before he left the bathroom and shuffled down the hallway to his bedroom.

4.59 pm.

Eddie stood at his front door, his hand hovering over the doorknob, staring at his watch, counting the seconds down until it would read 5.00 pm, when he would leave his house and walk to Bill Denbrough's house, and he would get there by 5.10 pm, which gave him plenty of time to talk to Bill before 5.30 pm, when Bill's 'friend', who was a complete stranger to Eddie, would supposedly come and pick him up and take him on this 'date', that had been set up, much to Eddie's dismay.

Apparently, at some point during the last couple of months, the members of his friend group had decided that Eddie needed to loosen up and meet new people. They had attempted to get him a date several times before, but Eddie had absolutely refused, freaked out, or cancelled, each time without fail. It took a hell of a lot of persuasion but they finally got him to agree to something, a movie date with one of Bill's old friends that he had never met before – as long as 1. someone else came with them and 2. this person wasn't too rowdy. Bill assured him that he had nothing to worry about.

So the plan was made that they would go to the Aladdin, and Eddie and this stranger would sit together, and Bill, Stan, and Beverly would sit two rows behind them. Eddie figured that he wouldn't have to talk to this person too much if they were in a cinema, as long as they had decent manners, and that he could lean back on the other's for support if he got too nervous. He also figured he could easily say he was going to the bathroom and leave if he needed too.

When he saw his watch flash 5.00pm, he opened to door and stepped out, shouting out a cheerful 'Goodbye!' to his mother, who he assumed had probably fallen asleep in front of the tv. Shutting the door behind him he set off, turning left on the footpath and heading towards Bill's house. He had known Bill since they were 7, and Eddie reckoned he could have navigate his way to Bill's house with his eyes closed (although he would never actually try).

He arrived exactly when he planned that he would, 5.10pm. His heart started racing faster as he walked up the driveway. He put his hand in his pocket and gripped his inhaler, not taking it out, but just reassuring himself that it was there. He knocked on the front door 3 times. It swung open within a few seconds, and Beverly beamed when she saw him.

“You look so good!” she exclaimed, and Eddie frowned, and dropped his gaze.

“Shut up,” he mumbled, pushing past her as she giggled. He made his way to the living room, where Bill and Stan were on the couch, Bill laying with his feet over Stan's lap. Their heads shot up as he entered the room with his arms crossed over his chest, Beverly in tow. Stan smiled almost as wide as Beverly did, and Bill wolf-whistled, receiving a very annoyed look from Eddie.

“You clean up real nice,” Stan said, pushing Bill's legs off of his lap and walking over. “He's gonna be blown away for sure!”

“Yeah, for sh-sure,” Bill perked up, nodding his head enthusiastically.

“Whatever, I just want to get it over with.” Eddie's face started to turn red, already regretting that he agreed to do this. He wasn't made for this kind of thing! He was too paranoid, too awkward. He always had been. There was a reason he had never been on an actual date before his friends started setting him up. He hadn't even kissed anyone, for gods sake. He just didn't have the charm that people who go on dates and have relationships seemed to have. All his friends had had boyfriends and girlfriends and made out with people at parties and been flirted with by kids at school, but he never had. Everyone just, overlooked him. And if he was honest with himself, he didn't really mind it. Being alone. It meant that he could focus on things that were more important.

They heard a vehicle with a very loud and assumably very old engine pull up at the front of the house. When the engine stopped, it was replaced by hard rock music, playing just as loud. Eddie's stomach dropped, and he prayed to god that it didn't belong to his date, that he would not have to get in whatever car sounded like that.

“No way, is R-richie actually early f-for once?” Bill jumped up and ran to the front door, and Stan followed.

Beverly looked over at Eddie, her smile quickly fading as she saw his face. He had gone white as a ghost, and she could see his hands visibly shaking.

“I'm gonna be sick,” Eddie whispered, and sprinted around the corner to the bathroom. Beverly went after him, seeing him slam the bathroom door and lock it. She waited a moment, then gently knocked on the door.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked, genuinely worried. She knew he would be nervous, but not like this. He didn't reply, instead she heard the telltale hiss of his inhaler. “Just, stay there Eddie, I'll go talk to the boys.” She heard a very faint “okay”, and headed back out to the front of the house where the others were having a cheerful reunion.

“Beverly Marsh, you fucking beautiful creature.”

Leaning up against a rusted, beaten, maroon coloured pick-up truck, and much taller and rougher than she remembered, was Richie Tozier, wearing ripped jeans, combat boots, white t-shirt, and a black denim jacket littered with patches that had been haphazardly sewn on. His hair was almost down to his shoulders, sticking out wildly in all directions. She might not have even recognised him if it weren't for the thick frame glasses, being held together by several pieces of tape, the lenses magnifying his eyes just as they always did.

“Richie,” she laughed, and ran towards him, enveloping him in a hug. He picked her up and swung her around with ease. “It's been far too long.” He really towered over her, she had to actually crane her neck to look at his face. Probably a whole head taller than Stan and Bill.

“Sure has gorgeous,” Richie replied, looking at her face with absolute awe. “so anyway, where's my future husband?” He winked at Bill, who looked back towards the house.

“Where'd he go, Bev?” he asked.

“He's, uh, having a panic attack in the bathroom.” Bev said, suddenly sounding quite serious. Richie looked concerned.

“Don't worry, he's just nervous, He'll calm down soon.” Stan reassured.

SHIT SHIT SHIT FUCK SHIT SHIT

Eddie was pacing back and forth in the bathroom, gripping his inhaler tightly in his hand, sure he would either break it or it would leave a bruise. His shirt had become untucked and his hair was messed up from him running his hands through it several times. He really didn't want to do this. He wanted to go home, have a shower, go to bed, forget about this whole thing. Surely they would let him go home. They would have to, if they saw him like this.

He heard knocking on the door again.

“Hey Eddie, can you let me in?”

Beverly.

There was a moment of silence as he debated whether or not to answer.

“It's just me, the others are still out front.”

Eddie hesitated at the door, running his fingers over the lock. After about a minute he unlocked it, and opened the door to face Beverly, who looked relieved when she saw him, but still worried.

She stepped in and closed the door behind her, and then wrapped her arms around him. She leant her face into his hair. “Sorry,” his voice was muffled against her shoulder.

“Don't be, it's alright. He'll understand if you don't want to go.”

Eddie's breathing settled down, as well as his heartbeat. He stepped away from Beverly, starting to feel a lot better.

“No, I-” he kicked himself for what he was saying. “I'll go. I promised I would.”

Beverly's face lit up. “Let's fix you up a bit first, though.” He nodded, and flashed her a small smile.

Beverly helped him get his hair looking neat again, and he fidgeted with his clothes in front of the mirror until he thought he looked presentable enough.

“All good?” she asked him before she opened the door. He took a deep breath and then nodded at her, and she turned and walked out into the hallway.

Eddie allowed himself one last glance in the mirror before he followed her out.

Bill, Stan, and Richie were standing in the kitchen when Beverly emerged from the hallway.

“Just be nice,” she said quietly as she leaned against the bench next to Richie.

“No worries,” he replied with a smirk.

Eddie slowly stepped out of the hallway and into view, and stood with his arms folded, his eyes immediately locking onto Beverly, who nodded slightly at him, assuring him it was okay. He looked at Bill and Stan, both of whom still looked quite worried. He put off looking at the fourth person there for as long as he could. He could see through peripheral vision that they were wearing mostly black and that they probably hadn't had a haircut in years. When he did look up at Richie's face, he saw him staring, bewildered, with a crooked, goofy smile on his face. He was also 6 foot fucking tall. Eddie felt queasy in his stomach. Half of him wanted to run straight back into the bathroom and lock the door and never come out. The other half wanted to do that as well but was trying not to want that. Trying to be brave.

“Hi,” Richie finally perked up after a few long moments of silence. “Richie Tozier.” He took a step forward and reached his hand towards Eddie, who noticed that his fingernails had been coloured black, but not like his mother's nail polish. More like he had done it with a permanent marker.

Now that he was closer, the height difference between the two was much more amusing. Eddie was only five foot four. He barely came up to Richie's shoulders.

Eddie shook Richie's hand, feeling pretty intimidated by this person looming over him like a grungy skyscraper.

“Eddie,” he said, although it came out in more of a whisper. Richie smirked at this.

“Eddie,” he repeated, to himself mostly, “it's cute.”

Eddie felt his face go hot, flustered, still staring at Richie with a kind of awe-struck horror.

The three in the kitchen noticed this and Bill decided to interrupt.

“W-we should leave or w-we'll miss the m-m-movie.”

Richie swung around. “Right you are, my man! Off we go!” He turned his head to Eddie and offered his arm. “M'lord?”

Eddie looked at his arm, up to his face, and then back at his arm, looking alarmed and confused. He hesitantly linked his arm through, and Richie beamed. They walked out the front to his truck, Bill, Stan, and Beverly in tow, and Richie opened the passenger side door, bowing exaggeratively, motioning for Eddie to get in.

Eddie looked at the vehicle, disgusted. No way he was getting in that thing.

Richie stood up, obviously a little confused. “You okay?” he asked. “Don't worry, I cleaned the inside of it, Bill said you don't like much mess so,”

“It's fine.” Eddie said, coming out more harshly than he intended. He took a deep breath, and got in. Richie carefully closed the door, smiling through the window. Eddie flashed him a smile back.

The other three piled into the back, basically having to sit on top of each other, and Richie walked around to the drivers side and got in.

Beverly leaned forward and put her hand on Eddie's shoulder, and he reached up and squeezed her hand for a second, the they both dropped their hands in their laps. “Ready to go guys?” Richie asked enthusiastically. The three in the back replied with an excited 'yes!'. Richie turned to Eddie, who nodded at him, smiling properly for the first time. Richie's heart melted a little, then turned the keys in the ignition, the engine roaring to life, music blasting out the radio, and off they went down the road.

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ultra-sandy-things · 5 years ago

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COMMUNITY WATCHING

In today’s world we talk of bird watching, movie watching, watching video games, watching YouTube, watching Netflix, watching Amazon Prime, but today I am going to pen down about my experience of community watch.

Today, I go down my memory lane when I was 16 years years old and was a student of Class XI Commerce, studying in Nagpur, and my sister, Bhavani was in the IVth standard. I had a very good friend Kavita Choudipande, she was in my college and was a Science student. My college used to be from 7 a.m. to 11.00 and hers from 11.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. We used to meet in the College Cycle Stand, my leaving time was her arrival time. The distance from her house to mine could be covered in 5 minutes by bicycle. We used to play on Sundays.

It was the 3rd week of October and it was a Friday and our college was to be closed for Diwali Holidays from Monday. When I was leaving college, I saw a beaming and happy Kavita. She parked her cycle and came running to me and said Sandhya ‘ I have a wonderful piece of news for you.’ I asked her ‘ What is it?’ She said Baba ( her father ) has purchased a Television and it is going to be delivered today. The mechanic would be coming around 4 p.m for installation. I was really happy. I hail from a small place, and TV was launched during that period and was the most happening thing in those days. Probably in our whole area, Kavita was the first one to get Television.

I went home and informed my amma and grandparents that Choudipande uncle was buying T.V. They were also very happy. It was 6 p.m, I thought TV would have been installed by now. I was very impatient and could not resist myself. I told my mother that I will check whether the TV has arrived and return home soon. When I went to Kavita’s house, her elder sister Mangal tai, elder brothers Sanju Dada, Balu dada , Kavita, and her younger sister Vaishu all were eagerly waiting outside their house for uncle. Those days, mobile was not invented. Uncle had gone to bring the mechanic for installation of TV and another boy had already left the showroom with the TV in a 3 wheeler.

I also started waiting for TV. We were overjoyed to see uncle and the vehicle. Finally, our wait was over. TV had arrived. It was VIDEOCON BLACK AND WHITE TV., it was a model with a shutter Kavita’s study table was made the TV stand. Finally, TV was proudly kept on the table by Choudipande family after doing pooja and applying tilak to it.

The mechanic who was to come for an installation could not make it that evening. Vasudha aunty ( Kavita’s mother) was very nice and sensible. She said that next day (Saturday) morning she would send Sanju Dada to the shop and get the mechanic so that installation can be done immediately. She understood our eagerness to watch TV. She told me that she will send somebody to inform after TV is installed and myself and my younger sister had the privilege of being invited to watch a movie in their house on their new Black and White TV.

Then came the unforgettable Saturday evening, when Sanju Dada came to our house and informed us that TV has been installed and invited both my sister and myself for watching a movie. He informed us that they are going to show the movie ‘ANAND’ in Doordarshan, starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan., at 6 p.m.,on Sunday. To this, my grandfather commented, ‘Why ‘Anand’, they should not show such a serious movie ‘.

I had a very exciting Sunday, the very thought of going to Kavita’s house to watch a movie was fascinating. Amma made sure that we have evening snacks so that we don’t feel hungry. Finally, it was 5.30 p.m, both sisters dressed up nicely, went to watch a movie on Black and White Television. On reaching Kavita’s house, I found that already her grandparents( Aaji, Ajoba) and close relatives were there. All elders were sitting on Sofa, Divan and we youngsters were sitting on the floor. We must have been about 27 people watching the movie.

The movie started at 6 p.m., just after about 40 minutes, uncle told aunty to give us something to eat. Aunty got up, went inside and brought a big packet of Glucose Biscuit, the biscuit was distributed to all present in the room, 2 biscuits each was given, irrespective of the age of the person. Aunty was very fair in her distribution. Apart from this water distribution was going on continuously whenever required.

Just after another 30 minutes, Kavita’s grandmother ( Aaaji) told something to aunty. Aunty again got up went inside called Mangal tai for help, after some time, we were having either banana, chickoo, orange. Whatever fruit was available in the house was distributed to all. Again, I still remember Aunty had a smile and serene face though she must have got disturbed in this activity. By now, the movie had started becoming serious. We all were silent.

After some time movie came to a sad ending. We were all weeping. Aaji started crying as if someone had passed away in her house. Ajoba was laughing; he commented that it was just a movie not to be taken so seriously. Suddenly we saw uncle coming and whispering something to Aunty. Aunty got up took Mangal tai and one of her relatives inside. We were too engrossed in the climax. Finally, the movie ended. It was a wonderful movie with a sad end.

I got up, thanked Kavita, and was preparing to leave, suddenly uncle saw me and asked the reason for getting up. I informed him that the movie was over and we were going home. He asked us to wait and said have one interesting thing to offer, have it and then go. He was very happy that so many people had come to his place to watch TV. We had to wait for 5 minutes and saw aunty, Mangal tai coming out with a tray and many plates having Poha, Chana and a piece of Peda. We were so surprised, Kavita said this was a celebration for their TV. Poha, Chana was followed by half cup of Tea. They had prepared all this before itself only Tea was made after the movie. Above all this, they did not allow us to return home alone. Sanju dada was given the task to leave us home.

I have seen a lot many movies till now, visited many theaters but the enjoyment which we had watching this movie with so many people was a different experience. It was indeed ‘COMMUNITY WATCHING’ We did not have any inhibition those days to go to somebody’s house. Now to go to anybody’s house also we check for that person’s availability, convenience. Probably we have become very formal now.

THOSE DAYS WERE REALLY DIFFERENT AND SO THEY ARE REMEMBERED.

SANDY’S HAPPY WORLD

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harshabennur · 7 years ago

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Everest Base Camp - A noob's journey

Day 1:

I am sitting on the floor at the chaotic domestic airport at Kathmandu, Nepal. March 4th 2017 was the day I decided to trek to the Everest Base Camp. In hindsight, I have no clue why I decided to do this arduous activity. I am fortunate to have met Jamling Norgay (son of the great Tenzing Norgay) a few times. Jamling motivated me to do this trek when I last met him on March 4th.

Before I say anything further, its best you know that I havent done any form of writing (expect emails!) in a long long time. If memory serves right, the last time I wrote more than a paragraph was during my B school days. So, it will be ideal if you set low standards of writing from this blog!

Also, pardon me if I keep going back to events before I started this trek once in a while. I do not know how tough this trek is going to be, but the prelude to this trek has definitely been a real challenge (I am nursing an injured and severely abused lower back).

I had initially planned to do this trek alone. Maybe some sense prevailed later and here I am with my office buddy Manu, both embarking on something we don't know how well we are prepared for. We landed in Kathmandu yesterday around 3.30 pm. While the immigration is smooth, collecting your baggage is a looong wait. A short 15 minute drive brought us to our stay for the night - Hotel Thamel. A small and clean hotel, ideal for overnight stay. Our guide - Durga ji was waiting for us to complete our paperwork - permit, flight tickets to Lukla, coordinates of the guide at Lukla, his fees, etc. He also gave us 2 massive duffel bags to carry our luggage. Once done, we stepped out to get some essentials - local sim card with 10 GB data :), sleeping bags for rent, hiking sticks and a few knick-knacks.

Strongly recommend the food at Thamel House Restaurant (a short walk from our hotel). A sumptuous dinner and tasting authentic local cuisine - done. This part of the city doesnt seem very crowded. The locals seem very friendly and speak Hindi decently well.

Durga ji had given strict instructions that we could pack a maximum of 10 kilos each in our duffel bag which would be carried by our guide/porter. This turned out to be a serious challenge. Despite being extremely choosy about what we packed in our luggage, it was impossible to fit in all essentials within the given weight restriction. It took us a few visits to the hotel reception where the weighing scale was located and removing more gear (some really essential) to bring down the weight to 10 kilos. I am really worried about leaving out few critical peices of clothing - have left behind 2 warm tees, one thermal inner lining and a pair of hiking shorts. We ended up not carrying many other important things - the long range lens of my DSLR camera, the camera bag which now leaves the camera vulnerable to damages, sports shoes for post hike moving around, etc. Not to mention, we left behind most part of the chocolates, energy bars and snacks we were carrying to make our journey more bearable. This task left Manu and me really frustrated.

Before I continue, our flight has been delayed due to bad weather in Lukla. I had read about Lukla's unpredictable weather, but was hoping we would be lucky. The operator - Tara Air/Yeti Airlines says there is a possibility of cancelling all flights to Lukla today. Obviously, this is not great news, leaving us helpless. Praying to the weather gods to give us a half hour clear window to make it to Lukla today.

Update:

Unfortunately, our flight to Lukla got cancelled after multiple reschedules. The low hanging clouds at Lukla made it impossible for planes to land on the short landing strip. Frustrated, we left the departure zone back to the check-in counter and received tickets for next day flight departing at 12.30 pm. This wasn’t encouraging because the locals say that the best time to leave for Lukla is early morning, post which the place gets heavy cloud cover. We headed back to the hotel and checked in for another day. Manu decided to take a separate room not able to sleep owing to my snoring! (our guide had put us on twin sharing).

With nothing much to do, we decided to take a stroll around the city. Unfortunately, the entire city was shut due to Dussehra festival and the place resembled a ghost town. Durga ji called us in the evening suggesting we take a helicopter to Lukla. This meant that our existing plane tickets would go waste. Manu and I pondered for a short while and decided to take the chopper. We didn’t want to risk losing another day because our return date to India was not flexible. We had to head out at 5.30 am for an early morning helicopter ride. Thankfully, we didn’t have any preparation to do since we were already packed and ready. Another Nepali cuisine dinner brought an end to the day. After having 3 meals of the local cuisine, I am convinced that their food is generally very pleasant, tasty, largely non spicy.

Day 2:

We arrived at the airport by 6 am and Durga ji’s friend there whisked us past the long queues at entry, check in, etc and parked us at the office of a heli operator. After a short wait and some paperwork, we driven to a far corner of the airport where many helicopters were parked. Some more paperwork and few safety instructions, and we were taken to the chopper. Both of us were fairly excited since it was the first time for us in a helicopter. It was a great experience to get a bird’s eye view of the beautiful work of mother nature. Sitting next to the pilot, I got a crash course on how to fly a a helicopter. The pilot even allowed me to get a feel of the cyclic (the joystick which acts as the rudder). Good fun! We got a radio message saying Lukla had heavy cloud cover. We were forced to land little lower at Surke and after a wait for about half an hour, the clouds cleared enough for the heli to take us to Lukla.

Our porter and guide - Phuri Sherpa was there to meet us. After pleasantries and a quick breakfast, we started on our trek from Lukla to our destination for the day - Phakding. The trek to Phakding is not the typical trek we expected. Phakding being at a lower elevation than Lukla, most of our trek was downhill. Barring few steep inclines, we kept going downhill most of our trek. Walking downhill is heavy on knees. Manu developed a small niggle in his left knee, hopefully he should be fine by tomorrow. The trek was extremely scenic with the river Dudh Koshi accompanying us all along. Couple of long steel bridges and buddhist temples make for some interesting sights.

A 4 hour trek brought us to Phakding. Our guide recommended a guest house which overlooked the river. The rooms are tiny, basic but clean. We were tired after trudging along the rocky downhill path.

Both of us decided to do some stretches to relax our muscles. I was particularly concerned about my back. The last 2 days before flying into Nepal were hectic owing to official travel and last minute packing. I had slept for a total of 4-5 hours over two days. While the rest of me was able to function fine, my lower back kept giving signals that it was tired.

I should mention that I suffered from a slipped disc three years ago. This lower back injury brought most physical activities to a screeching halt. My motorcycle riding, weekend sports, gym, etc had to be put aside. While yoga, physiotherapy and adequate rest did improve the condition of my lower back for a while, I have been guilty of not being persistent in my efforts. From a guy who could squat 330 pounds to struggle to bend down to pick up a pencil, it has been a tough ride. To cut a long story short, it has been a miserable 3 years from a fitness point of view. People who have suffered from lower back injuries will know that the injury affects your mind as much as your body.

Coming back, we walked around the village after another tasty Nepali lunch. It is a village of approximately 50 buildings, most of them being guest houses for trekkers like us. The people from Lukla onwards look very different from those in Kathmandu, People here resemble the Tibetians. The kids here are like extremely cute and are like mountain goats. You can see toddlers running on the rocky path faster than us. A siesta and bowl of garlic vegetable soup for supper brings our day to an early end. Manu is keen to have a long sleep and is not impressed with me going typity-type on my laptop. Will try to add few photos here and call it a night.

#everest base camp trek #ebctrek

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