#also being honest i enter events largely as motivation for myself to create & love the gift-giving part even more

[astriiformes]

Navigating a slightly awkward fandom etiquette situation that I'd be interested in other folks' input on

I was a part of a really neat little gift exchange where my own prompt ended up having to be filled by a pinch-hitter, which may be one reason for the mismatch. The TL;DR is I had requested a genfic (unsurprisingly to you all, I am sure) and the gift I ended up getting was... not, and felt a bit like it veered from the prompt to additionally focus on a character I don't care as much for.

(Ultimately I am not horribly put-out because this was for a small fandom and there were a number of other works people did for the exchange that I got excited about, and also the vibes of the whole event have been lovely and kind which is why I don't want to kill that!)

My dilemma is I feel like I still ought to leave a comment on the fic -- it doesn't seem right not to on an exchange gift, especially when someone stepped up to write something last minute and I think just genuinely didn't understand my preferences. However I am still feeling a tiny bit of aromantic weariness about the situation, and feel a bit uncomfortable with that. My usual "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" fic policy is failing me here, and there are at least a few bits of it I still liked and could bring up in a comment. But it all feels a little disingenuous.

Just contemplating the best sort of comment to leave that won't hurt the writer's feelings and even expresses some gratitude for stepping up at the last minute (since I'm sure there are other folks getting excited about the story, and I like that thought) but also doesn't totally misrepresent what I am About in fandom, you know?

[yukahoo]

Jimin’s journey in the Bangtan Universe #7: Darkness crept in

#0: Intro #1: The one who laughed the loudest #2: In this place of eternal mayhem the party never stops #3: Youth is not coming back #4: An impression of being stuck #5: “I’m trapped inside myself and I am dead” #6: The forbidden fruit

So, we’re back to where we began: The Highlight Reel.

These videos along with the HYYH Notes seem to have been released for get us up to speed with the next phase of the story. The scene is being set for something but we are not yet privy to all the details. A lot of info is being held back and I get the feeling we’re kinda encouraged to fill in the blanks incorrectly.

The HLR follows the seven men in their separate storylines. From the notes we know that there has been a falling-out, a severing of ties among the group of friends. Jimin and Hoseok are the only two who still keep in touch. Their part of the storyline begins at a dance studio of sorts where HS is practicing and JM is filming him. Both seem really happy for once. A girl enters with a cake and later she and HS dance together while JM films. At night JM practices alone. In a later clip we see JM collide with the girl and he ends up crying in the bathroom. HS is shown running with the unconscious girl on his back. JM runs too until he suddenly gives up the pursuit and turns back the way he came.

The story is very dramatic for sure, and leaves us with more questions than answers. Furthermore none of it really explains why JM described his role in it as the “bad guy”. We do get the feeling that JM might be jealous of HS either for his dancing or the girl, depending on your fancy. He keeps filming the two of them dance and yet practices alone. The HYYH notes confirm that JM is envious of HS’s skills and wants to be as good as him.

But that’s just it. He wants to be as good as HS and worthy of dancing with him, of standing by his side. There are no expressed ambitions to surpass him or steal his glory. From the clip and from the notes we get nothing but genuine admiration from JM to HS, as well as brotherly care from HS to JM. So even if JM is envious of HS’s skills, I don’t think it’s a destructive kind of envy. In one of the notes, JM literally describes how he likes playing in HS’s shadow. He doesn’t seem that eager to step out of it.

So what about the girl then? The way the HLR is set up is that all the boys have their own separate storylines with different actresses, excluding HS and JM of course who share a storyline and the female protagonist. It seems to me the way most fans understand the story between JM, HS and the girl is that JM likes the girl while the girl likes HS. I guess they base that on the fact that JM is shown filming her. So maybe we are supposed to see JM as trying to woo HS’s girl over, perhaps with his dance and that’s why he keeps practicing. Maybe that’s what will make him the villain of the story.

But watching the videos, it doesn’t really seem like that either. The difference in the way JM looks at HS and the way he looks at the girl is quite striking.

Plot-wise, we’re not really getting anywhere here. None of JM’s actions throughout the storyline show him as “bad”, per se. Still somehow it is quite obvious that there is at times something sinister about JM in the videos. There is an unexplainably resentful mood he carries around with him throughout the thing. His facial expressions when he thinks no one is watching, when he dances alone or at the very end of the video tell a story of a sullen and troubled boy, at the very least.

For anyone who has been paying attention, it’s not really a revelation though. We have had our little glimpses of this sinister side of him before as well.

But thus far these glimpses have always happened on the flip side of reality, in the more conceptual and metaphorical videos put out. In the two MVs that tiptoe along that line between “real-life” events and dreams - that is the Run MV and the Japanese BS&T MV -  his more rebellious, hell-raising persona has been present too.

So does this mean we are finally going to see his “evil” alter ego manifest in the “real-life” too? The evidence at this point is not conclusive. Like I said before, I think we are missing large chunks of the story of what actually happens between JM, HS and the girl, and trying to guess at this point would be futile.

Some questions to ponder:

If JM was practicing alone at night, in the dark, how was she suddenly there too?

Why was JM holding his arm even before he hit the floor?

Was their collision while dancing really severe enough for him to start bleeding so profusely and for her to be knocked unconscious?

Why is HS carrying the girl on his back, in the rain, instead of calling for medical assistance back at the studio?

How is JM running after the two if he was also crying in the bathroom?

Is he really unable to catch up to HS who is running with another person’s weight slowing him down?

Why is JM carrying an umbrella when it’s obviously doing nothing to keep him dry and, if anything, just makes running that much more difficult?

Is JM even the one running?

None of this is adding up. We don’t have all the pieces yet, so the final evaluation of JM’s true badness in this storyline will have to wait.

I would however like to point out that the MAMA 2017 “Second Chapter” VCR, through the clip selection, music choice and editing definitely put an emphasis on the more sinister interpretation of JM’s storyline in the HLR.

It is also worthwhile to note that as happily as the video started, before the end of it JM finds himself devastated and soaked wet, yet again. This time he’s not in a bathtub, but he is crying in a bathroom. I don’t know if we are supposed to see this as character development.

To be frank, I feel I’m dancing around the elephant in the room. The most honest reading of the JM-HS storyline in the HLR is that JM is actually in love with HS. On the most obvious level it would explain why JM’s gaze at HS is so affectionate yet turns sour when the girl arrives. It would explain why JM is so obsessed with practicing his dance so he can be worthy of standing by HS’s side. 

And finally, when there was a collision between JM and the girl, even if it was by accident (or perhaps especially if it was an accident) and HS cast JM aside to tend to the girl, it would explain the look of hurt and betrayal seen on JM’s face at the end.

For the 2017 MMAs JM and J-Hope performed a dance intro to the music played in the HLR climax scene pictured above. It starts out very gently with JH almost guiding JM’s movements as they move in unison. Jin’s narration says: “To love someone is to love the world. But we wear a mask because of fear,” while JM grabs his chest and JH covers his face with his hands. JM pulls JH’s hands down when the words “FAKE LOVE” are being projected behind them. Later their powerful dance creates a ripple effect across the stage. The background is rain falling upwards.

I fully recognise that this interpretation of the events and emotions put forth in the HLR might be yet another red herring, meant to point us in the wrong direction. Also JM’s love for HS could also be insecure, possessive and jealous even if not romantic in nature. But in any case, I just want to take an opportunity here to state that if this reading of JM’s motivations in the HLR is anywhere close to what what will be explored in the future then BIgHit better be damn careful with this. The “villainous gay” trope is not something anyone is here for. But this is a humongous “if” to begin with.

In the last part of the HLR Seokjin, the video’s narrator, muses about the possibility of turning back time to right wrongs and to correct past mistakes. But how far back do you go? The narration is accompanied by clips of some main events for the 7 members’ storylines up until now, all played in reverse. 

For JM the selected clips are very similar to the flashback clips in the Epilogue, i.e. him with the tub from the INU MV as well as a closeup of the leaking faucet. A new addition to the selection, however, is a clip of JM falling backwards into the tub in the Lie SF or, more accurately as it is played in reverse, of him falling out of the tub. It is the only clip from the Wings short films used.

By now it’s obvious to me that the Lie SF is important to JM’s overarching storyline in the BU in ways that the other short films might not be. In his case it’s not just a conceptual or metaphorical allegory but actually tells us about something that really happened to JM’s character. And that something has actual consequences for him in the “real-life” side of the BU grand narrative. That moment where JM falls into the tub is the turning point, both literally and figuratively.

I remember reading a fan theory that claimed they could hear a voice whisper “Jimin-ah!” at that moment when he hits the water. Me, I couldn’t say for sure. But a detail like that, as spooky as it may be to consider, is not even that important. All we really know is that after he fell the darkness crept in.

There’s still so much more to say.

Next up >> #8: A deal with the Devil

[marymosley]

Meet Nipun Bhatia: A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger

In conversation with Nipun Bhatia who is presently Vice-President, Strategic Management & Process Redesigning at Legal League Consulting, A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger –, the person donning several hats!

  Here’s candid conversation about his Journey and different professional roles:

  What was your first choice – pursuing Chartered Accountancy or Law?

I’m sure you would’ve heard the famous saying, “What you seek is seeking you”! I believe I’ve been lucky in the sense that things have fallen into place like missing pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. I signed up for law half-way through my CA course, under the fear that I may never be able to pass the final stages (given the average number of students that qualify every year!). To be honest, I didn’t want to end up without a professional degree and hence started pursuing law. However, what actually started as a fall-back plan, actually became my mainstream choice. Regular classes in college helped fostering my interest in law more than chartered accountancy; and while I cleared both the exams, I knew my interest was more towards law. I also pursued a short-term specialization course in IP Laws which drew me closer to the field of Intellectual Property. It also helped me to better understand the nuances of IP laws, which came as a great help later as a large number of firms who seek my assistance as management consultant are IP Boutique firms. The domain knowledge of IP Laws, coupled with my learnings while pursuing CA, well-equipped me towards various inter-linked aspects like commercial laws, taxation, valuation, creation of IP assets, finance, equity structuring, goodwill, brand usage at the time of restructuring or mergers, etc.

What prompted you to choose the field of management consulting to legal industry after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and a Lawyer?

My experience of working as a Finance Manager with a renowned IP Law Firm actually paved way for me to venture into different areas of business support like human resource management, operations management, administration, IP investigations and enforcement actions. When I met Ms. Bithika Anand, Founder & CEO of Legal League Consulting, I was deeply moved by her vision to transform the Indian legal industry. Her commitment to bring operational efficiencies to legal organizations and to equip them with global best practices motivated me to a great extent. Her vision and confidence motivated me to join Legal League Consulting and be a part of an organization that strived to achieve something extraordinary, niche and unheard of.

The recent times have witnessed strong emergence of business support functions in law firms. Do you think becoming a management consultant can be a full-time career option for lawyers?

Absolutely! Law firms are increasingly looking to recruit lawyers who are willing to try their hand at innovative roles like Brand Development & Corporate Communication, Practice Development, Knowledge Management, Research & Content Development, Legal IT & Automation, to name a few. Lawyers opting to be a part of business support functions have an upper edge as they not only understand the lives of the lawyer better, they are also able to better comprehend the legal language and understand aspects related to environment lawyers operate in (say, restriction on advertising, soliciting and cold-calling). In last five years, firms have also progressed towards professionalization of business support. There are dedicated Managers and Heads for functional areas and the trend to hire lawyers as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Systems Officer (CSO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Business Development Managers, etc. is on the rise. Not only are there lawyers making a switch to these fields after certain years of practice, but there are also young lawyers joining the functional support areas, who are clear that they’re not inclined towards traditional lawyering. Several fresh law graduates are joining as research and knowledge trainees, helping firms with newsletters, knowledge dissemination, conference participation, industry sector researches, jurisdiction-specific researches, policy updates, case analysis, templatization, document management, etc. The field is expanding and there is absolutely no dearth of opportunities for those who want go the unconventional way.

Internship opportunities are available to lawyers who want to practice legal consultancy or work in a law firm. What about opportunities for those who aspire to pursue a career in law firm management?

It is about getting the approach correct. Those who are desirous of making a career in this field need to approach law firms with specific requests to let them intern with teams/heads handling the operational areas. Wherever possible, they can be specific to the extent of requesting for a functional area, say, Corporate Communication, Operations, Talent Management, etc. In case they are interning with law firms that do not have such sophisticated bifurcation of business support departments/specialized teams, they can always interact with the operations team or business support members during their legal internships; and gather knowledge on areas that interest them. It would be worthwhile for students who intend to enter this field, to follow international writers/bloggers who write on law firm management, as the concept is far more popular and accepted abroad. Legal League Consulting also offers internships to law students where they get to work with the core team members and get trained on areas like Compensation Benchmarking & Structuring, Practice Development, Brand Enhancement, Human Resource Planning and Synergies & Alliances amongst law firms.

You are handling brand creation for a sizeable number of law firms. Given the restrictions on lawyers towards advertising and solicitation, what goes into creating a brand strategy for lawyers?

When I talk of ‘brand creation’, I always resonate it with ‘creating your worth as a trusted advisor’. If you are not the ‘go to’ person for a client in the hour of need, you’re yet to create your brand. Therefore, contrary to what people think, brand creation is less about the extent of your web/online presence and more about the relationships you develop and your perception as an ‘authority’ or ‘thought leader’ in your area of practice. The brand strategy for lawyers is actually their macro-level plan in terms of their presence and contribution at various relevant events and forums, the fervour with which young lawyers look up to them, their involvement in the policy making or regulatory environment for their practice area, and most importantly, the dedication with which they want to make the lives of their clients, colleagues and prospective client contacts easy. Of course, ranking by leading international publications also make a difference to the brand perception, as it culminates from a thorough research process and is largely reflective of the work done by the organization in last 12 months. Collate and articulate the key work done in different practice areas and make submissions to ranking publications, which will increase the chances of your firm being ranked or included as notable/upcoming lawyers.

Being a management consultant to law firms entails you dealing with high-end and time consuming initiatives like strategy planning, equity structuring and mergers between law firms. How did fashion blogging happen?

Fashion blogging commenced as a result of encouragement (and some criticism!) by a few friends. Amidst comparisons with Ranveer Singh’s quirky sense of style, there were some who were always supportive and some who were simply amused (for the lack of a better word!). Let’s just say I’m experimental with my looks and I have an eye for clothes that have an edge or are slightly different in terms of their style. I chose the name @notjustacompulsiveshopper for my Instagram and Facebook profiles to let the world know that while my friends and family consider me to be a compulsive shopper, the truth is that I enjoy being experimental and having a huge wardrobe to choose from is always a plus! I’m usually ahead of times in terms of adorning a trend and am as comfortable with street shopping as I am with branded stores and online shopping sites.

Amidst leading a busy lifestyle and multi-tasking with heavy duty deliverables, how do you find time for pursuing fashion blogging?

I am a firm believer in training the brain to toggle between switch off and switch modes. Thus, after a long day at work, writing about fashion or clothes or new trends is just a way to connect with people who share similar interests and who are as passionate about grooming and fashion trends as I am. I wouldn’t call myself a blogger in true sense of the word as I’m not able to keep up with the commitment it requires. But yes, I would say I enjoy writing about looks that are unconventional, clothes that are unique or have an edge; and how to create a unique ensemble look with different clothing items, colour combinations and accessories. It is a complete stress-buster. My advice to all the lawyers out there would be to develop a hobby amidst leading a fast-paced and stressful lifestyle. Doing what you love both on and off-work will help you channelize your creative energies better.

The post Meet Nipun Bhatia: A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger appeared first on Legal Desire.

Meet Nipun Bhatia: A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

[limejuicer1862]

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger. The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Vivien Jones

Vivien writes short stories, poetry and plays. Her first poetry collection – About Time, Too – was published in September 2010 by Indigo Dreams Publishing. She also won the Poetry London Prize that year. A second collection – Short of Breath – was published in 2012 (Cultured Llama Press) She has twice performed as a Poetry Double  with Jacob Polley and Jen Hadfield. She has  two short fiction collections in print, and numerous other publication credits, nationally and internationally. She currently divides her writing time between creating award-winning plays and devising and leading writing workshops – especially in museums and historic properties.

The Interview

1. What inspired you  to write poetry?

Not so much inspired, as required to, when as a mature student at the University of Glasgow (Crichton Campus)  I took a Creative Writing course with the poet, Tom Pow, I was asked to produce a portfolio of six poems. I had written poetry as a teenager, with plenty of angst and little restraint, and even had them read at the old Traverse Theatre when it was in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh, but I had written no poetry since. ‘Write what you know,’ everyone said, so my first pieces explored no grand themes but were about cooking and nurture, and family life. Once started I couldn’t stop and with the generous encouragement of Tom and my fellow students I began to extend my range. This was thirteen years ago and I have been writing poetry amongst other things ever since.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

At Plympton Grammar School in Devon, two of my English teachers, the intimidating ‘spinster’ (that’s how she proudly described herself) Miss Blake and the rebellious Jack Bevan put books my way – the classics of English poetry from Miss Blake; the mischievous questing of comtemporary poets from Jack. So I learnt respect for form from one and the fact that anything and everything is fit subject of poetry from the other.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

I didn’t know any actual poets at that time – once I did in 1960s Edinburgh the ones I met were all men and pretty egotistical. They would flirt but not engage in conversation about literature with someone so young and female. I have always remembered my astonishment at reading the verse of Gerard Manley Hopkins and the warmth of recognition in the poetry of DH Lawrence.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I’m very fortunate in having ‘a room of my own’.   My husband and I are both self-employed and work at home so I can write at will. I do a lot of writing project leading so much of my work is planning and organising. reviewing and editing. I’m also one of three editors of our regional arts magazine called ‘Southlight’. I’m more likely to write for myself in the mornings after a prolonged shared breakfast when he heads for his workshop and I head to my room.

5. What motivates you to write?

The non-stop picture show in my head. It was only when I resumed writing at university that I realised that not everyone has this experience. When a particular idea strikes me I seem able to pause the action and examine it – thus when I write about my childhood I’m seeing it with sound and colour. I feel I have to do something with such vivid stimulus.

6. What is your work ethic?

I’m a fast worker – too fast sometimes, I have to make myself work at review  and re-drafting, but I’m also a hard worker and like the projects I lead to be well-planned and structured. I like to work in peer groups and spend time in making sure that everyone has a voice and equal speaking time. This is very important with new writers who need to work from where they are. For my own work I have a couple of trusted writing friends who are also good, honest critics. 7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today ?Reading and drawing were such important parts of my childhood, much of my playtime spent in one of the other, so my reading was absorbed into my growing self very deeply. I don’t really know that I can identify what influence they were except to say I loved the writers who wrote of real life rather than talking animals (eg though I have come to admire the later Mrs Heelis, I couldn’t stand the tweeness of Beatrix Potter or many of the children’s classics  – I think the fame of such books often reflect the love of adults looking back) and it’s been a strong thread in my own writing. So it was probably the feisty books I found to read to my sons that pleased me more

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

Toni Morrison – for ‘Beloved’ especially, in which she explores each corner of the human heart in all its complexity. I re-read it, at least in part, most years. Alice Walker for similar reasons.

John Le Carré – for the eloquence of his prose and the fine detail in the ideas he persues.

Jackie Kay – especially her poetry which looks at difference in ways which broaden understanding. She is one of very few writers who can write about music and its intoxication.

Philip Pullman – for his fresh, unsentimental imagination used to create a fabled world for children (and adults) and for his fierce defence of the need for children to read quality literature.

Not many truly of ‘today’, not because I don’t read them but because it takes me time to take them in and I realise there are few poets in my list. That’s because I find it hard to measure poetry against itself. In no special order I also like :

Ian Banks, Sebastion Faulks, Alice Munro, William Boyd

9. Why do you write?

I want to leave something behind. Being a young woman in the 1970s first wave of feminism had a deep and lasting effect on my desire to write of women’s experience where it differed hugely from men’s, and was largely unvoiced. I felt there were gentle things to say, subtle negotiations to be made and I wanted to make a plea for equality between genders rather than replacing the dominance of one over the other. I think we need to learn to love each other from a stance of respect which makes demands of both, and teach our children those values. So I write to persuade.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Write. Read. Listen. Join a writing group, preferably in person but there are lots online. Construct a writer’s CV by sending work to a steadily expanding list of publications. Not sure about entering competitions which can be expensive and are totally unpredictable but if that’s something that appeals then try that. There are lots of pamphlet competitions which could be a first step, and can be added to that CV. Once you have some history of publication apply to be on your national equivalent of the Scottish Book Trust Live Literature scheme, which will allow you financial support to go to writing groups and schools as a leader.  My advice would be don’t self-publish – I know many people do and there’s less stigma about it these days but it remains unedited, and can disqualify the work from counting when making funding applications. But above all, write.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

Drama : ‘Transgressions’ – two short plays in performance in November 2018

Poetry : ‘Finding a Voice’ – working with other writers giving voice to the women subjects of 19th/20th century photgraphs for display in the Ewart Library, Dumfries. November 2019, and development as a theatre piece.

‘Records of War’ – an 18th month project in Annan and Dumfries with writers in response to an exhibition at both museums on WW1. Also an associated reading event – ‘Little is known….’ based on the centena I wrote for the Imperial War Museum/26 Writers Collective Armistace event. November 2018.

Title TBC : writing project with Gracefield Art Gallery, responding to 19th/20th century paintings by women. March 2019.

‘ Embedded’ Putting together a third poetry collection – have a potential publisher interested. 2019/20 Details :

http://www.vivienjones.info https://www.facebook.com/vivien.jones1?fref=ts&ref=br_tf http://www.southlight.ukwriters.net e-mail : vivien@freeola.com

Publications :

Poetry – collections ‘Hare’ erbacce press 2008 ‘Something in the Blood’ Lapwing Press 2008 ‘About Time, Too’  Indigo Dreams 2010 ‘Short of Breath’ Cultured Llama 2014 Short Stories – collections

‘Perfect 10’  Pewter Rose Press* 2009 ‘White Poppies’  Pewter Rose Press 2012

*Pewter Rose Press closed down in 2017 I still have some copies of both collections.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Vivien Jones Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

[kangaroomoney]

Top Financial Mistakes Under 25

These are a combination of the biggest financial mistakes that I have my myself and that a lot of young adults have made and some tips on how to fix them.

1. Not Saving or INVESTING This is kind of obvious and definitely easier said than done, but so vital to adulting. Up until this past year, my saving account has always been extremely turbulent. I would save a little then deplete time, save a little then deplete it.

About a year ago, I got serious about saving because I had goals I wanted to reach and soon. I saved 60% of my net income (after-taxes) and put it in a high yield online savings account. Online savings accounts can provide higher interest rates because they have lower overhead (cost associated with operation) due to not having to pay rent for the building, employee salaries, electricity, and other associated costs. Also, having an online savings account prevents you from constantly moving money back and forth between accounts which is a lot easier when your checking and savings are at the same bank.

Onto investing. It sounds like a scary and complicated notion and it kinda is because you’re betting and gambling with a lot of your money which could fluctuate a lot. It’s not actually that scary. Since the market has rebounded it has been a really good time to invest. I have always had a 401K set up with the jobs i’ve had and the tip is to save the same percentage that your company matches to optimize the amount that is going in. Since I get taxed a lot, I decided to save 10% and my company matched up to 6% so I could pay slightly less in taxes (we pay more of our paycheck in taxes than other age groups generally.) Putting money into your 401k adds up. Just check on it periodically and if you want to put more in CDs or more in the money market, you can adjust the percentage that is invested in each category.

One option that is really popular now is low cost index funds. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for Vanguard who started this. These index funds are diversified (invested in varies categories) and you can get in with as low as $300. I invested in a fund with $6000 and in the first quarter this year I yielded 7% growth which is greater than the market. The idea was that bankers who charge fees and get commission from managing your portfolio does not do any better than if you randomly picked stocks to invest in and they RARELY do better than the market. I should check my account more frequently than i care to admit. Investing in many individual stocks is a lot riskier because together they may not be diversified into different industries and you’d constantly have to watch it all day, every day and do so much more research, which I kind of do anyway because Im a great and on top of my life (kidding). But index funds are a great way to enter the investing realm.

2. Upgrading Too Soon (depreciating assets) A lot of people get a new job or get promotion and decide to #treatyoself by upgrading their car, buying a new gadget or upgrading their current tech items. If you buy a car without a heavy down payment, you’ll be sucked into this monthly debt you may not be able to afford. Just because you got approved for the loan, doesn’t mean you can afford it. I know a lot of people like to trade in cars but if you own a car that does not have a good resale value, don’t trade it in. Drive it until it dies. Growing up, my parents always said, “if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.” They hated the idea of pay interest, so they would not buy a new car unless: it crashed, or died. My mom actually still drives her 1998 Toyota Sienna which my brother and I dubbed “Bertha”. They also paid for all their cars in cash. This idea is nice but, this isn’t as realistic these days. I would put in 35%-50% and finance the rest. I also love tech and gadgets. When I saw Brookstone had begun commercialize drones, I wanted one, bad. I read a million reviews on different drones and to be honest in like 2013 the drones at $400, sucked. They were flimsy, faulty and did not have a great camera, great dodge there. Going back on topic, wait out on large purchases like Laptops and tech toys. The general advise is if you have one that is functioning, dont get sucked in by marketing ploys of the new and flashy.

3. Budgeting- Not being realistic or not having one at all. Budgeting is so important because a lot of us don’t even know how much we spend or need to spend each month. In order to save, invest, and create fluidity, you have to budget. I don’t follow the 40, 30, 20, 10 rule that most financial blogs and institutions suggest. This is because we all live differently. I love food and cannot cook to save my life therefore, my food expenditure would be significantly higher than someone who is competent in the kitchen. I am a little crazy because initially I put all my expenses each month in an excel spread sheet and use that to adjust my spending and plan for future events like wedding and trips. My credit card also does this but i have multiple ones for different purposes and this spreadsheet just allows me to make graphs and see trends a lot better. I am not saying people need to do this because it is an extreme measure and I love spreadsheets but some sort of tracking is important. There are so many apps out there like Mint, Wallaby, Wally that you can input CC info and are able to track your spending. 

I put in my core and fixed expenses that don’t change: rent, student loans, car payments, electric, gym memberships, etc. Then I personally put aside how much I wanted to save. Whatever was left over was what i had to to work with for leisure because at the time, my main focus was saving. This did not allot me with much because I’m young and working in the city making, not a ton of money. I soon realized i didn’t need to spend $500 on clothing each month or rationalize going to NY every weekend or even small things like grabbing Starbucks everyday even though my office has a Starbucks machine #notsoychaithough...

Adjust your budget frequently. I adjust each quarter. I had a speadsheet for the year with a planned budget then at the beginning and end of each quarter go in an see how i’ve done and change things for the next quarter to see what i can improve on. Things change and events come up. My friends and i like traveling so when we plan a trip I incorporate it into my budget. 

Be flexible. I can never understand people who don’t like change, as it is the only thing that is constant, (haha so cliche). It true though, you have to be able to say “ok, this month, I cannot got to Starbucks at all because I have a trip coming up or because I had to replace my brakes the previous month.” 

Get rid of non-utilized memberships and expenses. A friend of mine was paying for 3 different gyms at one time. Take a look at everything you pay for and get rid of non-core expenses. Some people have issues parting with things but if there is no value greater than its cost, get rid of it. I had a similar kerfuffle when I thought, oh i can get rid of my gym membership because my job has a gym in the basement, easy expense to nix. I then visited my company gym, and it just wasn’t for me. It didn’t motivate me to work out, it was cramped and I had to workout with my coworkers next to me, ugh, kidding. So i decided to keep my gym membership but i did nix my yoga membership because I just cannot wake up at 5AM and Chaturanga at 6. I also combined a lot of my memberships with my brother and parents to reduce monthly costs like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Tidal, and AmazonPrime and pay annually so there isnt that monthly conversation of. “Hey, you havent paid me the $5 for Netflix” and think well it’s only $5, i’ll let it go. These expenses add up. The people you choose have to be reliable or you have to be reliable. Cancellation can be a bitch if communication is not clear.

One big problem I used to have with budgeting was that I was not realistic. I would say I would save $1000 a month with only $2000 coming in monthly, but I would do it by running up my credit card on things i did not need and pretend like those expenses did not exist. I just was not strict enough on myself. If you create a budget take it month by month or week by week and keep yourself on track.

4. Yes Man - Social life & Overspending This ties into budgeting but more of the social aspect. Living in a city, there are so many things to do. There are events every weekend or even during the week. You gotta stick to your budget and know how much leg room you have to for fun. I am one who always says yes, because I don’t like disappointing and i like doing things. As one of my coworkers, Elliott had described as an “activities based” person. I am definitely one of those. DC is conveniently located where less an hour out in any direction, you will get a completely different but very capitalistic environments.  Happy Hours and company events were the bane of my existence. I have to say, a lot of people I know go out drinking 3 days a week. This adds up and no one is paying me enough to be drunk 3 days a week. You can’t say yes, when your bank account is screaming “NO.”

5. Credit Cards

At last, these evil little things can be so easily misused and you can get yourself into a lot of trouble. I have a couple but only use 2 of them. There are so many articles I used to read about the best ones or the credit cards with the best perks but they’re all quite comparative. I’ve had a line of credit since I was 16 because my parents mistakenly decided to allow me to have one under their account. My first real credit card was a travel card from the bank i have my accounts in, which was not terrible because If i spend $3000, i got 40,000 points which equated to a free flight to Cali which I was planning for anyway. This card, got in into a lot of trouble and took way too long to eventually pay off. I then got a Discover card, which was my trojan horse. The limit was $500 and this really allowed me to control my spending. I actually still use this card for most of my purchases because there is no reason for my to spend more than $500 each month on miscellaneous purchases. They also had better cash back offers which I enjoyed the quarterly divisions. It is a great card for college students and young adults. I still use my travel card solely and immediately pay it off. I still live by the rule of putting everything on credit first then paying it off because i now have that control and not overspend for the most part. If you dont have that self control i would say just, pay everything in cash. You cannot go down a hole by overspending and think, “well i’ll get 5% or 2% back.” I also have not been interested in cards that have an annual fee though they have slightly better cash back offers or perks. Find one that suits your needs. If you drive a lot, get one with better cash back offer for gas purchases. If you travel often, getting a card with an airline has better perks than the generic travel cards for the most part. Its hard if you fly all over the place and don’t stick with one specific airline. But a travel card would be beneficial in that aspect. The rule of thumb is pay it off immediately. Don’t just pay the minimum because after your initial promotional no interest period, those rates are upward of 20% usually. If you put off full payments, you’ll balloon up your monthly payments after that introductory period. Having credit card will build up your credit but mismanaging will also ruin you. If you have plans for a big purchase like a car or home in the future, it may not be an option if you dig yourself a hole in debt.

This was a long post but, hopefully you got something out of it. I definitely have made many money mistakes but I’m here learning and trying to help at the same time. Happy adulting!

[paintmeyourbluesky]

They call themselves, “The Red Devils”. Yep, shoutout to all the Manchester United team fans out there who either have or have not yet visited this dashing city, and of course, the Old Trafford stadium himself. Typical as it is, I’ve come to just learned that apparently most of the UK’s notorious football teams possess their very own stadiums that is very open to the public during off-game-seasonal days, showing off fans from all over the world all the pride they gathered through the years being preserves inside these very stadiums.

Having the opportunity of stepping into this stadium myself (literally) gave me the chills. And it’s not because of the weather or anything, psh

Okay, so there was a sarcastic tone on that note. Big deal.

The weather was terribly cold, and apparently the wind went too far blowing itself on preeeetty much anyone who chose to stroll around the stadium that day.

But ANYWAYS I got a huge chance of joining the exclusive tour to the grandeur pride of MU led by a formally introduced official himself. His name is Bill. Say hi, Bill!

His overall feature (and his voice + the accent) very much reminded me of the creepy black cab murderer in the first episode of Sherlock (A Study In Pink), only without the cap and specs, of course. And the slightly sinister attempt on acknowledging every passenger he acquired to eat his suicidal pills. Just to throw this in out there.

Moving along, Bill showed us around the house and stated some really interesting insights of the big whoop with that accent, and you’d bet it was radical, especially if you consider yourself to be a Red Devil yourselves. He showed us around the cafeteria, where it was originally closed and only opens during game season, where they sell all those variables of grub you see on television like hot dogs, coke, peanuts, etc to them spectators who wish to enjoy themselves as company to witness their favorite players on field. Too bad I forgot to take pictures of it, though. My mistake.

He also brought us in to the extra exclusive changing room used by the actual players themselves, which was, as expected, blown up entirely by the iconic red jerseys hung throughout the entire walls that surrounded the room.

I literally had no clue who these players were to be quite honest. But it was worth the shot anyways.

He then showed us to the visitor’s changing room, where all the world-famous football teams were to change before they really rise themselves up to the field to face against MU or any other particular teams as well.

The time finally arrived as we scout along towards the last, but more importantly, the best deal the tour itself could possibly offer: stepping on the all-round bloody hell stadium itself.

Bill was giddy enough to inform that the state of the art stadium was sponsored by multiple billionaire companies, and that the green grass field that covers up pretty much the entire field had recently been trimmed, and taken care of by the hands of the very best expertise on set, so yes. No touchy-touchy, nor is there to be any stepping on it while we admire its enormous authenticity.

Now here’s the interesting part: before we were to enter the stadium, there is this very unique, must tradition to all football players who are to appear during a game where they are supposed to be properly introduced by the sports commentator along with a very champion-esque music flowing along as they go through it, just to strengthen the versus tournament vibes and light up the hint of motivation to the players.

Here’s what Bill did: he asked our group to create two separate lines, and then as the recording of the commentator cues on with the music playing, we screamed our lungs out to some kind of motto or word (I couldn’t remember the exact words we said, sorry!), running towards the field with our game faces on, and was then greeted by the sight of the dashing red-filled hot seats throughout the entire stadium.

Holy guacomole was the stadium big, alright. Old Trafford was one bloody red of a stadium, with a capacity of over 80,000 seats, the cheapest to cost around 200 pounds, at least, (correct me if I’m wrong on that one) that could get you only one of the seats located at the very top far back row around the stadium, depending on how popular the teams that were playing are in that specific time being.

Unbelievable.

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After really sucking in all the red we could during our very last brief moments inside the stadium, we were to exit and was recommended to check out the official MU museum, where it contained pretty much anything there is to know about this legendary team, or visit the store where they sell all kinds of official merchandises any Red Devil could ever want to own in the palm of their hands. It was the end of the tour, and we were sadly off to part ways with Bill and his knack for amateur football playing and his passion towards the team themselves (fairly enough, I did get to ask him a question or two once I got the chance of doing so). Cheerio then, Bill!

Clearly, you wouldn’t expect my adventures to be over just yet, now do you? Well, we had to take our chances on visiting the museum on the second floor, of course! But before we went into all that great stuff, resting our tired legs in the iconic Red Cafe that lies right next to the museum was what we really needed at first. We eventually sat, and ordered ourselves a mug of hot chocolate along with an aesthetically pleasing, yet also one of the best mouth-watering chocolate muffins you could ever come across into having in your mere entire lives. For real, though. The overall texture of it tasted magnificent that we even considered on getting another one! But didn’t, unfortunately. For it was almost lunch time.

The museum was overall a fantastic finale to complete the piece of our day in Old Trafford. It had all the awards, including big, huge trophies, countless medals and certificates, also detailed information which regards all the past and present players of the team, written historic events that occurred from the very beginning, and far too many for me to mention. I’d say you’d be ever so lucky if you were to enter, spending hours there gawking at all that’s in it. That is, if you are a true badass, dedicated Red Devil, of course.

Moving on to a funny story, you guys: my brother was the first person to examine the official personalized MU ball and finding out that it was literally made in Indonesia! The tag clearly said so, and we were super intrigued on how funny it would be if we were to ever purchase them not realizing that it was made inside our very own nation. Indonesia sure had really outdone themselves on this one. #ProudCitizen

So to wrap it up in a nutshell, I do think that this was an entirely new experience for me, visiting Old Trafford. I, for one, personally do not have a thing for football. Let’s just say I did not have the friendliest gesture of a first impression when I first tried playing it back when I was 6. You do not wanna know. Never tried playing nor showing specific interest to it since then. It might come off as a huge milestone for some people who are indeed fans of the nature of football themselves, but yeah. I’ve had the greatest pleasure of visiting this stadium regardless of not being the football maniac myself, to say the least. It was cool.

On another account, Manchester was the very first city I stepped upon on my first day of the trip, and this stadium was also the very first site I’ve ever come to visit back then. It’s a shame that I couldn’t really stay there for too long, and was only able to experience Manchester at a glimpse through Arndale and Manchester Cathedral, (pictures shown down below) which were all-in-all amazing and incredibly authentic as well.  BUT that being said, I’d love to come back for an extended visit, for I know this city would offer a lot more than I could have consumed on my plate for me to devour upon once I get back to it someday.

  Have you guys ever visited the Old Trafford Stadium? Or are you planning, no, dreaming of visiting it on your own sometime in the future? Make sure to leave a comment down below, because I’d love to hear all about it! Hope you enjoyed devouring this chunk of a post, because I can assure you that there will certainly be plenty more where that came from. SOON. (;

Cheerio, then!

  A Milestone in Manchester They call themselves, "The Red Devils". Yep, shoutout to all the Manchester United team fans out there who either have or have not yet visited this dashing city, and of course, the Old Trafford stadium himself.

[marymosley]

Meet Nipun Bhatia: A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger

In conversation with Nipun Bhatia who is presently Vice-President, Strategic Management & Process Redesigning at Legal League Consulting, A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger –, the person donning several hats!

  Here’s candid conversation about his Journey and different professional roles:

  What was your first choice – pursuing Chartered Accountancy or Law?

I’m sure you would’ve heard the famous saying, “What you seek is seeking you”! I believe I’ve been lucky in the sense that things have fallen into place like missing pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. I signed up for law half-way through my CA course, under the fear that I may never be able to pass the final stages (given the average number of students that qualify every year!). To be honest, I didn’t want to end up without a professional degree and hence started pursuing law. However, what actually started as a fall-back plan, actually became my mainstream choice. Regular classes in college helped fostering my interest in law more than chartered accountancy; and while I cleared both the exams, I knew my interest was more towards law. I also pursued a short-term specialization course in IP Laws which drew me closer to the field of Intellectual Property. It also helped me to better understand the nuances of IP laws, which came as a great help later as a large number of firms who seek my assistance as management consultant are IP Boutique firms. The domain knowledge of IP Laws, coupled with my learnings while pursuing CA, well-equipped me towards various inter-linked aspects like commercial laws, taxation, valuation, creation of IP assets, finance, equity structuring, goodwill, brand usage at the time of restructuring or mergers, etc.

What prompted you to choose the field of management consulting to legal industry after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and a Lawyer?

My experience of working as a Finance Manager with a renowned IP Law Firm actually paved way for me to venture into different areas of business support like human resource management, operations management, administration, IP investigations and enforcement actions. When I met Ms. Bithika Anand, Founder & CEO of Legal League Consulting, I was deeply moved by her vision to transform the Indian legal industry. Her commitment to bring operational efficiencies to legal organizations and to equip them with global best practices motivated me to a great extent. Her vision and confidence motivated me to join Legal League Consulting and be a part of an organization that strived to achieve something extraordinary, niche and unheard of.

The recent times have witnessed strong emergence of business support functions in law firms. Do you think becoming a management consultant can be a full-time career option for lawyers?

Absolutely! Law firms are increasingly looking to recruit lawyers who are willing to try their hand at innovative roles like Brand Development & Corporate Communication, Practice Development, Knowledge Management, Research & Content Development, Legal IT & Automation, to name a few. Lawyers opting to be a part of business support functions have an upper edge as they not only understand the lives of the lawyer better, they are also able to better comprehend the legal language and understand aspects related to environment lawyers operate in (say, restriction on advertising, soliciting and cold-calling). In last five years, firms have also progressed towards professionalization of business support. There are dedicated Managers and Heads for functional areas and the trend to hire lawyers as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Systems Officer (CSO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Business Development Managers, etc. is on the rise. Not only are there lawyers making a switch to these fields after certain years of practice, but there are also young lawyers joining the functional support areas, who are clear that they’re not inclined towards traditional lawyering. Several fresh law graduates are joining as research and knowledge trainees, helping firms with newsletters, knowledge dissemination, conference participation, industry sector researches, jurisdiction-specific researches, policy updates, case analysis, templatization, document management, etc. The field is expanding and there is absolutely no dearth of opportunities for those who want go the unconventional way.

Internship opportunities are available to lawyers who want to practice legal consultancy or work in a law firm. What about opportunities for those who aspire to pursue a career in law firm management?

It is about getting the approach correct. Those who are desirous of making a career in this field need to approach law firms with specific requests to let them intern with teams/heads handling the operational areas. Wherever possible, they can be specific to the extent of requesting for a functional area, say, Corporate Communication, Operations, Talent Management, etc. In case they are interning with law firms that do not have such sophisticated bifurcation of business support departments/specialized teams, they can always interact with the operations team or business support members during their legal internships; and gather knowledge on areas that interest them. It would be worthwhile for students who intend to enter this field, to follow international writers/bloggers who write on law firm management, as the concept is far more popular and accepted abroad. Legal League Consulting also offers internships to law students where they get to work with the core team members and get trained on areas like Compensation Benchmarking & Structuring, Practice Development, Brand Enhancement, Human Resource Planning and Synergies & Alliances amongst law firms.

You are handling brand creation for a sizeable number of law firms. Given the restrictions on lawyers towards advertising and solicitation, what goes into creating a brand strategy for lawyers?

When I talk of ‘brand creation’, I always resonate it with ‘creating your worth as a trusted advisor’. If you are not the ‘go to’ person for a client in the hour of need, you’re yet to create your brand. Therefore, contrary to what people think, brand creation is less about the extent of your web/online presence and more about the relationships you develop and your perception as an ‘authority’ or ‘thought leader’ in your area of practice. The brand strategy for lawyers is actually their macro-level plan in terms of their presence and contribution at various relevant events and forums, the fervour with which young lawyers look up to them, their involvement in the policy making or regulatory environment for their practice area, and most importantly, the dedication with which they want to make the lives of their clients, colleagues and prospective client contacts easy. Of course, ranking by leading international publications also make a difference to the brand perception, as it culminates from a thorough research process and is largely reflective of the work done by the organization in last 12 months. Collate and articulate the key work done in different practice areas and make submissions to ranking publications, which will increase the chances of your firm being ranked or included as notable/upcoming lawyers.

Being a management consultant to law firms entails you dealing with high-end and time consuming initiatives like strategy planning, equity structuring and mergers between law firms. How did fashion blogging happen?

Fashion blogging commenced as a result of encouragement (and some criticism!) by a few friends. Amidst comparisons with Ranveer Singh’s quirky sense of style, there were some who were always supportive and some who were simply amused (for the lack of a better word!). Let’s just say I’m experimental with my looks and I have an eye for clothes that have an edge or are slightly different in terms of their style. I chose the name @notjustacompulsiveshopper for my Instagram and Facebook profiles to let the world know that while my friends and family consider me to be a compulsive shopper, the truth is that I enjoy being experimental and having a huge wardrobe to choose from is always a plus! I’m usually ahead of times in terms of adorning a trend and am as comfortable with street shopping as I am with branded stores and online shopping sites.

Amidst leading a busy lifestyle and multi-tasking with heavy duty deliverables, how do you find time for pursuing fashion blogging?

I am a firm believer in training the brain to toggle between switch off and switch modes. Thus, after a long day at work, writing about fashion or clothes or new trends is just a way to connect with people who share similar interests and who are as passionate about grooming and fashion trends as I am. I wouldn’t call myself a blogger in true sense of the word as I’m not able to keep up with the commitment it requires. But yes, I would say I enjoy writing about looks that are unconventional, clothes that are unique or have an edge; and how to create a unique ensemble look with different clothing items, colour combinations and accessories. It is a complete stress-buster. My advice to all the lawyers out there would be to develop a hobby amidst leading a fast-paced and stressful lifestyle. Doing what you love both on and off-work will help you channelize your creative energies better.

The post Meet Nipun Bhatia: A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger appeared first on Legal Desire.

Meet Nipun Bhatia: A Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, Management Consultant to Legal Industry, IP Enthusiast and a Fashion Blogger published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

[paintmeyourbluesky]

They call themselves, “The Red Devils”. Yep, shoutout to all the Manchester United team fans out there who either have or have not yet visited this dashing city, and of course, the Old Trafford stadium himself. Typical as it is, I’ve come to just learned that apparently most of the UK’s notorious football teams possess their very own stadiums that is very open to the public during off-game-seasonal days, showing off fans from all over the world all the pride they gathered through the years being preserves inside these very stadiums.

Having the opportunity of stepping into this stadium myself (literally) gave me the chills. And it’s not because of the weather or anything, psh

Okay, so there was a sarcastic tone on that note. Big deal.

The weather was terribly cold, and apparently the wind went too far blowing itself on preeeetty much anyone who chose to stroll around the stadium that day.

But ANYWAYS I got a huge chance of joining the exclusive tour to the grandeur pride of MU led by a formally introduced official himself. His name is Bill. Say hi, Bill!

His overall feature (and his voice + the accent) very much reminded me of the creepy black cab murderer in the first episode of Sherlock (A Study In Pink), only without the cap and specs, of course. And the slightly sinister attempt on acknowledging every passenger he acquired to eat his suicidal pills. Just to throw this in out there.

Moving along, Bill showed us around the house and stated some really interesting insights of the big whoop with that accent, and you’d bet it was radical, especially if you consider yourself to be a Red Devil yourselves. He showed us around the cafeteria, where it was originally closed and only opens during game season, where they sell all those variables of grub you see on television like hot dogs, coke, peanuts, etc to them spectators who wish to enjoy themselves as company to witness their favorite players on field. Too bad I forgot to take pictures of it, though. My mistake.

He also brought us in to the extra exclusive changing room used by the actual players themselves, which was, as expected, blown up entirely by the iconic red jerseys hung throughout the entire walls that surrounded the room.

I literally had no clue who these players were to be quite honest. But it was worth the shot anyways.

He then showed us to the visitor’s changing room, where all the world-famous football teams were to change before they really rise themselves up to the field to face against MU or any other particular teams as well.

The time finally arrived as we scout along towards the last, but more importantly, the best deal the tour itself could possibly offer: stepping on the all-round bloody hell stadium itself.

Bill was giddy enough to inform that the state of the art stadium was sponsored by multiple billionaire companies, and that the green grass field that covers up pretty much the entire field had recently been trimmed, and taken care of by the hands of the very best expertise on set, so yes. No touchy-touchy, nor is there to be any stepping on it while we admire its enormous authenticity.

Now here’s the interesting part: before we were to enter the stadium, there is this very unique, must tradition to all football players who are to appear during a game where they are supposed to be properly introduced by the sports commentator along with a very champion-esque music flowing along as they go through it, just to strengthen the versus tournament vibes and light up the hint of motivation to the players.

Here’s what Bill did: he asked our group to create two separate lines, and then as the recording of the commentator cues on with the music playing, we screamed our lungs out to some kind of motto or word (I couldn’t remember the exact words we said, sorry!), running towards the field with our game faces on, and was then greeted by the sight of the dashing red-filled hot seats throughout the entire stadium.

Holy guacomole was the stadium big, alright. Old Trafford was one bloody red of a stadium, with a capacity of over 80,000 seats, the cheapest to cost around 200 pounds, at least, (correct me if I’m wrong on that one) that could get you only one of the seats located at the very top far back row around the stadium, depending on how popular the teams that were playing are in that specific time being.

Unbelievable.

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After really sucking in all the red we could during our very last brief moments inside the stadium, we were to exit and was recommended to check out the official MU museum, where it contained pretty much anything there is to know about this legendary team, or visit the store where they sell all kinds of official merchandises any Red Devil could ever want to own in the palm of their hands. It was the end of the tour, and we were sadly off to part ways with Bill and his knack for amateur football playing and his passion towards the team themselves (fairly enough, I did get to ask him a question or two once I got the chance of doing so). Cheerio then, Bill!

Clearly, you wouldn’t expect my adventures to be over just yet, now do you? Well, we had to take our chances on visiting the museum on the second floor, of course! But before we went into all that great stuff, resting our tired legs in the iconic Red Cafe that lies right next to the museum was what we really needed at first. We eventually sat, and ordered ourselves a mug of hot chocolate along with an aesthetically pleasing, yet also one of the best mouth-watering chocolate muffins you could ever come across into having in your mere entire lives. For real, though. The overall texture of it tasted magnificent that we even considered on getting another one! But didn’t, unfortunately. For it was almost lunch time.

The museum was overall a fantastic finale to complete the piece of our day in Old Trafford. It had all the awards, including big, huge trophies, countless medals and certificates, also detailed information which regards all the past and present players of the team, written historic events that occurred from the very beginning, and far too many for me to mention. I’d say you’d be ever so lucky if you were to enter, spending hours there gawking at all that’s in it. That is, if you are a true badass, dedicated Red Devil, of course.

Moving on to a funny story, you guys: my brother was the first person to examine the official personalized MU ball and finding out that it was literally made in Indonesia! The tag clearly said so, and we were super intrigued on how funny it would be if we were to ever purchase them not realizing that it was made inside our very own nation. Indonesia sure had really outdone themselves on this one. #ProudCitizen

So to wrap it up in a nutshell, I do think that this was an entirely new experience for me, visiting Old Trafford. I, for one, personally do not have a thing for football. Let’s just say I did not have the friendliest gesture of a first impression when I first tried playing it back when I was 6. You do not wanna know. Never tried playing nor showing specific interest to it since then. It might come off as a huge milestone for some people who are indeed fans of the nature of football themselves, but yeah. I’ve had the greatest pleasure of visiting this stadium regardless of not being the football maniac myself, to say the least. It was cool.

On another account, Manchester was the very first city I stepped upon on my first day of the trip, and this stadium was also the very first site I’ve ever come to visit back then. It’s a shame that I couldn’t really stay there for too long, and was only able to experience Manchester at a glimpse through Arndale and Manchester Cathedral, (pictures shown down below) which were all-in-all amazing and incredibly authentic as well.  BUT that being said, I’d love to come back for an extended visit, for I know this city would offer a lot more than I could have consumed on my plate for me to devour upon once I get back to it someday.

  Have you guys ever visited the Old Trafford Stadium? Or are you planning, no, dreaming of visiting it on your own sometime in the future? Make sure to leave a comment down below, because I’d love to hear all about it! Hope you enjoyed devouring this chunk of a post, because I can assure you that there will certainly be plenty more where that came from. SOON. (;

Cheerio, then!

  A Milestone in Manchester They call themselves, "The Red Devils". Yep, shoutout to all the Manchester United team fans out there who either have or have not yet visited this dashing city, and of course, the Old Trafford stadium himself.