#also in Noel’s lament I’m missing the

[idk-imrambling-idk]

Controversial opinión, but, any live rtc production>>>>> official recording

[lillazyboithings]

I think I’m brainrotting on the rtc swap au now so here’s a bucket load of stuff I wrote about it

literally Constance would get two songs (since she gets switched with Mischa) and the first song is basically TSIA just changed a bit to fit Connie more and the second song instead of being about a lover whose almost on the other side of the world it’s more like Sugar Cloud in actual Ride The Cyclone yk

Also the song order would be like by the character they swapped with so instead of Ocean first (since she was swapped with Jane/Penny) Penny would go first, also considering Legoland would hopefully probably still somewhat exist in the swap au Penny could say a line something like “ You know,, it’s probably best I go first because I have the most experience performing here, “ which would be a direct reference to Legoland

^^ Also nevermind partly about that because it wouldn’t make sense in some ways the song lineup would be like this

Penny

Noel (he would probably still sing a song somewhat like Noel’s Lament just probably less tragic yk)

Every Stories Got A Lesson (sung by Penny of course)

Mischa

Ricky

Jane Doe (Ocean)

Constance TSIA

Constance Suagr Cloud (also note Sugar Cloud would change a bit to fit swap Constance more)

Ohhhhh, I actually had something in mind for their swap songs actually! (sorry if i took a bit too long to actually reply, my laptop suddenly went haywire while i was trying to fix the wifi)

read long info under cut :DD

Okay so like, you're absolutely right about two thing, where Penny and Ocean swap, but the order actually goes from Penny, Ricky, Constance, Noel, Ocean doe, and Mischa since they all swapped roles (makes more sense in my head), and how Constance has 2 songs! I also really like the thing about Penny's "You know,, it’s probably best I go first because I have the most experience performing here," line since it kinda actually aligns with the characterization i have for her in mind.

the song I kinda have for Penny would be like a mix of Play to Win and What the world needs, but like, more focus on her love to take advantage of all her friends without making it obvious at first, and how people should always put the important people (her) first. (my thought process for this is like, penny is commonly the one being hurt, so why not let her hurt others)

Ricky's song would be like some tragic song about how the canine people are under attack by the zolarian cat people. It would detail how he'd like, fall in love with one of the canine people and then how he'd sacrifice his life for her to save them all.

Constance's first song would obviously be like TSIA, flexing on everyone obviously, the only difference is better autotone /j

Constance's second song (which you're still right about) would be like a somber sugar cloud. It could actually be like, how she shouldn't have been so mean to everyone around her, and how she misses the warm happy moments of life.

You're also correct about Noel's song, it would most likely detail about his successes as a hooker in post-war France, about how his name is well known around the country, and how someday he wants to settle down with a man who would treat him right

The Jane doe's (Ocean doe's) song would be like a mix of fun and morbid. It would constantly switch back from singing about the countless possibilities of who she was and who she could be, to singing about why no one came to find her, why no one wanted to identify her, and about how sad she is about no one being there to wait for her when she comes back.

Last is Mischa's. Since he's Penny's best friend and how I characterize him as a floor mat and lost puppy kind of person, he uses this last song to stand up to Penny and how he doesn't want to be taken advantage of anymore. It would be in the format of those "i want" songs ngl.

This is basically my idea of the songs (if i actually had song writign skills, i would actually make lyrics lol)

you're free to ask more if you like! :DDD

[threadsun]

Note to self: Do not eat jellybeans while reading your posts or they become a choking hazard. But I don’t like the idea of submitting JUST like that! It feels way too easy! Plus, I’m such a people pleaser that breaking rules or not following orders is too much fun for me NOT to pass up! I don’t know if I feel praised or insulted from you saying I do a very good job at pretending to be a brat lol. My brain is like, “PRAISE? I DO GOOD?” And at the same time I’m just like, “I AIN’T PRETENDING!” 😂 But if I’m insatiable, then I can’t ever be a brat then~?

Holy hell. Okay, so listen. Freaking love performing songs like Bring on the Men from Jekyll and Hyde, Noel’s Lament from Ride the Cyclone, and Why Don’t You Do Right (Yeah, that’s right. From freaking Who Framed Rodger Rabbit.) because of the fact I love the idea of being sexually desirable but untouchable. Driving people WILD with lust, but never allowing them to feel more than what I let them (small touches, dragging fabric over their body, that kind of thing) Honestly, I’d do burlesque or some sort of dancing (belly dancing, pole work, floor work) if I was at a smaller size again. So when you’re freaking EXPOSED me like that with exhibition kink description, something NO ONE but myself knows, freaking hell man, I don’t even know what to say lol. One of my fav experiences was teasing my last partner on a Ferris Wheel with light touches whenever no one could see us, but the chance we could’ve got caught. UGH! Love it! Honestly I’d love to put on a show for people and be surrounded, like DAMN! Also, I’ve never heard of predicament play and free use until now so I just went on a deep dive AND YES! Didn’t know it was an actual kink BUT YES!!!! But Jesus Christ, like 24/7 and just, like, okay, words are hard. I’m gonna just stop for a moment. Was trying to think of how to respond to the last bit there but yeah. I don’t know if it’s cause I’m tired or something, but yeah, can’t think of better words right now! Okay, I actually came back to here after writing everything because I’m doing a bit better, but I wanted to say it’s ironic that you brought up the 24/7 thing because I was JUST THINKING yesterday about how helpful it’d be to have a dom outside of sex to become more disciplined. Ya know, the whole, “Drink water.” kind of thing. I’m very dehydrated 😂 I’d probably benefit from a Jack who pushes me to wake up early and not eat a whole bowl of whipped cream lol.

On to a part I can actually respond to! DEFINITELY ideal!!! It’d be nice if we can bump that to a 95%, but I know they have jobs to do so lol. Okay, nvm, thinking OVERALL is hard lol so sorry for the drop in quality! I also meant to put Shaun popped in for the last post, between falling asleep trying to type and my phone liking to autocorrect sentences typed correctly, it just came out as “S” 😂 Imagine having a conversation with Jack about it though where you’re like, “Man, I wish I could have a dog, but my allergies won’t let me.” Jack just looks at you with a serious expression and says, “Well, why don’t you BE a dog then since you can’t have one?” LOL.

I’m glad it went well!!! I know some people automatically assume that someone who wants to go into sex work based career do it only because they have to based off the negative stigma created by media, but I hope that some day people who want to go into sex work because they enjoy it can be viewed the same way as someone who wants to be a doctor or some other career. Full of excitement and acceptance! I’m glad at least when you explained it to them though that they were happy and supportive of you!!! 🩵 But yeah! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do so I tried to enjoy those experiences the best I could! Also, I didn’t consider how I could get more involved in the community by being a part of local productions, I might really need to push forward on that then! Kinda miss having that.

OOO OO OO! Freaking I’d LOVE to tell you more about all the cool places around me!! Plus, from traveling around the country so much, I got to see many different stylistic choices on how houses or buildings are designed in certain areas and how each city always has some unique variation that no other place has! Like, Cape May, NJ looks like it’s FILLED with Victorian Doll Houses while Baltimore has a more a jazzy vibe. Another fun thing too is that if you like ghostie goos, then it just adds ANOTHER fun layer to the history and architecture talk, cause not only do I do ghost investigations, but I’m also extremely sensitive to that stuff too so I’ll get things and ask someone who works there about it or read it on one of the signs and it’d be EXACTLY what I picked up on. It can be freaky at times but it definitely adds another layer of depth and respect to those who’ve passed. Cool ghost fact that mixes architecture for you! Did you know one of the most used examples of beautifully crafted Victorian/Gilded Age houses in America is located in Gavelston, TX? It’s called Bishop’s House or Gresham’s Castle and it was built in 1892, but it has a catch. Though it’s absolutely beautiful, the most well known ghost, Walter Gresham, absolutely HATES IT when people take photos of his home or even go near it. He’s super protective of his property and is known to push, scratch, trip, or even punch people who get too close. I remember when I couldn’t even go down the street it was on even though I didn’t know about this at the time. My gut was just going like, “NOPE! NOT THERE!” 😂 I don’t do touching lol. Apparently his wife haunts the place too, but they have tours of the house and pics online. But I’ll definitely check it out! I always rushed through there because they had a Tesla coil show that was LOUD and so I’d speed walk to the other exhibit before it started, but now I got a reason to stay 😂 AWWWWW, Flumps sounds ADORABLE!!! 🥹 Oh, but I gotta ask, what scents did y’all get? I always wind up getting very coconut or cake based ones because apparently things I know I can’t eat smell better than things I can. Or maybe I like to torture myself or something, who knows! Lol.

EXACTLY! Sure, fluffy things are nice and all, but your classic yandere isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows if you start hanging out with others. Like, they kidnap, manipulate, stalk,

torture, and kill people. It’s gonna be kinda hard to avoid that overall if someone is uncomfortable with those topics, much less the kinkier sides of things. And sure, if they’re not a fan of certain kinks, then they can write fanfics or headcanons without them or stories more suited to their tastes, but they shouldn’t be going to the official source and asking them to change certain aspects because they don’t like it. I mean, people personally change things all the time! Some people might make a character more sub leaning and some might make them dom leaning because it fits their kinks better, but they don’t bully the creators to follow a vision THEY want to see. There are some really nit picky behaviors here definitely.

Maybe~! Maybe I do, but maybe I like to keep you guessing~ Okay, that’s a lie, I’ve been extremely open about everything so I don’t think I’m really hiding anything. Not thinking is nice, I’ll admit~ Definitely makes it harder to write or reread sentences to make sure they’re grammatically correct though 😂

-🎃

How fun~ A brat is only a brat if their dom allows them to be, though. You just need to find someone willing to let you indulge your desire to ignore the rules and disobey. But in the end, is that really any fun for you if you don't get put back in your place and railed afterwards?

I wasn't bluffing when I said I can tell peoples' kinks from the slightest things. It's wonderful, how desperate you are to be wanted and desired! Makes it much easier to reward you or punish you. A little attention here, a little ignoring there. Though I prefer rewards if I can help it. Like rewarding you by letting you be at the centre of a crowd who can look at you, but can't touch. Letting them watch me punish you while you're tied up and at my mercy. You'd look so good, make such beautiful sounds, put on such a nice show for all those people who are wild with lust for you. But you'd be all mine.

24/7 dynamics are very useful for making people take care of themselves!! Someone reminding you to do the necessary stuff, and then rewarding you when you do them~ Jack would be so good at that!

Awwww it's cute that you're so worked up, you're struggling to write! But absolutely, you talk about wishing there was a fire station dog and suddenly you're the fire station dog!! But hey, it's a good gig. They take care of everything for you, all you have to do is look pretty and let them fuck you.

Yeah, overall it was very nice to be able to explain to them that it's a passion rather than a necessity! Especially because I have done survival sex work before, so I know the difference and was able to articulate it. But yeah, getting involved in community stuff is always good!!

That sounds so cool!!!! I go up to Boston sometimes and they've got a lot of Victorian houses there and they're all so pretty!! Especially the ones that still have stained glass in some of the windows!! Gresham's Castle sounds cool but also terrifying to go to, especially if you're sensitive to those things. I am, unfortunately, the exact kind of dumbass who's too curious and will go towards places I get bad feelings about just to check it out and find out why.

Yeah, exactly!!! Fanfic and fanart and headcanons are there for a reason, and it's fine if they don't line up with canon, they don't have to! But you can't go demanding that your headcanons become canon. That's a level of entitlement and arrogance that astounds me. No one should think they know characters better than the creator of said character.

I'm glad you're so open, it makes it much easier to tease you~

[mimi-croissant]

AYYYYYE you know everything abt me atp but let’s go

rules: tag nine ppl you want to get to know better

last song: Noel’s Lament from Ride the Cyclone (currently listening actually)

last show: Berry in the Big City (<- is constantly rewatching) and My Dad the Bounty Hunter (hood show on Netflix!)

currently watching: lego monkie kid! Been meaning to watch… I’m also watching Hunter x Hunter and Glee…

currently reading: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak! It’s a book for class and I started today, it’s SO GOOD so far. I’m also reading Renegades by Melissa Meyer but I’ll finish it after this one

obsessed with: LOTS OF STUFF, the sunbearer trials, berry in the big city, and recently ride the cyclone

tagging (no pressure!): @pretendthisisanactualurl @phoenixburrito @prismhibiscusrosemary @anguigenus (idk why your main wasn’t appearing in tags) @butterflyclipped @sleep-eat-read-repeat

thank you for the tag @tss2mcrpipelinefr !!! :D

rules: tag nine ppl you want to get to know better

last song: sure thing - miguel

last show: law and order svu

currently watching: mob psycho 100, inching along very slowly 💀

currently reading: batman vs robin, tim drake: robin, and action comics as new issues are released

obsessed with: dc comics, i basically turned my entire blog from pjo to dc content and i apologize to the people who followed me for pjo 😭

tags: anyone! any mutuals or followers can add from me, ik thats breaking like. the only rule but i just like leaving tags open to anyone who wants to add

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: March 2020

So like most of you, this month has seen more time spent at home consuming things. Now, more than ever, I think it’s good to share what we’re doing and seeing and hearing. Here’s how March went.

……….FILM……….

The Invisible Man (2020) Stressfully fantastic. I was relieved when it was more of a thriller/suspense sorta film (as opposed to straight horror) and hoboy does it deliver on making everything tense. Well-acted and relevant. Also very stressful.

The Muppet Movie (1979) First time seeing this and it holds up. I would say I recognized maybe 5 of the celebrities that were featured, but could easily tell when someone was supposed to be a familiar face. Man fame is a weird thing. Anyway, the songs and origin story were lovely and I really think what works about the muppets are their blend of absurdity and sincerity. Sure they snark each other sometimes, but their general motivation is to put some good in the world and I think that’s a great addition to our media diet.

Jenny Slate: Stage Fright (2019) This is the first of Jenny Slate’s specials that I’ve seen and it was a lot of fun! The interweaving of home videos, interviews with family, and her stand-up added an extra layer to everything. Oh also very funny!

Black Christmas (2019) We missed this in theatres and were anxiously waiting for the blu-ray release and...I think that built up too much anticipation. I’m all for what the movie was trying to say, but how it said it was muddled. It also managed to be fairly boring for 2/3 of the runtime. Bummer. 

……….TELEVISION……….

Love is Blind (Episode 1.01 to 1.02) We’ve barely started this and I wasn’t sure about it during the first ep, but knowing the series quickly moves past the blind dating is reassuring. Very keen to see how this all plays out.

McMillion$ (Episode 1.01 to 1.03) I know there’s a far more popular (and tiger-centric) docuseries in the zeitgeist right now, but I’m really enjoying this. They limit the insane FBI agent after the first episode, and it’s the right call. It’s true crime that we can all relate to via the McDonald’s element, and for that alone I think it’s worth checking out.

Locke & Key (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Wonderfully whimsical. The last two episodes have some questionable writing that really only stands out because the previous 8 were so strong, but I suppose part of that is likely due to setting up a second season? I dunno. It did make me interested in returning to the series (as the first volume didn’t click with me) so that’s saying something.

What We Do in the Shadows (Episode 1.08 to 1.10) Consistently strong season of television! It’s refreshing to watch something where each episode works on it’s own, while still offering lots of through-lines across episodes. Also that finale gave us lots to get excited for with the next season! Very very good series.

The Bachelor (Episode 24.10 to 24.12) What a dud. This season ended the way it started and that really makes one question why they watched it at all? It certainly wasn’t for the beautiful friendships formed between contestants. It wasn’t for the deep and meaningful conversations while the lead tried to find true love. It wasn’t even for the genuine drama about silly things. It all just felt overproduced and undercooked. Such a bummer.

……….READING……….

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Complete) I love a good Discworld novel (this being number 12!) It’s like comfort food in these complex times. The Witches are always fun and I really picture the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus and that adds another layer to things. If you’re looking for light, humours fantasy chock full of tropes, check out this series.

The Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean Giraud (Complete) After having read this just once and barely remembering it, I decided to come back to it. I still find it a little wordy, but the overall plot is so operatic and psychedelic that I’m glad I gave it a reread. It feels 70s future in a way that I can’t describe, and I can totally see why Jodorowsky wanted to direct DUNE. This is political and weird and has everything he couldn’t make happen with that movie. Anyway, it’s worth picking up. 

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell (Complete) A wonderfully illustrated short story. Enough of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White has been changed and merged to make it a fresh interpretation and Gaiman finds a good balance of creepy and all-ages appropriate.

……….AUDIO……….

Twin Temple (Bring You Their Signature Sound.... Satanic Doo-Wop) by Twin Temple (2018) A lot of folks have been posting their fave listening online while we all quarantine and it’s introduced me to so much (including this)! The title says it all and “Satanic Doo-Wop” perfectly encapsulates their sound.

OOZEFM (Spotify Account) I’ve started a dedicated Spotify account for Booburgh’s radio station, OOZEFM. Curated playlists abound and I hope you enjoy!

……….GAMING……….

Neverland: A Storybook Campaign Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) My RPG setting! The ongoing campaign is continuing along well as the group spends more time in the mountains while waiting to find a fallen star. They’ve also come across a few pirates, so that’s also fun. I also ran a  one-shot with the Mof1 Podcast that you can listen to here (well, the first half)!

A Red & Pleasant Land (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) The group continues to explore the dual towers and after killing an egg man, rescuing a spider, and fireballing a bunch of the King’s court, they’ve been presented with a choice: door #1 or door #2.

Celeste (Matt Thorson and Noel Berry) Such a beautiful game. The controls and concept are so perfect and each new stage offers something fresh. I wish those stages were broken up into smaller chapters, as I’d be more likely to revisit if I didn’t have to commit to the whole thing at once, but I’m splitting hairs at this point. Absolutely check this out.

Wilmot’s Warehouse (Finji) Wonderfully relaxing and exactly as the trailer describes: for people who love to organize things. The stress of getting deliveries/getting items to customers is balanced by stretches of free time where you can rearrange and organize your supplies at your leisure. I’m about 60% of the way through and find not much has evolved. I don’t know if I’ll finish it but I’ve really enjoyed the time spent with it so far.

And that’s it! As always, share any recommendos and stay safe out there.

Happy Tuesday!

[kekabumi]

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is a popular dessert in the Indian subcontinent and our personalities are just as sweet and lovable as the dessert.

In conjunction with the Festival of Lights, Kekabumi presents: Gulab Jamun, a photo journal of 4 very different gulabos*, each with their own unique twist and flavour as we explore their take on being a Malaysian Indian.

*term of endearment

GULABO #1: ANJALI NIJJAR VENUGOPAL, 22 Artist, Actor, Poet, Freelance Publicist

“Is your name inspired from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?” I threw the first question to break the ice.

“No,” she replied with a sweet smile. “I was born before that!” 

Anjali, despite being young is a quadruple-threat. She’s an artist, actor, poet and a freelance publicist. Her artwork have been exhibited in Tokyo and she is as passionate as one can be. She also recently competed in SHORT+SWEET staged at Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) if she’s not performing at poetry gigs like ‘If Walls Could Talk’.

“I’ve always liked the stage,” she admits. 

Born and bred in Sabah, Anjali pursued her tertiary education in Film & TV. Her favourite film is Scott Pilgrim vs The World and she described her style as a fine line between pastel goth and sporty.

As a theater actor, Anjali said that she has to open up and be vulnerable when she is on stage in order to put on a good show. The intense training she had during Theatre for Young People (T4YP) had allow her to do just that.

“I’ve become much, much, braver.” she added.

A lot of people would never guess that she’s actually a Sikh because to her, there is not enough Sikh representation in Malaysia even though there are a few Gurdwaras in KL itself.

“It’s also unfortunate that the Vaisakhi (a major religious celebration in Sikhism) is not given Public Holiday here. Sometimes I had to choose between classes or work and going to temple. I wish that wasn’t the case.”

Anjali, whose dream home would be a studio apartment where she can turn into a creative space wasn’t afraid to speak up about the struggles she had growing too.

“I used to not like my name because people was making fun of it when I was a kid. They made me feel like I’m horrible and ugly for being Indian.”

“It was not until I see the representation (of POC) in the western media that I thought to myself wow, I could actually look good in that (outfit).”

Anjali’s play “TIGA” will be staged at Five Arts Centre from 23rd – 26th November. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Instagram/Twitter: @pertatos​ Website: http://pertatos.blogspot.my/

GULABO #2: AZAAD, 25 Videographer

Azaad was 30 minutes late to our shoot but his personality is so bright we couldn't be upset about it. Our conversation started when we went to 7Eleven together to get some drinks and snacks. He told me that one day, he wants to prank the 7E guy too. Throughout our 15-minute walk, we talked about a lot of random things - from car drifting, to parkour, to suicide.

"Every day I wake up to be a better person than I was yesterday," he told me. "That's what keeps me going.”

Born in an Indian-Muslim family from Penang, the Media Technology graduate from SAE International emphasized on the importance of family by saying that there will never be a place like home.

“Growing up, my friends are 60% Chinese, 30% Indians and only 10% Malays but I have never experienced racial clashing. I see it happening around, but never to me.”

When asked about his thoughts on the minority in Malaysia – Indians especially, Azaad said that he wish the Indians realised how important they are as the people here in Malaysia and that they should never feel sideline. Azaad speaks fervently of his dissatisfaction with the IT and Medicine stereotype often imposed onto Indian individuals as he hope to see more Indians in the creative line of work.

While digging deeper into his own heritage, Azaad also enlightened us about what it means to be an Indian Muslim in Malaysia.

“I think the Indian culture is amazing. The heritage is really something to be proud of and celebrated. And the colours are just so beautiful” said Azaad. “However, one of two things people often ask when they find out that I’m Indian-Muslim is either: Which one of your parents is malay? Or are you a convert?”

As Azaad explains about the Indian Muslim community within Malaysia, we learnt that it is a small minority that often get mixed up with Mamaks, who are individuals of mixed Indian-Malay heritage. Azaad laments on the interchangeability of the Malay and Muslim identity, which gives way to a form of ignorance towards others that don’t fall under the same label. 

Azaad notices that Indian Muslims are at risk of losing their unique culture due to the pressure of trying to fit into modern Malaysian society, but they may also be at risk of losing a part of their identity as well if they do not. As Azaad mentions, “If you can’t beat the rest, join the rest but of course there are those who still stay true to their roots.”

The enthusiastic 25 year-old who loves his current job told me that if not a videographer, he’d probably be in aviation as a fighter pilot or a professional motor sport driver if he ever runs out of creative juice. Well, I guess we have to wait and see what’s in store for this Penangite creative.

Instagram: @ahmedazaad

GULABO #3: VARSHA, 20 Musician, lawyer-to-be

When I first arrived at the studio, I noticed a girl with sharp face feature doing her make-up and I thought “Woah, she’s beautiful.” It took me awhile to approach her because not only she was doing her make-up, she also has this stern look that made me feel a little scared. But as the hour pass by and everyone was all warmed up, Varsha turned out to be a very pleasant person to have conversations with. And quite chatty too!

So when I had her to tell me a bit about herself, it was very surprising to know that this 20 year-old is currently pursuing her degree in law despite having a pure-science A-level qualification. So why the drastic change?

“Well, I’ve been learning science since I was 16 and the thought of having to spend the rest in my life in the lab is just not something I am quite comfortable with. I mean, I really, really, love Biology and all but maybe not as a professional.” she told me as we were hanging out at the balcony.

Three fun facts about Varsha that I learnt:

When she was 10, she had a skateboarding phase but never really got into it because she was just stoked to have Spiderman design on her skateboard instead of the actual thing.

When she was 13, her guilty pleasure show to watch is Keeping Up With The Kardashians (KUWTK)

She was obsessed with High School Musical (HSM) so much that she had posters all over her room that she has not yet taken down.

Varsha who views John Mayer as one of her sources of inspiration recently released two songs on her Spotify – ‘Real’ and ‘Fool for You’. But her achievements to this date definitely didn’t come easy.

“I feel like no matter how good I am, I will always have to push a bit extra in everything I do. For example, I did great in my SPM but not great enough to land me a scholarship because of the race quota. I totally understand that the majority should have more seats but yeah.” she explained.

To Varsha, Malaysia is a country where you have to conform to the majority. You are forced to follow the flow but if you are a salmon who swims upstream, that wouldn’t be too easy.

“Honestly, I don’t think coerce is good for you spiritually or mentally. I wish people can just be their own person regardless their preferences,” Varsha added. Well, we agree with you on that, girl.

Instagram & Twitter: @thatssovarsha Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2X1RsyKi5IRhAPyKAa8o3m

GULABO #4: KEITH NOEL RAJ, 22 Musician

“Passionate. Rational. Naïve.”

Those were the words that came out of Keith’s when I asked him to describe himself in three words. Started playing music since he was 13, he told me he never learned how to read notes despite being able to play instruments well.

Throughout the photoshoot, Keith wasn’t the loudest person in the room but he exuberates this calm aura that made it easy to approach him. Young and talented, Keith believes that if you put in a lot of effort, time and details in what you do, you will be great at it.

Speaking of great, he will be releasing his EP really soon and we wish him nothing but the best!

“So what do you think about the Indians in Malaysia?” curious, I asked. “I do think that our representation in this country is a concern especially with all the stereotypes that people have on Indians.”

“But a way to rise above that than getting proper education. Those who are financially stable are lucky, but what about those who are not? They need to get out of the cycle and see the world.”

To Keith, the inability to see life in a bigger picture will restrict your reality. Which is why if he had to write a letter to his future self he would ask if the older Keith is okay and hope he is not having a stagnant life at that point of his life.

“Hopefully you don’t have a wife and kids too!” he added. 

This young musician who would like to visit Japan one day told us that there’s just something about the way Japanese do things that he loves. Contrary to the Western world, Japanese people don’t have problem with routine and he think it’s very interesting how they live life there.

Twitter/Instagram: @keithhateskids

We hope you enjoy this feature as much as we do. We had a really good time working with the personalities and super glad that we get to share their stories with all of you!

Love, Kekabumi.

[ghostie-hoe]

7x11 Play Time Thoughts (REWATCH)

I’m rewatching Playtime to uncover some clues that I may have missed and something Hanna said stuck out to me. When the girls are talking about Jenna and Noel having a connection to Charlotte and Archer, Hanna says that connected doesn’t equals a motive. So, what If we are finally getting a non-family related twist. What if this quote means that the person isn’t actually avenging Charlotte or is connected to her in anyway? Hanna has a point, if AD was someone who has connections to Charlotte it could be any of the liars. Could even be Ali

- I know Hanna got kidnapped by AD but she’s way more salty than usual. And i don’t know wether to rule this out or not. But in the intro for the episode, Hanna does the ‘Shh’ Does this mean anything at all? Aria looks really guilty but then side eyes Spencer??? And Alison sides eyes Hanna?? So, I don’t know what to make of this.

- Is that Mary Drakes house Spencer is at when she’s looking through the letter box? There’s a lot of mail there that looks as if it has been there for weeks. So, how long has it been since Spencer got released and Mary vanished? Where is Mary? Why is there a bell? I’m so confused.

- Ezra returns just as Aria tries to leave. That’s really suspicious to me. I want Aria to tell Ezra that she saw him on TV with Nicole.

- Caleb and Hanna talking about Jenna, and Hanna thinking that Jenna is AD and then Caleb is all 'let me worry about Jenna’ and it cuts to Paige. Is this scene being shown after to foreshadow that maybe Jenna isn’t the one they need to worry about.. Paige is. Why would they bring back Paige just to spark a fire in Alison? To show us that Ali is the same person

- How do we know for sure that Alison is actually pregnant? We haven’t seen a test result, we weren’t shown her doctors appointment. Are we seriously expected to take her word for it? I’ve never trusted Alison.

- “Of all the things that happen in this time, those two get taken out by a deer.” *Sips tea* I’m still speculating Ezra, I mean he was out of town because of Nicole, Yes, but whose to say he didn’t cause this accident? Or for someone else to cause it. The Bethany twin theory works here too as Bethany would probably want Toby out of the way. We were never shown the accident. We never saw a deer CAUSE the accident

- Why are they making a point of sending Aria the text and having her make an entrance into Spencer’s barn? Is this relevant? They could have just cut to a scene of the girls in Spencer’s barn or had one of the others walk in? Why Aria specifically.

- Secret Passageway??? To where? Is this meant to represent how Mona snuck out of Radley??? Also, Who do we know that would have the ability and technology to create the game board? Caleb and Lucas. They made a point of telling us that Lucas designs apps and we have seen Caleb’s technical skills. Combining those two characters would make this game board. How does it motion sense whose playing?

- So the game is called 'Liars Lament’ and Lament stands for grief or sorrow. This could refer to avenging of Charlotte’s death OR making the liars take on tasks that reference something that connects to them emotionally and then they are rewarded for it. So Spencer’s task was to visit Toby. Why would it be to visit Toby? Perhaps Spencer feels guilty for the accident with Yvonne in a comma when she kissed Toby (Even though, it seems like her possibly twin kissed Toby) and she was rewarded with a letter from Mary dated back in the Radley days.

- @badassmona pointed out where each outfit the figurines are wearing are from. So, I took a little look at the episodes and I found some interesting things;

Spencer - 5x24 - This is the episode where Hanna and Alison are both in jail and it’s the day of Alison’s trial. Alison gets sentenced to being guilty for murder in the first degree. At the end of this episode, Charlotte is playing with a toy bus that resembles one of those prisoner truck things.. and she takes out a brunette figurine. Did this represent Mona? Or Spencer? Is this supposed to make us suspect Spencer?

Hanna - Hanna is dressed the most elaborate and her outfit wasn’t exactly matching to an outfit she’s worn on the show so I don’t really know how to evaluate it. Whoever, this person is sees Hanna as a fashion forward individual

Aria - 1x11; So Hanna is in hospital and Ezra shows Aria the 'I see you’ message on the back of his car. The episode before, Aria has an A Like moment where she slowly pulls down her hood. It seemed like a mini reveal.

Ali - Alison is obviously wearing her yellow top. The iconic yellow top that she was buried alive in, the final outfit she was known to be in. We all somewhat know what happened that night through Charlotte. However that is one person’s experience.

Emily - Emily is wearing her sharks swim team attire and this is the episode where she discuses swimming abilities and skills with Sydney. This is also the episode, Alison texts Emily and sings it A by accident then changes it. Why would Alison subconsciously type A at the end? This episode had a lot to do with Paige..

Now that I’ve analysed the episodes, I think I know the possible route for the game. Each liar will have to perform a task that correlates with someone close to them / failure to do so could result in that person being harmed. For example, 1x11 had details of Aria being with Ezra and Noel finding out about it, Her task could be Ezra related, Her reward possibly Nicole related, and if she fails, Ezra could find out about something idk. Emily’s episode had a lot of Paige, What if she’s forced to do something that involves choosing Alison or Paige? What if it results in Alison’s death? Hanna is dressing Katherine Daly for a career boost and her game piece features fashion-elements.. AD could ruin that so badly. Spencer’s was related to Toby because of her love for him. I don’t have much more to say I’m tired lmao

- “So continue with Plan A.” When Hanna and Aria are talking about Nicole and Hanna tells Aria to CONTINUE WITH PLAN A. Is this foreshadowing Aria?

- Alison is so salty over Paige. Why is she so intimidated? Alison was the one that bullied Paige

- Why is nobody asking Who shot Spencer? The only people present were Mary and Jenna. So does that mean? Mary shot Spencer? But why?

- I really don’t want Katherine Daly to be Bethany. I just don’t like it.

- THE VERONICA SPENCER SCENE BROKE MY HEART. VERONICA LOVED HER AND PROTECTED HER LIKE SHE WAS HER OWN.

- PETER HASTINGS IS A FUCK BOY

- SUPPORTIVE CALEB SMILING AT HANNA AS SHE DOES WHAT SHE LOVES IS MY AESTHETIC

- Why does Alison have to attack Paige? Paige is literally doing her job and Alison just makes things shitty? Why. Why is she forever victimising herself and Why is she being the old Alison. Is this been shown to let us know that Ali hasn’t changed?

- Maybe not the rest of the world. But this is ROSEWOOD. LITERALLY LMAO

- Why is Spencer so easily whipping off her cast???

- Okay so the letter from Mary says that Spencer was made through hate and so that Jesica and Peter are aware of a mistake they made on s daily basis? I know that Mary pretended to be Jesica so with Spencer living next door to her, She’d be able regret the affair that she also had with Peter. Also, How did AD get this letter? Must be working with Mary

- Paige is right about Alison. Emily will make excuses and it is demeaning. Alison always victimises herself.

- and again Hanna is very defensive and salty. Questioning wether the letter is real.

- PLEASE LET THAT CUP, THE TEA AND THE SCRUBS BE A REFERENCE TO WREN. ALSO, Jenna at the end, Does her Braille spell out End game or The actual identity of the person and their reason? Why would she just smile and say End game? I’m confused

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/rip-iconic-james-bond-roger-moore-dies-89-battle-cancer/

RIP: Iconic James Bond Roger Moore dies at 89 after battle with cancer

Best known for his iconic role playing James Bond, Roger Moore has died at the age of 89 after a battle with cancer. The Englishman also was suave as another hero, Simon Templar, in the British TV series 'The Saint.' “I would have loved to have played a real baddie,” he once said. Roger Moore, the handsome Londoner who portrayed James Bond in more films than anyone else and did so with cartoonish, cheeky charm and probably for a bit too long, has died. He was 89 (born on Oct. 14, 1927). Moore, who earlier made his reputation as a suave leading man on the television series Maverick, The Saint and The Persuaders!, died, with a message from his children shared on the actor's official Twitter account reading: "It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer." It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer. After George Lazenby was one and done as Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Moore took on the guise of Agent 007 in Live and Let Die (1973) and stayed for The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) and A View to a Kill (1985), which hit theaters when he was nearly 58. He said it was his choice to leave the franchise. His Bond was more of a charmer than a fighter, more of a stirrer than was the shaker embodied by the first Bond, Scotsman Sean Connery. Moore took on the role with a grain of salt, not to mention cigars — as part of his contract, he reportedly was given unlimited Montecristos during production. “My personality is entirely different than previous Bonds. I’m not that cold-blooded killer type. Which is why I play it mostly for laughs,” he once said. Moore’s devilish smile and famously cocked eyebrow made his Bond a more polished, albeit less pugnacious, chap than former bodybuilder Connery’s robust warrior. The late Amy Winehouse apparently was a fan. On her song “You Know I’m No Good” from the 2006 album Back to Black, she sings, “By the time I’m out the door, you tear men down like Roger Moore.” “I probably just rhymed with door,” he once said. “Or she couldn’t find anything to rhyme with Connery.” Moore played Bond more than any other actor — while bedding a total of 19 beauties, by one count — and his films earned more than $1 billion at the box office. But he considered himself to be the fourth-best 007, trailing Connery, Daniel Craig and Lazenby. And after leaving the series, he acted only sporadically. Earlier, Moore starred for six seasons as the slick Simon Templar, who makes a living stealing from crooks, in the popular 1962-69 series The Saint, which aired in the U.K. on ITV and in the U.S. on NBC (an international hit, it sold to more than 80 countries.) In an October 2014 interview, Moore lamented the fact that he pretty much always played the good guy. “I wasn’t an Albert Finney or a Tom Courtenay,” he said. “I didn’t have their natural talent, I had to work quite hard at acting. My life’s been all right, but people like that get to play wonderful parts. I spent my life playing heroes because I looked like one. Practically everything I’ve been offered didn’t require much beyond looking like me. I would have loved to have played a real baddie.” Roger George Moore was born on Oct. 14, 1927, in Stockwell, England south of the River Thames in London. An only child, he was evacuated as a teen during World War II to Worthing, Sussex in southern England while his father remained in London, serving as a police constable who sketched crime scenes. His first job was with Publicity Pictures Production, a film company in London, which specialized in animated cartoons. He worked as a tracer and filler-in, made tea and ran errands. After he was fired, a friend suggested he could make some easy money serving as an extra on Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), then filming outside London. He played a Roman soldier in a crowd scene in the film that starred Claude Raines and Vivien Leigh, and the experience put his life on a new course. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (with future Miss Moneypenny Lois Maxwell), and by the end of the first term, he managed to get into a West End production of The Italian Straw Hat. Moore quickly landed more parts, including a role in another West End Theater production, The Circle of Chalk. In 1945, Moore was drafted and entered officer training school. He was sent to Germany after winning his commission, commanding a small supply depot. During his tour of duty, he joined the Combined Services Entertainment Unit in Hamburg, doing traveling shows throughout Europe. Upon his discharge, Moore landed a role in the musical comedy Trotti True (1949) but then experienced a long period of unemployment. During this time, he joined a repertory company, the Intimate Theatre; performed in such plays as Noel Coward’s Easy Virtue; and supported himself as a model for things like knitwear and toothpaste. After he understudied for David Tomlinson in a West End production of The Little Hut, Moore moved to Hollywood and within days got a role on a 1953 episode of the live NBC anthology series Robert Montgomery Presents. He played a tennis player who is the object of Elizabeth Taylor’s flirtation in the MGM drama The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954), followed by parts in such films as the biopic Interrupted Melody (1955), starring Eleanor Parker and Glenn Ford; The King’s Thief (1955), with Ann Blyth and David Niven; Diane (1956) with Lana Turner; and The Miracle (1959), with Carroll Baker. Moore’s pretty-boy looks and confident manner elicited comparisons to a young Errol Flynn, and he landed his first starring role, portraying the title knight in the U.S.-British swashbuckling TV series Ivanhoe. He played swindler Silky Harris on the 1959-60 ABC series The Alaskans, and when James Garner quit Maverick in a breach-of-contract dispute, Moore stepped in as cousin Beauregarde “Beau” Maverick, even going so far as to wear the costumes that Garner had left behind. He would later quit the show as well. Disillusioned with television in the U.S., Moore starred in The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961) with Angie Dickinson and returned to England to make Romulus and the Sabines (1961), an Italian film about the founding of Rome. His co-star was Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, whom he married in 1969, after his divorce from singer Dorothy Squires was finalized. They had three children together before divorcing in 1996. British media mogul Lew Grade wanted Moore to star as Templar, the character created by author Leslie Charteris and played on the big screen by George Sanders in the 1940s (and by Val Kilmer in a 1997 film). His savoir-faire was perfect for the part, and Moore became an international celebrity. Grade also signed him to star in the big-screen thrillers Crossplot (1969) and The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) — he considered the latter to be his best film — and then approached him with another TV series, The Persuaders! Moore played English nobleman Lord Brett Sinclair opposite Tony Curtis as rogue New Yorker Danny Wilde, and the mismatched pair solved crimes in exotic locations in the 1971 ITV-ABC series. Around that time, Moore also served as the European managing director of Brut Productions, the show-business wing of Faberge cosmetic works. Working around his 007 assignments, Moore appeared in Shout at the Devil (1976) with Lee Marvin, The Wild Geese (1978) with Richard Burton, The Sea Wolves (1980) with Gregory Peck and Niven and The Cannonball Run (1981) with Burt Reynolds. He also starred in the 1976 NBC movie Sherlock Holmes in New York (Patrick Macnee played Dr. Watson and John Huston was Professor Moriarty). In 1999, Moore was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, and knighthood followed in 2003. He spent the past several years doing charity work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Survivors include his wife Kristina, whom he married in 2002, and children Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian. After to describe his version of Bond in relation to others, Moore told NPR in November 2014: “I look like a comedic lover, and Sean [Connery] in particular, and Daniel Craig now, they are killers. They look like killers. I wouldn’t like to meet Daniel Craig on a dark night if I’d said anything bad about him. “George [Lazenby], Timothy [Dalton] and Pierce [Brosnan], we’ve been together, the four of us. But Sean, Sean really was sort of not that enamored of being confused with James Bond all the time. Sean … damn good actor, but he felt that he was only being remembered for Bond. I personally don’t give a damn. I just want to be remembered as somebody who paid his debts.

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

[briannaslist]

Pretty Little Liars: Playtime

A Recap. I refuse to stylize the “a” in the episode title.

Let us hope that this recap goes by faster than the actual episode.

If it was ever in doubt, Spencer is alive. She’s being brought into the hospital while Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Ali do their usual thing of standing by and talking in quick, muted sentences about their latest lack of common sense. While they’re standing there (impeding traffic in the middle of the hospital hallway) they see Toby being brought into the ER as well.

Time Jump: One Week

Aria: So Aria met up with Toby to talk about how he’s doing and such. He’s clearly able to move around, but Yvonne is in a medically induced coma. Shame – she may have been one of the most innocent characters on the show. Aria goes up to Ezra’s apartment and has packed a bag and is walking out as Ezra walks back in. She said she didn’t know how long he’d be gone and if she should stay there. That was a pretty simple phone call or text though. Why assume? She was gonna let this man come home and think his fiancé left with no explanation? He takes her bag and brings it back to the room. Then they settle in for some exposition.

Aria updates him on all the latest incidents; I wonder if she mentioned Noel Khan getting decapitated in the most contrived and hilarious way ever. He tells her about the terrible shape Nicole is in and he says they haven’t had a chance to speak. Obviously.

Hanna: Hanna and Caleb are still a thing. He mentions something about her getting back to designing or something. I wasn’t really paying attention.

Emily: At Rosewood High, Emily has been given the position of varsity swim coach and Paige got the job of athletic supervisor. Ali comes into the teacher’s lounge and is quite unhappy to hear that Paige is working there. Because it’s necessary to hold grudges against people for five-eight years.

Spencer: Somehow a week after getting shot, Spencer is mobile. It looks like she got shot in the arm, so not the most critical place, but it still merits taking it easy, right? When she walks back into the barn, she sees that there’s a gift from AD. She calls all the girls and they all freak out because they really and truly thought all of this was over when Noel got killed.  

At this point you think that these girls would understand it’s never what they first think. None of them are nearly as smart as they think they are and they should just accept that. Knowing is half the battle. They open the gift, which is a board game designed like Rosewood, with the girls as the game pieces. I honestly thought it would have been Noel’s head. But I guess this works too. The name of the game is “Liars’ Lament” because of course it is. There’s a phone attached that lights up with “Endgame Bitches”.

Ali somehow is the most logical and suggests they just bring the game to the police. But Aria vetoes it saying that based on how things have gone in the past, it’ll probably blow up before they ever get it there. Though that would also eliminate the problem, wouldn’t it Aria. The real twist of the episode is actually right here – they expect us to believe these people have actually learned something from their past experiences. Immediately following that, they have Spencer explain that “endgame” means there’s a few more pieces left to play and then it’s all over. I don’t quite understand who the writers think the audience is. They either think we’re so intelligent that we’re supposed to just connect the dots and make sense of things that never actually linked or they think we’re so stupid that we literally need to be told what endgame means.

Aria decides that this is as good a time as any to air her concerns about her engagement to the only person patient enough to entertain it – Hanna. Hanna tries to reassure her about it. I only bring it up because this plot comes back around later. But we need to break to cover Hanna’s designing which is only important because it puts Mona back into the mix.

So Mona sees Hanna outside of a café (?) working on her design sketches. She asks to see the looks and is impressed, so she takes some pictures to send to someone to help Hanna out.

Aria and Hanna go to some wedding planning place at Hanna’s insistence. It’s there that they have a happy reunion with Holden, who is working there as a chef because it’s his sister’s business. But wait wait wait ��� who the hell is Holden? I’m guessing we’ve seen him before since Aria and Hanna excitedly hugged him? I swear I’ve never seen or heard of this person before in my life. You can’t bring back bit characters from season’s previous like this with no mention when he clearly has left no lasting impression. They’re catching up a little and he’s helping out with the preparations, when Hanna has to leave. But let’s close out Aria because this is her only storyline.

Holden gives Aria a ride back to her apartment since Hanna had to leave. While Aria and Holden are standing outside, they see Ezra. He tells Aria that he needs to leave for New York immediately because Nicole’s parents asked him to come back. He gives her a quick kiss and leaves. Holden asks Aria who Nicole is.

Hanna left the wedding planning center to meet with Mona who has linked her up with a senator’s daughter to wear one of Hanna’s designs to an event. They set up a later meeting where Hanna shows her a few pieces. She loves Hanna’s work and tells her to have the boss (Mona) arrange the rest of the details.

Naturally when Mona comes to talk to Hanna later, Hanna is very mad about the boss thing. Mona assures Hanna that she never meant to give off that impression and calls the senator’s daughter to straighten it all out. Amazing how quickly these basic things get resolved when they know they have a limited number of episodes left.

Emily is caught up in this weird position with Paige and Ali. She’s on a committee with both of them and another…teacher?, the principal?, vice principal? I don’t know who this woman is, but she’s also on the committee. Ali decides to start off with a backhanded compliment toward Paige. They go back and forth with little digs about each other’s previous transgressions while Emily tries not to get involved. Because who needs professionalism in the workplace?

After the meeting, Emily goes back to Ali’s house and asks her what all that behavior was about. But it’s Ali, so it’s not a productive conversation. So Emily asks Ali what her motives were with kissing her the other day. But Ali doesn’t have an answer for that either; Emily tells her not to kiss her again until she actually knows.

Then she decides to go apologize to Paige on Ali’s behalf, which Paige doesn’t even want to hear. She points out that Ali is always a victim needing to be rescued while Emily has a habit jumping in after the victim to take care of her.

Spencer somehow manages to have the most irritating storyline despite having the most valid reason for being a little off. She talks to Detective Marco about everything going on with the investigation. The gun that they found at the scene is not the same gun that shot her; so presumably there was more than one shooter and Jenna still is missing with a gun.

Spencer’s mom comes home and is understandably worried about Spencer’s well-being. Spencer’s dad had some issue with his passport, so he won’t be back until later. Spencer tells her mom that Mary Drake said she was her “real” mom. So we have to go through this whole story of how Spencer’s dad, years after fathering Jason DiLaurentis, went to a restaurant thinking he was meeting Jessica DiLaurentis, who was actually Mary. See, it’s already so fucking dumb! When Jessica found out about Mary’s pregnancy, she told Spencer’s mom, who decided to take Spencer in and raise her. Spencer is both mad at the fact that her mom actually stayed with her dad and then pulls out the “you’re not my mom” cliché. Just to add to the annoyance level of this storyline. It’d be easier to sympathize if Spencer was not an adult and if this “twist” wasn’t some ass-pull stupidity.

AD decides to take advantage of Spencer’s angst to get her to play the game. So Spencer decides to start and she gets “Truth or Dare?” Obviously Truth didn’t work (why go through the trouble of asking though) and it says to visit Toby for a reward.

Spencer sees Toby, who was filled in on what happened with the girls by Detective Marco. Toby naively hopes that everything is finally over now; he knows better, but he’s in a rough place so I’ll give him a free pass. Toby blames himself about Yvonne, even though it was just a regular accident; they hit a deer, that’s not something he could anticipate happening. Spencer reassures him and comforts him.

When Spencer gets back, the game rewards her with a puzzle piece and a letter from Mary, written while she was still pregnant. I can’t even really capture how stupid this entire letter is because she’s explaining that she was trying to punish both the Hastings and the DiLaurentises, but never thought that she would be bringing in someone innocent in the middle of it. Completely idiotic for two reasons: 1) Both of these families had young children, so you’re already causing an issue for innocent people and 2) she really didn’t think that revenge sex could lead to a child?

After playing the game, Spencer calls everyone over. Hanna is mad that Spencer played the game and points out the letter it gave her may not even be real. Hey guys, maybe next time don’t leave something like that to be watched over by one person? Hanna suggests they just destroy the thing and see what else is inside. She grabs a knife and lunges, but the others stop her and the game stops her too by showing a video of them digging up Rollins’ with a message saying they can’t stop playing and winner takes all.

The episode ends with Jenna asking some unknown person about the “game” and is given a binder in braille that Jenna reads as being “Endgame”. So I guess the episode just ends without any resolution or plot because we already knew there was a bigger plan, she’s part of it, and it’s an “endgame”. Basically, nothing happened. In the premiere for the last episodes.

[recentnews18-blog]

New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/the-londoner-see-my-funny-side-asks-william-sitwell-evening-standard/

The Londoner: See my funny side, asks William Sitwell - Evening Standard

William Sitwell’s biggest regret in the furore that saw him resign from Waitrose Food magazine after insulting vegans? It’s not that he caused such offence. It’s that his joke wasn’t funny enough. 

“What was far more annoying [than unemployment] was to suffer the humiliation of hearing people discuss how bad my joke was,” Sitwell despairs.

Sitwell (right) caused uproar in October after a controversial reply to a freelance journalist was made public. She had pitched a vegan series for the magazine. He rejected the proposal, replying: “How about a series on killing vegans, one by one?” 

After the email exchange was made public, Sitwell stepped down from his role and apologised for what he called an “ill-judged joke”. 

Now he seems to think it was ill-judged from a comedic perspective but emphasises that he does have a funny bone. “I feel I’ve made some quite good jokes over the years,” he writes in the new issue of Boisdale Life magazine. 

He has long pored over “the masters” to study “the craft of the comedian”, he says. “The set-up, the punchline, the very delivery. I have spent hours on YouTube watching the masters: Tommy Cooper, Michael McIntyre, Louis CK, Bill Hicks, the masterful mimicry of Rory Bremner. 

“But now look… [I’m] known as the idiot who made an unfunny joke and lost his job.” 

Sitwell, who previously worked at the Sunday Express, also admits to possessing “shocking timing”, as Waitrose was launching a new range of vegan food that very week.  Worst of all, he laments, he wrote what he considered a funnier second email to the pitching journalist, that was never published. 

“I suggested another variant of the plant-based series. 

‘How about a column called The Honest Vegan,’ I wrote. ‘A millennial’s tale of earnest endeavour — and bacon sandwiches.’ 

“Now I reckon that’s quite funny. But as it is quite funny no one has remarked on it.” 

Don’t give up the day job. Oh wait…

Remaining obstacle

Order, order: Speaker John Bercow (AFP/Getty Images)

The Speaker, John Bercow, has told his deputies that he wants to chair all five gruelling days of the Brexit debate, The Londoner understands. This puts him in pole position to influence the debate, which won’t please Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, who identified Bercow as a problem in behind-the-scenes ITV news footage of the whips’ desperate attempts to win the vote. 

“We’re up against some other issues, like the Speaker has got a strong view on this [Brexit],” Smith was recorded saying. 

Last year, Bercow told a group of students he voted Remain in the referendum.

—

Let no one say Theresa May stage-manages her public appearances. Facing a Facebook  Q&A on the Brexit Deal yesterday,  the final question put to bed any suggestion that her press team had pre-chosen the questions: “When did you choose to become a dictator? John Richardson, Fife”.

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Australian comic Adam Hills, who has an artificial foot, revisited his favourite Prince Philip anecdote at a Christmas Without Tears fundraiser this week. The pair met at the Royal Variety Show a decade ago. “Do you fly home tomorrow?” Philip asked. “Yes, I will be, sir,” Hills replied. Philip: “You can smuggle something out of the country in that leg of yours.” Resourceful.

Close shave for 007

Actor Samantha Morton has her eyes on a major film role. “I’d love to play a baddie in James Bond,” she tells The Londoner. 

“I’d never be cast as a Bond Girl,” she explains. “But I hold nothing against them — look at Grace Jones. As a young girl, she blew my mind.” 

Morton’s newly shaved head may help land the role. The next 007 film is in pre-production.

“When you’re younger it’s cute and pixieish”, she explained at the British Independent Film Awards. “And now, I just look like a thug.”

AJ and Anaïs take up Reserved places at Oxford Street launch

In Vogue: AJ Odudu (Dave Benett/Getty Images )

Vogue celebrated the launch of its capsule partywear collection with fashion label Reserved on Oxford Street last night. Model and DJ Mary Charteris reclined, Geri Horner sparkled, while model Anaïs Gallagher — daughter of Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathews — embraced her boyfriend Kitt Sullivan. AJ Odudu was festive in green. The TV presenter may be looking forward to seeing her mum, Florence, this Christmas. Earlier this year, the pair made documentary Manhunting With My Mother, journeying to Nigeria to find love. 

“It basically stemmed from the fact that I was turning 30,” she said. “I had a bit of a meltdown. I was questioning what did I want — I wanted a career, but I also thought I would be married by now, or at least have a boyfriend.” She has said she is still in touch with one of the “suitors” her mum set her up with. Elsewhere, Alexa Chung was at a party hosted by JW Anderson to celebrate the launch of a Gilbert & George capsule collection.

SW1A

Jeremy Corbyn is back on top: the Labour leader has been announced as the winner of the Parliamentary Beard of the Year Award. He has now won six times (including a joint victory tied with Tory John Randall in 2012) but was unseated last year by Mansfield MP Ben Bradley’s designer stubble. “The award is not about the politics of the beard wearer but about how well they have deployed their beard in public during  the year,” a representative  of the Beard Liberation  Front says.

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Visiting  the House of Commons yesterday for a parliamentary press gallery event, Tony Blair was approached by a member of the catering  staff. “We miss you so much,” they were overheard saying.  

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Work has taken Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson away from his family for two weeks. So what’s he most looking forward to getting back to? “Seven days of chocolate in your Advent calendar to eat.”

—

Dame Joan Collins (Getty)

Dame Joan Collins switched on the Shepherd Market Christmas lights last night. Despite her feminine glamour, in this week’s Spectator the Dynasty actor referred to a teenage “tomboy phase” as a “potential transgender moment”. Hmm.

William Sitwell | John Bercow | Tony Blair | Theresa May | Samantha Morton | AJ Odudu

Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/the-londoner-see-my-funny-side-asks-william-sitwell-a4011271.html

[lovethefinalseason-blog]

PLL 7B, Ep 2: These Boots Were Made for Stalking

Welcome back former Pretty Little Liars fans.  Sorry for the delay, unlike the ladies of PLL I can’t just blink my eyes and be back in NY in time to watch the latest episode.  

When we last left the liars, the miracle doctors of Rosewood saved Spencer’s life from a near fatal gun wound by giving her an arm sling and a prescription for 2 bottles of wine daily.  Mrs. Hastings, the only adult actor the producers can afford at this point, confirms that Mary Drake is indeed Spencer’s biological mother.  Ezra comes back from visiting his former girlfriend recently rescued from a year in captivity after being kidnapped by “revolutionaries” while traveling with Ezra through South America, but quickly jets back to NY leaving Aria confused about their upcoming nuptials. Luckily former Korean Martial Arts master turned wedding venue chef Holden is back to comfort her.  Mona helps Hanna start her fashion empire by getting a “senator’s daughter”, Catherine, to commission a dress made by Hanna for a big event.   Emily is now co-coach of the Rosewood High School swim team along with her ex-girlfriend Paige.  Also back at Rosewood High? Ali, teaching English and complaining about being 6 weeks pregnant with her dead psycho husband’s child.  

As we begin Tuesday’s episode, the liars are standing around the board game AD sent them, Liar’s Lament, wondering if it has a hidden camera inside.   Ali is convinced that Jenna is behind the game, but Hanna shuts her down saying “How can she invent a board game if she can’t even tell if her blouse is inside out?”  Hanna is still pissed at Spencer for playing the game at all.  They weirdly suggest Big Lips Sidney is behind it sending Emily into a rage.  She refuses to play the game and thinks they should just go to the police and say they hit Rollins with their car and buried him in the woods.  The others do not agree, but Emily is done and walks out of the barn. Hanna says they need to be in this together.

Outside her and Ezra’s apartment, Aria runs into a suspicious character poking around the outside of the building.  He says he’s a journalist looking for Ezra to do a human interest about his fiancé being found alive.   She tells the journalist that Nicole is not his fiance, she is before storming off. 

Emily and Paige are discussing the swim team in the locker room at Rosewood High. They are concerned about a talented swimmer, Addison, who didn’t show up to the last practice.  They then start talking about their own sordid relationship history as well as Emily’s intense relationship with Ali. As they are inappropriately discussing their sexual past in a high school locker room, the camera pans away to a student putting on makeup listening in.  She’s intrigued by her coach’s lesbian pasts.  Emily notices her, and we find out that this is the student Addison that they were just discussing.  Emily says she didn’t realize she was in here, and Addison responds with a smirk and a stare down saying“I’m a quiet dresser”

Spencer walks in to her mom saying to someone on the phone “just give her a few more weeks.”  She asks her mom why dad is avoiding her and why did Melissa pretend to be shocked that Jason was her half brother.  Spencer’s mom claims that Melissa knew nothing about Spencer’s past (and apparently very little about where babies come from). 

Mona meets Hanna at their new fashion studio, saying Catherine (the Senator’s daughter) chose a dress to wear to her event and that she talked her out of wearing gloves because “if she starts covering up her arms, people will think she’s a stripper.”  When Mona unzips the dress bags, Hanna realizes Mona took dresses from Hanna’s closet and not the clothing rack.  She freaks out when she sees the dress Catherine chose but won’t tell Mona why.  I was hoping it was because it was a dress that Sarah Harvey or someone was buried in but we find out later, it’s because it’s a dress her old fashion designer boss Claudia hated.  

Ali, allowed to be a high school English teacher again even after her stint in a mental hospital and possible involvement in multiple murders, is teaching her class when Spencer comes in to yell at Addison for missing practice with an unexplained absence. Addison claims she was out sick with a headache but Emily doesn’t believe her and tells her that she’s off the roster for Saturday’s swim meet.  Addison, without looking up from her phone, asks Emily if she’s sure she wants to do that. Then gets up and sass walks out of the classroom.  Emily looks back at Ali who says yes, that girl was way worse than I was in high school.  She then wonders if the child she is carrying will also be a monster.  Emily gives her a hug and we see that Addison is now listening by the door and taking pictures of this lesbian scandal. 

Marco, AKA hot cop AKA the only cop in Rosewood, shows up at Spencer’s door sweaty from his morning run.  Spencer wants to know if he’s still looking for Mary Drake (I’m not sure why he wouldn’t be, she was just involved in the beheading of a young man).  She asks him to make it his top priority, then shows him the letter Mary Drake wrote (that came out of the Liar’s Lament board game last week) claiming she found it recently in her mom’s house. 

Back at school, Addison puts on her best innocent victim face and confronts Paige about an “issue” she’s having with Emily.  She claims that Emily only removed her from the swim meet lineup as a punishment for not responding to her sexual advances. She claims that Emily has been inappropriate with several members of the swim team. She shows the pictures of Emily and Ali to Paige.    Paige is immune to this level of BS but tells Addison to send her the pictures and she’ll deal with it. 

Aria is hanging out with Holden in the kitchen of the wedding venue.  He’s freaking out because the rehearsal dinner he’s catering tonight just doubled in size. Aria offers to help, putting on an apron and hesitating before taking off her engagement ring.  She tells Holden that Nicole’s family rented an apartment near the hospital in NY for Ezra.  She was freaking out that the journalist thought Ezra and Nicole were engaged but now she’s wondering if they were actually engaged and Ezra just never told her.   Holden asks if anyone else aside from Ezra ever told her they loved her.  She says yes and he asks if Ezra knows that saying “just because you met him in eleventh grade doesn’t mean he’s frozen in amber.”  It does however mean he’s super creepy and should be in prison.  Later in the episode, Aria gets a news alert about Ezra. It seems the journalist got his human interest story after all, the article features pictures of Ezra and Nicole hugging and looking happy. 

Paige talks to Emily about Addison, telling her she knows the girl is lying but she might go to the principal about the photo of her and Ali.  Emily doesn’t think it’s a big deal because the principal knows about her past (and was still willing to hire her..).  Paige convinces Emily that they should tell the principal about Addison but Emily is worried that if Paige challenges Addison she might go after her too. Paige sasses back that Addison doesn’t have any pictures of her.   Paige tells Emily to take the night off so she can put out some fires with the team mates and talk to the principal. 

Spencer is at the police station with Marco, helping him search for Mary Drake. He says she checked into a hotel a few nights ago but was gone by the time they got there.  He asks Spencer if she’s sure she really wants to find Mary because she could’ve been the one who shot her.  This is confusing because if the cops think that...wouldn’t they be looking for her anyway?  He asks her where she found the letter and if her parents still know how to contact Mary.  Suddenly Spencer here’s the tapping of a blind person’s cane and Jenna shows up saying “i believe you’ve been looking for me?”  She says she’s been hiding but she needs to tell someone the truth before asking if Marco is sure Noel Kahn is dead. She then acts out a sad story about how Noel wanted to kill her too like he killed Sarah Harvey. Noel allegedly told her that the money that CeCe had left behind was for Jenna to pay for another eye surgery.  He wanted the money for himself since his parents cut him off leaving him broke. Blind crying Jenna can’t see Spencer and Marco rolling their eyes at each other.  It’s easy to fake crying when you wear giant sunglases all the time.  Marco has another cop lead Jenna to a conference room as he reminds Spencer that Jenna’s gun doesn’t match the bullet that shot her.  Spencer texts Hanna (who is currently leaving messages for her old boss Claudia) that Jenna is back. She also shows up to the wedding venue kitchen to let Aria know as well. 

Emily’s on the phone with Hanna at the brew when she hears Jenna’s cane behind her.  Jenna, now walking with two possibly blind bodyguards, takes out a phone to send a message then leaves.  Emily then notices Addison in the back of the coffee shop reading a message on her phone. 

Spencer is going to look at a new field office in Philly with her mom (for her mom’s future political career).  She tells her mom that she will no longer be working for her and Mrs. Hastings responds by telling Spencer her and her dad are selling the house and moving away from Rosewood.  Spencer doesn’t react, leading to a dramatic speech from Mrs. Hastings about all their “wonderful” memories in this house and that all she ever wanted was to keep Spencer safe. 

At the Radley - the former mental institution turned hotel and bar hang out - Mona is showing Hanna all the accessories she picked out for Catherine.  She then hears the telltale cane and sees Jenna walk in in the same dress Catherine commissioned, only in white.  Mona flies into a rage while Hanna sits there pouting.  She confronts Jenna about it, but Jenna just responds that it was a gift then leaves with her two blind assassins.  Hanna tells a confused Mona that this is probably all part of the game. Mona, unaware of the Liar’s Lament board game, is understandably confused. 

Emily is freaking out to Ali about Addison and she begs Ali to let her play the game.  She’s convinced Addison is working with AD. She then confesses to Ali that the only reason she graduated college was because she let AD take her final exam for her.  Ali gives her the key to the game but says they need to play it together. 

Haleb is/are now following blind Jenna and the assassins. The two men go into a shoe repair shop while Jenna waits outside talking on the phone.  Caleb sneaks up behind Jenna but he doesn’t surprise her since, she says she can smell Hanna on him. He asks her why she’s here and she says she’s meeting friends to rehearse for a concert.  While Caleb distracts her, Hanna sneaks into the shop.   Caleb confronts Jenna about the dress made from the stolen sketch but Jenna doesn’t respond.  In the shoe repair shop, none of the lights work (of course) and someone locks Hanna in a cage.  Hanna freaks out as all the machines start to turn on and she begins to have flash backs both from being locked in the dollhouse and her second torture/kidnapping incident by Archer Dunhill.  As she sits on the floor panicking, her phone lights up with a message from AD “wait your turn, bitch. It’ll come. And you’ll be ready.” At this point we can safely conclude that AD is not English teacher Ali as this AD has no grasp of how to use punctuation.  Caleb finds Hanna in the corner of the cage crying and uses some tools to get her out. 

Ali and Emily open the game and see the puzzle piece that Spencer added last time in the center.  The phone lights up and a video plays of Addison and her boyfriend making out in a car behind the Brew on the day that Addison claims she was home with a headache. So far this new uber A seems more helpful than hurtful.  Emily later confronts Addison with the video, but ends up channeling her own high school experience and yells at Addison as if she’s high school Ali.  Paige intervenes saying that someone forwarded the principal and Addison’s parents a copy of an email Addison wrote in computer lab, bragging about taking down Emily.  This “someone” is very likely AD. 

Aria has magically teleported herself to the hospital in New York and convinces a nurse outside to let her in so she can give her “friend” a gift of salt water taffy. As the lady opens the door, Holden runs up and tells her not to do it.  He takes her out to eat pizza instead. 

 After the Addison confrontation, Paige offers a stoic Emily a ride home.  She accepts but on her way out checks her school mailbox. Inside is a blank envelope containing another puzzle piece.  Her phone beeps and another badly punctuated message from AD reads “embrace your darkness, Em, I’ve had to. That’s how you win the game.”

In the final scene, the liars stand around the board game as Emily connects her puzzle piece with Spencer’s in the center.  Spencer figures out that the puzzle is  a map and they wonder what or who AD wants them to find.  As the camera pans away you see someone is watching them outside the window because even after seven years no one has even thought of closing the blinds. 

[lindafrancois]

7 Emergency Hacks to Stay Healthy in the Winter

“Winter is coming”

– House Stark.

Like the White Walkers of the old stories our Gran used to tell us, winter is descending upon us mere mortals, and we must prepare! This endless onslaught of vicious attacks on our brains and our bellies will leave us ripe for slaughter if we’re not careful:

Cold weather that encourages us to sleep in, avoid the elements, and say “maybe tomorrow.”

A sun that rises too late and sets too soon means we often go days without seeing the damn thing.

Cookies and candies bombarded us from everywhere we look.

Oh, and a f’ing global pandemic that has left us isolated and alone. 

These and more challenges are just begging us to go off the rails. And a built-in excuse called January 1st where we promise to “start over” helps us rationalize us “pausing” until then. Black Friday has come and gone. Cyber Monday is now in the rearview. Thanksgiving is now a distant memory.

And yet…the challenges are still just getting started.

Luckily, we have 7 “hacks”  to survive these trying times. If you want, you can try them too!

Here’s what we’ll cover with our guide on surviving winter:

Winter Hack #1: Don’t Run in the Wrong Direction

Winter Hack #2: Never Two in a Row

Winter Hack #3: Consider Skipping a Meal

Winter Hack #4: Strength Train Before Big Meals

Winter Hack #5: Don’t Rely on Motivation

Winter Hack #6: Have a Plan B

Winter Hack #7: It All Counts

Alright, let’s equip you with some strategies to survive the storm.

Winter Hack #1: Don’t run in the wrong direction

We need you back in the fight, right now.

We all see January 1st as the “reset,” and there’s nothing wrong with a reset to start out the year. The problem is when you compound your issues by digging yourself deeper into a hole that you have to eventually climb out of!

Eat very poorly for long enough, and the hole will start to resemble Bruce Wayne’s prison in The Dark Knight Rises:

Think of it like you’re on the starting line of a race for a healthy life that starts Jan 1st. You have two options:

A) Hang around the starting line: Hang out and wait for the gun to fire. Then start running.

B) Run in the opposite direction. Run farther away from the starting line, so when the gun goes off you have even FARTHER to run in the race.

So, Step 1 is not running in the opposite direction. This means you can’t skip all your workouts and eat like crap and give up til January. This is you going the wrong way, and will make the task of “starting over” on January 1st that much more brutal.

Instead, do what you can to “tread water” and hang out around the starting line. If you CAN, stay on target. One bad meal doesn’t ruin things. One missed workout isn’t the end of the world. If you have an awful day, respawn and get back in the fight. Immediately.

A four-week freefall is a hole you’d rather not be in. You also don’t want to be in THIS hole:

But that’s beside the point…

So forget B. Let’s aim for A.

Winter Hack #2: Never Two in a Row

I first talked about “Never Two in a Row” back in like 2012, and it’s a mantra I’ve been living by ever since.

You’re human. And life happens.

What SHOULD NOT HAPPEN is missing two days in a row. Or eating TWO bad meals in a row. Or having TWO bad days in a row.

Why? One bad day can feel like a speed bump if you’re trying to get healthy. Get back on track right away and there’s no problem.

However, missing two days in a row is like turning that tiny speed bump into the Misty Mountains. If you miss one day in a row, no problem! Just act like it didn’t happen and get back on track.

But once you miss two days in a row, you are now 67.42% more likely to fall into a multiple week hole. Okay, I made up that statistic, but two days very easily becomes three, which very easily becomes a week, which easily becomes “I’ll wait til January.”

That’s running in the wrong direction. 

So AIM TO NEVER EVER EVER miss two workouts in a row. If you miss a workout on Monday, go on Tuesday and get right back on track. If you eat pie for lunch, because it ain’t gonna eat itself, make your dinner healthy AF. Do that, and you’ll be fine.

So whenever you have a bad day or do something against your plan, I need you to respawn right away (“start over” in video game lingo) and make the next day the best day you possibly can.

Winter Hack #3: Consider Skipping a Meal

Spoiler alert: you’re going to eat lots of decadent food this upcoming month. (Unlike Noel’s delicious Thai Zoodle recipe above)

I know it. You know it. So we can do one of two things.

We can pretend like it’s not going to happen, and then be surprised and beat ourselves up when we put ourselves in a carb coma and go on a calorie-induced bender.

Or we can be smart about it and negate the impact these days have on our waistlines. Better yet, we can make these additional calories work FOR us.

For starters, our metabolisms aren’t that smart. Your weight will fluctuate based on total calories consumed over many many days, not after ONE power-bomb of a meal.

So, if you know you are going to eat a monster lunch and dinner (I see you, Christmas), eat a stupidly light breakfast, and a light breakfast tomorrow – the calories will average out in the long run.

Or, if you’re willing to dig in and do the research, SKIP breakfast (and maybe lunch) before your monster meal. It’s called “intermittent fasting,” and it’s what I do to stay on track during weeks when I know I’m going to eat poorly.

First, I skip breakfast every day (I haven’t eaten breakfast for years now).

Second, I might choose to skip lunch as well the day after a monster meal. Again, dig in and do the research (or just read this), and you’ll find that missing a meal isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it can lead to a healthier lifestyle for the right person.

If you’re interested in skipping a meal here or there, our snazzy new app has an intermittent fasting adventure in it that you can try RIGHT NOW.

Sign-up for a free trial right here:

Winter Hack #4: Strength Train Before Big Meals

Whether or not you take advantage of intermittent fasting, you can time your workouts to coincide with your unhealthy meals.

As I mentioned in our article on The 5 Rules of Weight Loss, think of all the calories you eat as first-year wizards at Hogwarts.

They need to be sorted into one of three houses (“Burn as Energy,” Store as Fat,” or “Rebuild Muscle.”)

The extra calories you eat over the holidays always go towards “store as fat” unless you give them a really good reason to head to the “build muscle” common room. Politely asking them won’t help.

You need to give them a reason. And that wonderful reason is STRENGTH TRAINING.

When you strength train before a big meal, the muscles you trained are broken down and need to be rebuilt. So, over the next 48+ hours many of those extra calories will be diverted to rebuilding (stronger) muscles instead of becoming fat.

Yeah, our gyms are probably closed because of the pandemic. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do bodyweight training from our living room.

Try a heavy strength training workout just a few hours before a holiday mean, then proceed to eat with everybody else. While they all lament “I’m so full, I ate too much, wahhhh,” you’ll know your calories are being used to rebuild muscle. So internally, you can start doing an evil villain laugh… Muahahahah, you know the one.

Work smarter (like a nerd).

Winter Hack #5: Don’t rely on motivation

Here’s another spoiler for you: you are NOT going to want to work out this month. It’s going to be dark and cold, and your nose is going to run (better catch it!), Zoom meetings are going to go on unending, you’re going to be hungover, and so on.

The amount of motivation you’ll need to get over these obstacles is gargantuan. So don’t force yourself to try and “dig deep” and just “work harder” and feel guilty when you’re “not motivated.”

Instead, do whatever you can to never, ever ever rely on motivation. Your body won’t say, “oh that’s okay, I’ll stay in shape because I feel bad for you.” There are 31 days in December just like there are 31 days in August.

Which means you need to stay on track even though it’s much easier to do in the summer. So instead of motivation, build fail-safes to make sure you are staying healthy. Schedule your workouts in your calendar and set up alerts so you are reminded. Recruit a buddy so you can check-in on each other.

Or go with one of these more diabolical examples:

Take a really really embarrassing photo of yourself, or type up a tweet with an embarrassing secret. Schedule it to post at 6:15 (or whatever time is early for you) every morning before you go to bed. Put your phone in the other room. If you don’t wake up on time, and run in the other room and cancel that tweet, it goes out! Better just get out of bed and train before work.

Give your co-worker $250. Tell him/her that you will work out 3 days per week, and text him a photo of your workout. If he/she does not receive that photo, they’ll donate $50 of your money to a political cause you can’t stand.

Set your credit card alerts to email you and your wife/husband every time it’s used. Agree ahead of time you’ll never use that card to buy fast food or else you’ll have to be on diaper duty for the next 3 months straight (or something that fits your situation).  

In each of the instances above, you’re going to do exactly two things:

Get really mad at yourself. Probably curse a lot. Swear vengeance on your past self.

Do the damn thing you know you need to do while also being mad at yourself.

Never ever ever rely on motivation. Now, motivation doesn’t hurt. It’s just not reliable. So if you are in need of some motivation to get started, try this watching this video to remind you that training in the winter makes you a badass:

Just don’t rely on it, or feel guilty when you don’t have it! Whenever you DO feel a burst of motivation, use that extra energy to build systems. Here’s how to use motivation properly.

Winter Hack #6: Have a Plan B

“Too cold today! Can’t go to the gym and do my workout, DAMN! Looks like I’ll just have to sit here and eat ice cream.”

“Ran out of groceries, and it’s snowing. I guess I’ll just have to order pizza.”

The problem with winter is that it makes the unhealthy option always the easiest. We’re lazy, and I have to imagine we’re a bit like bears in that we want to hibernate and store fat when it gets cold out.

We have this tiny voice in our head subtly nudging us to pick the path of least resistance: aka pizza and skipped workouts.

And we can’t let that voice win. Then, the White Walkers win. And we’re all screwed. So, instead, we’re going to MacGuyver the sh** outta our winter by having a Plan B prepared.

For example:

A Workout PLAN B: Have a place in your house or apartment that you can go to and do the Beginner Bodyweight Workout, a workout from Nerd Fitness Prime, or some yoga.  It might not be as great as the gym (which may or may not be open), but it’s still a workout. It might mean investing in a door frame pull-up bar or a yoga mat, but a small investment for maintaining momentum through the winter is worth any amount of money. Here’s How to Build a Home Gym if you’re interested. 

A Nutritional PLAN B: Have a healthy meal in your freezer that has already been prepared and ready to be heated up. We make horrible decisions when the fridge is empty and we’re hungry. The Sirens of Dominos and Pizza Hut beckon us to call them for a 30-minute delivery.

So use your own laziness to help!

Here are some things to consider:

Have a meal in your freezer that’s all ready to go.

Store SteamFresh veggies for emergencies.

If you use delivery apps for crap food, delete them from your phone.

Do what you need to do to make it more difficult to make the wrong choice.  

Winter Hack #7: It All Counts

So you can only train for 15 minutes today instead of 20.

So you have time to do a few yoga poses instead of working out for an hour.

So your ONLY option at the holiday party (if it’s even going on) is pizza and you didn’t have a great breakfast.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOUR WINTER IS RUINED.  80% IS STILL 80% BETTER THAN ZERO PERCENT.

Every little bit counts. It REALLY, REALLY does. Every small change, or even living off pie HALF of the time is FAR better than living off pie all the time. Swap ONE beer for ONE glass of water, and it’s a victory that will translate to your waistline. Do 5 push-ups as soon as you get out of bed, and it’s a victory.

Winter is a problem not because people make one bad mistake, but because one bad mistake quickly sets off a chain reaction of disasters justified by the fact that folks can’t do something 100%. So they opt for 0%.

If you don’t have time for a full workout, do half a workout! If you have to eat from a drive-through, no problem. Drinking water or a Diet Coke and grab some fruit as your side. 

Here’s something else to try:

Every morning when you wake up, do 20 bodyweight squats, 10 push-ups, and if you have access to a pull-up bar (or gymnastic rings), hang from them for 30 seconds. No bar? No problem, here are 5 pull-up alternatives.

Make this the FIRST thing you do every day (using systems built back in point #6). That way, at least every day during the winter you’ve done something.

Together we can Brave the Winter

There you have it. 

While you don’t have to follow all 7 hacks this winter, even just adopting one or two might help you build some momentum between now and the new year.

And as always, if you need any additional help, we’re here for you.

What kind of help?

Well, you could consider:

#1) Our Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the button below for more details:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

#2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!

Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit

The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.

Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.

Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.

Alright, that about does it.

But real quick, before somebody yells at me in the comments, yes I know a lot of Aussies and Kiwis are NF Rebels, and I know it’s nearly summer down there. You can laugh at us all you want, your winter will come soon enough. Oh, it will.  

Now, let’s hear from you:

What do you do when the going gets tough, when the temperature drops, and life gets busy as hell?

How do you fight back?

What are your favorite specific tricks or systems you use to stay on track?

Leave your comment below and share with your fellow Rebels.

-Steve

P.S. If the cold weather is bringing you down, this guide on overcoming the winter blues may help.

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Photo source: Joerg Huettenhoelscher © 123RF.com, qwartm © 123RF.com, Ivanko Brnjakovic © 123RF.com

7 Emergency Hacks to Stay Healthy in the Winter published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[lovethefinalseason-blog]

PLL 7B, Ep 1: PlayTime

Well hello former Pretty Little Liars fans. I assume you are here because you want to find out what happens on the show but you don’t want to actually watch the show because let’s be real honest, it’s an absolute garbage fire. 

So let’s recap important things you missed in 7A. Fair warning at many points throughout this recap you might think I just fell asleep and started making shit up to cover my ass but I assure you all of this really happened.  So last season Ali convinced all her friends to testify on CeCe’s behalf to get her out of her psych ward, even though she killed multiply people and stalked them for multiple years.  They succeed but before you can say what the f--CeCe is already dead. Ali is distraught but finds comfort in the arms of CeCe’s doctor Dr. Rollins, who she then falls in love with and Aria (yes, Aria) marries them in a ceremony in her backyard.  But then in a shock to no one he turns out to be not Dr. Rollins at all but a man named Archer Dunhill and he convinces Ali she’s insane by having her mother’s long lost identical twin pose as her dead mother at the window of her house multiple times.  Ali is then committed to a mental institute, and when the girls realize that ghost Mrs. D was actually a real Mrs. D named Mary Drake they save Ali but not before Archer kidnaps her (and also gets her pregnant).  The liars follow them to the woods, kill him with their car and instead of calling the police - who at this point are FULLY aware that Archer Dunhill is bad news - they bury him in the woods while crying about it.   Eventually they figure out that Noel Kahn and Jenna are behind some of this so they follow them to an abandoned house.  In a scene straight out of Final Destination, Noel gets his head chopped off by a Knight costume and blind Jenna somehow shoots Spencer.  Mary Drake comes to her rescue knocking out Jenna and comforting Spencer.  As she watches Spencer struggle for air she sings her a lullaby and tells her she’d never leave her because she’s her mother.  In the final scene you see that Toby and his fiance have gotten into what looks to be a fatal car accident and uber A (hereby known as AD rescues Jenna).  

As the episode opens, Spencer is in an ambulance with an EMT asking her what her name is and then asking her if she knows who her mother is.  Obviously she doesn’t and I don’t think an EMT would really ask this question multiple times as someone is dying an ambulance.  At the hospital the girls think the thoughts of audiences everywhere aloud and wonder how Noel and Jenna could be behind this whole thing.  As they are there Toby is wheeled in by EMTs on a stretcher.  Hanna looks over and says “Toby’s here where’s he going?”.  Surgery Hanna, he’s going into surgery. 

Cut to one week later.  Toby has escaped the fatal car accident with a scratch and a cane.  His fiance is in a medically induced coma and even though she was shot in the heart, Spencer is already out of the hospital and snooping around Mary Drake’s house.   Ezra, who I forgot to mention had gone to South America because his girlfriend who was kidnapped by “revolutionaries” a year ago was found alive, is back and he finds Aria with a suitcase leaving their apartment.  He gives her a hug and puts her bag back into their room, showing her that he���s not leaving (yet).  Hanna wakes up in bed with Caleb and tells him that they have to track down Jenna (since at no point have cops been involved at this point.  Again it’s only been one week since Noel was beheaded and Spencer was shot but not a cop in sight).  Caleb takes out her sketchbook of fashion designs and says that she once cared about this dream so much it broke them up and she can’t give up on it now.  There’s a psycho serial killer after you but what about your DREAMS Hanna.  Emily is now coaching the varsity swim team at Rosewood High School with her ex girlfriend Paige. Ali comes in and tells her that she’s “having the baby of a perfect stranger” and her life is ruined. I would think her life was ruined when her crazy half sister started stalking her because Ali was born biologically female so her parents loved her more, then her mother was murdered and all her friends were stalked by a series of psychos but no, this baby is what finally ruins her life.  No one mentions the possibility of an abortion - it’s a family show.  

Aria and Ezra have an awkward conversation in their kitchen.  Nicole (the kidnapped girlfriend) had some broken bones that didn’t heal properly so they need to be rebroken and reset. She’s recovering in NY and wasn’t ready to talk to him.  Aria receives a text from Spencer “SOS at Barn” and leaves Ezra to join the other liars.   

At the barn, Spencer who was just SHOT IN THE HEART but only just has her arm in a sling and the other liars are standing around a big black box with a red ribbon on it and a note that says “It’s Playtime - AD”.  Also instead of calling each other, now would be a good time to CALL THE POLICE. Also did anyone find Noel Kahn’s head rolling around?  These are important facts we’re causally glossing over.  The open the box and inside is a board game called “Liars Lament”.  It is an exact replica of Rosewood, in the center is a square in the shape of a phone and conveniently, taped to the side is a phone.  The phone lights up and says “Bitches.” Clever.   At this point, I’m just going to say it. Ravenswood was less bat shit crazy than this show.  Ghosts looking for their long lost love makes so much more sense than a killer who can somehow make a board game replica of their town and deliver it to their house with absolutely no one noticing.

Hanna suggests throwing it in a fire.  They discuss whether it could’ve been Noel or Jenna who sent it but decide Noel is too dumb (and he has no head) and Jenna is well..blind.  Sorry not to discriminate against the blind but its kind of hard to make an exact town replica when you can’t see the town.  They then suggest Mary Drake, who let’s remember confessed to being Spencer’s mother. Spencer claims that she’s a liar, which her own mom will prove when she gets home tomorrow.  Wait WHAT.  Spencer was shot in the heart  arm but her mom is on vacation somewhere? Ali, surprisingly the only smart one, says they should turn it into the police but Aria thinks it will blow up before they get it to them.  Spencer realizes that theres only a few steps left to play then it’s all over - to be honest, I rewound this and watched it again and still don’t get how Spencer came to that conclusion but OK.  

Aria talks to Hannah about her Ezra situation - way more important than the psycho serial killer stalking you or going to the police. So glad seeing your high school crush get beheaded hasn’t changed you Aria.  Hanna says that she should be there for Ezra.  Emily is talking to Ali about her new job. Ali is skeptical as to why they hired both her and Paige (shade at the writers much?).  Emily says she will be there for her and the baby (I should also mention that Emily and Ali hooked up last season in what seemed like a desperate 1990s attempt to get ratings - hot girls making out!).  

After the board game reveal, Mona and Hanna are at a restaurant eating lunch outdoors.  Hanna is sketching some fashion designs.  Mona mentions a competition in Philly for fashion design (convenient).  Hanna says shes not well known enough to enter, and Mona tells her you can get any job without a resume if you find the right people to trust you.  All she needs is a model for the clothes (and like...actual clothes not sketches I’d assume, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue).  Hanna is skeptical, but Mona takes out her phone and starts taking pictures of her portfolio, then tells Hanna to trust her.  

Spencer is at the police station with the hot cop she made out with last season.  He asks Spencer if she knew Archer Dunhill (aka Ali’s dead husband) knew Jenna and Noel. She says no (liar). He says they knew him when he was Dr. Rollins. She innocently asks if he thinks he’s still in France (knowing full well that he’s buried in the woods somewhere - or not, I think his body disappeared at some point).  He says he’s not sure but someone is in France. Astute observation cop.  He then takes out a gun from his desk and asks Spencer if she recognizes it and she says yes (I mean, it’s not a particularly unique gun so I don’t know how this is savy police work).  She’s certain it’s the gun that Jenna shot her with. The cop then tells her that this gun is a 45 and she was shot with a 22. Spencer is shocked that there’s another gun - but I’m shocked that no one is like..how do you know the difference between a 22 and a 45 Spencer when you were shot in a dark abandoned building.  Spencer is also shocked to learn that one gun is still missing just like Jenna Marshall and Mary Drake.  So I guess they did go to the police, which leads to more questions - why do they not have a protective detail on their house considering these girls have been kidnapped and almost killed MULTIPLE TIMES.  Does social media exist in Rosewood? Can’t they just put out a Facebook bulletin - hey look out for this blind girl and Mrs. D’s identical twin wandering around town guys, just FYI they shot me.  

Hanna and Aria are setting tables for Aria’s wedding (I literally have no idea how or why Aria’s wedding is happening already).   They are surprised Spencer hasn’t talked to Toby yet (I’m not?).  Then suddenly Holden shows up.  We remember Holden as the guy Aria sort of liked but then sort of thought was A but then it turns out that his secret was doing Korean martial arts with a heart condition …. anyway his sister owns the wedding venue and he’s the chef.   Holden is surprised she is getting married to Ezra.  He gives her a tour of this place and asks her a lot of wedding questions she doesn’t know how to answer any of them.  

Hanna meets Mona at the Radley, to meet with a Senator’s daughter, Catherine Daily.  Catherine is doing a fundraiser for her Dad and she wants to wear one of Hanna’s designs.  Mona says she should come by the studio, confusing Hanna and the rest of the PLL audience.  Mona says that she doesn’t know Catherine Daily, Catherine Daily knows me.  No word on how she got a studio or Hanna’s clothes made in 4 hours.  

When Spencer gets home her mom is there.  She’s happy to see Spencer, and asks Spencer what happened.  How? What? Spencer recaps all of last season in a minute then asks her mom if she wants wine.  Her mom looks confused, and says, how are you though?  Her mom is immediately suspicious about Mary Drake, and Spencer tells her mom that Mary told her that she’s her birth mother.  Her mom says that she’s insane, but doesn’t deny what she says is true.  Her mom precedes to tell her the story - she was working and Jessica knocked on the door and asked to borrow a lawnmower, then randomly told her about her twin sister who had problems.  She told her Mary was pregnant and they knew who the father was, and it was Spencer’s Dad- he mistook Mary Drake in a bar for Jessica.  So basically her dad got both twins pregnant.  Her mom decided to adopt her and pretend she was hers.  Spencer’s mad she stayed with her Dad. She asks if her mom was there when she was born and she says “close by” and we cut to the most awkward 1920s style flashback where her mom is handed the baby in a car outside the hospital, 5 minutes after she was born (she literally tells Spencer it was 5 minutes after she was born) 

Spencer screams “you’re not my mother” and storms out.  

Aria is still walking around town with Holden. He saw her on TV (I think after the kidnapping?) so he came back to town.  They run into a distracted Ezra who tells her he has to go to NY, then runs down the block.   Holden is concerned and asks her who Nicole is.  She stares at him - either she doesn’t know how to explain Ezra’s ex or she’s confused how Holden saw Aria on TV but not the 24 hour coverage last season of Ezra’s kidnapped girlfriend.  

Back at Hanna’s “studio” there’s a rack of clothes that were miraculously made in the last 2 hours.  Catherine is trying on clothes and tells Hanna to call her boss and set up a meeting.  Hanna is confused until Catherine says, “Mona - she’s lucky to have you.”  Caleb is also there and is mad Mona took over Hanna’s “business”.  To be fair, in one day Mona took Hanna’s sketches, rented a studio and had a rack of clothes made.  Later in the episode, Mona is happy that Catherine is buying 2 of Hanna’s dresses, but Hanna is pissed that Mona took over.  She tells Mona she could’ve did this by herself (I really don’t think that’s true) and Mona apologize, saying Hanna is the boss.  Hanna then demands business cards, which is something you would ask for from...your boss. 

Paige, Ali and Emily are having a meeting with another teacher, Mrs. Horowitz.  Ali immediately turns into bitchy Ali and says its really great that Paige is pushing her comfort zone, and talked about her as a student when she was super aggressive and competitive.  Mrs. Horowitz is clearly uncomfortable as am I - can the writers just pick a personality for Ali and stick with it.  Emily tells Ali to cut it out.  Later on Emily is pissed and tells Ali she’s distancing people who get close to her.  Emily asks “why do we have to keep showing you that we love you”  I ask this question every time I watch this show.  Ali is mad that her life is a mess.  Ali claims that all her memories are lies, which is not really true.  Then Emily asks her why she kissed her - because she wanted to or because she wanted her to leave.  She says she doesn’t know and Emily tells her not to kiss her again until she knows.  

Spencer is drunk at the barn with the board game when she gets a text from A.D. telling her to start playing the game.  The cell phone lights up and tells her to place the phone in the center.  The screen then goes black and a truth or dare option comes up.   She hesitates about picking truth then picks dare instead.  It brings up a picture of Toby (I think this is actually Toby’s acting headshot), saying “visit a sick friend, get a reward” and the hospital icon lights up on the board.   Spencer stares at the square.  Of all the dares this seems like the LEAST challenging to be honest.  It didn’t say go tell the police you hit someone with your car and buried him in the woods then made everyone believe that he’d fled to France.  

At the hospital Toby is sitting outside his fiance’s room.  Spencer walks in and they hug.  She tells him she’s sorry and they have an awkward I almost called you moment.  Toby says he talked to Marco (aka hot cop) who told him what happened.  Yvonne is not good. She’s still in a coma.  Toby blames himself for what happened. Spencer says it’s not his fault, to which Toby responds “Maybe not the rest of the world, but this is Rosewood.” Truer words never spoken.  Toby says maybe the town has to disappear before we can leave - is Toby going to bomb the town?  That would be an epic conclusion.  Spencer makes a long boat metaphor then tells him to put on his glasses. 

Spencer comes home from the hospital takes off her arm sling and drinks the rest of her never ending glass of wine.  The game lights up again.  It says “here’s your prize” and a ticket comes out like an arcade game.  It’s an envelope from Radley that says “for my child”.  In it is a single puzzle piece.  The piece fits in the square in the middle of the board game.  There’s also a letter that Mary wrote before she was born, apologizing for giving birth to her in a madhouse and hoping one day she can forgive her.  In the next scene Spencer is asleep on the couch and it appears someone is walking in over her. We are led to believe this is Uber A but it’s just her mom (Mariska Hargitay Mom, not Mary Drake Mom).  She sees the letter next to her but doesn’t pick it up or read it, just looks at Spencer and smiles - hmm suspicious much?

Emily tells Paige she talked to Ali and that Ali is not the same person she was before.   Paige tells her not to make excuses for Ali listing all the things Ali has been over the years to show that Ali is always the victim.  She says some people make a habit of being rescued, just how other people make a habit of jumping in after them. Emily gets a message.

They are all at Spencer’s barn now, mad at Spencer for playing the game alone.  She says she wasn’t thinking (i.e. she was drunk). Hanna suggests breaking open the game - she takes a knife and is about to chop it when the phone lights up and shows a video of them digging up Rollins Archer Dunhill with a note that says “can’t stop playing now.”  

In the final scene, Jenna is drinking tea in a black room with a single chair.  She hands the tea back to someone and says “you said you’d tell me today about the game”, a faceless person in scrubs drops a file on her lap. She opens it up and reads it  - luckily it’s all in braille.  She has a shocked look on her face as she scrolls over the words then whispers “End Game”.  

So is Mariska Hargitay uber A? She didn’t seem surprised by Mary Drake’s letter next to Spencer.  What about the person in scrubs? Is this a hint that Archer Dunhill, though hit by a car and buried, is still alive?  Or is it possibly...Wren?  We’ll soon find out.