#but this bin of like 80 or so phones took me like 3 hours tops

[identifying-cellphones-in-posts]

Super slow day at work so I identified and labeled every recycled android we have in our parts bin.

Isn't it beautiful

[inkskinned]

literally just a dumb unorganized list of school tips

source: im a grad student. i’ve had a lot of school. also i’m adhd & mentally ill and require +8 organization. this is mostly directed @ college students, but maybe high school students can use it too, fuck, idk, it’s been forever since i was stuck in that hell hole

just say “professor” either ur using the correct title for a person (will make them feel good) or you’re giving them a bigger title on the assumption they deserve it (which will make them feel good) and also prevents having to ever i mean ever use their names

talk at least 1 time a week in each class, aim for 1 time a day. even lecture classes. i fucking hate talking in front of more than 5 people, so what i would do is prepare a question about the hw/etc (even if i didn’t need it answered) to ask the professor after class so they saw me and got used to me and saw i was invested in their class. about 89% of teachers - if they see you try, they will pass you. i mean it’s literally that easy. i know people who went from like a c- but because they legit tried, their grade got bumped up to a b-. 

if u have to bring a laptop, pre-download the required material/screenshot it, and then turn off your wifi. it’s too easy to not listen.

physical writing will always give you more information recall over typing.

nobody cares about stupid shit anymore trust me they don’t remember that you were accidentally locked in a towel out of your room bc they have their own dumb shit that happened.... in college all the “cringe culture” turns into “god i wish that were me” culture ... wear ur onesie to a party trust me you make +800 friends and 799 of them will be girls telling you you’re adorable and they’d die for you

about locking urself out.... if ur like me and can breeze past post-it notes placed in obvious areas, don’t be a dumb bitch and rely on post-it-notes. while most schools offer 1 free lockout, dont rely on it - it once took 2 hours before someone could get to me. i was in a towel, which meant no phone. so like. anyway, what i do now is i put something on the handle of the door i have to open/unlock. i can’t just open the door w/out the thing falling down and making a loud “you dumb bitch unlock the door before u shower” sound. 

this works for all important don’t-forget it things. other obstacles i’ve used to remind myself to do something include: putting a chair with my wholeass posterboard in front of the door, an entire printer with a single piece of paper that just read “for the love of god check to be sure you have that essay”, and a recycling bin i kept forgetting to empty. guess what bitch finally emptied the bin once it was between me and a swift exit!

no offense and like the whole “it’s the best years of your life!” thing is great but in reality everything goes better scholastically when you treat it as “i came here to win, not to make friends.” i still did make friends, went to parties every weekend, was popular enough i’d be invited to several on one night - but i came there to win. when i put my scholastic life and my mental health first, i went from a 2.0 to a 3.98. yes you can, bitch.

you’re spending the money. don’t squander it. trust me when i say i know plenty of people who breeze through, bc you often can. but like. don’t. challenge yourself bc like. talk about an investment.

if you hate your major, change it. don’t make your life something you can’t stand. on that note, do NOT agree 100% to a track until you have at least some experience in the field. i cannot tell u how many ppl i know who got their whole masters/phd program done, walked into their new profession, and were like, Oh Fuck, I Can’t Live Like This.

college literally offers so many free things and if you’re not taking advantage of them whenever possible i get it but like. try to take advantage of them. this is everything from your gym (which probably has free classes dude) to clubs to like. sober events. these sober events are so ... fuckin good dude i’ve made mason jars with little plants in em... bee aviaries... candles.... go to the free stuff

oh ps on free stuff i wanna say about 4 of 5 days there’s free food on campus just look for things like job fairs, presentations, or discussion groups. also while you’re there at the job fair like. u know, go to the job fair in earnest

i took off 2 years to work and also to just. recover from my bullshit. and it took me 6 years and 3 schools to get my bachelor’s. it wasn’t easy but bitch i lived. there’s no such thing as “too long” to graduate if that’s truly what you want to do.

if on the meal plan, eat as clean as you can the first week. then introduce each part of the cafeteria’s possibly-food-poisoning-creating foods one at a time. give @ least 2 days between each experiment so you know for sure if you get sick what caused it. i literally never eat meat at school but you can still get sick off of unwashed lettuce/salad dressing that hasn’t been refrigerated properly/weirdass things you won’t even think of. this prevents like. dying in a public bathroom.

white loaf bread can be gross & boring. discount bakery section for your slightly chewy artisianal bread needs. if overstale, either toast it or dunk it into water and microwave it (unless u got an oven. use the oven if u can)

steal as many apples from the dining hall/events/etc as physically possible just do it they keep FOREVER and @ some point you’ll be like. fUCK i need a nutrition. ps if you’re keeping them in ur backpack (i wouldn’t keep more than 2) make sure to wrap w/a few paper towels so if you drop your bag you don’t get apple mush

write it all down bitch. “i’ll remember it” no you won’t. unless you are capable of remembering every idea on this list and in order, you won’t remember it. in general, if you write something 3 times, you will recall it correctly at least 80% of the time. i also read it out loud to myself, bc, you know, auditory recall

DO NOT just put your assignment at the top of your notes, unless you’re 100% sure that will work for you. in most cases, it’s much better to have a planner/agenda/place you expect to look for assignments. +7 points if you lie to yourself about deadlines and move them all up.

like not to sound too much like a DARE ad but like. if you don’t like it/don’t want it, don’t fuckin do it. the idea that “there’s nothing to do if you don’t party” is such bullshit. like i promise if you’re like “i am a grouch and want to stay in and binge netflix” about 45 ppl will show up in pjs like “bitch fullscreen it, im a grouch too.” there’s also like. the chance to just.... not overindulge. on wednesdays i have “wine wednesdays” where we sit around and drink a glass of wine while we do our hw. it’s chill and friendly instead of like. drink until u vomit. don’t feel like you either gotta slam the breaks or the gas pedal, is what i mean.

PLEASE know the signs of alcohol poisoning/overdose. most schools have a “Safety Always Matters Most” policy, which means that you can call for help w/out getting into trouble. if you think someone is in danger, act. this also goes for making sure ppl get home safe even if they’re just incapacitated, not poisoned. step in, dudes.

also just. notice when ur starting to rely on stuff too much. i’m super easily addicted to things, so i keep a healthy distance from liquor. i don’t let myself “drink to feel better” bc that’s a scary, scary thing to link to feeling better. if you or somebody u know starts drinking all the time/gets anxious if they don’t drink/drinks in the daytime .... get help. schools have counselling services for a reason.

you’re gonna get a cold/flu of some sort in the first 2 months just brace for it. in the meantime, drink vitamin c, try not to touch too many handles, and when people say “there’s something going around” believe them.

watch kaplan nike just do it 

if you can teach it, you know the material. a super good way of knowing if you studied the right way is to try and teach the material to a stuffed animal/imaginary class.

“i don’t know how to study” bitch me too the fuck. this is usually bc we’ve been taught that studying is just sitting down and staring @ ur notes. it’s not. it’s different for everyone, and you need to understand it’s 99% preventative care. if you don’t go to the class or do the homework, studying is going to fucking suck, bc you’re learning the material all at once for the first time. the place you should consider “studying” is “i’m confident in 70-90% of the material, but need to review.” do not let yourself fall behind .... just go to office hours and ask questions if ur not getting something. studying should feel like you’re remembering what you already knew but kinda forgot, not like you’ve been blindsided.

the whole “writing it down in ur own words” while u have been told this 700 times it really helps bc it means u gotta translate it through your own understanding. if you can’t, and it’s not bc the material seems too obvious to you to state in another way - ask yourself if you don’t understand the material. chances are u are missing a bit of info.

i know it’s like A Thing that Some People do but i never had the mental health points for it but i know some people just take 15 minutes after every class to review their notes. since i’m 100% early to every class ever, obnoxiously so, i try to do it before class. having the last class’s notes up in my head super helps. like. put down the phone i know you’re socially anxious me too but review those notes. chances are if u start flipping through pages other ppl will too. this is also fun bc as soon as you start this whole thing, at least one person will be like “is there a test?” no bitch there’s no test but im gonna be ready when there is!

literally so much of success is fucking posturing i could link about 800 peer-edited studies that show that when a student is expected to do well (and knows they are), they do well. like i literally didn’t change my appearance at all, never bothered to look nice (once winter hits i wear 67 layers all the time), but when i showed up after my 2 years off from school, i presented myself with the whole “i came here to win” vibe and people... really respected me? i mean in hs i remember ppl saying shit like “yeah, well, you aren’t gonna have the homework”. by the time i was in college i had an honest-to-god conversation which included someone being like “so tell me what you’re overachieving at right now” like they just expected it from me. wild.

i live by “bite off more than you can chew, and then CHEW IT” but it’s probably unhealthy. the truth is that i have a lot of energy all the time (lmao adhd!!!) and i used to get told i was “trying too hard” and for a long time (still???) i didn’t (i don’t?) know what that was, you know, bc i had a D average, clearly i wasn’t trying. it turns out i was just. putting all my energy into stuff that wasn’t making me happy like toxic friendships etc. when i decided “nope, all this energy is for me and my schoolwork”..... uhhhhh suddenly i was a golden child and everyone praised my try-hardness ... it’s a fuckt up system tbh

take at least 1 class just for fun. i try to do that every semester. it helps break up all the requirements. if you’re like an engineer and got no time or credits left to spend, try to audit your fun course.

make ur advisor love you i don’t care what it takes make them cupcakes show up to thank them i dONT CARE just do it 

the library isn’t always the best place. if i start getting anxious bc i pavlovian train myself that library=work, i find a new place to go to do hw. try to go outside if you can!!! not like where i live bc like it’s snow all the time but try. a little green really really really helps depression. 

if you’ve been in the same “Studying” place for 1 hour and haven’t done anything the chances are Something Isn’t Right. first, look @ ur body. are you not focusing bc of some pressing physical need? sometimes just taking a shower and coming back helps. are you uncomfy? are you too comfy and going to sleep? if body okay, look @ the material. do you not understand it? do you just need to switch to a new topic for a little bit? can you find a youtube video that will help you better understand it? make notes on what you don’t get so you can ask in the next class. if it’s not the material, it’s not ur bod, check the Actual Space. sometimes just getting up, going for a short walk to a new place, and trying it there actually? really works? if none of this is working.... try ur brain next. hardest to reset bc like, what, turn it on and off again? i use things like caffeine, a short workout, a nap, or a podcast all to just... give me a little boost. 

don’t be afraid to leave. i mean this about class, friend groups, and the college ur at. just get up on outta there if ur not feelin it. i cannot recommend “drop the class” enough. even if it’s a required course see if u can switch the times if u hate the professor day 3 it’s not gonna get better just get the fuCK out

don’t nap in the same position u go to sleep in, nap upside down w/ur head away from ur pillow. don’t ask me why but it works to 1. fall asleep faster 2. make sure u sleep okay at night and 3. wake up less annoyed 

on that note don’t ever do anything in ur bed in a sleeping position unless it’s genuinely sleeping in it. body will get confused. just sit up, lazybones.

when/if the library has those therapy dogs during finals week.... just go pet them make the time for it

ask before hugging people, but don’t expect a “yes”

get a backpack that fits and doesn’t hurt ur back u fuckin hippie idc how cool it is to wear ur backpack super low just don’t do it it’s not worth it

the tutoring center is a fucking goldmine.... free essay edits my dudes

bring a fan dorms are always hotter than u expect

switch dorms if u can if u realize ur in the wrong room/wrong roomate like just don’t bother with nonsense

when in doubt, follow preschool rules. tell ppl when they did something cool, just ask when u need help, and be confident even in your mistakes, because at least u tried

[boymeetsweevil]

Hell’s Kitchen

Grouping: Reader x Seokjin

Word Count: 2.2k, the closest thing to crack i’ve ever written, warning for lots of cursing and mentions of a bj but in, like, the least sexy way

Summary: Its Jin’s birthday and its a hot ass mess because you can’t keep a secret

happy jin day!! :)

At 7:00am on December 4th, Kim Seokjin is woken from his slumber by the sound of pots and pans being banged together. Oh god, he thinks, its finally happening—the aliens. 

“Get that tight ass of yours out of bed. Happy birthday, Mr. Worldwide Handsome!”

He rolls to the edge of the bed, groaning and curling into fetal position to cover his ears. A particularly loud bang of the pans has him tipping over the edge and narrowly avoiding the corner of the bed frame as he face plants roughly onto the floor.

You slowly stop banging the pans and wonder if maybe you should have planned this better.

Birthdays are not your thing. That is, you’re all for letting your friends and family spoil you, if they call first so you can schedule them in. But, other people’s birthdays are not your thing. 

When their birthdays roll around, the people closest to you know to expect a hefty check in the mail and a slightly breathless early morning voicemail that you recorded on your way to the office.

You are fully aware that to people who don’t know you, a phone call and a drugstore card with money shoved in it may seem impersonal and cold. You do care, though. You do. It’s just that birthdays have never appealed to you. A birthday is, in theory, a day you’re supposed to enjoy. But in reality, they’re full of people trying to scare you when you walk into your apartment late at night or drag you to clubs when you got 3 hours of sleep the night before. And they always want to give you sex toys as presents in front of your mother. 

You wrinkle your nose at the bad memories resurfacing as you watch Jin try to resume his sleep on the floor of his bedroom. Jin and you were compatible in that you both liked no-fuss birthdays. All he ever wanted was a home-cooked meal that he didn’t make.

“Jin? Jinnie? Wake up, Honey, I made food for you.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“But didn’t you say you didn’t have dinner because it got too busy at the restaurant?”

He groans at the thought of having to eat your cooking but stands up anyway. You grin manically and take him by the arm to guide him to the kitchen where you’ve set up the food. Once the fully stocked table comes into view, his eyes widen.

“You said you made this?”

“Mhmm.”

He takes a cautious seat and picks up the steaming bowl in front of him to inhale the scent.

“Oh my god. This smells better than my jjigae.”

“I just looked up a recipe online and this one was really highly recommended. Try it,” you urge him, eager to see the reaction.

He removes his personal chopsticks from their pouch by the place setting and digs in. The response is instantaneous and he whips his head around to glare at you.

“There’s no way you made this. This has to be catered.”

“Kim Seokjin, why would I lie to you? Don’t you think it would be hard for me to sneak a caterer in here? And do you not see the dishes in the sink, huh?”

Jin has the decency to look scolded and lowers his head.

“I’m sorry. It’s just really, really good. And, well...normally you burn toast.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, it’s alright. Just don’t underestimate me ever again.” 

You place a firm hand on his shoulder as he eats. While you didn’t mean for it to be threatening, he gulps down his bite of food a bit harder than normal.

When he finishes his bowl, he looks more satisfied than you’ve seen him in a while. Which is saying something since you blew him last week after a 16-hour shift and he still didn’t look as peaceful.

“Are you all done? How about I run you a nice long bath and then—where are you going?” You try and fail to hide your panic.

“I’m going to take out the trash. I was gonna throw my napkins away but the bin looks too full.”

“Y-you don’t have to. Sit down. I’ll take care of it. It’s your birthday.”

“Come on,” he smiles, “You don’t have to baby me just because it’s my birthday. Plus, you hate taking out the trash and you always put the paper recycling out on container day.”

“Just sit down, damn it,” you shout. He narrows his eyes at you and then looks over to the trash again. He says your name in a low warning tone and begins to make his way over to the bin.

“Jin, stop! Just sit down. There’s nothing wrong with the trash. Why are you going over there?” You grab his elbow and pull, trying to stop him from seeing.

“I didn’t even say I was going to the trash. Why are you bringing it up, huh? What are you hiding?”

“Nothing! Just sit the fuck down, please!” You’ve resorted to sliding down his body and grabbing his leg, going boneless to create some drag.

“Jesus, why don’t you just admit there’s take out containers in the trash?” 

He drags the leg carrying you with a muted grunt but continues his shuffle over to the corner of the kitchen where the trash bin stands. Good thing he never skips leg day at the gym.

“I made that jjigae, fuck you!”

“Bull. Shit.” He hisses down at you, his face red from exertion and determination.

Somehow you lose your grasp on his pants leg and he takes that moment to run over to the bin while you’re still on the ground. All you can do is give a sorrowful shout. When he finally lifts the lid of the trash, all he sees is tupperware. 

“What? If you didn’t order out, where the hell did you get this?” He’s almost ready to admit defeat and beg forgiveness when he sees a sticky note attached to one of the discarded lids. He picks it up and sees familiar bubbly handwriting detailing cooking instructions on the paper. He sighs and turns to you.

“You’re really going to take credit for old lady Jung’s jjigae? Really?” His smug chuckle has your blood boiling.

“Goddamn it, Jin, I just wanted to do something nice for you. You’re always whining about how working at the restaurant ruins cooking at home for you and I wanted to feed you, but you know I can’t cook for shit. Why couldn’t you just let me have this?”

“You could have just said ‘Here, Jin, I had Mrs. Jung make this jjigae for you because I know her jjigae gives you wet dreams and I—” some movement in his peripheral vision stops him mid-sentence.

You turn to see a very shaken looking Mrs. Jung holding a cake carrier. You both fumble and bow before addressing the elephant in the room.

“Mrs. Jung, h-how long have you been standing there,” Jin asks with shame blooming like roses on his cheeks.

“I’ve been here since you dragged that poor child across the floor, dearie. I was coming to deliver the cake while you took your bath, but that didn’t happen.” She laughs and you have to force yourself not to ask if she enjoyed the show. This whole morning is going to shit, you remark sadly.

“Were you going to take credit for that cake too?” You can feel the tension headache coming on and you begin to rub your temples.

“Look, I paid her fee, so that cake might as well be mine.”

“You mean to tell me you paid her,” he turns to stare wide-eyed at Mrs. Jung, “You received payment for the jjigae and cake, Mrs. Jung?”

“Of course, dearie. You may be sweet but, with my arthritis, I can’t afford to be making things like this for free.” She levels him with a no-nonsense stare.

“I see. Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll take that cake pan off your hands, Mrs. Jung. Oh, is this that strawberry cake you brought to my parents’ anniversary? That’s my favorite.”

“I know. Or rather, I know from the order slip your little sweetheart filled out with the request.”

He turns to you inquisitively and mouths ‘an order form’ and you can only close your eyes and nod.

“Thank you for delivering so early in the morning, Mrs. Jung, I’ll be sure to wire you a big tip. I’ll see you later, ma’am.” You gently usher the old lady out of the door before leaning on it once its closed and locked.

“I’m sorry,” you sigh. “It just seemed like it would have meant more if I made it myself.”

“I would have agreed with that statement a day ago,” he admits as he pops the top off the cake carrier and sniffs the pink icing on the surface, “But knowing how much effort you put into this makes me change my mind. As long as I can eat it with you, I don’t care who makes the food.”

He walks over to you and holds the cake up to you face. You lift shining eyes up to look up at him in awe.

“Are you-are you giving me the first bite?”

“You deserve it after the morning you’ve had.”

“But, Jin, it’s your birthday.”

“It’s okay. I plan on eating 80% of this cake by myself before noon anyway.”

You take as big a bite as your mouth will allow from the body of the cake, smearing frosting all over your cheeks, nose, and chin. Even though she charged an arm and a leg for the food, it was worth the price, you muse.

The landline by the front door rings and Jin kindly reaches over to put the call on speaker since you’re chewing and your hands are now covered in frosting.

“Hewwo” you hum over a mouthful of cake.

“Hi, honey, its Mrs. Kim. I just wanted to update you about the steaks.”

“Oh, um, Mrs. Kim about that—”

“Jin’s father is putting them on the grill now. When did you say were going to lunch?”

“Well, I think we’re going at 1, and I was thinking that maybe you don’t have to—”

“I have the key you gave me and I was just going to come over and drop them off while you two were out. I left instructions for cooking them, but if you have any trouble I’m sure Mrs. Jung next door could help you out.”

Jin looks on with an amused expression and takes a giant bite from the cake you’re still holding.

“And I’m really grateful for that since you know how I am with cooking but I don’t think—” This time it’s Jin who cuts you off.

“Mom, you don’t have to worry, I’ll be there to help with the steaks. Did you make enough for you and dad to have some? You should come over.”

“Oh! Jinnie baby, I thought you would still be in the bath. Why isn’t he still in the bath?”

“He blew my cover, Mrs. Kim.”

“You blew your own cover. You couldn’t make a poker face to save your life...But I love you for it.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet, you two. Don’t worry, Jinnie, I’ll tell your father to pack up the picnic basket and we’ll see you later. Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

The call ends and you can feel his judgmental stare on the back of your head.

“Just say it. You know you want to.”

“I just can’t believe you think I wouldn’t know my dad’s steaks.”

“I wasn’t going to say they weren’t. I was just going to say I made them under his tutelage.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“I know,” you reach up and wipe some lingering pink frosting from the tip of his nose, “Are you mad?”

“No. I just have a feeling that all of this is the restaurant’s fault.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that. It’s not your fault or my fault. You should just quit your job,” you chuckle.

“If I’m being honest, though, I kind of want to. The hours are terrible and I don’t even enjoy it anymore. I’d much rather have my own business so I could work on my own terms.” You nod sagely.

“Then maybe that’s what you should look into this year. Not that you should throw all caution to the wind or anything, but it would be better for everyone if you were happier.”

“Yeah,” he snorted, “Then stuff like this wouldn’t happen.”

“And I wouldn’t have to pay Mrs. Jung’s $50 discretion fee.” Jin’s gaze softens and he puts a soothing hand on your shoulder.

“You know she scammed you, right? 

“What? No, she didn’t. A discretion fee is important because your reputation could get ruined.”

“Okay, first of all, everyone knows you can’t cook. So, no reputation to uphold. Second, you’re not an adulterous CEO. Why would you really need a discretion fee?” 

You’re quiet for a moment. “I guess that means the shipping and handling fee was unnecessary too, huh?”

“Oh my god,” he says, pain clear in his voice.

“What?” You blink confusedly at his back as he walks away from, hands up as a universal sign of resignation. “What?”

[northsouthnorth]

Canadian adventures

Canada has been on my bucketlist for quite a while, and last summer I finally got the chance to go there and spend 5 weeks on outdoor adventures. I am definitely not always that good at planning my trips, so when I landed in Vancouver I had only a vague idea of the country I just had landed in. It turned out that I pretty quickly learned many of the do’s and don’ts in this beautiful country.

First: climbing!

One of the things on my Canadian to-do list was climbing on some of the rock there. After some recommendations from friend and Vancouver locals, I went over to the Stawamus Chief Campground near Squamish, just an hour North of Vancouver. This campground is where climbers from all over the world gather to climb the iconic 700 m. granite wall of “The Chief” with loads of both sports and traditional climbing routes. If this Grand Wall is just a bit too intimidating, then there are also many other climbs in the area to keep one entertained for months on end. And if you need to give your arms a rest for the day, then there is loads of hiking and mountainbiking to do on the different trails in the area. The campsite itself is the coziest campsite that I have ever been too. It is, unlike many other campsites in Canada, a first-come –first-serve campsite with 47 walk-in camp pads and very basic facilities. Whereas I was only familiar to campsites that have big open field where you can park your tent basically anywhere, this and other campsites in Canada consist mainly of tent pads; big squares on which you can pitch a couple of tents. At night, people slowly come over to the picnic benches to cook up their dinners, play some games and find their climbing buddies for the next day.

Camping amongst wildlife

But even though it is so much fun there, and there are quite a few people present at all times, one of the things you can’t slack on is the way you store your food. Bears roam nearly everywhere in the country, and also near many of the campsites. Whenever food (or any food-related items and other products with a smell, such as toothpaste) is left behind unattended, a bear could just sniff its way to it. As soon as it then gets accustomed to human food, it might lose its fear of humans. At that point it is a threat to the public and will  to be euthanized. And also, imagine waking up in your sleeping bag whilst a bear is eating its way through your breakfast that you forgot to take out of your tent porch.. So every time that you leave your tent or crawl into your sleeping bag, make sure that all your food is safely stowed away. On many campsites you’ll find special food bins or structures that allow you to hang your food high up in the air.  

Squamish luckily only has the Black bears, which seem to be the “friendlier” variant of bears. But after 10 days of fun in Squamish, I left that behind to go on some multiple day hikes in the next state to the East, Alberta. There you will find Jasper and Banff national park, which do not only host Grizzly bears and other wildlife, but also the great sights of the Canadian Rocky mountains with countless hiking trails. Most of the campsites, both the ones near the towns and the ones on the trails will need to be booked – for some quite a long while advance. By the time that I arrived to Jasper, it was September and therefore off-season, so I was lucky enough to book myself into 3 multi-day hikes.

 Hiking equipment

For these hikes, I needed a bit more equipment than on hikes I’ve been on in other countries. Being in Grizzly territory, you will want to have some bear spray at hand – and know how to use it without spraying yourself in the eyes with this strong pepper spray. It is however quite rare that one really gets to use the spray on any of the wildlife. The animals are mainly dangerous when they are surprised by humans, or when humans come too close to their young. Just remember to be quite noisy on your trip, by talking with your hiking buddies, sing, or just scream “Hey Bear!” every once in a while. Most animals will then be long gone before you come too close. And just remember to store your food away securely, and carry all (yes, also your apple core) waste out with you.

Apart from the wildlife, also water quality is something you’ll have to think about. Unfortunately you shouldn’t really drink water straight from the stream in Canada, so always carry a water filter or some purification tablets. I personally prefer the water filter, as through them you can drink the water straight away (with tablets you often have to let them work for a while) and you’ll avoid giving your water a chemical taste. I used the MSR Trailshot Microfilter, which is  a small, very light and easy to use filter. The tube leading towards the water is relatively short and pumping goes rather slow, but especially for solo-hikers this is a very good choice. If you are with a bigger group, you might consider using a bigger system like the MSR guardian purifier.

Another piece of new equipment for me was a GPS device with messenger function. Phone coverage in the Canadian National parks is very small, and as a solo hiker I do find it essential to be able to send out an emergency message if necessary. Apart from being able to send out messages, also the GPS map function of some of these devices can come in handy. The trails in the national parks of Canada are usually easy to find and follow, but there is always a chance of a damaged part of the trail where you’ll have to find another way around.

Apart from those things, the other things that I needed for my multi-day hikes in Canada were pretty standard. I brought a new and very light one man tent (so sorry to leave my good old Hilleberg at home though). I also exchanged my old Prolite Plus Therm-a-Rest for the an even warmer and lighter sleeping pad; the NeoAir Xtherm from the same brand. I knew that the nights would be pretty chilly, and with an R value of 5.7, this pad should be able to keep you nice and warm in your sleeping bag. I still haven’t really decided if it is actually comfortable or not though... My cooking equipment was the MSR whisperlight. Not the lightest piece of equipment, but it will burn at cold temperatures and you’ll be able to find fuel everywhere – I knew that in case there was no outdoor store to be found anywhere, I could knock the door of a gas station and fill up my fuel bottle there. You’ll burner will burn black, but at least you will have hot food. My hiking poles definitely saved me on this trip, as did my Arcteryx down jacket. And last but not least; I have been carrying an emergency blanket around on hikes for the past 5 years, and my Canadian hiking buddy Megan finally showed me a good use for it. It keeps you very nice and warm if you wrap it around your waist under all your clothes, or you can stuff it at your feet inside your sleeping bag. It is probably some of the cheapest and lightest equipment you can buy, but it definitely does a very good job at keeping you warm.

And finally: the hikes!

So what hikes did I do? I first started on the longest of them: the Brazeau loop, which leads you over 3 amazing mountain passes over just more than 80 km of trail. Here you’ll really feel the wilderness, as apart from the campsites and trails, there is no sign of human activity and there are so many different animals around. The skyline trail was the next hike I went on, which took 3 days. This hike is probably the most popular overnight hike in Jasper national park, and so especially this one needs to be booked quite far in advance. It takes you through beautiful meadows and up onto an amazing ridge. Don’t be fooled by the popularity of this trail though – this doesn’t make it any safer. There are some windtunnels on that ridge, and when we were there, the wind blowed so hard that Megan, Vance and I had to crawl over some of the stretches. Scooting myself on my butt over a trail is definitely not my favorite form of transportation.. Also on my final multiday hike, the Tonquin valley, the weather was not my best friend as it suddenly became very cold. Where I was walking in shorts on the Brazeau loop, the Tonquin valley left me shivering in my sleeping bag, wrapped in emergency blankets. It is, however, a beautiful (but also very muddy) hike, with unforgettable views over Amethyst lake. I even spotted a grizzly bear here – luckily we were on opposite sides of the valley!

So if you do not know what to do yet this summer, make sure to book a ticket to beautiful Canada for your outdoor holiday. It is a truly amazing country – just make sure to stock up on the right gear before you go!

At night at one of the campsites of the Brazeau loop

At the second mountain pass of the Brazeau loop

Crawling over the ridge at the Skyline trail - with Megan and Vance

Chilly nights in my tiny tent at the Tonquin valley trail

The beautiful Amethyst lake

A pretty unexpected change in climate on top of the Sulphur Skyline

[matthewlofthouse94]

In this part of my Photographic Practice module I was introduced to the basic concepts video making with DSLR cameras and Adobe Premiere Pro software.

Moving image is an important part of contemporary photojournalism. There is the old saying “a picture can say a thousand words”, whereas a video can tell a full story. Videos are seen alongside photos in news articles online more and more due to their compatibility with the internet. Away from photojournalism, moving image is used in documentaries to tell deeper stories about people or places. The onset of high-definition video recording capabilities on DSLR cameras made a lot of working photojournalists incorporate video making into their skills, and the majority of modern employers will expect that skill.

Moving image and still image can work together to tell a story and tell it in the best possible way. Video is capable of telling the full story but this format isn’t compatible with printed news unlike it’s photo counterpart. It also takes a lot longer to upload and process video and not everyone has time to view them in comparison to a photo. These cons make still photography key and more popular in photojournalism but using both is the most effective way to do the job of storytelling through images.

Mobile Phone 5×5 Video

The days of filming on a big video camera are long gone now due the onset of compact cameras and smart phones with video recording capabilities. Footage recorded by members of the general public on their phones are often seen in news stories online. A working photojournalist will be sure to have his/her phone fully charged and capable of video recording even if they have a DSLR camera with them. There are numerous video editing apps available on mobile phones now which you can use to build up a short film or montage to tell a full story if one clip isn’t enough.

In class we were set a task to create our own 5×5 video shot using our mobile phones and edited with a dedicated phone app. I used my Samsung S6 which has a camera capable of recording in full HD and the app Adobe Premiere Clip, the phone app version of the professional standard computer software app Adobe Premiere Pro. A 5×5 video is a 25 second long film made up from 5 five second clips. The idea is to tell a narrative through the clips which will be silent with a short piece of music played over the top of the video.

We had a short period of time to complete the task so I headed down to the centre of the campus where the library caught my eye with its lines/patterns and I decided to make my film there. I walked down the aisle of books with my phone handheld, holding it steady to minimise camera shake. I got a couple of handheld videos scanning down and then across the book shelves until I found a book I liked I then stood the phone up against a book a shelf and recorded myself picking up a book and looking through it. I then repeated this but with myself sat down reading the book this time from a different angle.

With five clips recorded I opened up Adobe Premiere Clip and created a new project titled In the Library. The five clips were added in chronological order and tweaked to last 5 seconds max as I had gone over by a few seconds on some of the clips as I didn’t have an assistant to press the buttons for me when I was in the video. Adobe Premiere Clip offers free music for short films and I picked a simple gentle sounding instrumental to accompany the video. Now finished, I exported the video to the my phone gallery so it could be viewed properly.

DSLR 3 Second Clip

Although phones are capable of recording in HD and have practical benefits, the DSLR camera is capable of recording higher quality footage and gives you full control over filming. Our class were tasked with filming a 3 second video each that would be put together later in a montage. The video had to tell the viewer something about you in just the 3 seconds. I used a Canon 5d Mark II to record the footage with, which I booked out from the university stores.

I used a class 10 compact flash card in the camera as recording video without interruption requires an SD or CF card with this speed class. I decided to set up the camera by my desk facing my laptop as I edit some sports photography. Editing photos is what I do in the majority of my spare time so I thought it was suitable enough. Another key point with DSLR video recording is to set the camera to PAL as this is the widely recognised UK and European standard.

As I was editing a photo of a goalkeeper at the time I decided to put my own goalie gloves and football next to the laptop with one of my cameras and telephoto lens which I used to photograph the goalkeeper with. It is a powerful camera great for still and moving image. I used it on manual and used settings similar to what I would use for a photo. Aperture f/2.8 with a focus on the laptop screen had a nice shallow DoF effect. An ultra fast shutter wasn’t required so 1/60th and ISO-1600 exposed the recording clearer. After recording 3 seconds of myself clicking the mouse I uploaded the footage from the camera’s compact flash card to my laptop and sent it in to my course leader.

Deadline Video

We completed a workshop in class to further our skills in teamwork and DSLR video recording. The objective was to create a short 20 second video which suited the title “Deadline”. I teamed up with a classmate and we split into two roles with myself as the subject of the video and my classmate as the cameraman. We worked together on composition and a story line. We spent 30 minutes shooting the subject from different angles and acting to suit our story line. The story involving the subject working hard on the computer to meet his deadline before the computer frustratingly crashes.

https://vimeo.com/243959001

We decided on some clever angles and what was good and bad in the footage before the footage was edited in Adobe Premiere Pro by my classmate who turned it into a comical short film with text, music and effects. Notice the number of clips, there’s 8 in a mini twenty second film, this can be multiplied and seen as 48 clips in a two minute short film. Lots of clips keep the viewer interested and the variety of angles used keep the viewer even more interested, even if the story is good the correct filming and tight editing can combine with the good story and form a great film.

Skateboard editing on Premiere Pro

I got to know the layout and effects of Adobe Premiere Pro better through a workshop where we were given footage from an already finished skateboard film. The completed film was over 6 minutes long and featured long clips of various boarders skating. I opened Premiere Pro and created a new project with the name Skateboard Film. In Premiere with it’s windowed layout I placed the film into the timeline and I used the slice tool to cut up all the clips. After slicing I rearranged the order of the clips and sliced some of them to make them shorter by clearing. Premiere Pro is well known for crashing a lot so I was sure to save my project at 10 minute intervals.

Now I had the clips in an order that I liked I went into the colour menu and edited the exposure of some clips. The editing menu allowed me to perform some effects on clips in the Effects Controls. The band above the timeline turned yellow and sometimes red in parts as I make edits. When this happens the video can playback roughly so a Render is required to make it playback smoothly again. Happy with my edit of the skateboard film I exported it with the format H.264 and the preset YouTube 1080p and I selected the Maximum Render Quality option. It took a few minutes to process before I could view the video which came out complete with high-definition.

My Film

As I photograph a lot of sports I decided to make my short film on that subject. Taking advantage of the university’s sports park which hosts BUCS League games every Wednesday. I created a short music led film featuring the university men’s and women’s rugby.

I have photographed rugby at the USW Sports Park before, it is a short train ride from Cardiff Queens Street station near my campus to Treforest Estate where the sports park is only a short walk from. I am a rugby fan and I used to play the sport myself before I began photographing it so I have a good understanding of how the sport is played. I booked out a Canon 5d Mark II with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and a tripod with a panning head. I headed to the park on a Wednesday as this day of BUCS sports. The British Universities and Colleges Sport organisation run leagues in numerous sports and the matches usually take place on Wednesdays. I decided that a film about the rugby could lead to a series of films about different sports.

On the day I shot my footage there was two rugby union games happening. The USW Women’s 1XV hosted the University of Exeter Women’s 2XV on one pitch, whilst the USW Men’s 2XV welcomed Clwb Rygbi Tawe. Both matches kicked off at the same time adjacent to one another so I arrived half an hour before KO and began recording establishing footage. When the games started I spent the whole 80 minutes recording action footage and then at the end I caught some post match video of the teams reflecting on their game. The 24-77mm was great for recording establishing shots but it wasn’t very useful when the match action was on the opposite side of the pitch to me. Luckily I had my own 75-300mm f/5.6 lens in my backpack which I fixed on to the camera for better match action.

First edit

I shot 67 recordings whilst I was at the sports park, more than 15 minutes worth of footage. I uploaded the footage to a folder on my laptop and created a new project  in Premiere Pro with the clips. I created three bins to better organise my clips, titled Action, Pans, and Close-ups respectively. I then went through every clip with markers to choose which part of each clip I wanted to use and then I added them to the timeline. Chronological order seemed best and although I didn’t use all 67 clips I still added enough to amount to 5 minutes worth of footage. I used the slice tool to clear some seconds off certain clips to make them shorter before I added a title and credits and the film was ready to be exported at 3 minutes long exactly. I completed some colour edits to increase exposure on clips that required it and turned a couple of clips into black and white to make the film less one dimensional.

I showed this first edit to a couple of my classmates and my course leader and they all returned some constructive feedback. The music was mentioned by all of them as it picks up tempo at the wrong time and during the rugby action the tempo isn’t fast enough to suit the footage. The use of black and white was seen as unnecessary which I agreed with as the film was dimensional enough in full colour. The length of certain clips was seen as too long in this edit and cutting off seconds or milliseconds could increase their effect and keep the viewer interested. The final comments made were on the title text being too big and that the rolling credits would work better as fixed credits.

Second edit

I went back to my project and cut more seconds off footage including a deep cut of the two clips showing rugby tunnel with the players clapping each other. That took nearly 30 seconds off the video, which combined with further cuts with the slice tool the length of the film was down from 3 minutes to 1 minute 54 seconds. I made the size of the text in the title smaller and I made the credits shorter and fixed them. I changed the music completely and added two new songs, one slow tempo song which I split in two and used before/after the match action. I used a second song with a fast tempo for the action and for consistency I used songs by the same artist. The removal of the black and white effects and a couple of transitions for the change in the tempo were my final edits.

Feedback for the film now was much better, comments were made about how the music worked much better and the tighter clips kept the viewer interested for longer. The special edit where the kicker hits the ball at goal before it cuts to another clip of the ball going through the posts was pointed out for it’s better timing. My course leader said a couple of clips could be shortened even further. He also pointed out that the title which uses the USW Sports Park sign isn’t necessary when the third clip does the same effect.

Third and final edit

Making the third clip the first clip with a title text and scrapping the original opening clip was my only key change in this third edit following some good reactions to the previous edit. The music named in the credits was incorrect so I removed that and I didn’t include the two correct songs in the credits as they took up too much space. I continued to make some action clips shorter and the final edit came in at 1 minute 42 seconds long. I removed the two transitions where the music tempo changes to suit the action and I used just one instead to make the action hit the viewer better. Technically my objective was to create a video at least 2 minutes long and although this video falls short it suits it’s duration and keeps the viewer entertained throughout.

The final video was well received, one viewer said he could imagine seeing it on a rugby website. The tighter clips were well received as well as the change in title. I shared it with some of the rugby players who play at the sports park and they enjoyed watching it, they even thought of it as a decent advert for the rugby union on offer up there. The idea of a series of videos similar to this but covering a different sport each time is something that I think could work and be well received.

Following this work with DSLR cameras, phone cameras and applications like Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Premiere Clip I feel a lot more confident with my video making skills.

Photographic Practice: PART FOUR – Moving Image In this part of my Photographic Practice module I was introduced to the basic concepts video making with DSLR cameras and Adobe Premiere Pro software.

[christineannetang]

1) General Tips for Everyday Living in Hong Kong

(My boyfriend reminded me to present the Hong Kong List Guide in a form that would be easier to read and share. The PDF has all the same content, but I split the guide up into 0+5 sections for easy reading. If you want the guide in one whole PDF, click here. Otherwise, read on!)

Because there's bound to be some differences between daily life between Philly and Hong Kong.

1. Get a Student Status Octopus Card.

The Octopus Card is one of the best things ever. It's a durable, customizable card that you can top up (or refill or recharge) and it functions as a transportation card as well as a peuso-debit card kind of thing. You can put money on it at any 7-11 or MTR service counter, as well as the self-service machines located at every MTR station. Every time you take the bus or MTR, you tap your card at the turnstile when you enter and when you leave. The Octopus can also be used to pay for the food at the canteens and many stores, like 7-11 or the drugstores around Hong Kong. The big thing about student Octopus as opposed to normal Octopus is that you get 50% off the MTR fare.

2. Get a WhatsApp.

This is the main method of communication between classmates and floormates, not Facebook or texting. There's not much I can say about this. I've observed that Hong Kongers love using emoji, and I picked that trait up. The see-no-evil monkey emoji is super popular, and I realized my use of that emoji went up by like 436% after I moved to Hong Kong. This is an example of a group message from my RA.

3. It is HOT in Hong Kong. Beware.

Don't pack many heavy clothes. When I first got to Hong Kong in late August, the temperature would be in the 90's, but everything would feel even hotter than that because of the humidity, which is something Hong Kong has a lot of. Eventually, things started cooling down, but it would still be 80-90 degrees even near the end of November. (I was told it was warmer than usual that year, though.) In December it would get as cold as 50 degrees, which doesn't sound too bad, but after dealing with such warm weather, 50 degrees was the equivalent of freezing.

4. There are Escalators and Elevators Everywhere. Don't Take Them.

The buildings in Hong Kong are incredibly tall, so it makes sense for these things to be common. There aren't many people who like using the stairs, though, and I don't know why. I remember often seeing the line for these two elevators to go out the door of the waiting area, which was ridiculous; I suggest taking the stairs if you don't want to wait 5 hours for an elevator and if you don't like being squished in one. (One time, a guy took the elevator from the first floor of the dorm to the ground floor. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself.)

5. Roads are on the "Opposite" Side.

Because Hong Kong was occupied by the UK, you'll see some British influences on things (the use of the words "rubbish bin, queue, colour" when people speak, for example). One MTR station is named Prince Edward, after Prince Edward. And people drive on the "wrong side" of the street. This means when crossing roads, you should be very careful. I realized that I was so used to right-side drivers that looking to the left when crossing roads became basically an instinct, and I had to try and unlearn that while in Hong Kong.

6. Save Money by Cooking.

Many people consider things in Hong Kong to be so cheap, but for those who are accustomed to Asian countries -- my friends from Taiwan, Indonesia, and me with my last co-op in Shanghai -- Hong Kong is considered to be ridiculously expensive. To save money, I didn't eat at the canteen (dining hall) unless I had to, or if I was too lazy to cook. I would often go to buy things at markets near the school (for more information, see list 2, point 8: "Around the school are lots of stores where you can get fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and other things").

7. BYOB -- Bags!

In April of 2015, the Hong Kong government implemented a thing called the Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags -- in short, there are certain bags you have to pay for, some you don't. At regular stores, you have to pay for food in airtight packaging (instant noodles, chips, etc) and non-food items. Things that will come with a free bag are things not in airtight packaging (vegetables, meat) and frozen foods. However, if you go to a store like H&M or Uniqlo, you will get bags with your purchase. So, when you go grocery shopping, bring your backpack!

8. Download OpenRice.

It's an app that is the equivalent of Yelp, but in Hong Kong. You can search whereever you are for a good restaurant nearby, or the best-rated restaurant in Hong Kong for a certain cuisine, you name it. I also found Google Maps to be immensely useful, especially when I was going to new places. In that case, it would also be useful to.... (Go to #9.)

 9. Get a SIM Card with Data. The Data is the Most Important Part.

Getting a SIM in every other country except the US is easy, I think. I bought a SIM card in Mongkok and charged the card up. The plan I got was under the name "EasyCall," which offers a "IDD & 3G Mobile Data Prepaid SIM Card." It costs $100 HKD to buy the actual SIM (and number), but that also gets you $100 worth of credit. The prepaid cards also have a set of symbols and numbers you have to call to charge your phone for the month. This was the card I bought.

  So when purchasing this card, I used $200; half of that went toward that "minimum" amount, and the other half went toward the "refill" money. I only needed 1 GB of data a month, and this EasyCall service offered 1 GB over 30 days for $49. Once I activated my SIM, the shop owner helped me charge $49 to my account, leaving me with $151 for the next months. When 30 days passed, I would call the same string of digits that corresponded with the same plan I wanted. Easy enough!

In case ya'll were curious, I got the EasyCall card from Town Web Communications. It's in a huge building housing tons of small cell phone service counters. Here is the address:

Shop G56, G/F, Sincere Podium, 83 Argyle St, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Luckily, Kowloon is really close to CityU! Of course, you can go basically anywhere and buy a SIM card. I've heard of some students buying cards from 7-11, even.

10. Get to Know the Locals

I, unfortunately, learned this lesson too late, near the end of the term. It will be challenging to try and merge into the groups of local students because they've already formed their friend groups, and their first language is Cantonese. It was pretty difficult for me to approach groups of rapid Cantonese-speaking students, but there are so many kind ones. I got to meet quite a few local students who also lived on the same floor with me, and some others who were in my classes. I also have family who have local friends in Hong Kong. No matter what, it's best to have a person whose home turf is Hong Kong. They can show you where the good eats are at. They can let you know the best place to get that really weird, specific thing you need. They can teach you some of the local language. They will also give you a strong reason to come back.