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thisiskatsblog · 5 years ago

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i wonder if the way harry's deal works he gets to pay for the mv and make the video and after that it needs approval and thats where the issues came up and the mv was put aside and just the abstract video used in the tour videos?

i am by no means an expert on music deals, but i think, yes, any big label would exercise veto rights on tracklists, singles, music videos, and the likes. that’s why medicine isn’t on any tracklist and i guess we should be lucky we even got two ghosts.

i would imagine though, that music video budgets are part of the bigger promo budget which is not on the artist himself, and also that no one would pay for the production of a music video they didn’t expect to be releasing in the end and there would be a pre-approval of the concept. the musician and video artist would come up with an idea and would have to convince their label that this is a good one and would speak to the market. after pre-approval they would then work more closely together on the details. harry will have certain restrictions (he cannot be explicit) but is always trying to push the boundaries of where he can go with that.

so i think it’s likely things went more like this: the larger concept (“barren landscape immersed by lava, harry standing in lava”) was approved, but then when, in the end product, harry was standing there in a long shirt/dress and the lava was multi-coloured, someone with veto rights saw it, made the same connections that we do, thought other people would make those connections too, didn’t want that, and said no.

their thinking would have been “i don’t care how much we have already paid for the production of this video, promoting the single with it, will cost us more than not promoting it with a video at all”

all of the thinking on the part of the industry rests on 1. money 2. assumptions about what the general public will do. while money is quantifiable and the reasoning may be rational, the assumptions are what’s to be questioned here. the music industry is older white men. who were raised in a homophobic system and have homophobic assumptions about what the general public will do.

and that’s where our power comes in. we don’t have a lot of it, but social media gave us some. we need to USE THE HELL out of our power and our social media to show the homophobic music industry that homophobia is a thing of the past and that we, the younger public, are NOT homophobic and would pay for Harry’s, and other non straight artists’ music and tickets regardless. we need to show them that there is a large, like much larger than you’d expect, non straight public that you can also market to, and who are CRAVING for an idol like Harry, and other non straight musicians. that any breadth would be compensated by far in depth of commitment. Harry has seen that, and that makes him more powerful in his negotiations so we need to continue to be loud about this for him and any other artist we care about that we feel needs this.

we need to be as visible as we possibly can, with our LGBTQ+ identities and our LGBTQ+ support, at every concert, and on social media - to make eachother strong. we don’t just deserve to be here. we deserve representation. as a community, we deserve it, that some of us who are talented become succesfull, without having to compromise on our identities, or our visibility as part of this community.

#also read #amanda palmer #the art of asking #she "left her big label due to differences about a music video #because she was tired of convincing them that there was a market for her music #that there was a community out there that wanted to hear it and see her for who she really is #they felt she looked too masculine in a music video #the best part is how she left #turning their misogynist assumptions squarely against them #because as an artist #you don't just leave your label over a difference like that without consequences #that means you are bogged up in court cases for years and become untouchable #what she did is radical #and brilliant #she pretended to want to become pregnant #and they kicked her out #it's hilarious #i cheered out loud when reading this #anyway #two ghosts #two ghosts music video #rainbow direction #takemehomefromnarnia #Anonymous #ask #editing the tags to add #i forgot to mention that amanda went on to launch the most succesfull music kickstarter ever #and raised millions #and has been and is still doing everything independently #funded by her very committed and strong community of weirdo's like us

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brainwxshxd · 5 years ago

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Spooky Secret Santa!

here’s my part of the halloween event created by @icypyre !

i was assigned to creat something for the wonderful @amplifyingtrace , and i decided to write a short lil story for them and their amazing oc! i apologize for the lateness, but here it is ! i think it turned out alright, considering its my first time writing with someone else’s oc, but i hope you enjoy!

Word Count : 1517

Characters : 8337

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Izuku had been planning this date for weeks - even before he’d asked her out. That was why he had been so relieved when Leia had accepted his offer, and even more so when the reservations went well and the ticket purchases went through. Everything about their night had been planned down to the smallest detail.

Nothing could go wrong.

The two had always been close. Their classmates most likely would have predicted that they'd end up together one day, but it had taken his so long to even work up the confidence required to pop the question, and any mistakes could easily push everything downhill. Anything could happen, though, anything could ruin their day - what if there was a villain attack? Or a disaster? There had been earthquakes before, one could hit without warning, right?

The boy shook his head, his grip on the tablecloth tightening. The quiet chatter around him was a welcome distraction from his anxiety-induced thoughts. He knew he shouldn't be getting himself worked up like this. Especially since Leia should be arriving at any minute. His watch read 6:00 and they'd agreed to get together at 6:30 for dinner - he'd simply arrived a while earlier than expected. After that, he’d scraped up enough to buy tickets for the top show in town ; it would be the highlight of the night, as long as everything went according to plan. Just to make sure everything was running smoothly, of course.

His thoughts were cut off sharply as the door opened, and she came into view. Leia. She looked beautiful. Midoriya hadn't even asked about what they should wear to the date, but somehow, she'd matched every expectation.

He hadn't even realized he was staring until she was seated in front of him, hand waving in an attempt to get his attention. "'zuku? Hello - anyone home?"

Hastily, he corrected himself, rushing to busy his hands with his napkin in a weak attempt at appearing casual. "H-Hey, Leia! You look amazing!" Suddenly feeling self-conscious about his own outfit choice, the greenette fidgeted lightly with the buttons of his dress shirt. As mentioned before, he'd forgotten to confirm a dress code for the day. He'd thought about what he wanted to wear, of course - but he wondered if it was too fancy for the day planned? There shouldn't be too much walking, he wanted to catch the eight o'clock train into town to catch the show and the nine o'clock train back, but maybe she'd expected something more casual? Though, judging by her own choice of dress, she's probably planned at least nicer clothing, so-

"So do you! And wow - you picked such a fancy place for lunch!"

Her cheerful tone plucked him out of his spiraling thoughts yet again, for which he was grateful. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he got too deep into these worries. Following her glances around the restaurant, Izuku smiled a little in pride. He'd tried his hardest to find the nicest place in his budget that they could eat - even did some extra work for a few people living near his mother - and this was it. The people dining around them seemed pretty high class, as did the food, which was on the pricier side as well. "Yeah…" The boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously upon noticing a twinge of something other than joy on her face, "I tried my best."

As the two began flipping through their menus, casual conversation beginning to take place and ease Izuku's nerves a bit, the actual prices of the meals hit him. They were expensive. Careful to keep his tone and expression easygoing, he made sure not to let on that under the table he was rifling through his pockets to make sure he actually had enough to pay for both of them to eat. He did, providing everything he had was right - but just barely. He'd have to order on the cheaper side, just in case.

"Wow, 'zuku." Leia mumbled from across the table as she scanned one section of the menu. "You know I would've been fine with something a little less… pricey, right? I mean, this is amazing and everything! But you don't have to go this far out for me."

Yes, I do. Because if I don't, someone better will.

He wouldn't voice those thoughts, of course. But he guessed that was probably one of the bigger reasons he was so intent on going all out on this date. Maybe Leia didn't see it the way he could - but she was amazing. Anyone would be lucky to have her - there were people better than someone like him. Just a plain kid. All he could hope for was that he'd be able to impress her enough today that she wouldn't get bored of him.

His answer was more relaxed, though - with a smile and a nervous laugh.

"I know. I just wanted it to be good, y'know? For our first… time out?"

"You know you can say date, right? That's what this is, after all - I won't be upset." She smiled, picking her menu back up and beginning to look through it again. Izuku breathed a silent sigh of relief, finally selecting his own meal and setting the menu down. He was ordering the cheapest thing there - mainly because he didn't really care and wanted to save as much money as he could. Leia seemed to have a similar idea, since they're total wasn't even near what he'd planned on spending. It was both a relief and a disappointment - on the one hand, he had more money, but on the other, they wouldn't get to eat as fancily as he'd planned.

They filled the gap between ordering and actually eating with conversation - discussing casual things, like school and friends and their lives. Nothing too deep, but it was enough to keep them entertained, right? After twenty or so minutes, though, Izuku began shifting impatiently. The date couldn't continue until they got their food, and he didn't want to risk missing out on anything. The meals didn't even arrive until seven thirty, and it was much smaller than either had expected. Still, they joked and laughed as they ate, and Izuku frequently shot worried looks down at his watch while the time ticked on.

He didn't want to rush her. Leia looked like she was having fun already, but he wanted to get going as soon as possible. The anxiety was beginning to seep back into his thoughts again, tainting the enjoyment he already felt with an urgency to leave. The train would be leaving soon, and they still needed to make the hike to the station. His foot began tapping under the table, casual remarks becoming a little more forced as the minutes ticked by.

Leia noticed - he could tell even before she pointed it out. Despite his best efforts to hide his impatience, she was clearly trying to finish faster for him. “Are you ok?” She finally asked, voice laced with concern, “You look nervous. Is there something wrong?” He shook his head quickly, smile popping right back up just shy of naturally.

“I’m ok. It’s just - “ He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly before continuing. It was hard to lie when she was looking at him like that. “I had so much planned for tonight. We’re supposed to go see a show in town in - “ The boy shot a glance down at his watch, then deflated slightly and shook his head, “It's too late now. The food took too long to get here, and we’d never catch the train in time. I’m sorry, Leia, I wanted this date to be perfect, but there wasn;t enough time. I should’ve planned better, maybe we could have - “

She held up a hand to silence him suddenly, just as his words began to pick up in speed. It was a tell-tale sign of him beginning to panic, and she knew enough about that to stop it.

“Izuku, I already told you. You don't need to do all this for me! I would've just been happy spending some time with you. And I bet that show would’ e been great, but… we can’t talk during a show like that, right? I know a better way.”

Leia’s grin erased most of Izuku’s worries in an instant. He shrugged, putting his fork down and meeting her gaze. “How?”

“Movie marathon. Your place, since you’re so determined to treat me tonight.” She was already pulling out some cash to pay for half of the bill - something he never would’ve asked of her but was still grateful for. “We can relax a little. Just the two of us. What do you think?”

He smiled, putting his own cash down with hers. “Okay.”

The fact hit him hard as they walked down the street hand-in-hand, autumn chill bringing a rosier tint to their cheeks and the sound of her voice as she joked and talked brought a warm feeling to his chest. She loved him. And God, he really loved her.

#[ BNHA RP Spooky Santa 2k19 ]#amplifyingtrace #writing #hope this turned out ok!!

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agrapefruitspassions · 7 years ago

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How to Break off a Toxic Friendship...or at least how to recognize you’re in one

I’ve been thinking for a while about how to write this post, mainly because the story is long and complicated, but also because it deals with an issue that EVERYONE experiences from time to time. Even if a friend isn’t completely toxic (which mine turned out to be), we all outgrow friendships sometimes. It’s part of life. I also don’t want to waste 500 words on my personal life, even though I know everyone likes a little bit of gossip and drama that doesn’t involve them. So, who’s up for some guilt-free reading?

I’ll try to make this summary short and sweet. Basically, I was profoundly wounded, over and over again, by one of my “best” friends--let’s call her Rachel. Lol. Because that’s her name. And I’m not a real journalist, just a personal blogger who happened to get fucked over by her. She was also one of the friends I’ve had the longest, dating back from high school. Many of you who know me, probably know her, or at least know of her. So. Rachel decided to get married, and asked me to be her maid of honor. She lives in Florida, and I live in Spain. Recognizing the financial challenges this would present me with, I still wholeheartedly agreed to be her maid of honor, although I did suggest that maybe one of her friends who also lived in Florida should share the role me, as I obviously wouldn’t be able to plan a bridal shower or bachelorette party, because, duh. I live thousands of miles away. (She rejected this option, for the record.) For the following 15 months, we talked only about her wedding. And the rhetoric got more and more brutal--and more and more hurtful--as we went, especially as I reached what I will call my “financial limit”, also known as a budget.

When that finally happened, and I officially couldn’t spend any more money on makeup, hair, or anything else, it became much clearer where I stood with her and how little I meant to her. But since I live so far away, it was easy to push to the back of my mind and not think about. Here is just one example (my second favorite one, I’m saving my favorite one for later) of the conversations we would have: Rachel wanted me to spend $70 to get my hair done, which I realize is not a ridiculous amount, but after having spent SO much money on a flight, a rental car, the dress, etc., I was feeling particularly strapped for cash, and so I told her that getting my hair done was just not in the cards for me.

“Well we have 83 days until the wedding...couldn’t you just save $1 a day?”

Honestly, I was shocked. Where was my friend? Where was her compassion, her empathy for me? I tried to continue:

“It’s just that I’ve already spent a lot of money, and I still I have so much left to pay for, it’s going to be a really expensive trip, and plus, I think that the most important thing is that I will be there on your special day.”

I was met with silence. Silence that lasted for so long, I started to count the seconds as they went by. Let’s just say that was an awkward conversation closer. She later (as in a completely different conversation later on) went on to tell me that she “knew she was being petty” but she had “paid a lot of money for a photographer” so she deserved to be petty. Again, where did my friend go?

I’m sure you’re all saying by now, “how could you not realize that this hideous person wasn’t your friend anymore?” And all I can say is, I don’t really know. I supposed some part of me knew, but I just didn’t want to see it. I wanted to hope that the friend I had known would come back. As you can tell from the title of this post, she didn’t.

I tried one last time to salvage things. I called her. I told her there was tension between us, and I wanted to clear it away, because she deserved to have nothing but happiness on her wedding day. She blamed me for the tension, saying that I made her feel guilty. This went on for an hour. Even when I told her I felt like she no longer wanted to be my friend anymore, there was no moment where she even pretended to be sorry that she had hurt my feelings.

And here comes my favorite example. As many of you know, I am also getting married in December. (YAY!) And so after we had “cleared the air”, I asked her if she still wanted to come to my wedding in December, as I would just rather know now than find out later. After making some excuse about “plane tickets being expensive” (REALLY? I didn’t know! *Sarcasm*), she told me, “It would just be more convenient for me if you could get married in June.”

!@#^&Y^%$#@!

So I guess that wasn’t really that short, but it was an extremely stressful situation for me, and also the first time in my adult life that I had to cut a toxic "friend” out of my life. I don’t let this show about me (at least I don’t think I do), but I absolutely hate confrontation. I mean, who doesn’t really? And after this last conversation--it would indeed be our last--I had to face the facts. Even though I desperately wanted my friend to come back, she had left a long time ago and it didn’t seem that she was going to return. All I had wanted was an apology, a moment of compassion, where she acknowledged my feelings, but it never happened.

After all of this, I have come up with a couple tips. They might seem pretty simple now, but boy oh boy, just try to remember them when you’re in the thick of it! Would have saved me lots of time and money, not to mention loads of guilt and stress.

1. Listen to the words the person tells you, but pay more attention to their actions. The actions are where it’s at, baby. If your “friend” is telling you they want to be friends with you, but their actions show a different story, then as Dan Savage says, “Dump the motherfucker already!” Otherwise known as, DTMFA.

2. The moment someone stops showing you the love, compassion, and/or empathy you deserve, leave (because we all fucking deserve those things from the people who supposedly love us). DTMFA! This can be hard to see, and it takes a lot of people treating you shittily to recognize, but man, when you finally do, get the fuck out of there!

3. Listen to your gut. Even when it’s whispering. Because 100% of the time, it will be right. Along with this, also pay attention to your physical reaction to things. If your gut clenches, bad sign. If you can’t eat or sleep, get rid of them.

P.S. These all apply to family as well--family members can be toxic, and just because they are family doesn’t mean you have to stick around. The moment I truly learned this, my life improved immensely.

I will leave our last interaction, and quite possibly the moment you've all been waiting for--namely the “did she go to the wedding moment??”, here; immortalized on the internet forever, so that I can feel as though I tried my hardest to be a decent person and a decent friend until the very end, and end this post on a contented note (because after all this, I am happier without her in my life):

Me: So this has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I will not be attending your wedding, and by extension neither will my mom, Toño, or Bethany. And it is important to me that you know why. I feel as though we stopped being friends a long time ago and I just didn't realize it..that the most important thing to you is your wedding. While your wedding is important, to me what mattered more is our friendship. And it doesn't seem like you feel the same way, and I am deeply hurt by this. Not once have you asked about how our trip is going, or about the reception we had in erie, or anything about my life at all. I am getting married too and it gives me great joy, and I feel like that should only add to your joy. But it seems to me as though that is not the case, and it confuses me and hurts me. I could go on with more examples, but I think what I've already said suffices. You said our friendship was changing and evolving, but I think it ended a while ago and I just didn't see it. Maybe I'm wrong, but every time we have talked in the last six months (or maybe more) I have left the conversation feeling like shit, and that is not how a friendship should be. I feel like the only thing that matters to you is that I show up to your wedding to keep the numbers even, and that after your wedding you will drop our friendship anyways. Like I said, i could be wrong. But that's what my gut is telling me. So I'm calling it now. I wish you the best and happiest life with Dan and hope you get everything you want. I will cherish our memories.

Rachel: You have caused me so much stress and above all sadness. None of this deserves a reply but you should know that. If you think it's about numbers then that means we lost our friendship even before I thought we did. For the record, I went through a hurricane (and plenty of other life things) and you also never asked how I am. So whatever you're feeling, I feel the same exact way about you and your situation. Good bye.

Pettiness, bullshit, selfishness, and absolutely no compassion or recognition from her until the very end! She truly showed me her true (ugly) self.

By the way, whoever thinks blogging isn’t therapeutic should really try it out, by the way.

#fuckfakefriends #toxicfriendships #breakitoff #dansavage #dtmfa #dumpthemotherfuckeralready

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pipsqueakpower · 5 years ago

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What I Spent, September 2-8

I’m baaaaaack. After a few months of lax budgeting thanks to moving apartments, I’m refocusing back to an aggressive savings plan for a whole bunch of things coming up in the next year or so. Which means I’m back on that accountability train. CHOO CHOO.

Monday, September 2 (Labor Day): $4 - Amazon / $1.50 - Laundry I’m so bad at Labor Day. It always sneaks up on me since it comes so close after the start of a new fiscal year. Anyways, I proceeded to be boring (and frugal!) and do laundry. The Amazon purchase was my monthly Subscribe and Save purchase.

Tuesday, September 3: $18 - 8 Track HH My one social outing of the week was to go to a happy hour I organized for a departing colleague. He’s a sociable guy, so a bunch of people outside our team came, too, which made for a nice and chatty evening. I had a frugality win by replacing a round of beer with a sparkling water. I’m a lightweight, and I drink too fast in social situations anyway, so this was a good compromise.

Wednesday, September 4: $45 - HEB I’d been putting this off, but I finally got myself to the grocery store. I haven’t been making the most cohesive purchases, but I got enough odds-and-ends to last me through the rest of the week. I’m really working on keeping my bill reasonable after a few months of not paying attention and splurging on the more expensive (and responsible) cuts of meat.

Thursday, September 5: $20 - Gas / $50 - Amazon clothes A new, longer commute means more filling up the tank. But thankfully, gas prices have been dropping enough to keep it reasonable. I splurged on some costume pieces for a Downton Abbey fancy dress screening next week. Probably not my most well-thought-out purchase...

Friday, September 6: $6 - Parking / $80 - TribFest registration Even with a four-day week, Friday felt a long-time coming. I fought campus traffic and paid for parking for a 30-minute meeting. I’ll get reimbursed for parking and mileage at least. Then I bit the bullet and bought my educator registration for the Texas Tribune Festival. It’s honestly become something I look forward to every year, so it’s money well-spent.

Saturday, September 7: $0 Thanks to past me, who bought herself two tickets to John Mayer in San Antonio for her 30th birthday back in January, I got to log some time in my favorite Texas city outside Austin. And since I went with my mom, I somehow pulled off a no-spend day. Even so, I was proud of myself for never really overindulging in food or alcohol, minus ending the night with a bag of Cheetos that gave me wicked acid reflux during the night. HOORAY OLD. Another sign of oldness? I learned that my knowledge of JM songs after 2013 is extremely limited. Plus I legitimately can’t remember how many times I’ve seen JM in concert, haha.

Side note: very annoyed Tumblr does not have gifs of the New Light video. Ugh, I love this asshole dork.

Sunday, September 8: $17 - McNay Museum / $67 - LOFT outlet / $8 - Taco Cabana / $16 - Amazon book / $11 - MightyNest

I, uhhh, guess I felt the need to even out my no-spend day. With no rush to leave San Antonio, my mom and I took our time eating brunch (her treat again) and visiting the McNay for the first time. I bought a mug to add to my museum mug collection, then stopped by the outlets on my way back to Austin. Without a pup to rush back to (or in the car beside me), I enjoyed taking my time and picking out a blouse and dress on sale at LOFT. I am always woefully in need of more work clothes. Aaaaand then I had a moment of weakness, opting to stop by the Taco Cabana less than a block away from my apartment instead of pulling together a mishmash of food at home. Ugh, it wasn’t even that good. Then, I ended the night by finally purchasing the book club book of the month (Circe by Madeline Miller) for my Kindle. I’m only a chapter in and I can tell it’s gonna be a good ‘un. And finally, I had a moment of weakness and subscribed to MightyFix, which sends you an eco-friendly product each month. They have some really appealing items like Stasher bags and beeswax wrap, so I’m hoping the $11/month will be worth it, but if they send me a reusable water bottle I’m immediately canceling.

TOTAL: $343.50

Not great, Bob. My takeaways are that I could do less clothes shopping and impulse fast food purchasing. Buuut I also need new jeans and American Eagle is having quite the sale this week. I literally wore holes in my last pair! So, we’ll see 😅

#what i spent #september 2019 #2019 #millennial finance

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tripnidodong · 6 years ago

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Surrendering My Anti-mainstream Self in Bora

You get it. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t want to follow what is on the trend. I hunger for something that is different. I want to try doing things that only a few people have tried. When going to places, I satisfy myself by picking attractions that are not the mainstream.

And the irony– I went to Boracay–an island very famous of its white sand beach I grew up seeing from my teen magazines in high school. As young as 13, I read ads dressed up as articles about travel which detailed parties happening in Boracay. People were like crazy hens to book their tickets to the island paradise, as how they like to call it, especially for #Laboracay which is a supposed celebration of Philippines’ laborers, commercialized to sell the majestic Boracay experience with booze and high spirits.

With limited budget, I was able to have another #gyxpedition in Panay Island. I started my journey in Iloilo City where we had our team planning at the PHINMA University of Iloilo. I left the city on a Friday at exactly five o'clock in the afternoon. Despite doing what my itchy feet wanted for the third time, I was a bit nervous especially that I was travelling alone cum a Boracay first timer. My Google Map notified me, after five and a half hours, that I had arrived at Caticlan Jetty Port from Ceres Bus Terminal in Iloilo City.

I immediately headed to the help desk to ask on the process to ride the pump boat going to Cagban Port in Boracay. The police officers then asked for my ID. And here comes one of the unforgettable moments that happened: as I was looking for my ID inside my backpack, I accidentally cut my thumb when I stupidly touched my Gillette shaver which I left open without safety cover on its blade, placed in one of my bag pockets. Nakapamalikas gyud ko’s wala sa oras, mga ka-mags noh! Haskang duguay lagi sa akong kumagko! Lucky for me, the police officers were very accommodating to refer me to the clinic for first aid.

What a welcoming scenario for someone who’s travelling on his own!

The security in the area was obviously strict. It’s not your typical pantalan. They also have x-ray scanners for all luggage, like in the airports, to guard the tourists in the island paradise away from bad elements (for the lack of better word to refer to terrorists).

After the nurse gave me the first aid, I immediately walked to pay the fees to ride the motorboat which I guess summed up to around Php 200. Night trips are more expensive than day rides which I believe cost at Php 25 less.

And that’s it! I don’t want to really put into detail what happened in Boracay. But the highlight there was that I made new friends which I’m very thankful that I booked a backpackers’ room for I have enjoyed a paradise like boracay with new people with different stories.

To answer the question if Boracay is a clichè type of mainstream, the answer is NO. It’s a mainstream that everyone must really try. Sunset was the best. The island vibe was overwhelming. The mood is liberating.

I give up from being an anti-mainstream. You win, Boracay.

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nancygduarteus · 6 years ago

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Everything Is a Subscription Now

I’m a person with a toilet-paper subscription. I bought it through my Amazon Prime subscription: Every few months, an embarrassing box of toilet paper arrives at my apartment, at which point I’m charged around $30, which includes the 5 percent savings the retailer awarded me to secure my toilet-paper business in perpetuity.

The same thing happens when the pet-supply company sends me two bags of dog food every six weeks, or when Adobe lets me use Photoshop for another month. Instead of CDs and DVDs, Netflix and Apple Music grant me access to movies and music on a rolling basis. A cosmetics retailer sends me beauty-product samples every month. I never use them, but still pay $10 each time.

For most of American consumer history, subscriptions were the province of magazines, cable, and other media: You paid an annual fee, and news and entertainment organizations gave you their new work as it became available. But as digital payment technology has improved and people look for ways to navigate stress, stagnant wages, and online shopping’s near-infinite purchase choices, the value proposition of subscriptions have changed. So too have the kinds of products people can subscribe to.

Today, things that can routinely show up to your doorstep include: misshapen vegetables, personalized vitamin cocktails, dog toys, a vast wardrobe of clothing and accessories, and even a sofa. In a consumer market of disposable fast fashion and cheap assemble-at-home furniture, the idea of wasting less while getting to use nicer, higher-quality things for a monthly fee is a compelling sell. But what’s harder to predict is what might be lost when the effort to buy less stuff turns into renting huge swathes of your daily life.

A subscription, at its base, is simply a schedule of recurring fees that gives consumers continual access to a good or service. A car lease is a subscription, but so is your gym membership and the way you use Microsoft Office. Subscription creep dates to at least 2007, when Amazon launched Subscribe & Save, a service that lets shoppers pre-authorize periodic charges for thousands of consumable goods like sandwich bags or face wash (or toilet paper), usually at a slight discount over individual purchases. Then came Birchbox in 2010, which provides women with miniature portions of beauty products on a monthly basis for $15. At its peak, the company was valued at more than $500 million.

Both Amazon’s and Birchbox’s models have been widely copied, and their success underscores subscriptions’ appeal to businesses and consumers alike, according to Uptal Dholakia, a marketing professor at Rice University. “The pain of payment and the friction of how a person is going to pay is totally gone,” he says. Consumers receive things they need or want without having to make any decisions, and that creates more stable and predictable revenue streams for the businesses they patronize.

The pitch for Feather, a two-year-old startup that lets consumers borrow suites of furniture for their apartments, sounds a little dystopian. “We don’t own our apartments. We don’t own our cars. We don't even own movies anymore. So why own your furniture?” the company asks on its website. It isn’t that Feather is wrong; Millennials are less likely to own homes and cars than their parents were at the same age, and streaming services dominate entertainment so thoroughly that Best Buy has largely phased out CDs in its stores. But in the face of all that instability, don’t you at least want your sofa to be yours? Feather says the new normal is “defined by freedom and flexibility.” But generational precarity is hardly an exciting lifestyle.

Jay Reno, Feather’s founder and CEO, is realistic about the frequently less-exciting circumstances of sofa rental; he’s moved almost a dozen times himself. “Most people in our consumer demographic are looking for disposable furniture,” he explains. “Your life is changing constantly, you’re moving apartments, you have a different layout in each apartment and different furniture needs.” The company currently operates in New York and San Francisco, two hyper-expensive cities where young, often affluent people tend to bounce between apartments and roommate configurations. The furniture they need might change pretty quickly, along with the rest of their lives. Although Feather offers terms as short as three months, Reno says that most of its customers rent for a full year—the length of an apartment lease.

Rent-to-own businesses have a notoriously predatory history with America’s working poor, but But Reno claims Feather is trying to apply a less vampiric approach to what can be a practical service for apartment-dwellers in unpredictable stages of their lives. Traditional rent-to-own models have been accused of profiting off of their customers’ desperation, not their desire for flexibility. According to Reno, Feather is targeting educated, middle-class consumers who can probably qualify for in-store financing at West Elm—the same type of people who might have been proudly buying a new dinette set for their young family at Havertys in the 1980s. But back then, those shoppers could expect their dining area to be the same size for the foreseeable future.

If furniture subscriptions might help consumers delay a purchase decision that feels too permanent to handle, Rent The Runway might help shoppers stop making purchases that have gotten too easy. The dizzying variety offered by online shopping and the pressure to look great on social media create an intense incentive for women to continually expand their wardrobes, which can strain both budgets and the physical limits of one’s closet. Rent The Runway opened in 2009 to rent special-occasion dresses, but in 2015, it launched a $159-per-month service that gives subscribers access to a rotating array of everyday clothing. Users can swap out for new pieces when they’re done or keep them for an extra fee.

The same year Rent The Runway’s subscription service launched, the average American consumer purchased 65 pieces of clothing, even though most people use relatively little of their wardrobe. Surveys estimate that only 20 percent of people’s clothing sees the light of day with any regularity. Most individual pieces are only worn a handful of times before being discarded, usually into landfills. At the same time, super-cheap clothing is more omnipresent than ever, which can make it seem like a smart, budget-conscious choice for refreshing a seasonal wardrobe or flexing on Instagram.

In theory, a wardrobe subscription gives people access to the variety that modern life demands, in addition to the kind of high-end clothing that it would be impossible for most people to wear every day. “We used to be a business that was more about the cherry on top of the sundae because it was something super special,” says Anushka Salinas, Rent The Runway’s chief revenue officer. “Now people are using us as a utility.”

But along with the advantages of variety or quality comes a downside. Whether or not a subscription to breakfast smoothies or Reformation dresses or mattresses makes sense depends on individual consumer circumstances, which Dholakia says people are bad at evaluating on their own. “You tend to overestimate how much you will consume,” he explains. When signing up for meal kit delivery, you might tell yourself you’ll cook three times a week, when actually once or twice is more realistic. In the case of durable goods, Dholakia says, the tradeoff is in the long game: “The consumer pays less, but they don’t get to own the asset and benefit from it.”

Spending $150 per month to lease three different sets of bedroom furniture in three different apartments might give you flexibility, but at the end of those three years, you’ve spent $5,400 and still don’t own any bedroom furniture.

Consumers also seem to be bad at estimating how much they spend on subscriptions. One survey found that when asked to guess their monthly spend on subscription services, Americans’ first guess was around one third of their actual output. Because people aren’t continuously asked to opt in, it can be easy for those who don’t have to pay stringent attention to their monthly budgets to lose track of what’s being siphoned off. Dholakia says that businesses profit from this disregard. “You have to go and revisit all your subscriptions as a consumer every month, or at least every quarter at a minimum,” he explains. He also urges consumers to look carefully at what companies require to cancel service. If a particular program’s terms make it onerous to opt out, that’s a red flag that subscribing may be a bad deal in general.

Dholakia is careful to point out that in companies where subscriptions work, it’s generally because they’re providing a service that people actually want or need, not because the revenue model itself is a golden ticket. Birchbox, one of the early darlings of the subscription economy, has had some well-publicized growth and revenue struggles in recent years as people tired of paying to receive a different mini mascara every month. Blue Apron, which has had its subscription meal kits copied by numerous competitors, had more than a million subscribers in early 2017; by 2018, that number had dropped to fewer than 800,000.

Both Feather and Rent The Runway Unlimited think they have identified places in which the things people are supposed to own don’t really line up with the ways they have to live their lives: A lot of people rent their homes for a lot longer now, and the internet speeds up trend cycles and keeps permanent records of every outfit you’ve ever been photographed in. Owning things is great, but the constant pressure to shop and acquire—and especially to do so beyond one’s means as a signal of success—is wasteful of both material resources and money. For some, buying flexibility and novelty without commitment or unnecessary waste might be worth more than an IKEA sofa or a bunch of Zara clothes.

Rental furniture and wardrobing services remain a bandage on a bullet wound; they can’t address the reasons that so many people who might have lived comfortable, middle-class lives a few decades ago now don’t know where they’ll be living next year. Still, if you’re one of the many people who find themselves squeezed by circumstance, at least there’s probably a company out there willing to meet you where you are.

“Every business owner in every industry has thought about or is thinking about if subscription makes sense for their products and services,” says Dholakia. “We’re going to see subscription in pretty much everything.”

from Health News And Updates https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/05/how-amazon-helped-turn-daily-life-subscription/588526/?utm_source=feed

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ionecoffman · 6 years ago

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Everything Is a Subscription Now

Article source here:The Atlantic

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expatabroad · 6 years ago

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First 3 Days (Akihabara Base Camp) - Japan Trip Report Pt 1

Top Observations:

Russians call diet Pepsi "Pepsi light" (and it tastes flatter than a flat thing).

Had a realisation that nobody ever seems to follow simple directions on a plane. During take off and landing, there will always be at least 2 or 3 people who think they're above the rules and get up to use the bathroom or grab something out of their overhead bag. (WHY?! They aren’t even difficult rules!)

Vending Machine are on nearly every street corner...

...And, conversely, there aren't many bins on the street for your litter outside the vending machine areas.

The Japanese pay SO much attention to detail - whether it's recreating their own culture in video games/anime (E.G. Akiba's Trip) or another culture for something as simple as a restaurant (E.G. HUB)

So many people in Japan seem resistant to even glance up from their phone screen. It’s like they’ve melded with their phone. They quite literally have signs in public areas (such as train stations) advising the general public to remember to look up.

Japanese people seem to properly LOVE their dogs. I regularly saw people pushing them in strollers (maybe because it was still hot and humid and the puppers couldn't walk too far as they're little?). They also dress them up in all kinds of outfits (not costumes, actual outfits...some that end up making them look like 45 year old librarians).

Not only do they love dogs, but they seem to also be big fans of coffee (hot AND iced). I’m dying for a coffee boss as I type this...

They will actually reject your ticket when exiting the metro and prompt you to get a fare adjustment IF YOU OVERPAY! (I cannot envision that ever happening in London.)

All restaurants offer free water. It's brilliant and you don't even have to make the effort to ask for it, it's just given to you instantly. Sometimes it's water that seems to be mixed to a degree with green tea and other times it's just nice and refreshing ice water. Every time it was welcomed.

Top Pieces of Advice:

Always look up! Space is utilised everywhere and sometimes the best shops or restaurants are on the higher levels of a building.

Trust your gut. Be realistic but do what's right for you based off your previous personal experiences. For example: I posted on Reddit some rough plans for my husband and I for the first few days of our trip looking for feedback. The plan included exploring Akihabara's arcades and shops on the day we landed. For context, we were flying into Narita on an overnight flight from the UK with a stop over in Moscow where we know we can't sleep on planes (and I'm not a great flyer on the shortest of flights). We were strongly advised that this would be a recipe for disaster in that the loud and noisy arcades would not be what we'd want after getting to Akihabara (where we were staying for part 1 of our trip) and that it would take time to adjust to the new surroundings/being in a new country and to get our bearings. We knew the reality of the situation but also knew our own limits. Though it would be our first time in Japan, we're more experienced travellers and knew that we'd be so excited just to be there and that our adrenaline would actually help us push through any exhaustion. I'm glad we stuck to our guns because it ended up being the exact right choice for us and it meant that we actually made the most of our first day without overdoing it (we explored the city but had a fairly early night to try to get our bodies into the right timezone). I wouldn't recommend this approach to everybody, but I would recommend listening to your gut, doing your research so you know what to expect, and drawing from past experiences to make sure you make the choice that best suits you and your needs.

If you don't have an appetite of a god, don't expect you'll be able to eat multiple bowls at Ramen at the Shin- Yokohama Ramen Museum. Each bowl in itself was filling.

If you're going to go to a shopping mall, definitely know what shops you're looking to go into. The malls are bigger than you can even imagine (with, perhaps, the exception of those who've been to somewhere like the Mall of America). If you go in to just browse around all of the shops like you might do in the UK or US, you will lose entire chunks of your day.

In addition to the above point, make sure you're keeping track of the time. It's far too easy to fall into a dark void when going into shopping malls or even just standard shops/arcades as there are often times very few or absolutely no windows. You get lost in looking at all the merch and thoroughly covering every inch of every shop with no way to even guess how the day is passing in the outside world, only to glance at your phone and see an hour or more has gone by. From personal experience, I would definitely suggest setting a rough limit on how long you want to dedicate to a particular shop or gaming session and try to stick with it in an effort to make the most of your time and not fall victim to the time-suck.

I'm a nervous flyer at the best of times so I can't pretend that I was all too enthused to have to make not only one, but two flights to get to Tokyo. Beyond there being two flights involved, the second flight has also been the longest flight I've taken to-date, coming in at just over 9 hours. Thankfully I had remembered to load up my iPad with loads of downloaded content from Netflix - including the entire new series of Jack Whitehall: Adventures with my Father (highly recommend, by the way). While we physically survived the flight unscathed, my patience definitely took a battering from the point we landed in Moscow until we had made it through the doors of the arrivals area in Narita. Perhaps it was just shitty luck that day, but it just seemed like we came into contact with every rude bugger Russia had to offer and they all had their attitudes dialled up to 11. It also didn't help that between Russia and Japan we were sat directly behind a couple who had aspirations of flying first class but only a budget fit for cattle like the rest of us. ::cue the constant dinging of the call button for the flight attendants and the multiple reminders from staff about what they could/couldn't do::

I am always in a state of sheer wonderment when it comes to flying and how planes manage to stay up in the air for such long periods (I know the science, but my brain just always want to remind me that today might just be the day that gravity says 'not today, Satan!' and we go hurling downwards through the sky). That wonderment was trumped only by sheer excitement once we made it swiftly through immigration in Tokyo and boarded the Skyliner for part one of our train ride to Akihabara station. The experience only got better when we were approached by a woman who asked us to do a survey in exchange for a discount coupon for Family Mart. She was, as we would find the majority of Japanese people who interacted with us to be, exceptionally pleasant and polite and we couldn't bring ourselves to say anything other than "SURE!" (we even got to keep our pens for free heh). In honesty, we were just pleased to have gone from multiple rude interactions in Moscow to the exact opposite in Japan.

Immediately upon arrival into Electric Town on the Tokyo Metro, we sought out our Airbnb location so that we could drop our bags off ASAP. Official check-in wasn't until after 3PM and we had quite a few hours to kill before then, but I was fortunate enough to have our Airbnb host agree to let us drop out bags off early for storage so we didn't have to find a locker or lug them around further than necessary. Completely reinvigorated by our own adrenaline, we hit second wind despite not sleeping on the overnight flight and got right out to survey the lay of the land around us.This is where we'd be spending our next 3 nights and we needed to become acquainted.

As odd as it sounds, Electric Town in Akihabara just seemed so incredibly familiar to me for somewhere I've never physically been, like a very old friend who you can remember fondly down to their specific physical features despite not having seen them for quite some time. I can only attribute this feeling to having stemmed from playing "Akiba's Trip", which turned out to feature a pretty exact replica of the area. This was just the first of a few experiences throughout our two weeks in Japan that had me stop and say "Wow....the Japanese really do pay SO MUCH attention to detail. It's crazy!".

Running off fumes and crappy plane food alone, we decided we had no choice but to grab something to eat as soon as we could and the first thing to jump out at us was a street food vendor selling kara-age. From there, we proceeded to check out all the big shops and arcades up and down the main strip. To be completely honest, the first two days blurred together, so it gets a bit hazy regarding which activity we did on which of the two days. There are few things I can, however, be sure of. One thing I can say for certain is that, on day one, we most definitely called it an early-ish night. I know we went back to the Airbnb shortly after check-in time (where I proceeded to nap for a few hours on what felt like the most comfortable futon in all of existence) and I know we went out for a chicken katsu curry at CoCo Curry (where I made the mistake of ordering curry with a heat-level of 5, but it was so good that I regret nothing). I also know for a fact that on the morning of day 2, I was privileged enough to enjoy a culinary delight that only an American could love known as Honey Toast. What I would give to have a honey toast and their thirst-quenching special "honey toast latte" here in England cannot be measured in GBP. On day two, we had intended to go on a day trip to Enoshima and Kamakura. But, when we woke up (late, I will add), it was quite rainy out and we had admitted that we'd underestimated just how much there was in Akiba for us to do/see, so we decided to cut this out of the plan for this trip in favour of spending more time around the neighbourhood.

Given the jet-lag had absolutely demolished the functionality of my brain at the time, I will just list below the things I know we did in no particular order within those two days:

* We ate at Carl's Jr - which doesn't seem like something most people travel to Japan to do, but I thought it'd be funny to have my first - and probably only - CJ experience, as an American, be in Japan. Was a bit over-priced for fast food IMO, but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it all the same. Full food report will follow..

* We paid a visit to the Kanda Shrine where we prayed for the first of many times throughout our trip. It was an easy walk and it gave us a chance to see some quieter parts of the area we wouldn't have seen otherwise. Neither my husband nor I am particularly religious, but we both admitted later that doing a prayer a day and having that serene moment of reflection a day to send some positive thoughts out into the universe was actually really nice.

* We hunted down a taiyaki stand that does Magikarp-shaped taiyaki. None of the magi's are filled with the typical red-bean paste unfortunately, just custard or chocolate, but we found that the chocolate filling tasted lighter and more like hot, American, chocolate pudding than the heavier rich chocolate you get here in the UK so it was actually a lot nicer than we thought it would be.

* We drank in what we believe was a Brewdog (but not actually called "Brewdog" as it usually would be).

* We visited many game shops - including Super Potato - which was filled with so much retro stuff that we almost couldn't believe it - and board game shop Yellow submarine in an effort to find Coffee Roaster (no such luck and I was pretty much laughed at given it was so rare to find on shelves).

* We ordered coffees (one with latte art) at the Gundam cafe. Hint to those visiting: definitely go and thoroughly check out the toilets.

* We enjoyed a beer by the water at Hitachino Brewing Lab. It seemed like there was just as much love for craft beers in the area as there was for coffee and the weather in the evening was perfect for enjoying a pint outside on the patio. The only downside was that there were so many mosquitos.

Day 3 in Japan involved a trip out to Yokohama to visit the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Interestingly enough, you could buy a yearly pass if you so desired, which it appeared that many Salary men were doing. This made a fair amount of sense once we got to the basement level of the museum where you could visit several different Ramen bars each specialising in a different regional ramen dish (amongst other offerings). You paid outside at the machine and a hostess escorted you inside the "bar" to your seat, took your ticket, and gave you some water. Once it's ready, they’d bring you over a massive bowl of ramen to feast on. At this point, it totally made sense why you might buy a yearly pass if you work in the area because you could eat a new, fresh bowl of ramen every day for a fairly cheap price (outside of the cost of the yearly pass itself). A word to the wise (as mentioned in the first section): don't bother eating breakfast if you're wanting to eat more than one bowl of Ramen. I was surprisingly full before I even finished my one bowl. Definitely bring your A-game appetite if you're wanting a chance to try out different varieties but need to compact it into one visit.

From there, we trekked over to the Landmark Tower. Before we could make our way to the entrance, we spotted an older gentleman with his chunky but adorable pooch. To make a long story short, in true Rik fashion, my husband managed to befriend the dog. The owner ended up giving us treats to give to the little guy/gal. This was yet another demonstration of just how friendly some of the locals were; that they would go out of their way, even with a language barrier, to have a positive interaction with two obvious tourists. It was a very welcoming experience compared to other places we've visited even in the last year alone (E.G. in Poland, people don't seem to want you to even acknowledge they have a dog, let alone ask to pet it).

We made our way inside the building and started to head over to the lift to get to the actual Sky Garden when we caught a glance of a Pokémon centre on the floor above where we made a quick detour before continuing on to the entrance for the sky garden. After a fairly quick wait, we boarded the lift that would shoot us rapidly up to the top floor. The ascension was so quick that my ears actually popped in the lift. According to the website, it makes it up all 69 floors in just under 40 seconds - making it the fastest elevator in the country. The view from the top was the first of many 360-panoramics on our trip and we enjoyed it over a cocktail. It was definitely an experience to see just how big the city was. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very clear day so we were unable to see Mt. Fuji through the clouds.

Once descended, we made our way back to the train station for part 2 of our day trip extravaganza: Kawasaki. We pulled into the station and made our way to higher ground to discover a fairly large open-air lawn space in the centre of yet another endless shopping mall. We didn't hang around too long as we were keen to arrive at Anata No Warehouse; our final planned destination of the day. I don't have words to describe what a unique experience this was as far as arcades go. The place had gone viral and I remember seeing it in a video shared on Facebook thinking that it would be awesome to see this place in person. I also remember thinking how there was no way it could be that cool in real life. Having now been in person, I can now confirm it *IS* indeed that cool in real life.

We sufficiently tired ourselves out enough to head "home". We arrived back in Akiba around 9-9:30, just at the point where I was starting to get hangry. Just as I was ready to throw in the towel for the night, Rik swiftly found us a place to eat that had high ratings on TripAdvisor and was only a 10-minute walk away. It turned out to be a teeny, back-alley izakaya that couldn't have sat more than 15 people MAX. Panic began to set in in my already ravenous state as we couldn't get google translate to work on the handwritten menu that sat above the bar. The man whom I assumed to be the owner didn't appear to speak much English and - obviously - our Japanese was extremely limited. A local who seemed to already be pissed jumped in with her limited English skills to try to bridge the gap between us all, and for that I was very grateful. With her help, we managed to order some chicken and noodles which was so delicious that it was worth every yen and then some. I had thought I was going to end up going to bed hungry but couldn't have been happier that we ended up where we did.

It lifted my spirits up enough that we decided we weren't actually as ready to go home as we thought. Before we could go home, we decided we just had to stop into the HUB we passed by for a bit of a laugh, especially for how infamous it seems to be with regards to places Japanese want to go to practise English. As it turns out, it was just another fine example of how well researched the Japanese are as a society. Rik and I kept wanting to find things we could point out and laugh at in a "they think *thaaaat* is English?!" type way but we honestly could find very little to fault in that sense. I don't think we realised just how hopping HUB would be (and how hopping it seemed to be at EVERY HUB we came across....and we came across a lottttt of HUBs). Deciding to call it a somewhat early-ish night, we got ready and headed back out into the night. But, not before we managed to win some type of Jack Daniels plastic folder thing from scratch cards we got with our Halloween-themed cocktails (these will forever be known as our "Shellfish Awards" due to a comedic dodge-y translation)... The night was still young for the majority in Electric Town, but we had some serious packing and tidying to do and another 11 days ahead of us to experience.

And with that, we left Akiba the following morning for Kyoto having started our trip off on the right foot.

(If you’ve made it this far, be aware that I will update with actual photo albums with more pictures once a full trip report is written)

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sunkissis · 7 years ago

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This post is for you brave souls who are looking to move abroad for longer than 90 days, applying for a long stay tourist visa in the European Union. It’s a complicated, frustrating, expensive, stressful and exhausting endeavor but I believe it’s totally worth it.

I began researching how to apply for a visa close to three years ago. It has always been my dream that our family could actually immerse ourselves in the French culture and travel throughout Europe. I was curious of what it would take to live abroad for a year. I found the French embassy website and printed a list of the paperwork. Then I created an Excel spreadsheet of we needed to complete and put together a timeline and a budget. If you live in Southern California, Arizona, Colorado, Southern Nevada, and New Mexico you and all family members (six years old and older) must be present at the General Consulate in Los Angeles, California.

Here’s where it gets tricky, when applying for a long stay tourist visa, you can’t schedule your appointment any earlier than three months before your departure date. So it leaves a tight window to purchase airline tickets, show proof of income, proof of where you will reside in France and work out all the logistics of moving. Our window kept getting moved due to issues with his company. Initially they wanted him to apply for a work visa (called an Intra-Company Transfer/ICT) so that added additional paperwork and we had to work with an advisor from his company office in Paris. However, if you are self employed, you just would need to state that you will work remotely from home, you need to show a business plan and a letter from clients that will continue working with you while you are abroad. Sounds easy, right?

I am hyper-organized and tend to over-plan for things but even with all my preparation and knowledge of what is needed to apply for a long stay visa, I still paid professionals to assist us during the process. This is something I couldn’t leave to chance. Like in my early twenties, I used to file my own taxes. Back then we were renting, had the simplest W-2s and barely got a $600 refund every year. Now we are homeowners with an actual financial portfolio and a kid, I pay a CPA and leave it in her capable hands.

I found our visa consultant Stephen on his blog An American in Paris and hit him up with all the questions. He gave me a list of recommendations and encouraged me to secure housing before making our visa appointment. Little did I know how difficult finding an apartment in Paris would be. Stephen gave me a list of things to complete that gave me the sweats.

Lizzie Tip: Be sure to make copies of everything a minimum of two for each document!

Official copies of birth certificates/also need to be translated in French (obviously make several copies)

I already had our birth certificates but mine looked different since I was born in Santa Monica, it didn’t have the official Los Angeles county raised seal. That meant I had to go to the registrar recorder office to order a new it and wait and wait and wait. It was no fun standing in line for an hour and a half but luckily, while I was paying for my birth certificate, I mentioned to the clerk that I was applying for a visa and I showed her my marriage license just to check if the one I had was the proper version. Turns out it wasn’t and she printed the correct one for me. It was a victorious day! I listened to my homegirl Edith Piaf on my headphones and daydreamed being in Paris while waiting in that hellish long line.

Official copy of Marriage license/translated into French

If you want to drive abroad you will need an International drivers license. I got mine from AAA for $20. One of the easiest items to get.

Passports (no less than a year before expiration, at least two blank pages and in good shape)

Visa photos (at least 6 each) Olivia and I needed to re-take our photos because our hair was covering our ears. Bummer, I liked our first ones better!

Proof of medical insurance coverage (No deductible, minimum of 50,000 euros of coverage, must indicate “valid outside of the USA or “valid worldwide” and show coverage dates for one year) We bought our policy through our current medical United Healthcare Global Plan. They email you a letter to bring to the appointment. Antz company benefits aren’t valid in France past 90 days.

Proof of financial means (Three months of bank statements, pay stubs and tax returns) Or a big sack of cash!

Statement of Purpose (an official statement of what you plan to do while in Paris). In our case, we are not allowed to apply for work while abroad so we stated we were there for our daughter to attend school and immerse ourselves in the French culture (and eat pastries). Fingers crossed that is enough. Most people apply for studying so they show their university admission letter.

Letter of intention not to work while in Paris (also translated into French). This is strange because Antz will be working while in Paris but he is considered a US remote worker, so he is allowed to work but not conduct any business in Paris. This emoji best sums up what I just wrote.

Submit the completed visa application online. What I found frustrating is there is no way to edit existing online applications so I had to re-submit a new application every time I needed to make a change or correction. This meant that I filled out 3 applications, printed them, signed them and scanned them to send to our advisor in France EIGHT SEPARATE TIMES!! That’s 72 pieces of paper. LAME! The online application is in English but it will print in French so make sure you check for corrections before you finish.

A few years ago I attempted to fill out the visa application and I ended up with so many blank spaces because I didn’t have most of the info and I didn’t have approval from his company yet. I totally broke down and cried with frustration. They ask you to show proof of financial means for the year. To me that translates to “You better be fucking rich.” I have discovered they have a minimum of 13,000 euros per person for the year. They also ask for the address of where you will be staying in Paris on the application, so you have to secure an apartment BEFORE you get your visa. How can you do this to people?

In our case, we don’t have a lease for a rental yet so we got an attestation d’hébergement (a letter stating someone will be hosting you during your stay) from the woman I was planning to exchange with last year. She also had to give us a copy of her passport. This was a total pain because I had to find an English sample of what to write for the attestation and then translate it into French for her. Also, the first copy of her passport she sent me was too dark to use so I had to bug her again for a better quality upload. She’s super cool about everything and quickly got back to me but make sure all your documents are pristine. It’s super tedious and frustrating but every time I checked something off my things to do list, I felt amazing! Although the find a place to live box is still unchecked.

So what if I had no idea how to fill out the French OFII Residency form? Big deal that I had to white-out all of our birth dates on all SIX forms (three originals, three copies) because the French write their dates with the Day/Month/Year. I wasn’t going to let a little thing like not having enough money or a solid plan get in the way of my dream! You will become really good friends with Google Translate.

Our final step was sort of ridiculous, getting our police clearance reports. I’m sure the French consulate wants to be sure no one with a criminal record isn’t planning to set up shop in France. We went to the police department in downtown LA and as soon as we found parking, I realized I forgot our passports at home. We tried again later that evening because the hours were 8:00 am – 8:00 pm. Lucky us, we get there at 7:00 pm and they guy said the commanding office had already left for the day and they needed to sign our reports. We could either have it mailed to us or pick it up the next day. Since we were a week from our visa appointment, I didn’t want to risk mailing it, so we said we would come back the next day. Then they guy was like, Oh! we are closed on Fridays. So we had to return on Monday morning. This time I called to be sure it wouldn’t be any drama and they said the best time to come would be 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. I guess third time’s a charm because we finally got them! Why is everything a hoop to jump through?

We were ecstatic to finally get our clearance reports. The woman who took this photo asked if we were tourists.

You need to show confirmation of your plane tickets. Yep, buy your plane tickets before you get your visas!

We also had to get an official letter from Antz company’s legal department. (which is required if you are working remotely)

Our visa appointment is tomorrow freaking morning! I just finished putting together our folder this afternoon. It took me over a year to complete everything.

I must admit, I feel pretty confident we will get our visas tomorrow. I have an lucky charm named Olivia who happens to speak French and is too adorable for words.

In the beginning of this process I got comfortable reaching out to people who have lived abroad. I emailed Jordan from Oh Happy Day (she has a great guide to moving to Paris ) with a long list of questions which she kindly answered and gave me excellent advice; dress up for the visa appointment, it’s cheaper to pay for extra luggage on the airplane than ship boxes and get a letter from your employer saying you will be employed during the time you will spend abroad. It is important to reach out to other expats because I needed info but also, I needed to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing that it’s possible without corporate sponsorship, or being a millionaire made it more realistic. This has become a full-time job for me. Prepare yourself to be on the phone during the middle of the night talking to France. Seriously, our visa advisor requested Antz high school diploma. It was at his sister’s house and he hadn’t seen it for 25 YEARS!! Then we had to get it translated into French only to end up no longer needing it for our appointment. We had to reschedule our visa appointment FOUR times. I could make a killing turning this into a business but the stress isn’t worth it. I am taking stress/anxiety meds and I am still breaking out in hives. Yet, every meltdown, every tear and every headache will be worth it.

Let me be honest, money matters, this is not the path for someone who makes less than $50k a year. I am just on the cusp of shelling out the major Euros. We still need to pay a real estate agent to rent our house in LA and put down a serious deposit to rent a place in Paris. Here is a breakdown on what we have spent on documents.

$45 for our official birth certificates and marriage license

$96 in photos (AAA charges $8 per photo and was our least expensive option)

$280 to renew our passports

$2568 for international medical insurance policy

$120 in printer ink (for the hundreds of copies!)

$66 for Antz and I to renew our driver licenses

$66 for our police clearance reports (they only accept cash)

$450 for our documents to be translated into French

$325 for Stephen our initial visa consultant

$1300 for our French visa advisor

$375/99 euros per person for the visa application fees (the euro has gone up $50 since my last post!)

Countless hours of gathering and preparing everything, I’m not even including my cell phone bill for the long distance calls.

Total – $3,123 (although I’m sure it’s higher, I’m forgetting something!)

You have to submit a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the French Consulate to send your passports back along with the visas (fingers crossed). However, the visas are not yet officially complete until after you arrive in France. You must register at your local Mairie (which is similar to a city hall), take an X-Ray for your health exam, submit your forms with the OPII office (French immigration) and pay another fee of 241 euros.

One of the downsides of our move is we can’t take our 11 year old cat Lola with us. She is an indoor/outdoor cat and I know she wouldn’t do well confined inside an apartment all day. Plus, we have so many travel plans and we don’t have confirmed long term housing, it’s not possible to bring her to France as sad as that makes us. I do have info for anyone who may want to bring their cat abroad. Just email me for more details. Lola will be staying in our house, we discussed it and she’s cool with it.

I began writing this post on February 18, 2016 at 3 am. I have updated it over the last two years and it’s insane how much we have overcome to get where we are. Just do it!

Consulate General of France

10390 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 115 Los Angeles, CA 90025 Monday – Friday from 8:45 am to 12 noon. By appointment only

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Applying for a Long Stay Tourist Visa This post is for you brave souls who are looking to move abroad for longer than 90 days, applying for a long stay tourist visa in the European Union.

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keirnytee · 8 years ago

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I woke up feeling brand new. I guess that’s what you’re expected to say when your birthday comes right? If that was the case then whoever made that claim, if there was ever a claim like that, lied.

It was indeed my birthday but I didn’t feel brand new. Feeling anew is complete hogwash. I felt the same as I did when I went to bed. What I knew for sure was that this birthday would be one to remember for years to come. I will say, I was extremely happy that I was now twenty 7 and not 26 cuz I’m not really a fan of even numbers. LOL. Weird, I know. Who am I kidding here? My birthday was here and I couldn’t have been any happier.

As most of my friends know, my birthday is sort of a BIG DEAL to ME. I always try to do something different each time. It’s like I have to compete with myself and outdo my last birthday event. So finally, I would be able to do that. If you just stumbled upon this blog, there are three more before this which will serve as the pretext to some examples. Check them out here; part 1, part 2, part 3. As mentioned previously, I was on a very tight budget. 500 USD could do so much and no more. Heck, I’ve lost track of the figures but I’m sure I was down to my last 250 USD. This would be the culmination of an epic adventure and I was ready blow all my money on this day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEIRN

The staff came knocking at my door with the utmost urgency. They mentioned the ‘manager’ wanted to speak to me before I headed out. I was taken aback for a nano second then it hit me, this was a ruse to get me out in the garden for my surprise. When I made the reservation for Rudy’s Airbnb I mentioned to him that this was my birthday gift to myself and that my actual birthday would be my final day in Bali. It also didn’t help that on the notice board they had written down “Get Keirn a cake for his birthday”. Haha! I played along like I was completely oblivious to what was about to happen and quickly got dressed.

When I arrived in the garden, the ‘manager’ (I think his name was Theo), Budi and the fully recovered Wayan exclaimed the authorities contacted them because of my semi display of public nudity on temple grounds. I knew this wasn’t true but it was so creative. If I was any other foreigner, I probably would have fell for it but I’m too quick. The told me to have a seat and that they’d explain to me what will happen. I for sure whipped out my phone and snapped the whole thing. Wayan and Budi sat with me to try and sell the lie even more but they couldn’t keep a straight face. Out of nowhere, well out of the main area, Theo appeared with a beautiful cake and started singing happy birthday to me. Two other guests were in the garden as well and joined in. In true KT (that’s me) fashion I smiled the whole time. I was so happy. My cake was beautiful but I couldn’t eat any of it because I would be going to the beach and I needed my ab-less belly to look as good as it can. Can you blame a guy for trying to look good on his birthday? LOL LOL LOL. I mean, I’m no Tyson Beckford.

SOUTH BALI HERE COMES KEIRN

I really did save the best bits for last on this trip. Although I had a great time with Budi as my driver the day before, I was happy to have Wayan back. We had built a stronger bond as driver and passenger the first two days, that it was right he drove me around on my birthday. This I think is a major factor in determining how a solo traveler will enjoy his/her rides in a foreign country. I had photo shoot in mind the very first time I saw graffiti on the walls close to the villa and Wayan would be the perfect photographer for this. Upon leaving the compound, my phone rang with the first cellphone birthday greeting of the day. That call meant a lot to me because it was from loved ones whom I missed dearly. Tears.

Wayan did his thing with the camera and captured some really amazing shots. He even tried directing me. I had to stop him in his tracks. No one directs my photo shoots. I had planned this over in my head a million times. My only issue was the fact that I still couldn’t do a jump shot without looking awkward. HAHA. I crack myself up.

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“I thought I was done with monkeys for the rest of my time in Bali but I was sadly mistaken.”

After the photo shoot we headed for another temple, Uluwatu. While on the way I started to change in the car because it was like 30°C and that black leather jacket and long black pants was a big no-no. The heat had us parched, so Wayan stopped at a convenience store so we could refresh ourselves. I think he was more elated than I was for this quick rest stop. I hadn’t gotten over the fact that the monkeys stole me Oreo cookies the day before so I bought another pack along with a bottle of water. Before we arrived at our destination, I made sure to thank Wayan for driving me around and for being my ‘friend’ for the past couple of days. I put friend in quotation because I had to trust him with driving me around, safely, and for listening and conversing with me. I’d have gone mad. Ha!

When we arrived, I realized I had to wear a sarong again so I had to change once more. I put my pants back on because it was long enough for me not to wear a sarong inside the temple’s compound. I had to, however, wear a sash of sorts around my waist. Wayan snickered. Curious, I asked why. He then informed me that this place had monkeys and that I should put my glasses inside my bag as well as my Oreos. I thought he was joking because after the episode I had with the monkeys in Sangeh, I didn’t think I’d encounter anymore, at least not this soon. Still in disbelief, I walked over to the ticket counter and there it was. A warning that visitors should be aware of the monkeys. I thought I was done with monkeys for the rest of my time in Bali but I was sadly mistaken. Why on earth did he bring me here? Why did I pay to go in? I did this once before so I should be able to this with ease.

Here’s Wayan

Uluwatu was picturesque. It felt very Greece (well the touristy image of it) but instead of white buildings overlooking the sea, we were surrounded by trees with the temple at the top of what seemed to be a stairway to heaven, with the gorgeous ocean in the background. The sun was red. The heat was becoming unbearable. While walking and capturing pictures we came upon some monkeys. Oh lord! I began sweating profusely. Here we go again, I thought. Luckily, some other tourists were walking toward us and the monkeys dispersed. Moments later a monkey stole Wayan‘s hat and ran off with it. My Oreo was used as a ploy to get the monkey to drop the hat for Wayan to get it. I teased him the whole time cuz he gave me a warning he didn’t follow. Uluwatu was fun but I was ready to go.

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ONE STOP AT THE MULIA PLEASE

One of the main things I had set out to do while in Bali was to live like a Bravolebrity. The Mulia offered just that. After seeing that epic storm off Tamra Judge did on their final night in Bali, I knew I had to see this beautiful place myself. The site was a sight to see. I couldn’t believe a place like this existed. I mean for an average minimum of 350 USD a night it had to be beautiful. The open space architecture gave The Mulia and ethereal feel. I felt like I was floating as I walked through the halls of this magnificent hotel. To be fair, it reminded me of Iberostar, Jamaica. I, however, had one mission and that was to reenact Tamra’s storm off and troll her with it on Twitter. I did everything leading up to the storm off until I got stuck. I couldn’t find the right angle where the producers captured the incident. I was beyond frustrated. I didn’t expect it to be like that. Wayan was trying to be supportive by saying I should shoot it anyways, but I needed it to be perfect. If I was going to be running through the halls of this hotel, I needed to do it right. Since I couldn’t get it done, I was now left with one thing to do, hit the beach. After all, I still hadn’t eaten.

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DA DA BALI – GOODBYE BALI

After a long day, I needed to get back to the resort so I could pack because my flight back to Japan was just hours away. Before I knew it Wayan was taking me to the airport and shortly after, I was checking in. I had the best time of my life and I am so grateful to GOD for giving me another year of life and for the opportunities given to me. My trip was amazing and Rudy’s Airbnb made it very memorable. Da Da Bali.

Some people want dive out of a plane, some want to swim with sharks. Me? I will return to shoot that video in The Mulia for my own benefit. LOL.

Till next time.

reallyGOBBY: Keirn

TWENTY 7 IN BALI: Part 4 I woke up feeling brand new. I guess that's what you're expected to say when your birthday comes right?

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