#delivery company sent th package to a different state and then when he arrived here i had to get him from the post office directly

[laugtherhyena]

IN MY POSSESSION AT LAST!

[annasdesignblog-blog]

Week 8 - Group Project Pitch

The preparation for the group pitch on 22nd March took place a couple of weeks beforehand. Once the style of artwork was decided on and ideas created, me, Alison and Anniko met up to discuss the content of the presentation as well as to present the final ideas we want to develop. After a productive meeting, we came up with the following list of what we want to cover in the pitch, and sent those on our group chat to catch up the members who weren’t available to attend the meeting: 

The presentation PowerPoint was created by Alison, with the help of everyone who sent in their content. I proofread the PowerPoint once it was completed and made any necessary changes, which weren’t many. The finished PowerPoint can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NPGDdb-VBDIASNLx1XiVrJMBzl4e_kbd. We decided on having three speakers instead of having everyone speak to make the pitch run more smoothly – those three speakers included myself, Georgia and Alison. Anniko was allocated to change the slides to match what we were saying, whilst Karolina came to support and help to answer any questions that were asked at the end.  

The script used during the presentation - my parts were in blue.

Unfortunately, Tom wasn’t at the presentation and so far and hasn’t contributed in anything we have produced so far – no ideas or sketches as well as not turning up to any of the group meetings outside of scheduled lesson time or replying in the group chat used in between meetings, so the question of keeping him came up at the end of our pitch. We felt that it was harsh to completely remove Tom as the group project was only halfway through, so instead we decided on trying to contact Tom to give him another chance to contribute. However if that were to fail, we will have to ultimately remove him as he isn’t putting in an effort to take part. 

The feedback received from the tutors was positive, with only a few improvements that included having some kind of feature that makes the quotes and theme consistent, so something that makes it obvious that the quotes are all a part of the same ‘collection’. Additionally, the interactive element we briefly outlined is something that was encouraged for further development; the idea of having a QR code to scan to show a video of the activist was really liked. We also received positive comments about the originality of our idea and not going for the obvious images of birds and birdhouses, and a suggestion to take on board was to find a way to engage the audience and make them think about activists they found important and inspiring. This again could be done through the use of QR code scanning, or perhaps a wall display could be created with the contribution of people who want to tell others about their inspirations.

Contract signed by present members, along with a statement of what we want to achieve.

The group, from left to right: Anniko, Anna (me), Georgia, Alison and Karolina.

I think the pitch went really well as everyone contributed something to it; we will take on board the feedback and suggestions made to us, as well as trying to contact Tom and try to decide what the appropriate action to take next about his situation is. 

Action Plan - Review from Week 7:

In the last blog post, I have stated that I was given a lot of useful portfolio advice from the designer I met up with, which I want to follow up on by researching further into what makes a good portfolio. I have looked at two articles; the first one is titled Top Creatives’ Advice for Grads on Putting Together a Portfolio (9th July 2015) on It’s Nice That which is an online platform full of advice, articles and news from Graphic Design, Illustration and Animation worlds. The article can be found here: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/graduates-advice-portfolios. The article is aimed at graduates, straight out of university and advises them on how to put together a successful portfolios in order to get noticed and ultimately get the job. The following is a list of things that will ensure your portfolio is a success, in note form so only the key information is included:

Length – Less is more; you have to make touch choices about which pieces of work to include, don’t repeat yourself by including similar pieces of work, show a variety, don’t put in work you aren’t proud of.

Quality – Don’t put in work that you can make better; make it better, then put the work in. When including school projects make sure they feel ‘real’ and look professional.

Tailor to your audience – You have to think about your audience and how you want them to feel when they see your work and what you want them to take away from it. Don’t try to impersonate the style of the artist / studio you’re applying for, and show what you are interested and passionate about developing not what you think people want to see.

Can you talk about it? – Portfolios need to serve as tools to facilitate a conversation when you’re meeting a potential client or employer face to face, otherwise they’re useless, Make sure it enables you to talk about your work so create pages that you easily can talk about, and that can then spark a conversation.

Presentation - Consider not just the work but how also it’s presented, from the type to layout, make sure your portfolio shows an aesthetic that is true to the work you want to create, and also feels original enough to hold the attention of your potential clients. If you get stuck, look at how your favourite magazines progress through interesting layouts and take this into account when designing your own portfolio, the most important thing to remember is it should speak about your interests and define you as an individual artist.

Practical advice - They can go missing, so with a physical portfolio, remember to label it clearly with your name and address. Don’t include your CV.

The second article I’ve looked at appeared on the Lifewire website, which is a well known technology information and advice website. The article I’ve looked at is titled Graphic Design Portfolio Projects (3rd November 2018) and it states what kind of projects to include in your portfolio. The article can be found here: https://www.lifewire.com/graphic-design-portfolio-projects-1078707. This article is extremely useful to me as recommends what is needed in a portfolio when you have little real-world experience and no clients, which is where I am at right now. It lists the following projects, again in note form:

Web Design - In addition to including samples of any live web pages you worked on, include individual elements such as logos, navigation buttons or animations.

Logo Work - Include completed logos and the variations you went through to arrive at the completed version if you have them. Also, hypothetical redesigns of a well-known existing logo can show off your imagination and style.

Print Designs - These are "traditional" portfolio content, those projects designed for print. Even if you don't plan to work in paper on ink, the designs show your strengths and approaches to design.

Business Cards - Start small and design your own business card or redesign an existing company's card.

Brochure - Ubiquitous letter-fold, three-panel brochure is often the star of a print portfolio because you have to know where the folds fall and how to adjust the positioning of the text to accommodate those folds.

Packaging - Packaging design shows off your design skills and your ability to visualize the special requirements for a piece that requires intricate folding before delivery; you have to take into account the folds and the glue areas.

Poster / flyer - Even if you have to include a reduced version of a poster, include a poster or flyer. Your portfolio is a conversation starter, so be prepared to answer questions about how you designed the samples in your portfolio.

Lastly what I’ve looked at are some examples of graduate graphic design portfolios on the Digital Arts Blog website, which can be viewed here: http://blog.fidmdigitalarts.com/blog/14-fresh-graphic-design-portfolios-from-recent-fidm-graduates/. These are portfolios by recent graduates from Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Graphic Design programme, which is all about preparing students for future careers in Graphic Design within the apparel and entertainment industries. These are the examples shown that have really caught my eye:

This is a magazine cover and inside content created by Carrie Rooney. I really like this due to the consistent colour scheme that isn’t only found on the front cover, but also in the article. It creates a really professional feel.

This is the second example that caught my attention. I like the use of what the work would look like if it was real and accessed on a computer, or what it would look like appearing on a bus stop advert. This again makes the work feel real and professional, and shows an understanding of different formats. 

All this has inspired me to attempt to create my own portfolio, ready to use in case any opportunities come up. I will use this research as a way to ensure that I am putting in the right content in my portfolio, which is key to get noticed by employers. 

[embhm]

Chapter 195: A SURPRISE ATTACK on the STREETS

NOTE: This chapter is dedicated to my canine best friend and running companion Boomer. I’m sure there are lots of beaches to run along on and lots of squirrels to chase in Heaven, I’ll miss you buddy. <Alec>

Also, thank you very much to Miss Sae for translating this chapter, you won’t know the depths of our appreciation for your and the other translators’ work on this novel. Thanks again. <3

As a continued notice, please be advised that the “Addicted: The Novel” blog will always update the chapters earlier than here on Tumblr. Please visit https://addictedthenovel.wordpress.com for up to date postings on the translations. <Alec>

THANK YOU ALEC! For always editing when given the time. I would hug you if I can, but here’s a virtual one ٩꒰ ˘ ³˘꒱۶ⒽⓤⒼ♥♡̷♡̷ <Sae>

NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!!, in the comments or anywhere on this account. We have not finished reading the novel. No copy/paste and all that other shenanigans either. Votes/likes/comments are highly appreciated.

While reading, if available, please read the footnotes at the end of the chapter for clarification.

Translator: Sae                     Editor: Alec

As always, THANK YOU for reading and enjoying the journey with our RAMBUNCTIOUS boys:

GU HAI & BAI LUO YIN

《你丫上瘾了》

Chapter 195: A SURPRISE ATTACK on the STREETS

In the twinkling of an eye, two weeks have peacefully passed by since they have been in Qingdao. During the second week, the two had ended their days in the hotel and moved into a rented apartment for the time being. The reasons being, one to save money and two, to avoid having to go out too frequently. During the day, they would hide in the room together and review their assignments but once night fell, they would head out and take a stroll on the beach. It was in this simple way that their days together were enriched with contentment.

“It looks like someone is knocking on the door.” Bai Luo Yin stretched his head out to look at the doorway.

Giving Bai Luo Yin a glance, Gu Hai immediately stood up to open it.

“Hello, it’s the express delivery company. This is your package. Please sign here.”

Once he saw the shape and heaviness of the item in question, Gu Hai’s face sank; even the color seemed to become slightly ashen. Needless to say, it contained books again. For the last few days, Bai Luo Yin had nothing better to do than to search online for school books. From text books to reference books and even workbooks of various subjects, he purchased nearly 100 already. Every day, when the deliveryman arrived at the usually appointed time, Gu Hai was the one who signed for the package. To make matters worse, nine out of ten times, the books were all bought for Gu Hai himself to read while Bai Luo Yin was only in charge of supervising. Consequently, every time Gu Hai saw the delivery man, he had the urge to kick the bastard out!

“Why did you buy more books huh?” Gu Hai’s face darkened even more than before. “Can’t you buy something else as well?”

“What else is there to buy huh? It’s not like we are lacking anything.”

“What do you mean, we aren’t lacking anything?” Gu Hai fiddled with the cigarette lighter in his hand, “There are no more condoms, why didn’t you think about buying a box of it?”

Bai Luo Yin gritted his teeth, “A box……”

“And sex toys too. I looked online yesterday and there were so many different kinds. There were some really interesting looking ones that we’ve never used before. Why didn’t you pay attention to any of it huh? Those would definitely improve our quality of life. Look at what you’re buying……nothing else but books!! Damn it!” Gu Hai bitterly threw the books in his hand to the ground.

Upon seeing this puerile act, Bai Luo Yin narrowed his sharp eyes towards him, “Pick it up.”

Feeling wronged, Gu Hai pouted his lips and cast an angry look at Bai Luo Yin for approximately three seconds. Then, as if sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere, he slowly bent down to pick up the books without waiting for Bai Luo Yin to start counting down.

Satisfied, Bai Luo Yin faced Gu Hai and asked, “Did you finish reading the book that I gave you two days ago?”

“Yeah, I finished it.”

In just seconds, Bai Luo Yin’s seemingly all-knowing eyes scrutinized Gu Hai, but even then, Gu Hai’s clear conscience persevered.

“Bring it to me. I’ll take a look at it.”

Bearing in mind Bai Luo Yin’s tenacious demand, Gu Hai readily handed the book over to him. Although somewhat suspicious at first, Bai Luo Yin nonetheless flipped through the book in a rather calm and casual manner. True to his word, Gu Hai had indeed finished writing in it.

Not surprisingly, when Gu Hai was first handed the book, the answer sheet had already been confiscated by Ba Luo Yin early on. With that, it was clear that these questions were all answered by Gu Hai. Furthermore, in order to prevent him from contriving any tricks, Bai Luo Yin intentionally examined each situation listed in the book thoroughly. This was to further see if he had foolishly written anything without thinking it through. As a result of the examination, everything looked good.

“How is it? I didn’t lie to you, did I?” Gu Hai reached out to take the book back.

However, Bai Luo Yin suddenly withdrew his hand and gripped hard at the seam of the book. There, he felt that the thickness of the book was slightly strange. As he flipped the book open again and looked at the page numbers, he was immediately enraged.

Motherfucker!

Flipping through the book one page at a time, he noticed that every other page was missing. He flipped again, another page was missing. Needless to say, this rascal must have torn them out!

Noting that Bai Luo Yin’s expression had fallen through and his own deceitful actions had been exposed, Gu Hai hastily fled to the other room. Bai Luo Yin pursued closely behind. It was not hard to tell that he had taken this as a challenge and refused to let it go. After a short while, he was finally able to capture Gu Hai in the bathroom. Without much trouble, he grabbed the mop leaning behind the door and ruthlessly struck Gu Hai. The guilty boy scuttled to all corners of the room while the mop flew down to attack him repeatedly. Ultimately, he ended up at a small corner, struggling to survive in between hits.

“Stop hitting me. Baby, you’re hurting me. Who will serve you later huh?”

“I don’t need you to serve me. I’ll still be able to live well even if it’s just me.”

With much ease, Gu Hai roughly pushed Bai Luo Yin against the wall. This sudden contact caused the huge item, once hanging out silently between his legs, to press up against Bai Luo Yin’s family jewels. Taking advantage of the crude moment, he pruriently rubbed even harder. When he detected Bai Luo Yin struggling, Gu Hai bit hard on his earlobe.

“In other words, you only have me. Who else can satisfy you huh? Even if both your hands were rubbing it until they’re dislocated, it still won’t be able to keep up with half my speed.”

Before any more titillating words gyrated out of his lips, Gu Hai suffered another round of beating!

“Hey, I can hear the phone ringing,” said Gu Hai.

Still not releasing Gu Hai, Bai Luo Yin listened carefully for a moment. It seemed Gu Hai’s cell phone was indeed ringing. Slightly pursing his lips, Bai Luo Yin finally loosened up his grip and let him go before the two made their way out of the bathroom together.

Seeing that it was Gu Yang’s number with just one look, Gu Hai answered the call and casually said ‘Ge.’

“I’ve already arrived in Qingdao. Where are you staying at?”

“Why are……” Gu Hai was flabbergasted, “What did you come to Qingdao for?”

“Your dad sent me here to capture you!”

Gu Hai snorted, “Look at the person he sent. He looked for half a day only to end up sending an accomplice!”

Carefully listening to the small conversation, Bai Luo Yin picked up his own cell phone and browsed through its call history for the last couple of days. After looking through it for a while, he suddenly became aware of something.

“That’s enough, where are you right now? I’ll go look for you.” Gu Hai said indifferently.

“Up to you.”

After hanging up on the call, Gu Hai faced Bai Luo Yin and said, “My dad already knows that we are in Qingdao. He’d even sent my brother here to capture the two of us. Tell me, is he brainless?”

“Do you actually know if Gu Yang is on your side?” Bai Luo Yin asked without restraint.

“What about it?” Gu Hai answered with a question instead, “If he was working with my dad to vent out his anger, why did he help us that time?”

The color on Bai Luo Yin’s face changed at those words, “I’m just urging you to be a bit more cautious.”

“Okay, I know. I’m going to head out.”

Just as Gu Hai left, Bai Luo Yin immediately gave Bai Han Qi a phone call.

“Dad……”

“Son!” Bai Han Qi’s laughter trickled from the other side. His voice was crisp and bright, making it sound as though his mood was pretty good.

“Has Gu Hai’s father gone to our house for the last few days?”

“He hasn’t!” Bai Han Qi let out a light sigh, “I’ve also wondered about this. It’s got me confused too you know. Since the two of you left until now, he hasn’t shown up at all. You mother hasn’t either. Neither of them came here to ask about anything.”

Compared to Bai Han Qi’s relaxed state of mind, Bai Luo Yin’s mind was being ravaged by an unwavering sense of uneasiness that caused his chest to tighten.

“Dad, if it’s convenient, use someone else's ID card and change your phone number. I might have to change my number as well.”

Startled, Bai Han Qi’s breathing became heavier, “Son, what’s wrong? Did something happen over there?”

“No, nothing happened.” Bai Luo Yin quickly consoled him with a few more words, “I’m really good over here. Aren’t I doing this for the purpose of guarding against the unexpected?!”

“There’s no need to worry. If something were to happen, dad will cover for you!”

Those few words bitterly gripped at Bai Luo Yin’s heart.

“Oh, that’s right son! Dad has some good news to tell you. Two days ago, a teacher called here and said that the school has already fixed a recommendation for direct admission into the university for you. This time, there’s no need for you to worry about it anymore. Just relax and have fun over there.”

Bai Luo Yin’s brows rose slightly, “From what I remember, the recommendation needed to pass through two evaluations. I haven’t returned to school since, how did it pass the evaluations so thoroughly?”

“I don’t know either!” Bai Han Qi made a huffing noise, “When you’d just left, I took a trip to the school and asked about it. At that time, the teacher said that if the student doesn’t come, it doesn’t matter if someone else does. But strangely enough, yesterday a call came over to notify us that your evaluations have been approved and complied with their conditions. Afterwards, it was immediately classified as a direct admission into the university. As of yesterday, the file has been submitted.”

Bai Luo Yin became suspicious at the peculiarity of that event.

“Son, in two days, I’m going to chat with the teacher again. You two should come back as soon as possible! Since our ancestors have brought such a brilliant student worthy of Qinghua University, I should arrange a few tables and invite some close relatives and friends over. We should at the least show our faces!”

“Okay, I know dad. Just don’t forget to change your phone number.”

Immediately after hanging up, Bai Luo Yin began to rhythmically tap his fingers on the writing desk as if they were a set of drums. With each successive round of taps, the heavier they struck the table and thus they became louder and more intense. Suddenly, his fingers halted and huge waves of light flickered from what seemed to be the depths of his eyes. Without hesitation, he picked up his phone to call Gu Hai.

“Da Hai, don’t go meet up with your brother. Quickly come back here now!”

Listening to Bai Luo Yin attentively on the other side of the call, Gu Hai was raided with confusion. “Why? I’ve already arrived at the hotel’s entrance.”

“Don’t worry about the reasons. It’s enough if you just return here immediately.”

Thinking that something has happened to Bai Luo Yin, Gu Hai’s mind was immediately smoldered with anxiety. Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly sensed a gust of chilly air rush towards him from behind. He took a large stride to the side, compelling the person that attempted to mount a sneak attack on him to engage.

Gu Hai had the brim of his cap pulled very low and was also wearing a pair of black sunglasses. At first, this person only had some suspicions, but after the quick exchange with Gu Hai a moment ago, he was certain that his target was indeed Gu Hai.

This was a skilled individual. His fighting skills were not in the least bit concealed. After Gu Hai punctiliously hurled several tempestuous fists at him, he realized that this man was completely different from all the other skilled men that he had encountered before. As their fists met each other, Gu Hai quickly noticed that the attacker was not the least bit afraid of hurting himself. Instead, the assailant was refraining himself from hurting Gu Hai, since his goal was to try his best to subdue his quarry!

Sensing the odds of ensuring success were not too high after exchanging a few more punches, the attacker suddenly lowered his head and said a few words. “Huidu Hotel. At the corner of East street.”

Although in full combat mode, Gu Hai was well aware of his surroundings so when he heard those words, he immediately discovered that there was a small instrument hanging loosely from this man’s collar. Composing himself but still not feeling too encouraged about the turn of events, he gave the man a ruthless kick and rushed off. To make matters worse, Gu Hai didn’t know from where those men were going to ambush him from, all he could do was leave it to chance as he made haste and continued westward.

Soon, the two footsteps sounding off from behind him multiplied. Gu Hai knew clearly that the situation was not too optimistic but for now, besides running, there was no other alternative. So as long as there’s an opportunity for him to make it out alive, he would firmly grasp onto it.

A couple of minutes later, Gu Hai scampered into a bustling commercial street. He swiftly maneuvered his way through the throngs of people in the surrounding areas before entering a shopping mall. Then like a mad man, he rushed towards the third floor and charged into the staff lounge. As he swung his head, left and right, looking for a way out, he noticed a window and immediately jumped out of it without much thought. Surprisingly, he landed safely on his feet without hurting himself. This thoughtless jump led him down to the back alley of the shopping mall and distanced him further from the main streets.

Gu Hai stopped to catch his breath. By chance, just scanning his surroundings, he observed a youngster standing to the side.  

“Buddy, help me out. In a moment, wear my clothes and cap and run over there. I’m being chased by a group of debt collectors. Don’t worry. They won’t make it difficult for you once they discovered that you’re not the one they’re looking for.”

The youngster’s face immediately paled as he waved his hands repeatedly to object. “I don’t want to wear it. I don’t want to wear it……”

Without another word, Gu Hai stubbornly gave his clothes to the youngster to put on. Then he took the kid’s hand and shoved it into the pants side pocket where there was a stack of bills inside.

“Help me with this and all that money is yours. If you don’t help me, there’s no use in having it! Consider and handle it yourself!”

This youngster’s face turned purple with pain as Gu Hai’s hand, like a pair of iron pliers, tightly gripped his shoulder. Eventually, under Gu Hai’s attentive gaze, this unlucky individual wore his clothes and bolted north.

“I see him! He’s over there. Follow him!!”

Gu Hai’s nerves tensed. Looking to the side, he saw a car and quickly fled towards the back of it. By chance, there as a beautiful woman crouching on the ground looking for something. Out of options, Gu Hai pulled her up, pushed her against the nearby wall and kissed her!

The group of men majestically passed by Gu Hai from behind.

As the sounds of their footsteps gradually faded, Gu Hai let the woman go. He didn't even know where he had kissed her. It was soft and had a trace of fragrance to it. The woman’s luminous eyes looked on at the face in front of her. It was bright and seemed to be lit with rays of sunshine, handsome and unruly. At first, she wanted to slap him, but she unexpectedly was not able to raise her hand.

Making sure the area was clear, Gu Hai gave her a quick glance and laughed awkwardly. “Sorry. Seeing that you were so beautiful, I couldn’t hold back for a moment.”

For someone that had just met with an event that was quite sudden, the woman’s mental state was exceptionally good. Not only did she not get angry, she even faced Gu Hai and laughed.

This was the first time Gu Hai’s roguish behavior succeeded like this!

At the roof of a high building, a lone sniper stood still with the muzzle of his gun aimed at Gu Hai’s calf. This person couldn’t help but sneer.

He obviously has skills. In spite of everything, he’s still able to stealthily make the best of a bad situation. Fortunately, there’s also a skilled person here, otherwise, this reckless kid would’ve fooled us.

With that in mind, he rapidly pulled the trigger.

Just as Gu Hai was about to leave, he suddenly felt a sharp pain strike his leg. He bit down hard on his teeth while his face distorted into a grim and pale complexion.

What had struck him was not an ordinary bullet. Although it was not lethal to the body, the painful sensation that it produced was just as bad if not worse than a normal bullet. Worse, after the pain slowly subsided, an intense level of numbness will take over and the spot that was struck will instantly lose its sensation. Gu Hai was aware of the numbness that began to creep in the moment he found it difficult to lift his wounded leg. Meanwhile, the group of people that ran the other way were coming back towards him.

Trying to will the numbness away, Gu Hai truly believed that he was now screwed. But, with just a few short sentences from the beautiful woman, he was able to find a way out of this seemingly impossible predicament.

“Why does your complexion look so unsightly? Are you not feeling well? I’m about to head home so I’ll take you to the hospital on my way there!”

“Is this your car?” Gu Hai asked.

The beautiful woman smiled, “What if it is?”

Taking that as the answer, Gu Hai promptly opened the back door and crudely stuffed her in before he sat in the driver’s seat. With haste, he started the car, maneuvered it towards the main road and stepped on the gas pedal, rushing off.

As the group of men rushed ahead, a car swept by them from the side. It was then that they discovered that their target has escaped.

----------------------------

Are you addicted?

The original novel is written by Chai Ji Dan.

We do not own any of its content, we are translators and editors.