#dragon fruit are insanely profitable

[jellyfrog]

slowly turning her lily garden into dragon fruit

[ladyhallen]

Growing Flowers for the Sunrise

Content Warnings: chronic pain, talks of death, terminal illness

Harry woke to pain.

He didn’t scream, but took a deep stabilizing breath. He was used to the lightning slivers that seemed to live in his veins. But whenever he was doing nothing, it seemed to intensify until sleeping was the last thing in his mind. Muggle medicine was a good friend to him these days.

Another breath and Harry finally placed his feet on the floor, moving through the shivery cold that intensified with every step.

Moping would get nothing done and he was absolutely tired of lying in bed - in pain - all day.

“Winky,” he called. “Breakfast.”

The house-elf popped in, took one look at his face, and popped back out. Breakfast involved a lot of healthy food, along with Willow Bark Tea that he was starting to taste in his dreams.

“Agenda for today?” he asked his frustrated healer.

Daphne Greengrass huffed irritably, hands moving gently along his shoulders and testing his muscles with wandless magic. “Nothing too strenuous. You’re too tired from the last treatment, but Granger’s theory is actually bearing fruit.”

That was very concerning. Harry would have cried if he wasn’t so tired of being in pain.

“That I have too much magic?” he asked. “It needs to get out?”

Daphne nodded, prodding at his collarbone and his ribs with gentle fingers. “I have no idea what magic was going on while you were dueling with You-Know-Who, Potter. But you are practically bursting from it. You need to let it out.”

.

.

Hermione’s theory was the Theory of Conquest. No one had actually fulfilled a prophecy in a few decades, but each and every one of those who fulfilled it died in a couple of days. Her theory was that something was given to each person at the end of those prophecies.

It said something about Harry’s pain threshold given that he had survived for two months in constant pain.

Magic being the obvious choice was hindsight.

How to expend magic faster than it replenished was the problem.

Annoyingly enough, that was a problem unique to him.

.

.

The Department of Mysteries had a love-hate relationship with Harry.

Oh, they loved him for the challenge he presented, of helping an international hero stay alive and all the troubles that came with it.

They also hated him every time a suggested solution was rejected.

It would be hilarious if he wasn’t dying slowly with too much magic. Harry’s humor had developed a sort of morbid cast to it that made Hermione uncomfortable and Ron smirk unwillingly.

The solutions presented were weird though, ranging from a magic siphoning lotion, to a generator-like machine that needed magic to run.

The latter was the closest thing to a solution Harry had ever had and he actually spent the whole day lounging on the machine, having his magic sucked off and feeling more relaxed in months. (It didn’t last, the machine overloaded with too much magic. The inventor didn’t account for what would happen to all the magic after it got sucked off.)

They still used the MagGen when he had a particularly bad day, with Hermione on the team that modified it and made it better each time, it went from only one day use to a three day use.

Harry hoped Hermione would find a portable solution soon, because being attached to the hip to the MagGen was great, but he wanted to be able to go to Diagon Alley without feeling a thousand needles lodging in his feet every step he took.

.

.

Harry woke to the scent of flowers.

“Neville? What time is it?” he mumbled blearily.

Neville helped Harry sit up, the scent of damp earth and various green things clinging to him intensified for a moment.

“Just past lunch,” Neville answered. He patted Harry on the shoulder gently and presented his potted flower, along with a floating tray of food.

“I thought belladonna’s were poisonous?” he asked. The berries on the potted plant were the distinctive ones of atropa belladonna. The color was memorable.

Neville tucked the edges of the blanket around him better. “If you use too much, then it’s poisonous. It’s actually medicinal.”

Harry tried to wriggle free and gave up under a minute. “Neville, I need to eat. I need my hands to eat.”

The herbologist ignored him, grabbing the floating tray and looking, for all intents and purposes, like he was going to spoon-feed Harry.

“Neville, no!” Harry said, renewing his struggle against his blankets and succeeding in getting an arm free. “I’ll eat, I’ll eat.”

Harry ignored Neville’s self-satisfied smirk to at least retain a semblance of dignity. The herbologist was very good at wrestling misbehaving plants and it seemed to apply to ill wizards too.

.

The answer came to everyone when Harry woke up to his bedside covered in a riot of flowers, having slept a full eight hours without pain.

The only thing different was the belladonna that Neville had left on his table and it had gone through an accelerated growth overnight.

.

“Of course!” Hermione exclaimed, examining the plant. Whatever feedback she was getting was making her so excited that her hair was forming a cloud around her.

“Plants absorb magic from wizards and emit clean magic. They’re part of the reason why the greenhouse effect hasn’t actually killed off everyone, you know?” Hermione said, expression rapt as she stared at the belladonna. “Magical plants work, but I think it would work better with non-magical plants as well.”

Plants were his answer.

Harry called his lawyers and Neville Longbottom immediately.

.

Harry bought an entire mountain and commissioned Neville to help him.

They took long walks around the mountain as Harry’s strength started to return and he got more and more optimistic. He got very good at making hammocks as he spontaneously slept and did not feel any pain.

It was amazing and Neville’s smiles were golden as he did his best to harvest plants so that Harry could have space to do his crazy magical plant growth.

Herbology was a very specific trade and soon, they had enough profit to sell the magical plants to the wizarding world and the mundane plants to the muggle world. Neville had teams and shifts to work the mountain overnight.

Harry’s magic expanded but at the same time, the plants absorbed enough of the replenished magic that Harry felt safe holding his own Holly wand. It didn’t felt like a single spell would tear it apart and Harry actually cried holding the familiar wood.

“Of course,” Hermione said after two weeks of careful observation. “This isn’t a permanent solution. You are not stuck in your mountain, Harry. I’m working with Saint Mungo’s for a temporary pill suppressant? It would allow you to leave your mountain for three days.”

“I don’t actually find it bad?” Harry volunteered. Daphne huffed as he moved his shoulders. With an apologetic shrug, he went still as she poked him with her wand again. “I mean, I might need to build a house here eventually. I can’t sleep on hammocks forever.”

“You’ve been sleeping outdoors in hammocks!!!” Hermione shrieked. “You’re going to catch a cold and die! I’ve not been working my arse off just for you to die of a cold!”

Harry cringed but listened to the lecture with a smile. Hermione hadn’t felt comfortable saying the d-word near him. That she could meant that she must have felt better.

Before both witches could leave, Harry caught her hand and said, “Hermione. Thank you.”

Thank you seemed too small of a word to encompass everything she’d done for him. But Hermione understood.

Hermione teared up. “Oh, Harry. You’re welcome.”

.

.

Ron visited whenever he could spare time from the jokeshop.

Harry, who knew how insanely busy the jokeshop could get, was just grateful that Ron could spare him two hours.

“It’s still crazy that you own a mountain now, mate,” Ron said. The stress lines in his face had faded away when he saw Harry stand up and walk to him without a cane. “I mean, wasn’t it crazy expensive?”

“Well,” Harry mused. Fame was no longer a sore point for Ron, being a sort of war hero himself. But money… ”Remember during the war when we found those horcruxes in the items from the founders? Well, turns out, most of them were goblin made and the goblins were grateful to have them back.”

Ron looked concerned. “Harry. Didn’t we destroy Gringotts and let loose their guardian dragon? And weren’t those items destroyed beyond repair?”

Harry smiled. “Well. It turns out; it’s not the item that’s important, but the metal. Goblin metal is incredibly valuable and I just gave them three pieces full of it.”

“Hence, the mountain,” Ron said, nodding.

“Hence, the mountain,” Harry agreed. “And that I and all my descendants would stay as far away as possible from Gringotts.”

They walked a couple more feet and Ron looked up at the crazy height that the trees were reaching.

“Where are you living, mate? Mum did ask me and I don’t see a house,” Ron asked. “Not outdoors? Camping is all well and good, but I’d have thought you’d be done with it after what happened.”

Harry remembered Hermione’s shriek of outrage and shuddered involuntarily. “Nah. I’m talking to the architects and the herbologists about making a tree house.”

Ron smiled. “That sounds crazy. On these trees?” he gestured to the absolutely humongous trees that had sprung up after Harry settled in the mountain. “Wouldn’t they keep growing?”

“Ah, no,” Harry rummaged through his trousers for a piece of parchment and a quill. He flattened them on a flat rock and sketched out the idea. “What I was thinking was this. I’d take five trees, hollow out the insides some, the central one would have a hidden staircase and then I’d just have a bunch of houses up there in the five different trees, but they’re actually different parts of the house.”

Ron laughed a little. “That’s crazy. It sounds like you. That house sounds big, Harry.”

Harry’s smile didn’t die, but only because he pasted it on through sheer force of will. “Well, you’re gonna visit, aren’t you? You and Hermione?”

“Of course I will!” Ron exclaimed. His watch chimed an alarm. “Ah, shit. I have to go back to London. Your place is great, and you look better, Harry. I’ll tell mum so she can stop worrying about you.”

They embraced, Ron left and Harry sat on his rock and cried.

.

.

Neville had become a sort of therapist to Harry, which probably wasn’t healthy because Neville wasn’t a licensed therapist and Harry’s issues needed an entire team of them to deal.

Still, the herbologist, who had accidentally found the solution to saving Harry’s life, didn’t complain and visited every time he could spare.

“I feel like I’m going to die,” Harry confessed to his friend. “And I’m just here on borrowed time.”

“Harry,” Neville said quietly. “Is the pain back?”

Harry munched at the muffins and swallowed, feeling like he was eating concrete. “No. But, I can feel it at the back of my mind. It’s there. It’s waiting for me to slip up. To make a mistake. And it’s going to be back, harder, stronger and more painful than ever. That…this relief is temporary.”

Neville looked pained. “You’re not getting better, are you?” he whispered.

Harry set down the muffin and clasped his hands, wishing, idly, for tea or something stronger. “It’s been months, Nev. How much magic did Voldemort have? How much magic do I have? It’s not good for one body to hold two people’s magic. It’s just…not possible.”

“You will stabilize,” Neville whispered. He got up, rounded the little table, and engulfed Harry in a hug. “I’ll not stop. Me and Hermione, we’re working on it.”

Harry clung to his dearest friend and swallowed his sobs. He wouldn’t cry. If he did, he would never stop.

.

.

Luna, who had fled the country as soon as the war was over, hadn’t seen Harry since that fateful day in Hogwarts. She returned after a furious letter exchange with her father and visited Harry immediately afterwards.

Her protuberant eyes grew even wider when she saw him.

“Oh, Harry,” Luna whispered. “You’re…”

She hugged him.

Harry felt the tears stuck in his throat struggle to get out. He swallowed them down and hugged her back.

“You look great, Luna,” he told her sincerely.

Her dirty blonde hair had darkened to burnished gold under intense sunlight in the African desert and her skin was smattered with freckles and cheeks were sunburned. She looked alive.

“You look tired,” Luna said. “But you are standing upright. Tell me everything.”

Harry absolutely didn’t want to, but Luna, like Neville, was one of those people used to wrangling difficult things. Magical plants for Neville and magical animals for Luna. This translated well for Harry.

“Ah, it’s been a difficult few months, Luna,” he told her with a smile. “It’s nice to be able to see you.”

Her pale fingers tightened around his. “And it is nice to see you. Would you like some tea? I found some really nice herbal blends in Africa.”

Helplessly, Harry allowed her to feed him truly terrible herbal tea, until he cracked and told her everything just to stop the tea.

“You have too much magic,” Luna mutters. “It’s not that simple. You have incompatible surplus of magic.”

That’s the first time Harry had ever heard that about his condition. It was also the first time he had felt that much hope.

“Do you want to talk to Hermione?” he asked her.

Luna made a face. “Ah. For you, I will.”

Harry remembered belatedly that Luna and Hermione didn’t get along very well regarding magical theory even if both of them would kill for the other.

“I cannot ask for better friends,” Harry said, kissing her forehead gently.

Luna beamed.

.

.

Even with four people working on it, Harry didn’t get better. But he didn’t get worst either.

“We’ve stabilized it,” Neville told Harry. “You’re alright, Harry. You’re alright.”

It didn’t seem to sink in, until a year later, when Harry was cooking for a small group of his friends, who had their own guestrooms in his treehouse and he didn’t feel that bone deep pain hiding. That he hadn’t been feeling that pain for a while.

Harry dropped the spatula and had to grab the kitchen counter in a hurry.

“Harry!” Ron cried out, getting out of his chair and running to him. “What hurts?” he asked.

Hermione and George rushed in a beat later, wands out and alert. Neville looked terrible. Ginny’s hands were over her mouth.

“I’m alright. I’m fine,” he gasped. “I just realized. I’m happy.”

They all crowded around him and gave hugs and pats. Harry choked on tears.

“It’s alright,” he hiccupped.

“You are,” Hermione soothed. “You are.”

“I’m alive,” he said, almost a question.

“You are,” Ron said, hands on Harry’s shoulders. “You’re alive.”

It took a while but finally, Harry believed that he was.

.

.

Please tell me if I’ve written anything offensive for people who have chronic pain and I will do better.

[popentertainmentconcertreviews]

Tenacious D – TD Pavilion at the Mann – Philadelphia, PA – September 11, 2022

Rock On, But Don't Forget to Vote!

Tenacious D doesn't take themselves too seriously and quite frankly, that's part of their charm. From their crazy songs to their wild onstage antics, Tenacious D fans know what to expect, and love the insanity and excitement that the guys bring to every performance. 

The other night was no different, but in this special, livestream performance from the Mann Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA, the popular comedy rock duo made up of actors and comedians Jack Black and Kyle Gass took the stage to share their music, make people laugh and also remind fans to rock now, but be sure to get out to vote in the midterm elections in November.

The comedic duo started making music together in 1994. Now, heading up to the 2022 US midterm elections, Tenacious D has partnered with several non-profit organizations like Rock the Vote. You could hear that ringing through the audience throughout the night – "Rock the Vote! Rock the Vote!" In addition, to further entice today’s youth to engage politically and have their voices heard, the guys have also teamed up with another social impact platform – Propeller – to inspire people to take action on important issues and VOTE in November. More about that below because they are offering an exciting twist.

When Black and Gass hit the stage, they opened the night with the fan favorite catchy tunes like “JB JR Rap,” “Woman Time” and “Save the World.” Concertgoers were immediately on their feet singing every word and dancing at the seats. The lighting was awesome, and the visuals were fun, original and kind of wild (just like the guys) – mega birds, dragon masks, etc. 

Black's performance is still spot on – crazy and over the top (in a good way), which is what makes it so awesome and is what most people love about J.B.! Gass brings a bit more low-key energy to the stage while strumming on his guitar. They balance each other well, as they continue to live out their rockstar dreams. Their fans were loving it.

The entire show was a fun mixture of Black and Gass' comedic genius plus some serious messages about voting added in. They interacted a lot with the audience, joking, laughing and again, not taking themselves too seriously.

Some of the other fan favorites the pair rocked out to last night were “Low Hanging Fruit,” “Jail Break,” “Sax-a-boom,” “Beelzeboss” and “Kickapoo,” finishing up a very wild evening with their 2001 hit “F--- Her Gently.”

But back to the voting initiative – D-ciples everywhere can get involved and receive chances to win a trip to meet JB & KG, in-person in Las Vegas, as well as getting signed merchandise and memorabilia. The guys shared they are teaming up with social impact platform Propeller to inspire people to vote this November and to take action on important issues. For more information visit: https://propeller.la/campaigns/21936/get-vote-ready-with-tenacious-d

Copyright ©2022 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 13, 2022.

Photos by Jack Farrell & JoJo Wagner © 2022.

[offtosavetheearth]

Day 3: GREEN Yesterday was an urban studies day, and today is environmental science, sustainability, and geography. I don’t think any amount of writing can truly capture how insanely awesome and powerful today was, but here I go. Our first trip was to Manglares Churute for a community-led mangrove swamp site visit. Ecuador employs peoples native to the land for ecotourism, instead of practicing genocide like the United States did in the Sierra Nevada so that it could be a national park. Natives who live in the mangrove swamp co-exist with tourists, which is a perfect example of sustainability: protecting the environment while maintaining a certain lifestyle. On the bus ride there we learned a great deal of history and landscape ecology. I feel they are very interesting and relevant so I am going to list them out. The name “Guayaquil” means a big green house, and they were the first ones to produce and export bananas, which are the number one exported product for them today. The second highest is shrimp, then tuna fish, chocolate, coffee, tree tomatoes (a new fruit that the US has opened its door to), cedar, mahogany, balsa, teak (which has an 18 year growing period in Ecuador due to the microclimate, as opposed to a 25 year growing period), quinoa, and chia. Ecuador also grows grapefruit, dragon fruit, guanabana, and make some of the best organic chocolates in the world from cacao. Once we left the city, the soils were much richer. Along our drive we saw sugar cane, rice, mangoes, and teak, as well as homes built on stilts to keep it airy with nice breezes, as well as avoiding snakes. Each of these crops has a unique history. For example, when seeing sugar cane it is felt with a twinge of sadness, for this crop was in from the Old World along with 10 million slaves against their will. For centuries it was exported from Latin America to Europe, and is still being grown today. Rice is wonderfully productive here on the coast, and is one of the most important crops in the world. In Ecuador they have Asian, African, and Native American rice. We also learned about demographics and politics. Like the population of Haitians in Ecuador, which became a part of this country when they migrated based on tales told by the Spaniard of gold. 4,000 came and only 2,000 survived due to yellow fever, and other viruses. Now, because half of them survived, they have been integrated into the culture. The train project was also mentioned, which is a multi-million dollar social project to restore Ecuador’s historic trains. This tourist attraction is the most profitable of the industry, and the earnings will be used to support the growth of their cities. Lastly we talked about Raphael Carrera. This president invested in several social movements to improve the lives of his people. He created infrastructure, roads, and increased the prices of driver’s license. Additionally he cared about the well-being of his people, creating free health care and starting a social movement to be healthier, which included exercising, nutrition ingredients, and switching from rice to quinoa. The mangroves we are seeing today however, are endangered because they are easy to extract in order to create shrimp farms. Seeing the mangroves sincerely felt like I was reading a national geographic magazine. Their structure and root system is unreal; some grow completely horizontally and different parts of the tree grow different ways. Below the trees in the mud, there are small holes everywhere that crabs and giant tarantulas burrow in during the day. The trantulas are so large here that they are able to kill and eat birds. While coasting through this ecologically protected area we saw many bird species such as Osprey, White ibis, Comorian, Rosette Spoonbill, Black neck steel, and Blue Herin. Huge termite homes hung on the branches, and an iguana climbed to the top of the tree to sunbathe. During this trip we had many discussions on the biological importance of mosquitoes, since they are so plentiful in the mangroves, and increasingly aggressive in northern areas. Overall as humanists we can to the consensus to make them extinct since they do more harm than good. Now we make our ascent to the Andes. Goodbye Guayaquil & Hello Cuenca.

[ireviewuread]

Stay healthy with Premium Fruits from Fruits Delivery Singapore | The Fruits Hut

Do you eat to live or do you live to eat? This is the question that people often ask to understand what you value as a person. I live to eat. The taste, the aroma of all these dishes dancing on your tongue is a dream of its own. I guess that’s why I’ve been rapidly moving in the food reviews category recently.

At the same time, not all food is good for your body. Delicious dishes like pizza are often bad for you. Thus, I’m dawdling into the health food category to make your food work for you. In the previous health food review, I touched on Acai Bowls, a wonderful bowl that is high in antioxidants and low in carbohydrates. In this post, I will be introducing a variety of fruits. 

Remember when you’re young and your mother kept nagging you to eat your fruits and vegetables? There’s a reason for that. Fruits and vegetables are known to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke and even prevent some types of cancer. They provide important vitamins and nutrients to ensure your body works properly. This is especially important if you hate going to the doctors. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Exotic Tropical Fruits

As a person that has sweet tooth, fruits are always a treat to me. I consume apples, pears, oranges and even kiwis regularly. So much so that, I’m getting tired of the ordinary fruits diet. Thus, I decided to spice things up and order some exotic tropical fruits from Fruits Delivery Singapore instead. With a curious mindset, I also ordered one of those fruits juice in the premium glass bottle that I always look at but never get.

When the order arrives, it came in a Kiwi box with a cute blue bow on top. I thought the bow was such a cute addition to the order. They even cling wrap the items in place such that it looked like a fruits hamper. That was such a thoughtful and beautiful way to present the order. Before I continue with the review, let me introduce more about Fruits Delivery Singapore first.

Photo by Owari Photography

Fruits Delivery Singapore | The Fruits Hut 

Rated the best fruits delivery on Best in Singapore, Fruits Delivery Singapore offers over 80 varieties of fresh fruits from the best farms worldwide. Their fruits are kept in a 3 to 7°c cold room for optimum freshness. They also have a 2-hour delivery system where you can get fresh fruits at your doorstep with no minimum order. 98% of their fruits sell out within a day that means you can be reassured that the fruits you get are not stale. However, if you do get a bruised or rotten fruit delivered to you, you can get a replacement by providing photos of the spoiled fruit and reaching out to them using live chat within 3 days.

Photo by Owari Photography

On the other hand, if you are not fond of fruits being picked out by strangers, you can drop by their store and personally pick out your favourite fruits. Every week, Fruits Delivery Singapore will have special fruits of the week such as MYS Rambutan to SA Grapefruit. 

Not a fan of handling a knife? There are cut fruits and packaged fruits available too. Not sure what to give? Try a fruit basket. They provide Vitality Basket, Exotic Basket and a super duper fruit basket that contains 110 pieces of fruits. If you have a fruit related problem, they have a fruit related solution. 

Fruits Delivery Singapore | The Fruits Hut

Website | Facebook

19 Lorong 12, Singapore 398999

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11AM – 10PM

Fruits Delivery Singapore 

Coming back to my order of exotic tropical fruits and drink from Fruits Delivery Singapore, I got myself 5 items: 

USA Dinosaur Grenade (3 pcs) 

Custard Apple (L)

Ecuador Yellow Dragonfruit (M)

Soursop Platter - Changed to Watermelon Platter

Japan Pomelo Juice (500ml)

Japan Pomelo Juice (500ml)

Since Yuzu season is round the corner, I decided to get one of the luxury looking Japan Pomelo Juice. I have chosen the Pomelo juice for Pomelos or also known as Yuzu are known to boost immunity and prevents premature ageing. It is highly nutritious and contains powerful antioxidants. It also contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B5 and more.

Japan Pomelo Juice Review

The Japan Pomelo Juice comes in a long mattee glass bottle with a gold foil top, resembling a bottle of alcohol. A bottle opener is needed to open its tight seal. When opened a fresh Yuzu smell tickles my nose, enticing me to have a sip straight from the bottle. However, I held myself back and gently pour it into a cup before gulping it down instead. The Pomelo Juice tasted concentrated and sweet. Due to the thickness of the juice and the slightly bitter after taste, I believed that some part of the membranes were blended in to make the juice as well. The good thing about having such a thick juice was you can mix it with water to make it last longer. I do enjoy the pomelo juice for its tropical taste but I understand how it will only appeal to specific people due to its aftertaste.

Ecuador Yellow Dragonfruit (M)

Pink dragonfruits are a common sight here but yellow dragonfruits are something special to me. Yellow dragonfruits strengthen immunity and help with cardiovascular health. Its seeds have omega 3 fats that help with fungal and bacterial infections and autoimmune diseases in organ systems.

Ecuador Yellow Dragonfruit Review

The yellow dragonfruit is of a white-fleshed variety. There is a slight crunch to it that made it resemble a kiwifruit texture. The dragonfruit has a mouthwatering sweetness that melts into your mouth with every bite. The juices from the flesh flood your tastebuds as the seeds shatter to the pressure of your bite. According to my mother, the yellow dragonfruit was a little bit old for the seeds are hard. Plus, the dragonfruit was not sour at all. That also determines the age of the dragonfruit since fresh dragonfruit tends to be a bit sour. On the other hand, I do enjoy this dragonfruit as it is for the sweetness, juiciness and slight crunch to it makes it such a delightful and healthy snack to have.

Custard Apple (L) 

Custard apples, an exotic fruit that looks like a dragon egg. Ever since I’ve discovered the existence of custard apples, I’ve always wanted to try them. However, custard apples are not commonly sold in the supermarkets here. The last time I saw a custard apple was in Mustafa and that is considered an insanely far location for me. Luckily on Fruits Delivery Singapore, they sell exotic tropical fruits such as custard apples too.

I got a large custard apple that arrived to be bigger than the size of my palm. It was huge! The custard apple came unripe thus we have to wait a few days to a week before we can consume it. Aside from its exotic-looking exterior, the custard apple is a very beneficial fruit for us. They contain Vitamin C and Vitamin A. These Vitamins helps your body fight free radicals and they keep your skin and hair healthy. At the same time, they are a treat for those that love sweets but they might be a problem for those who are looking to lose weight. It have 28% sugar so if you have too much custard apples, you may see some weight gain. 

Custard Apple Review

The custard apple was a pleasant surprise. As a virgin custard apple consumer, I did not expect the custard apple to smell like sweet corn. It has a crunchy pear texture with a flavour that resembles soursop and corn. The intense sweetness and slight sourness made it feel like a circus erupted in my mouth. The excitement that I felt when the custard apple somersault was indescribable. Instantly, the custard apple top the charts as one of my favourite exotic fruits.

Watermelon Platter (450g)

If you’re looking at this and wondering, what’s so exotic about watermelon? They are one of the most common fruits you find in Singapore. You are right. There’s nothing exotic about a platter of sliced watermelon. I didn’t order them at first. I ordered a platter of soursop.

On the day of the delivery, I got a call informing me that the soursop platter that they have was not fresh so they can’t deliver it to their customers. Therefore, they gave me a list of fruits to choose from and I immediately jump on the opportunity to get a platter of watermelon. I think it was thoughtful and ethical of them to decide to not sell stale items even though it may cost them their profit. 

As for the watermelon, I love watermelon so I would seize any opportunity to get a platter of watermelon. What is there to not like about watermelon? They quench your thirst while replenishing your body with the vitamins you need. Each bite of watermelon contains 92% water and 6 per cent sugar. It is a good source of Vitamin C, rich in amino acid and lower blood pressure.

Watermelon Platter Review

On the external cling wrap of the watermelon platter, there were instructions of what temperature you should chill the watermelon and a best before date. There were enough watermelon slices for 3 people on the platter and each slice was cut in the shape of a medium-sized triangle. The watermelon was fresh, juicy and sweet. The perfect healthy snack to quench your thirst and fill your belly. 

USA Dinosaur Grenade (3 pcs)

The last exotic fruit on the list is three pieces of USA Dinosaur Grenade. Although they look like a version of plum, its curious name still got me puzzled so we got them. These Dinosaur Grenades are variants of Pluots. They are a cross between an apricot and a plum that are nutritious and low in fat. They are also known as Dinosaur eggs in other places. The USA Dinosaur Grenade comes in a pack of 3 in a see-through plastic container.

USA Dinosaur Grenade Review

The USA Dinosaur Grenade had the texture of a plum. It was firm but mushy at the same time. It had smooth skin and juicy flesh. Unlike the plum, when you reached the centre, there was no seed. As this is a hybrid fruit, I was able to see different colours in the flesh. Although it is in the pluot family, I find it to be sweeter than the usual plum. It even tasted like honey. If you’re into plums, the USA Dinosaur Grenade is a great hybrid for you to try.

Fruits Delivery Singapore Review

In conclusion, Fruits Delivery Singapore is a wonderful solution to our home-based lifestyle. You get to have over 80 varieties of food delivered to your doorsteps in under 2 hours. They not only deliver fresh fruits but exotic fruits that are unavailable in the neighbourhood supermarkets as well. Get your health in place with Fruits Delivery Singapore today!

In partnership with:

Owari Photography

Owari Photography is a professional photography service that specialises in product photography. Their clients include ORIGIN, Sushi delivery, Mosanco Enchanted Cafe and more. They have an in-house studio and uses state of the art equipment and they offer packages that include a loan of props, professional editing and in-house assistant. Check Owari Photography out for your photography needs.

Best in Singapore

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Best in Singapore is a website that features the best of everything in Singapore. From Fruit Delivery services to the best boutique in Singapore, they got it all. Check out Best in Singapore for the best of everything.

[jspark3000]

Ugly Asian Male: On Being the Least Attractive Guy in the Room

Statistically, I’m the least attractive person in the dating scene. Alongside black women, the Asian-American male is considered the most ugly and undesirable person in the room.

Take it from Steve Harvey, who won’t eat what he can’t pronounce:

Eddie Huang, creator of the groundbreaking Asian-American sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, responded to Steve Harvey in The New York Times:

“[Every] Asian-American man knows what the dominant culture has to say about us. We count good, we bow well, we are technologically proficient, we’re naturally subordinate, our male anatomy is the size of a thumb drive and we could never in a thousand millenniums be a threat to steal your girl.” 

Asian-American men, like me, know the score. That is, we don’t count at all.

Hollywood won’t bank on me. Think: When was the last time you saw an Asian male kiss a non-Asian female in a movie or TV show? Or when was the last time an Asian-American male was the desired person in a romantic comedy? And more specifically, when where they not Kung Fu practitioners or computer geniuses? I can only think of two examples: Steven Yeun as Glenn from The Walking Dead and John Cho as Harold from Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. So it takes either a zombie apocalypse or the munchies to see a fully breathing Asian male lead, or a Photoshop campaign #StarringJohnCho for an Asian protagonist with actual thoughts in his head. 

It’s so rare to see a three-dimensional Asian male character, with actual hopes and dreams, that Steven Yeun remarks in GQ Magazine:

GQ Magazine: When you look back on your long tenure on The Walking Dead, what makes you proudest?

Steven Yeun: Honestly, the privilege that I had to play an Asian-American character that didn’t have to apologize at all for being Asian, or even acknowledge that he was Asian. Obviously, you’re going to address it. It’s real. It’s a thing. I am Asian, and Glenn is Asian. But I was very honored to be able to play somebody that showed multiple sides, and showed depth, and showed a way to relate to everyone. It was quite an honor, in that regard. This didn’t exist when I was a kid. I didn’t get to see Glenn. I didn’t get to see a fully formed Asian-American person on my television, where you could say, “That dude just belongs here.” Kids, growing up now, can see this show and see a face that they recognize. And go, “Oh my god. That’s my face too.”

Growing up, I never had that, either. I can’t help but think of this scene from the biopic, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, in which Bruce Lee watches the controversial Asian stereotype played by Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to a theater filled with derisive laughter. This moment with Bruce Lee is most likely fictional, but the weight of it is not lost on us:

This was a powerful moment for me as a kid, because I grew up with the same sort of mocking laughter, whether it was watching Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with my white neighbors, or being assailed by the Bruce Lee wail in the local grocery store. I knew they were laughing at me, and not with.

“But hey wait!”—I’m told, with fervent knowing, “I know some Asian guys who are hot!” and I’m pointed to an infamous Buzzfeed list that shows “the hottest Asian men who will prove you wrong about Asian men,” with zero irony. Yes, I’ve seen the list. And yes, they’re like I expected: hard-rock glistening abs that are impossible for the working Asian dad, with classically European, chiseled faces and surgically-lifted eyes. More than that, it plays into the same creepy objectification of Asians as sexual play-toys.

Perhaps even worse than the portrayal of Asian men is how they’re not. More often, an acting role becomes “whitewashed” to suit a global audience, or an Anglo-American is the audience-avatar as a safety net for box office returns (remember, the last samurai in The Last Samurai was white). 

I know this is a shrill, ill-discussed subject with all kinds of variables, but from the prosthetic slanted eyes in Cloud Atlas to race-bleaching in Ghost in the Shell to the the “Yellow Peril” demonizing of Asian males as evil ninjas and drug dealers in Daredevil and Iron Fist, Asian-Americans—especially males, as females can still literally serve as co-stars—are vastly both mis- and under-represented. We’re used for a footnote joke at the Academy Awards (the same year that there was a campaign called #OscarsSoWhite), an overly loud insane person in raunchy comedies like The Hangover or Saving Silverman, or a “funny foreigners” punchline in the falsely interpreted romantic comedy, 500 Days of Summer.

One of the obvious reasons that Asian-Americans are sidelined in the mainstream is because there’s no money in it. It’s that simple. Freddie Wong, in his parody video of Ghost in the Shell casting Scarlett Johansson, says it best:

“Because, as a studio executive, the immorality of whitewashing a beloved work of Japanese culture is outweighed by my fear that audiences won’t want to watch a movie starring an Asian woman. And I don’t have the balls to take that risk. Besides, whatever political outrage this decision evokes doesn’t materially effect how much money I make.”

In other words, we’re stuck in a Catch-22. There can be no roles for an Asian-American unless it guarantees a profit, but since we’re not portrayed regularly in most media, there’s never a chance for Asian-American leads to draw a profit in the first place. I get the bottom line here, and I’m not so oblivious to consider that investors are all idealistic innovators. The creative risk is too daring. From an executive’s point of view, I can almost painfully understand.

So besides whitewashing an entirely Asian property, the next best thing is to throw in a scrap of representation by using the whole stereotype.  Make the Asian guy the smartest or the martial artist, and there’s your token diversity. It’s why major Hollywood blockbusters have now made shoehorned references to China: because they’re a huge source of box office revenue, and a pandering shout-out to China, no matter how forced or unoriginal, will mean more ticket sales. (It’s even going the other way, with Chinese movies like The Great Wall casting a white role to get more sales in America.)

Yet these roles have little nuance and only serve to further someone else’s plot. I’m the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and the Magical Negro, rolled into a non-threatening sidekick or the meditative Zen master. I will never be the action star or the romantic lead. God forbid that an Asian-American male would ever win against a non-Asian.

In some cases, Asians have capitalized on their own mockery by making fun of themselves in minstrel-like deprecation. I was surprised to find that the first winner of Last Comic Standing was a Vietnamese-American named Dat Phan, until I saw his routine, which went for the lowest hanging fruit possible. If you can’t beat the laughter, why not become the jester? Even other Asians want in on their own sabotage. 

Representation for the Asian-American only seems to happens when it aims for the least common denominator. The cheapest move, of course, is to completely hijack the “exotic quaintness” of Asian culture without going “fully Asian,” in order to boost a pseudo-masculinity. It’s easy: throw in Chinese tattoos or an Asian-type mysticism, and the non-Asian character instantly gains credibility. You can make up an Asian-sounding name, like “David Wong,” actual name Jason Pargin, a white author at Cracked.com, or Michael Derrick Hudson, a white poet who uses pen name “Yi-Fen Chou,” and watch the doors open. All the benefits, none of the fuss. Use my name without the actual struggle.

Of course, Asian-Americans are accused of allowing such undercover racism in the mainstream because we’re silent, passive, and obedient. We’re easy targets. We don’t typically march or cause disruption. We’re not socially involved. It’s why a huge clothing company like Abercrombie & Fitch can make shirts with Asian stereotypes like “Two Wongs Can Make It White.” It’s why Stephen Colbert (whom I love, by the way), can get away with non-apologies when he cracks yet another Asian joke. It’s why Ryo Oyamada, a 24 year old Japanese college student, can get run over by a police car in New York, and the officer goes free and no one chants in the streets.  

If you replaced the race with any other, the response would be louder, with solidarity on every side. Asian? No one cares. Literally and statistically, no one cares. Worst of all, it appears that Asians don’t care, either. It’s always a surprise when we speak up. You can drag an Asian-American off an airplane, and the most noise you’ll hear from other Asians is that they just don’t want to be seen as noisy and displeasing. 

The thing is, there are no shortage of Asian-American men who are physically and intellectually desirable, who could portray themselves as fully living beings with compelling stories and relatable conflicts. Is it possible that the mainstream, for all its talk about diversity, is afraid of encountering a man who is both Asian-American and attractive? Is it simply intolerable to witness an Asian-American switch lanes between the sidekick and the star? Has the Asian-American male been permanently imprinted as comic relief or Karate expert? Is it too culturally explosive to pair an Asian-American male with a non-Asian female? Can we really handle an Asian alpha male who gets the girl at the end? (Much less a non-Asian female lead get an Asian guy at the end?)

I have to admit that some of this is on us. No, I don’t mean that we brought it on ourselves. I would never, ever perpetuate blaming the victim. I mean that we can still fight against the pervasive, seemingly impermeable walls around the identity of the Asian male, by reaching and demanding for more challenging roles in every sphere of media. The shift in perception of the Asian-American male coincides with a shift in self-perception. 

Is it also possible to take a creative risk without guarantees? I know today’s market is less likely to pave new ground, with its risk-averse eye on sequels and reboots and recycling the same tale, but I wonder how we can tell new tales without resorting to the cheapest, easiest cliches, without exploiting Asian culture for “mystical credibility” but celebrating its uniqueness with a thoughtful exploration of both its treasures and its trials.  

I’ll leave you with a quote from Lewis Tan, the half-Asian-American actor who was rejected for the role of Iron Fist. In a recent interview, he says:

“I’ve turned down a couple roles. My agents will tell you when I first signed with them, I turned down the first three or four things that came up. I’ve just turned down roles that were super-stereotypically Asian that I didn’t feel represented me and I didn’t want to do. Not to necessarily say they’re bad roles, but it just wasn’t me. I’m not going to do this dorky Asian accent and just play someone in the background. That’s not why I’m here to act. I’m here to represent and to make stories that I believe in and to achieve new things in the industry.”

[tumblunni]

A random thought that just came to me: why do fantasy animals not have milk/wool/eggs/whatever?

Like.. I mean.. often in farming games you can have a pet cow or chicken but you can’t produce food or linen from your pet monster. Even when its a cow or chicken monster! Like, i was actually REALLY SURPRISED that Rune Factory 4 had your giant monster cow give you giant monster milk. Thank you, only productive doomcow in all of fantasy fiction! i think in that game tho its just cos you cant buy a regular cow. But then its still kind of Weird how every other monster in that game only gives like.. the same stuff you get from killing it in the wild. you only get raw unrefined parts like claws or tails or ‘elemental stone’ or whatever. never any other foods, never anything that’s then further craftable into some form of useful material. Instead theyre ONLY useful for adventuring-related stuff like infusing swords with magic by throwing entire dragon teeth into the furnace.

I dunno if I’m explaining this well but like.. I think its a huge missed opportunity for speculative fiction? Cos, when you think about it, its not like milk is a very intuitive or sane thing. Its only common sense now cos we have millenia of it as a primary food. How did the first human make the connection that that weird thing on a cow’s underside was the equivelant of the things on a human’s chest, and that there was a way to steal the cow’s milk, and that this milk is a type of milk that adult humans can drink. And then also who discovered the first way to make milk selectively rot without developing mould, and then who was insane enough to predict it’d be edible when sliced on bread??? How did we figure out how to spin cotton into yarn, even??? You never think about it, but a lot of inventiveness must have gone into it! So it seems silly to me that people look at like.. EVERY SINGLE FANTASY ANIMAL EVER, and don’t think it could ever be useful as a farm animal in this fantasy society unless it has some kind of feature also shared by existing farm animals

Like.. it doesn’t have to be a cow?? It doesn’t have to be a chicken??? Maybe this giant lizard also lays edible eggs! Maybe for some reason birds have milk! but ALSO wouldnt it be SO MUCH MORE FUN to imagine completely new and ridiculous ways that humans could get a profitable industry from these creatures? Maybe unicorns grow tails of ironlike material that intertwines in beautiful braids, and then humans collect them when they shed them and melt them down into swords, and thats where mythril comes from. Maybe milk doesn’t exist in this world and like.. instead everyone drinks this weird fruit juice produced by giant bees that ferment berries in their left knee somehow. You can say anything, and as long as it’s well developed into your fictional society then people will totally roll with it. And probably find it a lot more immersive if this place isnt 100% similar to real world farming

Also that raises another question that always bugs me: why do humans just arbitrarily decide some versions of animal products are for food and others are gross? I mean.. you look at caviar, and like.. bug eggs look like that. Who decided one day that weird squishy tiny eggs are edible only if they come from the sea animals? And caviar is still seen as super gross in some countries, and in others its like a super common food instead. Fish roe on sushi isn’t for rich people only, its not considered a strange novelty. And then dogs are eaten for meat in some countries, horses are, monkeys are, even insects. A lot of stuff that’s considered gross in our country isn’t a universal gross of all humankind. And like.. cows and occasionally goats are the only acceptable milk animals in the whole world of animals that make milk. And its funny how we think about it, yknow? i can understand being gross out by (for example) possum milk or something. Imagining sucking on a possum is a horrible mental image! But its funny how like.. dude.. if someone sold possum milk it’d be in a goddamn glass. You probably couldnt tell the difference until you tasted it. And we never think about how gross it is to suck on a cow, or how dirty those animals are! If anything cows should be THE GROSSEST milk-giving animal, floppy udders are a bizarre mutation in the cosmic scale of things.

So I mean i can understand someone in universe is like ‘eww but monster cow milk is gross’ even if its a thing that could hypothetically exist. Though also i feel its kinda lazy to do that, to just assume that in a world where these animals are everywhere they’d naturally have exactly the same perception of what’s gross or not. i mean, again, dogs are just a mildly uncommon food animal in some countries. Places where they’re not very popular or nor very accessable as pets, or just dont have a centuries old history of being pets. it’d be funny to imagine a fantasy world where like.. basilisks are a common farm animal and chickens are the scary gross thing that lives in dungeons

Oh and also randomly I liked how the game Jade Cocoon actually did add little details like this! Cocoon Masters capture monsters in cocoons, and then those cocoons can actually be spun into special silk that imbues their magic into the clothes it makes. this is a common industry for villages like this, the economy revolves around the catchable monsters in a rather realistic and interesting way. Or, i mean, you could just keep the monster and love and raise it. It was kinda messed up how selling monsters is explicitely said to be killing them to turn them into cloth :(

[mikkeneko]

2016 writing retrospective

Thanks to all the people that tagged me :) I did this last year, so I might as well do it again! I put the full list of fics at the bottom, so people don't have to scroll past it.

Total number of completed stories?

18-ish (iffy, see 'Word Count')

Total word count?

AO3 gives a word count of 221,975 but I think that's iffy; it's slightly inflated by a few non-story entries, fics that were crossposted to AO3 late that were actually written in 2015, and also does not  count tumblr-only fics. Still, let's take it as a fairly good indicator, maybe add another 15k for the off-site fics.

Fandoms written in?

Almost exclusively Dragon Age, with one exception for the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Olympics this year.

Ship/character breakdown?

This year definitely has a lot more Fenris in it than last year, although Anders remains the primary focus. Hawke and Justice have both stepped back a bit. Also a few unusual POV characters, like Cole and Merrill.

Looking back, did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?

Less, I'd have to say. I took a hiatus from my big project around about August in the hopes that I could knock out a big batch of other fics and get back to it, but they're still not done and I'm still not back to it. It didn't help that I got pretty sick in the fall, and that work has been insanely stressful pretty much all year, which combined to rob me of any creative energy in the later part of the year.

What’s your own favorite story of the year?

Personally I really liked 'Once Upon A Time (the Ballad of Ser Pounce-a-lot)' for its unusual format and mixture of cuteness and angst.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

Nothing spectacular; I wrote a few stories in epistolary format, which was new for me, and I tried out Cole's POV, which is very challenging.Plus ‘once upon a time,’ as mentioned above.

Do you have any fanfic or profit goals for the new year?

I really want to get back to One Elegant Solution and I'd really like to finish it; and, as always, I want to get into writing practice screenplays. Whether any of this will actually happen, I can't say for sure.

Most popular story of the year?

'One Elegant Solution' has the most hits by far, but I'm not sure it's fair to count that as a 2016 story when it was started in 2015. 'Subtle Touch' and 'To Hold Back the Sky' are about evenly matched as runner-ups. But I have to say that my biggest dark horse fic is actually 'Love Story,' the Templar/Desire Demon tumblr-only post that went viral.

Most under-appreciated by the universe?

I might have to go with 'Let His Name Be Not Forgotten,' a Cole-centric story that remains my only purely Inquisition-era fic. It got very little attention, probably because I'm not generally a DAI writer and so most DAI fans would have no reason to come to my profile. Still, I was very pleased with it.

Most fun story to write?

'Demensum Kirkwall Defensor,' aka 'Tevinter Has Imax,' aka the 'Ember Island Players for Dragon Age II' story where Anders, Hawke, Isabela and Fenris sit through a terrible cinematic adaptation of their own exploits. There were so many in-jokes and roasts in that fic… It was a blast.

Most sexy story?

Probably 'To Hold Back the Sky' simply because most of the other fics don't have sex scenes in them at all. I do think the 'zero-g threesome sex' scene turned out well, despite my apprehensions about it.

Most sweet story?

I might actually have to go with 'Fruits of Posion, Flowers of Blood,' the Merrill-centric story. Anders comes to help Merrill when she's sick, and though I'm pretty sure I succeeded at keeping everyone in character, I was definitely drawing on the more tender, sweet aspects of those characters.

“Holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you!” story?

Nothing on the main list really fits this category. Hm. Let's look at tumblr exclusives… There was the ‘elves as egg-layers’ fic, but that’s not really all that wild. I think my ‘testing boundaries’ phase of fandom writing is behind me, overall.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters?

Perhaps 'To Hold Back the Sky' again. It and 'Blood Feathers' were my first attempts at really writing Fenris as a POV character, and that does change your perception of a character somewhat.

Most unintentionally telling story:

I'm not really sure what this means. I think this is the sort of question someone else would have to answer FOR me. The ‘Sit In Judgment’ series probably comes the closest to being my unfiltered fandom meta opinion, wherein I don’t really try that hard to hide my biases, but because of that I’m not sure it’s ‘unintentional.’

Hardest story to write?

'To Hold Back The Sky' has actually been insanely difficult to write, as much fun as it's been. I've struggled with pretty much every chapter, even the ones that ought to have been easy. I'm not entirely sure why it's been so hard. Constructing the worldbuilding and the plot has been easy, it's the actual writing that's hard.

Biggest disappointment?

As much as I hate to say it, it might have to be 'Blood Feathers.' While the end result was fun and people seemed to like it, it was a very truncated version of what the story really ought to have been and I think the finished product suffered for that. It ought to have been a much longer story about Fenris slowly growing into his role as a Warden and his bond with his griffon, but instead jumps over almost all of the character growth to play around with a 'fenris is a warden' for a few scenes before shoehorning in a romance plotline and then ending abruptly. I simply didn't have the time, or perhaps the energy (since this fic was written after I started to get sick) to really give it the space it deserved.  

And as promised, here's the full list of fics!

TIME ENOUGH 

ONE ELEGANT SOLUTION 

TO HOLD BACK THE SKY

BLOOD FEATHERS

DEMENSUM KIRKWALL DEFENSOR

GLASS 

A GOOD DAY 

THE LONG RUN

LET HIS NAME BE NOT FORGOTTEN

LESSONS 

ONCE UPON A TIME (the ballad of ser pounce)

Pride and Prejudice (and Gambling Debts)

Subtle Touch 

One Epistolary Solution 

An Avvar Love Story: THE LAST STRAW

Sit In Judgment: Anders 

fruits of poison, flowers of blood 

Not posted on AO3 for some reason, but still written this year:

RESET (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle)

And that’s all!

[tbsbookclub-blog]

Diaries of a Hopeless Romantic - Firas Aouinet

Her: What would you do if you were bestowed with a million dollars? Him: *inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly, running a hand through his hair* well... That would be the peak of generosity. I've so much in my mind that I don't know where to start. Her: Don't think. Be spontaneous. Say the things that come straight to your mind. Him: Gym equipment. No no. I'd buy a big house with a gym that's equipped with the tools I need. It shouldn't be much, I'd need a bench, a set of dumbbells, a set of resistance bands, a pull-up bar, a couple of MMA gloves, a punching bag and yoga mats. I don't need the fancy machines. 

I'd get my driving licence. I'd pay my parents’ debts. I'd buy my parents nice new clothes, take care of my mom's health problems, get her the treatments she needs. I'd invest some of the money in a profitable project, so I could have a stable income. I'd buy lots of books, the ones I've always wanted like the 4 remaining volumes of "series of unfortunate events" , the 4 remaining volumes of "The dragon chronicles" and the whole "The vampire diaries" books set. I'd buy all the healthy food I've always dreamed of eating and all the supplements I need to build my muscles and burn all that stubborn belly fat. And how can I forget about shopping? I may be a male, but I love shopping for new clothes. Vests, boots, oxfords, monk straps, wingtips, designer shirts and *raising his voice in excitement* NIKE MERCHANDISE. I might invest in a gym. If I'm to make money out of something, I might as well invest in something that I'm passionate about. Throw in dancing lessons over here, cross-fitness classes over there, some cardio kickboxing sessions, weight lifting,the whole package. I'd be my own boss and to top it, I'd be a trainer as well. I'd be able to buy watches, suits, shades, ties. I'd have a a whole room just for my clothes. I'd buy a new performance computer with all the gadgets that come along. I'd get the grooming kit  I've always wanted. I'd get the fancy facial care stuff. It sounds girly, but it's of paramount importance that I take care of my body. But what I'm mostly looking forward to is... *looking her dead in the eyes with flooding affection and overwhelming awe* buying a plane ticket to Romania to fly over there and spend my holidays with you. *so casually* Oh and a wedding ring.

Her: *staring at him, silent* Him: babe what is it? her: *eyes filling up with tears* what if I said that you only get to have 500 dollars out of the million? Him: *as fast as a thunderbolt* buy a plane ticket to Romania. The rest of the money will be pocket money for our daily dates for my whole staying. her: *tears of joy* I love you. Him: *hugging her* I love you more. *he sighs* all this day-dreaming stirred up some upsetting emotions. Money would solve most of my problems. The general statement about money is that it can't buy you happiness. Money can't buy you permanent happiness because it can definitely buy you a few minutes, hours, sometimes even days of happiness. And let's be honest, there's nothing in the whole vast universe that can give you constant, unending happiness. Hear me out: Even love has its ups and downs. There are break ups, needing space, arguments, quarrels and constant bickering. Even if there were such a thing as a perfect relationship where all those negative factors are taken down to their minimum level, DEATH would kill that happiness. Pun intended *he takes his tongue out at her*. Howbeit, I'll admit to this: love's happiness has to be better than money's, and you're the only example I need for that *he grins at her and she launches herself at him, bear-hugging the life out of him* Would you like to hear about my date ideas? Her: *sniffling* I do babe. Tell me. Him: *putting his index over his pursed lips* hmmmm.... Let's see.. For our first night, you'll be taking me to your favorite restaurant. NO SUSHI though! Just thinking about eating raw fish makes my skin crawl and I want none of that. We'll go for a walk afterwards, maybe we'd check the park you're always telling me about. And if it happens and we find ourselves alone there, we might end up having some fun and we'd finish our fun back at your bedroom. No need to go for the details now or it might spoil the surprise. I've got some new moves that I'm dying to show you.. We'd sleep until late morning the next day, I'd make you breakfast in bed, I'd cook you some of the recipes I learned through an awesome youtube channel called "5-minutes craft", which reminds me that you should definitely check it out, it has extra awesome hacks in about whatever domain that's involved in our daily lives. Since you'll probably have school, I'll sit at home, read a book, write something Or... *a light bulb flashes on top of his head* I'd sneak in class with you, have a taste of what you deal with 5 days a week. Maybe I'll get the chance to prank that pervert Analytical Chemistry professor. Boy do I want to teach him a lesson not to hit on you again. Oh I'll definitely kick Braun in the balls though for ordering you that alcoholic drink the other night. As for Armand... *he narrows his eyes thoughtfully* I'll cook something up especially for him. I might put Cyanide in one of his drinks, or maybe itching powder in his clothes OR I could simply beat the shit out of him, who knows, I'm unpredictable. her: *nudging him in the stomach* Would you stop it? Why do you have to be so mean? Him: *wicked smirk covers his devious face* You wouldn't call me Lucifer if I wasn't, now would you? Besides, it should be fun and thrilling for me since I don't want neither of them to be my friends, nor will I encounter them again. Don't even try to think of one of those almost-impossible-to-happen scenarios where I end up working for one of them or even the both of them because I'd quit my job immediately. Did I say quit? I wouldn't even apply. If anything, I'll have them both work for me and I'll make their lives a living hell just for trying to mess with what's MINE. Her: OH MY GOD I'm dating a sociopath! Him: *faking surprise* Why would you say that? What could I have possibly said that would indicate ME being a sociopath? Her: Your tone. You were so casual about it, no high pitched voices or anything that would imply that you're angry. Him: My self-control training is fruitful! Fantastic! Her: You? Self-control? You've the emotional intelligence of a child! Him: You and me both honey *he kisses her neck*. Now would you please let me get back to my fantasy trip? Thank you! Now where was I? AHA! I was making their lives a living hell. I've taken the liberty to look up tourist sightseeing locations and I landed on a couple that I'd love for us to inspect. Inspect? Why would I use inspect? I guess I couldn't find another synonym for visit. Anyway, Romania is crawling with castles and I'd love to pay a visit to each and everyone of them, have that Dracula experience in the Bran Castle. Maybe if we're lucky, one of us will get bitten and turn the other and we'll live happily ever after feasting on people's blood. Her: My god you're insane. Let me check *she knocks on the back of his skull with her knuckles* No, it's empty. You officially don't have a brain. It's just a hollow empty space in your crane. Him: *completely disregarding what she just said* We'd have to get daylight rings though. Do you know any witches? No? It's okay. There must be a couple lurking around that castle. We'd pay one of them to construct us a 2 for each of us, you know in case we lose one, we'd have the second. If we have enough cash, we'd have 3 made for each of us. Mine will have to look like Stephan's from The vampire diaries. I call dibs on that. Well those castle visits would probably cost us 4 days minimum. We'd spread them across the whole week and in-between we'd go bowling and I won't let you win because I'm competitive as hell. Her: *intercepting his words* As if I need you to win by myself. I've been practicing with Armand... *She suddenly stops mid-sentence and slowly looks up at him all puppy-eyed and apologetic* Him: *his facial features change, jaws clenching, stare hardening piercing through her wide eyes* *in a voice that's calm and almost a whisper* You.are.going.down. As for him, I'll be inflicting the worst of penalties upon him. *a shadow of a grinch-ish grin appears on his face* Now how about we make a bet? Her: *confused* What bet? Him: If I win, you'll be paying for dinner every single night. Hold up, my terms aren't over yet. You'll have to kick him in the balls as hard as you can while telling him not to bother you again with no option of apologizing to him afterwards EVER. If you win, I'll literally do anything you ask of me. You can ask me to be your slave, you can ask me to give up video games, ANYTHING. But mark my words babe: I've a huge appetite in the evening. Her: Why are you this evil? How could I have allowed myself to fall in love with someone as devilish as you? It's like satan went "hmmm I'd like to walk among humans and see what all the fuss god has made is about! Alright I'll shapeshift into one of them and walk amongst them" And TADA here you are. Him: *holding her with both hands by the cheeks* I don't think satan is able to be vulnerable with the only human being he's in love with! *he kisses her* And I'm totally defenseless against you. Her: *sarcastically* Satan is THE master of lies, deception and deceit. You could be doing that just now! Him: *tickling her* you think you're so smug, don't you? Nevertheless, I'm kicking your glorious behind in bowling and that's that because I said so! I'm looking forward to the day where I'm offered 500 bucks babe. *he gawks at her* I love you Her: I love you too!